Noodle Slide

At the beginning of the summer, Kennedy was content to play on the little kids playground at the school by us. But now she is a Big Girl and only wants to climb on the biggest, tallest structures there. And she wants to go on the slides by herself. Including the Mac'n'cheese slide (as we have named it given its resemblance to a cheesy, curly noodle). She looks so funny/cute being such a little body on such a big jungle gym! 

This happens to be the elementary school Kennedy will go to if we live in this neighborhood when she is school ready. It might be funny to see pictures of her in 3 more years playing on the same equipment.

Photo taken on maybe the 9th or 10th time down the slide. 

Pink Princess

This will be the first of many trips to the Dallas Arboretum this fall. Its one of my favorite things to do here and I look forward to the pumpkin village every year. They have special toddler activities on Mondays & Tuesdays and the weather is nearly cool enough to enjoy being there. Monday was hot, even in the shade, but that didn't slow down Kennedy and her friends! I think Kennedy is at an age where she can really enjoy the open space, Kindermusik, face painting, pumpkin village and petting zoo. On Monday we packed a picnic lunch and met our friends there after our morning workout.

The line was surprisingly short for face painting, so my friend Carrie and I stood in line for the kids. Kennedy got a crown and lots of shimmer painted on her face. And she didn't want to leave Baby Beck* (her doll) out of the fun, so the lady happily applied sparkles and paint to the doll. This was definitely an exciting first for her and she wanted to leave it on to show Daddy when he came home from work.

Getting faces glittered and painted. 

Dancing and swaying to the music. 

 

Happy little princess. 

Exploring with Baby Beck. 

*We have some friends with a little baby boy named Beck. Since we have spent time with them recently, Kennedy has taken a liking to the name. Most of her dolls are now called Baby Beck. 

Lainey and Cheeto

We had a really fun visit a couple weeks ago when my mom, Lainey, came in town. We spent Saturday morning at the Dallas World Aquarium checking out the fish, sharks, penguins and leopard. Greg and I have been wanting to bring Kennedy here since we've heard nothing but rave reviews. It is on the pricier side of family attractions, so we wanted to wait until she was old enough to walk around and enjoy it. I think her favorite exhibits were the Monkey Island, shark tank and the penguin area. She loved "reading" the map and telling us where to go next.

The only exit is through the gift shop and Lainey let Kennedy choose a surprise. Kennedy carefully surveyed the landscape and made immediate and intense bond with a little stuffed leopard. When we got to the car and we asked what its name was, she thought for a second and said, Cheeto.

You would think she would have worn herself out with all the walking and excitement, but with Lainey in town, there was no way she was going to nap and miss any of the fun.

 Some Aquarium Friends

Three Generations. All color coordinated. 

Graham cracker break. 

Meet Cheeto. Kennedy's new friend she named on her own. 

Tumble Tot

Every morning Kennedy wakes up with the same three requests. Yogurt, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and gymnastics. She tells everyone she sees all day that she goes to 'gin-astics' and on Wednesday mornings she is giddy with excitement when I tell her, 'today is gymnastics day!'

She is becoming more fearless in class which is both fun and a little nerve-wracking. She almost gave me (and the teacher) a heart attack when she jumped and did a summersault off a riser onto the trampoline. 'I flipped!' She loves watching the big girls tumble with ease and thinks she has the same skills. 

Her favorite activity has been and remains the trampoline. But Mickey Mouse ears (the rings) are quickly becoming a close second. She definitely looks the gymnast part thanks to an awesome pink and navy velour outfit from our friend Jill. And a "Rapunzel" leotard she picked out on her own. Anything purple/pink has become a Rapunzel item these days. 

Its funny seeing all the little bodies in such a big gym on big kid equipment. And I love getting to watch her push herself and try different things. She immediately runs up and gives me a high-five when she has done something well. 

She used to be afraid, and now can't get high enough on the swing. 

That's the riser the 'flipped' off of. 

L to R: Starbucks, handstands, Mickey Mouse ears (gee, I wonder why she likes the rings so much) and waiting for stamps at the end of class. 

Drawing Skirkles

Not every day is a successful nap day. Sometimes Kennedy sleeps, but more often than not, she lays in her bed and reads books and talks to her 'friends.' I would prefer that she sleep, but I will take a little downtime any way I can get it. If she is quiet I usually don't disturb her until she knocks on the door letting me know she has woken up. But there are days where I think it might be just a little too quiet. This means she is getting into mischief. Usually its harmless and could include an emptied wipes box.

Then last week happened. The little lady brought/snuck a bath crayon in her room at some point during the day. I probably couldn't see it on account of the stuffed animal convention in her bed. I had no idea it was in there until I heard her on the monitor saying something that sounded a lot like, "I drew skirkles." 

I opened the door and experienced one of those moments where I wanted to get mad and laugh at the same time. I mean, she was so proud of her skirkles. And she was eager to show me everything she had colored. And she didn't have to try to hard to show me, because green crayon was literally everywhere. I told her (again) that we only color on paper and got her a rag to help clean up the mess. After it was cleaned up, I did a sweep of her room and possible hiding places to check for contraband.

Partys Over. 

Toys, sheets, bed, walls...no surface was left untouched. 

Naptime Masterpiece 

The video is a little long but I love 1) what's left of her ponytail, its a hot mess and 2) when she says Caroline will come over to clean the mess up.

And So It Begins

What time do the Longhorns play today? This is the question I will be asking Greg every Saturday morning for the next few months, as college football season has begun, and our weekend plans revolve around game time. 

Since the Johnsons have the Longhorn network, they hosted us and the Pfeiffers for a watching party. Lizzy set up a little craft for Hadley, Kennedy and Emily to work on while we fixed their dinner. After an outdoor photo sesh/chasing the girls all over the front yard, we got the little ones settled upstairs and poured ourselves drinks for kickoff. The girls had a great time and enjoyed getting to be 'big girls' all by themselves in the playroom. They all watched more movies/tv during that time than they proibably do all week! There were actually very few quarrels, they played really nicely most of the evening. 

Next weekend will be one of the first times we will have a House Divided on game day as the Longhorns are playing my alma mater, the University of New Mexico Lobos. Kennedy doesn't actually have any Lobo gear, but Lainey is coming to visit so maybe she will bring something cute in a 2T. Hint hint. 

I took a sewing break on Saturday to make snickerdoodle cupcakes and gameday toppers. 

Burnt Orange Hunters

All the girls.

She ditched her bow, but held on to the pom-pom. 

This took some effort. All they wanted to do was run wild. 

Finally settling down to watch Madagascar (3 times)