Bock a Rye

Here we see Katie carrying one of her baby dolls around saying, "bock a rye."

What is that? Anyone have a guess?
I was totally confused.  Then, I realized she wasn't just saying, "bock a rye" rather singing "bock a rye" to her baby doll and rocking it back and forth. Ok, now I had an idea...

Did you guess Rock A Bye??  You are correct!!!  How cute.  She was singing & rocking her baby doll.  I loved seeing her act out being a mommy.

These are the little memories of my precious little ones that I want to keep.  These are the memories I want to write down.  They are cute and well, memorable.  They are just adorable!

Fall Card

These cards are so perfect for family and friends.  I just love Shutterfly, so here is a plug for them!  I just got 10 cards free (sorta, I paid about $6 for shipping).

Stationery Card

View the entire collection of cards.

BUBBLES!

What child doesn't love bubbles? 

Katie loves bubbles and even that little wand.  If she only knew she shouldn't be eating it...This picture was taken while her bubble machine was going.  She loved seeing so many bubbles come out.  Most of the time Katie stood right infront of the machine, where the bubbles come out, so her hair was covered in popped bubble residue.  At one point Katie chased the bubbles down the driveway and almost down the street.  (no worries, mommy was following her)  Let's just say my girl is obsessed with bubbles!  So much so that I think I need to hide the bubble containers.

This little "no spill/no mess" bubble container really works!  The only mess is a drip or two from the wand.  The container really doesn't leak.  Katie tested it out by putting it upside-down multiple times.  (Bubble container by Little Kids)

Daddy does a great job teaching Katie.  She was concentrating so hard, trying to make bubbles.  It was cute!

A year!

"Can you believe a year has gone by already?" NO! Well, yes and no.


Just look at how much my baby girl has grown.  From an infant who truly relies on mom & dad for everything to a little girl who can play on her own and feed herself.  A letter from me to Katie...


Katie,

I've watched you grow this year & I cannot believe what a gift you are.  I waited patiently to meet you and when you came I could not believe how much I loved you.  I knew that love was there while you were growing inside me, but it didn't compare to the love I felt when I got to see your precious face.

Now you are a precious one year old.  The personality you have is truly a combination of your mom and dad.  You love to dance & smile.  You are inquisitive & observant.  I just marvel as I watch you.  I wonder what interests you and who you will become.

May the Lord grant me the wisdom, patience, and grace that I will need as you continue to grow.  I love you so much Kaitlyn Grace.

Love, Momma

Katie's First Birthday!

A year has gone by...really?  I'll dwell on that in a later post.  This post is all about Katie's first birthday.  We had a Winnie the Pooh themed party on her actually birthday, January 19th. After searching the web (via Pinterest) for ideas.  Though part of me wanted to go all out I knew that since its Katie's first birthday & she wouldn't remember it anyway I decided I could keep the going all out stuff for when she was older.  One thing I did have fun making was the Happy Birthday banner, keeping it generic so I can use it again.  My circle cutters are awesome!  Now for the details on the party:

Some of the food had fun Pooh themed tags like:

Roo chips & Kanga's Mango Salsa, Rabbit's Garden, and Piglets in a Blanket (morbid, sorry)

 

 People may have been cramped, but all appeared to be having a good time.

 Katie enjoyed her Honey Bee Cupcakes.

Who wouldn't, chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting, plus they were super cute!

Special thanks to Auntie Amy and Grammy for baking & decorating them.

The party favors were Tigger tails (morbid, but tastey).

*Lots of inspiration for Katie's Pooh Party came from this website: Winne The Pooh Party with Pinterest helping me find ideas

Weekend Fun

This is about a week old, but I'm still going to blog about it. 
The weekend before Halloween, Katie (and I) threw a costume party for her friends.  We met up at a park and got our blanket out to play on.  Slowly a few of Katie's baby friends showed up.  It was so fun to see the babies dressed up.  The think the mommies had fun chatting watching our little ones play together.  A few snacks (baby carrots with hummus and some amazing brownies that Danielle brought) to keep the mommies satisfied while the babies played.  It was a perfect afternoon for it.  The weather was perfect, not too hot, but not freezing, so the babies could wear their costumes while mommies didn't have to worry about their temps.

