Black Friday

We didn't do much shopping this year on Black Friday, but we did go out. Not long before Thanksgiving, Katie had found a gift card in her room for Build-a-Bear, so she thought she'd take advantage of their sale to use her gift card.

I always like to add the fluff to my stuffed animals to get them just right! 

My cute bunny was ready for her bath. 

I combed her and fluffed her! 

Then I added some clothes. 

Seemed like the perfect Black Friday to me! 

When You Live With Pets

When you live with pets, sometimes you need to barricade yourself to have quality time with your toys alone!

I made this little space for myself, and it kept the cats out!

Staying Entertained

One morning, Katie was busy playing with her Oonies balloons when she discovered that they would probably stick to the windows.

I had a certain spot on the window that I was aiming for. 

I would throw the balloon and just wait a bit. 

Can you find my balloon collection?

Silly Girl

One night Katie was playing with a bracelet. All of a sudden I heard, "Look! I'm a chicken!" I don't know what it was about that that made me laugh so hard.

I thought this made me look just like a chicken!

Christmas Decorating

This year, my sister, Jennifer, started her Christmas decorating ahead of any of us. Katie was more than excited to help her decorate the tree!

Aunt Jennifer's tree is taller than ours. I found that it was helpful to stand on the couch. 

I tried to be very careful about where I placed each ornament. 

I even remembered to decorate the back of the tree. 

I love the Christmas season!

A Book Talk

We recently had the pleasure of seeing Pete Souza again in person to hear about his newest book. Katie loves his books!

The lighting was pretty dim in the theater, but I could see well enough to look at my book!

Thanksgiving Mail

Katie received her Thanksgiving mail, which always puts a smile on her face!

I love getting mail, just for me! Thanks, Grammy Noreen!

Happy Thanksgiving, 2018!

We had a fun and relaxed Thanksgiving this year. Of course, we had to begin our day with our annual fun of "Will Katie Still Fit in the Stuffing Mixing Pan?" Each year, Katie has been able to sit in the stuffing pan. She made it again this year! However, it's started to get a little tight for her feet. This might be the last year she's able to sit in it.

After that fun, we went to Jennifer's house and my parents came over for dinner. I hope everyone had a happy day!

When I woke up in the morning, I was excited for the holiday. I took a picture on Snapchat to begin the fun! 

When we went to get the stuffing pot, General Washington hopped in it. He looked regal in the pot!

Don't worry. We washed this really good before putting any food in it! 

General Washington welcomed Mr. Limpet to visit, but he wouldn't let him in the pot.

Here I am over the years sitting in the stuffing pot.

2011 

2012 

2013 

2014 

2015 

2016 

2017 

2018

I did it! 

I'll be a little sad when I can't fit in it anymore. 

Aunt Jennifer made the turkey and stuffing, and I helped my mom make the other food. 

My mom tried and tried to get me to eat some of the Thanksgiving food, but all I'd try is the rolls. The rest of my meal was raw vegetables. They were delicious though! 

At Jennifer's, we usually eat at her bar. Since she only has four bar stools, we set up our fanciest card table for Grandma and Grandpa to eat nearby. I took this picture all by myself!

After dinner, I did have a piece of pie. I only eat the middle part though and throw away my crust. I'm a little picky. 

I always love having everyone for dinner!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Learning about Rocks and Minerals

Katie really enjoys looking at and learning about different rocks and minerals. She got a kit from her book order that has different rock samples with a book to teach you about them. It was perfect for her.

I like to find a rock that looks interesting first. 

Then I like to learn about it.

Writing a Story

One day after school Katie decided to type a story on my computer, and she was very excited about it. Later on at dinner, she decided to write a quiz about her story. Then she proceeded to give me the quiz. Luckily I passed.

Before I could write the questions for my quiz, I re-read my story several times. 

I made up some tricky questions, but my mom did okay with it! 

A New Accessory

Katie got some new earmuffs for this season. She hasn't had any new ones since she was about three years old, and she was excited to exchange her Hello Kitty earmuffs for some sparkly earmuffs!

I loved my new earmuffs so much that I wore them in the house too!

Tap Class

As you may have picked up, Katie is really enjoying her tap dance class. It's hard to get many pictures right now because she doesn't want us to watch her class, so we're surprised at her December performance.

Garyldine somehow got this picture, but I'm kind of secretive about all the new tap moves I've been learning!

Hanging Out with Garyldine

While I was completing my parent conferences at school, Katie got to spend some time with Garyldine. She always has fun with Garyldine!

Just passing the time...

Veteran's Day

Our school always does something special for Veteran's Day. This year, students were able to write about any veterans that they know, and their writing was hung up in the school halls. Katie chose to celebrate her grandpa and Aunt Debby for their time in the navy.

I wrote about Grandpa's time on the ships and crossing the equator. 

For Aunt Debby, I wrote about her being part of the Navy Hot Air Balloon team!

A Fancy Dress

When Katie goes shopping, she loves to look at clothes - especially clothes that sparkle. On this day, Katie found a very fancy dress that she really wanted. I told her that we didn't have an occasion for a fancy dress, but she could try it on. She was so happy, and she still dreams about that dress.

I LOVED this dress so much!

A New Favorite Restaurant

I recently took Katie out to dinner at a buffet-style restaurant that is largely a salad bar. She absolutely fell in love with it!

I couldn't believe that I could go back for seconds whenever I chose to get more!

A New Rock Song

Our dog, Sophie, likes to roll on her back back and forth by the wall. As she rolls, she kicks the wall. One day while this was happening, Katie was inspired to make up a rock song about this.

Sometimes songs just pop right out of me!

Tapping, Tapping, Tapping

Katie enjoyed taking her tap dance class so much this summer that she stuck with it this fall. She loves to practice whenever she gets a chance!

Even without tap shoes, it's fun to tap!

Opening a Restaurant

One of the things Katie wanted to accomplish on her weekend to-do list was to open a restaurant. That was one of the first things she did. She was the waitress and the cook!

The first thing I did was to set up a decorated table for my elephant. 

Then it was time to start preparing food and drinks. 

I brought the drinks in first. 

Then I got the order for food. 

Once I brought my elephant her food, General Washington decided to join the party!

Making a Plan

Over the weekend, Katie decided to make a plan for her day, so she wouldn't waste a minute of time.

Sometimes a plan makes you more productive!