The Cato Family

Ella exercising...

2012-01-24T16:26:00.000-08:00

Little Gym Funny Bugs Class

2012-01-24T09:21:00.000-08:00

This morning was Lia's first class at Little Gym where I did not go in with her. She had graduated from the Mommy and Me classes to the next level, called Funny Bugs, where I sit in the viewing room and watch through the window while she does class with her teachers and friends. She did a great job today! Our old class was 45 minutes long, and this new class is an hour. At the 45 minute mark, both Lia and Sage were over it and didn't really want to participate anymore. After some tears and a lot of coaxing from Ms. Amanda, both kiddos were able to stick it out until the end of class. I was so proud of Lia! I can't believe she is such a big girl these days : ) Here are some videos and photos from class:

Balance Beam and flip!

Bouncy Track

Jumping on the Bouncy Track

The Butterfly Center

2012-01-23T13:18:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday, we spent the rainy morning exploring the Butterfly Center at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Lia has been sick for over a week and finally showed some signs of improvement, so we decided to get out of the house for a little adventure. Ella now has Lia's cold, so she stayed home with Mimi. Although we missed Ella, it was nice to have a little one on one time with Lia.

Lia had a great time learning about the butterflies, then walking through the "butterfly garden like Dora does." : ) We even made a pit stop at the gift shop on the way out and got 3 great books about ladybugs and butterflies that have been mandatory reading at bedtime every night since!

Checking out the wall of insects with Daddy

Playing an insect game

All smiles : )

Watching real butterflies come out of cocoons!

Whoa - look at this guy!!

Wow! Surrounded by butterflies in the garden

My sweet angel in the butterfly garden!

We had a great time watching Lia explore and get so excited about it all! It's so much fun to see things through the eyes of a child. I am blessed to get to do it so often with my precious little daughters : )

Our first cabin trip

2012-01-23T09:28:00.000-08:00

Last week, we took our first trip to the cabin!

Every year, Philip goes on a hunting trip at the farm with a bunch of guys from work. This year, we went over a day early and got all settled in at the cabin. We had a great time with our two little girls! The next day, Philip headed over to the farm for the weekend for his hunting trip. The girls and I stayed the week at the new cabin.

Lia loved her big girl bunk beds and slept wonderfully in them. Ella did really well too. We set up her pack n play in the guest room, and she settled in well for the most part.

When Lia woke up on Thursday, she had a runny nose and I figured that she caught something at school on Wednesday. Well it turns out I was right. Sage and Colt both ended up sick too : ( Lia's cold kept getting worse all week, and we ended up at the doctor in Dadeville on Tuesday. Lia was such a good girl at the doctor's office, so I let her pick out a treat at Rite Aid while we waited on them to fill her ammoxicilin. She chose blue and green nail polish, and we did mani/pedis in her new room when we got home : )

During the trip, we got to visit with family and friends. The girls had so much fun getting loved on by Mimi, Grandaddy, Aunt Ginny, Aunt Rachel, Harrison, Aunt Elaine, Lauren, and of course Uncle Cliff!

It was a rough week with Lia so sick (and now it seems that Ella has it too.) Between Ella being awake so much (as babies tend to do) then Lia waking up all night with her cold (she ended up in bed with me a lot), no one got much sleep. I wouldn't have made it without all the help from my mom! Thanks Mimi - you are a lifesaver!!

Even with the lack of sleep, we had a great visit. We love the new cabin and can't wait to go back again soon!!

Even though she was so sick, we still managed to have tons of fun in the bath tub! I got her Vapor bath, which seemed to ease her cough and congestion, so I let her stay in the tub as long as she wanted every night - we even ate dinner in there a few times!

Ella spending quality time with Aunt Elaine and Grandaddy

Fun on the activity mat with a cozy fire going in the living room

Harrison and Lia watching TV with Uncle Cliff

Aunt Rachel loving on Ella and Lia : )

Uncle Cliff helping Lia put on the new Dora dress up clothes that Aunt Ginny brought her. She loved them and the Dora microphone too!

Uncle Cliff and Ella

A bottle from Mimi

My sick angel at the doctor (we had to bring Little Zebra along too)

Manicures and pedicures after the doctor

Ella all bundled up for the cold weather

My two sweet girls fast asleep in my lap on the plane headed home

Nana and Papa's visit

2012-01-07T13:03:00.000-08:00

Last week, Nana and Papa came out for a long visit. It was wonderful to have them for so many days! Lia got so much great quality time with them. She had so much fun playing tickle monster with Papa and playing school with Nana! We were glad they got to spend time with Ella too. She was all smiles getting to know Nana and Papa : ) Thank you both for coming out here. Please come see us again soon - we miss you so much already!!

Petting the animals after lunch at Clay's

Hanging out with Papa

Ella and Papa "talking"

Lia playing with Nana

2 Months Old!

2012-01-02T11:50:00.000-08:00

Our little Ella is already 2 months old! She is such a happy, easy baby. She is a great sleeper and a good eater, and she goes back and forth between breastfeeding and bottles with no trouble at all. Last night, we moved her upstairs to her own room. She woke up once around 3:30, but I was able to get her back to sleep with the paci and some snuggling, and she slept until 7:15! Here are some of the things we want to remember about this age:

-Eats 7 times a day, usually about 3 oz of formula or 25 minutes breastfeeding
-Stays awake about 1 - 1 1/2 hours at a time
-Naps for 1-2 hours in between each feeding
-Dropped her middle of the night feeding at only 6 weeks old!
-Likes her Baby Einstein Activity Mat and watching football with Daddy
-Loves to smile at Mama, Daddy and Lia
-Starting to "talk" a little, likes to talk back and forth with Mama
-Already had to move her to 3 month clothes because she is too long for her newborn stuff
-Uses a paci at nap times but doesn't seem to like it much any other time

Ella at 2 months old

Lia at 2 months old (they look a bit more alike in these photos than they did in the 1 month pics)

We love you so much sweet girl!! We are so blessed to have another beautiful baby girl, and we can't imagine life without you!

Ringing in the new year

2012-01-02T11:40:00.000-08:00

For New Year's Eve, we left the girls at home with Nana and Papa and went out for a night with friends. We all met at Tiffany's house and took a limo out for dinner at Tila's Mexican Restaurant and then a bar called Prohobition to count down to the new year. We had a great time! Thank you so much to Nana and Papa for babysitting so Philip and I could have some overdue adult time : ) Happy New Year! Looking forward to an amazing 2012!!

