Five Alive!

First photo as a family of five! The girls are now giving kisses to their new sister!

Four No More

The very last picture as a family of four.


And the girls giving a farewell kiss to the big baby belly. I would have happily done the same had I been physically capable of such.

My Wish...

February 22nd-Kate turned 4!

Kate loved getting some "lip", or what the rest of us refer to as "chapstick". And, Chad, left to his own evil gift-selecting devices, of course picked something designed to bring Kate joy while at the same time bringing perpetual grief into the life of her now-a-professional-at-peeling-stickers-off-things mother. Oh, and did I mention there were also about a zillion little puzzle pieces and other things to constantly pick up off the floor? She loved it.

My wish for you

Is that this life becomes all that you want it to.

Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small

You never need to carry more than you can hold

And while you're out there gettin' where your gettin' to

I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same thing too

Yah, this is my wish. (Rascal Flats Lyrics)

Kate, my princess. Was it really 4 years ago I became a mother? It was with you my life morphed, when I started becoming someone I never imagined I could be. It has been you, little missy, that has lead the way as I grow into motherhood. Thank goodness you are here to encourage my femininity, my little girly-girl! You are fearless, you are friendly, and boy-oh-boy are you FUNNY! You have a wonderful sense of humor and your great giggle gets everyone around you laughing along. You are a performer--you dance, you sing, you use the coffee table as your stage, and the whole world is your audience. You are so social and love culture, always wanting to go somewhere and see somebody. You steal everyone's spot and get jealous enough to cut-in to have daddy twirl you around the dining room. My little leftie, you love to write (exactly what we are not sure what quite yet) and always have a pen and pad of paper nearby--in your purse, on the table, or stashed nearby in a secret spot. You are a skirt-twirling, worm-digging, good "idea'a" generating, kitten-hanging-over-one-arm-toting, always flower-picking, snuggly-spot making, tootsie-roll-begging, little purse-stuffing, constantly giggling, hours in the bath-paddling, Kate-er-ate! You know what you want, and how to get it. You are loving and persuasive; it is with ease and finesse others give you what you want, and you flash that way-too-cute and completely irresistible smile to seal the deal. You are shockingly observant. You are daddy's little princess, and mommy's little shadow. When I look at you, I see me. Happy Birthday my Katerrater-mashed-patater.

Tip-Tap-N-Tumble

In February, for her birthday, Kate tried out some classes. I was sure her favorite would be the tap and ballet class, but boy was I WRONG! By FAR her favorite was the tumbling/gymnastics at Western Elite Academy, a wonderful facility in Nampa run by a fellow volleyballer--the phenomenal and talented Jackie! It was my favorite too because it is an affordable and really fun place where Kate and Jessa can have class together.. not to mention they have some really cool contraptions that I am just trying to muster up the guts to ask if I can try--like the spring-loaded floor thing that they use in the Olympics, and that back-handspring machine thingy- ma-rounder, and okay, okay, I even want to test out that funky rectangular trampoline just to see if maybe I could land a flip....I don't even mind signing a wavier.

Kate in action--she loved this little contraption...

and I got a real kick out of watching Jessa. This is the first time I realized how good Jessa is at following directions. She had barely turned two (the minimum age for this class) and was following the directions better than most of the other kids. Even the instructior said, "She really follows directions well!"

Now if only we could apply that to picking up the toys, holding the bottle of bubbles so they don't spill all over the floor, or sitting still while I brush that hair.....

I hope we go back soon!

I've had a Birthday, Shout HORRAY!

Jessa turned 2--January 15th

This past Christmas I learned that Jessa loves Mickey Mouse. Prior to our Christmas visit to Disneyland, I had little knowledge that those mornings Kate & Jessa got up early and were in watching TV with Doug, they were really watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and not the morning newscast. Thus, when we went to the Clubhouse show at California Adventure, I had no clue what "Toodles" even was, and was pretty surprised that Doug found this so entertaining (apparently it is a rare occurrance that I don't know EVERYTHING :). Needless to say, when we got home I decided to watch an episode to figure out what on earth "toodles" was. I must say though, that it is the Hotdog dance that won me over--I love that catchy tune!

