Living our own fairy tale...

Weekly Charlie Bump Pictures

2012-02-01T22:23:00.006-06:00

Charlie is growing fast:) You can tell by my growing belly!
I especially love my little helper in all the pictures:)

Hope everyone is having a great week:)
I will be posting a Cate update this week:)
She is at such a fun age and melts my heart every single day! LOVE her!

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Charles "Charlie" Andrew

2012-01-31T18:44:00.003-06:00

We are naming our little boy

CHARLES ANDREW and we will call him CHARLIE:)

Ryan's full name is Charles Ryan and my dads name is Andrew!

A week ago we got to see Charlie! He is quite the mover! Every time I sit down or lay down, he starts kicking and punching and moving like crazy! Ryan and Cate can even feel him move!!! We brought Cate to the ultrasound and needless to say, she was more interested in watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse:) Afterwards my mom took her and got her a new little carrier, diaper bag and we got her a little boy doll. His name is Charlie and Cate calls him, "My Charlie!" Our appointment went really well. Our doctor said everything looked perfect and he did a good job of showing off and letting the ultrasound tech get lots of pictures of all his parts:) We continue to pray that he grows strong and healthy over the next 19 weeks!! Thanks for the prayers and kind words:)

Here is little Charlie at our 20 week appointment

Cate and her Charlie:)

Happy Tuesday!!!
Weekly Bump Pictures coming tomorrow!

LOVE LOVE LOVE

It's a.....

2012-01-16T16:10:00.009-06:00

We found out right before the New Year what we are having! I can't believe I haven't blogged about it:) Here are some pictures that share the news:)

BOY!!

We are so excited to add a little boy to our family!!!!!
I am having so so much fun planning his nursery and buying blue stuff:)
LOVE LOVE LOVE

Weekly Pictures Update

2011-12-28T09:00:00.000-06:00

Here are some more bump pictures:) In the last one you can start to see baby #2 popping out:)

Happy Wednesday my friends:)
LOVE LOVE LOVE

Christmas Highlights in Pictures:)

2011-12-27T16:03:00.006-06:00

Christmas was so much fun this year! Cate was so excited about everything!! She loved having a tree in her room, singing Christmas songs, giving gifts to her friends, making Christmas cookies, seeing Santa, opening presents.... the list goes on and on. It was such a joy seeing Christmas through her eyes!

Here are some highlights of our Christmas:)

Hope everyone had a very blessed Christmas!!!
LOVE LOVE LOVE

Best Night - OSU Big 12 Champions:)

2011-12-05T17:25:00.003-06:00

The game on Saturday night was AMAZING:) Best Night EVER:) So glad we were able to experience OSU win a big 12 title:) Here we come Scottsdale:)

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Weekly Bump Pictures

2011-11-30T15:38:00.006-06:00

Thank you so much for all the kind words! We are so excited! Cate thinks that the new baby is "her," baby:) So cute!
I have been feeling ok. I was really sick for about 4 weeks and I have started to feel a bit better lately. I have a major food aversion to cheese and lunch meat. So weird! My doctor had to prescribe me medicine so I could at least function and take care of myself and Cate.

Where can I find the cute little questions that people fill out and post on their blogs for weekly updates?

Cate and I have been taking weekly updates together:) Here are weeks 6-11. We haven't take week 12 yet:)

We are all moved into our new house! I can't wait to share pictures!! We also have all our Christmas decorations up! YAYAYA!!!

Thanks again for all the sweet comments! You guys are the sweetest!!
LOVE LOVE LOVE

Guess What?!?!?

2011-11-28T13:22:00.001-06:00

LOVE LOVE LOVE

We Close Thursday:)

2011-11-08T13:49:00.019-06:00

Hello Friends:)
We close on our new house on Thursday! We are so excited!! We have been super busy with house stuff and getting ready for another move! I thought I would share a few pictures of our new place:) We are going to paint a few rooms over the weekend and then hope to move in towards the end of next week!

Walking in the front door... The living room

Dining room

Kitchen

Half Bath off the kitchen

Master Bedroom and Master Bath

Laundry Room

Cate's Room

Little Nook in her closet. I am going to make it a little reading nook:)

Third Bedroom:)

Cate's bathroom

Playroom and upstairs bathroom

Fourth Bedroom/Office/Craft room

Backyard

Couldn't blog without a picture of my sweet little Cate:) Love her so much!

Happy Tuesday!!
LOVE LOVE LOVE

In TROUBLE for Hugging and Holding Hands?!! SAY WHAT?

2011-10-11T21:34:00.004-05:00

Today is gymnastics's day. Finley and Cate go to gymnastics one day a week at a church here. It is a class for 2-3 year olds. Today we watched the girls skip, hop, jump, etc. We saw a few times the girls would hold hands or stop and hug. We even said out loud, "How cute is that? They are holding hands and walking to the next station together!!"

After class the girls ran over and were so excited to show us their candy they received for doing well in class. Next walks up the teacher. She proceeds to tell us that, "I get that the girls are best friends but you need to let them know that holding hands and hugging is not allowed during gymnastics. It is disruptive to the class! When we tell them during class not to hug or hold hands, they usually stop. Please reinforce that to them at home!"

My mom, Allison and I sat there dumbfounded!! All we said was OK! When we walked off, we kinda started laughing!! What the HECK? They are two years old. You want us to teach them to not be sweet and kind to one another? Not to love one another? We never saw once the any sort of disruption by it! At least they aren't pushing, hitting or biting! I find it crazy that she wants us to tell the girls they aren't allowed to hold hands in class or give each other the occasional hug. It isn't like they aren't participating because they are busy hugging! They are two years old!! This tiny little Grannie behind us overheard and said, "Your daughters are precious. I think it is sweet that they love each other. This isn't some sort of World Gymnastics:)"

Kinda funny that the first time EVER a teacher had to come and talk to us about our girls behavior is because they need to stop hugging and holding hands! HA HA HA!

They just really LOVE each other! They are like sisters:)
This picture wasn't posed. Cate just put her hand around Finnie on the train ride at the ZOO:)

Happy Tuesday:)
PS- We are under contract on a new house;) Hooray!!!! We close 11-11:)
I will post pictures soon:) We LOVE it:)
LOVE LOVE LOVE

Cate & Fin

2011-09-26T23:05:00.006-05:00

“If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you.”
― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

“If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together... there is something you must always remember. you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart... I'll always be with you.”
― A.A. Milne

“We'll be Friends Forever, won't we, Pooh?' asked Piglet.
Even longer,' Pooh answered.”
― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

Young Tod: Copper, you're my best friend.
Young Copper: And you're mine too, Tod.
Young Tod: And we'll always be friends forever. Won't we?
Young Copper: Yeah, forever.
- Disney's Fox and the Hound

"I found out what the secret to life is--friends. Best friends."
--"Fried Green Tomatoes"

Love you so much Cate and Fin!!!
LOVE LOVE LOVE
Em

Picky Little Eater

2011-09-14T15:24:00.004-05:00

Good Afternoon :)

I need food advice for a picky little eater:)

This little girl

Does not eat well!

Here are some things that she will eat:)
* Turkey
* Ham
* yogurt
* Sometimes strawberries
* Sometimes grapes
* Sometimes blueberries
* Chicken fingers
* Pizza
* Bananas
* Sometimes green beans
* Bread
* Sometimes cheese
* Yogurt melts
* Puffs
* Fruit snacks
* Mac and cheese
* Waffles or pancakes for breakfast

What do you feed your child? Any helpful tips?
I need her to eat more veggies but she won't even try them!!

Happy Wednesday!
Love Love Love

Dreaming of Fall

2011-09-02T16:35:00.012-05:00

September is here and I am ready for the weather to stay nice and cool:) It looks like the lows may even be in the upper 50s next week:) Hip Hip Hooray!!!!

Here are some things I am looking forward to:)

I bought this darling shirt at Ann Taylor Loft yesterday and I think my skinny jeans will be darling with it and I am dreaming of a pair of these boots:) Mom or Ryan, I would love these for my birthday:)

I saw that Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte is back:) Hooray!!

We will be living with my parents until we find a new house and I have been begging my mom to make chili! She keeps saying it is still to warm out! Come on weather!

I LOVE that football season is here:) I LOVE dressing my little cowgirl up!

I LOVE all the fall OPI nail colors;) My mom bought me three last week:) I got a manicure and pedicure with new fall colors:)

I adore decorating for Halloween. Looks like I will be decorating at my parents house this year! Oh well:)

My mom makes this amazing popcorn treat with popcorn, candy corn, m&ms and reeses pieces:) I can't wait to make some:)

My birthday is this month:) The dreaded 30:( But my friends and husband are throwing me a party:) I got the invite last week and I am so excited:)

I love making wreaths and I have found so many cute fall wreaths! It is going to be hard to decide which one to make:)

What are your favorite things about fall????

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Cate's 2 Year Pictures Sneak Peek:)

2011-08-31T22:41:00.002-05:00

We met with Kristen on Sunday for Cate's two year pictures! We feel so blessed that we have had Kristen to take all of Cate's pictures for the last two years!! I remember when we were were taking these:)

Here are the sneak peeks of our 2 year session with the AMAZING Kristen:) We LOVE her so much !! She is absolutely an amazing photographer!!

