Jonah's comercial March 14, 2014

Real advice from real parents is essential to any new mom or dad. While I might not be considered a new mom any more, I constantly seek out the opinions of those who have "been there" to help keep things in perspective. Fisher-Price knows the value of parents learning from each other and recently gathered some Moments of Advice from parents through short little videos. They compiled this footage into three short little videos that spotlight how easily play time can be turned into learning time! This first video showcases one of the first milestones our babies master as they take their first steps. I love the advice these moms give those of us who are waiting patiently for our kids to get up and walk! I am very lucky to work with some amazing educators who know the value of play time. I taught kindergarten for 5 years and first grade for 3 years, I know the value of play. Kids are doing more than just playing when they are engaged in play time. They are using their imaginations and building problem solving skills that will stick with them throughout their lives. I was so excited to have Jonah featured in the Learning Trough Play video with his homemade fort we built out of large boxes. Check him out in Tip #5! Isn't he adorable? Here are some fantastic play time tips to do with your kids. I love the clip of playing in front of the mirror, I love doing that with my kids!

How do you encourage learning through play?

Wordless Wednesday ~ Summer Time/Beach Time June 10, 2014

I haven't done a WW in so long. I missed them. I knew the moment I took these pics at Lake Michigan that they were too cute not to share. Happy WW!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Meeting the Mouse and Other Tidbits June 17, 2014

I thought it would be fun to share some of my Instagram photos from the past week. I also included one of my adorable husband to celebrate Father's Day on Sunday! It was an eventful week that included a Disney Media Event, Play dates at the Park, Getting a Crown put on at the dentist, and of course about 120 tea parties! Life is good!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Nine Years and Counting June 25, 2014

Thanks for the last 9 years Joe. I love you!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Tornados and Selfies July 3, 2014

So we had a tornado come through Indy last week and we all crowded into our small bathroom: Then we took a selfie the next morning: Oh… and I also went to Cincinnati for a cooking demonstration:     It was a very active week! Happy Wednesday!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Its Been Awhile! September 3, 2014

It has been awhile since I have done a Wordless Wednesday. Its catch-up time! Jonah started kindergarten in the class across the hall from me. I am so happy to see him in the hallways every day. He makes works so much more fun! We have been shopping the summer clearance sales for our trip to Antigua in October! And my little girl has graduated from her crib into a "Big girl bed!" I am a little sad to see her grow up. We are now working on losing the pacifier and potty training! My babies are growing up!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Football Family Fun! Sept. 23, 2014

We loved watching the Colts beat up Jacksonville this past weekend. There isn't anything better than football, family, food and of course Minnie Mouse! I love these guys!   Happy Wednesday!

Wordless Wednesday ~ We are on Vacation! #KatTravels October 8, 2014

Joe and I are in Antigua on an amazing vacation! The people here are amazing, the views are amazing, and the food is amazing! I don't think it could get much better than that!  

Wordless Wednesday Dec. 16, 2009

I love viewing other Wordless Wednesdays from my favorite blogs, so I decided to start my own Wordless Wednesday. Here is my little Elf, BJ, recuperating from a cold.

Wordless Wednesday

I love this photo of my brother and BJ. Look at his big 'ol tummy (BJ's not my brother's)! Being half way across the country from my family is really hard. I am so thankful I got the opportunity to bring BJ home for the holidays.

Wordless Wednesday December 30, 2009

My most momentous moment of 2009 was the birth of our son, BJ born on April 24, 2009. Here we are moments after his arrival. What is your most momentous moment of 2009?

Wordless Wednesday December 23, 2009

BJ had his first Christmas Celebration this weekend. Here we are opening his very first gift. He was more interested in the bows and bags that his gifts came in than the actual gifts. We are looking forward to all of our Christmas Celebrations.

Mom Freak Out.... Thanks Doc Jan. 27, 2010

BJ turned 9 months old on Sunday. Earlier in the week my husband brought BJ to the pediatricians office for his 9 month checkup. I had to fill out this 5 page questionnaire about BJ's development beforehand, so I knew that they were going to talk about how he is developing. I have a degree in early childhood so I wasn't worried about how BJ was growing. I thought he was doing fine. Well... the doctor told my husband that she was worried about BJ's gross motor skills. His fine motor skills are very skilled, but they said he should be able to pull himself up by now and he should be able to stand, bend down and pick up an object and stand back up without falling. And on top of that he hasn't gained any weight in 4 months so they are concered about him. (he weighs 19 lbs and 3 ounces). Way to freak out a new mom! Now I am overly concerned about every little thing he does or doesn't do. Should I be freaking out? I don't know. I haven't been a mom before. I was under the impression that when your child starts to crawl he would lose weight. Do kids develop at their own pace? Should I freak out and call the child development people from the state to come and evaluate him? (The doctor also suggested that we could do this) HELP!

