Pony Tails and Dresses

Thrilled doesn't even begin to describe how I feel about Katie's newfound love of all things girlie.

As you can see she has started wearing barretts, although there's never a guarantee the clip will make it out of the house still attached to her head. It's getting easier though which I'm thankful for. I very optimistically purchased three different colors recently.

Pedicures by mommy cause Katie to squeal with delight and when finished she must show everyone her "pony tails."

Dresses are a must each day. So much so that I had to go out last week and find more to get us through the summer. I think we have enough now to get us through to fall. Whew! And like the perfect big brother, Peter is sure to tell her each day how pretty she looks.

I wish I could videotape every moment. Every day is something new and I hope and pray I will remember it all...

Big Girl Bed

Somehow I thought this was going to be an easier transition. Katie was climbing out of her crib nightly, there was no keeping her in it. Obviously it was time for a bed, right?

Katie appeared excited at first, but soon realized that her crib was gone forever and tried to remove the new bed from her bedroom screaming "I don't WANT a bed!!!"Night one was filled with uncontrollable sobbing every 20 minutes or so. I actually thought there was something medically wrong.

The next morning, after spending most of the night in my bed, I took her to the pediatrician only to find out she was fine. She was just having some trouble transitioning. So off to Target we went to find the perfect blanket that was all her own. Hello Kitty was the blanket of choice. Thankfully she believed me when I told her the Dora blanket was the wrong size.

Fast forward five days later and she seems to actually like her new bed - although she still asks for her crib. The first thing she does when we walk in the door from being outside is run to her bed and just sit on it. It's very sweet. There's still a bit of crying in the night, but this too shall pass...I hope.

Love

I know it won't last forever, and they will have their moments of sibling rivalry, but the closeness between Katie and her big brother Peter is so sweet. I love to listen to the conversations between the two of them while they play two rooms away or watch their interactions.

Last week I listened as Katie told Peter "I love you Peter." and Peter returned the sentiment with "I love you too Katie. I hope you never get hurt." Then yesterday as Peter and I returned from the grocery store, Katie came running up to us shouting "Peter!" as though she hadn't seen him in a week. They hugged and then walked off together to play. Last night I made sure to get the baby books out to record these special moments. Because, as I keep hearing from my friends with older children, it goes so fast.

Mommy! I a Princess!

It's always interesting to see what Katie will grab as we walk out the door each day. Sometimes she has to have a purse, of which she has many. She's so fancy that sometimes she carries two.

It's even more interesting to see what she will decide to place inside. Will it be Star Wars action figures? Plastic spaghetti? My Little Pony? I love to peek inside. It warms my heart to see what she chose, since she takes such a long time to carefully select the contents.

Lately she has been very happy to wear dresses. She gets so excited once she is fully dressed, holds out the hem of her dress and says "Mommy! I a princess!" I can pretty much get her to wear anything, as long as I say the word princess when I describe it. I wonder how long that will last...

Mother's Day

I got to sleep in this morning for Mother's Day.

Well, sort of.

Every few minutes the bedroom door would swing open and hit the wall and either Peter or Katie would come running in and yell "Mommy! Mommy!" and crawl onto the bed.

Peter would tell me some random fact about whatever Star Wars action figure he was holding and then run back out. Katie would pretend she wanted to snuggle and go back to sleep. And just when I closed my eyes and drifted back into dreamland, she would say in her teeny voice "tickle tickle!" One time she started singing a lullaby. Only, she doesn't know that a lullaby should be sung sweetly and quietly. She yelled it.

I am really going to miss these days as they continue to get older and more independent, so I don't mind the constant interruptions to my restful sleep.

I love this picture of Katie in her peach sweatshirt from our wonderful friend Kristine. She looks about five there to me. I still think of her like this:

Our Little Climber

These days I have to wear my running shoes when going to the park with the little ones. Katie is all about climbing, and she is fast! One moment she is right beside me and the next she could be forty feet away, climbing one of the many ladders on the play structure.

She is a pretty good climber, I must admit, (thanks Gerry) though there are those few times when a foot slips and my heart almost stops.

Thankfully Peter is at an age where he gets it that he has to stick close by, just in case we have to go after Katie. He never complains. He knows she's a handful.

I love the time at the park where she just wants to be pushed in the swing. A little break for mommy. Here, our good friend, Finn, is pushing Peter and Katie. He's such a sweet boy.

Playing with My Big Brother

I am so in love with these two little ones. They are having so much fun together. They're actually talking to one another, sharing toys (most of the time) and constantly trying to see who can make the other laugh more.

Today I walked into the living room to find them playing "Ring Around the Rosies", collapsing into fits of laughter at the end of each revolution. In this photo Peter is giving Katie a horsey-back ride. What a great big brother he is.

The weekend was full of moments like that. Once I heard Peter ask Katie if she was okay. Another time, after Katie made Peter cry when she knocked over his building, she went over and rubbed his back and said she was sorry. It just melted my heart.

These moments may not last forever, so I'm going to cherish them now as much as I can...