Happy Wednesday my friends!!
LOVE LOVE LOVE

Cate's Second Birthday Party - Part 1 - The Decorations

2011-08-26T15:26:00.022-05:00

Cate's birthday turned out cuter than I imagined it:) I had so much fun planning an Elmo themed birthday party for her! I LOVE party planning!! I will post some pictures today of all the decorations and then in another post I post party pics :)

Adorable invitations made by my sweet friend Shannon:) We "met" through blogging and she creates the cutest stuff!!!!

Party favor table:) I got the Elmo baskets 50% off after Easter! My sweet mom and I went to four different Targets to find enough for the party!! My best friend painted the adorable Elmo painting and also painted two paintings for the cake table! Thanks Allison! You are the best!!

My talented and wonderful Aunt sewed little Elmo capes for the kids! I wanted to get pictures of them all in their but the party creeped into nap times and kiddos snuck home:)

The party favor bags had crayons and goldfish crackers in them too:) Oh and skittles and starburst:)

The sign in table had the Sesame Street book, "When is My birthday?" and adorable centerpieces by Maddy Lu's. I have a Cricut and intended to make everything for the centerpiece myself but with going on vacation and moving, I ran out of time!

The fireplace decorations in the present area:)

I made this ribbon wreath:) I was really happy with how it turned out!!!

We decorated Cate's high chair too:)

Outdoor decorations

Cate's pictures in mini milk jugs with goldfish:)

We had four real goldfish too:) Well, we had five but one passed away en route to our house!

The cake table

My dad and I made this adorable street sign! I found the idea on Pinterest and we went to Home Depot to get all the wood and then I panted it! I am going to put it in her playroom. Well, she doesn't have a playroom now but hopefully when we find a new house she will!!

The cake, Elmo cookies, and number 2 cookies were made by my friends mom! She did an amazing job! I can't wait to have her make more cakes for us in the future! I made the chocolate covered oreos with Elmo sugars on top!

My brother agreed to dress up like Elmo for the party! Cate was terrified but it was a great memory! Thanks Brother!! I bought a polaroid camera and we took pictures of the kids with Elmo and they got to take their pictures home!

We also, rented a Sno Cone Trolley:) The kids LOVED it!

We all had so much fun!!! The birthday girl especially:)

Happy Weekend:)
I will post the party pictures next week and Cate's 23 month post too!
LOVE LOVE LOVE

Happy Second Birthday Catharine Isabella

2011-08-21T22:18:00.009-05:00

I cannot believe that 2 years ago today our precious Cate was born! At this very moment two years ago, we were snuggling as a new family of three in the hospital bed! Our lives were forever changed that day and we cannot imagine life without our precious little gift from God. She is the best thing that has ever happened to us! We LOVE her with our whole hearts and she makes every day seem a little brighter, happier and more wonderful!!!

"A daughter is the happy memories of the past, the joyful moments of the present, and the hope and promise of the future." - Author unknown

Happy Birthday Catharine Isabella!! We love you with all our heart and soul!!
Don't ever forget how much you are LOVED!!!!!!!

22 Month Happenings:)

2011-07-25T22:06:00.007-05:00

Cate turned 23 months on the 21st! I cannot believe how the last month has flown by. We have been so very busy lately. Out of town almost every single weekend and now packing up our house! Cate is such a joy in our lives and I LOVE her more and more every single day that goes by. I have no idea how that is even possible.

Here is what Cate has been up too in her 22nd month of life:)

* She is my little shadow. She repeats everything I say and even fake coughs and sneezes when I cough or sneeze.
* She loves to accessorize. She loves to wear bracelets, sunglasses, hats and always is carrying around a bag or purse:) She wears sunglasses mostly upside down though!
* She LOVES Daisy so much. She will hug her and pet her and follow her around saying, "Daisy!"
* Cate is talking so well. She no longer says Rarah but Sarah; Atrick is now Patrick; Momma is now Mommy; etc
* She loves trying on my clothes and her daddy's shirts. When I do laundry she will sit and try on clothes while I fold.
* She LOVES her cousins. We spent a weekend with them and she kept laying her head on her cousin Evan's shoulder. It was so presh
* She had swim lessons this month and did so well. She was in the pool one on one with the teacher and so there was some crying but after three times she was able to float on her back all by herself! She has two more sessions left.
* Cate loves playing in her kitchen. She loves to dump everything out and then pretend to make dinner and tea.
* She also loves to play pretend
* She loves pretending to put her babies to sleep. She will tell us to be quiet and to turn out the lights:)
* She also loves to feed her babies a bottle, pat their back and burp them!
* Cate LOVES going to the library. We joined the summer reading program and Cate received her medal for reading 20 books:)
* She LOVES to read in the car. She will cross her little legs and look like she is really reading her book.
* She is also very polite, She almost always says Please and Thank you!!
* She also loves to tell people she loves them. She tells FInley she loves her all the time!!!
* Riding in an elevator makes Cate so excited!! She screams, "ELEVATOR:)"
* We visited my grandparents this month and Cate LOVED playing with Gaw Gaw and Paw Paw and her MeMa!
* She also adores riding on luggage carts! It is like a fun amusement park ride for her!
* Cate travels very well. She usually sleeps in the car or watches, "Elmo," Or "Olivia," on the Ipad!
* She now asks to wear her hair in piggies:) It is the sweetest thing.
* Cate LOVES her new school. She never cries when we drop her off! Such a big girl!
* Cate LOVES posing for pictures. She will put her hand on her hip, put her hand on her cheeks or tilt her head and say CHEEESSEEE!
* Cate and Finley are so precious together. Every time they see each other they get so excited. It is like Christmas morning to them! I need to get it on video!
* Cate and Finley had their first slumber party this month! Allison let Cate spend the night and they had so much fun!They got matching pjs and matching Elmo bathing suits. They had so much fun together! Yay for many more together!!!
* Cate loves eating her yogurt. She makes such a mess but feels like such a big girl eating it all by herself.
* Cate will not eat unless she has a fork or spoon.
* Cate is so brave in the water. We have to watch her like a hawk. She will just walk right in!
* She loves helping me cook. do laundry, pack, load the car... basically she likes to do whatever I am doing.
* Cate will ask to snuggle:)
* She loves to read books in our bed before bedtime, then pray and then goes and rocks with daddy:)
* Cate's Gi Gi & Poppa kept her over the weekend and took her to get her haircut and a pedicure!!
* Uncle Patrick took her to get a slushie and pick out any toy she wanted at Kiddlesticks! She picked out a little pink jogging baby stroller!
* Her snuggle puppy, baby and blankie are now attached to her at all times!
* She loves putting on Chapstick and lip gloss. When she sees me put it on she hustles over!
* We went to the Dr this month for another sty on her eye. The Dr said she is one of the best little patients ever. She sits so still and does whatever the Dr wants her to do:)
* Cate is so lovable! She loves to give hugs. She hugs me all the time! Such a sweet girl!
* When Cate wears skirts or dresses, she loves to twirl! It is so cure!
* Her favorite song is still, "Twinkle, Twinkle:)"
* Cate likes to sit criss cross applesauce:) It is so cute
* Brushing her teeth is something she looks forward to in the morning and at night.
* We are working on her colors. She usually says green as her first response to my question, "what color is this?"
* Sesame street is still her number one show. Olivia is a close second but she chooses Sesame Street first every time:)
* Cate sings her ABCs very well! There are a few letters she mumbles over but most you can hear very well!
* I bought Cate and Finley Best Friends shirts and they LOVE wearing them! It is the cutest thing EVER:)
* Aunt Amy bought the girls I LOVE NYC shirts and they were so proud to wear them around and be dressed alike
* Cate loves waiting for daddy to get home at night and LOVES waving him goodbye in the morning:) She LOVES her daddy so much. He is such a great daddy
* Cate loves making animal sounds. Her newest sound is a Donkey... He Hawww... It is so cute and funny
* She also loves to act like a dinosaur and rawrrrrrrrr
* She pretends to be dog and a baby too:)
* Playing pretend is so fun! I LOVE watching her pretend!!!
* Cate loves singing HAPPY BIRTHDAY! She also, loves blowing out candles and pretending to bowl out candles!
* "Calling," Finley on her play phone is something she does everyday! She pretends they are in the most in depth convo ever!!
* Dancing is something we do all the time too:) She is quite the little dancer and was a dancing fool at Ryan's cousin's wedding!

Cate is the best thing that has ever happened to her daddy and I. We do not know how we ever lived without her. We thank God for her every single day. I feel so blessed to be her mommy and that God chose us to bless us with her! I so proud of the little girl she has turned into!!! I hope I am always a good role model for her!!! Thanks for keeping up with our little girl!!!

Happy Monday my friends:)
I hope to have a random update this week too:)
LOVE LOVE LOVE

Randomness

2011-07-06T15:15:00.013-05:00

Hope everyone had a fabulous Fourth! We had a great time with family at the lake:)

* We have been so busy lately with family, showers, trying to sell our house, trying to find a new house and life!!! Hope everyone is having a great week so far!

