Wednesday, September 28, 2011

2 Years Old!

Today we went to see Dr. Elzie for Kate’s 2 year check up. He was impressed with her speech (pronunciation) and complimented her on her coloring (motor skills). Dr. Elzie also liked the “puff dance” Kate did while she was patently waiting for me to hand her some puffs to snack on. Overall, Kate was a perfect child during our visit today. She said “please” and “thank you” (with some reminders from me) and was very cooperative during her physical examination (weight, height, ears, nose, mouth, etc). There weren’t any tears until the shots were given, so I was a very proud momma.

Stats from this appointment:
Head Circumference: 33.5 inches (35 percentile)
Height: 46.9 cm (35 percentile)
Weight: 25 lbs 15 oz (38 percentile)

One of the biggest growths Kate has had since her 18 month appointment is her ability to communicate. Every day she says things that make me smile. Anytime she hears a bird chirping or a puppy barking, she gasps, puts her hand to her ear and says “Hear the birds?” or “Mommy, I hear a puppy!”. Mom said the other week she had some tummy trouble and when she tooted, she gasped and said “Hear the birds?”! Some additional phrases she says are “All done”, “Where are you?”, “I did it!”, “Ta-da!”, “I watch (tv show name)”, “I feed Nemo”, “One more time” , “I go see Au-dee” “I show kitty” and so many more to choose from.

One of her bedtime routines is to drag out saying “goodnight” as long as possible, even at this young age. We have to make sure her “pinkie” (pink blanket), “blanky” (pink and green blanket), “b” (her small taggie blanket), “kitty” (her kitty cat blanket), “one soccer ball” (stuffed princess ball), “two soccer ball (stuffed princess baseball), “minnie” (Minnie Mouse), and her pillow are all in the crib. And let me tell you, she notices if something is missing from her inventory. It would easier if these items stayed in the crib, but every morning, the first thing Kate does is (try) to gather everything up and carry it into the living room. So every night we have to take roll and make sure everything gets back into the crib.

Her favorite activities include coloring (she loves markers, crayons, colored pencils), stickers, watching TV shows (Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Little Einsteins, Jake and the Neverland Pirates), putting together puzzles, cooking in her kitchen, having a tea party and strolling her baby dolls. Balloons, bubbles, and straws are also some of Kate’s favorite things. Bath time is another favorites of Kate’s and since we have discovered tear-free bubble bath, it’s a must have at the Evers house.

We haven’t started potty training but Gaga bought Kate the fanciest toilet I have ever seen for a toddler. It’s a hand painted throne that plays music, and comes complete with a magazine rack and a toilet paper holder. At school they encourage them to sit on the potty but we haven’t tried it at home yet. I’m still waiting for that moment when I’m tired of changing (or buying) diapers and it just hasn’t happened yet – maybe it never will.

Kate is still a very picky eater, but every now and then she will eat an unexpected thing like broccoli. French fries, chicken nuggets, turkey, ham, applesauce, yogurt, cheese, grapes, mandarin oranges, pickles, fruit snacks, cheerios, puffs, raisins, pizza and more continue to be her favorites.

As for Kate’s schedule, it is basically the same as it always has been. Wake up between 7:00-7:30 am, eat breakfast, leave for school around 8:00 (or later if Daddy is taking her), nap at 12:30 (usually 1.5 - 2 hours) Daddy picks her up from school around 3:30 or 4, dinner between 5:00 and 6:00pm and then bedtime between 7:00 and 7:30pm.

Kate is a smart, funny, creative, happy, friendly, well behaved, beautiful little girl and I am so thankful for her!  Mommy and Daddy love you Kate!
My little zebra girl from head to toe.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

First Pumpkin of the Season

I wish I could say I made this, but I have to give Katie all the credit.  She made one for us and one for my parents, and I love it!  Kate calls it "baby pumpkin".

31 Gifts Party

Katie and I are hosting a 31 Gifts party Thursday night!  If anyone is interesting in ordering something and can't attend, click HERE or I can give you an order form (but no pressure).  It's going to be fun!!!

Kate's 2nd Birthday!

Last weekend we celebrated Kate's 2nd birthday! Friday, I took off from work and spent the day with Kate (my big work deadline was Thursday night so I was ready for a day off).  I cleaned the house (it's sad when you take off of work to clean the house), did some birthday errands, and took Kate to get her first "real" haircut.  Friday night we did our (now) traditional family dinner at Old Town Cafe to celebrate both Gigi and Kate's birthday. Mimi and Papa surprised Kate with balloons and Nanny brought cake and candles for dessert.

The birthday girls.







These were all the pictures Kate was willing to pose for - so she grabbed her balloons and walked off.


