Christmas 2015

I love Christmas! It's crazy how you spend so much time and excitement leading up to the day, then it's over in a blink of the eye!  Christmas eve is my favorite tradition.  As a kid, we would go to my Nana and Papa's house for a huge dinner, usually lamb!  All of my mom's sisters and their families would be there. I loved it.  Now that our families have all grown, it's usually just my brother, parents and my family ~ sometimes my aunts and cousins that live here in Greensboro.

Also, Claire and I have gone to get our nail painted for the past three years! Love this tradition!

Christmas Eve dinner at my parent's house ~

Kate's first Christmas!

Payne twins (Landyn and Brooke ~ 4), Kate, Fredrick twins (Max and Claire ~ 4 ~ five in Jan.)

In matching pjs, we read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas

I was just as excited as they were about Christmas morning! After wrapping all the Santa presents, Claire woke up around 11 asking if Santa had come... then went to lay down with her until around 12, Kate was up at 3, and then again at 5:45 when Claire woke up again.... so we went to see what Santa had brought at 6am! It was a long day, but I loved every minute!

....and just realized the rest of my pics haven't been uploaded to my icloud yet ~ so post 2 coming soon!

Kate ~ 7 months

My little Punky punk is 7 (and 9 days) months old! This year is flying by and it makes me so sad.... Seven months is one of my favorite months! She can sit unassisted, only falling every now and then, laughs, interacts with us, and isn't too mobile!

Kate loves:
Mommy!
Laughing at Max and Claire
Smiling at Daddy
Baths
Chewing on everything
Jumping in her jumparoo/exersaucer things
The wheels on the bus song

Sleep: still a work in progress.  She still wakes up every 3-4 hrs at night.  We have tried CIO a few times, but end up caving.  She gets mad if I try to give her her paci (which she can do herself). She just wants to nurse.  She is a good napper.  If she had a day without interruptions she would take 3 naps.  Usually she takes two, lasting around 2 hours.

Eating: She is exclusively breast fed.  I am so proud of us!  I am trying to give her more baby food. She still loves carrots and sweet potatoes.  I tried giving her big people sweet potato and avocado and she wasn't sure about it! BUT always wants what we are eating.  I have given her a piece of bread and she loved that... go figure!

Play: She loves baths!  I still have her in her baby tub.  After I finish washing her, I tell her to kick her feet and she goes to town!  It is so cute!  She loves her exersaucer, especially jumping in it. She is loving the freedom of being on a big blanket - and even more so when big bro and sis aren't here to mess with her.  She can sit for a pretty long time.  If on her tummy, she can make her way to where she wants to go.  Kind of an army crawl and roll to what she wants... very determined!

She is still a little peanut! She wears a lot of 3-6 months still, but i have been buying 9 month footed pjs. size 2 diapers

Love this sweet girl so much.

Second Cousins

Last weekend, my mom, Kate and I took a road trip to Virginia to visit my aunt, cousin and her baby. Kate and Ann Grace are seven weeks apart and are so cute together.  We took a ton of pics, did some crafts, played and just had a great time!

Kate did a great job sitting up all weekend.  I think it has to do with two four year olds not messing with her and she had all the attention!

We brought the big camera out and took Christmas pics of Ann Grace and Kate put on her Christmas dress to join in.

Making mistletoes!

And Kate turned seven months on the fourth! post to follow!

Thanksgiving and Christmas trees

Last week we spent four days in Atlanta with Justin's family.  I really enjoy Thanksgiving there and going with them to get their tree the day after Thanksgiving.  We had a nice lunch - even Kate tried a few bites!

We have gone to the same tree farm for three years.  It has a fun area for kids and always makes for good Christmas card pictures!

Kate's Baptism

Last Sunday, November 22, Kate was Baptized.  She wore her Aunt Darcy's christening gown and the same gown Claire wore! She did great during the service and charmed the congregation after!

Aunt Darcy is her Godmother

The whole family -- Paynes and Fredricks (missing my brother and his family)

Love this picture of my three favorite little people!

I love all the pictures we took, but I am kicking myself for not getting one of Kate by herself. 

Kate with Pastor Tim who also married us and baptized Max and Claire

And as we were leaving, Mrs. Claus came in for a visit! (she is a member of our congregation and had just changed before heading to an event.)

After the service we went to Lucky 32 for brunch and cake! We had a great day and Kate is so lucky to have such wonderful people to grow up with!

Sittin' and Swingin'

Little Miss had some firsts last weekend!  I sat her down for a second prepared to hold on to her, but she just sat...and sat.... and sat for at least three minutes - unassisted and without tipping over!

whoa, whoa, whoa!

hey! this is kinda cool!

I seriously can't get over how cute she is! I could eat her up!

Sunday, we went on a family run then stopped at the park on the way home.  Kate had her first swinging experience and loved it!

Kate ~ 6 months!

Here we are at six months, 1/2 way to her first birthday! I really wish time would slow down.  I held a friend's week old baby yesterday and that time with Kate is already a blur :(

Happy Girl

Kate loves:
Mommy
Milk
Laughing at her sister and brother
Putting everything in her mouth

We have been introducing foods for the last month.  I need to be better at it... sometimes it's every few days before we try another food and has only been at dinner time.  So far carrots seem to be her favorite! She has tried peas, green beans, sweet potatoes and peaches.  She did not like the peaches! She also likes teething biscuits!
I am very proud to say that she is still 100% mommy's milk.  I can't even remember the last time she had a bottle.  We have a pretty good routine down!

If she has the day to herself, she would nap three times a day.  It's hard with Max and Claire's schedule to make that happen every day.  She usually naps 1.5 hrs each nap, sometimes 2-2.5. Nighttime sleep is not so great.  Part of that is my fault.  She still wakes up every three hours.  I try to give her paci and walk back out but she doesn't have that! She cries until I scoop her up and feed her. I think I'm going to start giving her a bottle before bed so I know her tummy is getting full.  I said I was going to start sleep training at six months, but I can't stand listening to her cry.  I am exhausted tho!

We have her six month appointment next week. I'll be interested to see how much she has grown since her four month appointment.

Little punky wears mostly 3-6 months, just recently moving into some of her six month clothes.  She is getting baptized next weekend!

*Kate six month stats:
weight: 14.8 lbs (15%)
height: 25 1/2 in (23%)

has two teeth!

A Spooky Good Time!

This past week was full of dressing up and Halloween fun! Their school had a Trunk or Treat, parade, and of course, we went trick or treating with our playgroup friends Saturday night.

We had a Ninja Turtle, Hello Kitty and a precious little cow!

little pumpkin sitting in car waiting for the rain to let up

The trunk or treat was moved inside due to rain.  The kids didn't mind!

Hello Claire Kitty

Pie toss!

Max was the line leader for his class

Trying to get a class picture!

Halloween afternoon we went to the Gill's house.  This is our third year going over there. We got there at 4:30, the kids played, ate, and at 6, we were ready to hit the streets!

Just the girls! I'm an egg :) Justin was bacon!

organized chaos!

I absolutely love our Happy Hour/playgroup friends.  I am (and the kids) going to miss this group so much when we move.

My three krazies!

The sweetest cow I ever did see!

blurry, but loved how one of the dads (who is a principal) had all the kids lined up in between houses.  They each got to be the line leader! Once we go to a house he would say, "go" and they would run up to the house!

and...done!