Princess Kate Turns One!

Today is one month from Noah’s 4th birthday!! He’s been planning the “theme” for months and has been talking about his party since his last birthday! I realized this week as we’ve been thinking more about his birthday, that I completely missed posting about Kate’s first birthday!

So…3 months later, here it is!

Birthday Treats!

    

    

Strawberry cupcakes by Mimi & Aunt Emily

Growing all the time!

Some of our favorite photos of Kate

Lemonade & Raspberry Lemonade

   

        

Time with Gigi & Da

Pretty Girl!

Enjoying our delicious meal!

BBQ from Back Door BBQ in OKC and sides made by Mimi & Emily

   

      

Cooper even joined the party!

Present time!

Loving her handmade family book (and clothes!) from Mimi

   

           

Cake!

   

   

We had a wonderful time celebrating our little sunshine!!

Invitation, banner, and cupcake toppers designed by BungleHouseDesigns. All other decorations purchased from Hobby Lobby or made by us!

Katherine – 12 Months

 

 

 

 

 

Our precious little girl is a year old!!! It seems like we have just recently finished the “toddler phase” with Noah, and now we are embarking on it again! We fall more and more in love with her each day, and are just in awe of how blessed we are to have this sweet, loving, and often spunky, little princess in our lives!

 

This month she learned to:

Walk confidently while holding on to furniture

Stand for a little longer on her own

Bend down to pick things up while standing

Make a pouty face (and oh my goodness it’s adorable!) 

Explore more words and sounds

Give hugs, especially to baby dolls and our cats

She now has 7 teeth (4 on top, 3 on bottom)

Wave

 

 

Things she says:

Mama

Dada

Hi

ByeBye

Kitty

Noah (I’ve heard it once or twice or at least something similar!) 

Lots and lots of motor/buzzing sounds…constantly! 

 

 

Her favorite things this month:

Eating (anything and everything! she’s not picky!)

Standing

Walking 

Baths (she gets excited when she hears the water turn on!)

Swimming/Playing in water

Cats 

Tickling

Waving and saying bye

Drinking water

Taking things out of baskets, bags, etc. 

Exploring everything

Puzzles

Opening and closing cabinets, drawers, and doors

Checking out the cat food and water

Playing with shoes – Noah’s velcro ones are a favorite

Picking up the tiniest things she sees

Tearing kleenex and napkins

Taggies blanket and baby doll

Stickers – taking them off of things

Books! 

Singing! She starts to sing as soon as she hears music of any kind

Dancing

Playing the piano

Playing with remotes or anything with buttons

Facetime and getting to hold the iPad or iPhone

Grandparents and great-grandparents

Watching Noah show off – she just adores her big brother! 

Laying on her tummy in bed and playing peek a boo with bumper pads (with Dad & Noah in the mornings)

Sitting in her little car or in her brother’s car

Stroller rides

Being outside, especially on breezy days

Car keys

Daddy’s sunglasses

Daddy’s guitar

Friends

Peek a boo

 

 

Things she hates this month:

When Noah takes something away from her

Being put in her highchair and made to wait on food

Sitting for too long when she wants to stand

Teething

Missing naps

Being checked out by the doctor

 

  

Her sizes this month:

22 lbs, 12 oz (90th percentile for weight)

29 in. tall (50th percentile for height)

One Size cloth diaper covers with “purple” prefolds, Size 3 disposables

12, 12-18  month clothes

 

 

New places she has been this month:

Graduation parties for babysitters/friends

New park

NW Texas Surgical Center to have her upper lip tie fixed

Not many other new places! 

 

 

Her Schedule:

7:15 / 7:30 a.m. – Wake up, Nurse

8:00 a.m. – Breakfast

10:00 a.m. – Nap

11:30 / 12:00  – Nurse, Wake time

12:15 p.m. – Lunch

2:00 p.m. – Nap

3:15 p.m. – Nurse, Wake time

6:00 p.m. – Dinner

6:45 / 7:00 p.m. Bath, Nurse, Stories

7:15 / 7:30 p.m. – Bedtime

 

 

 

 

Favorite Photos: 

 

 

Exploring the Kitchen Cabinets

 

 

 

Pulling towels down (I remember Noah enjoying this game too!) and checking out the rug

 

 

 

 

Manicure time! 🙂 (for mommy)

 

 

 

 

Fun with balloons

 

 

 

 

The small pieces of nectarine were not enough…she wanted the whole thing

 

 

 

 

Checking out the cat water

 

 

 

 

Reading time

 

 

 

 

Fun at the doctor’s office

 

 

 

      

 

Peek a boo!! 

