The Kate Effect

leaves.

 

 

 

 

 

Birthday: Family Edition

The only thing  better than having a gaggle of friends to celebrate with ...is having all your family close by to celebrate with! Kate is completely spoiled by having uncles, aunt, cousins grandparents... all in town! 

...and willing to dress up.

  

 

 

 

 

Birthday: Friend Edition

I am writting this months after the birthday party and looking back I am overwhelmed with the friendships represented in these photos.

I am so thankful to have a church family and neighbors to share our lives with.

 

  

  

Birthday: SIX

 

 

 

 

a texas girl meets the rain.

I ran across these pictures from our Florida trip in September - Kate is dancing in the pouring rain during our vacation. I remember watching her and feeling so torn. I was laughing at her joy and excitement for the rain - such a special thing for Texans who were still enduring a draught back home - but my heart could not be completely joyful. In those very same moments devastating fires were raging all over the hill country. It was so hard to enjoy the rain when our hearts were so heavy and our minds anxious for news. It was truly bittersweet.

lemonade stand

it was neighborhood garage sale day and Kate was up bright and early to man her lemonade stand. there is only a tiny bit of chocolate on her lips bearing witness to the sprinkle donut she scarfed for breakfast.

kate and her friend nate - he lives across the street and his mom sold gourmet cupcakes on our side walk - because you just have to have lemonade with your cupcake :)

Kate did a REALLY good job and made quite a bit of money. more than I expected. she definately has the entrepreneur spirit. 

 

Vacation Jar

It's been just over a month since our vacation to the Florida beaches and I finally sat down to put  our Vacation Jar together. I saw this idea on Pinterest and I could not wait to make one for Kate's first visit to the beach. I am glad I spotted the idea before leaving on vacation so that we could keep our eyes out for interesting items to bring back - otherwise it might have just been one shell. Not even two shells - just one.

Thankfully I had the idea floating in my brain and when we spotted the little crab and sea urchin all dried up we scooped them up and CAREFULLY go them home. This was not easy.

I love the simplicity of the whole thing. The jar is a vintage Ball jar that I picked up in Round Top (a bi-annual antique fair here in Texas - it's huge, like most things in Texas).  The photos are from her first day at the beach in Florida. There is one photo with the wave receded and on the other side is the same photo only the tide has come in over her feet. I hope to never forget her in that sweet striped swimsuit.

I purchased three more jars and I am already planning our next vacation. Wouldn't a shelf of vacation jars be awesome?!?

heres the crab the day we found it.

Lego Lab 1

recently I took kate to the library for an after school activity - Lego Lab. We stood in line and then all 50 kids + parents piled into a room when the doors open. The kids swarmed the legos spread out on the tables and the parents sat in chairs around the parameter. Kate jumped in and started building - the kids were not really talking to each other just building ... maybe enjoying doing it among other people. There were instructions on how to build things on the table but most made up their own creations. Kate finished her object, wrote her name on a piece of paper and turned them in to be placed in the glass cabinet display until next Lego Lab. 

Kate loved it. 

I felt lazy. I mean - I just sat there. She didn't want my help and she didn't talk to others. I bothered the other moms around me - who honestly were happy their kids were occupied and slightly irritated that I was chatty. Yet, Kate played with the legos and built something fast - with more enjoyment than she had ever done at home.

There was something to this. So I let the idea ferment in my head and then sent out some invites to...

my very own LEGO LAB.

We have a bazillion legos and friends that I would like to chat with. Why not have it at my house. 

Better yet, why not take photos of the kids with their creations - have themes to build or even work together on one big lego project.

yes, this was an idea to try. 

So we did it and it was great. kids built - kids played... kids ran through my house giggling and squealing. I was happy. It was nice to chat with my friends too - people who I am not annoying!

Definitely doing this again. Watch out.... ideas are spinning in my head. 

 

this is a jail/police  mobile - it goes on land and water...there is  jail cell and the two motorcycles can detach and chase criminals. nice. made by Tyler

this is also a water/land/air mobile...which I believe time travels due to all the men from various time eras. made by Grant

this is a cute couple on a date - i think they were watching the sunset - I love the motorcycle leaning over with the helmet hanging off the handle bars. awesome Jenna.

Right hand photo is of a James bond type guy on his speed boat.... or plane. by jon.

Kates cracks me up... something about a bunch of horses dying and then this guy fell off and they put him on a stretcher and the doctor is coming to see him. that is... if the henchman doesn't get him with that axe.

