My Pintrest Project - Wreathes

So far in the pinning, I have pinned quite a few crafts.  Some of which I am hopeful Elizabeth can do with me, others are just for yours truly.  Here are two crafts that Elizabeth and I did together.

Balloon Wreath: The one I saw on Pintrest didn't look as full as I would have liked, but I thought it was super-cute and festive.  I don't remember how many packs of balloons I went through but it was a LOT more than was recommended in the instructions.  I would have used more if I could have found more in those colors (and I searched.  Frequently.)  The Verdict:  I like it.  It's cute.  It was a bit more expensive than what I thought going into it.  Elizabeth was proud to help me with the project.  Since I hung it on our inside door, it will keep for a few years (before the balloons dry-rot).  Check out ours and judge for yourself!

Googly-Eye Halloween Wreath:  I couldn't keep the festive Balloon wreath up until Christmas, so something had to be done.  I thought E would get a kick out of this one, too, and who doesn't like googly eyes???  I used a smaller wreath that I bought for doing more than one balloon wreath (and the picks wouldn't come close to going through that wreath...not to mention there would have been a massive balloon shortage then!).  I covered that wreath in ribbon that I had on hand.  Then we were off to gluing.  I lost count of the number of packs of googly eyes we used, but, again, way more than the instructions called for.  The Verdict:  Super cute.  E loved doing it, until she got bored as we had to wait for a long time for glue to dry (because I wasn't about to do anything with hot glue around her!)  We're quire happy with this one, too.  Again, it's hanging on the inside front door, so we should be able to use this for lots of Halloweens to come!  Check out ours (not yet hanging) for yourself!

My Pintrest Project

I love Pintrest!  It's highly addicting...I've gotten a lot of great ideas from other pins -- too many to likely ever see them come to fruition.  In an effort to Blog with more regularity again, I've decided to try to document my opinions on how each pin matched up after I have first-hand experience with them.  Some things that I've already tried (recipes in particular) have been great, others, not so great.  So, as I go through and make different things that I have pinned, I'm going to give it my own review. 

This week, I've made two things that I have pinned, both recipes.  The first yummy, the other, a big disappointment.

The good: Southwestern Chopped Chicken Salad.  Easy to make, especially since I used a pre-cooked whole chicken from Kroger.  Lots of chopping, but prep time didn't take but maybe 30 minutes, tops -- and most of that was because I get really picky about the white part of the iceberg lettuce being in my salad (that is a no-no).  I added a small can of sliced olives (just because I love olives, especially in salads!), but otherwise followed the recipe.  For the Greek yogurt, I used fat-free.  I didn't measure the taco seasoning or the ranch seasoning, but I'm sure I did more than the recipe called for -- and I think it could have used a wee bit more.  The Verdict:  Yumminess!  Reid said it was the best salad I have ever made (and I love salads!)  This is totally going in the dinner rotation! 

The not-so-much:  Tonight's dinner was a bummer!  I'm always looking for something to make in the crockpot so I can throw it together on mornings that I go to Morgantown for work and come home to a good meal.  The Italian Crockpot Chicken was just - eeh.  Not terrible, Reid and I ate it...as did Kennedy (Cate dumped her entire plate overboard without trying a bite declaring "All done!").  Elizabeth ate a little bit of it, but when she didn't eat the cooked carrots, I knew we had a loser on our hands.  The Verdict:  Super easy to make, but don't waste your time.  It was bland - really bland.  And after it has cooked all day long, in seasoning, it shouldn't be.  Don't know what would fix it and don't care enough to try.  The chicken was crazy (in a good way) moist, but again, bland.  There was a lot of unconsumed food (save for Kennedy's portion from Cate's splat mat) -- and what wasn't served went down the disposal.

Cate's Growing Language

I'm so long over-due for a post it's not even funny...and Cate's language has exploded since my last post.  I'll try to list all of her words here, but I'm sure there are some I will forget.  Ones with a * she also signs:

