A walk on the beach

Today was about as good of a day as one can have in Maine in early March. It was 55 degrees, bright blue sky, and not much of the white stuff left, except for a few small, dirty piles at the edges of driveways or northern sides of houses. Rick was working so I spent most of the day laundering and ironing curtains and cleaning all of the windows (plus window sills and surrounding workwork). After Cate got up from her afternoon nap, however, we decided to head down to Popham Beach. We were only there for about 45 minutes before it started getting too dark (and the gates close at sunset), but we had a great time. And though Cate was a little afraid of the water (which is probably a good thing), she loved filling up her bucket with rocks and shells, and she enjoyed scooping and throwing sand.






Popham is having some major issues with beach erosion these days. I can remember when we were little and would spend a day at Popham, and the beach seemed to go on forever. Today, there is significantly less beach between the dunes and the water, and this picture of Cate in front of an eroded dune seems to show that quite nicely.

Self-taken shot.

The sun is setting, and we're headed back down the beach toward the parking lot.

Trip to Ohio

Last week the schools were on February vacation, so Mom, Cate, and I drove out to Ohio from Sunday to Friday and surprised Grandma. And boy, was she surprised! :) Cate went right to Grandma and gave her a big hug. They were immediately pals.

Four generations. So lucky to have this picture.

Hanging with Uncle Jim, who Cate loved to pieces. He played with her and teased her, and "stole" her Taggie blanket and Nuk, and she just kept coming back for more! So cute.

Cousin Jamie came up from Columbus for our last night in Ashland. Cate and I had talked about him and looked at pictures at Aunt Diane's house. When Jamie walked in the door, Cate yelled, "Cousin Jamie!!!" and proceeded to jump up and down the whole way to the front door. Who wouldn't love that kind of reception?

Hugs and kisses from Aunt Diane.

Cate's new pal, Chloe. They developed a very funny but playful relationship.

This picture probably also describes their relationship. Cate enjoyed hiding in Chloe's crate while Chloe was on the outside. So funny!

Dressed up

Cate and I went outside yesterday before church to try and take some nice pictures. I managed to get her to smile nicely for a few pictures!

Such a cute little outfit! Thanks to Aunt Christine for this one- Cate is really into polka dots, so it's a hit.

Serious face

Lately we've been doing "faces." As in, make a happy face, scared face, and above, my favorite, the "serious face." Below, Cate and Zoe pose in the kitchen. Cate was at her school Valentine's party, hence the heart painted on her cheek.

Rick and I are continuing to work on cleaning up and cleaning out the house, as we prepare to put it back on the market this spring. I brought down a bunch of totes full of Cate's baby stuff and clothes, which is going to go to Mom and Dad's new big basement for storage! I guess Cate, however, felt the need to reminisce, and dragged her play mat out onto the living room floor, trying it out for the first time in a long time.

Funny things she says (I keep adding to this...)

I am amazed everyday at how Cate strings more and more words together into sentences. It's so much fun to hear what she's going to say next and how she's going to verbally respond to situations. A couple of particularly amusing examples....

1. On Saturday, Cate was in the bathroom with me while I was about to get in the shower. She had a blanket on the floor and was reading to her two dollies. I then noticed she took the one doll by the leg and kicked the other doll in the stomach. Then she said in a stern voice, "No kick dolly. Time out!"

2. Last night we were at Mom and Dad's for dinner, and Mom offered up ice cream for dessert. Cate plowed through her small bowl and said, "Gramma, more ice cream." Since she didn't have a lot, I told her she could have one more little scoop and got up to get it. Dad looked at Cate and said, "It is good, isn't it, even if it's not that good for you." Quick as can be, Cate turned to him, pointed her finger at him, and went, "Shhhh!" haha!!

Oh, and here's one more I remembered... I was vacuuming the rugs upstairs, and she does not like the vacuum. She's finally stopped screaming and clinging to me, but now she's taken to hiding. So she went into a bedroom with a dolly and closed the door while I vacuumed the bathroom rug. When I finished, she came out and walked down to the bathroom and said, "Dolly cry. Vacuum scare dolly." Oh, so DOLLY was afraid. Too cute.

Wait, I'm back with one more that Rick really liked. Yesterday, our neighbor Steve stopped over to return something he had borrowed, and he came in to sit and chat. Steve works down at the shipyard, so he always comes home from work pretty dirty, and we caught him right after work. Cate, who loves Steve, went up to him and said, "Steve. Shirt dirty." I guess now that she's talking, we need to work on manners, but luckily Steve found it pretty funny!!