Christmas Day

2011-12-27T08:24:00.000-08:00

We woke up early on Christmas morning and came downstairs to find two big snowy footprints on the living room rug from Santa!! Lia thought that was so neat and talked all say about that fact that Santa forgot to wipe the snow off his boots before he came into our house. Lia and Ella both got so many great presents. We spent the day playing with all the new toys. It was a wonderful Christmas with my beautiful family!!

Santa's snowy footprints on the rug! Lia got an easel, new movies, clothes, walkie talkies, Candy Land, puzzles, blocks, books, stickers, art supplies, and candy, gloves, sunglasses and her own Lipsmackers lipstick in her stocking. Ella got clothes, movies, books, a shape sorter, a night light, a tea set for the tub, a bathtub toy holder, teethers and rattles.

Lia opening her presents from Mama and Daddy. We got her a stroller for her baby dolls and a Princess baseball and bat.

Snowman pancakes we made for breakfast - yummy!!

That afternoon, we made a red and green birthday cake for baby Jesus. Lia had fun helping me stir up the batter, then she had even more fun eating a huge piece when it was done!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-27T08:09:00.000-08:00

We had an amazing Christmas weekend with our two little angels! We had so much fun making special cookies to leave out for Santa. On Christmas Eve, we went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast, then spent the day hanging out at home before heading out in the rain for Children's Mass that evening. Because of the bad weather, we cancelled our dinner reservations so we wouldn't have to take Ella out in the cold. Instead, we came on home after church and had dinner here then got ready for bed early so that Santa would come : )

Lia making cookies for Santa while Ella watches happily

Daddy and Mama helping Lia make cookies

Setting out milk and special snowman cookies for Santa

Ella and Lia all ready for Christmas Eve mass

Early Christmas

2011-12-23T08:51:00.000-08:00

This morning, Keri stopped by with Sage and Avery for the kids to exchange Christmas presents. They had fun unwrapping gifts. Lia really likes the new puppy dog Sage gave her : ) Thanks to the DesAutels for our gifts!

Avery, Lia and Sage with their presents

Avery checking out Lia's present

Lia playing with her new dog "Trixie"

Last weekend, my mom, dad and brother were in town to celebrate Christmas with us early. We had so much fun spending time with them. We went out to dinner at Perry's one night and Philip grilled some delicious steaks for us the next night. The girls got so many great presents too! Uncle Cliff gave Lia her very own sleeping bag, which she thinks is really cool. Mimi and Grandaddy gave her a camera, a new doll that she named Baby Lila, a hair doing set that she hasn't put down since she opened it! Ella got an engraved silver cup, a Waterford bud vase, clothes and books. Thank you Mimi, Grandaddy and Uncle Cliff for all the wonderful gifts you gave the girls and also for everything you got for me and Philip. We had such a great time celebrating with you!!

Lia getting in her new sleeping bag

Watching a DVD with Uncle Cliff

Ella loves her Grandaddy already!

Opening presents with Mimi

Lately...

2011-12-21T15:07:00.000-08:00

I captured this cute moment on my phone the other day. Ella loves to look a Lia and just grin so big!! It is really adorable seeing my two girls getting to know each other : )

I came out of my room the other night to find this - Lia had gotten herself "all dressed up" to go look at the Christmas lights in our neighborhood. She looked hilarious! Of course, no outfit would be complete without all her accessories - hat, sunglasses, necklace and a purse full of stuff.

Daddy let her "drive" the car around to look at all the Christmas lights. She had a blast!

Lia and Ella playing on the activity mat

Ella at 4 weeks

2011-12-16T10:52:00.000-08:00

This post is a little late, but I didn't want to forget it. Here is a photo of Ella at 4 weeks old. She weighs 8 lbs 10 oz. She is starting to smile at me when I say "I Love You!" She is eating every 2 1/2 to 3 hours. We are so happy to have another healthy daughter! Our family has a totally different dynamic now that we are 4 instead of only 3, and I can't imagine life without my precious Ella!!
Here is a photo of Lia at 4 weeks for comparison:

Photos of our Christmas decorations

2011-12-16T09:11:00.000-08:00

Meeting Santa 2011

2011-12-13T14:45:00.000-08:00

Well folks, here it is, the best photo we were able to get with Santa. After a week of excitement and anticipation, Lia was all ready to meet Santa last night and even had a list of questions prepared to ask him (What kind of cookies does he like and does Rudolph want big or little carrots.) When we got there, she couldn't wait for it to be her turn. Then, as soon as she got in his lap, she promptly began to boo hoo! Santa was very patient (although he does look a bit perplexed in the photo) and tried to calm her down to no avail. Finally, I came and picked her up and through tears, she first asked for a kleenex then told me that I needed to tell Santa what she wanted for Christmas (an easel) and she was ready to go home. Oh well, it will be a funny keepsake for years to come : )

Ella with Nana and Papa

2011-12-10T09:28:00.000-08:00

Cliff sent me a few more photos from the hospital. Here are some great ones of Ella with Nana and Papa...

Thanksgiving

2011-11-27T14:33:00.000-08:00

For the first time, Philip and I stayed home for Thanksgiving instead of traveling because Ella is still too little to fly. We had such a great holiday with our two amazing girls! On Thursday, we enjoyed a great Thanksgiving meal with ham, turkey, dressing, rice, rolls and pie! Then on Friday, we loaded up the kiddos and went to Old Time Christmas Tree farm for another first - picking out a real Christmas tree! We had so much fun choosing just the right one and enjoying the festivities. Over the weekend, we just relaxed at home and spent lots of quality time as a family. Lia had so much fun helping us "decoration" the tree with "ormanaments." : ) Although we missed seeing our families, it was really nice to spend the holiday in our own house and to have 4 whole days to spend with Daddy at home. It's so cool to realize we are a family of 4 now, and we felt so blessed as we enjoyed the holiday with our two beautiful daughters. It was the best Thanksgiving ever!!!

Check out that bird!

Heading to pick out our tree

Helping Daddy choose just the right one

Riding the train with Mama

Going down the bouncy slide all by herself!

The perfect tree!!

Helping Mama decorate

A little help from Daddy

Enjoying the weekend with her sister

A few more...

2011-11-22T19:34:00.000-08:00

Preview of our family photos - thank you Becky!

2011-11-22T19:18:00.000-08:00

Weekend fun

2011-11-21T07:02:00.000-08:00

Dancing queen!!

Mimi and Ella dancing with Lia
Mimi loving on baby Ella

Nap time with Daddy

Snuggling with Daddy - doesn't she look just like him!