 

 

 

Duet partners for life! 

 

 

 

 

First time swimming/playing in the pool

 

 

 

 

Before her lip tie procedure

 

 

 

     

 

Sneak peek of 1st Birthday Party! (More to come later!)

 

 

Katherine – 11 Months

 

I absolutely cannot believe that we are working on planning a first birthday party for Kate. It has just flown by! I am amazed daily at how much she changes and learns. She is so smart, and I am always surprised by how much she remembers and understands! 

 

This month she learned to:

Perfect the hiney scoot

Walk while holding on to furniture, a push toy, or someone’s hands

Stand for a few seconds on her own

High five

Explore more words and sounds

Express herself when something doesn’t go her way (basically she learned to throw a little fit)

Eat ice cream! (just a little teeny bit!) 

Take more of an interest in other babies

Open cabinets and drawers

Do the “motions” to “Open Them Shut Them”

She now has 6 teeth (4 on top, 2 on bottom)

 

 

 

Things she says:

Mama

Dada

Hi

Lots and lots of motor/buzzing sounds…constantly! 

 

Her favorite things this month:

Eating

Clapping

Standing

Walking with help

Baths

Cats 

Tickling

Taking things out of baskets, bags, etc. 

Exploring everything

Talking and being talked to

Playing with shoes – Noah’s velcro ones are a favorite

Picking up the tiniest things she sees

Tearing kleenex and napkins

Taggies blanket and baby doll

Books! 

Singing! She starts to sing as soon as she hears music of any kind

Dancing

Playing the piano

Grandparents and great-grandparents

Watching Noah show off – she just adores her big brother! 

Sitting in her little car or in her brother’s car

Stroller rides

Being outside, especially on breezy days

Car keys

Daddy’s sunglasses

Daddy’s guitar

Other babies

Pulling her socks off (and Noah’s too)

 

 

 

Things she hates this month:

When Noah takes something away from her

Being put in her highchair and made to wait on food

Bananas

Sitting for too long when she wants to stand

Not much else…she’s pretty easy and happy most of the time! 

 

 

 

Her sizes this month:

21 lbs

One Size cloth diaper covers with “purple” prefolds, Size 3 disposables

12 month clothes

 

 

 

New places she has been this month:

Park

Feldmann’s Diner in Canyon (to meet our new pastor and family!)

“Big church” for baby dedication

 

 

 

Her Schedule:

7:15 / 7:30 a.m. – Wake up, Nurse

8:00 a.m. – Breakfast

10:00 a.m. – Nap

11:30 / 12:00  – Nurse, Wake time

12:15 p.m. – Lunch

2:00 p.m. – Nap

3:15 p.m. – Nurse, Wake time

6:00 p.m. – Dinner

6:45 / 7:00 p.m. Bath, Nurse, Stories

7:15 / 7:30 p.m. – Bedtime

 

 

 

 

Favorite Photos: 

 

 

Easter 2014

 

 

 

Love her sweet teeny feet!

 

 

and Noah’s “cheese” smile

 

 

Texan by birth but Okie at heart! 

 

 

 

Loves being in Noah’s car…except she can only make it go backwards!! 

 

 

 

Some of the many photos that Noah took of her with my phone

 

 

 

The “no parents allowed” meeting between Noah & Kate

 

 

Playing on the deck and making funny faces

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mother’s Day & Family/Baby Dedication Day – I think her goal is to get out of that chair! 

Our Growing Family!

Last weekend, our family grew as we “adopted” a child through Compassion International. I have felt a calling to do this for quite awhile. In fact, I even wrote a post about it several years ago. Once I began reading about the organization through their website and blogs of several people who sponsor children through Compassion, I knew it was the organization I wanted to support and be involved in. I wanted to sponsor right away, but at the same time, I really had a desire to wait until Noah was old enough to understand what we were doing before sponsoring a child and also wanted to find a child close to Noah’s age so they could “grow up together.” We gave in several ways around the holidays, through both choosing gifts to give to others overseas and filling shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, and I felt like Noah was able to start understanding a little of what we were doing and how we were using what God had blessed us with to serve others in need.

