Goats in Spring

Spring is here…only 2 weeks after it last snowed, imagine that. You know what they say about the weather in Alabama—if you don't like it, stick around a day or two. Warm weather means a trip to the zoo. I won't bore you with the usual pictures, but here is a snap shot of Catherine petting a goat for the very first time!

A dozen blocks

Two-year-olds are supposed to be able to stack about 12 blocks, right?!?!

(And yes, she is wearing a strand of pearls…my girl loves to accessorize!)

Ruthie Toothie

Catherine visited to the dentist for the first time this week. She was happily greeted at the door by the zany, cheery, red-haired Miss Ruthie Toothie! Ruthie Toothie taught Catherine all about brushing her teeth, showered her with stickers and treat, and even let her pick out a train toothbrush. Catherine was a real trooper throughout the entire visit, though she was quite skeptical the entire time (as evidenced by her face below). We were told that she has beautiful teeth with "no bugs." Today in the mail, we were treated with a note from Ruthie Toothie along with a photo of Catherine and the dentist to commemorate the big day. I only wish we had a picture with Ruthie, too!

Lots of Hearts

Hearts, hearts everywhere. Catherine and Gigi took Valentine's Day to a whole new level this year. They painted homemade cards for everyone and decorated the house from top to bottom. We hope your day was filled with as much love as ours.

(Please excuse the laundry in the bottom of the picture. I didn't notice it until just now!)

Welcome to North Pole, Alabama

Global Warming, huh?!? Do we live in Alabama or Alaska...I think mother nature has gotten the two confused?!? Catherine's first words this morning when Jim opened up her curtains were a loud-and-clear, "SNOWBALL!" I didn't have to be at work until 9:00, and Jim decided to go in 15 minutes late so that we could romp around outside and wake the neighbors at 7:15 a.m. with our snowball fight.

"Perfect In Every Way"

We went to see Dr. Mary today. My long, lean smiling machine continues to be right on track at just a hair shy of 3 feet (95th percentile for height) and a little over 30 lbs (80th percentile for weight). Dr. Mary was impressed with how Catherine stood on the scale like a big girl to be measured and then with how she was such a good mommy to her baby in the examination room. Catherine hesitantly showed Dr. Mary where her nose, toes, ears, and belly button were--she's still a little shy with strangers. We impressed her when we showed off how Catherine knows her colors, numbers, and most of the alphabet. Then, Catherine proudly showed Dr. Mary how to use her stethoscope (I guess all those times we played with mine stuck with her.) Catherine walked away with the Dr. Mary "Perfect in Every Way" seal of approval once again. We even escaped shots this time...we'll have to go back next week because of insurance nonsense.

Jennifer (Gigi) took Catherine to get her 2-year-old pictures yesterday. They are really cute, and really show Catherine's personality. They also make me realize that it is time for me to give into the peer pressure and get Catherine her first hair cut. Stay tuned.

A Purple Party

We had an AWESOME Purple Party in honor of Catherine's Birthday today. We decorated the house in purple, everyone wore purple, and we even had a purple cake. Aunt Alison spent over 16 hours in airports to get here through the ice and snow from Texas on Friday. Grandmom, Granddad, and Aunt Allison surprised Catherine after her Saturday nap. And Gigi joined our family festivites just as the party was geering up on Saturday afternoon.

Aunt Alison gave Catherine a Cozy Coop...we should have hidden it until the end, because once she saw the car, the present-opening was over. She only got so far as to open one additional card...but it played the Isty Bitsy Spider when she opened it, so she was content for the afternoon. We had to "park the car in the garage" to get her interested in opening any of her other presents!

Love her purple-flowered "2" outfit! Shout-out to our friend Margaret who sewed it for us! Thank you!

Paper and presents everywhere...

She even got a book entitled, "Purplicious!"

Taking a break to help direct the filming.

Gigi always know just what a girl needs! Dress-up!

Keep on rockin' Catherine (she's in her new PURPLE rocker dress-up outfit serenading us with her microphone)

Taking a spin on the new tricycle

Happy Birthday!

(video coming soon---trying to twist Jim's arm to download it)

Gotta love having TWO Aunt Al(l)isons visiting at the same time!
Granddad and Grandmom are the best!
Catherine, how old are you?
How old was that, again, President Nixon? (Jim is actually holding her arms DOWN as she kept waving them in front of her face!)

We changed clothes and headed out to dinner...

I guess she thinks she's gonna pedal herself to the restaurant.

Cheers to Catherine

"Cake! Cake! Cake!"
What a special, special day!

Happy Birthday, Catherine!

Feb 2009

Feb 2010

Feb 2011

We love you, Catherine!

Funny story from today...the party is going to be tomorrow, so we knew today was going to be sort of low key. She was supposed to have a party with cupcakes at school today, but we had lots of sleet and ice yesterday, so Catherine's Mother's Day Out was closed today. Jim and I got home from work late, so we had no dinner prepared. This was turning into a REAL low-key birthday. We asked Catherine what she wanted for her birthday dinner, fully expecting her to say, "Pizza!" I mean, pizza is her favorite meal right now, so of course she should say, "Pizza." Instead she looked straight at me and said, "Waffle and eggs!" "Really?!?" I asked, "Those are breakfast foods, Catherine. What do you want for dinner?" She again replied, "Waffle and eggs." So, we got in the car, and drove to the IHOP for a waffle (actually a pancake), bacon, and eggs. And, she loved it!