fun in the sun!

Katelyn had her fourth birthday party this morning.  She invited all of her friends and we planned on having a "Fun in the Sun" themed birthday party with sprinklers and wading pools out in the backyard.

We were nervous all week because the weather report predicted an 80% chance of rain for today.  I made some back up plans in case we would be stuck inside and hoped for the best.  This morning, as Dave and I were getting everything ready for our guests, we looked out the window to see a wall of dark clouds rolling our way.  Fortunately, it rained for a few minutes and the clouds moved by quickly.  We had a beautiful sunny day for Kate's pool party!

Kate and her friends had so much fun sliding into the pool, running through the sprinkler, and playing a relay game with cute little watering cans.

My mom made the most adorable beach cake for Kate.  She created a very detailed ocean side scene of Teddy Grahams sunbathing on little licorice towels and swimming in the ocean with their "Life Savers."  It was perfect for our "Fun in the Sun" party.

Kate had so much fun today.  She is so lucky to have so many great friends.  Thank you to everyone for making Kate's fourth birthday party such a terrific day!

the best date ever

For what seemed like a year of my young preteen life, my sister Lauren watched the movie Miss Congeniality nearly every single day.  Sometimes she would watch it more than once in an afternoon.

Needless to say, I became very familiar with the plot, the characters, and some memorable quotes.

In one of those quotes, Miss Rhode Island is asked to describe her idea of the perfect date.  To which she replies...

"That's a tough one.  I'd have to say April 25th because it's not too hot, not too cold.  All you need is a light jacket."

Four years ago, April 25th was scheduled to be the "perfect date."  My first little baby was due on that day.  But while Miss Rhode Island (and later Miss America) was right about that day being "not too hot" and "not too cold," she was a little off on what would really be one of the best dates of my life.

Here are a few of the most memorable moments from that perfect day, April 28th.

The day before Katelyn was born, Dave graduated from Utah Valley University.  That was two days past my due date.  Everyone told me I wouldn't be able to attend the graduation and I said, "Watch me."  I determined that whether I had a baby in my belly or a baby in my arms, I would watch Dave receive his diploma.  And I did.

Katelyn was induced because I went for a routine checkup and there happened to be an empty room in labor and delivery.  I was overdue and tired and nervous about going into labor.  Dave had graduated that morning and we were going to have a family dinner that evening so he suggested that instead of walking over to the hospital to be administered magical potions that would make my delivery delightfully pain free, I should wait until the following Monday.  I remember thinking that it would be hard to deliver a baby after my head exploded into a million pieces all over Dave.

After making the (nearly) unanimous decision that we would have the baby that night, I started to panic.  I called my mom and told her to GET TO THE HOSPITAL RIGHT AWAY.  She asked if she could wait for half an hour so my brother could give her a ride.  I proceeded to make a scene right there in the lobby of the hospital next to the "It's a Girl" balloons.

I never felt any pain at all because of the epidural but I almost did pass out.  Passing out is one of my biggest fears right behind rabies, SIDS, and bird feathers.  As soon as whatever cocktail of medicinal juice was injected, I went into a cold sweat and the corners of my vision got really black and I panicked.  I remember thinking that my last frame of vision would be the dream team of my mom and Dave furiously fanning my face with the legal papers we were still filling out.  Apparently, passing out from an epidural is fairly common and I didn't have the chance to pass out before the anesthesiologist pushed some different brand of liquid into my IV.

Once the epidural was administered, I was supposed to sleep because it was the middle of the night but I couldn't.  I was way too excited.  After Dave fell asleep and my mom settled into a chair, I turned to watching reruns of Roseanne (which I love) that eventually turned into reruns of Three's Company (which I hate).  In the hustle of the grand event, the TV was left on and Katelyn was greeted to the world by the sounds of "Come and knock on our door.  We've been waiting for you," which, now that I think of it, was kind of appropriate given the circumstances.

When Katelyn was finally born and placed on my chest my world changed in a way that I don't think I'll ever have words to eloquently describe.  Although I had carried that sweet baby around for forty weeks and three days, in that moment I knew that I had become a mother right then.  And yet, at the same time, she was so familiar.  It was like a portal of heaven had opened and in walked the Katelyn, my baby, who I had known for eternity and missed for twenty five years.  It was an other worldly experience that was so special it makes me want to consider having litters and litters of children.

