Aaron and Johnna's Sweet Life In Alabama

Dress Up, Finger Paints and Bubbles! March 1-2, 2009

2009-03-02T11:55:00.000-06:00

Catherine loves to dress up in her princess outfits. She especially likes Cinderella's dress. She decided yesterday that Claire wanted to play dress up too!

Claire makes the perfect 'Belle,' don't you think? :)

This morning during 'craft time' we finger/arm painted!

As a way to clean up, I filled the sink with soapy water for her to play in! She enjoyed making 'bubble soup.'

Claire - 9 months old! March 1, 2009

2009-03-02T11:50:00.000-06:00

Our sweet baby Claire is growing so fast. Here she is - 9 months old!

Sweet gummy grins - still no teeth - they should arrive soon (so says all the drool)!

She started 'army' crawling last week and loves getting into everything!

SNOW!!! March 1, 2009

2009-03-02T11:38:00.002-06:00

Now, don't freak out. Yes, I am blogging! I was going to try to back up and do old stuff, but that is too defeating right now. Maybe later. But for now, here are some pics to enjoy!

It snowed Sunday morning and actually stuck to the ground. By the time we got out of church, though, it was mostly gone. I was so sad b/c Catherine had not gotten to play in it yet. So, I prayed and asked God to have left a remnant of snow in our yard somewhere for Catherine to play with. On our way home, there was hardly any snow anywhere. It was gone. When we got to our house, the snow was all gone - except for a nice-sized remnant on our deck!!! It was perfect for Catherine and Daddy to build a snowman, throw snowballs and even eat a little snow! And Mommy and Claire got to enjoy it all from inside at the deck door! :) God was so sweet to us!!!

Our snowman - with a carrot nose, raisin eyes and buttons and a baby doll's pink hat - and arms from the bush in the back yard.

Claire enjoyed the snow, too. She liked to eat it -- really, she wanted more!!! :)

After we came back inside, Catherine watched her snowman. She kept saying that he was going to melt. Aaron moved him to right in front of the deck door so that it was still in the shade and would last longer. And it is sitll outside now. There isn't any snow anywhere else, but our sweet snowman still stands -- his carrot nose and raisin eyes have fallen out, but he still proudly stands at our door! :)

THE Game! Yankees vs Red Sox (August 2008)

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For all you Seinfeld lovers . . . (August 2008)

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Yes, it's the famous restaurant on Seinfeld!! (The word "Tom's" is never shown on the show, though.) We didn't eat at the restaurant b/c it is nothing like it was on the show. You'd think they would redecorate it to look just like the show. They would make tons of money that way, I would think. They would have to have the "large salad" on the menu!
Claire, bless her heart, slept through it all! :)

And yes . . . the Soup Nazi! Well, at least we thought it was going to be the Soup Nazi! After much walking, we found the Soup Kitchen. But, it was closed down. The original Soup Nazi had sold all of the rights for his recipes and made it into a chain restaurant in NYC. So, off we went, to find the "Soup Man's" new restaurant!

And here it is! Aaron stepped up and immediately ordered the large crab bisque (just like George did), except the only problem was that they were not serving the crab bisque that day! :) So, he pulled an "Elaine" and asked what they thought was good. He ended up with the Mulligatawny, Kramer's favorite. Luckily, Aaron was able to make it out of the restaurant before they snatched back his bag and declared, "NO SOUP FOR YOU!" :)

Pizza Pizza!! (August 2008)

2008-09-06T12:47:00.000-06:00

It wouldn't be a trip to NY without eating some yummy NY pizza! But being the Seinfeld fans that we are, we couldn't just eat at any pizza place -- it had to be Ray's Pizza. Or is that Famous Ray's Pizza? Or maybe Original Ray's Pizza? Actually, it was Famous Original Ray's Pizza! :) (If you haven't seen that episode of Seinfeld, that isn't going to make any sense.) :)

YUM! -- And I don't think I dropped any on Claire's head (her head is below my hand).

Kids in NYC (August 2008)

2008-09-06T12:22:00.000-06:00

Who says you can't haul your 2-year-old and 2-month-old all around NYC?
Our kiddos did AWESOME!!!! Claire rode all day in my new sling. She could either face out (as seen in the picture below), face in, or lay down in a cradle position. She loved it and did GREAT!!!

Catherine enjoyed walking around every once in a while, but her choice transportation was . . .

. . . this umbrella stroller which she found to be quite comfy (or comfy enough) for nap time!

Aaron was awesome -- he would pick up Catherine in her stroller to show her different sights or carry her up flights of stairs in the subway or at other sight-seeing places. We were so proud of our girls! They made the trip all the more fun!

Playing in a Park (August 2008)

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After our stadium tour, we ate lunch (where my burger was not so great - but that's another story) and then headed out on the streets of New York. Uncle Tom & Aunt Lois had headed out of town to catch their flight home by this time. We decided to go see Grant's tomb. On our way, we stopped at a park nearby to feed Claire. The park was nice and shady. It had an area with a sandbox where most of the kids were playing. Aaron decided, though, to let Cathering play in the water fountain. He would roll her stroller toward the water so that she would get sprinkled on. Soon, she was almost completely soaked. :)

Feeling the water!

Then Daddy and Uncle Sam took turns pushing Catherine in the swing. What a happy face!

Pure joy!

The New & the Old (August 2008)

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The New Yankke Stadium right next door to the old Yankee Stadium.

The Old Yankee Stadium: "I want to thank the Good Lord for making me a Yankee. - Joe DiMaggio"

Before our tour, we were outside the stadium and snapped this picture of some of the players (one of them is Joba Chamberlain). We were so excited to have gotten their picture. Then we realized that was silly because we would get to see all of them at the game - and not through a fence!!

More of Yankee Stadium (August 2008)

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This is Aaron before our tour started touching Yankee Stadium. :)

Monument Park

Aaron beside Babe Ruth's monument in Monument Park. Aaron took pictures of every single monument. I thought I would just show you a couple. :)

Ahhhhh, the sacred grass that we could not touch. They told us the rules before we started the tour, which included not touching the grass. Aaron turned to me and said, "Remind me of that. Really, remind me of that!" I think he thought that when he got down to the field, he would just forget and start running out there. Thankfully, he didn't. But we did get a good picture of the grass!! By the way, that is Kentucky Blue Grass!! I am quite proud! :)

Yankee Stadium (August 2008)

2008-09-05T13:22:00.001-06:00

And here it is! It is such a beautiful stadium. The pictures don't do it justice. This view is from the press box. The guys (and Aunt Lois) got up early Monday morning to stand in line to get tickets to take a tour of the stadium. I waited at the apartment with the kids until we for sure had the tickets.

