Santa Clause Is Coming To Town..

 But I've been a little bit naughty lately...

 Somehow though.. I fake my parents and they are still going to spoil me because they think I'm just SO SWEET.

I can't wait for Katelyn's first Christmas! We are leaving to Utah on Monday. These next 3 weeks are going to be a lot of fun and we are really looking forward to spending time with family and celebrate Christmas, Katelyn's 1st birthday, and New Years. :)

ARTIST

(Katelyn's Art at 11 months)

For awhile I have been trying to teach Katelyn how to draw. We had our good moments- when she would let me take her hand and help her draw or just sit quietly and watch me draw something. And we had our bad moments- when she would get frustrated because she would see me do it and then want to do it by herself, but just couldn't. She would grab the paper away from me try to crumple it or run away with it. Or take her crayon away crying. It was sad. I wanted her to be able to do something fun all by herself and I knew she wanted to do it too. 

Then, finally, the other day she learned how to do it with out my help! We were sitting together in our guest bedroom and I was making a card for Nick. I got out the markers and got a piece of paper for her to draw on. I just took off the lid, put the marker in her hand, and she took off! She was going all over the place. She loved it. I could tell she was happy and she did it so well and drew a very beautiful picture! I am so proud of her. She can finally keep the marker/crayons up right to draw. 

We ventured to the library the other day and she loved it, she also drew a very cute picture there too. She loved just following random kids around. Reading a few books. And using their colorful paper and crayons to draw pictures at the tables. I'll have to take her back to the library more often, she certainly DID NOT want to leave.

(Looking at the Birds)

Another random little thing. Katelyn loves birds. There are usually a few sitting on our fence out back every morning and day she'll just look out our window smiling and waving at them. I think she really wants to go out and chase them, but that early in the morning it's just too cold for me to go out there. :(

Every time I see some birds fly by I'll yell "Birdies, birdies!" and she runs over and squeals or waves at them, it's so adorable.

-------------------------------------------------

I can't wait to see my sister this Christmas break and her little baby to be! She is expecting and I am so happy for her and her husband. She isn't due until June, but I'm still going to rub her little belly and talk to the baby when I see her, what an awesome thing to be pregnant, to actually be bringing a sweet little child of God into this world. When someone so close to me gets blessed with something I just feel so happy for them, almost as if it's my own blessing. I love my sister so much and I can't wait for her and her husband to experience the joys of parenthood. She has always been an example to me and I know she is going to be a great Mom! I love you baby Walser! And your momma and dadda :)

Tonight is our ward Christmas party. I'm excited. Nick said that Santa would be there and I'm really hoping so! No, not for me ;) I want to get a picture of Katelyn with him! This will be her first Christmas. She has NO idea who Santa is of course. I want to see her reaction, if she'll cry at first sight, or laugh and try to grab his beard. Either way I'm going to hopefully capture the moment. 

I love Christmas time. I love the music. I love the lights. I love the smelly candles. I love the stockings hanging up. I love the decorated trees. I love spending time with family. I love being reminded of my Savior. I love it ALL. I don't know how the Christmas Spirit can't be felt in some way by every one. I hope you all enjoy this merry holiday! 2 weeks until Christmas break!! Well, for us at least ;).

11 Months Old!!

Tomorrow Katelyn turns 11 months old! You know what that means.. one more month and she'll be one! We are so excited to celebrate her birthday. One year ago today I didn't think this year would go by so fast, but it has. I was reading a blog and they were blogging about what was going on this time A YEAR AGO. Here I am one year ago:

I'm pretty sure this is the closest picture I have to this day last year. I was probably 34 weeks along. I was anxious to see our baby girl. I wanted to do so much for her before she got here. She has blessed our lives in so many ways and we couldn't be more grateful for her.

It makes me sad that she is growing up so fast and will already be a year old. I DO want her to still be my tiny little baby. I don't like it when people say she's not a baby anymore. She IS my baby and she will always be my sweet, innocent, little baby. No matter how much she grows up.