1. Mommy
2. Daddy
3. Sissy
4. Dog*
5. Stop it (typically spoken to the dog, Kennedy)
6. Cocoa
7. Piggy (for the Piglet blanket that is the new addition to the growing list of items she likes to carry around)
8. Sock
9. Shoes* 
10. Jaket
11. Shirt
12. Pants
13. Hat
14. I no poop (sometimes "I poop!")
15. No
16. Yes (with a bit of a fist pump)
17. Milk*
18. Please*
19. Spoon
20. Eat
21. Cookie 
22. Chip
23. Chicken
24. Copcorn (aka: popcorn)
25. Ice cream
26. Cake
27. Want it
28. Wawa*
29. Tank You
30. Done*
31. All gone*
32. More*
33. Nana
34. Papa
35. Papi
36. Aunt Anne 
37. Sean
38. Rara
39. Doug (sounds a lot like dog, but she says it when she sees pictures of Doug, so we get that she's not calling Doug a dog -- or so we hope!)
40. Maggie
41. CaCa (She's a bilingual genius!  In addition to this being Aunt Cathy's nickname, she's also saying "shit" - how awesome is she I ask you?)
42. Campbell 
43. Let's gooooo (and then I say "Mountaineers!")
44. Bed
45. Night night
46. Baby*
47. Blanket
48. Up
49. Sit
50. Down
51. Chair
52. What's that?
53. Bye-Bye*
54. Hello
55. Play
56. Hair
57. Body
58. Fingers
59. Toes
60. Belly
61. Mouth
62. Ears
63. Eyes
64. Nose, nose, nose (typically while squeezing hers or mine)
65. Mickey Mouse (sounds a lot like her mouth is full of marshmallows "Micka Mouse")
66. Emo (Elmo)
67. Cup
68. Plate
69. Funny*
70. On
71. Off
72. Baketball (we're gearing up to cheer for the Toppers and Mountaineers for BASKETBALL season)
73. Ball
74. Put away (maybe one of my kids will know to put away toys...)
75. READ
76. Book
77. Where's*
78. BATH**** (It is more of a full body wiggle with crazy-enthusiastic signing -- so much so we have to spell the word if she isn't going to be on the receiving end of the B-A-T-H)
79. Dirty*
80. Dance*
81. Yellow
82. Who's that?
83. Apple*
84. Pig*
85. Monkey* (followed by "ooh ooh aah aah")
86. Horse
87. Hay (those two typically come together)
88. Seal (followed by clapping her feet together and saying "oh, oh, oh")
89. Bunny
90. Bird*
91. Duck*
92. Bock! Bock!* (some of you may call it a chicken -- she only refers to 'chicken' if she is going to consume it, but pictured in a book, it is a "Bock! Bock!")
93. Color
94. Paper
95. Bug
96. Block
97. Mine
98. Top (working on Toppers)
99. Glasses
100. WUV YOU!!!  (Never softly spoken, always shouted...hopefully followed by blown kisses...)

Notable names NOT included on this list would be: Grandma and Alex.  Sorry you two, we're working on it...but she has quite the stubborn streak (I have no earthly idea where she gets that), so I can't make any promises...

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Cate's language acquisition is unbelievable.  She's saying new words nearly every day.  Here's the latest:

• Pweese (Please) in addition to the sign...she can get nearly anything she wants with this
• Tink You (Thank You) - amazing how good the manners are with our sweet 18-month-old
• Sissy (Sissy) - it sure beats trying to say "Elizabeth"
• MINE (MINE!!!) - as in if it is in my sight, has ever been in my sight, it's MINE!
• Hat (hat) - the girl loves hats...she'd love the Derby!

And, not to be out-done...on Friday night while at my parents' house, we all got into our PJs a short while before bedtime.  When E saw me in mine (a tank and shorts, mind you), she told me, "Mommy, you look smokin' hot."  I told her this was inappropriate comments for a person of her age.  She told me, "Well, everyone is saying it."  Alrighty then! 

Cate's Jibber-Jabber

Cate is jabbering away these days...every time she says "something" (even the jabbering), Elizabeth will tell me, "Mommy, you need to add that to the list!"

Here are some of the latest:

• Wawa - water
• What'sthat -- (all one word wazztha) -- what is that -- we get this a lot
• Ammaw -- Grandma
• Papa -- Papa
• Nana -- Nana (come on folks, work with the near 18-month-old!)
• RaRa, Do -- Rikki/RaRa (when we pointed out pictures of Rikki & Doug -- sorry Doug, "Doug" and "Dog" are sounding a lot alike these days)
• Bubbles -- the girl LOVES bubbles!!!

She also had her bottom 4th tooth break through (barely!)  All 4 of the molars are clearly in.


At Alex's 5th birthday party (still need to Blog about that!), she became obsessed with playing with Aunt Jane's miniature tea set...too cute!

Cate Says...

For months now, Cate has been holding court with her own talk "speewka na wha za booka is ga na doota..." complete with hand gestures as if we are able to understand every syllable.  With every new sound, we think it's all going to click in her head and that she will start talking in words that we can understand.  

Cate tickling her belly button (April 2012)

Here is what she currently says that we do understand: 

• Dada (her first word!)
• Mama (the one we hear most often...especially when she wants something of an evening)
• more (complete with signing -- typically regarding food that isn't a vegetable)
• down (she gets told this a lot -- some times she say 'down' but signs up when she is in the high chair and is attempting to wiggle/crawl out)
• no, no, no (head shake required - at least we don't (yet) get the finger wagging!)
• shoe (a girl's gotta love shoes!)
• ticka ticka ticka (while lifting her shirt high and digging at her belly button)
• nose nose nose (as she is squeezing her nose -- or mine)
• uh oh (when she deliberately drops something from the playroom side of the gate into the kitchen side...or when she is dropping food from her high chair to Kennedy, which she is NOT supposed to do!)
• baby (as she is looking at the pictures of herself on the wall -- which reminds me that I need to update some of the photos...)
• stop it (yes, she hears that a bit...along with 'down')
• doh (dog)