A couple of months ago, I saw a post on Facebook that the Compassion Experience would be in Amarillo soon. According to their website, through a 20 minute experience, you are able to “step out of your wold and into another culture…the sights and sounds of life in a poor, developing-world community will come alive as you journey with a child through the challenges of daily life.” I immediately knew this was our time and our opportunity. I debated for quite awhile about whether we should take kids or not but decided that if I wanted to sponsor a child as a family, we should all go through the experience together as a family. So, last Friday afternoon, we went to the Compassion Experience not knowing exactly what to expect and slightly nervous about how kids, especially Noah, would do! We were each given an iPod and a set of headphones (minus Kate…although she was very interested in mine!). Noah absolutely loves to wear headphones, so he was thrilled! I got the sense he was a little nervous as we began the experience, but he listened and took in all the sights as we heard and experienced the story of a girl who grew up in Uganda. Through her Compassion sponsorship she was able to afford to attend and excel in school and is even planning on coming to the states to attend college. Seeing the letters and cards she had kept from her Compassion sponsor was probably the most emotional part for me. The communication she had with the couple who had sponsored her was so precious to her. What a meaningful relationship! 

The final portion of the experience was a room filled with photos and information on children we could sponsor. God led us to a little boy, Raymond, from the Philippines. Raymond’s birthday is October 16, 2010 – he was born only 4 days after Noah. His favorite activities are playing with cars, singing, telling stories, and attending church activities….all favorites of Noah as well. We knew this sweet little boy needed to become a part of our family. Noah loves looking at his picture and talking about him and already has plans to send him stickers and a coloring book. We absolutely cannot wait to get to know him and watch him grow! What a blessing! 

 

Meet Raymond!!

 

Katherine – 9 & 10 Months Old

 

What a fun and precious little girl we have! I know I have said this before, but I love seeing her personality emerge more and more each month! She is just silly, easy going, and cannot get enough of exploring her world! 

 

This month she learned to:

Clap

Dance to music

Raise her hands in the air

Pull herself up from sitting while holding someone’s hands

Walk with assistance

Wave

Drink water from a sippy cup

Turn around on her hiney

Scoot on her hiney (she has no interest in crawling)

 

 

Things she says:

Bub/bubba (Noah)

Mamamamama (Mom)

Dadadadada (Dad – this one seems to come and go!)

Lots and lots of motor/buzzing sounds…constantly! 

 

Her favorite things this month:

Eating

Standing

Walking with help

Baths

Cats 

Singing during diaper changes, especially “Open Them, Shut Them”

Looking at herself and others in the mirror

Grabbing/Holding (and pulling) hair

Tickling

Talking and being talked to

Playing with shoes – Noah’s velcro ones are a favorite

Picking up the tiniest things she sees

Tearing kleenex and napkins

Taggies blanket

Her baby doll

Looking at and touching different textures and patterns, especially quilts from Gigi

Books! 

Singing! She starts to sing as soon as she hears music of any kind

Dancing

Playing the piano

Grandparents and great-grandparents

Watching Noah show off – she just adores her big brother! 

Meeting new people

Remote controls

Sitting in her little car or in her brother’s car

Stroller rides

Being outside

Car keys

Daddy’s sunglasses

Other babies

Pulling her socks off

 

 

 

Things she hates this month:

Ear infections

Teething (she has 4 teeth and some on the way)

Being put in her highchair and made to wait on food

Sitting for too long when she wants to stand

Her 3rd nap

Not much else…she’s pretty easy and happy most of the time! 

