A girl and her dog

 Since being a stay at home mom I have decided the letters used to mark times in history can have an adapted meaning for my personal timeline. BC--before children I would spend a few hours every week or so and have my house deep cleaned. Now, AD--after delivery, I can try to clean all day and you can't tell! Since Christmas is just around the corner I'm trying to get my house extra clean. I spent my morning dusting, mopping, vacuuming baseboards-that type of thing. Kate was actually really good. She mostly hung out with Chance and left me alone (which something AD is rare and close to a miracle!) I found her a few separate times cozy with her dog, and had to take pictures. It is just too sweet to see that dog doing what Kate tells him. Those two are like siblings!

Note that none of these pictures were staged. Too cute, it melts my heart!

Just a day in the life

 Today was a normal day around here. We woke up and got ready to go to the grocery store. Kate was great at the store. She really seems to be maturing. She is getting better and better at going out with me. It's more enjoyable, bordering on fun. As soon as we got home Kate wanted to help me carry in the groceries. I kept on giving her bags until she finally said she had too many. Then walking inside she kept repeating "It's so heaby!" She was cracking me up. Tough girl made it all the way to the kitchen.

 Today was a good day for me because both girls napped at the same time. I was able to work out and shower alone. It was great. Then after awhile I went to go check on the girls. I went into Kate's room and she was still snoring! Even miss Abby was sound asleep too. It was a nice afternoon!

Fancy Kate's Birthday Party

This year for Kate's birthday party we went with a "Fancy Nancy" theme. Kate adores those books. Adore is a fancy way to say love. We read Fancy Nancy at least twice a day, if not more. Kate has the book memorized and reads it to her babies a few times each day when she puts them to bed. So this party was all things fancy!!  Here are Abby and Kate all dressed up waiting for the party to start. So fancy girls!

 I set up a photo area for the kids to try on accessories and pose for fancy pictures. The backdrop should make you think fancy french thoughts, because as Nancy says, anything in french is fancy.

 So the balloons on the ceiling didn't turn out near as cool as I invisioned....I thought that 75 balloons would cover ALOT more area. In truth the entire party was a little less fancy than I had pictured it. Oh well, Kate still thought it was fancy. Poor Chance is scared to death of balloons and stayed as far away from them as he could. Jon wins the most dedicated Dad award for helping me with this party. Not only did he stay up till 12 blowing up and hanging balloons and streamers, he came home every night the week of the party and helped me cut out crowns for the kids to decorate. The only time he complained was to say he hoped Kate knew how much we love her, because he wouldn't spend this much time on a party otherwise. To top that off he dressed fancy with no complaints and ran the activities outside while I worked in the kitchen. He had glitter in his hair for days! Yea, like I said, best Dad ever!

Oh-la-la dress up time! I think the dress up clothes were a big hit. I didn't even hear anyone fighting over any item. If you ask me that is a huge success! The girls didn't really get the concept to stand in front of the backdrop and pose, they just wanted to run around in their fancy attire. Maybe if the girls were a few years older they would be more into a photo booth. These kids really didn't care about the pictures, they just wanted to be fancy!

 After playing dress up and decorating crowns the kids went outside to do the limbo. I originally planned to have a dance party/limbo in the living room but it was 70 something outside and the kids wanted to take the party outside.

  And of course in birthday party tradition I made a pinata. It is supposed to look like a purse....its pretty ugly but the kids didn't care! To be honest it started out to be a hat and didn't work so I improvised a purse. Poor Kate--at least I tried! 

Avery broke it and all the kids dug in for candy. Then it was back inside for pizza at the King's Crown, just like Nancy.

Also, this is the crown decorating table. And Kate and the kids had a great time playing in Kate's room.

 For dessert, instead of traditional cake, we had parfaits (parfaits are fancy for ice cream sundays). The kids got to put lots of fancy sprinkles on them. To keep some tradition we stuck a candle in Kate's parfait.

 I just love how proud she looks after blowing her candle out!

 And lastly present opening time! Kate got spoiled as usual. Her facial expressions in these pictures cracks me up! Kate loves all her presents, and keeps asking if we can have another party. She had a great time. Having this girl in our life is such a sweet blessing. Hope you had a great birthday!

When all the guests had gone home the girls all crashed on the couch. My girls snuggled up with our event photographer, Nikki. As always she made it hard to pick what pictures to post! She always takes so many shots...I think this year was only 299. Thanks for helping preserve our memories Nikki!

