Tess's First Ballet Recital

Just before we left for our summer vacation in Dallas, it was time for dress rehearsal for Tess's first-ever ballet recital.  Unfortunately, the recital itself was scheduled for the day we had to fly out, but we were able to invite all of Tess's grandparents to the dress rehearsal (and Tess didn't seem to know the difference).  Our little ballerina looked so beautiful all dressed up in her costume!  She semi-bombed her "performance" but it was fun anyway.  Mommy is glad for a break from weekly ballet class, which has become increasingly difficult now that Kate is walking and wants to be in the middle of the dance floor. 

The theme of the recital was "At The Movies" and Tess's class danced to "Happy Working Song" from the movie Enchanted. We sure loved her teacher, Miss Ally, and we are sad to hear that People's Church is changing their "School of Creative Arts" program and she will not be teaching there anymore.  Next up for Tess: swim lessons!

Family Videos - Cuteness Overload!

Here are some cute videos of Kate learning how to use the walker toys she got for her birthday, and one of "feeding Daddy."

 Here are some cute videos of Tess being her silly and outgoing self! Love that she is willing to sing on camera.

 Here are some cute videos of the girls together at Grandma & Grandpa's in Reedley.

Kate On The Local News!

We were hanging out at home the other morning when a friend of mine sent a text message: "Baby Kate is on the news!"  She managed to hit record and video tape the segment on her phone.  What a fun surprise!  I remember now that Kate's teacher (she goes to daycare 2 days a week) had said that the news was onsite, but never made the connection that Kate could be on TV.  As it turns out, the reporter covering the story is the mom of one of Kate's classmates.

Here's a link to the news story.... and the video is posted below.  Our baby girl is famous!

Family Photos - April 2015

We used Kate's first birthday and the Easter holiday as a great opportunity to get her "one year pictures" and some family photos as well.  We used Jessika Loucks Photography and returned to the beautiful backyard of some dear friends of ours, which has served as a beautiful backdrop for many of our professional photo sessions.  We were so pleased with how the photos turned out!  Below are some of our favorites, and a video showing all of the shots Jessika captured for us. We are so blessed with such beautiful and photogenic girls!

Kate's First Birthday

Birthday poster at NHCC

This past year has flown by like no other! It's so hard to believe our sweet "Baby Kate" is a year old.  What a joy and privilege it has been to watch her develop a darling little personality to go along with her beautiful face. This precious girl makes having babies such a wonderful experience.  We continually marvel that she is very much Tess's sister but also her own, unique little person.  

We had an extended birthday celebration since we had family coming in from out of town (Grandma Meg and Uncle Dan).  On Thursday (the day before her birthday), her teachers at New Harvest Childcare celebrated Kate by making her a special birthday poster (adorable pic below).  Miss Erika knows that Kate loves kitties so she drew a poster of Duchess just for Kate.

Birthday Nap & Snuggles

On Friday (her actual birthday), I took the day off work to spend with my baby girl and Grandma Meg.  We went out to breakfast and then I spent a glorious hour on the couch with Kate napping on me.  Later in the day we visited NHCC so that her teachers and friends could wish her a "happy birthday."  The rest of the day was spent in final preparations for her "Berry Sweet" first birthday party.

On Sunday we had all of our immediate family and grandparents (plus a few close friends) over to the house for Kate's party.  We served lunch and had a wonderful time talking and celebrating.  My dear friend Laura came just to take pictures so that I didn't have to worry about it.  My wonderful grandparents (Kate's great grandparents) performed a beautiful and touching dedication prayer for our sweet girl. We had delicious strawberry cake from Barb's Cakery in Fresno and spent the last hour or so opening thoughtful and generous birthday presents.  It was a perfect and exhausting day!  

While Tess was walking about 3 weeks before her first birthday, little Kate is taking her time.  She's just perfected a normal crawl and has started pulling up a bit.  We don't feel any need to rush her!  She's working on a few more teeth and enjoying more table food.  She is still "deliciously petite" -- around 18 pounds, and in the 10-15th percentile for both height and weight.  Her eyes are still a beautiful shade of blue and we believe they'll stay that way.  We love our little "Sprout" so much!

Below are all of the pics from her "Berry Sweet Celebration."

Kate is 11 Months!