The tour allowed us to visit the press box, walk on the warning track (but DO NOT touch the grass!!), visit Monument Park, and go in the Yankee dugout. If some of the players had not been there, we would have had access to the clubhouse.

Here's Aaron about to come out of the Yankee dugout and take the field -- well, not really. If they caught you touching the grass, you would be escorted out immediately. :)

If you look closely at the above picture (click on it and it should make it bigger), you can see that to the left of where Aaron is standing there is a little white mug-looking thing that has a baseball sitting in it. Well, we saw the ball just sitting there, so we asked one of the security people walking around with our tour group if we could have it. She said no. So, being the crazy Yankee fans that we are, we did not give up. We asked the other security guy and he said sure! We were thrilled! How cool to have a ball that was actually at Yankee stadium!! We were told that before the tour started, some of the pitchers, including Joba Chamberlain, were having a bullpen session. So who knows, this could have been one of the balls they used! :) But I'm betting it is one of Alex Rodriguez's homerun balls. hee hee!!

Aaron and Catherine in the dugout!

New York City - Sunday (August 2008)

2008-09-05T10:14:00.000-06:00

After getting off our bus in Chinatown, my cousin Sam, Panke, Uncle Tom & Aunt Lois met us just in time for lunch. We stopped at a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown. The usual food we order in a Chinese restaurant, we found out, isn't really authentic Chinese food. But thankfully, the waiter said they could make it for us. :)

See what we ordered? :)

After eating, we headed home via the subway and took a nap at Sam & Panke's apartment while Sam, Panke, Uncle Tom & Aunt Lois went to see Sam & Panke's new apartment (they are moving in a week or so). For supper, Panke make a traditional Chinese dinner called "Hotpot." It was very good! The pot in the middle of the table is full of boiling soup stock and as we sat at the table, Panke would add in meets and vegetables to cook in the pot. The food would cook quickly and we would eat it as it cooked. My favorite were the fish cakes. I know, it sounds weird, but it really was good! I like the sesame sauce to dip it in (seen at the bottom right corner of the picture).

Catherine opted for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and banana! :)

New York City or Bust (August 23-24, 2008)

2008-09-05T10:04:00.000-06:00

Our New York City Trip begins!!!

Many people thought we were crazy for taking a bus with our 2 little kids to NYC, and maybe we are, but the trip went great! We left Nashville at 6pm on Saturday night and arrived in NYC around 11:30 am (10:30 am cst) Sunday morning. The girls slept all night. Claire only had one or two times where she cried -- and that was because she wanted me to lay her down to sleep. :) All four of us traveled round trip to NYC for less than $300 (whereas flying would have been around $1000 for a non-stop flight!).

Don't worry she was not able to fall out of the seat! She loved riding or well, sleeping on the bus!!!

I bought lots of toys and books for Catherine to play with on the bus. We only opened one of those toys the whole time!!! On the way home, we never got out any toys b/c she slept almost the whole way!!! Here, Catherine is playing with some Dora window clings on the bus window!! :)

Our girls! (August 2008)

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Catherine (2) and Claire (2 mo) love each other very much. Here they are laying on the couch. As you can see from some of the pictures. We are supervising the whole event - much to Claire's relief! :)

Catherine & Mommy

First day of MDO (August 2008)

2008-09-05T09:32:00.000-06:00

Catherine started Mother's Day Out this year. She is going one day a week (in order to give me some time to go to the grocery store with only 1 child!). Don't get a wrong impression here -- Catherine is not sad at all about going. She is mad in this picture b/c she wants to wear her backpack. I just wanted to get a picture of her backpack and lunchbox. (Her lunchbox goes in her backpack so that there is only one thing to carry).

Here she is happily wearing her backpack ready to go to school. She LOVES school. Her teacher told me that Catherine was her big helper. Always making sure that everyone had everything they needed: crayons, wipes, etc. Just like a mommy -- and if you know Catherine, that doesn't surprise you one bit! :) She asks almost everyday if she can go to school. :)

You know your child is ready to potty train when she can put on her own diaper!!! :) One evening while I was cooking supper, Catherine came in to the kitchen with her diaper bag and pulled out a diaper asking for a diaper change. We had just changed her diaper so I knew she didn't need one. Well, evidenlty that didn't suit Catherine. She proceeded to lay in the floor and put on a diaper over her clothes. :)

I guess she was worried about leaks! :) hee hee!! Aren't 2-year-olds fun!!!

She's growing up (August 2008)

2008-09-05T09:18:00.004-06:00

We (well, Catherine & I) enjoyed watching gymnastics during the Olympics. Catherine was mesmerized the first time she saw the gymnasts perform.

She was so moved that she peformed some gymnastics moves of her own! :) Here she is doing her final pose at the end of her performance like the real gymnasts do.

Catherine loves reading. She has just started reading to her babies. :)

For some reason, Catherine has always loved being in boxes. Now that she is bigger, it is harder for her to find a box to fit in! :( I can't believe she is so big!

Sweet Baby Claire 2 Months old (August 2008)

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August Living (August 2008)

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Catherine's new favorite place to play: The Pantry! At the end of the day, I find all kinds of random toys in there. She likes to go in there (she can stand under the shelf) and close the door saying, "Bye Bye, Mommy! I love you!" There is no light in the pantry, so many times she stands or sits in there in the dark -- by her choice. She thinks it is funny, and well, it is! :)

I had a slumber party for my birthday -- my nieces, Sophie & Alex came over! I guess they were really there to play with Catherine, but I had fun all the same! We made mini pizzas for supper. The girls really enjoyed helping.

Aaron, Alex & Catherine made me a stawberry birthday cake! Too bad we didn't take any picture s of the finished cake. I guess we ate it too quick! :)

My sweet baby Catherine doesn't have a lot of hair, but boy, can it get messed up during a nap. These pictures don't do it justice. It was some crazy hair, though!!! :) (As you can see, she's saying, "No Pictures, please!")

Bubble Time! (August 1, 2008)

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Catherine loves playing outside on the deck.

She's actually really good at blowing bubbles. She works really hard at it. :)

Claire - 2 months old (July 2008)

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My how she has grown!

Holding her head up high!!!

Sleeping beauty

Happily stretching as she wakes up from a nap. :)

My "Mini-Me" (July 2008)

2008-08-01T18:53:00.000-06:00

Catherine honors me so much by wanting to do everything I do. It's sweet, but scary! :)

Here she is using the coaster holder as her camera. She holds it up to her face and yells, "Cheese!"

