Potty Time

Earlier this summer I bought Kallie her very own potty. When I first brought it home and put it in her bathroom she was not sure what to think. Over the last month or so she has become quite curious and loves to tell us when she she had gone potty and of course poop too!

Recently, I bought a book about a girl named Hannah who learns to go potty on the big girl potty. Kallie loves it, in fact she refuses to go to bed until we read the "potty book" once if not twice.

Although we have not started officially potty training watching her sit on the potty and try to figure it all out is definitely a start!

Breaking News: Kallie went potty on her big girl potty for the first time last night (8/28/12). We jumped and did the potty dance. She even went on the big girl potty this morning! WOOHOO

First Haircut

On Sunday we decided it was finally time to get Kallie's haircut for the very first time. We have been hesitant because we were afraid or better yet fearful that Kallie would scream and we would end up leaving with only half of her hair cut! We were also worried they would cut off her curls which we love.

I am happy to report that we were wrong! Kallie loved getting her hair cut. She was all smiles from the moment we walked in until the moment we left the kids salon. She was a bit iffy about the wash and hairdryer but curiosity kept her smiling from ear to ear. We were so proud of our big girl!

Family fun in Sunriver

We just got back from a fun family vacation in Sunriver. We used to go to Sunriver every year when I was little so I was definitely excited to go with my family now. Although the drive felt like forever (7 hours) it was well worth the trip.

We had a great house right next to the village which was really convenient with the kiddos who had to nap. We spent most of our mornings riding bikes (Kallie loved the bike trailer), exploring parks, going to the river and of course daddy had to show us all of the fish the fish hatchery! Most afternoons we enjoyed the sunshine at the pool. Kallie loved swimming and splashing yelling "look mama, watch mama, watch daddy . . . she wanted anyone and everyone to watch her.

In the early evening the kids loved riding bikes in the driveway. Kallie is the youngest but determined to try and keep up. She scooted as fast as she could on her blue bike with her helmet on just like the big kids. It was so fun to watch all of our kids having so much fun together.

Sunriver was a the perfect spot to enjoy the sunshine and spend time with family. Eric and I did get away to go river rafting and of course Eric was able to squeeze in a few days of fishing. All and all it was a great trip and I look forward to our next family vacation.

Happy 2nd Birthday!

Happy 2nd Birthday to my baby girl. That last two years have been been an amazing journey.

Kallie

Where do I begin . . . I am still in shock that you turned two. You went from a tiny 5lb 8oz baby girl to a 26lb healthy toddler right before my eyes.

We have been talking about your birthday all week! When you woke up you immediately smiled and said "Kallie's birthday - Happy Birthday!". I was so excited to show you the new kitchen we bought you (it took daddy 3 hours and 2 beers to put together). You loved it for about 3 minutes and then wanted to watch ELMO :)

We had family and friends over to help you celebrate your big day. Since Sesame Street is your favorite and only show you watch I made sure to treat you to an Elmo themed party - Elmo plates, napkins and cup cakes which you loved. The best treat of all was that Mimi was in town to help us celebrate! I am pretty sure you had a good time since you slept for 3 hours after!

You continue to amaze me ever day. Over the last few months you have become quite the talker and little parrot. You are also becoming quite independent saying "Kallie do it" when I try to help.

I am not sure how to express my love for you other than by saying "I love you THIS" much!!! I feel so thankful that god blessed me with such an amaizng gift, YOU!

Happy Birthday baby girl!

I LOVE YOU

Mommy

Happy 23 months!

Kallie Wow 23 three months already, where did the time go? You are going up so fast, too fast if you ask me!

This month has been all about talking and “Kallie do it”. You are now saying three or four words together and you really like to repeat everything mommy and daddy say which can get us in trouble at times! Some of your current favorites are:

Dinner time or Din Din Mommy Kallie do it Follow me mama/dada No No ToeToe (Coho) Chase daddy Elmo, Big Bird, Bert, Ernie, The Count & Cook Cook One more time (when you want me to read another book)

Speaking of Sesame Street as a special treat we let you watch it on the weekends. You love to count like the Count . . . ONE- hahaha, TWO hahaha, THREE hahaha – We do this over and over! You also love pretending eating cookies & letters like Cook Cook (AKA: Cookie Monster). Another one of your favorite activities is dancing. When you hear music you immediately start to wiggle, sometimes just your arms but most of the times your whole body wiggles or you spin in circles until you are so dizzy you fall down.

This summer we have spent a few weekends on Vashon and you LOVE IT. You continue to talk about the crabbies on the beach, building sand castles and of course going fast on the boat with daddy. It is so fun to watch you explore the world with no fear.

Over the last 23 months we have watched you grow into a little girl right before our eyes. Happy 23 months baby girl, we love you!

Love

Mommy & Daddy (Coho too)

Happy 4th of July 2012

We spent the weekend on Vashon with the entire Boatman/Bates/Kelsey clan. Although the cabin was crowded it was so great to spend time with the family. Watching Kallie play with her cousins is much fun. She wants to do everything they do and does her best to keep up. She loves looking for crabbies on the beach with papa; she actually picks them right up showing no fear (she has no idea they can pinch her). We also went on boat rides with the new boat, played at the park, made sand castles, played games out front and Kallie even tried fishing off of the bulkhead. I have no doubt she will be ready for her first fishing trip with her daddy very soon!

We spent the 4th of July at home this year since it was in the middle of the week. Of course I had Kallie dressed in red, white and blue (thanks Grammy for the new shirt). We enjoyed the sunshine and spent lots of time outside playing in the sandbox, helping daddy wash the cars, blowing bubbles and playing with a bucket of water toys on the deck. We had a great family day which is just how it is supposed to be!

Letter to Daddy

Eric-

I talked to Kallie and we wanted to write you a little note to wish you a Happy Father's Day! You are the most amazing daddy I know. I always knew you would be a great dad but great does not even begin to describe the type of father you are . . . AMAZING is more like it.

I will never forget the moment when we saw Kallie for the first time, we both looked at here in amazement with tears in our eyes. She had you wrapped around her little finger from that moment on.

I remember when we brought Kallie home for the first time we just looked at each other and wondered what we were supposed to do next. We worked as a team and took it one day at a time.

Here we are 22 months later . . . and I feel so lucky to be on this journey with you. Thank you for being the best daddy and husband in the world. Happy Father's day . . . We love you!