Wednesdays with Will and Katie

Katie's First Birthday Party

2012-01-29T18:11:00.000-08:00

This weekend we celebrated Katie's first birthday! She turns one this Thursday which is so hard to believe.

We had a great time celebrating with family and friends. Katie did great although she cried when we sang Happy Birthday and then seemed much happier when her brother helped her eat cake.

I loved this sweet picture of Katie and her balloons on the front of her invitation. Thank you Ali Wood for capturing such sweet shots and Nicki for designing the darling invitation!

Invitation - inside

Invitation - back

favors

flowers and smash cake

cupcakes!

these frames were on our bar - one picture from each month

birthday girl walking with Lovey

crying during Happy Birthday

getting some reassurance

happy (and blurry)

Will planning his attack...

there he goes!

Rainy Day

2012-01-27T12:35:00.000-08:00

We had a rainy few days here in Dallas and Will patiently waited to stomp in the puddles. Luckily we ran into his buddy Armando so they got to stomp together. I look forward to having Katie join us for the post-rain fun in the future!

A week away

2012-01-25T09:51:00.000-08:00

Chad and I just returned from 6 days away from the kids. This is the longest we have been away with out either of them...ever. I have to say - it was fantastic. We took more naps than I knew was possible and we truly relaxed. We received daily pictures from Loli who was graciously taking care of them, and they clearly had a great time. Highlights included a trip to Luby's and a visit to the zoo with Loli's family - including "Grandpa" who is 100 years old! Since then, Will draws pictures for Loli's husband and for Grandpa and he asks to play with his new friends (Loli's nieces and nephews). Will had his own bedroom - complete with a king size bed! Loli attempted to put Katie in the pack n' play in the room as well, but Will quickly let her know that it was his room. The room looked a lot like his room seeing as how he brought so many of his toys from home.

Will wanted to pack his own bag for Loli's house, so Loli let him while she packed for Katie. When she came back to check on him, he had packed tons of his toys, his boppies, and then every single pair of pajamas he could find (which is probably no less than 15 pairs).

It honestly made me feel so good to see that they were in such good hands and that they had a great time. Coming home to them was wonderful - we were greeted with huge smiles and big hugs. Will told us how much he missed us and held on tight to us for the rest of the night. It was good to have him in my arms again! Katie has definitely picked up speed and she can places pretty quickly now with her crab like crawl. We are so excited but yet cannot believe we will be celebrating her 1st birthday this weekend! Time is flying by...

Poor Maggie

2012-01-14T19:55:00.000-08:00

Katie LOVES to get Maggie's tail. Poor girl. She often doesn't know Katie is close by until the tail is tightly gripped in these little fingers. Luckily Katie also loves to feed Maggie scraps, so I guess it is part of the trade off.

The 4th tooth is in!

2012-01-14T19:52:00.000-08:00

While looking through these pictures, I noticed that Katie has a new tooth! I'm amazed that I found out in pictures vs. tylenol and teething tablets. Not sure how we got this lucky, but we will take it! She now has her two I-teeth up top and the two middles on the bottom. You can see all four in this picture if you really zoom!

When did she get all this hair?

That top tooth on Katie's left is crazy long - you can see the tip in this picture

Loving our baby legs - thanks Mindee! This picture is very Katie to me.

This is not a face Katie makes often, but isnt it cute?

Fire Lady

Another very Katie expression

Random Pictures from my Phone

2012-01-13T12:22:00.000-08:00

I am loving my new iPhone 4S. The picture quality is usually great, so I thought it might be time to go through the stack and pick out some highlights.

This is one of my favorites. Katie still sleeps with both hands behind her head as if she is laying on the beach soaking in the sun. She now surrounds herself with her dolls and stuffed animals and we often see her playing with them when we peek at her on the monitor.

close up

Went into Will's room while he was sleeping and couldn't find his head!

off to the park with a digger and dump truck

Home Depot visit

Little cashier

Central Market visit

Katie playing with Will's new parking garage

Katie on the plasma car

Fireman Will carrying Monkey around in the Ergo Carrier

Cowboy Hat

2012-01-13T11:15:00.000-08:00

Our housekeeper adores Will and Katie. She has to be the sweetest lady ever as, unknown to me, she took Will's head measurement last week and then bought him a cowboy hat while in Mexico over the weekend!

Will LOVES it. He has been wearing it around the house with his new cowboy boots (thanks Kinders!) on telling us that he is a cowboy. He asked me why his boots have heels, and I told him I didn't know. (I have since learned that it is to keep the boots in the stir ups.) Will told me the heels were there to make him taller. I am constantly amazed at the things he comes up with - it is so fun to watch his mind work!

thank you note to Rosa

Serious look while watching the yard men blow the leaves

smiling as they say goodbye to him

In other hat news, Chad brought Will a set of mouse ears from his trip to Orlando this week. These are also a huge hit and quickly had Will asking if he could go meet Mickey...

Finger Painting

2012-01-06T19:28:00.000-08:00

For the past 2 days I have been home with the kids. Loli's mother-in-law passed away at age 97 so Loli has been with family and I have been with Will and Katie.

These past two days have been great, but I am exhausted! Hats off to the stay-at-home moms and nannies who take care of 2 young kids all day! On Thursday, we went to the park and then to my friend Meagan's house. Her son Andrew and Will play really well together - so much so they disappeared upstairs together to play for probably at least 30 minutes.

Today we went to Central Market and then we finger painted outside in the 70 degree weather. We then made pizzas before bath and naptime. These little ones are really so fun and I am just so thankful for their naptime. :) I can see how they get so exhausted each day!

Watching Katie

2012-01-03T19:36:00.000-08:00

If Will, Katie and I are downstairs and I need to run upstairs to get something, I will ask Will if he will watch Katie. This usually makes it so I don't have to bring everyone with me.

Today we were playing in Katie's room and Will said "I need to go to my room and get some toys. Will you watch Katie?"

Climbing up his fire pole

Sliding down

11 months old!

2012-01-02T13:18:00.000-08:00

She is 11 months old and she just was not into getting her picture with her sign and monkey today. I guess it isn't fun to sit and smile anymore when you can crawl! This has been an eventful month...

This month Katie:

* celebrated her first Christmas!

* got 3 teeth - one up top and two below (on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day)

* started crawling although she prefers to walk while holding your hands

* holds her own bottle

* loves to make rasberries (spitting noises). They are hilarious and frequent.

* loves to stand up and walk. Chad and I take turns walking her around the house.

I can't believe she is almost one!

Reflections 2011

2011-12-31T14:03:00.000-08:00

My friend Meagan mentioned a 2011 reflections blog post idea, and I had a great time looking through my photos for these 25 memories of 2011. Here they are!

1. Me! - What are you most proud of accomplishing in 2011?

Becoming a mom of 2!

2. I Love You

3. Still Laughing... - a moment you're still laughing about now...tell us a story.

This is the day we went to the fire station and Will got to sit on the fire trucks and turn on their lights. He was in heaven. He wouldn't take off his hat - not even to nap!

4. Winter Wonderland - a picture that reflects Winter.

5. Birthday - share a birthday picture (your own or someone you love).

6. Friends

Will's best friend Armando

Our neighbor Maddie

7. I Was Inspired... - could be a picture of your inspiration (person or thing), or inspired by...

My friend Meagan took this darling picture of Katie when she was 8 days old. It has always been a favorite. Meagan inspired me to change lenses and to use more natural light and I have been so pleased by the changes both have made in my images. Thank you Meagan!

8. Spring Fever - a picture that reflects Spring.

9. Travel or Vacation - a picture taken on vacation or on a recent travel experience...even if it was only a few miles away.

