Kinlee’s 1st birthday went pretty well considering the snags in the planning and schedule that happened in the days prior. Thanks to everyone who made it, and we missed those who were not able to come due to illness or schedules. I learned a lot of mini life lessons, and things will be different for the next birthday party. We didn’t do anything for Braska’s 1st, so we were in new territory. As many of you know, birthdays have never been a big deal in our families growing up, so I don’t really do themes, matchy-matchy decor, etc. Maybe when the girls are old enough to notice…which will be soon.
Here’s a couple little pics of the day and the party. Check out the video below for lots more great pics—including my little pastry chefs at work on the cake—and the famous cake eating. 
Here’s the video…one of the projects I got done this week. Even got it burned on a DVD that can be watched on the TV! Fun for years to come!
She has started to close her eyes every time the camera gets ready to snap. Little booger. I have dozens of closed-eye pictures. 
Still, she’s pretty cute, and sometimes even sweet. 
Highlights this month: She is standing for a second or two by herself, but she’s not too interested in attempting to walk. And that’s ok with me. She’ll get there, no doubt, and I’m fine with her taking her time. Less chasing to do. Our house is going to get even smaller when she starts to walk.
She has a few signs: more, eat, milk, daddy. She does a lot of babbling and has some word approximations: more, mommy, daddy, belle, sissy, shoe, milk.
She loves her straw cup, and she eats almost everything set before her. Unfortunately, she likes to eat about anything she can find, including coins, junk on the floor, dog food, etc. We’ve had no issues yet to cause great concern, but you really gotta watch this girl.
One year down. It sure went fast!
I’ve got lots of pics from the birthday to share, and I hope to get those up tonight or this weekend. But for now, here’s one fresh from my phone…
We spent the morning running errands while Braska was at school, then we went to the mall after school for lunch in the food court—she enjoyed chicken and waffle fries—and a very good stop at The Children’s Place where we hit a monster sale and snagged some things for the girls, especially some things for Braska for next year! Yay! By the time we got back in the van, KiKi was out in minutes on the way home. I didn’t even take her out of her new jacket when she got home. Cute, huh? And only $2.99! Gotta love a gift card! I didn’t spend a “real” dollar anywhere.
It doesn’t seem like it’s been 12 whole months, and yet, it seems like she’s been hanging out with us for years.
Kinlee is a silly girl. She loves to laugh and make others laugh. She is a drama queen. She is very sensitive, VERY sensitive, especially to reprimands. She adores her sister and her daddy, but she is a Mommy’s girl. She will climb anything and has no fear. Until she gets up there and can’t get down. Then her world crumbles in a second.
She is lots of fun to play with and less fun to take on in a battle of wills. She will be a great sister and a challenging daughter for years to come, I’m quite sure of it. But whining and instant tear-spilling skills aside, she is a pretty good little girl, and we’ll let her hang around a while longer.
Happy Birthday, KiKi!
Kinlee went to visit Auntie Rachel and Uncle Patrick on Thursday while Braska and I had a meeting to go to and Daddy wasn’t feeling well. Uncle Patrick and KiKi are big buds, so she is always ready to go visit there. Rach took these and I thought they were pretty cute.
We had a great time with Jason and Sarah and their girls on the 16th. Kinlee enjoyed the bounce house for the first time. She wasn’t sure what to think of it.
Here’s the four girls..KiKi, Katelyn, Braska, and Amber.
We also came home with a completely to-the-roof full van, toys, slides, picnic tables, etc. Thanks guys!!!
I am not great at letting Kinlee get messy when she eats. I’m just not used to it. I never had to deal with it with Braska since she’s not into food and all. So it’s very hard for me to let her cover her face and so often her hair, too, with who knows what. I keep her meals pretty unmessy in their content, but she does love pizza, so I let her go at it on her own the other day, not even sitting by her with wipes ready. I’ve come so far.
It is still amazing to take a food, cut it into small pieces and give it to her…and she just eats it! What a process this is, having a kid who eats. Way to go, KiKi!
First, I realize it’s not Halloween. You don’t have to call the crazy police on me.
I just couldn’t put this away without trying it on her. She’ll be far to big by October. Truth is she is too long for it now, but we got it on her without too much tugging. I just had to have these cute comparison pics.
Kinlee 1/23/10 at 11 1/2 months. 
Braska 10/31/08 at 23 months 10 days.
You see my dilemma.
She is moving more and faster than is easy to deal with, and she made clear very quickly that this photo shoot thing is uncool.
Highlights this month: She’s not all that interested in walking, so cruising is still her thing right now. But she does like walking with a push toy or anything else that she can walk behind…. laundry basket, chair, toy box, Braska’s tricycle. She is very into climbing and has been falling from small heights left and right. She’s a very tough cookie, but you wouldn’t know it from her the-world-has-ended drama cries after she bonks her head even the slightest bit. Heaven forbid someone walk away from her when she wanted their attention. She will throw herself dramatically on the floor and cry as though she has been abandoned forever, never to be cared for again. We are hoping his drama queen thing is a phase, but we’re a bit concerned this may be her way for a while.
She loves to play with her sister, even more than the sister would like. They often tackle each other, Kinlee yanking Braska’s glasses off, while Braska screams “Noooooo!” and swings wildly at her, and Kinlee clings to an arm as she falls over. Sometimes it’s not a violent interaction, and they giggle and roll around on the floor together. Those are fun times. KiKi loves to play with Jack and Braska, especially at Jack’s house where they can run all over like a little train—Jack running, Braska crawling fast behind him, and KiKi bringing up the rear as fast as she can go.
This month brought some new eating experiences. She is loving a straw and prefers it for every drink except formula. She had grilled cheese, cheese pizza, and peanut butter sandwiches this month and loved them all. She loves peas and really hasn’t rejected any foods, vegetables or otherwise, though she definitely prefers finger foods, so she doesn’t have to bother with being fed with a spoon.
She’s very close to 20 lbs, getting within about a pound or possibly even less to Braska’s current weight.
Kinlee is signing more consistently and saying “moh” when she does. She also signs done along with “duh.” Other verbal words are mama, dada, beh-beh (for Belle), and sis-sis for Braska. She says hi and bye along with waving, too.
KiKi is very very busy, never slowing down, and that has included her nights. She sometimes will sleep through the night once or twice in a week, but she is usually waking at night still, rarely putting herself back to sleep. But we’re working on a new plan of tough love this week, so hopefully she’ll get the picture. I need sleep badly.
I can’t believe it’s almost been a year. Guess I better get to thinking about a birthday party!
PaPaw and Grandma C have a fun place to play that KiKi discovered this weekend. She’s looked into these places before, but suddenly she decided she could actually enter! 
Notice that her sister is more interested in watching Bears football than following her. And no, we don’t let her watch this closely, just had to capture Kinlee’s adventures before we redirected Braska to her chair.
No it’s not that high, but still… I was doing dishes and her banging in the drawer got quiet. And there she was. I grabbed my phone and snapped the first pic, then she took a moment to figure out how to get in and up she popped. Like “See, I can do it!”
I’m afraid this will mean that we find her in all kinds of places now… any guesses on where might be next?