 

 

 

Her sizes this month:

20 lbs

One Size cloth diaper covers with “purple” prefolds, Size 3 disposables

9 month and 12 month clothes

 

 

 

New places she has been this month:

Saginaw / Ft. Worth to visit Grandma Dorothy

Joshua, TX to visit Lane Prairie Baptist Church

Broken Arrow, OK to visit Nana, Pawpaw, & Mamaw

 

  

 

Her Schedule:

7:15 / 7:30 a.m. – Wake up, Nurse

8:00 a.m. – Breakfast

10:00 a.m. – Nap

11:30 / 12:00  – Nurse, Wake time

12:15 p.m. – Lunch

1:45 / 2:00 p.m. – Nap

3:15 p.m. – Nurse, Wake time

6:00 p.m. – Dinner

6:45 / 7:00 p.m. Bath, Nurse, Stories

7:15 / 7:30 p.m. – Bedtime

 

 

 

 

Favorite Photos: 

 

On a walk in the park near Grandma Dorothy’s house

For some reason, she really enjoyed her mouth open when out in the wind! 

 

 

 

Playing the Piano at Grandma Dorothy’s 

 

 

 

My kids take piano playing very seriously! 

 

 

“Rowing boats” with Noah

 

 

 

Playing with giant legos at the Discovery Center

 

 

 

Fun with Noah and mirrors at the Discovery Center

 

 

 

She ADORES book reading…and I love her little “ducky” lips she makes when she concentrates on reading. 

 

 

 

Breakfast date with a friend! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

      

This sign is very fascinating…makes photos a little difficult to capture!!

 

 

   

Love!

 

 

  

Shoes are so fun!!!

 

 

 

And of course Noah needed to take a picture with her as well!

 

 

 

Katherine – 7 & 8 Months Old

 

The holidays always seem to be a busy time for us, but I’m sure that’s true for many. We have done quite a bit of traveling in the last few months and have kept a pretty busy schedule. So again, I’m a little late in posting and am doing two months at a time. Sometimes, though, I’m amazed that I even get that much done! I am just in awe of and in love with our little “Princess Kate.” She is growing and changing way too fast for me! I hear so many parents say that it’s hard to keep up with “milestones” or changes in a second (or subsequent) child just because of simply having to divide your attention between two children. I seem to be enjoying and savoring the little things much more this time around. Maybe I know what to watch for and expect…maybe we’ve just slowed down a little…I’m not sure, but I’m loving seeing her explore and react to her world. 

 

 

This month she learned to:

Sit up steadily

Be in a “crawling position” when put on her tummy

Almost go from sitting to crawling position/tummy

Eat solid food

Grind her teeth – not pleasant to hear! (She has two top teeth and two bottom teeth)

Pass things from hand to hand

Make the “b” sound (“buh,” “baa,” & “bah”)

Say Buh-buh (and we are pretty confident she is talking about her “Bub” Noah)

Reach for people when she wants to be held

Play peekaboo – covers her face with a little blanket and pulls it away (or waits for someone else to) and then giggles

Pick up things with her thumb and first finger

Drink from a sippy cup (some…not her favorite thing yet!) 

 

 

Her favorite things this month:

Eating! She absolutely loves food! Favorites include avocados, sweet potatoes, carrots, blueberries,

beans, toast, cheese, pasta and more! She likes almost everything she tries! 

Standing – she almost can fully pull herself up

Baths

Her cats, especially Maddy who gives her more attention than Cooper! 

Singing during diaper changes, especially “Open Them, Shut Them”

Looking at herself and others in the mirror

Grabbing/Holding (and pulling) hair

Little tickles on her face, legs, and feet

Talking and being talked to

Her Wubanub pacifier

Taggies blanket

Her baby doll

Looking at and touching different textures and patterns, especially quilts from Gigi

Reading and turning the pages in books

Singing! She starts to sing as soon as she hears music of any kind

Shrieking with her brother

Visiting family

Watching Noah show off – she just adores her big brother! 

Putting anything and everything in her mouth

Meeting new people

Mommy & Daddy

Talking

Her Hands

Her Feet

Sophie giraffe

Spitting

Her silly big brother

 

 

Things she hates this month:

Throwing up and diarrhea…we all “shared” a stomach bug in January

Being put in her highchair and made to wait on food

Sitting for too long when she wants to stand

Shots

Not much else…she’s pretty easy and happy most of the time! 

 

 

 

Her sizes this month:

19 lbs 12 oz (at 7 months)

27 inches long

One Size cloth diaper covers with “purple” prefolds, Size 3 disposables

9 month and 12 month clothes

 

 

New places she has been this month:

Discovery Center

Amarillo Botanical Gardens

Looking at Christmas lights

Broken Arrow / Tulsa

And probably many other places!