Catherine wearing my tennis shoes and sprinting/falling through the kitchen.

Ready to go shopping! Her bears and babies are in the cart.

Cooking in the cabinet! :)
I was cleaning out some gift wrap supplies and Catherine found this piece of hollographic tissue paper. She immediately grabbed it and took off for the kitchen. The next thing I knew she was using it to cover her pans (this cabinet is her designated cabinet that has a few kitchen items in it she is allowed to play with). We assume she is pretending it is aluminum foil! :) On this particular occasion, she has covered her pan and is placing it in the "oven." After that, she closed the oven doors (the cabinet doors) and starting pushing on the door with her fingers (as though she was setting the timer)! Isn't that precious!!!

Smiling baby Claire! (July 22, 2008)

2008-07-24T14:28:00.000-06:00

Our sweet 7 week old Claire smiles so much!

Isn't she just so sweet!!!

Welcome Isaiah James! (July 21, 2008)

2008-07-24T14:26:00.000-06:00

We were excited to meet our newest nephew, Isaiah James, born to Adam, Melanie and big sister Grace! We drove up to Nashville Monday evening to see him. I was nursing Claire while we were there, so I never got a picture of Adam, Melanie or even Isaiah by himself. I'll have to get more pictures later. He is really sweet, though!!!

Little Fish (July 20, 2008)

2008-07-24T14:23:00.000-06:00

On Sunday afternoon, we decided to go swimming in Uncle Matthew & Aunt Melanie's pool. They were gone for the weekend so we broke into their house (using their key, of course) and enjoyed their pool. Claire slept inside the whole time. Aaron blew up Catherine's turtle float. Catherine surprised us by loving the water immediately. I found Sophie's floaties on the deck and so we thought we would see how Catherine would do out of the float . . .

She LOVED it!!! Of course there were times when she was a little scared. She swallowed a little bit of water, but overall, she did great! She absolutely loved it!! It was a fun hour of swimming!

Roommate Reunion! (July 18, 2008)

2008-07-24T14:18:00.000-06:00

My original college roommates and I got together to visit! It was so great to see them all again!
Left to Right: Meredith & Riley, Kristin, Johnna & Claire, Cristy & Catherine (who is trying to get Claire!)

Meredith just had her first baby girl (Riley) in April. She and her husband Anthony live in Nashville.
Kristin lives in North Carolina with her hubby. They just found out they are expecting their first child due in February.
Cristy and her husband Brian live in Nashville.

Just Like Mommy! (July 2008)

2008-07-24T14:11:00.000-06:00

I caught (and now continue to catch) Catherine in Claire's room one day "changing" her baby doll's diaper. She takes great care in getting the baby clean.

Here, she is showing me that the baby is poopy! :) It amazed me how she did everything just like I do it.

Catherine learned to vacuum last week and this week she is enjoying dusting! Next week . . . the bathrooms! Ha ha ha!!!

We all scream for ICECREAM!!! (July 2008)

2008-07-24T14:07:00.000-06:00

One evening as we were waiting for Aaron to come home from work (he was working late), I took Catherine outside after supper to eat an icecream cone. She enjoyed it -- though she let it melt so much that we had to throw out the last of the cone.

This is literally all she would get on her tongue each lick. No wonder it all melted away! :)

I think she likes it! :)

Sweet Family! (July 2008)

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Daddy & Catherine feeding Claire her first bottle. Claire gobbled it all up! :)

Sweet smile from Claire!

My precious 2 year old dressing herself. She didn't want to take off her new Dora pjs, so she thought she would just add a few clashing pieces of clothing to go with it! :)

I see the Moon and the Moon sees me! (July 12, 2008)

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Here's Catherine saying, "Moon . . . Don't see?!"

Now she sees it!

See?! :)

Party Guests! (july 12, 2008)

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We were so blessed to have lots of family join us to celebrate Catherine. Grammy (pictured above) & Poppy, Grandma & Granddaddy, Matthew, Will & Sophie; & Andrew, Ashley, Hannah & Benjamin were all able to join us!! (Andrew & Ashley were so sweet to bring Hannah & Benjamin down since Daniel & Christy were away on a youth trip!)

We were also blessed to have some of our very best friends join us, too! Thomas (pictured above with Catherine's cousin Will) and the rest of the Easter family, along with the Johnson family made the day extra special!

Here's sweet Hannah eating her healthy snack instead of cake and icecream. I hope one day she no longer has all her allergies!

Happy 2nd Birthday, dear Catherine!
We love you so very much!!!!!!!!!

Partying Hard (July 12, 2008)

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Catherine had lots of welcomed help opening her gifts. Jen & Al, the Dora puzzle was a hit. I've never had so many kids flock to me than when Catherine opened that gift!

Catherine received lots of fun gifts, including this Little People airplane from the Easters. Catherine has a special love for airplanes right now! :)

After opening presents and eating cake the kids (and adults) headed back outside to play. I was hoping it would not be too hot since it had rained recently, but what was I thinking -- this is Alabama! It's HOT! :)

Lots of fun on the swingset!! :)

Catherine's 2nd Birthday Party!! (July 12, 2008)

2008-07-14T13:45:00.000-06:00

We celebrated Catherine's 2nd Birthday a week after her actual birthday. We had the party at our house with our family and a few special friends. Aaron decorated the famous "Aunt Wynelle" cake with Dora the explorer. I think he did an excellent job!!!

Again, Catherine wouldn't blow out the candles -- as you can sort of see, I am blowing them out for her. Before we had the cake, the kids were playing outside and Catherine fell down, so she was a little grumpy after that. :( After she ate the cake she perked up . . . could it be all that yummy sugar?! If you look closely, you can see that Catherine's lips are a little black. That is because before we sang the birthday song, she leaned down and tried to eat the cake (with her lips landing on Dora's hair). :)

I was able to stop Catherine from digging into the cake face first, but before I moved the cake from the table, Catherine was quick enough to stick her finger in the cake. :) I think she likes it!

Yes, she definitely likes it! :)

Claire - 6 weeks old (July 2008)

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Claire is such a sweet baby. Here she is wrapped up in her hooded towel after a bath. :) Like her sister, she enjoys bathtime, especially when I wash her hair!

Also like Catherine, Claire rotates in her bed. As you can see, She started out in the sleep positioner which would make her lying horizontal in this picture. She evidently squirmed enough to rotate into a vertical position in this picture. :) Sometimes I find her all the way in the corner of the bed!

