tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21277460126051194952024-03-13T07:38:42.828-07:00ing+thingsStephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11964418912391461977noreply@blogger.comBlogger266125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127746012605119495.post-70576565799108450412012-12-02T23:06:00.000-08:002012-12-02T23:06:10.629-08:00LifeEvery time I think about my poor little blog I get so sad. Because I love it. And I wish I had the time or energy to post all the wonderful things going on in my life. This blog is supposed to be my life journal, our family photo album. But I'm just so behind--I can't catch up. I'm really in catch up mode in most of my life right now. I just can't ever quite get there. If I didn't have my amazing family helping me all the time, I'm not quite sure where I would be. I still don't have my Christmas decorations out. Our two trees are up, but that's it. In fact, I just took down our Thanksgiving and birthday decorations today. I've always had my decorations up by December first...I just haven't gotten there yet. My mom always helps me with my school work every week. I'm soooooo grateful to her for helping grade papers and prepare my kids' folders for me. I have a wonderful co-worker who has shared her lesson plans with me for the past two weeks so I don't have to spend my whole weekend at school. I'm very thankful to those around me for helping me try to catch up. I'm supposed to be putting my Christmas decorations up right now. Tonight was my deadline (created by me). But I didn't get to it. I cleaned and did dishes and laundry and ordered our Christmas cards but couldn't quite get to the decor. Maybe tomorrow night. It's a MIRACLE that Liv is still asleep at 1 AM. This is the very first time she's slept this long since she was born. I laid her in bed at 9:40 and she's still in there! Maybe I should take advantage of her being asleep and do the same. Hopefully one day soon I can start posting regularly again. I really miss it.Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11964418912391461977noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127746012605119495.post-33153511799014981542012-11-15T21:58:00.004-08:002012-11-15T22:03:28.897-08:00One year old!Dear Liv Riley,<br />
<br />
Today marks one year since your birth! What a whirlwind of a year it has been. It really seems like a blink of an eye when I was bringing you home from the hospital. You were just so tiny and had all that dark hair! I couldn't even believe you were here. Now I cannot imagine a day without you. You fill up my life with so much joy and laughter. You are so happy and fun to play with. Your laugh is the sweetest sound to my ears. I could listen to it all day I think. You adore Ingrid with all your heart. You love to do what she's doing and laugh at her all the time. I'm sad to say you are not sleeping any better. Your new pattern is to sleep in your bed from 8-9 then wake up and get rocked again. It takes at least an hour to get you back to sleep. Sometimes you will sleep in your bed for another hour and sometimes you just want to be held. I'm hoping someday soon you will start sleeping for longer stretches of time! Maybe you were just waiting until you turned one! You should sleep like a rock, ad much as you run around all day. You started walking so early that you already feel like you should run everywhere. You keep us on our toes to say the least! You now have four teeth--two on top and two on bottom! You stil eat baby food exclusively and have transitioned to whole milk this last month like a champ! We will work on taking the bottle away this coming month. I hope you do as well with that! Happy birthday my little poodle.<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);"> Love you to the moon, </span><br />
Mama<br />
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<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v650/stephcates/iPad/b782052eff0d434787cb5cd3790fa27a.jpg">Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11964418912391461977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127746012605119495.post-73602078455577532502012-10-15T19:39:00.001-07:002012-10-15T19:39:56.601-07:0011 months old!<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v650/stephcates/iPad/5F667591-C663-4BEA-BCB3-34577C6B5351-18063-000010A43110CB9B.jpg" />
Dear Liv Riley,<br />
<br />
You have changed so much throughout the past month! One of the biggest milestones is you started walking! Pretty much right after your ten month birthday you just took off. You haven't crawled a bit since. You are very stable now, and practically run everywhere. You love walking and it makes you that much more independent. I actually find myself thinking that you are older than 11 months since you walk so well and you are doing so many things!
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You love your sister, Ingrid, so very much and want to do everything she is doing. She makes you laugh so many times a day with a silly face or funny voice. I love watching the two of you become friends. Ingrid loves to help get your bottles ready and get diapers out for you. Her favorite thing to help with is finding a paci for you and putting it in your mouth! haha. You let her do it every time and she is so proud.
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One of your favorite things to do is get in Ingrid's chair and look at books or play with a toy. You love her chair and get in it every possible second she's not occupying it. I can't wait for you to get one of your own.
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You are saying more and more words too. It's hard for me to think of everything you say, but I will try and make a list: dada, mama, baba, bye-bye, hi, hello, thank you, ingrid, meme, nana, gam (mam), baby, bnnn-bnnn (playing with cars), eieio, boop, poot, beep-beep. You LOVE waving bye-bye to people and saying it really loudly. You also love to talk on play phones and say "Hello! Hi!" You play with babies a lot giving them hugs and kisses and pats on the back. We think you might have a musical ear--you can match most tunes we sing. You love to sing eieio on Old McDonald. Recently, you started singing ABCD in the correct tune! You try to sing The Wheels on the Bus--you can do the beep, beep, beep with the motion. You flap your arms like crazy trying to get your wheels to turn and hum along on that part. You will sit and listen to one to two books at a time, but really love to "read" them yourself. You mind pretty well when we say No-No, but it breaks your heart! Your face crumples up so sad and you cry your eyes out.
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You are wild as they come, going 100 miles an hour from dawn to dusk (and way past). We have had a really hard time getting any more teeth in. Your first two came at seven months without a huge battle, but these top ones have given us a run for our money. The top left tooth finally broke through today!! I've been holding you all night--usually on the couch--so that you can get any rest at all. You've also been sick with allergies or a virus--I'm not sure which. That has just added to the restlessness.
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You love to do things by yourself and don't back down when you know what you want!
