Today is a sad day for the Friess family. I have been informed that a family friend has suffered severe injuries and it looks as though they may not survive. We have been friends for nearly 11 years and had some very good times, one of my most loyal and reliable friends. I am of course speaking of Little Purple, my very first car. Shortly after turning 16 my parents bought me a 1997 Ford Escort is a very snazzy shade of purple (hence the name Little Purple, also known as Barney). Little Purple was a great car, very reliable and had a lot of fun growing up in Sanpete County with me. We sold Little Purple to my nephew about a year ago and she moved to Wyoming. Keenan was taking very good care of her and from what I hear, she was enjoying her new life in Wyoming, even the food fight that Keenan got her in.
Recently Purple was hit by a neighbor and was taken to the car hospital (a.k.a the autobody shop) for a quote. Turns out some jerk thinks that to repair her would cost more than she is worth. Of course he does not realize that Purple is priceless. So, Purple was pronounced totalled and I guess they will look into other options for reviving her. So I guess she's been put on "life support" now and will wait for a belated Christmas miracle.
So in honor of Little Purple, I will be listening to "No Diggity" by Blackstreet today, one of her favorites, and holding a memorial service. All of you that would like to offer your support, please feel free to find any appropriate outlet. And for you Purple, thank you for holding my smelly old sneakers, my dirty cleats, letting me spill pop in you, allowing me to play my music too loud and drive you too fast. And I forgive you for that time you broke down at the airport at midnight while I was 8 months pregnant in that awful rain storm. May you rest in peace.
Little Purple
February 1997 - December 2007
I love you, you love me, we were a happy family
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Merry Christmas to all
On Saturday we went to a Christmas party with Rich's family and had a lot of fun. Then we headed home to have a quiet Christmas in Idaho. We started the Christmas festivities with our tradition of opening one gift on Christmas Eve. Rich had to work for awhile on Christmas Eve, so we let Kinley open her present in the morning in hopes that it would help entertain her while he was gone. And, it worked out beautifully.
Here she is opening her Tickle Me Elmo from her cousin Keenan. She was enjoying ripping off the paper, but when a tiny red circle in the box started laughing, she got a little nervous. Once Elmo was out of his box it was love at first sight. She loves to watch him laugh and flop all over. Elmo was lucky enough to get some gold fish, loves, kisses, and even had his own blanket...thank heavens she has a spare. A big thanks to Keenan and his clever gift, it helped fill some time yesterday so I could get some things done. I guess Kinley has a new best friend now.
Now on to Christmas morning. I always have a hard time sleeping Christmas Eve, I guess I'm just a little kid inside. Kinley woke up early and we raced downstairs to see what Santa brought. Santa was pretty good to us, brought some toys, clothes, shoes, and some yummy candy. Kinley quickly lost interest in unwrapping presents and seemed confused and overwhelmed. She seemed like she couldn't figure out what to play with. And by late afternoon, she was running a high fever and obviously not feeling well. She called it a day at 6:45 and left Rich and I to enjoy a quiet evening. Here are some pictures of her finding Santa's gifts and opening her presents.
We are very grateful for this Christmas season to reflect upon the birth and life of our Savior. We are grateful for our family and to have been surrounded by so many special people. It has been quite a year for us and we truly are blessed and are so grateful for this special time of year.
Here she is opening her Tickle Me Elmo from her cousin Keenan. She was enjoying ripping off the paper, but when a tiny red circle in the box started laughing, she got a little nervous. Once Elmo was out of his box it was love at first sight. She loves to watch him laugh and flop all over. Elmo was lucky enough to get some gold fish, loves, kisses, and even had his own blanket...thank heavens she has a spare. A big thanks to Keenan and his clever gift, it helped fill some time yesterday so I could get some things done. I guess Kinley has a new best friend now.
Now on to Christmas morning. I always have a hard time sleeping Christmas Eve, I guess I'm just a little kid inside. Kinley woke up early and we raced downstairs to see what Santa brought. Santa was pretty good to us, brought some toys, clothes, shoes, and some yummy candy. Kinley quickly lost interest in unwrapping presents and seemed confused and overwhelmed. She seemed like she couldn't figure out what to play with. And by late afternoon, she was running a high fever and obviously not feeling well. She called it a day at 6:45 and left Rich and I to enjoy a quiet evening. Here are some pictures of her finding Santa's gifts and opening her presents.
We are very grateful for this Christmas season to reflect upon the birth and life of our Savior. We are grateful for our family and to have been surrounded by so many special people. It has been quite a year for us and we truly are blessed and are so grateful for this special time of year.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Article on teething
Yesterday Kinley and I had a very rough day, I think she cried for 80% of the day. I suspect this new mouthful of teeth she is working on is the root of the evil. So after a few hours of constant crying and tantrums, I decided to turn to the internet to see if there was some miracle cure I hadn't heard of yet (by the way, there isn't). I stumbled across an article from some yuppy doctor where he states that he does not believe that teething causes any discomfort and that it is just a coincidence that children act fussy and have other symptoms at the same time. I would like to respond with an, oh really??? Really???
Then I realized, I think I know who this guy is. He must be the man that speaks when there is a tornado warning. You know, the guy that makes ridiculously obvious statements. Like, "if debris is flying towards you, use your hands and arms to cover your head." Whew! Thank heavens he told me that. The last time debris flew at my head I was like, oh no, what should I do? My first instinct is to cover my head but nobody has ever told me to do that. But now, thank you mister, I know just what to do.
So to the doctor and author of this article, sorry I didn't catch your name, your article was so ridiculous I didn't want to waste my memory space on you. Do you have children? Have you ever seen a child that is teething? Awfully strange that every tooth she gets she just gets worse and worse, and not to mention, the majority of kids I know have the same reaction. So are you a doctor in the same way that Dr. Seuss is a doctor? I found your article to be complete nonsense and if you would like some additional subjects to study, you are more than welcome to come to my house.