This adorable little girl is  11 months now!  As you can see from the pic, we have had an exciting development since our 10 months post -- teeth!  We had all four (2 top, 2 bottom) come in very quickly and thankfully without much drama.  Little "Baby Kate" has also mastered crawling -- no more army crawl -- and has discovered the stairs!  She's still deliciously petite, and we can hardly believe her first birthday is just around the corner....although party crafting and planning is well underway! Now, if she would just sleep all night..... 

Kate Is 10 Months Old!

This darling girl just gets cuter and cuter as the months fly by.  In lieu of a monthly sticker pic (pretend she's wearing a onesie that says "10 Months"), here's a pic of her doing her new favorite thing -- eating solids!  We are already moving out of purees, and I recently realized that soon we'll be done with formula, too. (Whew, that's $100 per month we can put toward her college education, maybe...)  

Kate's crawling has really ramped up and she can seriously make tracks around the house now. She still hasn't gotten up on her knees to crawl on all fours, but the "army crawl" gets her where she wants to go -- quickly!  We are still waiting on teeth...and pulling up/cruising...meanwhile, we are enjoying the last few months of her infancy.  We've lowered the crib in anticipation of the action to come, and we're gearing up to install baby gates at the top and bottom of the stairs.  

We think she has figured out how to say "Dada," instead of just making the "Dada" sound.  Her most favorite sound to make, though, is "Buh" for "Burnie."  She constantly asks where Burnie is or says "Buh! Buh!" when the kitty is in sight.  It's very cute!  

We love you, sweet Kate!  Stop growing!  But please...please...start sleeping through the night!

Our Holiday Celebrations

As usual, we had a very busy holiday season spending time with our many (many, many, many) loved ones.  We were so busy we only got one family picture!  We enjoyed watching Tess thoroughly immersed in all things Christmas, including Santa and the story of Baby Jesus, and it was so wonderful celebrating this year as a family of four with our precious Kate.  

Our festivities began on Monday the 23rd with a day trip to Hollister, to visit with the Dryden family.  Santa even made an appearance and handed out presents to all the littles!  

On Christmas Eve we attended a candle light service at The Southgate Church, where my Aunt and Uncle are pastors, and then hosted Grandpa Cliff, Grandma Melody, Uncle Dick, Aunt Debbie, and "Auntie" Valerie at our house for dinner and stocking stuffers.

We had a leisurely Christmas morning at home as a family, and then headed to Reedley for an afternoon of presents and dinner with the Unruhs (including Great Grandma Fern and Great Grandpa Quentin), as well as Chad's mom and stepdad.  

The day after Christmas we celebrated with Grandma Barbara and Grandpa Paul, along with Uncle Chris, Aunt Kristi, and cousins Elise and Everlee.  On Saturday we celebrated with Grandpa Geoff and Nana Toni.

Can you believe that's not all?!

On New Year's Day, we continued with our annual tradition of celebrating with the extended Unruh family at Uncle Jim and Aunt Debbie's.  It was wonderful to see everyone and exchange gifts!  The following day we had a special weekend visit from Grandma Meg and Great Uncle Dan so that we could have a belated Christmas celebration with them, too.

It was a whirlwind, like always, but full of love and fun and great memories.  Now, on to 2015!

Kate Is 9 Months Old!

This little beauty is 9 months old! And FINALLY starting to crawl...but still no teeth!  She had a great Christmas and thoroughly enjoyed batting at the tree ornaments, rolling around in front of the tree while staring at the sparkly lights, and playing like crazy with any tissue paper she could find. The gifts...not so exciting. (We know that will change next year!)  

At her 9-month appointment she weighed just over 16lbs.  She is in the 10th percentile for both weight and height (our petite cherie) but has the typical Unruh head, measuring in the 75th percentile.

Time is flying by, and Mommy perpetually forgets the monthly pictures with the number stickers.  Now the excuse will be that we are too busy chasing after her!  Kate continues to be the most darling baby we could imagine, full of smiles and giggles.  We love her bright blue eyes and her sweet, joyful spirit.  

If only she would sleep through the night...she still wakes up for one bottle, but the cuddles make up for it.

We love you, Kate Anna!

Merry Christmas From Kate!

Haircuts!

Over the past few months, Tess had been asking to go see "Mr. Brad" for another haircut...I don't think she truly wants a change in her hairstyle, but she remembers well the special attention and candy she got when she visited the salon for the first time!  So, Mommy agreed to a trim and off we went to our favorite hair salon to see Brad and Sauncho.  While we were there I asked Brad for some "help" with Baby Kate's hair (#katescrazyhair), and so she ended up with her very first haircut!  It's all evened out now, and the matted mess is gone in the back.  Hopefully this means an even "hairdo" going forward!  

