She keeps us laughing!

As K and I were leaving daycare one afternoon...
K's friend: Bye, Katelyn! This is my daddy. I am going to his house. 
K: So this is your new daddy?

K: You must bow when you speak to me. 
(I have no idea where she heard that. It was not well received.)

As the fireworks were starting...
K: Hmm, maybe I should focus. 

I found her lounged in a chair with a blanket stuffed under her shirt, feet elevated, with a blanket draped over her...
Me: Well don't you look comfortable!
K: (very matter of fact and serious) I'm at the hospital. It's time to have baby Zoe. 
Me: Congratulations!
K: Thank you, Dr. Bagnasco. (The name of the doctor who delivered her.)

K: My eyebrows hurt when I go outside. But only outside. See? Look. They hurt. 

Me: I've noticed you've been very good lately! I'm proud of you. 
K: Thank you. You've been pretty good lately, too. 

K: I do not like bugs. They make me allergic. 

K: Mommy!! Baylor ate a butterfly!!!!!! I am NOT happy. This. Is. Ridiculous. 

Me: There's Home Depot. 
K: It's House Depot. 

K: Is my daddy, David Michael, going to be there?

K: I am proud of my Daddy... Because I love him. And Mommy loves him. 

K to me: Hey... You look like Tia Christy. 

While sitting on the closed toilet, K instructs me to pull up a chair...
K: Mommy, let's talk. 
Me: Ok, what are we going to talk about?
K: God. 
Me: Sure, what about God? He loves us very much and--
K: No no no. I talk, you listen. (Pulls out a book) God made the animals and the trees... Do you see, Mommy?
Me: Yes. 
K: Great joooooob!!! Now, shhhh. I talk, you listen. 
(I have no idea why this one-way conversation needed to take place in the bathroom.)

K: I need Minnie Mouse rings. 
Me: Sorry, I don't have any. 
K: Well, we need to buy some at the store. Minnie Mouse rings are $100. 

K: Bien hecho. 
Me: Did you just say "good job" in Spanish?
K: Yes. I speak Spanish. 
(Thanks, Tia Christy!)

Dave: We don't pinch. 
K: Welllllll, I was just being a crab. 

Me: It looks like it could rain again.
K: I think not. The clouds are not that dark.

K: There are 5 babies in my tummy.
Me: That's a lot.
K: Yes. My tummy is quite big. And my babies are quite tired.

K: My bottom is grumpy. 
Me: What does that mean?
K: It means my bottom doesn't want to lie down in my bed and go to sleep. 
Me: Try sleeping on your side. 
K: That won't work. 

After singing a verse of "Be Thou My Vision"...
K: What are riches?
Me: Well, riches can be many things, like silver and gold--
K: And pink and purple!!!!

Me: Tomorrow you get to open your birthday present from Daddy and me. Are you excited?
Me: Is it pink and purple? 

Birthday post coming soon on the blog...

Box Creations!

One night a week Dave volunteers at Scottish Rite Hospital. I try to use that night as special Mommy/Katelyn time, a chance to do something out of our normal routine. We moved recently and have an abundance of great boxes-- so many ideas! And so began our fascination with building stuff out of boxes...

Obviously, this is a house. It's not really what I imagined, but it works and even ended up with a back door. I probably couldn't replicate it if I tried because I'm not quite sure how we got there. But we love it and Katelyn "decorates" it daily with colors and stickers. 

And then we got this box and I just couldn't bring myself to throw it away. We decided to turn it into a castle, although a canoe was a strong contender. I decided a castle would take up less horizontal space. We seem to add something to it at least once a week. Katelyn and I are both pretty proud of it. Here's the progression over several weeks...

Yes, that's Dave wearing the box. He's 6'4". See why I couldn't throw away such a fantastic box?!

Ribbons for curtains!

"Mommy, I'm in the shower."