30th birthday weekend

2011-11-21T06:51:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, I turned 30! I had such a wonderful weekend with my loving little family. On Friday night, Mimi babysat the girls while Philip took me out to dinner. Then, on Saturday, Philip kept the girls at home while Mimi and I went to the movies to see Breaking Dawn : ) On Sunday morning, Philip and Lia and I went out for a birthday breakfast. Then we spent the day relaxing at home, and Philip grilled steaks for my birthday dinner that night. It was a great way to celebrate, and I am so thankful to my family for making my birthday special!

Birthday flowers

Headed to birthday breakfast

Decorating Mama's cake
Eating birthday cake with Mama

Ella's first week at home

2011-11-10T11:01:00.000-08:00

Here are a few photos from Ella's first week at home with the family. Things are going great so far! Don't want to jinx myself, but she's doing really well at night and I have been able to get plenty of sleep : ) Lia is a wonderful big sister and loves to "pet Baby Ella's head."

First bath

I want to be in the picture too!

Ella at 1 week old

A bottle from her Daddy

Reading baby sister a book

Ella's first trip to the doctor

After being discharged last Friday, we had to take her back to the hospital to recheck her jaundice on Saturday because the doctor was a little concerned. It hadn't spiked, so they didn't make us admit her, but said we needed to go to the pediatrician on Monday to check it again. So, we went for our first visit to the pediatrician Monday morning. Thankfully, the levels had dropped and she looked healthy all the way around. She was already back up past her birth weight at only 6 days old! She was 7 lbs 10.6 oz. They said she was only 19.75 inches, shorter than they measured at birth - guess someone got the length wrong...It was a great first visit, and we are so thrilled with how well Ella is doing!

Ella

2011-11-04T18:43:00.000-07:00

Virginia Elaine "Ella" Cato was born at 1:53 p.m. on November 1st, 2011. She was 7 lbs 10 oz and 20.5 inches long. We were released from the hospital yesterday and have been getting settled in here at home. We are so proud of Lia and the wonderful big sister she has been so far. We feel very blessed to have two healthy little girls!! Here are some photos from the last few days:

The morning of the c-section, saying bye to Lia before heading to the hospital

Meeting our little girl!

Spending time with Ella in the hospital

Lia meeting her baby sister for the first time

It was love at first sight : )

Getting ready to head home

A bottle from big sister

Here is a preview of the photos that Cliff took for us at the hospital. They are so beautiful!!

They grow up so fast...

2011-10-31T19:10:00.000-07:00

Just a quick look back over the last three years of Halloween with Lia and Sage. It is so amazing how quickly they grow up! Time really does fly!!

2009

2010

2011

Trick or Treat!

2011-10-31T18:49:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!! Here are the pictures from our evening trick or treating. Lia had a lot of fun!!

Costume Carnival at Little Gym

2011-10-28T16:45:00.000-07:00

This year, Lia wanted to be an Auburn cheerleader for Halloween. We got all dressed up tonight for the carnival at Little Gym. I wanted to make sure I got pictures of her in costume just in case Ella decides to make an early entrance and I'm not home for trick or treating on Monday : ) Here are the photos of our little cheerleader...

Brownies and AU football

2011-10-24T06:18:00.001-07:00

Even though Auburn lost this weekend, we had fun making brownies and hanging out with Mimi and Grandaddy! : )

October at the Oil Ranch

2011-10-15T11:02:00.000-07:00

Ice cream

2011-10-13T13:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday after school, Keri, Tiffany and I took the kids to Tutti Frutti for ice cream to kill time before going to Little Gym. They all had fun! As you can see from Lia's bowl, she had a little trouble choosing just one flavor, so we ended up getting "white, brown AND pink!" We let the kids run around outside for about an hour afterwards to get rid of the sugar high : )

Luke, Avery, Sage, Emily and Lia

What a cool idea...

2011-10-13T12:20:00.000-07:00

I found this cool idea online and decided to try it myself. It turned out so cute! I'm going to have to do this for both girls at every age...

Knoxville trip

2011-10-10T18:29:00.000-07:00

This year, Philip's Christmas gift from me was a surprise trip to Knoxville for the Tennessee Georgia game. It has been a long time since he's been to TN for a game, and he was so excited to go for this one. Our friend BK picked him up from the airport on Friday night. They stayed at a hotel within walking distance of the stadium. He got to spend the day on Saturday tailgating and loading up on Tennessee gear from the University bookstore before heading to the stadium that evening for the game. After the game, the guys went downtown for drinks and walked by the river to see the Vol Navy. Philip flew home on Sunday afternoon. He had a great trip, and I'm so glad he got to go to a game in Knoxville this year!!

In Neyland Stadium

Running the "T"

Outside Neyland Stadium

A picture of campus and the mountains

Merry Christmas honey!!! I hope you had a great weekend! Love you!

A visit from Rachel

2011-10-10T18:15:00.000-07:00

This weekend, while Philip was out of town, Rachel came out to stay with me and Lia just in case I went into labor early. Thankfully, I didn't and we had a great time just relaxing, catching up, and working on her wedding plans : ) Lia absolutely loves Rachel, and she was attached to her from the get-go. Here are some photos of the two of them having fun together...

Waiting to eat breakfast at The Egg and I

Hamming it up in the bath tub
Showing Rachel all the toys in her room

Rachel, thank you so much for coming out to stay with us!! It was so wonderful to spend some quality time with you. We love you so much!!!!!!

Enjoying the weather

2011-10-04T11:38:00.000-07:00

The past couple of days have been such a nice change with temperatures in the low 80's instead of the 100 degrees we have been enduring the last few months. Lia practiced carrying her pumpkin bag and saying Trick or Treat in the front yard while Miller and I watched...

First Dentist visit

2011-10-04T11:30:00.000-07:00

Today, Lia and I went to the dentist for her first visit. First, she sat on my lap and watched while I got my teeth cleaned. Then, she climbed up in the chair for her turn. It went great! She was all smiles and even got a Cinderella toothbrush and a sucker at the end : )

Checking out the fish tank in the waiting room

It's my turn!

Open wide, let's count your teeth - 20!
Brushing with Cinderella toothbrush
All done!!
Having a Halloween cupcake with Mama at the bakery after the dentist : )

Reading with Daddy

2011-10-02T11:38:00.000-07:00

One of the rare occasions where I actually had the camera close by at the perfect moment : ) Just thought I would share the cute picture I took this morning of Lia and Philip reading a story together...so sweet.