Thanksgiving At Tahoe

We spent Thanksgiving week enjoying our family home at Northstar in Lake Tahoe.  Now that we have two kiddos, our gratitude for this wonderful place to make memories (and vacation affordably and conveniently) continues to grow.

The week was pretty low-key with lots of quiet down time for all of us, but here are some highlights:

--Quality time with my Mom & Uncle
--Walks along the golf course
--Tess's first time ice skating (video below)
--Preparing our first Thanksgiving meal, which was delicious
--Taking outdoor family photos
--Shopping and coffee in downtown Truckee
--A wonderful "date night" at Pianeta in downtown Truckee
--A light snowstorm
--Tess's first time sledding (video below)

I took along a few projects and was thrilled to complete most of them during our time there, too.  We drank lots of coffee, sat by the fire morning and night, watched TV and movies, I read a book, and enjoyed lots of home-cooked food.  It was great!  On to Christmas and New Year's!

 

Kate Is 8 Months Old!

Kate Anna Hayden

Happy 8 Months to this adorable babe!  Once again, Mommy forgot the onesie sticker...but to be fair, we are out of town for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Much like when we fell in love with Tess, Chad and I are constantly pinching ourselves that this little beauty is ours to keep, and is so much more than we could have special-ordered.  God REALLY knows what he is doing when he matches babies to parents, it seems!  The love in our hearts continues to multiply as Kate grows and as we watch our two girls together.

Having Tess technically made us a family, but this little love makes us feel complete.  She is such a sweet soul, full of smiles, a go-with-the-flow happy baby who adores her big sister and the cat, but is also content to play quietly on the floor with whatever catches her fancy.  We thought Tess was an easy baby, so we expected #2 to be a challenge -- but she is pure delight.

Like many parents feel, we have hit the baby jackpot -- twice!  We are abundantly blessed.

Kate's Milestones - Not Always Documented, Woops!

This BEAUTIFUL babe truly has me captivated. (Okay, her big sister does, too!)  Oh how my mother's heart wants to savor every single moment with her -- she is growing so fast! -- and document ever single milestone for her baby book and for my memory which will ultimately fail me.

But life is SO full and I don't know where the days go. Having two little ones feels like such a whirlwind/marathon. So our little Kate lives the less-documented and less-photographed life of second children everywhere!  The monthly onesie stickers sit unused in the caddy next to her changing table. The fancy Canon camera stays snug in its camera bag in the closet, while the handy iPhone does all the work of capturing her life in pictures.  I did manage to snap this pic in honor of her 6-month birthday, September 27, 2014 though.  What a happy and sweet baby she is!  Tess was a good baby, we thought, so we expected to have to "pay our dues" this time around.  But we have truly hit the baby jackpot.  The only challenges, if you could even call them that, are lack of a regular nap schedule and still waking up suuuuper early in the mornings (like, 5am or sooner) for a bottle.

I remember the first time she rolled over.  I was on the phone with a friend and squealed with delight, then paused the convo to snap a picture of her.  I knew the photo would be time-and-date stamped so that I could preserve the moment for posterity.  Except now I can't find the photo anywhere, and it was most likely accidentally deleted with the hundreds of other photos I choose not to keep so that there is plenty of room on my phone to take more.  Then I thought, "I MUST have posted a status on Facebook to share it with the world!"  Nope, nothing there either.  Woops.  I am so sorry, Kate!  But I know it was early-to-mid August of 2014 and you were laying on the floor in our living room! 

We started solid foods around 6 months and initially she didn't seem to take to it.  Then our trip to Disneyland created a natural hiatus until we were ready to try again, around 7 months or so.  Before we knew it, we were doing solids for 3 meals a day and the Baby Beaba (baby food maker) was out of the cupboard and steaming up the kitchen!  

By 6 months, Tess had cut her first tooth.  And although we have had plenty of teething woes (despite the semi-pricey and super-trendy amber teething necklace), there is still no sign or feel of teeth poking through those gums! 

Baby girl just started sitting up unassisted a few weeks ago (November 15th, to be exact), which felt later than with Tess, but then again we are so often preoccupied that we were not actively working with her on it!  Parent fail?  Nah...I am choosing to call it "relaxed parenting." 