Wordless Wednesday January 6, 2010

BJ is learning how to crawl. He has done the army crawl before this past weekend. As you can see he is getting up on all fours and trying to do it the big boy way. He gets frustrated because he slips back to his tummy on the hardwood floors, but I bet he will be zipping around before you know it. I can't believe how fast he has grown, 9 months on the 24th!

Wordless Wednesday Jan. 13, 2010

In honor of the winter season I am posting a picture I took the first winter we had with our dog Eli. When Eli first set foot on snow he wasn't so sure about it. After he realized that he could eat it he was in heaven!

Wordless Wednesday Winter Wonderland Feb 10, 2010

We got hit this week with a bunch of snow. BJ had a cold so we had to keep him inside. Both BJ and Eli (our dog) were really wanting to go out and play in the snow. Here they are looking out the front window wishing they could play. I couldn't resist a picture of the two of them!

Go Colts! Feb 7, 2010

I would be remiss if I didn't post today before we take off to watch the Super Bowl. Our family is huge Colts fans. We are lucky enough to go to at least one game a year, and tonight is going to be very special for us because it is BJ's first Super Bowl. We will have to deal with the end of football season depression after we celebrate a Colts win! GO COLTS!

Wordless Wednesday- Racecar Robber Feb 3, 2010

This week we went and got BJ this racecar so that he can rock himself (he has done this at daycare on a rocking horse and loves it). While I turned my back he pulled all the magazines off of the coffee table, onto his lap ,and was laughing hysterically.

BJ's Doctors Appointment March 1 2010

BJ had his follow-up doctor's appointment a week ago to check on his weight gain and gross motor skill development. Since the last time I posted about his doctor's concerns, BJ has started to pull up and cruise around the table as well as bending down and picking up objects. The doctor was pleased with his progress. He has gained a half of a pound since his 9-month checkup and the doctor seemed okay about that. What was concerning was the fact that BJ has been throwing up about twice a week after eating. The doctor sent my husband and BJ down to the imaging center to take an inside look at BJ's stomach to be sure that there wasn't anything we needed to be concerned about. They took pictures and didn't see anything that would be causing BJ to throw up. They concluded that BJ's gag reflex isn't fully developed yet and he will outgrow this throwing up in a few months. I have been very cautious with over-feeding BJ because he seems to gag more when he is full, and this week he didn't throw up at all! That is until today. It seems like just when I am starting to not worry about the little guy he gives me something to worry about. I wasn't around today when he threw up (I was at the gym trying to work off those last few pregnancy pounds), so I had to rely on my husband's expertise that he overfed him. The doctor said that the eczema on BJ's face had gotten so bad that it is now infected. He prescribed some cream that has been working great for the past week. The downside of this magical cream is the price tag. We have insurance (decent insurance) and we still had to pay $80.00 for this small tube of cream! What exactly are my insurance premiums going towards if I still have to pay $80 on a generic prescription? To make matters worse I accidentally left his cream on his nightstand after applying it one night and my dog Eli got into it (he has an obsession with steroid cream, this isn't the first, or second, tube of prescription cream that he has eaten in his lifetime) and now it comes out the sides as well as the top. Luckily BJ's face is looking so much better that he doesn't need it. I can't believe how much doctors appointments scare me these days. Every time he goes we come back with something else we need to worry about with him. I guess worrying about him will last my lifetime!

Wordless Wednesday Face Full of Smiles Feb. 24 2010

BJ had his doctors visit this past Friday (more on that later). Unfortunately BJ's eczema has gotten so bad his face is infected. He remains a very happy boy. Here he is crawling all around the house as happy as can be. His face is much better now that he has his prescription cream.

Wordless Wednesday A Family Super Bowl Feb. 17, 2010

The Colts lost, but we enjoyed BJ's first Super Bowl anyway. We had to get a picture of the family (football is big in our house). Congratulations New Orleans.

Wordless Wednesday Guitar Love March 17, 2010

  My husband is a fantastic guitar player. He is always in a couple of bands at a time and he loves it. When I was pregnant he kept talking about how wonderful it would be to teach his son or daughter how to play the guitar. BJ was introduced to one of my husbands beloved guitars the other day and I had to capture the moment on film. Here is our future rocker!

Wordless Wednesday- Best Buddies March 10, 2010

I am not sure what is going on with these two but lately they are becoming inseparable. Eli is constantly around BJ. At night he will visit him in his room and just stare at the crib like he is waiting for BJ to come out and play. When BJ is crawling around Eli will just follow him. These two boys are becoming the best buddies.

Wordless Wednesday Food Fun! March 3, 2010

I love this picture of BJ enjoying his food. He loves sweet potato!

