Wednesday, December 20, 2006

New Teeth!

Kiera has had 12 teeth for what seems like an eternity! Well, she is finally getting her two lower canines. Now, she is just missing the top two canines and her 2 year molars.

And a goofy picture of Kiera with Daddy's Beer...awwww...she is so cute!

Monday, December 11, 2006

Visiting Santa

Kiera got really excited when we asked her if she wanted to go see Santa, "Ohhhhhh, Yes!" she said. So we took her and had her picture taken (sorry it's blury, it is a picture of a picture). She wasn't afraid, actually liked it, but clammed up and wouldn't tell him what she wanted. But Mommy and her were practicing beforehand and she wants "CARS!"...not sure why but that is what she said...LOL

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Trick or Treat!

My little Pink Triceratops was a little sick, but we went down a few blocks.
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Friday, October 27, 2006

Pumpkin Carving

Picking out our pumpkins at the farm:
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Kiera finds a small one, maybe too small.
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Carving is fun!
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Mommy's Pumpkin:
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Daddy's Pumpkin:
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Kiera's Pumpkin:
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Saturday, October 21, 2006

Mackinac Island Great Turtle 5.7 Mile Race

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So there I was, at the start line 10 minutes before the start and realized that I was at the wrong start! This was the one for the half mary, oh crap!

I hauled butt over to the correct starting line and got there with 30 seconds to spare.

Off goes the buzzer and I take off...I set my watch as I go over the start, and it f**ks up and goes all haywire...oh no, now I have to reset everything all the defaults and all while I'm running, crap! Oh no, it's uphill too, at least I have my mind off of that as I try to restart my watch.

Phew, finally got it restarted, and I'm doing good, feeling good, and getting passed by everyone...oh well, just run at your own pace, I'm thinking. I might be going a little too fast, can I keep this up?

Hey there are walkers ahead of me...WTF? I'll try to catch them! Damn they are fast! Yay, I caught them, but what's this we are going downhill and they are running past me...up hill again and I pass them, down hill and they pass me...up hill again and I pass them and think, "good thing I trained on hills"...so much for that...they pass me again...I'm starting to hate walkers. ;) I have no idea how far I have gone or how fast...but I'll just keep pushing...still wondering if I am going too fast, but my legs feel great...not so much my chest and breathing...I am breathing really hard...this course is really hilly!

Hey, I'm finally catching up to some of the runners that I have been following all the way, woo hoo!!! "Good Job! You're doing great!" I say as I pass....then I figure I have no clue how I am doing, so I might as well crack some jokes. I start talking to people around me and saying "Are we there yet?", and trying to keep the mood light as it really is quite brutal so far...can't wait to get to the flat paved part that I know is after the halfway mark.

Yay, finally another water station! and a downhill!!!!!!!!!! Woo hoo we are finally past halfway and going to the paved road! Now I just need to keep this pace up until the finish!

Lookin good, legs feeling good, but my body is getting tired...why am I breathing so hard?

Hey, WTF???? A man WALKING and WEARING JEANS is PASSING ME. OMG?!?!? I know I am not going to win anything, but this is ridiculous! I decide to try to push just a little harder!

Ok, now I am really tired...I decided that in order to get to the finish strong, I better speed walk for a bit...there goes my goal of running the entire thing...oh well, I will still finish, and I am doing well for my first 5.7 mile race!

ONE MILE TO GO!!!! I start running faster...I pass a few of the walkers and walk/runners that passed me a little earlier...I try to catch as many of them as I can...

.5 TO GO!!! Now I can really kick it in!!!!

There is the finish and there is my husband and daughter! I smile and wave! My daughter yells "That's my Mommy!!!" I almost cry it is so sweet...what is she doing running toward me? Oh no...I am going to trip over her?!?! *boom*, she falls down, Phew, I think I may have avoided a collision!!!

