Kate-isms

I dare you not to laugh:)

"Mom, the Frozen princess has salami at her castle from her own Meijer, just like our Meijer"

"Can you keep me safe from the bugs, because I don't like people bugging me!"

"She's a Laura, and you're a Laura...We have TWO Laura's in our family!"

Matt: "Africa, Europe, Australia"
Kate: "Don't strail me!"

"Daddy, don't go close to the fire - you'll get fired!"

Me: "I'm going to run up and get Liv, ok?"
Kate: "No, just do what Dr. Pott said.  Sometimes you can just leave her up there and she'll stop crying and go back to sleep"

"Rowd (her stuffed dog), this is difficult.  You can just go on the floor, because this seat is for Kate."

Mama, I was just talking to Lincoln on this phone.  Let's call him again.  But, I need to send a text first."  (Pause) "Ok, can you push the numbers now?"

"I don't like pears, Mom.  I don't like apples either.  But I only like apples from the orchard."

"These are my most precious collection" (a bunch of red leaves collected during our walk)

"I have a bad case of toe jam!"

Me: "Kate, it's time to sit at the table"
Kate: "I can't, mama.  I have to make something incredible for Liv on my Magna Doodle"

bath time baby!

Prepare yourself; you're about to see the cutest baby in the world:)

Olivia 7 Months

Sweet, sweet Olivia was 7 months old on September 20.  That day, we celebrated my cousin Rachel's baby shower and Tessa's bachelorette party, so it was a big day of fun.  Before the photos, here's a little about our peanut...

She's tiny, she's a bit fiesty, and she has red hair.  She looks super cute in headbands.  She always pulls off her right sock.  She's endlessly curious and incredibly flexible.  Once she can hold her own with Kate, I think we're going to be in trouble.  Once she can talk, we're also in trouble, because Kate is already adamant about Olivia not making noise while she's talking.  I have a feeling it's going to get even noisier around here.  

Liv is finally sleeping through the night:) Remember when I said she was finally starting to get into a nap routine and take longer naps during the day...just kidding! She's a total mystery to me when it comes to sleep.  But, she's usually a pretty happy girl, so she must be doing ok.  She still nurses 4-6 times a day and is eating solids at least once a day.  She really likes solids, which is totally different from Kate.

Livvy seems pretty social - she always wants to be where the action is, and she wants to do what Kate is doing.  I can't wait for them to get a little bit older and actually play together.  Liv loves her daddy and gets super duper excited whenever he comes home from work.  She gets excited just to hear his voice on the phone if he calls while we're eating dinner.

She has lots of ticklish spots and the cutest little giggle to go along with them.  She and Kate get going back and forth with squeals and giggles and it is seriously the sweetest thing ever.  

Still no teeth and no crawling - and I'm totally ok with that.

We love you, Olivia Anne, more than we thought we could!

And some sister lovin'...because you can't get the camera out and not take pictures of Kate (she just won't allow it!)

solids

Here's Liv trying rice cereal for the first time...

Since this, she's tried sweet potatoes, butternut squash, avocado, pears, apples, and bananas.  She's a big fan of sweet potatoes.  Not a pear lover.

zoo day with daddy

Just enjoying our membership at John Ball Zoo on a Saturday morning.  We even got to see the tigers this time.  Kate LOVED getting up close and personal with one of the grizzly bears:)

oh, the cuteness...

These girls are just so precious.  So frustrating at times, and yet so very precious:) I love them with all of my heart.

sorting books into hard and soft cover piles

marker fingers!

yay for wagon rides!

Home Depot!

"I just need to see all of them to choose which one I want"

Our Big Girl

Kate is potty trained! We attempted to potty train her back in June, during a week Matt was off work, and she was just not ready yet.  It was frustrating for all of us, and afterwards, Kate wanted nothing to do with the potty.  For a long time.  She was 100% aware of the whole potty situation, but just refused to use the potty.  She would ask us if she could pee or poop in her diaper and then ask to be changed.  It got pretty ridiculous.  But, then she was starting to get a diaper rash one morning and I told her we needed to take a break from diapers and wear undies instead.  She peed on the potty all that day, so we went out for frozen yogurt to celebrate!

She still didn't want to poop in the potty, so for a few days, we had to put on a diaper for her to poop.  But, then the day we got home from Laura and Sash's wedding, she just started going on the potty.  A few days later, we transitioned her to the big potty, and we haven't looked back! She must have really been ready because she's been accident free and we are so excited to only have one munchkin in diapers.  Her reward for pooping in the potty was ice cream:)