Sunday, December 30, 2007
New and Improved
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Monday, December 17, 2007
Christmas reflection!
Maybe it is the season...that I love so much...but I am feeling a bit lonely. This time of year is for families to be together, right. Although I am thrilled to start my own family traditions with my little family of three, I am really missing my sisters and brother. And my parents, of course. I have been reading their blogs and emails and just reflecting on our Christmases past. Growing up, we traveled a lot, in the military and my best friends were my sisters.
Let me just share with you some of my favorite Christmas memories. I wish we could all be together every year for the holidays. (I know what you are thinking, Mom...I shouldn't have moved away, I put this on myself)
1) Sledding down the hill in our backyard in Massachussetts. Then building a snowman together.
2) Rolling down the large hill in Maine on our trips to see relatives.
3) Making gingerbread houses and stealing a bite of candy when mom would look away.
4) Waking up in the middle of the night (potty break), in Belgium and swearing that I heard Santa putting gifts under the tree.
5) Putting our shoes out on the night of the 5th of December, in Belgium, to be filled with treats.
6) Wearing our Candy Cane striped pajamas, that all matched.
7) Going to see the Big Star (I mean like the size of a house) in the Piazza in Verona, Italy.
8) One of my favorites...Making our homemade "secret sibling" gifts. We all wanted to give to our little brother once he was born. Or better yet, we all wanted to receive from little brother, it was often a sweatshirt that said, "I am the big sister of EJ", with some darling hand prints, usually in the most inappropriate position on the shirt.
9) Acting out the Christmas Story on Christmas Eve with the newest baby in the family playing the part of our Savior.
10) Eating Clam Chowder for Christmas Eve dinner.
11) Exchanging our "secret sibling" gifts after Christmas Eve dinner. These used to be called "secret sister" gifts, until the boy was born. Love that boy! By the way, the tradition continues!
12) Waking up Christmas morning, having to make our beds and then go into the kitchen for breakfast. Always a holiday treat...Mom's deliciously homemade cinnamon rolls and hot cocoa. If the tree was in view of our breakfast table, Santa would drape a sheet over the door so we could not peek.
13) Seeing our Santa gift layed out in front of our stockings, filled and neatly positioned on the couch in order of age of children.
14) The many years that Mom and Dad surprised us with a great family activities as one of our gifts in the stocking. My favorite, a sleigh ride in Sun Valley.
15) Being with my beautiful sisters and brother, and sharing each memory with them. Thanks Mom and Dad for making my childhood memorable and almost a FANTASY!
Merry Christmas to all those I have met, loved and shared a memory with. Its time to make my children's lives a memory they will never forget...if not a fantasy.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Friday, December 7, 2007
Friday Night Date Night
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Christmas is in the Air.
when all through the house.
Not a creature was stirring....ok so ours was quite busy helping me and the spouse.
She was decorating each nook and each cranny with care,
she knows the season that fills the air.
and the story continues below....
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.
She was preparing for a church dinner she was asked to decorate for.
Our Hawaiian Snowman stopped by for the season,
hoping for a cold winter with a white boardwalk.
Aloha!
mommy's decorative tree.
To the left, oh how cute,
family ornaments collected,
We all placed on the tree so fun and respected.
We had such a fun time decorating, especially with Kya. She has not even attempted to touch the tree. We told her "don't touch", so now she walks up to it, looks at it and says, in her very understandable babble, "don't touch" while shaking her finger at it. What an angel, maybe I should put on the top of the tree. We hope you all have as much fun as we do preparing for the season. Remember why we celebrate while you adorn your homes with a beautiful decor of colors and lights. Happy Holidays!
Sunday, December 2, 2007
All I want for Christmas is my TOOTH BACK!
Friday, November 30, 2007
Our Denver trip!
So, we went to Denver this week. Carl had a new employee training conference and they put us up in a hotel. Of course, Kya and I wanted to go and play. Wednesday we went to the Denver Aquarium. Kya loves to watch "fishy" (Nemo), so I thought for sure she would love the aquarium, but I didn't realize that the real "fishy" can be a lot more scary than a cartoon fish. Thursday we went to the outdoor mall downtown and Friday we just hung out and had a "Girls Lunch". It was a fun week, but we are glad to be home now so we can decorate for Christmas. I love it. Stay tuned for those pictures.
This is what Kya did for most of our visit to the aquarium, she hung on to my legs and tried to climb up them saying, "Up" or "Ok". She's a funny girl.
Some things we saw
Thursday, Kya and I went to the 16th Street Mall (an outdoor mall in downtown Denver). We didn't stay outdoors much, it was cold. Besides, Kya was hungry and wanted to eat her lunch. Of course everyone in the food court thought she was the cutest thing ever.
