Visit with Santa

Carter and I got to visit with Santa on Christmas eve, and although I was very excited to see him, I wasn't so thrilled once I got to meet him. It turned out he was a pretty cool dude though and he did bring me what I asked for..."lights" (I am fascinated with Christmas lights) and a "hule loop" (hula hoop)!

Christmas day was very fun and I'll get Mommy to post some more soon! Somehow we both made it onto Santa's good list because we got oodles of fun toys, clothes, and hugs!

Mommy and Daddy took us to see more "lights" tonight at the Hine Drive Lightfest, and Carter and I both fell asleep before we drove through! Oops!

Daddy graduated!!!

Yea! Daddy is done with school! Today he graduated with his Masters in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan - Dearborn. Mommy says that he is now a "Master Nerd," and Daddy says that he is now as smart as Mommy. Mommy just laughs. But she will admit that anyone who can successfully solve an eight-page math problem must be pretty smart!

So, we are all VERY proud of Daddy because we know that he worked really hard to complete this degree! Congratulations Daddy!

Carter just wanted to play with Daddy's tassel. And I just wanted to run around the Fieldhouse floor in my pretty little dress!

What a month!

Well, for any of you who know us well, you know that we had a challenging month of October in our family which is why we haven't updated our blog much. But October is behind us, November is here and we are all safe and getting healthy now.

Because I feel so fortunate for the health of our family, I do want to share another blog with all of you and ask you if you have an extra prayer in your heart, or positive vibe you can send this family, it would be greatly appreciated.

Mattie's dad, Duane, is a good friend of mine from high school. They have had an amazing struggle this past year, but have been surrounded by wonderful people and some of the best medical care in the country.

Mattie's blog

We are all blessed....Kris

My first bike!

This was a weekend of firsts, as we also bought my first bike (tricycle) this weekend! It is bright red and Mommy and Daddy said that they both had bikes like this when they were growing up. I can go really, really fast!

Which of course is why they bought me a helmet, knee pads and elbow pads. But aren't I still cute?!!! Daddy thinks I'm going to be sore tomorrow because I rode around the block three times, and up and down the driveway 20 times. I think he is going to be sore from trying to keep up with me!

My first pony ride!

Finally, I got to go on my first pony ride...and I loved it! My pony's name was Joey and I got to ride him at Maybury State Park. They have a riding stable there and also give pony rides around the corral. I can't wait until I can ride again! Daddy....when can I get my own pony? I wasn't scared of the horses at all. I want to be a cowgirl! Daddy said I was a natural, so it must be genetic.

Carter is crying in this video because he was upset that he couldn't ride the ponies yet. He's just a baby...I'm a big girl! A big cowgirl!

Summer time treats!

Just a few pictures of some fun times this summer!

My first Coca-cola. (And no, I didn't drink the whole bottle. But I wanted to!)

I LOVE corn on the cob! Notice that this is my third piece of corn - Yummy!!! Notice Carter looking at me in awe.

Do summer days get any better than running through the sprinkler? After playing in the sprinkler, we all sat on the front porch and ate popsicles. This had to be one of my favorite moments of this summer.

Important Day in History

Mommy says today is an important day in my life. I went potty by myself! Thankfully, she is not sharing a picture of it with you. But Mommy is really excited! Should I tell her that I'm just doing it so I can have some em-e-ems (M&Ms)?

Daddy's little helper

Something that Daddy doesn't get to do very often any more is wash his first baby, "Sandy," his Mustang. But Carter finally let him out of the house long enough to wash her off and he asked me to help! What fun!

Like father, like daughter. I think Daddy was getting frustrated with me because I kept rewashing the parts of the car he said he was done with. I didn't want to tell him that I was doing it because he missed a spot of dirt! I can't wait until I'm a little bit bigger so I can go cruising with Mommy and Daddy! Roadtrip!!! I wonder if they'll let Carter and I tag along if they drive Route 66 again.

My new backpack

Because I go to "college," I needed a new backpack like all of the cool kids on campus have. So Gram-ma-ma and Granpa-pa Day got me a matching backpack and lunchbox for my birthday. I'm the coolest kid in the class now!

