A Trip to the "Park"

Yesterday it was warm enough (kind of) for a family trip to the park (or rather the very small greenbelt next the church). Not only that, but both Brett and I had time for such an excursion. What a rare and lucky day!

Can you tell how cold it is by the look on her face?

Kisses from Mommy

I <3 her hat, plus it totally matches her pjs

Deacon getting ready for Brett to throw the ball

The reason there are no pictures of Brett is because he was wearing workout clothes to run and play with Deacon and thought he "looked gross". Silly boy.

The Most Important Things

Dear Katherine,

Today you are 5 months old. I could easily fill up this letter to you with all the amazing things you are learning and doing. But that is not what I want to tell you today. Today I need to tell you something really important.

I want you to know that you are a child of God, and that he loves you. He loves you so much that he sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to atone for your sins and for the sins of the whole world. Right now you are just a little baby, and are free from sin. But you are growing up, and one day you will make mistakes. That's why your Heavenly Father sent you Jesus Christ, so that you could be clean and happy again after you make mistakes.

Heavenly Father knows what a special spirit you have, and he saved you to come to Earth to live at this time. Sometimes I am really scared for you, because the world can be a scary place. But Heavenly Father knows how strong you are. He brought you here to Earth at this time, to live with our family, because He knows that this was the right time and place for you.

I want you to know how important families are. Your Heavenly Father's plan is all about families. Right now the world doesn't think that families are very important. You need to know that they are. When your Dad and I got married, we were married in the temple of God. Through the power of the priesthood, we made a covenant (that's like a promise) to be married for time and all eternity. When you were born, you were born into the covenant we made. You, and your dad and I are sealed to each other, which means that we are connected by ties that cannot be broken. This means that our family can be together forever. No matter what happens here on Earth, if we follow the plan of Jesus we can live together as a family in heaven.

I want you to know that I have a testimony. A testimony is a special feeling we have inside of us, that tells us things are true. I have a testimony of everything I have just written to you. I know that God and Jesus Christ live, and that they love you more than you will ever be able to understand. I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for you, so you can be happy and return to live with Him again. I know that temples are very special places, and that because of temples and priesthood power our family can be together forever. There will be people in this world who will tell you that these things aren't true. But I know that they are. As you grow up, I promise that I will teach you how to pray, so that when you are old enough you can ask God for yourself.

I love you so much, and hope that no matter how many amazing things you accomplish in this life, you will remember that these things I have just told you are the most important.

Love,

Mom

Who needs a stroller?

I will start out by saying that Kate currently hates her stroller. Oftentimes quite passionately. I have been trying to get her used to it, but haven't been trying very hard because it's been freezing cold out (not very enjoyable, especially with a screaming baby). 

Today it was so nice outside that I thought it would be a great opportunity to take a walk. I thought it would be good to walk to the church (just across the street) and throw the ball for Deacon. That way Kate wouldn't have to be in the stroller for more than a minute before I picked her up, and Deacon would get some much needed exercise. Brilliant plan.

Until I realized that the stroller was in the car, and Brett had taken the car to school. So much for my genius "getting Kate acclimated to the stroller while simultaneously exercising my dog" plan. I decided that we would go to the church to throw the ball for Deacon anyway in order to get some fresh air, so I put Kate in the moby wrap. She started cracking up as soon as I put her in it and wouldn't stop laughing, which made me laugh. It was as if she was saying, "Haha Mom, you thought you outsmarted me but I won!"

Sometimes I wonder why I even bother with the stroller. I'm sure she'll learn to like it eventually, and it will probably have nothing whatsoever to do with my efforts.

I think she should be a model, don't you?

Getting ready to go outside

Ready to go!

Lovin' her moby

This is Love

So I really have no reason to update Kate's blog today, except that I really want to write about all the things I love about this little girl.

I love her sweet voice. I love to hear her talking, laughing, and squealing. I have no idea how she is able to make such adorable noises.

I love her smile, especially when she first sees me after I've been gone for a little while, even if I was only in the next room while she took a nap.

I love watching her jump in her jumperoo. I originally thought the jumperoo would be a good toy for her to play in while I did some chores around the house. I was wrong. It is just too much fun to watch her jump and laugh.

I love her chubby cheeks.

 

I love watching her discover new things.  

I love how much she loves her daddy. She gets so excited when he comes home and gets distracted whenever he is around her.   

I love dressing her up. She is such a good sport about it. 

 

To steal some words from one of my favorite books I like to read to her: I love everything she is, and everything she is going to be. 

 

4 Month Shots :(

Today Kate got her 4 month shots. It was a little terrible. I started to get emotional when they were giving her the rotavirus vaccine. It's not even a shot! It's just a little syrup they made her drink. But the look on her face was just so sad. I had to laugh to keep from crying when the nurse gave her the actual shots (those needles are huge!). You feel like a really bad mom when you are laughing while your husband holds your child down while she screams. But Kate seems to have since recovered. She spent the evening jumping away in her jumperoo (we were trying to keep her legs moving so they don't get too sore). Then we took a bath, nursed, and she is sound asleep. Maybe she'll even stay asleep. Part of me wants her to sleep, but a tiny part of me wants her to wake up so I can snuggle with her instead of doing my homework. *Sigh*

An Apology for Snuggling

After I got Kate up from her morning nap today, I was nursing her while somewhat frantically trying to read and take notes on Sidney's An Apology for Poetry before my critical theory class this afternoon. This was right after I had finished writing a response paper for the same class, and I felt a little pressured to get everything done. Kate fell asleep while nursing, and I was somewhat relieved because this gave me the opportunity to finish my reading. After I was done, I was about to get Kate up so we could continue on with our day. I hadn't even brushed my teeth yet, much less gotten dressed, done my hair and makeup, or done the laundry. But as I looked down at Kate all cuddled up next to me, I decided to just lay down in bed with her and snuggle. I admired her long eyelashes, squishy nose, and chubby cheeks. And as I stroked her forehead and ran my fingers through her hair, I lamented the fast-approaching moment when she won't want to snuggle with me any longer. I eventually was able to get dressed and get on with my day, but even if I hadn't, it would have been so worth it.

How is it...

that the poop can get everywhere but in the diaper. Though 2011 has just begun, I am going to venture to guess that I just cleaned up the blow-out of the year.