Whew! I feel better now, thanks for the forum to rant about this topic. It must be my lack of sleep, and honestly, all that crying starts to wear on my sanity. But today we are doing much better.
Then I realized, I think I know who this guy is. He must be the man that speaks when there is a tornado warning. You know, the guy that makes ridiculously obvious statements. Like, "if debris is flying towards you, use your hands and arms to cover your head." Whew! Thank heavens he told me that. The last time debris flew at my head I was like, oh no, what should I do? My first instinct is to cover my head but nobody has ever told me to do that. But now, thank you mister, I know just what to do.
So to the doctor and author of this article, sorry I didn't catch your name, your article was so ridiculous I didn't want to waste my memory space on you. Do you have children? Have you ever seen a child that is teething? Awfully strange that every tooth she gets she just gets worse and worse, and not to mention, the majority of kids I know have the same reaction. So are you a doctor in the same way that Dr. Seuss is a doctor? I found your article to be complete nonsense and if you would like some additional subjects to study, you are more than welcome to come to my house.
Whew! I feel better now, thanks for the forum to rant about this topic. It must be my lack of sleep, and honestly, all that crying starts to wear on my sanity. But today we are doing much better.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
In the Christmas spirit
For some reason I am very much in the Christmas spirit this year. It could be due to all of the lovely shows on ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas, which I just love. It could be because Kinley seems to have some idea what is going on. She is very much loving the Christmas tree and just insists that it remains lit from the moment she wakes up until she goes to bed. She likes to watch television or take her toys to the couch and sit just as close as she possibly can to the tree. She says tree and points to it all the time, or any tree for that matter, and seems torn between staring at the tree and presents and doing anything else. The tree this year has minimal decor, I was trying to prevent her from ruining everything, but I guess it looks alright. It does have a nice little "couch" fence around it for safety.
My sister Richelle sent Kinley some adorable new dresses and this lovely little nativity set for Kinley. Kinley just loves this nativity set and plays with it constantly. She is so careful when she sets it up and has to get everybody in just the right place. I think it is so cute because she usually has baby Jesus in the middle and everybody around him. She also must carry every piece in her hands at the same time, very difficult for those timy little hands. On this particular day, she chose to be cute before I got her hair fixed and her full outfit on, so excuse the mess.
Kinley has so graciously offered to help me with some special Christmas presents. I have decided to make some special books for my Grandparents. I wrote a short story for each of them and Kinley is in charge of the illustrations. She has done a pretty good job. She ate some of the blue crayon and the green one suffered severe injuries after being hurled from the counter, but the pictures are coming along nicely and we're hoping for some great reactions to the gifts.
So with one more week until Christmas, we are very excited and counting down the days. We hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!!!
My sister Richelle sent Kinley some adorable new dresses and this lovely little nativity set for Kinley. Kinley just loves this nativity set and plays with it constantly. She is so careful when she sets it up and has to get everybody in just the right place. I think it is so cute because she usually has baby Jesus in the middle and everybody around him. She also must carry every piece in her hands at the same time, very difficult for those timy little hands. On this particular day, she chose to be cute before I got her hair fixed and her full outfit on, so excuse the mess.
Kinley has so graciously offered to help me with some special Christmas presents. I have decided to make some special books for my Grandparents. I wrote a short story for each of them and Kinley is in charge of the illustrations. She has done a pretty good job. She ate some of the blue crayon and the green one suffered severe injuries after being hurled from the counter, but the pictures are coming along nicely and we're hoping for some great reactions to the gifts.
So with one more week until Christmas, we are very excited and counting down the days. We hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!!!
Friday, December 14, 2007
The full Wal-Mart experience
Let me start by expressing how much I dislike shopping at Wal-Mart, but at this point in my life it fits my budget, so the majority of my shopping is done there. So, tonight, after doing some shopping with the family at the mall and a few other stores and putting Kinley to bed, it was time to fulfill my "mommy duties" and head out to good old Wal-Mart. Ugh! It's packed of course with crazed Christmas shoppers. And it's funny how so many nice people doing their holiday shopping makes me want to knock the holiday right out of them, but I hunkered down and fought off all of my hostile feelings and just focused on my list.
Well, I have this knack for attracting the weirdos to shop along with. You know how you always end up shopping with the same group of people, you know, you keep running into them aisle after aisle. Well, we live in some what of a college town, so I usually run into some real winners. However, tonight, I was shopping with a very polite, nice young man. We had a few close calls of almost running into each other's carts, but managed to hit the check out stand without injury. Well, naturally, this young man ends up at the same check out stand as I do, and he very generously offers to let me go ahead of him even though his cart was much less full than mine. Well, I continue to be polite as he makes small chat. He proceeds to ask if this is the best thing I had to do on Friday night (yeah, like Wal-Mart is my idea of a great weekend) and yada yada. Then, comes the real winner. This lovely young man asks if I would like to "grab a bite to eat". Hmm...this is interesting. So, I very politely say, "Wow, that sure would be nice, I haven't been on a date in a really long time. But I think my husband would be really upset with me." Cut to the boy with a bright red face and fumbling over his words, "um, er, oh I'm so embarrassed, I didn't notice your wedding ring." I said, oh it's ok, no big deal. But I do think I'm probably quite a bit older than you anyways. The nice young man says, "well I'm 19, you can't be much older than that." Oh dear young man, you have made my entire year, however, nope, I'm 27.
It's amazing the emotional roller coaster that grocery shopping can bring. From hatred and hostility, to that joyous moment when somebody thinks you're around 20 still. What a night. And may I add, after the purchase of a few stocking stuffers tonight, I'm done shopping! Hurray and happy holidays to all!
