A not so happy birthday

We celebrated Kate's first birthday yesterday with our families (from Durham and Richmond), but the guest of honor woke up with a 102 fever. :( I was sick on my first birthday, so I guess she just wanted to be like her mama!

She was totally pitiful when she woke up from her first nap of the day, and it's obvious which pictures were taken at which time during the day! We ate quickly, had some cake, opened a few presents, and then she went back to bed for a bit. When she woke up, the Tylenol had clearly kicked in, and she was a new girl (for an hour or 2)! No more cute birthday dress, but I figured it was more important to be comfy at nap time! She opened the rest of her gifts, and then got right to work on her new toys! Aunt Ashley picks out the best toys for Miss Kate... and she can push this one all over town!

Then, it was time for one more nap. Daddy joined in on this one, while Mom hammered out all of the thank you notes! After that, we went to Noodles and Co. (our fave!) for dinner with Jon's family and snagged some Krispy Kreme on the way home. Hallelujah! I think birthday cake might be on the menu for today. Kate loved her yellow cake with chocolate icing and lots of yummy ice cream. A girl after my own heart!

This is pretty indicative of what life was like between nap #1 and nap #2. :(


The reaction to the cake- only after the whole room cheered, "Yay!!!!" very loudly.


How do you know when it's time for a nap??

Moving too quickly for a picture!


Love this thing!!

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A totally NOT shameless plug!

These formal pictures (without a couch and other general mess in the background) were done by a high school friend of mine, Rebekah (Edwards) O'Dell. She has her own photography business now and is VERY talented!! If you're in the Richmond area and need some pictures done, call her right now (804.543.4633)!!! If you let me know first, I can give you a card for a discount on your first session. She is GREAT with kids and has been known to take some really sweet pictures of couples/families, too. The best part (for me) was that all of these pictures were done in my living room during playtime or in our front yard! Check out her website to see some of her work!

www.rebekahodellphotography.com

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Almost 1?!

Some pictures of JUST my baby girl. The days are numbered... she won't be the only baby for long! Much more of her yummy cheeks can be found in my Facebook albums. Eventually. :)

On the porch swing at Mast General Store in Valle Crucis

Ready for a hike at Price Lake

Peach ice cream from Kilwin's! YUM!

First time swinging!

First Easter egg hunt

Easter Sunday- too close to lunch for smiles!

I can eat my own bananas with my own fork, thank you.

Playing basketball in Daddy's office

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Babysitters

When I was in middle school, my mom gave me some pointers to help make me the best babysitter I could be. So, I began washing the dishes in the sink whenever I went to someone's house to babysit. I'd either wash, dry, and leave them on the counter, or load them in the dishwasher so they were out of the way and ready to be cleaned. No big deal, right? I mean, it's such a boring job and it's not a huge thing.

UNTIL.... I became a mom. And someone did it for me. Oh. My. Gosh. What a gift!!!! Our precious friend Abby offered to stay with Kate so Jon and I could get in one more date before little brother arrives (next week!!). So, we scooted out the door on Friday night to dinner and a movie and left Kate to play with her buddy Abby. When we came home, there was not a dirty dish to be found! Abby had washed all the dishes in the sink and on the counter, dried them and left them stacked neatly to be put away, had EMPTIED the dishwasher and added those dishes to the "put away" pile, and then RELOADED the dishwasher with the new stuff. Be still, my heart!

Did I (and do I still) rejoice over that?! Oh yes. Oh yes. Thanks for being such a great and completely selfless friend to us, Abby... And for loving our sweet girl so much, too!!


http://jonandmollie.blogspot.com

Bad blogger, anxieties, and loves

What a terrible blog posting rate! Once a month for the last 3 months... And life is going to be more chaotic in a week? Pretty unbelievable! If I look back at the last month (when I haven't been posting), I realize that all of my time has been spent soaking up time with sweet Kate. And I'm totally okay with that. She's been a little more clingy lately, and I truly think that she knows that something's up. She sure doesn't have a clue what it is, but she wants to snuggle more and give more hugs and just be with Mom more. And I just don't mind at all! I've been learning a lot lately about being a mom (through the heart tuggings of God and the wisdom of my husband).

It all started with 5 teeth. Most of which have now arrived in Kate's little mouth. What happened to my favorite gummy smile?! It's the little changes in her life that make me stop and think about how quickly time passes. And that make me wish I could put time on hold and take in every second. But... in a week, life will get busier. And for a time, I feel like I will have to neglect Kate. It's just one of those things that comes along with recovering from surgery and not being able to lift your child. Jon, of course, assures me that it's not really neglecting her- it WOULD be neglecting her if I left her in the car to go get a manicure. HA! But, much of this comes from my own pride. I want to be the one to do things for my kids. I want to be the one to be everything to my kids. I don't WANT someone else putting Kate down for her nap. That's OUR time! And I don't like relying on other people. It's really hard for me to give up control and let other people help. But, when you're recovering from surgery, there's no other option! I'm such a control freak. :( I like to think I'm pretty laid back, but God is showing me otherwise! But, it's all about letting go. God has entrusted these babies to me for a time, but I have to acknowledge that. I'm really in trouble when kindergarten comes!! ;)

It took me a long time to be truly THRILLED about this fella joining our family. Finding out about a pregnancy when it's halfway over can really do a number on you! But, I cannot WAIT to see his sweet face. I cannot wait to meet him and see how much he looks like his daddy (which I know he will), I cannot wait to cuddle and smell him, and I'm actually looking forward to our time together in the hospital before real life hits when we get home. I'm excited to finally be able to share his name with people, to put him to sleep in his precious nursery, and to experience an extension of my heart that somehow can contain more love. Dissipating sciatica won't upset me either. ;) But in the midst of that, I still have a fear of inadequacy. Having two babies within a year is something that most people don't experience. Emotionally, physically, and spiritually, it will be challenging. God very clearly has more faith in my parenting skills than I do, otherwise I wouldn't be feeling a kickboxing boy inside of me right now! He has chosen this baby for our family. God has told us that His plan is far better than ours and I'm even more excited now to see how He will work in our family.

So, pray for us (me) as we (I) learn to let go. I'm not very good at it. But, I know that as I'm humbled, I am becoming more like Christ. And that is the deepest desire of my heart. To God be the glory!

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