The Great Kate Update

I hardly know where to begin on giving an update on our Baby Kate. Who really isn't a baby anymore! On December 5th she took off walking at our dear friends the Park's home and she hasn't looked back! Thus ended her days as a baby and life as a toddler rushed in! I am loving it:) While toddlerhood definitely has new challenges (stronger opinions of what she wants, the beginnings of tantrums, stair climbing) I am really liking this new stage a lot. Her little personality is coming out more and more and she is learning exciting new things all the time!

On the language front, Kate has stopped saying a lot of the words I last posted about her saying. I am sure she can still say them, she just chooses not to. Her current favorite things to say are, "What's that?" (often said with a little finger pointing at whatever object she's wondering about), "All done" (which is most often said when a loud noise ends, such as when I turn off the hair dryer), and her favorite of all, "Hot! Hot! Hot!" (which is said around the oven, microwave, fires, candles, mugs, steam or vapor of any kind. The girl gets the concept of "hot"!) My mom kept her over the weekend and she said that Kate said, "Thank you", as plain as day. I have yet to hear that one, but I've been teaching it to her for a long time so I am excited:)

The Boo Bear's current favorite activities are as follows: Climbing the stairs. She figured this out shortly after walking and it was quite a challenge for a few weeks until we finally borrowed a baby gate! I want her to learn and practice climbing the stairs, but it had gotten to the point where she pretty much only wanted to do that! She has picked up the concept of talking on the phone and can often be found with a toy phone up to her ear babbling into it! She also really likes to play peek-a-boo and will hold her blankie, bib, or the shower curtain during bath time up over her face and after you've said, "Where's baby Kate?," a few times she'll pull the blanket down and then right back up! It's lots of fun and so cute to watch! She still loves to look at books. Right now she is really enjoying her Jesus story bible that David got for their bible times. She is fascinated with the picture of Eve with the serpent and with a page that has drawings of many important bible characters. Joseph is on that page, wearing his colorful coat, and she will point to him if you ask her where he is. And anything with music is still a must in our house! One of these days I have to post a video of Kate's dancing. It's hilarious!

Ok, that's enough updating for now! Here are some pictures

I pulled out the camera the other day to finally take some updated pictures and Kate became hysterical when I wouldn't let her play with the camera. I snapped a few of her in the midst of the fit for her future viewing pleasure. Poor kid.

This was two minutes after the previous picture. She recovered her composure quickly:) She really likes to sit on beds for some reason.

Still having fun on my bed:)

I was in the kitchen and heard her talking really loudly and in long strings of sounds. I looked into the living room and found her talking on her toy phone she got for Christmas. I was able to snap a picture before she put it down.

I got this bouncy seat at the Goodwill a long time ago and it has been sitting in our guest room. I put Kate in it the other day so I could switch some laundry over and she thought it was great fun! It's shocking how big she is when you see her in this seat!