Well, I have this knack for attracting the weirdos to shop along with. You know how you always end up shopping with the same group of people, you know, you keep running into them aisle after aisle. Well, we live in some what of a college town, so I usually run into some real winners. However, tonight, I was shopping with a very polite, nice young man. We had a few close calls of almost running into each other's carts, but managed to hit the check out stand without injury. Well, naturally, this young man ends up at the same check out stand as I do, and he very generously offers to let me go ahead of him even though his cart was much less full than mine. Well, I continue to be polite as he makes small chat. He proceeds to ask if this is the best thing I had to do on Friday night (yeah, like Wal-Mart is my idea of a great weekend) and yada yada. Then, comes the real winner. This lovely young man asks if I would like to "grab a bite to eat". Hmm...this is interesting. So, I very politely say, "Wow, that sure would be nice, I haven't been on a date in a really long time. But I think my husband would be really upset with me." Cut to the boy with a bright red face and fumbling over his words, "um, er, oh I'm so embarrassed, I didn't notice your wedding ring." I said, oh it's ok, no big deal. But I do think I'm probably quite a bit older than you anyways. The nice young man says, "well I'm 19, you can't be much older than that." Oh dear young man, you have made my entire year, however, nope, I'm 27.
It's amazing the emotional roller coaster that grocery shopping can bring. From hatred and hostility, to that joyous moment when somebody thinks you're around 20 still. What a night. And may I add, after the purchase of a few stocking stuffers tonight, I'm done shopping! Hurray and happy holidays to all!
Friday, December 7, 2007
So bring us some figgy pudding
Okay, so I don't really know what figgy pudding is, some type of a Christmas pudding. I've never seen it and not really wanting to, just thought it was a good title for today's post, tis the season and all.
So thanks to my local Smith's grocery store, I managed to get a major bargain on pudding a few weeks ago. At first, Kinley didn't want anything to do with it, despite my efforts to explain just how delicious chocolate is. She's just such a picky eater, or rather, she's picky about how she eats. Well, on this particular night, we discovered how she would like to eat her food that day, her "way of the day" as I call it, was to put the food on a spoon (very key here, not a fork) and let her put it in her mouth. So, for an after dinner treat, Rich and I were enjoying some pudding and Kinley was refusing to join in. Until her daddy left his pudding cup on the floor and she found out just how delicious pudding is. So we got her a spoon and let her polish off his chocolate and finish my tapioca. And boy did she enjoy it...she enjoyed it so much she decided to smear it around her face for a chocolate pudding mask, great for the complexion. She has also taken a liking to egg nog, which I just couldn't be more thrilled about, now I feel more justified in my purchase since I was the only one drinking it before.
So thanks to my local Smith's grocery store, I managed to get a major bargain on pudding a few weeks ago. At first, Kinley didn't want anything to do with it, despite my efforts to explain just how delicious chocolate is. She's just such a picky eater, or rather, she's picky about how she eats. Well, on this particular night, we discovered how she would like to eat her food that day, her "way of the day" as I call it, was to put the food on a spoon (very key here, not a fork) and let her put it in her mouth. So, for an after dinner treat, Rich and I were enjoying some pudding and Kinley was refusing to join in. Until her daddy left his pudding cup on the floor and she found out just how delicious pudding is. So we got her a spoon and let her polish off his chocolate and finish my tapioca. And boy did she enjoy it...she enjoyed it so much she decided to smear it around her face for a chocolate pudding mask, great for the complexion. She has also taken a liking to egg nog, which I just couldn't be more thrilled about, now I feel more justified in my purchase since I was the only one drinking it before.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Dear Santa
Dear Santa,
This is Kinley. My mommy and I went to see you at our local mall. Mommy explained that you can't be at all the malls in the world at the same time, so you have helpers. I would like to suggest that you take a look at your screening process cause our Santa wasn't a very good one. First of all, why do I have to pay a minimum of $12.99 to have my picture taken with your "helper"? Seems a bit pricey. But that is besides the points. My mommy and I were shopping and we saw where your "workshop" was set up, so we stopped to say hello. I was a bit nervous so I just stayed in my stroller, but I was kind of excited, and I really liked the nice lady taking pictures. My excitement quickly faded when I saw the helper Santa. Mommy said, "can you say hello to Santa?" I said, "You must be outta your mind. This isn't Santa. This is some skinny, middle aged man wearing a dirty, red velvet suit, and an awfully nasty wig and beard (and his black hair was showing)." And I didn't look at him after that, and I didn't even want his stupid candy cane. I just thought you should know that somebody in your office let this guy slip through the cracks. I saw a better looking Santa grocery shopping (not in his suit of course) at Wal-Mart the other day. I'll keep looking for a good looking Santa so I can sit on his lap and tell him what I want for Christmas. By the way, thank you for all the good stuff you brought me last year.
Oh, and one last thing. My mommy is always saying that if I am naughty, you won't come to my house. Well, I have been naughty lately, but I would like to state my case and plead not guilty by reason of mental defect caused by teething. I can't help it, I got 2 molars over the last few weeks and it makes me act like a little monster. So, please take that into consideration when checking your list twice. And when my mommy tells me to quit doing things, like pushing the t.v. buttons, hitting, pinching, licking my daddy's shoes, and all the other stuff she tells me not to do, I am going to try really hard to stop doing them...without a tantrum.
Merry Christmas Santa and have a good flight!
