Story Time

I thought I'd give you a little taste of what things are like for Kate and I during the week. On Thursdays Kate and I go to our local library for 1 year old story time. It is possibly one of the most adorable half hours of my life. We read individual books, sing songs, look at the big picture book, see the puppets, and enjoy a finale of bubbles. Kate LOVES the library and the librarian. She is captivated by the books and is starting to do the motions to the songs.

On Kate's birthday we brought some treats to share with her class strawberry yogurt burst Cheerios!

Kate with a mouth full of Cheerios walking away as we tried to take a class picture.

It is certainly a highlight of the week as we go to open play time for another half an hour after where Kate takes all the books out of the bins to be read.

Our 1 Year Old

Our little girl is growing by leaps and bounds. As each day passes she is getting steadier on her feet and more communicative. She pretty much always walks, sometimes runs, and seldom falls. In the last few days her language has been growing rapidly. She has added ball, nana, bye-bye, bubbles, night-night, and dog to her repertoire. We were at a birthday party the other night and she chased their German Shepperd around the house most of the evening screaming DAW(dog)! She is such a friendly little girl and smiles at almost everyone. She loves singing songs and doing the motions that go along with them. She can clap her hands, pat her head, and tries to tip like a tea pot. She also tries to run to her Daddy at church, which makes things a little complicated for Mommy. Kate LOVES reading books! She will sit on your lap and read as many books as you can tolerate. And my favorite of late, she LOVES to cuddle. She is genuinely so sweet. It has been an amazing year together! We have all survived and really look forward to all that lies ahead. Below are some pictures of Kate since Christmas. Enjoy!

CLICK HERE for Kate's 12 Month Pictures!

Birthday Video

I fixed the link to the video of Kate blowing out her candles and eating her cake.

CLICK HERE for Video of Kate's 1st Birthday!

Kate's 1st Birthday!

It's hard to believe our little girl is 1 already. The past year has been amazing, and we were able to celebrate it on Sunday with a great group of friends and family. Gammy and Aunt Kathy made the trip from NY. My Mom, sister, brother, Ben, Tom, Alina, and Cousin Tommy made it from Chicago. Everyone's effort was much appreciated. For the party, my Mom and sister helped make stuffed shells and we served Italian beef. We also made Kate's birthday cake and the little bear cupcakes for the kids. The unofficial theme was a little bear party for our little bear. We had goody bags for the kids and an overall great time. Kate opened many generous presents and we were so appreciative of all of our great family and friends that could celebrate with us!

CLICK HERE for Video of Kate's 1st Birthday!

Somebody's a Big Girl

In the last few weeks Kate has gone through some major developments. Her walking is improving by the day and she is now officially on the loose. Her listening vocabulary is also really increasing, and she just seems so big to us. We have some videos below that start to capture this growth. Enjoy!

CLICK HERE for Video of Kate Walking!

CLICK HERE for Video of Kate Waiting for Daddy!

CLICK HERE for Video of Kate and Her Books!

Our Christmas Extravaganza

We had a wonderful Christmas for a number of reasons. One reason of course being it was our first Christmas with our little girl, but we also got to spend treasured time with family and friends so dear to our heart. Christmas started out with our Chicago contingent coming for a visit.

Sleigh Number One arrived early in the week carrying Katie, Ben, and Nana. Mike and Grandpa in Sleigh Number Two made the trip on Christmas Eve. Despite some bad weather on both ends of the trip everyone made it for a great Bundalo Christmas. The train brought by Nana and Grandpa was certainly a highlight for Kate and the adults. Then it was off to NY to continue the Christmas Extravaganza.

Despite six hours in the Detroit airport, running between terminals, and hoping for standby seats we made it to NY safe, sound, and in good spirits. Kate really enjoyed playing with her NY cousins and made much progress on her walking with the help of Michaela. Brian was so excited to give Wa the replica Christmas Story lamp, I really enjoyed our Wiiza Night (Pizza and Wii), and the adults enjoyed a little nostalgia with The Groove Tube. It was just great to spend a little family time together. From there it was off to Greenville, SC.

Despite 4 hours on the runway in the midst of an Albany snowstorm, and our chances of making it to SC on New Year's Eve looking bleak, Kate was all smiles. She kept Brian, myself and the people around us quite entertained. She could not have been better! We did manage to take off and actually made it to Greenville to ring in the New Year. We spent it with friends of ours the Winterhoffs. Mark is a good friend of Brian's from childhood, and his wife Carrie is an equally special person. Carrie and I were both pregnant together and have had many chats on pregnancy and motherhood. It was so nice to see Mark and Carrie, and meet their 8 month old Luke. We have teased for quite some time that Kate and Luke will, of course, turn out a couple. The Winterhoffs were wonderful hosts. They have a beautiful home and made some great meals. The kids played together, and we certainly enjoyed the break from the Midwest weather. We went on a few walks, relaxed in their backyard, toured downtown Greenville(which is adorable), made it to the zoo, and even tasted some southern barbeque. It was fun to be with others who are in "baby" mode, but it was also just fun to be with them!

Now that we are home, we are recovering from our Christmas Adventure. I am learning that as a Mom Christmas is a lot of work. Everything is just a little bit more with a baby-- more work, more preparation, and MUCH more fun! Thank you so much to everyone that made our Holiday so special!

Happy 29th Birthday Brian!

Today is Brian's 29th Birthday and hopefully he has had a good day. Kate gave us a decent night of sleep, Brian had lunch out with colleagues, then presents, dinner, and cake at home, and lots of wonderful calls with birthday wishes. I hope he knows how much he is appreciated, especially by me. Happy Birthday to a wonderful father and husband!