Merry Christmas!

We're heading down to Yreka tomorrow and I'm not sure when I'll post again, so I wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! I appreciate everyone who takes the time to keep up with us here. We are lucky to know each and every one of you! I hope Santa brings everyone what their heart desires....I think Kate will have fallen in love with Santa by the next time I write! :)

Snowy weekend!

We woke up Saturday morning to about 10 inches of snow, and it's snowed off and on since then! We're pretty much homebound, but finding ways to entertain ourselves. Kate's starting to enjoy the snow, and we're just about to head out to try out the new sled Ryan just brought home! And, totally unrelated to snow, here's my favorite Kate gem of the day: while playing with legos that build into a castle, she proclaimed, "now I will put the toilet (turret) on top!"

And by "pub"....

...I meant "pun." Guess you can tell where my mind's at!

So cool!

My friend Clare, who lives in Australia, sent us this fantastic "bouquet" of cookies! What a neat idea. Kate exclaimed, "I can't wait for that to be in my mouth!!" when she saw it. Smart cookie (terrible pub totally intended :) Thanks, Clare!!

Life is good

We have a big window along side our stairs and I have a habit of doing the whole "starlight, star bright, first star I see tonight..." wish thing whenever I walk down them and get a glimpse of the stars. Yesterday as I walked down them with Will in the early morning hours, the stars were shining brightly and I automatically starting the wishing chant. When I got to the end, though, I paused and no wish came to mind. If I thought about it awhile, I'm sure I could come up with some but, in the moment, my mind was blank. I'm thinking that says that my life is pretty great. Healthy, happy kids, fantastic family and friends--there's not much more I could wish for and that makes me very happy.

My recent favorites

I'm always cracking up at the things Kate says. It truly is a wonder how a toddler's mind works! One of her better comments came yesterday in the grocery store. I was taking a soda off the shelf when she announced (loudly) "It's new beer for daddy! New beer for daddy for his breakfast!!" I told Ryan that he's going to get a reputation if she keeps it up since we live in such a small town now. :) Oh and, no, he DOES NOT actually drink beer for breakfast, but you got to love the creativity! Also yesterday, Kate was making beds out of pillows and saying "this is going to be nice and comsy for Kate." I think "comsy" is a combo of comfortable and cozy, but I kind of like it!

This boy's got cheeks!

Will's cheeks are every bit as squishable as Kate's were. Oh, Will, I could just eat you up!! I know I'm completely biased, but that little smile melts my heart. And at this moment he's taking a nap. In his crib. Now, I understand that this is no feat for most kids but if you know Kate, you know that we've never experienced this simple luxury before!! Kate has only ever napped in the stroller and by "ever" I mean ever--she has never been a napper and would never do it in her crib. She's an awesome sleeper (since she was 9 months old anyway) but I can't say she ever willingly and knowingly took a nap. Will, on the other hand, was just hanging out in his crib, watching his mobile while I did some chores. I went in to check on him and, wonder of all wonders, he's just snoozing away! No big deal for most but, for me, it's AMAZING!

Great idea, daddy!

Ryan is the master of rainy day fun. Last year, he made the VERY popular dig pit and, yesterday, he made Kate an indoor climbing wall. She loves it! When she woke up this morning, she popped up and said "it's time to do the rock wall." You know where we'll be today!

Three months old already!

Wow, three months have flown by! It's still hard to believe we've got two kids, let alone a 2-year-old and a 3-month-old. Time seems to be going faster and faster, and I find myself trying hard to cherish each day. I also find myself thinking more and more about my own parents, and about how you never know how much they do for you until you have kids of your own. My parents definitely shaped the kind of parent I am or, at least, strive to be. I think they did an amazing job of teaching me the big lessons about love, compassion and respect but it's the little lessons (that maybe weren't even lessons) that keep popping into my mind now. Here are some of the things they've taught me...hopefully, I can pass these same ideas on to Kate and Will:

1. When in doubt, do the gracious thing.
2. Simplify, simplify, simplify
3. Use firm handshakes
4. Smile
5. Always write a thank you note
6. Get the meaning, not just the answer
7. When it comes to family, you defend and support. No exceptions.
8. Every once in awhile, take the time to dine, not just "eat." In life, take the time to enjoy, not just rush through.
9. Only drink good champagne. If an event is worth celebrating, it's worth celebrating right.
10. You can always come home.

Thanks to ALL my moms and dads. You make me a better parent every day.

Gingerbread house & a milestone for Will!