4 month update

Oh Abigial! 4 months already. Some days it feels like you have been a baby forever, and some days I feel like you were just born. You seem to have decided that you like to sleep after all! Lately you have been sleeping through the night. Pretty much the best gift I could ask for! Those months of not sleeping was really not ok with me! You are really strong and alert. You seem wiser than a 4 month old baby should be. One of my favorite things is you seem to love your mom. You smile your biggest when I talk to you and kiss you. I like thinking that I'm your favorite. But you also think your sister is funny too-- when she isn't being too rough with you. Speaking of your sister, Kate wanted to take pictures of you on your 4 month birthday---so here they are! I love the nervous look on your face!

 Everyone agrees you are a pretty baby. Even uncle Kenneth says you are a perfect baby. You are just beautiful! And sweet too--but oh so cute! Tomorrow we get your official weight and such, but I can tell you that you are already too big for your 3 month clothes and almost too long for the 6 month stuff! I'm not sure what I will be able to dress you in... you are long and skinny! You are such a sweet blessing to our family. Thanks for being with us and making us all smile.

My oh my! Kate is 3!

Kate's Answers for her birthday quiz

1. What is your favorite color? purple

 2. What is your favorite toy? abigail

3. What is your favorite fruit? strawberies

  4. What is your favorite tv show? doggie show (the movie up)

 5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? hot dogs

 6. What is your favorite outfit? repunzel nightgown

  7. What is your favorite game? dont break the ice

  8. What is your favorite snack? fruit snack

 9. What is your favorite animal? dogs

 10. What is your favorite song? wheels on the bus

11. What is your favorite book? Fancy Nancy

 12. Who is your best friend? Avery, Tanner

  13. What is your favorite cereal? Cheerios

  14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? sing and swing on the swing

  15. What is your favorite drink? milk

 16. What is your favorite holiday? Halloween

  17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? pink and yellow baby

 18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? gold fish! 

19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? turkey and cheese

 20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Doctor (only because I tried giving her a list of choices of what she wanted to be and that was the first one I said!)

 At 3 Kate:
Loves to sing! She will go outside to play, which basically means walk around the yard with Chance and a baby doll singing songs. Usually Wheels on the bus, and other cherished songs. Some of her top songs are: "Wheels on the bus", "I am a Child of God", "You are my Sunshine" aka 'Sunbeam shine', "Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam", "Book of Mormon Stories", "Teach me to walk in the light", "I'm trying to be like Jesus", "5 little monkeys swinging in a tree", "Old McDonald", and many more! She is all about singing! She even has a precious song called the whale song, which is a song she evidently made up. Every day at nap time after I sing her 'bedtime playlist' (Sunbeam shine, I'm trying to be like Jesus, Teach me, and Book of Mormon Stories) she then asks for the Whale Song. I have no clue what it is so I tell her to sing it, and she wraps her arms around my neck in a huge hug and sings her Whale song. The only storyline I get from it is there is a whale and it is being taught something. But is it so sweet having her sing all about it.

Kate loves being fancy (pictures and stories of her birthday party to follow....it was FANCY!).

 Kate thinks she is a teenager. She loves having Young Women babysit, and thinks of them as her friends. Along with that she is mothering. She will stop running around and singing just to give Abigail her pacifier or a blanket. This also can be scary when she tries to pick her up, but thankfully she hasn't dropped her yet!

Kate is a talker! Sometimes I feel like I'm going a little crazy having to repeat everything she says, but I wouldn't have it any other way!
She is such a social girl. She loves people, and generally people love her! She is so outgoing and charismatic. Nothing really gets her down. Even if she gets hurt or upset she is over it quickly.

Kate has a memory that amazes me! Nothing gets past this girl.

Oh Christmas Tree

On Kate's birthday we put up our Christmas Tree. Kate loved it! Last year we didn't really let her do much because she was too rough with the ornaments. This year she loved digging the ornaments out of the box (with lots of help from mom!). Each time I would hand her one she hadn't seen before she would talk about how pretty it was. This was right up her alley. She loves anything fancy! And while we helped Dad string up the lights she walked laps around the tree with us singing "Faller faller me!" (Aka do as I'm doing, follow, follow me....but the Southeast Texas version!) Too funny! And she doesn't do anything quiet...so Jon and I were getting a little tired of "FALLER FALLER ME". Singing stopped as soon as the ornaments came out. Then she was too interested in all the different shapes and styles.

This is what Abby and Chance did:

Hanging the star was fun for Kate. She loves anything adventurous with dad!

Lastly, while looking at the stockings Kate asked me if the socks were for her. I told her that one of them was, and they were called stockings. Next thing I know I see this. Such a funny girl!

ps: pants are optional around this house! Kate didn't want to wear them, and I decided since it was her birthday she could wear what she wanted! It does make for funny tree decorating pictures.