More of jon's awesome creations...Van with lifting door...space ship - I really like that one.

Josh's Police mobile!! We went to a police department tour that morning so Policemen were on the brain.

Sweet Grace made a Laundry Mat with a washing machine!! too cute.

I missed getting photos of the three other kiddos but they all together made a fantastic bunch of kids. 

and they cleaned up the massive box of legos we have before they left...Oh they can come over ANYTIME!!

and they grow-up so fast.

savoring the little girl she is today.

the beach.

 

World Classroom: Sea World

Sea World offers an Annual Homeschool Day where homeschool families can enjoy the animal exhibits and educational programs during the off season. Thats a long sentence to clarify that the roller coasters & dip-n-dot stands were closed when we visited the park on Thursday. 

The minute I heard about the Sea World Homeschool day I was sold on the idea of a day trip to pet dolphins. At the last minute Brad was unable to come with us so we asked Aunt Rach if Hunter would like to ditch preschool for a day and join us. His answer : I love Kate.

It was a busy day. We had only a few hours to see all the open exhibits before lunch. At lunch time the exhibits closed and the afternoon was set aside for the educational "shows". We walked a ton! I am so proud of these kids with their short legs.

We wanted more dolphin time and ran all the way back to the front of the park to see them instead of going to the flamingos at the last minute. we were able to spend 10 minutes of good time with the dolphins with out the pushy crowds.

Swinging by the souvenir shop for an Orca shaped ice cream bar...kind of like DQ dilly bar....we headed back to the far side of the park for lunch and the shows. 

By this time we are hot and sweaty and aunt Carrie has little to no photos proving we were at Sea World. Let me repeat: we are hot and sweaty....and cranky. When I asked for a quick photo the kids were not inclined to oblige. So I said, "Can you go over there and look cranky?" this is what I got....

Stinking cute. 

The day was a success.

Kate and Hunter both loved the shows and were just amazed by the beluga whale. One of my favorite parts of the day happened at the beginning of the Beluga Whale show. The Announcer came out and asked "who here is home-schooled?" and everyone raises their hand...

The look on Kate's face as she looked around was priceless. Her eyes were wide and she exclaimed about how many kids were home-schooled like her. It was like I was watching her brain make the connections right in front of my eyes. 

At the same moment I was very aware of my nephew who is in preschool and not raising his hand. He looked at Kate and then me - right at that moment the announcer asked, "How many of you are here with your family?" It was perfect timing. I said, " Thats you Hunter! Your here with me and I am your family"  He giggled brightly and jumped up and down waving his hand in the air. 

The announce then told the kids to thank their families for bringing them to Sea World and making the choice to homeschool - He also said, "Isn't it awesome that you have this special opportunity!?! While all the other kids are in a school classroom today, you are out in the world. The world is your classroom to learn in and today Sea World is your classroom."

Kate really keyed in on this and repeated it in her stories about her favorite part of the day. It was such a sweet moment for me to see her so excited to be home-schooled and Hunter to be so giggly about how we were family.

Kate has decided that she still wants to be a veterinarian - and ocean veterinarian.

Enjoy the photos from the day.

hunter waited  a long time for people to move so he could see these poisonous frogs. kate and hunter found a little nook that no body else found - here they watched the new seal pups play + fight.

This is Kate incredibly excited for the Seal who is learning to do tricks. The Seal missed the first two signals but got it on the third and Kate started clapping wildly for her.

Oliver the baby beluga is only 4 years old - just like Hunter.

a day at the beach

  

 

a day at the beach via iphone.

** the pic of Kate with the chicken nugget - she is showing me that her chicken nugget is shaped like Florida **

tease.

 this is torturous for kate. she loves them so much but this is as close as they ever get.

 

first flight

Technically Kate has flown a bunch but she was too little remember any of it. She is claiming her trip to FLorida as the FIRST flight. The first leg of our trip left from Austin at 5am. yes, FIVE AM. THat means we had to be up at 2:30am and get ready. YIKES. lets just say we are STILL trying to get Kate's Sleep adjusted two weeks post trip.

I prepared Kate for the trip by outlining and acting out every part of the airport experience. I took great care n packing her carry-on. Told her all about the metal detector and take off your shoes. EVERYTHING I could think of. Kate remembered it all and did a great job getting her stuff together and shoes off. 

