My Little Princess

Dave got home from work this afternoon and we had planned to go on a long run together.  Dave told Ella Kate to go put her shoes on and she came back with her princess heels.  Dave said, "what do you have on"?  She says, "Daddy I am a princess and these are my up shoes".  She calls high heels "up shoes."  Dave responds, "Princesses don't wear high heels when they play outside."  She responds with her hands on her hips, "Actually they do".  It was so funny :)  But Daddy won and she wore keds on our run!  While Dave just about killed me and his run was 3 times harder than mine since he was pushing a double jogging stroller - I semi kept up with him and ran 6 miles with him on the mountain!  It does not mean that I am in good enough shape to run 6 miles it just means that I am pretty darn stubborn :)  Everytime that Dave and the kids would get in front of me on the trail Ella Kate and Dave would look back at me and say "Kershowwwww."  Ohh how they thought that was funny :)

Weekend Fun - John is 8.5 Months Old

Last week was full of swim play dates, Vacation Bible School, and just enjoying long summer days at the park.  VBS was such a great experience for Ella Kate and John tagged along with us each day and had fun watching all of the big kids :)  Very thankful for a fun VBS experience but boy was I exhausted Saturday afternoon when it was all over.
Dave was gone all weekend on a bachelor trip for Mr. Mikey Buchanon and Mr. Taylor Craig.  Dave and Duncan cooked bbq for all the boys and they got to do lots of fishing so I think it was a really fun trip for everyone.  Ella Kate really missed her Daddy this past weekend and asked when he was coming home constantly.  To her credit he had also been gone to Savannah earlier in the week on a work trip so she was really missing him.  When he got home on Sunday we headed to Ms. Hannah Kate's birthday party and then off to see Cars 2.  Papa and LeLe babysat John while we we took Ella Kate to the movies.  We took Ella Kate out for a mexican dinner at Pappasito's before the movie and I think she enjoyed being an only child again for a little while. It was a great weekend.  I love my family!

 Ella Kate had so much fun at Hannah Kate's Gymboree birthday party.  Even John had a good time. 

I mean she really really had fun.  Can't you tell by the look on her face :)  She was one of the first in line to particpate for each activity.  She is growing up so fast.

Alot of her friends from school were at the party.  I think she really enjoyed seeing her school friends outside of the CEE.

This was one of her favorite games.  The would roll back and forth and then fall off.

Dave would never admit it but he LOVES going to birthday parties. 

Sweet John right in the thick of things.  He woud crawl in and out of the ring.  He is on the move and pulls up on everything.  One of his favorite things to do in the playroom is crawl in and out of the ball pit.

My sweet big boy.

I love it that these two play together so well.  However some of Ella Kate's games are a little questionable.  For example, this morning when I was cleaning up the breakfast dishes I heard John laughing and Ella Kate saying, "Fetch Little Doggie."  She would throw his toys were he could not reach them and he would have to crawl to them and bring them back to her.  He thought it was hilarious as did she :) 

She is a really good big sis.

She is really good with helping me with John.  She knows that he can not play with any toys that are smaller than her hand.

My sweet boy. 

This little baby boy is so precious to us.

John pulled up by himself

This morning while playing before church I turned around and John had pulled himself up to a standing position on one of his toys and was playing with it.  Wahooo.  Go John!!  We have also now dropped the mattress for his crib to the lowest setting.  Can't believe he is getting so big. 
Also, tonight at dinner while I was feeding him gerber "mixed vegetables" which looked awful and Ella Kate green beans which he was dying for I decided to cut some up into small bite size pieces.  John had his first real dinner where he had to feed himself.  He ate cut up green beans and fajita bread.  Love these two.  Dave left this afternoon for a conference in Savannah.  Ella Kate is already missing him and keeps asking where did Daddy go.  She is a Daddy's girl for sure.

