New Kiley Pics

I had Kiley's pictures taken by Malisa Twelves last week. Take a peak by visiting her blog (listed in the blogs I visit). Malisa, thanks for being patient with us and for such a nice morning!

Oh - and for those of you who live in the area and don't know Malisa, she does great work and is very reasonably priced. I've had her photograph Kiley every year and there are always many that I absolutely love. Feel free to contact me if you want more info about her.

My Persistence Paid Off (whew!)

So yesterday at about 4:30pm, I got this great idea to pack a picnic and head down to the shore. After going the wrong way and adding about 20 minutes to our drive time, we hit the worst downpour. We're talking cars pulled over, emergency flashers on, downpour. Some small tornadoes were actually confirmed in the good ol' state of CT a couple of days ago, so we've had some pretty decent storms (note the dark clouds in some of the pictures). So then comes the debate: do we turn around and head back towards home? Or do we press on in hopes that the sky is clear at the shore? I chose the latter, and we wound up having a really nice evening.

There was one stretch of time when walking the beach that Kiley decided she had to use the bathroom. So our choice was to walk further down the beach to the closer of the restroom facilities, or to walk a greater distance the other way, but closer to the car. This kid walked alot lastnight. I got giggling to myself a little bit over the commentary.

My feet hurt.

I have sand in my shoes.

I'm thirsty.

I have to go to the potty.

The waves are going to get me.

I don't have a dog.
I am NOT winning. (one of Kiley's latest games is to always have to be in the lead and scream, "I'm winning! I'm winning!" For those who are Charlie and Lola fans... this is done in true Lola fashion.)

And I think to myself: How did the pioneers do it? All that walking with little ones? How did they keep them entertained, slightly distracted, and with their eye on the prize that was ever so distant?

To cap off our evening, we were able to see both the sunset and a rainbow over Long Island Sound. Small moments that make you appreciate and cherish the bigger picture of life.

Sprinklers... Kiley Style

Don't laugh, but my girly-girl dislikes the sprinklers turned up too high. She likes them nice and low, and really doesn't like it when they spray her in her face. She gently and gingerly plays in the water.

On a side note, these pictures were taken a few weeks ago... long before the latest weather pattern of rain, rain, and more rain. But the good news is, is that tomorrow's supposed to be clear. Unfortunately, it's been super humid and I think tomorrow's supposed to be in the mid-80's (blah). So instead of actually being in the rain, we'll probably just feel like we stepped out of the storm.

The Backpack

Kiley and I ventured out on Tuesday. Our quest: to find her the perfect backpack. We visited her grandparents over the weekend, and her little cousin Luke had a backpack. She thought it was wonderful. When her Grandma Eileen asked, "Honey, can I get you anything?" (we were eating dinner), Kiley answered, "Um, yeah. A backpack." Then she fell asleep on the drive home. We got home around 8:30 and I took her up to her bed and tucked her in. No talk about the backpack. I thought maybe she had forgotten.

But, she woke up during the night around midnight. When I went in her bedrom to get her settled, she said, "Mom, when the sun comes out, can we go get my backpack?" So the poor kid had to wait Sunday and Monday before we could go backpack shopping on Tuesday.

The outcome? One happy kid with a big "light" pink backpack with a butterfly embroidered on the back (l.l.bean). It will be great for our flight West in July. How much weight can a 40 lbs. child carry?