All Things Kate

Kate's Art IV (a continuing series)

2008-02-28T16:20:00.004-05:00

Kate's family portrait 26 Feb 2008 (click to see larger)

I love Lexi throwing a fit, my glasses, and Kate's eyelashes.

Preschool Kate

2008-02-03T12:23:00.002-05:00

Kate loves her preschool class, and has learned skills like coloring in the lines and content like bible verses. She's in an on-site class while I teach.

She's also started playing on Starfall.com, which she enjoys. I'm impressed with her ability to navigate through the pages and games all by herself.

Her favorite animal is the sea turtle and she still wants to learn to play the cello.

Kate on God [a continuing series]

2008-01-31T12:14:00.002-05:00

Kate - "Does God heal us with MAGIC?"
Kristen - "No, God doesn't need magic. Remember, 'God can do all his holy will.'" (quoting the children's catechism)
Kate - "That's right. God is healing my knee by his HOLY will."

Later, to herself, "God is healing my knee by his holy will!"

Her Hipness Has Reached Painful

2008-01-13T12:08:00.000-05:00

Kate has decided in the last few weeks that she loves Josh Ritter. If we play music in the car, it must be Josh Ritter, and she often sings along. If I try to nonchalantly play something else, this is what happens:

Kate - “Who sings this song?”
Kristen - “Wilco.”
Kate - “Wilco is not my favorite. Josh Ritter is my favorite. I need to hear Josh Ritter.”

Sorry, Jeff Tweedy.

Esoteric Crisis of Faith

2007-12-31T12:11:00.000-05:00

"If God is so big and he lives in my heart, and my heart is small, does God get squished in my heart?"

New Tooth

2007-10-12T12:21:00.000-04:00

Funny

2007-09-29T15:22:00.000-04:00

So, Kate is in a pretending phase, and we are all the Incredibles.

Mike is Mr. Incredible.
I am Elastigirl.
Kate is Violet ("because I'm a girl and she's a girl!")
Lexi is Jack-Jack ("because Lexi is a baby")

"I like to pretend to be Violet, because Violet is a superhero."

Who She Is

2007-08-06T00:20:00.001-04:00

Kate is...
a reader (or, a listener)
totally potty trained
someone who knows the gospel
a singer
someone who likes to dress-up
"sisters, friends and princesses!" screamer
a lover of church
a friend
a sweet girl
looking forward to school

Kate, the Fan

2007-07-25T21:53:00.000-04:00

I took the girls to see the Imagination Movers at one of the local libraries and by some strange coincidences, we ended up front row and center. Kate had seen one of their videos a few times on Playhouse Disney but she didn't really know who they were. Well, during the course of the show, she got her fan on. She pushed in from of people to be really close to the stage, participated, and then, when they started the song she knew she SQUEALED in my ear "Mom, it's MY SONG!"

Who knew fandom was that instinctive?

Kate's Birthday Week

2007-07-07T00:05:00.000-04:00

Kate had a fantastic birthday week with TWO parties. The first one was attended by her GP, Nana, aunts, uncles and friends and she got all sorts of wonderful things including a dollhouse from her parents, furniture for it, Finding Nemo on DVD, shades, a crown, pjs and underwear from GP, Nana and the aunts and uncles, and a beautiful princess dress and accessories from Sam (friend of the fam.) She got her first cake and she was delighted to share her day with GP and Nana, culminating in a fireworks display in Wakefield that was very nice and cozy (we had a cul-de-sac almost to ourselves to watch them.)

Then we drove back home and celebrated the fourth with friends, and she got to watch more fireworks with Tim and Rachel, and honestly, what could be better than that?

The following day she had ANOTHER birthday party, with lots of fun in the pool with Tim, Rachel and Ryan, and lots of great gifts like a waldorf doll from the P family, a book and a playsilk from mom and dad and lexi, finger puppets, a feather boa, and a wand from the Moes, and several puppets and necklaces from the Spences. She proceeded to turn everyone into a princess. And, she got another cake.

What a lucky girl!

More Conversations with Kate

2007-06-03T15:23:00.000-04:00

[talking about going to church]
Kristen - "You know, you belong to Christ. You are part of His church."
Kate - "Yeah, because I've got His water on me."
Kristen - "What?"
Kate [a little exasperated] - "I've got His water on my head. I'm in His church!"
Kristen - "That's right, you were baptized!"
Kate - "When I was a baby, I was baptized. Now I'm in the church."

[watching Lexi]
Kate - "You know, Lexi is growing up. She's growing just like a flower. She's getting really big!"

Favorite Library Books of the Month

2007-05-26T17:10:00.000-04:00

Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin and Curious George Visits the Library.

Kate, outside

2007-05-25T14:15:00.000-04:00

Hilarious Kate Quote of the Day

2007-05-25T10:24:00.000-04:00

Kate - "Momma, what are you DOING?!"
Kristen - "Unloading the dishwasher, sweet girl."
Kate - "You can't do that! Only daddies do the dishes!"
Kristen - "Well, I'm doing it to help daddy."
Kate - "Okay, then."

Catechism and Kate

2007-05-20T20:07:00.000-04:00

Kate has been learning the standard catechism for young children based on the Westminster shorter, slowly. It's important to us that she also learn a good number of hymns and service music, and basic Bible stories, and we don't want it to be frustrating or burdensome.

Tonight, we were introducing a new question, "why ought you glorify God?" and we just asked her, to see what she would say. She responded, "Because he died on the cross." Mike and I made eye contact and smiled at our highly religious child who knows good sunday school answers even though our church doesn't have sunday school! Then we asked, "Who died on the cross?" "I did!" Kate responded, with a grin.

