Katelyn is 2!!

Katelyn turned two on Monday, August 24, and we had such a fun time celebrating! We started the day off with donuts from a local place we looooove...Katelyn's favorite there is a star-shaped donut with strawberry frosting and sprinkles! For lunch that day, we went to McDonalds. We have never actually taken her to McDonalds to eat a meal before, but for some reason, she has an obsession with it. Everytime we pass one she yells, "A Donalds! A Donalds!" What kind of marketing scheme do they have for toddlers that I don't know about?! She enjoyed her happy meal, time in the play area, and the company of her friend Reese! That night, we had neighbors over for strawberry cupcakes and pink lemonade in the front yard. Dave put up the swing that Mamaw and Peepaw (my parents) got her, and she has also been enjoying the wagon that Granny (Dave's mom) got her!

Helping Daddy set up the swing

Video of Katelyn enjoying her swing. Just click on the play arrow to watch.

Katelyn relaxing in her wagon.....

....while Daddy does the hard work of pulling

We had her actual birthday party this past Saturday, August 29th. It was a ladybug theme...just lots of ladybug things (cake, coloring pages, red/black stuff). We had it at a park with a duck pond and playground, so there was lots of fun to be had by all the kids! Here are some pictures and a couple videos (thank you to my sister Brittany for being our photographer and taking such awesome pictures!):

Video of everyone singing "Happy Birthday to Katelyn!" Just click on the play arrow to watch.

Lovin' that cake

Brodie and Katelyn hugging...this was after Katelyn's initial reaction of squealing when she saw Brodie

Lily and Evvi coloring a ladybug

Basket of items we will donate to Children's Medical Center...those kids are going to be so excited!

"Katelyn 2" shirt

Katelyn looooved this card that played music! She still opens it at least 50 times a day to hear the song (and to ask mommy to sing along!)

Katelyn and Aunt Brittany feeding the ducks

Katelyn loves her Aunt Brittany!

Everyone feeding the ducks...those ducks have got to be the fattest ducks in Texas since our group was there!

Family pic

Thanks for coming Mamaw and Peepaw!

Katelyn loves her Peepaw!

Cool Cut!

Katelyn recently got her first professional haircut at a place called Cool Cuts for Kids. They made such a good impression on her that every time we drive by the shopping center they are in, she gets really excited and yells, "Haircut! Haircut!" Here are a couple before and after pics:

The shot above is from their website (www.coolcuts4kids.com). It gives you a little glimpse into what the shop looked like and how it is set up. Katelyn sat in the "Yellow Taxi" chair (as pictured above) and watched a cartoon movie with lots of singing and princesses (each haircut station had its own tv). She also played in a neat play area while we waited and wore a fun "princess cape" (also known in the adult world as a smock) to keep hair from getting on her cute self! Could a kid ask for a more fun haircut experience?! I think not.

Before

After-Katelyn and her stylist Claire (who even showed me some cute ways to do Katelyn's hair that don't fall out five minutes after you do them!)

Pajama Pancake Party!

Katelyn's friend Reese just turned two on August 17, and her mom threw her a pajama pancake party! All the kids (and parents!) came in their pjs and ate chocolate chip pancakes (complete with a whipped cream smiley face) until their hearts were content! Enjoy the pictures...

All the kids in their pjs. Reese (birthday girl) is second from the left.

I couldn't get the camera fast enough to get a picture of Katelyn before she ate her pancake. Or maybe I was just too busy eating my pancake to get the camera. Either way--those pancakes were stinkin' awesome!

Once again, no pancake on Katelyn's plate, but she sure did enjoy that fruit! Just like her mom, always balancing out her meal...a little chocolate and a little fruit..doesn't that cancel out in the end?

A Blast in Baltimore!

We recently went to visit our good friends, Jason and Carrie Lampman, in Baltimore, MD! The last time we saw them was June 2008 for a trip to Martha's Vineyard, so we were definitely due for another good visit! They were INCREDIBLE hosts, making us feel like we were on vacation by just being at their house! They have two sweet boys, Ben (3) and Conor (1), and they played so well with Katelyn....they were so sweet giving her hugs (although a little more aggressive than she is used to!), teaching her about dump trucks and tractors, and sharing their room and toys with her! I think the cutest thing about watching the kids together was that they all slept in the same room for both naps and night time. They went to bed together, they woke up together, and they loved every minute of it! Sometimes we would just hear them all laughing in their room! Some kids sing themselves to sleep....these kids laughed themselves to sleep! We loved experiencing the sense of community the Lampmans share with their friends and neighbors, and we really just enjoyed getting to live "a day in the life" of their family! Thank you again Jason, Carrie, Ben, Conor, and Baby #3 (coming in September!!) for a wonderful and memorable trip! Here are a few additional highlights/pictures from our time....

We enjoyed some neat local parks and walking trails...

Group pic at park

Dave and Jason

Katelyn and Conor

We/the kids enjoyed lots of reading, playing, and singing time together....

Ben and Conor--Katelyn's best buddies!

Singing before bedtime (notice Katelyn and Ben jumping on the bed in the background!)

Bedtime story

All the kids loved to read....

Dave reading to Conor

Kristen reading with Ben, Conor, and Katelyn

We enjoyed celebrating Ben's 3rd birthday....HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEN!

Carrie made this amazing Lightening McQueen/Racetrack cake, and she put me in charge of dying the frostings green and black. Making the cake (and eating it!) was so much fun!

The Birthday Boy

All the kids eating (and loving!) the cake

Katelyn didn't leave even a crumb on her plate! I'm not sure where she gets her insatiable appetite for desserts....

Family pic at the party...Katelyn loved her some watermelon too!

We enjoyed a visit to the Kid's Room of the Maryland Science Center located at Baltimore's Inner Harbor in downtown Baltimore....

Katelyn loved the interactive water table. They even had little smocks for the kids to wear so they didn't soak their clothes! So smart!

Jason and Katelyn at the giant pinscreen. Katelyn loved pushing the pins in and seeing the shapes she made with her hand.

We (Dave, Katelyn, and I) also took the Metro Rail into D.C. for a day trip to see a family we served with in China who just moved back to the States and now live in Virginia. We all met at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum and spent the day playing and visiting!

The Kennedy Family

Katelyn at one of the interactive airplane exhibits

Katelyn looking at the moon

Family pic at Smithsonian

Dinner with the Smiths!

We met the Smiths (Patrick, Kim, Moyer, and Keturah) when we lived in China, and we got to have dinner with them a few weeks ago while they were home for the summer to visit family and friends! We were honored to be among those they visited during their time in the States, specifically during their short time in the Dallas area. Katelyn and Moyer had a ball together! The last time they saw each other Katelyn was 6 months, and Moyer had just turned 1. This time, Katelyn is almost 2 and Moyer just turned 2 in March! My how time flies!