We had a great visit with Jake a couple of weekends ago. Katherine thought he was her own personal playmate and the two of them were inseparable while she was awake. He was a good sport with the amount of chasing and tickling that they did and I can't thank him enough that he babysat while Geoff and I went to Ward Council Sunday morning. This dress up picture was taken in the Hatches' playroom. What a nice dinner it was!

Sporting sunglasses that Nana sent to her at Easter time... Now if I can just get her to wear them outside...

Can you say wind?? Couldn't resist adding this picture of our friend's daughter, Sada!

Katherine and Ella Shea on the swings.
The amazing Ella Shea continues to inspire Miss K to lose the diaper and go for the potty. We are having more successful days and I'm optimistic the full conversion will happen soon! We have had several trips out in panties and not an accident yet!... They only seem to happen at home.

Is she still fearless on the slide if she maintains total control at all times with her feet, pacing herself to exactly her liking?
We were on the playground today and three 10-yr old boys came to play tag. There was no intimidation. K went right up to them, yelling at them, grabbing on their pants to get their attention, trying to join in. She couldn't fathom that they could possibly not notice her or not want to play with her! I was touched by how kindly the boys responded to her though they did not let her play and she moved on happily to something else.

She has mastered going up and down the ladder. She always tries to persuade me to follow. She says "Come on, Mama. Follow me!" (She has been watching Disney's The Aristocats, who call their mother, Mama. Consequently, she is calling me Mama now and she brings out her toy piano and drums and we have a jam session. Everybody wants to be a cat!)

Geoff has a unique way of bringing Katherine in from the car when she's fallen asleep... He totally side steps the transfer issue and it works like a charm!

He's been so good at intervening when K and I butt heads (hard to imagine, I know...) But I handle a lot of the daily routine stuff so there's lots of opportunity to get frustrated when she doesn't feel like going with the program. For example, the other night, Miss K didn't want to take a bath but she said she'd take a shower. I readied the shower and then she screamed that she doesn't want the shower but will take a bath, so I drew the bath. Tantrum. Frustrated. So frustrated. After a long day of similar negotiations, I was ready to throw her in. What did Geoff do? He stepped into the tub, fully clothed, started playing with her bath toys, teasing that they were his toys while standing in the tub. She immediately started laughing and moved on with the bath with no more attitude. I love him. There's a reason why you have two parents.

Candid of Spud singing in the car on the way to Hatches...


This is proof that Katherine has watch too many Disney movies! The first song she sings is "A Spoon Full of Sugar" from Mary Poppins and she is pretending that her drawers pop in and out just like in the nursery from the movie. The second is from Sleeping Beauty, a classic favorite.


We are never short of laughs at this house! Come on over any time!