The Dog Man Out.

The girls and I had decided to take Bailey in for a few pictures with us.  As it turned out, Hannah was staying with us, so we invited her along too.  She has been the girls lifelong friend, so it made perfect sense.  Since it is a very rare occasion that I put on makeup and do my hair, I decided to capitalize on the moment and ask my mom if she would join us, so I could get a few pictures with her.  I have not had pictures with her since I was a child.  The session was a lot of fun and Bailey behaved 'mostly' well.  I should also mention that Bailey was the only boy joining us, thus the title of the post.

Kendall Interview '14'.

After Kendall's repeated eye rolls with last year's questions, I decided to upgrade to an older version.  I tried them out on Sidney in August.  As we were interviewing, Kendall made the comment that when we get the new printed blog books each year, one of the first posts is her birthday interview from the year prior.  She mentioned that it is fun to see how much has changed (or not) since her last birthday.  Here we go...

1. Describe yourself.  Kind, with a bit of sarcasm.

2. What are you thankful for?  My family, friends and health.

3. What makes you happy?  Being with my friends.

4.. What makes you sad or angry?  When people are not nice to others.

5. What do you want to be when you grow up?  A business owner (of Day Dream Design).

6. What’s important to you?  My business, God, school (in no particular order) and my family of course.

7. What do you love most about yourself?  My eyes.

8. What do you love most about your mom?  Her work ethic.

9. What do you love most about your sister?  Her stubbornness.

10. If you could go anywhere, where would you want to go?  Hawaii with my family and Hannah.

11. Who do you admire? Why?  Brookelynn, because her relationship with God and faith are so strong.

12. What do you want to learn more about?  Cancer.

13. What’s something you’d like to do to help someone else?  Get rid of the coronavirus.

14. What are you afraid of?  Losing my family.

15. If you could only keep one thing, what would you keep?  Bailey.

16. What’s your favorite memory?  When I was super little and we went to Holland Lake.  I jumped off the rope swing for the very first time while my Dad cheered me on.

17. What are you proud of yourself for?  Growing as a person.

18. What are you looking forward to this year?  Starting some of my college classes.  

19. What do you dream about?  Getting a storefront for my business.

20. What else do you want to say?  Nothing.  (this is the same thing Sidney said.  I may need to consider revising this one...).

14 and Counting...

It is just unbelievable how fast Kendall is growing up!  I love every last bit of her.  This year for her birthday, she wanted take out from Olive Garden and a night at The Village.  The grandparents and Hannah joined us for dinner and a celebration.

Brownies were her dessert of choice this year.  Oh how I would love to hear those wishes aloud.  The girls take them very seriously.

The girls and I went to the Village with a late night stop at Dutch Bros on the way home.  I felt like a fourth wheel as I followed them into the first store.  I quickly decided that I would go sit by the fountain and let them enjoy their independence.  They had a lot of fun shopping and taking fun pictures along the way.  

Happy 14th Birthday, my sweet girl.  I hope this year brings you health and happiness!

Serious Snow Fun.

We have to thank Sidney for this one.  She has been longing to get out and play in the snow.  We reserved a time slot at Eagle Island State Park for some snow tubing.  It was pure fun!  Low key, not a ton of rules - fun!  You grab a tube, ride the magic carpet to the top, pick a run to go down, repeat.  If you get tired (which we did not), there is a food truck and a fire pit to relax near.  

Our New Toy.

The girls and I received an air fryer for Christmas this year from my parents.  Terrell is always talking about the amazing things she cooks up in hers, so it was fun to give it a whirl.  The first think Sidney and I tried were homemade mozzarella sticks.  These were AMAZING.  We have made them at least three more times since these pictures.

For dinner one evening, I made steaks and potato wedges in the air fryer.  OMG, delicious.  I am not even a steak person, but this turned out very yummy.

Next, we tried homemade poptarts.  The recipe came with the air fryer, and it sounded delicious.  So far, so good.

Yep, they do look good.

Verdict:  Air Fryer Fail #1

They were not very good at all.  They were overdone on the outside and doughy in the middle.  We may have to try this one again, with a few modifications.

This little treat was not made in the air fryer.  I won this in Christmas Eve bingo.  It was fun making our pancakes this way!

Not a Day Goes By.

 

I Still Miss You

I still miss you

As the day and years pass

I still miss you

As the pain of grief softens

I still miss you

As new memories are made

I still miss you

As I smile and laugh

I still miss you

Today and everyday

I still miss you

The girls and I had signed up to volunteer to lay wreaths this year, but due to COVID they had to keep it to a really small group.  We were happy that they were still able to lay the wreaths.  It is so beautiful to go up there and see them.

We miss him every single day.  We have so many memories.  Just today, Kendall was in the car and reached behind the seat to grab a junior mint from Sid in the "Daddy way".