So, I grabbed I Believe and turned to the relevant page and asked, "Who died on the cross, Kate?" "Jesus did." she said, with a touch of an eye roll in her voice. She's already learned to tease.

Hello Cello

2007-05-13T16:44:00.000-04:00

One day after finishing Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin Kate turned to me and said, "Mommy, can I have cello lessons?" "Sure, Kate," I told her, "You can have cello lessons when you are four." She thought for a moment and asked, "Do you think Nana and GP would buy me a cello?" "Kate, we'll get you a cello when you have lessons."

She's asked for cello lessons every day since then, and we took her to the symphony last night and she got to see the cellos up close and she was REALLY excited.

Girly Girl

2007-05-09T14:22:00.000-04:00

Kate refuses to wear pants, capris and shorts. Denim skorts are as close as I can get, and even with those Kate doth protest sometimes. I guess it's a better problem to have than the opposite one, so I'm going with it.

Kate Art III (a continuing series)

2007-05-06T10:04:00.000-04:00

"A happy sun!"

Life is a Vapor (Teeth, Too!)

2007-04-25T21:04:00.000-04:00

(x-posted from TCL)

Kate had an accident today. She tried to climb up the dresser that has our TV on it and pulled the dresser and TV over. She knocked out one of her front teeth and the other is loose.

It was scary. I watched it as I walked into the room from doing laundry, and rushed to lift the heavy TV off her face as she squirmed out from under the dresser. If our bedroom was larger and the fall had been cleaner, she would have suffered very severe injuries, and very likely could have died. Our bookshelves and some of the dressers are bolted securely to the wall, this dresser is not flush with the wall (it forms a 45-45-90 triangle with the corner) and was not secured, for lack of creativity. I was able to remain calm and Kate was very calm and brave throughout the ordeal and was perfect at the pediatric dentist's office. Our sweet neighbor helped me get the kids ready and followed me down so she could watch Lexi in the lobby while I stayed with Kate for her exam and x-rays.

I am very thankful that her injuries weren't worse, but I mourn the loss of her front teeth. A piece of her childhood is gone forever, and the vanity motherhood brings will miss them, forever. I will tear up as I prepare her soft food and clean her bruised and bloodied face. I will cringe when people ask me about them. But I know that she is beautiful and life goes on.

33 months

2007-04-04T21:06:00.000-04:00

Kate is getting more and more of her own personality. She can be shy, but she loves people. She is comfortable observing people and remembers lots of things that they do and loves to tell stories. She is a sweet sister and has mastered complex family trees and the basics of human relationships. She notices all sorts of girly things: when people are dressed up or wearing make up or nail polish. She LOVES to wear dresses and skirts. She likes to go to "school" (drop-in Mother's Day Out that she goes to about once a month) and asks about it often. She has mastered several basic Bible stories and tons of songs. She cracks me up with the little things she says.

Kate Art II (a continuing series)

2007-03-04T23:27:00.000-05:00

Toddler Self Portrait

32 Months

2007-03-02T23:14:00.000-05:00

Kate continues to grow and seem older. Her favorite books this month were the two newest Olivia books and she talks constantly about Hands are Not for Hitting even though we haven't read it in a month. Her imaginary play is really interesting, I love to see her take objects and come up with different ways to imagine with them. For example, today a cheesecake form was a crown, a hula hoop, and the window of a space ship in turn. She loves to draw, concentrating on faces. She's really excited about going to the park since the weather turned. She had fun with her friend Francis there last week.

Kate got jumped on by a mean neighborhood dog (a rottweiler that is kept locked up) a couple weeks ago and now she's really scared of all dogs, including little yippey ones like pomeranians. She's so adorably clueless about sweets. She ate her first oreo this week (a generic one at the Whole Foods tour) and told me, "Mom, these cookies with the 365 are DELICIOUS."

Some Kate

2007-03-01T14:52:00.000-05:00

Kate Art (a continuing series)

2007-02-08T23:44:00.000-05:00

"GP"

31 months, 2 days

2007-02-04T21:03:00.000-05:00

Kate is in a clothes changing phase, especially now that she can dress and undress herself, and likes to do so many times a day. The princess dress gets the most wear of alll. Her favorite library book at the moment is When Sophie Gets Angry.... She also loves the Olivia books.

But what really captivates and wows me about Kate is her compassion. Yesterday morning, she heard a siren. Her immediate reaction? "A siren, momma! Someone's in trouble! Let's pray for them." After I prayed, she added her own sweet prayer, "please pro-teck them." Five minutes later I was lying on the love seat, shivering in the cool of the morning, and she said, "Mommy, are you cold? Do you need a blanket? I've got one on my big girl bed!" and hurried off to get one and bring it to me.

The kicker was today at naptime. She and Lexi are just starting to share a bedroom, and we laid Lexi down after Kate had already settled. Lexi started to cry, and we were listening on the monitor. Kate leapt up to comfort her sister and as we do when we lay her down, she prayed the Lord's Prayer with Lexi as we listened in. She missed a line or two, but she nailed it overall and Lexi stopped crying. We intervened a few minutes later, as Kate's patting and cooing had put Lexi to sleep so we thought it was time to get her back into her own bed.

Kate's not perfect, and every day has its challenges, but watching her love others is an amazing gift.

Toddler Knows All

2007-01-31T21:55:00.000-05:00

How conversations sometimes go in our house:
"Momma, why are you laying down?"
"I feel sick, Kate."
"No, Momma, you're not sick."

Thoughtful Kate

2007-01-25T14:30:00.000-05:00

Foreshadowing?

2007-01-16T15:37:00.000-05:00

This morning, Kate kept running around the house, giggling and shouting, "I am the party girl!"

