A Day with the Ducks

The other day, Kaiya was SUPER grouchy.

Not just a little bit.

She was the kind of grouchy where if I wasn't holding her 

every second

of every minute

of every hour,

she was screaming!

I don't know if this is just a phase where she is super clingy,

but it was very clear that I needed to spend some quality time with her.

Just Kaiya and mommy time.

No homework,

no cleaning,

no bathroom breaks (haha, seriously).

Just some one-on-one time where Kaiya was the center of attention.

So, we went on a little walk.

As soon as we were outside, Kaiya was as happy as can be!

Thank goodness...

It's amazing what some fresh air and sunshine will do for the nerves.

Haha, caught a sneeze!

She has the cutest sneezes.

(I wonder if my face would look that adorable during a sneeze

if it was captured in a photo...probably not.)

Feed the ducks mommy!

The ducks were surrounding us!

And I couldn't tell if they were more interested in 

the Cheerios we were feeding them, or Kaiya's little piggy toes.

I was about ready to chase them off if they nipped at her toes!

But they didn't. 

This is what happens when I let Kaiya out of the stroller...

                                     

She runs after the ducks saying, "Duh...duh!" (Translation: Duck...duck!)

The duck pond.

Sigh. I love this place.

So relaxing.

And I love this little ducky the most.

(Can you tell I'm exhausted?!)

At least Kaiya is happy. That's really all that matters. :)

A Smiley Baby and some Tasty Spaghetti

So, everyone likes to brag about their baby(ies), right?

It's true!

And that is exactly what I am going to do right now,

because I can't help but brag about Kaiya's sweet smile!

And the fact that she seems to know that I'm taking pictures of her!

Really! As soon as she sees me pointing a camera at her, 

she stops whatever she's doing and smiles at the camera. 

Where did she learn how to do that?! :D

I don't know where she learned to smile at cameras, but I'm sure glad she does it!

Here's little Miss Kaiya enjoying some of the spaghetti I am about to share the recipe for!

I love pasta.

It is so versatile that you can add all sorts of different

sauces, veggies, and toppings!

Plus, it only takes a few minutes to cook, which is a lifesaver on days when I 

am too busy to cook an elaborate meal (which is like every day).

So, this recipe for Whole Wheat Pasta with Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomatoes was perfect!

I found the original recipe on Two Peas and their Pod and I

decided to try it!

I only made a few very minor modifications.

Here's the recipe:

Whole Wheat Pasta with Spinach & Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Time: 20 minutes       Servings: 4

You'll Need:

• 1/2 13.25oz. pkg. whole wheat spaghetti noodles
• 1 Tbsp. oil (from sun-dried tomato jar)
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes (the kind packed in oil), chopped
• 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• salt and pepper, to taste
• feta or parmesan cheese, for topping (optional, but not really)

Directions:

1. Bring water to a boil in a large pot and cook the spaghetti noodles according to package instructions.
2. While the spaghetti is cooking, heat the sun-dried tomato oil in large saucepan over medium heat.
3. Add the spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and balsamic vinegar. Cook until spinach is slightly wilted, about 2 minutes. 
4. Add garlic and mix throughout spinach-tomato mixture. Remove from heat.
5. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Spoon spinach-tomato mixture over spaghetti and sprinkle feta or parmesan cheese over the top.
7. Serve warm and enjoy! 

**Note: The flavors in this dish are strong (but delicious) so if you prefer a less strong flavor, use fewer sun-dried tomatoes and/or less balsamic vinegar.

Kaiya's 1st Birthday: According to My Camera

 So, I just realized that I took some pictures of Kaiya's 1st Birthday festivities!

And I wanted to share them with you.

Because who can resist looking at tons of pictures of an adorable baby, right?

And I realize that I'm kind of putting these pictures up one day before Kaiya turns 13 months old.

You know, just a little past her birthday but...oh well.

The festivities surrounding Kaiya's birthday included (but was not limited to)...

1. A walk with Aunt Haley!

2. Lots of "selfies"...okay, okay, I took those (but it kind of looks like she did!)

3. Opening presents.

4. Wearing the cute birthday outfit from Oma and Opa.

5. Opening another adorable outfit from Mimi and Papa.

Oh my gosh! I love tutus! And look at that adorable headband!

6. Hanging out with Mimi (so mommy and daddy could go on a group date!)

Well, this has nothing to do with Kaiya's birthday, but these pictures are from our group date!

We went to the nickel arcade with with Joshua's family,

And pooled our tickets together to get

...mustaches! 

I think we look rather dashing. Don't you?

I think I'll stay clean-shaven though. ;)

Anyways...back to Kaiya's big day!

She looked WAY TOO CUTE!

Unfortunately, it was nap time, so she was a little out of it.

Poor baby.

She loved opening all these presents from everyone! 

We enjoyed some delicious "brownie cookies" and homemade cupcakes.

(Thanks to my sweet friends who were willing to make them!)

Can anyone spot the can of peas? Haha.

Kaiya's Healthy Birthday Cake! It was delicious.

Tasted kind of like banana bread.

Kaiya loved chomping into this cake!

She was hesitant at first, but was quite content with eating the cake with a fork.

Luckily she did eventually smash up her cake with her hands!

(Did I mention the cake got everywhere?! In the diaper and everything.

How it got there will remain a mystery...)

Love this girl!

See more adorable pictures from Kaiya's birthday here.

July 4th Festivities!

This post has been almost a month in the making...

Not really, though. I've just been super busy with school, work, and family life
to get to writing this post.

Even though it is coming a bit late, I had to write this post because it involves
Kaiya and she is too darn cute to not write about! :)

Please note the adorable 4th of july bow in her hair.
I was SO excited that she finally had enough hair to put a clip in! :D
And even less than a month later her hair has gotten even longer and thicker.
Yay hair!

So, a neat thing about the bow is that I wore it when I was little!
My mom found it and gave it to me so my little girls could wear it. :)
How sweet is that?

"Don't mind me. I'm just hanging out."

I love these two!

Mesmerized by the fireworks.
(And stayed up until 10:30 PM to watch them! Crazy girl.)

Happy (late) 4th of July! :)

~Do you have any special 4th of July traditions? Feel free to share!