So Cal

At the end of February we headed to Southern California with KC's family to get away from the cold and have some fun. We went swimming, shopped a little, ate some yummy mexican food at Mexi's, gave Mickey and Minnie a visit, and made a stop at the beach. It was fun to have everyone there and hang out for a few days. Maycee was in heaven being with her cousins all day long for three days straight and KC and I loved having extra babysitters.

**Sorry for the picture OVERLOAD**

She is fearless when it comes to the pool! She loves the water!!

Ring Around the Rosies

Cheetos...the BEST after swimming snack

Maycee couldn't get enough of this back pack...and Halle

Quite possibly the BEST mexican food...

We stopped by the beach but it was already dark and quite chilly. Maycee was really concerned that Jack and Halle were playing in the water...she is scared of the ocean.

Yummy beneigts in Downtown Disney

So excited for the day at Disneyland!

The whole fam damily

She mastered her stair skills...

She LOVED the Jungle Cruise...still talks about it every day-the elephants in the water and the fishes that come out of the water.

Sorry Tami, had to post this. This is what happens when people talk you into sitting in the front on Splash Mountain...
Maycee was so excited to see the princesses...but, just like I thought, she was pretty hesitant when we first walked up to Cinderella. Then ran straight into Aurora's (Sleeping Beauty) arms and was SO excited to see Snow White!

She did great with Minnie! Even gave her a kiss on the nose...which she still talks about if you mention Disneyland.

Again with the kiss on the nose...

Lovin' Mickey Mouse

KC was so good to get Maycee right in front for the parade. And even went out to dance with the characters. Maycee has told everyone that she danced with goofy and Donald Duck.

Her Disneyland prize. It was the first thing she spotted when we walked in the store and we could pry in out of her hands even to pay for it!

Wish we could swing here everyday!!

These three are such great friends! I love it! Jack is such a good big brother to both of them and Halle and Maycee can't get enough of each other. Maycee asks almost daily to see them!

She drew quite the crowd with her dancing...there were random people taking pictures of her!

Not the best shot of me...but KC and Maycee look so cute!!!

Perfect way to end the trip...playing in the sand.
(notice Halle is using Jack's shoe as a shovel!)

Jump.Bubbles.Stamps.Color Page

This is pretty much what I hear when I ask if she is ready for gymnastics. Sometimes only one or two of these words, but "tamps" (stamps) is almost always included...oh and she calls gymnastics "tass" (class). It has been so fun to watch how much she has learned and how brave she has become. She was quite the "momma's girl" (and lets be honest, she still is), but this has definitely given her a lot more courage to venture off to do her own thing. It makes me really happy to watch when she decides to go off on her own...I'm sure this same thing will soon make me sad, but for now I love the courage and determination she has begun to develop.

This is how she used to jump...I took these first pictures around the second week we started.

The pit...so funny to watch an adult try to get out!

This is how a typical "class day" starts...there are two classes that meet at the same time and rotate through the different activites. (there are also "open gym days")

Her new favorite trick...she actually started hanging one day when we were at aquarium. Now its her second favorite thing to do besides jumping.
Running to the pit

Check out how far she is off the tramp...so much progress from when she started!!
Here new way of going down the slide...


This is what she usually starts asking for five minutes into class...
Then this...
They give them all stamps on the top of their feet and hands...and on their belly. For the rest of the day Maycee will show them to ANYONE she can!!

L.O.V.E

These two are pretty much the definition of the word love. I'm not trying to be all sappy just because its almost Valentines Day...just want to put my thoughts down so I could read them one day in the future.

KC is an awesome person. Those who know him all already know this, and if you don't know him you should get to know him. He works SO hard for us and while we are so glad he has a good job, its sad he is gone so much for it. Maycee and I are so grateful for his hard work-it makes it possible for us to play together every day. Maycee is always so happy to see her dad when he gets home...if she is still awake she runs as fast as her little legs can take her to greet him as he walks in. We treasure the time we get to spend with him and love it when we get a special lunch date or an evening at home with him to play. Thank you KC for being such a wonderful husband and father...we both love you.