She also signs (without the words):

• milk
• eat
• please

Waving high after WLU won the Regional

Other cool things she does without the words: 

• Waves bye-bye (typically with the arm fully extended and waaay up in the air)
• Knee hugs (when she sees you, she will run over and hug you around the knees -- they are the best!)
•  Blows kisses (who can resist a baby who blows kisses?)
• "Awwww" (that's the noise she makes when you pick her up and give her a hug -- so sweet!)
• Dances!  (The girl has moves like Jagger -- she loves to dance, to just about anything...sometimes to the tune she hears in her head...or just doing the happy dance if she is eating something that she is truly enjoying, you'll see her wiggling her bum in her high chair)

She's at such a fun age right now!  She is entertaining herself a bit, which is nice to not have to be on the floor playing with her every second.  She is so much more happy than she was just a few months ago -- not that she still doesn't do plenty to earn the moniker "Cranky Cate." She still climbs waaaaaay too much (just ask Miss Nannette and Miss Jody at her daycare -- a new wooden structured tent lasted all of about 30 minutes in their room thanks to someone, who will remain unnamed, thought it was put there for her to climb up and jump off of...  Sometimes it's hard to believe it's already been 17 months...when she's putting on a "Cranky Cate" moment, there are times that it feels like it's been twice that long...  We ♥ her so!

Alex's 5th Birthday Party -- Uber Cool Invite

Alex's birthday is right around the corner...and he, too, is having a Star Wars party!  

The invite looks pretty cool, if I do say so myself!  Most importantly, the soon-to-be-five-year-old is happy!!!

I went from this picture (thanks to Anne, Sean, & super model, Alex):

To this:

Looking forward to what all we're going to be doing at his birthday party.

May the Fourth be with You!

Baby Cate Update

At 15 months, Cate is built more like a Weeble Wobble and less like a toddler -- she's 30-1/2" tall (50th percentile) and weighs 23 lbs, 8 oz. (60th percentile). She has finally cut the fourth upper tooth, one on bottom (making it 3 in front) and 3 molars - 2 upper, 1 bottom. She's still cutting teeth, either that or we're not feeding her enough so she is constantly drooling and putting her hands in her mouth hoping they will turn to food.

She loves, loves, loves bananas -- probably her favorite food. Other favorite foods include applesauce, grapes, pears, strawberries (sometimes), bread (any flavor - wheat, garlic toast, banana bread...), Cheerios, yogurt, chicken, salmon, cheese, eggs (hard boiled and scrambled), hamburgers/meatloaf, stuffing (see bread reference)...she isn't too big on veggies yet, which is perplexing to me as Elizabeth gobbled them up as quickly as we could put them on the tray... She insists on feeding herself.

She has THE BEST belly laugh (doesn't hurt that she has the belly to accompany said laugh)! Practically anything Elizabeth does can bring on this laugh. Reid can get it out of her, too...as can Uncle Sean, and Chuck Scatterday... When she is really ticked with something she will wrinkle up her little nose -- it's too cute!

She loves the freedom of trotting around of the floor after West Lib games. John Wolosinczuk taught her how to give high 5. She loves to wave hi and bye-bye (mostly well after the fact...or on Skype). She can blow kisses (when she feels like it). She can identify her nose. She loves shoes (and sort-of says shoe as she walks around with them saying 'sh sh sh'.) She loves to "read" -- taking books and turning the pages. She can identify her belly button (will flash you her shirt like a co-ed at Mardi Gras collecting beads) -- sticks her finger in her belly button (it's quite the crevice) and says, "Ticka ticka ticka." That is super cute!!! She cannot stand to have her face or hands wiped. She loves bath time, especially with Elizabeth. She still cries a bit - especially when she is being wrestled down for Sleepy Time Down South (a familiar theme in this house, I know...) She's a climber (another theme around here)...and dancing. (If she is eating something that she loves, she also dances in her seat.) She also likes to pretend cook in the kitchen, get pulled in the wagon Santa brought her, and drop food from her tray for Kennedy. She would climb the stairs all day if we'd let her. She loves to blow the whistle on my key chain, and I swear she might be a better ref than a handful of the stripes West Lib has had this season! She still doesn't sleep through the night, much to my demise...

He hair is looking like it's going to curl, at least in the back. Like her big sister, she's a 'sweat head' - I can feel the heat rising from her head when she is tired...and when she goes to sleep, her hair gets soaking wet (along with my arm as I'm holding her.)

She brings us all so much joy (when she's not screaming...)

Elizabeth's Cool School Project

Elizabeth had a cool school project: craft a plastic egg to look like a character from literature. 

She loves crafts.  She doesn't love books (yet, we hope).  So, I wanted to make this really fun for her -- and to get her at least a little excited to read a bit more about her character.  I wanted her to do the egg by herself (although the instructions said parents could help).  So I only helped (aka: did) the background for her egg.

