Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Christmas eve was quite festive at our home. Family and friends came for dinner and we had our annual white elephant gift exchange.

Katie was at her antagonistic best with her brother. She took his toys, stole his dinner and she basically did whatever she could to get him to have a melt down. She was very thorough. It didn't help that he was overly tired.

Katie received lots of girlie princess toys from Santa and Peter received lots of great boy stuff. Of course they only want to play with one another's toys. Figures.

I found this dress, 10 minutes before guests arrived, in the back of Katie's closet. Forgot we even had it. Thank goodness I found it because it fit perfectly.

Little Miss Sassy Pants

Hoo boy...if these past few weeks are any indication of how this year is going to go, then we are in for a wild ride.

Lately Katie's favorite words are "No, Mommy." She says it tentatively, like she's just trying it out, but trying it out she is. Today Katie covered her ears and told her brother to "be quiet!" Seriously, where does she get this?

And there is just no safe way to turn your back on this little girl. She is into everything. If she's not in sight, you can be sure to find her jumping on Mommy and Baba's bed, climbing onto the stairmaster, in the fridge getting some eggs for mommy, climbing on one of the gifts under the tree to get one of the breakable ornaments up high...you get the picture.

Katie's brother was never this naughty. We are completely unprepared for the likes of little Katie Lou and she knows it. So wish us luck this year, we are certainly going to need it.

Big Time Two Year Old

Katie turned two this month. The amount of energy she has is unbelievable. Whenever we leave the house, she has to hop all the way to the car. She chatters nonstop, much like her brother. In fact, she repeats everything he says. It's pretty adorable, and it almost always makes him laugh.

She is so lovable, running up and giving us all spontaneous hugs and telling us she loves us. It's hard to get mad at her for all the mischief she gets into. I have learned not to leave the refrigerator door open because Katie loves to bring me eggs. Usually one gets dropped (or thrown) when I try to retrieve them from her clutches. Her other favorite thing to do is to casually walk up to Peter, grab one of his toys and either throw it or run for her life. So hard not to laugh. Most of the time they just sit and crack one another up. That's my most favorite sound.

Hanging Out With The Cousins

It was an especially fun Thanksgiving for Katie this year. She is nearing her second birthday and is starting to really enjoy having other kids around. She is beginning to have playdates of her own and she loves playing with her cousins when we get a chance to see them.

Lucky for her, we got to spend the holiday with three of her many cousins. She and Peter had a ball in their enormous playroom and on the play structure out back. It was hard to leave, but the moment we drove away, they were both sound asleep. The sign of a good day, I'd say.

Coffee Date With Mommy

Tuesdays are a treat because once we drop Peter off at preschool, Katie and I can have a little girl time. This week we decided to have a coffee date at Nordstrom Cafe.

Katie was a perfect lady, drinking her water without spilling and sharing her barbecue potato chips with her pet duck. She said hello to everyone who walked by too, nice and loud to be sure they heard her.

This week the sweetest exchange happened between Katie and her big brother that melted my heart. Peter heard her cry when she was woken from a nap by the telephone, he knocked on her wall and called out: "Katie, it's okay. I'm right here, don't be scared." I hope they are always close.

I REALLY love to read!

As you can see, Katie had a busy morning. I tried to stop her, but she seemed to be enjoying herself, so I let her have her fun. I love the expression on her face.

Katie has outdone herself this week. She has less than a month to go until her second birthday and she has given me many previews of what to look forward to: screaming for no reason, tantrums over the tiniest things, egging her brother on...

She has also started talking a lot more and is thrilled when I understand what she is saying. She is very polite and says "thank you" for everything. She has shown me that I have to make sure I have the lid to the toilet locked if I don't want her to stack her Legos inside. She loves to pick out her shoes each day and she even loves to help me around the house. Thankfully she helped to clean up this mess!

Crazy Day

Somehow we thought it was a good idea to plan three events for Halloween day. I have no idea what we were thinking. Okay, so I made the plans, as my husband likes to remind me. Bad idea.

