Category Archives: Katie
Exhausted after nine days at Gramma’s.
Relaxing by the fire…
Grandpa build a fire downstairs to take some of the humidity and chill out of the air and Katie desperately wanted to be down by it. So I went down and sat with her and relaxed…for about five whole minutes until she got bored.
Katie’s fan-talking
Helping Gramma make soup!
Potato Helper
Gramma wanted Katie to check with me if we had enough potatoes for our Thanksgiving Dinner. I said no. I mean really, you can never have too many mashed potatoes.
Pink hair!
I had bought Katie some light pink shampoo at the same time I bought my dark blue shampoo, and I had Tom bring it back with him so we could do Katie’s hair. And boy was she excited!
Katie’s first manicure & Owen’s Brian Lewerke haircut!
Grayling has a beauty school where my mom gets her hair permed and cut so I went earlier this week for a blow out (it’s a treat for me since I suck at it—plus it was the first wash post-color and I thought why not let someone else deal with it?). Then I decided since everything was so cheap, I’d take Katie for her first basic manicure to see how she did (before I drop $$$ on a real manicure or pedicure). She was all about it. 🙂
Owen needed a haircut, too. He had decided to get the same cut as Brian Lewerke, an MSU Spartan player.
The kids on the time out tree stump
There’s a stump in the back yard that we joke is the perfect time-out spot. Of course we’ve never had to use it, but that’s still what we call it. Katie is finally big enough to get up there by herself so this happened.
The kids doing pysanky with Gramma Jean for the first time!
They’re a bit behind—I started at age 3! They were both excited to sit down and do it. Gramma gave them a quick lesson on how to hold the egg and kistka, but unfortunately both of them forgot and ended up grabbing the hot metal end…which is why you see tears on some of Katie’s close up pics. They both had fun and enjoyed doing two eggs—I was only going to watch but then couldn’t help myself and had to jump in and “do a quick egg” which of course turned into more time than I planned and I ended up sitting there finishing mine while the kids were done and outside playing. 🙂 (Note: The eggs are done but are still at Gramma’s house being varnished so the finished product photo will come later.)
Two kids and a dog
A Katie in the window
Playing in the snow with cousins!
Apparently shoveling is fun if you’re doing it with cousins and not because a parent asked you to do it.
We didn’t bring snow pants so jammies have to suffice. She didn’t care one bit.
Attack on the living room window!
Cousins Gabby and Robert!
Wheelbarrow Dab
The kids love to dab an this is one Katie came up with tonight.
Cousins on the Schwalm side
Everyone was gathered for Aunt Florence’s memorial—and it was the first time our kids met the Hough side of the Schwalm clan. They are lined up by age, with Katie being the youngest at 5 and Gabrielle the oldest at 14.
Then we took a selfie because we haven’t done so in awhile.
Katie’s new antique doll
This doll used to be Gramma Jean’s when she was little, and then I played with her, and now she belongs to Katie.
Tom had to take the seats out of the minivan.
This is what I walked downstairs to see this morning. Owen was in it at one point, too. And you notice the shoes, too, right? She clomps around in them all. the. time.
Katie trying out some lip colors!
I got these cool tester cards to help people try and pick colors without actually having to put it on. Of course Katie was more than willing to assist/play!
She’s in the shoes again.Â
Ahhhh. A hot toddy and fire-roasted hot dogs!!
Tom had some wood he needed to burn so we decided to have a campfire and cook dinner in it!! But first, something to help warm the insides…
And the kids were playing with huge ice chunks from the water table we left outside!!
We ate them right off a fork by the fire!
Last rides before they get put away for the winter!
Katie is thrilled with her new play shoes.
#cheapballshoes #onesizetoosmall #biggestmistake
“Mom, it’s like my arm is a dresser for my bracelets!”
When Sparty plays…
Dancers with hats.Â
The kids have started wanting to watch music videos—and dance along with them. This was during a break in the action.
Two Katie bugs
We felt bad about Owen not getting to trick or treat so we went to another city.
Owen missed trick-or-treating since he was at the MSU game…and I felt bad that he didn’t even get to wear his costume. So Tom and I agreed to go to a neighboring city to take them. It was freezing so it was a big deal.
We actually went to a fellow TCFers house to park.
Parenting is like death by a thousand cuts
Parenting is like death by a thousand cuts. #youarenotalone #itsnotjustyou
😑 We’ve told the kids literally 200 times that when you let Maggie out of her crate, you immediately let her outside. This morning, yet again, they didn’t.
😑 The same goes for putting the milk and cereal away after breakfast, yet it was still on the table this morning.
😑 Katie has “not lost” two (TWO!) pair of gloves this week. (She says she didn’t lose them but she doesn’t know where they are.)
😑 They have a chore chart to help them remember what they need to do in the morning and both of the above are on the list. They never look at the list.
😑 Owen managed to misplace his report card folder from the walk between the living room past his backpack (where we told him to put it) to his bedroom. It is nowhere this morning.
😑 We have told Owen at least 100 times that as soon as he does his required reading minutes to write them down (or else he doesn’t get credit for them). Yet again he didn’t write down the last two days so that’s 40 minutes I won’t give him credit for.
😑 Owen is supposed to show me his folder every day yet I only sometimes manage to see it the day he needs it signed, and even today he didn’t get that far.
😑 I am so tired of hearing “Why do I always have to [fill in the blank]?” the first time I ask them to do whatever.
Yeah, it’s been a long morning.
Picnic with Elsa
Makeup Galore
I had some old eyeshadows I was going to toss but decided to let Katie have them instead. And boy did she have fun. Owen even got into the game…
As you can see there is no such thing as moderation. Six layers later: “Mom, I’m part Anna and part cat!”
And then Sophia came down and got involved.
And daddy even for roped in.