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We call you our poodle and you are going to have a poodle birthday party in one month! I can't wait to celebrate one year of your life. You are my tiny angel with huge, sparkling blue eyes and a smile that lights up the most dreary day. I love you with all my heart.<br />
<br />
Love,<br />
Mama
Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11964418912391461977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127746012605119495.post-49648870108842519392012-10-08T19:48:00.002-07:002012-10-08T19:48:58.826-07:00I miss bloggingI really miss blogging. I have posts I want to do from the summer still. But to be honest I just can't do it. I'm sitting in this rocking chair posting from my phone. My almost eleven month old cannot get her teeth to come through and is miserable every night. My two year old has been sick three to four times since school started. I haven't had a real night of sleep since my mini vacation in August which I never posted about. I try not to complain a lot but I just had to make a brief appearance. I love my blog and I want to start posting again. So badly. But the job I have, formerly known as a teacher, has turned into something far from what I ever imagined it would. It's like I'm going to college full time to be a "better teacher" while already teaching full time, being a mom full time and attempting to be a wife at least half of the time. And I can totally forget about being Stephanie who likes to do things just because I think they're fun and enjoyable. Wow--this is turning into far more of a rant than I had anticipated. I must stop. I hope to be back with a real post soon. If I'm not, you can find me buried under a mountain of school work that is "helping me be a better teacher."Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11964418912391461977noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127746012605119495.post-11251566298913435832012-09-24T19:14:00.000-07:002012-09-24T19:14:53.853-07:00Just Dance!Ingrid has started two major firsts this fall: Mother's Day Out and Dance Class. More on MDO later. This post is dedicated to dance. I started dance class in 1st grade. I took ballet, tap, and jazz from an amazingly talented lady in Bergman and it was the highlight of my life every week. I loved it. I have some wonderful memories from recitals and practices and dance trips. I couldn't decide if I wanted Ingrid to try dance or gymnastics first. I really thought she would enjoy both so my mom looked in to both for me. (Most of you know my phone phobia issues...) Gymnastics doesn't start until three, so the decision was made for me! Ingrid got all signed up for dance with Gammy because Derek and I were out of town on our little before-school-vacation on the day of the sign-up. Ingrid was so excited to pick out her uniform--a black leotard and pink tights. She got fitted for ballet and tap shoes and she couldn't wait until her first class. Knowing her history of major anxiety upon the moment of separation from a family member, I was super nervous for her first class. It's also during her nap time, so I was worried she would be cranky too. Here she is after she got ready to go at Gammy's house.
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I was glued to my phone (while my kids in class were reading and totally engaged of course) to get an update from my mom. Class starts at 2:30 so I won't ever get to take her :( But I'm so thankful mom can. Mrs. Deborah scooped Ingrid up out of Mom's arms and whisked her down the hall. Ingrid didn't cry a single tear!! She loved everything about her first class.
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Gammy took her to Sonic for a drink and to Walmart (her choice of store) for a prize. She picked out a My Little Pony.
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Ingrid informed me that there were two girls in her class. One was "little and cried for her mom the whole time." hahaha. I thought that would be her. The two girls were Brooklyn and Emma. She told me they danced to a clown song and it was so fun. The second week, Mrs. Deborah and Miss Kylie stayed back in the room and the girl working the desk walked them back. Ingrid had a few tears because she "didn't know that girl." She quickly stopped crying and had "so much fun in her dance class." She told me they did the clown song again and teddy bear, teddy bear turn around. There was a new girl this time named Kaydence. Here is Ing after class.
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Meme watched Liv the first week, but Mom took her the second week. She did so good waiting the hour of dance. I was so proud of her! I met Mom and the girls at Walmart after dance. Ingrid informed me that she wanted to bake cupcakes so we got a small cake mix and headed to the house. She was very proud that she made cupcakes and thanked me for helping her a little.
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Today was Ingrid's third dance class and I was afraid she was going to miss it since she's had fever for five days! Luckily, she had no fever today and was able to go. She got to be the leader going back to their dance room. There were two new girls today, London and Macy, for a grand total of six. Ingrid said they had new music and new dances today. She said Mrs. Deborah gave them red flags to use and one girl put it in her mouth and Mrs. Deborah had to tell her NO MA'AM! haha. I love how she tells everything! I asked her what she did with the flags and she started waving her arm around and said, "We just had our flags and flagged them around like this, mom. Just while we were dancing." heehee. She LOVED it! Here she is coming out of class today with her paper and backpack.
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My project of the week is to make her a dance bag! She wants it to have ballet shoes on it. Hopefully it will be as cute as it is in my mind!
Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11964418912391461977noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127746012605119495.post-53762803226533022982012-09-15T20:32:00.002-07:002012-09-15T20:32:41.278-07:0010 months old<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v650/stephcates/stephcates%20album2/liv10monthpost2.jpg" />
Dear Livy Riley,<br />
<br />
You have become quite the voice in our house. We love to hear you trying to say new words and babble so loudly! You can say dad(you say dad more often than dada--probably imitating your sister), mama, baba, hi, bye bye, thank you, and meme very clearly. You are trying so hard to Ingrid and Gammy. You make sounds for their names but they aren't matching up yet. You put together hi dad and hi mama all the time. Sometimes you say meow for a kitty. You love to laugh and squeal at the top of your lungs. I love it when we tickle you and you laugh so hard you go silent. Then we all start laughing right along with you. You always laugh at everything Ingrid does. You think she is absolutely hilarious. Liv, you are just such a bright light in our lives. I can't imagine a day without you! You are very steady on your feet. You can stand up anywhere in a room, on your own, without holding on. You are so very close to walking everywhere. You can take about ten steady steps on your own before you bend down to crawl again. I can't believe you are walking so much. You just look so tiny to be doing all this big girl stuff!! You love to play with all your toys. You give babies and kitties kisses and hugs. You take the pieces out of our "baby puzzles", as Ingrid calls them, but haven't started putting any pieces in yet. You are beginning to love books! You will sit in our laps and listen to two or three at a time and you love to turn the pages and look at them by yourself too. It is getting harder and harder for you to take a bottle because you are too worried about missing out on something. You still take a bottle in the night, though, and usually drink about 4 oz. I haven't mentioned your sleep habits in a while because they're still pretty rocky. You just cannot stay asleep for a long