Licking snow

On Friday afternoon, Cate and I got home from school/daycare, and Cate wouldn't come in the house. She was standing on the deck with me while I unlocked the back door, and I stepped into the house, turned around, and realized she wasn't coming in. Now, to set the stage, it was about 14 degrees outside, and the wind was howling. It was SO COLD!! Cate wasn't in her snowpants or even her snow mittens (just the fleece ones), but she refused to come in. Then she started eating snow off the picnic table, and it was so funny watching her that I just let her play while I stood at the door and watched. Yes, that's right. I stood inside the warm house and happily watched my daughter get frostbite. :)

I'd like to say that it's her hearty Maine stock, but since we're considered "from away," it doesn't count. haha

And on a related side note, here's a "You know you're in Maine when...." from this morning. I was on my way to kickboxing class this morning, and it was 1 degree. (not kidding). I went past Mae's Cafe, a nice local restaurant/bakery, and I saw parked on their deck/porch a double stroller, sitting outside the front door. So, some family put their kids in a stroller and WALKED to Mae's for Saturday breakfast. In near sub-zero temps. That's the kind of type that you'll find in Maine. They're a hearty sort.

A few fun pics from the last week

Rick took this one today. Cate made Zoe a chair while they read books.

Above, Cate wearing her birthday outfit from Aunt Laurie and Uncle Zach. Super cute.
Below, Cate wearing my boxing gloves (I'm taking kickboxing classes). She's a regular Rocky Balboa. I think this was her "showing her muscles."

Pigtails Tara put in at day care. I still can't figure out how they do it. Toddler hair is so slippery!

Cate opening birthday presents from her great aunts in Philly. Love the princess crown!

Ever wonder what 22 in. of snow on a picnic table looks like?

Cate's Second Birthday

Hard to believe today was Cate's second birthday. We had a lunch party with several of our neighbors, friends, plus Mom, Dad, and Sheila. Two of Cate's good little friends, Nola and Olivia were there, and the three of them managed to completely trash the house in a couple short hours. But it was really nice, and I think Cate had a good time.

Below, Cate "feeds" Olivia some pretend lunch. So much fun for Cate having real live "baby dolls" who open their mouths. Olivia- not so impressed that there wasn't any actual food on the end of that spoon.

Cate with her new doll from neighbor Steve.

Rick and I got her a tricycle, and she spent today trying to ride it around the house. It was a balmy 45 degrees, and we really should have taken it outside, but after the party she went right down for a nap, and we never did make it outside before dark. Maybe we'll try it out tomorrow.



Couldn't help but dig up this picture from her 1st birthday. Compare that to the picture below it. Think she's grown up a bit? Amazing what a difference a year makes.

Trying to blow out the candle.

Mail arrived as the party was ending, and it including her gift box from Nana and Papa Davis. They included this princess tiara with bracelets, which paired with her princess skirt and wand made for quite a look.

With the Tiara on backwards, she loaded up her trike basket with her new Ugly Doll from Nola. I think all she needed was a leather Harley jacket and she'd be ready to ride.

Overall, a great day. Tonight during bath, Cate and I discussed her goals for this year. We agreed, by her third birthday.... big girl underwear. :) But it is amazing how much she "accomplished" in only a year- from unsteady walking to running, jumping, and gymnastics, from no hair to a respectable amount (though still mullet-ish), from virtually no words to a vocabulary growing by the day, from not sleeping through the night to ... oh wait, well, ok, so some things still aren't quite perfect. But we're getting there! Can't wait to see what the next year brings!

Our wintry weekend

It started snowing on New Year's Eve, and it snowed for three days. By yesterday morning, we had about 6 inches on the ground, and then the Nor'easter that went through last night dropped about another 10. So we woke up this morning to a truly winter wonderland- and a big mess. :) But I love it!! Above was Cate outside yesterday playing in the snow (before the additional foot of snow). We also pulled her in the sled up and down the street, joined at times by her little neighbor friend, Nola, who was in her sled.

So what does a two year old do on snowy days?? How about chillin' in Mom and Dad's bed watching Animal Planet....
Or reading books to Zoe.....
Or playing dress up in her fairy princess costume.....
Or playing more in the snow!!!

This was the snow we woke up to this morning. Rick used the snowblower and Dad helped with the shovel. It was also so windy last night, so there were drifts everywhere. Zoe can almost walk straight off the porch and into a giant pile of snow. She has to bound through the backyard now to chase squirrels. Good thing she's a big dog, or she'd be lost!!