milestone sliding

Kate took on the tornado slide at the park...going up the steps, across the bridge, through the tunnel, up the final set of steps to the slide, and down ALL BY HERSELF! She can run with the big dogs now!

hot tots and coke

Pretending that we are on vacation, I have not been cooking much this week. Sure, I have made a few meals from scratch, but Matt and I have been going to games at night, so that pushes dinner plans out of the house. When asked what she wanted for dinner one night, Kate replied, "Hot tots. Coke." I may have raised a monster (thanks to my mom, too).

Elmo and Friends LIVE

Kate waiting (not so patiently) to get in the car to go to Elmo...

Mom, Kate and I attended Elmo LIVE today. Kate has been good at past live performances, but this one hit smack in nap time. I could not have asked Kate to behave any better. She absolutely loved seeing her favorite characters dancing, talking, and singing. It was amazing.

This is how Kate sat through most of the first act.

The second act pose: she is fighting nap time (and four teeth coming in) but never took her eyes off the dancers.
Thanks, mom, for getting the tickets.

all in a day's work

We are off this week for fall break. We are also taking advantage of the nice weather outside and this means we are not doing the necessary work inside. There will be many rainy days to accomplish that, I am sure. Kate has had her fair share of work to complete as well. No need to pay a babysitter, just put her to work!

Kate's dedication

Our good friend, Tom, has become interim pastor at a local church. Since we were not attending any church faithfully, we followed him to this church. Kate had not been baptized, Christened, or any other term that made her a "Christian." This was something we felt was lacking; however, we also felt it was hypocritical to just attend our old churches to do this. The perfect opportunity came when Tom mentioned this was a dedication. We said we would raise her as a Christian and the congregation said they would, too. My mom threw a little party for Kate after the service. Some of our relatives were able to attend the service (many were missed), and a few of my parents' friends attended the ceremony (and the whole service), and a couple of them gave Kate a new doll. Kate has enjoyed "baby" today, even kissing her at lunch. I think this Christian thing is going to work out beautifully for Kate! We love that Tom performed our marriage ceremony and also this ceremony; such important events in our lives.

just in time for hunting season

self sufficient

Kate is beginning to master the utensils. I know it doesn't seem to be the case in the pictures, but yogurt is a tough one to get on the spoon and into the mouth.

pumpkins, rocks, tunnels, and hay bales...oh my!

Are the faces ever going to stop? Will our Christmas card picture be of the dog this year..and only the dog. Stay tuned (and hope that the camera will quit prompting this face). I still love this face though...

I love a rainy night

This week has been one for the record books in terms of rain. We went from outside play to total inside play -- something Kate doesn't really understand. One night, Matt helped Kate with her flashcards. She found it absolutely hilarious to remain in her bean bag while he said the letter then tossed the cards on top of her. Still giving her best smile when asked, in case you didn't notice.

p.s. Lisa, these are the cards you gave us before Kate was born.

Goldilocks at the Park

Saturday, Matt worked the high school soccer game. The field is behind an elementary school that has a great playground, so I thought I would take Kate and have outside time (hoping for a longer naptime, too). On-site was a smaller structure that had a slide that was just the right size and speed for Kate. Kate always struggles when slides are too tall, too curvy, too big of drop off, etc. The day could not have been more successful than if I had planned it. These are the smiles of independence. Remind me of that when there are tears for independence later!

through the tunnel

the many faces of Kate

sweet
wistful
corny. This is the new face for "cheese." AND, it has arrived just in time for holiday pictures. Lucky me. Now I won't be the only one with an awkward smile.

the many faces of Kate

sweet
wistful
corny. This is the new face for "cheese." AND, it has arrived just in time for holiday pictures. Lucky me. Now I won't be the only one with an awkward smile.

that's how she rolls

The new Kroger has become #2 on my list of places to shop (#1 being Target). Kate is more enjoyable when tucked into the car(t) and drinking a Horizon chocolate milk box. If only Kroger had a Starbucks like Target, it could overtake the #1 slot.