I cross the finish line just as the clock ticks over to 1:16:00! YAY!!!!! I FINISHED!!!!! I cry from the relief of finishing and the joy of being a runner.

My official time was 1:15:29!!!! A new race distance and a new PR!

Friday, October 13, 2006

Like...Love...Rock 'n Roll...Moon

Lately, I have been describing things to Kiera, like the changing colors on the trees, snow on the ground (yes we have snow!!!), the moon in the sky, rock 'n roll music, etc.

The other day I said to her look Kiera at the trees, they are all different colors, red, yellow, orange, and green. She says "I like orange"...grin, I love that, makes me smile.

The next day a good song came on the radio and I was bopping and singing to it and I said to Kiera this is a rock 'n roll song. She says "I like rock roll"...we spent the rest of the drive dancing and singing to music. YAY!

Another cute story...we walked outside in the early morning just after sunrise and she looks at the sky and says "Look mama, MOON!" I say to her yes that is the moon, but it won't be out for long since the sun is coming up and she says "Bye bye moon"...awww...then right after that "I like schun-schine"

Finally, Kiera has started to say "I love you" without you saying it first or prompting her. YAY!!!!!!!

I just love it when I do something for her and she says "Thank you, mama, I love you, mama"...awww...melts my heart every time!

Thursday, October 05, 2006

Fall Lawn Mower Ride

Well, we did the apple orchard, pumpkin patch, fun fall harvest festival thing and forgot the camera, so instead you get Kiera riding the lawn mower for the first time. She absolutely loves it when Daddy mows the lawn and wants to watch outside, but we could never get her anywhere near it until this time.

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Monday, October 02, 2006

Running again...

I have decided to take up running again...and do a 5.7 mile race on Mackinac Island on Oct. 21st. I didn't want to post all my running logs here, so I started a new web page to track it all.

Running Journal

Monday, September 18, 2006

2nd Annual Beaver Island Celtic Games

The Athletes and Bagpipers

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Kiera and Grandma Case

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Kiera and her backpack of crayons and books

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Kiera Gets to Drive the Beaver Island Boat

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Kiera got Fairy Wings from a nice lady on the boat.
Here she is wearing them and realllly tired from a long weekend and no nap.

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Friday, September 08, 2006

These Three's

3 Things That Scare Me
1. Vacuum Cleaner
2. Hair Dryer
3. Animals that try to lick me.

3 People Who Make Me Laugh
1. Mommy
2. Daddy
3. Ashlyn (cousin)

3 Things I Love
1. Coloring
2. Baths
3. Planes

3 Things I Hate
1. Mommy and Daddy telling me "No".
2. Mommy or Daddy trying to go outside without me.
3. Not being able to dip everything in my milk.

3 Things I Don’t Understand
1. Why can't I play in the cat food and water?
2. Why can't I dip ALL foods?
3. Why must a poopy diaper be changed? I could stay it in all day, how do they know I am poopy?

3 Things On My Highchair
1. Me
2. Bib
3. An old Cheerio

3 Things I’m Doing Right Now
1. Singing "rain rain go away" and "twinkle, twinkle".
2. Drinking from a child’s cup with no lid.
3. Learning colors.

3 Things I Can Do
1. Jump
2. Turn Doorknobs, and open doors
3. Climb stairs unassisted

3 Things I Can’t Do
1. Swim
2. Play outside alone
3. Dress myself

3 Ways to Describe My Personality
1. GO
2. GO
3. GO

3 Things I Think You Should Listen To
1. Planes
2. Garbage Trucks
3. Rain

3 Things I Think You Should Never Listen To
1. Vacuum cleaner
2. Lawn Mower
3. Someone saying your name repeatedly.

3 Absolute Favorite Foods
1. Yo Baby Yogurt
2. Grapes
3. Crackers

3 Things I’d Like to Learn
1. To ride my tricycle
2. Turn on cartoons by myself
3. Open the refrigerator

3 Beverages I Drink Regularly
1. Milk
2. Water
3. Apple Juice

3 Shows I Watched as a Kid
1. Wiggles
2. Spongebob
3. Simpsons

3 Babies I Tag
1. Alaire (Brandy)
2. Emma (Erin)
3. Drew (Emily)

Mommy, Daddy, and Me

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Saturday, August 26, 2006

Fair Time

Kiera had a wonderful time visiting all the farm animals at the fair and riding a pony for the first time! YAY!!!


Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Molars?!?!

Kiera has been crabby and saying "hurt" a lot the past few days.

On Monday she spiked with a fever at daycare of 102.9...

we gave her Ibuprofen...and sent her to bed early. When it was time for us to sleep I checked on her and she was drenched in sweat, but it appeared that her fever had broken.

Tuesday morning I woke up to her whimpering and a slight fever of 100.6. I gave her a little more medicine and stayed home with her for the day. The rest of the day we spent lounging around and watching TV (rare for my go, go, go, girl).

The fever never came back, but her mouth still hurts...we will just have to wait and see when those teeth finally appear... :(

hope it's soon!

Sunday, August 13, 2006

Great Wolf Lodge Indoor Waterpark

Kiera and I went to the indoor waterpark in TC to see Grandpa and Grandma Fromholz, but I didn't get any pictures of them since it was extremely difficult to be chasing after a screaming toddler trying to jump into a 3ft. deep pool and take pictures.

So I had Aunt Ruth take a few pics for me...

Uncle Steve & Kiera
Anna (Aunt Ruth) and SteveAunt Bonnie & KieraMommy Splashing with KieraKiera trying to lick the water spout We had a wonderful time despite the fact that the toddler area was closed due to an explosive diaper situation.

Sorry that I didn't get any good pictures of the entire waterpark, but you can see it at the following website: Great Wolf Lodge

Sunday, August 06, 2006

Flag Day?

I was in the kitchen making dinner when I turned around to see Kiera wearing this delightful ensemble. (daddy's dress shoes and a US flag)
I couldn't figure out what type of American flag that was so I looked it up: The U.S. Yacht Ensign flag has long been a favorite of sailboat and powerboat owners alike. The design is similar to the Betsy Ross flag except that an anchor with a length of coiling rope appears in the center of the circle of thirteen stars and like the Betsy Ross flag, the U.S. Yacht Ensign has it’s roots deep in American history. The U.S. Yacht Ensign was first used in 1848 and was technically not an ensign, but a signal flag. With the growing numbers of vessels in U.S. waters, the flag was to be used by private yachts so they could avoid a visit to the customs house when sailing into a port. But it didn’t take long for boat owners to begin to use the flag as an ensign and the government granted support for the practice.

Saturday, August 05, 2006

Detroit Highland Games

Sweet Kiera Watches Daddy throw heavy things. Jeremy "getting" Kiera. Kiera and mommy with a highland cow.
Oliver and his two girls (Megan and Alison).
Kiera punches the Englishmen.
Kiera gets a thistle painted on her face with glitter too!
Grandpa Russ showed up to see us.

Friday, August 04, 2006

Silliness

Kiera has discovered that wonderful idea of being silly for silly's sake.

Out of nowhere, I will hear "I Funny" and laughter coming from the car seat as we drive down the road. As I look in the mirror to see what she is up to, she will be grinning from ear to ear.

On other occasions, she will take an exaggerated fall backwards onto the couch as she shouts "Bouncy". Doing it over and over again, laughing hysterically as she goes.

A favorite of mine, however, is when she starts dancing! A little bit of head bopping, finger pointing, hip wiggling and a bounce all at once. After doing this cute rendition of a toddler hopped up on popsicles...she looks over at me with this adorable grin and says "I Funny"! This cracks me up every time!!! I have tried to capture this joy on video forever, but I am not sure any amount of photos or video will capture the moment.

I sure do love this funny little girl! :D