Dinner with the Ruffings

2011-09-30T18:30:00.000-07:00

Tonight, our good friends Patrick and Christi came over with their daughter Luci for dinner at our house. The girls had so much fun playing together! After supper, we let them have some fun in the tub. Then, they ran around in the their pjs for a little while before bedtime : ) We really enjoyed visiting with Patrick and Christi, and the girls were definitely fast friends. Thanks so much for coming!!!

Reading books before bath time

Fun in the tub

Acting crazy in their pjs : )

Playing in baby Ella's room

More books...

Bye Bye Luci! See you soon!

Baby time : )

2011-09-23T13:23:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, we went over to Jessica and Danny's house to take supper and visit Colt and baby Lane. Lane is 5 weeks old now, and he is just adorable! Hopefully he will start sleeping through the night soon so Jessica can get some rest : ) Here are a couple of pictures:

Today, we babysat Avery while Keri went to get her hair done. Lia was so excited about playing with baby Avery. She was a big helper with changing diapers and playing with toys. We had a fun girls afternoon!

Playing with friends

2011-09-14T09:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we spent the afternoon at Keri's playing with friends. She blew up their bounce house, and the kids had so much fun playing in the balls and sliding down in the water! Jessica came over with Colt and baby Lane, Jen brought Bennett, and Tiffany brought her twins Emily and Luke, so we had quite a few little ones running around : ) It was fun t0 sit and visit with the girls while all the kids ran around the back yard. Thanks for the entertainment Keri. We always have so much fun at your house!!

In the bounce house with Sage and Colt

Eating ice cream in the shade with Luke, Colt, Sage and Bennett

All smiles with Sage : )

Mother's Day Out 2011 at Windwood

2011-09-07T08:07:00.000-07:00

Lia is going to Mother's Day out 2 days a week this year, and we switched to a new school so she could be in a class with her friends Sage, Luke, Emily and Colt. She will go on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:00 to 2:30. Last year, she went on Mondays only from 9:00 to 1:00, so it will be an adjustment for her to take her nap at school this year.

We had open house a couple of weeks ago and got to go in and meet the teacher, Mrs. Julia. Then, today was Lia's first day of school. We had been talking about it a lot in preparation, and she was very excited to go play with new toys and said she would not cry and I would give her a sucker after school (my little negotiator!) When I dropped her off, she held it together until the last second when I walked out the door, then I heard her lose it. When I went back to pick her up this afternoon, she was sitting in the circle singing songs. She burst into tears and ran to me as soon as I walked in the door : ( The teacher said that she was sad off and on throughout the day, but she enjoyed going on the playground and did participate in a couple of activities and took her nap fine. I'm sure next week will go better...

Meet the teacher night

With Sage and Colt at Open House

Lia's nap mat, bag and lunch box all ready for the first day

All dressed and ready for her first day, she wanted to carry her lunch : )

Okay Mama, enough pictures!!

Cabin pictures

2011-09-06T16:46:00.000-07:00

With the exception of the screened porches and a few other small details, the cabin is finished! We spent the last week getting all moved in. After many trips into town for all the things we needed and countless hours unpacking and putting furniture together and hanging art, we finally got everything all set up. We won't be back until January or February, and at that point we'll have a new little addition, so it was really important for us to get everything done on this trip so it would be ready when we go back with Ella in tow next year. We are so happy with the way it all turned out! It really feels like home away from home : )

Labor Day 2011

2011-09-06T15:19:00.000-07:00

We spent Labor Day weekend in Auburn this year and had so much fun! We were there getting moved into the cabin, which is finally finished, and we got to go to the first AU football game of the season while we were in town. Here are a bunch of great pictures from the game:

Popcorn with Daddy

Watching the game with Daddy

Philip and Dad enjoying the game

Shaking her shaker, clapping, and cheering for the Tigers

Aubie!

In our seats with Mimi

Band in AU formation

Outside the stadium before the game

All dressed up and ready to go!

Visiting Uncle Cliff's store : )

Visiting Joe and Tina, my Dad's parents

In a new dress playing with little Aubie

My beautiful family!! : )

4D

2011-08-23T15:41:00.001-07:00

We did our 4D ultrasound Tuesday afternoon, and Ella wasn't exactly cooperative. But we were able to get a few pictures of her, and they said they would try again at my 32 week appointment. Here are a few that turned out okay. She looks identical to how Lia looked in her 3D pictures : ) We can't wait to meet her!!

A few pics...

2011-08-21T13:35:00.000-07:00

Playing with sweet Miller man

More love for Miller

Helping Mama bake a cake

She turned to me and said "I'm having so much fun. This chocolate is YUMMY!"

Carrying around the basket of pretty flowers Mimi sent her : )

Fun with Aunt Ginny

2011-08-21T13:31:00.000-07:00

This weekend, Aunt Ginny (my aunt, Lia's great aunt and godmother) flew over from Atlanta to spend some time with us and attend Ella's baby shower. It was her first visit to Houston since we moved here, and it was so much fun to have her come!! Lia absolutely loved carrying on with Aunt Ginny all weekend - they were two peas in a pod : ) Thank you so much for making the trip out here Aunt Ginny! We loved having you and so wish we got to see you all the time!! Love you!!

Bump watch

2011-08-21T13:28:00.000-07:00

Philip took this picture 8-3-11 to document the ever-growing belly...

Diaper Shower for Ella

2011-08-21T13:12:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, our friends threw Ella a beautiful diaper shower at the Lee's house. The shower was hosted by Ryan and Keri, Christi and Patrick, and Natalie and Casey. It was so much fun! The food was wonderful, we got so much great stuff for Ella, and it was so mice to spend time with friends that we haven't seen much over the summer. I can't say thank you enough to our wonderful friends for throwing this party for us!! We love you and really appreciate all you've done for us! : ) Here are some pictures from the shower:

The hostesses - Natalie, Keri, and Christi

Lia enjoying her third cookie!!

Sage, Lia and Ashton had fun hanging out and playing while the grown ups enjoyed the party.

Yummy food! It was a brunch and everything tasted so good!

Natalie made the most adorable cookies!! She is SO talented!

Gifts!

Such cute decorations

Aunt Ginny and Mom flew out on Friday night for the shower. We had such a fun weekend!

Happy 7th Anniversary!

2011-07-31T07:15:00.000-07:00

Today, Philip and I celebrate our 7th anniversary! He sent me these beautiful flowers (which Lia insisted I put on her table) and we went to Jasper's for our anniversary dinner last night. We had such a wonderful time celebrating : ) We are planning to spend the day relaxing at home and grilling out to end the weekend. And of course, I always make Philip watch our wedding video with me so I can remember "7 years ago today..."

