Officially a TODDLER!!!

I never posted that Kate FINALLY started walking!!! I couldn't resist this shot demonstrating her ability, and how precious is she in this smocked dress???

Christmas Parade!

Merry Christmas!!! And to the parade we went, all bundled up and ready for the COLD winter night! Everyone had a great time, no one even cried for all the sirens!

And, I'm not quite sure, but is there another place on earth that Santa rides in the parade in the bucket of a fire truck???

My sister gave Jack this wonderful crocodile piano for Christmas some years ago... While it is VERY loud and somewhat abnoxious, Jack, and now Kate have had so much fun with it! Kate really LOVES it!!! It has this one button on it that makes it auto play all the songs in its memory... Oh my, does the dance party begin when she hits that button!

Jack has decided that playing with his sister is really pretty fun. He affectionally calls her "sister" which i think is adorable. He loves to tickle her, and hide and seek is a real crowd pleaser. He's a bit concerned about how "He" is going to keep her out of the Christmas tree, we'll see how well that works out! She's not exactly walking yet, she has taken about 6 steps, but her current way of getting around is this strange knee walking thing... Yes, she walks on her knees. I'll try to get a pic of that this weekend and post it, it's really hilarious!

Singing? Laughing? Whatever it is, it's a happy Kate and that's always a good thing!

She laughs SO hard when Jack tickles her!

And the best part is, he REALLY does love her...

Happy Birthday Kate!

We celebrated Kate's Birthday with a family dinner at home. We were joined by Nan & Gran Dan, Grammy & Popaw, Judy, Bobby & Olivia, Cici, Elizabeth, & Anneliese! The cousins helped Kate enjoy her cake, and opened ALL her presents. And, they stole all her new toys! Everyone had a wonderful time, inluding Kate! She's such a performer, she charmed everyone with all her tricks! She can crawl super fast, and stand on her own for a few seconds at a time! She's always ready to give hugs and kisses and she politely waved bye-bye to everyone as they left. It was a special night!