Surprise Visit

One morning in early December 2012, I woke up to find a text from my dear friend Danni saying that she, her husband Eric, and newest addition Adrian (rest of the kiddos were with family) would be in town and could they drop in for a quick stop to meet Kate. There was no question that we'd love to see them, so my answer was a loud YES! Thankfully, I had enough time to shower, pick up the living room and vacuum the floor. Danni and I have been friends for 18 years. We met when our families went to summer camp at Campus by the Sea and when we weren't at camp we were pen pals and would visit each other every so often.

Danni's post on her blog about this visit was eloquently written, so I"m re-posting it for our blog readers.


"I was so excited to meet Kate and see Erica! No matter the time between visits, Erica and I pick up where we left off.  And being able to share our babies with each other was absolutely fantastic.

Erica has had health issues since she was born, and Kate is a total miracle baby. Really, all babies are miracles, but this little girl was born because her strong mother took a huge risk and trusted God with her pregnancy in spite of the obstacles.  I am so amazed by Erica and Jay as they embraced parenthood after over 8 years of marriage!

Meet Miss November and Mr. Out of this World.  And they both happen to be Broncos fans, so it's a match made in heaven, as far as we are concerned.

Kate is not only adorable, but she's friendly!  She was a little leery of the big guy, but eventually she got comfortable enough to hang out with him for a bit.

 

 And of course, Adrian was more than happy to sit with Erica."

This was one of the best surprises I'd had in a long time. We decided to make more of an effort to get together and since this visit we already have. God has blessed our friendship over the years and it's been wonderful to see His hand in each of our lives.

Operation Volunteer

Some of you might notice many "green shoe boxes" at your church or in your community over the holidays that are filled with all kinds of special goodies from toys or craft supplies to toiletries. These boxes are sent to children around the world. Operation Christmas Child is a program through Samaritan's Purse. In 2011 I wasn't able to join my bible study to volunteer after just having Kate. This past December 2012 however, I was able to attend. Our bible study teamed up with many other locals and non locals in our community to help with the "operations" at a local collection warehouse. I can't describe just how awestruck we all were when we walked into the place. It was massive! Apparently bigger than the facility my bible study went to the prior year. Then to think that there are  similar facilities around the nation. The pictures below don't really do justice to accurately represent the warehouse size. Each box was thoroughly checked by our keen eyes to insure all items were shipping and age appropriate. Toy guns and things of that nature were removed and replaced by appropriate items. Then we taped the shoe boxes and loaded those into shipping boxes which were then taped and moved to a conveyor belt to be shipped out. I highly recommend that you, your family, church or bible study partake in this experience.  Check out their volunteer section by clicking here: Operation Christmas Child Volunteer Page.

Here's some of my friends goofing off with the packaging tape.

Grateful for Family

Happy Thanksgiving 2012! We had a delicious feast with the combined families. 

We especially enjoyed the quality time

  

Four Generations!

 

Playing piano with Great Aunt Peggy

Pier walk

Off to church with Great Grandparents

Happy 1st Birthday Kate!

Kate's first birthday was extra special. It was a time to praise God for His faithfulness during our long journey into parenthood. As I re-read my post introducing Spud it was a great reminder how He gave me special promises through His word that helped combat the anxieties we had in the process. As Kate's great grandma says "there's two miracles" Kate and myself. Our lives are a testiment that not only God is good, but His deep love for us. None of us can believe how quickly the year went and how Kate is coming into her own.

Shortly after having Kate, there was a speaker in my mom's group that had us do an exercise where we had to write down positive things about our child's personality. This took a little effort on my part because Kate was just at baby at the time. What I came to recognize was Kate's kindness. Now that she's older, her acts of kindness and other gifts are more evident. She'll give you a "love" aka hug or even a kiss without prompting. She also loves to make others laugh and generously shares with others. Kate is also friendly and will light up the room with her infectious smile and blue eyes. She's also brave and eager to explore and learn. Kate is strong as she has a tight grip, loves to climb (Proud Uncle Bryan), and toughs out any injuries. She's also helpful. Now in toddler-hood she'll help you unload groceries, water your plants, assist with the laundry, put items in the recycling bin, and re-load the toilet paper stash. Yes, these are her designated "chores." She also enjoys music and books (no surprise there, right?). Kate is intelligent and has an extensive vocabulary. She's a quick learner and determined. We can't wait to see how much more she'll grow, learn, and change in the coming year. 

  First day

10 days old

 

One year old

Kate got some playground time in before her birthday party.

Jay and I both didn't have large birthday parties each year growing up and so we have made a pact to keep birthdays simple yet special. We choose to have a family gathering that also included Kate's Godparents and my friend Debra. Since Kate loves the water so much, I went with a pink sea theme. With the enlisted help of Debra, we put together a great party. We served pizza and salad with pink lemonade and pink soda. For dessert chocolate cake and banana caramel cake alongside pink champagne (for the adults) to toast surviving our first year of parenthood. Enjoy the photo highlights courtesy of Aunt Katherine at KC Photography.

Centerpiece

The center cake in front is Kate's (banana caramel) to match her tutu. 

 Our precious gift; the birthday girl!

 

Here's the starfish and "K" cookies for the goodie bags.

  Yum, I think I like it

Sharing with Daddy

 

 Gotta squish this stuff

Too messy; clean me up mommy!

 

 

 

 Handmade doll from Yia-yia

New pj's and a kitchen play set from Nana and Papa

 

 New jacket and boots

From Mommy

 

Thank you God for Kate!