Easter Weekend

We had a great Easter weekend (minus a nasty stomach virus that BJ & I both had).  Fortunately, my mom made a last minute trip in for the weekend and was able to help out with the cooking, cleaning, child duties, etc.  Thank you Mom! She and Kaitlin really enjoyed their weekend together and spent a lot of time playing outside, cooking, dying easter eggs, and shopping.  I also enjoyed a nice visit with my mom once I was feeling better. We finished the weekend with Easter dinner at Brian and Teresa's.  I love holidays.  It's so fun getting to do all the kid activities all over again. =)

They look so much alike.

Such a happy child.

So excited to dye Easter Eggs.

Morning of Easter Egg Hunt.

She loves ducks!

Finally a decent picture of the two of us! :) She insisted on wearing her sunglasses.

Kaitlin and her daddy. <3

2012.

Out with the old and in with the new! We have a lot planned for 2012.  Between balancing careers in the city and life in suburbia, it sure is busy around here! Its hard to believe that Miss Katie Bug will be turning 2 in just a couple of months. She is growing up so fast.  She is doing wonderful at school and loves her teachers as much as they love her (which makes me so happy).  She is learning so much.  After months of ear infections and being sick she finally had tubes put in last week.  It was a little scary for mom and dad, but she did great.  Now we are just looking forward to pain free ears! Poor thing had moderate hearing loss, but it is expected to return to normal.  And now that she can hear again we really expect her talking to take off even more than it already has.  She is the life of our house and there is never a dull moment that is for sure.

On the agenda for 2012~ potty training, gymnastics, swim lessons, house hunting and a move, several weddings, beach trips, and lots more to come.  Here is a fun video of Miss Kaitlin:



Dance Dance Dance from Sarah McGill on Vimeo.

Happy Halloween!

It feels like we have been celebrating Halloween for a month by now.  So when the day actually came and it was time for Trick or Treat...we were pretty much over it.  Not to mention it was on a Monday which are typically early nights for our little one.  I do love the holiday though and am looking forward to many years of Trick or Treat to come.  Kaitlin had many opportunities to wear her costume and I know I'm biased, but she was the cutest little lamb ever!

Don't you just want to eat her up?  She is hilarious and sure does love to play dress up!

Parade with daddy.

Halloween Eve.

 Walking in the Halloween Parade.

 Boo @ the Zoo!

 

She is the best.

Just precious.

At the Stone Mountain Pumpkin Festival parade. She loves the music and danced the whole time!

Not pictured- parade and party at school...no wonder I'm exhausted after this month long holiday! Up next West Virginia for Thanksgiving and Christmas! 

October.

Fall has officially become my favorite season of the year.  This has been the prettiest fall I can remember and the temps have been perfect. I am sad to see the month of October come to an end.  Our weekends have been filled with fun things for our little Katie bug.  Maybe in November we will get to relax a little...I doubt it as I am pretty sure relaxing is a thing of the past. Ahh oh well.

Some other things that have happened this month~ I got a new car that I'm obsessed with and BJ started a new job!

We are really looking forward to the holiday season. =) 

Here are some photos from the past month:

 At the Stone Mountain Pumpkin Festival

We were happy to have Nini in town for an unexpected weekend!

@ the apple festival.  Kaitlin loved the petting zoo!

@ the apple festival. {yes her face was a mess-its called pick your battles}

Riding a pony for the first time at the North Georgia Fall Festival.

Having a blast with my precious girl @ the N.Ga fall festival.

Isn't she the cutest?

More photos from Halloween to come...

Times have changed.

I, like many of my friends, could not have imagined myself spending a Saturday night at home, much less being a mother. Although I wanted children, a few years ago it was just an abstract thought...something I knew would happen one day...way in the future. But, here I am a wife, the proud mother of a beautiful, thriving 14 month old, and two crazy dogs, and I couldn't be happier. Staying home on a Saturday night is just fine for me, in fact it is perfect.

Last night, as we were watching videos we had taken over the weekend and laughing hysterically I realized that things are just perfect the way they are and what a great little family I have...crazy dogs and all. Just a little insight into what makes me happy these days....

This is the hot dog song/dance from Micky Mouse Club (for my non mommy friends)...please excuse my terrible voice.

14 months.