No crawling yet, at 8 months (tomorrow), but lots and lots of rolling around.  She is getting close, I can tell, and this time I am not rushing it.  In fact, I am not rushing anything anymore.  Life and the universe wants to rush me through everything and so I am consciously digging my feet and heart in and trying hard to be in the moment.  Even if the moment feels like I am running on empty and ready to run screaming from the house -- ha!  Just being real, friends.

On an adorable note, someone has been conscientious enough to work with Kate on waving and clapping -- suddenly, she is doing both, and it's like I've never had a baby do anything cute before. What a fun surprise for this possibly-too-relaxed (?) parent!  Other tidbits....she responds to both Kate and "Sprout" (her nickname), she loves to shriek, she loves loves loves laughing at the cat and her big sister, she loves baths, and she loves to swing.  Oh, and she loves her Mommy and Daddy, and sometimes screams when we are not in sight!  (Separation anxiety is just another milestone, right?)

And last, but certainly not least, we have had to retire the #katescrazyhair hashtag in favor of the "Sprout Pony" you see pictured above.  The hair lays flat now, except for a cute little pomp in the back, but it hangs in her eyes and gets in her food.  The hair had a great run, but the beautiful blue eyes and gorgeous smile have taken over as her most prominent features.  

Tomorrow, Thanksgiving Day, she will be 8 months old.  This often-frazzled mom left the onesie sticker at home (we are out of town), but pictures are on the agenda!  And we are full to overflowing with gratitude for our healthy, sweet, and beautiful "Baby Kate."

Sister Love

It started a couple of months ago, when Kate became old enough to start interacting with the people around her and discovered (drum roll please...) her BIG SISTER.  As much as Kate loves Mommy and Daddy (the ones who feed her and change her), it seems like nothing gets her quite as excited as the cat or Tess.  Since the cat usually doesn't stick around to play, Tess gets left with all the opportunity to entertain Kate, and Kate is an eager audience of one.  Kate clearly ADORES Tess and thinks she is the funniest thing ever (on two legs).  Tess adores being adored, and when she is not paranoid that Kate is trying to take or break her toys, she loves to put on a show for baby sis.  

People had warned me about the flooding of the heart that would occur when I saw my two babies playing together.  They weren't making it up.  These pictures don't really do it justice, but I also know this is just the beginning.  Mommy has a new radar: sister love photo opps!  As I watch them together, in the quiet and secret corners of my heart I am praying that they become best friends and treasure each other, and don't kill each other in the process. 

Tess's Ballet Showcase

Tess's ballet teacher,  Miss Alley, chose to end the "semester" with a ballet showcase.  Not quite like a recital, this was "just an opportunity for the girls to show what they have learned so far."  Ha. ha. ha.  Well, Tess joined the class late (beginning of October, maybe?) and we missed a few lessons, so we were this Mommy was feeling a bit anxious and unprepared.  Despite my best intentions to practice our ballet moves at home, and help Tess understand that a jete' does not mean jumping like you're playing hopscotch, the day of the showcase arrived and all I could do was hope that SOME of the teaching had sunk in and that Tess would be decently attentive and cooperative.  

Miss Alley wanted the girls to wear Santa hats.  Hmmm.... we will call that distraction #1, as if the floor-to-ceiling mirrors in the studio aren't enough (so alluring when you are three years old and enamored with yourself!). Distractions #2 and #3 came in the form of an overly emotional cousin Coco (also performing in the showcase) and a room full of strangers... Distraction #4 was cookies in the lobby.  It's a good thing Tess is too young to really be nervous, because I was plenty nervous for both of us.  I didn't even have any special guests attending!

Thank God my cousin Lisa was there to laugh and share the anxiety with.  The morning felt like a total comedy of errors, for both of us, but the show went on, and we all survived.  Tess and Coco are both such individuals, and it was completely evident in their performances.  

Without further ado, I bring you (below) the PSCA "Prima Ballerina Showcase" of 2014...complete with Kate interlude at the end!

Ballet Class At PSCA

Tess's Ballet Showcase

I'm sure it's not uncommon for mothers of adorable little girls to fantasize about their little beauties prancing around in tutus, uniformly and happily, with a group of other, almost-as-adorable, mini ballerinas.

I thought a lot and for a long time about how to make this happen without breaking the bank, for a little one like Tess who can be clutzy and has a mind of her own. Most local dance studios charge more than I was willing to spend for something that isn't a sure thing for us, and I didn't want to over commit!