This weekend we had a mini-Civil War party with our friends Heidi and Ryan and their daughter Addie. While the guys watched the game, the girls made a pretty great gingerbread house. We weren't sure what Addie and Kate would think about it, but they loved it (especially the testing of the candy part). We managed to get most of the candy on the house, but Kate is still eyeing it daily, telling me "that house would be yummy in my tummy!" It's a fantastic snowy, inside day activity, though, so we might do it again--maybe with graham crackers and cream cheese to cut down a LITTLE on the sugar! :) Will wasn't so involved with the house (although he is already eyeing our food pretty carefully) but he did hit a big milestone two night's ago: moving into his own crib! The first night he woke up a few times and seemed to be looking around like "where AM I??" Last night, though, he did just fine. He fell asleep downstairs around 6 (early for him) and I fed him around 8:30. He didn't wake up and then slept until 3:30. He got up to eat and then went right back to sleep. It's almost 6:30 and he's still sleeping, so he seems to be on his normal pattern again. Both kids asleep? I'll take it anytime I can get it!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Happy Birthday, Ryan! Thanks for being the best, best, BEST daddy in the world! We love you and hope you enjoy your Rice Crispy treats birthday "cake"! :)

Word to the wise:

Don't leave your toddler unattended with a bag full of goldfish crackers. Her cheeks were so full she couldn't speak for about five minutes!

Okay...

so I posted these all in the wrong order...perhaps start at the bottom and read up. That's what I get for trying to be clever.

Will's first Thanksgiving

No turkey this year, but plenty of football watching with daddy and dance parties with Kate!

Everyone loves a parade

One thing that's great about Sisters is that the town is ALWAYS game for a festival or parade--there is basically one or the other every weekend, which makes this a perfect town for kids. Kate and Will went to their first holiday parade this weekend and, though it was COLD, we had fun seeing horses, bands, tractors, trucks and Santa. Kate just sort of stared at it all in awe (or confusion) but she was interested when the Bobcat came to clean up after the horse and there was a girl of about 8 driving it! We all know what Kate will be doing in a few years time...

Whipped cream!

My grandma Helen used to let my brother and I run around outside, squirting cans of whipped cream. I loved, loved this activity (and probably only a grandparent would let it happen!) Kate is just now discovering the joys. She likes the taste and kept claiming she needed "a little bit more of that cream cheese."

Thanksgiving photo extravaganza!!

What a great few days we've had! As is appropriate for this food-fueled American holiday, I think we're all a bit sick of turkey but, aside from eating way too much, we are all filled up with the joy of having family and friends with us. All the grandmas and grandpas made it for Thanksgiving--poor Grandpa Mac had a 5 hour drive (twice as long as normal) with over 2 hours with chains on. Yuck. And Grandpa Bob and Grandma Star had to drive on ice and snow and saw three wrecks. But they all made it safely and we so appreciate their efforts to get here. So much for a white Christmas, we had a white Thanksgiving! Will had his first Thanksgiving....Kate got to play in the snow for the first time...and eat whipped cream straight from the spray can for the first time. Scroll down for photographic evidence of all our fun!

Snuggling with Grandpa Bob(by)


First steps in the snow. I'm realizing I'm actually thankful she's NOT potty trained yet because I know I'd be hearing "mommy, I need to go..." as soon as she was bundled up!

Playing Superman with Grandpa Mac....

...and having Grandpa Mac paint her fingernails. He's a sport!

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's hard to believe that it's "that" time of year already! This year, as Kate starts to discover Christmas and we have little Will, I'm extra excited because it seems to mark the beginning of us starting to form new traditions for our family of four. We starting off with Thanksgiving at our house, with all the grandparents!! On Thanksgiving and every other day, I'm eternally thankful for my fantastic, wonderful, AWESOME (Kate's new favorite word) husband and kidlets, and for our equally amazing family and friends. We are one blessed bunch!

Too cool...

Kate is definitely starting to assert her independence when it comes to fashion. For her, the height of haute couture at the moment is her Lightning McQueen pajamas. Sure, they're meant for boys but as Kate loves all things Lightning, they are perfect for her. And she doesn't want to take them off. Ever. But, to lend a girly streak to the outfit, she does like to have her fingernails and toenails painted now. She has bright red on now, which would seem really girly if she hadn't told me that she wanted "red like Lightning McQueen." Kate also is into wearing hats, preferably her red Swiss winter hat or Tupperware fashioned as headware. Her final accessory to any outfit at the moment is her pink camo sunglasses. Never mind that it is snowing, sunglasses are a must for this little diva in training!