What an adorable baby! :)

Zoo part 3 (July 5, 2008)

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Catherine looking at the giraffes.

Aaron took Hannah & Catherine into the hot "tunnel" to see the meerkats up close.

Catherine petting a lizard.

Catherine petting a baby goat in the petting zoo.

Zoo, cont. (July 5, 2008)

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Aunt Ashley & Catherine check out one of the pretty green birds.

Claire enjoyed riding in the stroller -- at least, until she got bit by a tick. I was quite angry and felt violated that my sweet infant got bit! She was ok. Aaron was able to remove it with just his fingers.

Hannah liked splashing in all the puddles. :)

Daddy & Catherine walking together

The Nashville Zoo (July 5, 2008)

2008-07-14T11:13:00.000-06:00

We went to the Nashville Zoo for Catherine's 2nd Birthday! Andrew, Ashley, Daniel, Christy, Hannah & Benjamin joined us!

Our first stop were the monkeys. They put on a show for us!! :)

Catherine rode the carousel for the first time. I put her on the elephant beside Hannah at first, but she saw the Jaguar and wanted to ride on that. (I'm guessing because of Diego!) Initially she was a little scared, but that didn't last long. She loved riding and of course wanted more when it was over.

More Pictures from our MJ Weekend (July 4-6, 2008)

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Sweet Hannah holding baby Claire. Doesn't Hannah look so grown up?!

The "no boys allowed except Andrew" band. :) hee hee We love to play Rockband!! :)

Catherine riding on Clifford!

We made Catherine a birthday cake. She didn't want to blow out the candle. Oh, well!

Happy 4th of July! (July 4, 2008)

2008-07-14T10:59:00.000-06:00

My kiddos decked out in their patriotic clothes! :) Aren't they just cute in their flags! Too bad Catherine wouldn't sit still for a cute picture! :)

Waiting for the fireworks to begin in Mt. Juliet. We were sitting on the side of the road in front of Steak-n-shake. We had a great view of the fireworks!

We thought Catherine would be scared of the fireworks. We explained to her that they would be loud. When they started we laughed off the noise by saying "boom boom!" every time we heard them. She liked saying "boom boom" (seen in the picture above). The sad thing is that Hannah had been looking forward to the fireworks all day long and then was scared when they started. She liked them once she was in the safety of their car. :)

Daddy and his girls! :)

Full of Energy (July 2008)

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Catherine is so full of energy -- I guess that is what I should expect from a 2-year-old!

Catherine likes to do whatever Mommy does. Here, she is using Mommy's nursing cover-up to feed Elmo. :) Lately she has even started lifting up her shirt, putting her baby doll under the shirt and wearing the cover-up! :) I try to encourage her to give her baby dolls a bottle, but I guess that just isn't as much fun for some reason. :)

Catherine loves to watch TV, but she also likes to run around in circles while watching the credits or opening of her favorite shows. :)

As some of you may recall, Catherine really enjoyed using the little dust buster in our kitchen. Well, now she has graduated to the full-size vacuum! She was begging me to let her push the vacuum, so I finally gave in. I was helping her at first, but then she wanted me to let go. She proceed to vacuum the floors -- even moving her toys to vacuum! :) We would "take turns" vacuuming and eventually I had to make her stop. :)

Catherine LOVES books!! Here she is looking at a Dora book (imagine that!) with Granddaddy!

Claire - one month old (June 30, 2008)

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I like this picture -- she is sleeping but as you can see by her arm, she is showing off her startle reflex.

Precious Moment (june 2008)

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Daddy & Catherine.

What an adorable little girl!

Lots of Cousins (June 2008)

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Austin, Ariana, John David, Luke, Lucy, Catherine & Claire

For some reason when we are visiting in Kentucky, we always try to get a picture of all the cousins together after church on Sunday. Sure the kids are dressed really cute, but they are also quite tired from their busy morning at church. So how do we get them to smile so sweetly? (See below)

Bribe them with Cheerios!!! :)

Claire meets the family (June 2008)

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4 generations!
Johnna's Dad (Granddaddy to Claire) , Johnna, Claire and Johnna's Grandmother (Great Grandmother to Claire)

Johnna, Catherine, Grandmother & Claire

Granddaddy, Claire, Grandma & Catherine

Anna's 1st Birthday!! (June 28, 2008)

2008-07-02T09:18:00.002-06:00

We were so blessed to be able to celebrate Anna's first birthday with her while in Kentucky. Anna is the daughter of my (Johnna) cousin Karen & her husband, Russ.

What beautiful eyes -- and evidently yummy cake!! :)

The second star of the show (the first being Anna, of course) was this yellow duck that would sing "If you're happy and you know it." The duck would jump up and down on the "stomp your feet" verse. One of the kids put the duck on this shelf at the end of the hallway so the duck would hit his head as he jumped. The kids thought it was hysterical. They played the song over and over and over and over. That poor duck! :)

Catherine Loves singing the song with the duck!

The Greens (June 2008)

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The Green family

Jen, Lucy, Luke, Al & John David

Joann, Ariana, Austin & Scott

Birthday bash in Kentucky (June 2008)

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Our weekend in Kentucky began with a cookout at Al & Jen's house topped off with a mini-birthday party for all the kids. The kids enjoyed us singing "Happy Birthday" to them and blowing out the candles. We did this since we all weren't able to be at each of the kids' birthday parties.

Austin (3) & Luke (4)

Blowing out the candles!

John David had a hard time blowing out his candle, but he was determined and eventually successful!

Catherine blew out her candle before we sang the song. We lit it again and told her not to blow it out yet. Evidently that scared her so she wouldn't blow it out at all. Oh, well. She did enjoy the cake, though, that's for sure!

Our Family (June 2008)

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Johnna, Claire, Aaron & Catherine

Catherine at Grammy & Poppy's house (June 2008)

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Aaron enjoyed taking pictures on Poppy's new camera. This picture is so sweet of Catherine looking out the window.

Daddy & Catherine

Catherine is proud to walk in Grammy's shoes!! :)

Smelling the flowers.

Weekend at Grammy & Poppy's House! (June 2008)

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Catherine enjoyed playing on the little playground with Poppy. Whenever she would go down the slide, her hair would stand straight up! :)

Catherine and Poppy

Catherine loves her Aunt Ashley!

Grammy in her natural element -- holding a baby! Claire is so happy to be in her arms!!
We're so blessed to have such a wonderful family!!!

Life with Claire (June 2008)

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Claire playing with her musical toy.

