Decorating the Dining Room

Katie found some markers and a pad of sticky notes in a drawer. It provided entertainment and then decorations.

I love to draw! 

Does this need a few more details? 

I can make it better right here. 

Perfect!

Where Should I Put My Stickers?

Awhile back, I had brought some stickers home from school. Katie was thrilled to find them. I decided that she is in need of a sticker book!

Would you like a sticker? 

I think I should get some more out. 

After I got the stickers all over the floor, I figured out I could walk in them, they would stick to my feet, and I could take them off my feet to put back in the bag. It was so much more fun than only using my hands.

Making Gingerbread Men

When my mom took Katie to one of her music classes, the teacher read a book about gingerbread men. She had asked for a volunteer to bake gingerbread cookies for class the next week. When no one else volunteered, my mom did. I've made lots of cookies before, but I had never made gingerbread men. I decided to give it a try since I knew Katie would enjoy helping. Her helping was a lot of watching me and talking about the ingredients she saw go in the bowl. She also got to help me stir the dry ingredients with her favorite whisk.

When it came time to roll out the dough, she saw my rolling pin, and she automatically thought of her Play-Doh rolling pin. She ran up to her room, with Aunt Jennifer's help, and returned with her rolling pin. Since I didn't think the other kids would want Play-Doh flavored gingerbread cookies, I gave Katie her own small piece of dough to roll while I rolled the rest. She rolled and rolled and rolled until her dough was paper thin. She had a hard time understanding why we couldn't pick up the gingerbread man that she had pressed into her dough.

The next day, I added white frosting decorations to the cookies. Katie watched me carefully, and she was excited when I gave her the extra frosting and cookies for her to decorate. She kept talking about how it was fun to use "toothpaste." I thought it was a good word for the frosting!

I started slowly and carefully.

My plan was to make buttons down the front.

My buttons grew.

This "toothpaste" is tricky stuff!

Ta-daaa!

I think my cookie looks pretty good.

Here are my finished products!

The Problem with Tights

Last weekend when I took Katie to her dance class, I saw that she had a very small snag in her tights. Luckily she didn't notice it during her class, or she would have been completely distracted by it. On the way home, however, I heard a noise come from the car seat that sounded very much like a discontent little girl. I had completely forgotten about the snag, but when I turned around, I saw that Katie had found the snag and pulled. The result had made Katie very unhappy.

Look what happened when I pulled the string. 

Every time I pulled, the hole got bigger. I just wanted it fixed.

Pulling and Pulling and Pulling

Washing Hands

One day while Jennifer was home for lunch, Katie was busy in the kitchen while Jennifer and my mom visited. They could hear that Katie was busy and having a conversation. When my mom said she better go check on Katie, Katie's response was, "Nooo!"

Of course that made Jennifer go check on her. She was playing "Wash Hands." She had gotten her step stool to stand in front of the sink, and she was happily pretending to wash her hands.

Hey! Are you spying on me? 

I'm just washing my hands.

New Tap Shoes

In Katie's new dance class, she alternates between ballet and tap dancing, so she just got her first pair of tap shoes. The night before Katie had to wear them to her class, I decided I better let her try them out. Sometimes she needs a warm-up period to new things.

She wasn't all that happy about putting her new shoes on…until she stepped on the wood floors and heard the noise they made. Then she was as happy as anything. She just wanted to keep making noise.

Katie soon discovered that new tap shoes are a little slippery. We went outside, so she could try to scuff up the shoes a little on the driveway. She had lots of dancing fun!

These shoes make a lot of noise.

It's fun just to walk in them.

Ta-daaa!

Some of Katie's First Moments in Tap Shoes

Trying to Dance with Chloe

The Duck

Over the summer, we were in a gift shop, and Katie found a toy duck that she had to have. I ended up getting it for her and paying more than I ever intended on paying, but I figured it was a rather unique toy. I've been so happy that I got it. She loves her duck and has played with it so much that she has more than made up for the money it cost.

I love to spend the day with Duck. 

This was the day I took Duck for a ride in the stroller.

This was when I rode in my stroller with Duck.

This was Duck's first wagon ride.

Katie Showing Duck the Camera

Watching the Koi Fish

When we go to the mall, one of Katie's favorite things to do is to watch the Koi Fish pond. She's so content just watching.

I love watching the big fish.

Time with Chloe

I love to watch Katie and Chloe together. Chloe is such a patient dog with her, and Katie adores Chloe.

Don't you love this story, Chloe?

Sharing a Dinner

We were having hamburgers for dinner one night. Typically, Katie doesn't eat much of a hamburger, and Chloe gets some of her dinner. So Katie was sitting at the table, and Chloe was pacing back and forth under her chair in hopes that she might get some food. Katie wasn't in the mood for sharing, so my mom asked if she could have a bite of her hamburger so she could sneak the bite into Chloe's dish for later. Katie happy said yes and put the bite in my mom's hand.

Enjoy your bite, Gaga!

Additional Birthday Surprises

Katie's a lucky girl. She has so many people that care about her that she has a birthday that keeps on giving. She now has a new, favorite book to listen to at night, thanks to her Grammy Noreen.  She got her a copy of Love You Forever that she recorded in her own voice. Katie listens to it, and then says, "Again! Again!"

She also got a birthday card in the mail from Aunt Lois. She loved the cat on the front of the card and was very happy to get new mail!

It's a new book! 

Grammy Noreen always knows how to choose good books. 

I took this picture myself. Bubble wrap is like a whole, separate present to me. I wanted to remember it forever!

Time for my book!

I love to listen to stories being read.

This is one of the pages that makes me laugh!

Thank you for my new book!

I love to get mail. 

There was a cute cat on the front! 

Thanks for the nice note, Aunt Lois.

Time to Play

Everyone should take moments out of their lives just to enjoy playing!

I like playing with my Winnie the Pooh Legos. 

Look at the tower I built! 

Gotta work the music in with a saxophone solo... 

… followed by a singing solo. 

Now for a quick run. 

Oops! I need to grab Winnie the Pooh! 

Hide from the camera. 

Now I have to laugh at myself! 

I better jump up and down over and over. 

Now, I'll run in fast circles.

I don't understand why my mom sometimes gets tired just watching me play.

Visiting a Volcano

The weekend before last, my family and I decided to visit one of our favorite places…Mt. St. Helens. After its eruption in 1980, the damaged area was declared a National Volcanic Monument. The 110,000 acre area has been left to respond naturally to the disaster. No planting is done there as scientists observe the miracle of nature. It has been amazing to watch the changes over the last decade. Although it would be hard to see in the pictures, we are always shocked at the changes we see each time we go there.

Katie was a good traveler, as always. When we got to the last visitor's center, we took Katie to watch the short movie about the disaster. I wondered what she would do since she's never been in a theater, but she was really good for the entire thing, watching all of the images on screen.

After the video, we went outside to look around. While my mom and Jennifer listened to the forest ranger's talk, I followed Katie around as she observed, danced, and talked. At one point, she walked over to look at the mountain. She pointed at it and looked at me and said, "Volcano?" When I said yes, she said, "Mountain fell down." I guess she was paying attention to the video.

I stopped for a picture in front of Mt. St. Helens right after I watched the movie about it. 

We could see Mt. Adams in the background. 

It was really windy up there. 

I like to hang out with Gaga. 

Grandma and Grandpa liked the mountain too. 

That's where the "mountain fell down." 

I got to run and dance while the forest ranger talked in a different area. 

It felt good to run around. 

I liked learning about the volcano!