Today, on our 7th anniversary, I am so thankful to be sharing my life and building a family with my best friend and the love of my life! I love you honey!!!!!!

2 more weeks to go...

2011-07-29T11:05:00.000-07:00

...and the cabin should be ready!!

Toddler bed!

2011-07-26T11:11:00.000-07:00

Well, we hit another milestone this weekend. We switched from crib to toddler bed! Daddy took some time on Saturday to take the front of Lia's crib off and put the toddler rails up for her. Knock on wood, it has been smooth sailing from the start. She was very excited about her "big girl bed." She has willingly climbed right in every night and every nap since, and she hasn't even tried to get out once! Here are photos:

Ella's room

2011-07-26T11:05:00.001-07:00

We have gotten things pretty much done in Ella's room. Most of the big projects (painting walls, refinishing dresser, creating monogram artwork) are finished, and now all we have left are the little details. I've got plenty of time left for that, so I think I will take a much needed break for a little while and just enjoy what we have accomplished so far : ) Here are some photos of how it's turning out...

Welcome Baby Trevor!

2011-07-20T14:54:00.000-07:00

Our good friends, Lauren and Jarin Horton, welcomed their first child yesterday. Baby Trevor is adorable, and we are so happy for them! Congratulations to the Horton family!!!!!!!!!

Happy 2nd birthday Lia!

2011-07-19T07:24:00.001-07:00

Our baby girl turned 2 years old last week! She has definitely graduated to "big girl" status and tells me frequently that "Lia is not a baby!" It's hard to see her growing up so fast, but I am so proud of her many accomplishments and I am lucky that she still likes to "get snuggled up" with me for some cuddle time every day. To celebrate her birthday, on Friday night we went out to dinner at Pappasito's. She always asks for chips and cheese dip when we go to any restaurant, so we chose to take her out for just that for her birthday dinner. She even got ice cream for dessert! Here are photos from dinner:

On Saturday, we took Lia to the circus. That was her birthday present from me and Philip. She had a great time. Unfortunately, my camera died after about the first 10 minutes of being there, but I did manage to get a few pictures of her enjoying a huge bucket of popcorn and a super-sugary lemonade while she watched the show!

At 2 years old, Lia is a delight! Here are some things we want to remember about her at this age:

-She is talking up a storm and constantly amazes me and Philip with the long complex sentences she puts together. She even forms full questions, like "Mama, do you want a bite of my spaghetti?" or "Daddy, can you help me put my shoes on please?" She also likes to talk on the phone and says "Mimi, can you hear me? How are you today? I'm fine." : )
-She can count to 15
-She is working on learning her ABC's
-She weighs 24.5 lbs
-She is in the 25th percentile for weight and the 50-75th percentile for height, both of which are right on track with the curve she has been on since birth
-She goes to bed at 8 p.m. and wakes up about 7:30 every morning
-She takes one nap about 1:00-2:30 every afternoon
-She drinks 3 6-8 oz. cups of milk a day and eats 3 full meals plus an afternoon snack
-She likes to sleep with a big pillow, 2 little pillows, a blanket and a battalion of stuffed animals including Elmo, 2 doggies, and a baby doll
-She loves to dance and sing songs - her favorites are Row Row Row Your Boat, Jesus Loves Me, and Sesame Street theme song
-At night, she has supper, takes a bath, then gets her pj's on and reads books with Daddy before going to bed
-She likes to watch Dora, Elmo, Nemo, Charlotte's Web, Milo and Otis, and Lady and the Tramp
-She loves babies! She likes to hold Baby Avery (picture below) and is very excited about Baby Ella coming. She already loves to kiss my tummy and talk to her baby sister, and she thanks God for baby Ella when she says her prayers at night!

We are so blessed to have such a wonderful daughter! Happy 2nd birthday Lia!!!!!!!!!!!!

Photo overload!

2011-07-12T18:51:00.000-07:00

We just returned home from the second half of our summer trip. We had such an amazing vacation! It was so much fun spending time with our families and seeing great friends that live so far away!! I have uploaded a ton of photos from the trip below...

Rachel and Jordan's Engagement Party at their new house in Canton

Playing with Campbell at Nana and Papa's house

Fun at the beach with Mama and Daddy

Spending time with family

Lia's 2nd birthday party at the beach!

Luau themed cake and cupcakes

Singing Happy Birthday and enjoying some cake!

Yummy!!

Hugging the Aubie statue Uncle Cliff gave me : )

Riding on the ferry with Daddy on our way home to TX

Thank you to everyone who made Lia's summer so unforgettable! She wakes up every morning talking about some exciting part of the trip that she remembered : ) We are so lucky to have such wonderful family and friends, and we really loved getting to spend so much time with you!!

Haapy Father's Day!!

2011-06-19T17:57:00.000-07:00

Philip - Thank you so much for the wonderful husband and father that you are to our family. You amaze me constantly, and watching the incredible relationship you have with your daughter brings tears of joy to my eyes! You are a wonderful man, and not only is Lia blessed to have you for a dad, I am equally as lucky to have you for a husband!! We love you with all our hearts - Happy Father's day!!

Opening presents

Donuts and kolaches for breakfast

First official haircut!

2011-06-19T16:26:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally took Lia to get a "real" haircut. Up until now, I have just trimmed it myself, but I think we got to the point where we needed an actual haircut. So, today Philip and I took her to get her first real haircut at the only place we could find open at 4:00 pm on Father's Day Sunday - Great Clips - and it went great!! She hopped up in the chair, didn't protest at all when the lady put the cape on her, and sat perfectly still for the whole thing - she even smiled for the camera!! She is such a big girl these days, and we are always so proud of her! : ) Here are pics of the new 'do (every time I look at them all I can focus on is that picture on the wall of the goofy looking dude - gotta love the way they decorate at Great Clips!) and the happy customer with her sucker in the car afterwards!

Ella

2011-06-17T13:18:00.000-07:00

We went yesterday for our 20 month ultrasound and got to see our little girl again : ) They confirmed that we are having another girl and said that everything looked great! We have decided to name her Virginia Elaine Cato and call her Ella for short. Both Virginia and Elaine are family names on Philip's and my side, and we felt like it would be a beautiful name for our next little angel! I will try to upload the ultrasound video later this evening...We are all so excited about our growing family and thank God for such a blessing!!

Our summer so far...

