5:365 beauty rituals

Have to look good for the first day of Pre K. . . from the tips of our fingers to the tips of our toes.  We always have to use two colors because they make a pattern!

4:365 the cold heat

Sometimes, I love to ride "shotgun" because I get to catch these moments! Both of our kids are good travelers (thanks goodness), but this summer K has been difficult to get in the car.  Why?  The car is smelly (now my car does have its share of spilled milk, old snacks, and random receipts, but it doesn't stink) and I don't like the hot (the real cause of her dislike of getting in the car). Once she is coaxed into the car, she immediately tells me, "turn on the cold heat."  I can't wait to see what winter brings.

3:365 The Boy

So . . . the boy. . .oh, the boy.  He has been. . .what's the word?  Difficult?  Maybe . . .  irritable?  Maybe . . . Grumpy?  Maybe. . . Moody?  Maybe. . .  We love him, we do.  He had acid reflux and it took him a while to catch on to the sleeping thing.  He has just been difficult to figure out.

You can tell by the look on his face, he sometimes wonders about the care he is receiving.  So this post, I'll call this one, "Ode to the Faces of the Boy."

"Who are you, again?"

 "6 billion people on this planet and I get stuck with you??"

"I can't even look at you people."

"I am laying here naked and you put this duck by my head?  Really?"

 "Lady, you put my bib on backwards!!!"

"Is a tie really necessary?"

"I am not going to eat that."

I put this one in because he would be mad if he knew we took his picture in the pink swing:)

2:365 The Big Tree

Let's be honest, I am going to fall behind.  One kid is asleep and another is watching a movie.  I might as well post a few more . . .

Our adventure at RBSP went so well, we decided to go see the Big Tree.  It is a Boone County, Columbia, Mizzou tradition.  The kids were a little underwhelmed by its awesomeness and I wish we would have gone there first because my face is all red and I am sweaty from hiking around RBSP for 2 hours, but I was able to pass along a tradition to my kids.  It really is a beautiful tree, 350 years old in the river bottoms. 

1:365 Family Adventure

Reading the last time I posted, makes me laugh.  I have such good intentions to blog, but life gets in the way.  Update since last time, large breech baby=no VBAC.  We have a healthy 7 month-old boy.  Long story short, you can plan all you want, but in the end once you see that sweet little face it doesn't matter how he made his entrance into the world.   

I have a new blogging idea.  I have seen people doing it on Facebook so it must be great, right?  I am going to post a picture a day for a year with a small caption. . . no long stories, no rambling (well it is me, so maybe a little rambling).

Here. . . We. . .  Go . . .

I got a new fabulous camera for Christmas (yes, I said Christmas),  but having a baby, having a husband who was out of town Monday-Friday for 4 months, moving to a new town, and a new job have prevented me from using it (I know, excuses, excuses).  I would not say that life is slowing down, but it is more routine now so I am going to do this.  

Today we explored Rock Bridge State Park.  Steve and I used to go there quite a bit when we lived in Columbia.  Today, we took the kids and it will be part of our normal routine because Kerington had such a great time.  I would consider myself somewhat outdoorsy, but the outdoorsy in my nicely manicured back yard, playing with the kids on the swing set or pool, tailgating, bonfires.  Nature and creepy crawlers are not my thing.  They are, however, my daughter's thing.  She chased frogs and bugs, she went deep into Devil's Ice Box with her dad (I was seriously wondering if they were ever going to come out).  She jumped from rock to rock in the creeks, it was seriously one of the glorious days where I just enjoyed her. 

 Little Man and Steve enjoyed themselves as well.

 K's favorite part was stepping from stone to stone.  She kept telling me, not to be afraid.  Her friend, Secret Agent China, (that's her imaginary friend) was afraid, but she is not anymore.  I hung back while the rest of the family explored the natural Rock Bridge (Dark, Wet, Rocky places filled with bats are not my thing).  She came back to get me and told me, "It will be all right mommy, I will hold your hand the whole time."

We even got some smiles from Grumpy. 

What is a VBAC?

So one of the exciting things going on with us is our 2nd pregnancy.  I am currently almost 19 weeks and it is starting to feel real as my pants are too tight, maternity clothes are too big, I feel little flutters, and the "baby mail" has started pouring you.  You know what I mean the coupons for diapers, formula, cord freezing, clothes, bottles, wipes.  Marketing departments nationwide have been notified that the Condrons are having a baby.

While pregnant with K, after researching all of the different types of birth, I decided that we were going to have a natural childbirth.  I signed up for a 9 week natural childbirth class, I bought a big ball, I practiced my breathing, I read blogs of women who had delivered naturally, I read books about natural childbirth.  So how did things turn out?  I had an emergency c-section.  But you know what?  I didn't care.  I had a healthy, beautiful, perfect baby and how she got here didn't matter.

BUT, I would like to try to have a VBAC this time around.  So I thought I would write about why I want a VBAC and my journey to see how things turn out this time around.  Now, that being said, I have adult onset ADHD and my follow through is not what it used to be so hopefully this is more than a one time blog I lose interest in.

