Pretty, Pretty Hair

Did you know that someone with barely any hair can have quite an array of hair accessories?  Well, Catherine sure does, thanks to her ever-thoughtful Auntie Elizabeth.  Auntie Elizabeth keeps finding these completely adorable hair-clips for Catherine.  I'm in love with them, and I make her wear one every day.  The good news is she's totally unaware of them, so I consider that to be her emphatic approval.  Obviously she loves them too.  We've got flowers, a watermelon, cherries, a bluebird, a cupcake.......really, you name the adorable image and we've probably got it covered.  You may think this is a little unnecessary, but a girl's gotta keep her hair out of her face.  And besides, we're already in hair training.  Start 'em young, I say! 

Sitting Pretty

Look who's sitting up!  It's Catherine!  She's so big now it's unreal, and she's enjoying her new view.  Catherine is still pretty content to lay on her back, kicking her legs and moving her arms around, occasionally reaching for things.  Sometimes she'll roll to her side, but usually she just stays on her back- not too much rolling over for her.  When we do her "exercises," I have been helping her to sit up lately.  She's getting pretty good at it- and by "pretty good" I mean she stays upright for about five seconds before either flattening to a pancake or toppling over.  But hey, everybody's got to start somewhere, right?  And we all think it's pretty adorable to see her sitting so pretty.

Birthday Bananza

It's wonderful that we live so close to our family, but we still don't get to see each other as often as I'd like.  And getting us all together......well, that's nearly impossible.  So it was an extra special day that we were all able to meet at Grandma and Papa's house to see their new grass, spend some quality time together, and most importantly, celebrate Grandma's birthday.  It was such a special day that I insisted the kids put on their snazzy matching fancy clothes (at least for a little while).  Heck, I even wore my fancy dress (at least for a little while).  Yes, I've now become one of those moms that makes their kids dress alike on fancy occasions.  Those moms that I used to mock, who's kids look so darn cute......I'm one of them- but that's a different story (and pictures don't lie- it is pretty cute).  Anyways, what an awesome day!  I love when all the cousins can get together and play- it's the best!  Lizzy always has Caroline, and they always have the best time playing together.  What was awesome on this day was how much Peter loved being with Beau, and what an adorable "big boy" cousin Beau was to Peter.  They played catch together, rode scooters, and pretty much just hung around having some quality boy time.  We are beyond blessed to have these amazing children in our family, and I love every chance we get to spend time together.

Good Company

As Catherine gets older, she becomes more entertaining to be around.  She's interactive, very smiley, and loves to watch everything and take in all the action.  She doesn't talk yet.........so, in many ways, she's the perfect companion- excellent positive feedback (with tons of smiles) with zero pushback.  Lizzy loves to "play" with her.  She'll sit by her and say, "Ohhhhh, look at the pretty girl.......who's the pretty girl.......can you smile, can you smile?"  Of course, Catherine is quick to comply.  Lizzy has the perfect knack to get lots of smiles out of Catherine, and recently, she's great at getting Catherine to laugh and laugh.  There's  no sound more delightful than hearing your daughters playing together, giggling the day away.

Easter Adventures

What's Easter vacation without an adventure with our cousins!  We hadn't visited the Academy in a really long time, so we decided to meet for a special day.  Of course it was crowded, so we didn't get to visit the rain forest, one of our favorite places there, but we did hit up the aquarium and explore the museum.  We got very lucky to have a little break from the rain, and the kids really enjoyed running around outside.  All the cousins just really love being together, so any chance we can get together and have some fun is a real treat.  

Easter Morning

On Easter morning, we had a special visit from the Easter Bunny.  He had left special treats in each of the kids baskets, and Lizzy and Peter were so excited!  The Easter Bunny almost forgot Catherine, coming dangerously close to leaving her an empty basket, but remembered at the last minute and was able to sneak a teething toy from Safeway without anyone noticing.  That Easter Bunny is crafty indeed.  We put on our Easter finery and went to Grandma and Papa's house.  We must be on a roll, because everything went amazingly smoothly.  We arrived at church right on time, the kids sat in the pew, looking cute, and staying relatively quiet.  We had lunch with Grandma and Papa and loved playing around their house.  Papa had even organized an Easter egg hunt for the kids.  He's very good at hiding eggs in just the right spots- not too easy, and not too tricky- and the kids had a blast.  We even dyed some eggs.  We had a wonderful day together.

Pre-Easter Festivities

Our neighborhood had it's annual Easter Egg Hunt and Easter games.  We live in a really special place where everyone gathers at the holidays to share a smile and some wonderful conversation and enjoy a little fun with the kids.  Lizzy and Peter were super excited for the Easter Egg Hunt.  Lizzy has always been one that's ready to dive into these sorts of activities fearlessly and with a smile on her face.  Last year, Peter was pretty overwhelmed and very cautious.  This year.....totally different story.  The guy was an animal during his egg hunt, running all around, grabbing tons of eggs and having the best time.  It's so awesome to see what a big boy Peter is becoming!  He's much more confident, really willing to try new things, and enjoying playing with his friends.  I love that he feels so much more at home in his own skin, and is able to show the world the wonderfully funny and capable boy we've always known at home.  The kids loved this special day.  I kept thinking that next Easter, we'll have three kids running around after the eggs.....