In honor of her status as a Mickey Mouse fan, and the fact that Grammie had sent her a Mickey Mouse party set, I made a Mickey Mouse cake! It turned out really cute...except for the fact that the red-hots I used for Mickey's tongue "bled" in the few hours it sat in the fridge and it looked like Mickey had been punched! It was cute, but not as cute as Jessa, so I am posting photos of her instead! Isn't she just a doll with that black icing all over her face and dress?

It all comes out in the wash!

Jessa, I can't believe it was 2 years ago we rushed to the hospital so quickly and you joined our family!...Right on time (your due date), when you decided to come, you came! You are a personality! You are a lover and a fighter. You are a talk, talk, talker! You are my cuddler, a big hug in the morning, and a kiss out the door. You are a blanket-toter, big-time eater, gotta love her, self potty-trainer. You LOVE books. I have never seen a toddler that loves books as much as you and wants them read ALL DAY LONG. Nor do I know another just-turned-two year old that knows how to read the word "Idaho" and identify all the letters-- I-D-A-H-O. No matter where you see the letter "H" you always point it out and say "H mommy!" You are my always-participating, listens-to-reasoning, direction-following, cute little running, can't help but loving, Lemur! You are not afraid to tell people what to do or fight for what you really want, but you also share freely and try to accommodate others. When people see you put up a fight they say, "She's a little pistol isn't she?" And I say, "Yes, she is!" You are strong-willed but shockingly reasonable, and when things aren't reasonable, you can certainly throw and instant fit, but it never lasts long. You put yourself to bed, and always remember to brush your teeth on your own. You would rather be outside than in, and love responsibility--you are my egg gatherer. You are daddy's little tomboy. You are a ham and can melt anyone's heart. You melt mine every single day. Happy Birthday little lemur.

Happy Birthday Baby!

NOVEMBER 23rd-DOUG TURNED 40!

We had a nice little dinner with KaLynne, Darin, Chad and the family one night, and then Sunday (Doug's Birthday) I planned a "Surprise Open House" that ended up not to be much of a surprise after all! First someone (you know who you are!) who wouldn't normally know when Doug's b-day is, asks him about it, and THEN, Mr.-I-don't-even-know-how-to-check-my-own-e-mail....opens one of MY e-mails! Doug was still surprised though, as he didn't know who or how many people or when exactly to expect it. Thanks to all of you that came! My favorite part of the evening would certainly have to be playing ping-pong!

Doug, you are the most hard-working, witty, wonderful man I know. It's hard to find anyone more ethical, your friends know no one more loyal. You are impossible to "schmooze" and unimpressed by things not truly worth admiring. Among those whom don't know you, you are hard to get to know and frequently misjudged; you are unwavering, completely honest and straightforward. You are frustrated by petty details and bureaucratic practices. Your friends love you for life--as a trusted confidant, a playful game-starter, the funnest guy at the party (but only if you want to be there!), the best travel companion ever. You are hilarious--the funniest person I know. You are a challenger, a visionary, a conceptual thinker. You are an incredible problem-solver. You are my I-can't-pick-between-these-two-pictures tiebreaker, my sports statistic encyclopedia, my I-don't-trust-anyone-else babysitter, even though the house will be a disaster or they'll eat too much sugar :) You're a phone-talker, a my friend-harasser, budget-splurger, and we-can't-play-on-the-same-team gamer. You are my love. You are my life. You are inspired, and you inspire me. Happy Birthday Baby.

You asked for it!

Everyone has been demanding that I update my blog! Honestly, I have been surprised to learn just how many of you have been following along and enjoying it so much! Everyone has been asking, "What happened?"..... Drumroll please...... and NO, we have not died, so quit asking!

I got a new church assignment back in September! It has dominated much of my free thoughts and time, and I love it! However, it has made blogging less of a priority. BUT now that things are running smoothly and now that I have so much demand for "Baby Emmy" updates, I PROMISE to do better. SO... I am going to highlight what you have been missing....