So, unlike every project that I have ever had to do that involved reading a fictional book -- I actually bought the book rather than having E pick up my bad, let's just watch the movie habits.  The Lorax. 

She did so well in working with the yellow fuzzy stuff I bought for making the eyebrows and mustache.  She even did a nose and mouth out of her Play-Dough -- the mouth is especially difficult to see thanks to the fuzzy mustache, but it is there!

Here is the school's link to the Egg'Citing Fashion Show.  As you will see, several of the eggs are awesomely cute, but I'm not sure what book (other than perhaps an NFL stat book) features Troy Polamalu as a character.  E's egg is at the 1:15 mark of the video. 

It (should be fun to play hoop) at the YMCA

Yes, it should be fun to play hoop at the YMCA, but there is an annoying little ball hog on Elizabeth's team...and his dad is their "coach" (if you can call the guy who's only coaching tip all freaking season -- no exaggeration here -- came AFTER his son, who's actually a year older than all of the Kindergarteners, mind you, fouled one of his own teammates to take the ball so he could shoot it...the "coach" told his kid to move closer to shoot. Not, "Hey, son. Don't freaking foul your own teammate. Pass the ball every once in a while. You might want to learn how to dribble..." Nada.)

We endured 5 weeks of YMCA hoops. Would have enjoyed it much, much more if E didn't ask why the kid, who will remain nameless to protect his innocence, never had to come out of the game (when they had 9 players show up on more than one week), why the kid, who will remain nameless, never passed the ball -- especially when she wanted to be like the Toppers and pass to her teammates (I know, this will serve her well in the years to come! Makes her former point guard Mama proud!)... Yes, there were 6 weeks in the season. Yes, I was sooooo annoyed, I had no remorse in blowing off the last week of the YMCA Winter League to take Elizabeth to Charleston for the WVIAC Tournament - where she was fortunate enough to participate in the Youth Basketball Clinic that the coaches put on...and where she learned more in a 2-hour clinic than she did in 5 weeks of basketball at the Y.

She's becoming a rather proficient dribbler and a very good passer. Her shot has good form for a kid her age. Most importantly, she likes to play! :-)

Crap That Annoys Me...

Here's the latest on crap that annoys me (feel free to laugh at my expense):

• Being so damned tired that you walk into the men's bathroom at the airport (6 AM flights from Pittsburgh, making me depart my house at 3:45 AM may have had a role to play here...)
• Toilet water hitting my backside (when I'm standing with my pants pulled up no less) as it automatically flushes. Who needs that much flushing power, Pittsburgh International Airport???
• People who have carry-on baggage that is the same size as my check baggage for the weekend (cheap, annoying bastards!)
• The people that sit behind you on a flight that are sooooooo loud that you can literally hear every word of their conversation...as if you were hard of hearing person at the nursing home...
• People who forget they will be in tight quarters with others (planes, offices, board rooms, etc.) when they POUR on the cologne...

Must. Drink. More. Coffee.

Elizabeth's 6th Birthday Party!

A very Star Wars obsessed birthday girl got just what she wanted - a Star Wars themed event. I went a little crazy with the cupcakes, but think they turned out uber cool! Who am I kidding, I went a bit overboard for everything for this party. It was, after all, the first birthday party where she invited more than her BFFs, Campbell & Will. We were delighted, in addition to the Koeglers, to have E's gal pals, Madeline & Reese (and their awesome mom, Jennifer) and the Huffmans - Jacob, Jillian, & Josh (along with their Star Wars loving dad, Aaron, and their mom, Courtney, who like Reid doesn't "get it".) Grandma was on hand to spoil us all -- especially me, with all of the cleaning before and after the fact!

Elizabeth got a TON of fun stuff from Star Wars action figures, a Star Wars tent and blanket (to go with her new bunk beds!), girly-girl stuff (that I have no clue about - lol), to clothes, to the HUGE Barbie Dream Town House - complete with a flushing toilet which is sooooo unnecessary!

What a great day!!! Check it out here...

Elizabeth's Impending Birthday

Elizabeth has become quite obsessed with Star Wars these days. She nearly leaped out of her skin when she saw the movie poster for Star Wars Episode I in 3D (coming on February 10th!) when we were at The Muppets. (It will be our Valentine's date!) I've been squirreling away Star Wars party supplies like a squirrel with nuts in November. Even Nana got into the act and bought out nearly every Star Wars item they had at the Fairmont WalDump before Christmas. I probably have enough supplies for two parties (not that they will go to waste as I have a sneaking suspicion that Alex will want a Star Wars party in May...)

Date has been set. We toyed with a location outside of our home, but everything that I think is age appropriate has a 15 minute set-up/tear down policy and a 2-hour window for food, cake, and fun. Everything else that is cool, she will likely enjoy it more in a few years. Therefore, after much debate, we'll be opening up our home to a few of Elizabeth's friends.

Now, I ask you...how freaking awesome are these invitations??? Putting them in the mail tomorrow...

