Hoppy Easter!

The Easter Bunny brought new reading material and jelly beans.

A tisket, a tasket, every year they make me sit in a basket!  Not this year, because she thought it was dirty.  Even lined with a blanket, we could only convince her to stand. 

Jon is ready for the royal wedding!

It's egg shaped.

After egg hunting, K had the best time splashing her feet in the pool with cousin H.

Grandma put nail polish in the Easter basket.  Hooray!

Last year, I worried about Katie getting the gist of Easter's meaning.  Even this year, she hasn't completely grasped it.  She does know that it involves Jesus and his "tune".  Not bad.  Getting warmer.  However, she did think there was a gorilla painted on the screen at the Good Friday church service.

3 years old

3 years ago today, we met this little cutie for the first time.

We love the little girl she has grown to be.

Saturday, we celebrated three years with a princess party for our princess, family, and friends.

Her love for princesses and fanciness is only rivaled by her love of sweets!  Put the two together for a very happy girl.

Today, we celebrated the official b-day with birthday traditions!  

Tradition #1

Take a picture of the birthday girl 1st thing in the morning.  I imagine this will be more and more fun, at least for Jon and me, as she gets older.

Tradition #2

Eat birthday cake for breakfast!  Yum!  

Tradition #3

Do something really fun - like go to the zoo with your friend that shares your birthdate.

The Ides of March Girls in very cool shades.

Forget the animals!  The best part of the zoo is the candy store!

So tired, but her grip on the lollipop holds...

And last, but certainly not least, the newest tradition for birthdays at our house is...

Tradition #4

Birthday girl selects the dinner menu.

Katie's Choice Menu

Bug Shaped Mac and Cheese

Strawberry Applesauce

Baked Cheetos

Garlic Bread

French Fries and Ketchup

I have to admit that it was a pretty awesome dinner and maybe the first time EVER that Katie cleaned her plate ;)

Easter Basket

Here is the annual Easter basket photograph and the prior two for comparison.

2010

2009

2008

She's 2

Birthday tradition #1 - Take a photo of the birthday girl first thing in the morning. Goal for next year is no paci in the morning picture.

Gift from us - a "pit ball" like Katie's friend Jenna has at her house.

Birthday tradition #2 - Eat cake for breakfast! Thanks for this idea, Mrs. Linda!

Katie requested Grandma's "black" cake.

Monkeys at the zoo.

Photo of the first official terrible two tantrum. K was there to see animals and ride trains. She had no patience for our lunch break.

The birthday dress!

Included this one for Meme. It reminds me of a picture she has of me at the zoo looking at lizards when I was itty bitty.

Too tired to finish her banana on the ride home.

Great 2nd birthday!
Party this weekend!

Tis the Season for Blood Curdling Screams

This is not the picture we had envisioned (obviously - or I would have made better wardrobe choices for myself) when we took K to see Santa.

Why are Jon and I in the picture? Shrieks of terror, loud enough to make us all jump, from the boy just ahead of Katie in the Santa line made her more than a little cautious. See the fear in her eyes in this pic below? K kept saying "Hold you, Mawhner." She just knew Jon or I would betray her and force her to sit with Santa. However, neither of us had the heart to wrench her from our arms and force her to sit in S. C.'s lap. So we have a family portrait. It'll be a fun story to share with K one day.

Memaw T gave me red and white polka dot material. I sewed it into the bubble skirt K is modeling. My Memaw Hazel would make me and my girl cousins Christmas skirts each year to wear in our Santa pictures. I'm keeping the tradition alive.

Back of the bubble.

Gobble, gobble (at least the male turkeys do seasonally when sleepy)

I made Katie some play food for Thanksgiving. She loves her roast turkey. She gives it hugs and kisses. I hope she isn't too traumatized when she finds out where turkey dinners come from.

Yes, the drumsticks detach.


Punkin' Pie


Thanksgiving morning we ran the Turkey Trot. Here's K and Daddy bundled up to race.


Mawhner/Grandma's favorite trotters.


Our racing team ready to run! Jon is not happy I used my whole neck to smile in this picture.


Can you tell what I am most thankful for? No, it's not the stroller! Guess again.


We had an early dinner at Grandma/Mawhner and Granddad's. Look Jon's "don't show the teeth smile" is possibly a family trait.


Here's Memaw T cookin' it up. You know it was good!


The feast!

Top 10 Reasons Daddy is the Bomb!

1. Have you heard the silly noises he makes to entertain K?
2. Seen his calf muscles? - WooHoo!
3. He does dishes.
4. He loves his family.
5. He works hard.
6. Daddy and daughter bike rides.
7. Who else would eat broccoli cornmeal upside down cake for dinner, say "it's not bad," and eat it again leftover?!
8. Stays fit and healthy.
9. For a squeamish guy, he changes a lot of bad diapers.
10. He's Ton of Fun!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!
Katie and Mommy love you!

Best birthday tradition ever - Cake for breakfast! I got the idea from my former coworker, Linda R. Thanks, L. 33 chocolate chips for the birthday boy! Jon chose red velvet with cream cheese frosting.



Katie placed her 1/4 of a cupcake on top of her yogurt cup and ate it like an ice cream cone. What a clever lass!

Easter Celebrations

Jon really got into the Easter spirit this year.



Katie was barely a week old when Easter rolled around last year.



So this was the first year for her to get all dressed up for Easter morning worship. Meme picked out her dress.



Here is a family picture. It isn't often we are all dressed so well with our hair brushed. We are a casual family.



Last year we decided to make it a tradition to take Katie's picture in her big pink Easter basket. She was more cooperative last year as you can see by comparing the basket photo above and below.



Every family member asked today if Katie was walking all the time now. Our reply was no. After her break through on the 17th, her interest in walking waned. Tonight without any coercion she hopped up and started walking from person to person. Here she is visiting with cousin Em.



I made a strawberry rhubarb pie to be served with lunch at my Aunt Diane's house. It was as yummy as it looks. Just don't ask Jon his opinion.....