period of time. We rock you to sleep and lay you down around 7:30 or 8:00 and you usually wake up twice before midnight. I give you a bottle the second time you wake up and rock you back to sleep again and lay you back down in your own bed. Around 1:30 or 2:00 you're up again and once again, I rock you and put you back in your own bed. At the 3:00 and 4:00 mark I'm usually exhausted and just let you sleep the rest of the night with me. Sometimes I stand my ground and make you go back in your own bed for the whole night, but most of the time I'm just so tired, I give in. You love to snuggle up right beside me with your face pressed against my cheek. I do love snuggling you, but I will be very happy when the time comes that you sleep through the night! It's hard getting up and teaching my little six year olds all day with just a few hours of sleep each night! You wake up each morning rearing to go! You crawl around the house at the speed of light. The other day Ingrid was asleep in her room for nap and you kept trying to crawl into her room and wake her up. You would not play with me in the living room! Finally, I shut the door to the living room so you couldn't crawl into the hall and open the bedroom door. I hadn't even finished shutting the living room door and you took off--you went the other way, through the dining room, kitchen, and computer room to get to the hall and to Ingrid's room. You are a smart girl Liv Riley! You outsmarted me that day. You are going to nursery at church for Sunday School and church--over 2 hours! You usually cry a little bit when I drop you off, but then you do great. I'm so proud of you. In just two months we will be celebrating your birthday with a poodle party! Since we call you poodle or Livy poodle most of the time, this will be the perfect theme. I can't wait to see your face when you see all the decorations. I know you will love it. Until then, I am going to savor these last few days of being "zero!"<br />
<br />
Love you to pieces,<br />
Mama
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<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v650/stephcates/stephcates%20album2/liv10monthpost.jpg">Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11964418912391461977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127746012605119495.post-48757319492778309732012-08-21T21:09:00.000-07:002012-08-21T21:09:19.856-07:00Playtime at Nana'sSchool has officially started, but my heart is still in summer. I'm super behind on posts. So much has happened, including my husband's birthday, but I'm going to keep going in chronological order until I finally catch up. As I've mentioned in the past, the first couple of weeks are completely exhausting, so this will be short and sweet. These photos are from Glenda and Daniel's house, taken back in June. We had a lot of fun Sunday evening playtimes over there. They got a kitten and Liv was totally enamored by it. Ingrid was excited at first, but then she was ready to play with all her toys and didn't have too much to do with it. Cole carried it around and loved on it the whole time. Gannon was in the same boat as Ing.
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<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v650/stephcates/stephcates%20album2/nanas8.jpg" >Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11964418912391461977noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127746012605119495.post-92202030485349993902012-08-15T21:15:00.000-07:002012-08-15T21:15:22.499-07:00Nine months old!<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v650/stephcates/iPad/5EA65842-5920-42C8-BA32-1BFE5C96361C-10850-00000A1CBBB4D586.jpg">
Dear Liv Riley,<br />
<br />
I am astonished that you are nine months old today. How have you been in the world as long as you were in mommy's belly? You are growing up so quickly. And your personality is coming out more and more. You are strong in every sense of the word. You are physically strong: crawling as fast as lightening, pulling up on everything in sight, grabbing and picking up heavy toys, and climbing on anything. You are strong-willed: you know what you want and go after it! If Ingrid has a toy you want, nothing is stopping your from getting it from her! Usually she gives it to you so you don't climb on top of her. It's quite a funny scene. You never want to sit still long enough to get your diaper or clothes changed and you let the world know you are unhappy! You have the strongest set of lungs this side of the Mississippi! You love to clap and wave. You have the cutest voice and I love hearing the new things you are trying to say! You can clearly say dada, mama, baba (bottle), and uh-oh! We can hear you trying to say a lot more words and I look forward to listening to more over the coming months. Everytime you drop something, you say Uh-oh! and it's so precious. I don't ever tire of it. Even when you purposefully drop your cup or Cheerios over and over. :) You are still eating like a champ, but you are definitely want to have something to feed yourself while Mommy is giving you baby food. You snack on puffs, melts, and Cheerios. You will eat almost any kind of fruit, vegetable, or meat baby food. You still have your same two bottom teeth. I just knew you would get a couple more in this past month since you gums have been so swollen, but no luck. You love to play with all your toys, and you move quickly from item to item. I haven't had a whole lot of luck getting you interested in listening to many books yet. You will sit in my lap and listen to one whole book a day usually. You're too busy and on the move. You go strong all day long. You're still taking two naps a day, but they're not usually very lengthy unless you're being held. Oh Livy poodle, your sleep habits have not improved since last updated. I think they've actually gotten worse! But I'm still trying and I will keep trying until we get it right! I have cherished the snuggles I've gotten to have with you this summer more than anything. You love to snuggle and cuddle mama when you are sleepy. I love this time with all my heart. Your cheek fits perfectly next to mine and you hum in my ear as I sing "Jesus Loves Me." I love seeing your sweet face relax as you peacefully fall asleep. I love you my precious baby.<br />
<br />
Love,<br />
Mommy
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Peacefully sleeping (with mommy)
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One of your "strong-willed" moments, wanting your sisters blanket
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I'll end on another sweet sleeping shot
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Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11964418912391461977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127746012605119495.post-63617338908728342642012-08-13T08:00:00.000-07:002012-08-13T08:00:05.042-07:00Summer Story TimeOne of the things I'll miss most when I go back to school (there's a million) is going to the library with Ingrid. She signed up for the Summer Reading Program and pledged to read 5 books a day/35 books a week. We read so much everyday that this was no problem and she turned her sticker sheet in each week with pride. At the end of the program they had a pool party for all the kids who completed their goals for the whole summer! She had a blast. And so did I.
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We would meet Derek for lunch after library and it was such a highlight each week.
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The summer session was geared for 3-8 year olds so I was a little worried about how she would do with the bigger kids. But she got her mat out and sat on her spot on the carpet each week with no problem.
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She LOVES making crafts.
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And going out to eat, of course!
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Towards the end of the summer Miss Sandy starting giving "smelly tattoos" which were really just drawings with scented washable markers. Ingrid loved them.
