Future career?

Dean's so sweet, he said 'locksmith'. I said 'thief'. What does that say about me? Anyway, she's cute doing it!

26 Weeks Down...

14 to go!! Everything is going well. We seem to have another soccer star or gymnast on our hands. This pictures are from our 20-week ultrasound and me at 25 weeks. Getting excited to meet him/her!!

What a funny monkey!

Katie is always doing new and wonderful things that make us laugh. This morning, we were talking about the potty (something we would like her to use but aren't in a big hurry). Me: Does Mommy go pee on the potty? Katie: Yes! Me: Does Riley (daycare friend) go pee on the potty? Katie: Yes! Me: Does Katie want to go pee on the potty? Katie: No!! (big grin) Last week, she was going through her daycare bag while I was getting her bath ready. She comes running in and starts chattering away all excited. I look and she's holding her t-shirt that has sequins on the front. She chatted excitedly for a couple minutes about the sequins on her shirt. Maybe Caresse will get her wish and Katie will be more into fashion than me. She is obviously paying more attention when we read now, as she can repeat parts of her books. We have a boxed series of books by Sandra Boynton that we read most nights. One is about a hippopotamous that doesn't do things with the other animals, and the catch phrase throughout the book is "but not the hippopotamous". At the end of the story, you shout "but YES the hippopotamous (but not the armadillo)". She always gets so excited about the armadillo part! Another story, called "Horns to Toes" ends with 'watch us shake and shimmy with whatever you've got' and she repeats the line while shaking and shimmying on her bed. Reading is so fun! Well, that's my bragging for the day!

In Memory of Cuda

Our dear friend, Cuda, has left us today. She will be remembered for her sweet personality, her funny habits, and for being a great family dog.

Whatever her life was like before she came to us, we are so happy to have been able to give her a wonderful home and a good life. She will be missed.

Happy Birthday Lovebug!!!!!

A big Happy Birthday to Katie!!! The time certainly has passed quickly (though it certainly wasn't doing so 18 months ago, ha ha ha). Our girl has blossomed into a bright, happy, independant, determined individual. She loves to chatter, help out, play with her friends and boss everyone around.

"I do it" and "me no want" are popular phrases in our house and she means what she says! We love her to bits and she continues to make us laugh every day with silly behaviour, new words, or little jokes (like offering a bite of cracker and then snatching it away - just one of her tricks). I love how she gets so involved with getting the dog ready every day - "Cuda up", "Cuda eat", "Cuda o'side". She pushes and pulls on her and practically forces food into her mouth if she eats too slowly. I also really like learning about her likes and dislikes and seeing her personality develop. Katie is very particular about what goes where and MUST put things back properly, as must Mom. I frequently get in 'trouble' for not doing things 'right' (hmmm, seems I'm a creature of habit too, and Katie is very observant!).

Who knew parenting could be so great?

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas Everyone! OK, so I'm a little behind. I chose to spend little time on the computer over the holidays and instead enjoyed my vacation time with Katie. We had another great Christmas. We went on the Bethlehem Walk in Sooke with Rick and Mandi at the beginning of December. It's an event hosted by the Baptist Church every year in which they convert the sanctuary into Bethlehem's marketplace. You walk through and meet merchants and weavers and tax collectors; participate in contests, taste fresh bread and admire the new baby. It's a great event! Christmas Eve we went to Mass in the afternoon and then had our family gift opening and stockings. Katie received a real bounty from Nana and Papa in Saskatoon! She is thrilled with her kitchen stuff and plays with it every day. She also got her first Barbie and enjoys brushing her hair. Carli, Will and Bobby sent Pook products to all their loved ones this year - Dean couldn't be more thrilled to wear (Katie's) Pook Touque. He and I received Pook Loops (scarves). Awesome products (we had seen a Dragon's Den episode where the two young entrepreneurs who created this idea were seeking funding for expansion. Appears they are doing well). Christmas morning we headed off to Abbotsford to spend the weekend with Grandma and Grandpa and play with Katie's cousins. She is starting to enjoy running around with them more and took a real shine to Kyla. We had a wonderful feast at Garry and Judy's and enjoyed catching up with the family. Taking advantage of being at g'ma and g'pa's, Dean and I did a little shopping on Boxing Day - it was time for me to get some stretchy pants, and not just from the Christmas goodies! For those who don't know yet, we are expecting a new baby in June. Dean is hoping for his birthday (it would save me having to BUY him something!). We also went to the movies and got to enjoy some nice downtime, relaxing and hanging out with my parents. We arrived back in Sooke on the Monday afternoon and I spent the rest of the week with Katie, putzing around doing some long postponed chores. For New Year's Eve, we headed over to Rick, Mandi and Marley's for a celebration. The girls had a grand time wrestling over Marley's very cool shopping cart and playing with her new toys. They are really starting to interact with each other more and it makes playtime increasingly enjoyable. After the girls were in bed, the adults sat down and played a couple rounds of Payday - an old favourite of Dean's. The new version has a few extra twists that keep the game lively but has hung onto many of the original postcards, such as - "Dear Mom, Camp Snake Bit is grate. Love Tommy." Ah, nostalgia. Anyway, another wonder-filled year has come to a close and we look forward to all the adventures and news of 2010. All the best to our friends and family!

Big Girl Bed

Well, our little girl is growing up - at least to the point where she can fall out of the crib! It hasn't happened yet but we wanted to avoid that situation, so off to the mattress store we went. Katie is pleased as can be with her new bed. Mom is pleased to be able to use the awesome quilt that cousins Krista, Charlene and Stacey made.