She's a Big Girl Now

We enjoyed the warm temperatures again today.  Since the kids were in bed late last night they slept in this morning.  It was after 7 before Luke got up which was so nice.  We made it to church on time.  I love when we take Luke and he runs right in his classroom and gives his teachers big hugs.  He is such a sweet little guy!  After lunch Luke and I took a nap on the couch.  Since Katherine had slept on the way to church, the whole time in the nursery and through lunch at Subway she was not tired at all.  Paul took her for a walk in the neighborhood.  She rode in the stroller like a big girl!  He decided to try that instead of having her in the infant carrier.  He said she did great and really seemed to enjoy being able to look out.  I don't blame her!  When I woke up I went to the garage to find my happy girl watch her daddy clean the cars.  She was just laughing and giggling at everything Paul was doing!  I love it!  We have spent the rest of the evening trying to get ready for the week - bottles to wash, laundry to fold, ironing to do, lunches to pack and so forth.  The chores never end around here!  And, as always the weekend has come and gone too quickly.

Katherine's 1/2 Birthday

Katherine turned 6 months old today!  We did not do a lot to celebrate.  I worked this morning so Paul and the kids went to see Nene and Pop.  From what I hear they had a great time.  The weather is unseasonably warm so Luke was able to play outside some. Katherine practiced sitting up on her own but was being pretty stubborn and did not show off her rolling skills to anyone!

Tonight Paul and I had a night out with friends!  This is the first time we have been out with friends since Katherine was born. It was long overdue.  We met the MacLeans and Louws at Taco Mamacita in Edgehill. It was such a cool place to eat.  There were a lot of families with young kids when we first go there but by the time we left it was more of an adult only crowd.  The food was delicious and so were the beverages.  After dinner we decided it was still too early to go home so we decided to go old school and hit the local Dairy Queen!  We always have so much fun when we hang out with those guys.  We do lots of laughing and storytelling. 

While we were out having fun Mom and Paula were at the house with the kids.  Bill had a basketball game and neither grandmother are up to keeping both kids alone so they kept them together.  They both claim the kids were perfect and so much fun to be with.  We think they had just as much fun as we did! 

Some Firsts

I have to admit I am tired of all the snow!  The weathermen were predicting 3-5" inches of snow last night.  When we went to bed after the 10 o'clock news it was pretty much a sure thing.  Well, thankfully they were wrong and we only received about an inch at our house.  Just north of Nashville did get 5" though so Sumner County schools were closed again today.  Thankfully the daycare opened on a delay.  I was off today but had so many errands to do that have been put off long enough, so I took the kids to school for a little while. 

When we got home I needed to give Katherine a bath.  Luke decided  he wanted to help me.  Katherine just laughed and kicked.  Her eyes just light up anytime Luke is around and paying attention to her.  He did a good job washing her hands and feet.  While I was out today I picked up some baby food.  I still intend to make the majority of Katherine's food but have not gotten around to that and I hated to keep putting off trying vegetables with her.  She had carrots tonight and seemed to like them.  When she had the first taste her face was priceless.  I wish I could have captured it.  She took several small bites and ended up taking the spoon from me!  We can say she likes carrots!

In Daddy's Shirt

2009

2010

2011

                                                                                         

We finally got around to taking Luke's annual picture in Paul's shirt.  It is amazing how he has grown!

Birthday Lunch

Luke did great entertaining Katherine!

Luke sportin' Lauren's hat

Luke had to help Nene blow out the candles!

Katherine slept so peacefully at the end

Luke's treat for being so good -- a visit to the train

I had a hair cut scheduled this morning and so did Virginia. We met for coffee afterward to catch up.  Even though we were only together an hour or so we had fun just talking and relaxing.  I got home in time to finish getting the kids ready to head out again.

