Pretty Pretty Princesses

She did it again! This time Kylee found an extra tiara in the toy box, and I was able to grab the camera. We were very amused. Rocky was not.

Movie Mania

I swore I wouldn't do this until she was three, but this evening I broke down and bought Kylee her 1st Disney movies. Since Kylee is really into dogs right now, the first movie Kylee and daddy picked out was 101 Dalmatians (the live action version). I picked Barney's Animal ABCs , but daddy made me put it back. We also got Cats and Dogs (It was half the price of all the other movies and also has real cats and dogs in it) and Bug's Life (no explanation needed). Jungle Book was another very tempting choice, but we decided to hold off on that one for now. $50 worth of movies is MORE than enough for one day!
Robert was very excited about our purchase. He's been dying to watch movies with Kylee since the day we found out I was pregnant. As soon as Kylee finished her dinner, he put in 101 Dalmatians. Kylee sat through about 5 minutes of the movie (while also flipping through a book) before she hopped off the couch, lied down on the floor with her back to tv, and started drawing in her journal. :) Daddy was very disappointed.
I'm going to TRY to stick to my guns and limit movies to car rides, special occasions, and occasional family nights. We'll see how long that lasts.

**UPDATE** They tried Dogs and Cats this morning. She seemed to like that one better, but I still think Barney would have held her attention longer.

Once Upon A Picnic

Wednesday we hosted another group play date. Thirteen tots came over with their moms for an enchanted picnic. The kids decorated crowns. Then we went outside for a picnic under the gazebo. After that the kids ran around the backyard, played in the sprinkler and water table, and dug for buried treasure in the sandbox. We will probably try doing this (or something similar) again with less kids when Kylee gets a little older.

Kylee loved wearing her princess dress! She started smiling and twirling as soon as I put it on her. If it still fits in October, it will be her Halloween costume. She must have like the tiara too. This morning while I was getting her breakfast ready, she dug it out of the toy box and put in on. She wore it for about 30 minutes. Then she decided to make Rocky the princess. Unfortunately, my camera was in the car.

Random Updates

Kylee is saying more and more phrases and even a few actual sentences. Yesterday while she was digging for bugs in her sandbox, she kept repeating "bugs, bugs where are you?" She's been saying "where are you" for a little while now, but it has just recently gotten clear enough to really hear each word. I'm pretty sure we have Kylee's friend, Charli, to thank for this. Charli is quite the little talker these days. She is an awesome language model for Kylee!

Kylee has rediscovered her love for the Wheels on the Bus song. She also loves the Baby Bumble Bee song, Ring Around the Rosies, and This Little Piggy.

I think Kylee is officially over her Elmo and kitty cat obsessions. She still likes them but doesn't go as crazy over them as she used to. Her new obsessions are dogs (not completely a new thing... just getting more intense) and money. She still loves bugs. She is also really into animals (especially monkeys) and can name quite a few of them. Her latest animal words are: monkey, hippo, tiger, lion, zebra, camel, pig, and alligator. She is also starting to say color words. She says purple, green, yellow, and blue; but purple is the only one uses correctly.

One of my favorite things she does now is "read" her books. She'll grab a book, open it, and jibber jabber away. Sometimes she says actual words. Sometimes she just babbles. It usually depends on the book. My favorite to watch her read is Please Puppy Please. She'll say "puppy" over and over again, and every now and then throw in the word "please". Its super cute. The funny thing is its actually pretty accurate to the story.


Kylee absolutely HATES having her hair washed now and is actually getting worse about letting me get anywhere near her head at bath time. She is getting better about playing in the sprinkler though. She's getting closer and closer and will now get close enough to get her legs wet and put the balls back in (the sprinkler shoots up balls with the water). With enough encouragement, sometimes she'll even stick the top of her head in.

Luau

Yesterday twelve of Kylee's friends came over with their mommies for a luau in our backyard. Everyone filled up on Hawaiian food. Then the kids splashed in the sprinkler, pool, and water table while the adults chatted in the shade. Everyone seemed to be having a great time. I think we will try it again next year.
Here is Kylee playing in the sprinkler with a few of her friends (Charli, Nathaniel, Nathan, and Maddy):

Finally!!!!

After 1 year, 5 months, 2 weeks, and 3 days Kylee FINALLY slept 5 hours straight!! She then woke up for a quick hug and went back to sleep for almost another 4 hours!!! Yay for sleep!!