Seaside - one of my favorite pictures of the year

10. Summer Days - a picture that reflects Summer.

11. A Day In My Life - a picture of a typical day in your life.

12. All Smiles - a picture that makes you smile or of smiling faces.

I love that you can see her dimples here

13. Autumn Harvest - a picture that reflects Autumn/Fall.

14. Family or Home - a picture of your family or a picture that represents family/home for you.

15. Celebrate! - a picture that reflects a celebration.

16. Let's Do It Again... - a picture of something you'd like to do again soon.

We are hoping to make Seaside an annual trip

17. I Miss You - a picture of someone or something you really miss.

Grandpa John - we miss you so much! I can still feel your hugs and see your smile. You were exceptional.

18. Beautiful - a picture of someone or something you find beautiful.

19. Dress Up - this might be a picture from Halloween or not...but someone who is all dressed up!

Katie in her party dress

20. Macro - share your favorite macro or close-up image.

21. Holidays - a picture from the Holiday of your choice.

Love this picture - our Christmas card this year. (Ali Wood Photography)

22. My Favorite - share your favorite picture or memory from 2011.

taken by Angie Weedon. This is my absolute favorite image of them together!

23. Don't Ever Change - something you love about yourself, someone, or something that you never want to change.

I hope Will always has such a sweet disposition.

24. Just Because...So There! - share any picture(s) that you really want to share, but doesn't fit in any other category.

25. Hopes and Dreams - share what you hope to come or dream for 2012. Feel free to share an image of your choice.

I hope Will and Katie become great friends.

I dream of the day Will is potty trained.

Christmas!

2011-12-28T06:36:00.000-08:00

This has to be one of the best Christmas's we have ever had. Will is at such a fun age so he got into Santa and all things Christmas this year. We loved our elf on the shelf Chippy and were sad to see him go, but oh my goodness did Santa come! Will opened his first gift (Air Force One) and he said "I am so happy!" That was really what he wanted and he would have been content with that. It was so fun to see. He wanted to open up the whole set and all the pieces before he opened up any more presents. By the time we did the second Christmas with Ahma and Bapa he had the hang of things and knew the drill. I think he will be sad when the tree comes down and when Christmas season is officially over. I will be too - it was so fun to have such focused time with the littles and family.

Katie got lots of fun girly things - including her first dollhouse and two new dolls. I am so excited to enjoy these things with her. She also got 2 bottom teeth to accompany the one up top. She is growing up so quickly!

I can't image how fun it will be when both of them will be as into Christmas as Will was this year!

Christmas Eve Eve Shopping at Janie and Jack

Cheetos with Lovey

Will's fire chief outfit from Aunt Leen and Uncle Chuck

Katie and Andrew

Katie trying to do a no look steal of Will's pizza

Snowman Andrew! 4 months old

Chippy's last night

Setting up Will's new train set

Santa came!

Katie under the tree

Katie and her new carriage

So happy

Will opening his piggy bank

Loading up the bank

Putting together his plane with Granddad

One of his favorites - his new crane truck

Katie

Will holding Bapa's hand for Christmas #2

Katie and Ahma

Putting together Katie's first dollhouse

Flying his new helicopter

Helping Bapa put together his airplane

Katie pushing her new doll in her new stroller

Walking with Ahma

A visit to the Fire Station

2011-12-19T15:15:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was one of my favorite Sundays of the year. We had Aunt Leen, Uncle Chuck and Andrew over for breakfast and then Will and I headed to the park while Chad stayed with Katie while she napped.

We had a great time playing with the neighborhood kids and then they all headed home. We decided to walk over to the fire station since Will really wanted to know if they had a pole to slide down. I told him that if we saw a fireman we would ask. Well, there were no firemen outside the firehouse. We had seen a firetruck leave a while earlier, so Will decided we could just wait for it to come back. Not knowing if that would be 5 minutes or 5 hours, I decided to ring the bell for assistance. A fireman came down and told us that they don't have a pole anymore. They used to, but when they expanded the garage to hold more emergency trucks, they had to lose the pole.

While he is telling us the story, a firetruck and ambulance come back to the station. They ask if Will wants to go climb in the firetruck. I think that made his whole life. His face lit up and he was in heaven. They let him climb up into the drivers seat, turn on all the lights, and ring the bell. He was just so happy. He even later told me "I am so happy!" It was so fun to experience this with him!

They gave him a fire hat and told us to come back anytime (I don't think they realize that would be daily if Will could pick!). They were all so great with Will and you could see they do shared in his excitement. How fun to see life through the eyes of a 2.5 year old!

Will in his fire hat. When he wears this, he says "Look, I'm a REAL fireman!"

Learning how to turn on the lights

Ringing the bell

Back at the park

This serves as his park firetruck

Using his hose (stick) to put out fires

Spraying me with his hose (stick). He has a great imagination!

He loved his hat so much he slept in it. Not sure how that was remotely comfortable but I am not sure he cared.

December Activities

2011-12-14T13:49:00.000-08:00

December is flying by! We are having a great month filled with all things Christmas. It is hard to believe Christmas is less than 2 weeks away!

As for Will, he is still set on a reindeer and a hippo, both have been procured and will be waiting for him in his Santa bag along with a bulldozer and some other goodies. This year has been extra fun - he is just so into everything. He loves Christmas lights, our elf on the shelf Chippy, our Christmas tree, wreaths - EVERYTHING. We have seen Santa twice, once with horror and once with success. He must have told Santa at least 5x what was on his wish list.

We went on a carriage ride to see the lights with friends. Will was in awe and so was Katie. She just kept pointing to the lights and chatting. She seemed to enjoy it just as much as everyone else.

We are going to do one more carriage ride with Aunt Leen, Uncle Chuck and Andrew. Will asks everyday if today is the day we will go on the carriage ride. He is just a little eager.

As for Chippy, we are loving finding him a home every day. Today he is sitting in a martini glass in our display case. Will got really close to him and asked "Chippy, are you comfy in there?" He looks awfully contorted with his legs bent back and all so it was a really good question. With questions and comments like these, I sometimes I forget he is only 2.5.

Will is also really into doing the Advent Calendar with his dad. Every morning, it is one of his first questions - "Can we do the advent calendar daddy!" Who doesn't want a piece of chocolate before breakfast? I think the advent calendar will be an annual tradition for him to do with Chad. When he gets older, there is a Star Wars Lego version that I am sure we will own.

Right now, we are really into making "North Poles" for our Santas around the house. Each Santa needs their own North Pole, so we build each their own. One night I put them away hoping that he would forget and move onto the next thing, but instead we had to immediately build a North Pole for my favorite Santa (a wooden Santa I bought in Russia - who knew I would let my kids play with it???). So, our coffee table is currently also where we keep our North Poles. I assume it will be this way for a while.

Each day is fun filled. Katie is now really playing with Will (i.e. taking his toys) but she isn't mobile yet. I assume when that happens life will change a bit again for us. She seems to be strong willed. I have no idea where she got this. :)

*Darling pics by Ali Wood Photography!

10 months old!

2011-12-02T07:07:00.000-08:00

Hard to believe Katie is already 10 months old. With the holidays coming, her birthday is going to sneak up on us! This month Katie:

* started to point

* seems closer to crawling but still isn't that interested

* has no teeth!

* eats and drinks like a champ!

* her face lights up every time she sees her daddy

* is talking up a storm

* continues to bring a crazy amount of joy to our lives!

Santa Visit #1

2011-12-01T12:38:00.000-08:00

The weekend before Thanksgiving, Snider Plaza has a Christmas Tree lighting event. It is usually a lot of fun, but this year it rained which made it a little less fun.

However, the Santa pictures turned out just awesome. Katie actually did fine until Will started crying, and then it was all over.

Luckily when we went today, Will told Santa he wanted a Reindeer and a Hippopotamus. He didn't cry at all. Katie...well, that is a different story. She took one look at Santa and made a face similar to her face below.