Where do I even begin with my little rascal. I can not believe how much of a little person she is. I was watching her as she played the other day and thought I needed to write down all the silly and cute things she does...sometimes I just want to cry cuz she is getting so big. She LOVES her baby dolls, always wants to hold them and love them. She will hold the baby in one arm and push the empty stroller with the other. She loves to wrap them up tight and put them "night time" (in their crib). She gives them high five, plays patty cake with them, and shows them how to give bones. She talks SO much...repeats EVERYTHING we say. My favorite thing she says lately is "Thanks Sally"- whenever I give her a treat or something she has been looking for. She says mommy any other time, except for when I give her something. She tells me all the time "change poopy"...most of the time she is clean but its nice when its true and she just lets me know. She is already letting me know when and with whom she wants to play with...sometimes its her cousins Jack and Halle, or "Fofie" (Sophia) and other times its her little friend Paytin. She is definitely all GIRL! She loves to have her fingernails and toenails painted then has to show every one her "pretty". She chooses anything pink when I ask her what she wants to wear and loves to dance. She is currently obsessed with "good, good night"(I gotta feeling) and Barbie girl and asks for me to turn them on any time she sees me at the computer. She is very good at making people feel good, always willing to give hugs and kisses and tell the "uv you" (love you). She knows how to get what she wants from mom and dad, just by saying "uv you mommy/daddy"...its really hard to resist. She is always asking for "pat pat"(Little Einsteins) or Elmo (Sesame Street) and is glued to the TV if either is on. She will fall asleep in a jiffy as long as she has her binky and blanket. She has begun to become more independent...thanks in part to her gymnastics class. But we love it when she wants us and nothing else. There is so much more I know I am forgetting, but this is long enough already. I love this little one and I am so happy I have the privilege of being her mommy.

December

Yep...its almost the end of January and I'm just getting to December. Sorry all three of you who look at this blog...just want to make sure its documented.

We started the month of with a little 3 day trip to New York City. We went a few years ago during the Holidays when my brother was living there and wanted to go back to see all the fun festive sites. As usual our trip ended up revolving around the places we wanted to make a point to eat at. We were happy with most of them and maybe a little disappointed too (mostly because of the crazy high prices).

We enjoyed Grimadli's pizza (our favorite!!)...had an expensive lunch while continuing the search for the best Ruben sandwich in NYC...ate yummy Gray's Papaya hot dogs...saw the Rockefeller tree along with Macy's and Bloomingdale's windows, made a stop at the HUGE Toys R Us...and finished it off with yummy cupcakes and banana bread pudding from Magnolia Bakery.

Up next was all our family Christmas parties...sadly enough I didn't get pictures at any of them. Still waiting to see if I get some from those who did take pictures...

Of course we must document the day before Christmas and Christmas day. This year we spent Christmas Eve with KC's family. We enjoyed some yummy Mexican cuisine and way too many sweets! Maycee loved opening gifts with her cousins, even though she and Halle just wanted all the gifts for their own...they were good to share! Thank you Andersons and Gublers for all your generosity!

Watching Maycee explore her gifts, realize there were some to open, and finally seeing her open the presents was priceless. It was so fun to watch knowing how much she loved it each one. We had to stop her from playing with some so she could finish opening the rest...but that made us happy to know she really loved it all. Kc was very nice and spoiled me...I tried, but he definitely beat me this year...thanks babe!!
That afternoon we headed to Sally's parent's house. We played some games that are traditions at the Burdette house, then had a super yummy filling dinner. It was so fun to have all the boys in town, and we missed Lisa who was off on a European excursion. Maycee was lovin life playing with Sophia all night and they both loved the bikes grandma and grandpa gave them...
Finally, the day after Christmas we headed to sunny Hawaii for a couple days. It was SO relaxing...we had NO plans and just sat at the pool every day with our little fish. she was up every morning at 6 saying "poo" (pool), so that is what we did for three days...didn't even leave the resort until it was time to come home. it was exactly what we needed...

Tokyo.....in a day

KC was bored a few weeks ago, so he went by himself to Tokyo for the day in search of good Sushi and Ramen (if you know KC, this will be no surprise to you). He was gone for 46 hours, 28 of which was on airplanes...which left him just 18 hours in Tokyo to see the sights and eat lots of good food.

Last minute baseball

To celebrate KC's birthday in October, we took a short trip to California to see the Angels play some ball. We try to catch at least one game live in Angels Stadium each year...we barely made it this year. It was a whole different game with a little one year old that always wanted to be on the move, but we still enjoyed the game. Maycee was happy as long as she had her ball in hand, and KC was happy to see that his little girl loves baseball!! Thanks to our parents for the great tickets!

Two peas in a pod...

Maycee scored a rally monkey...she took it everywhere for the next week!

