Pre-Op Papa Kay in SLC

Papa Kay.

So much for anonymity!  Our family is currently visiting Omaha for Spring Break so I'm looking at this handsome grandpa right this very moment.

Papa Kay.  

This picture was taken at the very end of January when he drove out to Salt Lake for a visit.  So much the same, and so very different.  You see, the last time we saw Papa Kay, he was mere flesh and blood.  Our newly improved robot Papa Kay features a titanium-zirconium replacement knee.  We all feel very fortunate that his surgery and recovery went so well.  He's walking terrifically and has regained over 120 degrees of motion.

Judging by my past record, it will be a couple of months before I get around to sharing any more photos of post-op Papa Kay.  In the meantime, here are some fun photos from the week before surgery.  For starters, dining at Menchies with the left knee still in tact.

Out of the entire family, Annika seemed most concerned about Papa Kay's upcoming knee replacement, kissing his sore joint over and over again.  He rewarded her kind affection with an adorable new dress.

We took Papa Kay on an adventure to the Midway Ice Castles.  I love discovering fun new places so close to home.

Constructed out of hundreds of thousands of icicles, the ice castles certainly are impressive.

Exploring the tunnels.

A panoramic view of the courtyard.

Jason rocks the baby slide.

Fun for everyone.  Our only regret--not coming prepared with snow pants and snow boots.  Poor Jason's toes nearly froze right off.

Our next adventure: a U of U gymnastics meet.  Go Red Rocks!

Justin, Brianna, and Ruby joined us in the nosebleed section.

We hung out with the Millcreek Wheelers again to celebrate Brianna's birthday.

Plus, we dined on Catan nachos in honor of Superbowl Sunday.

In some ways, the food was more exciting than the low-scoring game, but it was fun to hang out anyway.

When the sun came out, we headed to the park for some play time.


Our little monkey.

Fortunately there was still plenty of snow in the mountains.  We took Papa Kay up to Deer Valley for the day, thanks to the Mountain Collective reciprocity of our Brighton pass.  We were definitely the hillbillies on the mountain at this ritzy resort, especially since we forgot the bag with all the snow pants and ended up skiing in jeans.

The views were beautiful all the same.

Cutest hillbillies around.

Annika really liked the gondola, but not for the reasons you'd think.

In light of his upcoming surgery, Papa Kay elected to spend most of his time hanging out in the lodge.  This was fantastically convenient when Annika decided she was done skiing.

While the rest of us got in a few runs, Annie entertained Papa Kay with her drawings of mermaids riding dophins.

Back at home, Papa Kay helped us celebrate Groundhogs Day with these tasty treats.

Thanks so much for the great week, Papa Kay!

So glad we get to hang out some more with you...and your robot knee.

Happy Boto Dolphin Birthday, Annika!

I think my favorite part of this blog is how it encourages me to write down the funny things our kids say.  Since my memory short-circuits, I'm grateful this blog helps me retain these gems before they slip away permanently.  Here's a recent favorite.  After going in to wake up Annika with a morning hug, she told me to be careful.

"I'm a narwhal.  I have a huge tooth growing through my upper lip."  Annie Narwhal hung around for most of the morning until suddenly she ran over to slap the narwhal picture hanging above her bed.  "Zap!  I'm a human again.  Now you can kiss me."

Annika spends quite a bit of time transforming into penguins, narwhals, puppies, and horses.  Her lifetime ambition is to be a veterinarian, and if you happen to share a chairlift with her, she will most assuredly ask you about your pets.  She created a habitat to save the ants that have appeared in our bathroom, and was late for church this morning because she was trying to rescue the drowned worms on the sidewalk.  The other evening we read a book about giant squid, after which she was quite disappointed to discover that she couldn't go pet one in an aquarium.  ("I'd give it a giant hug!"  "I'm sure it would hug you right back...")

Out of all God's creations, Annika's favorite is still the dolphin.  And so, it was little surprise that for her sixth birthday, she chose to have a dolphin party.

Leading up to Annika's birthday, there was a bit more drama than I would have preferred.  Grandma Susie and Grandpa Charles came down to celebrate and bring Annika her present, but in the excitement Annie ran full speed into the living room window and put each arm through a pane of glass.  Fortunately the curtains were closed and she wasn't hurt.


Then the stomach flu swept through the family and we had to postpone her birthday party.  This was the picture I took after sharing the news.  She loves gymnastics, so I thought that telling her right after might help, but no such luck.

Then I had to work late on her birthday so Jason took the kids out to eat at Cafe Rio.  She fell off the stool and bit her lip.  Here you can see the mark from where it went all the way through to the other side.


Fortunately, there were upsides too.  Annika loved  the color-changing horse from Grandma Susie and Grandpa Charles.


Her pony was even invited to share monkey bread with us for her birthday breakfast.


At Cafe Rio, they gave Annie a free birthday dessert.

Plus, a neighbor brought over a birthday balloon.

 Kindergarten birthdays are the best because you get to wear a birthday crown.

 Even though the party was postponed, we still got to eat cake... (Thankfully it freezes well.)

...and open presents.  (Thanks Wilhoits!  Can't wait to play it with you.)

Pie Face Cannon is a blast you won't forget.  :)

Back to Annika's birthday, after a week of waiting, party day finally arrived.  Talia helped make the best dolphin toss game ever.

Each party guest got to play with a dolphin of her very own.  

Brooklyn was fantastic at organizing party games.

Ruby is one flexible dolphin diver!

Fishy fun.

Our very youngest party guest.  Isn't she a sweetie?

Here's her Dad, all dressed up as Annika's favorite mascot, the pink boto Amazon river dolphin.

Cake time!  The Dollar Tree really came through for our tablecloth.

Pinterest for the win for the rest of our tasty treats.  These were SO easy to make and pretty darn adorable, if I do so say so myself.

Happy Sixth Birthday, Annie Mae!

Your morning snuggles brighten my entire day, even if I do have to watch out for narwhal tusks.  Thanks for bringing so much sparkle into our lives.