Illinois Trip and Quotes from Kate

I've got a lot of catching up to do on the bloggity blog. Almost three weeks ago now, our little family of four parted ways for the weekend. Kendall and I stayed home while Michael and Katelyn took a road trip to Illinois for our nephew Miles' baptism. We had plans to all go, but Kendall just does not like the car for long stretches. Like, at all. And since we had just been to Wisconsin Dells with the Illinois Mlakars a couple weeks earlier (and also experienced the wrath of Kendall's long car ride angst), we decided it would be best for each party to do their own thing. 

Michael and Katelyn had a blast driving (7-ish hours!) to Illinois. Kate relished her solitary use of the i-Pad, watched Frozen, and colored in her coloring books. They stopped for a lunch date and continued on their way. I loved knowing they were building a stronger bond together, but I have to say it tugged at my heart when I saw them drive away.

Then, once they arrived, I started receiving images like these...

... and I knew without a doubt we were each exactly where we were supposed to be. These sweet girls had an absolute ball together and there's just something so very special about cousin friendships.

 Katelyn and Emerson even went on a girls-only date to see Robin Hood performed at a children's theater followed by lunch with Aunt Cassie, her mom, and her aunt. While the boys went out for lunch and took care of Miles. Then everyone got to ride on Grandpa Jeff's boat. So much fun for this pair!

