Jumpin' and Skatin'

We wore out Interstate 80 from Laramie to Cheyenne over Memorial Day weekend. And Interstate 25 from Cheyenne to near Denver wasn't safe, either.

With unpredictable springtime weather hanging around Laramie all weekend -- and a little girl who didn't want to sit around the house -- we decided to get out of town Sunday and Monday for a few fun-filled firsts for Taidyn.

Our first adventure began Sunday morning, when we all piled into the green sub -- Taidyn's name for our green car -- and drove a few hours into the Denver area. Our destination was Jump Street, an indoor trampoline park in Thornton that promised an afternoon of excitement for Taidyn.

Once there, Taidyn had a blast, bouncing high in the air and landing on her bum inside one inflated playhouse and tumbling down a huge slide inside another. It was tiring just watching her! :)

From Jump Street, we headed to the nearest McDonald's with a play area to let Taidyn burn off more energy. It worked, too. She napped for the entire drive home and, get this, until 9:30 a.m. Monday. Wow!

After breakfast on Monday -- Taidyn helped me make muffin tops -- we took off on the second leg of our weekend adventure. The drive was shorter this time, a 50-mile journey over to Cheyenne's Taco John's Events Center.

There, Taidyn went roller skating for the first time. And Cass and I donned skates for the first time in, well, a very long time! Typical of Taidyn, she didn't want to hold on to the wall or our hands. She's our Miss Independent! For a first-timer, Taidyn did remarkably well. She only fell twice, I think, and brushed it off both times. We had lots of fun!

All of the driving was worth it! Taidyn had a great weekend -- and so did her mommy and daddy. :)

Flying High!

So, wow, where have the last few months gone? Our last post here was in February?!?!?! Shame on us!

But, today, we're back with a bang! :)

With the best weather of the year (so far) as our inspiration, Cass, Taidyn and I spent a fun-filled few hours in the sunshine today. This is sure to be a day we won't ever forget since it was the first day that Taidyn flew a kite. And, get this, she turned out to be better at it than me or Cass!!

But before we flew the kite -- a Barbie kite, of course! -- we hit up one of Laramie's great community parks. It had been a few months since Taidyn had hit up the slides and swings, but she picked up right where she left off. She has graduated to the "big kid" swing now and, if it weren't for other kids wanting to use the swing, I think she'd stay on there all day!

As much as she loves the swing, Taidyn's first love right now is her new big-girl bike, with training wheels and all! After we coaxed her off the swing (lol!), Taidyn hopped aboard her bike and pedaled all the way around the park. At one point, we stopped and threw bread to a bunch of hungry sea gulls who were just hanging out around the pond. Yep, sea gulls in Wyoming. Go figure! About 15 minutes later, we ended up right back at the playground, so, of course, Taidyn headed right back to the swing! Smart girl, huh?

It was tougher to get her off the swing a second time, let me tell you. But with the promise of flying a kite, she finally agreed. We left the park and headed to the recreation fields at the University of Wyoming. Lots of open space there, perfect for kite flying.

We weren't sure what to expect, to be honest. Was Taidyn going to hold onto the string? Was she strong enough to hold the kite in the wind? Turns out we had NOTHING to worry about! As soon as I handed control of the kite to Taidyn, she was a kite-flying pro! We were stunned and proud at the same time.

We already can't wait for our next kite-flying adventure! Wonder if Cass will let me get a G.I. Joe kite? :)

Open Up and Say Hi

We went to Cheyenne on Monday for Taidyn's second dentist appointment. And, boy, was she excited!

As soon as we walked into the reception area, Taidyn began speaking to the receptionist and this is how the conversation went ...

Taidyn: "Hi, I am going to see Christine and she is going to say, "Ooh, Taidyn, you have beautiful, shiny, white teeth."
Receptionist: "Oh, you are?"
Taidyn: "Huh-huh."
Taidyn: "Then I am going to see Dr. Clark and he is going to say, "Ooh, Taidyn you have beautiful, clean, shiny teeth."
Receptionist: "Oh, I think he will say that, too. You are so cute. You just made my day."

