$2.07

i'm amazed at what gems people leave next to the dumpster. seriously, when i took the trash out the other day and saw two chairs that looked like this, i knew i needed to take them home with me. about an hour and 2 cans of 97 cent black glossy spray paint from Home Depot later, we went from this....to this.

i'm so pleased!

Connor helped me with them too taking the seat cushions off with the cordless screw driver. He really did it mostly on his own, with a little help from Mom and a lot of, "No, no, no, I do it" from Connor.

we then moved the chairs to the grassy area behind our apartment and he and i spray painted while Kylene was strapped into her trusty umbrella stroller to observe it all. {don't worry, she was only in there for about 10 min before she laid down for a nap. didn't want you to think i would keep here in there for an hour.}:)

so far, Connor's never been one to ham it up in front of the camera, but this photo shoot proved differently. i kept on trying to take a picture of the chair but he kept jumping in and thinking it was hilarious. well, and honestly, it was. he makes me want to pull my hair out sometimes but i mostly want to squeeze and tickle him all over.


don't worry, Kylene was part of all the action too.:)

man, can't wait to see what else is going to show up in the dumpster around here.
{p.s. i told Byron i think we're some of the "greenest" people i know. when you walk about our apartment and see how much stuff we've repainted and spruced up that was on it's way to the garbage, i know mother nature thanks us.}

awesome.

It's been so hot that when I got out of the car the other day, Connor asked if I had pee on my back. No son, that's just sweat.

Awesome.

Kylene has discovered that biting me with her two new sharp bottom teeth on my heal or big toe is a good way to get my attention...immediately.

Awesome.

fooooour!

Connor was up bright and early and teeing off at 7 am last Saturday.

Doesn't he look like a future caddy?

Incoming!
tee it up buddy

Kylene was a good sport to chew on a wooden spoon and observe (well, at least for a little bit).

back it up

i just ran across these pictures and realized i totally forgot to document our day to the beach while we were spending the week in S.C. with the Kubik's. come on girl, pull it together. :)

Kylene's first day at the beach was also her 7 month mark. even though she was tired, she really enjoyed exploring the sand and i finally gave up trying to keep her from eating it. i guess that's why we all know what sand and dirt taste like--we all tried it as babies.

here Kylene's hanging out with her beautiful and fun Aunt Codi.

Byron and I were so pleased to see Connor enjoying the beach and especially the ocean more this year. Byron brought out the boogie board and taught Connor how to catch some waves. i was amazed how Connor could hang on and ride a small wave all the way to the beach. he was THRILLED.

getting on the boogie...

waiting for a magnificent wave...

and he's off!

does that look like joy or what.

i'm so happy to have this picture of all the Kubik kids. this was the first time we've all been together for at least 2 years. aren't they all so good looking? {that makes me think of the "God Bless You" episode of Seinfeld. "You're sooooooooo good lookin'".

{left to right}

Byron, Codi, Jarom, Staci, Logan

we had such a great time at Mimi and Papa's {we always do}. can't wait for our next visit!

8 months

last sunday Kylene hit her 8 month mark. has it really been that long? on the other hand, i don't think any of us can really remember what it was like without her. when i try to think about it, it just seems a little lonely.

she has brought so much JOY and LAUGHTER and HEART BURSTING HAPPINESS to our lives we don't quite know what to make of it. we thought life was pretty good before she came along, but sheesh! what a precious pearl we received in the form of Kylene.

*at 8 months Kylene is easily pulling herself up to standing while holding onto things and starting to slowly maneuver her feet to make her way around the coffee table, mainly to get to unsuspecting food that's been left there. we figured this out after discovering the cookie theft.

*speaking of food, Kylene loves baby prunes, pears, bananas and apple sauce. oatmeal is her cereal of choice mixed with apple juice please, and she can down a whole fruit bar, yes, a whole fruit bar. she easily picks up food and feeds it to herself now and can happily sit in her stroller and munch on graham crackers (another favorite). Kylene's never taken a bottle, but she's figured out the sippy cup all on her own and loves ice cold water the best during these hot summer days.

*2 weeks ago we discovered a new bottom tooth poking out and found it's neighbor yesterday. bless her heart, we had no idea she was even teething.

*she loves to be tickled and laughs like she's trying to hold it back but she just can't stand it anymore and it breaks through. hilarious.

*she's happy to cruise around the apartment entertaining herself but when she wants some attention she goes from room to room until she finds mom or dad, rocks back on her knees, and puts her arms up to be held. how can we resist?

*she's sporting a nice summer tan on her legs and arms which is most noticeable when she moves and one of her rolls opens up and there pure baby white in the crease. sweetness.

Kylene is very patient and seems very determined to keep at a task until she figures it out without frustration. maybe that's because she's figuring things out so quickly.
*what more can we say? we love our Kylenie Beanie.