Tiger Safari

Wednesday Rikki, Charli, and Aunt Michelle came with us to Tiger Safari. Kylee got to pet a deer, a fox, and turtles. She got to feed graham crackers to deer, corn flakes to a llama and a goat, and meat (at the end of a long pole) to tigers. We also saw a variety of other animals. Kylee's favorite was the baby camel. She spent all day making camel sounds. She also liked cheering for the tigers as they got their meat.

having fun with Aunt Michelle

trying to get a closer look at the kangaroos

feeding the deer "cookies"

feeding a tiger

Great Plains Museum

Today grandma came with us to Elmer Thomas Park and the Great Plains museum. Kylee loved feeding the ducks and prairie dogs at the park, and she really liked a few of the outdoor exhibits at the museum. However, she was not a big fan of the inside of the museum.

Big Girl Bed!

Last night was Kylee's first night in her 'big girl bed' (crib minus the rail).

Backyard Masterpiece

Friday evening I brought Kylee's finger paints outside and let her paint a big box in the backyard. She had so much fun; she asked to do it again the next 2 days.

Prairie Dog Run

Yesterday Kylee and I followed a few of our playgroup friends out to the Wildlife Refuge. First the group stopped at Prairie Dog Run to feed the prairie dogs. Kylee loved it! She ran right up to the fence and said "hi". She was very excited and, of course, wanted to pet the "dogs". Surprisingly, I only had to tell her once to stay on the outside of the fence. I was very proud of her for being such a good listener! Our friend, Christina, advised us to bring nutter butter cookies for the prairie dogs. We did, and they loved them! Kylee got quite a kick out of throwing pieces of cookie and seeing the prairie dogs eat them.

After throwing quite a few to the prairie dogs, Kylee decided to try the cookies herself. She too was a big fan.

After that, we drove to a scenic spot near Mt. Scott for a picnic. When we got out of the car, we were greeted by a brave (and apparently hungry) raccoon. The raccoon followed us to our picnic spot. Another raccoon soon joined him, and the two persistently attempted numerous sneak attacks on our food. Christina The Brave, fueled by her sons cries, protected our group by charging off the raccoons anytime they got too close.

Kylee thought the raccoons were awesome. At first, she was practically jumping out of her stroller wanting to "pet" them. Luckily, she was super hungry. As soon as I set food on her tray, she sat back, watched, and enjoyed her lunch. Eventually she joined the other kiddos in telling the raccoons to "go". I think that was her favorite part of the whole adventure.

Anyways.... after being chased off quite a few times by Christina and Gavin (the worlds smartest/bravest 2 yr old), the raccoons finally retreated. With the coast clear, we let the kiddos loose to run around and explore.

Kylee had a great time running around and climbing the rocks. It didn't take her long to realize that Christina was taking pictures. At that point, she became quite the ham.

Thanks to Christina for an awesome morning! This was definitely one of my favorite things that we have done this summer, and I'm pretty sure Kylee would agree.

When we she woke up from her nap yesterday, the first thing she was said was "more dog cookie". I got her out of the crib , and she walked straight to the back door and said "bye bye dog cookie". She was already ready to go again! I took her to the computer and showed her the pictures I had uploaded during her nap.

All evening yesterday and all afternoon today she has been at my computer demanding to see the pictures. Her favorite is one of the raccoon pictures. Each time she sees it she spends several minutes repeatedly telling it to "go". Then she says "hug" and lays her head on the screen. Goofy girl!

Presents from Peyton

Saturday my cousin, Shannon, and her son, Peyton, came over to play. It was so good to finally see them again. Last time they came over (Easter), they brought Kylee her corvette. This time they surprised us with a Rose Petal Cottage. I never even considered buying one of those for Kylee, but I am so glad Gene (Peyton's daddy) did! It's super cute, and Kylee LOOOOVES it! They also gave us the rose petal stove, sink, and washer. Everything is just Kylee's size!

Checking out her new cottage

peek-a-boo!

cooking

baking

Doing the dishes

checking the laundry

Wiping down the counter

Washing the window

Having a blast!

Kylee played in her cottage all morning. She is quite the domestic diva! I wish I enjoyed cooking and cleaning half as much as she does!

Summer Fun

Yesterday morning we met some of our play group friends at Kidzone. The kids had a picnic lunch and then made and ate ice cream before playing in the park. It was hot and kind of crowded, by Kylee had fun.

After her nap, we set up her pool for the first time this year. As soon as I opened the back door, she walked strait to the pool and got in. I thought the cold water would shock her, but she didn't seem fazed a bit. She had a blast!!!

This afternoon we went to Nicolette's house for play date. Nicolette made home made sidewalk paint, and let kids paint her sidewalk. Kylee loved it!! I'll definitely have to get the recipe and try it again at home.

Kylee took a late nap. When she woke up, daddy cooked cheeseburgers on the grill, and we had some fun family time in the backyard. I love summer!! :)