Verbal Children Crack Up Parents

2007-01-14T01:09:00.000-05:00

Kate says the cutest little things all the time and I am amazed at how quickly she picks up new words and learns grammar. It's neat how she is now able to communicate her needs with ease. One thing that tickled me this week was a morning she woke up and Mike put her in bed with me and she leaned over, shook me and said, "Mommy, I am feeling sick. I need you to take care of me!"

30 months

2007-01-02T00:58:00.000-05:00

Kate is halfway to five years old! I can hardly believe it!

CURRENT FAVORITES:
songs to sing: "Joy to the World" & "Ring Around the Rosie"
books to read: The Big Green Pocketbook & Hands are Not for Hitting
thing to wear: princess dress
place to visit: the train table at Barnes & Noble
pretend chores: shopping at wal-mart or target with the shopping cart & cooking just like GG
skills to practice: jumping & dancing
minivan: "'ell-o-pee"
"seester and friend": "Les-si"

Christmas fun

2006-12-31T22:39:00.000-05:00

Kate's had a wonderful time this vacation:
Listening to the rock version of Peter and the Wolf with GP.
Cuddling with Nana.
Singing "Happy Birthday" to GG (and Lexi, too!)
Getting a mani and pedi from Janelle.
Cheering with Laura.
Kicking balls around with Robbie.
Hanging out with the Maddoxes and Grosses and Daniels (being read to by Melanie, going on adventures with Sarah, etc.)
Putting on her party dress for GG's 80th birthday bash and singing and dancing for guests.
Taking the stage at the Strasburg Theater and playing drums and singing into the microphone.

Not to mention all of her wonderful gifts and so much more. She's had a blast!

Conversations with Kate

2006-12-30T22:49:00.000-05:00

When we were in Richmond, Kate slept in her pack 'n play in our host's bedroom (Lexi was in another p 'n p with us in the guest bedroom.) When I woke up one morning, she came right over to hug me.

"Good morning, Momma!"
"Good morning, Kate! How did you sleep?"
"I heard the snoring but I just closed my eyes and went back to sleep."

Daily Kate

2006-12-11T13:41:00.000-05:00

Yesterday at church Kate displayed, as usual, her shy personality. She talks about certain people all the time, will ask me where they are, and 30 seconds later when they approach her, she freezes up. She's not like this around people she sees really regularly and/or knows well. It's just so strange to me because I am not shy.

Today, Kate found a bunch of hair bows and wanted me to clip as many as possible into her hair.

Theology According to Kate

2006-12-05T15:24:00.000-05:00

Kate noticed a Christmas Card sent by the lovely Rebecca arrive in our home yesterday and said, "Who's THAT?" while pointing to the golden, embossed image of Mary.

"That's Mary, the mother of Jesus."

"The Christ," she said, nodding knowingly.

Crisp December Afternoon

2006-12-03T21:43:00.000-05:00

All photos by the lovely and talented Brooke Jared.

Twenty-Nine Months Old

2006-12-02T22:54:00.000-05:00

Kate is quite the conversationalist now and remembers things she hears well. We were driving around yesterday listening to the radio and the announcer said "teacher" and Kate immediately said, "I obey and listen to the teacher at church and school!" She loves to sing and dance and read and play pretend. She sat and listened to the entirety of the Cat in the Hat this week. She learns the names of her library books on the first read and requests them along with old favorites. This week she has pretended to be a princess, a dog, a baby, a mommy, a lion, a cat, a mermaid and a teacher. She's eating really well these days, adding spinach salad to her list of favorite foods this week. Kate is very shy around new people and even the phone but her love of singing led her to sing several verses of "I Sing a Song of the Saints of God" over the phone to Nana this week and to some guests this evening. I love my girl!

I Really Like My Daughter

2006-11-20T00:35:00.000-05:00

Mike is great about taking the girls with him to run errands so I get a few moments to clean when the house is empty. Lately, when he does, Kate comes in and says, "Momma, I MISSED you! I'm so glad to see you!" using the most sincere little voice and I know that even though I did not begin to miss her that hour I was furiously cleaning up after her, she surely missed me.

From the Mouth of Kate (A Continuing Series)

2006-11-14T23:00:00.000-05:00

Mike (walking in the door): "Hi Kate! Hi Lexi!"
Kate: "Hi Daddy! I'm so glad you're home!"

I want to be a schoolgirl, part 1

2006-11-10T16:22:00.000-05:00

Kate was singing while these pictures were taken, by the way.

Twenty-Eight Months

2006-11-02T01:31:00.000-05:00

Kate is obsessed with princesses. She wakes up and begs to put on her princess dress. She says, "Momma, I'm a princess!" 252 times each day. I have no idea where this came from. We don't read books about princesses and she doesn't watch tv shows or movies about princesses. She just loves princesses. We were in Wal-mart the other day and she saw something with the Disney Princesses on it and she stood before it in wonder (in her princess dress, which of course I allowed her to wear to Wally). "There are THREE princesses, Mommy, and I'm a princess too!" Of course she is. She likes to twirl in her princess dress. And speak in very long and complex sentences like an adult. And she is very good at climbing and jumping. She loves going to the library for story time and sitting in Godly Play (children's church) at church. She likes it when her hair is pulled back with a bow. She notices when I wear new clothes and she has preferences about what she wears as well (even beyond the princess dress.) She still is in a phase where she hates the phone. She likes to play with her sister in small doses and she's an excellent helper around the house. She's getting BIG.

Halloween

2006-11-01T17:36:00.000-05:00

The princess bows. We must teach her to curtsy.

