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Summer is gone?

Well, it has been a crazy, fast summer and now it is almost gone and fall is heading our way. We have had so much fun going to the pool, the beach, a couple of zoos, having playdates, fun family Saturdays, VBS, Knox's first birthday and of course, Jeremy and Lee Ann's wedding!! Here are some pics to commemorate the summer...(See above :) )

All in a Day of the Life of a Mom...

Ok, I think you may have already heard about our chaotic day at David's Bridal!! We made it there to try on Anna Kate's flower girl dress, with a fussy Knox and found the dress for AK to try on. I was trying to feed Knox his bottle while trying to get AK in this dress at the same time. Then, thankfully, while we were out in the open area, admiring how beautiful AK looked in the wall of mirrors, I was behind her, holding Knox and he threw up all over himself, me and the floor!! UGH! Of course, I had left the diaper bag in the car, so I grabbed my purse and AK, still in her pretty little dress and ballet slippers, and we all went to the bathroom, only to find nothing but toilet paper to use to wipe up (and simply "wiping up" was NOT going to do the job). I asked a saleslady for some paper towels and she dug some up for me. I had to wipe off myself, remove Knox's overalls completely, leaving him in his shirt and diaper, and drag AK back to the mirrored wall to clean up the floor. In the meantime, she was jumping off the little round platforms to stand on and admire the hem of your dress and I was sure she was going to rip her dress right off of her! Somehow, I got everyone back in the dressing room, removed AK's dress, and we made our purchase before heading out and going straight to the doctor's office. Turns out he threw up one more time when we got home, but it was just a 24-hour stomach bug and he was back to himself in no time!

Our Little Cheerleader!

God has given the gift of encouragement I believe (and hope!) to our little Anna Kate. Either that, or she is just excited way too often! She claps and cheers for the little everyday things and repeats my words of "good job" quite a bit. One example was from yesterday when we went to the interactive story time at our local library. After each song or story people politely clap, but Anna Kate kicks it up a notch and jumps up and down clapping and saying "yay!". As the half hour goes on, she is getting more fired up and having a blast. At one point yesterday, she said (loudly), "Yay, Ms. Catherine! That was GREAT!" :) Everyone chuckled a little and Ms. Catherine, the storyteller, got a big kick out of it.

We are so blessed to have such a sweet and fun girl! YAY, GOD!

Sleepy Boy - So Cute I Couldn't Stand It!

Kati

Kati is one of our RUF students at Armstrong and she is kind of a fixture in our family now. She has come over numerous times to eat and hang out with us and to babysit and even dogsit too! She is planning to go to Georgia in the fall and we are really going to miss her around here!!

Family Photo Shoot

We had some pictures taken the other day by Henderson Squared (a.k.a. Open Light Studio) who did a great job. We hope to get those pics back soon, but in the meantime, here are some we took ourselves. After the shoot, AK and Daddy flew their first kite (for both of them!) We had a great time in a great park on a great afternoon!

My New Hobby

Well, I have finally started using my Christmas present - my new sewing machine! I am not a good seamstress and so I have been intimidated by the whole thing. But I finally ordered some fun fabrics and got some patterns and started with a very, very simple skirt. And, if I do say so myself, it is not too shabby! Unfortunately, it turned out a bit big, so Anna Kate may have to wait a bit before wearing it. Oh well, at least I am on my way!

Also, here is my second project: a pair of robot/spaceship shorts with a matching rocket shirt for Knox!

Playing

Well, our kids are at the age where they play. It is their God-given calling at this stage of life and they love to do it and do it whole-heartedly! Here is a sampling from the soft play area at the mall...

Jesus Loves Me...'nuff said.

Recent Fun Times

Who is this?

You may find it hard to believe, but AK has semi-straight hair when it is freshly washed and blown dry. She really looks like a different kid!! Compare to the previous post...

Strawberry Pickin'

We went strawberry picking last week at Ottawa Farms with some friends from church. It was a lot of fun for Anna Kate to pick her own berries. She kept wanting to squeeze the berry as she pulled it, so we had quite a few that were squished! I took most of them and made quick and easy freezer jam and it is delicious! (Thanks Jill for your help!) Fresh strawberries and sugar, what could be better than that!

Princess Party!

Anna Kate was invited to her first birthday party where she was a real participant and not just hanging out in the crowd. It was Anna's Princess Party and she had a blast! She looked very pretty in her gown and tiara and had so much fun doing the treasure hunt, balloon toss and playing on the playground. Then when Anna got her big gift, a ride on Barbie Jeep, AK got to take a ride around the yard with Anna! It was a great milestone for our sweet girl!!

A Day for Firsts

On the Saturday before Easter, we had great family time enjoying a beautiful day out on our back patio. As we were playing and having fun, we decided it was time to finally trim up Knox's long locks so he could actually see and not have hair in his eyes every time the wind blew! Jon held him and I pulled his hair as far from his head as possible (so as to not stab him with the scissors!) and cut away. See his new 'do in the pic. Then we also decided that Anna Kate needed some pretty pink toenails for Easter, so we spent some time on her very first pedicure! She was so excited that she sat very still and helped blow them dry and then at church the next day, took off her shoes and socks so everyone could see her beautiful toes! Gotta love it!

Laughing

Knox loves to laugh and AK loves to tickle him!

Poor Knox!

I guess everyone has heard the story by now, but poor Knox learned the hard way about hot food last week. We were at our local pizzaria when the server set down a piping hot pizza in front of our child (it was for Jon, but was placed at the end of the table, right by Knox). Of course being curious and being an infant who learns everything by putting things in his mouth, he grabbed the pizza instantly and, after a 2 second delay, screamed bloody murder! Jon wiped off the sauce and cheese and grabbed ice out of his coke to cool Knox's very red hand. He was ok, but later that night, he ended up with a HUGE blister on his finger (see pic). Well, I guess this is only the beginning of the injuries this boy will have. (This is why I was scared to have a boy! Oh boy!)

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