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!

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!  

Church Friends

I wanted to share a couple pictures of Kate with her church friends from the last two small group events.  We have been doing small group for the last three months and I love it.  It has really gotten me excited about going to bible class on Sunday mornings and I always look forward to our small group events.  It's sometimes hard to develop a relationship with other couples/families our age when we just see each other in between worship and class.  There's never enough time to "talk" other than to say a quick "Hi, how are you?" and off we go.  I wish we would have done this sooner, but better late than never.  

Eating lunch out at El Jalisco - these girls like their Mexican food.

Last night we went over to Aaron and Meredith Sullivan's house.  Kate loves being able to run around and play with her friends.  Guess what she ate for dinner after working up an appetite - ice cream cake.  I know, it's not setting a good precedence, but who can blame her?  Everyone else was eating lasagna, garlic bread and salad but my child only wanted "My Treat".  On the way home, Kate was slouching in her carseat and when I asked what she was doing she replied, "I'm sleepy". 

Peyton, Kendal and Kate.  We missed you Audrey!

On a sad note, Pa fell a couple days ago and broke his hip, so we taking an unexpected trip to Naples this weekend.  He came through surgery well, but has a long recovery ahead.  Since it's Labor Day weekend, Justin and I decided we needed to take advantage of the extra day and head down there.  It'll be good to see Nene and Pa and the rest of the family, I just wish Pa was feeling better.

2nd Birthday Invitations

Time is getting away from me! In just a few weeks my little girl will be two and I have finally decided on a party theme and ordered invitations. Since Kate's birthday (which is on Saturday this year) falls on the same day as one of the biggest FSU games this season (#5 FSU vs. #1 Oklahoma), I decided to throw a FSU themed party. Justin and I took Kate to campus Saturday morning to try to get some pictures, but it was miserably hot and the sun was shining right in her face so nothing really turned out the way I had envisioned it. In addition, it's hard, nearly impossible, to find FSU themed invitations so I had to do the best with what I had, but I was pleased with the end product.

My little nole - she could be a fourth generation Seminole (if she wants)!

So angelic - but no smiles. 

This was the picture we went with for the invitations.  I hope they turn out!

Go FSU!

Good Samaritan's Open House

Friday night my little family of three went to our first Open House at Good Samaritan Academy.  Although Kate wasn't moving into a new class, it was exciting to be a part of everything and meet the parents of some of the new students.  I still miss not dropping her off at Ms. Betsy's but GSA seems like a good fit for her at this time.

School was closed that Friday to allow the teachers to get their classrooms ready so I was excited to meet Kate's new friends and see the classroom. Justin has been so wonderful lately to take Kate to school and pick her up - but I miss out on talking to Miss Sam (Kate's teacher) and hearing what she has been up to lately (good and bad).

Kate and Miss Sam. 

Kate is pointing to her arm because every time she gets a boo-boo (on her head, leg or arm) she always points to her arm and asks for a kiss.  

Her classroom window says "Splish, Splash!  Welcome to a fish-tastic class"

I can't wait to see what things are in store for Kate this school year!