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Her first trip to the city pool definitely lived up to her expectations.Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11964418912391461977noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127746012605119495.post-62433761966771792882012-08-12T10:00:00.000-07:002012-08-12T10:00:04.118-07:00Maelea Turns Two!!Maelea and Ingrid's birthdays are so close together! It's neat having girls the exact same age, but makes it hard to plan parties! We've already decided we're having a joint party for them next year!! Maelea had her party at her new house in Arkansas. It was outdoors and the girls had a blast in the pool. The loved jumping up high and landing on their buns making a big splash!
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While the big girls swam, Liv was loving on everyone.
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The ice cream cake was a big success.
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Maelea loved all her gifts. Especially her fancy heels.
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The biggest present was saved for last. Maelea rode all around the yard on her Tow-Mater truck. She is such a big girl!
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We're so happy to get to spend more time with the Hatches now that they're back!! Happy Birthday Maelea!Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11964418912391461977noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127746012605119495.post-32651392892434521562012-08-11T19:15:00.000-07:002012-08-11T19:18:45.426-07:00Sister SnapsThe stomach bug has hit this house in a rough way. I shudder remembering the last 36 hours. I woke up around 4:30 Friday morning feeling yucky. I pushed through all our morning routines but around 8:30 I just couldn't do it anymore. Derek shipped the girls off to his mom's house and collapsed on the bathroom floor, puking my guts up. This is the first time I've really thrown up since 1996. And I did it over and over again. Around 30 times total. It was awful. Then my poor little Ingy got it, then Derek got it too. Neither of them had it quite as bad as me, thankfully. The girls are back and I'm feeling better. Still very weak from lack of food (yuck) but better nonetheless. I'm so thankful for my mom (who has been deathly sick herself) for bringing me a Sonic drink and a Neighbor's Mill muffin so I could have a teeny bit of energy to make it through the night! I have a bunch of random pics I'm dumping on the blog today. Cute ones that need to go somewhere.
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<br />This was taken at the very start of summer, back in May. Can you believe how much her hair has grown??? We've played lots and lots of stickers this summer.<br />
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Sometimes they wake up from nap at the same time!
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"Feeding herself" lol
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I adore these dresses Mom bought the girls!
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Besties!
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She's always too nosy to drink her bottle!
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This game lasted for about a week...Now Liv won't sit there and let Ingrid pile toys on her! haha.
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We've tried to squeeze several crafts in this summer too. As you can see, we feed Liv tons of puffs to make it through.
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I love this precious vintage sailor dress. Too sweet.
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And she's done.
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v650/stephcates/stephcates%20album2/sistersnaps.jpg">Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11964418912391461977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127746012605119495.post-90162799705397301492012-08-02T20:17:00.001-07:002012-08-02T20:17:37.046-07:00Paci FairyIngrid's pacifier has been with her from the beginning. It has helped calm and soothe her when nothing else would. It helped her sleep on her own, in her bed, through the night since she was 3 months old. I love giving babies pacis. I love that they have something they can comfort themselves with. She didn't willingly take the paci, I had to work at it. Pretty hard. But once she got used to it, she loved it. Ingrid would willingly cozy up for naps and night with her trusty paci and blankets. I knew the day would come when we would have to take it away. But I would rather have the ability to take the paci away than have to train her not to suck her thumb! Can't take that away! We decided to take the paci away when she turned two. So the night after she turned 2 (we didn't want to the night of because it was her party and all so busy) we gathered up all the pacis in the house for the paci fairy to take in the night. I copied the idea of the paci fairy from my sis. We had talked about it with Ingrid for a couple of months so she knew all about her and knew she was coming. The fairy comes to your house when you are 2 and takes your pacis to the hospital to give all the new babies. At first Ingrid thought it was funny and fun.
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Then the seriousness of the situation started to set in...
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It wasn't easy the first few nights. Ingrid Cate had a few tears and a lot of asking for her pacis to please come back. A few prayers to Jesus asking if the paci fairy could return her pacis. But after a few nights the tears stopped. And after a couple weeks she stopped asking about them! I think she did great.<br />
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The fairy came! (check out that bed head)
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She decided the toys were pretty fun after all!
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v650/stephcates/stephcates%20album2/pacifairy1.jpg" />Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11964418912391461977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127746012605119495.post-86400802708587579872012-07-24T21:37:00.000-07:002012-07-24T21:37:26.093-07:00"The Maelea Dress"<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v650/stephcates/stephcates%20album2/themaeleadress1.jpg" />
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Way back in February, Mary Beth sent me a picture of a dress she found on Pinterest and asked if I could recreate it for Maelea. I told her I wasn't sure I could. Since I'm a totally self-taught sewer, and this dress looked a little complicated for my skill level I didn't think I could recreate it. But I'm always up for a good challenge. So fast-forward five months and I decided to give it a try for Maelea's birthday!
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<a href="http://www.onelittleminuteblog.com/2011/03/big-bow-easter-dress/">source</a></div>
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I wanted the dress to be light and breezy since we are having the hottest summer ever. So I picked a pale blue and white seersucker to work with. I used one of Ingrid's bigger dresses to help make a pattern since I knew Maelea was taller than Ing. Keep in mind, when I was making this dress, I hadn't seen Maelea in person in months and months! I was super excited with how the dress turned out. I used peach buttons down the back that really set it off. Heather got me some buttons from a cute little Etsy shop and I had been dying to use them. Plus, this help put a little different spin on the dress so it wasn't a carbon copy of the Pin Mary Beth sent me. I put the dress on Ingrid right away to see how it looked!
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I loved it! The oversized bow is just so cute and different. But then realization hit that this dress fit Ingrid perfectly, so it was going to be too small for Maelea! So off I went to make another one. I was actually excited to try again because there were some things I wanted to do differently. One of the main things I did differently was how I attached the bow. I also made bias tape out of the same material as the dress and used it around the neckline and armholes. I think it gave it a much more finished look. Ingrid's dress is more of an 18/24 month and Maelea's is a 2/3T. I loved how the purple turned out also!
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Mary Beth and Alex visited our church Sunday and the girls had on their matching dresses! It was just too precious. We went to McDonald's for lunch, per the girls' request, and I tried to get a few shots of them in their dresses.