Friday we happened to drive pass Molly Brown's Summer Home. No tours in December, but I did get a picture of the outside. Kinda fun, huh?
Scared of her own reflection
I thought this was pretty funny, she jumped when her own reflection met her finger on the glass. She did like these fish, they were drawn to her (as you can see from the picture above).
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Denver or Bust!
Friday, November 23, 2007
Black Friday
I also put together a relish tray, thanks to my mother-in-law's killer pickled veggies.
And then watching Kya have a ball dipping her crackers into the ranch (pictures below), we had a great Thanksgiving. We certainly missed family and would have loved to spend it with you all, we did have fun. Kya did not want to nap at our friends house so she just fought through, kept playing and then sat on daddy's lap to fall asleep. We wore her out.
Now that we have filled our bellies and slept it off, it's Christmas season. My favorite time of year. Ok, really, the fall is my favorite, but I love the feeling you get with Christmas. The lights, decorations, snow falling and good 'ol Christmas music around every street corner. I love it.
So, I did it...I survived the silliness; I conquered the crowds; and hustled and bustled with the best of them. I have done most of my Christmas shopping (Carl, I still need your wish list). I have never really done it, but I decided to try "Black Friday" shopping, bright and early in the freezing cold. By the way, why do they call it "Black" and not White. Just a thought.
I got up at 4:30 this morning, bundled up and drove less than five miles to the nearest Walmart. Since they are open 24 hours I was able to walk right in and take a look at what the "Hot" items were. Wow, people are nuts. I was just going to see if Kya's Santa gift was on sale. They didn't have it, but I found a few other treasures.
5:00 rolls around and an associate's voice on the PA fills the store and says, "Shoppers, welcome to Walmart, the sale has begun, Merry Christmas." The lady next to me grab several toys and then turned to hurry to her next purchase spot. Another lady was in her way, while trying to get through herself. Some words were exchanged and they were not very kind words. I thought to myself, 'what am I doing here'. All these shoppers who get there early for the awesome deals and want to be the first to get it, don't realize that after 25 minutes, the "hot" items were still there. Maybe a couple hours later they would be sold out, but I got a kick out of all this. Although it was a nut house, I had fun watching people's faces. Determination, desperation, I don't know what it was, but it was funny. So I bought the few items I found and started out to my car.
I looked over and saw a couple of ladies hurrying to their car when one of them said to the other, "Hurry, we have to get to Target next". Well, that was my plan too, Target next, but I was not in a hurry. I'm just out for the experience, right?. Wouldn't you know it, as soon as I heard her say that, my pace picked up to a fast walk. I got in the car and it was only 5:17. But as I drove up the road, about another five miles, maybe a few more, I could feel butterflies in my stomach. What was that? Fear, that I would get run over by the early morning drivers who probably stayed up way too late from the Thanksgiving games and then were in a mad dash to get the best deals; or was it excitement, the same thrill the rest of the shoppers were feeling, that competitive edge. Either way, my heart was pounding.
Well, I got to Target by 5:25 and the line was already a quarter of a mile long. They were not open yet, so the line was outside. It was cold!! I walked casually to the end of the line, not wanting the other shoppers to see me hurry in a crazy fashion (like them). By 6:00, when the doors opened, the line had trippled in length. Amazing!
So I walked around the crowds, stepping out of the way, whenever I saw someone pushing their way through and anxious to push anyone in their way. Way too early to be pushed by anyone!...I was in a good mood. I really didn't have anything in mind to get, I was just looking. They also did not have Kya's Santa gift. After all this, I will be shopping online.
Carl called at 6:20 and wondered if I was done, or would he need to get Kya ready to go to work with him. So I went home. Kya got up, we had eggs for breakfast and then with the butterflies still there, I got Kya dressed, and we went back out into the craziness. It was so fun. Kya was bundled up (it is cold out there today with a light snow fall) and loving it. Again, I really had nothing on my list that I needed, but amazingly, I managed to get probably 90% of my Christmas shopping done.
At the mall, Kya and I stopped to see the puppies at the pet store. She got a kick out of those little wet noses pressed against the glass. Yes, Kya will get a puppy in a stocking one year (when we have a house), because I am living vicariously through her.
After stopping by daddy's office to visit him, we came home at 11:00 am. Kya fell asleep on the way home and after getting her out of the car and transferring her to her bed, she is still asleep, over an hour later.
The cold air, light flurries, Christmas music and crazy shoppers...it was a great day. I love it and Kya had fun too. So, for my first "Black Friday", which by the way I wore black for the occasion, I had fun and the Christmas shopping experience was well worth it.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Happy Thanksgiving!
Gotta love 'em! Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and eats lots of turkey. Be grateful for every moment you have with your precious loved ones. Love you all!
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Things that make me laugh...