Peter and Katie were not in the mood to sleep at naptime (I'm sure it had nothing to do with the sugar they ate just before). We barely made it out trick-or-treating due to melt downs. Peter did NOT want to wear his costume and it wasn't until we told him that no one would give him candy, that he decided to get dressed up.

Katie was pretty excited, distracting people with her chatter and then grabbing as much candy as she could while they were laughing at her silly costume. We went to about 10 houses and they were ready to call it a night. Thank goodness.

Here are Katie and her brother. Peter, heading out for the night...

"Look Mommy, the Moon!"

Katie has really been talking up a storm lately. I am constantly surprised at the things she says. Today she surprised me when she looked out the car window and exclaimed "Look Mommy, the moon!"

Lately she has been telling her Baba and I that she loves us...A LOT! Just can't hear that enough. And she says thank you in the most heartfelt way. And usually after I have done some mundane Mommy task like wipe her hands and face or brush her hair. She really knows how to keep me wrapped around her finger. She's a smart one.

Here she is "rock climbing" up our friend, Jake's, play structure. She wanted to do it about a hundred times, of course.

I Heart Crayola Markers

As you can see, Katie was a busy girl this weekend. She was full of energy and she completely made up for all of the whining for the previous two weeks by being a doll. She was constantly running up to us, saying "Hi Mama, Hi Baba! I love you!" (Of course it wasn't quite that clear.) It was very sweet and made it extremely difficult to get angry when I walked in and saw that she had taken a Crayola Marker to half the house. Thank goodness it's washable.

Later Peter informed me that Katie was coloring on herself. Sigh...

Playing With Christopher

Christopher is really Peter's friend. On occasion, however, Christopher will dote on Katie and she just loves it. He is very polite, pushing her in her stroller or taking her hand and leading her down the sidewalk.

On this particular day, Peter must have been busy with his Star Wars toys because Christopher and Katie decided to hang out together on the back steps. It was pretty cute. Jenelle and I often joke that they will marry one day. Peter and Christopher already fight like brothers (over their toys) so it would be just as well.

Back On Her Feet

Katie's feeling better and up to her old tricks again. Today I walked out of the room for a moment and came back to find that she had carried the stool from the bathroom and proceeded to help herself to whatever she wanted on the bookshelf.

Thankfully she is doing much better than last week. Unfortunately that means I have to be very quick on my feet. I don't mind, just as long as the constant whining has subsided. Whew.

Top by Pumpkin Patch, Pants by Circo, Shoes by Cherokee.

Late Night Inspiration

It has been a particularly rough couple of weeks around here. Both kids have been sick and Katie has had a lot of trouble sleeping. That means no sleep for Mommy and Baba either.

Tonight Katie woke up at about 10 pm and wanted to be up with us. I was writing out thank you cards so Katie sat along side me and drew pictures. This is one of her masterpieces. Being her mommy, I was very impressed.















I kept a close eye on her, since last week she took a black Sharpie to her bedroom door. I didn't think it was possible to remove it, but Mr. Clean Magic Eraser came through for me!

Jammies by Carters.

Halloween Fun

We are getting ready for Halloween early this year! I don't know why I've always waited until the week before Halloween to bring out the pumpkins, but I decided we will celebrate the holiday all month for a change.

Katie's Papou planted pumpkins in our vegetable garden earlier this year and here she is sitting with them before we carried them out to the front porch.

Katie's Godmommy picked out the most adorable (and appropriate) costume for her. Stay tuned for pics...

Preparing for Fall

Today we started bringing out clothes for the fall weather since it's been so cool in the mornings.

I found these adorable boots packed away, that we received from our good friend Grace as a hand-me-down. They allllmost fit and are going to be perfect for puddle-stomping with big brother, Peter.

This week was pretty mellow since poor Katie had a bit of a cold. She was pretty grumpy which made it fun for all of us to be around her. Thank goodness it seems to be just about gone.

Jeans, sweatshirt and top by Carters, boots by Western Chief Kids.

Scaring Mommy

Katie had a great day of keeping Mommy on her toes. I think she lays in her crib at night, plotting.

