Happy Birthday Kathryn!

My big girl turned 3 today!  Check out all the fun stuff we did.  :)

On our way to Ihop for a birthday breakfast

Helicopter ride at the grocery store

Sister and I after setting up her birthday room

Singing Happy Birthday to my sweet angel

Dinner with the fam at Mellow Mushroom

And to cap off the day, a busted lip.  :(

A sneak peak of the group at her birthday party.  They all had so much fun!

Mini is Turning 3!

Isn't this invitation amazing?  Mini is having a birthday party at Jump for Fun, which is basically a huge warehouse full of inflatable jumps and slides.  I was having a hard time finding a cute jump-themed invitation, until I ran across this one on Etsy.  A few hours after ordering, this bad boy was in my Inbox, free to print wherever I choose!  My next mission is to figure out what cake/cupcakes we are going to have.  Kathryn is obsessed with Angry Birds right now, and wants that as her cake.  Of course my parents hate that idea...so we shall see.  :)  Oh did I mention she is turning 3?!?!?!  I seriously cannot believe it.  Stop growing sweet girl!    

ABCs

This video causes me to tear up every time. I am so proud of my smart girl- barely 2 and she can sing her ABCs all by herself! Do I not have the smartest toddler alive? I sure think so! :)

Now That's Coordination

So impressed with this kid. She amazes me every day....

Big Girl Room

Last Wednesday I received the phone call I have been dreading for a month.  Hubs called me up while I was at work to say that it was time to change K's crib to a toddler bed.  Apparently, she woke up as usual and he could hear her making noise through the monitor. By the team he got to her room, she had crawled out!  Naturally I freaked out, but after it was all said and done the transition really wasn't that bad.  The first night she ended up sick (coincidence?  I think not ;) ) but after she was well again, it has been wonderful.  She still goes to bed at her regular bedtime of 7 pm, and wakes up at 7 am.  We have been able to keep our routine so everything is wonderful in the Ramsel house!  Check out the pictures of her new room.  I think part of me felt bad about her being sick, so I gave her her birthday present a little early.  It's a beautiful hand painted table and chairs.  It has replaced the "baby" rocking chair.  Love it!

Look What I Can Do!

This post is long over due!  Mini is getting so big and so smart, and I wanted to share everything she has been up to.  Prepare to be wowed.  ;)

New Accomplishments
Diapers.  We are finally in size 4!  Hooray!  We are on the verge of potty training.  I'm not worried about rushing, in fact I enjoy changing diapers.  No really.  :)  She tells us when she goes number 1 and 2, so we are getting really close.
Teeth: 16 with one more about to break through.
Counting.  To 12.  Impressive huh?
Milk.  We are done with our battle of milk, and have switched to Pediasure.  Mini loves it, and I love it because she is getting the nourishment she needs (+ 240 calories per bottle!).  It's a win win.  Minus the expensive part.  :/
Animals.  Kathryn knows monkey, giraffe, gorilla, lion, zebra, dog, cat, fish, bird, lamb, horse, cow, shark, snake, spider, bunny, whale, pig, fox, bear, dinosaur (raaar), ...the list goes on.
Sounds.  She can also make the noise of most of the animals listed above, particularly the monkey, lion, dog, cat, horse, cow, snake, whale, dinosaur, and pig.
Sensations.  She has finally grasped the difference between hot and cold, and can also tell if something is heavy.  She knows when she gets a boo boo, and loves when we kiss it.  She then will say, "all better!"  Melt my heart.
Singing.  Kathryn can sing.  Sing!  Her favorite songs are ABC's, Twinkle Twinkle, The Itsy Bitsy Spider, You are My Sunshine, Dinosaur Train theme song, and her newest, One Big Wish from Dora.
Dinosaur Train.  Mini was really into this show when she was itty bitty.  Who wouldn't be with the beautiful, bright colors of this show in HD?  Well, she fell off the bandwagon and became obsessed with Dora for a period of time.  Long period.  Lately she has been loving Dinosaur Train, thank goodness!  With my obsession with dinosaurs, I definitely don't mind.  She knows most of the characters by name now; Buddy, Don, Mom, Dad, Tiny, and King.