We celebrated Paula's birthday today by  having lunch at Maggiano's.  We did not think it would be too busy on a Saturday.  It was not busy when we got there but by the time we left 2 1/2 hours later it was getting pretty packed.  The food was wonderful and the kids did great!  Katherine whined at first but was good after Bill and I alternated walking her around.  We were there a lot longer than we expected.  The server was so sweet but it just seemed to take a long time to order, then to get our food and the for them to bring the cake out.  When they finally did bring the cake out it was the wrong one!  How crazy was that?!?!  Apparently there was another birthday party there and they picked the wrong cake.  The quickly fixed the situation and were very apologetic.  We got a good laugh out of it.  We were so happy to get together with everyone to celebrate Paula's special day!

After Maggiano's we went to Centennial Park for Luke to see the train.  I am not sure how long his fascination with trains is going to last but he sure does love them right now!  Since it was so cold Katherine and I stayed in the car while the two boys got out and looked at the train.  To Luke's amazement a real train was going by as well so he got to watch it and point out all the different color trains and tried to figure out what was in them.

We all came home for naps following that and enjoyed being inside the rest of the day.

Another Milestone Reached!

Three peas in a pod

Finally Friday!  This seems like it has been a really long week.  Between the snow, the school having abbreviated days and working 5 days in a row I am pooped!  I know I am spoiled only working four days a week as Paul likes to remind me.  When Mom called and offered to bring supper I jumped on the opportunity.  We decided to order from O'Charley's and it was great!  After supper we all went upstairs to play.  Mom read Luke a book while Katherine played on the floor.  She was trying so hard to roll over and she finally did it!!!  We did not get a picture  but we got it on video.  She rolled from her back to her tummy which is opposite of how it usually happens.  She has never enjoyed being on her tummy and we have not pushed the issue.  She gets plenty of tummy time at school and I am fine with that.  Once she did it she did it three times in a row.  She was so proud of herself she just smiled and giggled!  I am relieved that she hit this milestone by her 6-month birthday which is the recommended age. 

Snow Cream

We had snow (again) today.  The school closed early, of course.  Paul and Luke wanted to make snow cream after supper.  I am not a big fan so I let them make it and eat it while I enjoyed a different sweet treat.  When Katherine woke up this morning I noticed her eyes were a little goopy and she had a runny nose.  I know runny noses are going around in her room.  Let's hope it is just a runny nose and will not get any worse.

Night, Night

Every night Luke reads books before he goes to bed.  He has been on a Berenstain Bears kick lately.  He got a couple of their books for Christmas and he already had a few of them.  I like them because they also teach a good lesson.  They are not Paul's favorites to read at bedtime because they are so long.  Tonight Luke wanted Katherine to be in on his bedtime story time.  She laid there and smiled the whole time.  Speaking of that little girl, we finally decided to move her to a size 3 diaper.  She has been squeezing in to them for a while now. Unfortunately Paul bought a box of 200 size 2's the last time we got diapers.  So, we were hesitant to switch her since we had so many left.  She really  left us no choice.  She is almost always in a different outfit when I pick her up from school because she has had an accident.  We are hoping by moving her to the next size we will prevent this from happening.  We shall see...

Katherine's New Toy

 

 

Luke still loves to look at our old blog books

I worked this morning so Paul and the kids went to Bill and Paula's to visit.  The hospital has been so busy lately so I knew I would be there a long time.  It was a bit of a surprise when I got to work to realize I did not have as much to do as I thought.  I worked a half a day and then they came and picked me up. 

We spent the rest of the day at the house just doing normal weekend chores.  Paul had gotten out several of Luke's toys he used when he was little.  We decided to try Katherine in the Jump and Go.  She absolutely loved it!  She squealed and giggled when Luke would swing her.  He loved her being in it, too.  He did not want us to get her out when it was time for bed.  After we got the kids ready for bed Luke told Katherine that she looked cute in her little pj's.  That boy says the sweetest things! 

