Dormant Diabetes

Have you ever introduced your child to a necessity that subsequently became an addiction and a nuisance? Well, that is precisely what happened with those bulky, rubber-soled, bright pink snow boots in the picture above. After visiting the cabin one weekend, I was faced with tantrum-filled mornings in a struggle to dissuade Kavella from thinking about, locating and donning the stupid things. Alas, it became more effort than I cared to deal with, so I just built her outfits around them. Day, after day, after day....for like a month, but she sure looks cute in them, huh?

Adam and Chante's car got worked! You know what a Prius sounds like when it passes....? :)

Remember those boots? Yeah, pretty much the same concept with the sunglasses. It's going to be pretty bright tonight!

Mommy and Kavella--best friends forever! (At least, she'll be MY bff!)

Ha, ha, ha!! I can get Choco sooooo riled up! He puts up with so much--avoiding people stepping on him, waiting hours and hours to go potty, Kavella chasing him, me teasing him...poor dog probably wishes eternal families didn't exist.

If anyone is going to get diabetes in this family, it's me. I crave the sudsy fizz of soda pop, love fattening foods like spinach-artichoke dip, rocky road shakes, candy, salty chips and donuts, and I certainly should work out more to improve my cardiovascular system's ability to function. This body is hard to have jurisdiction over when there is so much temptation in the form of tasty fooooooooood!

This might be her first ice-cream cone! D-lish!

And, another one! We went up to L.A. to meet Grandma, Grandpa, Katy Jo and Stacy for dinner (they had a layover on their way to Figi) and we got Thrifty cones for dessert! The cool thing about being pregnant is that you can eat all you want and you don't have to suck in your belly.

Worst hamburger I've ever eaten. Plus, it was like $15.00; in Australia. Big mistake.

First time sleeping in her "big girl" bed! Then she rolled out...oopsie!

This is just a little preview of what's to come...specifically, our family Easter egg hunt.

Happy 2nd Birthday, K-Baby!

Our snugglebug turned 2! She is just the sweetest, most entertaining, thoughtful, smart baby girl in the world!

"It's a pillow. It's a pet. It's a pillowpet!" Kavella has her cousins to thank for her inability to sleep without it! It's just so comforting....

Yes, I actually bought new gifts for her this year--as opposed to re-wrapping Christmas gifts like I did when she turned 1!

Look closely at the teeth marks on the cupcake...poor thing is gonna need Invisalign...and perhaps a few teeth implants. I have no idea where the rest of those teeth are hiding!

This was our trip to Coronado Island for the Managers' Retreat. We got to go on a dinner cruise in the harbor!

Making faces for the camera! I was getting my hair cut.

For the longest time, Deina was the only human being allowed to fix Kavella's hair. I loved sending her off with her Auntie and having her return all dolled up! Look at her kissable cheeks!

I think this is when Dustin went to London. I bet it was FRIGID.

Oh, that's right, he brought this big foam hand back from London and Kavella just loved to carry it around saying, "yeah!" with both of her "thumbs" up!

You look so dahhhllingg with all your gear!

CA/OK Christmas 2010

Granny and Poppy invited us over for "Christmas" dinner, which was lovely! I think it was actually mid-December, but since it was the only time the family would be together, we did it! Kavella sure loves spending time with her cousins, Conner and Amanda.

Best.....gift....ever! Thanks, Granny and Poppy, for the baby stroller! Check out my excitement....

Handsome Baby Wyatt! We headed out to OK this year for Christmas--ALL of my siblings were going to be there, so it was a really special/crazy time!

Ellie and Scottipie!

Grant met Kavella for the first time, so she was inevitably the recipient of numerous smooches, nibbles and lubs.....things would only get more intense (in that category) when Ricky showed up...

Mom makes the world's most delicious cinny rolls, ever! I prefer mine with nuts and raisins. I could eat them all day, every meal.

Look at the adorable hat Aunt Morgan got for K-baby!

Thumbs down, thumbs down....I can't remember what Chris was disagreeing with, but it had something to do with the way bacon was cooked....or syrup was warmed or something. I can't remember.

Bryce and Scott--best buds forever!

Jenn and I were trying to get Luke to smile for the camera; I obviously gave up sooner than Jenn.

Aren't Dad and Ricky so handsome?

Shane and Colleen--they look like they're a couple. Awwwwkwaaaard!

Speaking of awkward....Kavella and Dalin watching t.v.

Ricky and Morgan celebrated their 1 year anniversary while in OK and they invited us to join them for dinner! Yes, I DID sit between them on both the ride to and from the restaurant--just to keep things "PG" and all. I love spending time with my family and I'm suuuurrree they love me, too. Ha, ha!

Ok, I took a picture of this FHE moment because EVERYONE in the entire room was tuned into Mom's lesson....until she started "singing" a rendition of "Hallelujah," asking each of us to join in. The only problem was that NOBODY knew which song she was singing, so she remained the only voice in her very own rendition of the song. FHE went straight downhill after that because we couldn't stop laughing.

Morgan, Bean and me.

Our neighborhood has been prone to flooding, so a retaining pond was recently built to solve the problem. It attracts geese and ducks, so we loaded ourselves up in the trailer (totally legal in OK) and headed down to feed them. Unfortunately, there weren't any there when we went.

Dustin had to stay in CA and work until just before Christmas, so Kavella enjoyed chatting with him in the evenings. The sweetest dad and daughter duo....ever.