And then we decided it should be pink... (Thanks, Valspar, for that free paint promotion you ran back when I was pregnant. I knew we would need pink paint at some point!) 

And what's a castle without butterflies, right? So we searched her room for any butterflies we already had and then made two more out of tissue paper and clothes pins.

Purple! We need purple! Unfortunately, this activity was short-lived because she disobeyed and decided to paint the grass and concrete purple, too.

Then we found a tube of metallic gold paint and some swirly-shaped sponges that I had from random art projects years ago. And, well, it just felt unnatural not to use them, so...

Annnnd here's where we are now. So much fun. And so, so Katelyn, because for months she's informed me at least 5x a day that she likes "pink and purple and butterflies." 

Also... if any of you have any fantastic boxes lying around... we're interested.

She keeps us laughing!

I know I've posted several of these lists lately, but I'm loving the funny age she's at right now.

After seeing that Dave was eating something she wanted, she walked up to him, tilted her head back, opened her mouth wide, and said, "I'm a baby bird. Feed me."

Dave: Will you take care of me someday when I'm old?
K: (shakes head no) You aren't going to be old, Daddy. 

K: You and me, Mommy, we are growing up! Daddy and Baylor-- well, they are already growed. 
Me: This is as tall as I'm ever going to be, sweetie. 

K: Is ____ my cousin? [insert name of a new friend, cashier at the grocery store, or anyone we've recently met] 
Note: this is a valid question. She has figured out that I have a LOT of cousins.

At her request, I sing "Joy to the World" every single night at bedtime. One night as I was singing, she stopped me and said, "No, Mommy, sing about joy and all the people." It took me a minute, but I finally started singing the verse, "Joy to the earth! The Savior reigns..." She nodded enthusiastically and said, "Yes! That verse! All the people on the earth." I think I deserve Mommy points for this one. 

Me: Katelyn, it's time to brush your teeth.
K: (blank stare and very long pause) Who? I'm MARTHA.

Me: Don't touch that vase. 
K: Oh, I'm just touching it with my [little] arm. 
Me: That still counts. 

K: Mommy! I am trying to tell you something! I need you to put your listening ears on!

K: (at bedtime) I have a booger. 
Me: Ok, here's a tissue. 
K: No, I really need a wipe. 
Me: Ok, here's a wipe. 
K: (after rubbing the wipe all across her face) Hang on, I don't feel fresh and clean yet. 

K: (fussing in bed)
Me: What's wrong?
K: I'm having blanket troubles. 

K: My eyes are brown. I have beautiful iris!

Before dinner she pulled out 'manners' from her prayer pail. I began to pray, "Thank you, God, for manners, and--" *BURP* Katelyn let out a huge burp. It wasn't intentional, but the timing couldn't have been funnier.

One night when she a stomach virus, I put a precautionary trash can beside Katelyn's bed. Around 3 am, I heard a noise in her room. I went in to check and found her rearranging the dolls on her bed. Articulate as ever, she informed me, "Actually, Mommy, Kia (her doll) just fell in the trash can." (What groggy, sick toddler says "actually" at 3am??)

Me: Look, see how close those cars are together? They had a wreck. 
K: No, they are hugging. 

K: Mommy, do you like butterflies?
Me: Yes!
K: No, you are allergic to butterflies!!!

Dave: Uh oh, I think a bird just flew into the window.
K: THAT IS SO EXCITING! WOW, MOMMY DID YOU HEAR THAT??? A BIRD IS COMING TO US!!!!!! THAT IS SO EXCITING!!!!!!

K: Daddy, look! We both have hair on our arms! (she reminds him of this often)

K: Sometimes bandaids do that. (Referring to the mangled bandaid I had to cut out of her hair.) 

She's been using the phrase "sometimes ____ do that" a lot lately. Here are some of my favorites:
K: Sometimes poopies do that. 
K: Sometimes macaroni and cheese do that. 
K: Sometimes legs do that.
K: Sometimes trees do that.