2011 Year In Review

What a year 2011 has been! Fun and eventful...memorable...frustrating and precious...some times all in the very same day!

Here's the year in review - Amos family style:

January - Elizabeth's 5th birthday was celebrated in Dr. Seuss style. It was a typical too-much-over-the-top party for our small gathering of Grandma & Papi, Nana & Papa, and the Koeglers. We had a lot of fun, though, so that's all that really matters. The West Liberty Hilltoppers men's basketball team was a highlight in the month - especially Elizabeth's favorite John Wolosinczuk! We tried like the dickens to get her to pose with him for a picture...he was such a good sport about it, too. We got a picture of John with Nana, John with Reid, and still no picture of Elizabeth and her all-time favorite baller... On the women's side of things, Elizabeth's favorite players continue to be Tori Hansen and Laura Malernee. Cate was growing and changing every day...and eating like a champ! She continued to nurse nearly every 2-3 hours -- if she was awake, she was hungry.

February - The Toppers' winning streak continued. The team is doing so well, Elizabeth has even started to cheer for some of the other guys on the floor (as opposed to turning her back on the action when John is on the bench!) She can tell you most of the players names by numbers - Corey Pelle #12; Barry Shetzer #24; Jordan Fortney #11; Alex Falk #22; Timmy (Hausfeld) #10; and of course, John Wolosinczuk #32 (but #1 in E's heart!) Still no luck in getting E to pose with John for a picture - Photoshop it is! John gave Elizabeth a Valentine's gift to which she was THRILLED (an autographed picture of him in action!) She gave him a valentine that she made. Elizabeth is just a funny kid...so glad she got my sense of humor! ;-) It may totally be worth revisiting my Blog post on the Ransom of Red Chief from February to better recount how this child cracks me up! Cate earned the nickname "Cranky Cate" as there were plenty of moments when she couldn't be consoled -- with no explanation. When she wasn't cranky, she was sweet and cuddly.

March - This month was all about Topper basketball! The team sealed up an undefeated regular season, and with that the WVIAC regular season title...and then the winning continued... They won the WVIAC Tournament - Corey Pelle won the Commissioner's Heart & Hustle Award and was All-Tournament; Barry Shetzer was named to the All-Tourney Team; as was Tim Hausfeld; and John - who was the MVP. Elizabeth, along with Cate, Grandma, and I went to Build-a-Bear Workshop where she made her "John Wolosinczuk Bear" (yes, that's what she named him - and I had to spell it a few times for the employee that was helping us) complete with the WVU shirt, denim skirt, and Hello Kitty undies. The Toppers hosted the regional tourney - and the winning continued. Corey Pelle and John Wolosinczuk were all-tourney again. Then I may have done the un-thinkable...I put Elizabeth and a nearly 3-month-old baby in the car (along with Grandma) and we drove to Springfield, MA, for the Elite 8. Cate was, for once, NOT cranky -- as she slept the entire 10+ hour drive. We only stopped once for gas, food, and a change. I really thought I would be in for it when we got to the hotel - that Cate would be awake for days, but she went right back to sleep. Elizabeth took much pride in going around the floor with her Daddy giving out the cookies that we made for the players - each got their own jersey and some chocolate chip cookies. (E insisted on making the cookies for the guys because "Timmy Eats Cookies" was on a sign at the WVIAC Tournament. She took it literally...sign was actually referring to Tim's guarding of "Cookie" Miller from WV State.) The Toppers made it to the Final Four before the perfect season came to an end. Corey Pelle was again named to the All-Tournament team.

April - Easter was fun when Cate was crying, which she did for most of the time at Nana's & Papa's. We were surprised with the news from Rikki and Doug that the Amos family would be getting a new edition due in late November! Elizabeth grew so quickly between the time I shopped for some of her clothes that were in her Easter basket to when she received these clothes that she literally only got one wear out of them - because Mommy & Daddy don't approve of the 'belly-shirt' look. Cate got an upper respiratory infection that required the "Willie Nelson" treatment - lots of smoke ;-) She's getting more active, too - rolling over, recognizing her hands and feet...and is now able to eat cereal, which is fed to her for the first time by Elizabeth.

May - Elizabeth declared that Mother's Day was "St. Mother's Day!" When she's not being such a sweetie, she is being quite the mental challenge for us (reference another Red Chief Blog post.) Elizabeth graduated from Pre-K. We were so lucky how her life was positively influenced by the good folks at Holy Family Child Care since we moved to Wheeling (next best thing to instruction by Nana or Grandma!) We especially adored her teachers for Pre-K, Miss Jenn and Miss Kelly! Alex turned 4 and we celebrated in Thomas the Train style -- quite easy and cute (if I do say so myself!) Cate continued to be cranky and sweet. Poor Reid had to walk the floors, nearly wearing a track on the finish on the hard wood as he paced the floors with a crying Cate on the evenings that I worked in Morgantown...until I got home and the crying would stop.