* We have a baby shower this weekend and I am helping with all the crafts for it:) I can't wait to post pictures of everything!

* I have also, been trying to plan Cate's second birthday:) I cannot believe she is going to be 2 in less than 2 months! Man time sure does fly! Before I had a child I always said I would never let my child wear character clothing! Welp, Cate LOVES Elmo and I think she looks so cute in Elmo shirts and so I gave in:) Never say you will never do something once you have kids because you will probably end up doing that something you said you would never do:) Ha!

* I can't believe this tiny baby will be 2 so soon!!

* I now have a sewing machine. I have actually had it for about 3 months. I really want to learn to sew. I would love to take classes. Anyone in the Tulsa area have any suggestions of where I could take a class or 2 or 3 or 10:)?

* I want to learn to sew so I can make a ruffled skirt like this for Cate's pottery barn kitchen:) Found this cute picture below on Pinterest:)

* I LOVE Pinterest! I spend so much time on it when Cate is napping or asleep for the night! It is such an addiction! I have found so many great house ideas and craft ideas! Even great hair styles and great recipes!!

* A group of friends and I have started a little Pinterest dinner group and we get together a couple times a month and all make food that we have found on pinterest:) It is so fun!!

Pinterest girls:)

* I bought a Sultra Bombshell curling iron about two months ago and I LOVE it:) I love curling my hair with it! It is so easy to use!

* Cate still takes a paci. She calls it her sassy and is quite addicted to it! I try to not let her have it during the day when she is playing but man she sure does ask for it all day long! She looks cute even with a sassy though:)

* Cate and Finley have swim lessons next week:) Hope they cooperate:)

* Today is my Mom's birthday:) We have spent the whole day with her and we are taking her to dinner tonight:) I love that I get to spend so much time with my mom!

Hope everyone has a great day!!!
LOVE LOVE LOVE

21 Month Happenings:)

2011-06-24T14:49:00.011-05:00

I cannot believe my baby girl will be 2 in 2 months!! I know I said that below but really I CANNOT BELIEVE IT:( Cate is such a sweet, carefree, outgoing, chatty little girl! We are so very blessed to call her our daughter!! LOVE HER SO MUCH!!

Cate turned 22 months on the 21st and so today I will post about what she was up to in her 21st month of life:)

* She loves reading books and loves reading them by herself! She will look at a book and pretend she is reading it and even flip through the pages:)
* She loves acting like she can read menus at restaurants as well.
* She loves popsicles
* She loves Sonic slushies. I will ask her if she wants a slushie and she shouts, "SONIC!"
* Every time we pass Sonic, she thinks we need to stop for a slushie
* She had her last day of school at her first mothers day out
* We went to the lake this month and decided that Cate is definitely a lake rat! She loves being on the boat and in the water
* Cate is quite the little fish. She LOVES swimming! We got her a little life vest/floatie and she loves it! She can swim on her own and she kicks so well!!
* She did so well on the road trip to the lake. She only slept for about an hour and was happy the other three hours:)
* Every time we would go over a wave on the lake, Cate would say, "WHEW!"
* When we go down hills in the car, she also says, "WHEW!!"
* There was a firework show at the lake and Cate was not a fan at all. She would cry and say, "No MOMMA!"
* She loves pushing her own stroller all around! She will pile her babies in it and push it all over the place.
* We pray together every single night and after we are done praying, daddy will rock her to sleep. Before I leave the room, Cate says, "Night NIght Momma, Love you!" It is the sweetest thing ever!!! We will kiss, butterfly kiss and eskimo kiss and then I leave the room
* Cate said her first sentence this month!! She said, "Trieve get the ball." Trieve is my brothers golden retriever and Cate LOVES her!
* Cate loves helping me around the house. She loves watering the plants, feeding the dogs and putting up laundry:)
* Cate can now say her full name! It is the cutest thing in the whole world:)
* Cate had her first day at her new school this month and she LOVED it:) Her sheet said she was: cooperative, chatty, busy, happy and friendly.
* She never cries when I leave her at her new school! She just marches right in and tells me bye bye!
* She stayed with my mom and dad this month while we went to Vegas. She had so much fun swimming, getting a pedicure, having a play date and was so spoiled:) GiGi and Poppa take such great care of her!
* When we got home from Vegas, Cate was attached to my hip:) She would randomly come up to me and say, "Love you momma:)" Melt my heart!
* Twinkle, Twinkle is still Cate's favorite song. We probably listen to it 20 times a day:)
* Where is thumb-kin is also a new favorite:)
* She mimics everything!!! I was putting on makeup and she was pretending to put on makeup too:) It was the cutest thing I have ever seen!
* Ryan was getting dresses one day and was putting on his tight under shirt. Jokingly I said, "Ohhh Daddy's HOT!" Cate started saying it over and over again. She still says it to him:)
* She repeats everything!!
* Cate's "Big Brother," Kegan is back from a 6 month stay in Singapore! She was a little shy at first and then remembered who he was. He told her that he would buy her a pony someday so they could go wherever she wanted:) He also told her he wished her a lifetime of happiness! How sweet is he??
* We took Fathers day pictures for daddy this month:) She was not cooperative but I ended up with a cute Fathers day gift for my dad and for Ryan.
* Cate's Grammy and Grandpa bought her, her first pair of cowboy boots! They are pink and she LOVES them
* We had a play date with Cate's best buddy Oliver this week and we were taking a picture of them and he leaned over and laid a kiss on her:) It was so cute
* She loves singing. Her sheet from school one day said that she sang for everyone during lunch:)
* Cate has really grown attached to her blankie and snuggle puppy! She will not nap or sleep at night without those two items. Also, she always has to have baby too!
* We went and fed the ducks the other day and Cate LOVED it. She kept quacking at them.
* She is definitely a girlie girl. Loves playing with her babies, playing in her kitchen, carrying purses around, bags around and playing dress up.
* We joined the summer reading program and Cate loves going to the library to get stickers on her packet:)
* Cate loves walking around in my shoes and her daddy's shoes!
* Cate and Finley are so much fun to watch! They love each other so much and every single time they see each other it is like Christmas morning:) They get so excited! It is the sweetest thing ever! We are so blessed that they have each other! Such little besties!
* Cate is talking so well and is quite the little "Chatty Kathy!"
* She is still the pickiest eater ever. I struggle so much during meal and snack time.
* She will eat ham, turkey, corn dogs, chicken, bagels bites, waffles, strawberries, blueberries, grapes, apples, bananas and LOVES milk. I will take food suggestions, if anyone has anything I could try with her!
* She loves bubble bathes!
* She does not enjoy her diaper being even the slightest bit wet and especially does not like it to be dirty. She has used the big girl potty several times.
* At school this week she took her dirty diaper off herself! Not good!!
* She minds pretty well!
* She definitely will test her limits and spends a little bit of time in time out.
* She can say all my friends names and it is so cute that she knows them all by name!
* She loves saying HI. She makes sure to say HI to every single person she passes by.
* Ryan taught her what a donkey says and it is the funniest and cutest thing I have ever seen!
* She loves climbing up on the couch and up into chairs.
* She also loves drinking out of big girl cups and using big girl forks:)

Cate is such a joy and I feel so very blessed to be her momma!!

Happy weekend my friends:)
LOVE LOVE LOVE

My Sweet Little Girl

2011-06-20T21:59:00.007-05:00

Cate and I had a mini photo session the other morning:) She was in such a happy and playful mood! I cannot believe that she will be 2 in 2 months:( Where did my little baby go?

I hope everyone is doing great! Our summer has been so busy so far! We have been on the go!
Happy Monday!!
LOVE LOVE LOVE

End of School Year Teacher Gift

2011-06-02T15:04:00.004-05:00

Cate had her last day of Mothers Day Out last week:(

Starting next week she is going to a new school! I am really excited about her new school because we go to church there and the school has an ECDC program and then the big school goes from K-8! We will really miss her old school though!! She loved it there and so did we. I cried on her last day of school. Her teachers took such good care of her and she LOVED them! I told Cate she was going to a new school and she said "Miss Pam?" She loved Miss Pam so much and we are going to miss her so much!! Miss Pam would tell Cate she loved her and I know she really did! She said she wanted to move schools so she could be with Cate and Oliver. Luckily Cate and Oliver are both going to the new school!

I wanted to make something very special for Miss Pam and Miss Amanda. I found the cutest flower arrangement on Pinterest. BTW, I am obessed with Pinterest!!!!!

I love the way the flowers turned out!!! I also bought gift cards to target and tied them around the vase and then made a cute little thank you card to tie around it too:)

Here is the link to the directions on how to make this cute little flower arrangement;)

Cate with Miss Pam and Miss Amanda

The flowers

Happy Thursday :)

20 Month Happenings;)

2011-05-22T22:30:00.008-05:00

Yesterday Cate turned 21 months! So today I will post about what she was up to during her 20Th month of life:)
I really can't believe that she will be 2 in 3 months! Where has my teeny tiny baby gone! It makes me so sad that time has flown by so fast but everyday gets better and better!! She is so much fun right now!!