Taidyn then made her way to the play area and started to build towers with wooden blocks. She made a new friend, named Phoebe, while she waited for her turn to see the dentist.

When Christine called Taidyn's name, you could see the excitement in her eyes. During the appointment, Christine treated Taidyn like a rock star. She let her try on all her gear (glasses, face mask and gloves) and let her play with all the dental instruments. Nothing was off limits to Taidyn that day. Enjoy the photos. :)

Afterward, Steve and I took Taidyn to the mall for a special treat and let her run and play in the indoor playground. We have made that our little tradition!

Christmas Wishes Granted

We just wanted to blog about our holiday celebrations.

We traveled to and from Oregon this Christmas. We visited with family, went to the Portland Children's Museum, had a photoshoot, saw an incredible holiday light show and had a few (needed) date nights! (see photos)

Thank you to all of you who spoiled our daughter this year with love, hugs & kisses and pressies. She is enjoying all of her new wonderful toys, games and books.

We played one of her new games (Cat in the Hat: I Can Do That) for the first time last night. We all thought this game was hysterical! We all had a blast trying to complete our different challenges. Surprisingly, Taidyn was the winner in both games ... even though her daddy had to slide under the trick-a-ma-stick, on his belly, with a cake balanced on his head. Wow, what a challenge, but he did it!!! In the end he ended up with a score of 23 and Taidyn 24. Sorry daddy, you lose ... again! ;)

The most prized pressies this year ... The Alexa purple dress with long dark hair wig and purple necklace. (see photos) That's our silly little girly girl.

We hope that everyone enjoyed the holiday season as much as we did.

Happy New Year ... 2009 has begun!

Introducing....Liana

Well, we are suckers for Taidyn's interests ...

She has been watching Barbie and the Diamond Castle for weeks and prancing around here wearing a white, spring dress that is meant for the beach or a hot, sunny day.

Until now ...

Steve and Taidyn went to the store last week and found a replica of the dress Liana wears in the movie and she LOVES IT!!! She would wear it all day, every day if we would let her.

She also ended up getting an Alexa Barbie doll (Liana's best friend in the movie). She sings songs from the movie and Taidyn really loves dancing and singing with her. It is a beautiful combination!

Yes, she has her daddy wrapped tightly around her finger. If she only knew that I was the one who sent her daddy out for those two items. ;)

Here are some pictures of Taidyn, oops, I mean Liana in her beautiful dress.

FYI, to all our family and friends we will see over the holidays, Taidyn will correct you if you don't call her Liana.

You better start practicing now. Cheers! ;)

Trick-Or-Treat

We had so much fun last night!!! Taidyn (our little monkey) really got into the whole Halloween thing this year.

We started the night at Harold and Lilian's house/neighborhood; Steve works with Harold at UW. Taidyn would say thank you and then trick-or-treat (a little backward, but at least she said it). We only went to a few houses, and Taidyn didn't seem to understand that she was supposed to stay outside. The social butterfly she is, she wanted to go in and sit down and chat with everyone! It was too cute. :)

Even though we only went to eight or nine houses, Taidyn was loaded up with a lot of treats, because most everybody gave her four or five pieces. When we went to one house, Taidyn just stood and stared at the lady after she only gave her one piece of candy. Steve and I knew exactly what our little girl was thinking ... can you blame her? We pulled her away from the door and continued down the street.

Here are a few photos that I snapped prior to our trick-or-treat adventure. Sorry, I took the video camera for the trick-or-treating adventure.

We ended up at Laramie High School for some fun games and more treats and prizes. Taidyn loved the haunted tunnel but wasn't sure of the "severed leg" inside of it. She loved seeing and spending time with her favorite "boyfriend" Jordan and his sister, Alison.

We finished the night off by exploring her treat bag and dining on a few chocolates prior to bed time. Taidyn was LOVING IT!!! It was really a fun family night for us all.

Tonight is movie night in the Kiggins' household, a special treat for us all!!!

Tomorrow, we will be visiting our friend Garrett, who is in Fort Collins, Colo., to shoot a wedding that I wish we could have attended today. But, for various reasons, I opted not to go. We will be going out to lunch with him before he hits the road back to Utah. Taidyn is so excited to see one of her favorite "uncles." :)

The Search For The Great Pumpkin

We walked down one row, then the next, then another.