2011-06-17T11:28:00.000-07:00

We've already had a busy summer and still have much more planned! We drove to Gulf Shores for Memorial Day weekend, and from there we went to the lake. We have had so much fun!! It will definitely be a summer that I never forget : ) Here are some photos of our adventures so far:

Visiting Toomer's corner and Mellow Mushroom in AU

Fun on the boat at the lake

Dinner with Erin, Pat and Jess in Orange Beach

Swimming at the beach

Gulf Shores Zoo

Playing in the ocean with Daddy and Mimi

Little Gym graduation

2011-05-26T10:56:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, Lia had her "graduation" day at Little Gym. Philip came from work to watch her perform all the tricks she has learned and receive a ribbon at the end of the show. Lia was thrilled when she saw Daddy walk in! He was so sweet to bring his little girl flowers too!! Here are photos from the event:

It's a Girl!

2011-05-23T18:16:00.000-07:00

We went for our 16 week ultrasound today and found out we are having another little girl! Lia celebrated with a pink cupcake in honor of her new baby sister : )

We didn't really get any good pictures from the ultrasound, but here are the ones we did get:

Baby bump

2011-05-19T18:19:00.000-07:00

I thought I should post a pic of my growing belly to document the memory. I took this photo (sorry so blurry) on May 11th. I will try to post a few more along the way...

Little Helper

2011-05-19T18:15:00.000-07:00

Lia was so cute the other day helping me in the new nursery. I was measuring for an idea I had to do diamonds on two of the walls. I turned around and Lia had grabbed a ruler and pencils and she was doing just like Mom : ) She's such a sweet heart!!

Sea World!

2011-05-15T13:55:00.000-07:00

This weekend, Philip and I took Lia to Sea World in San Antonio. We weren't sure whether or not she was going to be old enough, but it ended up being perfect! She is still young enough to get in free, which is a plus because those tickets aren't cheap, and we were able to spend about 4 hours at the park - from about 8:30 to 12:30 - before heading back to our hotel for a much needed nap. Half a day was the perfect amount of time for us.

We got there before the park opened to do a Sesame Street breakfast, which included meeting Elmo, Zoe, Cookie Monster, Bert and Ernie, and Big Bird. Lia could barely contain herself, she was dancing around the parking lot as we waited to go in singing "Lia's so excited!" over and over : ) It was so cute and definitely made us feel like the whole trip was worth it.

After breakfast, we spent a couple of hours walking around the park hitting all the highlights. We fed the dolphins, which was really cool. Then we saw sharks, penguins, alligators, birds, and sea lions. Finally, we watched Believe, the killer whale show. Seeing those huge whales up close was one of the best parts of the day!

I can't thank Philip enough for such a wonderful Mother's Day gift to me. It was a trip I will never forget. Seeing Lia have such a great time just made the whole weekend for us both!

Enjoy the photos of our wonderful weekend trip to Sea World!

Cabin so far...

2011-05-13T10:05:00.001-07:00

4-22-11

4-29-11

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The cabin so far...

2011-05-12T08:15:00.000-07:00

4-22-11

4-29-11

5-11-11
Making progress!! It should be done sometime in August : )

Oil Ranch

2011-05-07T12:17:00.000-07:00

What fun! Philip and I took Lia to the Oil Ranch this morning. As a child, I visited the Oil Ranch on field trips, etc. so it was fun for me to take Lia there. She absolutely adores animals of all kinds, so she was just in heaven!

She got to pet Daisy, the cow (we declined to milk her though!) Then she got to ride a pony! This was her first time to ever ride a horse, and she LOVED it! I thought would be scared when I first put her up there, but as soon as Red got going, she relaxed and enjoyed the ride, even asking to go around again. Then, we walked through the barn, where she got to see sheep, deer, roosters, a pig, chickens, a peacock, and bunnies.

She really enjoyed herself, and it was a fun way to spend the morning. From there, we went to The Whistle Stop Tea Room in Tomball for lunch,yummy!! It was a wonderful Saturday with my little family!!

Sweet girl at the doctor

2011-04-28T16:43:00.000-07:00

I had to take Lia to the doctor yesterday and couldn't resist taking a pic as she sat happily waiting in the room for Dr. Taylor : )

We went to RJ Goodies Bakery for a little treat, a cheesecake swirl brownie! It was super yummy!!

Meet our newest member of the family : )

2011-04-27T15:45:00.000-07:00

On Monday, Philip and Lia and I went to the doctor to have our 12-week ultrasound for the newest little member of our family. Everything went well, and our doctor said that this little one looks wonderful!

Lia was so sweet, holding my hand during the ultrasound and saying hi to the little baby on the screen. I was so proud of her!

I am due November 5th. We will go back in 4 weeks to find out the sex : ) We are so excited about our growing family!!

Happy Easter

2011-04-25T09:23:00.001-07:00

We spent Easter at the lake with my family this year. We had beautiful weather and such a wonderful time!! Here are some photos from the trip:

Congratulations Dad!

2011-04-25T09:09:00.000-07:00

Over Easter weekend, my Dad joined the Catholic church. He has been taking classes since last fall, and we were all so excited for him to finally reach the finish line. During the Easter Vigil Mass on Saturday night, he and the other candidates were welcomed into the church. I am so proud of him!! Congratulations Dad : ) I was able to snap a couple of pics with my phone during mass...

Family photos

2011-04-25T09:08:00.001-07:00

While we were visiting the farm with Philip's family, Cliff came over and took family photos for us. They turned out SO good! Thank you Cliff!!!

Family weekend with the Catos

2011-04-25T08:56:00.001-07:00

We recently had our annual farm trip with Philip's family. It's something we all look forward to and the kids always have such a great time! This year was even better than last because baby Thomas joined the crowd : ) and because Lia was old enough to run around outside with Evan and Campbell! Here are some photos from the weekend...

Papa helping Lia play with her new bubble gun

Eating breakfast on the couch with Nana and Campbell
Playing in the yard with Campbell

Watching Evan play baseball from the porch with Nana and Campbell
Fishing with Daddy (Lia actually caught a really big fish, her first! Sadly, I didn't get a photo of it)

Playing with Nana
Holding baby Thomas - he was such a happy guy the whole time!!

Playing with Campbell's bubbles

B-day fun at the farm!

2011-04-02T08:37:00.000-07:00

We went to the farm for Philip's bday again this year, and some of our best friends from home got to come spend the weekend celebrating with us! It was soooo much fun!! Here are a few pictures from the trip:

4 wheelers with Nick

Fishing with BK and Christie

Saying bye to Jarin and Lauren

Welcome Baby Avery!