Kinley
This is Kinley. My mommy and I went to see you at our local mall. Mommy explained that you can't be at all the malls in the world at the same time, so you have helpers. I would like to suggest that you take a look at your screening process cause our Santa wasn't a very good one. First of all, why do I have to pay a minimum of $12.99 to have my picture taken with your "helper"? Seems a bit pricey. But that is besides the points. My mommy and I were shopping and we saw where your "workshop" was set up, so we stopped to say hello. I was a bit nervous so I just stayed in my stroller, but I was kind of excited, and I really liked the nice lady taking pictures. My excitement quickly faded when I saw the helper Santa. Mommy said, "can you say hello to Santa?" I said, "You must be outta your mind. This isn't Santa. This is some skinny, middle aged man wearing a dirty, red velvet suit, and an awfully nasty wig and beard (and his black hair was showing)." And I didn't look at him after that, and I didn't even want his stupid candy cane. I just thought you should know that somebody in your office let this guy slip through the cracks. I saw a better looking Santa grocery shopping (not in his suit of course) at Wal-Mart the other day. I'll keep looking for a good looking Santa so I can sit on his lap and tell him what I want for Christmas. By the way, thank you for all the good stuff you brought me last year.
Oh, and one last thing. My mommy is always saying that if I am naughty, you won't come to my house. Well, I have been naughty lately, but I would like to state my case and plead not guilty by reason of mental defect caused by teething. I can't help it, I got 2 molars over the last few weeks and it makes me act like a little monster. So, please take that into consideration when checking your list twice. And when my mommy tells me to quit doing things, like pushing the t.v. buttons, hitting, pinching, licking my daddy's shoes, and all the other stuff she tells me not to do, I am going to try really hard to stop doing them...without a tantrum.
Merry Christmas Santa and have a good flight!
Kinley
Monday, November 26, 2007
Kinley's latest interests
Over the last few weeks Kinley has come up with some new things she loves, some are to be expected, others definitely were not. First off, Kinley is really loving her cousin Kolter right now. Kolter will be 3 in January and the 2 of them are finally learning how to play well together. Kolter is even sweet enough to let Kinley sit on his lap so that they can share one of Uncle Dan's great chairs.
Next, Kinley has developed a very strange habit of putting things around her neck. Her top items are necklaces (an obvious choice) and her pajamas and onesies. And she can really pile the clothing on.
And the latest, her love of the computer. I guess this would be an obvious thing for her to love since she sees both of her parents on the computer quite often. However, tonight she decided to combine the love of the computer with her love of clothing around her neck. She discovered one of mommy's very old swimming suits and wore it around her neck for most of the night, and did her best impression of mommy on the computer. Mommy, however, does not wear her swimming suit while using the computer...or ever for that matter.
But my absolute favorite, she loves to smash her face against the glass of the entertainment center. And really, what child can resist this??? I just love watching Kinley grow and seeing her interests change, and I really just love her.
Next, Kinley has developed a very strange habit of putting things around her neck. Her top items are necklaces (an obvious choice) and her pajamas and onesies. And she can really pile the clothing on.
And the latest, her love of the computer. I guess this would be an obvious thing for her to love since she sees both of her parents on the computer quite often. However, tonight she decided to combine the love of the computer with her love of clothing around her neck. She discovered one of mommy's very old swimming suits and wore it around her neck for most of the night, and did her best impression of mommy on the computer. Mommy, however, does not wear her swimming suit while using the computer...or ever for that matter.
But my absolute favorite, she loves to smash her face against the glass of the entertainment center. And really, what child can resist this??? I just love watching Kinley grow and seeing her interests change, and I really just love her.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
What a month
We had a very busy November, hence the lack of posts from us this month. We made 3 trips to Utah this month and that is a lot of traveling for this little family. Kinley and I stayed at my parents for a week to work on a big surprise for my grandparents 70th wedding anniversary and we had so much fun. We made it to 2 nephew's baptisms and the wedding of a good friend of mine. It is so nice to be close to family and friends and be able to be there for such special occasions. In the last week I was able to do a ladies luncheon with Lisa Burns, Emily Evershed, and Lindsey Hinkins...and of course all the little kiddies. And then to our great joy, the Warners and Wiedrichs were in Sanpete county while we were and we enjoyed a wonderful lunch at Roy's Pizza (formerly Fat Jacks for those that are interested) with them and watched yet another embarrassing Husker loss.
So with Thanksgiving having passed us by, and I reflect on all of the many things I am thankful for, I would like to add 2 new things to my usual list. Of course I am beyond grateful for my family and friends, food, clothing, etc. However, this year, I find myself very much overjoyed for 2 items that continue to improve the quality of my life. First, the DVR. Oh where to even begin expressing my gratitude for the device that has so drastically improved the quality of my television watching, as well as decreased the amount of time it takes for me to watch my selected programs. And secondly, and maybe more importantly, a giant thank you to Julie Aigner Clark for your inspired creation of the Baby Einstein movies. Thank you so very much for allowing me 20 to 30 minutes each day to prepare dinner. There are days where I am certain you are saving my sanity, so thank you.
We wish you all a belated Happy Thanksgiving and wish you luck on your holiday shopping!
So with Thanksgiving having passed us by, and I reflect on all of the many things I am thankful for, I would like to add 2 new things to my usual list. Of course I am beyond grateful for my family and friends, food, clothing, etc. However, this year, I find myself very much overjoyed for 2 items that continue to improve the quality of my life. First, the DVR. Oh where to even begin expressing my gratitude for the device that has so drastically improved the quality of my television watching, as well as decreased the amount of time it takes for me to watch my selected programs. And secondly, and maybe more importantly, a giant thank you to Julie Aigner Clark for your inspired creation of the Baby Einstein movies. Thank you so very much for allowing me 20 to 30 minutes each day to prepare dinner. There are days where I am certain you are saving my sanity, so thank you.
We wish you all a belated Happy Thanksgiving and wish you luck on your holiday shopping!
