Katelyn Sings Angel Song & Jingle Bells

Katelyn Making Stromboli

Katelyn Knows Her Colors!

Tennessee Turtles

Katelyn's word that she associates with the letter T is "turtle". Any time she sees that letter anywhere, such as a book, a sign, my t-shirt, or whatever, she points it out. When she saw Tennessee's football helmets and their logo on Saturday, she immediately said "T - Turtle" several times. So, around this house, the Vols will now forever be known as the Turtles.

With any luck, this will catch on nationally. I could probably make some joke about how Kiffin should go back into his shell or that next year we'll be making some turtle soup or something, but I won't.

Cutest Alabama Cheerleader!

I Love to Swing with Daddy

Such A Mess!

A few updates/stories from the daddy of the world's cutest toddler:

Katelyn will at least attempt to say just about any word she hears now. She said "bumblebee" pretty clearly the other day. Lately she's been stringing a few words together to make sentences, such as "Where did [whatever or whoever] go?". The cute "Mo" has become "Elmo", and "nana" has become "banana".

Katelyn was in her crib saying "Hi Mommy!" instead of going to sleep. Tammy went in and rocked her and told her she didn't want to hear another peep out of her. Katelyn's response: "Peep!"

Katelyn keeps getting in trouble for telling Angel to hush when she barks. We're still not sure if she even knows what it means, but she's heard that so many times as the response to the dog barking that she keeps saying it. I'm pretty sure I heard her say "hush" to Tammy while Tammy was being loud when Katelyn was trying to go to sleep, but I may have made that up.

Katelyn said or did something she wasn't supposed to, and Tammy explained to her "That's not funny". Katelyn's response: "Funny!"

Pretty much any time I'm not in the room with her, she'll say "Daddy work".

She is still obsessed with the moon, and has been for a while. She'll flip through books just to find the pictures that have the moon in them, and there's a children's song/video on Youtube called Catch the Moon that she makes us watch repeatedly. Oh well, it's beats Barney. She always wants to find the moon in the sky when she is outside at night. Or during the day. Even when it's cloudy.

When she's in the mood, she will give good hugs and an occasional kiss (which is sometimes more of a lick), but if she is not in the mood, she does NOT like for you to hug her.

She loves saying "Uh-oh" repeatedly, even when she's done something on purpose.

She loves to go through her alphabet magnets or the bath tub ones and say a word that starts with each letter of the alphabet. She can't quite get them all, but she does really well. She also does this during her alphabet videos.

She knows which book she wants you to read her at bedtime, and if you choose the wrong one, bad things ensue. It's safest to just let her pick it out and hand it to you.

She always requests a napkin during her meal, which she uses to wipe her tray, wipe her hands, and wipe her mouth. Last night, I spilled some water on her shirt at bedtime, and she asked for a napkin. I gave her a paper towel, which she then rubbed on her shirt, and then at her mommy's request wadded up and dropped into the trash can.

Any time she sees a phone, she wants to call Gammy or Pop.

I already have her hooked on football. It comes out more like "ootball". Tonight I was watching a reply when she got home...she seemed all excited at what was on TV. Then she was playing with the remote and accidentally changed the channel, and seemed genuinely upset that there wasn't any more "ootball" on the screen.

Lake Tansi 2009

In July we took a family trip to my parent's timeshare in Lake Tansi. Katelyn was only 6 months old last year and now a year later there are so many differences. I remember last year we bathed her in the sink and we carried her around in her infant carrier. This year as soon as we got to the place she immediately started exploring and going into the bedroom and shutting the door. It was challenging to unload our stuff with her underfoot, but so fun to see her explore. Big differences!

We all traveled to Lake Tansi on Sunday after my cousin's wedding and then we went to brunch at at restaurant literally across the parking lot from the timeshare. That afternoon we walked down to the lake and I got some great pictures of the beautiful lily pads in bloom.

Lake Tansi is one of my favorite places because of all the great birding opportunities. American Black Ducks on the lake, Canadian Geese and Red-Headed Woodpeckers are everywhere.

We went to Cumberland State Park on Monday. It is great place for picnics and hiking. We fed the geese and ducks and I got to see my Belted Kingfishers again and a Green Heron. I know no one else cares about this, but this is big passion of mine, especially photographing them. There is a beautiful bridge at the state park that we got pictures of. We found a good picnic spot next to the water and the geese and ducks from earlier found us and came waddling up. Katelyn really enjoyed playing on the playground at the park. Monday night we ate at my favorite rib place, the Beef & Barrel. Yum Yum!

On Tuesday we went to the "beach." It is really the lake with some kind of material that resembles sand. It was fun to lay out and watch Katelyn wade in the water with her Pop & Gammy. She was so excited that she could walk in the water. She has figured out that she can leave her tent now so next year should be interesting.

Lake Tansi has a lot to offer for recreation. Ricky and I hit the tennis balls around and you can paddle boat and play miniature golf. Every time we passed the swings Katelyn wanted to go on them.

