Baby Kate

Katelyn was born just a few days before Halloween. She weighed 8 lbs. 7 oz. and was 21 inches long. Joseph and Audrey love their new baby sister. Joseph lovingly calls her "Baby Kate." Audrey just calls her "Baby." More to come later...

Oklahoma City

Today Mommy and Daddy and Yeh-Yeh (Grandpa) took the kids to Oklahoma City. We were going to go to Bricktown, but ended up going to Bass Pro Shop and Myriad Gardens. Joseph and Audrey both love fish so they really had a good time looking at the fish tank at Bass Pro. We grabbed lunch to go at McDonald's and ate it outside. Audrey didn't eat her Happy Meal so it was donated to a homeless man who was digging thru the trash for food near where we were having lunch.

After lunch, we headed to Myriad Gardens. Joseph and Audrey and Daddy fed part of Joseph's remaining french fries and hamburger to some over-sized Koi at Myriad gardens. Mommy had never seen such fat Koi. No wonder the Koi are so fat if people feed them left over fast-food. Audrey and Joseph also splashed in a nearby fountain. It was a fairly long walk from the parking garage to the gardens and then back to the car so both Joseph and Audrey were exhausted by the time we got back to the car. We decided that we will check out Bricktown another time. Both Audrey and Joseph fell asleep within minutes of getting into the car.

Sick

Audrey woke up this morning with a fever. She hasn't felt very well all day. Normally Audrey eats alot, but all she has wanted all day is milk. She also slept alot today. She took a morning nap and an afternoon nap and looked very sleepy this evening. Poor little thing. Joseph told Audrey that he loved her and gave her a little kiss. He's a good big brother.

Audrey has been growing leaps and bounds lately. Just a month ago she was having problems putting shapes in her shape sorter. Now she does it with no problems at all. She is also stacking blocks several blocks tall and enjoys knocking them down. Like her brother, Audrey also loves puzzles. She recognizes several numbers and is able to say them and put them in the right place in the puzzle. She also recognizes and knows a couple of letters.

Audrey's favorite word is probably milk. She never did take to sign language except to signal "more" whenever she wants more of something, generally milk. Tonight she said "I want milk" instead of just milk. She also has a couple of other phrases she likes to say. Mommy always forgets how when kids start learning to talk, their vocabulary grows exponentially.

Audrey also enjoys singing just like her brother. Today she was singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Eeentsy Weentsy Spider. Audrey sways her head and her body back and forth while she is singing. It's so cute!

Both Audrey and Joseph love books. Bedtime is full of never-ending negotiations for more books. Well, Joseph negotiates since he is able to speak and express himself fairly well. Audrey just keeps grabbing more books and bringing them over. Some of Audrey's favorite books are: Good Night Moon, Goodnight Gorilla, Oink Piglet, and The Deep Blue Sea. Joseph likes a variety of books. He does seem to be like his Daddy and enjoy Geography. He loves looking at the Atlas that Daddy bought him awhile back. Joseph is always saying he wants to go to Brazil to see the statue of Jesus or Egypt and other places that Daddy has been.

Although Joseph loves books and going to the library, Mommy is a little worried that Joseph is addicted to video games. Joseph has decided that his favorite video game is Rygar. He is always asking Mommy and Daddy if he can play the game. Today Joseph had a potty accident because he was so absorbed in the game. Mommy tries to limit him to just a half hour for the day.

Both Joseph and Audrey also love playing outdoors and they love Sushi. Audrey and Joseph were kissing Sushi (on her back) much to Mommy's dismay. Mommy can't imagine a mouthful of fur...bleck! Daddy put in some swings in the backyard last weekend for Audrey and Joseph. Audrey's is a baby swing with a full seat and holes for the legs. Joseph's swing is just the rubber seat attached to chains. Audrey loves her new swing and Joseph enjoys his as well though he sometimes fights with Audrey about getting in her swing.

The kids also enjoy doing crafts. The other day Joseph and Audrey painted some wooden birdhouses. Joseph also made a paper plate skeleton which we hung outside on the front of the house. Next weekend is pumpkin carving time unless Mommy has the baby in which case, the activity will have to be postponed.

Playdates

Since Mommy had to go to church to play the organ for a funeral this morning, Joseph and Audrey got to play with Max, the little boy from a few houses down. Max's mommy brought Max over to our house to play. The kids had fun. After Mommy got back from the funeral, Joshua and his mommy came over for lunch and to play. The kids spent most of the time outside playing with Sushi and with the outdoor riding toys. Joseph and Joshua had loads of fun riding the toys down the little hill in the back. Audrey and Joseph both took a really long nap this afternoon. Mommy loves it when the kids have other children to play with because they wear themselves out. Joshua's mommy calls naptime "Heaven time" for mommies. That sounds like a good description. As much as Mommy loves to play with Audrey and Joseph, it's nice for Mommy to have a little downtime each day.

More New Friends

Yesterday morning Mommy took the kids to play with Joshua, a little boy from church. Joseph and Joshua are the same age. Joshua has a big backyard with a swing, hammock, sandbox, and playhouse. After coming indoors from playing outside, Joshua's mommy made the kids macaroni and cheese for lunch. Joseph didn't want to go home so we stayed until almost 2:00pm. Then mommy insisted that we go back to the house for our daily "quiet" time (naptime). Mommy invited Joshua and his mommy to come to our house on thursday for a playdate. Everyone has been so friendly here in Oklahoma. The kids have made so many new friends.

Neighbors

Tonight Joseph and Audrey got to meet Braden, the little boy across the street. Actually, Braden is a very big boy. He's only a few months older than Joseph, but he is at least a half a head taller and much heavier. Mommy and Daddy got to hang out with Braden's parents and the kids had a great time playing. Braden gave Joseph a ride on his little 4-wheeler. He also let Joseph drive it a little. Poor Audrey kept trying to keep up with the big boys but was not very successful. Braden's parents have a really beautiful yard with lots of plants and great landscaping. They also have a large Koi pond in the backyard that Daddy envies. Joseph and Audrey got to feed the fish. We all had a fun evening at the neighbor's house this evening.

Earlier in the day, Joseph and Audrey decorated candles for Halloween. It was alot of fun. Joseph loves to do crafts. Daddy says he will pull out our Halloween decorations so that we can start decorating for Halloween. Joseph is looking forward to carving a scary pumpkin to put out on the porch.

New Friends

Mommy and Joseph and Audrey went over to Tracy's house so Mommy could learn how to decorate candles. Joseph and Audrey had a great time playing with some new friends. It was a really fun morning. Plus, we got to eat lots of treats. Tracy had lots of food from cinnamon rolls to chocolate chip cookies. Mommy didn't even end up decorating a candle. Mommy just had to try all the delicious snacks that were set out. Yummy!