I made each child a special favor.  I found these pumpkin cups & used a permanent marker to write each child's name on the cup.  Super easy, cute & a keepsake of these babies first Halloween.

Brian's fun that weekend was taking down the shower doors & putting up a curtain.  I'm so glad he did!  Bath time with Katie is so much easier & more enjoyable for us all.  Many thanks to my father-in-law for all the hard work he did helping Brian take the doors down and re-grout/caulk the tub!

Fishing

This is my fishing pole. You may not think so. Some use it to open & close the shade on the skylight, but I use it to go fishing.

No bait is needed when I go on this fishing trip. Just need my trusty pole & I'm off. What do I fish for you may wonder...pacifiers!

Katie likes to drop her pacifiers on the side of the crib we cannot reach. As you can see, she gets quite a collection of fun things over there. We pondered what to do, move the bed, or just buy more pacis. Brian had the brilliant idea to use the skylight shade hook. I'm not sure if he or I first called the task of collecting missing pacis 'fishing', but it has definitely stuck!

We go 'fishing' every few days or so, depending on how often Katie's paci dropping habit dictates.  There have been the few occasions when the pacifiers end up on the other side of the crib.  I'm glad for those times (the two times it actually happened!).  Fishing for and washing pacis, just another task for the parents of Kaitlyn Grace!

Sometimes we 'catch' other items, like socks, if Katie decides to add them to her collections down there!  No boots yet, or tin cans...for now...
What a fun adventure!

Good parents

An excerpt from my devotional:
As Christian parents, we have the awesome responsibility to lovingly discipline our children (Prov. 13:24; 29:17; Heb. 12:9-11). As we impart God’s wisdom to them, we have the blessing of helping them develop into responsible, God-fearing adults.
-Our Daily Bread, 9/17/12, Correct Them by Marvin Williams

Boy this got me thinking and praying.  What a responsibility Brian and I have in raising Katie.  We knew this, but these words put the pressure on for me.  I guess the words, "helping them develop into responsible, God-fearing adults" really hit home.  God has blessed us with this little one.  It is our responsibility to raise Katie in the church and pray for her.  We are doing our best as we seek God's direction in raising this little girl.  What is right and when?  Only God knows and we have to trust Him.  I know there will be tough issues in the months and years to come.  Discipline for bad behavior and who knows what other things we'll be dealing with.  We'll always have to go to God for His direction as we raise Katie.  Does this make us good parents?  What makes a good parent?

This little cutie is too precious to not bring her before the Lord daily.  That is the best thing I can do!

Enjoying Family

Last Saturday was a day for enjoying the family. Katie took her morning nap with Brian, Charley & I.  All four of us snuggled on the couch for a nice relaxing way to spend our Saturday morning.  We had absolutely no plans, so it was nice to just spend time together.  We went out for breakfast after our lazy morning and spent the rest of the day hanging out together.  This means, playing with Katie on her blanket with all her toys strewn about.  It was so nice.  Especially since Brian left for a conference in San Francisco the next day.

I spent the week in CT with my family while Brian was gone.  Charley, Katie and I left early Sunday morning during Katie's morning nap. We got to my parent's church a little late, but got to hear most of the sermon!  It was nice to be with my parents and sisters for the week.  I knew being home would be tough since Brian wouldn't be around to help.  My mom was a huge help & I'm so thankful that she could take some days off to spend with me.  We even went to Six Flags (just my mom, me & Katie).  It was so fun!  Katie got to see her great-grandpa again.  Overall, good week, though we did miss having Brian around.

Summer is coming to a close, but we're still planning on some fun times!  Gotta enjoy the warm days while they last :) Just wait until my next post :)

Modern Techonology!

