Gettin' Her Groove On

Last week was Katelyn's end-of-the-year dance performance. Her class has been working so hard each week on their dances and it was a ball to watch it all come together. Katelyn was beyond excited to get her groove on!

Since her class doesn't participate in the studio's big recital, this show is considered their "recital." They performed in the "big girl dance studio" where the older dancers practice and there were chairs set up for all the audience members. Michael took the morning off work to attend and that made Katelyn extra excited to put on the "formance," as she calls it.

Can I just say, this girl loves to perform?! The unfamiliar faces in the crowd did not faze her and she was in her element the whole time focusing on each action. She kept looking at us with a huge, proud grin. We each reciprocated with an equally huge, proud grin.

The class got to wear special tutus so they all matched. They also wore these for dance pictures a couple weeks ago. The girls looked like official ballerinas with the proper attire!

These girls all did great! The teachers only offered minimal direction to the dancers during the show - they did the vast majority of dances on their own.

There's only one thing cuter than a little girl in a tutu... and that's 8 little girls in tutus! Adorable. One dance was a parade and each dancer got an instrument to play. The first in line gets the drum and leads the group around the room. They rotate leaders each week and this time it was Katelyn's turn - what a fun surprise!

The class got quite the ovation at the end of the show and each child got a certificate and a rose from the teachers. (Later in the day, Katelyn kept showing Kendall the certificate saying, "This is my tickle-it from dance class, Kendall. Do you like my tickle-it? It says Kate-a-lyn Mlakar." Seriously. Love it!

Our little dancing star!

The teachers are fabulous! Katelyn loves Ms. Kristi and Ms. Jodi - they are awesome with the kids.

The celebration continued at Starbucks with a treat for our special ballerina. Not surprisingly, she chose the pink cake pop with white sprinkles since it matched her ballet outfit! She also got lots of ooo's and ahh's from the other patrons since she was still dressed up :)

What a fun way to wrap up this year of dance class! Our little ballerina worked hard, learned a lot, and had a blast. Way to go, lady!

A Little of This, A Little of That

With many of our scheduled events coming to a close for the summer (Bible study ended last month, while ECFE and dance wrap up this week), we've been enjoying a more open schedule which sometimes means staying in our PJ's until mid-morning while catching up with friends on the phone...

Kendall has been busy with lots of "floor time" and as a result, she's getting into the crawling position...

and also doing lots of these kind of moves...

Yikes! Not sure I'm quite ready for that mobility yet, but the girl is on a mission to grow up!

The girls are always excited to spend time with daddy. Katelyn was working on an art project for him to take to work. (Speaking of art, how do you think DaVinci would have felt if he saw his Mona Lisa in a dumpster? That's pretty much how Katelyn felt about seeing one of her masterpieces in the garbage. Oops. Oh, the tears!! It practically made me cry too - out of guilt and the sheer passion she showed for her work. Two words: lesson learned.)

Last week, Michael got in on the baby-wearing action! Doesn't a baby look good on him?! :)

This sweet thing has sprouted a tooth! At about 9 1/2 months, her first one finally broke through the bottom gums. It explains all the drool!

Kendall is loving being outside, too. Katelyn and I like to kick a big red ball back and forth to each other and Kendall just watches and smiles and watches and smiles. Like this...

Yesterday was rainy. Michael was traveling. We needed an activity for after naps. Group bubble bath! It was a winner. Katelyn loved that all three of us were in the big tub. But when Kendall and I made our exit, I happened to hear a "woo hoo, now I can stretch out and really swim." ... in a bathtub.

Mr. Malone has a birthday coming up! He'll be 7 years old on May 26. How can our buddy be middle-aged in dog years already - he's pushing 50, people! He's still a trooper though and a gentleman (check out the crossed legs). Kendall has recently discovered is soft floppy ears. And she pulls them. But he's a good sport. Aww...

This morning, our brood was out the door and en route to an appointment by 7:45. We are never out of the house that early (which is how I forgot about rush hour traffic!) After my dermatologist appointment, we went to Panera for breakfast (again, a rarity considering our average morning). If smiles mean anything, I'd say it was a good call...

And that's the quick update on the last couple weeks. Hope you're enjoying the spring and all the good things that come along with it - warmer air, sunshine, flowers, baseball, and the absolute favorite for me and Katelyn: flip-flops!!

A Mom's Greatest Gifts

Sunday was Mother's Day and in addition to spending the day as a family - enjoying church, getting spoiled, lunch out, and late afternoon DQ blizzards - I was feeling a bit reflective on the gifts that moms receive beyond this one day a year. The more important gifts.

As a mom, I've been given eyes to see ordinary things with extraordinary appreciation.

I've been given full arms and a full heart.

I've been given ears to appreciate the sounds of children: giggles, squeals, cries, words (and occasionally mispronounced ones), imaginary play, songs, grunts, quick little footsteps, rattles, claps, and yawns. I've also been given ears to appreciate the sound of silence. An appreciation like I've never, ever known before... :)

I've been given ample opportunities to match the silliness of my kids and doing so has given me a lighter heart.