Actual Conversation Today

2006-10-19T23:44:00.000-04:00

(while waiting on the porch for Mike at 6p)
Kristen *sighs*
Kate: "What's wrong, Mom?"
Kristen: "Nothing, sweetheart, I'm just tired. You all tire me out."
Kate: "I'm tired too, Mama." *rubs eyes* "My eyes hurt. Long day."

A Few Moments with Kate

2006-10-17T22:54:00.000-04:00

All of these pictures were taken in a span of 5 minutes. Kate now has the toddler habit of smiling too big if I tell her to smile or looking very dumbfounded if I tell her to look normally.

Twenty-Seven Months

2006-10-02T01:08:00.000-04:00

Kate is growing up so fast. She knows all sorts of really random things, to the extent that it scares me. A few weeks ago I put socks on her for the first time in months and she slid around our hardwood floors saying, "SLIDE! Skate, skate, skate!" I didn't show her that?! She just absorbs all information like a sponge. We're growing her hair out and she insists on wearing clips at all times, particularly liking the ones with bows. (I need to make a bunch!) She's very determined, but also a pretty sweet kid. She does helpful things like put all my groceries on the conveyor belt or pick up toys, without me even asking. And she's very compassionate, getting upset to hear babies or children crying, or anyone sick. I am always tickled at how often she thanks me for the little things I do for her. She went to Godly Play on Sunday and sat on a carpet square and everything. Who is this big girl and where is my baby?

From the Mouth of Kate

2006-09-30T22:44:00.000-04:00

Stopping in the middle of anything and noticing something I trained myself not to over time:
"I hear someting, mommy!" [pause] "I hear a bird! Tweet!"

Upon leaving a restaurant:
"Goodbye, seat! Goodbye, spoon! See you!"

Often (especially when she doesn't nap):
"Kate is so tah-uhrd" (big toddler drawl)

When she sees me reaching for a sling:
"Wear my baby on my back?"

She's always chattering and making up little songs. She cracks us up continually.

Again

2006-09-26T14:53:00.000-04:00

Another day, another way to wear your baby.

Little Mom

2006-09-21T00:19:00.000-04:00

Lately, I have been throwing Lexi on my back and doing whatever needs to be done (shopping, chores, etc.) Kate has noticed this and often insists that she, too, wear her baby on her back. We went to Old Navy on Monday. Both of us were wearing babies on our backs and carrying purses. We are quite a sight! Anyhow, I captured some pictures of her playing in the backyard Sunday with a baby wrapped to her back with an old scarf my sisters and I used to wear.

New Sidebar Pic

2006-09-20T00:21:00.000-04:00

It was about time.

This is Kate in a Carolina t-shirt, with a blue bow, in front of a blue wall, with her nose wrinkled up in toddler fashion.

God talk

2006-09-17T23:09:00.000-04:00

Last week, Kate woke up Sunday morning talking about going to church and describing it to me.

This week, when I told her we were going to church to worship today, she made up a little song on the fly about it (completely unprovoked) and then sang it spontaneously several times throughout the day. "Wor-ship, wor-ship, wor-ship God"

I love hearing her talk about her Redeemer, and looking so cute in a smocked dress and cute shoes doesn't hurt either.

Little Longhorn

2006-09-09T23:58:00.000-04:00

Kate knows "Texas ... FIGHT!" and "Texas-Texas ... Yee-haw" and likes to incite us to cheer back and forth with her in the car.

Twenty-Six Months

2006-09-02T23:54:00.000-04:00

Kate continues to blossom into a toddler. She is really concerned with sharing and taking turns and wants to be sure Lexi gets her fair turn, even if its something she likes. She's always making up little songs and remembers the silliest things. She loves to play dress up. I am amazed at her blossoming vocabulary and memory. She likes her new gold croc mary janes and calls them by name "the gold crocs." She loves to swing on bars and seems ready for gymnastics!

She's Getting SO Old!

2006-08-31T16:32:00.000-04:00

Yesterday at just shy of 26 months, we flipped Kate forward in her carseat. She hasn't hit the weight limit yet but it just felt right. Seeing her smiling face with her little bow in the rear view mirror was such a bittersweet feeling.

She's taking great care of her sister, too. This morning after Lexi pulled 10 books or so off our bookshelves (something Kate did 47x a day at that age) Kate walked by, noticed and said "Those are Daddy's books, Lexi!" Then she picked up the books, grabbed one (Birth of a Tragedy by Nietchze), held her sister close and pretended to read to her. I love it!

Gimpy Kate

2006-08-14T23:47:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, while walking in to church, Kate tripped on cement and scrapped both knees pretty badly. She walked with a REALLY exaggerated limp all day yesterday (less so today) and looked very much like an old man. The upside was that the gimpiness slowed her down enough to last her first night in the toddler bed (which we only set up Saturday.)

Twenty-Five Months

2006-08-02T15:33:00.000-04:00

Kate is such a sweet and devoted sister, and a joy to have around. I love to watch her hold Lexi's hand or try to share with her. She is repeating EVERYTHING and saying tons of funny things as she speaks almost completely in phrases now. My favorite mispronounciation: swim soup (suit). She says her own name as "Tate." She has no trouble pronouncing ks, she just believes that's her name. She was listening to who knows what on Laura's ipod the other day and I walked into the room and she said in a perfect toddler voice, "Holla momma." I love being greeted in the morning with "Good morning, momma." She loves her pretty pink toenails, the dog next door, her play kitchen and our neighborhood trains.

Photo Love

2006-07-28T13:57:00.000-04:00

New photos in Kate's album and the Family one, too.

Kate Update

2006-07-21T23:06:00.000-04:00

I really needed to update this a long time ago, but here's some fun Kate stories from the past few weeks:

- Kate loved the family we stayed with for the first few days we were here, delighting in "my friends!" and their mother, "Momma Nash." She came up with that name herself (blending momma and their last name), showing she's well on her way to being at home in the deep South. She also had some "grips" for the first time yesterday.

