Mud Pies

Jackson and Katherine have been making 'mud soup' lately,

but today they decided to make mud pies.

 Rex fits perfectly into the mix around here.

 Once they made their mud pies, they put them on the ground where Rex promptly devoured them.  I'm glad someone around here would eat their delicacies.

Three

It's been a couple of weeks now, but Katherine did have a birthday party!!  I reminded her when she woke up that morning that it was her birthday, and the first thing out of her mouth was, "Princess party!"  Not exactly.

Thankfully she didn't mind seeing these balloons . . .

 or this cake!

The last thing the birthday girl wanted to do on her birthday was look at the camera.

Nicholas and Jackson

 Getting their bellies full!

  

 Following the party, we attempted a picture with Zach, me, Jackson, and Katherine.

It just wasn't meant to be; about like the one below.  Typical.

We gave up on the family picture and Katherine tested out some of her new toys. 

 When the day was done, it was safe to say that Katherine had a wonderful day.  Our little girl sure is loved and we appreciate our family and friends celebrating Katherine with us.

Play Ball!!

I have been waiting for this day for years ... Jackson had his very first t-ball game this past Saturday!!  There's just something sweet about little boys in over sized baseball jerseys, playing in dirt, players not sure which way to run to base, and the whole team chasing after a ball once it's been hit.  We weren't sure what to expect, but Jackson did great!!  His team was in the outfield first, and he sure was eyeing the pitcher's mound and all of that dirt!

 Emma and Katherine cheering for Jackson!

It was finally Jackson's time to bat!  I was able to get Jackson's very first time to bat and his hits on tape!!  I have been trying for hours over the last week to upload this video.

 {He plays t-ball, but the coach actually pitches the ball 3 times and if the ball isn't hit by then, they bring the stand out for the kids to hit the ball off of.} 

Waiting for his 2nd turn to bat.

 He did great at his second at bat as well,

and made it to 1st base off of a hit!

We are so proud of the way he played!

 A quick picture with Grandma and Grandpa following the game! 

With my superstar!!  

I hope he has as much fun playing as we do watching!

Adding a Candle

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KATHERINE!!!

It's almost impossible to imagine that our baby is THREE!!  

We've had a fun weekend with t-ball and a birthday party!

Now, it's time to make cupcakes for preschool tomorrow!

The Future

Remember in yesterday's post I mentioned that "... Jackson's wish will come true in the future"?  Well, I didn't think that the "future" would be TODAY!!!  After 8 months of telling us he wanted a dog, Jackson finally has one!

Jackson's new puppy, Rex.

 Rex is a Black Mouth Cur and his name comes from the mighty T-Rex.  :)

There were only a couple of breeds we were looking at and this puppy happened to be the closet to us.  Zach sent an email to the breeder last night and he called today informing him that he did have some puppies available.  We jumped in the car and checked them out.  It was definitely more sudden than we had anticipated!

Rex had a little bit of an odor when we picked him up and on the way home Katherine kept calling him Stinky!  Since he's been bathed and smells nice, she's calling him Sweetie!  Occasionally she'll call him Rex! 

 Everyone needed a few minutes of rest after the bath!

Welcome home, Rex!

Man's Best Friend

Jackson has been telling us for months that he wants a dog.

Well, today his wish finally came true ...

Meet Katherine, his new puppy!!

 She fetches,

 she has a house that doubles as her bathtub,

she tackles and gives slobbery kisses just like any pup should.

Don't worry, we won't let Katherine develop a complex.

I'm sure Jackson's wish will come true in the future.  

But for the meantime, at least they're having fun together.

Movin' on Up

Katherine has taken her last nap and spent her last night in her crib.

 Tonight, she's snoring away in her new big girl bed!!

 She was a little concerned this morning when Zach took apart her crib, and also later when her bed was delivered and set up.  Once she saw her new bed, she was excited!  She immediately ran into Jackson's room, grabbed a pillow, placed it on the slats, and tried to lay down!  A little later while we were headed to pick up Jackson from school, out-of-the-blue she said, "I like my new bed."

She loves looking at herself in her new dresser mirror!

 She missed her nap today, so thankfully she went to sleep pretty quickly tonight ... within 7 minutes of walking out of her room, we heard her snoring (this little girl snores) over the monitor.

 Our sweet little girl in her big bed.  It truly is bittersweet!