Of course, Catherine wanted to join in on the fun. Wherever Claire is, you can be sure to find Catherine (unless Claire protected in her room by the baby gate at the door!)

Claire's first bath in the baby bath tub!!! Mommy has some extra help with bathtime. Catherine likes to show Claire how to splash and she always makes sure she has her rubber ducky!

One afternoon as I was nursing Claire, Catherine was playing with stickers. She proceeded to put stickers up and down Claire's arms! :) Catherine wanted to share with her. "Here you go, Claire!" she would say. :) Don't worry, I made sure I removed all of the stickers.

Catherine & Claire! June 2008

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Our adorable daughters!
Catherine (almost 2 in these pictures)
Claire (one week old in these pictures)

It's a shame they can't both be happy at the same time in these pictures! :)

We're so proud of our girls -- even when they cross their eyes!! :) hee hee hee!!!

Claire - one week old (June 2008)

2008-07-02T08:44:00.001-06:00

Catherine Photo shoot (June 2008)

2008-07-02T08:42:00.001-06:00

Catherine - almost 2 years old!

Catherine (June 2008)

2008-07-02T08:39:00.002-06:00

Catherine loved all the personal attention she got from Grandma during her week+ visit!

Catherine LOVES the water table that Grandma and Granddaddy gave her as an early birthday present. She loves to dump water down her shirt and onto the deck and on her feet and basically anywhere! :)

Catherine running and showing off her whale pajamas. It's amazing to me how much energy she has!!!

Our little "Yoda," as Aaron calls her. After her bath, she wears her hooded towel and walks around. She looks like a mini-"Yoda!"--but much cuter, of course!

Slip-n-sliding in the backyard! (June 2008)

2008-07-02T08:35:00.002-06:00

Aaron set up this home-made slip-n-slide in our huge backyard (the part beyond the privacy fence, for those who are familiar with our yard). He would push the kids down the slide, which was covered in water. Catherine loved it the first day they did it. She wasn't as interested the second time he set it up.

What a sweet Daddy-- giving Catherine a ride down the slide! :)

Our niece, Alex, going down the slide.

Will, our nephew, on his way down.

Sisters (June 2008)

2008-07-02T08:32:00.002-06:00

From the moment they met, they've loved each other. Catherine couldn't be happier! Claire just hopes to survive all of Catherine's big hugs and kisses!

1st Days at Home (June 2008)

2008-07-02T08:26:00.002-06:00

Our family -- just a few minutes after we arrived home with Claire!

Sweet baby Claire sleeping in her bed.

Catherine peeking in at Claire in her bed -- this is one of Catherine's favorite things to do first thing in the morning.

Claire wrapped up in the duck-hooded towel after her first sponge bath at home!

And the Winner Is . . . .

2008-06-12T08:40:00.003-06:00

For those of our family and friends who made predictions regarding the arrival of Baby Davis #2, here are the results!

Grand Prize Winner: Ashley (our sister-in-law married to Aaron's twin brother Andrew)

She had everything right except she guessed May 29 (so she was only 2 hours from being perfect on her prediction!)

Honorable Mentions:

2/4 guesses correct:
Poppy (Aaron's Dad)
Matthew (Aaron's Brother)
Jen (Johnna's Sister)
Great Grandpa (Johnna's Grandpa)
Karen (Johnna's Cousin)

1/4 guesses correct:
Melanie (Sister-in-law married to Matthew)
Al (Brother-in-law married to Jen)
Joann (Johnna's sister)
Great Grandpa Billy (Johnna's step-grandfather)
Erin Johnson (Our dear friend)
Steve Johnson (Married to Erin, He's also the girls' pediatrician)
Alyson Kendrick (Another sweet friend -- she also guessed the middle name correct!)

The Biggest Loser? -- Jonathan (Aaron's brother) He jokingly guessed that the baby would be 85lb. I didn't appreciate that! :) hee hee!!! He did later change his guess. :)

Long-Awaited Photos of our Beautiful Claire!!!

2008-05-30T14:29:00.005-06:00

Claire Elizabeth
Our Family of Four: Aaron, Johnna, Catherine & Claire!!!
Big Sister Catherine and Little Sister Claire

Catherine LOVES "Her" Baby

It's a . . . . . . . . .

2008-05-30T02:15:00.002-06:00

GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!

Claire Elizabeth
7 lbs 12oz.
21 in
2:01am

Mommy and Baby are doing great!!
We'll post some pictures soon!!

Baby #2 Update!!! (May 23, 2008)

2008-05-23T22:02:00.002-06:00

Well, just to let you know, Baby #2 is not far from making his or her big debut! At our doctor's appointment today, we found out that I am 1 cm dilated and 70% effaced! This was a shock to Aaron and me since I never dilated with Catherine! We'll keep you posted on how things are going and when you can expect Baby Davis #2 to arrive! Please pray for us as we prepare for our new baby. Pray for a safe delivery and a healthy baby! We are so very excited about the baby God is blessing us with!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame! (May 17, 2008)

2008-05-23T22:01:00.000-06:00

We got free tickets to the Stars Game one Saturday afternoon. It was really hot, but we had fun being together as a family. We sat out in no-man's land so that we could catch fly balls. We came home with one! Here, "Homer" came to visit Catherine. She was really excited about seeing him until he got close. Then she wanted him to keep his distance. As soon as he left, though, she wanted him to come back!

Aaron and Catherine pose in front of the field after the game. Catherine shows off her ball! She chose to wear Mommy's hat instead of her own -- and she wanted to wear in backwards!! (not sure why!) :)

Catherine spent most of her time at the game coloring and walking back and forth down the bleachers dancing to the music being played over the speakers. Look how red her little cheeks are! It was really hot that afternoon!

More May Fun! (May 2008)

2008-05-23T21:57:00.000-06:00

Catherine likes to see what Mommy is doing on the countertops when cooking. She brings in the stool from the nursery to stand on. On this afternoon, she helped me make Tomato Pie!

Catherine shows off her socks -- well, they were Daddy's socks. She stole them from Daddy and put them on. (BTW: She is wearing Capri pants -- they are supposed to be that length, but the socks make it look funny. Maybe Catherine is embarrased -- that's why her hands are over her eyes. ha ha ha!)

Aaron is such a fun Daddy. On this Sunday afternoon, it started to rain BIG drops. He quickly snatched up Catherine and ran outside with her. At first she was scared and didn't like it, but then LOVED it and wanted more and more and more! What a fun Daddy! They would run out on the deck, spin around and come back inside. Just look at the joy on her face!