First, I thought I would write about my delivery the first time:

I went in for my 37 week check-up and the doctor sent me to the hospital for observation because my blood pressure was high.  I was sure that I would be home in a couple of hours so I did not call my husband who was 4 hours away.  I felt great, my blood pressure had not been a problem until this appointment.  I was sure, it was an isolated incident and even told the nurse so.  Her response was, "Honey, once your doctor sends you here, you don't go home until you have that baby." 

SOOO, I called my husband, who immediately freaked out and drove through a tornado to get to the hospital.  The doctor came to check on me and, of course, says, "You should stay here tonight and I will induce you in the morning."  So, there I was, no bag, no ball, none of my soothing music I was going to play.  I just laid there in the uncomfortable hospital bed with the fetal heart rate monitor wrapped around my giant belly, an alarm sounding every time I shifted ever so slightly.  This was not how my childbirth was supposed to go.  I knew the statistics, women who are induced are more likely to get an epidural and end up in c-section.  My 9 week child birth class had taught me that.

After a very uncomfortable night, they nurse came in at 6:00 a.m. (the first time I had been comfortable for more than 2 minutes, I might add) to start my pitocin drip.  Steve had arrived the night before and we were in good spirits.  We knew that today was they day we were going to meet our sweet baby girl.  Things started off good.  I couldn't really feel the contractions, we watched t.v., had a few visitors, and watched it rain.

THEN, they broke my water . . . well let me back up.  I was in a big practice and had an OB that was the "main" lady I saw, but she said I should try to see other doctors in the practice in case she could not be there at the delivery so I did.  I saw every single doctor in the practice except for Dr. Param, the only man.  Guess who came in to break my water. . . yep, I was really starting to hate my "regular" doctor.  Apparently, she was having eye surgery and would be out for 4 days?!?!?!?  I had just seen her the day before and there was no mention of this!!

After he broke my water, the contractions really started coming.  All I wanted to do was walk around, but they made me stay hooked up to the fetal heart monitor so I went to the bathroom about 67 times in 3 hours.  That taught them.  About 3:00 p.m., I decided contractions were for the birds and my 9 week natural birth class was stupid, I wanted an epidural and I wanted it now.  Luckily, the anaesthesiologist was on the floor and came over pretty quick.   Oh.  My.  Goodness.  Life was immediately better.  So Steve and I continued to talk, laugh, watch TV, and watch the rain.

At 7:00 p.m., there was a nurse shift change.  I immediately did not like my new nurse.  She was abrasive, rude, loud, and mean.  She wanted to put in an internal fetal heart monitor.  Why all of the sudden did I need that?  She said that she was having a hard time reading the baby's heart rate, so I agreed.  When she did, every time I was contracting, K's heart rate was dropping as well as my blood pressure.  She immediately called the doctor who said to prep the operating room for a c-section. I immediately burst into tears.  I did not want a c-section, but they are telling me K's heart rate is dropping when I am contracting which can mean the umbilical cord is wrapped.

I really didn't have time to think.  Within minutes, there were 5 people in my room.  Giving me a shot, hooking new bags to my IV, giving Steve scrubs.  Where was my new best friend, Dr. Param??  No where to be found.

They took me to the operating room, tied down my arms (little known fact about c-sections), put up a sheet so I could not see.  The anaesthesiologist was by my head, Dr. Param was there, 3 nurses, and they finally let Steve come in.  A funny moment in the midst of the chaos (I look for the humor in all situations), the anaesthesiologist told Steve that there was chair in the corner, meaning Steve could bring it over and sit by us.  Steve went and sat in the corner.  In his defense, it was a really crazy time.

All I remember about the c-section was feeling like I could not breathe and the nurses counting (apparently the number of gauze they put in me and took out).  Then I remember seeing sweet K, all covered in goo.  I kept asking, "Is she okay?  Is she okay?"  Then I heard her cry.  Sweet, sweet crying.  It was never sweeter (especially two weeks later when I had not slept longer than 2 hours at any time), than that first time because it means everything is okay.  Steve left my side to go take pictures, then he brought that precious, perfect girl to me.  Now, I secretly had a fear that my baby would be ugly and I would not love her, but that, of course, was not the case.  Because she was the most beautiful baby I had every seen.  She was looking at me and my heart melted.

The next few hours were a blur of baths, the worst pictures of me ever, and more nurses, aids, doctors, and finally moving to our recovery room, where we would spend the next four days.

Like I said, this birth did not go as I planned, but in the end it did not matter.  3 years later, it does not matter.  I have a scar on my lower stomach that I can't even see over my gut anyway.  What does matter is the sweet baby that entered our lives on that rainy night in July and the amazing adventure it has been to be her mother the past three years!!

Kerington-isms

The Bear has been 3 for a little over a month and it is my favorite age and my least favorite age.  My favorite because she can tell me exactly what she thinks and wants, my least favorite because she can tell me exactly what she thinks and wants.  She can make me laugh, cry, angry and laugh again in a matter of moments (part of that could be pregnancy hormones, too, I guess).  But seriously, she brings a smile to my face and an out loud laugh each day.  Here are some of my favorite Kerington-isms.

