Happy Easter!

We had some drama getting up to Easter, but I'm so happy its here!  Gunnar had an Easter egg hunt at school and then we tried to see the Easter Bunny.  That didn't go too well so we didn't get a pic.

On Saturday morning, we went to participate in the Jackson College Easter egg hunt.  It wasn't really a "hunt", more of a "pick-up".  The kids and parents in Gunnar's age group did really well.  Most of the parents we just following their kids around and holding baskets for them.  Gunnar really liked picking the eggs up, opening them, and dropping them to the ground.  He was putting eggs in other people's baskets and tried to take some one's (he didn't have a baskets, just a paper bag they gave us). We had fun and it was free.  We then tried to see the Easter Bunny again.  This time went much better.  I think Gunnar was having so much fun running around outside and the mall that he forgot to be scared by the giant bunny.

On Easter Sunday, we had brunch with my mom where Gunnar had another Easter egg hunt.  But, unfortunately, he was too late to get the goodies in the eggs.  They went to a very resourceful squirrel.  He did get a bunch of chocolate cake so I think it worked itself out.

Happy Easter!!

The Kendi Haus

Easter egg hunt at school

   

Here's a video of Gunnar's first big Easter egg hunt.  It was so fun with all the kids and parents.

New Easter tradition?

New toy from the Easter Bunny!

Easter Sunday egg hunt at Busia's

He loves cake!

2016 New Year's Resolutions

Every year I make the same New Year's resolutions.  You know, lose weight, be nicer, save money. The same ones everyone makes.  This year, I made the same ones, but I added some very specific, attainable goals too.  The first?  Give up pop for a year.  So far, I've actually stuck to this one.  It's been hard.  I really like pop.  But, how cool would it be to say I gave it up for a year?!

The second:  do two random acts of kindness a month.  This one is turning out to be harder than I thought.  I kind of cheated for January.  I didn't expect to be so shy and timid when I see an opportunity to do something nice.  It frustrates me that I, and society, can't really speak out or act without fear of offending some one or getting physically hurt.  I don't want to be this way and I want to be the change in the world.  It's going to be a long year...

Cheers!

Here are my January RAoK;

1:  bought GS cookies for soldiers (you can do this right on the order form)

2:  grabbed this on my way out of Kroger.  Hey, start small end big.

And my February RAoC:

I offered multiple homeless people food.  They didn't take it (said they had enough food). This both hurt my feelings and bugged me.  But I'm still going to keep trying. 

Home Sweet Home

Last month, we bought a house.  It was a long process of getting to that large table in the title office and signing all those papers.  To be honest, I wasn't that excited.  I loved the house we picked, don't get me wrong.  I had just gotten to the point of thinking it was never going to be mine. 

Well, it is.  And it's amazing.  It's the first place that is MINE.  And Kevin's too.  Lol.  But I own a house!  Hol. y. Crap.  I still can't believe it.  We dove right into painting it.  I knew a few colors right away.  I'd love to get Gunnar's room all finished before he sees the house. I'd love to open the door to his new, finished room and see him run around it and check everything out.  I know that he's going to take this transition hard.  He's used to seeing his grandparents regularly and he has his friends at school.  I hope he gets over it quickly since he will have his own space finally.  

I have always wondered what having complete control over where I live would feel like.  So far, it feels amazing.  

Cheers!  

At the closing.  Got the keys!!

Packzi Day!

Did you get yours?!

Cheers!

Once Bitten

Last week at daycare, another child bite Gunnar.  From what the teacher tells me, Gunnar was playing on a riding toy and the other child sort of fell on him and bit him on the chest. The teacher said these things happen.  Lots of teething going on, you see...

Hmmm.

Here's the problem(s) I'm having.  The chest is a flat surface with little fat, usually.  I would think that if a baby was teething, they would want a round, chewy surface to bite down on. Little effort, big pay off.  The fact that it's a chest bit, something accomplished with some effort, leads me to believe that teething was not the primary factor.

Gunnar was on a toy.  Probably a cool toy.  Did the other child want that toy?  Did Gunnar take the toy away from another child?  I will probably never know since neither child really talks.

How was the the child able to bite Gunnar on the chest without someone intervening?  Again, a chest bit requires effort.  Effort requires time.  If there was a struggle over a toy, no one heard or saw something?  The teacher gives me the impression that she did see it.  Are there too many kids in the class for the number of teachers?  What else is slipping through the cracks?

The bite broke the skin.  Again, a chest bite is hard enough, but one that breaks the skin?!  And they didn't put bacitracin (Neosporin) on it.  Because I didn't fill out a medication form.  Really?  I think since it's an over the counter thing that its okay to have on hand and apply.  Its better to get yelled at by a parent that to have the kid get a serious infection (which also gets you yelled at by the parent but now yo have guilt because yo followed a stupid rule).  I blame all the stupid anti-vaxxing parents for this one.  They've put our children at risk because now we're afraid of common sense.  

I'm not mad at the other child.  They are young and these are lessons to learn on both sides. Secretly, I wish Gunnar had pushed the other kid down  or swatted him or something.  I don't have a problem with kids defending themselves when its necessary (think of that scene in A Christmas Story).  But, not going to lie, I'm a little peeved at the other parents and the teachers and the daycare over all.

Parenting is hard.  Parenting 45 minutes away from your child is harder.  

Cheers.

Update:  Facebook "fights" later and lots of opinions and chatter and I'm fine with things. Gunnar is no longer in that room with those teachers (he aged out this week).  I'm really happy about this.  I think the room he was in has too big of a range of ages in it.  They have babies that have just started crawling and Gunnar, who runs around, climbs everything and yells.

First School Pictures

I call daycare school when I talk to Gunnar.  I want him to get excited about going to school. I want him to associate the place with fun and socializing and learning.  Not a prison or work.  I have always liked school and I hope to pass that on to Gunnar.

He had these pictures taken when he was 8 months old at school.  I was so excited for him. Probably more excited than I should have been.  I stood right there and watched the whole thing.  It went very fast.  Gunnar seemed to cooperate with the photographer and she said he was the easiest baby.  I was hesitant to think she got anything good.  Then I saw the proofs...which were ready when I picked him up.  

O.M.G.  

I have the cutest baby.  

Cheers.

Gunnar's First Birthday - Part 1

Better late than never...

I can't believe my baby is one year old.  You never know how fast time goes by until you have a child.  They grow so freaking fast it's amazing.  I can't wait to see more of Gunnar's personality develop, but I miss the little bundle that used to just snuggle with me all the time...

I took the day off from work to celebrate Gunnar's birthday on his actual day of birth.  Kevin and I took him to the Toledo Zoo.  None of us had ever been to the Toledo Zoo before and Gunnar had never been to any zoo.  We had nice weather, a bit hot but not too bad.  And the zoo wasn't too crowded because it was during the week.  All the animals were out and about and we got to see a bunch up close.  I think Gunnar really liked looking at all of them.  When we were looking at the hippo, Gunnar blow raspberries on my cheek for the first time.  It was one of those mommy moments you don't forget.  Kevin was able to snap a picture.  It was a great day.  :)

Cheers!

We started the day with birthday balloons!  Best $2 I've ever spent.