June - Getting that perfect 6 month baby on a quilt picture proved to be more of a challenge than it should have been...perhaps a sign of things to come from Miss Cate. Despite being a mama's girl, she said "Dada" first ;-) She also took to crawling this month. I survived an AACE Annual Meeting at Disneyland - barely. Not that there were issues with the conference...just that it was at the Mouse House. Blech.

July - Elizabeth loves to swim and took advantage of a dip in the water every time we could get her to the pool. She's becoming such a good swimmer...working on diving, but since she hasn't yet learned that patience is a virtue, she just wants to jump in and SWIM! Cate continues to reach milestones on or ahead of time -- sometimes at the most inconvenient of times... Elizabeth got to attend her first Red Sox game with Papi no less (HER Papi, not Baseball Papi - he was on the field...) Sox vs. Pirates, who were having a great season, making the Amoses quite happy (that would be Reid, Nana, & Papa...E was just all about backing a winner. For her first Sox game, she cheered for the team at the plate...and for Papi's & my sake, it was a great day as the Sox ended up on top!)

August - Summer at Holy Family for Elizabeth has come to an end. Where has the time gone...my baby is getting ready for Kindergarten! Elizabeth & I had a great Mommy-Daughter day shopping for school clothes...size 6-7 or 7-8 -- for a 5-1/2 year old in the 95th percentile in height...good luck finding a waist to fit! Cate went to her first baseball game -- the Pirates didn't fair so well as they lost to the Padres 5-15(!). Cate is taking a queue from her big sister as she loves the pool, too! She weaned herself from baby food this month and would only feed herself soft 'real-people' food. We still have quite a bit of baby food in storage...good thing it will keep for Baby Eckstein! We enjoyed our annual trip to D.C. -- a highlight continues to be the Giant Pandas at the National Zoo! We were at the National Cathedral - walking all over the place - exactly one week before the earth quake in D.C. that did some damage to the beautiful building.

September - Elizabeth started Kindgergarten in Mrs. Allen's class at Woodsdale Elementary! Cate finally had a reason for which to be cranky - she cut two teeth! She also stood unassisted. She's taken to cruising on the furniture. She is less cranky when she is being held by Mama -- or is able to hang out with her awesome big sister, Elizabeth, whom she adores!

October - The girls were the CUTEST kitty cats for Halloween -- thanks to Nana's handiwork! Elizabeth started playing a bit of basketball at the Y -- and loved it! After her first session, she declared that she was as good as John Wolosinczuk. (At least she doesn't lack for self confidence!) She also joined the Daisies and is really proud of the uniform vest. (I consider it a near miracle that I was able to get the iron-on stuff to actually stay on the vest and didn't have to engage Nana and her needle & thread!) We had great luck getting some good shots of the girls on a beautiful fall day at Oglebay... Cate started walking with 6 independent steps (10 months, 3 weeks, 3 days old.)

November - We started the month with a baby shower for Aunt Rikki in "the big city." We were so excited for the impending arrival of Baby Eckstein! I hit a freaking deer with my car. We found out that the big lump on Kennedy's back hip (only on one side) wasn't cancer or arthritis...but a fat deposit. (Reid loves telling everyone that, too!) Cate isn't helping Kennedy trim down either by throwing her food off her tray the very second she determines she is done eating. At the Wheeling Christmas parade, Elizabeth boxed out Sarah Koegler and a few kids -- when the reporter from Channel 9, Ali Myers, come over to our section of the bleachers and asked if anyone would like to be on TV. (Any question that she is Reid's kid??? Is it not enough that she look like him, but now she has taken to boxing out (well, that she got from me!) women and children to get on live TV!) The hand-held mic needed a new battery as they were filming...Elizabeth told Ms. Myers that she would wait. On take two, she was spot-on. Ali Myers asked her what she would like to say to Santa to which Elizabeth replied, "You can't talk to him, he's just flying on by..." Still needing a copy of that tape! Elizabeth got to participate in her first Little Hilltoppers Day at West Liberty - where she told me I was allowed to take 5 pictures and then I had to leave because this was all about her. (Isn't most everything???) Anne, Reid, & I had a magical evening the night of the WVU v. Pitt game -- great weather, good food, good libations, free Snuggies, good friends, and a big win! It was tough leaving the stadium that night - for us and many other Mountaineers who didn't want to see the end to the annual rivalry of the Backyard Brawl. We were so delighted to welcome Margaret Alisse Eckstein to the family on November 29, 2011, at 2:24 AM - she weighed 7 lbs., 1 ounce and was 20" long.

