Fun Wednesday With Friends!

Yesterday was a great day!  I had scheduled Katherine's 9-month pictures.  Seems like I am getting farther and farther behind. But, like the photographer said it is the progression that matters not that it is necessarily right on time.  For some reason Katherine was not in to getting her picture made today.  She had just eaten and had a nap before we left so envisioned the "perfect" photo shoot in my mind.  I should have known something was up when started whining in the car on the way there.  The photographer and I both got a work out trying to get her to smile.  We jumped, danced, clapped and sang to her.  Most of the time she looked at us like we were crazy!  We even took her outside to see if a change of scenery would help.  It was finally decided that we got some shots that would work so we threw in the towel after over an hour.  Of course, once we got home she was the happiest baby in the world...smiling, grinning and laughing.  I think she knew exactly what she was doing...

We were so excited to meet Laura and Mackenzie for lunch at Chef's.  The girls were cute together.  Katherine kept trying to hit Mackenzie with her paper plate.  They even tried to hold hands.  We got the stares and smiles from many onlookers.  It is amazing how different people treat you when you are trying to carry a cute baby, diaper bag, tray of food and so forth.  A very nice gentleman took my tray to the table and Jim got high chairs for both the girls.  The food was excellent as usual.  We lingered longer than we should have but then decided to hit Lizards and Lace before we headed home for naps.  It was so great to visit with Laura.  We hate that we have not seen them more since they have been in Tennessee.

Once we got home Katherine took an extra long nap which allowed me to do a few things around the house.  I actually took a nap myself!  Once we were both up and Paul was done with some yard work we decided to all go pick Luke up from school.  He was so excited to see all of us.  We went to Hobby Lobby and walked around looking for things for Katherine's birthday party!  Paul was thrilled to see they have already started putting their Christmas decorations out. So, was Luke!  His classroom at school is going to celebrate "Christmas in July".  Not sure what all that entails but I know it will be fun for the kids.

We cooked a fun supper at home and enjoyed the rest of our family night!

Katherine at 11 Months

It seems as if this past month has gone by quicker than the others.  I think since there has been so much going on with the wedding, Nanny's party and our wedding anniversary we have not been able to keep everything together!  Katherine is still such a joy to parent!  Most places we go we still hear people comment on what a good, happy, content baby she is.  And, we agree! 

There have not been many major developments with her eating or sleeping.  She still is a good eater with the exception of green vegetables.  One night we enjoyed lima beans with supper, which she loved.  Then, she promptly spit them all back up...yuck!  She is eating more table foods now, but I still pack a ready-to-serve fruit or vegetable when we got out to eat.  She continues to nurse at bedtime around 8 o'clock and wakes by 6:30 most mornings.  She is easing in to a morning and afternoon nap at school, but weekends at home are still erratic. 

Mobility: Katherine is crawling on all fours everywhere now!  She goes from room to room looking for us if we leave her somewhere. She also pulls up on anything she can reach and cruises around it.  She is still so proud of herself when she stands up..she grins from ear to ear.  She is definitely more steady on her feet these days and can hold on with just one had now.  She loves to stand at the kitchen chairs and push them around.  She also does the same thing with her music table.  She is not quiet steady enough to push a rolling toy yet, though.

We continue to enjoy every minute with our sweet girl.  Her personality is as sweet as it always has been.  She loves when you smile and talk to her.  We have noticed a little hint of separation anxiety in the past few weeks though. We know it is common at this age so we are not concerned. 

Date Night - Anniversary Edition

Paul excited about our ride for the evening!

The pavilion at Centennial Park

Since our anniversary was the same day as Nanny's birthday party last weekend Paul and I delayed our celebration.  We always have a hard time deciding what to do anytime we go out.  We finally decided to eat at Stoney River.  Paul has been wanting a good steak and I loved it the last time we went.  Bill had given Paul and I a coupon for Christmas 2009 to use the corvette for a night out.  I hate to admit that we just redeemed his generous offer last night!  We had so much fun in it!  Paul was a little nervous when we would park it somewhere but everything was fine.

After a yummy dinner we went over to Centennial Park.  A band was playing big band music and there were so many people there!  I was surprised at the number of younger people there that were dancing. During the intermissions they offered free dance lessons.  Paul and I did not dance but we enjoyed the music and people watching.  We even found a swing under a big magnolia tree where we sat and talked for awhile.  When we grew tired of the park we headed to BrickTops for drinks and dessert.  I picked the dessert - a yummy cookie baked in a cast iron skillet with ice cream on top!

