Le Tour de Cooks Crossing

We love to bike, and while the Tour de France hasn't been on much at our house, we were feeling inspired on Saturday morning.  I got a bike trailer for Christmas, but when we were putting it together we noticed that kids are supposed to be 1 before they use it.  I really wanted to use it this summer, so we tried putting Kate in it inside and she seemed ok, so we took her on the road.  It was just a short Tour de Our Neighborhood, but it was still really fun.  She seemed to like it and it felt great to get on my bike outside instead of on the trainer in the basement.

I'm seeing many bike rides in our future, kiddo!

not so sure about this contraption... 

half a smile

  

date night!

It had been quite a while since Matt and I went on a real date (sans Kate)....and the weather was beautiful....and my parents agreed to watch the munchkin....so, we went to the Whitecaps baseball game on Friday night.  I couldn't have asked for better weather, better seats, or better company.

A big, big thank you to my mom and dad for watching Kate and giving us a date night out!

Happy 8 Months!

No, I didn't forget that Kate turned 8 months old on Saturday, but since we were out of town, it made taking pictures a little more difficult.  I took some on Friday afternoon before we left, but Kate was really not into smiling for me.  So, we took more when we got home Sunday night.  I'm a big fan of the polka dots (Matt chose the fabric:)).

Still no teeth for this little lady, but it doesn't stop her from chewing on everything.  She dances all the time and can't sit still.  She is rocking a lot and can go from sitting to being on her belly, but isn't crawling yet (which is good, because I'm totally not ready for that!).  She has the best little giggle and smiles all the time.  I absolutely love watching her figure things out and playing with her on the floor.  We are so thankful for a healthy, happy 8 month old Kate!

um...seriously, mom, we have to do this again?

silly

so serious!

and finally the smiles start coming:) 

it doesn't get much better than this!

I LOVE her gummy smile:)

hands down, my favorite picture

can we please be done now?

Kathryn Jeanne, you are such a wonderful blessing.  You cannot possibly imagine how much we love you!

Pridgeon Open 2012

Last weekend was the Pridgeon Open (Matt's family reunion, for those of you who don't know:)).  The weekend is always full of family, golf, and fun, so we were really excited that Matt didn't have to work and we were able to make it down to see everyone.

We didn't make in time for dinner Friday night, but had fun catching up once everyone got home.  Matt made sure to show Kate around the farm and explain to her how much we needed some rain before she was allowed to go to bed:)

Saturday morning/afternoon the guys golfed (Matt, Bill, Brian and Paul make a pretty perfect four-some!) and Kate and I hung out at the farm.  We helped grandma cook, Kate napped, and then we headed over to the Benge get-together with Aunt Tessa for a while.

Kate met some of this side of the family for the first time!

Matt's mom and her siblings, with their mom

The big family dinner was Saturday night, so Kate got a quick bath before we headed down to Angola.  I think she liked being in the big sink:)

Sunday, we went to Grandpa Dean's church (Kate stayed home with Grandma so she could finish her nap - thank you, Marty!), and then to brunch at Mike and Diane's house.

this girl is SO loved!

And, of course, we spent some of Sunday afternoon in Grandpa Dean's pool.  Kate can't seem to get enough of the water and it was so fun to go swimming with her.

Kate LOVED her cousin Claire and we recruited her as a future babysitter:)

my little lounger

fun with mom and dad:)

Kate is so stylish, her outfit is from Aunt Tessa

hanging out with uncle Brian

The weekends always seem to fly by, but it was really good to see family for those few days.  We're already excited for our Boyne vacation with them at the end of the month:)

red solo cup

When we were helping our friends Tom and Sarah move a few weekends ago, Kate picked up a red plastic cup and wouldn't put it down.  It has since become one of her favorite toys and it stays in the car for her car ride enjoyment.  She crunches and crinkles it and chews on it and sings into it everywhere we go.  Who says kids need toys?

Matt and I were talking about how funny it is that we buckle her into the car seat and then hand her the cup every time we go somewhere, but hey, she likes it:)

Peas!

first time trying peas...

she likes them:) 

peas seem to be a new favorite in our house...Kate does NOT get that from her mama!

Kate's first picnic

Matt is working in nephrology this month, which is an elective for him and tends to have a little bit more regular hours (yay!).  Last Thursday he got home at a 'normal' time, and Kate had been a stinker all afternoon, so we were dying to get out of the house.  We had a picnic:)

Fish tacos are probably not typical picnic fare, but that's what we had planned for dinner, so I put together the salsa, cooked the tilapia, packed a cooler, and we were off!

Thankfully, we live within a mile or two of several great parks, so we didn't have far to go.  

look at that face...we needed to get outside! 

Feeding Kate without a high chair was a little harder than I expected.  She is such a squirmer and loves to be moving all the time.  So, Matt was our human high chair:)

why is it that I can't feed her without opening my mouth?

Thanks Douglas Walker Park for a great time! We'll be back soon!

Playing Catch-up

We've been quite busy lately and I haven't been good about updating, so while Kate is snoozing and Matt is at work, I'll show you what we've been up to...

Lots of reading, since it's been too hot to play outside much these days

Practicing eating solid foods...Kate has tried sweet potatoes, carrots, butternut squash, apples and peas.  She's doing a great job so far!

Hanging out with Auntie Tisa after a walk

Snoozing on car rides and LOVING Sophie the Giraffe

Antique-ing in downtown GR

Learning to sleep on her belly

Playing in the exersaucer

Mastering sitting up and laughing (we also helped Uncle Andy and Aunt Sam move that day)

Playing outside after dinner

I hear some kids don't like grass...not this one! she loves it!

future model?

Reading books with daddy

what a great way to spend the morning!

Swimming! Kate seems to be a bit of a lounger (like her mama) and a fish (like her mama)...I'm seeing lots of summer days spent at Grandma and Grandpa's pool!

Enjoying visitors...it was so fun to have Aunt Tessa here last week:) Thank you for the adorable gifts!

Napping:)

Celebrating the 4th of July

Kate found a new favorite spot:)

Draw Something! (a fun new game - thanks, Adam!)

Adam got beat up a little

but it's all worth it for those kisses:)

she's a big fan of this guy

Hope you're enjoying your summer so far and staying cool in these crazy warm temperatures!