Kate's 2nd week at DCS!

Well, we are starting our second week at DCS and Mrs. Conner is fabulous of course. Kate loved her first week, but oh my we are starting to not take naps and that is not a good thing. The hyperness (oh well if this isn't a word) has kicked in and part of the reason Kate is dropping her nap is because we have lost lovie. Oh for those of you who have seen lovie, you know that it's been with us since day 1! It obviously looks like a cleaning rag because one time when the cleaners were here, we missed lovie and wouldn't you know it, they had been using it to clean with! How could they!!! What once started out as a beautiful little chenille lovie is totally falling apart now. It's been missing for a week and although Kate says she's a big girl and doesn't need, SHE DOES! It helps her to sleep! MOMMY AND DADDY NEED IT TOO...WE NEED KATE TO SLEEP!

Well, anyway back to Kate's school. She loves it and has made many new friends....at dinner the other night she prayed for many of them calling them by name and I thought that was so sweet. We are very excited about her being there and are very thankful for that school!

Foster, Foster, Foster

I feel like I don't say enough about my precious little luv bug! Oh, how adorable he is....I enjoy him so much....he is so big already. He is starting to eat table food. He has had turkey burgers, carrots, potatoes, green beans, strawberries, string cheese, and broccoli...all with only two teeth. Let me tell you all, he loves to eat. If I am having a snack and he sees it, he comes over by me and begs like a little puppy dog. He is so adorable that I have to share my snack with him. He is just so loveable. He loves anything that isn't a toy and if you take anything away from him, he will let you know it!!! He even drinks out of my cup and is starting on a sippy. He and Kate have so much fun together. She can be a little rough with him sometimes so I have remind her that he is much smaller and to be gentle with him. He is such a great baby. In fact, the babysitter told me just the other day that he is the best baby she has ever kept. I believe it! He is so happy and always smiling...unless he has just bumped his head of course which happens quite often around here. I love my boy!

Pretty is what you look like on the inside!!!

Kate and Nani

I have to share this and although it is a bit funny to all of those who hear it, it is also something that we had to very gently speak with our precious daughter about. We always talk to Kate about what pretty really means and that it's about what you look like on the inside...how you behave, how you treat others, and most of all what your heart looks like! So, with that in mind this was one of many heart matters that daddy had to have a talk with Kate about. Matt's mom, Carolyn or Nani kept the kids the other night and while she was taking care of Kate and asking her to not climb on the furniture, amongst other things that are very typical of a three year-old, Kate says to Nani, "Nani, I'm going to have to ask you to go home." The next day as Matt was asking her many questions about her night with Nani....her behavior, did she mind Nani, was she sweet to Foster, etc. she finally told Matthew that she didn't mind the mean Nani. I guess in her mind, when Nani redirected her behavior....she was the mean Nani and so she just thought she would get the "mean" Nani out of here! She loves her Nani so much and gets so excited when Nani is coming over or if we go to Nani and Poppy's. However, I think she may have been testing her Nani this particular night. When the talk was over, Kate said to me, "mommy, daddy knows everything," with a puzzled look on her face. Pretty is what you look like on the inside!

Dallas Christian Back to School Picnic

We had fun tonight at the DC Back to School Picnic. We are very excited that Kate will be in the three year old program at Dallas Christian. We had so much fun and saw many people we either went to ACU with or that Matt grew up with considering he went there K-12th grade. Kate thought she was so big. Our friend Caroline who just graduated from DC took her around and then to the pep rally to end the night. She had tons of fun and went to sleep in her new Dallas Christian Charger t-shirt tonight. I sure wish her cousins went to school there with her, but they are all at Grace Prep in Arlington so we will get to go to their games. I guess when Grace plays DC we will need to decide who to root for! I will post a pic of Kate in the shirt tomorrow. I didn't think to take it before she went to bed. Foster was a trooper too! He is such a great baby!!! He enjoyed the pep rally and playing with Miss Emily! More to come on our wonderful experience to come at DCS!!!

Kate...the precious things

I took this picture of Kate tonight before bed. She came in with my hat on so I had to get it. She was at my parents for the entire week last week and we really missed her. In that one week, it seemed she had grown up so much. She looked older and acted older! She is three going on 13! While she was there, daddy sent her the sweetest "missing you" card. I didn't know he was doing that and I thought it was so precious! It had a little dog on the front with some puppy dog stickers inside. She loves to play with stickers and anything that is artsy.....glue, gluesticks, paper, scissors. She is really into that. After she and daddy played last night and everyone was in bed, he played "You're gona miss this!" He said he was dedicating that song to last night.....it is true...it will go by so fast! We listen to music a lot around here...we all love it and Kate loves it. She loves to sing!

Today as I was picking she and Foster up from the babysitter and driving out of the tree-filled neighborhood that I love, I said "oh how I wish we had trees in our yard so we could hang out outside in the shade," to which Kate replied with, "mommy just ask God for that and maybe he will give you that one day...put that our your PRAY list mommy." Oh, how cute! Isn't that all I need to do...there is nothing better than the child-like faith and there couldn't have been a better reminder to just ask God for that!

The Whole Gang....Colorado

When trying to complete the Colorado pics and fun I was interrupted and haven't had the time to get back on and finish. This is a picture of the entire gang who was there. We went with these same families in 2000...they have gone ever since, but for some reason we didn't make it for the past seven years. After being there....we couldn't believe we missed out! This was a picture taken after four-wheeling for four hours so some of us have black faces from all the dirt thrown up.....most likely the guys....especially my brother-in-law Michiel. Whew...he was a bit crazy you could say. Luckily everyone got back down the mountain safe and sound.....we just had a few minor bruises. Until next summer in South Fork.......

Sitting around the Fire!

This was all the kiddos excluding Foster...he was already in the bed by this time. This was Kate's favorite part of the trip. She loves to sing and so enjoyed sitting around the fire singing together especially when we sang, "I'm in the Lord's Army....yes sir!" That was her idea of course!

Rafting on the Rio Grande

There were so many of us that we had to split the rafting trip into two nights. So, this was all of Matt's family. We had tons of fun...it wasn't white water rafting or anything...Kate went with us. Although the guides did tell us that she was the youngest they have ever had. Well anyway this is when we jumped off the 21 foot cliff. Everyone there did it except the little ones, Emily, Evan, and Kate. Kate cried and didn't want her mommy to jump. Daddy had to take her away so she didn't watch. Upon getting back in the boat, daddy wanted to know why she didn't cry when he jumped. I guess mommies don't do those things. :)

Kate picking flowers on top of the mountain!

Little Foster....a smiler!

Foster did so great on the trip.....we drove and it took us a good 18 hours by the time we stopped for potty breaks. He is such a great baby....so easy and such a sweetheart who absolutely smiles all the time. I have just started him on table food....cannot believe we are already to that point. Time flies by! I enjoy every minute with him. He is mommy's love!!!

Caroline, Emily, and Kate!

The girls had so much fun with Kate. Kate thought she would call them a "silly goose!" By the end of the week, everyone was a "silly goose." She had so much fun with her cousins and friends!

South Fork, Colorado 2008

Our family vacation to South Fork, Colorado was absolutely wonderful! There were 19 of us from the family plus 10 friends! We had such a great time sitting around the fire singing, four-wheeling 13 miles up the mountain, bicycling down the mountain, rafting, jumping off 21 foot cliffs into the Rio Grande, going on walks after dinner, laughing, hanging out at the cabin, and just enjoying the God's beauty! Kate says her favorite part was sitting around the fire singing. She loves to sing and does it quite often! We can't wait to go back next year with our family, the Edmonds, the Petty's. It was a blast!