* Cate is talking up a storm. She can say everyone in my families name and lots of my friends names too!
* She will say short little sentences/phrases too:) "See you later," "Daddy work," "Halley go outside," "Mommy pretty," "Finley's House," "Love you," and I am sure there are lots more!
* She repeats everything. EVERYTHING:)
* She loves posing for pictures:) She even says, "Cheeeeesssseeee:)"
* She is a bag lady. You can find her most of the time with two or more purses or bags on her shoulders
* She loves wearing her sunglasses
* She loves trying on clothes and shoes! My mom bought her a new pair of Mary Jane flats and when we tried them on her she danced around
* She wakes up every single morning asking for her best friend Finley! They love each other so much!!
* She loves playing ring around the rosy. When we all fall down, she tackles me to the ground
* She now hangs on a bar at the playground and makes a monkey sound
* She has mastered the skill of climbing up the slide. She is so fast and when she gets to the top, she claps for herself
* She loves to swing in the big girl swing
* She loves eating yogurt. She makes such a mess but she is determined to eat it with no help from me
* She calls me momma still but sometimes will call me mommy
* She loves helping me cook and bake in the kitchen. We pull up a step stool and she puts on her apron
* She has used the big girl potty a dozen or so times in the last month. She will even has ask to go potty on the big girl potty. She has even pooped in it too:)
* She loves coloring. She will ask two or three times a day to color:)
* She loves playing in the tree house at my parents house. There is a chalkboard up there and she loves coloring on it too
* We lost her favorite baby this month. She would cry and ask for it every single night. My mom bought her a new one and she kissed and hugged the baby and the new baby has not left her side since. We also found the lost one too:) So now we have a backup! Thank goodness!
* My mom and dad were babysitting her and my mom texted me, "Cate loves ranch!" Then she sent me a picture of Cate licking the ranch out of the little bowl! Ha
* Cate loves strawberries, bananas, grapes, chicken, mini corn dogs, ham, turkey, bread, Popsicles, graham crackers, waffles, pancakes, nutella and jelly sandwiches, baked Cheetos and gold fish
* Allison babysat her one day this month and when I came home, Cate was mad. Finley was at her SuSu's and so Cate and Allison had one on one time. Cate was so sad for Allison to leave.
* Cate loves going to get pedicures with her GiGi and Poppa. She is the most popular little girl at the nail salon! ha!
* My brother graduated from college this month and Cate decided she couldn't wait to eat the cake and so she just stuck her hands right in:)
* I got my first homemade mothers day gift from Cate. She made the cutest little flower with her hand print:)
* She loves babies and calls them, "Daby!" She is so sweet with real babies and play babies
* She loves feeding her babies a bottle and even got to help feed Harper and Boston this month
* When Ryan is home she loves for all three of us to be together. If I leave the room she will come and find me and grab my hand and take me back to the room where Ryan is.
* She loves helping water the flowers. She is such a good little helper.
* Her favorite song is still Twinkle, Twinkle. She sings it so well
* She calls her paci, her "sassy." Unfortunately she is pretty obsessed with her sassy!
* She has started a little bit of fit throwing. If there is something she isn't supposed to play with and I tell her no, she will sometimes throw a fit!
* She loves school so much and especially loves her little boyfriend Oliver. If I say school, she says Oliver!
* She loves carrying around the cordless house phone. She chats up a storm on it!
* She loves to dance and listen to music. Sometimes we just dance around the living room.
* She loves my brother Patrick's dog Trieve. She randomly will ask about her during the day!
* She loves to fake sneeze and fake laugh:) If everyone is laughing, she will start laughing too:) It's the cutest thing ever
* She hates hang nails. She calls them boo boos! If she has one she says, "Momma, boo boo!"
* The pool at my parents house is open and she loves to swim! She is a little fish
* She loves reading books. She will bring every single book from her basket in the living room onto the couch and we will read them over and over again.

We thank God every single day for blessing us with her. She is such a joy and makes every single one of our days AMAZING!!

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Cate LOVES babies

2011-05-11T11:09:00.010-05:00

Recently we have had a lot of friends and family that have had babies:) Cate adores baby dolls but also she adores real life babies:) She always wants to hold them, feed them, snuggle them and be right by them:) It is so sweet to see her loving on babies;) She will make a good big sister someday!!

Cate and her second cousin Cade:) She wanted to hold him by herself:)

Cate and her second cousin Hayden:) They were so happy together!

Cate and her good friend Harper:) Cate would not leave Harper's side. She walked around saying, "daby," which is her way of saying baby. I grew up with Harper's mom Haley and I am so happy that Cate and Harper will grow up together;) Melts my heart!

My sorority sister Amy has a daughter named Harper too and we got to meet her last weekend! She is just too cute too!!

Hopefully someday God will bless Cate with a little brother or sister!
Happy Wednesday:)
LOVE LOVE LOVE

What I'm LOVING right now:)

2011-05-03T13:50:00.016-05:00

I LOVE Tiny Toms:) I think they are so stinking cute and look so cute on Cate's tiny feet:)

Cate wearing a pair of her Tiny Toms

I am LOVING Ann Taylor Lofts new spring dresses:) I have bought three over the last couple months:)

Two of the dresses I got from there:)

I LOVE that my Gaw Gaw bought this little hat at the dollar tree and she wore it to a church event. She gave it to Cate and it actually fits Cate's head:)

I LOVE that the sun is out today:) The sun has a way of putting me in an instant good mood!!

Cate has to wear her shades because the sun is so bright!

I am LOVING Cate in this little mini me outfit. I think she looks like a little grown up! I think she likes this outfit too!

I am in LOVE with these shoes:) My sister got them and I just had to copy her! She is a little fashionista

I am LOVING this little face Cate is making:)

I am also LOVING Cate's face in this picture too...Must be someone important on the phone:)

I am LOVING that I got these cute little Elmo baskets half off from Target for Cate's 2nd birthday party. I am going to use them as the party favor bags:)

I LOVE that this little girl is finally feeling better! She was sick all weekend with a fever:(

My sister bought me these bowls for Easter and I am in LOVE

I am LOVING that I bought two hydrangea plants on Saturday!! I can't wait to plant them this afternoon!!

What are you LOVING??
Happy Happy Tuesday:)

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Cate's 19 Month Pictures by Kristen

2011-04-28T14:53:00.020-05:00

We were scheduled to take her pictures at 18 months but the weather did not cooperate:) So we took them at 19 months:)

The wonderful Kristen took her pictures and we couldn't be happier:) I thought I would share them with you guys! Her personality really shows in these pictures!!

Happy Thursday my sweet friends:)
LOVE LOVE LOVE:)

Easter Bunny Picture!

2011-04-24T21:53:00.002-05:00

We took the girls to see the Easter Bunny on Friday. They were so excited at first and then he walked out of the elevator! Cue the tears! The girls were screaming in the line.

Poor girls! Makes for a great memory!!

I hope everyone had a blessed and Happy Easter!! God is Good!!!!

LOVE LOVE LOVE

19 Months

2011-04-21T22:30:00.008-05:00

Today Cate is 20 months old!!
Here is what she was up to during her 19th month of life:)

* When we pray at night she folds her hands and bows her sweet little head:)
* She also says AMEN at the end of each pray
* She LOVES the gym daycare now:) Every other time she will still shed a tear or two and even cry "No MOMMA!" But overall she really enjoys her time there
* One day when I went to pick Cate up from the gym daycare, Robin said, "We didn't know Cate had dimples! She finally smiled for the first time today!!"
* She now will tell Ryan and I that she loves us. It is the sweetest thing
* Cate had her first slumber party this month. We realized that Cate might be a little young for slumber parties. She would not let Finley go to sleep and she would not go to sleep. She cried for about 30 minutes because she wanted to be wherever Finley was. She even woke up earlier than normal and was asking for Finley:)
* She LOVES Finley. The way she says Finley sounds more like Cindy:)
* Cate has realized that she loves climbing. She can now climb up into the dining room chairs at my mom and dads house
* When I was working out at home one day, Cate mimicked me. I was doing squats and she was holding on to a chair and doing them too. When I started doing push ups, she laid on her belly and tried to do them too:) It was the cutest thing ever
* My parents got a little picnic table for their house and Cate thinks she is such a big girl
* Cate had her pictures taken this month and she was so cute
* During nap time Cate will lay down and get herself to sleep
* Cate and Finley now cry whenever they have to leave each other. To be honest, it is kinda cute
* Cate had her adenoids out and tubes in this month
* We had a rough couple weeks but she is finally feeling so much better
* Cate got to meet two of her second cousins this month. Both are younger than her and she adores them. She LOVES babies so much
* We went to the hospital to see a close family friends baby this month and I got to go back to the special care nursery. While I was in the nursery Cate was tapping on the glass saying, "Momma!!" She was making sure I knew she was watching
* Cate slept in till 11:15 one day this month. I think she was healing from her surgery:)
* When I come to pick Cate up from MDO, she usually sees me and then plays a little more and then runs over to me:) She plays hard to get at first:)
* We had to take cover because of tornados and Cate LOVED it. We were in the bathtub at my parents and she was so happy. There were blankes and pillows in the bathtub and she had an ipad with Olivia playing
* Olivia is her new favorite show
* GiGi and Poppa got a chalkboard for "Cate's Castle," and she LOVES coloring on it
* Cate loves coloring in general
* Cate calls all babies, "Daby"
* Cate can count to four! Ryan found out because he was randomly counting and after he said 1, she said 2 and then 3 and 4
* The gym daycare hatched eggs and Cate LOVES the chickens!! She got to pet them and maybe next week can hold one
* I told Cate there was a monkey on her shirt the other morning and she started making a monkey sound:) too cute
* Her favorite song is still, "Twinkle, Twinkle"
* If a song is playing in the car that she doesn't, she will let us know
* She prefers to be barefoot. Her shoes always come off
* She repeats everything!!
* Today she said, "Momma Pretty!"
* She LOVES reading books
* She also loves popsicles, strawberries, grapes, bananans, chicken, peas, yogurt, corn dogs, mash potatoes, fruit snacks, blueberries, honey bunches of oats, blueberry waffles
* She is still a picky eater
* She will wear a headband now because I wear headbands all the time. I will put a headband on her and she will look at me and say, "Momma," and point to my hair
* She still loves to snuggle
* She loves pretending. She pretends to drink from a little tea cup in her kitchen and mix stuff up! It is so cute
* She loves her baby dolls. She rocks them and pats their backs!
* She loves trying on shoes and clothes. She LOVES shopping. Not sure who she gets that from?
* She is such a blessing in our lives! Sometimes I just sit and stare at her and marvel at what a blessing she is!