I've been given the freedom to let go of perfection since it doesn't exist in motherhood. Instead, I can rest in the security that giving my best to our family will always be enough.

I've been given an insatiable thirst for snuggles with pajama-clad kids. And also a thirst for coffee. Copious amounts of coffee.

I've been given patience, but every morning I humbly ask for a refill.

I've been given a heart that relies on God more than I ever have before.

I've been given the gift to spend my days with these two lovely ladies - some days are smooth, some are bumpy; some days are relaxing, some are exhausting. Each one is a gift in and of itself.

I've been given the gift of motherhood. And it is one of my life's greatest blessings.

9 Months Old!

As of May 7, Kendall Jean is 9 months old. I can hardly believe my fingers as they type that! She is as sweet as ever and over the past month has really developed in some areas and has also been keeping us on our toes - lil stinker! As you might see, Kendall had me working hard to get smiles and simultaneously keep her 9-month sticker on her shirt for our little photo shoot! 

Yesterday's 9-month check up went really well - much better than previous appointments in terms of stranger anxiety towards Dr. Tammy and tears from the pokes. She did not bat an eye when they pricked her finger for a blood draw and she only cried for about 3 seconds after her Hepatitis B vaccine. Way to go, little lady! She's healthy and happy! Here's how much she's growing:

Weight: 19 pounds (53%)

Length: 28.5" (80%)

Head circumference: 17.25" (45%)

She's wearing size 3 diapers and mostly 12-18 month clothes. We expect that she will be able to fit into Katelyn's 18-month summer clothes in a few months, which is wild considering their "seasons" are about 6 months off!

Disposition: Kendall is a happy, content, easy-going baby the vast majority of the time. We know that because lately she hasn't been so happy and it's so out of character for her. She's been a drooling, nose-running machine; couple that with some big-time fussy stretches and it all adds up to one word: teeth! None of which she has yet, but they've gotta be just below the surface of her red, achy little gums. Most days though, Kendall is our sweet sidekick coming along to all of our activities and is just a peach of a girl. Many people ask me, "Is she always this easy-going? She's so happy!" Yes, she really is!

Sleeping: Not much has changed this month in the sleep department. Kendall sleeps as solid as a rock at night - hitting the hay between 6:30 and 7 and sleeping soundly until about 5:30 am when she wakes to eat and then goes back to sleep for another hour or more. Naps, on the other hand, are just short little snoozers. She takes two of them - around 10:30 am and 2 pm - and each one is 30 minutes. Tops. She loves to sleep on her side and her tummy. I rarely take sleeping pictures of our kids because I don't want to chance waking them up, but I couldn't resist this sleeping beauty in her favorite resting position...

Eating: Kendall is still nursing 5 times daily, but she's also making strides in consuming baby food. She generally eats purees for breakfast (a fruit combo of some sort) and lunch (a veggie). It still takes her a day or two to eat a full jar or pouch, but we're getting there. She eats 1-2 ounces at each meal, which is big progress compared to 1-2 bites a couple months ago. She's acquiring a taste for fruits now and actually prefers them over veggies. She likes interesting fruit/veggie combinations such as banana/beet/blueberry and broccoli/peas/pear. Even her first love (sweet potatoes) have taken a back seat to fruits. She has started trying Mum Mums (organic rice rusks) that dissolve easily in her mouth and is doing well with those too. 

Development: Kendall is on the move. She loves to roll all over the place. The picture above shows her new favorite move - getting on all fours from a seated position. Sometimes her left leg gets stuck, but she's pretty good at eventually wiggling it out. She has yet to really move forward or backward on her hands and knees, but it's probably not too far away. Eeek! She has perfected the wave and does it most of the time we say, "Kendall, can you wave hello/bye-bye?" Just within the last couple days, she's caught on to pointing with her index finger and will do it when we say, "Can you point with your finger?" Then she giggles and grins with pride! 

Kendall loves to get her hands on things and will reach for anything. She especially likes things with unique textures and usually explores by putting things in her mouth. She also loves to roll over to bookshelves and pull all the books down one by one and has even gotten used to knocking herself in the head a few times that it doesn't faze her now.

She's still exercising her voice by making sounds like, "da-dah, bah-bah, ma-mah, doh-doh." She is most vocal when first waking up.

See these leg rolls? We love them. So. So. Much.

Kendall's hair is getting longer - see how it's growing over her little ears? Her hair is still light, very fine, wispy, and sticks up straight in the back. One of her teachers at church calls it "dandelion hair." When the sun shines through it, that's pretty accurate :)

Likes:

- Bathtime. She bounces up and down and squeals with delight when it's time for a bath!

- Playing with noise-making toys (xylophone, drums, tapping two toys together).

- Being outside. Sunshine and breezy, fresh air, ahhh...

- Being held. Or being close to people.

- Being in the Ergobaby carrier - still at 9 months. She is so content and hasn't reached the wiggly, let-me-outta-this-thing stage yet. (Yay!) It definitely makes our park outings easier!

