Friday, December 28, 2007

Santa Visits Our Ho Ho Home!

Christmas started out with Fruit Loops this year. Kaitlin wasn't feeling so hot, and well... I'll leave the story at that.

Before Fruit Loops, however, Kaitlin was excited to see all the gifts Santa brought for her! Most intriguing, of course, was the play kitchen he brought! Once she spotted it, it was all over. The play kitchen wins the prize for biggest distraction of the day. It even beat out the 23-pound turkey, the peanut butter cookies, and the 8-inches of snow that fell.

After breakfast and the Fruit Loops were cleaned up, Kaitlin started opening gifts. Needless to say, most of the gifts under the tree were for her. Here are some pictures of her opening gifts!


I must say that Christmas was fun this year with Kaitlin being able to unwrap her own gifts. I'm not sure she understood exactly what was happening, but she definitely enjoyed it. A big thanks to everyone who sent gifts and Christmas wishes our way! Happy New Year to everyone! :-)

Sunday, December 23, 2007

Zoolights - 2007

'tis the season to be jolly.....

...and what could make ya more JOLLY than spending the evening at the Denver Zoo lit up with millions of lights in 20 degree weather? Last week we took Kaitlin to
Zoolights!

Despite the freezing cold temperatures, we actually had a really great time! Kaitlin enjoyed spotting the lighted animals like giraffes and monkeys and elephants! We even got to see a man juggling fire!

Here are some pictures, enjoy! (if you click on the slideshow, there is a magnifying glass you can use!)

Friday, December 21, 2007

WinterWorld

On Dec 16th we took Kaitlin to WinterWorld. Its basically a winter/Christmas themed "house" like a haunted house, but without ghosts or goblins or anything haunted. Instead of witches and skeletons they have wrapped presents and Christmas trees. It's a happy, festive place with a great holiday theme.
Since this is a new attraction in Denver, we weren't sure what to expect. We hadn't heard any reviews, and they didn't have any pictures or any stories on their website. But, they had advertisements on RTD busses and the radio... and they even had a feature on the local news (that we didn't see). We thought it sounded like a fun place, something that we should definitely check out during the Christmas season.

I guess overall it wasn't terrible, but it definitely wasn't what we expected... and I think I was more disappointed than anything. I was hoping for more of a fun room for Kaitlin - somewhere she could run and play and enjoy the winter-themed decorations. Instead, it was a rushed tour guided by an "elf" who obviously did not want to be at work. It seemed very fabricated and unnatural. In retrospect, I'm thinking it may take them a couple years to get off the ground and get the funds required for a truly authentic "WinterWorld".

On the brightside, we got a picture of Kaitlin with Santa! She absolutely would not go near him on her own, so on our second try we "tricked" her into it. Once she was distracted, I walked backwards until we got to Santa's lap. She never knew we were sitting with Santa! I whispered into Santa's ear all the things Kaitlin would like to have for Christmas.... and one thing I would like to have as well. Cheers!

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Decorating the Christmas Tree

Here are a couple videos of Kaitlin decorating the Christmas tree!


PART ONE:


PART TWO:

Our Snow Baby


It's finally starting to feel like winter... it's been chilly and snowing on and off for the last couple weeks. Last weekend we took Kaitlin outside to play around in the snow.
Honestly, I thought she'd enjoy it more than she did, but it was hard for her to walk around and manuver in the snow. She was getting frustrated at falling so much and I'm sure her cold, wet jeans didn't help!
It really was cute, though. And, ever since that she's been saying "snow" all the time!
Unfortunately, Brandon has not had a chance to use his newly-acquired oversized snowblower yet! But, you can blame that on me... I told him I would be too embarrassed if he used it to plow snow that was less than 3 inches deep!
Not only is shoveling the snow good exercise for both of us, but it also gives Kaitlin a chance to be outiside and learn the ins and outs of snowmen, snow angels and snow forts.
And, really, what kid doesn't need that?