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Cate & Finley's Eggciting Easter Evening

2011-04-15T17:00:00.019-05:00

Cate and Finley hosted a little Easter party last Sunday:) They were quite the little hostess!! They worked so hard getting everything together for the big Easter egg hunt and party:)

Allison and I are going to start throwing annual Easter and Halloween parties! We both love throwing parties and loving getting all the kids together!! Here are some fun Easter party pictures and details!!

The little hostess

Dessert Table

Bunny Birthday Cake for Ryan's Dad

Rice Krispie Bunnies

Robin's Eggs Nest

Chick Cookies

Chick Cake Pops

Funfetti Cake Batter Dip

Outside Food Table

Centerpieces

Drink Station

Gift Bags

Inside Banner

Placemats we made for the kids

Some of the Guest

The Egg Hunters:)

The hostess with their parents:)

Finley's Grandparents got the girls hostess gifts

We had so much fun and we have so many great ideas for next years:)
Hope everyone has a great weekend:)

Love Love Love

Winner:)

2011-04-15T16:53:00.002-05:00

We have a winner for the Sweet Bean Easter Card giveaway:)

Ella's Mom is the winner!
I will send your email address to Shannon and have her get in contact with you:)

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Giveaway- Extended

2011-04-13T20:15:00.000-05:00

My blog friend Shannon has opened a new shop:) I will be giving away an Easter card designed by her:) Shannon's personal blog is Webbisodes and her design blog is Sweet Bean Co.

This is how Shannon describes her cute little design shop:)

Shannon created two adorable cards for me:) I love them both and she will be helping me with Cate's 2nd birthday as well:) We are both doing Sesame Street/Elmo theme:) Our daughters are about a month a part in age:)

* To enter my giveaway, please hope on over to Sweet Bean Co. and let me know what is your favorite Easter card design is:) Please be sure to leave your email and how many entries you have earned:)

* For additional entries you can tweet, blog or facebook about my giveaway:) Be sure to let me know if you do either of these three things, so you can get your additional entires:)

* Also, become a follower and receive an additional entry:)

Giveaway end Thursday at 12:00 Central Standard Time and the winner will be announced Friday:) Hooray:)

This and That & a Giveaway

2011-04-11T14:32:00.008-05:00

Hello my friends:)

* I think the video below will work if you just click in the middle of the screen, not on the play button. When I click on the play button it doesn't work but when I click in the middle of the little screen, it worked! Not sure what the dealio is:)

* Last week was a crazy emotional week! I usually only blog about happy things and so last week I took a little break. Here is a little bit of what last week consisted of:

* A good friend from high school passed away. We buried him on Tuesday:( He was a great, funny, happy, outgoing, kind and loving spirit. He will be missed. I went to high school with him, we were best friends throughout high school and then dated a couple years of college, and then became just good friends again. His cousin Jen is one of my close friends and we are all still connected! His kidneys and liver failed and he was brought home about a month again to be at peace with his family. He will be greatly missed! Thank you for all your prayers last week!

* After the funeral I got a call from my sister and she informed me that a close family friend was diagnosed with breast cancer and was having her breast removed on Thursday. That was very hard news :( She is at home now and resting and has another appointment Thursday to find out what their next step will be. Please keep our close family friend in your prayers as well!

* Also, a very close family friend was in the hospital all week and was pregnant. She was almost 36 weeks and her amniotic fluid was very low. They decided on Tuesday that they would induce labor Thursday. Haley was induced at 5am and had Harper in the evening. She ended up having a C-section because her labor was not progressing like they had wish and so they preformed a C-section. Harper weight 5lbs 3oz and is the cutest little bundle. Haley went home today and Harper should come home by the end of the week, hopefully sooner:) We love Haley and Harper soooo sooo much:) Please pray that Harper gets to come home soon to her mommy and daddy!!

* Thursday was also the day of Cate's surgery :( She had tubes put in her ears and her adenoids removed! She did great! It was so sad to watch them take Cate away. They gave her "happy," juice but it did not have time to set in and so she cried the whole way back to surgery. When we were brought back to post op she was crying and not happy. It was so hard to see Cate to upset. She hated the IV and hated the little blood pressure thingy that went on her toe. She slept almost all day and woke up that night happy:)

* Thursday was such a busy and emotional day for us!

* Friday I spent the day with my bestie Allison and we got ready for an Easter party that we threw on Sunday. Actually Cate and Finley were the hostess:) I will post pictures this week of the Easter party! It was so much fun:)

* My blog friend Shannon has opened a new shop:) I will be giving away an Easter card designed by her:) Shannon's personal blog is Webbisodes and her design blog is Sweet Bean Co.

This is how Shannon describes her cute little design shop:)

Shannon created two adorable cards for me:) I love them both and she will be helping me with Cate's 2nd birthday as well:) We are both doing Sesame Street/Elmo theme:) Our daughters are about a month a part in age:)

* To enter my giveaway, please hope on over to Sweet Bean Co. and let me know what is your favorite Easter card design is:) Please be sure to leave your email and how many entries you have earned:)

* For additional entries you can tweet, blog or facebook about my giveaway:) Be sure to let me know if you do either of these three things, so you can get your additional entires:)

* Also, become a follower and receive an additional entry:)

Giveaway end Wednesday at 12:00 Central Standard Time and the winner will be announced Thursday:) Hooray:)

Hope everyone had a great week and weekend:)
Thank you so much for all the prayers:)

Love Love Love

My Anniversary Gift to Ryan

2011-04-07T15:40:00.002-05:00

HI HI HI
I am sorry I have been so MIA, I have had a lot going on! I will update more on that tomorrow!

Ryan told me that he wanted nothing for our anniversary. I was not ok with that and so I made him a video:)
I planned on sharing this on our anniversary but things got crazy!

I LOVE YOU RYAN!!!

Cate had her adenoids out today and tubes put in and is sleeping right now. She is not a happy camper!
Thank you for all your prayers! You guys are AMAZING!!!!

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Never Take A Single Day For Granted

2011-03-23T22:44:00.016-05:00

Sometimes things in life happen that make you stop and think about life and all that you have.

The littlest and most important things can sometimes get taken for granted. The hustle and bustle of life sometimes causes us to overlook the things that are most important and most to dear to us.

We sometimes forget that tomorrow is not promised and that today we should appreciate every single thing God has blessed us with.

I pray I never take a minute of this wonderful, crazy, busy, fabulous life of mine for granted!

I pray that God will always protect everyone in my life.

I am so very thankful for the many blessings I have in my life. I thank God for them every single day. I pray I take the time to slow down and enjoy every single minute of every single day!

I pray that I set a good example for Cate by the way I live my life.

I am SO. BLESSED!

My dad is so good about telling everyone he loves, just how much he loves them. This is the way I also live my life. If I love someone, I tell them today and every single day. You just never know when it will be your last time to tell them just how much they mean to you.

I found this quote and I LOVE it....

"Never take things for granted
Hold every person you love to your heart
because you might wake up one day...
and realize that you've lost a diamond
while...
you were too busy collecting stones.''

Today a much younger member of my sorority passed away. I did not know her. She was a student at OSU and passed away in a car wreck. I cannot imagine what her friends and family are going through. My mom was talking to my grandparents tonight and the girl who passed away was the granddaughter of their best friends from church. I cannot imagine what Dick and Joyce are going through. Please keep their family in your thoughts and prayers.