Look how wet they are! The rain didn't last long and there was a beautiful rainbow in the sky afterward!

Happy Mother's Day (May 2008)

2008-05-23T21:50:00.000-06:00

These pictures are actually from the week before Mother's Day. The Mother's Day pictures didn't turn out as well. I'm glad we took these random outdoor pictures! You never know how a toddler will do in a photoshoot -- especially when you are outside!

As you can see Catherine had enough of these posed pictures -- she wanted to go PLAY!

Look what Daddy taught me! (May 9)

2008-05-23T21:45:00.000-06:00

While I was gone to a scrapbooking event one Friday night, Aaron taught Catherine a very important lesson: how to dunk your oreos in your milk and eat them! :) I think she enjoyed this lesson a lot!

yum yum!

May Fun (May 2008)

2008-05-23T21:41:00.000-06:00

Catherine LOVES to be outside, so I've tried to be creative on activities she can do. We have a rubbermaid box of outside toys that she plays with. On hot days, I dump out the toys and fill the box with a little bit of water. Catherine spends LOTS of time pouring the water from container to container or on herself! :) The shade on the deck is complements of our beach umbrella that is hooked into an umbrella stand. It really helps a lot!!!

Catherine decided to dress herself. She actually did very well -- just missed an arm hole. I wasn't able to grab my camera fast enough when she had another pair of shorts pulled on with both legs in one hole! :)

Catherine and I have gone to StoryTime at the library several times in the past few months. They always have a little activity for the kids to do that corresponds with the stories they read that day. On this day, the kids planted a seed in a little cup. Catherine loved looking at the little 'flower' in the cup. She was so proud!

Cereal with Milk (May 2008)

2008-05-05T14:30:00.000-06:00

Catherine tried a new food this morning for breakfast: Honey Nut Cheerios with Milk! Now, she has had Cheerios and Honey Nut Cheerios before, but never with milk. She will rarely eat Cheerios of any flavor. I don't know if she really liked the cereal or if she just liked using a spoon and having milk in her bowl like Mommy. I guess I'll find out tomorrow morning if she is willing to eat it again!

Coloring (May 2008)

2008-05-05T14:26:00.000-06:00

Catherine really enjoys coloring. On Sunday afternoon, she camped out on the hearth to color.

She is quite focused on her coloring -- well, for at least a minute or two at a time. :)

Catherine's 1st Hairbow! (May 2008)

2008-05-05T14:23:00.000-06:00

On Sunday, Catherine wore her first hairbow to church! She loves to put things in her hair, but until now, I have never sent her out of the house with anything in her hair. Melanie gave us a bag full of hairbows to use. Catherine was thrilled. Whenever we go over to "Sophie's" (as Catherine call's it), she always asks for a hairbow -- probably b/c Sophie always has one in.

We were impressed how well she did wearing it. The nursery worker said that during the church hour she never took it out. I'm not sure about the SS hour. :)

Catherine still doesn't have much hair to use with the bow. It is kinda hard to make her sit still to put it in (and make it look right). Of course as soon as I put it in, she wants to touch it which makes it move around or messes up the hair that is in it. I guess I'll get to practice more now that I have some hairbows to use.

Enjoying the Beautiful Outdoors (May 2008)

2008-05-05T14:16:00.000-06:00

We've been enjoying the beautiful spring weather. We went to "The Creek" on Saturday afternoon for a little while. Catherine liked it when Daddy carried her, but she didn't want to even put her feet or hands in the water. I guess she gets that from me -- I stood on the bank of the creek the whole time. I thought it wouldn't be cool for a very pregnant lady to get out in the creek and possibly fall. After all, I am kinda clumsy. :)

On Sunday after church, we went outside for a few picturs. This one is so cute (it's Aaron's favorite. I don't know if you can really see it, but she is squatting down to smell the weed/flower that is sticking up out of the grass.

Catherine is saying "Come on!"

Later that afternoon, I caught this picture of my two favorite people swinging outside! :)

I promise it's not Slave Labor!!! (April 2008)

2008-04-29T17:28:00.000-06:00

I promise, I'm not making my almost 2-year old do chores yet. Since she wants to help me, I know she's too young. :)

My sister Jennifer gave me the brilliant idea to use a dust buster to vacuum up the dirt on my floor after sweeping (instead of using a dust pan). This works great -(and it also helps pick up crumbs from Catherine's high chair!)! Anyway, Catherine loves when I use the dust buster and begs for "more" when I turn it off. So, I thought I would let her try it out. She is quite handy with it -- she used it one evening until the battery needed charging (which really isn't that long, but for a 2-year old attention span, I was impressed). So, while she wants to help and isn't hurting anything, I say, "why not!," right?! :)

Perfect Playmates! (April 2008)

2008-04-29T17:23:00.000-06:00

Sophie came over to play one day last week. She and Catherine just adore each other!

As many of you know (and have seen) Catherine loves to climb into her toy boxes. Now, she's found a friend to climb in with her! :)

Little Chef (April 2008)

2008-04-29T17:21:00.000-06:00

Whenever I'm in the kitchen cooking, Catherine often wants to "help." I have given her permission to play with a pan, wooden spoon and pot holder out of one of the cabinets. So, whenever I'm cooking, she'll hurry to her cabinet to cook, too.

Obviously, she was having a hard time getting to something. :)

What a great hiding spot! hee hee!

Enjoying the Outdoors (April 2008)

2008-04-29T17:17:00.000-06:00

Catherine loves being outside. I recently bought some sidewalk chalk as another option of play-time for her!

And of course, we still love bubbles!

But nothing can beat swinging!!!

Catherine loves picking the flowers in our yard (dandelions). :)

No recent pictures thanks to Melanie!

2008-04-18T08:55:00.003-06:00

Well, I realized I was a little behind in my blogging when I saw that ALL of my sisters and many of my sister-in-laws had updated their blogs. But then I realized I didn't have a lot of pictures to blog from the past 2 weeks. This week, it is all thanks to my wonderful sister-in-law, Melanie, and her daughter, Sophie!