We surveyed. We searched. We scavenged. It's never easy to find that perfect pumpkin, is it?

For about two hours on Saturday, we patrolled an immense pumpkin patch in Colorado in hopes of finding our "Great Pumpkin." In the end, we found a few of them -- including a mini-sized one for Taidyn that has quickly become one of her favorite possessions.

The search for Taidyn's "little" pumpkin, which she had requested before we left Laramie to go to the pumpkin patch, was actually over within minutes. After walking past several rows, I decided to hang a right and lead the family down a row of pumpkins. A minute later, I spotted a little pumpkin hiding beneath a few vines and retrieved it for Taidyn. "Ooooohhh!," she exclaimed. She was sold!

It wasn't nearly as easy to find a few good carving pumpkins. There are hundreds of rows of pumpkins and thousands of the orange vegetables to choose from at The Bartels Farm, located on a quiet country road near Fort Collins. Oddly, we found a frog (of all creatures!) before we found our "Great Pumpkin." Check out the photo of our little froggy friend. :)

I wouldn't even wager a guess on how many pumpkins I picked up and inspected. Every few feet, I stopped and took a look at one or two of them. But, most of the time, I placed the pumpkin back on the ground and continued the search. Eventually, though, we found two pumpkins that fit the bill. We even found a man with a wagon who was willing to transport our pumpkins back for us!

Once we made our way out of the pumpkin patch, we found a petting zoo with goats, pigs, sheep, chickens, a donkey and a bunny. Taidyn has never been crazy about goats, but she liked the pigs, chickens and the bunny. And I didn't like the goat much, either. He tried to pee on my leg!!!

After snapping a few more photos and taking a few more minutes of video, we loaded our pumpkins and hit the road for home. A few minutes later, Taidyn realized she had a sliver (which turned out to be one of those sticky things from the stem of a pumpkin) and said to us, "A ham and cheese sandwich will make it all better." We laughed, then headed right for Arby's! :))

Happy Halloween!!

Do You Know The Colors Of The Rainbow?

You know the colors of the rainbow, right?

After today, Taidyn sure does! :)

We spent our Saturday doing a variety of rainbow-related activities, using paint, cornstarch, water and a flashlight, among other things, to show off the six colors of the rainbow for Taidyn. She had a lot of fun and, at one point, even asked to watch her Signing Time DVD that includes the signs for all the colors of the rainbow.

After breakfast, we launched our colorful day by using watercolors to paint rainbows. Taidyn needed a little assistance to paint the rainbow in the right order: Red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. But she did a great job!!!

Next, Cass prepared a unique concoction of cornstarch, sugar and water to create a gooey mixture for "Rainbow Stew." Once the stew cooled, Cass used food coloring to make batches of red, yellow and blue goo. We then divided the three mixtures into three baggies and played. The neat thing about "Rainbow Stew" is that you can use the three primary colors to make secondary colors like orange, green and purple. It was sort of like a fun science experiment! We'd certainly recommend this project for your children. It's simple and not messy!

We then ventured out of the apartment and headed to the library for a few rainbow and colors books. We found several good ones, highlighted by "Mouse Paint" by Ellen Stoll Walsh, "A color of his own by Leo Lionni and "The Rainbow Fish" by Marcus Pfister. Great books!!

After a nap, we made "Rainbow Music." For this project, we created the six colors of the rainbow (again, using food coloring) in six glasses of water. Each glass made a different sound because we varied the amount of water in each one. So, basically, we made a colorful, watery xylophone.:)

We ended the day by making a rainbow of our own! We dropped a small mirror in a glass of water and then turned off all the lights in the apartment. By angling a flashlight at the mirror, we were able to create the rainbow's six colors on the wall. Very cool! We're not sure what Taidyn enjoyed more: Turning the lights on and off or looking at the rainbow on the wall. ;) But she had fun, and that's all that matters.

We really had a lot of fun today. We're already looking forward to next weekend's big adventure: Pumpkin patch, here we come!!!!