The answer was right in front of me, literally, at one of our monthly cousin play dates a few months ago.  My cousin Lisa is part of a home school co-op that is connected with People's School of Creative Arts (PSCA) at People's Church, and her littlest daughter (also three years old) is in the "Prima Ballerina" class there.  I was excited to hear there were no home schooling requirements for Tess to join, and the tuition was shockingly reasonable.  Lisa had great things to say about the teacher, and Tess would have a built-in buddy with Coco in the class.  

Well thank God for patient ballet teachers, is all I can say.  Tess truly has her own idea about things, including ballet and sometimes obedience.  Overall I think she has had fun, and is learning some of the technical ballet jargon while also getting to experience many a little girls' dream of being a ballerina.  

Best part for me is that every week I get an hour to catch up with my sistercousin Lisa! We sip coffee, hold our babies, and laugh while Coco and Tess make spectacles of themselves (both precious and ridiculous)...all while making fun memories, too.  Below are some pics of our ballet classes so far!

Phoenix Weekend

Last weekend we took our first plane trip as a family of four.  The girls did great!  It's hard work, traveling with two small ones, but rewarding on the other side, and the memories are priceless.

Our destination was Phoenix, to visit our dear friends the Coyles.  Stacy and I, along with our friend Kim who also joined us for the trip, have been best friends since freshman year of college.  The three of us rarely get time together, or with each others' kiddos and spouses, so our long weekend was such a treat.  Stacy's parents (who are like surrogate parents to Kim and me) were also in town, so there was much catching up to do.

We trick-or-treated. We crafted. We cook and ate.  We talked.  We shopped.  We ate.  We played games.  We watched the kids play.  We laughed and reminisced and made new memories.

This was Tess's first flight where she was old enough to engage in the adventure and understand what it meant to fly.  At one point she looked out the plane window, across the clouds and mountain tops, and said, "Daddy, is that where God lives?"  It was precious.  Both girls were so well-behaved and had fun visiting our friends who are like family.  Truly, we are blessed beyond description, to have the time and capability and resources to take such a trip and make more family memories, and to have such wonderful friends to spend time with.

Tess & The Dentist

Tess had her very first dental checkup last week, and as I suspected -- there were cavities.  The culprit: genetics (soft enamel) and frequent snacking! (We don't do juice or candy.)  So, we made an appointment for five -- yes, five! -- fillings.  And we are changing our snacking game, big time.  Thank God for dental coverage!

I don't think she remembers much, thankfully...the people at California Kidds Pediatric Dentistry are masters of distraction!  She thinks she was inhaling pixie dust (laughing gas) and that Dr. Jordan was counting her teeth (not drilling them).  She got to pick a movie to watch during the procedure, and she got balloons and a special token for the toy machine.  (They really do it up right at this place!)

The whole thing was much harder on Mommy than on Tess.  I held her hand and watched her tiny self on this big table with dental "stuff" crammed in her mouth, and she wasn't scared and didn't cry...but I was and I did.  I think, in a way, I was able to be scared for her, so that she could just be her brave, outgoing self, and make me so proud that I had tears rolling down my cheeks.  Sitting there watching her while she held NeeNee (her blankie) and was so cooperative while she basically got operated on (hey! there was mild anasthesia and syringes and drills...), I got such a keen sense of the emotional roller coaster that parenthood is.  All at one time I was feeling fear, pride, remorse, helplessness, protectiveness...and more that I couldn't name.  Man am I lucky to have such a great kid, who makes parenting -- the hardest job on earth -- so much easier than it could be sometimes.  

After the ordeal I felt like we needed a fun distraction, so I took Tess for her first pedicure.  It turned into a mani/pedi, and she charmed everyone at the salon, of course.  There's a place by our house that has a special butterfly pedicure chair for little ones.  She loved it!  

Disneyland!

After what felt like years of waiting, we finally made a trip to Disneyland!  We felt Tess would be old enough to enjoy it (given her current Princess obsession) and Kate was young enough to tote around without too much hassle.  With the help of Grandma Meg, our three-day Disney adventure was a huge success!  The focus was less on thrill rides and more on Princess meet-and-greets, but that's okay...Mom & Dad were just as star struck as Tess (if not more so) to see all the characters and talk with them.  We capped off our last day in the park with a much-anticipated and highly coveted appointment with Anna and Elsa from Frozen.