Jumping

Cate has mastered jumping -- but just a little over a month ago she was still learning. I took this video the weekend of her birthday. She was jumping over the hose in our front yard.

She loves to read!

Cate really likes to read. I shot this video early in the summer, but I forgot to upload it. I caught her reading her coloring book on the couch.

One last video from vacation

Another video

I have more video of the fire dancers from our hotel in Cozumel. They show was at least half an hour long, so there were lots of good opportunities for video and pictures.

Fire Dancing

Our hotel in Cozumel provided some kind of entertainment each night. One evening, they had a fire dancing show. It was very cool.

Our Vacation to Cozumel

Stephen and I just got back from a week-long trip to Cozumel, Mexico. Cozumel is a small island just south of Cancun. The island is surrounded by one of the largest coral reefs in the world, so it's a prime location for diving and snorkeling. We did a lot of snorkeling in addition to lounging at our hotel, eating some great Mexican food and exploring the island. We had a great time!

Our Little Star

Cate loves music and she likes to sing. We got video of her tonight performing her rendition of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.

A Photo Shoot at the Park

Cate and I went to the park last Saturday. I struck a deal with her (yes, with my 2-year-old daughter) that she could swing, if I could take her picture. I think I got a good one! I hope everyone likes this because you may see it again --- perhaps on notecards, Christmas cards or gifts for you :)

Cate with the camera

Cate has finally figured out the mystery of the camera. It's practically impossible to get a good picture of her because she recognizes the camera immediately when it comes out. For her birthday weekend, she commandeered the camera and took pictures. She walked around saying "cheese" and "smile" to everyone, while holding the camera. It was very cute (even if it make getting her photo difficult).

When she ran out of people to photograph, she started taking pictures of objects. She would say "cheese table" or "cheese book."

Birthday Update

As usual, I haven't had much time to update anyone on what has been going on with us. The biggest news is Cate's birthday. We had a great birthday weekened with her (August 18 and 19). Our girl now has more books that just about anyone I know. We practically have our own library. She loves to read her books, so it's perfect for her.

Cute Dress

I took some photos of Cate this weekend in her cute pink dress. She does well posing for the camera.

The Horn on the Bus

Cate has learned the "Wheels on the Bus" song at day care. She is particularly animated when beeping the horn on the bus. She can't seem to do the beeping without moving around in a circle.

Marathon Pictures

I don't think I'll win any fashionista awards with my look during our run. These are pictures taken as we were running and one of Stephen at the finish line area.

The weather in San Diego in June is pretty good for running. It's usually overcast in the morning, with the sun coming out late morning or early afternoon. That's what happened for the marathon. The sun came out late morning (probably around mile 13 or 14 for us) and it got pretty warm after that. I think it was in the low 80s. The sunscreen we put on early in the morning was long gone by the time we finished, so we both got a little sunburned.

We finished!

We did it. We finished a marathon. It took a long time, but we made it to the finish line. Here is a picture of us with our medals. Yes, they give you a medal no matter how long it takes you to get to the end. As long as you aren't picked up by the bus for stragglers, you get a finisher's medal.

I think I speak for both of us when I tell you we are glad we did it, but we probably won't do it again.

Jumping

Cate is learning how to jump. She can get both feet off the ground now, but in this video, she was still practicing.

Cate's Bubble Dance

Cate likes to sing and dance. Here is a short clip of her Bubble Dance.

A new slideshow

It has been quite a while since I've had time to work on my photos of Cate. I spent some time recently downloading and editing photos from the last three months.

Cool Slideshows

My little cook

Cate helped with cooking dinner on Sunday evening. I'm not sure who had more fun -- Cate or Mom.

Cate Loves Music

Cate likes to sing and dance. We often hear her singing and clapping in bed in the morning before we go in to get her. The other day, she was singing during dinner. PopPop (Grandpa Martino) encouraged her by singing one of her favorites, Bingo. If you listen at the end, she asks for it again by saying "name-o."

A quick Easter pic

Cate was adorable in her Easter dress. She wore white gloves (and a white hat not in this picture)! Even though the gloves were far too big, she insisted on wearing them. It really is fun to have dresses, tights and all the fun that goes with a little girl.