- Our house is in a town developed around a railway depot and still has pretty heavy train traffic. The first day, both girls freaked out every time a train passed, but now they love it. Meltdowns can be averted by just mentioning trains, no matter the time or where we are.

- Kate has enjoyed visiting with Rebekah Fitts ("Bits!") and her daughter Libby ("Baby Libby"). Today when we walked in, she made a bee line for Libby in her swing and even though it was covered by a blanket, quickly said, "cute dress!" Then, when Libby and Lexi were eating, she sat on a chair near us and nursed a monkey. He likes to eat from her belly button, though she likes to pull her shirt up to her chin to enable him to have the most skin to skin contact, I suppose. It's the first time she's initiated pretend nursing. I remember telling her to nurse a baby doll when Lexi was first born, but it never really interested her so I didn't push it.

- We took Lexi to the doctor today and Kate insisted on sitting on the exam table and talked a lot about the doctor tools. Hypocondriac in the making? ;o)

- A few days ago, Mike playfully asked Kate, "Who's your daddy?" and she quickly responded, "you!" She's getting really good at knowing the right pronouns to use and speaking in longer sentences, too.

- We set up her play kitchen about five days ago and she was thrilled. About three hours later, we had this conversation:
k10 - "It smells like you pooped."
k8 - "Oh, I pooped, Mommy."
k10 - "Well I need to change your diaper, then."
k8 [with great exasperation] "But Mommy, I'm cooking!"

Kate's Summary of Last Night

2006-07-05T21:20:00.000-04:00

"Baseball! Get him OUT!"

"Fireworks! Go Boom, Boom! It's so FUN!"
["and pretty?]
"Pretty and LOUD!"

Two

2006-07-02T19:35:00.000-04:00

Our Kate is two years old today. I'm amazed at how quickly the time has gone and also how difficult it is to remember how life was like without her. I wonder as I look at her toddler self what kind of woman she will grow up to be. Here's a glimmer of what she's like now.

Active - Kate is always moving, unless she's being restrained by something like a stroller!

Creative - Kate is very artistic, though she sometimes choses mediums for her work that are less than desirable. She also likes to make music, singing and playing instruments.

Curious - She is very interested in almost everything around her.

Discriminating - Kate knows what she likes and doesn't!

Inclusive - Kate loves her sister and tries very hard to play with her, even though that's not always easy.

Persistent - Kate trys very hard and with endurance to do what she's interested in doing.

This week I walked in on Lexi, sitting on the floor, and Kate, holding both her hands and dancing around her, singing her own version of ring around the rosies.

She's always talking to me about something, amazing me with her total recall and budding fluency.

Kate's also been showing so much spiritual curiousity, wanting to read books about God (identifying one book as such that we hadn't read in at least six weeks) and proudly proclaiming "I'm God's Kate!"

Your dad and I love you so much, Kathryn Lilia. We're looking forward to watching you grow. Remember your baptism always, and never forget that you are God's little Kate.

Shy

2006-06-26T22:34:00.000-04:00

[We pull into the Friendly's parking lot]
Kate: "Balloon and ice cream!" (An aforementioned treat.)
Mom: "Yes, honey, we're going to have ice cream and get a balloon. What color balloon would you like?"
Kate: "Yellow."
Mom: "How do you ask for a balloon?"
Kate: "Balloon, please!"

***

[waitress present]
Mom: "Kate, what have you been excited about having? -- What would you like to ask for? -- Go ahead! -- Okay, I'll ask, may she have a balloon?"
Waitress: "What color?"
Mom: "What color, Kate? Do you still want yellow? You could have pink or green or... -- I guess she'll take yellow."

Of course, she nicely asks as soon as she's out of earshot. Same with the "Thank you very much!" Shy.

Not like the ones at the playground

2006-06-21T22:12:00.000-04:00

Where I found Kate one morning a few weeks ago.

Kate's birthday is coming up...

2006-06-14T23:08:00.000-04:00

Here's what she "wants"/needs:
- Toys and more can be found on this list.
- Fall clothes in 2T (when they come out next month.)
- ~~Gift certificate to stride rite for sneakers (she needs the wide width) -- I'm not sure what size.~~

She has plenty of summer clothes and stuffed animals.

She will not notice late gifts sent to our new home if you want to get her something for outside like a sandbox or ~~tricycle~~ (already claimed.)

Catch Up

2006-06-13T23:13:00.000-04:00

Here's some Kate highlights from the past week or so, since we've been so busy:

The other night I told Kate, "You are God's little Kate." (as I am prone to do) and she replied, "I'm God's Kate!" with joy.

Kate was really shy with all the new people in California, but much less so with kids and teenagers than with adults.

On the airplane, I wrote her name on her little travel magna doodle for her. We don't do that very often at all, so I was shocked when I said "K-A..." and she jumped right in "T-E!"

Carolina Girl

2006-06-04T00:19:00.000-04:00

Laura Leigh taught Kate to say, "Go Tar Heels!" tonight while pumping her fist!

23 months

2006-06-02T23:12:00.000-04:00

Kate is almost two now, and her personality is so intriguing to me. She's pretty self-conscious around crowds, new people tend to make her language skills regress and up her volume. She talks a lot, a constant commentary on life, "We're at Nana's house!" "Lessi is sad, mommy!" "It's a bug!" She is getting more and more tender with "Lessi" which is so sweet. She is learning the names of many people and has particular people she asks for, even if she hasn't seen them in days. She likes to jump and run and play. She is still a health foodie, preferring whole wheat bread to brownies, though she does like ice cream. She is really learning a lot of our mealtime prayer, working hard to recite it with us, which is so neat to see. We love our girl!

