Guilty...even when she's not

Kenzie and Brynnley are either the best of friends or worst of enemies. Kenzie will do just about anything Brynnley asks her to do. Admittedly, Brynnley can be quite a handful. (Ha! That makes it sound like Kenzie can't! Anyone who saw her pouting outside in the snow last week at church knows what I am talking about.) Today I was even asked if they were twins. They either get along really well -- or they don't. Thankfully, most of the time, they get along.

Kenzie just came downstairs crying and rubbing her head. (It's 10:00 pm.)When I asked what was wrong, she replied, "Brynnley pinched me and pulled my hair. I shouldn't even be sharing a bed with her."

That scenario at bedtime is not uncommon.

However, tonight it is particularly interesting...given that Brynnley is sound asleep.

Spelling bee

M O W X Y M O W Y X Z

Kenzie: That spells, "Cookie after lunch. Can I have one?"

Since it's 8:33 am -- she is obviously thinking ahead.

Nothing spells romance like B*O*X*I*N*G

I'm not one to make requests for gifts.
Sure, if a holiday is approaching and someone asks, I've been known to say, "I could really use some new running socks." Or, "All I really want is for kids to get along and be nice to each other."
It's never anything too extravagant.

This year was different.
With Valentine's approaching, I texted Greg last week and said, "What do you think about getting each other boxing gloves for Valentine's Day?"
His response? "Good one."
I was undeterred, however.
You see, last week, we signed up for a free boxing/mma (mixed martial arts) training session at the gym. IT KICKED MY REAR. (Literally and figuratively as I'm not so coordinated with some of the kicks!)

We loved the workout -- but the $1200 fee to train with the professional just isn't in our budget right now.

Besides, we don't need a professional. We have:
*Turbo Jam
*P-90X
*Slim In Six
*The Firm
*The Biggest Loser
Not to mention the fact that Greg is a certified defensive tactics instructor for the SWAT team and police department.
And of course, we have the internet which allowed us to research and develop our own kickboxing workout.

All we needed was the gloves -- thus, the Valentine's Day REQUEST.

Good man that he is, Greg complied and we did our first workout yesterday.

I'm not sure which made me work harder -- punching -- or trying to block Greg's punches. We had a few "discussions" about whether or not his 6'3" frame versus my 5'8" frame made things harder for me. (Reaching up over my head got really tiring. He kept pointing out that if I was ever attacked -- I wouldn't get to pick the size of my attacker. Point taken. Now lower the dang targets.)

Two minute rounds with 30 second "rest" periods (a.k.a. -- "the-inhale-heave-ho-try-to-catch-my-breath-and-stop-wheezing,") were tough for me. But, I did a mental evaluation as to whether or not kickboxing met my criteria for a good workout.
* Did it make me sweat? CHECK.
* Did my face turn it's ever-so-lovely shade of purplish/red? CHECK
* Were my muscles sore? CHECK
* Did it get my heart-rate up? CHECK.
* Was it a good stress-reliever? CHECK.
* Did it make me bleed? CHECK.

What the heck??@!?!?

Yes, it made me bleed.
But, as with any new love affair -- I find myself wanting more.

Just as soon as my knuckles stop bleeding and the skin grows back.

Cookie lovin' but mess hatin' kind of girl

Disney: Give a day, Get a day

As part of the Give a day (of service), Get a Day (of fun in a Disney park) we made 5 fleece blankets for Project Linus. We'll be delivering them to the church in Solon tomorrow. Hopefully the tickets will come as smoothly as the project went - and we can enjoy a day at Disney World when we visit Florida over spring break. (This is the only possible way our family will be visiting a Disney park any time in the near future!)

Q for a day

Last Saturday, there was nothing I wanted to do more than to take Addysen and Cannon downtown with 42,000 other scouts for the Q for a day. Seriously. Nothing makes a person feel older than when they (translation: I) cover their ears because they (translation: I) are surrounded by 42,000 kids (mostly boys) who took on the challenge to "scream louder!" with full gusto. Happy Birthday. (All kidding aside - in my defense, I did have a splitting headache that day. But, the thought of my new age did not escape me as I covered my ears a few times!)

All sarcasm aside, we did have a fun day at the Q -- shooting hoops on the CAVS practice court, taking pictures with *Lebron's MVP trophy and the Eastern Conference Champions trophy, jumping in inflatables, shooting goals on the ice and enjoying the Lake Erie Monsters game. It was a fun day with friends and I am grateful to those who took pictures (Amy) and those who watched children (Jennie & Ted). Getting 7 Kerr's on 3 sides of town is no small undertaking and we appreciated the help.*Just a side note, if you are reading this and find yourself asking, "Who the heck is Lebron?" you clearly don't live within a 1,000,000,000,000,000 mile radius of Cleveland. It's ok. Come out of your shell and do a google search.

13 months

* 13 months old.
* Not walking yet, but still managing to get into everything.
* After a single, a double, and a single ear infection (dating back to the first of November) Cambrie's ears were officially declared "beautiful" by the pediatrician yesterday.
* Lots of teeth now -- too many for me to put my finger inside her mouth to count.
* Says "please" and "thank you" in sign language.
* Waves, kisses and folds her arms for prayer. (Then screams an excited scream upon hearing "amen." That's a little embarrassing in church.)
* Being around Cambrie (at this age anyway!) is what it means to find true joy.


We just can't get enough.