Summer Wrap-up

So, I wasn't very good about blogging regularly through the summer, so now here's another wrap-up of the last few months. What's a hot, July night without chocolate ice cream all over face, dress, hair, car seat, car window, etc., etc...?
Kristen & her family were here in late July...we did all sorts of fun stuff (most of which I don't have photos for)...water park, rodeo, fireworks, birthday party, park. These girls sure do have fun together!
We had our yearly trip to Lagoon...Kate had such a fun time riding all the kiddie rides. She even rode the bumper cars a couple times and was too busy laughing to drive straight! :)
There were a few zoo trips this summer. Here's Kate's comparison to a juvenile gorilla.
All 4 tigers were gathered at the water at the same time...I thought that was so cool!
William and I didn't make it to the State Fair this year, but my parents took Kate, and they had a blast. Here's one of the cute photos they took. This kid loves rides!
Again with the zoo...this time in Denver! Kate and I went to visit Kristen & her family in September. On Hilary's day off from school (she's in kindergarten!), we went to the Denver zoo. Kate couldn't get enough of these Huge fish...I actually think the tropical/ aquarium part of the zoo was her favorite this time!
A trip to the zoo wouldn't be complete without a ride on the carousel!
The three girls dressed up in dance costumes and put on a little show...they were so cute with their twirls and jumps, and especially with this dogpile. :)
One more...our Gorgeous not-so-little-anymore Kate. Doesn't she look so grown up? And beautiful, too? What a joy!

Catch Up!

It's been a few months since I posted last...so here's a quick update about what's been going on with us!

In April we converted Kate's crib to a toddler bed for her own safety (she's a climber!). She did fairly well with the adjustment, but loved to come into our room in the middle of the night. We bought her a clock with a nightlight that turns green when it's OK for her to leave her room - and it worked! She has been sleeping great through the night. The first week after we converted the crib, we found her asleep like this during quiet time:
In May we traveled to Missouri for a family visit and 2 graduation ceremonies! William's sister Ketta graduated with her doctorate in physical therapy from St. Louis University. We also found out she and her husband are expecting their first baby in December...Kate's first cousin on that side of the family!
William's brother Steven graduated from the University of Missouri in Columbia with a degree in Fisheries and Wildlife. He got a 3 month summer job in Utah, so William stayed in Missouri and helped him make the drive! He stays at our house on the weekends and camps during the week while tracking 2 species of birds in the mountains. It's been fun having him here!
The saddest news of the summer is that my sister and her family moved to Colorado. :( Her husband got a district manager position with Sprint and they've rented a cute townhome in Castle Rock. Kate sure misses her cousins...it took her a while to stop saying she wanted to go to 'HilaryEden's house' every day. But now when we ask, she knows they live in 'Co-rado' - and we're excited for their visit here this month and our visit there in September! We miss you guys!
William's mom and sister traveled here in June, and we all drove up to Idaho where Will & his mom completed the Teton Dam half marathon! Here's Kate congratulating her sweaty daddy:
We then continued our road trip to Yellowstone National Park and had a fun time seeing the sights and animals. Here's Kate with her grandma:
And here's a bison roaming the street:
And here's Kate all decked out for the rain. It was cold there! In June! We had sweaters and hats and umbrellas...and I think she's just about the cutest little model for all three!
On the 4th of July we went for a hike in Big Cottonwood Canyon to see where Steve had been tracking birds. It was a Tough hike...I hate to admit what bad shape I'm in! William and I both tried carrying Kate in the pack on our backs for a while, and both got quickly exhausted. Thankfully we had young, fit Steve with us to carry her the rest of the way up the mountain! Here's proof that we made it!
It was all just too exhausting for our little cutie and she fell asleep nearly the whole way down the mountain. It was a gorgeous day for a hike!
So that was a bit of a long recap of our last few months...I hope to stay more current on the blog throughout the summer!

California & Disneyland!

