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!!

Christmas in PA

Two days after Christmas, we headed down to Pennsylvania for Christmas with Rick's family. Sunday we arrived at his parent's house in Dauphin where we opened presents and had a big meal with everyone. Nana's favorite gift to Cate was her fairy princess skirt and wand. Cate didn't leave it on very long that day, but she spent part of today spinning around in it!

Below is Great-Nana Davis with her two fave great-grandchildren- Cate and Barrett. This was also our first time meeting Barrett, who was born in August to Chrissy (Rick's sister) and her hubby Nate.

We spent a couple of nights in Phoenixville with Chrissy, Nate, and Barrett (or Baby Bear, as Cate called him). Cate loved Barrett, as he was pretty much just like a doll baby, but he moved and ate and made noise. Below, she's giving him a hug.

Daddy and Cate. Notice Cate's not quite as excited to hold still for a picture.

We also went to Aunt Tish and Uncle Tom's house in West Chester for lunch and presents and more fun. They had lots of neat Christmas things that Cate thoroughly enjoyed checking out while I tried to make sure she didn't break any of them. :) But we had a great visit, and hopefully we can get back to visit again soon- and maybe pet those horses next door. :)

Below, Tish and Tom with Barrett.

Aunt Chris feeding Barrett, and Cate "helping."

Cate got to hold the Baby Bear, which was all fun and games until he tried to take her Nuk (aka pacifier). After that, she tried to drop him like 3rd period French.

Hanging out with Aunt Chrissy, and Cate trying to get her to hand over that baby bottle so Cate could help feed Barrett.
Barrett- the perfect baby. Rick and I left feeling a little jealous and angry that Barrett is so good. Literally, they just set him down or hold him or put him on his play mat or wherever, and he just hangs out. Occasionally he lets out a little cry that lasts for about a nanosecond, and then it's over. So unfair. It reminded us once again how we were cheated out of the nice baby experience. Oh well. I've convinced myself that Cate's outrageously fussy babyhood was just a sign of her genius that will some day make her famous and make us rich. hahaha!! :)

But really, Barrett is a doll, and we can't wait to get back and see him again!!