Hello?

Lately when Katie answers her kitchen phone, it's usually a story book character on the other end. She seems pretty excited to talk to them.

Hello? Hi, Scylla! Are you at the ball yet?

Making Trains

Katie has had fun making trains lately whenever we have more than one empty box. When she was in my classroom with me, she found lots of boxes.

Anyone for a ride? Choo choo!

Giving Bear a Bath

Katie was so happy to discover her polar bear in her bedroom! Since finding him again, Katie has spent lots of quality time with him. Before that though, she had to give him a bath.

Once I found a bathtub, Barbie helped me get Bear clean. 

I let him use my bath toys, and he loved mermaids as much as me. 

After he got his hair washed, he needed a good combing. 

Then I told him he needed a nap. 

It was so comfortable that both of us fell asleep!

Another Birthday Present

Katie was very excited when I let her know that she had a box waiting for her from Uncle Jeff, Aunt Grace, and Ian. She couldn't wait to open it!

Oh my gosh! I thought this was just a box, but... 

…Tinkerbell was hiding inside. It was the best box in the world! 

I think I found my present. 

I know who this is! 

It's Sven, my favorite reindeer! 

I'm thinking of a good idea! 

Let's repack him, so I can open it up again!

Thank you for my present! I love it!

My "Echo!"

When we went to the fair this year, there was a tent for Geico Insurance. My mom and sister went to the tent to answer a few questions and received a prize for their time. My mom's prize was a little Geiko gecko stuffed animal. She gave it to Katie, and it became one of her new favorite toys.

When we were first talking to her about it, she started to call it her "echo" since she had misunderstood "gecko." Once she heard the difference, she thought it was funny to call it "Echo," so it continued.

As I was making dinner one night, Katie came running to me in tears. "My echo! My echo! Chloe got it!"  I went in the living room to look, and Chloe had indeed gotten the gecko and had done her favorite thing with stuffed animals. She chewed out the eyeballs! Katie was very, very sad. She had a talking-to with Chloe, and she told me to as well. That night, she sadly explained to Barbie what Chloe had done with her gecko. "It made me cry. I'm so sad."

Meanwhile, Garyldine was in Idaho and was going to a fair there. I texted her to ask her to look for a Geico tent. There was no tent, so without me knowing it, Garyldine contacted our local Geico representatives to ask if there was any way to get a replacement. She contacted the right agent because he was willing to go into their storage and find not just one new gecko, but two and a pair of sunglasses. There are a lot of nice people in this world.

I was so, so sad when I saw what Chloe did to my Echo. 

He just didn't look right anymore. 

When we went to get the replacements, I was a little shy, but I have since told my mom over and over about the "nice man" that found the new geckos for me! 

My new geckos like to dance together. 

They're both very friendly! 

I discovered they fit in my Barbie camper front. 

They're pretty good drivers. 

It makes me so happy that they have eyes! 

They also like to go on wagon rides with me. 

When I don't have them, I keep them up high so Chloe can't reach them!

It's also nice to have a green pair of sunglasses in the car!

A Birthday Card

Katie was excited to get a birthday card in the mail from Aunt Lois. It's always a happy surprise!

Aunt Lois always puts happy stickers on my envelopes!

After I read the card, I saw that Aunt Jennifer found something that had dropped out!

She sent me Rapunzel stickers! Thank you!

A Late Birthday Gift

For Katie's birthday, I bought her the Barbie camper that she had been dreaming about for awhile. I ordered it a little late though, so it arrived the day after her birthday. I wasn't too worried since I knew she'd have plenty of presents to open at her party. I also thought it might be a good celebration of making it through her first day of preschool.

Katie was pretty happy when she opened her gift. She didn't seem to mind at all that it was late.

I hid my face while I waited for my birthday surprise.

I opened the small box first and found Barbie and her sisters. 

Then it was time for the big box! 

I couldn't believe what I was seeing! 

I squealed pretty loud with my excitement! 

I started putting things together right away. 

Aunt Jennifer helped with the stickers while I played with my dolls. 

It's fun to make my dolls roast marshmallows!

It was a good way to top off my first day at school!