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You can tell it was super sunny, hot, and almost nap time! But they still look as cute as can be.
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This is definitely the hardest thing I have tried to sew and I really like how it turned out. I could have bought a pattern and I'm sure it would have been easier and even turned out better, but I'm proud of myself for trying it on my own. Now I can't wait to make more of "The Maelea Dress."Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11964418912391461977noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127746012605119495.post-59870681129773250482012-07-23T18:12:00.000-07:002012-07-23T18:12:31.344-07:00They're BACK!Six years ago my best friend since KINDERGARTEN moved away. FAR away---over 8 hours one way! I was super sad when she moved away, but I was so happy for her to start her adventure in Texas. She moved to Texas where her boyfriend lived and got a teaching job and a house. While she was there, she got married and had a baby girl. So much has changed in our lives over the past six years, but we are as close as ever. That's the best thing about best friends. This was our going away party at Mary Beth's house back in 2006.
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We had the opportunity to go visit them several times and they got to come here on holidays. We became fast friends with Alex over the years and we were thrilled to find out we were pregnant at the same time and due the SAME DAY! How fun it would be to have daughters the same age. It would be even better if they could see each other more than just a few times a year. I always wished and prayed they would find their way back to Arkansas. My prayers were answered when they did just that last month. Not only are they back in Arkansas, but we are living in the same town! We went to dinner together to catch up right when they returned.
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That night we learned that they are pregnant with their second baby! I'm over the moon excited for them and I'm doubly excited that I will get to be at the hospital when he/she is born! Ingrid and Maelea have already played together several times and they have become fast friends. Ingrid talks about Maelea, Mary Beth, and Alex all the time. She thanks Jesus for them in her prayers. I'm so happy they're back.
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Hugs
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JUMP
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MB and Liv watching the big girls
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Doing a little work on the computer
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Tea Party
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My favorite
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Winding down for the night
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Mary Beth, Alex, and Maelea: We are so very happy to have you back in Arkansas. We can't wait for tons of dinners, play dates, birthdays, holidays, and more. We love you and Welcome Back!Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11964418912391461977noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127746012605119495.post-23796968821540690162012-07-23T08:00:00.000-07:002012-07-23T08:00:09.150-07:00Jen's BirthdayWhile we're on a birthday note, let's roll with it. Jen had her birthday party about a month ago and it was a blast (as all parties at Jen's are). We had it during the week so Derek had to miss out since he was working. This party really helped gear Ingrid up for hers. It was right before she turned two and she had such a great time, she talked about it every day for days and days. Jen and Meme had tons of food and snacks and desserts. It was awesome.
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The birthday girl
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Ingrid loved all the food of course.
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Amelia and Elise had on the cutest matching dresses.
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I hope I look like this when I'm 47!
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Jen had the sprinkler set up and a water tub. Bubbles, a sandbox, slide and swings--what more could you ask for!
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Lucky got thirsty!
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I was thankful Meme kept Liv inside most of the time because it was just too hot for a tiny one. And her allergies were starting to act up too.
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Just when it's been the best party of all-time, Jen brings out stamps!
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Ingrid was in heaven "making a craft."
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Amelia took hers very seriously.
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OH--and Meme had awesome treat bags for them to take home!
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v650/stephcates/stephcates%20album2/jenbday.jpg">Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11964418912391461977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127746012605119495.post-33457006564694517802012-07-22T20:35:00.000-07:002012-07-22T20:35:07.283-07:00Happy Birthday to Me! (and Heather)On Friday night Derek took me to Branson for a birthday dinner. On the way up there, he asked me where I wanted to shop before we went to eat. I decided I was ready to eat first. And then he started acting weird. I couldn't figure out what was wrong with him, so he finally told me he had made a reservation and wanted it to be a surprise! So off we go to shop around a bit. He said the reservation was for 7:45 at Texas Land and Cattle. You better believe I shopped up until 7:35--plenty of time to make our reservation! When we got to the Landing it was super duper crowded so I was even more excited we had a reservation--no waiting! We walk in to the restaurant and I'm SHOCKED to hear SURPRISE!!! and see Heather, Ross, MB, and Alex! They had all gotten together and had a surprise dinner for me. I was so excited (and embarrassed of course because everyone was staring at me!) We had a delicious meal of steak and potatoes and tons of bread.
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Saturday was my actual birthday and I got up early and went to a garage sale with MB. Ingrid tagged along too. Can you tell how UBER excited I am that my BFF is back in town!! I had a delicious coffee and latte from Neighbor's Mill and played with my girls all day. That evening we went up to Heather's for a joint family party. The girls had a blast playing together as usual. The decorations were super cute. And the food was Dee-lishus, as Ingrid says! Mom got a huge Chick-Fil-A platter. It was Ing's first time to try their chicken and she gobbled it up. We also had chips and dips and broccoli salad! Jen made chocolate covered strawberries too. Mom bought us each a Coldstone Creamery cake, which is like a present in itself. My choice was 8-layer Cake Batter and it was divine. Heather and I were showered with gifts and love! What a great way to celebrate our birthdays!<br />
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Smiles!
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This is the dress Mom and Dad got Ingrid in Vegas. It is the cutest thing I've ever seen.
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The is my best shot of all four girls.
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Food!
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Yum!
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Ingrid wanted to sit in my lap while I opened my gifts. Sweet little thing.
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I made Heather a set of Arkansas pillows and she loved them!
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Best Friends
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Watching our daughters sing to us!
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I am so thankful and blessed to celebrate another year with my loving family.Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11964418912391461977noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127746012605119495.post-18019715130497858282012-07-19T09:46:00.000-07:002012-07-19T09:46:45.764-07:00Castle RockMom and Dad took Amelia to Castle Rock for her end-of-school present! They had taken her there in March for her birthday and she was ready to go back. Ingrid, Liv, and I met them on the second day for some water fun! This is a really neat indoor water park. Perfect for small kids. Most importantly, you don't have to worry about sun burns or heat exhaustion! Ingrid loved going down all the slides. I loved watching her. Liv had fun too! Dad carried her around while we went from pool to pool and slide to slide. She got in with Mom toward the end and she loved it. Thanks for the invite!
