Lately

I realize the older Kate gets the worse I am getting at taking lots of pictures.  Trying to do better!  She is getting funnier and funnier these days.  Starting to try to "talk" more, although you can't make out hardly any of it.  Her latest word is "Uga," much to our delight :)  We have a magnet on our fridge with Uga's picture on it, and lately she has just become fascinated with it.  So yesterday morning we decided it was time to introduce them.  She pulls the magnet off the fridge and walks around saying, "Gu-ga, Gu-ga!"  So cute.

Apologies, Kate, but just had to record this little story.  The other night we were getting ready for bath time and had completely de-clothed Kate, as well as de-diapered her.  She was running around her room like a wild woman, completely naked, when all of a sudden I heard her get quiet.  I turned around and saw her sitting in her chair in the corner of her room quietly.  I went and picked her up to go put her in the bath and realized she had peed an OCEAN in her chair!!!!  Ready for the potty???  Maybe so!

Here are some recent shots of just everyday little things we've been up to:

Riding the tractor with Daddy; wasn't too sure about that loud noise

Mmmm....fingers

Playing with Lori and Will at Will's house

Lori and Kate

Thought for the Day

I really dislike hunting.

Violent Virus=a Bad Weekend

I have no other words to describe what has happened to our family the past few days other than these.  This has to have been the worst and most contagious, disgusting stomach virus I know I have ever experienced. It started with Kelly Thursday morning early and by later Thursday morning had spread to Kate.  Kathryn called me at work about 10am Thursday and said that Kate was throwing up uncontrollably (she had thrown up all over poor Kathryn).  I could hear Kate crying in the background....not a good feeling as a Mommy to be at work with a sick baby at home.  So I rushed home from work to take care of her.  Thursday was not a good day trying to care for a very, very sick 15 month old baby who cannot tell you what she wants or needs.  Every time we even tried to give her so much as a sip of Pedialyte, it would come right back up.  She seemed to be doing a little better by Thurdsay evening, so we started a few solids back along with fluids, but come Friday morning, she had thrown up again.  All the while poor Will had started to get sick.  So a very sick Kelly was trying to care for her sick baby while Billy had to work.  Luckily, he still hadn't gotten sick at that point.  Another long day at home Friday and a trip to the doctor with Kate...and Joe and I settled into bed Friday evening.  We both woke up around 3am with it.  We went until we couldn't stand it any longer and wound up in the ER at Doctor's Hospital for about 3 hours for IV fluids and Zofran.  Meanwhile, Nana has gotten the virus and Billy has begun not feeling well.  AND....did I mention Kathryn got it too?!  Thank goodness Grammy was able to come help with Kate seeing as sick as Joe and I were...we had trouble holding our heads up much less trying to care for a sick/recuperating toddler.  Praying Grammy and Papa don't get it.  They seem to be the only ones unaffected so far.  Ugh!  Not a pleasant story but had to share...

Snow 2011

Kate has been one lucky baby in that she is only 15 months old and has already experienced snow in Augusta 3 times!  It's hard to believe that we've had snow twice in just 2 weeks here in Georgia.  Today is actually Monday and I should be working, but the weather is quite frightful outside and I hear the roads are treacherous.  So we are staying warm and snuggly indoors today.  We did head over to visit Will this morning to get out in the snow for a bit before we froze our hinies off.

All bundled up and ready for the snow.  Although we were a little grumpy this morning.

Mommy and Kate in the snow...freezing!

Daddy and Kate

Will...reflecting on life in the snow ;)

Casey checking out the snow.  There is something about snow that makes this dog totally go nuts!

 Not quite sure I get what all this fuss is about!

Will and Kate in the snow...she was NOT feelin' it!

Daddy and Kate.  She was a MAJOR Daddy's girl all morning.

Family snow pic!

Billy & Will trying to get Casey to simmer down from the snow excitement

Home sweet home!

Grammy and Grandpa were here visiting this weekend.  We unfortunately were not the best hosts this weekend!  Kate woke up at 4am Saturday morning throwing up.  She didn't stop until about 8:30am.  Our house was like a war zone!  She is doing much better now and seems to be on the mend, but boy that sure wasn't fun.  So it made for a lazy stay-at-home weekend of doing pretty much nothing at all but recuperating.  It was nice to have some extra help here though to handle a sick baby!  Poor thing.  That was a helpless feeling.  There's really nothing you can do for them in that state :(

Signing off today with some other recent pics we took while out playing the other day...

Joe with an armful of bathed and pajama-ed babies

Kate driving her car; Casey holding onto my water bottle for me in the background

Daddy helping Kate drive

Casey observing the scenery; and smiling about what she sees

Trying out the new tricycle

How do I pedal this thing again?

Verse on the brain today...

"Even youths grow tired and weary, young men stumble and fall.  But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."   Isaiah 40:30-31

Learning to Feed Myself...& a Few Snow Pics

As I mentioned before, the snow didn't stick much, but we did manage to sneak outside and snap a few shots before it stopped!  

Wish this one had turned out better...Kate peeking out the window at the snow 

Laughing with Daddy in the snow

More out-of-focus fun with Daddy in the snow...definitely an 

"off" camera day for me 

Tonight while we were feeding Kate her dinner she started fussing a little bit and reaching for the fork as if she wanted to feed herself.  I humored her and fixed her up a few bites to see if she really could do it...boy have I been underestimating Kate!

Mmmm....carrots!

Such a big girl!  Growing up so fast :(

Another Christmas, another year, come & gone...

Yep.  That's pretty much how it is!  Christmas has come and gone once again.  The past two weeks have been a blur!  We had a great time visiting and celebrating Christmas with friends and family this year.  Sad it's over, but looking forward to a fun new year ahead.  I think we can safely say that we did get a White Christmas here in Georgia this year!  A first and probably a last for sure.  The snow moved in late Christmas night and snowed quite heavily all Sunday morning and flurried all afternoon.  The ground was really wet and slushy so we didn't get much to stick, but it sure was pretty anyway.  And made for a great day to stay home and get the Christmas decorations down before heading back to work on Monday.  Christmas Eve we got together with Nana and Papa at their house for breakfast and presents, then everyone headed over to our house for dinner.  Christmas morning we woke up and did "Santa" with Kate, then headed over to see what Bubby got.  After that we went to Grandmama and Grandaddy's for Christmas dinner and presents.  We had a great weekend.

A new xylophone!

"Build-a-Bear" from Nana and Papa.  She loves her!

Will and Kate both got new tricycles

What's in there?

Oh, to be a kid at Christmas again!!!

A very rare photo...Bobby reading Kate a book.  

He came!!

Kate checking out Elmo...she really loves him!

Love this one...Kate with Great-Grandmama and Great-Grandaddy

Love this one too...Will and Kate with the "Greats"

Beautiful Maggie.  So glad she was home for Christmas!

Baby Stella from Lori and Brian...giving her back her paci!

Looking forward to the rest of the week and celebrating New Year's this weekend.  No plans, but lovin' it!  On a downer side note...my car was broken into today :(  right in front of the nursing home (I was consulting this morning) and in broad daylight.  Thankfully nothing was taken and no one was hurt.