I love my backpack so much, I don't want to take it off! I think it is really cool because it has all four of my initials on it.

Another beautiful day

This past weekend, we enjoyed a beautiful day at the Greenfield Village. The weather was perfect and we just really enjoyed a day together as a family. Daddy and I got to do some fun things together, while Mommy and Carter hung out together and played in the grass. I loved riding the carousel! So Daddy and I rode it three times (I think I was more excited than he was!). I got to ride on a lion, kitty, and a chicken.


Daddy and I got to ride in a Model T together too. Did you know that we are celebrating the 100th year of the Model T this year?


And...we also got to ride the choo-choo. It was pulled by a steam engine. Did you know that when Daddy was growing up, he wanted to be a train engineer...not the nerdy kind of engineer that he is now? Good thing Mommy and I like nerds.


And little Carter enjoyed the day too! He's getting so big! Baby power!

My 2nd birthday party!!!

And here we are a week later, celebrating my birthday...again! This time all of my friends came over and we had fun together! Thank you to everyone who partied with me and Elmo! I really had a lot of fun. My cake was very yummy, especially the frosting which I kept sneaking.


Thank you to my teachers who came to party with me! This is me with Miss Rama, Ms. Kelly, Miss Emily, Miss Siham, and Miss Janelle. Ms. Kelly - I love playing with my B's (bugs) in the tub. And I can't believe all of the bubbles that I received from my teachers. As they know all too well...I love bubbles!!!!

My good friend Katie is two too! She is only two days younger than me...and she has a baby brother now too. Little Luke is 2 1/2 weeks younger than Carter. Our parents couldn't have planned that any better!


Mommy took this picture of me in my bed about five minutes after I crawled in. Elmo, Cookie and I were pooped from partying so hard! Thank you to everyone for making my day so special!!!

My 2nd Birthday!!!

Can you believe it?!!! I'm finally 2!!! Actually, Mommy and Daddy can't believe it. In fact, I think Mommy gets a little teary-eyed when she realizes how quickly I'm growing up. I learned a new trick on my birthday though! Daddy taught me how to lick an ice cream cone! It was yummy!



And here I am ready for bed on my birthday. I still can't quite tell people that I'm two. I just can't make my fingers stick up correctly. I'll keep working on it though.

A fun day at the Museum

We spent another afternoon at The Henry Ford Museum and focused on transportation this time. I've been really interested in trains, buses, trucks and cars, so Daddy thought it would be good to visit the museum and show me a few things.

This is me and Daddy on the Rosa Parks bus. Ms. Parks was a brave woman and she changed the world. (See Daddy, one person can make a difference! Mommy was right!)


Here we are spinning on the stools in the old diner. Wheeee!!!!


And of course, the most important vehicle in the museum...the weinermobile. Oh, I wish I were an Oscar Mayer weiner...

A fun day at the beach

Over the July 4th weekend, we celebrated a family tradition, and went to a beach to play in the water. This year we went to Lakeport State Park and played in Lake Huron. Mommy and Daddy said that I threw enough rocks on the lake to raise the water level.

This is one of Mommy's favorite pictures of me from the day.

And this is how Carter spent the day...wrapped up in the stroller. I don't think he'll remember his first trip to the beach.

My baby brother - Carter Gene

Well, he's finally here and he is perfect! My new baby brother arrived on Wednesday, June 11 and I love him! He's so sweet and huggable and I just can't kiss him enough. Carter was a healthy 7 lbs, 9 oz., and 21 inches.

In fact, Mommy says I'm too good at sharing with Carter because I already shared pink eye with him. Oops! I was just so excited to touch him!

He enjoys snuggling with us too!

Little Miss Independent

Ok, so I got into a little trouble with my Dad this past weekend, because I was pretty stubborn. I just wanted to pull my wagon around Greenfield Village by myself, without their help! I know I'm not very fast, but I am strong and determined (Mommy likes those traits in me most days!) And yes, maybe you are right in that it isn't the best place to try out my abilities amongst 5,000 other people. But I know that I can do it Daddy! I think my wagon was the envy of all of the other Dads though - I have a pretty cool ride!

