Fourth of July

We went down to celebrate the Fourth of July in Kansas last week. We had a lot of fun, and Cate got to play with many of her cousins (including her "twin" cousin). Here are two of my favorite photos of the weekend.

13 Months Old

So, in honor of Cate's 13 month old birthday, she decided to trade rooms with the dog.

He was laying in her room, and she crawled into his dog crate and tried to shut the door.

This is her climbing back out after I explained that she could not sleep there,

even if she really wanted to.

 That evening, she was so tired that she fell asleep during her nightly story time.

We thought it was funny.

 Cate's last day of school for the summer was June 30th. She is going to stay home with me until we move on July 21 to help me pack and to play while we have time. We decided to spend her first day off school (Friday) heading to the Acquarium at the Omaha zoo. It is her favorite place to go.

Here are a few of my favorites:

The Sunken Gardens, Sunday June 12

We decided to stop at the Sunken Gardens on the way home from the Zoo on Sunday. Cate was exhausted at this point, so she looks pretty mad in some of the photos. But, she's so funny when she's mad (to me anyway) that I wanted to share anyway. The Gardens were beautiful, so we'll have to go back when she's a bit better rested.

The Lincoln Children's Zoo Sunday June 12

We decided to visit the zoo since it was such a beautiful day on Sunday. We went at about 2 in the afternoon and it was a lot of fun. Cate still likes fish and turtles, but she is enjoying the larger animals more and more.

But, she still won't pet the animals, especially the goats. She reaches out toward them, but as soon as they move she freaks out!

Friday June 10th

Cate's cousins Mason, Henry, Caleb and Simon and Cate's Aunt Pam and Uncle Scott stopped by town on their way from Kansas to Iowa. We took everyone to the neighborhood park to play. Despite my entreaties to take pictures, Chaz only managed to snap one of Scott and Simon. But, there are some cute pictures of Cate swinging, so we'll post anyway.

Cate is 1!

We had a wonderful birthday weekend, with all of Cate's grandparents and one of Cate's cousins here to celebrate with us.

 We also had a joint Memorial Weekend BBQ and Birthday Party on Sunday. We had lots of wonderful friends attend. We all had fun, but Cate easily had the most fun, especially while eating her birthday cake.

 At the end of the long weekend, she's still ready to party. In fact, all she wants to do now is practice walking while holding our hands. And she is growing fast. According to her one year check up, she is now 28.5" tall (27th percentile) and 19lbs 13 oz (50th percentile). So she is still pretty average (though a bit on the short side).

Thanks to all of you who made this first year so very special for our whole family!

Extreme Couponing: Baby Edition

Cate's crawling speed has increased to sneaky-fast. Five seconds away from my couponing project this morning, and Cate decides to "finish" it for me.

Great Grandma Steimel

On our recent trip to Kansas, Cate got to play with her Great Grandma Steimel. Here is one of her day.

For some inexplicable reason, the rest of the photos won't load right now. But, trust me, we had fun!

Cate's Trip to the Omaha Zoo

About two weeks ago, Cate and I went with a group of our friends to the Omaha Zoo. She had a blast! Here are a few of my favorite photos of the trip:

1. Cate at the petting zoo. She wasn't too sure about petting the goat, despite Aliya and Elijah's insistence that he was quite soft.

 2. Cate sitting in the Hippo statue. She is looking angry here, but actually she was "talking" to her friends. 

 3. Cate pressed up against the glass in the monkey exhibit. I think she liked how the swung from tree to tree.

 4. Cate at the giant aquarium. This was her FAVORITE part of the zoo. We are thinking we might do an "under the sea" cake for her first birthday since she wanted to stay in there forever. 

 5. Here is most of our intrepid group near the end of the day. From Front, Cate, Aliya, Gloria with baby Tovah (not pictured, but in the stroller), Essie and Colleen. I think Elijah and Jordan were already off ahead of us.

 6. A Very Sleepy Girl. The Zoo was so much fun we'll have to go again soon!

Springapalooza

On Saturday we had an outdoor picnic/party (with a festive name, see above) for my department. I didn't remember to take any photos, but here is one that someone else snapped of us. We had a blast enjoying the beautiful spring weather outdoors and the good company of our many Nebraska friends.

Can you believe Cate is almost one? Nope, I don't believe it either.

Easter Basket Joy

Cousins - Easter Weekend, 2011

April 2011 - Cate's first Easter

A few new adventures

It is a bit hard to tell in this photo, but Chaz bought Cate a new bubble machine for the bath tub. It attaches to the bathtub wall and blows bubbles at her while she bathes. She loves it. Bubbles make every bath better.

Here you can see the bubble machine better. This is also Cate giving us a "seriously, stop washing my hair" look.

 It has been a typical Nebraska spring here - some days cold and rainy, other days 50 and sunny. We take every opportunity to get outside for family walks at night. Thankfully, last night was one of those nice nights, so we headed out. It was really bright, and Cate refused to wear either a sun bonnet or her sun glasses. But, she actually wanted to wear Dad's hat. She wore it for 10 min, until we turned the corner and the sun was blocked by her stroller's sun visor. I find this photo hilarious. 

Final update (with out a picture) - Cate's food selection has increased dramatically in the last few weeks to include a fair amount of "adult food". She now eats spaghetti, grilled cheese sandwiches, cooked beans and guacamole in addition to her normal foods. I can't believe how fast she is growing! Just under a month and a half until she is 1!