 

  

 

Her Schedule:

7:15 / 7:30 a.m. – Wake up, Nurse

8:00 – Breakfast

 9:30 a.m. – Nap

11 a.m. – Nurse, Wake time

12:00 – Lunch

1:00 p.m. – Nap

3:00 p.m. – Nurse, Wake time

5:00 p.m. – Nap

5:45 / 6:00 p.m – Wake time

6:15 / 6:30 p.m. – Dinner

6:45 / 7:00 p.m. Bath, Nurse, Stories

7:30 p.m. – Bedtime

 

 

 

 

Favorite Photos: 

 

 

Playing with Da at the Station

 

 

 

 

 

She loved Christmas!! Wrapping paper, bows, and tissue paper are so much fun! 

 

 

 

 

Boxes, too! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Merry Christmas from Noah & Kate!

 

 

 

She loves her “Cat Stevens” from her great aunt Kathryn

 

 

 

 

 

First foods! Apples!

 

 

 

Close up!

 

 

 

 

Popcorn and a Mathis Oil Company card from Da & Gigi

 

 

 

 

 

Playing “make-up” with her cabbage patch doll from Mimi & Bop

 

 

 

 

So glad her big brother could show her how to drink bath water! 

 

 

 

 

First ponytail in her “Thunder Up” shirt from Mimi

 

 

 

 

 

Poor sick baby when the stomach bug plagued our house! Fortunately, she didn’t have it too bad. 

 

 

 

 

We don’t usually do big bows, but we had this as a “hand me down,” and it was too fun to pass up! 

 

 

 

 

Green beans at a restaurant in Saginaw

 

 

 

 

Checking out the snow and watching Noah play

 

 

 

 

Enjoying her black beans and avocados! 

 

 

 

 

 

I just adore her face in this photo. She was very lovingly glancing at her favorite person…her big brother! 

Bailey Family Advent 2013

When I realized how much Noah loved putting something on our “Thankful Tree” each day in the month of November, I thought he would enjoy an advent calendar even more for the month of December! Last year we read through the Jesus Storybook Bible advent reading plan with Noah and absolutely loved it. We decided to do the same again this year but to add an advent calendar as well to “help us get ready for Christmas,” as we told Noah. In all the busyness of December and the Christmas season, I wanted to make sure to take time to stop and do something special with Noah (and Kate sometimes too!) each day.

I looked at Pinterest, Etsy, and several other places for ideas for advent calendars and created my own based on what I saw. I bought a plain wooden frame from Hobby Lobby. I wrapped the frame in wrapping paper, duct taped some twine to the back of the frame, and then stapled on the red burlap.  I had every intention of modge podging the wrapping paper, but my lid was stuck to my modge podge and I couldn’t get it off. Plus, I was in a hurry and didn’t want to try! (So any tips for helping with that would be appreciated!!) I bought the little envelopes at Hobby Lobby as well and cut cardstock for my little cards inside the envelopes. (I noticed I could buy envelopes with pre-cut little cards, but it was a little more money, and I already had cardstock, so I cut my own with a paper cutter.) I wanted to find number stickers for my envelopes but was unable to find exactly what I wanted. Then, I had lofty dreams of making all my numbers with my cricut and cute holiday scrapbooking paper, but I just ran out of time. The finished product was pretty close to what I imagined in my head, so that’s always a good thing! We hung it by our dining room table so it would be in plain sight and we would remember it each day.

I tried my hardest to document each day’s activities/events with photos, and while I managed to get most of them, some of them were a little harder to capture.

 Here’s what we did (in addition to the Jesus Storybook Bible readings):

December 1 – Unwrap and wear Christmas pjs 

December 2 – Set out the nativity and talk about all the pieces

(and of course the nativity was not complete without a helicopter)

December 3 – Lunch and a peppermint milkshake at Chick-fil-a

December 4 – Choose a new Christmas book – We didn’t get a photo of his new book, but he chose Snowflakes Fall

December 5 – Give to someone else – He chose a pair of pjs at Carter’s to donate to the Pajama Program

December 6 – Take family Christmas photos

December 7 – Discovery Center Breakfast with Santa & church small group Christmas party 

December 8 – Unwrap and watch a Christmas movie 

December 9 – Christmas tree hand painting

December 10 – Unwrap a Christmas book to read

(This was such a sweet book! It quickly became our favorite!)