1. "nic-nac" *translation...sticker
2. "nack" * snack
3. "pizza" * pizza, pajamas and most anything that starts with 'p'
4. "I yo" *I love you
5. "ox" *socks
6. "oos" *shoes
7. "duc-dog" *hot dog
and of course her favorite...
8. "bootss" *boots
Most everything else she says is pretty well understood. I love her!
Monday, November 19, 2007
Just because...
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
My Photography Blog
No more asking, now I am doing. With a great camera that my sweetie gave to me for my first official mother's day, I am unstoppable. Really, I am so excited about this and I wanted to share it with all of you. Pass on the word to your friends, especially those who live in Colorado. Please feel free to explore my new blog www.paulakphotography.blogspot.com and leave comments of your favorite posts.
Again, this is Me, being Me.
Friday, November 9, 2007
Dancing Queen!
Kya is so funny, she makes us laugh. The other night we went to dinner for Carl's birthday. Texas Roadhouse, yeah! Carl has never been so I took him, he was pretty excited. The food was fantastic. Kya kept pointing out the stuffed fish on the wall and looking at everything saying "ooohhh", what a funny girl. She loves to dance to any beat, here she is dancing to some country while chowing on her food. I love it!
Thursday, November 8, 2007
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Be True to Yourself!
I am on a journey...I do love to travel. So really this should be fun for me. I am sure you all could care less about my personal journey, but I am woman, I need to talk and let it off my chest. This is my therapy for the day. (By the way, thank you Alicia for your therapy session...I'll pay you later) Who am I? That is the question I am trying to answer. The best way I know how to do that is to look at who I was as a kid. Of course my philosophy on life has dramatically changed as well as my outlook, but really, when are we the most honest with ourselves...when we are children. I won't bore you with all of my thoughts and personal revelations (my mind can be rather confusing, even for me) but I will share with you the process at which I plan to approach my journey. As with every trip I take, there must be a process of preparation, planning the destination, the how I intend on arriving at the destination. My destination is internal happiness and joy in just being ME, who I really am. I'm not quite sure of how I will get there, but a lot of praying is definitely going to be involved. I also know that in order to get to know me, as I mentioned before, I am going to look at (as corny as this may sound) my inner child. I am also going to look at what I am passionate about in life. Why do anything if you are not passionate about it, you will definitely have the endurance to maintain your goals if there is passion behind it. Ok, enough babble, thank you for enduring this post if you made it through. As much as I hate to admit my weakness, or the fact that I have them, this was therapeutic. This is my tribute to Being True to Yourself, I have not been and now is the time to start.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
SHE'S WALKING!!!
15 months and two days...da da dah...She's walking. The last couple days she has been standing on her own just practicing. She knew she wanted to walk, but you know Kya, she does everything in her own time. This morning, even with a horrible cough (that continues to make her throw-up) and a terribly runny nose she wasn't going down for a nap. So I went to get her and set her down, told her to go to daddy.....and she did! The funny thing is, she acts like she's been walking for months. As daddy says, "She has, she just didn't want to let go until now". As you can see, we are so excited! I know, one day I will say, "Why did I ask for this", but I don't think I will ever regret her walking.
So here we are just standing.
Ok, now she walks for the second time and falls.
And here she is. May I be the first one to announce Miss Kya Weeks, a Walker. I am so thrillled, this is a big step (pun intended).
Friday, November 2, 2007
Third times a charm...
Ok, so lets be honest, this is really the tenth time I have tried to post these videos, I think it might actually work this time. Kya is too cute to not video and especially to not share with all of you. This is her playing her piano for the first time. Now she goes up to it, hits a few keys and dances, all while smiling at me with a look of "I'm pretty talented, huh mom?". What a blast, she really does livin' up my days and really entertains us. Growing up as a kid myself, I remember watching my little brother entertain us each night. What a hoot! That is why I couldn't wait to have kids...for the entertainment. I definitely have a show to watch. I hope you enjoy watching too! Please keep in touch, we have more fun videos to post, but I'll give you time to enjoy these.
Ride the Pony
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Halloween Night!
Monday, October 29, 2007
Serious Technical difficulties!
Sincerely,
Incompetent Mother of Kya
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Kya videos
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Little Piggies
I just had to post this. Its pretty self-explanatory. Kya mimmicks everything we do now. She is so stinking funny, now that she is feeling better.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
My poor little girl!
Watching "Finding Nemo" or "Fishes", has been the only thing that Kya would watch as a distraction from the sick feeling. Its also the only thing she would watch on the road. Besides the move and breaking another tooth through, now being sick, she has not made this transition as smooth as we would hope. She is still and angel and really good. We just hope she is back to her normal self soon. She did tell me that she misses "Gramma" and "Grampa" and of course "Mollie".