Skype & FaceTime are just wonderful new pieces of technology!  Ok, so these are not brand-spankin new, but newer...like we didn't have it when I went to college!  With a smartphone, which is new technology for me, Sykpe & FaceTime are so easy to use.

Anyway, these video chats make it possible for Katie to see & "talk" to her aunts, uncles, & grandparents.  We chatted this week with Grammy, Tito James & Tita Robbie.  Its nice that family can see how stinking cute Katie is, what types of "tricks" she's doing and how big she's getting.

AH! The big 3...0...

Yes, Brian and I are now 30.  Here a short string of thoughts I have on this milestone:

I remember thinking being this old was OLD...not so much anymore.  I feel older, but not OLD.  Though I am a bit sad...I feel like I'm truly a mom and should wear mommy clothes and that I'm just not as cool as I used to be. (if I ever was cool)

My life pretty much revolves around Katie right now, so I guess my age doesn't matter.  She's my little buddy and doesn't even know what age is.  She doesn't care how old I am, why should I?  I'm going to enjoy what God's given me: a sweet husband, my dear baby girl, and a cutie pup!  This is the plan God has for my life and I'm going to choose not to dwell on being in the 30s, but dwell on enjoying the blessings in my life.  I've been blessed for the first 30 years of my life with loving parents and some great siblings & friends, now to enjoy the next 30, 40, 50, or however many more years I have!!!

Texas trip

I finally have a moment to reflect on our trip to Texas.  First of all, it was Katie's first plane ride! I was so nervous about the flight. I should have realized that security was just as nerve wracking! That was probably the worst part of the trip. Katie did well on the plane. She was quiet & played well in the little seat. Ok, when we landed back in Boston she did have a freak out moment. We were waiting at the gate for the cabin door to open & she started melting down. It was 11pm, she was tired, the bright lights came on. I don't blame her. The only way to quiet her was nursing. She nursed until everyone got off the plane & we could finally get off too!

The purpose of the trip was a wedding and to visit family. We'll talk wedding first. So amazing to be in Ft. Worth. We loved it. We loved hanging out with friends that feel like family.  There were a few wedding events we attended while in Fort Worth.  They were outside & it was HOT down there.  Becca enjoyed the heat, but Brian was ready for some AC!  We did have some time to enjoy ourselves as a family too & explore Fort Worth, like going to a brewery and seeing 150 years of Fort Worth in one room!
Here are some pictures of our time there.

Family time was AWESOME! I loved being around my cousins. Spending time with two cousins I don't get to see very often was such a delight. Another highlight was seeing our kids interact. That's right, we're all parents!!! It was so neat, even made me feel like a real adult! Here are a few photos that show only some of the great moments we had together.

Growing so fast!

I'm talking about Katie. She has rolled over! First roll was on May 7th. She has been perfecting it ever since. Now she's rolling every chance she gets! I watched her roll one morning on the video monitor, then found her like this another morning.

June 1, Katie started rice cereal. The first try was a very watery version of rice cereal.  Much more breast milk than cereal.  The texture was new, but she did eat some of it and didn't totally reject it.  After only a few tries she's getting used to it. She is getting the hang of eating and her little stomach and intestines seem to be handling it well.  I don't know if you can see the rice on her chin or not, but its there!

I cannot believe how fast things are changing. About 19 weeks ago Katie was born and couldn't even old her head up. Now she's got great head/neck control.  She grasps at things & her fine motor skills are getting better every day.

Everyone says cherish these times. I could not truly know what they meant until I went through it myself!  Just look at this precious girl.  How could I not cherish the time I spend with her?! (just don't ask me about that when she's been crying for 40 minutes straight)

Baptism

This is almost a month late!  Katie was baptized on April 29, 2012.  This was a big event for the family.  As parents, we are committed to teach Katie our faith. We publicly committed to be examples to her of what it means to be a Christian and to bring her to church.

We're so grateful to everyone who was there supporting us.  I'm working on a video of the event for those who could not be in attendance.  Here are some pictures.