Here you go, Tessa

First of all, I need to admit, I'm a terrible blogger. There. It's out. Not like you didn't know this anyway, right? Anyway, my sister emailed me to oh-so-politely ask me to get my butt in gear and update with some pics. I've been pretty bad at getting pictures, and it's only going to get worse. Mallory was so excited to show her grandpa and daddy the last picture we took, that she dropped the camera and broke the telephoto lens. *sigh* Guess what's on my Christmas list?

Here's the picture that caused all the excitement. Funny, she was way more excited about the idea of Santa (and showing off the picture afterwards) than she was here!

Happy (late) Halloween

Rather than dwell on election results - and we've all had enough of that, haven't we - I thought I'd play a little catch up again. Much less likely to provoke angry debates and much, much cuter!

Our "celebration" started the Sunday before Halloween with a pumpkin carving party at our friend Katie's house. (Yes, this is the same Katie that took Mallory's pictures in the park.) It was actually supposed to be a "work" party for the employees at the pharmacy I used to work at, but since they apparently still love me, we were invited. Well, it actually helps that my mother-in-law still works there....

Anyway, Mallory wasn't terribly gung-ho on digging out pumpkin guts, but she did help a little. She also told me that our pumpkin had to be happy, not crabby.

Halloween night itself was lots of fun. Both Grandma and Billie had to work late, so Mallory and I picked Tera up from daycare and the three of us went in search of tricks and treats. The little (and I mean that "little") mall in town held a trick-or-treat event for the kids in the late afternoon, so we hit that first. Mallory in full kangaroo regalia (black nose courtesy of Jojo) and Tera as a sheep.

We then headed out to visit Paula at work and grab a bite of real food for supper. Well, if pizza counts as "real" supper. Can you guess what Paula was dressed up as?

As luck would have it, Jojo was working too, so Mallory needed another picture.

After our "real" supper, we headed out and made a round around the new section of town. It was absolutely gorgeous outside and perfect weather for trick-or-treating. By the time we made our loop, it was getting dark (thank you daylight savings time!), so we headed to Grandma's house to show off the costumes and drop off Tera.

We also made a quick trip to great-grandma's house. Angie and Damien, Billie and Tera, and Mallory and I converged on her home. Unfortunately, she had already run out of treats, so we were given apples instead. Or, maybe that was a good thing -they were really yummy!

Finally, we made it home and Mallory crashed. I can't say I blame her, it was almost two hours past her bedtime and even I was tuckered out.

Oh, and Paula was construction Barbie.

Another Saturday

I actually still have a few pictures from last Saturday to share. My friend Katie hosts a hayride at her parents' farm each fall and this was the first year that it worked for us to join in the fun. Just a little tease, though - I'll show you those pictures another day. I figured I'd try to stay on track and actually post todays pictures...today. Shocker, huh?


I've been pretty good about getting Mallory's pictures taken for each of the big "milestone" months. You know at 3, 6, 9, 12, 18....well the two year pictures didn't turn out so well. They never happened at all. We got to the portrait studio (okay, Wal-mart) and she would have absolutely nothing to do with sitting on their little table thing OR looking at the camera. We ended up leaving with no pictures even taken! Enter other friend Katie. She took Mallory's first two sets of pictures at her home for us, which had turned out quite nice. Her family was going camping at a nearby state park this weekend and she invited us to join them this morning and offered to try to get some pictures of Mallory that I could call her two year shots.


Mallory still wasn't terribly cooperative, but since Katie's 3 year old son, Gus, was there to play with, it went a little better. I don't have her shots to share yet (she has a much nicer camera than I), but I thought you might enjoy my quick point and shoot pictures anyway.






We were at Camden State Park for these pictures - I've actually never been there, even though it's less than 15 miles from our house. It's really pretty with a neat little river/stream that runs through the park. Here's my try at scenery.

After we were done with pictures, Mallory and Gus had some Froot Loops for breakfast/lunch (it was about 11am - Gus hadn't eaten breakfast yet, Mallory had eaten about three times already). Mallory was pretty tuckered out, and this is what I saw in the backseat.

After a nice (long) nap, we headed out to take lunch to Daddy and Grandpa in the field. They were just fininshing combining a field of soybeans and were able to take a break for a late meal. Mallory had eaten her lunch on the road, so was able to keep Daddy's seat warm.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. We did make yet another batch of cookies - cereal crunch this time, mmmmm. After Mallory was in bed, I worked on something that I was hoping would be Tera's birthday present for tomorrow. However, the instructions made it look much easier than it was, so I had to scrap that idea. I did have a bit of a back-up, but we'll be making a gift-buying stop tomorrow after church. Big birthday party at Grandma and Grandpa's house tomorrow - Tera will be four - so hopefully Mallory will be nice and rested.