What's Next?

My baby is growing too fast!

This afternoon when I went in to get Kaitlin from her nap, her shirt was off! Kaitlin is learning to undress herself. Her skills were confirmed this evening when I asked her to take her shirt off before her bath - and she did!

I just can't believe how quickly time is passing! Soon she will be asking to dress herself and then she'll be tying her own shoes....


Sunday, December 16, 2007

YAY for External Hard Drives!

So, I have tons of updates to get posted on here, but mid-week our desktop computer crashed! LUCKILY, about two months ago we backed up all of our pictures and files on our external hard drive so nothing was lost! (PHEW!) I had our computer repair man (Brandon) investigate the situation yesterday and it appears that both the power supply and the hard drive are toast.
Santa will be bringing a new desktop for Christmas as I appreciate the convenience of having multiple workstations... (not to mention Dell is having a great sale!)
I will get updates posted on here ASAP. I have pictures of Kaitlin playing in the snow, helping put up the Christmas tree, and our trip to Winterworld. So, please check back soon!

In the meantime, go back up your files! You never know what could happen!

Thursday, December 6, 2007

One Heckuva Ordinary Week!

This has been a really tough week to blog about! Everything has been so ordinary and so routine!

~On Sunday, we spent the day Christmas shopping and watching the Broncos.

~On Monday, we had pizza for dinner.

~On Tuesday, we took Kaitlin in for her holiday photos and met Grandma and Grandpa Nincey for dinner.

~On Wednesday, Brandon watched Happy Feet with Kaitlin before her nap and later we went to the dog park for a walk.

~This morning Brandon took Kaitlin to the park to play on the equipment. She had macaroni and cheese for dinner.

~Tomorrow is Friday. We don't have any real plans yet except the same old ordinary routine things. I have to make a trip to the office in the morning and Brandon will be working his regular shift - 2pm to midnight.

~This weekend we are going to a surprise birthday party for a friend, putting up our Christmas tree, and we might try to squeeze in a trip to Zoolights depending on the weather. Of course, this time of year there is always Christmas shopping that needs to be done and we still need to take Kaitlin to see Santa.

Most people would say there's nothing wrong with having an "ordinary" week... I have to agree ~ even if it does make blogging hard! hahaha!



P.S. Big thanks to everyone for leaving gifts under our pretend tree! Keep them coming! :)

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Leave us a gift!

Is anyone reading this blog? In the spirit of the season, let us know you're out there by leaving us a gift(or two)! Don't worry, it's just pretend! heehee...
(P.S. Check out the calendar on the wall!)

Saturday, November 24, 2007

The Children's Museum

Last week we took Kaitlin to the Children's museum. She had an absolutely wonderful time! There is so much there for her to explore ~ we're trying to plan our next trip already!
Here are some pictures! (she's the one in pink...)


Sunday, November 18, 2007

The Denver Zoo! ....in november!

Today's high was 68 degrees.... an absolutely BEAUTIFUL fall day! We took Kaitlin to The Denver Zoo with our buds Tara, Bronwyn, Lisa, Hailey & family.

Here's a slideshow of some of the pictures we took. Now that Kaitlin is learning to say the names of animals and make their sounds, it's a lotta fun to walk around the zoo with her! The best part was when she was ROARING at the tigers! The second best part was when she put on Hailey's sunglasses by herself...... enjoy!

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Shopping!

To celebrate my first official day of my 9-day vacation, Kaitlin and I went shopping with our friends Tara and Bronwyn! We had a great time and shopped our little hearts out!
Unfortunately, Kaitlin woke up this morning with a runny nose ~ which we're guessing she caught from Brandon. Even though she wasn't feeling well and skipped her afternoon nap, she actually hung in there for the whole shopping trip! What a little trooper!
We found some really great bargains and some really cute things, but we are still on the hunt for the "perfect" Christmas outfit for her to wear in this year's pictures. I'm still on the fence about wanting the pictures to look more formal or more casual. If anyone sees anything that screams "PERFECT!" please let me know. All of those holiday dresses are just too adorable, and it makes it REALLY difficult to pick just one. Maybe I could narrow it down to two ~ one for pictures and one for Christmas day?? hmmm... I know I need to make a decision soon... wish me luck!