Kate, future mommy

2006-05-25T00:19:00.000-04:00

Early in the morning, Kate grabbed her sling and baby and said, "Sling the baby, mommy?" I helped her get the baby in and adjusted and she looked at me for direction. "You are wearing the baby in the sling, so you can do whatever you need to do and she'll go with you!" "Okay!" She found the abacus and started to count. Later, she said, "Mommy, the baby needs BREAD." "Kate, babies have mommy's milk, not bread." "Dis baby needs bread." "You know what she needs!" I handed her the bread and she proceeded to pretend to feed the baby for at least 30 seconds before scarfing it herself.

Fun Farm Adventure

2006-05-21T20:41:00.000-04:00

We went strawberry picking today (all four of us and Aunt 'Nay) and Kate had a great time picking "stwawberries" and putting them in the "buc-key." She really loved eating the fruits of her labor as well!

Library

2006-05-20T02:16:00.000-04:00

Kate had her first real visit to the library a few weeks ago. Our library has the whole catalog online and has a great holding system, so I am not in the habit of actually going to browse. I tried to bring Kate once before Lexi was born, but she was still a bit young and didn't really appreciate the magnitude of it. So, a few weeks ago I popped Lexi in the hotsling, held Kate's hand and led her into the children's area of the library (instead of just the lobby where we usually run in to grab a stack of books.) She audibly gasped, "WOW!" Then she walked over to a shelf and exclaimed, "Books!" She touched a spine gently. I pulled down a book to show her and she carried it over to the small table, pulled out a chair and began to examine it. It was Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, and she made commentary on the pictures. She came back to the B shelf and we chose some Margaret Wise Brown books we don't have. She took them back to the table too, sitting in the little chair like a schoolgirl, pouring over the pages. Eventually, I said, "Kate, we need to go, honey." "No, Mommy!" "We can take these books with us, will you carry this one?" "O-kay." "Hand the book to this nice lady, Kate." "Mommy?" "She'll give it back really quick." "O-kay!" (librarian) "Here you are!" "Oh, thank you!" *hugs book*

"As long as it's talking with you / Talk of the weather will do"

2006-05-09T14:25:00.000-04:00

[actual conversation with Kate this morning]

Kristen - Kate, I need to take you outside and put you in the car so we can go to church.
Kate - Is it hot? [she really hates getting into a hot car.]
Kristen - No, it's cool today.
Kate - Cold and windy?
Kristen - Maybe.
Kate - Rain? [we go out the door.] No rain!

For the visual among us, there are some new pictures in her album.

Promised Shoe Post

2006-05-08T21:35:00.000-04:00

We did give Kate the faux-crocs for Easter, and she loves them. She walks around, notices the shoes, and stops to say, "ooooh! red shoes!" before she continues on. It cracks me up.

The photo shows all of her current spring/summer shoes that she fits into.

22 months old

2006-05-02T14:46:00.000-04:00

Kate is 22 months old today and simply blossoming. I am astonished at her development and how quickly she grows and learns right before my eyes. She's using hundreds and hundreds of words and learning a dozen or more every day. She woke up last night and I went into her room and asked, "what's wrong, sweetheart?" and she replied, "I'm SAD, Mommy!" Her motor skills are developing, too. A few days ago she found a puzzle set I had bought last year for her to grow into (and to share with older kids who come over until then.) There aren't pegs on the pieces and the age range is 3+ so I wasn't expecting her to be interested. She immediately caught on to the nine shapes puzzle and after helping her do it the first time she can now complete it in a minute flat. She asks to read and likes to summarize the stories in her own little way. She's also started to eat what we do for dinner and uses utensils with some ease. She's went over to hang out with some friends while Mike and I went on a date (with the baby) a few weeks ago and they set her a little place with a plate, spoon and a fork and she proceeded to eat Club crackers with a fork and spoon!

Quotes from Kate

2006-04-27T12:44:00.000-04:00

"one, two, three, four, figh, siss, seben, eigh, nine, ten, eleben, twelve, tirteen, sissten!"

"Sissy needs help!"

"That's a pretty baby."

"Oh thank you, mommy!"

Kate's "celebrity" doppleganger

2006-04-23T23:36:00.000-04:00

Today at church a woman in my small group told me that every week she and her daughters discuss how much Kate looks like Boo, the little girl from Monster's Inc.

What do you think?

A Slave to Fashion

2006-04-11T00:31:00.000-04:00

I have posted numerous times on this blog about Kate's shoe obsession. We were given a pair of hand-me down shoes last week in excellent condition, pink shoes from Target that are similar to her church shoes, but not wide width and not as comfortable. They gave her a blister, but she still insists on wearing them. (We compromise with a thick pair of socks.) I hid them last Thursday and she still woke up from her nap calling out, "Pink shoes, mommy! Pink SHOOOOOES!" So, we put on the pink shoes and went on a little shopping excursion to Target and Ukrops. In between the two stores, there is (among other things) a Payless. I had been on the hunt for red croc knock-offs for Kate (she loves to wear Nana's crocs.) Surprisingly, Payless had much nicer croc knockoffs than Target. So, I took off the precious pink shoes and put on the red faux crocs. I didn't think we would ever leave the store. She cast aside the pink shoes and cradled the too big pair of red faux crocs in her arms while holding out her feet so she could admire the proper sized ones on her feet. Eventually, we made it out the door (with minimal tears and fussing.) I can't wait to see her expression when she finds them in her Easter basket! I need to go back over and buy them before someone else snatches them up! But for now, she is still insisting on wearing those pink shoes, even though I know that she knows they hurt her feet. But they are pretty, after all.