1.  Hey, what's the big idea?  (this is common when something does not go her way)

2.  Family, are you? (when she cannot find Steve or I)

3.  Bless you down there. (When she could hear Steve sneezing from her room)

4.  Zekie is a BAD dog. (Pretty much everyday Zeke deserves this, he tries, but he just isn't good)

5.  Can I have a drink of mommy's special drink? (I told her Vitamin water is my special drink and she loves it)  

6.  A brother has to be a boy one? (trying to figure out how she can get a brother that is a girl)

7.  Mommy has a baby in her belly, I have a baby in my belly too . . . an orange one. (???)

8.  I want to go on a W-L-K (Steve and I started spelling walk because Zeke would go crazy when we said the word. . . outcome: both dog and child can spell walk)   

9.  Of course I can!! (her can do response when asked if she can do something)   

10. I decided I don't want anyone to hurt another deer ever. (we see lots of deer around our house)

11. I do not like bad people. (in response to a stranger danger talk at preschool??)

12.  Is this the right way?  Are you sure?  Papa said this is the wrong way. (she is already a back seat driver)

13.  I can do that because I big now.

14.  When I was a baby, I live in Tulsa.  Now I live in Warrensburg.  (she is very concerned about her geographic location.  She always wants to know what town we are in, just like her dad)

15.  It is going to rain tomorrow. (wishful thinking like the rest of us)  

16.  I not feelin' very well.  (has to be deciphered because can mean A LOT of things)

17.  What are we doin' today?  It is daylight, we do things in the daylight.  (When I realized we are on the go too much)

18.  I goin' to play soccer, go to preschool, and be a big sister.  (her priorities in life)

19.  I hungry. (she is ALWAYS hungry)

Some of her common mispronounced words that I hope she never corrects:)

1. simmin' = swimming

2. pool up = pull up

3. pre-skoo = preschool

4. eldaphant = elephant

Seven Blessing Sunday

1. Steve and I have jobs.
2. Friends who will bring Papa Murphy's pizza to your house for dinner (that is happening tonight).
3. Friends who invite you over to dinner with amazing food and even better company.
4. Friends who remember you wanted to go to Sesame Street and give you tickets they won on the radio.
5. Dance on Wednesdays, it is the highlight of my week.
6. Kerington calling for me every morning (even if it is a little early).
7. "Wanna play, mommy?" Kerington's new favorite phrase.
8. Our neighborhood. I love our neighbors and neighborhood, I am so glad we found this house!!

I know that is eight, but I am extra thankful this week. Some of these are repeats anyway :) Have a great week!!

Grandma Got Run Over by a Christmas Goat??

A Christmas several year ago, during a family gift exchange, I acquired a large, white reindeer that has light up ears and sings "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer." This obnoxious reindeer has stayed with us through several moves. It is really soft and I usually sit him out during the holiday season. Once we adopted Zeke, the reindeer became a source of Christmas entertainment because Zeke is scared to death of the it. There are few things funnier than a 95 lb lab running from a light up reindeer that sings.

Last year, Kerington was interested in the reindeer but kept her distance. She wanted Steve and I to push the button on his foot to start the music, but didn't want to get too close.

This year, when we drug reindeer out of our box of Christmas decorations. Kerington immediately ran to it, hugged it, and told us how much she loved it. She played "Grandma Got Ran Over by a Reindeer" over and over and over, while dancing and wallering reindeer. While Steve and I decorated the tree and set out all of our holiday trinkets, trying to get Kerington involved in the festivities, she hugged and laid on reindeer while repeatedly pushing the start music button. The good news was, we could tell the batteries were about to die. There was no way the reindeer was going to make it to Christmas.

As I was putting the tinsel on the tree, Kerington, reindeer in hand, came up to me and said, "Mommy, take a picture of me and my goat." I laughed out loud. How cute, she thought the white, ear lit, stuffed mammal she was playing with was a goat.

My laughter only increased the number of times the song was played. She kept saying, "I love my goat!!" She wanted to sleep with goat, but I could not bear the thought of being startled awake at 3 a.m. by the screeching of "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer."

Thankfully on the second day of the "goat," the batteries died. . . but it broke Kerington's heart. She cried, "My goat broken, Daddy fix it." "Goat need battery" "Fix my goat, please" So, alas, we found batteries and the goat is working again. It will be a very Merry Christmas at our house, just be careful grandmas . . . of the goats.

Seven Blessing Sunday

It is that time again, seven things that I am thankful for:

1. Living 1.5 hours from my family so I can go home if I need/want to.

2. Kerington's new favorite word, "dewishious"

3. Carving pumpkins with friends

4. The television at dance that shows what is going on in classroom (closed circuit TV??).

5. Discussions with hubsies about our future.

6. A hubsie who will DVR the Tiger football game so I don't have to go to the grocery store along (then some dude told him the score anyway, GRRRR!)