December 11 – Christmas in the Gardens (Amarillo Botanical Garden) and LaDeeDa Music Jingle Jam

December 12 – Learn a new Christmas song – We sang Jingle Bells with jingle bells. 

December 13 – Candy Cane Day – Make a candy cane out of pipe cleaners and eat a candy cane

December 14 – We actually didn’t do anything this day…Noah had a really rough (grumpy) day and no nap and so we skipped our activity

December 15 – Surprise trip to Mimi and Bop’s church for their kids Christmas musical

December 16 – Choose a new ornament for yourself and for sister – He chose Buzz Lightyear for himself and Baby’s First Christmas for his sister. 

December 17 – Hot chocolate and christmas lights in pjs 

December 18 – Snowman Day – Make a snowman picture and eat snowman pancakes

December 19 – Make a ginger bread train (He also got to unwrap it.) – This was our 2nd day of potty training as well, so as an extra reward for doing so great, he got to stay up late, watch Polar Express, and have hot chocolate…it kind of turned into train day! 

December 20 – Make and play with red and green playdough 

December 21 – Bake and decorate cookies for teachers and friends at church 

December 22 – Purchase a gift for someone in need through World Vision – He chose to purchase a Bible to be given to a child or adult and art/music instruction (including supplies, instruments, and lessons) for children. 

December 23 – Christmas party at the station (Mathis Oil Company – my grandparents’ business and one of Noah’s favorite places to visit!) 

December 24 – Make a snowman at Mimi and Bop’s house (Inside!)

December 25 – Have a birthday party for Jesus! We made and decorated cupcakes and a cake and sang happy birthday to Jesus. 

I think we all really enjoyed it all, and I’m looking forward to finding new things to do next year!

Katherine – 6 Months Old

 

 

 

 

 

I absolutely cannot believe our sweet little girl is already 6 months old! I love seeing her personality come out more and more each day! She is so fun and such a joy. We are privileged to have her as a part of our family!! 

 

 

This month she learned to:

Sit up, but she is still a little wobbly

Push up even more when on her tummy

Pull her knees up when she’s on her tummy

Knock things off of tables

Reach for anything and everything!

Sit in a high chair

Laugh when tickled

Have a haircut

Sleep 11-12 hours at night

 

 

Her favorite things this month:

Touching faces, especially her daddys

Giving “kisses” 

Kicking in the bath

Massage/Lotion

Chewing on mommy’s fingers

Pulling mommy’s hair

Talking and being talked to

Her Wubanub pacifier

Taggies blanket

Reading

Singing songs with mommy and daddy

Visiting family

Kicking

Watching Noah show off

Sucking on her fingers/hands

Putting anything and everything in her mouth

Mommy & Daddy

Talking

Her Hands

Her Feet

Sophie giraffe

Playing with plates, bowls, etc. while we eat

Blowing bubbles

Spitting

Standing up

Her silly big brother

 

 

Things she hates this month:

Teething! Her first tooth made it’s way through her gums

Not getting enough sleep / waking up from naps early

 

 

Her sizes this month:

One Size cloth diaper covers with “purple” prefolds, Size 3 disposables

6-9 month clothes

 

 

New places she has been this month:

San Antonio (and everywhere between Amarillo & San Antonio)

Sea World

Saginaw

  

 

Her Schedule:

Still in transition a little…but we are getting there!  

 

7:00 / 7:30 a.m. – Wake up, Eat

9:00 / 9:30 a.m. – Nap

10:30 / 11 a.m. – Eat, Wake time

1:00 p.m. – Nap

3:00 p.m. – Eat, Wake time

4:00 / 4:30 p.m. – Nap

5:30 / 6:00 p.m. – Eat, Wake time

7:00 Bath, Eat

7:30 / 7:45 – Bedtime

 

 

 

 

Favorite Photos: 

 

Enjoying Noah’s toys

 

 

 

Sleeping Beauty

 

 

 

 

Love her big eyes!

