Monday, August 29, 2011

Milestones: First Haircut!

Ready for my first haircut!  Surprisingly NOT freaked out by the strange surroundings and lady with scissors!  Let's do this.

Surprisingly TRAUMATIZED, though, by the cape!  This penguin frock is the second try- the first was ripped off in a fit of rage.  Nothing a little Cinnamon Toast Crunch can't fix!

Oh, and Elmo, too.

Just enjoying the full beauty experience...

...and a sucker at the end makes it all worth it!  Now the weird rat-tails growing behind my ears are gone, and my curls are even-steven!  The nice lady even gave me some glitter in my hair...just in case I wasn't sparkling enough! :)

Friday, August 26, 2011

Home Is Where the Mortgage Is.

Remember when I said we've been a little "busy" around here?
"Busy" included talking with a realtor, touring homes on the market, acquiring a mortgage, placing an offer, negotiations, inspections, yaddayaddayadda...
and when all is said and done,
we have a house!
Due to close in the middle of September, we are really thrilled with our move-in-ready abode.  It fits us like a glove, down to the already-matching paint colors and backyard playground.

Thanks for your patience during my little hiatus!  More fun stuff to come!

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

The Wild, Wild West

Howdy, Y'all!  We've been swamped here at home (cough*understatement*cough), and will soon have some rootin' tootin' good news to share with you!  In the meantime, I have some catching up to do on the 'ol blog!  (Which, by the way, is looking pretty shabby and desperately needs a makeover.)

A couple weeks ago, we spent a few days in Tucson, AZ to visit with my mom's side of the family!  It was great to see my grandparents, aunts and uncles, and give Kendall the opportunity to meet them as well.  The heat was...HOT, but whatever.  Nothing a few Eegees and some air-conditioning couldn't handle.  Enjoy some favorite snapshots from our trip-

The Petersens and Stavengers with Kendall's Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa
We did some quintessential sight-seeing at Trail Dust Town and found this sad old man and his mule.
Pretty authentic, minus the Hummer in the background.  Kendall did some exploring on her own.

These two hooligans couldn't escape the law!

Either my beer gut is out-of-control following a trip to the saloon, or Grandma D is giving love to her grandson-to-be.

OUTLAWS.  Don't let the stroller fool you- that's one tough girl.
We spent an afternoon at the Miniatures Museum, where there were some displays only Kendall was tiny enough to enjoy :)


Afraid to step on it at first, this glass floor display quickly became Kendall's fixation. 
Precious Moments with Grandma Donna  :)

Wednesday, August 03, 2011

This and That

Just some randoms for today...

1)  "Thanks a lot, hon!  Now everyone is going to think I'm stupid!"  -Chris Stavenger (in response to my posting of a record-breaking score on WWF.)  In fairness, I don't win that big every day.  But I DO win.  So, here is a picture of our CURRENT game.  And, if my husband is savvy, he'll take note of the letters that I have and don't have (not that it will help him much.  ha ha...).
2)  Check out that Site Meter!  ------------------------------------------>
We're just a handful of blog visits away from 100,000!  How shall I celebrate??  Hmmm, what to do, what to do....
3)  A couple of special birthday shout-outs this week...to my MOM (whose birthday is today) and my BROTHER, Derek, who would be 33 on Friday.  It's still pretty heart-wrenching walking by the "brother" section of birthday cards at Hallmark and not needing to stop.  We all miss you, Deez.

 4)  In happier news, I get to celebrate both of the above occasions with my family!  The good news:  Kendall gets to meet a slough of relatives she's never met before, and spend some special time with Grandma Donna and Grandpa Keith!  The bad news:  Tucson AZ in the summer, where the forecast is:
Enjoy your weekend- I know I will!  :)

Tuesday, August 02, 2011

Words With Friends

I don't play Angry Birds.
I tend to gravitate toward, um... more "intellectual" games- games that require brainpower and strategy.  Always a fan of the word game, when this Scrabble-like game was adapted to the iPhone, I was hooked.  Chris started playing, too.  And by "playing", I mean "surviving".  (See below.  Sorry, honey!)
Being that many of you are of elevated intellect, too (*wink*), I'm sure you can appreciate the "5 Commandments of playing Words With Friends" (posted on www.stuffchristianslike.com- one of my favorite blogs).  For the whole post, you can click here.  Otherwise, I've reprinted the commandments below.  Take heed, gamers! 



The 5 commandments of Words with Friends

1. Thou shalt not covet your neighbor’s words.
Just like in Scrabble, each time you play a turn, you get a collection of letters you can use to spell a word. Don’t covet your neighbor’s letters if they get the much-desired “blank letter” which can be used as any letter. Don’t out act in envy if you find yourself without a single vowel.
2. Thou shalt not cheat.
There are four different apps that you can use to cheat on Words with Friends. One of them is called “Cheat with Words.” You tell the apps what letters you have and the apps will tell you every possible word you can form. When someone used the word “Horjemr” in a game against my wife, it was clear they were cheating. No one on the planet regularly uses the word “Horjemr.” Except maybe “Horjemr Smith” who only uses it to say, “I sure hate my parents for naming me Horjemr.”
3. Thou shalt not strike a person who always adds “S” to your words.
The “S guy” is the worst person to play in Words with Friends. This vocabulary villain waits until you spell a brilliant word and then lazily tacks on an S to the end of it, soaking up all the points with none of the work. Scoundrel! But before you lash out, keep in mind, this is a completely fair move. Dastardly perhaps, but it’s not cheating.
4. Thou shalt heed the call of “Your Move” quickly.
Your iPhone buzzed. Your Droid beeped. Your smartphone essentially said, “Hey, it’s your move on Words with Friends.” Do not tarry friend. Do not delay. Make your move quickly. Play your word with great haste.
5. Thou shalt not be a sore loser.
You lost. In one fell swoop your opponent got a triple letter score with a Z and tore your word kingdom asunder. Do not slander or gossip. Do not throw barbs or have a mouth of poison like the wicked. In other words, don’t use the chat feature of Words with Friends to talk trash.