Andrew meets Santa

For comparison, here is a link to Will's solo picture with Santa last year.

Our Christmas Tree

2011-12-01T10:02:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas tree is up! The first thing Will had to do was to trim it. He ran to find his play-doh scissors so he could help trim. I love his understanding of language and it is fun to have the reminder of how many ways we use words that sound the same but mean something completely different.

This year Will gets Christmas! It is so fun to watch him get excited about the holiday. We are going to see Santa today and Will has asked that I tell Santa what he wants - a hippopotamus and a reindeer. He isn't interested in talking to him directly, and I am not sure how well he will do on his lap. We will find out in a few hours!

Dad holding Will up to trim!

Katie sitting by our tree so no one else gets it!

not crawling yet...but close!

more trimming... this time with ornaments and not scissors

he loves the jingle bells

Closer to crawling

2011-11-30T12:58:00.000-08:00

We spent Thanksgiving in Austin this year and luckily this meant we also got 2 thanksgiving dinners! We had thanksgiving lunch at the Kerrs and dinner at the Forsbergs. It was Katie and Andrew's first thanksgiving, and Lovey and Granddad are just so smitten with these two and of course with Will. It was great to have them all together.

During our stay with Ahma and Bapa, Katie got a little closer to crawling as you can see here. She has one leg out (just like Will crawled) but she cant seem to figure out what to do with the other leg. Usually it results in her laying on her belly but I am curious if one day she will crawl.

I just couldn't stop taking pictures of her with the beautiful natural light. Her eyes just seem to sparkle!

Will's Christmas List for Santa

2011-11-21T14:44:00.000-08:00

Will was going to ask Santa for 2 things: a school bus and a frisbee. Will had a school bus and it broke, and we lost his frisbee about 6 months ago. This was going to be the easiest Santa shopping ever - and he was going to be thrilled.

I immediately ordered a school bus from Amazon, and I was just going to grab a frisbee at the toy store before Christmas.

We get a ton of Amazon boxes at this house. Forgetting what could be in the box, I opened the school bus almost in front of him. I quickly hid it behind some things so he couldn't see it.

And then I forgot about it.

A few days later, Will found it! He was so thrilled that he had a new school bus!  I was so bummed that I forgot to hide it - it was going to be such a fun thing for him to open on Christmas. Oh well, at least I had the frisbee.

Then on Saturday, he found the missing frisbee! It had been hiding behind a plant in our room for no less than 6 months.  He was thrilled to find it! I was a little less excited.

So I asked Will what he would ask Santa to bring him for Christmas now that he had a new school bus and since he found his frisbee.  His answer - "a reindeer!"

Oh dear.

Will she crawl?

2011-11-18T09:15:00.000-08:00

I am so curious if Katie will crawl. She sits with her feet together and when she leans over, her feet stay in front instead of kicking out behind her. She can bounce her way where she wants to go and she loves to stand but if you put her in the crawling position, she very clearly lets you know she doesn't like it.

Katie sleeps on her back with her hands behind her head and she doesn't move all night long! She only moves once she wakes up in the morning and plays with her toys. Our pediatrician mentioned that fewer babies crawl now that babies are sleeping on their back. I wonder if she will be one that skips right to walking...

Katie loves to take out her bow - she always does it just this way which I find adorable even though I so want her to keep it in.

Quotable Will

2011-11-18T08:17:00.000-08:00

Will and I were finding all his toys that live in the ocean. He got them all but the crab. So I asked him "When does the crab live?" Will replied "Central Market."

Will had a cough, and Katie started coughing too. I said "Will, you gave Katie your cough!" He replied, "No, she has her own cough." True!

Bath Time

2011-11-17T15:42:00.000-08:00

I just love bath time for these two littles. Will comes home from the park and is excited about his bubble bath and as soon as Katie hears the water, she starts kicking her feet and bouncing.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-15T13:07:00.000-08:00

I love November in that I usually do spend some time reflecting on all the things I am thankful for. There is no way to list them all, but each day I am reminded of how wonderful life is. I think having small kids helps me enjoy the moment - the little things. We get excited when we see a snail, the UPS truck, a newly put up Christmas tree. Going to the store is exciting as is getting clean blankies of the dryer. It is wonderful getting to see life through the eyes of a child. For that, I am truly thankful.

Here are some other things on my gratitude list...

I am thankful for kids who fall asleep in the car after a fun trip to the aquarium with their dad.

I am thankful to have a little girl, and to see how Chad interacts with her and how both of their faces light up when they see each other. I am also thankful that Chad has no problem with the amount of clothes I buy for her!

I am so thankful for Katie is a healthy little girl. Her smile melts my heart and I love her blooming personality. She lets us know what she wants, but she mostly just goes with the flow. She is really social, loves to be around people, and loves to eat when others are eating. I also love that her first word was Mama.

I love her eyes...

And I love her hair! I also love this darling dress we are borrowing from my best friend Amye.

I love that Will and Katie have each other. I love that Will asks where Katie is when she isn't with us and that he can make her laugh so easily. I love that she looks for him when she is getting ready for bed and doesn't fall asleep easily until they have played together for a little bit. It has become our routine.

I love that she isn't mobile which allows me to take so many pictures of her!

I love that Will has a best friend. They are so happy playing together. They are like two peas in a pod. When one of them is at the park and the other isn't, Loli says they seem a little lost. They make each other laugh and play well together. When we are at the store, Will always wants to get something for Armando. Armando is always asking about Will as well. I love that they are always thinking of each other. I hope he continues to have friendships like this in his life!

I love that Will wants to be outside all the time. That he will dig in the dirt looking for treasures or rolly pollys. I love that he hasn't met a stranger, that he can get most people to do whatever he wants. He has a charm about him, a sweetness in the way he asks for things. I am so proud to be his mama!

Will

2011-11-05T19:11:00.000-07:00

It is getting so hard to take this little guy's picture! When I have my camera (which is most of the time) he will avoid looking at me. When he finally does, he will squint his eyes tightly together and say cheese.

Here are my attempts today...

ready?

cheese!

After I told Will he can open his eyes and smile:

I asked him to not look scared:

goal tending

he always smiles in the firetruck!

9 months old!

2011-11-02T12:43:00.000-07:00

Katie is 9 months old! Time is flying by, but we are loving every single minute. Each month gets better and better, and while I would love to freeze time, I also look forward to all the upcoming stages.

This month Katie:

* weighs 20.5 lbs (80th%)

* is 28 inches tall (70th%)

* head is 85%

* scoots around but isn't crawling

* shrieks when she hears her brother laugh

* loves to swing

* eats everything! so far, she hasn't tried anything she hasn't liked.

* makes our family complete!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T07:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween! This was our halloween card this year - pictures and design by Angie Weedon!

Matching Mohawks

2011-10-27T16:07:00.000-07:00

Katie and Will take baths together everyday after their trip the park. Recently we have gotten into bubble baths and hairdos. Today's special was a mohawk.

Katie's First Lollipop

2011-10-27T13:39:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure Will did not have a lollipop this early in life. Our little toothless Katie loved it!

Manatee!

2011-10-27T12:02:00.000-07:00

Most weekends Will and Chad go to the Dallas Aquarium. Will knows the lay of the land and switches his favorite animal from the manatee to the crocodile on a regular basis.

This week the manatee was his favorite.

(Chad took this picture with his iPhone 4S. The picture quality is really amazing!)

My 'Nastics

2011-10-26T12:17:00.000-07:00

That is what Will calls gymnastics - "my nastics". He loves it! The teacher is Coach Nick and he is just fabulous. We look forward to this class all week, and this week we were thrilled to see my friend Amy and her girls Emery Kate and Molly, there as well! I am excited they will be joining our class so we can see them more often. EK and Will are the same age, and Molly and Katie are the same age so they are our perfect playdate!