December - Cate turned 1 - the year seriously flew right past us!!! She loves to eat...loves the taste of my butter cream icing, but most definitely doesn't like the feel of it on her hands! She is walking all over the place and loves to climb stairs when we allow her to do so. The sale of the house in Fairmont became final (thank you, little infant baby Jesus!) I drove Nana (aka: "Driving Miss Daisy") to D.C. to meet Maggie. What a cutie! Reid was able to go the following weekend to meet his niece. (And, yes, he was jealous that I got to hold his niece before he was...) Elizabeth got her ears pierced. Mimi, our Elf on the Shelf, continued to do her magic by helping remind Elizabeth to be good. Elizabeth loved every one of her sleepovers this year with her cousin, Alex -- several this summer and fall...and right after Christmas. She is a great big sister -- making a big adjustment to everything being all about her to sharing time and parents with a cranky baby sister. We are so blessed to have two wonderful, happy (for the most part) children!!!

Neighborhood Elf!

Once again our best in the world neighbors, the Ritzes have outdone themselves with spreading Christmas cheer - especially in the spoiling of Elizabeth & Cate! (For anyone who is reading of this tradition for the first time, each day from December 1st - 24th, the Elf (aka: Marie) hangs a stocking on the back door and puts wrapped treats in the stocking every day as we count down to Christmas.)

Here's what was included this year:

1 - Countdown to Christmas pillow that looks like Santa's belt/suit
2 - Fruit-flavored marshmallows
3 - Wolly Willy "Magnetic Personality" for Elizabeth; Christmas cup with straw for Cate
4 - Princess coloring & activity book
5 - Letter to Santa kit for Elizabeth; pink sock monkey ornament for Cate
6 - Christmas water color book
7 - Dress up doll sticker book for Elizabeth; snowman blanket for Cate
8 - Set of four Christmas lollypop rings
9 - Christmas pencils, sharpener, and eraser for Elizabeth; snowman bowl for Cate
10 - Disney princess tin purse with $1
11 - Snowman Pez for Elizabeth; bear in a mini stocking with $1 for Cate
12 - Gingerbread man ornament for Elizabeth; snowman ornament for Cate
13 - T'was the Night Before Christmas activity book
14 - Christmas headbands for Elizabeth; snowman ringing a bell ornament for Cate
15 - Gummy bears
16 - Colored pencils
17 - Art paper for Elizabeth; pink yarn-haired doll for Cate
18 - Connect the dots book
19 - Strawberry Shortcake coloring book for Elizabeth; Mickey Mouse stuffed animal for Cate
20 - 6 Christmas activity pads
21 - GIANT(!) sucker
22 - Animal cookies for everyone; The Spirit of Christmas book for Elizabeth; polar bear stuffed animal for Cate
23 - Jelly Belly lip balm set for Elizabeth; Little People "Fun with Baker Bob" for Cate
24 - "E" stocking with $1 for Elizabeth; "C" stocking with $1 for Cate

Cate - 1 YEAR!!!

Just like the invitation to the Very Hungry CATErpillar party stated, "We can't believe a year has passed..." Seriously? How is my baby a freaking year old already???

Cate celebrated her 1st birthday a few hours early as Reid had to be on the road with the Hilltoppers. Elizabeth helped me make Kitty Cat Cate a Hello Kitty cake. Cate was quite funny when it came to consuming her smash cake - she definitely didn't like the feel of the icing on her hands! Once she finally got around to tasting the icing, she set aside her feelings for the texture of the icing and did do some damage to the consumption of the cake. (I do make some good buttercream!) It was great having Grandma in the Friendly City of Wheeling for the celebration, too...especially since it then freed me up so that I could reprise my role of Hoke and drive Miss Daisy to Arlington, VA, to meet Maggie! (What a cutie she is!!!) We were also lucky enough to have the opportunity to Skype with Nana & Papa so they could virtually participate in the party doings!

Papi joined Grandma, Daddy, Elizabeth, Cate, and me for Cate's Very Hungry CATErpillar party. Reid and I were both super tired from our trips, Reid's to Charleston and then on to NC with the women's basketball team...me to DC. It was really, really nice that following the men's basketball game that we didn't have a serious schedule for the party...just called out for some pizza from DeFelice's (yum!), had the fruit and cheese tray, and CATErpillar cupcakes for the party. (We did all have to keep on Elizabeth's entertaining schedule, though...as she is turning into quite the party hostess!) We got to Skype with Nana, Aunt Rikki, Uncle Doug, and Maggie for the party, too, which was super cool!

Cate still didn't really destroy her cake (although it would be tough to top the mess that Elizabeth made with her smash cake on her first birthday...) Cate was waaaaaay spoiled with all of the presents - as was Elizabeth! All in all, a great celebration!

At 1 year, Cate has 5 teeth: 2 on bottom, 3 on top (middle and upper right). She has been walking about for a month. She loves to climb stairs and would do so with much regularity if we let her do it. She continues to do well with eating a great variety of food. She's working on drinking her whole milk from a sippy cup. She's working on using a spoon to eat as well, although right now it is a fun play thing. She is loving reading books -- or babbling and turning the pages. She has most recently taken to holding the phone and saying "Dada..." She is also doing better with sleeping at night. She waves bye-bye and has finally figured out peek-a-boo -- although it was super-cute when she would cover her ears rather than her eyes...

