San Diego 2011

John and I recently took Kenzie to Carlsbad, California and we had a blast. It was a 4-day, incredibly relaxing vacation that we would love to continue annually! We stayed at the beautiful Carlsbad by the Sea Resort which is in the best location! We were surrounded by shops, restaurants, parks, and the ocean! I would brag about the flower fields being across the road but they were not in bloom so we'll have to go back in April :)

We walked along Carlsbad Blvd. on our first official day where we discovered great little shops, fantastic restaurants, parks for Kenzie, and we were able to enjoy gorgeous 70 degree weather! We wandered the outlet mall, drove with the windows down, and if the flower fields were in bloom we would have stopped to smell the roses.

I can't go to San Diego without visiting Seaport Village so on day 3 (Sunday) that's exactly what we did! It was a 30 minute drive but well worth every minute! We walked, we ate, we conquered... it was a very successful and enjoyable outing!

I also can't go a day or two without stopping by Target but Targets in San Diego (at least some anyway) are not like the ones in Phoenix. Oh no my friends, they are 2 stories of pure joy! John was in awe, he just couldn't believe we took an escalator upstairs while our carts were beside us be sent up by their very own escalator!

We really had a beautiful time but I would be writing for pages. Pictures say a thousand words, so I'll let these finish my blog - To enlarge each photo you can click them!

Our first official day in Calrsbad

A long walk to the ocean.

Once her toes hit the water we were in for trouble. She's fearless.

Building castles in the sand.

The stream at Seaport Village was filled with ducks!

Kenzie was not a fan of this giant lobster.

We found a fun swing and Kenzie helped herself.

She loved the "Horsies."

We stopped at Mission Bay Park after our trip to Seaport Village

She's a swing fanatic.

Kenzie and John - Pirates.

A quick family photo.

Mineer Mobile Moments

If you didn't know this about Kenzie, then you should; this girl is very fast! You've all seen the Coyote and Roadrunner show, right? That cartoon explains our daily activities: I try everything in my power to "take her down" (stop her before she does something harmful) but she's already moving onto her next act! She moves at super-speed, and I just cannot catch her.

Which brings me to the whole point of this blog - mobile moments. I really only have time to bring out my camera phone to snap a picture. The quality on most is absolutely atrocious, but the sentiment and heartfelt meaning is there. 

John and I took Kenzie to the mall one day, because in Arizona it's just too darn hot to walk around outside in August! They have 2 things Kenzie loves - 1) A play area, and 2) the Disney Store! 

We know she has a big love for Pooh so we decided to take her in and she immediately spots a giant Pooh, yep! It was love at first sight. We just couldn't possibly spoil her anymore. So Grandpa did! Thanks Grandpa ;)

We forgot to hit up the play area BEFORE we bought Pooh. Whoops! If you look closely in the picture, poor Pooh's feet are already dirty. Not even one hour after the purchase. Kenzie refused to let him go, so she drug him around the entire mall. So cute, so I whipped out my camera and snapped a quick shot for you! So cute, right? :)

I don't have a fun little story for this photo, it's just a very cute picture. We were just eating dinner one night when she noticed my camera. I take most of our pictures with it so she recognized what it was pretty quick and starts cheesin' it up with cute smirks and grins, plus she started squealing "CHEEEEEESE" at me. I had to act FAST to get this one good picture. She isn't one for holding still (surprised?). We're not! 

This is one of MANY Mineer Mobile Moments, so we hope you enjoyed it! Until next time, we send our love and hugs!! 

xoxox!

When Did This Happen?

Not sure if you're paying attention to the cute little ticker I have up top, but Kenzie turns two in a month. Can you believe it?

This girl just melts my heart, as I'm sure John's as well. She is big on saying "I love you", giving kisses, and snuggles. Well, with me anyway ;)

She tells me animals and what they "say". She helps me sing the ABC's, and count to 10. She *sometimes* helps me clean up at night and boy does this girl love to do hair! When did all this toddler stuff happen? It's all new and in the early stages but I'm getting excited to see what happens with time! She's too smart, and just too sweet (and spunky, but we already knew that).

Of course I'll miss my lil' munchkin but I can't prevent growth so I won't complain about her growing up, I'll embrace it!

Sending our love!

Our Toddler

Kenzie is definitely almost 2 and I say this because she is SUCH a toddler! We carry on conversations much like I did with my own mom I'm assuming. I ask a lot of questions with nothing but attitude fired back at me (I'm so sorry mom!). I get a lot of "no's", "mine", "stop," "gotcha," and "GRRRRR" which I think John taught her.

She has also grown very attached to "ma-maaahh". John copes well but I feel bad. I will say this, when I'm gone for the day they bond very well and are always up to no good ;)

When Kenzie isn't being a cute pain in the tush, she's absolutely perfect in every way. She's taken a huge liking to Pooh Bear and Friends, and of course Mickey and Friends. Her eyes are big and brown, which can be dangerous when paired with her pouty lip. Don't let it fool you, she knows exactly what she is doing!

We've also transitioned her from a high chair to a big girl chair! She's a pro...

Yes, you're seeing that right. She has a head full of red curls! She gets that from John, however you wouldn't know from his BALD head. For those of you who didn't already  know, John shaved his curly hair. It was only a matter of time!

We sure do miss all of you, and hope all is well!!

Sending all the love we possibly can,
HJK

2011 Family Portrait

We had our first family portrait done this year, and we are all very thrilled with how it turned out. John's clothes aren't wrinkled, Kenzie's face is clean, and I don't have 1 hair out of place.

We were hesitant with the artist, but she is our daughter. That's right guys, Kenzie is responsible for this amazing photo.

Don't worry, we will make enough copies for everyone.

Have You Heard?

Kenzie's going to be 2 years old in less than 2 months, if you pay attention you'll notice my fancy pants ticker at the top of this blog. It says in just 1 month and 22 days (or 21,20,19,18... or whenever you read it) Kenzie Lynn will be another year older!

I never believed anyone when they told me "time flies" but holy cow you guys! Time really does fly! Her party is in the works, and you should all be very excited! It's going to be a blast. Good food, good cake, good.... food ;) I'm hoping she'll show off some skills at her party, like singing her ABC's but you never know. She gets stage fright!

This little girl is infatuated with Pooh, that's right! POOH! Well, Tigger mostly ;)

Love you all, and miss you  most!

Do You Know Kenzie?

I thought it would be fun to list Kenzie's top 10 favorites, to give everyone a little look inside the life of Kenzie.

1. Drawing
2. Dressing Up
3. Juice
4. Pretzels
5. Slides and Swings
6. Running and Jumping
7. Books
8. Climbing
9. Sprinklers and Pools
10. Stuffed Animals

These are the top 10 favorites, not in any specific order. If I had to decide her top 3 of these 10 I would say drawing, sprinklers, and books.

I've posted before about her being an artist and I still stay it. Kenzie loves crayons, markers, colored pencils, pens, and anything that she can graffiti with! She really enjoys arts and crafts time - so I guess we need to do this more often ;)

We went to my moms house and she ran through the sprinklers for the first time and had the time of her life! I then took her to my brothers house and sprayed her with the hose and again, had the time of her life. We've taken her to the pool but the fish is too wild! She refuses floaties so it's hard to keep her above water.

Books are a huge hit with our smarty pants. She will sit in her room with all her stuffed animals and read out loud to them (reminds me of when I was a youngin'). She's so cute when we catch her, but then gets a little embarrassed when she notices we're watching.

Stuffed animals and dressing up are also a big favorite around here, I can't get ready in the morning without doing her hair and make-up too!