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Kinley got tagged
So I know that this is my second post today, but it is for a good cause. I am here to express my outrage at a crime spree in my neighborhood. Okay, so it wasn't so much a spree as an isolated incident. And the individual targeted was my sweet little girl. Kinley's toy car was tagged today (that is hood/ghetto speak for graffiti on one's possessions). The disgusting display consisted of 3 swear words, written in little kid handwriting, and in chalk. Needless to say I was livid. And we actually live in a very nice neighborhood and I don't even think we have that many little kids around. Kinley and I tried to do some detective work and went searching for the little heathen (or heathens), but alas, we found no further evidence of their destructive behavior. Luckily the chalk washed off pretty well, it needs a little magic eraser to get rid of the remaining marks, but Kinley was devasted. And this led to a very awkward conversation with Kinley about swear words and these specific swear words, I did not think we would need to have that discussion for a few years. I would include a picture but did not want to subject any one else the bad language. And I might add that the little creeps didn't even get the words spelled right, not to put the words in your mind, but one word was missing a "t" and one had a very pathetic attempt at a "k".
I wanted to put a letter on my patio to the little dirt bags. Something to the effect of, "Hey scum bag that attempted to destroy my child's toy. First of all, you need to go back to school and learn how to spell and work on your penmanship. Secondly, you have now vandalized the property of an attorney's child, and this particular attorney works very closely with the prosecutor's office and a judge. So if I were you, I would find somebody else to pick on. And lastly, you better pray I never find out who you are, you have picked the wrong little girl to mess with! P.S. Please write and tell me how prison is when you get there."
However, some time passed, I realized I am 27 years old, not very tough, and after a frantic call to report the crime to the previously mentioned attorney he was reminded of and merely reminisced about the good old days of living in the old neighborhood. So, no note, however, I am on constant vigil for clues and watching for the culprit.
I wanted to put a letter on my patio to the little dirt bags. Something to the effect of, "Hey scum bag that attempted to destroy my child's toy. First of all, you need to go back to school and learn how to spell and work on your penmanship. Secondly, you have now vandalized the property of an attorney's child, and this particular attorney works very closely with the prosecutor's office and a judge. So if I were you, I would find somebody else to pick on. And lastly, you better pray I never find out who you are, you have picked the wrong little girl to mess with! P.S. Please write and tell me how prison is when you get there."
However, some time passed, I realized I am 27 years old, not very tough, and after a frantic call to report the crime to the previously mentioned attorney he was reminded of and merely reminisced about the good old days of living in the old neighborhood. So, no note, however, I am on constant vigil for clues and watching for the culprit.
Trip to the petting zoo
During one of those days where I just realize, "I have got to get out of this house", and take off in the car with no real destination, I stumbled onto this really fun petting zoo. It is actually a pet store that has puppies, kitties, birds, etc., and then in the back it has a great little petting zoo. And of course, my little animal lover child had a great time. They had goats, pigs, chickens, miniature horses, ducks, geese, an emu, ostrich, and even a yak. I'm sure I missed some animals, but you get the idea. They also have a little replica old western town set up, it's very small, but pretty cute, and has the potential for some great pictures. Now all I need is a model that can hold still for more than 2 seconds.
So for our Friday Family Night Out we decided to go to the petting zoo as a family. We love the little puppies and now have our hearts set on getting a cockapoo when we get a house. They were so cute. So we spent some time inside looking at all of the animals, including the gigantic turtles, and then headed outside. Kinley had a lot of fun, and was completely mesmerized by the Canada Goose and the way it honked at her. The pygmy goats made her nervous though, they had some crazy looking eyes. So, if you are ever in our neck of the woods, we will take you to our little petting zoo refuge.
So for our Friday Family Night Out we decided to go to the petting zoo as a family. We love the little puppies and now have our hearts set on getting a cockapoo when we get a house. They were so cute. So we spent some time inside looking at all of the animals, including the gigantic turtles, and then headed outside. Kinley had a lot of fun, and was completely mesmerized by the Canada Goose and the way it honked at her. The pygmy goats made her nervous though, they had some crazy looking eyes. So, if you are ever in our neck of the woods, we will take you to our little petting zoo refuge.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
The hunger strike of 2007
Oh what a day we had today. I'll just give a quick run down. We started the day off just fine, our usual routine, Kinley gets up and we play for a bit before breakfast. Well today, when it was time for breakfast, Kinley declared a hunger strike. But why a hunger strike you ask, well I just have no idea. She would only drink a little bit of apple juice and that was it. I persisted all morning with gold fish, fruit snacks, and things I knew she liked. She would trick me by putting it in her mouth, taking it out, then trying to cram it down my throat. She did drink some milk and then took a lovely 3 hour nap.
Once my 3 hours of solitude were over, Kinley awoke with a diaper that had severely failed in its purpose to hold the urine in. So Kinley didn't get her usual "snuggle mommy time" after her nap and that just fueled the hunger strike apparently, and made her very clingy. She was never more than a foot away for most of the afternoon. If I was in the kitchen, she would just lay on the floor with her blankie and wait for me to finish my task some what patiently and then follow me to the next room.
After as much shadowing as I could take, we decided to hop in the car and go visit daddy at work. The ladies at the court house certainly love Kinley. It's amazing how many people offer you candy when you have a cute little kid with you. So, Kinley finally said enough is enough and called off the hunger strike...for some smarties of course. But boy did those smarties perk her up. She was super happy at the grocery store waving and saying hi to everybody. And thanks to my fresh values card, we bought a delicious rotisserie chicken for dinner, which to my delight Kinley scarfed down. The smarties, chicken, and a few bits of orange turned her into a whole new kid. She spent the rest of the night reorganizing my kitchen furniture (one of her favorites) and then decided to search her toys for the perfect hat, which she found. Oh the mood swings of girls!