Cate is in the 70th percentile in height (29-1/4") -- which is precisely where Elizabeth was at 1 year. She is in the 50th percentile in weight (21 lbs, 3 oz.) At 1 year, Elizabeth out weighed her by 6 oz.. Granted at birth Elizabeth started out 7 ounces heavier and 3/4 of an inch taller.

Here's the final quilt picture. Click on the image to make it larger.

Welcome, Maggie!!!

Welcome to the world, Margaret Alisse Eckstein! My beautiful niece was born at 2:24 AM, Tuesday, November 29, 2011. She weighs 7 lbs., 1 ounce and is 20" long.

Here are a few pictures that I just had to share...

Maggie and Rikki - face-to-face...isn't this sweet???


She's so smart - she's saying, "Touchdown Mountaineers!"

Congratulations Rikki & Doug!!!

Cutest Party Invitations - E.V.E.R.!

If I do say so myself...over the past few years, I've done some pretty cute birthday party invitations for Elizabeth and Alex as evidenced below:

Elizabeth's 1st Birthday:

Alex's 1st Birthday (where I learned so much more on Photoshop):

E's 2nd Birthday (was a book of pictures of her throughout the year...) E's 3rd Birthday (definition of over-the-top, the entire Candyland party was actually), which I blogged about here: http://wvu-mama.blogspot.com/2009/01/birthday-party-preparations.html. E's 4th birthday was my first attempt at a pop-up card. I blogged about that as well as her Sesame Street themed event here: http://wvu-mama.blogspot.com/2010/01/happy-sesame-birthday.html. Her 5th birthday were pretty awesome, too...I love Dr. Seuss and blogged about the invites and party here: http://wvu-mama.blogspot.com/2011/01/elizabeths-dr-seuss-5th-birthday-party.html.

For some time now, I've known that I was going with the "A Very Hungry CATErpillar" theme for her her first birthday. (The kid loves to eat!) To be honest, I bought some of the party supplies back in May...so this has been a long time coming. The invites alone, I think are worth doing this party theme! Here's what I've done and what it took to get there (work in Photoshop excluded):

First, I started with a spool of brown satin ribbon 1/4" thick. Cut the ribbon into 3" long pieces and heat sealed the edges (that's what the matches are for.) I then hot glued matching brown 'fuzz balls' on the edge of one end of the ribbon. You need 2 ribbons with balls for the antennae for each invitation.

Next, you glue (craft glue works just fine) the ribbon onto the back of the caterpillar's face. When you glue them down on the back side, make sure the fuzz ball is on top of the ribbon so when the antennae flop down on the face of the caterpillar, they will be on the correct side. (You don't have to be exact with this as this entire invitation is very forgiving for those of you, like me, who don't really like to measure anything...)

Then, I started assembling. I did a red brad on the part with the face (you'll overlap one circle with the next). When you are lining up the circles to make the holes for the brads, make sure you overlap enough that the hole and subsequent brad aren't too close to the edge. Based on how I did the circles in Photoshop, after the red brad for the face, I alternated a dark and a lighter green (coming as close as I could to matching the edge -- and yes, that involved special ordering brads from my favorite local scrapbook store!)

The brad work well as the finished product then can be wiggly and inch along, just like a caterpillar. It also allows the flexibility in the invitation for all of the panels to fold around (think like a fan when folding) so that the invite fits well into an envelope to be popped into the mail...

Here's the final product all unfolded (click on any of the images to make them larger):

Cate - 11 Months!

Where, oh where, has the time gone? I can't believe it's now officially days until Cate is celebrating her first birthday!!!

Cate officially has 4 teeth - two lower and two upper. She is still drooling like a St. Bernard. We may have finally beaten the diaper rash that plagued her for more than a month...thanks to the diaper cream that Anne sold me on by Arbonne.

She took her first independent steps this month. Major accomplishment!!! She is even climbing up a couple of steps -- no idea how to get down yet...She's becoming such the big girl!

She is completely on solid foods (soft ones), so it's just table food now. She continues to make more sounds, but no words other than "dada" and "mama." She does shake her head no when she isn't wanting a certain type of food that is placed in front of her. Either that or she will swipe it off her tray and onto the floor...

Cate is still a wild woman in the bath. She just loves the water. Now, if we could only get her to love getting dressed, or to love being still for a diaper change...or to love sleeping through the night...

Halloween was fun - Cate didn't jump once at the Boo at the Zoo (despite riding the train on my lap and I jumped when someone came out of the bushes at us!) Kitty Cat Cate was adorable (thanks, in no small part to Nana for sewing her costume - and Elizabeth's matching one!) We all went trick-or-treating, and the fun was enhanced by the Koeglers joining us through the neighborhood. The girls' costumes were so cozy that Cate fell asleep while we were out trick-or-treating!

Football season is winding down (and with the season the Toppers have had, I can guarantee you Daddy is looking forward to basketball more than ever!)

Here is her latest quilt picture. Click on the image for it to be larger (actually for any of them to be larger.)