Great Weekend With The Cousins

Well, to say the weekend flew by would be a vast understatement. The 5-day visit from Uncle Jason, Auntie Amy and cousins Keira and Audra has come and gone but not without many wonderful moments. We're so thrilled to have hosted Kari and Bryce's cousins from Colorado that we wish they didn't have to leave.



Kari asked me just this afternoon upon pickup at school, "Daddy, I want to go see my cousins..." While she somewhat understood that her aunt and uncle needed to return to their respective places of employment, she was none too thrilled that the girls left West Lafayette already.




After some initial "feeling out" stages Thursday night - you know, the typical "That's mine" or "Kari, I said NO" or random crying from exhaustion of traveling, etc. - the girls adapted to being around each other quickly. We learned rather fast that letting all three of them sleep in the same room was a recipe for disaster, so splitting them up worked best.

Once again discovering kepup's versatility. This time: waffles. Also notice how the bottle is almost empty. Yep, Kari is working to polish that bottle off all by herself.

Friday morning we spent a good bit of time at Kevin's fire station. Multiple pictures in each of the trucks were taken, along with 30-second rides from the front to the back of the parking lot. The girls really did love their time there. Following a jaunt to Fort Wayne Friday night, the girls (and Bryce) welcomed Gran and Beep Beep to West Lafayette for an all-day bundle of fun.


This gave the parents a chance to head over to Purdue for an afternoon of tailgating fun on the golf course prior to watching the Boilers collapse and lose to Notre Dame. Trust me, you don't want to read my feelings on the game... so, back to Windflower Place! We're told there were many wonderful times had by all, capped with a chilly, dew-filled night of sleep in a tent. Somehow Kari opted out of that activity and chose the comforts of indoors instead.



Sunday we all went to Prophetstown State Park - a Kari and Holly staple. The girls got to see horses, pigs, cows, sheep, chickens, cats and dogs. Afterwards they got a snack and played on a playground for some time. That afternoon entailed a craft project that Holly found in last year's Family Fun magazine. See pictures of their Halloween outfits here.



Monday featured a visit from Grammy Pammy and Dale. All in all, it was a terrific time had by everyone and did nothing but make us wish the Colorado Crew were closer to Indiana. We can't wait to see all of the Williams clan again soon and thanks for making the effort to get to the heartland.

This was the first time for Amy and Jason to see their nephew Bryce, too. We certainly don't want to leave him out of this post, but there wasn't much he could do other than be held, sleep, eat, be held, sleep, eat, poop, eat, poop some more and cry a little. Bryce had his two month doctor's appointment today and passed with flying colors!! He is nearly 24 inches long (75th percentile), 11 lbs, 10 oz (50th percentile) and has a relatively small noggin' (25th percentile). Kevin's projecting that to be a tall, lean, football machine.

Today was a sad day to see the gang from Colorado head home, but also a day to regroup and look forward to the rest of the week. Holly and Bryce head to Ouray (Co.) with Minerva for a long weekend. This is a trip Kari got when she was little, so the favor is being returned to Bryce. Should be a great time for Dad and Kari to continue bonding! We hope you enjoyed the pictures and this quick video clip. This is more than enough to keep you all busy for some time! :)



Pulling out of station number 1

Bryce, Part II

Probably like most babies, Bryce loves falling asleep laying on your stomach and chest. I'm sure it reminds him of being in the womb- where it was warm, the constant sound of a beating heart, and, best of all, skin-to-skin contact. I imagine this is likely how he was bunched up inside of me those last few weeks, running out of room and looking like a little frog. Although it's not a habit we want to get into (falling asleep in our arms as opposed to on his own in his crib), we sure are enjoying the times he does fall asleep like this.
I also made some construction paper rings to hang from the ceiling fan again. Kari loved it when she was Bryce's age and I could tell Bryce's fascination with the fan was starting to develop too. Although I'm not sure how much or how far Bryce can see at this point, I am pretty sure he can tell something is flying around.
Amy, The J, Keira and Audra arrived yesterday evening from Colorado and will be staying with us until Tuesday. The girls are getting along fabulously; we've already taken a trip to the fire station and have several more fun activities planned.

Cut From The Same Cloth

Tuesday was picture day at Kari's school.

While we were in Glen Ellyn last weekend, mom brought out a dress she made for me when I was about Kari's age. Actually, I figure I had to have been a little older than Kari because I distinctly remember having the dress on but not wanting to wear it because "it poked me." (Perhaps there was a lingering pin left somewhere in the stitching?) Mom thinks that I didn't wear it more than one or two times, of which once was for a professional picture with Mark. I feel bad knowing Mom put such effort and time into making the dress and likely had envisions of me happily wearing it. I'm sure she was so proud of her work when she was finished, only to have me yanking it off before it was barely on.

Fast forward 30-some odd years, and because I love traditions, I jumped at the idea of having Kari wear the dress for her school picture. The first words out of her mouth as I'm pulling the dress over her head?

"I not like that!"

