Knoop Troop

Trash - Feb 24th

Today Hanna threw away her own trash without me asking her to do so and I thought it was so cute. She is growing up so fast.

What is with the 1/2 hour diaper change that has to take place EVERY time Hanna needs one??? She kicks (hard) and cries through the whole ordeal. Why do toddlers do this? And when is the runny nose situation going to end...............??????????? I think I have kept Kleenex in business for now. AAAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHH

GIANT Clean-up Saturday, January 30th

Today the Knoop Family (minus Hanna) helped clean-up the streets of El Cajon. We started at 9am and collected about 3 large trash bags filled with debris and junk. We were first motivated to do this for the FREE Disneyland tickets (which the kids don't even know we got) but once we got there KC and I realized that there was much more to the volunteering. We have agreed to help out more this year with neighbors, friends and our city. The kids had a great time and learned some valuable lessons. We hope to keep up the "good work".

Snow in San Diego - Jan 22, 2010

This was the craziest thing to see in San Diego. We had hail today that was so much it looked like snow on the ground. This picture is taken in front of our condo and funny enough we had a poinsettia. It really made the picture look like it was a snowy day.

ToddlerLand

For those who do not have a toddler yet or who LOVE
the toddler years you may not want to read this entry.

I will just say right off the bat....I am not fond of the toddler (1yr-3yrs) stage. This is such a fun age that involves a ton of learning and exploring but for me it is very consuming and exhausting. Just when you are done fixing one disaster they created, they have gotten into a whole new one. Plus, they are typically needy of you and whiny. As I write this entry, I feel completely guilty for saying these things but I am hoping that one day when my children have grown I will look back on this, read it and laugh.

This week was a typical toddler week.....on top of my other life duties. The week started off with the water pump on my car going out and we had to get by with one car (that is never fun). Then, in the middle of the week I had to start the process of fixing an old root canal that now needs a crown (aaaaaarrrrrrggggghhhhh). That night we were able to get my car back but by then Hanna had such a long day of being carted all over she was beyond cranky in the ride to the mechanic and back home. By Thursday Cali had been home for 3 days from school and I was tired from dealing with a sick child all day/night, a typical curious toddler and all my other daily jobs. I took Cali to Target to get some stuff she needed for a homework assignment and while there Hanna fell out of the cart. She ironically did this 2 minutes after a Target worker had told her to be careful in the cart or she would fall. She was screaming of course and I'm sure in a lot of pain. At that point I just wanted to hit "fast forward" on my life remote and get to next week because I was done with this one. So, bottom line toddlers are cute and fun but only if you have nothing else to do all day except entertain them and tend to their every need and want.

This example may not sound like anything big or serious but mind you I have left out a lot of details of the week. I only included the big events that make it challenging to please a toddler while dealing with life. I love my kids and adore Hanna right now for her cute fun self..... despite my grumbles.

2010 here we come!!!

Well, the year started out with some pretty BIG NEW for us........we are being transferred to Monterey, CA. The initial shock was hard to swallow since we are very sad to leave so many good friends here in San Diego. However, at the same time we are excited about living in beautiful Monterey and for the fun new adventures it will bring our family. The kids were sad at first but each day they have found a new reason to love the move. Seth is excited to see all the sea life there and Cali can't wait to make a bunch of new friends. And well...Hanna....she just wants to be where ever her family is. We will be able to rent a house with a yard and garage and that is what we have wanted/needed for so long. We don't have to be up there until July so the kids can finish out the school year.

I have had some really bad days where I cry alot and other days where I can't wait to live somewhere new. I think the changes will be good for us.

So, now it's just wait and see what other big events take place for the Knoop Troop in 2010 !!!

So dang cute..

Ok, so I know I post alot about Hanna but she is changing, growing and going through too much not to write about it. She got a hold of Cali's helmet and wanted to put it on. She looked so darn cute and even posed long enough for me to take a picture.

This is what memories are made of.