 Saturday morning was Kate's FSU themed birthday party!  It was nothing fancy, but we had a great time celebrating with our friends and family. 

 The decorations.

The Chick-fil-a nugget platter was a hit.  Although it's a little pricey, I saved some serious money on the cupcakes.  A couple bakeries wanted at least $20 for a dozen cupcakes and I ended up getting the football cupcakes at Sam's.  Their price?  $13 for 30 cupcakes and they tasted great.

My 2 year old! 

To keep the kids entertained, we rented a bounce house from a small Christian company (who I highly recommend if anyone needs a party rental).  Kate would have nothing to do with the bounce house at first, but Justin took her in halfway though the party and she eventually got the hang of jumping in it (or lounging). 

Although the bounce house was a hit, it turned out there was one toy that was the "must have" at the party.  A beach ball.  My parents had blown up two, but we have learned to have one beach ball for every child next year.  I have to admit, it was a fun addition to jumping in the bounce house.  


I'm so glad Ashleigh Anne and Kyndall were able to make it (they live in South Carolina).  The weekend before Kate's party, we attended Kyndall's first birthday party (an adorable watermelon theme).

We quickly opened birthday presents (where Kate received some wonderful gifts) and then it time to attempt the group shot.  Mom had a good idea to hand out M&Ms as a bribe to keep the kids sitting. 

From left to right:  Peyton, Audrey, Kate, Emeline, Kyndall and Nolan.  Brock was also at the party, but they had left before I realized we hadn't taken a picture of all the kids.


After the party, we spent the rest of the day at my parent's house to watch the football game that night (which we didn't win).

Sunday, Nanny cooked a wonderful meal and invited us over for lunch after church.  Kate opened a couple gifts from Nanny (including a beautiful sweater and a new baby doll) and a couple from Mommy and Daddy and Gigi and Grandaddy.  Now Kate has a nice little collection of toys at Nanny's house since she had outgrown some of the baby toys.



After opening some of her gifts, Kate put on her purple high heels, grabbed her matching purse and started walking her musical turtle all around the house. 


It was big birthday weekend for Kate.  Thanks again to everyone!

Monday, September 5, 2011

Labor Day Weekend

We got back last night from a quick trip to Naples and Kate was fantastic the entire time. I can't brag enough on her - she was the perfect child the entire weekend, which made it so enjoyable for all of us. I was worried about the long car rides (6.5 hours or so) but Kate slept, listened to music and watched Mickey Mouse clubhouse. I think it made a difference that she had the backseat to herself. Lately, someone has sat in the backseat to entertain her, but she has never done as well as she did on this trip.

When we got to Naples on Friday afternoon, we went straight to the rehab facility (which was one of the fanciest places I have ever been to) to see Nene and Pa. I could tell Pa didn't feel good, but I thought he looked great considering everything he has been through lately. All the staff and residents we passed in the halls fussed over Kate and she was waving and saying "Hi" to everyone she saw. There was even a large glass display of birds on the way to Pa's room so we stopped every time to watch the birds for a little bit. The bright side to Pa being in the rehab facility was that we got to visit and spend more time with he and Nene than a typical visit. We went everyday to see him for several hours at a time and Kate would lay on the floor and color, hand out stickers, or play with her toys.

This weekend we stayed with Gaga and Scooby (her toy poodle). I think Scooby was so glad to see us leave since Kate gave him a workout. It was so funny to hear her bossing Scooby around saying "Scooby, sit here!" "Scooby, eat your breakfast", "Scooby, where ARE you?". Poor Scooby. Gaga took us out to eat Friday night at Red Lobster (one of my favorites) and we ate at a local Cuban restaurant on Saturday night with Gaga and Aunt Linda.


I'm not sure what this position is, but Kate sat this way for several minutes scratching her head with her feet.

Saturday night before we left, Gaga and Kate had a tea party together.  It was so sweet to watch Kate play tea party (even if she only attended for a couple minutes).  Gaga used her Mickey Mouse tea set that she played with as a little girl.  They had animal crackers and milk and even invited Daddy and I to join their party.  






I'm so glad we were able to visit this weekend - and the bonus was not having to go to work today! 

September is going to be a busy month for the Evers family.  We are hosting the small group events this month at Mimi and Papas, Kate and Gigi are celebrating birthdays, Kate was invited to a couple friend's birthday parties, Aunt Katie and I are hosting our first 31 gifts party, softball has started back up again, and work is absolutely crazy this time of year (submitting the budget for Dept of Ed).  Can't wait!  

Happy Father's Day!

I want to wish this special guy a Happy Father's Day!  One day Kate and Mason will realize how lucky they are to call him dad.  He coac...