Once my 3 hours of solitude were over, Kinley awoke with a diaper that had severely failed in its purpose to hold the urine in. So Kinley didn't get her usual "snuggle mommy time" after her nap and that just fueled the hunger strike apparently, and made her very clingy. She was never more than a foot away for most of the afternoon. If I was in the kitchen, she would just lay on the floor with her blankie and wait for me to finish my task some what patiently and then follow me to the next room.
After as much shadowing as I could take, we decided to hop in the car and go visit daddy at work. The ladies at the court house certainly love Kinley. It's amazing how many people offer you candy when you have a cute little kid with you. So, Kinley finally said enough is enough and called off the hunger strike...for some smarties of course. But boy did those smarties perk her up. She was super happy at the grocery store waving and saying hi to everybody. And thanks to my fresh values card, we bought a delicious rotisserie chicken for dinner, which to my delight Kinley scarfed down. The smarties, chicken, and a few bits of orange turned her into a whole new kid. She spent the rest of the night reorganizing my kitchen furniture (one of her favorites) and then decided to search her toys for the perfect hat, which she found. Oh the mood swings of girls!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Trick or Treat
Happy Halloween to everybody! Kinley went as a pig this year, a very adorable little pig. We went to the church for a chili dinner and trunk or treating. I still can't get over how many people were there. There were kids everywhere, and lots and lots of cars to walk around to. Kinley didn't feel much like getting her picture taken today so you can't really see the entire costume, mainly the cute little eyes on her hood. She had a pretty good time at the trunk or treat, she just loves to be around everybody. One of the first cars gave her a sucker and she had a death grip on that sucker until mommy got tired of walking around. And Kinley was nice enough to get us a pretty good basket of candy, even though people tried to give her age appropriate candy (lots of dum dums) we did okay for ourselves. Hope you all made out with a stash of candy as well.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Friess family cleaning
Well I think that most people that know me would know that I like things to be neat and tidy...and in their proper place. Obviously with the addition of Kinley to the family, neat and tidy is quite a struggle and I have definitely learned to relax a bit. So, I thought I'd catch you up on the different ways the Friess' cleaned this week.
On Thursday, Rich called from work to say that he was making a stop on his way home to pick up a surprise, and he would only say that it was something fun for us to do together. So I immediately think of a game or movie or something of that nature. Nope, he showed up with ear candles, or ear wax candles, whatever they are called. He thought it would be fun to clean out our ears. I had my reservations, but after Rich did his I thought why not, it was interesting in the least. We did a little more research though and found that they are kind of a scam and that what you think is wax from ears probably isn't.
Then it's on to the cleaning of the house. I like to do the majority of my cleaning on Saturday, get it all out of the way in one day and enjoy a clean house for a day. Kinley has taken a liking to the vacuum and likes to chase it and be chased while you vacuum. She likes to play with the vacuum and thinks it is very funny when it sucks her clothes or skin. So we let her get the dust off her and play with the vacuum for a bit.
Then it was time to get Kinley clean and ready for bed. She took her bath (followed by our eczema treatment) and into her freshly cleaned jammies. We like to call these jammies her "Whoville" jammies, we think they make her look like something out of a Dr. Seuss book. It must be the feet combined with her nice round belly. And that is a glimpse at how the Friess' get clean.
On Thursday, Rich called from work to say that he was making a stop on his way home to pick up a surprise, and he would only say that it was something fun for us to do together. So I immediately think of a game or movie or something of that nature. Nope, he showed up with ear candles, or ear wax candles, whatever they are called. He thought it would be fun to clean out our ears. I had my reservations, but after Rich did his I thought why not, it was interesting in the least. We did a little more research though and found that they are kind of a scam and that what you think is wax from ears probably isn't.
Then it's on to the cleaning of the house. I like to do the majority of my cleaning on Saturday, get it all out of the way in one day and enjoy a clean house for a day. Kinley has taken a liking to the vacuum and likes to chase it and be chased while you vacuum. She likes to play with the vacuum and thinks it is very funny when it sucks her clothes or skin. So we let her get the dust off her and play with the vacuum for a bit.
Then it was time to get Kinley clean and ready for bed. She took her bath (followed by our eczema treatment) and into her freshly cleaned jammies. We like to call these jammies her "Whoville" jammies, we think they make her look like something out of a Dr. Seuss book. It must be the feet combined with her nice round belly. And that is a glimpse at how the Friess' get clean.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Kinley's first car!
Kinley received a wonderful gift from her Aunt Pam, a fun little car. Kinley absolutely loves this car and plays with it for a large portion of each day. We have been keeping the car inside during the day, but taking it outside to play with too. It doesn't matter where the car is, she loves to push it around, climb in and out, see how many toys she can cram into it, and just have a great time. So a big thank you to Aunt Pam!
On this particular night while outside playing with the car, Kinley made a new friend. She happened upon this poor little moth and decided to pick it up and play with it for a bit. I know, absolutely disgusting and what kind of mom lets their kid play with a moth??? Well, normally not me, but however it was kind of funny and I swear she didn't put it near her mouth and the moth survived. My OCD kicked in later and she had a good bath that night, but we had a very good time playing outside.
On this particular night while outside playing with the car, Kinley made a new friend. She happened upon this poor little moth and decided to pick it up and play with it for a bit. I know, absolutely disgusting and what kind of mom lets their kid play with a moth??? Well, normally not me, but however it was kind of funny and I swear she didn't put it near her mouth and the moth survived. My OCD kicked in later and she had a good bath that night, but we had a very good time playing outside.
The great pumpkin
Well it's that time of year again, time to search out the perfect pumpkin and carve it up real nice. I was very excited for Halloween this year with Kinley and thought she would really enjoy it. Kinley and I went to the store on Monday to get our pumpkin. Kinley's selection process involves saying "hi" to all of the pumpkins, I on the other hand look for a good stem and a good shape. We decided Kinley would probably like to paint her pumpkin, she enjoys playing with playdough, so I thought some finger paint might be right up her alley.