When we realized the corvette would not make it up our driveway without dragging we decided to return it to Gallatin.  We did not want to take a chance by leaving it on our street all night.  The best, and perhaps strangest, part of the night was coming home to a quiet, empty house.  Katherine spent the night at Nonna's and Luke stayed with Bill and Paula.  It was so nice to not have the baby monitor on or be woken up at 6 o'clock!  We had a great time together and loved the time to ourselves.  It is hard to believe we have been married six years.  A lot has changed in our lives in that time but I am so thankful for our marriage and what Paul means to me and the kids!

My Kind of Saturday...

Today is my kind of day.  We have nothing planned this morning and are just enjoying being together.  The kids were up around 6:30 and we cooked pancakes for breakfast.  While the kids played Paul and I cleaned up and got a lot accomplished.  It is amazing how much you can get done when there are two of you working and the kids are occupied with each other.  Speaking of that, Katherine loves to ride on the little riding toy now and Luke LOVES to push her.  Besides reminding him to slow down every once in awhile he does really good with her. 

She is still pulling up on everything and cruising around.  For some reason she is still fascinated with any little crumb, morsel or fuzz she finds on the carpet.  Everything goes in that girl's mouth!  We vacuum all the time.  She gets so mad when I retrieve something from her mouth.  I hope she grows out of that soon. 

Katherine is taking a nap now while the rest of us watch old home movies.  I am trying to multi-task by blogging and working on Katherine's baby book.  I gave myself a deadline of her birthday to have it ready for people to enjoy at the party.  Hope I am not  being too ambitious!

Paul and I are also going to celebrate our anniversary tonight.  Since Nanny's part was on our anniversary last weekend we are having date night tonight.  Luke is going to Gallatin and Katherine is staying with Mom.  We still aren't completely sure what we are going to do but are excited to have a night out!

Pool Time!

The weather was so nice tonight we decided to go to the pool.  Luke asks to go to the pool almost every night after supper.  He and Paul have gone a few times by themselves.  Tonight Katherine and I joined them.  Katherine was not too sure about the water at first but ended up really liking it.  She would splash her hands in the water really fast and giggle! 

Luke has not had swim lessons and I admit it makes me a nervous wreck with him by the pool. Luckily, he is not a daredevil so he stays sitting on the steps and would not think about going in without us with him.  We did not have any kind of floatie with us so that is a priority for us next time!

Under the Weather

I got a call from the kid's school yesterday.  Her teacher said she was not acting like herself, she had "thrown up" and was running a temp (100.6).  I was not able to leave work so Paul went to pick her up.  He said she was a little puny, but not too bad. She did have a little temp when they got home so he gave her some medicine and she settled down and took a nap.  Her appetite has not been that great either. 

Her 9-month pictures were scheduled for today but I canceled them because I could not get her to smile much this morning.  I know I am a little behind with her pictures, considering she will be 11-months old next week. But, like the photographer said it is the progression that matters, not necessarily the age.  We had a fun day together despite K not feeling well.  She took a very long nap this morning and seemed to be a different baby when she woke up!  She did not have a temp all day and did not have any medicine.  Paul was off from ServPro today so he was doing some work at Mom's.  We met him for lunch at Quizno's then went to Lowe's to pick up some supplies. 

After that we went to Mom's.  Katherine played in the stroller while I helped Paul prune some trees.  The weather was so nice.  It was not hot or humid at all.  It was a perfect day to be working outside.  The rest of the day was spent napping, doing chores and hanging out as a family tonight.  Katherine is all better so she will be able to go back to school tomorrow!

Father's Day

We had a low-key Father's Day.  We all slept in a little bit and then cooked breakfast for Paul!  We followed that by going to church.  Before going to church the kids both piled in Paul's lap for a picture.  Luke mimicked Katherine by putting his fingers in his mouth and hand on his ear.  We got the biggest kick out of that! 

Late this afternoon we went to Gallatin to visit with Nene and Pop.  Paula was still feeling a little weak from her chemo this week.  But, she felt good enough to go eat supper at El Rey.  We were surprised there were not very many people there.  Guess it was not a first choice for Father's Day supper.  Regardless, the meal and service were great, as always!

Luke and I had ordered Paul's gifts off of Amazon but they did not make it in time today, so he will just have something to look forward to later this week!

More Party Pics

Ryan and Luke reading

Luke learned to play checkers!

Sweet baby girl

LeeEllen and Katherine

Luke loves Cynthia - she gives him cake!

Mandi and Luke

Luke with his new friend - Sara Beth

Nanny and Katherine

Nanny's Party!

The beautiful backdrop for the party - The GreenRose of Raus

The Birthday Girl posing at the cake table

Nanny with her grandkids (minus Thomas) and Katherine

Melissa, Nanny, Debbie, Aunt Mattie, Aunt Sheila and Mom

Nanny with Mom and Aunt Sheila

Once the weather calmed down all the guests started arriving.  Each of the kids and grandkids provided the food.  The ladies at the B&B did the beverages, table linens,  plates and so forth.  It was a great place to have a party!  We all had so much fun.  Luke  made some new friends.  A couple of my cousins were there with their kids which was nice.  Even though Tullahoma is not that far we do not see our extended family very often at all.  It was great to visit and catch up with everyone.