On Tuesday morning, Melanie called and said that Sophie wanted to play with Catherine (she specifically asked for her!). So they wanted Catherine to come over for the day. The two girls play together so well! Then on Thursday morning (Sophie goes to Mother's Day Out on MWF), Melanie called again to see if Catherine could come over! I of course would never deny Catherine the priviledge of getting together with her cousin and aunt! So, off I sent her again! It was so nice to have some spare time at home alone. I worked on putting the nursery back together! Thank you so much, Melanie for giving me a little time off -- I owe you big time! :)

As for the other days of the week and why I don't have pictures:
On Monday, we were home all day, but I was busy with housework and having lots of contractions! For a moment, I started wondering if I should start timing them, but thankfully, I never had to. They were those lovely Braxton-Hicks contractions.
On Wednesday, we had a doctor's appointment for the baby. They actually checked me b/c of the contractions, but never fear, I have not progressed any --which at this point, I really don't mind at all! :) I've already told myself to assume that this baby will arrive late and if it does come early, it will just be a pleasant surprise! After our doctor's appointment, we toured another hospital here in town as an option for delivery. We left without a definite opinion on what to do. Guess we'll need to make a decision soon, though.

Well, it's off to play with Catherine --I'll keep my camera handy!

Catherine loves Mommy's baby (April 11)

2008-04-18T08:53:00.004-06:00

Catherine has discovered and loves to point out "Mommy's Baby."

She loves Kissing Mommy's baby -- luckily she showed us here without lifting up my shirt! It is always a little embarrassing when she tries to kiss the baby while at a store -- she tries to lift my shirt! :) She likes to kiss the baby right on my belly button. I'm 32 weeks in these pictures!

Playing outside with bubbles (April 2008)

2008-04-18T08:47:00.000-06:00

We've really been enjoying this beautiful spring weather. Catherine LOVES to go outside! She likes wearing her hat and sunglasses, too - by her choice! :)

I bought a bubble set for Catherine (and me) to play with. I've been impressed that she can actually make some bubbles, sometimes!

I hope bubble solution isn't dangerous, b/c I'm sure she's eaten a lot. I'm sure all kids have at some point. :)

Catherine loves running through the yard -- bubble wand in hand! :)

Big Girl Bed Update (April 18)

2008-04-18T08:34:00.002-06:00

Well, I don't have any pictures to show you regarding Catherine in her big girl bed, but I've had many people inquiring about how things are going. So, I'll let you know that things are going GREAT!!!

Today marks Catherine's 2nd full week in the big bed. We've only had, I think, 3 incidents with the bed. One time, she just woke up crying really hard in the bed. The other two times, she was crying REALLY hard. The first time was actually the first Sunday night after we started the new bed. She was standing on the seat of the picnic table that sits at the end of her bed (she uses the picnic table to get in the bed). She had the worst look of terror on her face. I don't know what happened to lead her to this position, but she was scared to death. The second time that I found her out of the bed was earlier this week. When I opened the door to her bedroom, she was sitting on the floor right in front of the door. Once again, she was just scared. She kept asking for water, but never would drink any. I'm not sure what caused her to get up, but all three times that I've had to go in there, she eventually went back to sleep in her bed on her own --sometimes after Daddy had to go in there and reassure her that we were still there.

Nap times have gone well, too! I was afraid I would have more trouble with naps since it is not completely dark in her room. But so far so good (I hope I haven't just jinxed myself!) We've been so proud of her!

Big Girl Bed (April 4, 2008)

2008-04-05T13:18:00.000-06:00

Well, it's official. Catherine is a big girl. She slept for the first time in her new room in her big bed! We surprised her with Dora pillows on the bed which she absolutely LOVED!!!

Here, Catherine is peeking through the mesh wall of the bed rail while holding on to her big Dora pillow/doll.

I always thought Catherine had a big head (she's always been in the 90% percentile) until now. Dora definitely has her beat! :)

We put her in her bed, prayed with her and told her not to get out of bed and to call us if she needed us. And that was the last we heard of her until morning!!! When we went in to get her in the morning, she was so excited about her Dora pillows. She LOVES her bed. Right now, she is happily taking her nap in her new bed. Hopefully, this will continue to be an easy transition, as we only have about 8 weeks (or more or less) until baby #2 will arrive!!!

Little Mommy (April 2008)

2008-04-05T13:10:00.000-06:00

As I was cleaning up lunch dishes on Friday afternoon, I noticed that Catherine was very busy going back and forth through the room carrying new loads of toys. I soon realized what she was doing: setting the table for her dolls to eat. Dora sat in the chair on one end of the table and her baby doll sat on the other side (complete with bib!). She had her play dishes on the table and would go from doll to doll feeding them. :) What a good little Mommy! :)

Preparing the food :)

You can see Catherine on the other side of the chair moving around quickly trying to feed both dolls. :) She's beginning to realize that being a Mommy is hard work. Well, I hope she realizes it! :)

Just like Mommy! (March 30, 2008)

2008-03-31T14:13:00.000-06:00

On the way home on Sunday, Catherine wanted to wear her sunglasses -- b/c Mommy had her glasses on. When we stopped to get some coffee, I looked back and noticed that Catherine had her glasses on top of her head. I thought that was pretty funny -- then I realized where she got the idea . . .

It's amazing how much she notices about me and tries to imitate me. :) It's quite flattering, yet, quite scary, too! :)

Future Gamers (March 29, 2008)

2008-03-31T14:09:00.000-06:00

Guess who was entertaining the kids?! :) After several rounds of "Ring around the rosie" and "Duck Duck goose," Aaron set up an Xbox game of football for the kids to play. Of course, it was set up in the demo mode, but they really thought they were playing! :)

Catherine thought she was big-stuff since she got to push buttons on the controller. :)

A Visit with Chuck E. (March 28, 2008)

2008-03-31T14:03:00.000-06:00

Austin's reward for potty training was a trip to Chuck E. Cheese. Catherine was happy to join him on his outing!

Catherine's favorite token-activity was the rides.

Even Grandma helped earn some big tickets on the "helicopter" game.

Here's Catherine on another ride with a cute dog. :)

We Love Lucy!! (March 25, 2008)

2008-03-31T13:58:00.000-06:00

Jen, Lucy, Luke, Al & John David.
What a beautiful family! Lucy arrived on Tuesday night. We were all a little surprised to find out there was a girl in the family! We're so happy for them all!!!

Proud big brother Luke!

Sweet Lucy! :)

I think John David loves his sister!!

Happy Easter (March 23, 2008)

2008-03-31T13:48:00.000-06:00

Catherine with her Easter basket!

Her Easter basket was filled: a Bible Story book, sunglasses, a hat, and candy, of course!

Our Family! (I'm about 30 weeks pregnant in this picture).

Bowling for Dad's B'day (March 22)

2008-03-31T13:44:00.000-06:00

We took Dad out bowling to celebrate his 60th birthday! I think he had a great time! :)

Catherine enjoyed her first bowling experience. We had a lane set up for the kids with the bumpers and a ramp.