New Words and Phrases

"I'm sorry... it's ok"  (this is one sentence, said by one toddler lol)

"Tortilla", "Motorcycle", and "Bicycle"- all 3 syllables

"Thank you"

"I got it"

"See you tomorrow"

"Kershaw", "Boods" (Daisy), and "Dixie"

"Where'd it go?"

"What's that noise?"

"All better!"

"Night night, love you, see you tomorrow"

"It's a diaper!"

"Dora" (instead of the usual "Dor")

New Skills
Jumping.  Kathryn is working on jumping and getting better and better everyday.  My sister is a nurse and told me children don't learn to jump until 3.  K will be 2 in September.  Wow!
Balance Beam. She can also walk a balance beam, assisted by her daddy of course.  Her coordination and balance have improved immensely since joining My Gym three weeks ago.  An investment well spent in my eyes!
The Dreaded Swing. Sounds innocent enough, but Mini has always been deathly afraid of them.  She is now starting to enjoy it, especially the "traffic jam" at her gym (a bunch of swings attached to each other).
Climbing.  This girl loves to climb.  But what is so neat, is her ability to climb up something and figure her way back down.  That is extremely important to me, and makes me feel better about her safety.
Hanging.  She can hang from a bar.  You know, like one of those that gymnasts use.  She is so strong, and can hang for about 5 seconds.  Her instructors are so impressed with her.

Well, that is all I can think of at the moment.  I was reading over this with hubs, trying to think of things we had missed.  But to tell you the truth, it will never be current.  She learns something new every day.  This baby girl never ceases to amaze me!

You're Welcome

In case you needed a smile ;)

Work, Birthday Parties, and Big Girl Bedrooms

Where to begin??  Life has been a whirlwind lately.  If you have kept up with my blog than you know that about a month and a half ago I started a new job.  That would keep anyone busy alone, but on top of learning a new job, I had to go to a business IT course called ITIL taught by HP. Think back to college, and a semester's worth of material.  Take that, and cram it into 2 and a half days with a test on the third day.  Sounds painful, right?  This course is a big deal to my company, so I knew I had to pass.  I did, and am ITIL certified!  The next week, I took my first test of the Epic Security Coordinator certification.  As an Epic Security Analyst, I give people the security they need to do their jobs in the EHR accordingly.  It's an awesome, challenging role that I love, and I have to complete my certification by our software upgrade in September.  I passed that test with flying colors, turned my project in yesterday, and have one more test to go until I am certified.  I feel like I am accomplishing so much in my career and have never felt more proud of myself.  It is a great feeling!

My personal life has been going quite fabulous as well.  Mini turns 2 in September, so the last few weeks hubs and I have frantically (ok maybe him not frantically lol) trying to plan her birthday party.  It sounds like 2 months is plenty of time to prepare, but for two working parents it isn't so.  I knew that I wanted her party to be fun.  Her first birthday party was all about the parents and the parents' family and friends.  Selfish right?  (I've been told that my party wasn't the first of its kind ;))  This time around is going to be all about her and her friends.  We found this wonderful place called My Gym of Colleyville.  For any parents in the Colleyville/HEB area, I highly recommend you check it out!  It is a gym for little kids, and they have classes throughout the week for different age groups.  They also have set times of "Free Play" where your child can just run around and play without structured activities.  Hubs and I have been wanting Mini to join some type of play group or pre school a couple of times a week, and this is perfect for our budget and schedule!  They also do birthday parties, so we decided on the My Gym for K's 2nd birthday party.  I am stoked!

So, crib talk now.  The big debate on when your child needs to graduate from the crib to the toddler bed.  We haven't quite reached that milestone yet, nor do I want to.  I love having my sweetie safe and sound in her crib, without wondering what the heck she could be getting into!  One problem we are running into is her throwing toys between the crib and wall.  Her bed has been positioned on the corner of the wall since she was born.  I have loved it in that spot, until she started throwing her favorite blankie and Lamby behind there.  It is not fun to move a 200 lb crib back and forth at every nap time.  Instead, we decided to move it flat against one of the walls.  Another change we made to her room is the letters that hang on the wall.  My sister made fabulous letters that spell out "Kate."  That is the nickname we decided to call her before she was born.  I can count on one hand how many times I have called her "Kate."  She has always been Kathryn, Mini, Mins, or K.  My sister helped me make new letters and they turned out awesome!  We also hung her toy bag that was attached to her crib on the wall.  She became quite good at pulling out toys while she was supposed to be sleeping.  Check out her new room, and let me know what you think!  :)

I am really loving the new layout of her room.  Soon we will be changing the crib to a toddler bed, and I can no longer call this space a nursery.  Sad, but at the same time so very exciting!