Once Rich came home and we got dinner finished, it was time for the big event. I thought Kinley could manage her pumpkin in just a diaper...trying to cut down on mess. So I bring the pumpkins to table and apparently Kinley does not find the pumpkins cute at all anymore. She was very hesitant to even touch them, she managed to get a little green and red paint on them. Then, she got some paint on her tummy, realized her hands were dirty and started bawling. By this point Rich had the top cut off the other pumpkin and showed Kinley the "guts", and things went from bad to worse, much, much worse. Apparently our child is terrified of pumpkins and their guts. She wouldn't even look at them for the rest of the night, she couldn't even calm down and ended up going to bed early. Guess I was way off in my expectations for Halloween.
Well yesterday Kinley started to warm up to her painted pumpkin a bit and enjoyed rolling it around on the floor. She does however enjoy her pig costume and can't wait to wear it. Here's a few pictures of Kinley and her work of art.
Once Rich came home and we got dinner finished, it was time for the big event. I thought Kinley could manage her pumpkin in just a diaper...trying to cut down on mess. So I bring the pumpkins to table and apparently Kinley does not find the pumpkins cute at all anymore. She was very hesitant to even touch them, she managed to get a little green and red paint on them. Then, she got some paint on her tummy, realized her hands were dirty and started bawling. By this point Rich had the top cut off the other pumpkin and showed Kinley the "guts", and things went from bad to worse, much, much worse. Apparently our child is terrified of pumpkins and their guts. She wouldn't even look at them for the rest of the night, she couldn't even calm down and ended up going to bed early. Guess I was way off in my expectations for Halloween.
Well yesterday Kinley started to warm up to her painted pumpkin a bit and enjoyed rolling it around on the floor. She does however enjoy her pig costume and can't wait to wear it. Here's a few pictures of Kinley and her work of art.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Weekend update
Well before the weekend could start, Kinley had to have her 15 month well baby visit. She weighed in at 23 pounds and 3 ounces and is 31 inches tall. And for some reason she cried much worse when they measured her head than for her shot, which was a much better experience than the health department (no hand sanitizer needed). She seems to be perfectly normal with the exception of the heart murmur they found at this visit. I was told it is a Stills Murmur and shouldn't cause her any discomfort or complications and she should be able to lead a perfectly normal life. It is just something we will keep an eye on. She also got 2 new teeth this week.
We started our weekend a little bit early and headed to Moroni on Thursday. One of my very good friends was getting married and we attended the wedding on Friday. So we got to spend the weekend with family and friends and enjoy some great fall weather. And for anybody that has heard me talk about the "Pink Mansion", the haunted house we would frequent in high school, well to my delight the wedding was held there and it is fully remodeled and an absolutely gorgeous mansion now...not pink at all.
Then on Sunday we went to the monthly family home evening with Rich's family. While at his parents, Rich was being the sweet uncle and letting 5 month old Arden suck on his nose. I know, sounds like a very bad idea from the beginning, well it gets worse. Rich was sort of leaning back and her mother was kind of dangling her over his head. Arden picked this perfect moment to spit up on Rich's face. The spit up filled his eye socket and ran onto his nose and cheek. You'll see by the picture that he was trying to "grin and bear it" while we all laughed our heads off. Oh what a great weekend!
We started our weekend a little bit early and headed to Moroni on Thursday. One of my very good friends was getting married and we attended the wedding on Friday. So we got to spend the weekend with family and friends and enjoy some great fall weather. And for anybody that has heard me talk about the "Pink Mansion", the haunted house we would frequent in high school, well to my delight the wedding was held there and it is fully remodeled and an absolutely gorgeous mansion now...not pink at all.
Then on Sunday we went to the monthly family home evening with Rich's family. While at his parents, Rich was being the sweet uncle and letting 5 month old Arden suck on his nose. I know, sounds like a very bad idea from the beginning, well it gets worse. Rich was sort of leaning back and her mother was kind of dangling her over his head. Arden picked this perfect moment to spit up on Rich's face. The spit up filled his eye socket and ran onto his nose and cheek. You'll see by the picture that he was trying to "grin and bear it" while we all laughed our heads off. Oh what a great weekend!
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Kinley's most treasured possession
In my family, when the great grandchildren turn a year old, Great Grandma and Grandpa Thompson give them a very special gift. Each child is given a special chair made by my Great Uncle Dan. The thing that makes these chairs so special is not how creative it is that they are made with PVC pipe and some extremely heavy duty yarn, it is that my Great Uncle Dan has been blind since childhood. He is, and will always be, somebody that I greatly admire. He is a man of great talent and ability and makes some truly remarkable things.
Kinley obviously doesn't realize how special her chair is right now. She just finds it a great thing to climb on and a place to read a book, watch a movie, or even hide under. But when she gets older she can hear all about her special chair and the special man that made it.
Kinley obviously doesn't realize how special her chair is right now. She just finds it a great thing to climb on and a place to read a book, watch a movie, or even hide under. But when she gets older she can hear all about her special chair and the special man that made it.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Kinley vs The Stairs
In the pink corner, weighing in at 21 pounds, KINLEY FRIESS.
And in the other corner, consisting of 15 steps at about a 45 degree angle (I actually have no idea on the angle), THE STAIRS.
This is a fight that every mom dreads. It was not a planned fight, obviously, but one that was bound to happen eventually. The fight began as the referee, a.k.a. mommy, turned her back on Kinley for 2 seconds to return Kinley's toothbrush to the bathroom. Kinley must have her the bell ring and she came out swinging, or rather throwing diapers. Kinley attacked the stairs at a full sprint and threw her diapers down the stairs (all were clean diapers). However, she must have forgotten to let go of the diapers and tumbled down the stairs with them. The stairs of course laughed at this attempt to beat them, and as stairs do, they let her figurative punch roll right down them. Now, add to the dramatic effect with a slow motion yell from referee mommy of "Noooooooo Kiiinnnllleeeyyy" and referee mommy flying down the stairs making unsuccessful attempts to grab Kinley from the grasp of the stairs, merely swatting at air.