Dave went with Katelyn while she was being bathed.  The nurses gave me fair warning that she was being taken into another room but I assumed a bath would take about five minutes.  She was gone for several hours! (It was really more like forty five minutes.) My mom and in laws started filing into the recovery room I had been wheeled into.  The mood was festive and everyone seemed to be celebrating.  I just kept asking different people, "Where's my baby?  Have you seen my baby?  When are they bringing her back to me?"

Katelyn had a bit of a cone head and some swelling in her face from birth.  I remember everyone kept telling me that the swelling would go down and her head would round out eventually.  I had no idea what they were talking about.  I'm not just saying this to be dramatic but, to me, I looked at her and was staring into the face of perfection.

I was really worried that a baby snatcher would come in and swipe this jewel of a baby.  I refused to keep Kate in the nursery and made my mom and Dave help me by taking shifts in an all night vigil to watch over my precious Katelyn.  Eventually, my mom turned into Hercules and actually moved my bed so that it would block Katelyn's crib.  That way, if anyone wanted to take her, they would have to physically climb over my body to get to her.  I finally slept but with one eye open.

When I came home from the hospital, my mom had cleaned my apartment and my Dad and sister were on their way home from the store with fresh groceries for my fridge.  This included a twelve pack of Diet Coke which I had somehow abstained from during most of my pregnancy.  I felt like I had stumbled into heaven.  I remember sitting on the couch with my tiny new baby surrounded by my family and feeling so excited about the rest of my eternity.

Sometimes it feels like April 28, 2012 was just yesterday and some days it feels like a lifetime ago.  That beautiful baby girl made me a mother and in these four short years has taught me so much about happiness and laughter and Hello Kitty and Peppa Pig and unconditional love.  Four short years and one day ago, I hadn't even met her and now I can't imagine what life would be like without her in my life.  She is one of the best things to ever happen to me and I am so grateful that I get to be her mother.

Happy Birthday Katie Girl!

car washes and dieting

Katelyn and I are facing our fears one car wash at a time.

She is terrified of the car wash.  I took her once as a young toddler, thinking she would be delighted by the experience of driving through a tunnel of soap suds and whirling scrubbers.  I've always found car washes to be a combination of peaceful and fascinating.  I imagined my child would feel the same.

I've avoided taking Kate to the car wash since then.  However, a few weeks ago, on a Saturday afternoon, I had her with me running errands.  Sam was taking a nap at home with Dave and Kate wanted to tag along as I picked up groceries at Walmart.  Getting into the car, I realized that our vehicle was a crumbly mess of crushed graham crackers, a random assortment of forgotten toys, and a single brown crayon that had melted in the heat of springtime in Houston.  The exterior of the car matched its interior.  My once bright red minivan was now a rusty orange, thanks to a thorough coating of pollen, a by product of, once again, springtime in Houston.  We needed to go to the car wash.

Being an adult, I knew for certain that a car wash was not dangerous, that buckled into our seat belts with the windows rolled up, we would remain dry from the spray and safe from the curtains of water and soap.  I knew this.  But Katelyn didn't.  She begged me to let her stay by the vacuum station while I drove the car through.  However, I was not about to let my three year old sit alone on a curb while I got the car washed.  She was going to have to tough it out and face the dreaded car wash.

As we approached the end of the tunnel and sunlight flooded our car again, Kate unplugged her ears and looked up at me in the rear view mirror to exclaim, "That wasn't so bad.  I think I like the car wash now."

We laughed and laughed and drove off to Walmart in our freshly vacuumed and scrubbed van and I thought to myself how much the experience reminded me of dieting.  I know I need it.  I can hear the people around me assuring me that it's safe and good for me.  But in the moment, it doesn't feel safe and good for me.  It feels bad and scary.  It feels like a darkened tunnel with sharp stinging sprays of water and soap that is burning my eyes.  And like Kate entering a car wash, I can hear you but I just have a hard time believing it.

