Thursday, April 30, 2009

Devin's Quilt

How awesome is this?

Grandma Ann is working on a quilt for Devin's new bed:)
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Derby and other unrelated stuff

It's Derby Week in the 'Ville. Matt took the week off and Dev's got a nasty respiratory bug. She's running a 100-101.5 fever when the medicine wears off and very hoarse. (Lots of coughing, low energy, etc...) So that's a bummer. We were going to do some fun things together this week.

Oh well.

We're tackling the guest 1/2 bath this week, with a DIY project. This is our 10th year in our house and it's needing some updates. Obviously, the kitchen took up this year's budget. So, any further cosmetic updates need to be DIY. I was so sick of staring at the "golf" bathroom. It was cute, since we're on a golf course. But, I want something a bit more....classy?

I mean, my entire home just exhudes class.

-Dried up pladoh ground into the carpet
-Formal dining room turned playroom, which usually looks an F-4 tornado went though it
-Various stuffed animals strewn pretty much everywhere
-A mini trampoline in my family room

The list goes on and on....

But, nothing is easy with this house. And that didn't change when I started removing the wallpaper.

There's not much to remove, but of course they didn't prep the wall. Just glued it right to the wallboard. Thanks! So, there are spots of damaged drywall...like where it looks like cardboard.
And, we had to take apart the toilet to dry and remove the paper from behind.

*sigh*

So, now I'm looking at lots of sanding and priming. And, probably a textured type of paint to hide some of the flaws in the wall. Luckily, some of the worst damage is not in obvious places.

The vegetable garden is coming along nicely. I need to get some Week 2 pictures.

In Devin news...she's basically asking non-stop questions these days. It's both amusing and exhausting at the same time. By 9:00 am, I've usually been asked more than 50 questions. It depends on her mood. And, she doesn't accept simple (blow off) answers.

Here's a sampling. I jot them down from time to time.

"Why Baxter not talk to me?"

"Why don't shoes talk?"

"Why Caillou doesn't have hair?"

"Can I take all my toys to Sophie's house?"

"Do frogs have teeth? Do they have paws?"

"Where are the cars' privates?"

"What does the middle/center mean?"

"Why is ice cold?"

"Can we get a puppy?"

Also, her imagination is going wild these days. Her roll call of "friends" is getting longer. I was introduced to, "Colin." Now, Colin helps her with various things...one of them being "Mexico Candy." I have no idea what she's talking about.

If you're keeping track:

-Her #1 imaginary friend is Gaugin. Gaugin is sometimes a boy, sometimes a girl and basically seems to reflect things Devin likes.

-Bran, Fahkin and Em-a-em are usually her "student." She teaches and shows them stuff.

-Colin is new...we'll see if he/she lasts.

She's at a very cute (albeit testy) stage right now. She will ask for help and scream at you for helping within the same breath.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Happy Third Birthday Devin

Other than the picture where Dev looked like a bean, this is her first photo.

See the date? 12/2/05 at 20 weeks and 4 days.

Waving hello! (I've always loved looking at this picture of a perfect, tiny hand)
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Here's Dev sucking her thumb at 15 weeks. Can you tell I had a bunch of ultrasounds?
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Your beautiful face in 4D ultrasound. We're still amazed how much you looked like this...it's a rather creepy glimpse inside the womb.
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A few minutes old.
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Happy 1st!
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Taken on her 2nd Birthday.
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Happy 3rd! Don't set your hair on fire!
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She's in love with her Big Wheels. Her legs are finally long enough to reach the pedals & she moves on this hot pink contraption. It's a bit scary actually, as she can get going pretty fast.

I think it's about time we introduce the concept of the crash helmet.
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Ok. Down to business. It's present-opening time.
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A great cookbook from Aunt Mega Noodle.
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How bizarre is this? I was on my way to run and get Dev a United States puzzle, but I ran out of time.

She had a long line of questions this week about "Kentuckyville." So I start explaining city vs. state etc...

Thanks Uncle Cars and Aunt Catherine!
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Devin really enjoys opening cards.
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More puzzles.
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Is it a bowling ball?
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Wow! William gave her a real guitar. Perfectly tuned and ready to go. Devin loves it.

We were so lucky to get a 7:15 AM guitar concert this morning.
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What party is complete without...

Fireworks!
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It was an awesome day. She was on cloud nine from start to finish.

The garden plot is coming along nicely, but I'm concerned about getting pulled over...

On any given day I have the following in my hatchback:

-Pitchfork and/or shovel
-Axe
-Twine
-Shears
-Duct tape and yard staples
-Lots of dirt
-Old shoes
-Plastic bags (I need to get to the recycle bin)

I might have some explaining to do.

Friday, April 24, 2009

First Faces

Out of the blue this morning, Devin brings me this:

"It's a kitty mama. See the eyes, ears and whiskers?"
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Keep in mind, she's never drawn a purposeful picture...just scribbles.

We went to Gaga's house for dinner, where she drew this:
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It's so weird how some stuff happens overnight:)

Bison Hair. Please Touch.

We celebrated Earth Day!

Tom Sawyer State Park had a small display of some Earth Day items...
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So, the Vegetable/Flower Community Garden Project or FVCG is officially under way!