Way better than having the flu

2006-04-03T21:26:00.000-04:00

After dinner, we sang the doxology (with Kate joining in on some words) and Mike turned to her and said, "Kate, you've got the Holy Ghost living in you!"

Then she turned to me and said, "I've got the Ghost."

21 Months Old

2006-04-02T21:21:00.000-04:00

Kate is three-quarters of the way from 1 to 2. She's getting SO verbal! She can count to ten and knows most colors (I think purple is her favorite.) She spontaneously uses hundreds of words in little sentences and repeats EVERYTHING. She's definitely got opinions about things and likes to ham it up. She's starting to identify feelings and say "sorry." My little girl seems so big!

Racecar carts

2006-03-30T23:30:00.000-05:00

Kate LOVES the racecar carts at Kroger. She giggles when she sees them and excitedly choses a color. We've ridden in red, blue and yellow recently. She likes to share the love. Yes, they are a pain to push, but the joy that they bring to Kate is SO worth it.

Learning the Faith

2006-03-22T09:36:00.000-05:00

We had been on the run and such for a few weeks and hadn't sung the doxology in a while (at least two weeks). Then, I was singing it as I pushed Kate in the stroller on a walk (while slingin' Lexi) and I heard her join in! It was so sweet! She sings that last syllable of each line, and "aaaah-men" in a sweet little voice. "floooow" "loooo" "ghoooost" "hoooost"

Finally!

2006-03-13T00:16:00.000-05:00

Kate's always shown a lot of affection to her maternal grandfather, but since he choose a very difficult name for himself, it took a while for her to be able to say it. It just warmed my heart to see him walk in the door and her to look up and shout "GP!" with glee.

Kate's Nose and Mommy's Blubbering.

2006-03-06T11:00:00.000-05:00

Kate really enjoys pretending to sneeze and blow her nose. It cracks her up. She's getting SO big!

It was seventy degrees outside, so I dressed her on the springy side. Excuse the white t-straps before Easter. She IS younger than two, after all!

20 months old

2006-03-02T23:41:00.000-05:00

Kate says the funniest little things now, like "Let's pray!" before every meal. She still rarely says one, but counts correctly "two, tree, four, fibe, six, sebn." She loves to count and will recount her crackers as she eats them. Speaking of meal time, the other day I said, "Do you want some crackers and os and fruit for lunch?" and she replied, "and cheese!" Sometimes she is such a big kid, and the next moment she is needing a full lap cuddle and rock. She likes to read to herself and will even talk about the pages as she flips through books. Of course, she likes to be read to as well. She plays with dry beans and playdough and asks to color when she's bored.

First Haircut

2006-02-27T12:19:00.000-05:00

Here's a photo journey of Kate's first haircut. She still mostly wears it in pigtails when we go out, so it doesn't look much different, but it is nice to know she can see without doing her hair! The picture to the right is also post-haircut (and after wearing her hair in pigtails all day!)

Toddler Fun

2006-02-23T21:18:00.000-05:00

I taught Kate that song that may or may not be about the plague earlier this week. She quickly figured it out and has so enjoyed doing it. She also enjoys playing peek-a-boo with her sister and finding things in her I Spy board book.

Kate Update

2006-02-21T21:21:00.000-05:00

This weekend Kate identified everyone in her extended maternal family after not seeing them for 7 weeks. Pretty good for a toddler!

Today I discovered that she can say and do "push" and "pull" even though I have no idea how or when she learned them. She's using more and more sentences, asking questions ("want some?") and using conjunctions (Mom and Dad).

And there are new pictures in her album.

Funny Kate

2006-02-18T18:41:00.000-05:00

Kate's still having excruciating teething pain 24-7. She's learning a lot though, and likes to vocalize and act out opposites. Up-Down, In-Out, Off-On... And when I sing the alphabet, she joins in with at least 5 or 6 correct letters (she is silent if she isn't right) and not always the same ones.

Big Sister

2006-02-14T13:45:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Lexi was lying on our bed and Kate got The Foot Book, climbed up on the bed, and proceeded to try to read to Lexi. She was flipping pages and pointing out things she knew. It was a sweet moment to watch. I pray that they will enjoy each other's company all the days of their lives.

Growing Girl

2006-02-09T09:45:00.000-05:00

Kate's really growing. A week or two ago, I realized it was REALLY hard to get her little hippie shoes on with socks and she's been avoiding wearing them, so I took her in to get a new pair of sneakers yesterday. The shoe store was, of course, a place of pure delight for Kate. She's now a 6W! She looks pretty cool in her new tennies. Then, last night, I put a pair of 2T pjs on and they fit (well, with a big nighttime cloth diaper on, but still.) Since she's growing, she falls down a lot more when running around. I think her balance is off!

Before and After

2006-02-07T18:49:00.000-05:00

The result of letting a toddler sleep on newly washed hair:

After Mommy tamed the beast:

19 months old

2006-02-02T12:10:00.000-05:00

Kate is 19 months old today. She is truly my little comic relief. She loves to take care of babies, real or dolls. She enjoys drawing and playing with play dough. She talks a lot -- in sentence form -- and some of it is even intelligible. Sometimes she'll even carry on a real phone conversation, especially with her nana. Last week she talked to her on the phone and then walked around for the next half hour saying, "Nana... hi!" as if reminding herself that she just talked to Nana. She's not a big fan of vegetables. She threw her first full-fledged tantrum this month, which consisted of throwing herself on the floor saying, "PLEASE! PUH-LEASE! Mom, PLEEEEEASE!" She loves reading books and watches too much tv, prefering the Wiggles, Little Einsteins, Dora and Diego to all other shows. I hope as she and Lexi get older we're able to cut that out more, but for now, she has to be in my sight every time I nurse and that's difficult to do without TV.