On this particular day, we decided to meet some friends at the park. Would have been nice to chat with the other moms while I was there, but instead I spent the entire time trying to make sure we didn't have to visit the hospital.

When we first arrived, Katie went straight for the big slide. She did her favorite thing, which is where she stands at the top, smiles, and then walks onto the slide. She only does it sometimes, so I never know when it's coming. She makes it to the bottom somehow, falling on her keester as she goes down. It is very scary to watch.

When she was finished with the slide, she walked toward the opening of the play structure. I ran as fast as I could to meet her there. She walked out. I caught her. That was the end of the play structure for the day. We moved to the sand box. MUCH safer.

Soon after that, we went home. I was exhausted!

Here is a pic of the part of the structure where I caught Katie.
Yikes.

Dress by Blueberri Boulevard. A hand-me-up from Jenelle.

Mommy All To Myself!!!

Peter had his first real day of Preschool last
week. And that meant that Katie and Mommy had some precious alone time, once we dropped off Big Brother. Yay!

After walking back from school, the first thing Katie did was hop onto Peter's bed with a book, because there was no one there to complain that she was taking up too much room. Then we proceeded to chase each other around the house, laughing uncontrollably. I think this preschool thing may turn out nicely.

Here is a pic of Peter leaving for his first day.

Katie's shirt is by Tiny Tots, shorts by BabyGap.

A Day at the Zoo

The day before Peter started Preschool, we decided to hit the zoo one last time. The kids loved it and the animals were very cooperative. Almost all were out waiting for us! It was the perfect day.

Katie loved the cement snake slide, though I could have done without it. She must have ran up and down it 40 times. Made for a good nap though. She didn't even make it the 10 miles home.

Top by Daily Tea, jeans by Old Navy,

Hanging Out With Old Friends

On Friday, we reconnected with some playdate friends we hadn't spent time with in quite a while. It was nice seeing them, especially since the older kids (age 3 1/2) actually played together. Okay, so there were a few fights over toys, but overall, it was a great time and plans were made to do it again very soon. Yay.

The playdate was all boys, except for Katie, but we all know she can hold her own. I think she may have taken this tricycle out from under someone.

One piece outfit by Starting Out, shoes by Cherokee.

Holiday Weekend At Home.

You wouldn't know it from looking at her, but Katie hasn't been feeling well. In fact, we canceled all of our plans this weekend because of her cold. Hmmm...however, now that I look at these pictures, I wonder if she was really that sick. Oh well, a weekend in was kind of nice.

Outfit by Daily Tea from Koukla Kids (from our good friend Audrey).

Good Things Come In Small Packages.

Katie may be small but she's tough! Luckily her big brother is very tolerant and doesn't even get mad when she tackles him. He puts up with a lot, but then he really seems to adore her. Today he wanted to play outside, but only if Katie could go too. Gotta love that.

Gymboree mini skirt and top.

Exploring The Garden

Katie wanted to help tonight when I went out to pick fresh vegetables for dinner. She was filthy by the time we got back to the house and required a bath before we sat down to eat, but she thoroughly enjoyed looking at the pumpkins and picking tomatoes.

She was so hungry by the time I began cooking that she stole a block of cheese from the kitchen while I had my back turned. I had no idea she could even reach the counter! I found the cheese later in the living room, little bites taken from all sides. What a little devil.

Dress by Carters, shoes by Stride rite.

Thursday At The Park

Amazingly, Katie was full of energy today. After all, she did wake up, wanting to play and talk non-stop, at 4:30 a.m. So unfair. There was no talking her into going back to sleep either.

Thankfully she was a little slower than usual on the play equipment at the park, so I didn't have to do quite as much running. Here she is... hopping like a bunny toward the slide.

Green t-shirt from Gymboree (a bday gift from Jenelle last year). Gap jean shorts, Target sandals.

Playing Dress-Up

We started off Friday with a visit from our great friend, Jenelle, who was pleased to see that Katie was still in her jammies and ready to be "styled." Once dressed, we were off to the nearby crafting store for supplies for an upcoming job.

