mulch. rocks. plants. repeat.

We've been busy working on the yard again this spring.
More mulch. More rocks. More plants.

I sound like I'm on repeat from last year. The good news is that most of the plants I planted lat year are coming back well and a few are already blooming, or about to bloom. The other bit of good news is that this year, our fun days in the yard should outnumber our work days in the yard.

Kya's first haircut

On a whim, today after a lunch date with Corey, we decided to take Kya in for her first haircut. I'd been thinking about chopping the infamous toddler mullet for a while so today was the day.

When we got to the salon, they asked if Kya could "sit by herself" - meaning would she sit still well enough without one of us in the chair too. I said "yes" then said ... "I have no idea"

As it turns out Kya was a great little client, and sat very still - staring herself down in the mirror.


short and a little spunky ... perfect for Kya




After we left the salon, she was giggly and kept touching her hair, saying "haircut kya, kya haircut"


I gave her a roll of Pride of Dakota product stickers to keep her content while taking her photo. Best distraction ever.


Silly girl.

cousins

Connor is visiting!
Well, actually ... Connor, Jesse and Megan are visiting. They'll be in North Dakota all week and we were happy that we were able to join them and spend last weekend playing up in Kenmare. Grandma and Grandpa Hager were wonderful hosts and we had to much fun with the family.


Aren't these two the cutest little Hagers you've ever seen?!


They seem to adore each other ... that is until Connor is touching something Kya deems hers. Time to teach sharing. Connor is the happiest little guy until you get between him and food (we say he takes after uncle Andrew with his enjoyment of food).


Grandpa Gary gave the little ones tractor rides.


Kya decided she's going to be a farmer.


Connor decided he's going to be a cowboy.


More tractor rides, this time hosted by Kya on the vintage John Deere toy tractor (how cool!).
FYI - the wagon chair is securely attached ... it may look dangerous but it's very secure.


I can't get enough of these two.

Funny to think that they are pretty close to the same size:
- Connor is 8 months old and about 20 pounds
- Kya is 25 months and about 22 pounds


Uncle Corey and Connor


Well hello there!


Oh and they have matching shoes. Ah! Love it.

the painting toddler

Yet another thing I am excited about ... Kya loves to paint!
She calls it "pin-ting" and asks to do it at least three times a day.


Painting seems to run strongly in her blood: both my grandmas were/are great painters and my mom has been a life-long artist.


I dabbled in painting too. In high school, my best friend Laura and I would paint everything in sight. When we ran out of the obvious, we painted tissue boxes, our window sills, and even our door frames.


I started my college career in California, as an art major. Lucky for Kya, I still have a great collection of acrylic paints, pencils, pastels (and of course fabric and canvases) for Kya to create with when she is older.

Corey already bought struck a deal with Kya for one of her latest works and has it hanging in his office at work.

a creative toddler = a proud mamma

the first bonfire

Saturday night we had the very first Hager house bonfire. It was so much fun that I am quite sure there will be many more bonfires in our future.


cheers! and a great view


happy camper ... up way past her bedtime.


marshmallows + chocolate + graham crackers =


yummy smores!

happy {grand}mother's day 2012

{giggle. giggle!}


{happy mother's day!}

This is Kya speaking writing. I would like to tell you all about my wonderful grandmas and aunts (I am so lucky to have so many!). I love them all so much. Each one has taught me wonderful things and I've inherited a special trait from each. All of these amazing one-of-a-kind ladies have made me who I am.


Grandma 'Arf' Hager (daddy's mom)
Grandma loves Penzey's and I also love Penzey's "pie-sees" (spices). Grandma taught me all about good food. And butter. Grandma is always happy to have me help her in the kitchen and I have learned to cook from this Grandma.

Grandma 'Z' Zundel (mommy's mom)

Grandma Zeee taught me to love bugs ... and all things creepy and crawly and gooey and slimy and messy. What fun! She taught me how to fish too. From Grandma Zee, I inherited my love of the outdoors.

Great Grandma 'Rene' Vander Vorst (mommy's grandma)
Grandma Rene taught me all about long walks. I love long stroller rides with Grandma. Grandma Rene gave me a great joy for painting and being creative.


Great Grandma Hager (Daddy's grandma)
Grandma Hager gave me my appetite for German food. My favorites are sauerkraut and knoephla soup. Mom thinks I got my cute little German accent from Grandma Hager too.


Great Grandma 'Katy' Zundel (mommy's grandma)
Grandma Katy gave me a love for reading and books. Mommy says I enjoy trips to the library almost as much as Grandma does. Grandma Katy and I both like drinking hot chai tea.


Great Grandma Schumacher (daddy's grandma)
I miss my great grandma so very much - she passed away when I was just a baby. I sleep with my Grandma Schumacher blanket every night. As you can see in this photo, I have been attached to my blankie since I was a baby. Grandma passed on a love for aprons ... if mom is cooking, I insisted on wearing my apron ... whether or not I am helping cook.

. . .

Now on to the aunties!