Friday Night Fun

In the afternoons when we get home I have so much to bring in the house.  I usually get Luke out of the car and carry a load up the stairs and then return to get Katherine.  She is usually sleeping by the time we get home anyway.  When I went back to get Katherine I head Luke calling from the top of the stairs "Mommy, do you need some help? Do you want me to come and help you?"  It was so cute! 

We decided to go have Mexican tonight.  We tried the Las Palmas but there was not an open parking space so we ended up at Las Cebolas.  It is ok - but not our favorite.  It actually took a while to get our food which is unusual for Mexican.  Luke has been asking for "freight cars" for his Thomas set for a while.  He asked if we could go to the toy store tonight.  I told him he had to ask Daddy thinking Paul would never say yes, but he did.  So, off we went to Toys R Us after supper.  Luke was so excited looking at all of the trains.  We let him pick one train and he finally decided to get the freight cars even though there were so many to choose from. 

When we got home we all played with his trains for a long time.  Katherine enjoyed hanging out, too.  She is so close to rolling over.  I just know she is going to do it any day now!  We let both kids stay up past their bedtime and just enjoyed being together.

Luke and Mommy's Day of Fun!

Today was Luke's three year well visit.  I had been planning to have a mommy/ Luke date with him for awhile so today seemed like the perfect opportunity.  The plan was to take Katherine to school so we could have some one-on-one together time.  Since Nashville still had snow the daycare was opening two hours late again.  When we got there it was snowing pretty hard and Katherine's teachers told me they were thinking about closing at 10!  Keep in mind I got there around 9:30 and Luke's appointment was at 10:15.  I was fairly upset.  While I was still there they decided not to close at 10 and said they would call me and to go and enjoy the day with Luke. 

We headed to Dr. Patterson's office.  He got an A+ from Dr. P!  He passed his vision test with flying colors.  The nurse actually said he had "exceptional" eye sight.  That was a relief considering I was in contact lenses by age 10.  He did well during his exam but was a bit shy at first.  Once Dr. P started asking him which Thomas engine was his favorite he perked right up.  I asked her what we could be doing to challenge him.  Everything she told me such as starting letter recognition and sounds as well as matching and memory he already does!  She was impressed and suggested picking up a few early reader books to let him start working on.  He only had to have one shot so it was not too bad. 

Luke's Stats:  Height - 37.5" (51st percentile)    Weight - 33 #  (61st percentile)

After the doctor I told Luke we would go wherever he wanted for lunch.  He, of course, picked Old MacDonald's. When we finished with lunch we went over to the mall to play on the playground.  When we got there he did not want to go in to play.  Luckily, we found these cool trains that you can "drive".  We did that and then I did a few Christmas returns. Our next stop was Homegoods to make a return.  We looked at the toys and I told Luke he could pick something out he wanted but he decided he did not want anything.  Crazy, I know!  We had a few minutes before Katherine needed to be picked up so he got a hair cut.  He always does so well getting his hair cut even though this was a different place.  He looked very handsome!  By this time he was very sleepy and ready to go get his little sister.  The two of us had a great time together. 

Both kids slept once we got home.  Tonight Katherine sat alone for a few minutes.  She has been doing it a little bit but we decided to officially say she can sit alone now!  How time is flying...

Mommy's Big Helper

Since the snow was still lingering around this morning the school did not open until 9.  It does not seem to matter what time it opens or how early we get up -- I am still rushed trying to get us all out of the door.  Katherine did not take her bottle well when I was trying to feed her.  After I got her in her car seat I decided to try one more time and she took it well.  Luke wanted to help me so I let him give her the bottle while I finished getting everything to the car.  Both kids wore their AU gear to celebrate our victory!  Luke said Katherine looked like a boy since she had on a blue shirt and jeans.  Luke also informed me he had put his cup in the refrigerator and his plate in the dishwasher when he finished eating breakfast.  Sure enough, both things were exactly where they needed to be.  He is getting to be such a big boy!  