Once we were in the plane Kate was amazed at everything and listening for every noise. Right after take off she starts exclaiming in the loudest whisper ever "Mom, were doing it - were really flying!"

Poor businessmen trying to sleep.

 

She slept, she watched out the window, she played with her toys - she even slept - Praise the LORD.

Kate seemed to have no qualms in talking to the stewardesses. Instead of telling me she was thirsty, Kate would just say excuse me to any approaching stewardess and ask for a drink or ask about the plane.

"Excuse me, What is the air pressure like outside the plane?" she would ask. Then the stewardess and i would exchange baffled looks. (Turns out Kate was paying attention whenI told her that the pressure in the ocean changes the deeper you go - She said she heard the pilot say 'cabin pressure' and wondered if our heads could get squished if we go too high in the air. oh my, she thinks too much.)

Unfortunately Kate couldn't remember the word stewardess and would call them Servants. We are STILL trying to get the correct word straightened out.

The return flight had a much longer layover in Atlanta and kate and I were both pretty on edge and ready to be home. Kate thinks flying is 'way cool it just take so dang long.'

mer-horses. like mermaids, only they are horses.

To the Beach!

The Florida Vacation/Family Reunion is upon us and I am furiously packing. What should I bring? What to leave behind!?! It's so hard.

This trip will have a lot of adult and Kate will be the only kid - I am prone to bring a lot activities for her - LOTS of activities. But then again we will be at the beach and we might very well spend ALL our time making sandcastles. 

I do want to bring school work....reading, writing, math... since we will have plenty of time. But we will also have our toes in the ocean - how will we concentrate? 

On the other hand we have been studying the ocean and what better time to study but while we are at the beach. There are so many hands on things to do!

Now I have a full suitcase but no clothing or toiletries are inside it. ugh.

Math - she wants to live in a ten's house.

We hit Decimal Street this week in math and Kate is excited about the challenge.  It's all about place value and little units who live in a house. Kate says she wants to live in a "tens house" when she goes up ... which is surprising because the hundreds house is like a giant castle or mansion. But no she really likes the 'tens house'. 

We are using Math-U-See and I find it extremely funny how engrossed Kate is when watching the 3-5 minute instruction segment at the beginning of each new lesson. There is a guy wearing a blue shirt and a tie standing in front of a white board. He is not a young whipper-snapper out of college either but Kate loves him. He says a few funny things but it's generally math humor - no silly voices or cartoons or special rapping (so far).... just a guy and a white board. He is an excellent math teacher and I am thankful he kicks off our lessons before Kate and I dig in. 

I can't tell whether I think this is totally funny or whether it's annoying  but.... Kate has been telling a story with each of her math problems. I guess it's because the Math-U-See guy did a little story while explaining why the units can only have 9 in their house for a party...because  if the tenth one comes they have to move to the tens house. Well, Kate now has a story line for EVERY PROBLEM. At first I giggled. 

Now I am just chomping at the bit to move faster. I am like " who cares how many came to the units sleepover!" but I manage to just say they in my head. It's nice to hear her processing and I know she is having fun but OH MY GOODNESS it takes up so much time. I tried to explain she could tell the 'abridged version' but she reminded me about how I told her earlier in the week that I would not buy her the book Black Beauty because it was abridged. She said "You used that word momma and said that you wanted to have the whole story - I like whole stories too."

Well there you have it - nails in my own coffin.

In other news we are headed to a the beach!!! And more exciting  it's not a Texas beach.

There are planes and luggage involved and we are all so very excited. It's mini-reunion/vacation so I am sure there will be lots to tell you afterwards. Only adults...which means kate and I will be on the beach - ALOT. 

We made sand from crackers today and talked about where sand comes from. OH, and sea stars.... lots about sea stars. Kate would like to see a real one eat - she is intrigued by the fact that it's stomach is in the middle of it's body and it's eye holes are on the tips of it's "fingers".

 

Kindergarten - First Day

First day of Kindergarten in photos. This felt like such a big day for Kate and I. It was her first day in kindergarten and our first day homeschooling. 

I gave Kate her lunch box full of surprise goodies and a sign  - then sent her out the garage to ring the front door. She was giddy and excited. the photo I took out the front window cracks me up - she is wearing new "school" clothes but I sent her out the door with out shoes. 

Her smile and holding up the sign is great too because it shows her missing tooth - she has lost the front bottom two teeth but only one adult tooth has grown in so far leaving her with a crooked grin and little hole for her toungue to play peek-a-boo in.