 

 

 

 

First official haircut (she’s had a little trim before)

 

 

 

Time with Mamaw

 

 

 

Such a flexible baby! Her “bed” by the front door for a nap in San Antonio

 

 

 

 

Carousel ride at Sea World

 

 

 

Time with Grandma Dorothy (chewing on her fingers of course!)

 

 

 

First time sitting up on her own to play (with a little help!) 

 

 

 

So snuggly and warm on a cold, snowy day! 

 

 

 

Love her! 

 

 

 

She looks like such a little lady! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Full Thank”full” Tree

What a blessing it has been for us to take the time to list a specific thing each day we are thankful for! Noah was excited to choose something each day to put on the thankful tree (or the “family tree” as he sometimes called it!) and then to pray and thank God for those things each night. I anticipated hearing what Noah chose each day! Even a few days out of November after our thankful tree has been replaced with Christmas trees, he still asks me, “what are you thankful for today, mom?”

 

11/1

Mom – Fridays Off!

Dad – Days off with family!

Noah – Library and the books in it

 

11/2

Mom – An extra hour of sleep

Dad – Father/Son Time 

Noah – Nana, Pawpaw, and Mamaw

 

11/3

Mom – Opportunity to serve Him with my talents through praise band (and for the talents and gift of music!) 

Dad – Having fun at bath time with Noah & Kate

Noah – My house

 

11/4

Mom – Privilege of watching my baby grow into a little boy

Noah – My train table

 

11/5

Mom – Technology, especially FaceTime!

Dad – Learning

Noah – Mimi & Bop

 

11/6

Mom – Helpful friends and strangers

Dad – Being able to worship God through music

Noah – My Bible

 

11/7

Mom – BSF

Dad – Getting to see Steven Curtis Chapman

Noah – Bible (aka BSF)

 

11/8

Mom – Healthy 5 month old baby girl

Dad – A surprise visit with Mom, Dad, & Mamaw

Noah – Emily & Cody

 

11/9

Mom – A great relationship with my sisters and parents

Dad – Getting to see family

Noah – My bed

 

11/10

Mom – All of us back at home together

Dad – Sabbath

Noah – My room and my toys and my bath

 

11/11

Mom – My patient and helpful “tech support” (aka Brian)

Dad – Food to eat

Noah – Tow Mater picture drawn by Miss Kathryn

 

11/12 

Mom – Teaching Noah about God and having spiritual conversations (even at bath time!)

Dad – My silly boy

Noah – My bookshelf and my books

 

11/13

Mom – Precious, sweet easy going baby girl

Dad – Noah’s singing

Noah – My baby (sister)

 

11/14

Mom – Praise band practice – fellowship with friends and time to do one of my favorite things!

Dad – Prayer

Noah – My pretend car (cozy coupe)

 

11/15

Mom – Movie nights

Dad – My guitar

Noah – Book and the kitchen cabinet with snacks

 

11/16 

Mom – Having enough to give to others

Dad – Reading books with Noah

Noah – My firetruck and my school bus

 

11/17

Mom – Seeing friends we haven’t seen in awhile and a good time at family photos

Dad – Noah

Noah – My legos

 

11/18

Mom – Sweet snuggles with a precious baby girl

Dad – Friends at work

Noah – My best buddy Will

 

11/19

Mom – My parents and grandparents (and getting to talk to them!)

Dad – Time with friends

Noah – My books from Mimi

 

11/20

Mom – Time off of work (Thanksgiving Break!) 

Dad – Having dinner together

Noah – Da & Gigi

 

11/21

Mom – Time spend with good friends 

Dad – My jacket (brrr!) 

Noah – Mommy and my bed

 

11/22

Mom – Sweatpants and time at home! 

Dad – Playing with Noah

Noah – My lamp and my kleenex box

 

11/23

Mom – Snow

Noah – Reading books with Mommy

 

11/24 

Mom – Brian/Daddy (Happy Birthday!)

Noah – Putting up my Christmas tree with Daddy

 

11/25

Mom – A FABULOUS car ride with 2 kids!