Sunday was the big baptism day for Miles and Michael was so thankful that he got to be there for it. Gramma Debbie was also there, so they got to visit with her as well. Kate and Michael had a great weekend away and even though Kendall and I missed them, we enjoyed our one-on-one time at home. We played dollies, went shopping, went to parks, went to church, played dollies, had a tea party, colored, visited friends, went out to lunch, and played dollies... :)

~~~

On a different note, Katelyn has had some good ones lately, so I think we're due to share some of her quotes...

"I would be delighted to!" What a cheerful, sophisticated response, huh?!

"I want a baby brother. Like a real one. Not a doggy brother. Actually a baby. Can you guys go to the hospital and pick one out?"

We were talking about people who use sign language to communicate instead of speaking words and she said, "Are they cursed?" (We had been reading a Sophia the First book from the library where she gets cursed and croaks like a frog when she speaks, so I'm certain that's where this came from. It's not our everyday conversation!)

On Easter morning, one of her plastic eggs broke open and she exclaimed, "My egg hatched!"

"Misconsin Dells" :)

"We live in Minneapolis-Saint Paul." We hear this on the radio, so she likes to include the all-encompassing region when she says where we live.

Michael: "You know what I love about you? You're not just beautiful on the outside, but you're beautiful on the inside too."
Kate: "Well, no I'm not. There's just lots of blood in there."

Kate: "That was fun going to that Brenda restaurant where I got my pickle burger."
Me: "Brenda restaurant?"
Kate: "Yeah, you know, the place Gramma and Papa took me after my dance pictures?"
Me: "Ohhh, you mean Wendy's!"
Kate: "Yeah! Wendy's! Oops, I thought it was Brenda's." LOL!!

It's so true that some children all of a sudden become theologians at bedtime. It's easy to brush off all the stalling tactics like, "my eyes don't know how to fall asleep" or "I'm not comfortable because my covers are tickling me" (both of which I've heard this week), but when they pull out the big guns like, "Mom, let's talk about God." there's no brushing off 'til morning. A couple weeks ago after several rounds of stalling before bed, Katelyn shared this... "Mom, I have just one more thing to tell you... If you want Jesus in your heart, you have to invite Him in." Boom. Truth. And we talked about it. Past bedtime. Worth it.

21 Months Old

Oh, hi! It's May 23. Kendall is now officially closer to 22 months old than 21 months old. And I'm just getting around to her 21 month-old update. Oops! I also took half of her pictures for this post with "20 months" written on her chalkboard! SOS! I'm losing it here, people!

And I got the best smiles with the 20-month board. Of course :) 

See this little action...?

Kendall loves to rub her pointer finger on the middle part of her upper lip. I think it's a comfort thing. She does it many times throughout the day. Everyone has their "thang" don't they?!

Anywho, Kendall is 21 months old as of May 7. Her vocabulary has been the most significant change over the last month. She's repeating everything, attempting anything, and saying more words and phrases than I can count. Here are some of her more common words in addition to a few that make us laugh...

"dee-dee" = thank you, usually followed proactively by "ya-come" = you're welcome. She likes to say the whole she-bang herself!

"buddy" means lots of things: birdie and button most frequently, but also hits the nail on the head for buddy. 

"nuff" = enough. Usually said when I'm cutting something up and putting it on her plate to eat.

"fip-ahs" = flip flops which are her new favorite footwear for the summer.

"bayoo" = balloon, another favorite treat

"sah-shee" = sorry

"Dee-doh" = Kendall

"I-wa" = Iowa and also I love you :)

Several words in her vocabulary are crystal clear such as bath, eat, park, car, Elsa and Anna (from Frozen), shoes, socks, oh boy, monkey, happy, buckle, zebra, blue, and pink.

Lately, she's been repeating expressions that we say or Katelyn says. Here are her recent attempts...

"oh goy-ya" = oh golly
"yahoo daddy daddy' = our own little happy song when daddy gets home :)
"worms... eeek-eee!"
"yake-up!" = wake up
"co-yo peas?" = (May I) color please?
"whoop-eeez" = whoopsies

The other day, she pointed to ice cubes in her sippy cup (the first this season) and said, "rocks!"

When she wonders about something, she puts her palms up with an inquisitive look and says, "Daddy?" or whoever/whatever she's looking for.

Kendall is really starting to recognize shapes (heart, star, circle) and colors (blue, orange, and pink).

She's also picked up on some letters as Katelyn spells various words. Kendall knows the first three letters of her name and I'll randomly hear her saying to herself: "Kay, Eee, En..."

Kendall is wearing 2T clothes (Katelyn's hand-me-downs) as we're heading into summer. She's in size 4 diapers and is wearing size 6 shoes. She's still taking one nap a day in the afternoon and it's usually anywhere from 45-75 minutes.

Kendall's favorite things to do are blow bubbles, color, swing on swings, explore things (toy bins, drawers, or outside), stomp in puddles, play at parks, play doctor and house with Katelyn, bring her stuffed monkey (George) everywhere, and get carried around on mom's hip!

We can't believe you've been here for 21 months, Kendall! It's amazing to see how much you've grown, learned, and changed over the months - what a thrill it is! You make us laugh, you brighten our days, and you challenge us to see things from a new perspective. We love you, Kendie, and are so fortunate to have you in our family!

Things I Want My Daughters to Know

Something struck me last month and I've been sitting quietly with it, reflecting on it ever since.

Our conversation on the way home from preschool one day was pretty typical and we were discussing how many big brothers and big sisters are in Katelyn's class. Then I asked Katelyn if she thought she would want to be a mommy someday. It was her response that surprised me. She said, "No, silly mommy! You know I'm going to be a businesswoman when I grow up!" That small, seemingly mundane conversation gave birth to this post. On the heels of Mother's Day, it seems appropriately fitting...

Things I Want My Daughters to Know

