mama's shoes

After we went for a run, Kate said 'mama' and then put my shoes on...and she walked in them a few steps before falling down:)

18 month fun

I know I've said this before, and I'm sure I'll say it again, but 18 months is such a fun age! Kate seems to be changing every single day.  By next week, some of these things will have passed, I'm sure, but for right now, here is a glimpse into our amazing little girl...

• she LOVES bubbles and coloring with sidewalk chalk
• she likes to push her baby in the baby stroller and go for rides in the wagon
• her favorite thing seems to be the construction equipment around our neighborhood.  she's always saying "beep, beep, walk"meaning that she wants to walk to go see the trucks working (they go beep beep whenever they back up)
• she wants to be outside ALL THE TIME and often cries when she has to come in
• she enjoys sitting on the couch
• she likes to identify things by whose they are.  for example, my pillow is 'mama' and Matt's is 'dada'.  same goes for shoes, cups, coats, chairs, etc.  it's very cute.
• when she's leaving a room, she either says, "see ya" or "bye" to let you know she's leaving you behind
• she likes to hold hands on walks
• when Matt asks her to snuggle, she puts her head on his shoulder/chest and smiles.  it doesn't last very long, but it's super sweet
• she's great at going up the stairs, but not down
• she likes to share her snacks and drinks with her baby dolls
• she loves to find the ducks and the geese at our neighborhood pond
• anytime we talk a walk, she tries to lure us towards the playground so she can swing.  i'm pretty sure she would swing all day long
• anyone who is mowing their lawn or using lawn equipment is 'dada' (so cute!)
• she likes ice cream and cake and everything chocolate...that sounds like someone else I know:)
• she is super friendly...on her terms.  she loves to say hi to other people (especially kids), but if you approach her and start talking to her, she might be really shy
• she still has 12 teeth (4 top front, 4 bottom front and 4 molars), and her I-teeth have yet to make their debut.  she's been working on them for a long time, but they just keep coming and going.  they cause her to lose a lot of sleep:(
• she is now sitting at the table to eat.  still in her high chair, but her food is on the table instead of the tray
• she calls most bugs flies and she stomps on ants
• she likes to clean things with a washcloth.  after I wipe her hands and face after a meal, she'll walk all around the room 'cleaning' things for me:)
• if other people are laughing (especially loudly), she joins in with a few 'ha ha's' of her own
• she loves to play on our bed and to 'fall' down on our pillows.  she also likes to jump on the bed and on the couch
• she's just getting into the stage where she likes to copy people...watch what you do when you're at our house!
• she still loves dogs
• when you ask her a question and she's looking for something (e.g. where is your baby?), she looks around and goes 'hmmm' with her pointer finger on her lips

We certainly have our share of screaming, running away, not sleeping, being a picky eater, and temper tantrums, but I try to forget about those.

first words

Kate is talking like a maniac.  She has over 50 words now, and I've been scribbling them down as she says new ones in an effort to keep track.  For memory's sake, I'm going to write them down here so it will be easier to remember and find in the future.

hi
bye
ice
bubble
shoes
pop
up
down
duck
geese
birdie
elbow
knee
foot
toes
please
out
outside (side)
swing
slide
woof
meow
moo
neigh
beep
eyes
yes
no
ball
mama
dada
potty
night night
blue
walk
uh oh
bite
cheese
sit
fall
fly
airplane
bee
vitamin
go
see ya
belly
bike
five
Kate
pretty
cookie
dirt
milk
fork
baby
bowl
pillow
book
hockey

She can repeat lots more words, but these are the ones she says often and uses in context.

weekend visitors

The MHSAA state track meet was in Hudsonville this year.  Tessa and Grandpa Pridgeon wanted to see a few of the runners from Reading, so we got to spend a day with family! Kate was a little shy with everyone at first, but warmed up pretty quickly.  As usual, she loved her Uncle Bri:) She even called him Bri guy when we asked who he was later in the afternoon...so sweet!

listening to Uncle Bri's heart

sushi lunch!

Saturday night was my cousin, Lincoln's, open house so we spent a little time there and then came back for a quick strawberry shortcake dessert before everyone had to head home.  

Thanks for making the trip up, we'll see you again soon!

fun Thursday afternoon

Last Thursday was a beautiful, warm day at our house.  After her nap, Kate and I played outside most of the rest of the day.  We spent a long time out on the deck playing with her water table and it was so fun.  It's really amazing to watch Kate figure things out and to see the joy on her face when she does.

Oh, and she finally let me put her hair in a ponytail.  I think the only reason she didn't pull it out was that she was having so much fun playing.  She looks SO grown up with a ponytail...where did my baby go?

Memorial Day

Matt worked on Memorial Day this year.  I've been wanting to take Kate to the Jenison Memorial Day parade and my parents were more than happy to come along with us.  Kate wasn't a huge fan of all the fire truck horns and sirens, but other than that, she had fun.  It was a little bit of a cold morning, but at least the rain held off until the afternoon.

playing in the road with her buddy, Lukas

Happy birthday, Auntie Sarah!

We went out to Uccello's with Tom, Sarah, Dan, Amanda and Tinley last weekend to celebrate Sarah's birthday.  Kate was a character the whole time.  She was cracking us up.

lots of coloring for this girl!

birthday girl!

Stuks 

Pridgeons