Be sure to tell everyone you LOVE.... Just how much you LOVE them!!!

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Cate's 18 Month Happenings :)

2011-03-21T22:16:00.008-05:00

HI HI HI

Today my baby is 19 months old!!! I really cannot believe it!!!

Cate's 18 Month Happenings
* Cate is on the go
* She loves following me around the house and helping me
* She helps with unloading the dishwasher, putting up laundry, cleaning up her toys and so much more
* When helping me, she usually makes more of a mess:) But that is ok!
* She is getting four molars in right now and they have been so tough on her
* She knows every single character on Sesame Street. She can point to them and say all of their names
* We took her to Sesame Street Live last weekend and she LOVED it. She was wide eyed the whole time
* She also is a big fan Mickey Mouse and Olivia
* She watched a lot of "Olivia," on the airplane last week
* She loves singing
* Favorite song at the moment is Wheels on the Bus and Twinkle, Twinkle is still a FAV:)
* She loves walking around the house singing
* She is such a happy little girl
* We had her 18 month appointment this month and she did not even cry during shots or finger pricking!! Such a brave girl
* She has been sick a lot this month. In a two week span, we visited the doctor 4 times
* We found out that Cate has to have her adenoids out and tubes in her ears:( We are praying this helps her feel better
* Cate calls me "Mommmmma!" I will say, "Say mommy," and she will say, "Mommmmmaaa!" It is music to my ears!!
* I will ask Cate, "Say Ryan," and she says, "Dadddyyyy!" I think it is so cute that she knows that Ryan is her daddy
* Cate calls my Dad, "Poppa." She says it will an italian accent:) It is so cute
* Cate calls Finley, Innie and it is the sweetest thing
* Cate loves playing outside and we weren't able to a lot this month because of Cate being so sick
* Cate spent a lot of time crying to go outside:( Poor girl!
* Cate fell asleep in her high chair this month and fell asleep in her big green chair
* Cate has learned how to give people the stink eye. She gave this random stranger the stink eye the other day and it was hilarious. She leaned back and made this funny face and almost fell over because she was so focused! Ha
* Cate gave Ryan a REAL hug this month. She wrapped both arms around his neck, aid her head down on his shoulder and then patted his neck! It was the sweetest thing ever
* Cate has become quite the climber lately! While in Mexico we turned around and next thing we knew Cate had climbed up into her stroller
* Cate loves going down the slide all by herself
* Cate loves reading and is very picky about what we read to her
* If you pick a book up that she doesn't want to read, she will slam it shut! SO FUNNY!
* She loves her baby and will not go to sleep with out her
* She is a HUGE swimmer and is so brave in the water. We will be watching her like a hawk this summer
* Cate loves jumping in the pool! We sing this song and at the end, she jumps in. "Froggy Froggy jump so high, Froggy Froggy touch the sky, 1...2...3... Jump!" Sometimes she jumps right when the song starts:)
* Cate loved the beach
* She loved playing in the sand and when waves would come up she would take off running away from them! HA HA
* Cate is talking up a storm! I can understand a lot of what she is saying
* Cate has really started pestering the dogs lately. She seems to think they are around for her entertainment
* In Mexico she got to sit at the big table a lot and she LOVED it
* Cate loves sitting on benches and turning things into benches. The fireplace and our ladder shelf make great benches
* She now prefers to sit in her little dolls pink chair more than her own green chair
* She has been a really picky eater lately. It is really hard to get her to eat much of anything
* Cate has been in time out a few times this month. It seems to be working
* She loves imitating everything we do. She will go and do things to her baby doll that she sees us do:) She will give her baby doll a bath, get her baby doll dressed and read her books
* She loves cleaning with wipes
* She knows how to blow her own nose! Sad but true
* Cate loves playing with the WII controllers. She acts like they are phones
* She loves playing with princess wands
* She knows a lot of animal sounds! It is so cute to listen to her animal sounds
* She knows a lot of body parts too:) She will point to our eyes, nose, ears, hair, mouth, teeth, tongue, belly button, fingers and toes. She says all the words for the body parts too
* She is such a joy and I really cannot imagine our lives without her. She makes our lives so complete and AMAZING!!!!

I hope everyone had a great weekend!
I have a lot of pictures to share from Mexico and I will this week!
LOVE LOVE LOVE

We Need A Sickness Vacation

2011-03-08T14:32:00.003-06:00

Cate has been under the weather for months now!!! On and off!
We have been to the doctor four times in two weeks! UGHH!!!
We haven't gotten any answers:(
She keeps getting a runny nose, congestion and a horrible cough!
She isn't sleeping well at night, is way cranky and every third day she runs a fever!
The doctors keep saying it is a virus!! A stinking virus that needs to run its course!
Poor girl just can't catch a break!!
I feel so frustrated and decided to make an appointment at an ENT!
We go on Friday and we are praying for some answers!!
Please pray we find out what keeps making our poor girl sick:(

Speaking of vacation, we are going to Mexico with my family!
I am so ready for Cate to feel better and for our trip to Mexico!!

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Cate is Talking ALOT:)

2011-03-03T15:26:00.002-06:00

I think this video is so cute!!
Cate loves making animal sounds and also loves repeating everything I say:)
I took this video of her the other day and had to share it:)
Hope everyone is having a great week!!

Love Love Love

My Aunt Carma ROCKS:)

2011-03-01T09:50:00.000-06:00

My Aunt Carma is amazing! Last summer I talked to her about making some dresses for Cate. I emailed her some pictures of what I liked and she said she could definitely make them! When we were little she would always make her daughters the cutest pajamas, dresses and clothes!! I so appreciate all the time and thought she puts into every single dress she makes for Cate. I think she is so amazing and someday I am going to show up on her front steps with a sewing machine and have her teach me her amazing skills!!

Check out how adorable the dresses are:)

Thank you so much for making Cate look SOO CUTE:)
You are the best!!
Thank you so much!!
LOVE YOU!!!

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Tiny Wings Auction

2011-02-28T21:26:00.005-06:00

This weekend I was contacted about a fundraiser happening today on Facebook for Maddie's family.

I have visited Kellie's blog several times before but I did not know what has recently happened to their daughter! She passed away while in the care of her babysitter. She was taking a nap and stopped breathing! I cannot even begin to imagine what their family is going through! I have been keeping their family in my thoughts and prayers!! My heart breaks for them!!

This brings back lots of memories of this blog post I did a few years ago:(

Please visit the facebook auction and help Maddie's family out! Please keep this precious family in your prayers!!!

Go here for the direct auction link

Auction Details:
This auction will open Monday, Feb. 28Th at 12 pm cst.
ALL MONEY RAISED WILL GO TO THE STAAT FAMILY.
Lets open our hearts & wallets :)
God Bless♥
Lets make this huge & raise an incredible amount to help Maddie's family.
**If you would like to add anything from your boutique send me an e-mail at srs07_megan@yahoo.com & I will give you more details. I need all info sent to me by Sunday at 8 pm cst.

Taking Pictures of a Group of Kids

2011-02-24T18:20:00.008-06:00

A couple of weeks ago we had some friends over. We wanted to get a picture of all the kids together! I finally uploaded the pictures and I can't quit laughing!! I will let the pictures speak for themselves!! It is so hard to get a picture of them all together and looking! I remember when they were all babies, they would just lay there and smile:)
LOVE these little ones!!

Did you get a good laugh??
Love these kiddos:)

Happy Thursday:)
love love love

17 Month Happenings

2011-02-21T22:03:00.005-06:00

Well today my baby girl turned 18 months! I cannot believe it!!!
So I will post her 17 month happenings a day late!

What Cate has been up to lately:

