Happy Birthday Katelyn!

Today our little girl is a no longer a baby, she is a big one year old. Okay techincally she turned one on Monday but we didn't have the party until today so that gave me a whole extra week of denial :-). To celebrate we had lots of family and friends over for lunch and cupcakes. Below are some pictures from the party but first I need to brag about what our big girl is now doing...
-she waves hi and bye
-she actually says "hi" (in the most adorable high pitch falsetto voice)
-she blows kisses and has started to give close mouth kisses although the occassional "birdie" kiss slips in
-she can sign "eat", "more", "finished" and "please"
-she knows what sounds elephants, monkeys and dogs make and tries to mimic them (we are working on frog but every time you say ribbit she bursts into laughter)
-she says "tickle tickle tickle" while trying to get your toes
-she is very empathetic, laughing when someone laughs and crying when someone cries
-she is eating table foods (or at least grilled cheese)
-she has six teeth (4 on top and 2 on bottom)
-she finally has enough hair to have bed head in the morning and after naps
-she loves to look at pictures in books and turn the pages
-she points at things and says "was that"
-she has learned the fun of watching others pick up things that she throws
-she is a walking machine
-she laughs or says "wow" when she falls down
-she says "baby" when she sees babies
-she has the most adorable way of asking you to hold her (she puts her whole arm, from elbows to pinkies, together
and then holds it out to you)

I think we could make this list go on forever but you get the basic idea. I can't begin to describe how wonderfully blessed we are to have this little girl in our life! She is such a joy to be around and we love her more than words can describe. So here is to Katelyn, Happy Birthday Sweetheart!Katelyn took forever to eat her cupcake! Mainly because instead of trying to lick the icing she spent like 20 minutes picking it off to eat itThe BeginningAbout 15-20 mins into it. Final result...not too bad (of course you can't see all the icing because she is so white but trust me its there!)A little dip in the sink before opening presents.



And her best present of all...
Kyle Wesley Neel born right before her party at 11:59

Recent Pictures...

Oh My Goodness I Never Posted Christmas Pictures!!!

Every December our church puts on a little Christmas concert. Well this year Katelyn was in it and as expected she stole the show!! In between songs Stephen read the Christmas story to her as part of the program. At first when they told me what they wanted to do I laughed out loud. "You want a 9 month old to sit still and pay attention through a 45min program!" But they had more faith in her then I did :) She did an excellent job, way better then anyone thought she would! Not only did she sit on Stephens lap the whole time but she sang and clapped right along with the choir. Yup we have a little performer on our hands. Anyways here she is all dressed and ready to go to church...One of her most favorite places in the whole world, her daddy's lap...Now for Christmas...Christmas morning was spent at my parents house for breakfast and presents. I worked the night before so I was tired and on top of that Stephen, Katelyn, Timothy and I were sick! So sick that Stephen talked about calling off Christmas *gasp*. But a few words and a couple of tears from me and Christmas went as planned ;-) I only had to compromise by taking everyone to the doctors the next day. As it turned out Katelyn and I both had sinus infections and ear infections while the boys were put on antibiotics for their sinus yuckies. That being said we looked pretty good in the following pics :-). Here is Katelyn and all her "Bubba's"

Jacob (11), Reed (2), Katelyn (9mon), Johnathan (9) and Andrew (7).Here is Katelyn and I opening what turned out to be her favorite present, a pink baby stroller.And here is Katelyn helping daddy put together her stroller.Sorry these are all so late and so few but hey I am working on getting better at this whole blogging thing (obviously I have a long way to go!)

Its the little things...

2008 was a wonderful year! Stephen and I celebrated the birth of Katelyn in March and 3 years of marriage/8 years of being together/10 years of friendship in August :-D. And while both of those events are big deals I think 2008 was more about the little things rather then the big ones. Its the little things that happen every day that remind me of how blessed I am. Every time Katelyn lays her head on my shoulder. Every time she smiles and makes a bee line for Stephen as soon as he walks in the door. Every little giggle, every little excited dance and every little expression of ah and wonder at something new. Every time I pack up Katelyns cloths because she has out grown them and is now in a larger size. Every new trick she learns (the newest being her opening and closing her hand to wave instead of moving her whole arm and knowing that I am mama and Stephen is dada and calling us such). Its "birdie" kisses and mischievous smiles. Its cuddling on the couch with Stephen after a long day. Its going to bed at 10pm but staying up till midnight or later dreaming about the future, talking about our present or reminiscing about our past. Its listening to Stephen and his honesty while he prays. I could go on and on but I think you get the picture. I have thought about making new years resolutions but I am afraid that I would focus to much on those and then miss all the little things that will make 2009 fabulous. So here is to 2009 may it be a year to cherish all the little things!

Yup she is related to us...

How to tell Katelyn and Stephen are related...
Their whole bodies are a tickle spot.
Their eyes light up when they smile.
They are both cuddle bugs.
They both snore.
They both sit and watch me clean (lol).
They both love to eat.
They both love to watch TV.
They both love to study things and figure out how they work.
They both need naps in the afternoon.
They both love me.

How to tell Katelyn and I are related...
We both love to sleep.
We both love to go barefoot.
We are both "hams".
We both like to shop :-)
We both love to sing.
We both love to dance.
We both love to read.
We both love to just sit and watch the lights on the Christmas tree.
Hearing Stephen on the phone makes both of us smile.
We both adore Stephen.

Katelyns New Tricks

The last week has been a big deal for Katelyn. She has not one but two teeth breaking through, both on the bottom. She started this new lip smack thing that after several attempts I caught on camera. And the biggest of all...she started crawling!!! In her typical laid back attitude she will crawl only if she has too. For example there are no toys near by or she really, really wants to chew on my shoes then she will crawl to get them but for the most part she is still content to hang out where ever she is at.

Fall Festival

On Saturday November 1st our church held its annual Fall Festival (our alternative to Halloween).Well originally Katelyn was going to be a bunny for the Fall Festival but considering it was like 80 degrees on Saturday and her outfit was thick and fuzzy we had to change the game plan so she was a cow instead. It was kinda nice with Katelyn this year because it got me out of working any of the booths or doing anything productive. We got to walk around the whole time and mingle but poor Stephen got stuck maning the inflatable obstacle course the whole time. As usual he was a good sport and did not complain once :-) Maybe next year we will alternate and he can take Katelyn around and I will work...well maybe...

All dressed and ready to go...

Cotton Candy YUM, actually she only took like two bites and then didn't want anymore.Her friend Ella on the other hand couldn't get enough!Katelyn got to ride the donkey, yeah she wasn't impressed.Stephen, only half way done but still smiling :-D