Our Crazy Easter April 4, 2010

I was really looking forward to Easter this year. Last year I was very pregnant and we went over to my in-laws house for an Easter egg hunt with our niece. This year there are 2 new additions to the family and I was excited for our egg hunt and family brunch. Well things don't always turn out the way you think they will. Unfortunately, this year's Easter corresponded with our school district's Spring Break and most of my family was out of town. So, we had our own little family Easter Celebration. We decided that we would go out for an early breakfast at this new diner down the street and then come back and have an Easter egg hunt for BJ. We got up and got dressed up and headed out, and that is when all the problems started. The diner down the street was closed for Easter (I mean come on! A breakfast joint closed for Easter? Isn't that like one of their busiest days?) Now where do we go? We talked back and forth about where to go and decided on this cute little restaurant across the street that we have been meaning to try for a long time. The parking lot was empty, but my husband ran in to make sure it was open and it was. They sat us down at a nice table and left us with the menu. The items on the menu sounded delicious, I ordered the Creme Brule French Toast and my husband ordered biscuits and gravy with sausage. The food arrived and I have to say that I was immediately disappointed. I thought I was getting french toast but instead I got this custard, quiche like substance that was barely warm and was definitely not fresh. I took a couple of bite and I couldn't eat anymore. I had the bacon that went with it and it was crunchy but also not fresh. My husbands food looked disgusting and he said it tasted like it came out of a jar. With our drinks, tip, and food we spent $30 and then I went to the local donut shop for something to eat.

Have you ever had a vision of how you want something to go and then when it turns out so horrible you get depressed? Well, that was me. I wanted to have a nice Easter with my boys and it seemed like everything was going wrong. We got home, I had my delicious donut, I fed BJ breakfast, and then I set the eggs out for BJ's first ever "Easter Egg Hunt." I wasn't sure how it would go considering that BJ is a few weeks shy of turning one. I had purchased some large Easter eggs from Target that contained Fisher Price Little People figures inside of the eggs. What a fantastic idea for very young kids! The hunt was a smashing success! BJ loved gathering up all the eggs and shaking them. He would toss them and sometimes they would break open and a little figure flew out. He had so much fun and played with the eggs for a long time, I had tears in my eyes because finally something turned out better than I had envisioned. Overall, our Easter was crazy but in the end I really enjoyed the time we spent together as a family. My husband mentioned earlier in the day that this was the first time our little family spent a holiday as a family unit and not with extended family and he felt it was special. I will still welcome the holiday's that we spend with our entire families, but he is right. Things might not have turned out as perfect as I wanted them to, but it turned out to be a very special 1st Easter with my family. One that I will never forget. I would love to know about your Easter celebrations. How did you spend the holiday?

Wordless Wednesday Outta My Way Mom March 30, 2010

BJ is on a mission.... to be the fastest crawler in the world. Don't get in his way, he will just run you over and keep on going! I wish there was one of those crawling races that are sponsored by diapers in town, I bet he would win.

Wordless Wednesday Froggy Love March 24, 2010

My son loves his frogs. He has a frog lovey that he sleeps with and cuddles with every night. He also loves this frog hooded towel. Isn't he the most adorable little 11 month old (today) you have ever seen!

Wordless Wednesday Daddy Snuggle April 13, 2010

Wordless Wednesday Easter April 6, 2010

I posted a few pictures from Easter earlier in my Easter Post, but here is another sweet picture of BJ from our Easter Weekend.

A Year Ago Today... April 24, 2010

My little man was born! I can't believe you turn a year old today. People have always told me that they grow up fast, but I had no idea what they truly meant until I became your mom. I wanted a child for a long, long time. There was a point in my life that I wasn't sure if I would be able to have kids, but I am so happy that I was able to. Your arrival was scheduled. We had an appointment for my cesarean section and we made it to that date. Of course everything doesn't always go according to plan and they had to take you a little early because your little heart rate plummeted about an hour before my scheduled surgery. We were nervous, but I can't explain the feeling that went through me when I heard your little cry for the very first time. Daddy made sure you were okay and then brought you over to me so I could give you my first kiss. I haven't been that happy in my entire life. You have been relatively healthy this year. We have had a rough road with your eczema and allergies, but every day your skin is looking a little better. You have a strawberry hemangioma on your forehead that I don't even notice anymore and should disappear before you even are able to ask what it is. You are perfect! From what I understand about babies, you have been an easy one. You are happy. Your favorite thing to do right now is to take off crawling across the floor and look back at us chasing you and laugh. You love the camera and smile most of the time when I take your picture. Your a little daredevil that is going to give your mom a stroke one of these days if it continues. You love sweet potatoes. Your best friend has been your puppy Eli. You two love each other so much. I am amazed at how much patience Eli has with you when you poke him in the eyes all the time. I can tell you from experience that Eli doesn't have that kind of patience with everyone, just his little brother. I love you more than words can possible say, and I hope one day you have a child of your own so that you can truly understand how much you mean to me. Happy Birthday, Mommy and daddy love you!