Conversations with Kate

Is there anything better than a conversation with a toddler? I don't think there's much else that provides the level of entertainment that can be derived from chatting with a little one. I could do an installment of "conversations with Kate" everyday as we have some great talks! I love the things she says, especially now that she repeats everything she hears (good and bad!) Today, while playing legos, she told me "we have no time to waste!" Where did she pick that one up?? But, my favorite conversation of the day so far was about Santa. I was trying to explain to her who Santa was and what he did, and then we were deciding what everyone is getting from Santa this year. Sorry to ruin the surprise, but here's what some of you are getting, according to Kate: "Kate will get a tool bench, green or white nail polish and purple play-dough. Mommy, you will get a great, big hammer. Will will get a tiny, little hammer and maybe a birthday cake. Grandma Star will get lots of presents. She's been really good. Grandpa Bobby and all the grandpas will get a Christmas tree. Daddy will get some tools and Grandma Connie will get some books. And maybe some other stuff, but I don't know." Here she paused for a moment, thoughtfully, and then added: "Probably Santa will have to go to the store. It could be Target." And, then, our Santa conversation had apparently run its course as she remarked: "Mommy, I need a Q-tip." Sometimes I hope she never grows up because I will miss these conversations SO much!

PS...

My favorite comment from Kate yesterday: After giving me a "hair-do" and decorating me with stickers, she exclaimed, "mommy, you look boo-i-ful and AWESOME!" Of course, the day before, while eating a bagel in the car she said, "I'm eating a big, big bagel like mommy's tummy." Oh, bless their honesty!

Kate's animated twin?

You know how people will sometimes say "wow, he/she looks SO much like {insert celebrity of some sort}...." I'd say, generally, it's adults saying this about other adults but, lately, I've had several kids tell me that Kate looks like Boo from Monsters, Inc. I've never seen the movie, but I've heard the comment on so many random occasions that I had to look her up. I think they're kind of right that Kate and her pony tails do have a resemblance to her. It's really funny when kids say this because they act like it's a celebrity sighting! I suppose in toddler-world it's as close as they get!

We choose ROYAL names!

Well, it's been just a day since the engagement of the next King of England has been announced and already someone has asked me: "did you name your kids after the royal family?" No, believe it or not, we came up with the names on our own and because we love them but, really, it's not such a bad coincidence!! I'm sure we can look forward to hearing this question many more times before the royal nuptials occur!

A trip + 2 big birthdays!

Ryan, Kate, Will and I want to send HUGE birthday hugs to Grandpa Bob and Aunt Cyndi!! Today is Grandpa's day and yesterday was Aunt Cyndi's, but we were lucky enough to be down in Yreka last weekend to wish them happy birthday in person. Kate and I made some birthday brownies and Kate had her first taste of chocolate (well, without gagging, that is...) I have video evidence that she likes chocolate in the form of brownie batter! It may be a fluke, though, since we made chocolate chip muffins yesterday and she emphatically stated, "I DON'T LIKE THAT STUFF!" Aside from all things chocolate, we had a great time in Yreka and Will was a fantastic little traveler! He slept the entire way there and was his same mellow self while we were there. He got to meet a lot of the Singleton side of the family, and now we're even more excited to get to go back for Christmas. Christmas will be interesting this year, I think, because Kate will be excited about presents but I don't think she gets the whole Santa thing yet. She wants a tool bench like daddy has and when I told her "maybe Santa will bring it for you," she said, "no, daddy will just go buy it." We'll see!!

Our little linebacker!

Will just got back from his two-month check-up, and the doctor said he was on the "linebacker plan" in terms of growth! He weighs 14 pounds 1 ounce and is 24.25 inches long. Apparently those stats are enough to put him well into the high 90s percentile-wise. Kate was 2 pounds lighter at the same age! No wonder he is already in 6 month clothes (and eyeing the chocolate cake)! The doctor said he was a very healthy little (big?) boy. He had to have a shot, but he barely cried and seems to be fine now. I really love our doctor because he gave me the option of doing all the shots today or breaking them up over two times, two weeks apart. He said that it was his gut feeling that doing all the shots at once is just too many antigens to introduce to such a little body, plus it's a lot of pokes. I so appreciate his candor and being given the option. I love it when doctors are forthright and tell you what they did for their own kids. One of the luxuries of having the doctor literally down the street from us is that we can easily go back, and I feel much more comfortable with this plan. Got to love small towns sometimes--the receptionists came out to greet both Will and Kate and chat with them and they told us not to even make an appointment for his next shots, they'll just "fit him in" whenever we can make it! All around a pretty great experience for a first big check-up!

Our silly family...

...is headed for Yreka! It's Will's first road trip!! We love ourselves a road trip, so we're hoping Will joins in our excitement for traveling anywhere and everywhere. We can't wait for Grandma Star and Grandpa Bob(by) to see Will again and for Will to meet Uncle Jay, Aunt Cyndi and the Singleton clan. CAN'T WAIT!!