Until next year...

I HATE LITTLE GIRLS

Don’t like them- hate everything about them. Hate how they get into your heart and mind and won’t leave you alone- ever. I will never be able to just be K.C. again- I will always be K.C. with Maycee on my mind and in my heart. I flew to Japan this week, and on the airplane I made the mistake of watching "My Sisters Keeper". Nothing like a big grown man crying across the entire Pacific Ocean because his little girl won’t leave his mind.

Today was the first time Maycee verbally acknowledged that she wanted to be with me. She fell asleep with me on the couch and when I took her up and laid her in her crib, she immediately shot up and grabbed me around my neck. She held me tight and yelled, "Daddy, No...Daddy, No!" After a few more minutes of rocking her back to sleep, I again laid her in her crib and quickly ran out of the room. I sat by her door for almost 20 minutes, listening to her soft little sobs and quietly mumbling to herself, "Daddy, Please....Daddy, Please". I hate little girls- hate everything about them. After I was sure she was asleep I tiptoed back into her room to see my little Sleeping Beauty… I just sat there crying and staring at the beauty God gave me. Reminded me of one of my favorite Jimmy Dean songs…now I know what he was feeling when he wrote it:

“Dear Daughter,
I tiptoed to your room tonight, and I looked down at you smiling in your sleep.
You were so lovely my heart nearly broke, and I thought how very much like Sleeping Beauty a little girl is. When I tuck you in at night I never know how old you'll be when you wake. One evening you crawl on your dad's lap and throw your arms around his neck, the next morning you might be much too grown-up for that sort of thing. You're so quickly approaching the awkward age, too young to drive a car and yet too old to be carried into the house half asleep on daddy's shoulder. I have a secret that I've never told you Sleeping Beauty, you're going on a very exciting trip, you'll travel from yesterday all the way to tomorrow. It's a rapid journey and you'll travel light, leaving behind your measles, mumps, freckles, bumps, bubblegum, and me. I promise not to feel too hurt when you discover that the world is more important than your daddy's lap. Yesterday you were blue-jeaned and pig-tailed, the neighborhood's best tree-climber. Tomorrow you'll be blue-organdie and pony-tailed, and you'll view the world from a loftier perch- a pair of high-heel shoes. Yesterday you could mend a doll's broken leg with a hug, tomorrow you'll be able to break a young man's heart with a kiss. Yesterday you could get lost one aisle away from me in a supermarket, now I have to worry about losing you down another aisle to some strange young man. You see just at the point where your growing pains stop, mine begin. Yesterday you were kind of a pain in the neck when you were around. Tomorrow you'll be an ache in my heart when you're not. Tomorrow you'll lay aside your jump rope, and tie up the telephone lines. And that little boy that used to push you in the mud, well he'll fight to share a dance with you. The clock upstairs is counting the minutes for you, and the sky upstairs is saving its brightest stars. And the sun is waiting with its shiniest day. Oh I can't expect you to live in a dollhouse forever. Sooner or later the butterfly sheds its cocoon and the smallest bird must try its wings. But when you grow up and out of my arms, when you finally get too big for my shirts, I'll still recall how you used to scatter dust and dolls partially through every room in the house. But you spread sunshine too. The dust is settled, your mom picked up the dolls, but the sunshine will always fill the corners of our hearts. So here I am talking in your sleep, because, well if you saw this look on my face you'd laugh, and if I spoke with this lump in my throat I'd cry. Honey when I looked at you tonight you were a Sleeping Beauty, so I tiptoed over and I kissed you. You didn't wake up, I knew you wouldn't. According to the legend only the handsome young prince can open your eyes, and I'm just the father of a future bride. So you sleep on pretty thing, tomorrow you'll awake and you'll be a young lady. And you won't even realize that you've changed courses in the middle of a dream. But you might notice this little change in me. I look a little different somehow, a little sadder, a little wiser, but a whole lot richer. Tonight I kissed a princess and I feel like a king.” -Jimmy Dean

So what will happen when this little girl is all grown up? Will she still take up so much space in my heart and mind, or will I get the old K.C. back? If I don’t, I guess that is OK...I will learn to live with it.

So, I hate little girls, hate everything about them. But I sure am glad I have gotten a chance to find out why I hate them. Soon we will find out if baby #2 is a boy or girl. I hope it is a boy, because I am not sure how many more tears I have left in me.

Sleep well little Princess. I will be here waiting when you wake.

-Love Daddy