Saturday, March 31, 2012

A Day at the Museum

Yesterday was the first day of Michael's spring break. Todd and I decided to take the kids to the museum because we didn't have anything else planned. Michael has been asking about going to the museum because I have been taking Katie and the other kids during the week.

Most of the time there was spent in the downstairs playroom in the back. Todd and Michael worked on building a Lego house. Michael and Katie both worked on all of the puzzles of bugs and we played with the dinosaur figures. Both kids really seemed to be enjoying themselves. Michael asked me if we could go back later this week.

We spent some time in the museum after playing. Michael loved looking at the trains and fossils. Katie just wanted to follow Michael around after she looked at the big shark that hangs overhead.





Thursday, March 29, 2012

Library Egg Hunt

Yesterday was the library's Easter egg hunt. We normally go to the library on Wednesday morning for storytime but the librarian decided to have the egg hunt instead. Katie and David got their Easter baskets and off we went. There were a lot of kids there but they had the hunt set up on 2 different sides for different age groups.

Katie didn't need any help hunting for the eggs. She saw, went after and got quite a few eggs. I had to help David a bit more as I caught him picking up eggs, taking them to another spot and dumping them back out. Both kids seemed to have fun, which is all that really matters.

After the hunt, the kids got to play with chalk and bubbles in the parking lot. The ice cream man also came by with free popsicles for all of the kids. The weather was slightly overcast but warm, which was perfect.





Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Monday, March 19, 2012

Katie's 3 Year Checkup

Katie had her 3 year well visit today. She did a great job with everything that the doctor and nurse asked her to do. Katie is 41.75 inches tall, which is over 100% for girls her age and weighs 36 lbs, which is 89%. She gained 8 lbs since last year and I was very surprised.

She had to get her finger pricked to test her cholesterol and iron. Katie never even flinched when that happened. Both results were fine. Then she had to pee in a cup, which she has never done before, and hit it on the first try. She also got one shot and that was probably the worst part of the whole appointment. Katie only got one shot today, which I wasn't expecting. The doctor has moved one of the shots from the 4 year checkup to the 3 year checkup, which is good because the 4 year checkup has so many shots.

As a treat after the appointment, we stopped and got lunch at McDonald's. Katie was so happy to get some french fries.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Party Time

We had Katie's 3rd birthday party on Saturday. She had decided a few months ago that she wanted a Dora party and never wavered on that. Anytime I would ask her what she wanted for her birthday, she would tell me a Dora cake.

We had a nice party here at the house. It was a gorgeous day outside so we brought out the bounce house for the kids and opened up the sandbox. We also brought some balls outside so that the kids could play in the yard. We played a party game, Pin the Bracelet on Dora. Katie wasn't too crazy about the blindfold that we used until she saw other kids using it too.

Then it was time to sing Happy Birthday and cut the cake. Katie got extremely shy when everyone was singing to her. As soon as the singing was over, she put her head up and blew the Dora candle out with one breath. She couldn't wait to eat it either. Shortly after cake, we opened her presents, which was a bit of a whirlwind as it often is with that age group. She got some really cute stuff and was thankful for everything.

Here are a few pictures from the party:









Friday, March 16, 2012

Happy Birthday Katie

Today Katie turns 3! I am having a really hard time accepting that, although I am not sure why since a lot of people already think she is 3 or even 4 due to the fact that she is so tall. Maybe it's because she is our baby and I want to cherish every moment of these years.

The past year has been a year of growing into a little girl from a toddler. She has really blossomed into a person with her own thoughts and feelings. Her communication skills amaze me on a daily basis and I love the fact that I can explain things to her and she understands. You would think that her ability to communicate would lead to less screaming but she is a typical child of her age in that respect.

Some of Katie's favorite things are anything related to Dora, reading books over and over again (especially rhyming ones), spending time with Mommy, Daddy and Michael, and playing with her friends. She enjoys being outside, whether it's at the playground or just in the backyard.

Katie finally climbed out of the crib so we moved her into a big girl bed. She looks so tiny in the full sized bed. Katie also learned to use the potty and is trained for day and nighttime. I can honestly say that this is one milestone I welcomed happily! Since moving into the bed and learning to use the potty, this has made bedtime a more difficult time. Katie likes to get out of the bed several times a night. Last night we found her asleep in our bed when we came up to go to bed.

The relationship between Katie and Michael has really blossomed over the past year. He can go out of his way to be really nice to her and she really looks up to her big brother. She wants to do what he does and likes to play with him. It's been nice to watch them play toys without constant supervision.

Katie brings us such joy, even when she is pushing the limits and challenging us. Having a daughter is awesome and we love having Katie as ours! Happy 3rd birthday Katie....Mommy, Daddy and Michael all love you very much.



Thursday, March 15, 2012

Music to My Ears

I was fixing Michael's breakfast yesterday morning while he sat at the kitchen table. The books that he reads for school each week were still on the table. All of a sudden, I heard him reading the book out loud. This is the first time that he has actually picked up a book that he knew how to read and read it! I felt so proud of him for this accomplishment. I can't wait to hear him read even more in the years to come.

Monday, March 12, 2012

Opening Day

Saturday was opening day for Michael's baseball season. They had individual and team pictures, followed by a short scrimmage. They were the last game of the day on the field so they were able to play an additional inning for practice. This year, he is playing coaches' pitch. They are given 3 chances to hit the ball as it is pitched to them and then they hit it off the tee. Michael was able to hit the ball that was pitched to him both times he was at bat. I think he really enjoyed himself.

Todd is an assistant coach this year so he was in the pictures and out on the field with Michael. Michael fielded at first base and Todd was the first base coach. I loved watching the two of them out on the field together. Katie watched some of the game but she was much more interested in the playground that is in between the different fields. This year, the fields that Michael will play at have bleachers. We had to bring down chairs last year so this is one less thing to bring out there with us.

Here are a few pictures from the game and a team photo.







Saturday, March 10, 2012

Exhausted

Katie was up today for the day at 5:00am, which is not her usual time. However, she got up to go to the bathroom and did not go back to sleep. We had a busy morning with Michael's opening day of baseball at 11:00. She ran around there and played on the playground. We got home around 2:00 and then ate lunch. Katie and I were sitting at the kitchen table. I looked over at her and this is what I saw.



I can count a handful of times that she has fallen asleep anywhere besides the carseat or being rocked. I brought her upstairs and put her in bed when I found out that she still has some food in her mouth. She finished chewing and then went to sleep. Hopefully she won't get up again at 5am soon!

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Katie's Birthday Invites

We are mostly inviting close family and friends to Katie's birthday party. I spread the word by mouth to most people but still wanted to send out some invitations. A friend of ours designed them for us and he did an awesome job so I wanted to show them off. He also made a matching shirt for Katie to wear at her party but I won't reveal that until the big day.

To say that Katie is excited for her birthday is an understatement!