Aunt Caitlyn 'kee-kee' (mommy's sister)
My kee kee is so special because she likes ice cream. I like ice cream too! Kee kee helps me stay on the straight and narrow with her physical therapy tips. Just to keep things interesting for my mom and dad, I think I inherited kee kee's tantrums (she was known for them when she was a youngster).


Aunt Maria (daddy's sister)
Aunt Maria and I get along very well. Maria loves water. I love water. When she visits in the summer, she teaches me how to swim. Maria goes to school at North Dakota State ... and I am a big Bison Fan! Maria and I both like a good steak.

. . .

Happy Mother's/Grandmother's/Aunt's Day!
xoxo kya

Girly things like braids and bugs

When I was pregnant and we found out our little one was a girl, I was immediately excited about many future girly things like tea parties, dresses, sewing, and ... braids.

I think I spent a great majority of my childhood in braids. I still like to wear braids ... er ... I did when I had long hair.

Today Kya wore braids for the first time.



Also today, I let Kya choose her outfit. Completely. She selected each item, from her sun hat to her 'Alaskan fisherman' XtraTuff rain boots. We spent much of the morning doing girly things like smelling flowers and looking at bugs. It was glorious.

Kya's two-year check-up

Kya and I visited the doctor's office today for her two-year check-up.
I talked up the visit so much, and she had such a good time with the doctor, that when we left, she said "again, again."

It was a fun visit - no concerns, and no shots. Kya and Mama were relaxed and happy. Kya has the best doctor - Dr. Ocejo, pediatrician at Medcenter One. He an amazing doctor and is so great with Kya. I would like him to be MY doctor.

. . .

Kya is 33 inches tall (25th percentile) and she's a lightweight at 21 pounds (1st percentile). Yes, she is almost off the charts in weight. There is no concern about her weight since she eats well and has great energy. And I guess it's no surprise that the 'bean pole' body shape is running strong in her genes ... have you seen my and Corey's child/adolescent photos?!

I already knew Kya was small for her age. She wears most clothing in size 18-24 months but has two coats in 12 month size that are still big. Most of her pants are baggy but I blamed that on her lack of diapers now that she is potty trained.

I will honestly say that I was not believing that she only weighs 21 pounds - she sure feels heavy when I carry her around WalMart for 30 minutes! So I invested in a scale (we didn't own one prior to today). After a very large dinner, lots of water, and a full tummy, Kya weighs a whopping ... 23 pounds ... almost. Yup, I guess she really is tiny.

Oh how I love my {little} Kya.

. . .

After her appointment, we had a celebratory (and weight-gainer) frozen yogurt party with Grandma ReNay 'Zee' and Great Grandma Irene and my Aunt Ronda.

My mom - Grandma Zee - departs for home (Alaska) tomorrow. We will miss her very much!

Atlanta Tag-Along

Last week, Corey had the opportunity to travel to Atlanta, GA, for training for work. I jumped on the chance to tag along. To make the deal even better, my mom (aka: super grandma) was able to make the 30-hour trip from Kodiak, and stay at our house with Kya while we were away.

Although I missed Kya dearly, I was happy to not have to pay for a full price airfare for her, or juggle the active two-year old during the flight. Dare I say air travel was actually relaxing?! I read a book!

. . .

Corey and I arrived in Atlanta mid-day on Saturday, April 28 and departed mid-day on Wednesday, May 2.


We traveled via subway/MARTA from the airport to our downtown hotel. Upon arriving downtown, we got to ride this extremely long and very steep escalator. It was a scary experience for me.

After checking in, we headed out to explore the area.

We visited and toured the World of Coca-Cola





Coca-Cola is a major sponsor of the Olympics and they had a great collection of official torches.


the wall of Coca-Cola products and brands




The vault where the 'top-secret' Coca-Cola recipe is kept safe


anyone remember 'New' Coke?


I especially liked the tasting room where we got to try Coca-Cola beverages from all around the world. My sister and her husband honeymooned in Peru and suggested we try IncaKola - we did - and it was very sweet but tasty.


Coca-Cola has started releasing this new and very high-tech soda machine. In this single machine, the customers have the option of serving themselves over 100 different beverages.


Olympic Park is just across the street from Coca-Cola. It was a hot day and this park was packed with locals enjoying the water and activities. It was very fun for us to visit and experience. Kya would have loved this splash park.


In Olympic Park


Saturday evening Mass in downtown Atlanta

While Corey was in classes, I explored the downtown areas and used the subway/MARTA to visit a few other areas. I also toured the 'Bodies' exhibit and the 'Artifacts of Titanic' exhibit.


Historic Fox Theater in Midtown Atlanta

On Tuesday evening, Corey and I went to a Braves baseball game



It was a fun date night for the two of us!




We had AWESOME seats!




Corey and I both tried Chic-Fil-A for the first time and we are both wishing we had access to it here in Bismarck. Yumm.







We returned home yesterday evening and after five loads of laundry today, I think life has returned to normal. Kya and my mom got along very well and grandma is know known as 'Zee' ... quite cute when Kya says it.

If you find yourself in Atlanta, you've got to eat a lot. The food was so good! Check out these downtown restaurants (we did and they were delicious):
- Sweet Georgia's Juke Joint
- Slice
- Dua Vietnamese