This is my good friend Katie D. My daddy and her mommy work together, and we were born two days apart. Katie is going to be a big sister just a few weeks after I am! We all went to Greenfield Village together to have fun, see the horses, and eat ice cream. Yummy! Thanks for a fun day Katie and for all of the hugs!

A beautiful wedding

We got to go to one of the most beautiful weddings ever. One of my babysitters, Sopha got married and we had a wonderful time at her wedding. I got to wear a fun, fancy dress with sparkly shoes, and my friend Sopha was a gorgeous bride.

They even had a horse at the wedding, Palestinian sword dancers, Arabic music, and yummy food. Unfortunately, we had to leave before all of the fun dancing started because I was just pooped out, but I just want my friend Sopha to know how beautiful she was and thank her for inviting us to her special day. Congratulations to Sopha & Yasser!

Here I am with my other good friend Katelin too! I miss spending time with you guys!

My big girl room

Well, the baby is almost here, so Mommy & Daddy have forced me to move into a new bedroom. At least they are letting me help paint. I was very helpful (but the kitty wasn't!). I was watching Daddy paint and everytime he stretched up, I stretched up.

Everytime he bent down, I bent down. Mommy was laughing at the two of us. Thankfully, she was still laughing when Daddy tossed the kitty in the paint tray, and Sydney ran through the house, leaving little green footprints everywhere. Daddy wasn't really laughing, but it was quite funny!

I also moved into my big girl bed and I love it! I am still sleeping through the night (most nights) and haven't fallen out of my bed yet! It seems I still am a wiggle worm at night though, because when Mommy & Daddy check on me, I'm usually all twisted around in bed. I enjoy sleeping with Sydney though...she is a good snuggler.

More safari pictures

Here I am sleeping in a big bed at the hotel. Mommy keeps telling me that I will have to start sleeping in my big bed at home soon too so the new baby can sleep in my crib. I woke up once or twice saying "wa wa" and Daddy thought I was dreaming of the water park. Silly daddy, I just wanted a drink of water!


They also had some animals at the hotel, so I got to see a wolf pup, a black leopard, three tigers, a huge snake, and two joeys (baby kanagroos!). The wolf and leopard were playing with each other having so much fun. I wanted to play with them, but Mommy didn't think they would have been as gentle as Sydney at home.

We went on a safari

So, Mommy and Daddy have both been working so much lately, that I demanded that they take some time off to spend with me before this little brother or sister comes. So, we went to Kalahari water resort for a few days and it was awesome! It is America's largest indoor water park.



Mommy keep calling me her daredevil because Daddy kept taking me up the big orange slide and sending me down by myself. She said the first time she was waiting at the bottom, she was expecting me and Daddy to come down together - but nope, it was just me giggling away. The lifeguard said that I was the youngest one who has ever ridden this big oranage slide and loved it! "Agan, agan (again, again)" is all I could said once I reached the bottom.


And the lazy river...the wave pool...everything was so fun!


Even the kiddy area was fun. "Agan, agan, wa wa, wa wa."


And for some reason, Mommy & Daddy think this picture of me is hilarious. They took it about three minutes after we pulled out of the parking lot on our way home. So I was exhausted from playing so much; I'm just a growing girl who needs a nap once in awhile! All I want to know is how soon are we going back again?!!

Just being cute

Here are some recent pictures of me being cute around the house. We've all been so busy getting ready for this new baby.

Daddy has been working on getting my new room ready, so we've been spending more time in that room, converting it from mommy and daddy's office and my play room, into my "Big Girl" room. I've recently been fascinated with birds, so mommy put a new bird feeder outside of my new bedroom window, so my buddy Sydney (my kitty) and I can watch birds together.


And here I am looking like a big girl in some of my new spring/summer wardrobe fashions. Something I am learning from Mommy is how to be a "shoe girl." Aren't these plaid shoes the best? Not quite Jimmy Choo's yet, but these are my new favorite shoes that I just have to wear everyday, no matter what clothes I have on.