How we spent our Saturday

I've created a monster. A cookie monster. Mallory and I have made more cookies in the last couple weeks than I have for quite some time before this. It started out as a way to keep Matt quiet - apparently I don't keep enough cookies in the house - but has now transformed into a wonderful distraction.

We even used sprinkles! Messy, but probably not nearly as messy as frosting would have been!

Finally, some more pictures

It's about time, isn't it?

Mallory and (cousin) Tera riding the ladybug at the county fair. There were exactly two rides appropriate for these guys...the other was the big slide.

Tessa, Joshua and Mallory lazing on the couch waiting for the birthday festivities to begin.
Can you believe she's two? Please don't mind the stained t-shirt - there were popsicles involved. Makes me happy that I didn't make her a special birthday outfit!
We had a nice little picnic to celebrate. Sure beats last year when it rained and we were all stuck inside!

Getting a little Miriam fix.

I think I shared this picture before...but it's so cute you get to see it again!

The nice sunny weather we had today reminded me of the weekend we spent at the lake (that I never showed pictures of). Here's Mallory and I going for a boat ride.
My dad bought this awesome two seater monstrosity to pull behind his boat. It's nearly impossible to tip (although he has tried)...and so far no one has fallen out. The only casualty so far has been my prescription sunglasses which currently reside at the bottom of the lake. Anyway, Mallory and Joshua wanted a turn, too.

Okey-dokey, that about catches me up with the pictures that I have from the summer. I really need to get my camera out some more....

New "family" members

I know it irritates my mom to no end when pets are referred to as family -such as "I'm Fido's mom"- hence the quotation marks. But, I wasn't quite sure how else to introduce these two, so that'll have to do. Sorry mom.

This is trouble...I mean Tucker. He's a little Heinz 57 - although looks mostly lab-ish. I can't decide if there's some German Shorthair Pointer in there somewhere or not. His developing (bad) habit of standing just out of reach when I want him to go in his kennel is making me think yes. He was found living with his sister at a farmsite and was being fed there, but after his sister disappeared, the people feeding him decided he needed to find a real home. One of the girls that works part time at the vet clinic also does rescue, so she took him, brought him to the clinic and he had to come home with me. I'm hoping to get Mallory more comfortable around dogs - she's a little bit nervous when they get right up to her - but this little tigger sure isn't doing much to help. He seems to realize she is about his size and wants to play whenever she walks around the yard.

This is Mallory's favorite new addition, OJ (as in juice, not Simpson). He has a similar story to Tucker, except my enabler was one of the pharmacists I used to work with at Hy-Vee. He and another cat were being fed by her neighbor, but OJ was so tame he was hanging out in their yards, even though their house cats were not in the least impressed. He is a really nice cat, and now that his boy parts have been removed, I'm hoping he'll stick around. The other cats are slowly getting used to him (not that I care - they're all fairly wild barn cats anyway) but OJ and Tucker actually get along quite well. I think OJ is a little dumb - he doesn't seem to realize that he's supposed to be scared of a dog. And for Tucker's part, cats are only fun to chase when they run. (I'm half hoping he'll continue chasing the stupid black cats that just eat my food but won't let us pet them, how bad am I?)

I'm sensing a new blog theme

It's: "Let's see how far behind I can get before I show you all some new pictures." So far I'm doing well, no?

Anyway, since it's too late to start any new projects I figured I'd better get my rear in gear uploading pictures before the grandmas stage a revolt. And they know where I live.....

First, I want to show you the pretty "aye, bees" (letters) that are up on Mallory's wall thanks to Tessa. I was a bit concerned about the colors, but they ended up matching the cow border on her walls perfectly. Yay.

Next up, my happy little rag-a-maid. Do excuse the yellow water - no it's not "used", it's just that our well water is a bit rusty. I wonder if she'll continue to like housework this much as she gets older. Lord knows that gene didn't come from me! (No snide comments, please.)

Blowing bubbles with Grandpa.
My grandpa passed away and his funeral was held the week before the 4th of July holiday. Since the funeral was in my hometown, my parents hosted the extended family for the afternoon. By the end, Mallory and Joshua were in charge of snacks and beverages....

