Rain Boots, New Toys, Ballet, and Cereal

Look at this cute face! He just brightens my day.

Anyone who has been around Kate where there is water knows that she freaks out if her shoes get wet. Well, we were in Walmart the other day and saw rain boots on clearance and a tinkerbell umbrella...we had a long talk about how her rain boots could get wet and the umbrella would help her body stay dry when it was raining. Then she began insisting on these things and I told her that if I bought these and I still heard her wine about her shoes being wet that I was going to freak out! Behold, the rain boots and umbrella have been a huge hit and she even walks in the wet grass with them!

I am sure all of you with older children experience this too...but everytime we pull out a new baby toy for Whit, Kate feels the need to try it out as well.

Here is Whit finally getting to enjoy the exersaucer. He loves it!

Kate is going to be taking ballet this year at her preschool. I happened to buy a leotard at a consignment sale this past spring which is now obviously going to come in very handy. Well after signing her up for ballet today we went home and tried on the leotard and now Kate won't take it off. She is very excited about taking ballet. I taught her some moves, however since I never took ballet I probably taught her all wrong and her teacher is going to wonder where Kate got all her crazy moves from!

This little booger is probably over 15 pounds now. However, he doesn't sleep throught the night consistently at all. The doctor said since he was so close to 4 months to start cereal at night and see if that helps. Whit actually loves the oatmeal and pears that I have been giving him and he is going longer at night now. I just can't wait until he sleeps from 7pm to 7am. When does that happen again?

To Further Update You...

For the first time in his sweet little life, Whit slept from 9pm until 6am this morning without waking up once! Can I get a "AMEN!"

To Catch You Up...

So my mother (who actually lives in the same town as me) is most disappointed in my not so frequent blogging. So to catch you up on our lives lately here are some pictures...

Kate turned 3. We had a small party on her actual birthday with three little friends and then the next night had the whole family over. It was definitely fun to watch her this year as she knew all about birthdays and the fact that it was her birthday!
Kate wanted all pink. So we had Ashley Mac's strawberry cupcakes and strawberry cake. If you have never tried this dessert of her then you are totally missing out! Check her out.
http://www.ashleymacs.com/

We met up with some friends at the McWane Center. Andrea and I know each other through my husband and her father-n-law but have actually never met. So we changed that this past week. It was great playing with her and her little girl Madeline. Kate was almost mute at age two but Madeline who is not even two can have full conversations with you! Very impressive.

Whit found his thumb. It is quite adorable to watch him when he is trying to get it in his mouth!

Noelle came back through Birmingham before heading back to LA. So we got some more time with them. Whit and Piper got to foster their relationship a little more. Then Kate and Graham got to play more too. Graham was Kate's first real friend and it is sweet to see how distance hasn't changed how much they love seeing each other and playing with each other.

Kate has become a big helper. She can even feed Whit all by herself now. However isn't she ready for motherhood. Doesn't this picture look just like a new mom with no sleep!!

Been taking a lot of pictures. Someone is starting to look a little cross-eyed from all the flashes!

We went to Bry's to meet Otis. John (Bry's boyfriend) got a new puppy and he is about the cutest thing ever. Kate loved him because he would play "chase" with her! However, she had no desire to hold him.

And that's about it for now.

3 year and 3 month pics

photos by Lauren Winter

http://www.freshgracephotography.blogspot.com/

Happy Birthday Kate!!

So when thinking about Kate turning 3 and this past year I have a broad spectrum of emotions. Kate is such a fun little girl who's larger than life personality keeps us laughing and just brings us a lot of joy. She loves everyone and hardly ever meets a stranger. The way she went from saying few words to having full on conversations is amazing. And I never knew that a two year old could be so opinionated about what she was wearing and have total melt downs when her shoes get wet! This past year has also been extremely hard as learning to parent/discipline has been a HUGE journey. The journey though has been more about the Lord revealing my sin to me then anything else. Through raising Kate I have had more of my pridefullness, self-righteousness, anger and desire for control exposed...and that has been really hard. But I am thankful that the Lord is kind and uses these things to mold us and causes us to be in complete desperation to draw us closer to him.

I am in the middle of reading a book by Dan Allendar called "How Children Raise Parents." A lot of what I am learning and my views on this past year can be summed up in an excerpt from his book. He says in the book, "No other arena in life holds us more hostage to hope, more afraid to dream, more defensive about our decisions, and more open to receive help - all simultaneously. The intensity and passion of parenting bring the potential not only for our worst but also for our very best as human beings. It is the space in our lives where we are most open to the work of God to change us - if we will only allow our children to lead us into spiritual maturity."

The song on this slideshow is by Laura Story and is called "Make Something Beautiful." My prayer is that He would take my brokenness and failure as a parent and "make something beautiful" in me and in Kate.

Happy Birthday Kate! We love you very much!!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Oozing with Sweetness

I just can't get enough of this sweet little boy! Whit has really just been an absolute joy!

I just wonder what Whit thinks everytime Kate holds him or tries to help take care of him!!

Some good friends of ours (the Glazes) are in from LA and we are spending lots of time hanging out. We had a little playdate with friends so that we could all play and hang out and also meet the Glazes new little one, Piper!! She and Whit will be getting married in 2032 if I have anything to do with it!! I mean, Whit and Piper...don't they just sound cool together?

All the kiddos...in just three years, things have really changed...its like a zoo when we are all together.

Whit, Piper, and Geer in the corner...we will be competing with him for Pipers heart).

Graham was Kates first real friend. We miss her so much and were so glad to have some time to play together this week.