Weekend Wrap Up

Well, another weekend has come and gone, and as usual, it came and went too quickly. I am really enjoying my new job though, so at the moment I'm not necessarily dreading Monday's. Although, when my alarm goes off at 5 in the morning, I'm sure I'll change my tune. Ha! So what have we been up to this weekend? Let's see...

Friday night we had dinner with Chris' mom and then had a little play time at Meme's house!

We got a little musical concert from Sara Kate on the tambourine, and her daddy on the guitar.

She was mesmerized and just sat there and watched him play.

And this could be my new favorite picture. Chris doing one of the things he does best, while Sara Kate looks up at him. So so so so sweet.

Saturday the babe woke up a little earlier than normal, but she and Chris still allowed me to sleep in. We spent the morning at home, but eventually needed to run a few errands, so we hit up Chick-Fil-A for lunch, where Sara Kate tasted chicken for the first time (she got the inside meat part, which I'm sure is still filled with grease, but oh well). I think she was a fan...I mean really, what's not to like?!? Anyway, then we hit up Lowe's so Chris could replace our toilet seat. Yes, there is a story there, and no I won't go into it! :-) Our last stop was Target, where I had to get several baby gifts. It was kind of weird, I had a cart full of baby stuff but none of it was for Sara Kate! Don't worry, her daddy bought her something too cute that will debut on here soon!

We had a delicious dinner prepared by my brother...Sara Kate was super excited about seeing Uncle Phil!

Sunday included church, a wedding shower after church, and a visit from Sara Kate's great grandpa! Chris' grandparents live in Bentonville, and we don't get up there often enough to spend time with them so it was nice of him to stop by the house for a visit.

The rest of the day included playing with Sara Kate, Chris has watched a movie, and I have attempted to catch up on blogging...

I love this picture!!! Those eyes, that grin, and of course a little zebra print! :-) Meme made this dress, just the way I requested it. Love!

And I've done the usual Sunday activities like making a batch or 2 of baby food and laundry.

Oh, and the other thing I have done this weekend is search and search for ideas for Sara Kate's birthday, which will be here before I know it. I have obsessed for a couple weeks over the perfect outfit, which has to match the perfect theme, for her first birthday...I have obsessed like only a mother could over something so small and insignificant. But I am a perfectionist and I have this certain vision in mind (which has changed as of late). But now I think I have everything in mind, now it's just a matter of execution over the next several weeks!

Hope everyone has a good week! Hopefully it doesn't go by too slowly because next weekend will be fun filled, with a visit from Gran and Pop (although Chris has a snow make up day and my mom has to teach a workshop...oh well).
This picture cracks me up...it was super windy outside and Sara Kate's expression is one of non-amusement (yes, I probably just made up a word).
Here's one that's a little better.
Peace out! :-)

Exploring

The last week and a half have pretty much just included following Sara Kate around while she explores her 'new' surroundings.

Seeing that little bear butt on the move takes these jammies to a whole new level of cuteness!
Yes, she opened her drawer and started pulling out the blankets...

Yes, she crawled to the bookcase in our room and pulled the DVD's off the shelf...
(excuse the crappy cell phone picture)
Yes, she was headed straight for the dog toys...and obviously they were like, what is she doing?!?

Yes, she loves to play with the straps and buckles in her car seat...

And yes, she was headed straight to the cat food bowl!When we put her down in the living room to crawl around, she first heads to 2 locations: the cat food bowl or the dogs water bowls. One is on the right side of the computer cabinet and the other is on the left side of the computer cabinet. I redirect her and she turns around and heads straight back to the bowls. Silly girl. At least she hasn't ventured into the spare bathroom and found the cat litter. When that happens, we have a problem. Anybody want a cute little white cat?? :-) As for the cat, Sara Kate likes to 'chase' Kacie around...she just started that, probably because they are on the same level now! It's funny to watch her when Kacie comes into her line of vision.

We like to take Sara Kate into her room and just let her explore in there, too. We'll get different toys out and just let her play around and move to thing to thing on her own.

Sometimes Cora comes in to play!

Sometimes Sara Kate ventures out into the hallway...

And that is very exciting!

And finally, sometimes (like today) she likes to crawl to the front door and look outside.
Wow, PLEASE excuse how dirty our glass door is!
And those are just some of Sara Kate's adventures! Hope ya'll enjoyed the ride!

On the Move!!

Well, it finally happened!! What on earth am I talking about?!? :-)

Oh, you want to see more?? OK!