Emery getting some air

Will on the rope swing

On the slide

Jumping into the pit

He LOVES the pit!

Waiting for Pancakes

2011-10-24T07:54:00.000-07:00

Mom's Group Third Annual Costumes at the Park

2011-10-23T19:51:00.000-07:00

Our mom's group gets together every year for our annual halloween picture with the kids in costume. This is our third year to get together, and it was a huge hit. We all brought some snacks as well as some candy for the kids so we had a picnic and then a candy finding frenzy. Will and Katie both had a blast.

2010 Picture (note the empty chair)

2011 Picture (empty chair again!)

Will and the ladies

Dino Andrew

Minnie Mouse Caroline

Snow White Lila

Gwennie

Raggedy Ann McLain

Katie and Will

Shark at play

Profile shot

I love this one because you can really see the color of his eyes

Bubble Baths

2011-10-23T18:51:00.000-07:00

We have recently gotten into giving the kids a bubble bath. It is a huge hit with Will! He loves to take a bath regardless so the bubbles have made it even more fun. Katie loves whatever Will loves, so she shrieks with delight during bath time.

Will decided the pirates from his water table also needed a bath, so we made a bubble bath outside today. I think he used a whole bottle of palmolive on them so they should be squeaky clean.

Testing the waters for the pirates

Loading them up with soap

making "ice cream" for the pirates

he thought it was hilarious

Day at the State Fair

2011-10-19T14:36:00.000-07:00

We took Will to the State Fair yesterday while Katie spent the day with Loli. I have been to the State Fair a few times before, but honestly no prior visits were anywhere near as fun as our experience yesterday. Will just loved the fair!

We took the DART train to Fair Park which truly was a highlight in it of itself. He loved being on the train and changing trains. I think we could just ride the trains one day and he would be thrilled.

At the fair, he loved the "Little Hands on the Farm" exhibit where he got to help. He fed (fake) hens, delivered food by driving a John Deere tractor, milked a (fake) cow, and planted seeds. In the end, he got a (fake) dollar to spend at the store where he got a bag of Cheetos. He was in heaven.

He also loved riding on the rides at Kidville. Kidville rides are not meant for 5'11" moms and 6'1" dads, but we pretzeled our legs in there and rode with him. He loved it and would have ridden all day if he could have.

Luckily, we lured him away with the petting zoo. They had the cutest baby animals there - donkeys, camels, goats, chicks, alpaca, etc. We fed them all!

We took the train back home and Will was exhausted. He is still talking about the fair today and he tells everyone about Big Tex. I think our trip to the fair will be an annual tradition!

Chad and Will and Big Tex's boots

Planting seeds

This boy loves a tractor!

Delivering food to the cows

He looks like a natural

Riding the airplanes with his dad

I'm not sure who is having more fun here

Riding the cars with his mama

Onto the whales...

Feeding a baby camel

Feeding the goats

DART train back home

Swim Lessons

2011-10-19T12:29:00.000-07:00

Will has been taking swim lessons weekly for about 4 months. He loves going on Saturdays with his dad - he really loves the water!

My dad went with Will and Chad to swim last weekend and got some great pictures. I love seeing his big smiles.

Smile!

2011-10-14T10:20:00.000-07:00

Will's new thing is to make this face when I say "smile". He let me know that this is also how he sleeps.

Sometimes it just works better to catch him at play

or climbing a tree

Sidewalk Chalk

2011-10-13T14:54:00.000-07:00

Blue Eyes

2011-10-07T14:04:00.000-07:00

I can't get enough of Katie's eyes. We spend a lot of time in our backyard/deck, and her eyes are just this perfect shade of blue - you can see it so well with the natural light. Her eyes and her smile melt my heart... I am just so in love with her!

Katie says Mama

2011-10-07T06:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I could hear Katie making some noise as she woke up from her nap. I turned on the monitor and watched her playing with Alice and saying "Mama" over and over. It was darling. Since then, she will go into little "Mama" chants like this one that I caught on video.

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-06T14:48:00.000-07:00

I just couldn't wait to take the kids to the pumpkin patch! I saw my friend Mindee on Tuesday and her daughter goes to St James. She said the pumpkin patch was opened, and so we headed right over! It took Katie a little while to warm up to the pumpkins, but Will quickly remembered the drill and was pulling a wagon through the patch like a pro. We will definitely be going back a few more times!

jumping through the patch

trying to pick up a pumpkin

trying to get them both look at me is hard/impossible. Attempt #1

Attempt #2

but luckily, Will thought Katie needed a kiss

Transportation

2011-10-04T10:15:00.000-07:00

In order to get Will's steri-strips on and off, we play doctor's office. I am the doctor, and I set up my office on the side of the bed.

I told Will that before his bath, he would need to go to the doctor. Will replied "Ok, I'll drive over in my car." He pretended to drive over to my office and I took off his strips.

After his bath, I told him he needed to go back to the doctor. He said "choo choo!"

I said "Are you going to the doctor on a train?"

Will replied "Yes, I dont have a car."

My hardest day as a parent yet

2011-10-03T13:17:00.000-07:00

So yesterday started out so great. It was Katie's 8 month birthday and Will turned 2.5. We started the day by playing outside and trying on Will's old sunglasses he found in the garage.

It was a gorgeous day with plans for a visit to the aquarium and likely a park or two. Will loves the grocery store, and we needed to go... so that was the first stop.

We had just returned from a family shopping trip to Central Market. Katie was getting hungry so I brought her inside while Chad and Will brought in the groceries. I put Katie in her bumbo seat on the counter, and I turned to make her a bottle. As I turned back around probably less than a minute later, Katie had twisted herself out of the chair and I saw her fall - face down and horizontal - right to the tile floor. It was the most awful feeling the world to watch her fall and not be able to get to her in time.

I swooped her up and consoled her while yelling for Chad. She was crying but wasn't inconsolable. I was able to calm her down, but I was a wreck. Will has probably never seen me cry, and he told me it was going to be ok. Katie would go to the doctor.

Chad took Will to our neighbors house. Our neighbor Tara has three kids of her own, but she took Will in with open arms so she had four kids for the day. I'm pretty sure she will be sainted.

We then called 911. I needed someone to tell me it was ok for me to drive her to the ED. I was worried that I would be sitting next to her and her eyes might roll back in her head or something while we were in route. The paramedics were great and Katie gave them lots of big smiles. They told us she was likely ok, but recommended she get checked out. So off we went to Childrens.

We had a fantastic experience at Childrens. Everyone was wonderful to us. My sister met us there and stayed with us while they checked Katie and observed her for a few hours. The only thing different about her was that she really didn't like to be on her back. I knew she was tired and figured that was why, but there is still a little voice that tells you it might a result of her fall. The doctor ordered a CT scan which took less than 2 minutes. I'm sure it was a terrifying 2 minutes for Katie as she was all bundled and taped to a table. I had to hold her chin so she didn't move her head and Chad and I sang to her. It was over quickly and most importantly the results came back clear. She had no injury.

We were discharged and came home. I went to get Will over at Tara's house. He had a great day playing and attending his first lacrosse game. The very first thing he said to me was "Is Katie ok?" I told him she was and then he said "Mommy, I love you." Poor guy - I think it must have been a little hard to see me crying earlier in the day. Tara sent us home with a delicious dinner. (Yes, she took care for four kids AND made us dinner AND washed Will's shirt. Fabulous friend. Total saint.)