7. Beautiful Fall weather

Seven Blessing Sunday

Sooooo, I have been in a funk. . . for a few months. . . nothing is REALLY wrong. . . I could tell you several little things that have been bothering me and I have let get me down . . . BUT that is not what this is about. I am going to break my funk!! Step one: Seven Blessing Sunday. Seven Blessing Sunday is to blog about seven things that I am thankful for or have been blessed with. So starting this week . . .

1. Steven Glen Condron, Jr., my hubsies, my love, my BFF, my support, my shoulder to cry on. I know everyone says, "My husband is the best." (Well maybe not everyone :/, but I really think MINE is. He really picks up wherever I leave off. He is a great dad, he makes Kerington and I a priority, he does whatever he can to make me happy. What else could a girl ask for?

2. Kerington LeeAnn Condron - Ohmygoodness, who knew a little blond haired, gray eyed, bundle of energy could make me so happy? She is so sweet and kind. She is sensitive. She is all of the best qualities of Steve and I rolled into one little happy package. Tonight, as we were making cookies, she told me, "I am so happy!!" It may have been about the prospect of eating cookies, but I am going to take it to mean, she is happy about her life :)

3. Mom and Daddy-O Cook - My mom made a Cupcake Fairy costume with me being skeptical and putting time constrainsts on her (it turned out beautifully), my dad drove 1.5 hours to help Steve put together a swingset, they both drove to Tulsa to sit with me while I was 8 months pregnant because I did not want to be alone; then stayed 2 weeks because K was 3 weeks early. Then came back three weeks later because Steve had to go take the bar. They have supported me emotionally, spiritually, physically, and financially through all kinds of ups and downs in my life. They are the first people I call when something bad happens and the first people I call when something good happens. I am not easy to deal with, but they love all the same.

4. Uncle Anny - aka my brother by the same mother - He lets me call him that so that should be reason enough to be a blessing in my life. I bossed him around most of our childhood yet he forgave me and as adults we get along spledidly. He is one of the most easy going, laid back, funny people I know.

5. Job - I am very thankful to have a job. In this economy, not everyone can say that. It is not only a job, but a job that I enjoy. I went to school for many years and it is rewarding to be able to do what I trained for. Also, I work with some of the nicest, most giving people I know. It does not matter if I have a professional problem or personal problem, I can talk to anyone at work.

6. Lazy Sundays with my little family - Today, we stayed in our pajamas ALL day. We made cookies, we played outside (in the backyard), we worked puzzles, read books, got some cleaning done, watched Nemo, got caught up on our DVR-ed shows. It was a delightful day.

7. Our neighborhood - we live in the cutest little neighborhood. The houses are about 50 years old. It has beautiful old trees that are turning colors and losing their leaves. The neighbors are friendly. We take a walk most evenings and stop and talk to people who are outside. There was a block party. It really is a cute area.

Seven blessing for seven days in the week. I will be back with seven more next week!!

Summertime walk

Tonight, we had our good friends, the Lohrey's, over for dinner. It rained this afternoon and the temperature dropped below triple digits so we took an after dinner walk. Kerington's boyfriend, Kai, and her had the best time splashing in puddles, running after each other. Kerington tried to hold Kai's hand, which he wanted NO part of and it became a game. Kerington chased after Kai yelling, "hand, hand, hand!!" Kai ran away laughing.

At one point in the walk, Kai was upset. Kerington went back to comfort him. She patted him on the back and top of the head. They hugged it out and the hand holding game started all over again. Kerington is such a sweet little girl. She was really worried about Kai.

We stopped at a particularly large puddle and the splashing became sitting. It did not matter though. They were having the BEST time. They chased each other through the puddle, they sat down beside each other laughing and talking the whole time.

As we were finishing our walk, I was thinking about my sweet little girl. I was so happy just thinking about the perfect summer evening with friends, the innocence and happiness of my daughter, and how much I love the simplicities of life.

Bittersweet Move??

So, if you have ever talked to me for more than five minutes, you know that I hated, loathed, despised, and resented the duplex we lived in. When we moved to the 'burg, we had only one income and already had a mortgage so we moved into a duplex that was. . .awful because it was all we could afford. Everyday, I would look around that place in disgust. The old carpet, the bland walls, the unidentifiable smells, the refrigerator held together with tape, the cigarette burns on the bathroom counter, the loud neighbors on the other side of the wall. UGH!! My blood boils just thinking about it.

I was so excited to find this house. It is clean, we could paint, it had a backyard, no noisy neighbors. It is in a nice neighborhood. We came over and painted. We talked to Kerington about moving to the house. She would ask to go to, "house?" She would tell us she was "movin." I painted one of Kerington's walls pink (something I had been dreaming about since she was born). She liked "house."

Wednesday night, I went to dinner with a friend. When I got home Steve told me Kerington was moving her rugs and chairs and baby doll crib out of the room. He said he asked her what she was doing and she said she was, "movin." Poor baby was confused, I decided I would talk to her some more about this being where we lived now, etc.