Go Dad go!

What a happy girl! Her final score was 70!!

Easter Egg Hunt at Grandma's! (March 22, 2008)

2008-03-31T13:39:00.000-06:00

The kiddos ready for the hunt (John David, Luke, Austin & Catherine)

We practiced egg hunting a little in the weeks prior to Easter. Catherine was ready to go!

After most of the eggs were found, Catherine dumped out her basket. Not sure why! :) She found 30 eggs!!! (There were around 134 "hidden.")

Who needs clothes? (March 2008)

2008-03-31T13:27:00.000-06:00

This is how I found Catherine after a nap one afternoon. The shirt was gone and as you can see in the next picture, she was working on the pants. :) You can't tell very well here, but her hair was going everywhere. I'm not sure what happened while she was sleeping! :)

Catherine decided to remove all clothing but to wear her favorite donut store hat! :)

Playing Piano with Daddy (March 13, 2008)

2008-03-13T19:44:00.000-06:00

Aaron played the piano this evening and Catherine wanted to play with him so bad! So after Aaron finished his song, he let Catherine join him for a duet! :) She was thrilled. Can you tell -- as she says, "Cheese!"

The whole reason I got my camera out was for this picture -- I loved seeing her little feet dangling from the piano bench! :) Aren't they sweet?! :)

Beautiful Roses (March 13, 2008)

2008-03-13T19:40:00.000-06:00

Aaron surprised me with roses that were delivered to my door via ups today! They are beautiful -- the pictures don't do them justice. But actually, I know in a few days they will be even more beautiful!!! They smell sooooo good. He sent them to me 'just because!' Isn't he great?! :)

Catherine LOVES the flowers. Everytime she walks by them she wants to smell them. Here, she is letting her bear-blankie smell them. :)

All kinds of new fun! (march 2008)

2008-03-13T19:36:00.000-06:00

I've been working on moving Catherine into her new big-girl room. She hasn't officially moved in yet, but her summer clothes and all her toys have! Catherine discovered that one of the "new" toy holders can serve as a jungle gym, too! This plastic thing holds 2 large plastic 'drawers' that I'm putting some of her toys in -- but who needs the toys? :)

The weather has been so nice here this week. We went outside and played, which Catherine absolutely LOVED. She cried when we came inside. We just started practicing Easter egg hunting. She's pretty good at it -- unless she gets distracted by the neighbor's barking dog, the swing, the grass, the sky, the birds, the cars, an airplane -- basically anything she sees outside. :)

Look at all my Easter eggs!!!

Now it's time to swing with your Easter basket! :) Isn't that what everyone does after a hard day of Easter egg hunting?! :)

Work-out Girl (March 2008)

2008-03-07T13:59:00.000-06:00

Catherine wanted to fix her hair and so I gave her this headband to play with. I think she looks like she has on a sweat band about to go work out. :) (BTW, her ears are sticking out that far b/c of the headband.) :)

I gave her the headband so that she could fix her own hair.

As you can see, it goes off and on and off and on and off and on!

Our New Bedroom (Feb/March 2008)

2008-03-07T13:56:00.000-06:00

We are slowly getting ready for the arrival of our baby - one room at a time. We started with our bedroom b/c we got our new king-size bed and bedding. (The full-size bed we had is now in the room that will become Catherine's new room. We had never painted our room since we moved into the house -- it was a pale ugly green. Well, the green color just didn't match anything in our room. It is amazing what a little paint can do -- and curtains, too! Of course, the picture doesn't do it justice. We are still trying to decide what to put over the bed.

March Fun (March 2008)

2008-03-07T13:50:00.000-06:00

I have taught Catherine at an early age how to do the laundry! :) hee hee

Catherine got stuck under the table. Daddy came to the rescue -- Mommy came with the camera. :)

um . . . . ?

Catherine is really into having her diaper changed. On this day, she brought her diaper and wipes container into the kitchen. She then proceeded to lay out the diaper on the floor, lay on top of it and start pulling out wipes. I don't think she understands that we want her to learn to use the potty not learn to change her own diapers. :) Although, that would be handy until she is potty trained! :)

Pregnant Together Again (March 1 2008)

2008-03-07T13:45:00.000-06:00

Johnna (27 weeks) and Jen (35 weeks) Pregnant together again!

Chandler Visit (Feb. 28-March 1 2008)

2008-03-07T13:43:00.000-06:00

Storytime with Al!

All the kids attacking Al! :)

Al & Luke playing Guitar Hero/Rockband (Al has on the microphone to sing!)

Catherine learing how to play the guitar.

Busy as a Bee (Feb. 2008)

2008-03-07T13:38:00.000-06:00

Catherine loves to go "shopping" in our house. She pushes her cart around and fills it up to overflowing. I don't know where she sees someone fill a shopping cart up that full!

Here is Catherine unloading the real groceries after a trip to the grocery. She really likes to stack the groceries -- even while she is riding in the cart at the store!

Tea time anyone?

Catherine LOVES her new Dora book from Grandma and Granddaddy that she got for Valentine's day.

More Party Fun (Feb. 23, 2008)

2008-02-26T22:30:00.000-06:00

After swimming, the kids changed and chowed down on fruit, chocolate-dipped pretzels, icecream and cupcakes! Yum!! (Isn't Catherine so cute sitting at the table?!!)

The birthday girls! Alex (6) and Sophie (2)

Catherine loved the fruit . . .

. . . but she loved the cupcake more! She was not happy when we wouldn't let her have another one! She REALLY enjoyed that cupcake! :)

Pool Party Fun! (Feb. 23, 2008)

2008-02-26T22:26:00.003-06:00

Alex & Sophie had a joint party this year -- a pool party in the middle of winter! What a great idea!Here's Catherine initial feelings about going to a pool party. I guess she didn't remember how much she loved the pool on our vacation. :)

After a while, she warmed up to the pool and became a regular fish in the sea. Well, as long as she could still have her head above water. The indoor pool was so nice, but boy was it hot in the pool area! It truly felt like summer in there, despite the fact that it was only 40 degrees outside!

Grammy's finest hour (Feb. 16, 2008)

2008-02-26T22:22:00.000-06:00

Catherine is blessed to have wonderful grandparents on both sides who love to play with her and simply love her so very much. Grammy is very sweet to play with Catherine -- even if it requires sticking post-it notes on her head. Now that is true love! :)

Catherine thinks it is normal to wear a post-it on your head! :)

I just love this picture of Catherine -- I don't know why -- I guess b/c I just love my little girl!