Thanksgiving '09

Happy 2nd Birthday Jake! Why so disgruntled? Could it be that you have peanut butter stuck on the roof of your mouth, or are you upset about Kate's birthday hat she made for you? So glad you are a part of our family!

A quiet Thanksgiving at home...it was so nice. Since we were home without any plans with family members we decided to have an impromptu dinner with our neighbors. No fancy dinner or elaborate side dishes but a traditional turkey, pumpkin pie and relaxing fun. I think we will do that again next year...

Why Does Math Have to be so Difficult?

Ah yes, math homework. Definitely not my favorite but we do it daily at the Bartig household. Take note that Kate and I doing homework can be quite interesting since we think alike and our personalities can go head to head (currently mommy always wins but psychology 101 tells me I am not supposed to keep a score card so we'll just throw that out the door). And another piece of advice if anyone is listening...don't try to do homework on an empty stomach and always make sure you have "good" snacks on hand not boring ones like apples and oranges.

So Kate was completing her daily math homework of addition problems until the look of frustration came upon her. In all seriousness she threw down her hands, looked at me with disbelief and said, "I NEED TWELVE FINGERS!" "I can't do these math problems without more fingers!" Calmly, I respond to Kate by saying that God gave us only 10 fingers to use. She looked at her hands and said, "No, he gave us five fingers!" Um Kate, remember you are working on doubles right now...5+5=10. You have 10 fingers total. Kate grunts, looks at her hands and says, "Oh yeah, I have 10, but I really need twelve. I HAVE to use my fingers when doing math!"

Stay tuned for more finger dilemmas...

Ode to Dad's Razor

You buzz across his face

Smoothing the scruffy lines

Quickly leaving not a trace

Grooming so nicely so he will be able to dine

But first a butterfly "buzz" on my soft cheek

A tender Friday night moment and giggle

After shave aromas begin to fill the laundry room

Yes, it's the end of the week

Dad's routine doesn't leave out a wiggle

Only the memory still looms.

remembering dad November 23rd, 1994

Halloween '09

This Halloween we had a girl pirate & a nice witch...mommy even colored outside the lines and didn't make the girls' costumes this year...it was very liberating and the girls had fun with daddy choosing just the right costume. Of course the Pumpkin Fairy visited and gave the girls some new play kitchen dishes because they gave so much of their candy away!

Fall Soccer '09

Fall Soccer season started and Kate decided she wanted to play again. Anna opted out so Saturday mornings were a great time for Kate and Daddy to bond.

Sleeping Tappers

In addition to ballet class the girls added tap to their repertoire this year and they were just a little excited about their new shoes. They couldn't fathom to take them off...even to sleep!

Kate's 7th Birthday

Kate's day started with cinnamon rolls per her request...then onto her new (and bigger) bike!

Kate chose to have a dog themed party so why not eat out of dog dishes!

Kate also made name cards for everyone's place setting at her birthday table.

Kate's party guests were Ella, Julia, Anna, Brooke, Katie & of course her little sister!

Dinner at a Japanese restaurant tempanyaki style!

Kate loved the chicken fried rice, umbrella drinks and the onion volcano.

Onto dessert kid-style! That folks is a child sized

serving at Nelson's and yes, we let her get her own!

Birthday celebrations continue with family...

Overall, a great birthday weekend with a lot of fun gifts, great memories, new experiences and a whole lot of ice cream!

7 Things About Kate @ Age 7

Nature Lover

First Grader

Emerging Reader

Creative

Skier

Passionate

Early Riser

Love for India

A day before Kate's 7th birthday we decided to give her a birthday present early...a new bike. She had outgrown her existing bike and was in need of a new one. Our vertically challenged little girl was getting longer legs! The day before Kate's birthday was also the deadline to get all necessities to the church to be packed and shipped overseas to India. The organization was in need of bikes for kids so after a brief conversation with Kate she decided it would be okay to donate her bike. While getting her bike out of the van she mentioned to Jeff that she was really going to miss her bike but it was okay to give it to someone else now.

Good Job Kate!