Karis says, "Mom, Makena is crying"

Well, not in those words but when I see this face that's what she's telling me.

Whenever she hears Makena crying, she'll make that face and point upstairs. I'll say, "Uh oh, baby's crying. Let's go!" and take her upstairs with me. She gets so excited to go see Makena.

rAnDoM piCtURes of kAriS

Earlier this week, we took the girls to Petsmart to see the animals. Afterwards we went to Jerry's Dogs and Coffee Bean. It was a fun spur-of-the-moment family outing. Here is a picture of Karis enjoying a product from Coffee Bean for the first time. I gave her her own cup and spoon but she hijacked mine and worked from both of them.

We bought Karis her own sofa/futon. Secretly it was in hopes that she would stay off of our couch which she loves to jump all over (we're just waiting for a bad tumble off the couch one of these days). It didn't work but we like how she enjoys her pint-sized furniture.

Karis always keeps us laughing whether it be because of a facial expression or something she does. Here are a few examples:

The other day while I was making Karis her dinner, I gave her a raw carrot to keep her occupied. I then went upstairs. When I returned, I found her walking in my shoes with a carrot in hand. She looked like a clown!

I put Karis down for a nap today even though she told me she wasn't tired. She fell asleep in a squatting position. After I snapped the picture, she fell forward onto her face, let out a soft whimper, and then continued to sleep for 2 1/2 hours.

The other day my friend dropped off her baby while she went to an appointment. It was fun watching the two of them play together. Here is what they enjoyed doing the most.

Wet Kisses

We finally found a renter to rent the downstairs room. He is a friend from church and it's been working out well. He brought his dog with him. The dog's name is Sierra and she is a very well-behaved Vizsla. Now Karis gets to live with a dog without us having to take care of it.

Karis of course loves to see the dog. Every time she hears her tag rattle, she gets excited. She enjoys watching Sierra from the baby gate (the dog doesn't come into our living area). Now that she's gotten used to the dog, she hangs out at the gate and lets Sierra lick her face. Bleck! I keep telling her, "Karis, dogs lick their butts," but it just doesn't seem to phase her.

Here are a couple of photos of the first time she let Sierra lick her face.

Cheap Thrills

One place I like to take Karis to that is free and close by is Petsmart. It's always nice to have a place to go to when you need to get out of the house for a little bit -- or feeling guilty b/c you're dragging your daughter around on a bunch of errands.

The Petsmart in our neighborhood has a Doggie DayCamp (a daycare for dogs). They have two large rooms, with floor to ceiling glass windows, where the dogs run around and play. Karis loves to watch them, especially when they interact with her through the window.

The dog area is usually the first spot we go to. Afterwards, we explore the aisles and then go look at the cats, birds and fish. We also try to find some dogs to pet since customers always bring their pups to the store.

Today was different. Karis went straight to the toy aisle to first pick out a couple balls she thought the dogs would like.

She grabbed two of them and took them to the dogs.

And then, she was off to explore (by herself) the rest of the store.

Lucky or Well Beyond Her Year?

Lately, Karis has been enjoying her favorite video called "Treehouse." The video was made by a local church, and it has some good lessons and catchy songs. There are three segments to the video. Karis and I watched one of them as a way to keep quiet while Derek slept in. When Derek came downstairs, I turned the DVD player off and told Karis, "No more, all done."

Since she couldn't watch her video, she wanted to play with the remote control. She's never played with this particular remote, but I let her have it since the DVD player was off. Little did I know that in less a minute, she turned the DVD on, scrolled down to "Scene Selection," and then picked a scene to play (that had to have been 4 or 5 buttons). Derek and I looked at each other in complete shock, while our content daughter continued watching the DVD.

We don't know how she managed to press just the right combination of buttons to get the DVD to play. It could have been an accident, but it sure did look like she knew just what she was doing!

Time for Rogaine?

No, not for Derek... thank goodness... for our baby girl. Her hair doesn't seem to be growing in. We keep waiting and waiting and waiting. All of her friends (younger and older) have a nice set of hair, beautifully adorned with bows, flowers, etc. Not Karis. There is nothing to adorn.

We are hopeful because she has one patch of hair at the top of her head that is growing in just great. Now if just the rest of her head would do the same.

Take II -- 6 Months Later

Some of you will remember this first photo.  We took it about a week after Karis was born and put it on our Christmas card.

I re-enacted the photo for a fun comparison.  Same hat.  But same baby??

The Many Faces Of Karis

 ... worried ...

!! shocked !!

{ content }

++ comforted ++

~ scared ~

** happy **

I think she has an acting career ahead of her.

We Hate to Brag, But...

at just under 5 months, Karis can now read. While other babies play with rattles, Karis enjoys sitting in her chair with a good book. Here she is enjoying one of her favorites that Aunt Stephanie bought for her. Maybe all that studying paid off (click here to see what she's been studying).

We're joking. She just knows how to hold a book.