Don't get me wrong though, I'm so glad she has grown up and experienced new things and lived a whole (almost whole) year of her life. I am so excited for her to keep growing. To start playing with barbies and baby dolls and asking mom if she can put lipstick on (no).  :)

At 11 months Katelyn is just learning new things every day. She understands a lot. When we tell her to get a certain stuffed animal she'll know which one by name. She knows what certain foods are called. She runs (it's SO cute). She is always so happy.

I have enjoyed having her in my life so much and am so proud to be her mommy!

 Katelyn 11 months

YES!

It's been a few days, but I'm still SO glad this is over with. BOARDS. Nick took his test the day before Thanksgiving and I have been so happy to have him around more! Some of his classes are done too so I will be seeing him a lot more and he gets to come home early some days. It really is just a blessing to have more time with him.

These next couple of weeks til Christmas break are going to FLY by and I can't wait! I love when we are both not stressed and we have something fun to look forward to. I love the holidays. Thanksgiving was already great, and I can't wait to get out and go to Utah and Colorado! It will be much needed.

18 DAYS TIL CHRISTMAS BREAK BABY!

We have a tooth!!

This morning after sacrament meeting I was looking at Katelyn while Nick was holding her. I rubbed my finger along her gums (like I usually do) to see if there was something there. We've been waiting for her first tooth to make it's appearance for awhile now. And to my surprise I felt something! I couldn't believe it and I may have screamed out in the foyer. I said, "NICHOLAS! She has a tooth!!!" He reached in and felt too and sure enough, yup there was a tooth. We have caught little glimpses of it, but I've been no where near close enough to get a picture of it. She fights it. (so pictures may come later)

I've heard so many teething stories where babies have the hardest time and keep their parents up all night (I really feel sympathy for those poor babies.. and parents!), but luckily Katelyn's didn't seem to bother her (hopefully they all are like that). Usually if she wakes up at night I have to rock her or give her a bottle and she'll fall back asleep. So last night she woke up, drank a bottle, and fell back asleep. So in my mind I had no idea a tooth was coming, the only reason we have been suspecting it is because SHE'LL BE 11 MONTHS OLD NEXT WEEK! So it's about time they popped up :)

It's little milestones like these that make being a mom SO wonderful. Something so small, makes me so happy, so excited, and makes me love my role as a mother and to be able to experience these things. I love being her mom. I love seeing her grow. I can't believe she is growing up so quickly. Before we know it we'll be celebrating her ONE year birthday.. which will probably make me cry a little, but I'll be so happy to have had her for a full year in our lives. I can't wait to celebrate the day she was born!

If your husband is planning to go to dental school.. you have a lot to look forward to :)

Well, I have a computer today. Nick is studying for Boards and he has a bunch of cards he studies from; so to make his studying more effective he thought he'd leave the computer for me so it wouldn't distract him. :)

Finally I have a computer, but I just don't know what to blog about. The only thing I can think of happening lately is BOARDS. Ugh. I dread them. I'm sure Nick dreads them more, (since he is the one taking them) but oh man the days have been long and lonely with out him. He wakes up early and comes home after I'm asleep. The other girls and I joke that we are basically single moms.  It's tough work. And I know Katelyn misses her daddy.


He will be done and over with it in FOUR days! Yay! I should have a countdown ticker for that instead of Christmas break. I am counting down the days and so excited for him to be done. :) I know he'll read this sometime, so GOOD LUCK NICHOLAS! You'll do great! :)

Be Thankful

There are so many things I am thankful for. Small little things and bigger things that truly bless my life. I have been wanting to write a thankful post this month and I have seen many of you blogging about what you are thankful for so I thought I'd share some things I am thankful for.

My car- I was driving today and thought, "What would I do with out a car? Or even more, what would I do if we only had ONE car?" just a little thing like having a second car is something I am so grateful for.

Our home- we are really so blessed to have a home. Not just any home, but a home where we are comfortable. We have enough space for all of our storage. It is not dark and crammed. Its new and it's beautiful. It keeps me and my babies (Nick and Katelyn) warm. It makes me feel safe. I am so grateful for a beautiful home to live in.

