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Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Five

It's hard to believe but Kathryn turned the BIG FIVE nearly six months ago! Leading up to the day we tried to make her birthday a special one.

Nine days before K's birthday, we headed to Houston for a special girl's trip with one mission in mind: find the perfect American Girl doll. 

K absolutely loves playing with my Kirsten at Nana and Pop Pop's house so it seemed appropriate to let her pick out her own American Girl for such a special birthday. For as long as she's played with Kirsten, I've told her how special this type of doll is. The ride to Houston was no exception. I reminded her (again) about this big purchase and how extra careful she must be with the doll. She assured me that she would be careful with her "delicate little girl."
Quick lunch before we arrived at Mecca
She was hardly able to contain herself when we arrived! After an hour of deliberation, she chose the doll all by herself. Samantha is is! The store is so overwhelming to an excited little girl and I really didn't want to sway her one way or another. I was really proud of her picking out the exact one she wanted and she was thrilled. Even before she picked out Samantha she stopped herself in the store a few times to tell me thank you and give me a hug :).
It was such a special day!
Even though she picked Samantha, to keep the excitement in place leading up to her birthday we made Samantha and her accessories stay in our closet until her big day (and I bought an extra outfit so there was some surprise). 

As I think back at this year there are some things that stick out about our now five year old. I wrote this before she turned five, hence some not-so-timely examples!

Kathryn is:

Incredibly social. She's not afraid to compliment anyone she sees wearing shiny jewelry, or a pretty dress, or really anything.

Talkative. She doesn't stop. Ever. She's never at a loss for words.

Smart. Her vocabulary constantly impresses us. And I love how much she enjoys school. We're so impressed at how much she's learned this year in Pre-K. Just a few days ago she just blurted out "Mommy. Ants have a head, thorax and abdomen." 

Sassy. The other day I told her to stop running and jumping on the furniture. Her response? "I'm not running, Mommy. I was just leaping."  

An animal lover. From real animals to her stuffed animals, she loves them all and is so good with them!

Creative. She loves to draw and most of all, build anything possible with Legos. I walked into her room the other night and as usual, she was supposed to be sleeping but instead she was building with Legos. She told me "Mom, when I grow up I want to be a Lego designer. Legos are brilliant!"

The perfect mix of everything. I love that she's not afraid to get dirty outside, play with her dolls, cook/bake with me, help E. J. outside and everything in between. She's a well-rounded little girl!
Kathryn wanted to go to Six Flags for her birthday and get her face painted. Since we say 'no' every time, her birthday was the perfect reason to have it done. She went all out and picked the most expensive design.
Dancing with the characters!
Prep for her birthday party!
The weekend before Kathryn's birthday, E.J.'s mom and Wendell celebrated her birthday with us. Kathryn chose homemade pizza, pizza rolls, salad and homemade cupcakes for her party.
Frozen is always a great surprise.
Going to bed as a four year old.
Waking up as a five year old!
Kathryn got a big gift from her E. J's mom: a trampoline! She loves it but we can't keep up with her. She's doing flips and could probably jump for an hour straight without a break.
The BIG DAY!
Always building!
Five year check-up. Healthy girl!
Height: 46.5 inches (94th percentile)
Weight: 52 lb (97th percentile)

Five is a great year!

Sunday, October 25, 2015

still here!

This post is just short of a small miracle. I'm back to blogging! After six months of unintentional time off, I'm excited to be back. Work has been so busy and although that will never change, I've been desperately wanting to get back at it. 

As I prepare to update on the last six months, we had a big milestone: Kathryn lost her first tooth last week. It was an exciting day in our house!
Attempting to loosen her tooth days before it came out.
The Tooth Fairy pays well (on the first trip to our house).
For now, I leave you with the crazy amount of rain we received. It rained nearly event moment of this weekend and after months of no rain, it was a welcomed treat!
Styling her Texas A&M boots in the slew of the pond a couple of months ago.
Before (panoramic)
After (panoramic)
More to come soon!