Let your life be filled with commas! And by that, I mean, do not define yourself by one thing, or one job, or one relationship, or one decision. Businesswoman and mother are not mutually exclusive. You're not a just businesswoman. You're not just a mom. You're a businesswoman, a mother, a friend, a daughter, a sister, a volunteer, a do-er, a dog-lover, an artist, a dancer, a child of God... Love the comma and the fact that you are so much more than the job you do everyday. Invite it all in and live your life with commas not a pre-emptive period.

Give Jesus a place in your heart. He will pursue you for your entire life. Give Him a home in your heart and watch in awe as your faith, your hope, and the peace within you grows well-beyond your expectations.

You are brave. Sometimes in life you have to do hard things. Things that stretch you. Things that challenge you. Things that you don't like. But you know what? It's just how life goes. And you know what else? You can do hard things. I know you can. And I will be there to high-five you when you're triumphant!

Show kindness and be respectful. To yourself and to others.

Always try your best to make wise choices. You will have a lot of decisions to make in your life - some will come easy and others will be tough. Know the mantra that Gramma Kathy taught me: "You make good decisions" and let it direct you to the best choice. At times, you will make poor choices. It's okay, as long as you learn from it and give yourself some grace (see prior paragraph).

Keep on learning! Keep on sharing! Some people will always know more than you and you will always know more than some people. Open your mind up to what other people have to teach you and in turn, share your knowledge too. (But, see the next paragraph :)

Humility is one of the most appreciated qualities in a person. It's been said that humility doesn't mean thinking less of yourself, it means thinking of yourself less. "He leads the humble in what is right, he teaches the humble his way." Psalm 25:9

Optimism and gratitude will change your perspective. Seeing the good in things, situations, and life will set you up for positive relationships and a sunny outlook. And looking at life with a grateful heart will do the same. Optimism and gratitude are a powerful, winning combination. Strive for both.

Although you mean the world to me and daddy, the world does not revolve around you. We are so blessed to be your parents and love you more than you'll ever know. We love you enough to teach you about navigating life - real life - which exists both inside and outside of our home. Real life is not always fair.  It's not always equal. It's not always about you. But you'll know how to manage it with confidence and grace.

You are loved. By the God who lavishly and boldly loves. By parents who gently yet fiercely love. By a sister who innately and unapologetically loves. By family members who deeply and graciously love. By teachers who generously and openly love. By friends who joyfully and blissfully love. You. Are. Loved. ♥

Wisconsin Dells with Family and Friends

Team Mlakar is on the go these days! Last weekend was our annual trip to Wisconsin Dells with family (Jason, Cassie, Emerson, and Miles) and friends (Jesse, Brooke, Peyton, and Calvin). We had a blast - the kids and the kids-at-heart! And it's kind of fun to check out last year's trip here and 2012's visit here to see how the group has grown. 

A highlight of this year's trip was that we finally got to meet this sweet, sweet boy...

Our nephew, Miles! He is totally a go-with-the-flow, take-it-all-in kind of baby who blended right in with this relaxed, fun-loving group! He's just awesome :)

We have always said - and many people agree - that Kendall looks a lot like her cousin Emerson. They are blonde-haired, blue-eyed, fair-skinned girls. With a passion for hot pink. See what I mean?

We had fun catching up and hanging out on the first night. And the kids were no doubt all excited to see each other and hit up the water park the next day. 

Saturday morning, we woke up and had breakfast and rocked baby Miles :) It was no surprise that Kendall was drawn to him like a magnet since she just loves babies. 

We eventually made it out the door with our crazy crew only to find out we were there an hour before the water park even opened! Such is life with excited and early-bird kids! Luckily, there was another park open a few buildings down and that worked out just fine. 

We spent the whole morning at two different water parks. Since the parents in our group all have two kids, we were all playing man-on-man, which meant no one had much opportunity to take any pictures. Whoops! But I'm sure you can imagine the fun that was had by all. Michael was paired up with Katelyn and they went down a tube water slide together probably 20 times (and it was pitch dark!) in addition to other smaller slides, the lazy river, and played in the water. I was with Kendall and our morning was a bit more tame; we enjoyed the lazy river, a couple toddler slides, and the water sprayers. She loved it and kept saying "poo! poo!" for pool ;) 

We came back to the condo for lunch and quiet time/naps. 

And then mid-afternoon, we went to this large indoor playground with slides, climbing structures and tunnels. There was no doubt the kids would be tuckered out by the end of this day! Michael was a champ and helped Kendall navigate the playground, which was no small feat considering the small climbing spaces. Do you spy Kendall in this crazy (scary!) picture?! This was the end of one of the tunnels and she was up there about 20 feet!

After the playground, we enjoyed some time playing outside. It was a little brisk but nice to get some fresh air before dinner. Here are Michael and Jesse probably talking about Hawkeye football :)

Kendall having fun with Daddy!

Katelyn, Emerson (2 1/2), and Peyton (6) had a great time together. They spent time discussing Disney's Frozen, pretending to be Queen Elsa (from Frozen), and belting out the songs from... you got it, Frozen. Such sweet, fun girls!

Calvin made sure the girls got a dose of "chase" in while we were outside. (That's our condo in the background of this picture - it was spacious and rustic.) 

The three Mlakar guys had fun bonding :)

Can we all just admire what a precious picture this is?! Daddy and son snoring snoozing on the couch. Awww!

Before we knew it, it was time to say goodbye and make the trip back to our respective states (Iowa, Illinois, and Minnesota). We had such a great time with these people! 

We're reminded, once more, just how fortunate we are to have wonderful people to make great memories with in this life.