We had a great trip with my parents and are looking forward to doing it again next year.

Click on the picture below to see the gallery.

Family Zoo Trip

Ricky had a day off from work so our whole family went to the zoo. Katelyn kept saying monkey, monkey as soon as we got there. That was her favorite animal last time. Each time we go she gets more and more excited and she can really talk about the animals now. She loves trains so every time she heard it she said choo choo. It is so cute. She got really excited when she actually saw the train. She even got to ride it.

We took her to the butterfly exhibit just so we could hear her say butterfly. She says something like "budderfy" or "udderfy" depending if she decides to say the "b" or not, either way it is adorable. She liked one butterfly in particular and kept going back to that one spot to see if it was still there.

She had so much fun playing in the fountains. She just laughed and laughed when the water splashed her. One time the fountain went off right in her face. It startled her a bit, but she was fine. We had to laugh at her expression : ) She was hesitant at the petting zoo, but I finally got her to pet a goat and she even tried to brush it. The brush was upside down, but the goat didn't seem to mind. It was a great zoo adventure.

Splishin' and a Splashin'

18 Months!

Talking and Eating

Katelyn and Angel Playing

Pinwheel, Pinwheel, Spinning Around

New Assistant

They finally hired me an assistant at work, and boy is she cute!

Katelyn at the Beach

We had a fantastic beach trip with the fam. We arrived on Saturday, ate lunch at Buster's and then hit the outlet malls. Katelyn did pretty good in the car until it got really hot and she needed a nap. She was pretty fussy for the 15-20 minute drive to the beach house. After her nap we went to take our first look at the beach for 2009. We didn't bother to put swimsuits on because it was late in the afternoon. We just spread the neat sheet out and let Katelyn play in the sand. She absolutely loved it and she and Mommy and Daddy were covered in sand by the time we left. She got rather used to being hosed down everyday.

Katelyn really enjoyed going out to the beach each morning and then playing in the pool everyday. She would say "beach" or "pool" depending on which we were going to. She was content to sit under the canopy and play in the sand with her cousins or to go out in the water with her Daddy or Mommy or one of her fun uncles. She had a great time jumping the waves and letting the water rush over her feet. This is a big change from last year when she cried every time the water came near her. She also liked to hold our hands and walk on the sand. There was one morning that apparently she wanted to go the pool and not the beach, and she was very unhappy to be out there.

She ate pretty well during the week. She even tried some grilled grouper and really liked it. We are trying to teach her about using her inside voice because she can get really loud at mealtimes especially while waiting for our food at restaurants. Katelyn's Aunt Laura and I took Judson and Katelyn down to Seaside one day to try out the story time. They got to ride in a little attached car behind the bike. They really enjoyed the bike ride.

Katelyn said just about everyone's name during the week. She even said Gandmama a couple of times. She loved to say her uncles' names over and over. It was pretty funny! She was highly entertained all week by her family, especially all of her cousins. We left on Saturday to drive home and it took us 8 hours to get home because of at least 3 detours. To say the least Katelyn had a hard time. She clapped her hands when we stopped for lunch probably because she was so happy to be out of the car and she was hungry : ) It was a long ride home. We had a wonderful trip and can't wait till next year!

Click on the thumbnail below to see the gallery!

So Much Fun!

Belly Buttons

Katelyn's been really fascinated by her own belly button for several weeks now. She'll say "belly", pull up her shirt, and point to it. One time, right after she ate, her belly was so full that it stuck out and she couldn't find her belly button and cried.

Anyway, tonight, Katelyn and I were playing on the floor. I was lying on my side, and my t-shirt had come up a little bit too much and was showing some skin. Katelyn crawled over next to me, and with a horrified look on her face, poked her little finger inside my big, hairy belly button. Then, still with a disturbed look on her face, she quietly grabbed the bottom of my t-shirt and pulled it back down to cover everything up.

It's amazing how quickly little girls learn to be embarrassed by their daddy...

Katelyn's First Steps

Katelyn took her first steps this week while Grammy was taking care of her. Katelyn's Grammy has been working with her a lot this week while I have been at Kidlife (VBS). I just knew she would take those first steps when I wasn't around : ) I got to see her take some more steps today and she has only gotten braver as the day progressed. She is letting go of objects and our hands and just toddling off on her own. Elmo "Mo" has been a very good incentive. It is so exciting and I just can't believe she is walking! Now of course I will worry about her losing her balance and falling, but I know that is all part of learning to walk. Crash helmet anyone?

Memorial Day Fun

We had a wonderful, relaxing Memorial Day. Katelyn's Grandmama came over and ate yummy hamburgers with us and then Katelyn entertained us while she enjoyed her swing and we blew bubbles with her new bubble gun. A really great day!