I was exhausted and we definitely loved on the kids a little more than usual. We were all in Will's bed reading books and playing. Will got up to get another book, fell and busted his chin open on the foot board. (The sound of a chin hitting wood is awful by the way. Probably not as bad as the sound of Katie hitting the floor, but I didn't hear it as I was already yelling for Chad.) He was bleeding, and crying...then coughing. The combo of crying and coughing caused him to throw up as well. So we got him all cleaned up and I had him hold his boppy (his blankie) on his chin to apply some pressure since he wouldn't let me hold a washcloth on it. I really didn't want to go back to the hospital (the doc in the box was already closed). It almost stopped bleeding and I figured we could put a band aid on it when I realized it might need a little more. I texted Tara and next thing I knew she was ringing out doorbell with steri-strips. Chad went to the store to get a few more, and got Will all bandaged up for the night.

What a day.

Luckily everyone is ok. It was definitely the hardest day I have had as a parent. Katie's fall alone qualified, but then poor Will and his chin tipped the scales. I have a feeling that we will need more steri-strips in coming months and years, but hopefully we won't have to experience the great care at Childrens again.

Right now I am most thankful for the resilience of kids. Katie and Will were both in great spirits soon after their injuries, but watching your children get hurt is just awful. I am recovering from Katie's injury much slower than she is. This was my first experience, and since I am sure they will get injured again, I hope it continues to be harder on me than on them.

Will and his bandaged chin

Katie is 8 months old!

2011-10-02T18:55:00.000-07:00

Katie is 8 months old today. She is just so fun and such a happy baby. This month she:

* said Mama and Aqua

* learned to clap. She claps as a pavlovain reponse every time she hear Patty Cake.

* developed her pincer grip so now she can pick up puffs and eat them

* continues to love to eat. She isn't picky at all.

* when she takes a bottle, she drinks between 6-8oz.

* had her first ED visit. More on that tomorrow...

The Bulldozer

2011-10-01T19:31:00.000-07:00

There is a new house going up down the street. They have been working on it for almost 8 months and we have watched every stage. The demolition was great, and then Will loved watching the trucks crush everything. Soon it was just piles of dirt - another favorite phase. For a long time they have been building and there hasn't been much excitement for a 2.5 year old...until this week.

They brought in a small bulldozer to move new dirt around for landscaping, etc. It has been there almost all week and they leave it behind the house some nights. Will knows the different bulldozers - one has some cardboard on the seat, one had a Dr Pepper box in it, and today's was the nicest by far - no trash! We go and check on it every morning and every evening. I let Will sit in it - I am pretty sure this is Will's idea of heaven. He likes me to stand in the scoop and then he acts like he is scooping me up. It's actually really fun for me as well - I love his imagination.

William Kerr Forsberg

2011-09-30T15:22:00.000-07:00

I just love the way he says Forsberg. Looks like I need to work with him on the Kerr front.

Tennis!

2011-09-30T14:27:00.000-07:00

Will started his tennis lessons yesterday. I'm not sure who had more fun - me or him. He is taking lessons with his buddy Armando and two other kiddos - Savannah and Brooks. Brooks wasnt there today, so it was 3 toddlers with Coach Matt.

Coach Matt is awesome. He is fabulous with the kids. Will got the hang of it pretty quickly and hit a few balls over the net. I hope I can go to most of his lessons - it is a great break from my work day.

Picking his racket

Learning the grips

His first assisted hit

it actually went over the net!

slice!

on the move

check him out!

future ball boy

he just needs the US Open uniform!

ball pickup

putting all the balls away

running through the hoops

time to go!

Mama and Aqua

2011-09-26T09:34:00.000-07:00

This little girl said "Mama"! I missed it, but I think that is actually better because it makes it more believable. Bill and Becky graciously watched the kids this weekend while Chad and I went to Vegas. Katie said "Mama!" and Bill and Becky both heard it. I like to think Katie missed me, looked around the room for me and called my name.

Katie also says "aqua". Loli was asking her in Spanish if she wanted water, and I heard Katie repeat "aqua" no less than 3x today.

These are officially her first words!

Katie Claps!

2011-09-26T09:25:00.000-07:00

Katie is clapping up a storm these days. She just mastered her skill over the weekend, and she claps all the time now.

(For those of you who know Maggie, that little black patch on her back is from some surgery she had a few weeks ago. She had to have her adrenal gland removed, so the patch was where they had her epidural. She is doing great and is totally back to her old self.)

today was a big day - there was hair to actually pull back to a bow!

Katie claps before bedtime...

Will this week

2011-09-21T10:39:00.000-07:00

Our house is no longer baby proofed. Will figured out how to open all the cabinets and draws that were baby proofed almost 2 years ago. Today he opened up the cabinet with all the cleaning supplies, took out the windex and he wanted to clean the floor. Looks like it might be time to relocate those goods.

At a party recently, he loaded up a nerf gun, looked at me and said "I want to shoot somebody." There is something hilarious about watching a little almost 2.5 year old say this. I assume this is in the boy DNA. He loves to watch me and Chad fall over when he fake shoots us, so I guess we have encouraged it.

I went to Chicago last weekend to celebrate my friend Demi who is having a baby girl in December. When I came home, Will gave me a big hug and said "I love you Mommy. I missed you." Totally made my heart melt, and it made me never want to leave him again but also made me want to leave him again so I can hear those sweet words!

The Snuggle In

2011-09-14T15:20:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of how Katie sleeps. She always has her hands behind her head, but to get into position she does what we call the "snuggle in." I finally caught it on video!

Girls Weekend

2011-09-13T07:51:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Katie and I stayed in Dallas while Will and Chad went to Austin for the UT BYU game. Chad was so excited to take Will to a game and have Will hear all the fans sing the Eyes of Texas together. Chad sings it to Will every night - he has Will put his horns up (which means Will puts one finger in the air) and they sing together. They met Bevo and had a blast. I think the image of Will with his backpack on walking away from the car towards the airport while holding Chad's hand in forever etched in my memory. It was so cute to see them off for their first boys weekend.

Katie and I had a great time together - it was so special for me to get some one-on-one time with her. We had our first park playdate with Cousin Andrew, and then went for a walk in the cold (64 degrees!) on Saturday morning, met a friend of lunch, and then visited Andrew and his parents in the afternoon. Katie and I went to church on Sunday morning for the 9/11 service. We did a lot with our 48 hours, but really the best times were the times we spend lying on the floor in her room playing or the time we spent swinging the park. It was great to give her my full attention - something that probably hasn't happened since my maternity leave.

My only complaint is that our house was SO quiet. It made me realize that Will and I are in constant communication with each other - we are always talking about something. With him gone, I found myself turning on music or the TV for some background noise. The quiet was a good trade off to really spend time loving on Katie, but I was also so glad when our family of four was back together.

Game Day

2011-09-06T19:23:00.000-07:00

It was so fun on Saturday to wake up and put the kids in their game day clothes. We made the pilgramage to the Co-Op a few weekends ago to get everyone something to wear for the games. I am hoping this will be an annual tradition.

The irony of this first game was that we could not watch it! U-verse does not carry the Longhorn Network, so we had to hear about the Texas-Rice score from the internet.

The good news is that Will is going to experience a Longhorn game in person next weekend! He and Chad are flying down to Austin for the game. I am looking forward to a girls weekend here with Katie. I have no idea what we are going to do, but it will likely involve quite a bit of R&R. I am also hoping to make this an annual tradition as well!

7 months old!

2011-09-02T07:58:00.000-07:00

Katie is 7 months old today! I forgot how much I loved the baby stages. We are having so much fun with Katie - she is such a sweet and content little baby who loves to be held and bounced.

This month Kaite:

* enjoyed standing at the coffee table with help. She can stand on her own while holding on for a few seconds.

* ate all sorts of things. If you are eating around her, she wants what you have. She has some of my shake every morning (strawberry or mango with yogurt, almonds, and bananas), she has tried a chick-fil-a nugget, nilla wafers, banana bread, and more. She eats pureed baby food 2x a day and hasn't tried anything she didn't like.

* Sleeps from 8p-7a. Takes 2 cat naps in the morning (about an hour each) and then naps for 2-3 hours in the afternoon.