My family- my husband works so hard for our family. Lately he's been studying a lot and gone late until 9 sometimes later at night. It's really made me realize how much I need and enjoy his company. He makes me happy. My beautiful baby Katelyn is absolutely perfect. When I look at her while she's sleeping, playing, eating, I see peace and happiness, something I wish I could see in all things. I am so grateful for her. I'm grateful for the blessing that I was able to get pregnant with her and that the Lord gave us this blessing, something that is sometimes taken for granted. (BTW- Katelyn is going to be ONE year old next month.. Dec. 30th, I can't believe how fast time has flown by!) Nicholas and Katelyn make me so happy. I'm thankful for the rest of my family too. I love being able to talk to them and always feel their love. And for Nicks family who is so generous and loving.

My Heavenly Father- I am so grateful I have someone to talk to whenever I need it no matter where I am. We have our trials. There are things I have to go through no matter how much I don't want to, but because of Him I have faith and can carry on. Because of Him I am so blessed and I can have a positive outlook on life.

The Orphanage Babies- There may be some of you who don't know I volunteered in an orphanage. It has been over three years, but these little babies still have influence in my life and I strongly hope that one day I'll be the one who helps one of them and gives them the life they deserve. If you could see what I saw, or have seen similar, you'll understand really how much these children need to be adopted.


There are so many things I 'm thankful. These are just a few. Maybe closer to Thanksgiving I will post more (like how THANKFUL I will be when Nick's boards are done and I'll have my husband back!) :) I hope you all take the time this month to recognize what you are thankful for.

10 Months Old!!

Yep, that's right.. I can't believe it either. As of yesterday Katelyn is TEN months old! It still seems at times like I just had her yesterday. Each day I'm learning something new and each day I learn to be more patient and loving. She makes me such a better person, wife, and MOM. My future children are lucky because Katelyn has taught me a lot about being a good mother!

She is doing so much now and getting so big and independent. Honestly, I don't remember very well the times when she couldn't move. I think now... what would I do when she just sat there? Not being able to roll or anything? It's just a COMPLETELY new adventure having to go around and watch her every move. I love it though. I hear a lot of people saying they want their baby to take their time to learn to walk, but when she started crawling and now that she is walking I fell in love with this stage of her life. It is so fun to see her explore. To call her over to me. To have her help me with different things like the dishes (well she doesn't really help she just loves standing there holding on to the rack and laugh and keeping me company, which I love :) ).

Seriously, walking is such a fun thing. Taking her outside is so fun for me. We were outside playing soccer the other day. I would kick it and she would scurry to try and pick the ball up.. she still doesn't have the kicking part down, but she loves to carry the ball and set it down. There are just so many things we can have fun with now that she can walk.

Here are some things about Katelyn now that she is 10 months old:

-Walks everywhere. I don't think I've seen her crawl very far at all since she learned to walk.

-Eats some table foods, bread, sliced banana's, potatoes, chicken, etc.

-STILL NO TEETH! That doesn't really bother me though. She's always happy and I've heard some horrible teething stories.. so I'd hate to see those little teeth bothering her!

-She knows how to say HI, she just won't say it that often.

-She claps! It's so cute, she'll just walk around clapping sometimes. Or when she does something really good she'll start clapping when I say yay. The other day I was talking to someone and I said, "Oh yay! Good for you." and she started clapping, haha it was so cute.

-She goes to bed and naps SO easy. One day she just didn't need a bottle, didn't need anything really, I just walked to her room and she was basically asleep by the time I got there. Ever since then I don't think I've had her put up a fight with napping or bedtime. She knows when it's time and everything works out perfect.

Well, there's so much she does I know I can't think of everything. She is just so sweet and we love her so much. I feel like the year has gone by too fast. In 2 months she will be a year old. I can't believe it.