K: Mommy, are you the wife?
Me: Yes, I am the wife. What does that make Daddy?
L: The farmer. (It took me a minute to realize the connection to "The Farmer in the Dale")

K: Will you sing me "Go! Tell it on the Mountain"?
Me: Ok. "...that Jesus Christ is born."
K: No! That's not right!!
Me: What's not right?
K: It's supposed to be "that cheese's Christ is born. Sing it that way, Mommy."

Me: Words that start with q... let's see, there's queen, and--
K: CUTE!!!
Me: Actually, cute starts with c, but I can see why you would say that--
K: No, listen. CU-TE. Hear that? Sounds like q.

Me: Why are you repeating everything I'm saying? What are you, a parrot?
K: No, I'm a sheep. You are a pig and Zoe is a lamb.

Me, while designing something on my computer: How does this look?
K: Not good, Mommy. Not good.

Dance Recital and Easter

Katelyn's dance recital was a success! I'm convinced the key to this was the dress rehearsal. She was very excited and for months had been promising that we wouldn't have a repeat of the December performance meltdown. It almost didn't happen, though. Minutes before it was time to go on stage for the dress rehearsal, she tightened her arms around mine and whispered, "Mommy, I don't want to go up on that stage." I told her it wasn't optional, quickly sent my mom a text to start praying, and distracted her as best I could until it was her turn. And as soon as one foot stepped on the stage, she acted like she owned it. She LOVED it. Afterwards she ran full speed off the stage toward me, the whole way yelling, "MOMMY, MOMMY I DID A GOOD JOB!!!!! And I want to go back up on that stage now." It was one of those parenting moments that will stay with me forever because I was so, so proud of her. Sure, it was just the dress rehearsal, but she overcame a fear, and that's huge. 

cousins/partners in crime

The actual dance recital also went well. She looked beautiful and danced with confidence. And yes, she wears that first year medal daily. 

To back up even more (since I'm behind on blogging)... Easter was wonderful, of course! We went to our enormous church Easter egg hunt.

This is her expression after I told her we had to wait a few minutes before we could get eggs.

And then she decided standing up while waiting just wasn't worth it. 

After church we had an egg hunt at our house...

Unfortunately I didn't get a good picture with Katelyn and cousin Zoe. :(

We've had a lot going on in the last month, but I'll try to get better about blogging!

She keeps us laughing!

Me: It's supposed to rain tomorrow. I like rain. 
K: I like sparkles. You like rain, and I like sparkles. 

K: Do I have to take a nap today?
Me: Yes. 
K: Why?
Me: Because naps give us energy to play and help keep us healthy. 
K: Ohhhhhhh, I get it now. 
(Note: the next day at school she did not take a nap.)

K: You and me: we are both ladies. Baylor is a dog, mostly. 

K: When I'm older, I will be a bride. Daddy will be my groom. 

K: I will carry a basket of flower petals in Joey and Kelly's wedding. And when I walk down the aisle, everyone will stand up for me.
Me: Not quite. 

K: (while holding a bundle of cilantro) Look, these are my flowers for Joey and Kelly's wedding. 

K: Ooooo, listen to the birdies singing! They are singing "Joy to the World."

K: What was Noah's wife's name? 
Me: I don't think the Bible tells us. 
K: She doesn't have a name?? Maybe it's Mrs. Noah. 

K: Baylor made a bad choice, Mommy. Like Adam and Eve, right? So sad.

Me: I'm confused. WHY are you throwing such a big fit?
K: (between devastated sobs) Because I want to have paws like Baylor!!!!!!

Me: My birthday is on the 22nd. 
K: (blank stare)
Me: Twenty two. Two-two. 
K: (annoyed) You aren't wearing a tutu, Mommy. 

K: Mommy, I want to watch icing.
Me: ...you mean Frozen?
K: Yes.

K: Church is my favorite.

Wow!