Of course, from experience, I know that as I approach the end of that tunnel, I encounter the sunlight of success and say to myself, "That wasn't so bad.  I think I like this new healthy lifestyle."  Because a clean car is always better than a dirty one and a healthy body and a controlled appetite is always better than the chaos of an eating addiction.

I know all these things and have forgotten them all at the same time because, in the beginning, car washes and dieting are both kind of scary.

kate the great

Katelyn left me a fresh batch of selfies on my phone the other day.  She is getting so clever.  Last week, I downloaded a Hello Kitty nail polish game for her to play.  When she returned my phone a few minutes later, she informed me that she downloaded another Hello Kitty game for us to play.  I have no idea how she did this or how much it cost me.  It's amazing to me how much she knows about technology already.

She is growing up way too fast.  I know that every parent says this and I've heard it from so many others about a million and a half times.  But when it's your little child growing at an alarming rate, it's incredible.  It seems like every day she says something delightfully entertaining and witty.  I wanted to write a blog post dedicated to some of the wonderful things about Kate as a three year old so I never forget them.

Kate is so kind and loving.  She really worries about all of her friends and family members.  If she thinks I'm ever sad or not feeling well, she will go into "Mommy mode."  She calls me Katelyn and talks in a high pitched "Mommy" voice and hovers around me.  She loves to tuck people into bed with blankets pulled tight up to their chins and she'll spend several minutes neatly arranging the blanket to lay perfectly flat, all while saying things like, "It's okay sweetie.  Just take a nap."

One of Kate's favorite things to do is color.  She draws beautifully detailed pictures of our family.  Each family member has very specific features like eyelashes and nostrils.  Dave always has, as Kate puts it, "dots on his chin."

Kate's all time favorite show on TV right now is Peppa Pig.  We watch that show every day and she can snort as loud as Daddy Pig.  The best part of that show is the theme song that gets stuck in my head every night as I'm trying to fall asleep.

She has a few favorite foods.  She loves donuts from the local Billy's Donuts.  Her favorite fruit is strawberries.  I'm lucky they are coming in season soon because she begs me for strawberries every single time we're at the store.  I have explained that because they are not in season, strawberries are too expensive and they wouldn't be very sweet now anyway.  Unfortunately, three year olds don't quite grasp the concept of seasonal fruit buying.  Her dad, however, is always talked into buying her strawberries at five dollars a pound.  Of course, along with the rest of our family, Katelyn loves cheese.

Kate has an entire crew of imaginary friends.  Among the top ones are Pinda, a baby penguin who is her daughter and Pingu, Pinda's older brother.  Like most of her imaginary friends, Pingu is the title character of an animated TV show Kate watches.  She also quite frequently communicates with Ryder from Paw Patrol and the crane from the movie Kung Fu Panda.  I'm pretty sure she has a crush on Robin Hood (the fox from the Disney version).

Katelyn has such a sweet and vibrant personality.  Sometimes it is so brilliantly vibrant that is leaves me exhausted at the end of the day.  But I wouldn't have it any other way.  She truly is Kate the great.

a tale of two towers

One upon a time, Princess Kate was building a very tall block tower.

Sir Sam wanted to help.

Like the loving big sister she is, Princess Kate started teaching Sir Sam about block tower architecture.

Princess Kate and Sir Sam were having a wonderful time and there was peace and happiness in the kingdom.

Until the accident which displeased Princess Kate...

...and saddened Sir Sam.

But once again, like the loving sister she is, Princess Kate gave Sir Sam a hug and a kiss and told him, "We will build another tower."

And once again, there was peace and happiness in all the land.

The end.

mini pizza chef

Yesterday, Katelyn got to be pizza chef for the day.

A friend from our church set up a Moms and Tots outing at everyone's favorite local pizza place, Pepperoni's.

The kids donned little red chef's hats and aprons and they got to tour the kitchen in groups of six.

In the kitchen, there was a station with pizza dough, marinara sauce, cheese, and plenty of pepperoni.  Kate was so excited about being, as she called it, "the pizza cooker."

She got to see where the pizza she eats almost every week (thanks to Dee Dee) gets cooked.

Then she sat at a table with some of her friends from church and enjoyed a delicious pizza party!

Sam and I shared our usual Pepperoni's lunch of Caesar salad and pesto and mushroom pizza.