These are crappy cell phone videos, but they are video none the less. I actually missed seeing her crawl for the first time. I was at a board meeting at the church, and Chris sent me a video text with the first video in it. I didn't look at it until the meeting was over, and he had sent me another text in the meantime that said something like, I'm surprised you haven't responded! When I dropped her off at school Friday, I asked the girls if she crawled Thursday, because I was sure she did it there for the first time. They said yes, that they took her out of the bouncer, put her on the floor, and the next thing she knew, she was over at the shelf and pulling baskets out. She said, Sara Kate, when did you learn how to crawl?? Right then was my response! I guess it just clicked all of a sudden. So now we have serious baby proofing to do...she's already tasted cat food. Lovely. Get ready world, Sara Kate is coming at ya!!

Happy Birthday, Hannah!

I have to dedicate this post to our sweet, beautiful niece Hannah. Yesterday was her 3rd birthday.

The day she was born...

And on her 3rd birthday...

She's so stinkin' cute, and she just cracks us up these days with what she says. I called her yesterday morning to wish her a happy birthday and when she finally got on the phone I said, "Happy Birthday, Hannah!" She replied, "Happy Birthday!" I laughed. I said, "How old are you today?" She said, "This many," while holding 3 fingers up to the phone. I said, "How old?" She said, "This many," while holding 3 fingers up to the phone. I laughed. I heard Jenny say, "Say you're 3." And she said, "Three." Then she proceeded to tell me something to do with Sara Kate. And then Jenny interpreted it for me and she had said that she wanted to take a bath with Sara Kate and she would share her Aurora doll in the bath tub. So cute. After work yesterday, we went to Mimi and Poppa's and Hannah opened her presents. She's really into princesses and Barbie right now, so we gave her several sets of Barbie clothes.

Hannah said Sara Kate couldn't help her with her presents. Ha! So then Jenny told her that she couldn't help Sara Kate when it was her birthday. Double Ha!!

Then Uncle Chris (who she calls 'Krissen'...hahahaha!!) played Barbie, and it was hilarious. Chris was speaking in Barbie voice, and Hannah was just cracking up. She laughed and laughed. So cute.

We went to dinner at The Catfish Hole, and Hannah's other grandparents and aunt and uncle came over too. It was nice having everyone there to celebrate her birthday, and it's really nice that both families get along so well. It's like that with mine and Chris' family too...everyone just gets along perfectly. I love that. Hannah's other grandma brought her some balloons to put on the table and a 'Birthday Princess' button for her wear. We ate (way too much) and had a great time. Sara Kate even tried hush puppy (the inside breading part) and fish (the inside fish part, not the fried breading)! She liked both...she doesn't seem to care what she's eating, as long as she gets to eat. Hopefully she won't be picky like her mama! :-) After dinner a few waitresses came and sang 'Happy Birthday' to Hannah and brought her a candle and enough suckers for the entire table. That was nice. She even shared a sucker with a little girl sitting behind her...she's a sweet girl. Then it was cupcake time, and these next pictures speak for themselves! :-)

Aww, Uncle Chris is a good sport! And Hannah had a pink face the rest of the night! After dinner, we went back to Chris' parents and the girls had bath time. Sara Kate fell asleep on the way back to their house...she had a big day! Notice the wand in her hand that Hannah let her play with. And those moccasin shoes were Chris' first pair of shoes!

But she perked up for bath time!

Hannah let Sara Kate play with her water dolls, but Sara Kate wasn't fond of the way the hair got all stringy when it got wet.

Hannah wanted to help wash Sara Kate.

Two clean, tired girls!

Overall, we had a great day. Happy Birthday, Hannah!! We love you!

L-O-V-E

Happy Valentine's Day!

Love,

The Michaels Family

I'm not sure why Sara Kate's eyes look freaky. And she was very stoic and thoughtful looking all night. Oh well.
Hope everyone had a great day!

10 Months

Sara Kate, you are 10 months old!! What have you been up to?

I can't believe we're in double digit months now!

- You still love going to school, although a few mornings there has been a bit of separation anxiety when I drop you off. When we walk into your classroom, the other babies come up to you and you just grin at them. I have also heard more stories in the last month about you and your 'best friend,' Grayson! So cute. You're schedule at school is usually something like this: breakfast (oatmeal mixed with fruit) between 8 and 9, nap time, you get a bottle of breast milk between 10:30 and 11, lunch is between 12 and 1 (oatmeal and fruit, separated), nap time, you get another bottle of breast milk between 3 and 4, and then daddy usually comes to pick you up. If you are there later, they sometimes put you down for a short late afternoon nap.

- Speaking of separation anxiety, you are a bit of a mama's girl. If you are playing with daddy, that's great, as long as I don't come through the room. Or if you are playing with anyone or anything and you see me, you want me. You hang onto my neck like a little monkey. :-) I love it when you squeeze my neck so tight...you give me good hugs!