Well, Happy Halloween everyone! Hope you enjoyed your weekend :)

Katelyn 10 Months

Storybook Forest

Last night we went to this really fun Halloween event for kids. It was at a lake nearby and they set up a trail through the trees. The trail was lit up with orange lights and along the trail they had different scenes and characters from storybooks. They had the three little pigs, the little old lady who lived in a shoe, the.. ok now my mind has gone blank and I can't remember all of them. It was really fun though!! Adults were free, kids were charged. Even though Katelyn wasn't going to eat the candy we still collected it and had her go up to each person and grab one. It was cute. She didn't want to let go of each piece she got and got mad every time we took it away, but soon after she was getting another one so that made her happy.

Here are a few pics from the night. We went with some friends, their little boy is the cute little fireman! Then we were also there with another couple and their ADORABLE little twins. I wish I would have got a picture with them because their outfits were so cute, little giraffe and a zebra!

Before it all began:

 We dressed Katelyn up as a BYU cheerleader! We already had the outfit and I thought, why not since I don't want to go out and buy another expensive little kids costume.

 Surprisingly she loved the little pom pom. I was a little hesitant making it thinking she'd destroy it and eat it all up, but she didn't eat it once! And when I gave it to her as soon as I told her to shake it she did. It was so cute!

 She is ready for a FUN night!

 The gang.. minus the other parents and little twins :)

 She was SO happy

 The little pig who made his house out of hay!

 The other two little pigs

 Hansel and Gretel the witches' home made out of candy.. (that's the right story right?)

 Daddy and Katelyn and the big black cat

 Oh boy, you woulda thought we gave her some of that sugar, but she was just happy to see everything!

 The after party.... we enjoyed ice cream after and I took Katelyn's pigtails out and her hair looked so funny

We have another fun little event for kids coming up this Friday. It's similar except they decorate our zoo! So that should be fun, and  there may be a future blog post about that too. :)

I really, really enjoyed dressing Katelyn up and taking her to this little activity. It was a lot of fun to watch her be so happy. It's amazing how many fun, new, and exciting things you get to do as parents. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I'm glad she is able to do these things now and be happy about it. I sure do love her!!

I Hate Goodbyes.. :(

Well, my mom and little brother left this morning. Their trip was short and sweet. Unfortunately I didn't get very many pics from their trip out here (why does that always seem to happen, you forget to take pictures when the exciting things happen?) My little brother's camera died too while he was here so I don't think he got very many either! I can tell you we had a good time though. I really enjoyed them being here. And although it was just a few short days with them, I already don't know what to do with myself. With Nick gone at school and just me and Katelyn in the house again it's really quiet.

I'm glad my mom and little brother were able to come and I can't wait to see more family during the holidays! :)

Here are a few pics I got from my phone with them here:

 At the Zoo. Isaac comparing the width of his arms to the span of a female bald eagle's wings.

 Comparing his hand to a grizzly bear paw.

 At the store. Katelyn didn't want to be sitting, she just wanted to be out helping push the cart.

Last night here. We went to the park and were just having fun. :) It was really dark, but it was only 7:30 p.m.

Well, that's all for now!

What if I told you...

I was going to make our blog private?

For those private bloggers, how do you feel about it? Is it a hassle? Is it hard to get everyone emailed an invite?

I just hate not knowing who is looking at/stalking my blog. I'm also kind of hesitant putting pictures of Katelyn up because random people can just look at my blog.

So.. most likely this will occur. I know a lot of people read it that DON'T have a blog, so what do they do? Do they need a google account or can they sign in with another account? A lot of people read it who I DON'T EVEN know they read it.. doesn't mean I don't want you to :) just let me know you are reading it!

Please give all your input! I'd really like to know how it is having a private blog and how to make it easy for people who aren't very familiar with blogger to be able to log in to read and leave comments.

Thanks!

Time is Not Going to Stop.. or Rewind.