We Are The Champions!!!

 

Excitement, tears of joy, shouting, jumping up and down...just a few of the things and emotions I went through last night watching Auburn win the National Championship with a last second field goal!  I literally could not sleep once I went to bed after midnight.  I  borrowed this picture from Andrew and Mandi that was taken shortly after the game!  What a once-in-a-lifetime experience they had!!!

Getting Ready for the BIG Game!

 

I have been looking forward to this night for about 5 weeks.  Well, ever since Auburn won the SEC Championship and pretty much sealed the deal to be in the BCS National Championship game.  I am so nervous!  Auburn has not won a National Championship since 1957 so our time is now!  I am wee  bit jealous that Andrew and Mandi are at the game, but am excited they had the opportunity to go.  We grilled burgers and got dressed up in our AU gear. This family is ready to cheer on the Tigers.  WAR EAGLE!!!

On another note Middle and Southern Tennessee had a huge snow event overnight.  The kids' daycare was closed so Paul has been home with the kids all day.  He took them to his parents late this afternoon so he could go to a job interview.  The position is for the Superintendent of Public Works for the City of Portland.  We are hoping and praying it goes well...

First Time Food

We just have not gotten around to starting Katherine on food yet.  We finally decided we would try to night.  During supper I gave Katherine a spoon to see what she would do with it.  She immediately put it in her mouth so we thought it was the perfect time to see what she would think of rice cereal.  We made it fairly warm and a medium texture since she is not accustomed to anything besides milk.  She did so good!  She seemed to like it although more ended up on her face and bib than in her mouth.  I could not hardly get in her mouth because she kept chewing on her fingers.  That girl's fingers must taste like candy the way she chews on them all the time!

The plan is to do cereal for another 1-2 weeks and then move on to the orange veggies.  It is awful, but it is hard to find time to start new things with her.  We would rather do it on the weekends in case she has a reaction to it.  We will try to squeeze some cereal feedings in this week at night though.  We were glad her first experience with food went so well!

Lovin' Saturday

We woke up to about an inch of snow!  We decided it would be fun to get out in it a little bit so we went to breakfast at Cracker Barrel. Katherine was a doll and slept the whole time.  The food was so yummy and it was nice and warm by the big fire. It was a great way to start off our weekend. 

Trying Out Brother's Chair

Katherine is sitting up better and better everyday.  She still can't quite sit up unassisted.  We put her in Luke's chair tonight and she loved it!  She could keep up with everything going on with her big brother.  I guess it won't be long until she will want a chair with her name on it.  Rumor has it we might be getting a little snow over the weekend.  We shall see.

Sleeping away

Katherine still loves to sleep in her swing.  Tonight she had her bath shortly after supper then we put her in the swing to play.  She fell asleep pretty quickly!  She enjoys motion so the swing and the bouncy seat are still used a lot around here. 

Luke's School Birthday Party

The Birthday Boy enjoying his cupcake

The cupcakes were a big hit

The kids enjoyed the snacks we brought

Luke was so excited that Paul came to the party!

Luke wanted me to read the class a story

He, of course, picked a Thomas book

Since Luke's birthday falls so close to the holidays we decided to have him a party at his school this year. Today was the best day since I was off and was able to have time to get everything together.  We just took some snacks and cupcakes to have during their normal snack time.  We also made some Thomas goody bags for all the kids to take home.  We discovered that Party City has a great party favor section that has little goodies ranging from a dime to a dollar each. Luke was so excited that we were coming to his school!  He was even more excited to be having another party.  He still was not happy when I dropped him off this morning but it made it a little better to know that Paul and I would be back right after he got up from nap.

His teachers are so sweet. They had decorated the room with balloons and streamers when we got there.  Each child also made him a balloon drawing which Ms. Shea put it in to a book for him.  We are really grateful for all that his teachers do for him and for everything he is learning there.