Needless to say this fight did not end well. Kinley lay at the bottom of the steps, screaming with a bloody lip and a big old goose egg on her forehead. Of course mommy swept her up and apologized profusely for not seeing this coming and the referee disqualified the stairs for taking on such an innocent opponent. However, when Daddy came home from work, Kinley was proud to show off the red line on her forehead, goose egg, and 2 tiny cuts in her lip. Thank heavens she is okay, and what an awful, awful, awful moment that was for me. She is a trooper though, cried for about 2 minutes and found some other toy to rough up. So to the stairs, you may have one this time...but I don't think we'll be back for a rematch.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
So this is my girl...
So I have received several inquiries as to what types of things Kinley is doing. Well, I keep telling everybody that she is kind of "crazy", not in the literal sense of "crazy" but that she just has a mind of her own and is very busy. So I thought I would post some pictures from 2 Sundays ago and give you the story of the day, which is just kind of a typical day for us I suppose.
We have decided to have some what of a "lazy Sunday" routine around our house in which we all get to wear comfy clothes, Kinley included of course. So after returning from church and getting her uncomfortable dress off she typically wears a white onesie and some comfy pants. For church, I had managed to get her to hold still long enough to put a little pony tail in the top of her hair (insert oohs and aahs for the cute factor). Of course, while flopping and flailing all around during church, the pony tail gets looser and looser, and eventually gets removed leaving a nice little mohawk type look. Then it's on to dinner...spilled all down the front of her of course. Her favorite thing at meal time is to trick you into thinking she is eating, then when you turn your head she takes the mouthful out and throws it in any direction she can, quite often down the front of her. So by this point, as the pictures below will show, she looks like she has had a rough day. I promise we bath her and wash her clothes. However, Kinley is really into shoes lately. She will throw objects at you until you figure out what it is she would like you to do with them, including her shoes. So, I guess at least she had her shoes on for this picture to help her look some what put together.
So after she morphes into her "garbage pale kid" look, we head out to the backyard for one of her very favorite activites. I call it, "see how many times I can climb on the camp chair". I should tell you she is very good at this game and can maneuver into all sorts of positions without tipping the camp chair. The camp chair is of course dusty from being outside, so she is now covered in food, dust, and her hair is a total wreck. But we all laugh at her and have a great time. She is just overflowing with personality and I am doing my best to channel it into a positive direction...not that barking at me all day isn't a good direction, I just think we can do better. Staying home with Kinley is so much fun and I am very grateful for the chance to be a full time mom. Now I just need to format a mommy energy drink to keep up with her and we should be good. And now it's late and this mommy definitely needs some shut eye.
We have decided to have some what of a "lazy Sunday" routine around our house in which we all get to wear comfy clothes, Kinley included of course. So after returning from church and getting her uncomfortable dress off she typically wears a white onesie and some comfy pants. For church, I had managed to get her to hold still long enough to put a little pony tail in the top of her hair (insert oohs and aahs for the cute factor). Of course, while flopping and flailing all around during church, the pony tail gets looser and looser, and eventually gets removed leaving a nice little mohawk type look. Then it's on to dinner...spilled all down the front of her of course. Her favorite thing at meal time is to trick you into thinking she is eating, then when you turn your head she takes the mouthful out and throws it in any direction she can, quite often down the front of her. So by this point, as the pictures below will show, she looks like she has had a rough day. I promise we bath her and wash her clothes. However, Kinley is really into shoes lately. She will throw objects at you until you figure out what it is she would like you to do with them, including her shoes. So, I guess at least she had her shoes on for this picture to help her look some what put together.
So after she morphes into her "garbage pale kid" look, we head out to the backyard for one of her very favorite activites. I call it, "see how many times I can climb on the camp chair". I should tell you she is very good at this game and can maneuver into all sorts of positions without tipping the camp chair. The camp chair is of course dusty from being outside, so she is now covered in food, dust, and her hair is a total wreck. But we all laugh at her and have a great time. She is just overflowing with personality and I am doing my best to channel it into a positive direction...not that barking at me all day isn't a good direction, I just think we can do better. Staying home with Kinley is so much fun and I am very grateful for the chance to be a full time mom. Now I just need to format a mommy energy drink to keep up with her and we should be good. And now it's late and this mommy definitely needs some shut eye.
The Swearing In
Thursday was a very big day for our family. We packed up the family and drove to Boise so that Rich could be sworn in and become an official attorney. Rich's parents joined us for the trip. Kinley was a pretty good trooper, handled the drive pretty well, some how forgot to take a nap, but was pretty pleasant anyway. She didn't particularly care for the actual court session and swearing in, but she managed to see her dad raise his hand with everybody else and see him get his certificates from different justices and judges. Then, like a good little girl, she threw her fit just in time to get us out of the boring speakers. Poor Grandma and Grandpa Friess and Rich had to sit and listen to them while Kinley and I ran around in the hall and made some new little friends. After the swearing in we went to eat at PF Chang's, very yummy. Then Rich's parents brought me and Kinley back to Pocatello and Rich stayed for a continuing ed class. It was a great day and we are so very proud of Rich and his great accomplishment. So to quote the famous Michael Scott from The Office "Guess what, I have flaws. What are they, oh I don't know, I sing in the shower, sometimes I spend too much time volunteering, occasionally I'll hit somebody with my car... so sue me." Though I would prefer not to be sued, I do know a good attorney now :)
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