The once tiny community garden has expanded to 70-something 20x20 plots.

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There's my baby...all fresh and new.
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We were wondering how on earth the park was going to put up a fence for this football field garden.

Easy! Bring in a busload of troubled youth.
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Tomatoes, peppers and a Marigold border. (The soil on the left is prepared for Green Beans)
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Here's the big drawback.

See the green hose about...100+ feet away?

That's it for water right now. The hose reaches about 1/2 way to our plot. I'm going to inquire about the cost of adding a new line. I was already told they didn't have enough money this year...after the fence.
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Oh...and working at a remote garden is a new challenge. My car looks like a gypsy caravan with wagons, dirt, tools, mulch, carts, water etc....
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On the eve of turning 3, we watched Gaga play tennis at LTC. Her team sang Devin "Happy Birthday" and this was the reaction:
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We explained to Dev about her birthday tomorrow. And, that we could do her favorite thing.

"I wanna go to the mall."

"I wanna do pirate ship, get a pretzel, ride the escalator, go to the Mickey store, throw money (in the fountain) and get a toy."

Hey...what else could a 3 year old want?

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Dentist Check-Up #2

We have to go back to July 2008 & remember Devin's 1st trip to the dentist.

After her many trips to the dentist, she's now a seasoned veteran. I put her appt. on the calendar and talked about getting a "check-up" vs. "getting a tooth fixed." She didn't seem worried & continued to be confident even as we pulled into the parking lot.

The good mood continued right into the chair. She was chatty, happy and cooperative.

And even when the assistant popped out one of Dev's fillings during flossing, she was not phased. The fillings on her front teeth are very delicate...I actually thought this would be a possibility.

Since Dev was doing so well in the chair, I asked if we could just go ahead with repair without nitrous...which was a disaster the last time we tried. She never seemed to notice we were repairing a filling and was in no pain. (Yay)

The BEST part...NO new cavities!

Monday, April 20, 2009

Gymnastics Class

I've always wanted to take pictures of Dev's Gymnastic class...it was tougher than it looks.

Between bad lighting and fast moving 3 year-olds, only a few pictures came out ok.

Here's "Mr. Doug." The owner & her current teacher.
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Trampoline!!
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Yeah. Devin's not scared to catch some air.
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Backwards rolls for the first time!
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Sunday, April 19, 2009

Sick Weekend

Dev caught a cold, so we stayed home all weekend. At least the weather was perfect on Friday and Saturday, so we could play outside.

It worked out well...I made dinner. These amazing lobster tails are for Mom and me. Matt's steak cooked later, when he got home from golf.
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We ALL worked hard in the garden.

The home garden is just about cleaned up, so the attention can turn to the veggie plot.
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Devin turns to this page and asks when we're going to make the scarecrow
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Tuesday, April 14, 2009

I just can't beat college girl

I'm trying, though. I've lost 5 straight, to who I would like to call: College Girl

College girl is easy to spot at the tennis club.

She's way too cool to carry a racket bag, just 2 rackets and a Gatorade. (still nursing a hangover)

College girl always remembers to wear an article of clothing with their respective team proudly displayed. (Just in case you forgot....she plays in college)

College girl is very fast, has a surprisingly weak 2nd serve, hits with heavy topspin and doesn't mind slice.

College girl does not like to be questioned about the score, line calls, anything. Doing so, results in a lot of ball slamming, big *sighs* and hair tossing.

College girl has a quick temper and it's pretty easy to get her flustered. I'm actually using this as a tactic to hang in a match.

Don't worry about the 2 hour USTA time limit. College girl wastes no time in between points, games and sets. It drives her crazy when I sit down for my 2 minute break.

College girl doesn't apologize for net cords or lets.

Ok, so this is a bit of an exaggeration and generalization. But two things have been 100% consistent when I play college girl:

-At some point in the match I get college girl pretty pissed at me
-I lose
-She gives me a dead-fish handshake and never makes eye contact

Monday, April 13, 2009

Easter Weekend-Sunday

It was a lazy Sunday. Except for Matt and Mom, who *shocked* golfed.

And, they played Fuzzy's course in Indiana...not bad!

Her 1st Easter hat, won't do!
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We had great fun dying eggs. I still love this once-a-year activity. Although, our fingers are still green and sparkly!

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Saturday, April 11, 2009

Easter Weekend-Friday/Saturday

Friday night I made Kabobs....here's the veggies, marinated in lemon juice, EVOO, and salt/pepper.
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The new Sky Guy for Derby! We gave him a test run.
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The awesome Westport Village hosted an event this weekend:

We LOVE this place....Chuck and Mike's Tennis Shop, Napa, QDoba, Macca's, Hiko-a-Mon, Westport Wine and Whiskey, Wild Eggs, Elements are all places we frequent.

So, Devin would never want to go on a slide this big, right?
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WRONG!
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This was a serious slide. She would catch air on the second bump, but it was perfectly designed for a soft landing.

She loved it.
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Face painting?

Not so much.

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We arrived right at the beginning. Next year...we're staying for awhile.

Check out this hat!
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And this one.
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I love this time of year in Louisville.

Tomorrow is Easter! It's also Day #1 of Project Community Garden or PCG.

Devin promised she would help me.