Oh, Christmas Tree

We spent Sunday afternoon putting up our Christmas tree(s) and holiday decorations. Kate and I wore our Santa Claus hats (still can't believe we didn't catch it on camera) and put decorations on the tree. She loves coming home from school and watching me plug in the tree. She points at each ornament and practices saying "ball," "bird," "train," etc. We've also been practicing "Ho, Ho, Ho, Merry Christmas." It will be interesting to see how she does on Santa's lap considering she isn't a big fan of men with facial hair!

New Sunroom / Playroom

After 8 years of living in our house, we went out with the old and in with new furniture. It has become a great playroom for all of Kate's toys and allows me to watch her while I cook dinner. THANK YOU to Grandma Rose for getting Kate her new table and chairs that are just her size.  She is really enjoying them! A big THANK YOU to my wonderful husband for suggesting the idea AND having such a good eye for furniture and fabric! He deserves all of the credit throughout the house for our furniture!

Happy Thanksgiving

We had the pleasure of hosting Thanksgiving this year with my parents and brother and his family. 

Thanksgiving morning began with homemade pies. They were by far THE best pie crust I've made from scratch yet... They were flaky around the edges and Rose has always said this is a "good" thing. We believe that Kate's "special touch" is what made the crust complete... that would be her Grandma Rose's genes! She helped "scoop and dump" the flour while I tried to catch it in the measuring cup...

The next task was Peanut Butter Blossom cookies. Kate didn't realize that the task I gave her and Nana was dealing with edible items until the end. She was occupied on Nana's lap unwrapping the Hershey Kisses. Towards the end, Nana looked down and saw a bulging ball in Kate's cheek. It was that moment she realized she was dealing with chocolate. 

Papa was thrilled that Kate came to him this trip! She even bundled up to go to the end of the driveway with him. 

It snowed big and fluffy snowflakes on Thanksgiving night! Carlee ran around outside feeling the snowfall and then watched out the window with Kate. 

Aunt Jenn is turning 40 in a few weeks, so we threw a surprise birthday party for her. Kate had no problem eating a cupcake to celebrate. After a few licks, she wanted a spoon, so she didn't get her hands dirty. 

Cristian and Kate had fun making her hair stand on end with static...

Minnesota v. Nebraska Football

Well, it was the first year the Gophers played the Huskers in Nebraska for many years. We flew to Omaha to see the game. Kate talked to Uncle Jeff when we were getting ready for the airport. She put on a Gopher necklace to rub it in that she was rooting for maroon and gold.

Kate has flying in her genes. She LOVES the airplane and is such a good little traveler. She is 10 for 10 for getting to ride in first class .... Daddy's travel schedule pays off when do personal travel. The flight attendant offered her a treat. Tony opened the Twix bar and Kate tried one little taste. She grabbed the whole stick from Tony and ate it in about ten seconds.

 The squirt water bottle was her friend on the plane. She drank the whole bottle and sprayed 1/3 of it on Mommy. 

 Uncle Tommy strategically placing his hand over my "M" 

 This is what you do when your team is down 31-0... Walk the sidelines to see Goldy. 

 We stopped at Merle's after the game to have a drink for G-dad. Good ol' PBR...

 Kate was keeping herself entertained while we packed. Which hat should I wear? The shoes were the best when she wasn't wearing clothes.

 I'm on the loose...and you can't catch me.

 We ended our trip at the Minneapolis airport with a high five with Snoopy!

The "Barn"

Daddy and Uncle Dave took me to my first Golden Gopher basketball game in the "barn." She had so much fun sitting on Uncle Dave's lap, watching the game, looking for Goldy, watching the cheerleaders, and clapping for the plays. 

What?

You just never know what Kate is going to do next. She came around the corner with her sun hat on inside out and her socks on her hands as mittens. She was singing a song and pushing her shopping cart. I busted out laughing, and she looked at me like "What?!" 

This is her "say cheese" smile. She reminds me of my great grandma Dopps the way that she squints her eyes. I love it! G. Grandma Dopps would have loved Kate to pieces and baked her something just as sweet as she was.