World Cup!

It is time for the World Cup!

In my opinion, the best sports tournament on TV! Or maybe it just seems that way because it is up against the NBA finals...the most boring and drawn out tournament on TV.

I don't have a favorite team; I just want to see good soccer. I will cheer for whichever team plays awesomely.

Click the comic to enlarge.

Swimsuit Edition

It is officially summer now that the thermometer is consistently over 90 degrees and we avoid going outside between the hours of 11am and 5pm. And because it is summer, it is time for swimming!

Kara got to go in her first pool on Memorial Day weekend. Kara's feelings about the pool seemed to be somewhat neutral...but a little on the pouty side.

However, it really doesn't matter whether or not she liked the pool, because she looked adorable in her little bathing suit.

Kara looking cool.

Model Pose.

Bird Watching

Today, I had a very exciting afternoon. I felt like I was watching the Discovery channel outside my back window. I will preface my story by explaining that we usually don't have wildlife in our neighborhood since it's a relatively new development (that was probably a person's cherished farm at one time). I have never seen a squirrel, a raccoon, or a possum. Only boring animals like birds and frogs; perhaps an occasional stray dog.

So...today I was checking out our garden (which is actually doing pretty well) when a baby cardinal literally fell from the sky about a foot away from me. I think it was taking its first flying lesson, and failed. The dogs immediately pounced on the yard invader. Fortunately they didn't attack it, or else I would be blogging about how I spent the afternoon crying. Instead they just stood there sniffing it until the mama cardinal dive bombed them.

I have learned from watching animal shows on TV that this was one of those moments when nature needed to take its course, so the dogs and I went inside and took a front row seat at the window. All 3 of us were fixated on watching the little chick hop around the backyard. The mama and daddy cardinal were flying from the chick to the fence and back again. I tried to go outside to get a picture of the little family, but the parents would fly away every time I opened the door. I would even try to trick them by standing really still and hoping they would mistake me for a statue. But they wouldn't return until I went back inside. Birds are smarter than they look.

Now, like most Discovery channel features, the helpless chick's life was in danger ("Watch out Baby Bird!"). As it innocently hopped around our backyard chirping for its parents, I noticed a couple of mockingbirds gathering on the roofs of homes adjacent to ours. Very menacing; couldn't mean anything good. then one by one they began flying into our backyard. It was go time! The male cardinal would swoop down and chase them out.

It was JUST LIKE on TV! That was very cool to watch.

Well, eventually the baby cardinal found its way out of our backyard. It actually escaped through the opening that one of our dogs used to use as a way out. Now it is in the side yard (the side without windows) so our little show is over.

That was our excitement for the day. Other than that, I pureed some peas for Kara and washed the dishes...and nothing cool happened while I was doing that.

These are a few of my favorite things

Life with Baby K has been so much fun now that she is 4 months old. She has her own little personality and does new things almost daily. But for all the new stuff, she is still pretty predictable in some of her preferences. Here are a few of her favorite things...

She usually gets excited when we go into bathrooms because mirrors and running water are super awesome, but she is even more happy when she goes into a bathroom naked. She loves everything about tub time. She especially likes grabbing the rag out of our hands and sucking the water out of it. However, not so cool when the rag is full of soap.

Playing with paper is incredibly entertaining. I'm not if sure she ever gets tired of it. Who needs expensive toys or videos to babysit their children? A torn bag and packing paper will keep her occupied long enough for me to get showered and ready in the mornings.

She has begun sticking things in her mouth. She consistently tries to eat her bibs...and her hands...and mommy's face.

Last, she likes looking at faces. Forget Baby Einstein, she is mesmerized by the opening credits to One Life to Live (lots of faces and flashing colors). Yes, I just publicly admitted that I watch a Soap Opera. There are worse things I could do, but that is probably the lamest.

The Most Addictive Sound

According to some guy who was on Rachel Ray one time, the most addictive sound in the world is baby laughter. The second most addictive sound is a cell phone ringing (note the word used was addictive, not enjoyable). Unlike the cell phone ring, I happen to think baby laughter is both addictive AND enjoyable.

Lee and I were able to get Kara's first laughs on video. We were playing fetch with Kermit in the backyard, and Kara was tickled by it.

kara laughing

We don't mean to cause anyone to become addicted to our baby, but I'm sure this is probably the safest addiction you could have.

Roll Over!

I hope this isn't premature, but I am so excited to share with everyone that Kara rolled over today! A perfect little flip from her tummy to her back!

This isn't the first time she has rolled over. When she was 5 weeks old she used to stiffen her little body so much when I would put her on her tummy, that a few squeals and kicks later she would be on her back. I tried desperately to get this on video, but it never happened. Obviously, those were flukes, but I think today was the real thing!

We were playing on the floor and without any coaxing, she just started pushing and wiggling until she was on her back. I was so excited when she rolled over that I swooped her up, gave her lots of kisses, and ran to the phone to call Daddy. He was very proud of her.

Of course, I tried to get it on video, but the battery was dead! What!? Hopefully she'll do it again soon.

Q & A: Cousins

Q: What do Kara's cousins think of her?

A: Kara has 2 boy cousins who are both about 1.5 years old. They have taken to the new family member pretty well. However, each boy has his own "unique" way of treating her.

Owen:

This is our nephew from Lee's side of the family. He is 20 months old. I like to think of him as a gentle giant. He is a bigger-than-average toddler who loves to play, is very tender-hearted, and is great about including everyone in his games. Owen immediately accepted Kara. He likes holding her, giving her kisses, and he will even offer to share his stuffed animals with her. This is great news since Owen will become a big brother this summer when our niece Riley James Mery arrives!

Carson:

This is our nephew from Ashley's side of the family. He is 18 months old. Carson is inquisitive, always looking for a playmate, full of smiles, and a little mischievous. The kind of kid where you know when he is about to happily do something he knows he shouldn't...it's the twinkle in his eye. Carson is getting used to Kara, but I wouldn't say he has fully embraced her yet. He seems confused and a little distressed that his Beeba (grandma Bobbie) would ever hold anyone but him. He does like certain things about Kara...he likes pointing to her facial features and honking her nose, he likes pushing her in the stroller, and he likes telling her "bye-bye".