Such a cutie!

Yesterday I was putting away some groceries and Kate kept asking to hold one of the nectarines I had just bought. She would hold it for a few seconds then ask me to put in back in the basket and then she would ask to hold it again. This went on for several minutes until she decided to give the nectarine a little bite to see what would happen. She bit through the skin so I figured I would cut a few pieces for her to try. She ended up loving the flavor of it so she wanted to hold onto the whole thing. She sucked and chewed on it for about 20 minutes and got nice and dirty.
"All done!"

Two of Kate's new things are to hug and cuddle her stuffed animals and to turn her palms up as if she is inquiring about where somthing has gone. Yesterday we were playing this game with her monkey, Valentine. It was so cute!

"Where did he go?"

"This is fun!"

Here is some video of her playing.

Fourth of July

We had a wonderful 4th of July holiday filled with lots of family and friends. Kate's Dedushka (Will's dad) stopped by from Fresno to visit us for lunch. He and Kate had a wonderful time playing together. After a little play, we went out for a yummy Thai lunch. It was such a delight to have his company. We wish he could have stayed longer but he had to get back to Fresno.

Kate was showing Dedushka how close she is to walking. She was getting so excited she started to do some silly high-steps that looked a lot like a marching band walk.

Kate is showing off how cool she is wearing Daddy's sunglasses.

In the evening, our friends came over for some BBQ and fireworks. Kate enjoyed showing Hazel her new toy.

All the girls are getting so big!

(From the left: Hazel (almost 2), Kate (almost 1), Abby (9 months), Zoey (7.5 months)

Daddys and their girls!

Kate and Hazel enjoyed watching Will BBQ. He made some amazing bratwurst, hamburgers and hot dogs. Yummy!

Zoey got a little messy eating her green beans.

Everyone hanging out before fireworks.

We walked to our favorite spot on a nearby greenbelt to watch the Davis fireworks. Kate seemed to enjoy the fireworks at the beginning but then she got a little bored by them and turned restless. She actually fell fast asleep on the walk home and slept from 10:00pm -8:00am (only waking up at 5:30am to nurse). It was a great Fourth of July!

Kate's first trip to the zoo

Yesterday we took a family trip to the Sacramento Zoo. We had a wonderful time looking at all the animals. Kate was quite amazed by it all! She especially enjoyed watching the howler monkeys, giraffes, fish, otters, and the tiger with her baby cub. At the end of our trip Kate was treated to a ride on the carousel. It was a great day!

Kate was very fascinated by this statue. She kept grabbing for it and smiling.

Will and Kate are watching the tiger and her cub play in this picture. The mommy would hide behind a bush and pounce on her cub...it looked like a game of hide and seek. It was very cute!

Kate enjoyed getting up close with the large fish. She would bang on the glass and laugh.My favorite part was the giraffes. They are such a cool looking creature!

We bought Kate a stuffed tiger from the gift shop. She wouldn't stop hugging it, even when we got home.

Early birthday present

Though Kate's birthday is still a month away, she received an early birthday present from her Gramma and Papa. My parents graciously bought Kate a really cool school bus with a slide. It is a perfect toy for Kate to climb on. We have been greatly enjoying this new toy. It is the first thing Kate wants to play with every morning...she climbs all over it, slides down the slide, and tosses toys in and out of it. It has been so much fun! Thanks Gramma and Papa!!!

Kate and Hazel

Kate has a very dear friend named Hazel. Hazel is exactly a year older than Kate but they seem to get along very well. Now that Kate is maturing, the two of them are having more and more fun playing together. Hazel is very good at sharing her toys with Kate and is very patient when Kate rips a toy out of her hands. The other day we had our bible study over for dinner and some how both girls ended up topless. It was so cute watching them interact.

Hazel gave Kate a very nice hug and kiss. I have a feeling they are going to be good friends for a long time.

Swim Lessons

Yesterday was Kate's first day of swim lessons. She and her friends Hazel, Abby, and Zoey are all participating in a 2-week swim lesson course geared towards babies. The basic idea of the swim lessons is to get our babies comfortable to the water and to play and have fun. Kate had a wonderful time splashing and swimming in the water. She was so sad to get out of the pool...she kept pointing at the water and threw a little fit when we said "no-no." She is already proving to be quite a little water bug.

From left: Melissa and Kate, Amy and Hazel, Brenna and Zoey, Courtnee and Abby

Kate Happenings

Every morning Kate and I enjoy a 30 minute walk and stop at the park to go on the swings and play on the slides. Kate loves her time at the park! Her new favorite thing is to try and climb up the slide...there is something about this girl and climbing!

Kate's other favorite activity is to play in the laundry basket. Will and I take her on "laundry basket rides" all around the house. She also loves to just sit in the basket and play games with me. Usually I will place some of her toys in the basket and then she will proceed to dump them all out; we will go back and forth doing this for quite a long time until she gets bored. Here is some video of Kate's recent ride with Daddy.

Afternoon at the pool

On Monday Will, Kate and I went to the public pool. It was Kate's first time being in a real pool and we had a wonderful time. Kate seemed to really enjoy herself...she loved the water and she loved watching all the kids around her. At times she even pushed off of me in hopes to swim around on her own. I think she is going to be a little water bug. I also think Kate is going to take after her Auntie Sarah and become an amazing breaststroker...I swear Kate's legs were doing a perfect breaststroke kick!

One really fun feature of the pool is their water fountain section. Kate really enjoyed walking around the fountains and getting squirted with water.

I think we only stayed at the pool for 45 minutes or so before Kate got fussy since it was time for her nap. Next time we go we will have to plan it better so she doesn't get tired so quickly. So much fun, though!

That evening Kate and Will were lounging on the sofa. So cute!

The next day, Kate was showing off her new dress while playing the piano. She LOVES to play the piano...she goes up and down all the keys. Aside from being a swimmer, I think she will be a musician too.

Silly Girl

Kate has discovered several new things over the past few weeks. She now knows how to clap her hands, dance and wave "bye-bye." She also has discovered that she LOVES to climb!

Her favorite places to climb are her booster seat, car seat, stroller, piano, sofa, and computer desk. The only problem is she hasn't quite figured out how to get down carefully. Thankfully we are always there to assist her, but I am worried one day she will take a nose dive off the side of the sofa when my head is turned. Below are a few pictures of her climbing adventures.

Kate has also been greatly enjoying her baby pool. She loves to splash the water on herself and me. I am hoping to take her to the public pool soon where she can get a little more wet.

The other day Kate enjoyed riding in the firetruck at Gramma and Papa's house. She wasn't quite sure what to make of it, but she liked it when I would push the siren.

Last night Kate was being very goofy before bedtime. We pulled out the camera since she was making very silly sounds, but instead she showed us her new silly squirmy moves.

Videos of the Cutie Pie

Kate has discovered a new clever way to crawl. What a cutie!

Kate has been enjoying her new baby pool. It has been a great way for her to stay cool during these hot days we have been having.