I said welcome to KINDERGARTEN and she looked at her sign and said  'really? I am in Kindergarten finally?'  

I guess it was hard to believe since we have been anxiously awaiting this for a while now.

First we opened our lunch box full of surprise school supplies and inside she found a letter from Dad.

Then we set up her desk and put her name on the top....

Followed by a few worksheets supervised by her My Little Pet Shop friends.

I figured out pretty quickly that Kate's idea of school involved the following:

a desk

letters on the wall

LOTS of worksheets

and math.

All of which were not really in my plans. Her ideas were easy to accommodate and we had some great discussions on what learning is and that school work doesn't always have to be worksheets... although she will have plenty of writing and copy-work in her future.

She was very intent on organizing her school supplies and developed the habit of sitting in her desk with her knees up  - it's like teaching a little frog.

The first week was a blur but now we are in a better rhythm. I spent the weekend creating a "school room" in our extra room at her request and Kate has relaxed ... spending less time in her desk (which was really my decoration that she fell in love with) and more time with me at the big table with me asking a million questions!

photo bombing my gig.

this past week a friend of ours came to town to visit - we met up so i could meet her sweet daughter + snap some photos. i brought kate along - which is something i NEVER do when I know I will be photographing. for some reason i cannot be 'mom' and photographer simultaneously.

It went surprisingly well - kate was really independent and was enraptured by the flock of peacocks roaming the park. She dubbed the park "Peacock Land" at first i was surprised and wondering why she was not more interested in the  sweet little friend...but later I realized it was a good things because I didn't have to figure out how to get kate out of the pictures i was taking.

then something I did not anticipate happened. My child who simple aloof when it come to photos of herself and and could careless....My child whined and pouted and said outload, "mom , it makes me feel like  you dont love me when you photograph the other little girl."

OH MY.

So we had a little chat. Thankfully this didn't develop until the end of the session and we wrapped up quickly due to the mid morning heat. Talk about bittersweet. It was wonderful to hear her actually be jealous of my time and my attention. She is used to having it when she needs it and not having to share with anyone but Dad....although we (kate and I) go round and round about that as well. Even more wonderful to have her work out the new concept of sharing and knowing that my love doesn't change no matter who I am photographing or working with. 

I say it's a new concept but it isn't. It was just a new situation for her and she did really well. 

At one point i would take a few photos of my friend and sneak in a quick photo of Kate - who was always ready for me with some new pose . 

The girls REALLY enjoyed the peacocks. I am not so sure about the poor peacocks.

TAG your it.

One of the best things we have ever gotten Kate was a TAG Reader. It was our one and only gift for Christmas and she loves it, uses it and doesn't get tired of it. lAtely she has gotten to wear she uses her giant head phones to listen to the TAG reader whenI need her to be quieter.  Smart little cookie, she is.

She also has been using her US map with her reader and is very excited about our trip to Florida. Yeah for electronics that really are worth the time and money.

curtsy, the end.

 

I love this one - where she is totally ad-libbing her own impromptu moves in between the moves they learned.

The End. 

We survived dance class. True to form Kate stuck with her original thoughts:

Ballet is Awesome = Tap is Awful

She did end up pushing through and finishing each class without plopping down on the floor and for that I am proud of her. It was a great experience and while she most likely will never be a Ballerina or professional dancer of any sort... she did take dance class. 

We learn some interesting things. First off... Kate does not like the sound of tap shoes. The echo-y room did not help either. Kate is great at including others and would go right up to the other girls arriving and invite them to "hang out by the door and wait for class. She asked them about their weeks and encouraged a little girl who was un happy that her shoes where a different color than the other girls. I was so thrilled to be able to watch her use her gift of... well, gab.... for the greater good.

now thats over and I asked Kate whether she would like to do baseball or soccer next... She asked me which ones has LESS running. Hmmm, we may not have an athlete on our hands. When I told her baseball had less running she replied, "Is swimming a sport? Can't I just swim."

We will see where this takes us....

the dress-up box is over flowing.

this Summer has the been the summer of alter-egos. every kids who comes over goes directly upstairs and come down an entirely different person. On this day Kate was a Flamenco dancer named Rupunzel on her way to get married. Her friends the "Boat Princess" and the Magician accompanied her to the church to get married. Not to the magician of course. He said if she tried to marry him he would just disappear before he had to kiss her.