We had a really nice vacation to California! We went with Kate's cousins & grandparents and had a fun time all together. We drove, and the kids did surprisingly well...but I think we'll try to fly in the future. :) We got to spend time with my dad's family, playing at the beach & park. We played paddle tennis at the beach (hooray!) and, although the ocean was freezing, Kate couldn't get enough of the water! Here's a cute photo of her digging in the sand:

We spent a lot of time at my grandparents' house in the hills, and they have several lizards running around -- all 3 little girls took quite a liking to them! We'd catch them with a noose so the girls could hold on to them with a leash. Here's Kate with her new little friend:

But the highlight of the trip was our time at Disneyland and California Adventure! My parents treated us all to a second day at the parks, as well as hotels & meals at the park -- Thank you so much, Mom & Dad! Kate & her cousins had a really great time together on the rides and meeting the characters:

And, at the end of the day, with her new Minnie Mouse souvenir doll, after the 'beautiful' fireworks (Kate's word), Kate fell asleep in her stroller - so sweet!

Super Singer

Kate LOVES to sing! She has a really good memory for the words and the tunes...she always surprises us with a new song that we didn't know she knew. :)

We filmed her singing a couple of her favorites last night - first, I am a Child of God:

Next, The Star Spangled Banner:

We think it's pretty great singing - especially for a 26-month-old!! By the way, William would like to point out that the national anthem video is on youtube...he's curious to see how many hits it gets!

December!

We had a wonderful, merry Christmas! It's such a fun time of year. We enjoyed viewing the lights at Temple Square and attended the Zoo Lights display for the first time...thank goodness for yummy hot chocolate to keep us warm!

Our Christmas day was wonderful - Kate had such a fun time opening her own presents and leaving milk & cookies for Santa. We spent the morning at home and the afternoon & evening with Jamie's family...we were all very well taken care of and received some wonderful gifts.

William had the opportunity to stay home from work the last two weeks of the year...it's the first time ever we have all been home together for so long! We all enjoyed the time and spent the days doing fun winter activities...like sledding! Here is Kate all decked out in her snow gear...she loved her first time sledding!! Well, until her glove came off and her hand got cold...then she was ready to go. But she certainly wasn't afraid to ride down the big hills!

We hope everyone had a nice holiday season and that you were able to spend time with those you love. Here's one more photo of our little sweetie...we love her so much!

Happy Birthday!

Wow...our sweet little Kate is TWO years old! Happy Birthday, Baby! She is at such a fun age right now...she loves to SING! Some of her favorite songs include Twinkle, Twinkle, Jingle Bells, Take Me Out to the Ball Game, and The Star Spangled Banner. :) She's so funny...she makes everyone laugh. In church, I've had to take her out of the meeting for laughing too loud! She gives the best hugs and kisses...we love her so much and can't imagine our lives without her!

In November we traveled to Missouri to visit William's family for Thanksgiving...Kate completed her 8th round-trip flight just 3 days before her 2nd birthday (now we have to start buying her a ticket!!). We had a really nice time visiting with family, eating good food, celebrating Thanksgiving and also Christmas & birthdays...Kate had a great time and, naturally, was the center of attention for the entire week. She loved it, and I know Will's family loved having her there (and maybe us, too). :)
We hope everyone is having a happy holiday season!

Halloween!

Kate dressed as a Tulip Fairy this year for Halloween - fairies sure seemed to be a popular theme this year! She looked adorable, though, and won the prize for the best girl's costume at our church Halloween party!

We went trick-or-treating at Grandma, Grandpa & Daddy's offices and she got plenty of candy...she even took a bunch out of her own basket and put it in her cousins' baskets. :) Halloween night she dressed in costume and got so excited to open the door for trick-or-treaters!

One funny side note...Kate is completely frightened of jack-o-lanterns, even the pictures of them my parents had hanging in their front windows! Poor thing...they make her cry every time. And she continues to tell stories about how 'punkins scare me' and 'dark' or 'crying.' It's so sad, but we can't help but laugh!