Thursday, we went to check out of the smelly, old, nasty duplex. We arrived a little early to make sure everything was clean and I had not forgotten anything. Kerington walked into her old bedroom and said, "room mommy, my room" I nearly broke down right there. To her, it was not a gross, yucky, dirty duplex. It was her home. That is where she learned to crawl and learned to walk. It is where she took her first bite of cereal, ate her first bite of cake, it is where she first sat in time out. It is where we had her first Christmas, where she turned one and two, she got her first tooth, she first sat in a high chair, she first sat in a booster seat.

So while I loathed that smelly, old, nasty duplex, we had a lot of happy family memories while we lived there. I know we will make happy family memories here, and Kerington loves her pink wall (maybe not as much as me). I just did not anticipate that it might be an adjustment for her. So while I never thought I would say this, it was kind of a bittersweet move.

5 Bands I like and 5 Bands I don't

So this is Steve. Lori somehow conned me in to writing something for the blog. She asked me what I was going to write about and I didn't know so I made something up. I really like music so I decided to write about my 5 favorite bands and 5 that I don't care for. I will say that my dislike for a band or singer is sometimes purely arbitrary.

1. Weezer: Rivers Cuomo is a complete genius. I love the song writing, I love the guitars, I love the vocals. I really can't say anything bad about Weezer. "Buddy Holly" is still one of my favorite songs nearly 17 years after it was released. Let that sink in "Buddy Holly" "The Sweater Song" all were released almost 20 years ago, this is almost classic Rock. The band has the staying power of the Stones. I have every Weezer album and I think that "Pinkerton" was a great album.

2. Wheatus: I like quirky groups. They don't get much quirkier than this one. They have never sold out. Lori and I drove 180 miles once to see them play in a little coffee shop in Springfield, MO. I was the only person in the audience who knew all of their songs and at that time the show was an all request set. I got to sit and talk with the whole band and even had a part int eh show itself. I think I had a smile on my face for a month afterward. Check out the "Too Soon Monsoon" album if you haven't, it has a good sampling of what the band puts out there.

3. Foo Fighters/Nirvana: I list these together because I feel like if Nirvana hadn't ended Foo never would have happened. I think Nirvana is the most influential rock group of the past 30 years. I think Foo has been the most consistent group of the last 20 years. If you ever want to argue with me, tell me you disagree with Nirvana being on par with The Beatles for influence. I get paid to argue and I will seriously rip any other group apart.

4. Garth Brooks: This is easy, Garth is awesome. I love the early stuff, the Chris Gaines album was terrible, the other stuff is fantastic. My favorite Garth song is "The Cowboy Song," it is beautiful in my humble opinion. In the 4 years we lived in Oklahoma, I heard all kinds of people talk about seeing Garth at the Owasso Wal-Mart, we went there all the time and never saw him. This may be one of the biggest regrets of my life.

5. Cake: I regularly tell Lori that if I had any musical ability of my own I would start a band and it would be just like Cake. I am crazy about Cake. I like that they don't change the way they make music to sell more records, they are who they are and that is all.

Honorable Mention: The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, George Strait, and any Rock group with a female lead singer. (Side Note: I want Kerington to grow up to be in a rock band, someone please teach her to be musical, because Lord knows I can't.

Bands I don't like

1. The Eagles: Hate is a strong word, however, it is the correct word to describe my feelings toward The Eagles. There used to be a commercial calling them the greatest American Rock Band. I almost threw up any time I saw the commercial. The Eagles did nothing to advance the state of music, they did nothing to test boundaries. All they did was suck and sell a bunch of records which brings me to;

2. Nickleback: If you could make one song and repackage it again and again and again, and somehow make more money everytime, you would have Nickleback's keys to Rock for Dummies. While I have a lot of respect for Carson Dailey, I think he should still be doing TRL, I do not think Nickleback should be allowed to pollute the airwaves our children occupy.

3. Lady Gaga: I just can't stand her. That is all I have to say about that.

4. 80's hair bands not named Poison: Wow, that was a worthless break from decent music, right?

5. Rotates to whoever is making really horrible music in my opinion. Right now Ke$ha, and Miley Cyrus are running neck and neck. Oddly, I kind of like Katy Perry, don't tell.

These opinions are mine and don;t reflect anything except my personal feelings.

We're Moving!!

A couple of housekeeping issues before I get to the topic at hand. . . first, I did not really write 4 blogs today. I write them and keep them a couple of days before I post them to see if I still like them or sometimes, I have to wait until I can get pictures downloaded to the computer. It had been a few weeks since I had posted anything so I went in and cleaned out my draft folder.

Second, and MOST EXCITING, Condron Family blog is going to have a guest writer!! That is right ladies and gentlemen, Steve will be guest writing in the near future!! Get excited!! Disclaimer: Views expressed by the guest writer are not necessarily the views of Condron Family blog. :)

NOW on to today's topic . . . WE ARE MOVING . . . next weekend . . . to a house . . . AND I have not packed ONE box, cleaned out ONE closet, organized ONE drawer. Am I stressed? Not really BECAUSE, we have moved 6 (yes SIX) times in 7 (yes SEVEN) years of marriage. What I have done is arranged 5 guys, 2 pick ups, and 1 dolly to arrive at our duplex at 10 o'clock next Saturday. In my opinion, the most important part of a successful move is having a dolly and many strong men, you don't want to wear out your help.