- Playing with Katelyn. Both of them giggle and squeal with sheer happiness. 

Dislikes:

- Being hungry.

- Being tired.

- Being confined for too long (in the car seat, in the stroller, etc.)

Little Kendall, our blue-eyed girl, you are such a joy! Who knew our hearts could hold so much love?! Thank you for 9 wonderful months of smiles, snuggles, and pure sweetness. You've got a lot to teach us and we look forward to all that's in store. xoxo 

A Cinco Celebration

Hola, amigos! Hope you plunged many-o-chips into generous bowls of guacamole and salsa over the weekend - we definitely did! Here are some pictures and a must-see video from our Cinco de Mayo celebration with the Zitzlsperger family!

This picture was taken by 6-year-old Dane. Not bad at all!

How about these itty-bitty, chip-grabbing, salsa-dipping hands? They belong to Katelyn and Erik :)

A quick kiddo picture - Erik, Katelyn, Kendall, Tripp, and Dane (+ Spiderman glove)...

Look out! The mamas enjoying some mama-ritas (Michael's term :)

Towards the end of the night, things got a little crazy. Family-friendly crazy, that is :) Have you heard of the Harlem Shake dance craze? Basically, it's always the same song and it features a single dancer initially and ends in a wild party dance. Michael has an app on his phone for creating your own Harlem Shake, so we just had to do it. Enjoy!

It was a great time celebrating our Mexican heritage favorite foods with great friends!

Katelyn Says

Katelyn has been full of 'em lately - funny quotes that is. We used to keep a square Post-It handy to jot down a handful of notable sayings, but we've had to upgrade to a notebook! For your reading enjoyment, here are some of her cute words and phrases with some recent pictures sprinkled in...

First up: "black-selder bugs." We've got a ton of them outside our house and occasionally one will sneak inside. "Mom, a black-selder bug! A black-selder bug is in my princess castle!" Well, they are indeed black, so I gotta give her that. And I have yet to outright correct her - it's just too cute :)

On the first day of April: "It's a new month. Now it's Maple!" March + April = Maple.

Riding her tricycle up a small hill in our neighborhood and I overhear this mantra: "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can..." One of a million moments we'd like to bottle up.

In some cases, "very" and "really" are interchangeable (for example when paired with an adjective - "very/really cold"). In some cases, they're not but Katelyn tries: "But I very, very want to play outside!" 

A sign we've all been talking way too much about the weather lately, Katelyn tells just about everyone we see: "It's too cold for March/April/and now May (!). The poor birdies are confused! It needs to be springtime!" Amen, sister, Amen.

Katelyn inquired, "But why sometimes you call it a sucker and sometimes you call it a lollipop?" And so began a conversation about synonyms with a few examples - street/road, park/playground, etc. Then Katelyn said, "Yeah, just like shake and smoothie!" You got it, girl!

"Mom, what are you going to do without your big helper when I go to preschool?" Can you tell I've wondered about that to her a time or two? It's true, I will miss my big helper next fall.

We've been playing our share of "I Spy with My Little Eye..." in the car and on walks. Sometimes if Katelyn's item is tough, she'll say, "It's a tricky one! Do you want me to bring you a hint?" Just like very/really, "bring" and "give" are sometimes interchangeable and sometimes not :)

For Katelyn, the word "their" comes out as "them." For example, "Why did they leave them shoes on?" or "May I go up them hill?" (she refers to driveways as hills.)

For the past couple weeks, Katelyn had been singing a single line from a song and these were the words: "There is one thing he cannot do..." We asked her where she learned that song and what it was about and she said she learned it at church and it's about God. Hmmm, what can God not do, we wondered? Well last week during church, all the kids in the Children's Ministry programming came out and sang this song... "There is one thing He cannot do... He cannot stop loving us! He cannot stop loving us!" Ah-ha! Truth.

Me: "Daddy had to leave quickly this morning to catch the bus."

Kate: "Catch the bus with hims hands?"

Me: "To catch the bus means it picks up riders at a certain time and he needs to be there to get on so he doesn't miss it."

Kate: "Did he have to run and wave to catch up to the bus?"

Indeed, some of our phrases can be a bit confusing to little ones!

Some of Katelyn's prayers lately:

"Lord Jesus, thank you for healing my sore bottom."

"Lord Jesus, I can whistle. Watch this... {attempts to whistle - which she has actually been able to do by taking quick breaths in - but this time she has a little trouble}... "Sorry, Jesus, I can't whistle right now."

"Dear Lord, thank you for our Lord." (This is a popular one.)

"Dear Lord, thank you for helping the injured people today." (We saw a police car and an ambulance with their lights on earlier, so we talked about what they might be doing.)

She's still working on fully understanding the concept of apologies and then forgiveness (quite frankly, a tough one for grown-ups, too). So her apologies usually go like this: "I'm sorry I took your ball away from you, Kendall. {hugs her} I forgive you." Umm... okay then. But oh-so-sweet.

And that's a wrap for today's edition of Katelyn's quotes. Hope they made you smile :) Enjoy the weekend!