I can't wait to get a picture of the neighbor who really like to be the Viking.

ballet

thanks to a discount offer on Groupon we have entered the world of dance. Kate was thrilled about the idea of Ballet. We go the shoes and the leotard and tights.... then we found out that it would be a ballet + tap class. Just a six week little course. So my mom found a pair of resale tap shoes and we were ready.

Kate LOVED the ballet. LOVED it. She was attentive and deliberate in her motions. She mimicked the instructor from her front and center position - which she claimed immediately. Then they jazzed up the music and changed shoes. The room was filled with clickity clacking. Kate went wild for a few minutes inventing her own steps and the plopped down in the middle of the floor and said - I am tired.. I dont like tap.  

Well, hopefully she will just build her stamina and enjoy it by the end of the term ... but knowing my daughter, the statement has been made and she will most likely cling to her declaration.

Ballet is Awesome = Tap is Awful.  

No matter what she looks adorable and I love that I have a small ballerina in the house, even if it 's only six weeks.

i can't believe it's actually butter.

We made butter. Yep, butter. Honey butter to be exact.

Kate and I began reading Little House in the Big Woods - the first of the little house on the prairie books - and I realized how in depth they go into every detail of daily life. I loved the books as a child but not until now did I really see how the entire book is a HOW TO LIVE LIKE A PIONEER guide.

So we decided to make butter. 

In the middle of shaking it I got a tad worried that I might be missing something - after all it's ridiculously easy. So I eyeballed this sight to make sure i was on track :

Source: 2littlehooligans.blogspot.com via Carrie on Pinterest

 

 it was delish. * it's already gone.

next up - homemade whipped cream (my fav) & homemade cream cheese.

Kermit & Friends.

Kate and her neighbor-freinds found a frog family. yep a mama size, dad size & itty-bitty baby size. 

Thankfully the large one was the only one who allowed himself to be caught. I had fun watching the kids figure things out - everything from what they were going to put it in to how it was going to breathe. 

Kate was the bravest when it came to actually handling the frog. After feeling it's cold slimy skin for the first time she immediately came inside to get her garden gloves so she did not have to actually come in contact with it.

Within hours of the frogs release the frog family entered Witness Protection Program and relocated.

 

UNO. with numero UNO.

All Day and All night.

where rubber meets the road.

 

we are ecstatic about our sidewalk! sidewalks lead places...and where the sidewalk ends, poems begin.

our street has a slight curve on and incline. kate can ride two houses up to the corner and "coast" down at a good speed. she *loves* to coast.

this is her coming to a stop which kind of skidded ...and then she fell over. poor thing was trying to not run into her silly mom who was taking photos of her. 

can you see inside the little pack... there is a squished little kitty and a bag pork rinds!

key to my heart.

the day the movers came and moved the bulk of our stuff Kate went to hang out with some friends - when she came home we gave her own key and let her open the door to the new house. She was thrilled. the best photo is when she is chatting about her plans for her room on the doorstep and her key is hanging from her pink ... so chill. 

she is just plain cool sometimes.

tea time.

we have been busy moving and going in a million directions. the perfect way to stop and take a little moment was a tea party with Great Grandma Wachter.

the best part was that we arrived and Wanda suggested baking an Angel Food cake. It was a new recipe she had been wanting to try but had not had the opportunity while caring for Great Grandpa.

Kate, who had come straight from a two hour play-date with friends at a very busy loud playscape, settled right into the kitchen and the calm quiet kitchen. She had been so distracted and "wild" toward the end of the play-date... I think she was thrilled to be in a quiet space and getting so much on on one time with Great Grandma. They ran the kitchen and i stayed out of the way. I was amazed to see how well the worked together. Kate chatting away but attentive to every direction Grandma gave.

I think it was a special time for Kate because she has since talked ALOT about the cake baking & tea time. Angel Food cake was Great Grandpas favorite and he taught Kate about Angel Food cake. He also had tea parties with her a while back. 

Brad and I chose not to bring Kate to see him at the hospice or the memorial - there was so much change happening in her life and it was clear that she needed to not add those to the list. Though we did speak openly about his passing. 

This tea-time seemed to prove special for Kate, she was able to talk and remember great grandpa with great grandma...make his favorite cake and be in his home.

Wanda says she misses him but everything she does, the life she built, it was with him and she enjoys knowing the pieces of him that remain in her life. sweet memories.

*great grandma checking out kates' painted nails which she did herself*

Kate says she's a Ranger fan....