Now, I will say each time we move Steve and I have a huge blow up. Steve is a no nonsense mover and I get caught up in the senimentality of all the little hidden treasures I find. But each time it gets finished, each time we get settled into our new place, and each time I am grateful that Steve kept me on track. I am also so grateful for all of our helpers!! It makes the move so much easier.

We are moving less than a half of a mile away, and it is NOT our shortest move. In Tulsa, we moved 2 city blocks from an apartment to our house. I am excited to move out of our duplex into a house. Duplex living has served its purpose, but I am ready to be back in a house, with a yard where K bear can have a swing set and Zeke can roam.

Ker Bear is TWO!!!

So it happened, my sweet little girl turned two!! I knew it would come, I thought the more I talked about it the better prepared I would be. I wasn't, it is sad. She is no longer a baby. She is a running, laughing, talking, cuddling, opinionated LITTLE GIRL. I think that the only thing that makes it bearable that she is not a baby anymore is the little girl that she is becoming. She is sweet, considerate, and sensitive (oh we have our battles, she is two). But each day she brings a smile to my face. She gives the best hugs and kisses. She has stellar dance moves. She says the funniest things (I hunky- I hungry, I do it, I dancin mommy, I two monkey, I jumpin, are you?, No Zekie). Maybe they aren't funny to everyone, but they bring a smile to my face. She is sharp as a tack, not much gets by her. She is a "watcher," she watches everything; people, animals, cars, airplanes, TV, etc and remembers EVERYTHING!!

Yesterday we were at Lowe's and saw our friends the Eatons, Kerington and Riley ran up and down the aisle while we chatted for a couple of minutes. Today we were back at Lowe's (we stalk all of our Lowe's purchases at least three times before actually buying anything) and when we were in the aisle where we saw the Eatons yesterday, Kerington asked, "Are you, Iley, are you?" She remembers EVERYTHING!!

Anyway, I digress . . . so to celebrate Kerington's birthday, we had a small party at the park (one of Kerington's favorite places). Very simple, very relaxed. . . cupcakes, ice cream, singing, and presents. A lot of family and some friends were there to help Kerington celebrate. It was hot, but short and sweet. Kerington had a great time, I know, because she slept for a long time afterward. That is how you can gage a good party, by how long the sweet girl sleeps afterward.

Aging is part of life so I guess, I just have to accept that sweet little 6 lb bundle we brought home from the hospital is now a beautiful, lovely, active two year-old full of life and brings joy to us everyday!!

Summer reading program

Our new adventure is the local library. Now we have used the library on and off before, I just get out of the habit of going or I misplace a book and can't go. Currently, all of my books are returned, Kerington is really into reading so we have started going to the library again. Kerington thinks the library is the most exciting place we have ever been. They have puzzles, blocks, a house, bean bag chairs, and of course books. . .

This summer the library is doing a summer reading program so I, of course, being an advocate of reading and contests signed Kerington up to read 20 library books during the month of July. We checked out 5 books for her while we there (and 2 for me), I did not know if there was a block on my account, I really do have a sketchy return record :/ That night, she read 4 of the 5 books we checked out for her. I was feeling really good!! I should have signed her up for 40 or 50 books, this is going to be easy. The next day, I took the four books she read back to the library (yay for me) and checked out 8 (a little more ambitious). I brought the books home to Kerington and she does not want to read any of them. She wants me to read "Ladybug Girl" and "Thomas Breaks a Promise" Two books I could recite without looking and commonly hide under the couch when K is not looking (don't judge). She begrudgingly let me read a couple of her library books . . . but not at the pace we started. I will . . . I mean SHE will win this contest!!

Cooking with Kerington

So, I decided I want Kerington to help me in the kitchen. She is interested when I make dinner and I usually pull up a chair so she can see. She will watch for a while, but inevitably, she will want to help!! Now, it may be my personality or my aversion to unnecessary messes, but I have a hard time letting her help. Recently though, I have found a few jobs that she loves:

Side note: Don't worry about clean hands, hand washing is our new pastime. She will wash her hands for hours if allowed with A LOT of soap.

1. Washing green beans, I snapped the green beans and put them in a strainer, she washed the green beans for 15 minutes and even asked for soap (I do not give it to her). Those are the cleanest green beans around and were quite tasty. I think because they were washed with love.

2. Putting strawberries in the bowl. As I was washing and cutting the tops off of some strawberries, I would hand them to her and she would put them in a bowl for me. The problem with this is I can't cut them fast enough.

3. Eating cantaloupe. The other day while cutting up a cantaloupe, Kerington wanted to "help." Her idea of "helping" was eating the cantaloupe as I cut it up.