Morning Hair

2006-02-01T12:32:00.000-05:00

Here are a few pictures I've taken of Kate recently in the morning when she's just woken up:

A few more pictures (without morning hair) here.

Mom-to-be

2006-01-27T23:47:00.000-05:00

Whenever Kate interacts with a baby (including holding her sister, but not limited to her), she exclaims multiple times, "Awwww! ShesoCUUUUUTE!" It cracks me up. She loves to hold Lexi and does so at least a couple times a day. Tonight, Mike was helping her hold Lex and Lexi started sucking on her nose! Kate just laughed. She's adjusting so well to be a big sister.

From the Mouth of Kate

2006-01-26T14:01:00.000-05:00

"See ya!"
"This is for you."
"That's a tree."
"Well-wow" (the color of everything.)

Boots

2006-01-21T20:06:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday, our friendly UPS man delivered some rain boots for Kate. Her obsession with shoes kicked in, and since then she has woken up asking for them and proudly wore one or both pretty much all day. No rain puddles to splash in yet, but she does think they are awfully grand for exploring outside.

Catechism, again

2006-01-19T10:41:00.000-05:00

Scene: Dinner Table, Tuesday night.
Mike: "Who made you, Kate?"
Kate: "God!"
Mike and Kristen: "That's right, good job!" *high five Kate*
*Kristen decides to test Kate a bit with some unprepared material*
Kristen: "And who made your sister, Lexi?"
Kate: "God!"
Mike and Kristen: "That's right!" *high fives*
Kristen: "And who made Daddy?"
*Kate looks at her mother as if she were insane*

I guess daddies are begotten, not made.

Catechism

2006-01-16T21:54:00.000-05:00

Kate's language skills slightly regressed when we first came home with Lexi, but seem to be back in growth mode the last few days. She's been saying amen (or, rather, "ma-men") with us consistently, so Saturday we started introducing the first children's catechism question to her in a low-key way at the dinner table.

"Kate, who made you?" *blank stare from Kate*
"God made you, Kate!"
"Who made you, Kate?" *blank stare from Kate*
"God made Kate!"
"Who made you?" and then she replied "God!"

We went through the exact same conversation with her during dinner yesterday as well.

Today at the doctor's office, after having not mentioned it since dinner last night, I turned to her and said, "Who made you, Kate?" and she exclaimed happily, "God!" She's repeated it unprompted several more times.

We're not in a rush to get to question #2 at the moment -- it's just neat to see her growing in the faith.

Kate's Playdate

2006-01-15T15:17:00.000-05:00

A college aged friend, Sarah, asked if she could take Kate out on Friday. Kate adores her, so of course, I agreed. She took Kate to the bank where she got her first lollipop, to the neighborhood park's playground and to the duck pond at the really nice park downtown, then to school to wave at her dad and see all her adoring fans (the logic and rhetoric school students). She came home three hours later and was *SO* happy. Sarah reported that Kate freaked her out flinging herself down the elementary-schooler sized slide without warning and finding the geese attacking her hilarious. That kid has no fear. She cried when Sarah left and tried to get her to take her along. ("Bye, mom!" "No Sarah is going bye, you are staying here." "No! Bye, Mom!") It was her nap-time and it's been a while since we had a fun adventure morning like that, so I didn't take it personally ;o)

Two thoughts: Mom

2006-01-10T16:26:00.000-05:00

Kate has called me Mom for about six months now. Not Momma. Not Mommy. Mom. When she's whining, she sounds fourteen already. Mike is Daddy. My mom is Nana. Me? I'm just mom.

Kate's a mom now, too. A mom to every baby doll she sees. She rocks them, slings them and shushes them with expertise. She walks them back and forth several times and then she lays them down and tells them, "night-night." She has the slight bounce in her step and gentle shake that all parents instinctively use with newborns down to a tee. It's almost scary. 25 years, give or take, and my life could be hers...

High Heels

2006-01-07T17:41:00.000-05:00

Kate loves my high heels. She goes into my closet, gets them from the shoe organizer, walks around the house in them and puts them away. It cracks me up!

18 months old

2006-01-02T22:06:00.000-05:00

This past month has been big in the life of Kate. Her little sister arrived on the scene. She learned at least 25 new words. She spent a lot of time with her maternal extended family. She worked very hard on saying "G.P." and even managed to get it out a few times, to her grandfather's delight. I've really enjoyed watching Kate's personality blossom. She now says "cheese!" and hams for pictures instead of covering her face. She sings along in church and at home to hymns and other music. For example, Mike and I were singing the doxology to her and she was singing along "Pra-Ga! Pra-Ga!" She loves music, in fact, right now she has just climbed up on our bed and turned our alarm clock radio on and is listening to "Performance Today" on NPR, dancing and clapping along. She is an incredibly good sleeper, which is such a blessing to us right now. She is a little grabby with Lexi and over-anxious to share her things with the baby, but at least she is interested in playing with her!

Big Sister

2005-12-28T16:38:00.000-05:00

Kate is doing great with adjusting to Lexi thus far. She's very gentle and kind and not too demanding, however, there's usually lots of attentive relatives here to dote on her. Please pray her kind and accepting spirit continues as we return home!

What do daddies say?

2005-12-20T17:44:00.000-05:00

Like many toddlers, Kate makes an assortment of animal sounds. But after doing her routine of typical sounds, if you ask her "and what do daddies say?" she replies "RRAAAAAWWWWWRRRRRRRR!"

It's true. Her daddy does roar fairly often.