Katelyn Playing With Activity Center at Pop & Grammy's

Weekend At Pop & Grammy's

Tub Fun

Pink Smocked Dress

Bubbly Fun

Playday At The Birmingham Zoo

This is just the beginning of zoo pictures on Katelyn's website. We have a zoo membership so we plan to go a lot. On Friday we went with some of our playgroup friends to the zoo. It was insanely crowded. Katelyn is really starting to look and point at the animals. We even splashed around in the fountains in the children's area. I will bring a swimsuit for her next time. We both got pretty wet. I am excited for the time she can actually run through the fountains. I know it is coming soon!

A-Day Game Fun

Happy Easter!

Love Dad's expression in this one.

Family Pic

Uncle Stew, Mommy & Katelyn

Grammy, Poppy & Katelyn

My Pretty Dress

Easter Egg Hunt

We started Saturday morning off early with Breakfast with the Birds and a birdwalk at the zoo. Katelyn had fun strolling around and talking to everyone. She was not very interested in the birds, but then neither was her Daddy : ) We also went to the Dawson Easter Egg hunt. Katelyn is not quite ready to hunt eggs, but we got some cute pictures of her with her two eggs. She would not crawl on the grass at all. Not a big fan. I think next year she will have a lot of fun. It was a great Saturday!



This egg tastes like plastic.

Clap, Clap, Clap your eggs....

This egg needs to go with all of those over there, but I am prissy and I am not crawling on this grass so I will just point.

Toothbrush or Hairbrush?

Silliness, Words, and a Little Sign Language

Katelyn is now a little over 14 1/2 months old and she has decided to concentrate on her verbal skills instead of her motor skills right now : ) It is amazing to hear her repeat words that we say and that she hears. They are really sinking in now. She has also picked up a little sign language that we have taught her along the way. I love watching her learn new things and walking is just around the corner. Enjoy!

Just A Swinging

Special Pancakes

Singing

Directing The Choir

How Big Is Katelyn, So Big!

Sunny Smile

Sleeping Beauty

I've been meaning to post these for a while...they were actually taken in January using the night vision of our video camera. The quality isn't great, but we wanted proof of some of the weird positions Katelyn sleeps in. This isn't nearly all of them. Our favorite, and one of the most common ones, is the one in the middle with her rear in the air. Also notice in the lower left photo she's doing her traditional pose.

Zebra Fun

Silly Katelyn, That's Your Baby's Bottle!

Snow Day Compairson

Snow 2009

I Can't Move My Arms!

Stylin' And Profilin'

Sweet Girl

Piggy Playsuit

Katelyn Cruising At Grammy And Poppy's House

What Is Katelyn Doing Now?

Katelyn is developing such a little personality. She is so friendly and has a great sense of humor. Sometimes she will just look at something and crack up and we're like 'Katelyn share the joke.' We have no idea what she finds so funny, but it makes us laugh anyway. Whenever we laugh at something she imitates us and laughs too. So hysterical!

She is talking up a storm. We don't really understand most of what she says, but it is fun to try and figure it out. She is saying a good handful of words off and on. Here is a list of some of the ones I have recorded so far.

Ma Ma(still not very often)
Da Da
Ba Ba(she uses this one for a lot of things)
Shu - Shoe (she pronounces it with a very hard Shhh sound)
Baby (referring to her baby doll)
Up - Cup
Cat
App - apple
Doh - dog

A lot of these words she actually said when we asked her to repeat them. It is so amazing to us when we ask her to say something like 'pear' and she tries to repeat it. She will be talking very soon! She understands a lot more words then she can actually say. We will say Katelyn 'where is your baby' and she goes straight to her baby doll or 'Katelyn give the baby her bottle' and she really tries to put the bottle in her mouth. So smart!

Let's see what else is Katelyn doing? She is cruising up and down the furniture and letting go some so walking is not too far behind. We were completely done with bottles and using only sippy cups now with whole milk, water, and a little juice for snack. She is eating all kinds of things. Some of her favorites are Puffs, Cheerios, any kind of bread or tortillas, pears, mac & cheese, shredded cheese, graham crackers, ritz, and many more.

Katelyn and I are also involved in a music class at church called Baby Songbirds. We have only been a couple of times, but already I can tell she loves it. She gets to click rhythm sticks together and play jingle bells and maracas. She has so much fun!

Katelyn now has 6 teeth. 4 coming in on the top and two very visible ones on the bottom. She likes to cut them two at a time it seems. I always know when she is cutting a tooth because she gets really fussy and she never acts like that normally.

Okay, I think that pretty much catches you up on what going in Katelyn's life right now. Hope you enjoyed the recap. God Bless!

Katelyn is laying on the floor like a big kid watching one of her favorite shows. How funny! You can really see her dimple in this picture.

Katelyn Acting Like A Doggy

I don't think she is intentionally pretending to be a dog, but she has seen Angel running around with toys in her mouth so who knows she might be imitating her. I have no idea what goes on in that mind of hers. Wish I could read her mind sometimes : )