Easter Bunny Miracles

We had a visit with the Easter Bunny, and............my, what a difference a year makes!  Last year, Peter would have nothing at all to do with the big bunny.  In fact, he was downright terrified of him.  He wouldn't get within fifty yards of the guy, and as soon as he spotted him, he started shaking and yelling, "No, no, no!"  This year, was a totally different story.  Peter told me ahead of time that he would wear his "handsome shirt" and sit next to the bunny.......without crying.  I thought he was just being a big talker, but believe it or not, he did just that.  Lizzy, who's never crazy about wearing dresses put on her new Easter dress with only a tiny bit of complaining, and we even managed to catch a smile from Catherine in the picture.  Wow!  I think Grandma and Papa must be the good luck charm here.  They've joined us the last few times we've done something like this, and things have gone pretty smoothly.  We even had lunch together afterwards......in a restaurant.....with all three kids acting pretty normal and enjoying their meals.  It must be an Easter Miracle.

Cool Guy

Who wants to hang out at the duck pond with this cool guy........I do!  Peter thought he was pretty slick the other day wearing his "new" (hand-me-down from our neighbor) Cars helmet (that is way too big but he insists upon wearing), and his fancy new sunglasses.  This outfit just screams cool guy, don't you think?

Baby Doll

 I wasn't sure this was even possible, but Catherine just gets cuter and cuter as each day goes by.  She is the happiest baby!  She is very content, loves to be around her family and watch everything that is happening, and is full of big smiles.  She gets more and more alert every day- it's amazing to watch.  Babies seem like little flowers unfolding and blossoming right before your eyes.  It's awesome to see her eyes light up with happiness and recognition each time she sees us, to hear her giggles and little sounds, and to feel her wonderful snuggles.  She is pure love and joy wrapped up in a delicious little baby.

Hello, Ladies!

The other night when I went to tuck Lizzy in to bed, I found that she had a lot of friends watching over her.  She had lined up all of her princess dolls, complete with their own special trinket, to have a slumber party with her.  Seems like a pretty adorable way to fall asleep if you ask me!

Snuggle Up

Even as these guys get bigger and bigger, they still remain incredible friends.  Sometimes it just feels good to snuggle up with your buddy and watch a movie together.  I'll even catch them holding hands through the scary parts.  I'm so, so thankful they have each other!

Daddy and Daughter Date Night

Pat and Lizzy got to have the most special night together.  They got all dressed up, stayed up extra late, and boogied the night away at the Father Daughter Dance at Lizzy's school.  It was beyond adorable.  And besides having a major cute factor, this dance was serious business.  Us moms spent all day transforming the gym into a magical undersea paradise.  It looked amazing in there!  Lizzy had so much fun, and I was so thankful that she has such a wonderful daddy who loves her so much and loves to spend time with his special girl.

Rattles

Catherine is getting so big now! She is definitely moving past the newborn stage and into the baby stage. I try so, so hard with all my kids to treasure each day and each stage because they are so fleeting. You must enjoy them so much, because they are ever-changing. I'm not sad when my kids get bigger because it is so exciting to see what is coming next, and to watch the person that they are becoming unfold before your very eyes. As Catherine becomes more aware of the world around her, she is looking at everything and taking it all in. She is starting to reach for things and grab and hold on tightly to anything she can. Her little hands are beginning to open up. Peter and I decided to bring out some rattles and let her play with them. Catherine loved looking at the rattles as we held them up for her. She loved the little noises they made, but she really loved holding on to the rattles herself. Of course she tried to put them in her mouth right away- yum! It's so adorable to see her starting to play with toys.

"Mommy"

I know I've written about it tons of times, but this just never gets old for me. I love watching my kids' minds grow and develop. It's so amazing all the tiny little steps that go in to learning something new. Peter has begun to make pictures of people. They are so cute! Here's one he made of me the other day. This is the first time I've seen him make eyelashes and long hair. He's really getting the hang of it! I can't wait to see how his pictures will continue to develop.

Open House

We got to take some time to celebrate our special guy and see what he's been up to at school. Peter was very proud to show us his classroom and his fantastic paintings at his open house. It was cute to see Lizzy back at her old stomping ground, but this time following Peter around, seeing all of his work and his favorite parts of his school. It's pretty amazing to see what a big boy Peter is now. I remember when he first started school, and what a hard time he had doing things by himself. Now he's much more comfortable and confident at school, and he can do so many things! I loved his self portrait the best. Great job, Peter!

Signs of Lizzy

If you look carefully around our yard and in the corners of our house, you will spot little signs of Lizzy everywhere. The girl loves to create. Her imagination is always moving, and she is constantly busy working on one of her projects. Lately it's been these little designs from the garden. Sometimes they're meals for fairies, and sometimes they're decorations or a store, but they're always intricate, thoughtful, and beautifully displayed. Every time I see one I smile. I love feeling Lizzy's presence all around.