* Loves her time at the park. When Loli puts her in the stroller, she is ready to go. If Loli waits too long, Katie lets her know it is time to go!

* Loves Maggie. She loves to pet her and even enjoys just watching her.

* Can play in her exersaucer for up to 45 minutes and stays completely entertained!

* Played in the sandbox with Will

* Can go from sitting to her tummy

* Has no teeth, but the teething has begun!

Sunday School

2011-08-29T08:04:00.000-07:00

This is Katie on Sunday before she went to Sunday School. Katie is an easy baby so Sunday School seemed like it would be really easy for us. Well, last week when we picked her up, she was crying because she had seen other moms come and get their babies before her. This Sunday she was crying because all the other babies had bottles and she didn't. I don't even think she was hungry but I think she just wanted what the other babies had.

It's funny how much they can pick up on at just 6 months of age. Next week I am packing some baby food for her to eat when the other babies take a bottle and we will plan to leave church a few minutes early so she isn't the last baby in the nursery.

Will however seems to really like Sunday School. This is huge for us since he always cried when he went to the nursery. When we went to pick him up from his first week of Sunday School he was busy playing and didn't see us. This week I asked him what he learned in Sunday School and he really didn't give an answer. Later in the day he was playing and out of the blue he threw his hands up and said "amen!" That must have been what he learned! It will be fun to see what all he learns this year as this is his first real structured learning experience.

Tools

2011-08-29T07:44:00.000-07:00

Will loves playing with Chads toolbox. He really enjoys looking at all the tools. He knows most of their names and when he says "wrench" it really sounds more like "ranch". Although I want him to say things correctly, I will be sad when he actually does!

Will loves the drill and magnetic screw drivers. These are his favorites. We also have a glue gun. When I told Will the name, he picked it up and made shooting noises. I guess it is in little boy DNA because neither Chad or I have exposed him to anything gun related.

Cousin Andrew!

2011-08-23T14:48:00.000-07:00

We are SO excited to welcome cousin Andrew to the world! He was born 8/22 at 4:06pm, 6lbs 14ozs and measuring 19.75 inches long. He is so cute and sleepy right now - I just cannot hold him enough! I am so thrilled that my kids will grow up with their cousin - what a treat!

Andrew and his mama

Daddy Chuck

Proud Aunt!

Smitten Lovey

Getting checked out in the nursery

Andrew meets baby whisperer, Uncle Chad

With Granddad

Isn't he perfect?

Princess

2011-08-21T19:20:00.000-07:00

Today I was getting Katie dressed for church, and Will looked at her and said "Mommy, Katie looks like a princess!"

I don't know if he even knows that that means, but it made my heart melt. So sweet!

(By the way, Katie did not wear this tutu to church. I didn't take a single picture today, so I had to look in the archives.)

Little Fish

2011-08-21T19:03:00.000-07:00

Chad has been taking Will to swim lessons all summer - every Saturday morning. In all, he has probably been to 8 or 9 lessons and I am amazed at what a difference it has made!

First of all, Will loves his swim lessons. We sing his swim songs all week and we talk about all the girls in his class. He often wakes up on Sunday mornings and asks if he can go to swim lessons again but usually settles for Central Market instead.

Chad had mentioned how great he had been doing in the water and how he just loved to jump in and swim underwater. I have heard this for weeks, but I just took him to the pool for the first time in probably 5 weeks and WOW - I was amazed at my water baby. He gets in and out of the pool easily, has no fear jumping in, and loves to go underwater. He would tell me "I'm going under water!" and the he would just go under and stay for a few seconds. He would swim underwater to the area when he would jump, and then once he jumped in, he would swim underwater to me.

We have been really pleased with Emler and Will is excited to be enrolled in the next level of class. When I told him that Chad would not be getting in the water for the class, his response was "he will be dry." Not at all what I expected as a response, but so true!

One of the best parts about the pool - other people's toys!

Jumping in

Going under water

More under water

Watering his toes

Jumping in - with the teapot!

splash!

Expressions

2011-08-19T13:05:00.000-07:00

Katie is one expressive little girl. Within 15 clicks, I captured all of these different faces!

Baby Katie

2011-08-16T19:36:00.000-07:00

I've struggled a bit recently with the fact that Katie is already 6m old. It was different with Will. I watched him grow every inch and I watched him change day to day. I watched him wake up and I watched him fall asleep. I had nothing else in the world to do at night but to watch him sleeping on the monitor. He was my world, and while time went quickly, I was watching every minute.

With Katie, life is busier. I am busy talking to Will and watching him as he loves to climb, play with tools, and ride his scooter around the house. At night I am tired and I often just watch some mindless TV before taking a shower and hopping into bed. I often don't turn on the monitor after the kids are asleep. I don't make it down the hall each night to see Katie sleeping in her crib.

I guess it is the difference between life with 1 baby and life with 2. I wouldn't trade it for the world and in many ways I can't remember life without her. For now, I am taking every moment I can with Katie to enjoy her babiness. Luckily Will is napping late these days so I have had at least an hour a day with her alone to soak in all of her. She is such a sweet and precious little girl and I never want to forgot her as she is today.

Laughing Katie

2011-08-15T13:56:00.000-07:00

She only laughs when you REALLY rock her! I think she will ride roller coasters!

Buried feet

2011-08-15T12:58:00.000-07:00

Katie had her first adventure in the sandbox this weekend. Will really enjoyed burying her feet, and Katie watched and seemed to enjoy the experience. Luckily she didn't try to eat any sand, but she did enjoy playing with it!

Katie and her buried foot

More Alice

2011-08-15T06:58:00.000-07:00

I forgot how much I loved the baby stages. Katie is 6m old, and we are just having a blast with her. She smiles, giggles, and squeals so much - she can't help but bring a smile to my face all the time. I want to just eat her up.

She is still loving her Alice. I can't help but take pictures of her with her doll - it is just too cute!

Dallas World Aquarium

2011-08-15T06:15:00.000-07:00

Chad joined the aquarium a few weeks ago after going one weekend with Will to escape the heat. Will and Chad have gone every weekend ever since. This weekend Katie and I joined them, and it was really fun. Will knows his way around really well. We were walking by something that looked like nothing, and Will points and says "Turtles!" Sure enough, if you lean over and crook your head to the left, you can see turtles. I think he and Chad have probably seen every single animal that lives there.

Speaking of, if you ever go, I should warn you that the crocodiles are so large they almost don't look real. I have never seen a crocodile so big in my life!

checking out the river otters

Katie doing some stretches

checking out the stingrays

Meet Alice

2011-08-12T05:52:00.000-07:00

I found this darling doll, Alice, for Katie online at BlaBla Kids and I had to get it for her. Will has their Hercules the Elephant, and so I knew how soft these dolls are. I was so happy that Katie loved this doll from the minute it arrived. She played with it as soon as we opened the box, slept with it in her crib, and when I peeked at the monitor to see if she was awake, I saw her playing with Alice.

I loved my doll as a kid. I mean loved. I didn't want to open my Christmas presents until I had fed my doll Ashley. In Christmas videos, you can see Kathleen opening presents and then there is me sitting in a little chair in my red robe feeding my baby.

My doll Ashley got some much love that my dad had to tape her legs back on as they would fall off from so much play. I am pretty sure she is tucked away in a box in my parents attic, so during one of my Austin visits I will have to find her.

Things I love about Will right now

2011-08-09T19:54:00.000-07:00

Will likes to measure people's toes. He says "I am going to measure your toes. I'll get my measuring tape." Then he will run (always a run) to the drawer where we keep the measuring tape, come back, "measure" your toes, and then say something like "all clean!"

I'm not 100% sure where this came from - maybe a combination of things. He did have his foot measured at Stride Rite, but that has been a while.

