Poor Little Piggy.

Here's a little halloween preview.

Why do you think this little piggy is so sad?

It's because Mommy said it was time to take her costume off.
Halloween is going to be fun this year!

You've Got a Friend In Me.

Kirby, the Stavenger's family dog, was- without dispute- Kendall's first friend when we moved to Moorhead.  He elicited more smiles and giggles than we could ever coax out of our toddler.  And as soon as Kendall was up on two feet, she would gravitate to Kirby's side and, literally, lay around on him.  Kirby never minded, even seemed to love, the attention (and scraps of food) from this little girl. Here are some of our favorite Kirby moments:

We'll miss you, buddy. 

American Worldview at its Finest

I know this has been around for a while, but it makes me giggle every time...

While We Still Have Green...

Acquiring a new home means acquiring all sorts of maintenance projects.  This house came with a beautifully landscaped front and back yard.  So, while the weather is still tolerable and we can still see our green grass, we (Chris and Kendall) have been out tending to the garden.  Kendall especially loves grabbing a watering can and giving our flowered plants some love.  

 

Kendall's favorite part of our backyard :)

We're enjoying the outdoors as much as possible, especially since it's been unseasonably warm here for October.  We all know what's waiting just around the corner...

Last Hurrahs

After a summer full of boy trips for Chris, I thought I was due for some time away from my Mommy duties!  So, before this belly got too ridiculous for travel, I took to the friendly skies and arrived in Southern California- my old stomping grounds.  Plans had been made to surprise my best friend, Stephanie, with my visit.  So my other "bff", Beth, and I planned a coffee date at Starbucks.  Despite Beth's inability to tell a good lie, Steph was MIGHTY surprised to see me when she arrived (tears were shed.  Just sayin.). 

We enjoyed a low-key holiday weekend, including a girl's night out at La Creperie and cupcakes from Frosted.  The crepes were amazing, as always.  The cupcakes (yes- cupcakeS plural.  Eating for two.) were decadent.  The time spent with some amazing friends- totally worth the the cross-country trip.  Love those girls.

My So-Cal Gal Pals.

Frosted!

Cheers to good friends!

Picture Perfect Playdate

My friend, Brandy, and I decided to get our little girls together for a playdate- they are a month apart in age and share a common love for all things Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  They played well- next to each other, mostly.  One of these days they'll figure out how to play WITH one another.  In the meantime, I'm just happy if there are no meltdowns.

Brandy was such a gracious hostess...we even got some surprise souvenirs thanks to Brandy's keen eye for photography!  Enjoy some snapshots, compliments of Elation Photography :)

Elation Photography

Elation Photography

Elation Photography (We loved how each girl matched her bike perfectly.)

Kendall's Candles

It started with an innocent trip to Bath & Body Works.  I needed wanted a new fall-ish candle and B&BW has THE best variety.  As soon as I taught Kendall the concept of "smelling" candles (with an inhale rather than snotty exhale), she demanded that we sample EVERY candle in the store.   I found a favorite and off we went.

Consequently, for the last two weeks, Kendall has been carrying candles around the house, smelling them (huffing them, really....) and taking the lids on and off.  It's hard to pry them out of her waxy little hands! 

The evidence of a hardcore candle sniffer.

Notes to Self.

THIS....

...is not the appropriate place to store your hair comb.  Combs should be stored in the bathroom, not in the middle of a pile of dishtowels.

THIS....

....is not a good place to leave your purse after loading groceries and a toddler in the car.  Someone might (gasp!) want to steal it...even here in North Dakota.

THESE...

...are typically removed BEFORE entering the shower.  Although I hear the "Never-Nude" movement is popular with some people, it's not for me.  (bonus points if you understand the latter reference!)

Pregnancy is quickly depleting my brain neurons.
That is all.

I Saw It All Because I Am A Huge Slacker.

Few Californians witnessed the 9/11 attacks live on television.
You would have had to have been up pretty early.
I was. 
As a teaching credential student, I had literally pulled an all-nighter working on my quarterly portfolio.
I was functioning solely on coffee at that point in the morning, and turned on the television in hopes that the morning programs would assist in keeping me awake.
That's when I heard Matt Lauer interrupt an interview with breaking news. 
And I watched....assembled pages.....watched.....assembled pages....and witnessed the horror of the second crash live on television.
Soon after, I left the house to drop off my portfolio across town prior to beginning my day of teaching (yes...I was once able to normally function after sleepless nights). 
But all I really wanted to do was plop myself down in front of the t.v., along with the rest of America, and watch history unfold.

At school, teachers gathered for our morning meeting, where our teary-eyed principal entered the room and told us of the building collapse.
I welcomed students somberly into our classroom that morning, and consoled worried parents.
One of my students reported to me that the White House had been hit.
With no way to verify that information, I was pretty upset until my update at recess, when I discovered that he had mistakenly been talking about the Pentagon building.
Later in the day, a student of mine was removed from class since her father was suddenly called to active duty in the military.
The rest of us colored patriotic pictures on squares, which we later turned into a class quilt.

We didn't accomplish much that day in Second Grade. 
I blame morning's trauma and my failing adrenaline levels in equal part.
But it was good to be together, to give my students a bit of safety and consistency as the world around them changed.

Ice, Ice Baby.

I'm generally not a fan of ice.  Don't like it when I get two sips of soda because icebergs engulf my glass, I'm not a banner-waver for ice-skating or hockey, and I certainly don't like LIVING in it.

But something happens during my gestation that makes me a crazy, ice-seeking lunatic. 

I tried to research this phenomenon online, but typically landed on a condition called "Pica", the desire to eat non-food materials.  Animal feces, Clay, Dirt, Hairballs, Ice, Paint, Sand.  Uh, does ICE seem a little out of place on that list?!  That did little to lesson the "freak" factor of constantly having a cup of crushed ice and a spoon in my hand.  And for the record, NONE of those other items sound remotely appealing.

I take comfort in the fact that this is apparently very common, as birthing centers usually have- in endless supply- buckets full of ice waiting for us.  Not just ANY ice, either.  The BEST ICE IN THE UNIVERSE.  Soft, wonderfully crunchy pellet ice.  I'm thinking we need to take a tour of our new birthing center soon so I can try it out :) 

In the meantime, I am on the hunt for this delicacy in real life.  While in Southern California last weekend, my friends and I enjoyed conversation over a cup of ice at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf- amazing ice, for free!  It has been suggested that Sonic and Taco Bell also have pellet ice- I have yet to confirm this.  If it's true, I could be consuming a lot of Tacos in the near future. 

Our crushed ice at home will suffice for now, though I may have no teeth by the time this baby arrives.

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! :)

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!

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  :)

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!  :)

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.