They were in serious need of a good soaking by the time the evening was done. Whatcha think of Mallory's unibrow - fashionable, eh?
And finally - the dynamic duo in their pink shades. Yep, Joshua's are pink. With rhinestones. Hmmm.....okay, they're really Mallory's. But you figured that out, didn't you?

I have a bunch more pictures from the 4th of July weekend that we spent at the lake. Those will have to be for another post, though as I'm not going to press my luck trying to load too many pictures. I promise I won't procrastinate quite so long next time, deal?

I'm trying....

I'm working really hard on a new post with pictures, but blogger isn't cooperating. I can't get my pictures to upload right now....stay tuned!

Catching up again

So it occurs to me as I'm sitting at the computer eating my post swimming lessons salad from BK (we probably shouldn't tell Matt how much dressing coated lettuce I've been flinging around, 'kay?) that some of you are probably going through Mallory withdrawal. Sorry 'bout that.

First, yep, we've started swimming lessons. Mommy got smart this time and signed up through the local YMCA for indoor lessons instead of the ones we tried last year at an outdoor pool. That was just too flippin' cold for all parties involved. Mallory is having a great time. The Y has a zero-depth pool, which is really cool (I mean warm), so there really isn't the shock of jumping right in. Although, speaking of jumping, she really does enjoy jumping off the side into the water. She also will blow bubbles on occasion - however, she's still not super fond of putting her whole head under water. Lots of spluttering when that (accidentally) happens. I'm hoping I can get Matt to come along at least once to document with pictures, so we can share some of our fun. Stay tuned.

Last weekend, we spent most of the days at my sister's house. It was cousin Joshua's 2nd birthday on June 8th (he picked an easy to remember day - our anniversary) The whole clan was down for some fun, including pizza at a local pizza place that also had a few arcade type games. It wasn't quite Chuck E Cheese, but with $4 gas, that's quite okay.

Mom and Tessa stayed at our house Friday night. They arrived a bit later than planned due to unforeseen restaurant issues, so Mallory was already in bed by the time they showed up. However, she was very excited to get to break the fast with them Saturday morning.

I then made use of the extra hands staying at my house and eating my cereal, by roping them into helping decorate Mallory's room. A friend of mine had recently had an Uppercase Living party and I ordered a set to put on Mallory's wall above her crib. Tessa courageously faced the spider in the corner and between the two of us (okay, she did more) we managed to get it on the wall without major complications. Note to self: swirly letters...not such a good idea. I'll remember to get a pic one of these days so you can see how cute it is.

Then we all got ready to go.
Off to Kasey's house for fun with all the party guests. First, a little chase with Grandpa.

Then, some quality rockin' on Mr. Fish. Hmm, I had a bus driver in elementary school named Mr. Fish. Strange how these memories pop up, isn't it?

Then, my brother, Tyler, actually thought he might be able to sneak in a nap. On the livingroom floor. Oh my. Do you recognize those cute little legs sticking out in front? Nope, not mine!

Finally a cute picture of the silly-ness that was the norm for the day. I still have pictures of the party, but I don't want to push my luck with Blogger tonight. And besides, my mom said I didn't have to share all at once!

p.s. If you'd really like to see some more cute pictures without the waiting, check out my sister's blog - she's got lots!

Meow meows

WARNING: Lots of cute kitties coming up! We had two momma cats have kittens within a day or two of each other in the same place (Buddy's old dog house). I was really trying to visit and handle them every couple of days, so that we could have some kitties around that were actually pet-able for Mallory.

However, that ended when these monsters....I mean kitties....came to live with us. They were dropped off at one of the clinics. Since that clinic also serves as the city pound, we were pretty full of cats already, so I said they could come live at the farm and be mousers. They are nice and tame. However, my momma cats were threatened enough that they moved their babies out to the barn.

We started out with five, but the day after they came home, another mom from Mallory's daycare called and asked if I'd mind parting with a couple. (They had an entire litter killed by a tomcat.) So they came and took two - including the little white one in the upper right corner of the picture. She was my favorite.....

Mallory actually enjoyed playing in the kennel more than anything. It was a really neat canvas one that had a zippered door. Oh the fun that can be had!

We also managed to get Mallory's Christmas present put together...I think it was Memorial Day weekend. Mallory is a very good helper - her and I managed all by ourselves. It's a really wonderful wagon with nice big rubber tires for our gravel roads. Mallory is still working on convincing the kitties that a ride is a good idea.

Finally, a poll. Which is cuter? I have my personal preference, but I may be biased....