Oh, did I mention she is turning 2 in September?  Eeek! :)

18 Months

Hubs and I decided to take Mini to get her 18 month pictures done, but instead of spending a fortune, we went to JC Pennys.  I am not a big fan of traditional,  studio pictures, but I am very pleased with these.  Her outfit is a pillowcase dress made by Grandma K, and even has the letter K on the front.  I can't believe the toddler in these pictures is my little baby, my Mini.  She is growing so fast....it reminds me to treasure these moments forever.

1...2....

3....4....5!!!





So proud of my baby girl :)

Mini's New Word!

For those of you who missed yesterday's post...here is proof of her new word!  If you listen carefully, you will catch "bye," and "car" as well. :) LOVE THIS BABY!!!

Storyboard

When I first got pregnant with Kathryn, I knew I wanted to have maternity pictures done with Julie Birdseye, a wonderful photographer and family member of James'.  I bought a package from her that included 4 sessions of our choice (we chose maternity, newborn, 7 months, and 1 year).  It included a certain number of prints and a final album at the end of her one year session.  For her 7 month and 1 year sessions, we decided to buy a CD of the prints which was an extra "package".  It included the digital images, a storyboard (I'll explain later), additional albums, etc.  Well, we wanted to include pictures from all the sessions for the storyboard, so they are finally complete!  Julie ordered them today and I am sooo excited!  One will go on my desk at work, and the other in our home.  It is like Christmas has come early for me! :)

My storyboard for the office

The family storyboard

A storyboard is basically a board with the images of your choice that tell a little "story," and can be propped up with an plate easel.  It's amazing to look at these and see how much she has grown over the last year.  She is such a big girl now!

Changes are a Comin'....

After having a little chat with a friend/co-worker, I have come to the conclusion that Mini should probably not be drinking out of a bottle.  She is 14 months old, perfectly capable of drinking milk out of a sippy cup, but a part of me has had a hard time accepting this.  We have a wonderful nighttime routine.  Dinner at 5:30, playtime, bath at 6:15, and bottle at 6:45.  The sweet chunk and I then cuddle on the couch, watching either a movie, Dora, or Dinosaur Train, until about 7:15 or 7:30.  It is perfect, and I look forward to it every day.  If I get rid of the bottle, I no longer am needed...she can just feed herself!  Sounds silly, I know.  So last night I made her some warm milk in a sippy cup and we sat on the couch with The Princess and the Frog on the TV.  Like no big deal, she drank her milk from the cup.  Granted, her first couple of sips she was a little perplexed (the only thing I have ever put in her sippy cup is water), but after that she chugged away, all by herself.  My little baby is getting so BIG! 

About a month ago James and I considered putting Mini in daycare for 2 days a week, so that she could become more socialized with kids her age.  We visited one daycare (or I guess I should call it a school, because that's what it really is), and the babies her age were drinking out of cups and eating food off of a plate.  Crazy.  My child drinks out of sippy cups and I still feed her baby food!  They were also eating saltine and graham crackers, which I have never given Mini (I have a severe fear of choking).  I was literally in awe of this.  So the next day, James and I gave her a saltine, and low and behold she ate it with ease.  I guess what I am getting at is, I really don't want her to grow up. 

Today while I was at work, hubs sent me a video of Mini eating eggs on a plate.  Not a big deal to most, but I thought it was the coolest/saddest/funniest thing ever!  Half way through the video, she looks at her dad, then looks down at her plate and starts lifting it like she is going to flip it over.  Obviously her dad gave her a look, because she stopped.  Such a sass queen.  :)

Mini, I need you to STOP GROWING!  Regardless, you will forever be Mommy's baby.

One Year Pictures!

These pictures were taken back in October when Minis first started walking in the beautiflul batanical gardens in Grapevine, TX.  Photography done by Julie Birdseye.

We couldn't be happier with these beautiful pictures.  We will treasure them forever!