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<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v650/stephcates/stephcates%20album2/castlerock.jpg">Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11964418912391461977noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127746012605119495.post-87783947654545387762012-07-18T19:43:00.000-07:002012-07-18T19:43:39.821-07:00July 4thThis year our fourth of July was a bit different. First of all, NO FIREWORKS! We had a burn ban so we couldn't shoot off any. This was definitely my first year I ever remember not seeing or shooting off a single firework. Made me sad since I love them so much. But we definitely couldn't because it was soooo dry. At least I had another fun thing to look forward to on the fourth---Veggie Tales Live! Mom found out they were going to be in Branson and I really thought Ingrid might like it, so we tried it out. We met Heather, Amelia, and Elise in Branson. Elise got to stay for the first half, and she did great and loved the show. Ingrid didn't know a thing about Veggie Tales prior to the show, so Derek and I took her to CBO to pick out a movie. We watched it once so she would know the characters a bit. Ingrid still isn't really into movies yet, but those movies have a great message! The message of the show was "God made you special, and He loves you very much!" It was really good. Ingrid stayed interested in it the whole time. She loved all the songs and characters. She really loved the bubble machine. She even went up close to the stage to get a better look! We had so much fun.
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After Veggie Tales we headed back to Mom and Dad's for their annual 4th of July cookout! Dad grilled tons of meat and mom made tons of sides. She even made the cutest red white and blue dipped strawberries and I didn't even get a picture! Meme made a cherry cobbler that was so delicious. All the girls were just happy to play together!
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Darren, Melissa, Cole, and Gannon came over later in the evening and Mom pulled out the poppers! The kids loved them.
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Heather and the girls decided to stay at Mom and Dad's until Ingrid birthday since it was the following weekend. We took advantage of them being here and played in the water one evening. They could have played for hours and hours.
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I am so thankful to live in the USA. We had such a great time celebrating our freedom with family we love so much.Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11964418912391461977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127746012605119495.post-69231561515044762942012-07-17T09:25:00.000-07:002012-07-17T09:25:50.341-07:00Second Annual Cates-Statler Shopping Trip!!We had a blast this past weekend laughing and shopping with our cousins. This was our second annual Girls Shopping Weekend and we had so much fun. We met Saturday morning and hit up the Landing and Tanger and then ate at Cantina Loredo. Sunday morning we grabbed Starbucks and headed back to Tanger for an exchange and a couple more stores we missed the day before. We traveled over to Kohl's next then went to Target and T.J. Maxx. We had a late lunch at Chili's and called it a day! We had the best time. I haven't laughed that much in a long time. I think all the laughing might have balanced out the massive amount of calories I consumed. I definitely indulged in whatever I wanted. We found so many good deals, too. I wasn't sure there would be too many sales at this time of year, but we found them. I was in "dire" need of some new pieces to add to my wardrobe. I had bought some things after I had Liv since none of my pants fit (even the ones I bought after I had Ingrid!) but I still wasn't comfortable in most of the clothes in my closet. So I fixed that problem. I bought ALL separates! I seriously cannot believe I didn't buy one single dress. I always buy dresses and bottoms and no tops. I stuck to my list and got almost everything on it, and hardly anything that wasn't on it. Lists are so helpful when shopping! I can't wait to wear my new clothes.
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Shelby didn't get to come with us this time. We're not letting her off the hook so easily next year!
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Classic Heather
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In just a few years, I know a few other girls that might want in on this trip! We found them a few new things too, of course.
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Laughing at something Mom did I'm sure and sad faces for the missing Shelb.
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Of course we got the delicious Mexican Apple Pie. Kac is looking at in longingly while it cools off a bit.
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Can you find Heather in this picture?? She really is in it.
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Tada!
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A huge thanks to Derek for keeping both girls Saturday and Sunday so I could go on this girls trip. We had a great time, and while I missed the girls so much, it was nice to recharge a bit. Can't wait until next year!Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11964418912391461977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127746012605119495.post-28372987040289877502012-07-15T21:35:00.000-07:002012-07-15T21:35:04.866-07:008 months old!<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v650/stephcates/stephcates%20album2/liv8months3.jpg">
Dear Liv Riley,<br />
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There are only four short months until your first birthday! It's just unbelievable how quickly you are growing and changing. Most of your dark brown hair is just a memory. All the hair growing in is, dare I say, blonde??? It's definitely a light brown to dark blonde color and it's coming in fairly thick and straight. You have the brightest, prettiest blue eyes under the sun. Everywhere we go people always comment on the color of your eyes. They are gorgeous. You still have your sweet dimples when you smile big and laugh. You are also sporting two new pearly white bottom teeth that popped up this past month! You are working very hard on getting some more. You've done really well with teething. You chew so much all day long (and have even tried to chew one of our tables into pieces) but you are never very fussy about it. You're really not that fussy ever. You are so happy and fun to be around. You love playing with toys, especially whatever Ingrid has. It always seems to interest you most! Your sister's new favorite thing is to get one of our toy buckets and take out every single toy and pile them all around you! It's quite a funny sight. She tells you what everything is, in great detail, then asks you if you want to see it or play with it. Then she answers for you in a "little tiny Livy Riley voice" that yes, you do want to see it or play with it! Liv, you think everything she does is absolutely hilarious. You laugh at her so much throughout the day. You are still eating great! You eat cereal, oatmeal, or yogurt for breakfast and a fruit and vegetable for lunch and supper. You love snacking on puffs and melts. We are still working on your sippy cup. You are getting better with it, but you definitely do not have it mastered. The thought of taking your bottle away in a couple of months is so crazy to me!! How are you that old? I'm definitely going to crack down on sippy cup practice this month. You are sleeping about the same as you were last month, except your naps are shorter than before. I won't make any more comments on your sleeping habits this time! You are still faster than lightening, crawling and pulling up on everything in sight. You did a new trick this past month! You will pull up on something and let go for a few seconds and balance all by yourself! I really can't believe how well you balance and how strong you are for such a little, tiny girl! You go to the doctor for your well-check next week, so we will see just how big (on small) you are! I'm going to savor every single day I have with you this next month because I will be going back to work in August and missing all your snuggles. You are such a bright light in my life.<br />
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Love you,<br />
Mama
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<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v650/stephcates/stephcates%20album2/liv8months2.jpg">Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11964418912391461977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127746012605119495.post-47125492189373779802012-07-10T21:15:00.000-07:002012-07-10T21:15:51.924-07:00Hello 2<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v650/stephcates/stephcates%20album2/twoyears7.jpg">
Ingrid Cate's second birthday was so different from her first birthday in many ways. First of all, she picked her party theme. About two months ago we were talking about her birthday and I just started listing off all the different "themes" she could have for her birthday. Even though I didn't really want a character party (because I really like making decorations and things and wasn't sure I could do it the way I wanted with a character) but I knew Ingrid would be much more into her party if it was centered around a character she knew and picked herself. I listed Dora, Elmo, Olivia, Hello Kitty, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and Princesses. She immediately picked Hello Kitty and there was no turning back! From that moment on, she knew she was having a Hello Kitty party for her second birthday and she was sticking to it! Another way this party was different was all the PINK! Last year was red, white and blue. I used to have such an aversion to pink. I never really liked the color. But after this party, I think I'm a new believer in pink. Everything was so cheery and happy with all the different shades of pink all over the place. I haven't even taken down this pink party garland because I just love it!