2011-03-09T15:44:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, Keri was induced and just a few short hours later, baby Avery was born. Philip, Lia and I went up to the hospital to visit them and meet Avery that afternoon. She is absolutely beautiful!! Sage is already such a great big brother giving Avery many many kisses : )

Lia didn't really know what to think of the tiny baby. She got a bit upset when I held Avery, but after a minute she calmed down and came over to see for herself. On the way home, she kept saying "Sage baby sister" over and over again.

Ryan and Keri got to take Avery home Monday night. Congratulations to the DesAutels, and Welcome Baby Avery!!!!!!!!!!!!!

McDonald's!

2011-02-21T10:04:00.000-08:00

Lia had McDonalds for the first time today, and of course, it was a hit! She wasn't so into the chicken nuggets, but she loved the cheeseburger and fries dipped in bbq sauce : )

Long weekend with Daddy

2011-02-21T09:31:00.000-08:00

Philip had Monday off work, so we got to enjoy a nice long weekend with him at home. We spent our time relaxing and getting in some good quality family time. On Saturday, we drove out to The Woodlands where we walked around Market Street and ate at a new pizza shop. On Sunday, we went to Tomball for breakfast at the Nook, then went to a local park to play. We had so much fun that after Lia's nap, we went to another park then ate Italian. On Monday, we met Keri, Ryan and Sage at Top Donuts for breakfast. The kids had fun, and the donuts were so yummy!! Enjoy all the new pics...

At Market Street in the Woodlands on Saturday afternoon

At Juergens Park in Tomball Sunday afternoon

At Top Donuts on Monday morning before Little Gym

Hugs and kisses!! xoxoxoxoxo

Valentine's with Mimi

2011-02-21T09:23:00.000-08:00

Mimi came to visit last week, and we had a great time!! On Valentine's day, we made sugar cookies and decorated them with sprinkles. Mimi also got to come watch Lia at swimming on Thursday, then come to Little Gym on Friday. Thanks for coming Mimi - we had so much fun!! Here are some pics from the week:

Swimming with Daddy

2011-01-30T08:40:00.000-08:00

I was sick this week, so Daddy had to take Lia to swimming lessons on Thursday. She had so much fun with him! She was all smiles, and she jumped in and went under water without any fuss. Thanks Daddy!

Painting...

2011-01-30T08:34:00.000-08:00

Our little artist at work : )

Playing at Sage's

2011-01-14T13:35:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, we took Lia in her new wagon over to play at Sage's house (thanks Keri! - they weren't home but let us stop by to use their swing set.) Lia had so much fun swinging, sliding, climbing and playing with all the balls!

War Eagle!! National Champs : )

2011-01-14T13:33:00.000-08:00

We were so thrilled to cheer Auburn on to a victory last week! We made sure that we all wore our Auburn outfits from the time we woke up Monday until the time we woke up Tuesday so that we didnt' jinx the team by being out of uniform : ) Here is a picture of Lia all dressed for school Monday morning, and another of Lia and Dada reading one of her Auburn books right before the game. She loves to shake her shaker and say "War Eagle!" and she loves to point to Aubie when we read her Auburn books!

New Year's with Nana and Papa

2011-01-13T08:05:00.000-08:00

Philip's parents came out to Houston to celebrate New Year's with us. Lia had an absolute blast spending time with them!! Here are some pictures from the visit:

At Pappasito's New Years Day

Philip with his Mom

Playing with Nana and Papa

18 months!

2011-01-04T12:38:00.001-08:00

Well, Lia is now 18 months old - time really does fly!! We went for her 18 month well-check today. She had to get 2 shots : ( But she did a good job and recovered pretty quickly. Here are a few stats from the doctor and things we want to remember about this age:

-Lia weighs 22 lbs 9.7 oz
-She is 2'8.5" tall
-She is in the 23rd percentile for weight, 73% for height
-She drinks about 25 oz. of milk each day
-She wakes up around 7:00 am, has a sippy cup of milk then breakfast
-She eats lunch at 11:30 am
-She now takes only one nap a day (we just made the switch from two a couple of weeks ago and its going great!) from about 12:30 to 2:30 pm
-She has a snack after her nap, then eats dinner about 5:30 pm
-She takes a bath then goes to bed at 7:30 pm
-She talks all the time! She's starting to make sentences and sometimes its hard to understand what she's trying to tell us.
-Her best friends are Miller and Sage
-She can't get enough of her Mimi or her Nana. She loves spending time with her grandmothers!!
-She goes to Mother's Day out on Mondays from 9-1 at Lakewood Methodist Church. After a rocky start, she is starting to really improve. The teachers have told me that in the last couple of weeks she has started to play with the other kids, participate in art and music, and eat a good lunch - all without the constant tears that we saw when we first started going!
-She goes to Little Gym once a week and loves rolling on the mats, swinging on the bars, walking on the balance beam, playing with the balls, and most of all singing and dancing with the music.
-She goes to swimming lessons on Thursday evenings with Sage, Luke and Emily
-She is still a great traveler. We have to buy her an actual seat on the airplane now instead of sitting in Mama's lap because she is getting so big and active that it's impossible to keep her out of the lap of the stranger beside me! : )
-She loves being outside and constantly asks "shoes on? outside? please!" to see if I will let her put her shoes on and go outside to play. She loves walking with us to get the mail, and she likes to carry the mailbox key the whole way.
-She likes to count. Her favorite numbers are six and eight, and she likes to repeat those over and over!
-She loves to watch her Auburn dvd, say "War Eagle" and point to Aubie. She also loves to shake her shaker and throw the football with Daddy : )

Lia is growing up so fast, and she is the light of our lives!!

Christmas pictures

2010-12-27T07:49:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos from Christmas and my family's visit the week before. So much fun!!

Opening presents from Mimi, Grandaddy and Uncle Cliff

Playing in the ladybug tent Uncle Cliff gave me

Daddy and Grandaddy putting together the "front door" that Mimi gave me. I love playing with this new toy!

Getting ready to go to Children's Mass on Christmas Eve

Putting milk and a cookie out for Santa before bed

Having fun taking pictures with Mama's camera before bath time

Snuggling with Mama after my bath on Christmas Eve

Reading 'Twas the Night Before Christmas with Daddy before bed

Learning how to lick a sucker that I got in my stocking from Santa on Christmas Day

We had such a nice Christmas. It was very relaxing, and we had so much fun watching Lia play with all the new things she got from Santa this year. Some of the things she got were a bookcase, a radio flyer wagon, Shrek 4 and Fantasia DVDs, clothes, a glow worm, Mrs. Potato Head, a step stool, a big-girl pillow with her name on it, a 5 pc. place setting of Spode Christmas china, a cross ornament, and a stocking full of her favorite candy-Reese's! Lia had such a great Christmas. We are so very blessed!!