We did it. And by "we," I mean Katelyn, Dave and me, her patient daycare teachers, family, friends, and a doll who evidently has actual magical powers. 

She's potty trained. 

Now, understand that I wasn't trying to rush this process. I know that kids potty train on their own timetable, blah blah blah. But I had reason to believe she was ready and reason to believe she was just being stubborn. So after months and months of getting NOWHERE, I bought one of those slightly annoying potty dolls. I figured that since Katelyn is all about her dolls, and since Jesus is still in the miracle business, this was a last-ditch effort before I abandoned potty training altogether in order to keep my sanity.

Best. money. ever. spent.

All on her own, Katelyn chose to name her doll "Wow." Haha. I didn't make a huge deal out of Wow, just showed her Wow's special tricks and let the doll be my secret ambassador. Katelyn got on board almost immediately and two weeks later we were done. Wow indeed!

Katelyn also recently had her first haircut. I was pleasantly surprised by how cooperative she was. I think it was the promise of a sucker if she behaved!

And finally, one evening when Daddy was volunteering at Scottish Rite and the weather was just too perfect to stay indoors, we had ourselves a playground picnic.

Don't be fooled. Instead of making purple dinosaur sounds like I suggested, she's defiantly telling me that she didn't want her picture taken. Haha.

The best part of our evening was when she turned to me and said, "Mommy, I love you!"

She Keeps Us Laughing!

Me: "Do you want to meet cousin Isabel?"
Katelyn: (frowning) "Isabel in my tummy, Mommy."
Me: "Really? What's she doing in there?"
Katelyn: "Playing with baby Zoe. There are 1...2...3...4...FIVE babies in my tummy." (Then she proceeds to name our five little cousins who were born in 2013.)

(meeting one year old cousin Isabel for the first time, who, like Katelyn at that age, doesn't have a lot of hair)
"Oh! Isabel just got a haircut!"

Me: "Eat your broccoli, Katelyn." 
Katelyn: (very seriously) "I'm not Katelyn. I'm Morgan."
I've since found dinner to be much more productive if I just address her as Morgan. 

(on the way home from school)
Katelyn: "Mommy, I want to watch bus, please." (this means she wants to watch "Wheels On the Bus" on my phone)
Me: "Maybe in a little bit, but first I want to hear about your day."
Katelyn: (takes a deep breath and says the following very quickly) "Pancakes, songs, books, Hailey, lunch, nap, play, Hannah, color. I want to watch bus now."

In the bathtub, she covered the top of her head with a washcloth and announced, "I'm a policeman!!" After sliding the wet washcloth off her head, she noticed that it caused her hair to stick up and exclaimed, "I'm a crazy policeman!!!"

To any man she sees wearing a hat, she loudly announces, "That's a cowboy!" Imagine what fun it was for Dave (who does not like to draw attention to himself) when he and Katelyn went to Academy on what turned out to be the store's "Customer Cowboy Hat Day."

Me: "Let's go. Pronto."
Katelyn: (adamantly) "But I'm not Pronto."

(Playing with wood chips at the playground) 
Me: "Look, I found a stick that is shaped funny. It can be your digging stick."
K: "It's a shovel."

Me: "Why are you throwing a fit?"
K: "Because I'm tired."
Me: "I understand being tired. But that doesn't make it ok to throw a fit... How about we work on that?"
K: "But I don't want to."
Me: "Why not?"
K: "Because I'm tired."

Katelyn: "No!"
Dave: "Excuse me? Did you just tell me no?"
Katelyn: (slaps her forehead with her hand) "Oh! I was just being silly!!" Then she quickly starts acting silly.

Walking into Hobby Lobby, she stopped and gasped, "Look at all the beautiful things!!!" This was a proud moment for me.

We were visiting PawPaw's grave and she started singing as we were leaving.
Katelyn: "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so… (suddenly forgetting the words)… Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus, oh for grace to trust Him more." LOVE!!!