- Moving: You are definitely on the move! If we set you on the floor to play, you try to crawl forward, fall on your belly, scoot backwards, roll all around (from tummy to back and back to tummy), go back to a sitting position, and the cycle repeats itself. It's funny to watch you when you get going like this.

- You love food! I still make all your food, minus sweet peas, which you won't eat what I made so you get peas from a jar. Here's what all you've had so far: butternut squash (love), sweet potatoes (love), zucchini (like...it purees really thin so I mix it with oatmeal and you really like it), green beans (aren't crazy about them by themselves but will eat them mixed with a little fruit), sweet peas (don't like homemade, like jarred), cauliflower (liked but it gave you horrible gas...need to try this one again), mashed potatoes (like), carrots (really like), apples (love), pears (love), banana (love), blueberries (love), peaches (love), mango (like), and cherries (like). During the holidays you had cream corn (like) and dressing (like). Some big people food you've had includes grilled cheese sandwich (love), chicken salad that is 'smashed' (liked it at first but then you weren't crazy about it...need to try this again), Cool Whip (like), the edge of a pop tart (not the filling part or icing part, only the edge...love), some noodles (you liked it but couldn't quite figure out how to eat it), graham crackers (love), and pancakes (love). You've had apple puffs, strawberry puffs, and sweet potato puffs, along with biter biscuits...you are really good about feeding your self this stuff. We haven't ventured out to letting you feed yourself baby food!

- I mentioned your schedule at school already, but here's your schedule for the day: I wake you up around 6 and you nurse, you go to school, breakfast (oatmeal mixed with fruit) between 8 and 9, nap time, you get a bottle of breast milk between 10:30 and 11 (around 4 oz), lunch between 12 and 1 (oatmeal and fruit, separated), nap time, you get another bottle of breast milk between 3 and 4 (around 4 oz), come home, you have dinner when we do between 6:30 and 7 (usually 2 veggies and a handful of puffs or a biter biscuit), bedtime routine starts around 8:30, around 9 you nurse, and you are usually asleep in bed between 9:15-9:30.
- You are drinking out of a sippy cup with no problems. You get water with your 'meals' and at school, and we've introduced a little apple juice mixed with water in the last week...you just get that every now and then, though.

- You LOVE bath time!!!! I think you are going to be such a water baby over the summer. When you hear the running water you get so excited. As soon as we put you in the tub, you grab your cups (toys) and start playing. You like to bend over and put your face in the water, which freaks me out, but I can't get you to stop doing it. You'll put your face in the water and come up at smile at us. You love bath time so much that you get pretty mad when it's time to get out...like as soon as I pull the drain and take your cups away you know it's time to get out.

- You are starting to share things with us. The other night you were sharing your biscuit with daddy and this morning you wanted to share your paci with him. You also like to share your water cup with us. You are a sweet girl.
- Sleeping is back on track!! YAY!! You had gotten in the habit of waking up around 12:30 and needing me to rock you back to sleep. We let you cry it out one night and that's pretty much all it took for you to go back to sleeping through the night. I wake you up during the week at 6, but on the weekends you can sleep until 7:30 or so.

- You still just have your 2 bottom teeth. Your drooling and chewing on your finger seems to have picked up lately so maybe more are on the way.

- You now say dada and mama (you said mama for the first time on Meme's birthday). You babble with the 'b' sound and 'g' sound quite a bit, and you say something that sounds like 'giggle' or 'gong' and 'bye.' You make an 'l' sound and 'h' sound. We're working on 'ball' and 'dog.'

- You have experienced more snow in the last month than I probably did my whole childhood! You were so cute all bundled up and wanting to eat the snow!

This was taken earlier today. Sara Kate is sitting on many many inches of snow...so far we have about a foot and a half!!

- Other things I want to remember are you clap quite a bit, including mimicking daddy when he does it, sometimes you wave, and you are still super ticklish. You also like peek-a-boo.

- It depends on the brand, but you are in 6-9 month clothes (like Jumping Bean), 9-month clothes (like Carters), and 6-12 month clothes (Baby Gap and Old Navy). You are still wearing some 6-9 month sleepers but most of your jammies are 9 months.

- You are in size 2 shoes, and still have tiny feet.
- You are in size 3 diapers.
- Overall, you are such a happy baby, and I think that has really helped us over the months in adjusting to life with a baby. I could look at your beautiful eyes, kiss your sweet cheeks, and cuddle with you all day. I can't believe how fast the time is flying, but we absolutely love having you in our lives!