I love this outfit since Katie looks like a sweet little schoolgirl. I'm sure I don't have to mention that the bow was ripped out of her hair soon after this photo was taken.

Polo onesie by Carters, sweater by Ralph Lauren, skirt by Children's Place, shoes by Stride Rite and of course... bow by Jenelle for Harlow's Hairbows at Lunch Box Lane. She's just so talented!

Picking Mommy's Flowers

Today was all about playing outside. Both Peter and Katie needed a bath by 9 a.m.

Here is Katie with one of mommy's flowers that I let her have. After I took this picture, she instantly walked over and picked my most beautiful Petunia and let it drop to the ground. Sigh.

Today she sat on my lap and noticed the new handmade necklace that I made with her and Peter's pictures on it. She touched it gently and said "Ka-tie" very softly. Sweetest thing ever.

Dress and pants by Carters.

Walking To The Yogurt Shop

We had lots of family walks this weekend since the weather was so beautiful.

One of our walks was to our favorite yogurt shop. Neither Peter nor Katie wished to sit in the stroller on the walk there, so we brought it just in case anyone pooped out. Incidentally, they both needed a ride home.

I love this little dress, though I don't know who it's made by since the tag is missing. Sure is sweet though...

"Volunteering" at the Lego Store.

Sometimes, as a treat for Peter, we will stop by the Lego store to play. He loves to build the little men and could play there for hours. Nevermind that he has his own Legos at home.

As Peter plays, Katie busies herself, helping to keep the employees busy by rearranging the Legos in the bins. They are very thankful for the extra work.

Old Navy embroidered top, Okie Dokie skirt.

Running in Borders

Tuesday is our favorite day of the week. It's the day we pack up our sippy cups and snacks and go to Borders for "Storytime." Peter has been going since he was a baby and now Katie loves it too. This is also where I met Jenelle and Christopher.

After the stories have been read by the wonderful Miss Pamela, we often toodle over to the children's book section. That's where Katie checks out the board books, and Peter and Christopher argue over the truck books.

This little dress by Carters was a gift from our very favorite Auntie Dayle. I just love it, especially the matching polka-dot diaper cover.

Mommy's Little "Helper."

Katie was a big help today. She helped to make sure I never had a moment's rest. Once she finished emptying out the armoire, and she was certain I was busy cleaning it up, she went on to the bookcase. She went from room to room the entire day, making sure I had plenty to do.

I finally gave up and took the kids outside for a walk. Peter wanted to bring his scooter, which I ended up carrying home, along with his helmet. Katie tried to walk off the sidewalk every few moments. Good thing I had a firm grip on her hand.

Katie's "new" dress is another great find by Auntie Terri. by Meile. White onesie by Carters.

The Photoshoot

So we were lucky enough to be chosen to be in a local magazine for my at-home calligraphy business. Well, we were photographed for it anyway. We'll see if we actually make the cut!

Peter and Katie were in great spirits, but the second the photographer, Penny Sylvia(http://www.pennysylvia.com/), took out the camera...suddenly they were shy (Peter) and squirmy (Katie). Lovely. She managed to get quite a few pictures and assured me they were great. :) She was so awesome with the kids. (P.S. This photo was clearly NOT taken by Penny!)

Old Navy eyelet dress, cookies by Jenelle (http://www.lunchboxlane.blogspot.com/)

Cool Weather

It was a beautiful day today. Perfect for the park. We ended up meeting up with all of our preschool friends, so it made it an even nicer day.

Poor Peter is always so patient about the fact that I have to spend most of our time at the park following closely behind Katie. Today she did a faceplant in the sand and got a mouthful. Soon after that, she slipped down three stairs on her way off the play structure. She giggled.

Thanks to our wonderful friend, Gerry, who watched (followed) Katie for a while, Peter and mommy got some precious playtime all to ourselves. We chased and climbed...it was awesome!

Katie got to wear her "new" jean jacket (from Auntie Terri, the expert thrift store shopper)today since it was cooler. Pants are by Blu and top by Oshkosh. Purple faux Crocs.