4. Finally my personal favorite. . . Pizza making!! I made homemade pizza the other day. Kerington helped pat out the dough and put the pepperoni on the pizza. She did a nice job, but did not like her fingers touching the sauce as she laid the pepperoni on there. Then it came time for the cheese . . . I reached in and got a hand full of cheese and showed her how to sprinkle it over the top of the pizza. She reached in, got a handful of cheese and shoved it in her mouth. . . the girl loves cheese, what can I say?? Our pizza turned out really good and it was good to have Kerington help me in the kitchen!!

Stay tuned for more cooking adventures with Kerington!!

The ABC's of the Condrons. . .right now!!

I stole this idea from Lyndsey, but it was so cute. . .

A is for Awesome, this is one of K's favorite words. If she sees something she likes, "awesome" will be exclaimed!!

B is for Boo Boo, with shorts and sandals and running on the concrete comes boo boos. Most boo boos can be fixed with a kiss and a band aid, but she will not let you forget about her boo boos until they are completely healed!!

C is for Cuteness because that is what my day is filled with. From the cry for "mommy" to get her up in the morning to the cry for "daddy" to come back and get her out of bed at night, we are filled with the cute antics of Kerington.

D is for Dante. Kerington loves Dante. The other day he ran into the wall (pretty common at our house now, we are pretty sure he is blind). Kerington was the first at his side, "Dante, K? Dante, K?" She gave him a sympathetic hug and kiss to make his boo boo better. She also really likes to brush him, with whatever brush she can find :/ Dante tolerates her but can often be spotted dashing out of any room she enters.

E is for early because that is what time Kerington wakes up. It does not matter if we put her to bed at 7:00 p.m. or 10:00 p.m., she is up before 6:00 in the morning. She gets this trait from her dad, because I like to sleep in, especially in the summer. I am going to remind her of this trait when she is a teenager :)

F is for Friends. We have made some really good friend in our town. We have people we can rely on, talk to, have over for dinner, not clean our house for (that is the sign of a true friend). Kerington has also made some good friends. She has her friends at Miss Molly's house, but she also has Riley (Iley) and Kai (Tai). She recognizes both of their cars (bye bye's) and their moms. She gets so excited when she sees them!! They play really well together too, except the occasional sharing issue which is bound to happen with two year olds.

G is for Grass because after extensive grass therapy, Kerington will walk in the grass with hop hops on or even barefoot.

H is for Handsome because Steve is getting more and more handsome everyday. I love that man!! (hey this is the Condron family blog and there are three of us, not EVERYTHING has to be about Kerington :)

I is for Isolation AKA time out. Time out is a daily occurrence at the Condron house. The most common offense . . . not listening. Time out is really effective with K, it truly upsets her to have to sit in front of the basement door for 2 minutes, not enough that she listens when she doesn't want to, but enough that it breaks my heart to see her sad little face in time out. My favorite part of time out is she has to give us a hug before she can get up. She really is a great kid!!

J is for Jumping because around Easter, Kerington discovered her love of bounce houses.

K is for KinderMusik. We took KinderMusik in the spring and are going to take a short 2 week session at the end of July. It is a cute little class that focuses on age appropriate child development and having fun!!

L is for Leotard. 'tard as K calls it. It is her Tuesday morning attire for dance class. She has two cute little 'tards, pink and black, with matching pink ballet slippers.

M is for Moving. We want to move, but do we buy or find a bigger rental? Go back and forth for the next six months and you will be where we are now. . .

N is for Nice. We have really been working with Kerington on "please" and "thank you." She remembers almost all of the time. The other day a man, a stranger, commented on what nice manners she has.

O is for Outings on Wednesdays. Some of us have been having Wonderful Adventure Wednesdays. It is a time for mommies and babies to come together and explore the greater metro area. They have been fun, so far we have been to the zoo, Paradise Park, Deanna Rose Farmstead, and a Warrensburg play date.

P is for Play dates. This summer has been full of fun play dates with all of our friends. Sometimes we go to the park, sometimes the pool, sometimes at someone's house. They are always exciting and always fun. Any time you get two or more toddlers together, excitement is sure to occur!!

Q is for Quiet Time. Kerington used to need time everyday to play by herself. She would go through her toy box or play with blocks quietly or go play in her room by herself. Recently, since she has started talking more and talking in more sentences, quiet time has become less and less. She still plays by herself, but it is not quiet :)

R is for Restroom Drills (sometimes known as potty training). Oh potty training, what to do? I have talked to my friends who have potty trained or are potty training. I have read blogs, researched, and I have decided . . . the kid will pee pee in the potty when she is ready. She shows interest and I always sit her on the potty, but she waits until I take her off the potty and pee pees on the floor next to the potty. She does really like toilet paper though. . .

S is for "simming" aka swimming. Simming is one of Kerington's favorite pastimes right now. She recognizes the pool when we pull in. She loves the water, running around through the sprinklers, and has even gone down the kiddie water slide a couple of times.