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We had planned to have the party out on our new deck but all the days leading up to the party day were over 100 degrees. So I thought we would just do our food out on the deck and have the rest inside to cool off. On Saturday it was stifling. Humidity was at 98% and there wasn't a breeze in sight. I finally succumbed to the fact that the party needed to be indoors. (I really wanted to show off our new deck!) Am I ever glad I didn't start decorating outside. Around 4:00 a huge storm blew in, knocking down a massive limb in the front yard, raining so hard you couldn't see anything, and even knocking out the power for a while. I am so thankful I hadn't already set up all the decorations I had made for the deck. I had wrapped cans of food in Hello Kitty paper and ribbon and hot glued a safety pin to the top. I pinned all our plush Kitties to the top of the cans so they could be displayed without blowing over or falling down. I had intended to line the railing of the deck with these and connect them with pink and white streamers. It would have been so cute! But I guess they were just as cute placed around the house. Here's a pic of one of the kitties.
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One thing that didn't change from last year's party to this year's is how much fun I had planning it! I absolutely love planning parties and making decorations. It was so fun staying up each night making something new for the party and then seeing Ingrid's reaction when she saw it the next morning! I designed a Hello Kitty wall for our dessert table. I used black and white Hello Kitty color sheets that were on a color roll from Michaels. I outlined the sheets with pink Hello Kitty duct tape to finish off the edges. I made a banner that read "Ingrid is Two" to hang in front of our Kitty wall.
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On the dessert table was the adorable Hello Kitty face cake that I sourced out to my friend Liz. She did a great job on it and it was delicious too!
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Also on the dessert table were bags of Hello Kitty cotton candy, white chocolate dipped pretzel rods with flower sprinkles, and strawberry marshmallows. When it was dessert time I brought out pink sprinkle edged ice cream sandwiches and Hello Kitty golden oreo pops.
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These little kitty pops took me way too long to make!! I know now what I did wrong and I think I could do a lot better next time. But I'm still really proud of how they turned out!
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The theme of the party was Hello 2 and Derek did an amazing chalk art piece in our office.
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I cut out the letters Hello 2 and displayed them on our radio collection. Ingrid loved spelling this out every day!
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I also made two felt Hello Kitty pillows. They were super easy and Ingrid loves them so much.
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I had a pink yarn wreath on hand that Heather had made and I glued some felt pieces to it to make it more party ready! I found Liv a Hello Kitty onesie at Old Navy and sewed a pink gingham skirt to it so she would match Ingrid a little more and so it would feel more like a party outfit. Bless her little heart, she got so sleepy at the party. We had to change her into her jammies before we ever made our family picture!
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Ingrid was so happy to greet everyone who arrived for her party and play with Amelia and Elise a bit while she waited for the party to start!
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I am totally enamored with her smocked Hello Kitty bubble. I adore this outfit!
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We ate first thing. The menu consisted of chicken caeser sandwiches, build your own sandwiches with turkey and three kinds of cheeses, cherry/blueberry/strawberry fruit kabobs, guacamole salad, chips and onion dip, and chips and salsa.
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We had strawberry lemonade to drink.
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After we all got stuffed it was present time! Ingrid had been so funny talking about her presents. She had been telling me for a couple weeks that she would have one, big, pink present to open. I told her she would have lots of presents to open at her party. Her response was always, NO. I will have ONE pink present to open. hahaha. She definitely had more than one gift.
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She was showered with stickers, puzzles, stamps, books, shoes (Hello Kitty Vans, turquoise sparkle Toms, turquoise sandals), and clothes. She got a new placemat/plate/bowl set (that she LOVES), a sprinkle mat, a Dora guitar, a backpack with her name on it, a new pirate ship water table, and a play house! I'm sure I'm not even naming everything. She was genuinely excited about every single gift she opened. She was very appreciative and has played with everything. When it was finally time for her cake, she helped everyone sing and then she blew her candles out all by herself. Derek got all that on video for us! It was a very special day that I will never forget!
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v650/stephcates/stephcates%20album2/twoyears9.jpg">Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11964418912391461977noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127746012605119495.post-36934133275977537842012-07-08T22:01:00.000-07:002012-07-08T22:01:48.114-07:00Ingrid's first day as a two year-old!<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v650/stephcates/stephcates%20album2/ingistwo2.jpg">
We had a great day together with our big girl. Ingrid wore her brand new backpack to church this morning. I walked her to her Sunday School class (walked being the key word--I'm usually carrying her and she's clinging to me for dear life). I opened the door and she walked right in to Miss Mary! She said, "Bye Mommy!" and I ran for dear life. No turning back. She did it!!! WALKED into the class by herself and no tears. I was so proud of her. We had a big lunch at Daisy Queen and then she played the day away at home. We didn't do any of her outside toys since it rained (thank you Lord!) but she played with every single thing she got for her birthday inside. She prepared all her pacis for the Paci Fairy and we've made it to midnight without her waking up and wondering where her paci is! Fingers crossed. (Liv's already been up twice and is up as I'm typing of course). I'll post birthday party pics soon, but tonight I have to share these precious pics of our two year old princess.
