Funny things Katelyn says..

Despite some challenges, 3 is really a fun age! Katelyn really says and does some funny things.
-She loves to pretend to crack eggs into our drinks and constantly puts "eggs" in her sippy cups, our coffee, etc.
-She calls "Old Navy" = "Old Baby"
-Her new favorite thing to do is to go to the movies or a Magic game and eat "popcorns"
-She thinks the baby is growing in my boobs and not my belly (guess what's getting bigger!!)
-On "The Doodlebops" (crazy Disney show), she tells us she is Moe, I'm DeeDee and Bryan is Rooney. She also has a sippy cup with three Disney princesses on it and assigns one to each of us..she has Belle, I'm sleeping beauty (booty), and Bryan is Cinderella. Seems she has to give each of us a favorite.
-She calls our sweet dog her "Buddy" and really talks to her like a friend. "Come on Buddy, let's take a walk" as she drags the poor dog by her collar around the house. Very sweet!!
-At Target, their sinks in the restroom are lower than most and she gets so excited, "oh goody! they have little ones for me!!"
-Imagination is running wild, from an imaginary friend named "Stinks" to sharks and monsters in her room at night, to fibbing to her teacher about her favorite uncle robbie coming to visit her.
-Katelyn gets so excited to watch golf on tv and play put-put. One time, she got lucky and got the ball in the hole on her own. Now she tells Tiger on tv, "get the ball in the hole...like me!!"
-Bryan and Katelyn share an obsession for chips. They both can't resist them. They'll sit on the couch together and shove them in their mouths. The other day they were eating chips and Katelyn said, "where's football?" Usually chips and football go hand in hand!
-This girl LOVES to talk on the phone! Now her best friend DJ also likes to talk on the phone and it is hilarious to hear their conversations. The other day, she said to him, "So, how did it go at school today with Miss Kim?" What a little adult! I had to laugh.
-We can't pass a Starbucks without K asking, "you gonna get coffee, mommy?" Oops. Guess I'm a frequent customer!
-She insisted she likes buffalo wings, and we let her have a bite (after warning her they'd be spicey). First few chews went well, then she pulled a face and spit it out. "My mouth is hurting!!"
-Favorite musicians right now are Kenny Chesney, Bono, Josh Groban, and ABBA. She also loves the songs "Girlfriend'' by Avril Lavigne, "Bubbly", and "Big Girls don't Cry." She requests CDS in the car...Bono, red one...etc. and can identify the CD just by the edge poking out of the holder. Crazy! She also has a talent for identifying the song and artist in just a few beats.
-She eavesdrops on your phone conversations and asks questions later. "Why did you tell Jenny not to take a bath?" (she had to keep her foot dry after some treatments), "So, is Daddy on his way home?", "Why is she mad?", etc. Little snoop!!
Oh, she cracks us up!!

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Baby on the Way :-)

What exciting news to share...we are expecting our second baby on July 30th! Such a blessing to have a positive pregnancy test on Thanksgiving morning, we couldn't believe our eyes. It was a HUGE surprise and only days before we were riding roller coasters at Busch Gardens (and yes...partaking in a beer or two!). We shared the news with our immediate family, asking them to keep the news quiet and most of importantly, asking for their prayers. Although we were excited, we were also very nervous and afraid of another miscarriage. On December 19th, we had our first ultrasound, desperate to hear/see that little heartbeat and get the confirmation we were praying for. I started crying before the ultrasound even started, just so nervous. I looked up at my doctor, studying the monitor as she started the ultrasound and I knew that look....it wasn't good. She was very quiet. I started crying a bit harder and said, "not again." She started asking me about the date of my last period, searching for something to appear on the screen. Then, a gift from God, a tiny, fuzzy kidney bean appeared on the screen and we saw the flickering of a very fast heartbeat. My doctor quickly measured it and said "8 weeks and 4 days, right on schedule! And a very fast heartbeat!" Okay, then I really cried. What a HUGE relief! We made an appt. for a month later (just had that appt. today...all went well) and then I cried again in the parking lot. I'm now just over 13 weeks along. I'm so thankful the first trimester is over...it was rough. That was the sickest I've ever been, although it was nice to lose a couple of pounds :-) I had another ultrasound at the hospital last week for my first quad screen and we had excellent views. The dr. offered to tell me the gender, but I don't want to know. It will be a surprise. Just like this pregnancy. A very long, difficult road for us. I feel like July will never get here and I'm just so excited about meeting this baby and holding him/her in my arms. I've already started dreaming about the birth and have dreamed it's a boy (also dreamed Kate was a boy). I know July will be here before I know it, but I just cannot wait!! Please keep us in your prayers.