Sigh. Like mother, like daughter.




Fortunately, she got over it rather quickly and was quite proud to parade around in it that morning. I'll be excited to see how pictures turn out, but in the meantime we have video of the infamous dress.

The Zoo

Kari spent another weekend with Gran and Beep Beep. No wonder she loves sleeping over! They took her to the zoo on Saturday. She got to feed the giraffes, watch an elephant get a bath and pet him afterwards, and see a dolphin show. Like mom, the dolphin show was her favorite.
She also got along fabulously with her pseudo cousin, Ella.

Bryce

Poor guy. He's already seven weeks old and barely a mention of the little fella here lately. Buddy, this post is dedicated to you.

I took this video clip shortly after a midnight feeding. He had been hiccuping right up until I got the camera out.

It Takes A Village

To raise a child.
We said that phrase numerous times this weekend as I took Kari and Bryce to Glen Ellyn. We took the trip for two reasons: Uncle Mark flew in from California to meet his nephew and also because Kevin was in Kansas for work. I couldn't have been more thankful for all the help and extra sets of hands to take care of both kids. Grandpa was the nighttime lifesaver, cheerfully offering to take over not just one, but all of the night feedings the entire time we were there. Grandma tirelessly entertained Kari and soothed Bryce, all the while managing to put some great meals on the table. Uncle Mark, a novice with babies, held Bryce with ease and was so good with Kari.









The weekend went by way too fast for me (although probably not fast enough for everyone else in the house) that we didn't even get to do everything we had planned. However, one of the highlights of the weekend was taking a train ride over to Elmhurst for ice cream. Kari's interest in large machinery includes trains and so the quick trip three stops away with cold dessert sandwiched between the rides hit the spot with her.

Grandpa and Kari walking towards the train in Elmhurst.

It was great to be back in GE and spend it with family and friends. Even though Uncle Mark is halfway across the country and we don't get to see him often, it makes me appreciate the time we do get to spend together no matter how short the visit.

Giant boxes provide hours of fun.

On a different note, this afternoon Kari had her cousin Jane over to play. We got into Kari's dress up trunk and took a walk down to the bus stop to greet all the neighbor kids. Needless to say, they were a surprise hit for all to see.

Diggers and Backhoes and Mud, Oh My!

Kari continues to hold a strong interest in construction equipment. Yesterday we were invited to go out to Natalie and her family's land where they are digging a pond using a digger and backhoe. The kids were super excited to get a chance to ride in the backhoe, honk the horn and feed the neighbor's horses. All in all, it was a great way to spend the Labor Day holiday.

And it wouldn't be Kari-style without some accessories.

Kari felt quite comfortable feeding the horses, likely from all the time spent out at The Farm.

More Grandparent visits

We feel so fortunate that Kari and Bryce's grandparents not only live close by enough for frequent visits, but also because they want to and can. Grandpa Haugstad finally got to meet his grandson this past week. He had been up in Wisconsin "in the woods cutting down trees" as Kari put it and so this was his first chance to see Bryce in person.

And then Gran and Beep Beep came up for the afternoon today.

Kari was very concerned about sharing her slide with a bug.

Prior to their visit, Kari decided that, in addition to selecting her own accessories, this morning she would select her own outfit, right down to the brown patent leather shoes. The special occasion? A trip to Sam's Club with daddy.
Anticipate another post tomorrow. Kari has been invited to do something pretty unique and she's totally pumped.

Kari's First Football Game

And boy did she have fun!

Maggie, our neighbor, is the one holding Kari. They get along fabulously. Thanks, Maggie! The video clip was taken on Kevin's Blackberry so the quality isn't spectacular. Daddy couldn't have been more excited to have his daughter excited for football season. Kari loved seeing the band, the World's Largest Drum, Purdue Pete and telling the players to "Catch the ball!"

Meanwhile, Bryce stayed with Mama out at the tailgate visiting with friends. No pictures, however.

One month

It's hard to believe that Bryce is already a month old. We're still trying to figure out who he looks like.

The Gods Must Be Crazy

I was recently reminded of an old movie:



Cleaning up the basement, we came across a roll of bubble wrap. As a fan of bubble wrap myself, I thought Kari might like it too. Little did I know that the bubble wrap would become involved in virtually all of her play activities. Who knew bubble wrap, like a Coke bottle in the African Bush, could be so versatile? Oh, and she's not too interested in sharing her bubble wrap, either.

Taking her bubble wrap on a walk in the wagon.

She also mentioned at dinner tonight that she plans on taking her bubble wrap to gymnastics class Thursday night. I will draw the line there.

**Addendum: Evidently there is also bubble wrap etiquette. Shoes are not allowed when jumping or walking on it. This is strictly enforced at all times.

Once again, I guess I should be happy that she finds entertainment with such inexpensive things. It's pretty hard to break the bank stocking up on bubbles, chalk, gardening supplies and now, bubble wrap.

(This is my first time posting a video clip; my apologies for my rookie editing skillz.)