Luke and Katherine did really well. Luke got a little wild once he warmed up to everyone. He and Ryan ran and played inside and out.  Katherine got passed around to probably 20 different people but it did not seem to phase her until she got tired and then she was DONE!

A Close One

 

It started raining as soon as we got to the Bed and Breakfast.  The clouds were pretty dark but we did not think much about it.  When the first few guests arrived they said a tornado had been spotted very close to where we were!  That was scary -- we decided not to tell Nanny about it.

Nanny was very surprised at her party.  Cynthia picked her up under the guise that she was taking her to lunch at a tea room.  When they pulled in Cynthia told her we were having a party with family.  She did not tell her we invited everyone in the family!  She was so glad to see us all and was even more surprised when more and more guests started to arrive.

Road Trip

Katherine was all smiles when she woke up!

Today was the day to celebrate Nanny's birthday!  The party was at a Bed and Breakfast outside of Tullahoma.  The kids leisurely woke up this morning which was nice.  Katherine now stands up as soon as she wakes up and waits for us to come and get her.  She is always happy when we go in! We had to get out early to go to the grocery store.  I still had not gotten my things together for the party.

The kids did great once we were on the road.  We left around 11 to allow us plenty of time to get there.  We got there a lot earlier than expected so we stopped for a quick bite since the party did not start until 2 and we were all hungry!  Paul decided to go a different way to Tullahoma.  We went through Shelbyville which was much quicker.  It was so nice to see different scenery.  It made us realize once again how many neat places there are within a short driving distance to Nashville.  Since the kids seem to travel well we really should do more day-trips on the weekend.  Will see if we get that done...

So happy!

We were so excited to see Andrew and Mandi!  Andrew was in Huntsville all week for a conference so Mandi drove up Thursday night and then they came to Nashville Friday.  We are celebrating Nanny's 85th Birthday this weekend so they came to celebrate!

They came over tonight and had supper.  Luke has been looking forward to their visit for weeks!  The weather was nice again so we played outside after supper.  Mandi pushed the kids on the swings forever.  Andrew is still in to taking pictures, which is great because he does a good job!  He and Luke were taking all sorts of pictures tonight.

Ready for a Luau!

The kids' school really does some fun things.  Today they were having a luau in Luke's room.  Since our friend had sent the kids these great clothes from Hawaii we dressed them both for the occasion!  Luke has been talking non-stop about the luau all week.  He was excited that I took two leis that Paul and I had left from our wedding rehearsal dinner.  I had hoped either Paul or I could make it to the party but it did not work out.  When I picked Luke up his teacher said he kept asking where his mommy was since a lot of other parents were at the party.  Made me feel pretty bad, but that is the first party I have ever missed since he has been going to school there.  

He had so much fun at the party.  He still had a grass skirt and lei on when I got there.  He told me all about the food they ate, the music they listened to and the dancing he did.  I am so glad he loved it!

Summer Nights

After last week's record-high temperatures we are so glad to have more normal June weather.  Temps have been in the mid 80's and lows in the 60's.  We have been outside most every night after supper.  The kids love it.  Luke usually wants to swing.  Last night I could not figure out what Katherine was doing while I was holding her.  She was bouncing up and down and lunging out of my arms.  We finally figured out she wanted to swing, too!

Tonight we played on a blanket while Paul mowed the lawn.  Luke still has a lotta love for his sister and will not hardly leave her alone!  It is a wonder she gets the chance to try anything new because he will not stay away from her.  She loves crawling around and tries to sneak some grass in her mouth when we are not looking.  This weather is PERFECT and hope it stays around for a while!

"The Ring Bear"

Jon and Kristen had a little gift for Luke as a thank you for being in the wedding. Luke was so excited to be opening a present!  It was a Precious Moments Ring Bearer.  Paula told Luke that Jon received it as a gift when he was a ring bearer in a wedding years ago and he always loved it and kept it in his room growing up.  He wanted Luke to have it since he was his ring bearer -- isn't that sweet?!?!  Luke was so proud of it and could not wait to get home to display it in his room - which we did!

Loving her Banana

Katherine is so silly!  She is still doing good with eating.  Tonight she had some banana while we ate supper. Instead of picking the little pieces up and eating them with her fingers she would go in face first!  It was hilarious.  We have noticed after several attempts that she does not do well with green veggies.  She has "thrown up" after eating peas, lima beans and green beans.  Not really sure what that is about.  So, for now we are sticking to orange and yellow vegetables.