We headed out to the ball fields to see the Rangers and the RR Express play. It was a perfect evening... not too cold or windy - but not hot either. Kate doesn't remember coming to the games int he past so it was like the first time all over...

Little does she know we spent MANY nights at the baseball games her first year. My parents game brad and I a season pass and it was a out "free" outing/date nights for along time. The picture in this post was from a night at the RR Express http://thekateeffect.typepad.com/the_kate_effect/2006/08/i_am_an_aunt.html

Kate was definitely *jazzed up* by all the lights and sounds - I was so prepared for a meltdown or a freakout - but she did awesome. She only got stuck in the folding seat twice - and I managed to keep the sugar input to a falafel and dip-n-dots. whew. 

we might need glasses - she sure has been doing this a lot lately.

poor dad - there is a fine line between a hug from kate and a choke hold.

this is uncle diddy, brad's brother, and this is his "you don't worry about me" face.

most of Kate's entertainment came from Uncle Diddy and the Dip-N-Dots Grandpa got her.

Chicken Dance was her favorite part - and yes, she made it on to the BIG SCREEN. Only we missed it because we were trying to contain her dance moves to our row. The fans around us lets us know about our big debut.

 

struck by love.

mrs. independant

it seems life with a five year old is even more full of power struggles than life with a pack of bull-headed dogs. everything is "why do i have to do it YOUR way?" "I don't want to be like you!" " I want to do it for myself!"  "I can do it. I can do it! I don't need your help."

Thankfully this seems to be waning just a little. It's amazing to me - especially since I have been encourager of independence and am usually the one to encourage her to "be her own person". Sometime it baffles me when she says " I don't want to be like you!"  - Since when did I ask you too? 

In my mind I see myself and how I did the same thing - how I spit out the same words - how my mom at times replied: "It's not MY way tot clean the toilet, it's RIGHT way to clean the toilet." 

She was right - but I was just so hell bent to be different.

And then I realize how I do this everyday in my conversations with God. How I fuss about wanting to be unique, how I want to follow his will..... But half of my day is spent spinning circle in my mind about the way things 'should be done' or how I 'need to be different'.

Simultaneously I can thank the Lord for knowing Kate is right on target and that God is good + gracious.

Here is the product of a "I can do this myself" moment.

hold your horses! thats KATE!

Source: spoonflower.com via Carrie on Pinterest

 

WHOA! this IS kate.  

It's like Heather Ross came to my house and watched kate play and then drew tiny little picture of her on her fabric.

I really enjoy Heather Ross fabric. It's small whimsical drawings are so nostalgic and wonderful. Unfortunately my aesthetic for creating sometime doesn't jive so i just sit and daydream at the fabric all day instead of actually using it. 

but don't let that deter you from ordering a few yards and sending it to me.... if you where thinking about it or wondering.

i would immediate frame it a small square just to remember kate this way and then whip up something wonderful! I promise I would. 

now I think Iw ill go play ponies with Kate before she grows up.

 

 

Cherry Turnovers.

Kate and I declared a day of baking + cooking last week. It was truly a great day for us both. We made...

Mini Meatballs

Mini Cherry Turnovers

Chocolate cover Banana Bites with Nuts

Sausage Patties

Bacon

Sauteed Mushrooms

Banana Bread

Spinach Mushroom Quiche

...we made anything we could think of and stuff our freezer full! We have even added to it since...Pizza Dough, Lasagna Rolls, Cheese Enchiladas. 

Honestly I never want to cook again after that marathon. The timing was great because we have a contract on a house and are packing - so that last thing I want to do is stop and cook. One less mess and one less thing to think about makes a world of difference right now. 

The best thing Kate said that day was : 

It my dream come true, I get to play with raw meat!

Obviously the meatballs were her favorite things to make... and she made them from beginning to end on her own. She also learned an important less about why you need to make your meatballs uniform size. And we both agreed it is sad that they all need to be the same size because it is much more fun to have variety...then we created a solution... you just cook all the big meatball in one batch and the little one in another ... and even medium meat balls in a different batch. then you mix them all together in your sauce and make meatball families. 

*just incase your wondering; you have to make the meatballs all the same size (or cook similar sizes together) because the bigger ones will take longer that the small ones to cook thru... leaving you with some uncooked and some too crispy...

I think my favorite item of the day were the cherry turnovers. I was slightly disappointed to have run out of powdered sugar and had to skip the frosting part... but they were spectacular despite the set back.

