Update for Friday, March 13

So, I'm trying folks. Here it is not quite one month from the last post, and I have a few photos to share with you. The first one is quite exciting for us - it's her first school photo taken in December 2008. I have about 100 copies of this picture that were supposed to be included in the family Christmas card. Well... better luck next year!

Here's a random picture of Katie. I don't recall the occasion, but she looks happy:


Every year, Katie and I join our friend Bridget for $5 mum day at our favorite nursery. We couldn't resist picking up a few pumpkins while we were there:

This is a very special picture. Our girl - on her own - decided to be Bob Marley for Halloween this year. As the time drew near, we carefully tried to position more traditional costumes - a fairy, a princess (gack), a pirate, etc., but she was adamant. Bob Marley carried around a portable music player with external speakers in her candy bag, and was a hit on the trick-or-treat circuit. We listened to her 4 favorite Bob Marley songs about a thousand times. Funny thing is that they're still fantastic! The guitar is a custom Auntie Liz creation with real rubber band strings that twang.

A little side note: the hat has become her winter standard hat... we don't leave home without it.


Another fine and wonderful day is when Katie gets a new bag of hand-me-downs from our good friend Hayley. Here she is trying all of her favorite pieces on: princess dress, gold shoes and winter gloves.


In October, we all battled the common fall cold. In November, it sent Katie to the hospital for chest x-rays. She had about 5 really wretched days of high fever, and hacking cough. The dino-mask treatment was part of a series of remedies that kept us busy around the clock:


But, she got to eat 'pockasils' in Mommy and Daddy's bed, with Luna. That's a treat:


Our Blue House Pharmacy. Note, there's kids medicine, and grown-up medicine - we were all sick:


The white-board to keep track of everything:


We were mended by December, and ready to play in the snow! Little did we know that we would end up snow-bound in the house for days on end with no way to get our cars out of the driveway! Note the Bob Marley hat:



Katie had the honor of putting the star on our Christmas tree - it was a really fun day!


We gave Katie a little fake tree for her room. She spent the holidays swapping ornaments from the big tree onto hers - and I kept taking my favorites back!


Here Katie and Daddy tried to make a snowman, but with dry, powdery snow, they ended up with a snowghost instead! We improvised facial decoration with broccoli eyes, carrot nose, and cantelope rind mouth. (I think the Bob Marley hat was in the wash that day).


Katie and Daddy make a beautiful gingerbread house each year from a fantastic kit that includes everything they need. It's a great winter day activity:


Why is it that the very best thing to a kid is a big cardboard box? Why do we even bother with the carefully chosen gifts?


This box lasted for ages:


For Christmas, Katie got a very special handmade dolly named (appropriately) Dolla from her Auntie Liz. She has curly hair just like Katie:


The one thing Katie asked for this year - repeatedly - was a big stuffy lion. Santa came through again! For the first few days the dogs growled and stalked it, but they grew to understand the giant stuffy.






Another box - this one from St. Louis I think:



Relaxing with a good book:

Playing with her dinosaurs - matching the pictures in the story with her critters:

It's February 13th and Katie Grace is 4 today! Thanks to the internet and Auntie Liz, we created this masterpiece the night before the big party. They got mini party hats before the big show:


Katie and her guests - Morgan and Spencer:


Cool birthday gift - ROMPER STOMPERS, GRRRRR!


Random pictures from this summer:



Swinging from the 'bouy tree' on the beach at Lopez:


The rest of the Halloween gang - Ketchup = Grandma, Mustard = Auntie June, Banana = cousin Cole, Elmo = cousin Aiden, and Bob Marley as herself:

Bob rockin' the portable cassette player - and yeah, I said CASSETTE!


The thinker:


Yes, Katie is obsessed with the computer, especially Skype-ing, but I really took this picture because of the way her legs are folded... those are the bottoms of her feet and her knees are pointed at the ground!


Grandma is a good reader:


Okay, that's it folks. I think I'm about caught up. I'm sure to find a few strays soon - they always pop up after I post. See you someday!