I put away my favorite little bunny pants of Katelyn's yesterday. Why? Because she is too big for them now. I was so sad putting away more clothes of hers. This is the second time I've had to go through, empty and restock her drawers. Surprisingly I don't cry, but I do get very emotional. Especially since yesterday while we were in there she would bring her book up to me and put it in my face like she wanted me to read it to her and she would get on my lap. I thought "How are you already this old? Where has time gone?"

This morning I also was trying to show Katelyn some pictures of herself on Nick's laptop and I stumbled across this video:

This is a video of her the first day she was born in the hospital. I realized yesterday that Katelyn is not ever going to get younger, she won't ever be my little newborn again, she won't EVER be this age again, and that I should be doing everything I can to make the most of it. I sure hope I am. I take a million pictures of her. We could do better on the video recording, but most importantly am I spending the most time with her I can rather than doing other things like Facebook, browsing the internet, or watching tv? That is something I want to always remember because time is still moving. Each day she gets older. I hope you all take the time to be with and appreciate the time you have with the ones you love!

Although I do feel this way sometimes, I AM so excited for her to be getting older and I sure do love watching her grow and learn and do new things, but it is always sad knowing she's not going to be your little baby forever. She is so cute at every stage it makes me want to see her grow and what she'll be doing next.

You Ready For This?

Ok, so the title is mainly for my little brother because on his blog he titled his last post "Ready?" so I'm copying him and asking him the same QUESTION! ha

My Mom and little brother get to come visit us this week!! I am very excited. You don't know how much I miss having family around. Nick and Katelyn definitely do keep me satisfied in Oklahoma, but I'm sure many of you know how it is not to live anywhere near your family. :( sad.

I'm so excited that they can come see Katelyn. Come see my home. Come stay in my home. That I can cook for them, clean for them, show them around Oklahoma, etc, etc. My whole family has only been here once so I've been waiting for someone to come back!

I'm also glad that they are coming NOW because I feel like they don't get to see Katelyn as much as they should. Most of my family probably won't see her until she is just about to turn ONE year old and to think about that seems crazy and sad at the same time. So I'm thrilled they can spend time with her and see her more before she gets older. :)

My little brother is absolutely one of my best friends (I have many). We are nine years apart and I feel like I grew up raising him. I talk about him to people A LOT and I'm sure they can always tell how much I just love him! He is such a funny, outgoing (when he gets to know you), energetic, loving, little guy and I can't wait to see him.

I can't wait to see my mom either. I love talking to my mom. And being able to talk to her in person is better than any old skype session or over the phone conversation. So I'm very excited for that! I love her advice and help she gives while we are together. I especially love all the diaper changes she offers to do also! Ha just kidding. Actually I'm not, I really do love it.

I really wish my whole family were coming out. I miss my brothers, my one and only sister, my Dad, but soon enough I will see them. :)

Can't wait to see you bubba! (Me and Isaac at Alpine Valley.. I think?)

Another exciting thing is that Nick's parents are coming out shortly after my mom and little brother leave! I'm sure Nicholas would express how much this means to him and how very excited he is (we both are), but unfortunately he doesn't blog all that much ;) We are very excited for them to come and also welcome them into our home! Again.. they've only been here once too! We love having family in town, so we are excited for this month to SLOWLY go by and enjoy our time together!

Can't wait to see everyone!

I Made Something

I guess when I'm proud of something I post about it. I love to sew I just never have good projects or time it seems like. However I've been wanting to make these chair covers for SUCH a long time because now that we have a little kiddo that can walk, grab, make things dirty I figured off-white chair covers (the original color) probably aren't the best idea. ;) So.. I changed them up and gave them a little twist.

 Original chair cover

     New chair cover

And I actually really like them. I still have a few more to do. I like to take it one day, I mean one week, at a time. They take some work to put together!

 I think the red table runner and the new black and white colors all tie together really nice. Hopefully I can finish the 4 other covers I need to do!

If you guys are looking to spice up your house a little bit, chair covers, pillow covers, anything small like that can give a new look to a room and it just takes a little work! Try it out. :)

"Fall Six Times.. and Stand Up Seven."

