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Tuesday, December 22, 2015

December

After 18 recent posts, I'm finally caught up on the end of our Spring, Summer and Fall. Despite it being the end of December, I feel like I'm finally 'ready' for Christmas. And by 'ready' I mean I have a million things to do to prepare but it's my favorite time of year and albeit late, the Christmas spirit has finally hit me. So here goes a run down of our December!

Kathryn got to be 'famous' and had a staring role in the holiday video, produced by the the group I work with. I may be a little biased, but I think she did a great job :).

Annual letter to Santa (written by me, all words by Kathryn).
The daily shuffle of moving 'Sally' the Elf.
Excited for her Christmas break!
Our annual trip to Santa's Wonderland!
If you know E. J., you know that he has an obsession with travel trailers. He hasn't stopped talking about them since I've known him but for a good reason; he's always wanted us to have one to take more family trips together. So when his latest search came across a really great deal (thanks to the camper being stolen from the lot and then recovered by police a few days later), it was hard to pass up.
Here she is!
Gingerbread house making time!
Christmas concert at school!
I got a text from E. J. a few weeks ago with a picture of a kitten (which isn't that uncommon). However, after looking closely at the picture I realized that it was E. J. holding it in his office! He found the kitten abandoned under the building and brought her to his office for the rest of the day... and ended up bringing it up to have his mom check it out (having a vet as a mother has its perks since she had everything on hand for us to take care of the kitten).

At .5lb of cuteness, we made the decision to keep her. The next decision? Her name. We left this up to Kathryn. After some thought she told us that the kitten's name would be...Rosetta Stone. I think a TV commercial may have really resonated with her! So Rosetta Stone it is (I think she'll be 'Rosie' for short).
Last day of school: wear your Christmas pj's and watch The Polar Express!

Another big milestone: another lost tooth!
The story behind the lost tooth. It was so lose, but her 'technique' did the trick. 
Don't mind the laundry draped over the hamper...

On Sunday, Kathryn was acting whiny so we told her that a nap was needed. She was pissed because she hasn't taken a nap at home in years, but clearly it was a necessity. When she woke up she told me, "Mom, please don't make me ever take a nap again. It ruins the personality of a good day." WHAT?!?!
One of the cops E. J. used to work with is incredibly kind and bought every ticket in one of the theaters for a Star Wars showing. The theater was packed with cops and their families, which was a fun night out (even if I don't know much about Star Wars!).
During a villain scene, Kathryn turned to me and said "He is NOT getting a present from Santa this year!"

It's been a really busy month, but there's still lots of excitement to come. I'm hoping for slow days ahead at home and just enjoying the time at home. 

Friday, December 18, 2015

Karate Tournament

A couple of weekends ago, Kathryn had her first karate tournament! I think it was just as fun for us as it was for her.
She's the little one at the end in the pink helmet.


Kathryn did really well with sparring. She won her first two rounds and then lost the third round. The boy she lost to ended up winning the age group, which was pretty cool!

It was super fun to watch her perform during her freestyle kata. She chose the song and made up the choreography all by herself. We were really proud of her to get up there all on her own, even if she was a little nervous!


She won second place for her freestyle!
At the end of a really good day!

Monday, December 14, 2015

Thanksgiving Weekend

Our Thanksgiving this year was laid back and wonderful! Now the countdown is on to Christmas vacation.
Last day of school before Thanksgiving break!
This is the only picture I managed to get on Thanksgiving. We slept in, ate breakfast, watched the Macy's Day Parade, napped, took a walk and had Thanksgiving dinner at E. J.'s mom's house.
Mid-afternoon and still in our pj's!
The day after Thanksgiving, K and I took a special girl's trip to Houston to see the opening show of the Nutcracker by the Houston Ballet.
Al fresco dining pre-show.
We couldn't get enough of this delicious bread dipped in sauce. I think both of us could have made a meal out of it!
Pizza is always a good choice, especially pizza-in-your-mouth-smiles.
Ready to see the show!
I'm a sucker and let her get the nutcracker that she fell in love with.
Checking out the orchestra during intermission and putting her to the test to name the instruments :).

We loved the show!
The rest of our weekend was pretty low-key, which also included s'mores. Plus, the fact that it was cold enough for a fire was an extra special treat!
On Sunday, Kathryn whipped out her chemistry kit and went to town with science experiments. 
I think this video encompasses Kathryn's personality. In true form, she doesn't stop talking/wants to explain everything (hence a 13 minute explanation) and finds ways to surprise me, make me laugh and just be all around adult-like :).

Sunday, December 13, 2015

Five and Half

True to tradition, we celebrated Kathryn's half birthday on November 4 with a half cake.
The five and a half year old! 
Speaking of traditions, we continue to do the monthly chair pictures.

Friday, December 11, 2015

First lost tooth

Kathryn lost her first tooth on October 21! Big day for a five year old!
Days before it fell out she was really working at loosening it up. She finally asked E. J. to just take it out!
The tooth fairly brought some extra $$ since it was the first tooth. I don't think she'll be so generous on the following teeth.

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Halloween

In preparation for Halloween we did our annual pumpkin carving a few days before trick-or-treating!
Not sure how the lighter in Kathryn's hand made it into the picture.
No bad for free hand!
Tasty pumpkin seeds. Thanks for the smokey bbq recipe, Aunt Deb!
Halloween: The big day!
Third year as a cat!
In true Kathryn form, she made conversation with every homeowner by complimenting something about their house. "Oh! You have a lovely home." or "I love your door!" or "You have a beautiful doorbell."
We had a blast!
Evaluating her loot!

Sunday, December 6, 2015

First day of kindergarten

It's hard to believe that Kathryn's been in Kindergarten for a few months now. She truly loves school has a wonderful teacher. Despite being a little nervous on her first day, she did great!

A few weeks before school started, I decided to trim her hair. As I was cutting it, I thought she would look cute with a bob and went for it. When I showed her the new look in the mirror, her expression turned serious when she looked at me and said: "If I was a parent, I would never do this to my child." It took her a day, but she warmed up to it and ended up loving her new haircut.
When I woke her up for her first day of school, she gave me the classic Kathryn inconvenienced tone by saying "Oh great, I have that today?" Sorry, kid. It's that time of year again!
Ready for class!
It's going to be a great year!