Katie Hates Hats Too.

Nope, it's not just lovely hair ribbons and barretts that Katie hates. It's pretty much anything that I place in her hair or on her head. As you can see here ---> she is mortified that we even tried. Exactly half a second after this photo was taken, that hat was laying in the dirt.

Please note the stain on her right sleeve from when I had to wrestle a cherry from her mouth (she is FAST!) I managed to get the cherry, she managed to keep the pit, which she promptly handed to me when she realized it wasn't very yummy. Whew.

This lovely ensemble was chosen by Auntie Terri , who is the most awesome vintage store shopper there ever was. The shorts are Gymboree and the top is by Sparkle. Hat is Janie and Jack.

Courageous Katie

What a wonderful weekend! We had a great day at the park on Saturday with dear friends we hadn't seen in way too long. And Sunday was filled with family and more friends for a birthday party for Cousin Jillian.

Katie was at her fearless best! In the span of two days, I found her standing on the toilet seat, trying to walk off the jungle gym onto the slide, walking along a stone wall, attempting to escape up a flight of stairs...I'm telling you, this girl keeps us running.

Carter's flowered summer top along with Gap capris. Old Navy top and embroidered jeans to the right.

May The Force Be With You.

Poor Katie, it's not easy being the sister of a Star Wars fan. Sometimes Peter gets a little overly excited and includes her in his lightsaber duels (and not always on purpose). This picture was taken moments before she got in the way of a defense attack. As usual she recovered quickly and lucky for me she's a tough little girl who can hold her own with the boys!

White eyelet dress is a wonderful hand-me-down from Janie and Jack's "Seaside Getaway" line and perfectly matching pink strappy sandals are from babyGap.

Here's my little Anakin Skywalker about to unleash the force on his poor, unsuspecting sister.

A Day At The Park

One of my favorite things to do is to take Peter and Katie to the park. One of Katie's favorite things to do is to keep mommy on her toes by climbing the jungle gym and then hanging dangerously off the sides the moment she gets out of arm's reach. It's exhausting for me, but it keeps her happy. Also, it wears her out for naptime, so I'm not complaining.

Today I dressed her some comfy climbing clothes. Old Navy jean shorts, Baby Togs top, and my favorite Target sandals, that have held up amazingly well all summer.

Outfit for Today.

Jenelle here today and I have to admit that the dress Katie is wearing is a hand-me-up. Yes, I bought it. Yes, I don't have a girl, I have a boy. But it was too adorable (and on sale!) at babyGap, so really I'm investing for the future. And who else to use to model the clothes I can't yet use, but Katie!

We took a little field trip today with some friends from preschool so Katie needed something summery that she could move around in. Too bad for the whole hating-stuff-in-her-hair thing, because I have a cute blue bow that would have gone perfectly with this!

Check out Christopher's blog to see his outfit that "matched" Katie's today!

Dress (and matching purple diaper cover!) and shoes by babyGap.

-Jenelle

Katie REALLY Hates Barrettes

Did we mention how much Katie hates getting her hair styled? I think that is an understatement. All I did was place a little white barrette in her hair and this is what happened. Those are REAL TEARS, by the way. They lasted about 20 seconds.

Anyway, it was a pretty boring day at home. Sadly, the highpoint was our trip to Costco where we had frozen yogurt on the way out. I don't have to tell you that this little shirt is in the laundry covered in vanilla goodness.

Gymboree cotton top from the By the Seashore layette line, Children's Place ruffled capris, Baby Gap pink sandals. Oh, and the bow that launched all the tears you can blame on Jenelle because she made it.

Early Morning Walk

Weekends are a perfect time for some mommy and me time, since Baba (Greek for daddy) is home to hang out with big brother.

This morning we went for a walk in the stroller while it was still nice and cool out (which explains the sweater in July). This sweater is our favorite since it was given to us by our favorite neighbor, Cookie.

Katie chattered during the entire walk, saying hello to every person and dog she saw.

Old Navy embroidered flowered jeans, New Balance white sneakers, Vintage :) sweater.