Recent Conversations

Some time last week....in the car on the way to school....

Cate: Why are we stopped?

Mommy: Because there's a stop sign and we have to stop and look both ways.

Cate: Oh sorry. My bad.

Seriously -- where did she learn "my bad"? And isn't she just four years old?


Getting ready this morning...
Cate: Mommy, can we go on vacation again some time?

Mommy: Of course.

Cate: When we go to the big water slide, I will be first in line. You can stand behind me, Keaton can stand behind you and Daddy will be last. But you can't go if there's any fighting or punching or hitting.

Mommy: Okay. I've got it.

Cate: That's just the way my rules make.


This morning....

Mommy: Cate, what's your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?

Cate: Oranges. (Please note that she has never eaten an orange in my presence.)

Mommy: Really?

Cate: And toast. And those jelly things like I had this morning.

Carnival fun

We spent Saturday afternoon in Olathe at their fall carnival -- Old Settler's Days. Cate had fun riding a few carnival rides while Keaton charmed the ladies. I am thinking maybe next year we can put Keaton in the kissing booth. If we charge $1 for each kiss he gives out, we will be rich! He's quite willing to give lots of slobbery, sweet toddler kisses.

Who is that good lookin' baby?

My new brother-in-law John (recently married to Stephen's sister Kristen) was at our house a couple of weeks ago looking at the photos on our living room mantle. I have one baby picture of me when I was probably around a year old sitting among a collection of dozens of photos of Cate and Keaton. John asked if the photo was Keaton. Of course, I was flattered to be compared to such a cute baby! When I told him it was me, he just mentioned that Keaton looks quite a bit like me as a baby. What a compliment ;)

Last Saturday, Stephen and I went to the KU football game. We sit with another couple from Salina, Charlie and Marcy Roth. We know Charlie as the State Representative from Salina. He's been a great colleague for both Stephen and I on several issues and now we enjoy sitting with him at the games.
On Sunday, we spent the afternoon with Stephen's sister Kristen and her husband John, celebrating John's 31st birthday. Cate kept telling me that John is getting really old.

Monday was a busy and productive day doing all those fun "homeowner" things like mowing the lawn, cleaning skylights, picking up stray branches and cleaning the hot tub. Okay, in full disclosure, Stephen did all those things! I ran errands to the grocery store, cleaned out the fridge, caught up on laundry and made some pasta salad for the neighborhood block party. We had our Labor Day block party at 5:30 and I can say a great time was had by all. Cate got to ride her tricycle up and down the street. Keaton visited with all the neighbors and had fun playing with some koozies and ice!

We've had a great summer, but it's definitely starting to wind down. We are getting into those cool but humid Kansas nights -- thick with mosquitoes! It's not quite cool enough for long sleeves yet, but we definitely need sweaters or light jackets in the morning.

I have posted a few pictures of the kids from recent weeks. The photo at the top is Keaton wearing Pop Pop's hat. He thought that was fun game when Stephen's parents were over a couple of weeks ago.

Below is a photo of the kids with Mimi and Pop Pop (Stephen's parents). I love this photo (even if it is a little blurry) because I know how happy everyone seemed that morning. It was a fun weekend. Stephen and I are so fortunate that they live nearby. They are always there for us when we need a little help -- that's priceless! And the kids just love them, of course. I am so glad that both our kids have the opportunity to be close to their grandparents. I am constantly amazed at how much patience Stephen's parents have and how generous they are with their time. We couldn't be luckier!
A few weeks back, Cate went to a birthday party for a friend. It was a gymnastics party and she had fun running, jumping, flipping and climbing. What a great way to burn off some little kids energy :)

Just Because