Everything can be fixed with his screwdriver. For example, his crocs broke and he said "I'll go get my screwdriver and fix it!" He then usually breaks into the Bob the Builder song, a favorite at our house.

Another favorite is the ABC song. He loves this song, but if someone else sings it, they are sure to be corrected. In the end, the song goes "Now I know my ABC's...". Will quickly will say "No! They are MY ABC's." The alphabet is not something he shares.

He has recently gotten into hiding. His favorite hiding place is behind the sofa in Katie's room. It is affectionately known to Will as "my hiding place." He loves to hide there, especially if he hears someone coming when we are playing in Katie's room. Chad or Loli will be coming down the hall and Will will say "Daddy/Loli (pronounced Woe-wee) is coming! I am going to hide in my hiding place!" He then runs behind the sofa to hide. Usually when Chad/Loli say "where is Will?", Will replies "I'm hiding in my hiding place!" or he will answer "no" when they guess where he might be.

When we were in Seaside, there was an AWESOME toy store. It was great. Will loved it and loved to play with the cars. They had a great collection that Will displayed on the floor for the other shoppers. Will called the toy store the "toy story." He has never seen Toy Story but I guess he has heard about it? I just loved hearing "I want to go to the Toy Story!"

Will loves to tell you that he'll be right back. "I am going upstairs to get my boppies. I'll be right back." I assume I tell him I will be right back a lot as he tells me this all the time.

Will understands cold, hot and warm. He really misses playing outside, and I guess he is used to me saying it is too hot to play outside. Now he will say "Mommy, let's play outside. It's warm."

We love to take Will to the neighborhood pool. It opens at 10am on Sat and 12p on Sun. On Sundays, he would always think the pool should be open earlier, so we showed him a watch and explained to him what the watch would look like when the pool opened. So now, whenever we see the pool or talk about the pool, Will says "Is the pool open? I need to see your watch."

I also tell him that I miss him when I see him after not seeing him for a bit. When I woke him up from a nap the other day, his first words were "Mommy, I missed you!"

6 months old!

2011-08-02T10:25:00.000-07:00

Katie is 6 months old! Wow, the time has flown by. Everyone says that, and it is just so true. Katie is such a joy - she is a happy and content baby who has the best squeals and giggles. We just adore our every minute with her and love seeing her brother interact with her.

This month Katie:

* weighs 17.5 lbs (75%)

* measures 26.5 inches (75%)

* head measures 43 cm(75%)

* can sit up on her own

* started eating food 2x a day (and so far she has loved everything)

* started eating puffs

* took her first airplane ride

* was baptized on July 31!

Tunnel Love

2011-08-01T14:32:00.000-07:00

Check out this sweet video of Will kissing Katie in his tunnel. He loves for her to get in there with him. The morning started off with him saying "Katie, hurry! Get in the tunnel!" So I placed her in the tunnel and they played.

The video starts with him singing "Go To Sleep" - a song from a Diego episode and then he holds Katie's hands. Next it looks like he is going to take a bite out of her, but it ends with sweet sweet kisses. He just adores her. I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts!

Katie's Baptism

2011-08-01T11:26:00.000-07:00

We baptized Katie this past Sunday at our church - Highland Park United Methodist. It was such a wonderful morning - my parents, my sister and brother-in-law, Chad's parents, grandmother, sister and our nephew all came to the service to see her be baptized. Katie was the only baby being baptized which was extra special. I am not sure I have ever attended a service where only one baby was baptized at our church - there are usually a bunch! So, it was really special to have it all about her.

When the pastor Jim Moore said a little prayer for her, he held her finger and during the prayer Katie decided to start chewing on it. It was cute to watch. When the pastor held her up to see everyone, she just smiled and glowed. Such a sweet welcome to her church family.

Our family

The extended Kerr family! Note, Kathleen is 8+ months pregnant here! She looks fantastic!

with Great Grandma Jo

With Lovey and Granddad

with Ahma and Bapa

Katie and her cake!

She loved the icing! I gave her the pink squiggles and she gobbled them up!

Will enjoying the cake

Guerin loved it!

I missed you Mommy!

2011-07-29T09:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Will woke up from his nap and the first thing he said to me was "I missed you Mommy!" I melted. He has been a little more clingy to me this week - probably due to spending an entire week with me 24x7 last week. He will sit in the room where I work and he'll say "I'll sit with you in the office!" It has been really sweet, but just a little difficult to get back to our routine. Once Loli mentions going to the park, Will usually waves goodbye to me and he is fine.

Sitting Up!

2011-07-24T17:28:00.000-07:00

Katie is sitting up! She had been sitting up for a few seconds - maybe 20 or so - but today she sat up for minutes at a time. She seems to love her new ability even though she isn't smiling in this picture!

Seaside

2011-07-24T15:27:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a wonderful week in Seaside. It was Katie's first flight, and she did great! Will was so excited to fly on an airplane, and luckily the trip there was uneventful.

We rented this house that was just a 2-minute walk from the center of town. It was a cute house (with a fantastic air conditioner!) and the perfect location. We were about a 5 minute walk from the beach. We rented a double stroller (which became our pack mule) so we could just push the kids through town and to the beach. I make it sound easy and it really was with one exception. Chad had to push the stroller up a big sand hill when we were coming back from the beach each day. It was his daily workout. It is hard enough to walk through sand uphill and to push a stroller in sand. Combining the two is crazy!

Will loved the beach! The first day he wasn't sure about the waves, but by the end of the week he would stand in the shallow water and let the waves crash on him. He really loved the sand and loved combining sand and water. He could have done that all day everyday.

Katie was ridiculously amazing. I don't expect a baby to be this good, but she just rolled with whatever we were doing each day. She slept at the beach or just watched everyone play. She sat in a bumbo seat on the table at lunch or dinner. She really enjoyed the trip and loved laughing with her cousin Guerin.

Seaside is such a cute small town and we will definitely be returning! We are already scouting out houses for next year. We would love to make it an annual trip. I can picture that when the kids are older we could stay a few blocks away and rent bikes and bike to the beach, etc. I can see us all hanging out on Friday at movie night at the amplitheater. I think it will be a great summer get away for years to come.

We loved the local toy store - Duckies. Will called the toy store the "toy story" all week. We went in a few times and he would just play with all the cars. Will and I both loved the Pizza Bar and Will was the biggest fan of the frozen lemonade from the snow cone air stream trailer. Chad and I loved Bud and Alley's and we will definitely be returning there every year!

So, I took LOTS of pictures. I won't mention any numbers because it is ridiculous, but it was just such a picture perfect trip. Here are some of my favorites.

Will and his dad

Will and his cousin Guerin

Chad, Bapa and Will

Katie dips her toes in the water

Will loved getting water from the ocean and pouring it in the sand

ring toss with an excellent follow through!

sandy

sunbathing

Will and Guerin building a sand castle with Ahma

The sand hill down to the water

He stole my hat!

building a sand castle with dad

snorkeling

Will and Guerin at the beach

katie and dad

sand castle consultation

hat shopping

at the toy store which Will called the toy story

Will loved this shovel

Loving the beach

Feeding his shark sand

Will holding up his beach chair reservation

Sandy boys

Newspaper Reader

2011-07-14T15:42:00.000-07:00

Baby Girl clothes

2011-07-14T15:37:00.000-07:00

I just love having a baby. I also love that the baby is a girl. Not that boys aren't fantastic, but the girl clothes are just so adorable. I have way too much fun shopping for her. Will is at the age where they no longer make the little boy clothes that I find adorable. The days of jon jons and longalls are quickly coming to an end, and we are moving into the endless stage of tshirts and shorts. I am so excited to have a little girl since the cute girl things do not have an age limit!

love that you can see her blonde hair here

i love the toothless smile!