"Why Do We Fall? So We Can Pick Ourselves Back Up Again."

I have heard these two quotes just recently in the last couple of days. The first one from my little brother and the second one from my older sister. Man I've just got great examples all around me don't I? I love hearing these quotes and they make me feel stronger. But that's not the reason why I'm quoting them. I'm quoting them because of this little girl:

Katelyn is definitely not afraid of a challenge. Ever since she was very little I could tell she was a mover. She did not want to stay in one place at a time. So she has taken on each challenge: rolling, crawling, standing up on things, and now.. that first step, and she has conquered all of them. She is walking!

I feel like those quotes describe her exactly. She might fall, she might get a little hurt, but that just means she's going to pick herself back up again. It's so funny to see her cruising along the couch and then just suddenly let go and take off across the living room walking. 

She has fallen down. And she has fallen hard. 

Sad, I know :(

But, she wasn't afraid to try again and pick herself back up. And now she has become so good at walking.

I guess I better tell the story of that big, sad, ouchie up there. I took her to the park and we were walking on the sidewalk to the park. She was holding my finger and doing so well. I guess she thought she was a little MORE than ready to walk on her own and literally threw my hand away and started running. Soon after of course she fell right on her knees before I could grab her. :( She cried for a little, but when I picked her up she wanted to keep on walking. I didn't let her, of course, and our park time was cut to NO park time so we could go home and wash up that ugly old scratch. 

She was so cute when I was washing it. She didn't make a peep, but you know how when we clean up little kids scratches and they make a fist or clench their teeth and make like a deep inhale gasp? It kind of sounded like when I ran the water over her knee she made this little inhale gasp like oooouuussh.

Anyways, she is doing a really good job at walking. Especially at home. She walks all over the place. When we are in public I still won't let her walk, and when we are at other people's homes I think she gets a little scared and still doesn't do too well. She has a long ways to go before I completely let her walk on her own, but she definitely has got it down around our house.

Here are a few pics I took of her today walking:

KITE Park! 9 Month Pics! A question...

Ok, so I was going to put this on the last post but decided I'd just make a new one so it didn't get so long... and I was about done with uploading pictures after that last post!

First.. We went to this really fun park the other day with two of my other friends Mirjam and Laci.  It was a park that had ALL sand (instead of those nasty wood chips that hurt our poor babies toes) and it had a lot of other fun stuff. Katelyn LOVED it! She had never been in sand before so I was kind of hesitant not knowing how she'd react. She did great though... considering she didn't put the sand in her mouth and she only stuck a shovel in her mouth a couple of times! Here are some pictures:

 "Mom, my shovel! I love it." She wanted to keep this thing with her the WHOLE TIME

 She was so dirty, haha. We had a nice bath afterward :)

 Going down the slide..

 No! She got the shovel in her mouth first.. eew.

 And.. down she went.

 BLAKE! Love this little guy.

 wow, this is fun.

 Little Nayvi!

 FUN!

 Katelyn wanted to crawl on the bridge.. She was holding Blake up

 All the kids playing in the sand

 9 months old!

 She would NOT lay her head on that grass. Haha, it's a little prickly, but she just wouldn't lie down.

 Katelyn & Momma

 Trying to let go of her hand to stand for a pic.. she wouldn't, she knows when it's coming

 The lighting from pictures outside, just look SO much better than pictures inside

 Being silly.. "I'm so big!"

Attacking me. Anytime I get on the ground (inside the house or outside) she always crawls all over me, kisses me, slobbers on me, pulls my hair... basically just attacks me.

I love this little girl. And I can't believe how fast she is growing. She makes every day special and I always have a reason of why my day was good, because of her. 

One last question.. I have SOO many pictures. I take one of Katelyn every day.. with out fail. I'm almost positive, but what do I do with all of them?? I have a baby book for her. Which I'll put some in. I was thinking of making collages of a ton of pictures then printing them as pages and just making a big photo book of her. I just don't know what to do. What do you do with all of your pictures? I hate just having them, and them sitting saved on my computer.