What are you making these days?

jumping into spring

kate's style is developing in her drawings. this is a favorite of mine she drew back in Jan (2011) 

it has kept hope for spring alive during the uncharacteristically chilly texas summer.

kate + snow

unicorn + dog

I found these my old scanner this morning... Kate says she was trying to make copies to send to her friends but the scanner wasn't working. I decided this was not a teaching moment and she could go at least another week or two before figuring out how to PLUG-IN the scanner before using it. She is slowly trying to take control over all my stuff and I am trying to hold the boundaries that keep creeping in.

She drew these lovelies back in January  - I love the way she gave herself an A+. 

 

 

Feeding Agnus.

This past Fall I had the JOY of photographing a friend for her senior photos ... and she has been raising a fantastic pig named Agnus.  I was able to bring Kate along for the shoot and she had a great time meeting + learning about Agnus the pig. 

SInce then Agnus has DOUBLED in weight and been to a handful of shows. Kate and I were talking one morning about how Agnus would be going to a Butcher at the end of her shows and Kate was sad.

She decided that she would rather raise a lamb so she wouldn't have to "send it the Chef" which is code for butcher. No matter how hard I tried I could not convince her that people also eat lamb. 

We were thrilled to find out that Agnus was not headed to the butcher but being sold to a breeder and would have the job of "Baby Mama"!  So we headed out to visit Agnus one last time before her last show.

It's quite noticeable that Kate has a whole different demeanor around animals. She is calm and attentive. She also can be uber-shy and quiet but SOAKS every word  you tell her in.  This whole animal thing might be more than just imaginary play. Do I dare ponder the possibility of 4-H? I am not sure I am ready for this. 

I do know that she loves animals and pushed through her ridiculously strong gag reflex to be with the 350+ lb pig. She still get timid to try something new with everyone watching...but as soon as i tried (miserably) she would say " that not how you do it mom- watch me".

Thanks 'M' for a FANTASTIC afternoon and teaching us so much about pigs! 

 

a locket, a cheese, & snitch

Kate got a cute little locket for valentine's from my mom. It's just a little cheap metal locket with gold paint from Walgreens - a trinket in her valentines gift bag - but she TREASURES it. 

I tried to take a quick snapshot of her but she was refusing - Finally she says "Mom, I will smile once - i hope you catch it." 

Ha! I did catch it you little mischief maker!

I shouldn't be so surprised that she loves her locket. I also received a locket for Valentines! 

Brad gave me a Snitch! I really love it. Now everyday I have this huge dilemma of figuring out whether to wear my awesome photo album locket from my mom or my Snitch. Such decisions!

Sweet but Fashionable.

Inspiration:

This great Valentine's gift on Creature Comforts Blog - It looked like the prefect party favor for a girly baby shower.

Source: creaturecomfortsblog.com via Carrie on Pinterest

 

 

And so it begins with a bowl full of ribbon, gum-balls and sharp objects.

I have to say the hardest part is poke the hole ... I ended up using a mechanical pencil (empty and clean) to poke hole and then twist into a bigger hole. Then turning the gum-ball to the other side make the other hole without crushing the the gum-ball.  

I was watching TV while I did this but that turned out to be risky since during intense scenes I would crush the ball and then eat it. Three bracelets later I had a mouth full of gum!

the sad part of the story is that I had more guests at the party than bracelets and so I never used them - but kate and I wore/ate them for DAYS!

...and carry a big stick.

Teddy Roosevelt's slogan was to "Walk softly and carry a big stick"

well, we have the big stick part down.

just an average day at Gigi and Poppi's  dragging sticks around the yard with the mini-Jeeps. 

I am pretty sure Hunter was the "stick-watcher" for this load.

girl time.

we were hanging out at the park the other day and kate and her girl friends ended up just chilling at the top of this hill. I walked over and said - hey girls can i take your picture?

they were like - sure.

and then they all just looked at me intensely.

i thought - whoa, so serious - so i crowed like a rooster. it worked.

I am thankful for such great girls for kate to hang out with on top of smallish hills.

Chuy's Children Giving to Children Parade

we took the kids to the Chuy's Parade last weekend. the kids were super excited. although some of the perceived excitement could be due to the syrup we let them consume at our pre-parade breakfast. According to the movie ELF syrup is a very christmas food - According to me Syrup makes for very crazy kids. 

i was unaware that this would be the most difficult photo to take.... three kids sitting and waiting for the parade...should have been easy-right!?!

attempt #1

attempt #2

attempt #3

and we give up.

