The circus is coming to town!

Today we went to the Grayson Library to see 2 of the clowns from the Ringling Brothers & Barnum & Bailey Circus! Katelyn had a great time with her Jami and enjoyed seeing the clowns perform.

Here she is with Jami, thumb in mouth for most of the show. She is a girl after my own heart, you know...10 am is still morning! :)

She stood for part of the show, kiki in hand, or wrapped around her shoulders, whatever works...

Once the clowns started juggling, she really got into it!

Here she is (from my point of view) hanging on my legs, ready to go! Not much room in my lap anymore with this big 'ole belly!

When the show ended, she slowly walked towards one of the clowns, (thumb in mouth again, of course!) - it was one of those very slow walks where she shuffles her feet like she is sneaking away from me and I can't see her leaving! So brave to walk right up to the clowns and say hello!

Happy Baby Shower!

Last Saturday my best friend Kelley hosted a baby shower for me, and we had such a great time! She is one of those crazy girls who goes way overboard and pays attention to every single detail, of which I notice and appreciate immensely. She thought of everything (and I mean everything!) and worked very hard to make this a special day for me. Not only is she a great planner and hostess, but she's also the best cook and baker around. I always steal her recipes and hope that someday I might be able to climb my way up to her level. :) One can always dream, right?!

Here's a pic of some of the girls painting baby onesies. Is this not the cutest idea ever? So creative!

It was great fun to have a visit from little Coco (my doggie cousin) - look at his adorable outfit! He is always dressed to impress! Here he is with Aunt Tina and Lonnie. Such a little prince...

Days like this remind me of how blessed I am in having such wonderful friends and family around me. Thank you to Kelley and to everyone who was a part of this day. It truly meant so much, and I am grateful for each of you!

Some new family pics...

When Katelyn was born, I will outwardly admit how obsessive I was about getting her pictures taken. I had good reason, though, and I justified it by my amazement of her physical changes during the course of only a month. Once she reached the 1 yr mark, however, I slowed down drastically in the photo arena. Last night we finally made our appointment to get Katelyn's 2 year pictures taken, and we got some great family shots and maternity ones at the same time. We are a couple months late on these, but toddler life gets in the way you know - like growing bangs out, or avoiding photos for a while after a goose egg is planted on her forehead. We are glad to have some updated pictures to enjoy and share. I have made my first attempt at a slide show...yet another blog world thing to do that I guess I am figuring out as I go...enjoy!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

"Ice Cream Truck!"

Tonight we had the pleasure of experiencing Katelyn's first run to an ice cream truck. By now, she clearly knows the words "ice cream" ("eye cream") and "truck" ("tuck") - but has never heard them yelled out together by a crazy mama running around to find some change. As she ran down the driveway, she exclaimed "eye cream, eye cream" with more energy than I seem to have most days. We immediately noticed our favorite character, Dora, on the side of the truck, who inevitably became our first choice. Here are a couple pictures of Katelyn enjoying her Dora ice cream. (Aren't we all proud that I charged the camera?!)

Much to do about nothing...

No one told me that once you started a blog, people will actually call you to ask when the next "blog post" will be. You know, this is turning into some type of committment! (of which I forewarned you I might not keep!)

Our days have been filled with 90+ degree heat, occasional rain storms, and tons of humidity to accompany it. Because of this sticky weather, (and the fact that I'm 5 weeks away from delivery), we tend to stay inside where it's a nice & cool climate. Occasionally, we do get out to "alk" as Katelyn calls it. (She will usually repeat the word "alk" countless times, until we finally acknowledge her and go outside.) The highlight of one of our days this week was that during our walk, we ended up in an unsuspected rainstorm while at the end of the culdesac. (Imagine a large pregnant woman with a hyper dog on a leash, followed by a 2 yr old child pushing her doll in a small stroller.) It was quite a site to see. As the rain came pouring down, there I am trying to convince Katelyn to run up the hill against the hard rain that is soaking all of us. Because she is now over 31 pounds, I have found that I cannot continue to lift her and carry her off and on throughout the day. (If I want to be able to do more than just sit on the couch all evening, I have to pass up the heavy lifting.) For this reason, I was not going to pick her up and carry her up the long hill. Besides, I had a dog to control and with her in my arms, what would we do with the baby stroller?! Well, we finally made it home and I was amazed at myself for: 1) thinking of grabbing the camera and taking great pictures of this event, and 2) sharing these pictures with friends and family on this lovely thing we call a blog. As I pulled out my camera, ready to impress myself (and my mom), I soon discovered that my camera battery was dead. So, as hard as we were laughing, and as wet as we were, you will just have to imagine how great those pictures might've been. You have my sincere apologies, but I should get some credit for the effort!

In the meantime, our other days have been filled with such exciting activities that I'm sure after reading, you'll stop wondering why I'm not blogging about them. My activities lately range from writing insurance policies, making play-doh shapes, de-cluttering my home, laundry, puzzles, re-organizing my office, stacking blocks, cleaning, and the list could go on. Life at home with a toddler often consists of daily tasks with built-in fun. She can actually put clothes into the washer for me now, and she feeds the dog and the fish too! As a child and teenager, I used to be convinced that the only reason my parents had me was to do "their chores." Well, now that my daughter has grown into the mature age of 2, I figured it was time for her to start earning her keep around here as well. (That is, after all, why we had her...right?!) So, among other things, she helps me put the silverware on the table, cleans up her toys, cleans up Chips' toys, and helps sweep the floor. Pretty much anything that I'm doing, she loves to do as well. Her latest phrase is "I try" - and that is just what she does. During one chore last week, we sat on the carpet together (while cleaning up dog mess - how's that for an exciting activity!) and I fought the urge to hurry her up to finish the chore. For me, it's all a lesson in patience. The tasks that used to take me seconds to complete now, with a helper, take several minutes. Things don't get done as quickly as they used to, but she is learning and loving to help, and I am enjoying the chance to watch her and have her by my side. These simple, everyday tasks have been coupled with laughs and fun memories, and this time spent is worth every bit of patience I have to learn. "They" say (whoever "they" are) that we are the teachers to our children as they learn, but I suspect it might just be the other way around...