T is for Thomas the Train. I don't know if it is because 47 trains come through Warrensburg each day or what, but Kerington loves trains. We took her to see Thomas the Train. She loves to watch Thomas on TV and she has a Thomas the Train book, which I have hidden on more than one occasion. I am not proud of it, but I did it, I read that book at LEAST 10 times a day and that is all I can handle.

U is for Uh Oh. Most of the time, the words "uh oh" indicate some sort of accident has happened, right? Well not at our house. "Uh oh" indicates that some sort of purposeful act it about to take place. When I hear those words, I go running.

V is for Vegetables. This summer we signed up for a Community Supported Agriculture program. Each Tuesday, we go to Buckeye Acres Farms to pick up our shares of vegetables. Kerington gets to see Hilde the Horse and the "cheeckins." The cheeckins were there for several weeks, then they were gone (Buckeye Acres also sells fresh chickens). It was a sad day for Kerington, but this week they were back again (or some that looked similar enough to fool an almost two year old :)

W is for Water. Water, strange as it sounds, is another obsession this summer. It does not matter if it is in a pool, a cup, coming out of a faucet, coming out of the sky, in a tub, in a puddle, coming out of a water fountain. There is not a drop that is going to get past the sharp eyed Kerington.

X is for x Xenons which has nothing to do with the Condrons. I googled "words that start with X" and it brought up a list of scrabble words that start with X, one of which is xenons. Steve and I do love to play scrabble, eat pop corn, and watch reruns during the summer!!

Y is for year as in I can't believe it has been a year since Kerington's first birthday and two years since she was born. She is such a blessing in our life, I can't believe that God blessed us with this perfect little girl who makes me laugh everyday!!

Z is for Zoo. We bought a Friends of the Zoo pass again this summer, FOTZ to those on the inside. We have already been three times and each time it has been awesome. Each time we start at a new point so we can see it "fresh." K loves the "enmals" My favorite quote from our last visit, "Hi Monkey, I two!" She loves the carousel ("dancing" as she calls it), she has ridden a camel, she talks to the enmals, and of course, the train. It is one of our family favorite destinations this summer!!

Grass therapy

Every time, I think I am close to getting a "Mother of the Year" Award, Kerington puts me in my place. One particular situation started last summer. K and I had met our friends Jen and Riley at the park. Neither of the girls could walk yet, so we were limited at the park with what we could do. We swung for a while, took turns putting the girls down the slide, then thought we would just sit and chat in the grass for a while. As I sat Kerington down on the grass, she put her legs and arms up so no skin was touching the grass. "Eh, eh, eh" was coming out of her mouth. What?! Why won't she touch the grass? I looked over at Riley who was happily crawling around in the grass, chasing bugs, and picking up sticks. Then looked at Kerington who was working on abs of steel with only her diapered bottom touching the grass on the verge of a major breakdown. How can my daughter be afraid of grass? How did I let this happen? She is almost a year old and I have never sat her in the grass? Really? This put me into full on crisis mode. For the rest of the summer, most days, I would put her outside in the grass for a few minutes. . . the same thing, no skin could touch the grass. She started walking later in the summer and when she had shoes on, she would tiptoe carefully IF we were holding hands and there was NO way she could fall down. And heaven forbid someone not mow, and the grass was taller than her shoes. I didn't know what to do, what kid doesn't like the feel of grass between her toes on a summer day? I had failed.

Eventually fall came and it got cold so the grass issue went to the back of my mind. I could focus on more pressing failures. By the time spring rolled around, I had almost completely forgotten about the fear of grass issue. . . UNTIL, we were out looking at houses with our realtor. We were outside of a house, and decided to go look in the backyard. It was a warm spring day, Kerington had on flip flops (hop hops, as she calls them). We took off around the back of the house, in the grass . . . I look down at Kerington, who is walking along, then realizes where she is. She grabs my leg and says, "Ow toe, ow toe, up mommy, up mommy, ow toe, ow toe, see me, see me!!" What just happened? Did Kerington fake a toe injury to get out of walking in the grass? There was nothing in that yard for her to hurt her toe. My crafty little girl just faked a toe injury to get of walking in the grass. I had to give her credit, that was genius. I was proud, that shows problem solving skills.

Grass therapy went back into full effect. We would go outside walk in the grass, going a little further each day. Kerington's fear of grass became known, a topic of conversation at dinner parties and play groups, I received a lot of advice on how to help Kerington like the grass. One night, we were at our friend's, Paul and Sarah, house. Kerington was running around in the backyard with their dog. She had on hop hops, things seemed to be going well. Paul and Sarah even commented that she seemed to outgrow grass-phobia, THEN she fell. "Eh, eh, eh, eh" Kerington's arms and legs were up. We were all laughing, then Paul and Sarah's energetic lab mix came over to "help" Kerington. She was up in two seconds flat. Sometimes, you can't or won't overcome your fears until you have to.

Kerington and the grass are still not on the best of terms. She tolerates it, but she won't be rolling down any grassy hills soon. She still high-steps through they grass if it is too tall, but she will run through the yard barefoot or run to the swings at the park.