May I Take Your Order, Please?

It's only 12:20 in the afternoon and Taidyn has already made eggs, spaghetti and three batches of cupcakes.

Well, sort of.

As our gift to Taidyn for her progress in not wetting the bed at night -- she's doing really well, especially if we limit the juice intake after 6 p.m. -- Cass and I bought her a play kitchen center. It's a sturdy wood model with a microwave, sink, oven and stovetop. We also bought a few pots and pans and other accessories like utensils to go along with it.

Last night, Cass and I spent an eternity (OK, a few hours) assembling the kitchen. At one point, after we had completed top unit, which includes the microwave and stovetop, Taidyn looked at it and said to us, "No! I want the stove on the top." You see, the top portion of the kitchen was sitting on the floor and she just knew by looking at the picture that the stove went on the top and not on the bottom. Smarty!

As Cass and I worked to finish assembly, Taidyn tried to stay awake. But, around 11 p.m., she finally crawled into bed. We finished up a few minutes later, but she was already in dreamland.

When Taidyn woke up this morning, though, she was thrilled. "Oooooohhhhh, my kitchen is done!" she squealed. She immediately went to the kitchen and began banging around pots and pans and offering to cook us breakfast. We asked for eggs and she took a wooden egg, pulled it apart (there's velcro that holds together the two sides) and placed the eggs, no, not in a pan, but directly on a burner!! We couldn't help but laugh before recommending to the chef that she place the eggs in a pan. She did and, soon after, she served us our breakfast in bed. :)

So, if you ever find yourself in Laramie with an appettite, come on over to Taidyn's Kitchen. It's open for business!!!

Girly Girl

It's obvious, isn't it? Taidyn wants boobies. :--))

So, tonight, Cass helped Taidyn make some fake ones out of the bubble bath. Silly! But, as you can see by the photo, Taidyn LOVED it!

Over the past few months, it's become clear that Taidyn REALLY likes being a girl. She wants her finger nails painted all the time, loves to prance around in heels and gets super-excited when she gets to wear a dress. I guess it's only natural for her to want to look like a girl, too, right?

Have a good night!!

Future Soccer Star?

Taidyn played soccer for the first time this week.

Well, sort of.

On Thursday, Taidyn began Little Kickers soccer, a program for children ages 3-5. It was quite the spectacle, that's for sure. Taidyn looked the part: She donned a pair of shorts and a jersey, shinguards and sneakers. Did she play the part? Not really. :)

Let's just say that the coaches know Taidyn's name. It was, "Taidyn, come here!," or "No, Taidyn, kick the ball," or "Where are you going, Taidyn?" But it wasn't all bad. Taidyn proved an expert at sitting on the soccer ball -- even when others were trying to kick it!!!

At the end of practice, one of the other parents approached me and asked, "Do you see any World Cup potential?" I responded, "Does the World Cup have an event for sitting on the ball?" ;)

We're going to try again Tuesday. Maybe Taidyn will kick the ball this time.

Strike A Pose.....

So, this weekend, we took Taidyn to Loveland, Colo., to buy her a whole new fall wardrobe! It was so much fun! While we were in the fitting room, there was a mirror hanging on the wall and she was striking poses left and right (one of those times you kick yourself for not having a camera)! The little prima donna cracks us up!

One of our favorite finds was a brown beanie hat with a brim on it. Absolutely adorable! She also left the store with a set of bracelets that she won't let out of her sight now. Check out the photos!

And, of course, we found lots of really cute outfits for really great prices since we hit the back-to-school sale. The excitement of the day really wore out Taidyn, too. She actually let us sleep until 10:15 a.m. today! :)

Once we finally got moving today, we took Taidyn to get her hair trimmed. She looks so much better now that her bangs are not hanging in her face. It took a few times for the stylist to actually get the chance to cut them (Taidyn did not like her combing the bangs down in her face) ... but she finally sat still long enough for the lady to cut them off.

Even though the weather was surprisingly rainy this weekend, we had a GREAT time!!!!

By Popular Demand ...

... here are a few recent pictures of Taidyn.

:)