Blurry

2011-07-11T20:06:00.000-07:00

Oh of all the pictures I have that are blurry, I wish it wasn't this one! This weekend, I had my ISO set for being outside in the bright sun while at a very fun birthday party, and then I took this shot under a covered area without changing the camera setting. Argh.

Will's eyes are as green as Katie's are blue

sweet little kisses

7-11 on 7/11

2011-07-11T19:54:00.000-07:00

With it being 7/11 today, we thought it was the perfect day to introduce Will to the Slurpee. It was an added bonus that all small slurpees are free on 7/11.

When Will got up from his nap, he got on his scooter and we put Katie in the stroller and headed out. We took the double stroller as we knew Will would abandon his scooter when he had the option for the Slurpee. It was perfect and I think Katie enjoyed the company on the walk home.

The Slurpee introduction was a success! It was the perfect treat after taking a walk in the 100+ degree heat!

Walking to 7-11

Slurpee Heaven

Will's First (non-family member given) Haircut

2011-07-11T19:44:00.000-07:00

Will got his first "real" haircut today. His hair has gotten so much fuller that it is tricky for me to cut these days.

He loved Snip Its. I mean LOVED. He consumed 6-8 Dum Dums while getting his hair cut, and then when the hair cut was over, he wanted to stay there and play.

And here I was all worried that he would hate it!

4th of July

2011-07-05T19:09:00.000-07:00

We had a great 4th of July weekend in Austin! We headed down on Friday afternoon, and aside from visiting my best friend from high school, Regan, and his family, we didn't do much at all! It was nice and relaxing. Will had a great time playing on the playground at Ahma and Bapa's house, playing in the fort with Bapa, swimming, finding daddy long legs and riding a spiderman scooter throughout the house while Katie enjoyed playing in the exersaucer and just being with everyone.

It is so fun to see how much Will loves Ahma and Bapa. He woke up every morning asking for them and he always wanted them to play with him. While we were driving back to Dallas, he kept saying how he wanted to go back to Ahma's house. We will definitely be heading back again this summer.

on the swings

collecting rocks

down the slide with dad

plotting their day

bear hug

rolling down the hill

blue eyes

checking out the exersaucer

5 Months Old!

2011-07-05T11:56:00.000-07:00

Katie is 5 months old! She is such a delight and we are truly enjoying every minute. She is such a happy and social baby - she loves to interact and is really smiley. The time is flying by, and it truly is bittersweet. As she is the last baby we will have, I wish it would go a little slower. However, we are really enjoying every minute.

This month Katie:

* started solid foods. She has had bananas, carrots, peas, squash, apples and pears. We thicken it with rice cereal when needed. She loves to eat and does really well eating off a spoon.

* started going to bed earlier! The earliest I have put her in her crib is 7:30pm. She is still sleeping until 7:30-8:30am.

* really started talking/shrieking

* is very social and wants to be where ever we are.

* is eating 6-7oz when taking a bottle

The Boy with the Golden Hair (and bug zoo)

2011-06-30T15:37:00.000-07:00

Loli's nephew calls Will the boy with the golden hair. As soon as I saw this picture that totally came to mind. The boy with the golden hair is actively taking care of rolly polly bugs. We find 2-4 a day, put them in the bug zoo (courtesy of Aunt Leen), then fill the zoo with as much grass as Will can pull and a piece of raisin bread.

The rolly pollies do like raisin bread. Good thing since 2 of them usually get an entire slice to share.

Adding grass

Pointing to the rolly polly bug - poor thing is buried in the grass

Using bug tweezers to pick them up

The Scooter

2011-06-28T13:10:00.000-07:00

Will got this scooter for Christmas from Ahma and Bapa and this past week he has been riding it all the time. When we were getting ready to go the store, I had to run back inside to get something, and Will asked if I would also get his scooter. I thought about it as it would be hilarious to see him ride a scooter through Central Market, but I think I prefer him contained in the cart for now.

He can really go pretty fast on the scooter which he loves, but it also makes it so apparent that is be really becoming a little boy. It's wonderful and a little sad at the same time. I just love him as he is, and although each day seems to even better, it is sometimes hard to not want him to stay just the way he is today.

Riding his scooter with a stick

Stopping at Armando's house to see if he is home. I think he looks a lot older than 2 in this picture.

Off he goes

Taking a break to look for rolly polly bugs

Little Painter

2011-06-28T12:50:00.000-07:00

In recent posts, it seems like Will is getting less press. No worries, I am still madly in love with him as well, but currently he is not interested in photos. He is much more interested in jumping and climbing, and it is a little tough to hold Katie, manage him AND get some pictures... but I am working on it! He is hilarious these days with his favorite phrase now being "I know how to do it!" He knows how to paint as seen here painting Aunt Leen and Uncle Chuck's wall. Apparently, he even knows how to drive my car.

The other thing he says that I just adore is "it feels better." If he falls, etc. once you kiss his hurt spot, he will say "I feel better" or "it feels better". When I get bitten by mosquitoes (which happens way too often), he will say "I kiss it!" and after he does, he will tell me that it feels better. And it actually does.

Her Serious Side

2011-06-28T12:41:00.000-07:00

I like to think this is Katie's face when she wants to let us know she means business. She looks so serious and yet so perfect. I just adore those big blue eyes, button nose and sweet beautiful lips. Her cheeks are so kissable!

I am so deeply and madly in love with her!

Maggie

2011-06-27T09:26:00.000-07:00

People always ask what the best things for babies are. Typically they are looking for your favorite swaddle, baby monitor, etc. However, I would have to answer that the best thing for a baby is a dog.

Maggie is total entertainment for Katie. She always smiles when she sees Maggie and she could sit and watch her for long periods of time.

Additionally, Maggie cleans up everything a baby drops on the floor. I mean EVERYTHING. So really, it is a great thing for the parent as well. No need for a splat mat!

Will still loves Maggie. He likes to take her for walks inside the house and out, and just likes to have her around. When she isn't around, he will ask about her.

Here is Will laughing at Maggie at the same age as Katie is now - almost 5 months old!

Blue Eyes

2011-06-27T09:19:00.000-07:00

Katie has these dreamy blue eyes. They are such a pretty blue just like her Daddy's and I am really hoping they stay.

I have a feeling (or maybe I'm just hopeful?) that they will stay because they are so sensitive to sun light. When she is outside - even if she isn't facing the sun - and it is bright, she sneezes.

Will had blue eyes at this age - his turned around 6 months - but he didn't sneeze in the sun. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Daddy's Girl

2011-06-22T12:55:00.000-07:00

Chad and Katie have really bonded. Chad is just so in love with his baby girl - it is so fun to watch. Yesterday he was holding her in his lap having her do some P90X Kenpo punches and she was loving it. I took these cute pictures of her from over Chad's shoulder.

I am super close to my dad and I hope that Chad and Katie can have a similar relationship. There is something so special about the bond between a father and daughter.

Frozen Wemonade

2011-06-22T12:31:00.000-07:00

Will cannot pronounce his L's so we enjoy his requests for Frozen Wemonade. He calls Loli "WoeWe" and my mom "Wuvey" instead of Lovey. I love it, and while I want him to be able to say his L's, I will be sad when he actually does.

Frozen Wemonade is the new flavor ice for Will. He wants it all the time and cannot seem to get enough. It is the best way for me to get pictures of him smiling.

Swimsuit Season

2011-06-22T10:52:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year where it is time to try on swimsuits - especially since we are going to the beach this summer. While I hate this process, I am thoroughly enjoying taking Katie through it for the first time. We have a ridiculous number of swimsuits for her, so this morning I thought I would try on the first round to see how they fit.

I bought this bikini as a gift for a friend's daughter, but I decided to keep it in case we had a little girl. I'm glad I did because she looks adorable in it!

She loves her feet!

Lobster!

Cherries