Best Friends!

2010-12-24T08:53:00.000-08:00

Sage came over to exchange Christmas presents with Lia. Keri and I laughed and laughed at the two of them! They are so affectionate : ) Lia obviously missed Sage a lot while we were out of town. She has always (from the time they were born practically) loved Sage's hair, and she never fails to "pet" his head. It's so funny! They had a great time seeing each other again, lots of hugs and kisses!!

Condo before and after photos

2010-12-20T13:16:00.000-08:00

We are finally completely finished with the condo - yay!!! Here are the before and after pics...

Master bedroom

Guest bedroom

Living Room

Dining Room

Guest Bath

Kitchen

Master Bath

A beautiful sunset in Orange Beach!

Feeding the ducks

2010-12-18T12:14:00.000-08:00

Lia wasn't even scared on our stroll when all the ducks swarmed around us wanting food. She threw them her cheerios and pretzels and got upset when it was time to head home! : ) She's a real animal lover!!

Sleepy girl...

2010-12-13T17:28:00.000-08:00

on the way home from school today. Lia's teachers said she did much better at Mother's Day Out today. She played with the other kids, made an ornament with her hand print, and ate a great lunch! She had so much fun, she skipped her morning nap and fell asleep as soon as I got her strapped into the car seat : )

Santa 2010

2010-12-07T11:04:00.000-08:00

We had Santa pictures at Lia's school. She wasn't so keen on Santa this year. I had to sit with her to get a photo where she wasn't crying. Maybe next year she will be a little happier to see Santa!

Christmas with the Cato's

2010-12-07T08:28:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, we went to Canton to do an early Christmas with Philip's side of the family. We stayed with Nana and Papa from Friday to Monday. On Friday night, we went out to dinner. Then on Saturday, while I went to the Auburn game, Philip and Lia went to see Campbell dance in the Nutcracker. She had a fabulous time! Philip said she was enthralled and even tried to dance along with the show : ) Maybe its time for me to look into dance for her, haha! On Sunday, the whole family came over and we exchanged Christmas gifts. Lia got so many presents. She had a blast playing with her new toys and with her cousins. It was a great weekend!!

Lia playing with her cousins Campbell, Evan and baby Thomas. She had so much fun with them all weekend!

The fam: Philip, Katie and Lia; Steve, Natasha and Thomas; Matt, Heather, Evan and Campbell

Lia opening one of the many great Christmas gifts she got over the weekend. Thanks to everyone for all the wonderful gifts. She loves them all!!

Philip playing with baby Thomas. It was so cute, Thomas was just giggling away the whole time Philip had him!

Thanksgiving

2010-12-07T08:27:00.000-08:00

We spent Thanksgiving day at the farm with my parents, my brother, Aunt Elaine and Uncle Howard, my cousin Jay and his wife Jenny and their two boys Hudson and Barrett. It was such a fun day! Aunt Elaine was so sweet to make me a cake to celebrate my birthday (I spent the actual day at the condo putting together Ikea furniture, yuck!) We had a really great time with our family and friends. What a wonderful way to spend Thanksgiving!! Here are some photos:

Blowing out the candles on the birthday cake Aunt Elaine made for me. It was so good! Thanks for making my birthday so special!!

Thanksgiving Day at the big table with Mimi

Feeding the fish off the dock with Mimi

Fun at the Farm

2010-12-07T08:26:00.000-08:00

Lia had so much fun visiting Grandaddy's farm over Thanksgiving. He even got her some camo of her own : ) Here she is "driving" the buggy with Daddy and walking on the rocks with the dogs...

War Eagle!!

2010-12-07T08:25:00.000-08:00

Auburn won the SEC Championship game against South Carolina in Atlanta last weekend, and I was lucky enough to be there! My brother, me, mom, dad, Uncle Rick, cousin Lauren, Uncle Gregg and Aunt Jane all went together. It was so much fun! I had never been to the Georgia Dome before. It was awesome to see us get such a big win!! Thanks for the ticket Mom and Dad! Next, Auburn will head on to the national championship! War Eagle!!!! Here are a few pics from our seats at the game:

Clay's for lunch

2010-11-12T11:12:00.000-08:00

Today, we went to lunch with Daddy at Clay's. After some yummy burgers, we went and let Lia pet the animals. She wasn't scared at all this time, and reached right out to pet the horses : )

More condo pics...

2010-11-11T07:53:00.000-08:00

Sliding!

2010-11-07T16:12:00.000-08:00

We took Lia on a long stroll and to the park today. It was such nice weather! We are so happy to finally be having some cool days. She went down the slide for the first time and had a ball!! She's a little dare devil : )

Brushing our teeth!!

2010-11-04T06:42:00.000-07:00

She's getting better at brushing her teeth, and likes to use Mama's toothbrush sometimes : )

Drinking milk with Miller

2010-11-03T07:04:00.000-07:00

Last night, Lia was laying on the couch with me having her sippy cup of milk before we went upstairs for her bath. She stopped drinking, handed me her sippy and started asking where Miller was. I told her he was on his bed, and she said she waned to get down. So I helped her down off the couch, and she walked over and laid down with Miller, then asked me for her "Ba Ba" again. I handed it to her, and she drank the rest of it while snuggled up with Miller. It was adorable! She loves him so much, and he is so sweet to her!! I grabbed the camera and took a few photos and a short video.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T17:48:00.001-07:00

Today, we took Lia to Lakewood Methodist (where she goes to Mother's Day Out) for the Halloween Carnival. Her favorite thing was the petting zoo! She wanted to pet all the animals and wasn't scared of any of them : ) Here are a few photos from the carnival:

After the carnival, we came home and got ready to trick or treat. Lia went as Cindy Lou Who and Philip was the Grinch. It turned out really cute! Lia got to have her first piece of candy, a Reese's cup, and she loved it of course!

When Philip put the mask on, Lia freaked out and started bawling, so we really had to sneak to get a picture with Daddy sitting behind her where she couldn't see. Then, her friends Sage and Luci came over for some photos. All the kids looked adorable!

The granite is in!

2010-10-29T08:30:00.000-07:00

Here are a few photos of the condo. The granite went in yesterday. We are getting so close to the finish line!!

Campbell & Evan all dressed up

2010-10-29T08:27:00.000-07:00

Here is a pic of Lia's cousins, Campbell and Evan, dressed up as Fancy Nancy for Book Character Day and Jason Heyward #22. So cute!! We are looking forward to visiting them in December : )