Tomorrow, we have plans to go to the zoo! Stay tuned......

Friday, November 16, 2007

"Ello? Ello?"

Where's the video camera when you need it?


Tonight at dinner Kaitlin was eating macaroni and cheese and towards the end of the meal she started putting the macaroni's up to her ear saying "ello?" "ello?" Silly girl, she was acting like the little macaroni's were a telephone!!! hahaha.... I wonder who was on the other end.


Later tonight when Kaitlin was drinking her milk before bed, we were goofing around and giving "sips" of milk to Charlie and Kasper and even the animals in her farm book. Every time she would put the sippy cup to someone's mouth, I would make sipping sounds and then say, "MMMMmmmm, tasty!!" Pretty soon she was saying, "MMMmmmmm, Pasty!" hahahaha! It was hillarious! Yep, that milk sure is pasty....

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Switched at Birth?

Oh-no! I think we may have the wrong daughter!

This girl does not like to eat! I'm not sure what happened, but someone out there has a little 15-month old daughter scarfing down everything in sight and they cannot figure out where she got her appetite! Meanwhile, it is a daily struggle for us to try to get Kaitlin to eat. As hard as we try, she just doesn't cooperate. Some days are better than others. But more often than not, the majority of her meal goes untouched.
The only foods we can count on her eating 99% of the time are: cottage cheese, applesauce, cheddar cheese and cooked carrots. Everything else is a gamble.... maybe she will, maybe she won't. It just depends on the mood she's in.
Anyone who knows us knows that Brandon and I have HUGE appetites. (Well, I could out-eat him any day, but that's beside the point) We were really hoping that as Kaitlin got more teeth, the items on her menu would increase as well as her appetite. Unfortunately it hasn't happened and she has 8, almost 9 teeth!
Brandon is a picky eater.. but no where near as picky as she is. They are picky about different things, too... for example, Kaitlin eats tomatoes and Brandon will not go near them.

Well, as cute as she is, I hope she is in fact our daughter. I'm not sure what else to do but keep trying. Maybe writing this blog will change our luck for the better! The good news is that she's a happy, healthy little girl and seems to be thriving in many areas. So somehow, she's getting what she needs. I have to remind myself that her tummy is much smaller than ours and experts always say 6 small meals per day is actually the ideal way to eat...

And, hey, on the bright side, she does like chocolate! Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Autumn!

We took Kaitlin to Cherry Creek State Park the week before last to play in the leaves and enjoy a beautiful fall day. Here are some pictures! Enjoy...


Friday, November 9, 2007

The Blogging Blogger Has Blogged

blog (n.) an online diary; a personal chronological log of thoughts published on a Web page. Typically updated daily, blogs often reflect the personality of the author.
Usage: blog, blogged, blogging v, blogger n

...to my new blog experiment! I'm attempting to create a Carnahan Family blogsite where we can share stories and pictures and other fun things to keep our friends and family more closely connected.
It is no secret that my world revolves around Kaitlin, so I kinda (but not really) apologize in advance if she monopolizes a majority of my blogging. As Brandon would say - "yet another Kaitlin shrine." But, actually, my vision is to update this blog several times per week with information on the happenings here at 17695. I imagine the stories will include tales of toddler antics, reports from the workforce, and of course pictures and video.

I hope everyone enjoys this blog. Let me know what you think! Add this blog to your "favorites" list and check back often. I'm excited to get this up and running! I am new to this blog scene, so wish me luck as I learn the ins and outs of blogging.

L♥ve,
Barb
(the blogger)