Big Girl Room

Kate's been staying with my mom and dad this week, giving me a chance to get her new room organized and decorated. Our plan is to introduce the twin bed now, giving her several months (if needed) to cope before the baby comes and Kate is evicted from the crib for good. After much debate, I went with the "Love and Nature" themed decor from Target. It has trees, owls, birds, and other woodland creatures and has pinks and greens, which was what I was looking for. I love the quilt, and I also think the wall decals are really cute too...the picture doesn't do them justice. They look much less "stickery" in person. Anyway, I'm so thankful to have Kate well cared for while I got her room finished and accomplished a whole list of other odds and ends around the house.

Potty Humor

I've been telling some friends lately about Kate's recent obsession with potty humor, so I thought I'd record some of her moments here for posterity. It's so strange and funny that our sweet little toddler has developed the sense of humor of a 10 year old boy... enjoy.

• Mom: "Kate, where's that quarter you had?" Kate: "Maybe it's in your booty."
• Kate: "Let's sing the poop song!" Mom: "What's the poop song?" Kate: "Poopy poopy poopy poop, poop. Poopy poopy poop-poop-poop." (sung to the tune of 'Jesus Loves the Little Children')
• Mom: "Kate, what do you want for dinner?" Kate: "Poop soup."

It's a . . .

GIRL! Kate's going to have a little sister. We had the 20 week sonogram today, and everything looks great. We're so thankful that she's healthy and growing well. And, Josh is taking the news of being outnumbered 3 to 1 quite well. :)


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Beach Trip

Some friends in our Bible study small group invited us, along with the other families in our group, to join them at a beach house in Port Aransas for a week. It was a very fun vacation, and we are so grateful to the McClartys for inviting us!

The house was situated just a short walk from the beach. Here's Kate walking over the boardwalk.

Checking out the ocean for the first time! (I asked her to pose like this, because my parents have a picture of me at a very similar age pointing at the waves in Galveston.)

Kate and Adelaide having a blast.

We spend most of our mornings and evenings at the beach. Here's my favorite picture of Josh and Kate--my surfer dude and dudette.

Lots of sand castle building.



One afternoon we took a picnic to the ferry/harbor area and watched the big ships go by.

We also made an excursion to the Texas State Aquarium. Kate really enjoyed the dolphin show. Here's a few pictures of their biggest indoor aquarium.

The kids did a great job entertaining each other. Here they are playing "Rockband."

A group pic of all the kids: Ella, Kate, Adelaide, Claire, and Caleb.

Thanks again to the McClartys, and also to the Conlys and Carters for making the time so enjoyable.

Cowgirl Kate

Kate and I recently spend a few days visiting my folks in East Texas. Kate dressed the part for our getaway in the country. Thanks to Aunt Cathi for the cute outfit and to Grandma & Grandpa for the matching cowboy hat.

Garden Bandits!

I am at my wit's end over some sneaky squirrel bandits that keep stealing tomatoes out of our garden! We haven't been able to enjoy any tomatoes, because the ones that have come close to ripening are the squirrels' first choice. As of today, it's squirrels 3, us 0. We've tried some "scarecrows" and even putting out water for them (because I read that they eat the vegetables because they're thirsty). The scarecrows seemed to work for a day or two, but that's all. Anybody have any suggestions?

Kate Has an Announcement to Make

We're thrilled to share the news that there's a baby Benefield on the way. E.T.A., early January. :-)