Katelyn has an Imaginary Friend

I know it's a common thing at this age, with imaginations in full-swing, but I have to admit it freaks me out to know Katelyn has an imaginary friend. It started when we were in Cleveland, although I didn't realize it. She received a flashlight for Christmas and started looking under dark couches for her "stinks." No one knew what she was talking about and she described it as a lizard. I know she has a little gecko lizard here who lives part-time in her bedroom window, between the screen and glass. She has spent many a nap time gazing at this lizard and worrying about it when she doesn't see it. Now that is relatively cool here, the lizard has left the window. So, now she continues to look for her "Stinks" with the flashlight at home. Then she was crying in her room and told me Stinks got caught in her fan. I assured her nothing was in the fan and she was okay. The other day in her playroom, she told me Stinks was playing behind her (creepy....) and I've overheard her talking to it. I try not to bring attention to it and hope it will be one of those things that just fades with time. When I taught kindergarten, I had a little girl who brought her imaginary friend, "Paul McCartney," to school with her. I hope Stinks doesn't make it to school!!

Birtthday Celebration for Ali and Andy

My sister Ali and future brother-in-law Andy celebrate their birthdays less than a week apart, so we all got together on Jan. 5th and had a joint birthday party. We met at a wonderful little pizza place in S. Tampa called "Cappy's." It's pretty small inside, and with a party of 18 people, we took over the outside deck and moved all the tables together. The pizza was awesome and you couldn't beat the company! We all had a great time chatting and eating (and eating...and eating....). As dinner lingered, Katelyn entertained herself by putting on her paper Steak and Shake hat and pretended to be a waitress. She went around the table to each person and said, "What would you like for dinner tonight?" And once you gave your order, she'd follow up by saying "Will that be all?" That cracked me up! She was pretty funny and also had a little friend to play with who was 16 mos. old. After dinner we headed back to Michelle and Andy's condo for cake and coffee and gifts. A fun night and so glad we were able to celebrate with Ali and Andy.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year and I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. What a busy time of year (hence the lack of blogs posted in Dec...sorry about that!). We had a great visit in Cleveland, then some time at home around New Year's Day.

It was a LONG drive up to Ohio (approx. 18 hrs), but we split it up into two days. The weather was cooperative for the drive...some rain in the Carolinas and W. Virginia, but no snow storms to contend with. We stopped on the first night in Columbia, SC and highly recommend the hotel chain we stayed in...Jameson Inn. They are all over the country and look like white southern plantation homes. Very comfortable, well-lit, and the big bonus is an awesome buffet breakfast in the morning (included in your room rate) that had belgium waffles. Very good! A perfect hotel for a stop-over and they take dogs! Our next stop was Columbus, Ohio to stay with friends Sam and Yvonne and meet up with Bryan's college friends for dinner and bowling...an annual tradition that keeps growing. This year we had over 20 people meeting us. Good to see everyone, meet the new babies born this year, and just catch up. Then it was off to Cleveland for the rest of the week. Bryan's family is always a lot of fun and the food is plentiful!! We were able to see everyone while we were there and Katelyn got to hang out with her cousins who are her age. She has great fun with them!

On our drive up to Cleveland, we passed many farms and Katelyn was fascinated (not something you see in Orlando!). We talked about the farms and animals you would see and she became fascinated with seeing pigs. We shared this with Bryan's mom and she took us to a local working farm that is part of the park district. You pay a few bucks and then you can walk around, touch the animals, and even milk a cow! Katelyn absolutely loved it and is still bragging that she milked a cow all by herself! What an experience for her.

We're home now, ready to get back to a normal school and MOPS schedule tomorrow. It's been fun having this time together, but we're ready for our normal routine. Our Christmas decorations are packed away, ready for next year. It will be here before we know it :-)