* She LOVES to sing
* Most of the time she is singing "ABC," or "Twinkle, Twinkle."
* She LOVES playing outside
* She even loved playing in the snow
* She loved eating the snow
* She loved swinging in the snow
* As long as she is outside, she is sooo happy
* She still loves to swing at the park but a new favorite is walking up and down the stairs and going down the slide. ALL BY HERSELF! Such a big girl
* "No," is now a word in her vocabulary and she will gladly tell me when she does not want something
* She loves when Ryan gets home from work. She hears the garage open and runs towards the back door and yells, "Dadddddddyyyyy!"
* This month she went to her first OSU basketball game! She loved the band
* She is a dancing queen! She has had several dance parties with her friends lately! They are all really good dancers!
* When we go out to lunch and I buy a cookie, I have to hide it. Even if I walk back to the table without a cookie, she somehow knows I have one and says, "Coookkkkieeee!" Smart girl:)
* She is repeating a lot of what we say! So we really have to watch what we say:)
* She loves any kind of song that includes dancing or hand motions
* She got the stomach bug this month and then passed it on to me! Thats ok though! I love mommy and Cate snuggles!
* She LOVES to pray at dinner. We hold hands during dinner prayer and Cate reaches out to hold our hands and says, "AMEN!"
* Before bed we sit in her rocking chair and pray. Cate loves this time and says, "Amen," after each prayer said. Then she says, "Kiss Kiss," and Ryan and I both give her kisses
* Elmo says, "Kiss Kiss," and we have always said it to her
* She loves to clean and loves sweeping! Gi Gi and Poppa got her a cleaning set for Valentines Day:)
* She now calls my mom GiGi. My mom named herself Gammie. Cate called her Gaw Gaw and now it is GiGi. Gaw Gaw is actually what we call my moms mom
* She loves to cook and bake with me. When Cate sees me in the kitchen, she runs over and says, "UP!" I pick her up and she helps me do whatever I am doing
* We are trying to sell our house and everyday we must leave the house clean. Cate loves to follow behind me and make a mess of whatever I just cleaned up! Ha!!!
* We took her to Build a Bear this month and she loved bathing the bear! She was not a happy camper when it was time to leave the bath station!!
* We asked her what she wanted to name her bear and she said, "Rarah!" So cute! My sister is Sarah and she calls her Rarah!! She sure does love her Aunt Rarah:) Already naming things after her:)
* Cate loves her best friend Finley. Watching the two of them play and love each other is such a blessing! They love each other so much and it just makes me feel so bless! We are blessed that God blessed us both with two precious daughters!
* They love each other and they love getting into stuff together too! They play off of one another:) It is sometimes hard not to laugh at them!
* My friend Candace brought her daughter Katelyn and baby Austin into town last week. Cate loved playing with KK and was obsessed with the baby! She wanted to hold him herself and when he was in his carrier, she was trying to get him out of it! She was even trying to carry his carrier around!
* Cate broke her favorite red sunglasses this month! She was so sad when they broke and she even cried! No worries though, GiGi bought her a new pair last week and "Hollywood," is back
* She now puts them on and says, "Hollywood!" It is so cute!
* Cate thinks her dollies little pink chair is for her! She is always sitting in it and it cracks us up!!
* Cate LOVES the Bouncy Barn and Bounce You. They are big warehouses with a ton of inflatables for kids to play in. Cate and Finley have been twice together and they love it!!
* Finley was at her daddies office the other day and Cate and I stopped by. Her daddy is an eye dr:) So we tried on some glasses of the girls! It was so funny and so cute!
* Cate's Uncle Patrick is a hero to her. She only has eyes for him when he is around. She sees him and is like, "See ya later Mommy and Daddy!"
* Cate also loves her Uncle Chris. She follows him around and always wants him to hold her. He has a son that is 4 weeks younger than Cate and you can often find Chris, holding Evan and Cate at the same time.
* Cate loves going to her friends birthday parities. She loves them so much because she loves opening their gifts! She doesn't quite understand that those gifts are not for her. Luckily Leighton and Grant understood:)
* Usually before gift time, Ryan has to take her in another room. Otherwise she will cry because she is not down on the floor with her friends and the gifts!
* Cate loves to draw and color!
* This month she also came down with a yucky virus/head cold and of course she passed it on to momma! Guess we snuggle too much
* We toured a new school for Cate this month. It is actually were I went growing up. She loved it there and kept pointing to the class she will be in and saying, "More!" She will start there in August and go two days a week!
* We are excited for her to go but also a tad sad because it is one more step closer to being a big girl
* When Cate plays in her kitchen she is always washing her hands before she starts cooking! It is the cutest thing
* She loves pretending to eat her play food
* She also loves lining up all her dollies on the fireplace and chatting with them
* When her diaper is wet, she will grab it and shake her head
* She loves dumping water on her head
* She can count.. 1... 2....3
* She will count in the bath and then splash down into the water
* Cate is the best snuggler and loves to hug

I cannot believe she is a year and a half already! Time really does fly! I feel so blessed to be her mommy and thank God every single day for blessing me with her. I feel so lucky to be blessed with such a beautiful, smart, happy, healthy little girl! She makes life so worthwhile!

Hope everyone had a great day!!
LOVE LOVE LOVE

Cate & I's Valentine Gift for Ryan

2011-02-15T20:17:00.006-06:00

Cate and I decided we wanted to have our pictures taken for Ryan for Valentines Day!!

My friend Allison used the wonderful Addie Scott for Finley's first birthday and for their Christmas card picture:) All the pictures she has taken are amazing:) Addie was even doing Valentine Mini Sessions:) Addie was kind enough to find room for us in her busy schedule!!! Thank you Addie!!!!

Cate was quite a handful the morning of our pictures! When we got to Addie's house, Cate was only interested in Owen's toys(Addie's son) and all the candy!!! I was really worried that Addie wasn't able to capture any good ones:(
Well Addie worked her magic and Ryan LOVED them!

I made a photo book with all the pictures. I planned on giving it to Ryan yesterday but because of all our weather... IT NEVER CAME!!!! I even paid extra shipping!! I ended up just showing Ryan the pictures on my computer! Hopefully the pictures will come!

Here are the pictures from our mini session:)

I hope everyone had a great day!!!
LOVE LOVE LOVE

A Week of SNOW, SICKNESS & IPhone Pictures:)

2011-02-09T11:43:00.020-06:00

Hi my friends! I have missed everyone!
We got about 15 inches of snow last week and another 6-7 today!!
We have been snowed in and sick!

This is what we have been up too and our week in IPhone pictures!!

Cate had the stomach bug on Sunday and Monday! I kept saying to her, "Poor Girl," and then she started saying it and she looked so sad:( Poor Girl!
She did a lot of sleeping on her Daddy while she was sick!I am surprised he didn't get it!

We decided to head to my parents house on Monday night. In case we got a lot of snow! It was a HUGE blessing we were there because I got the stomach bug early Tuesday morning and Ryan messed up his back Wednesday! My parents and sister did such a great job taking care of our little Caters!! Thanks Guys!!!

I finally got out of bed on Wednesday! I missed seeing all the beautiful snow falling! I felt kind of cheated out of my snow day! I was going to bake, craft and cook:( Boo Hisssssss!

Cate finally got dressed on Wednesday! Well she got dressed for the day at 530 PM:) Ha!

Thursday it was an all day PJ day and I think Cate was getting CABIN FEVER! I was still under the weather and laid on the couch all day!! Yay Me!

Snuggling with her baby:)

We ran out of fun indoor stuff to do! So we made a fun game up... Measuring how tall Cate is:)

Saturday we finally made it home and went and played with some friends at my sister and brother in laws house! Cate was so excited to play with Jackson, Leighton, Grant & Evan!!

Cate LOVES Jackson:) Here are the two of them together :)

Jackson's Mom Lindsay has a blog too:) Check it out:)

Cate and Daddy were WORN out Saturday night!

Sunday was the first day I felt 100%!! So I hit the road! I went to Target and got our grocery shopping done and even picked myself up a bathing suit for Mexico:) We are going in March!

Since I didn't get to bake the week before, I baked some rolo cookies for a little Super Bowl get together!
The cookies are AMAZING!!!

Cate's Daddy got her dressed for the day! Good job Daddy!
He sent me a text while I was a the store that said, "I'm all dressed and Daddy even put a bow in my hair!"
This picture was in the Text:)

Cate had so much playing with Leighton, Jackson, Grant and Evan during the Super Bowl:) Two nights of hanging out in a row!

Enjoying some milk in Leighton's wagon:) Ha

Cate and her cousin Evan

Miss Leighton :)

Mr Jackson:)

Cate's Cousin Grant:)

Last night and today it snowed another 6-8 inches of SNOW! Wowzer! So we have just been relaxing and making cake balls:)

Cate's Gammie spent the night and they have been doing a lot of reading! Cate loves sitting in her dolly's mini chair! It's quite hilarious!

Cate loves to just kick back and enjoy her mornings;)

Making Cake Balls

What have you guys been doing? Have any snow on the ground?

Have a great day!!
LOVE LOVE LOVE

New Design & Randomness

2011-01-31T16:20:00.010-06:00

Happy Monday my friends:)

How do you like my new blog design?? I LOVE IT:) I love Cate's little face:)
Jessica did it for me:) Yay!! Thank you Jessica!!

We our under a severe blizzard warning right now! This is very UNCOMMON for us! Looks like we will spending lots of time inside!!

Hope this little girl likes the snow better this time around...

Last week Cate and I made some Valentines:)

It was so much and she really enjoyed putting all the cute stickers on the hearts!!

I made this little banner for Cate's room:) I make little ones for every holiday/season:)

I really love how the "Love Bugs," turned out. Took me forever to figure them out though! ha!

Also, I made this sign too:)

I LOVE my cricut and I am so glad I got one:) My friend Karah really pushed me to get one and also, helped me get a good deal on one:) Thanks my sweet friend:)

I made a fun heart mobile for Cate's room too:) I found an easy how to on Enjoying The Small Things blog:)

This week I am working on a House Warming party for my sister and will be baking:)
I love cooking and baking when the weather is bad:)

I am going to bake:
Lemon Honey Pound Cake
The Pioneer Woman's Apple Cobbler
Oatmeal Scottie cookies:)

BRING on the SNOW:)

LOVE LOVE LOVE:)

16 Months

2011-01-20T14:06:00.018-06:00

Well, my baby girl will be 17 months tomorrow! So, today I will post her 16 month update:)

Everyday gets better and better!!! Cate is such a little sponge right now. She takes everything in and mimics everything we do!! We love her so much and thank God for the blessing that she is in our lives!