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<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v650/stephcates/stephcates%20album2/ingistwo.jpg">Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11964418912391461977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127746012605119495.post-9743958920237843212012-07-07T21:24:00.000-07:002012-07-07T21:24:14.276-07:002 Years Old!<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v650/stephcates/stephcates%20album2/24month.jpg" />
Dear Ingrid Cate,<br />
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After weeks and weeks of talking about turning two, today was the day when it became official. You are two years old. I can scarcely believe it. It seems as if I was writing about your first birthday just a month of two ago. Two seems so old to me, as if no traces of baby remain after two. There were several times I almost burst into tears today. Not because I was sad that you are growing up, just because I'm so happy and proud of the little girl you've become. You are loving, caring, helpful, determined, zealous, smart, happy, and just so beautiful inside and out. You LOVE LIFE. Everything is exciting to you. I had so much fun planning your birthday party because I knew you would absolutely love everything about it. And you did. Just like you love every game we play and toy we play with. You are such a joy in my life. I honestly can't remember how life felt without you in it. You are my little angel.<br />
<br />
I mentioned that you are determined. VERY determined. For two weeks you have been trying to hold up two fingers show that you are two. You could get it every now and again but it took a lot of concentration to just hold up those two fingers. You wanted to be able to pop up those two fingers whenever you wanted. So you worked and worked on it. Every time we were in the car going somewhere you were back there trying to hold two fingers up. You mastered it Friday! You were very proud of yourself and I am so proud of you too! I love that you don't want to give up!<br />
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We went to the doctor last week for your two year well check and I was a nervous wreck. Every time I've taken you to the doctor you have been so scared. I just knew it would be a disaster. I prayed for a week before the appointment that you would do okay and at least let Dr. Causey check you over good. The morning of the appointment you were all ready to go. While we were waiting you said you would give Dr. Causey a big hug so he wouldn't be sad about your doctor visit. I knew this was your little way to say you were getting nervous about seeing the doctor but you wanted to try and be brave. You did such a great job! You never cried once. You got a little nervous when you had to lay down on the table to be measured, but that's all! I couldn't believe how brave you were. Your checkup was great too. You are a healthy girl. You weigh 24 lbs 13 oz and you're 31.5 inches tall. Definitely not the biggest girl on the block, but you make up for it in brains. You have the best memory. You can recite several books we have almost word for word. Long books too, with four to five sentences on each page! You did your first 24 piece puzzle all by yourself this week too. You got a lot of new learning games and puzzles for your birthday today and I can't wait to see what you will learn next!<br />
<br />
One of my favorite things we do each night is say prayers together. I love to see what you will thank Jesus for each night. I can tell you are learning things about Jesus and God in your Sunday School class too because you will mention a thing here or there that you have remembered. You didn't cry one tear when I dropped you off at your class last week! This was the first time that has happened. I was so proud, Mommy was the one about to cry! You are growing up so quickly and I love soaking up every single minute with you. Happy second birthday to my sweet Ingrid Cate!<br />
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Love you to the moon and stars,<br />
Mommy
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v650/stephcates/stephcates%20album2/24month2.jpg" />Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11964418912391461977noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127746012605119495.post-14976683767199480042012-06-30T10:57:00.000-07:002012-06-30T10:57:10.788-07:00Vegas PrizesMom and Dad went on a vacation to Las Vegas about three weeks ago and of course they brought back tons of gifts for everyone. I got the CUTEST dress and I can't wait to have a date night or a girls night so I can wear it! Ingrid was super excited to see Gammy and Gampy after a week of not seeing them. She was also very curious about what was in the big yellow Vegas bag!
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Back story: Ingrid and I had been looking on the iPad together at Hello Kitty cakes so she could pick out the one she wanted for her party. (I decided to have a friend make it this year!) She loved about a million of them, but when she saw this certain Hello Kitty "nerd" cake with big black glasses she LOVED it so much. It was hilarious! Mom texted me a picture of that exact kitty they found in Vegas. They also found a fancy kitty with pink cat eye glasses! These are definitely Ingrid's two new favorite kitties. She loves them so much.
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Looking at all the kitties. She was happy for the new ones to join their "friends."
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Both girls got new outfits that are tooooo precious. Liv is modeling hers here.
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They also got little animals from Rain Forest Cafe that Ingrid has already played with a ton. And Liv has chewed on a ton. Because LIV HAS TWO TEETH! Two bottom teeth are poking through. They have a long ways to go to be officially "in." But I'm so excited for her. This is two months earlier than Ingrid. We'll end on this pic. I love it! Dad telling Derek some big story!
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v650/stephcates/stephcates%20album2/vegasprizes.jpg">Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11964418912391461977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2127746012605119495.post-36328172694990582872012-06-27T05:30:00.000-07:002012-06-27T05:30:04.042-07:00Swimming at homeThe only pool we had for the girls was the tiny little whale one Ingrid had last summer. We played with it for a bit one afternoon, and we had a good time, but I could tell it wasn't going to fit the bill all summer long.
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We found a bigger pool on a great sale and went for it! We have already used it several times. Ingrid loves it. She likes to blow bubbles and kick her legs and "swim swim swim". She's a little bit too wild for me, but I'm learning to go with it. She definitely loves the water. The verdict is still out on Liv. Saturday, we used a little floaty boat that Heather gave us and she seemed to like that a lot. So we will see as the summer goes along how much of a water girl she's going to be.
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After we swim, Ingrid loves to play on the deck. Liv loves to get dry and cozy.
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<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v650/stephcates/stephcates%20album2/homepool.jpg">Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11964418912391461977noreply@blogger.com3