My SIL - Rach - was brilliant and suggested we run the kids around the Capitol lawn since we were an hour an half early. Yes, you have to get there that early to get the good seats - we had prime Congress spots right in front of the capitol....and three antsy kids.

great thing about the capitol lawn is you can run around AND get a good history lesson.

 

 

One trip to the bathroom in the capitol building - which included security checkpoint with metal detectors - all belts off and loose change in the bucket - then back to the parade which started FIFTEEN minutes early!  We had to run across the lawn and sneak under the rope and cross the street while the parade was coming.  

*the key is to just keep going and don't make eye contact with anyone*

it was a great parade- nice and long...

Chuy's puts on a parade every year on partnership with Blue Santa. They have the kids bring new toys and toward the end the whole parade comes to a stop and the kids get to go put their toys in the big trucks spread through out the parade. No photos from this since... well I was making sure my kid got to the truck, put her toy in , did take any other toys, didn't trample anyone, didn't get trampled, and made it back to our spot with out getting stolen. for a parent it's quite an adrenaline rush...for the kids it's the highlight of the parade.

   

the other cool thing about the parade this year was... my brother-in-law's girlfriend, who we call Swaffy and who works at Chuys, was Queen Creamy Jalapeno! I also did not get a photo of this because Kate was yelling "SWAFFY! SWAFFY!! it's me, kate!!! SWAFFY!" and i was trying to prevent her from running into the parade after the Queen.

it was a fantastic day.

**more photos on Facebook: 

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=260872&id=501044426&l=62d46b6baa

the fifth demention

something big happened in our house while I was on blogging sabbatical.

kate turned five.

yep, five. it's kind of fun year for us. Brad and I turn 30, Kate turns 5 and our 10th anniversary is a two months. I really like it that way...all even and easy to count.

i'll find pic of the celebration and post them soon.

making it more fabulous.

On the days that it's just me and kate around the house I do my best to do an activity with her that encourages some sort of learning. Sometimes it's just unloading groceries and bringing everything to full stop to talk through word problems like; we bought two avocados. but what if we decided to make guacamole for snack today and used one of the avocados - what would we have left...one avocado. ok so it's may sound boring but it's not - because we actually DID make guacamole right after that.

Recently we have been doing math on our fingers. I LOVE watching her organize her fingers and count them. it's just simple math but she caught on quick. that she gets from her dad.

from me she gets her desire to read but her rebellion to being taught. oh yes, she just wants to know it. or at least for you to think she just knows it. 

So one morning we are reading her bible about how God made everything and afterwards I write a few words for her to copy. she does a great job and breezed through them until she go to the 's' in animals. for some reason she got confused and seemed to not know when to stop making the curvy line... they looked like backwards threes. i wasn't too worried since she had just done a perfect 's' right above it with out batting an eye.

But i still had her try again which turned into four tries. finally she gets it. 

then immediately starts putting these circles/dots on the letters. What are you doing? - I ask curiously.

Oh, I am making the letters more fabulous. - she says.

MORE FABULOUS! ha!

she will not tell me who taught her this but I have a feeling it our new babysitter who is in middle-school (and is AWESOME)  - I mean there is no way she just started doing this out of the blue. Fabulousness is learned, right?!?

so there you go. our letters are now MORE fabulous.

all wrapped up, again.

I love my child. mostly because she is my child and I should but also because she is willing to let me do these things to her!

This will be the second time I have made a "bust" of kate...see the first time here.

http://thekateeffect.typepad.com/the_kate_effect/2008/06/how-to-duplicate-your-child.html

Creating a kid form is a great way to know what will fit your kid right now. Everyone who sews knows how very difficult it can be to try and concentrate with kids awake and talking to you while you sew...but it is equally frustrating to sew after they got o bed and you can no longer try things on and make sure your going in the right direction.

This is a great solution. Now I have a better idea whether some thing is going to fit without waking her up and trying it on. i know what your thinking and yes, i did.

The only down side is I have to make a new one often because she is aways growing...darn kids.

train... not slain.

it's official. 2010 is the year of the viking. the axe has been bought, costume sewing has begun, and we auditioning dragons to be slain....oh, I am sorry - kate says she doesn't kill dragons, she trains them. what has the world come to.