Birthday Parties and More Birthday Parties

We had a fun weekend full of 1st birthday parties.  Yep, John's friends are starting to turn 1.  Lucky for Ella Kate both of the birthday parties were at our neighborhood clubhouse and pool and she is friends with the older siblings. 
Ohh and the other big news is that this morning John finally started drinking out of a sippy cup.  It was literally a miracle.  I was feeding Ella Kate and John breakfast before getting them ready for church and I asked Ella Kate to stand right in front of John and "show" him how she drinks from her sippy cup.  Then I gave John a sippy cup of milk (well Formula) and he just started drinking it.  I mean he took his entire 8oz's of formula this morning from a sippy cup.  Wahoooo.  I was so excited!  I thought that boy might never drink from a sippy cup.  I am going to continue this tradition for fear that he might stop and start giving him his morning forumla from a sippy cup and no more bottles in the am.  Except for at school - I don't want the teachers to not like me :)

Uncle Kenneth, Aunt Emmy, and Brooks came over for dinner on Saturday night.  I just love this picture of Uncle Kenneth and the boys (Brooks and John)

Happy Birthday Kate!!

John found a friend to play ball with.

Oh yeah.  This boy really liked the birthday cake :)

So So happy after getting a little cake.

Ella Kate and the big kids getting a little lunch after lots of swimming.

John and sweet Kate. 

It is such a small world.  Kate and her family including her brother Robert whom is Ella Kate's age live in our neighborhood.  What makes it a small world is that I was friends and worked with Kate's dad at UPS. 

We decided to take the wagon to the pool for the parties.

Ella Kate petting Baby John's head. 

I am looking forward to another fun and busy week.  This week is Vacation Bible School and I think Ella Kate is going to have a great time.  I am really excited about it for her.

4th of July at the Beach



We headed to the beach for the 4th of July Weekend.  We had such a good time and we got lucky that the Dorsey and Grundmeyer families were also at the beach the same time as us.  They were staying in the two condos next to ours so Ella Kate had a blast going back and forth visiting. 



Ella Kate and John with Nana

It is really hard to get both of them to look at the camera and smile at the same time :)

Happy Boy

Happy Girl.  We brough Ella Kate's new bicycle down to the beach and she rode some on the sidewalk around the courtyard of the condo.  A few times she toppled over and I was waiting to see her reaction before I ran over to her.  Both times she looked up at me with the bicyle practially on top of her and said, "Whew Mom that was close :)"  She is so funny.

Walking with Nana

Oh how Ella Kate loved to fish.  When we take the boat down to PCB, Dave heads out around 5:30am most mornings to do a little fishing.  When the kids and I wake up and get ready we like to meet him at the dock around 9ish for more fishing/boating and then take the boat to a restaurant on the water for lunch.  This was John's first time on the boat and he did great.  The movement of the boat put him right to sleep.  Miss Ella Kate on the other hand could not fish enough.  In the afternoons when Dave would tell her to pull her line in she would always say, "Ok Daddy, I just need to catch 5 more fish first."  Dave is thinking that by next year she may make the 5:30am fishing cut :)  I think part of the reason that Ella Kate likes fishing so much is that in her mind she catches a fish everytime.  Dave normally puts a shrimp or bait fish on her line and each time when she reels it back in she would proudly say, "I caught another one."  She caught her bait many many times. 

Nana and John.  I really need to get John a more comfortable looking life jacket.  He was such a good sport.

The little princess ready to hit the pool.

Johnny boy on the beach.

This was the first trip that Ella Kate has really liked the ocean.  She would tolerate it before and liked it a little if Dave and I were holding her.  But this trip she ran and played on the shoreline and loved getting knocked down by the waves.

Daddy and Ella Kate's fish.

So proud

Dave and his little fishing helpers

Ella Kate has her own pink fishing rod.  We saw lots of dolphins on our trip which Ella Kate loved.

The boys

Poor Dave just wants to fish - notice the pink fishing rod in his hand :) 

Ella Kate and John "discussing" who is going to drive the boat.

Future fisherman

Some of the bait fish Dave caught.  The little ones were Ella Kate's favorite.

Ella Kate driving us to BoatYard for lunch.

Dave's view.

What brothers do :)  Ooops

So glad that they finally have rides back in PCB.  Ella Kate had fun down at Pier Park.

John had fun people watching.

Dave and his little ones.

We ate dinner one night at Uncle Ernie's.  We sat out on the deck for dinner and watched the sunset.  It was so pretty.

John sporting his new crocs.

Little swimmer.

Sweet Kate. 

Ella Kate and her two boyfriends (Evan and Luke).  The boys were so sweet to Ella Kate.  One night when they were watching a movie together they were arguing over who was going to sit by Ella Kate.  Watch out Dave.