* I think she has gotten taller this month. I put a little dress on her the first of December and it was long and then 30 days later it was short:) Tall girl

* She has a mouth full of teeth

* She LOVES to sing her "ABCs!" She even gets some of the sounds right!

* She says so many words! There is a red picture frame at our house and she will squat down and point to Allison and say.. "Allliiissooon!" It's so cute:) She also, says: hank you, pease, mommy, daddy, Pat-rick, Rarah, Poppa, Gi Gi(gammie), dog, Halley, Daisy, baby, bye bye, hi, teeth, snow, moe (more), juice, milk, itsy bitsy, twinkle twinkle, bath, T, Finnie, Jackson, Ev, Gaaaa (grant), Bray bray (brady)... I am sure there are more:) But I will stop there :)

* Lately, when I try to get ready in the morning, she stands at my feet and whines

* She is really rocking the pigtails this month:) I even got her hair into a tiny pony tale;)

* She takes one nap a day. It is between 2 and 3 hours

* She has become a pickier eater:( It is very hard to get her to eat her veggies. She loves to feed veggies to the dogs

* When the dogs do something wrong, she puts her hands on her hip and says, "no no Halley, no no daisy!!" ha

* She LOVES going down the slide at the playground! She would do it all the time, if only the weather would warm up!

* It has snowed two times in her 16 month of life:)

* She still LOVES to brush her teeth but she won't let me do it. Pretty soon I am going to have to do it for her

* She is a HUGE ice cream fan! She would eat it for every single meal if she could!

* She is such a silly girl and LOVES posing for the camera and posing in front of the mirror:)

* She threw her first fit this month:( I took a treat jar away from her because it was time to get dressed. We were at the doctors office and needed to leave. She threw herself on the ground and screamed and cried. I just let her cry it out

* Elmo is still her favorite!!! She got an adorable shirt from Santa for Christmas and she LOVES to wear it:)

* She loves helping mommy in the kitchen and she is such a big helper. She helps stir and clean up. She loves putting stuff back in the fridge and throwing things away:)

* She got a bath time baby this month and LOVES it. She washes her babies hair and body and kisses on her baby lots too:) She is such a loving little mommy:)

* We now go to a mommy and me gymnastic class. She loves to run back and forth on the air track! She also loves doing somersaults.. with help of course!

* She LOVES to dance! Ryan will hold her hands and they will both kick their heals up and dance in circles

* She LOVES to read!! She only likes certain books though! If you are about to read her a book she doesn't like, she will close it and hand you another! Sesame street books are her favorite

* She is very giggly:) It is so cute

* She loves to feed herself. It makes a huge mess but a girls got to learn some how:)

* She loves eating with a fork and spoon:)

* She also LOVES blowing kisses and giving kisses:) It is so sweet

* She still plays with her hair but now she also will play with my hair sometimes too! I LOVE it;)

* She is so busy and sometimes too busy to let mommy change her diaper

* She got another ear infection and sinus infection this month:( Makes for a very cranky little girl!

* She LOVES holding hands with Finley and hugging Finley

* Christmas was so much fun this year! She LOVES opening presents!

* She lOVES purses and bags:) My sister gave her a little diaper bag for Christmas and she loves to carry it around

* Cate in her chair:) Big 16 month old!

* Our whole little family on Christmas:)

We love you soooo MUCH CATE!! Thank you for being such a blessing in our lives!!!!

LOVE LOVE LOVE

1950s Mom

2011-01-19T09:58:00.001-06:00

Lately, I have been doing a lot of thinking about being a mom. I sometimes feel guilty when Cate is awake and I check my email or Facebook on my phone. I feel like I am cheating Cate out of time with me. I want to savor every moment with her, cherish the time because it all goes by so quickly!

It made me wonder... What kind of mom would I have been like in the 1950s? When there were no computers, cell phones, color TVS, DVR, etc. Would I be a better mom then I am today?

Would I be a June Cleaver?

Description of June found from Wikipedia

June is dedicated to her family; her interests outside the home are social events like weddings or school events like meetings and plays. She has ladylike pastimes: needlepoint, cake decorating, and arranging tea roses. She reads glossy but high-toned, tasteful women's magazines. Her kitchen is immaculate. Like most TV middle class sitcom families of the era, the Cleavers eat breakfast and lunch in the kitchen while their dinners are full scale affairs in the dining room. June is ladylike and slightly formal in personal appearance, always seen with perfectly coiffed hair and tasteful facial makeup. She is notorious among the show's fans for consistently being dressed as a party hostess, even when doing her housework or relaxing around the house. She wears stylish slacks about the house in a few early episodes, but for most of the series her wardrobe consists of simple but elegant dresses, suits, or skirts paired with blouses or sweaters and high-heeled pumps for shoes. Many of her most attractive house frocks were worn throughout the series' run. She wears a pearl necklace in almost every scene, even when gardening.

I wonder if June would have had a blog? Would she have Facebook? DVR? Twitter? Would she tweet pictures of Wally and the Beave? Or would she ignore all the social networking and just be a good old fashion mom? Would June ever be caught wearing her pjs all day? Or taking her child to a gym daycare? Would she put the Beave in a Mothers Day out?

Would I be like Mrs C?

Information on Mrs. C from http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1422244/believable_tv_moms.html?cat=25

Then there is Marion Cunningham, played by Marion Ross on Happy Days was a believable mom to Joanie, Ritchie, and seldom seen oldest child Chuck who was always away at college. Mrs. C was the mom we all wanted; she was a stay at home mom who always let friends visit. She had a happy and believable marriage with hubby Mr. C. This was one woman who made rising teenagers seem so easy.

I wonder what kind of mom she would be today?? With all the social networking and media outlets??

I strive to be the best mom possible to Cate. I hope that she never feels "cheated," because of my time on the phone, twitter, Facebook, blogging.... I don't feel like I am on any of the above too often, just sometimes I wonder.....
What kind of mom would I have been back then? A better one then I am now??

What do you think?

Weighing In

2011-01-18T14:48:00.003-06:00

Cate LOVES to weigh herself!
It is so cute:)
Someday I'm sure she won't have such a GREAT LOVE for weighing:)

Hope everyone is having a great Tuesday. Cate and I are both home sick! She has a really bad sinus infection!
Praying she feels better soon!

LOVE LOVE LOVE

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Cate blowing Kisses for Uncle Patrick and Dancing:)

2011-01-17T18:47:00.004-06:00

Cate loves her Uncle Patrick:) So we sent him a video of her on Saturday!!
Her dancing at the end is hilarious:)

Please ignore the annoying voices in the background and the singing!!

Side Note: When my brother was little and fresh out of the bathtub, my mom made up a song and would sing it. It went like this.. "Naked Ninnie on the loose, Nake Ninnie on the loose." For some reason, Cate and Finley love this song. It gets them to smile and dance like crazy:)
So you will hear it the background....

Hope everyone had a great weekend;)

LOVE LOVE LOVE

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Mom's One Line a Day 5 Year Journal

2011-01-14T14:27:00.000-06:00

My friend Allison introduced to me this journal and I LOVE IT!!!

It has just the right amount of space to write down everything we did that day! I can keep record of funny things she does, says, how she acts, what she wore, what she ate for lunch... etc:)

I know it will mean so much to her and me someday! Time seems to fly by and this way I can remember the really important and special moments in her life!!!

Do you have a mommy journal? What do you do to keep track of your little ones special moments?

LOVE LOVE LOVE

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Tacky Sweater Party

2011-01-11T14:27:00.000-06:00

My parents have a tacky Christmas sweater party at their house every year. This year we ordered onesies for our whole family!!! They were actually very comfortable and Ryan wants to wear his all the time:)

Enjoy:)

LOVE LOVE LOVE

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A Fun Day at Home

2011-01-10T14:17:00.006-06:00

Good Afternoon:)
We didn't get all the snow that everyone else did :( But we did have a fun morning at home:)

Cate tried a nutella sandwich for the first time and it was a hit:)

Then we made chocolate chip cookies:)

Now she is taking a much needed nap and I am about to make dinner:)
Hope everyone is having a great day and staying warm:)
LOVE LOVE LOVE

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Picture Presents

2011-01-03T08:35:00.006-06:00

Happy Wednesday:)

For part of my mom's Christmas present, we gave her matte boards of our family pictures:)
I love the way they turned out and had to share the pictures I chose:)

What was your favorite Christmas present to give?
LOVE LOVE LOVE

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Happy New Year

2011-01-03T08:21:00.003-06:00

Happy New Year my friends:)
I have a ton of Christmas pictures to share and my best friend was married on New Years Eve and so I have a billion pictures to share of her wedding too:)

But today, I must share pictures of Cate and Finley, with Santa!!

They LOVE him;)

Poor girls:( At one point, Cate put her paci back in her mouth and Mrs. Clause took it out... I guess so Cate could smile bigger! HA!!

Happy Monday:)

LOVE LOVE LOVE

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