Lookin' Good at Two

Katie really enjoyed her 2nd birthday. She had an Elmo cake that she loved. It took us a few days to open the gifts because Katie wanted to play after each gift. She went to the doctor for her annual check up on Monday. She kept saying "What Dr. Cleary doin'?" every time the doctor wrote a note. She was shy at first but as the doctor and I continued our conversation Katie started belting out songs so loud we could barely hear what each other was saying. She now weighs approximately 29 lbs and is 36 inches. Not sure how acurate the measurements are. She was not happy about their testing. She would rather dazzle them with a tune.

Happy 2nd Birthday Katie!

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY KATIE! We love you! Here is a photo take right after she was born. Here is Katie enjoying the cake from her first birthday party. Looks like the dog is enjoying it as well.

Hello Fall!

I thought summer was busy but the fall is turning out to be busier! We’ve had parties, Patriots games, golf tournaments all while trying to squeeze in a few home improvement projects like painting the front of the house. A few highlights: Here is the house mid-scrapping and pre-primer. Chad is diligently working on that project. Rain delays have cause a couple set backs but so far, so good. I was a little late for this and only offered minimal help but proudly volunteered for the Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund last Friday. This organization put together 300 care packages to Mass soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. It’s a great local organization and here is the link if you are interested in more info: www.massmilitaryheroes.org. Organizations like this can always use more support. Katie took her first trip to the Zoo on Monday with Grammie and Tom. She was wondering if there would be sea lions and beluga whales like at the Aquarium but I told her most of the animals are land animals. She didn’t really grasp that concept. When I got home from work, she told me all about the giraffe eating hay, the elephant with the big ears, the deer that ate corn out of her hand and the rhinoceros (rhin-offer-uth) who went inside to eat lunch. I learned about a lot more animals as the night went on. It was great because she is learning about animals that live in the rainforest at daycare. Each day we get a new craft project that Katie has made at Josie’s. Here is her with a monkey. The mouth is cut upon so you can feed it paper bananas. She loves it! Next up is Katie’s 2nd birthday which is this Saturday. Uncle Stephen, her godfather, has a birthday this week too so she’s been singing “…HAPPY BIRTHDAY UNCLE STEPHEN AND ME!...” I don’t think she knows that we’re suppose to sing to her so I’m curious to see if she’ll sing Happy Birthday to herself on Saturday.

Last Week of Summer

I guess this is the unofficial last weekend of summer. It's starting to feel like fall when I take Abby on her 6am walks. Katie has even begun particiapting in the preschool cirriculum at daycare so it feels like school started as well. She came home talking about the rainforest which is the first subject they are learning about. When I asked her where the rainforest was, she said "at Josie's house!" Here is Katie and one of the masterpieces she created at daycare.

Let's Get Cookin'

Katie's been interested in cooking lately. Here she helping me make pancakes... ...and enjoying the finished project.

Vacation. It Was Nice While it Lasted.

Vacation is over and we are back at work and at daycare. It was nice to have a full week off and we combined it with a few trips and some stay-cation activities. We went down to Old Lyme, Connecticut to visit our friends Randy and Jess. Jess's family has a great place close to the beach. The first day was a little overcast so we went to the Mystic Aquarium. It's recommended if you are in that area. Katie is still talking about Coco, Surfer and Boomerang who are part of the Sea Lion Show there. They made a big impression. Later that day, we roasted some marshmallows for s'mores. Here is Katie....she's a natural. She also was very concerned about the status of the fire. More wood! Next day was a great beach day so that's where we headed. Beach trips are a little tough with someone who sleeps mid-day but we managed. Abby had a vacation of her own and was sent to stay with Auntie Joanna, Uncle Rob, Ella and Molly (the cat). I'm sure Molly was thrilled. Abby returned on Wednesday and the rest of us decided to visit a local favorite- Davis Farmland. It was a hit with the girls and Chad, Joanna and I really enjoyed it too. As we were leaving there we a bunch of goats napping on the walkways. So cute. On Thursday, we went to Nana and Papa's house down the cape for some more beach and visit. Overall, a great vacation. My only complaint is that I wish is were longer.

I Want an Elephant.

We had a busy week leading up to today but now we are officially on vacation. Hooray! Katie's had some funny things to say now that she is getting a little older and speaking in sentences. The comments are getting funny...and kind of random. Katie: "I want an elephant." "I like onions." Not true... "I hear a birdie. He's tweetin'. He's havin' breakfast. I WANT CEREAL!" at 5:45 in the morning. "Oh Dear..." "Help me my mommy." "Thank you my daddy." "Kitty havin' supper." This is what we tell her when we see the neighborhood cats walk by the house and then disappear. "MUSIC TRUCK!" Usually shouted during the daily appearance of the ice cream truck. She doesn't know yet that it sells ice cream, thankfully. My favorite: Chad: "Katie, do you want to go outside?" Katie: "Yeah, Grab a beer!" Here is Katie with her "Boo Boo Kitty" ice pack. It's getting some action lately thanks to alot of outdoor play. It heals all boo boos. Legitimate and imaginary boo boos.