Noah – My “Dusty” and “Chug” 

 

11/26 

Mom – Cousins (mine & Noah’s) 

Noah – Mommy, Daddy, and Sister

 

11/27

Mom – Having a good relationship with Brian’s family

Noah – My cousin Emma

 

11/28

Mom – My relationship with God

Noah – Thanksgiving with my family 

 

11/29 

Mom – Wonderful day with family at Sea World

Noah – Brad and Kelly’s house and a trip to San Antonio

 

11/30

Mom – Watching my grandparents (and parents!) interact with my kids!

Noah – Visiting Grandma Dorothy and Papa Brady

 

 

 

Katherine – 4 & 5 Months Old

 

I missed posting last month, so I thought I would combine the past two months…although there’s been so much change and growth, I don’t know if I can cover it all!!

 

This month she learned to:

Squeal and squeak

Happily take a bottle! Praise the Lord!!

Spit and blow bubbles (very lady-like!)

Put her hands together

Suck on 1-2 fingers vs. her whole hand…not my favorite thing for her to know how to do!

Have a “conversation”

Talk with her mouth closed

Sing a little

Laugh – more of a chuckle and she’s pretty reserved with it now!

Reach for toys

Grab anything and everything in front of her

Become a pro at holding toys

Move toys from one hand to the other

Roll to her side

Roll from tummy to back – she’s done this maybe 5-6 times

Hold her head up strong – full head control

Push up with straight arms when laying on her tummy

She’s trying to sit up

Sleep in her own bed at night (previously sleeping in a cradle in our room)

Reach for her feet and successfully grab them

Move a little while laying on her back by pushing with her feet – she so wants to be mobile!!

 

 

Her favorite things this month:

Eating

Bath time

Massage/Lotion

Talking and being talked to

Her Wubanub pacifier (it’s the only one she’ll take)

Reading – loves books!

Watching the fan

Singing songs with mommy

Facetime with Grandparents and Great-Grandparents

Kicking

Watching Noah show off

Being naked – she does a little dance! 🙂

Sucking on her fingers/hands

Putting anything and everything in her mouth

Mommy & Daddy

Talking

Her Hands

Her Feet

Sophie giraffe

Playing with plates, bowls, etc. while we eat

Blowing bubbles

Spitting

Talking

Standing up

Her silly big brother

 

Things she hates this month:

Bottles not at the correct temperature

Dirty diapers

Her arms being swaddled (doesn’t mind legs though!)

Being hungry

Being left in a room by herself – she wants to be part of all the action!

Napping in her bed for more that 45 minutes or an hour

Being in her car seat when not in motion (either by carrying or the car moving)

Shots

Teething – although she’s been taking it pretty well!

 

Her sizes this month:

17 lbs. 14 oz., 29.5 in (at 4 month appointment)

One Size cloth diaper covers with “purple” prefolds, Size 3 disposables

6-9 month clothes

 

New places she has been this month:

I don’t even know where to start! Not that we go that many places…but everywhere we go is new for her! So..here are a few –

2nd Trip to OKC (Backdoor BBQ & Big Truck Tacos) – met her Uncle Coy for the 1st time!

Maxwell’s Pumpkin Farm for Noah’s Birthday

Pumpkin Patch

 

Her Schedule:

About the same but she is starting to stray from it a little.

I think we are about ready for a change!

5:30/6:00 a.m. – Wake up, Eat, Back to bed

8:30 a.m. – Eat, Wake time

(Bath, Get dressed)

9:30 a.m. – Nap

11:30 a.m. – Eat, Wake time

12:45/1:00 p.m. – Nap

2:30 p.m. – Eat, Wake time

3:30/4:00 p.m. – Nap

5:30 p.m. – Eat, Wake time

6:30/7:00 p.m. – Nap (usually in the swing…it’s not always a successful nap!)

8:00/8:30 p.m. – Eat, Bath, Put PJs on

9:00 p.m. – Bedtime

 

Favorite Photos: 

Playing (or napping?) with big brother

 

Growing WAY too fast!

 

Love that after she “broke free” she would hold on to the rails of the cradle

 

“Cowboy baby” (thanks to Noah)

 

He was so proud of himself for climbing into her bed.

 

Such a happy baby!!

 

Love her wild hair

 

Sibling snuggles

 

My cabbage patch doll

 

Baby gymnastics! (She doesn’t roll much but will wiggle as much as she can to see what she wants to see!)

 

Pumpkin Patch