Just FYI

{update: i made our blog public so feel free to add us to your google reader if you'd like!}

Just as you know {that's what my friend's 5 year old says} there are 6 items on sale at KDoll Creations. I'm wanting to make room for some new inventory, so tell your friends and check it out!

shark attack

i finished this blanket last night for a customer who's only request was that the baby boy blanket be "manly". i hope this fits the bill. :) i added an "f" for the couples last name and crisscrossed each square in black thread. all the fabrics are soft flannel except for the black and white print which is cotton. there are 25 squares and it measures approx. 35 x35.





i never new i could be so in love with sharks.

under the sea

my good friend Chelsea has three darling girls. the oldest are twins who are turning 6 August 1st. they love dolls and when it comes to the water, well, they think they are mermaids. how cute is that? she showed me a picture of a mermaid and asked if i thought i could create some mermaids for her two mermaids. how could i pass that up? here, they are, the finished product.

i love them, do you?each doll has a hand embroidered face and a pink felt heart sewn on her chest. the mermaids are sewn in such a way that they can bend at the waist, so they can easily sit in a chair for under-the-sea parties, on beds to be read too, and "swim". :) one thing Chelsea liked most about the picture was that the mermaid had on a modest top instead of the usual shell bra. these tops really finish these girls off perfectly. i hand sewed in the yarn hair to match the girls' hair color. these dolls can be customized as far as eye color, hair color, and top blouse fabric goes.

don't you love the green sequin fin?
i'll be putting some up in my shop to sell soon. these girlies will sell for $35 (includes shipping) because of the time and materials it takes to do them. Pottery Barn Kids sells something not nearly as cool (well I think) for $39, sheesh, come on Pottery Barn. i'll let you know when they're there.

wherever we put Kylene in the apartment and no matter how many toys we give her to play with, when it's time for Connor's bath she'll crawl her way into the bathroom and we'll find her standing next to the bathtub watching Connor. for some reason Kylene LOVES to watch Connor in the bath. She finds something about it thrilling and terrifying. She'll squeal and "talk" to him with concern but she just can't pull herself away from it all. Connor loves all the attention and puts on a good act drinking water and spitting it back out and making a bubble beard. Kylene finds the latter the most disturbing and Connor quickly washes his face off to assure Kylene it's just him, just in time to repeat the process over again.

won't be long until she's in there with him...

remember these? well those went into making up the mobile below. my client just e-mailed me a picture of the finished product in her baby's nursery and i love it! i love how she painted the branches white and added felt leaves. she's being induced today--good luck Melissa!

i finished these owls and the pennant banner for my client who's having her first girl!

Kylene is so in love with them, i've had to hide them in my room. i think the black and white and color contrasts are really eye catching and interesting to babies.

i love these creations and hope this is just what my new-mom-to-be is hoping for.

happy 4th

we had such a great fourth! we went to the Carrboro parade and festival in the morning. we lucked out and got a parking spot and then ended up at the front of the parade and got to see the fire truck and police car sound its horns and sirens and kick off the event. the parade consisted of a bunch of families walking and riding their decorated bikes, wagons, scooter, etc as we all cheered and waved. the whole parade lasted about 10 min and i looked at Byron and said, "I don't know about you, but this is my kind of parade!" connor loved seeing all the kids riding their bikes and we told him we could decorate his bike next year and we'd walk in the parade. what a thrill that will be. :)connor was looking super cool in his shades and loved running through the bouncy house obstacle course, jumping in a bouncy house castle, riding bikes, pushing lawn mowers, painting, and playing in the sand box.


kylene spent a happy hour playing at the toddler time area. it was nice and shaded and she enjoyed seeing all the other babies and discovering all the different toys on the play mat.
we entered her in the baby crawl contest and laughed along with all the other parents trying to get their toddlers to crawl to their destination. kylene stayed on all fours and watched what everyone else was doing. i tried at one point to throw my sunglasses ahead of her to get her crawling and another little girl maneuvered towards them. it was a hoot.

we finished off our day at our ward picnic where connor ran hard for 2 hours playing with his friends, taking a short break to pack in some dinner and run off again. the weather was gorgeous and byron and i enjoyed socializing and kylene enjoyed being loved on by everyone around her.

i think the best decision we made was to end the day while we were all happy and go home before seeing fireworks. the kids zonked out immediately and byron and i enjoyed some quiet time together listening to the fireworks outside. in my book, that spells a near perfect day.

Dear Byron,

Today you started your Clinical Fellowship Year as a Speech Pathologist at UNC Hospital working with Head and Neck Cancer Patients.

For the past month and a half we've been really selfish and had you all to ourselves, but we decided we'd play nice and share youv with some other people now.

I'm not saying we're happy about it, but we're sharing none-the-less.

We're very, very proud of you and know you'll be fantastic.

I for one, am feeling the physical and emotional tuggings of missing my helper and friend. Who am I supposed to talk to all day now, and eat lunch with, and hold hands while walking around the mall with, and fix Connor lunch and put him down for a nap while I take care of Kylene, and take the kids outside so I can make dinner, and...oh well, I guess we need to let you go so we can do things like, you know, eat.

It sure was fun while it lasted and we can't wait for you to come home tonight.

Miss you!

love,

Kristi, Connor, and Kylene