This has been quite a busy month for our little bug. Along with numerous trips to the park, we have also visited the Georgia Aquarium, the Botanical Garden, become a regular at LA Fitness Kids Klub, and started classes at Gymboree. She is a social butterfly to say the least. She started walking a month ago and, like me, is always in a hurry. This means there are a lot of falls. A few bumps and bruises and she is not phased a bit. Each day I feel like she is doing something new. Some of our favorite things right now:

* Opening and closing doors and cabinets.
* Taking everything out of a bag,purse, box, etc. We are working on putting it back in.
* Eating with a spoon. I won't give her free reign just yet...
* Trying out different snack foods. She would literally eat cheerios all day long...
* Taking off bibs by herself (and her pants and diaper a couple of times).
* Playing independently, but is at her happiest when mommy or daddy is playing with her.
* Loving her babies--her bedtime lovey, Ellie the elephant, her lady bug stuffed animals, and her bitty baby.
* Listening to music, dancing, and singing baby babble.
* Playing peek-a-boo and cracking up.
* Play hide and seek (I hide, she comes and finds me).
* Giving mommy looks like "you are an idiot"---she is so my child and I know I am going to get serious pay backs.
* Mama is now "mammy" and still her favorite word. Its funny because when she wakes up in the morning she says "mammy" and then she says "dog" because I always take her to see the dogs when she gets up.
* Repeating words a lot... hint hint daddy ;).
* She most likely thinks Mac's name is "bad dog" and I know she says it sometimes.
* Mommy is losing the hair bow battle, as its just not worth the struggle and she takes them out anyway.
* Fighting allergies (I hate that she got this from me, especially since we live in the south).
* Squealing...remember when I said it was so cute when she was 4 months old...not so much now in the middle of the grocery store. We are working on not squealing anymore.
* Giving hugs and being just as sweet as ever.

And just for fun, here is a pic of when she was 2 weeks old and one I took yesterday. What a difference 13.5 months can make!

Mother's Day Weekend.

Anyone that is blessed to be a mother knows that mother's day is everyday. However, with all of the rewards there are certainly challenges, so it is nice to have a day of appreciation. :) I was very spoiled this mother's day weekend. Have I mentioned how much I love the weather down here? Aside from having to lather sunscreen on Kaitlin everytime we go outdoors, it is wonderful.

Saturday afternoon stroll along the Chattahoochi River.

The hubby planned a picnic at the park and it was the perfect way to spend Sunday afternoon.

In honor of Mother's Day weekend...

{At our beautiful wedding that my parents so generously gave us.}

My mom is truly my best friend and although I hate to admit she is ALWAYS right (really wish I'd listened to the tanning bed/sun burn advice in high school/college). But even when I make bad decisions she is always there for me. She is so strong and always sacrifices for those she loves, especially her children. We are very lucky to have her as our mom!

Life with a 13 month old...

...is very rewarding and exhausting!!! Two months ago I did not think this child could get any more active. Oh boy was I wrong. With a later bedtime and less frequent/shorter naps, it is amazing anything gets done around here (it is also the reason for midweek cocktails). But we are also having a lot of fun. She is doing so many new things, it truly is amazing. My favorite is when she smacks her lips together when i ask for a kiss. She will do a little shake when I ask her to dance also...so freaking cute. She cries when I drop her off at the Kids Klub @ the gym, but then she has fun playing (especially with the boys). She says "hi dog" to Maddie. Bath time is still a favorite, but washing her hair is a challenge as she won't sit still. She walks when you hold her hand, but doesn't have the confidence to try it on her own yet. She makes us laugh all the time, especially when we hear her "talking" to herself and playing in her crib. She definitely has a mind of her own...some days she will eat whatever you give her, other days she refuses to eat even her favorites. She loves eggs and lima beans (strange I know). Transitioning to whole milk was a bit of a struggle, but we finally got it down. She uses a cup 95% of the time and only drinks from a bottle if she wakes up during the night (really kinda sad). She loves to be chased and loves to play outside. Running errands isn't quite as easy as it used to be, as she is not so content in the shopping cart anymore. Also, there is something about 5 o'clock that makes everyone in my house (dogs +baby) go a little crazy (reason for the cocktails) and there are definitely days that I wish my hubby could get home earlier. But, I am also treasuring this time at home with my little bug and am feeling very lucky that I have this opportunity.

On a side note...my family recently lost a family member in a very very tragic way. It has and will continue to be very difficult on many people. I am not going to discuss it on here, but I want to ask that if you read this to please take a minute to say a prayer for the family and friends, especially the children and grandchildren.

Love.

Hugging and kissing her even more lately...messy face and all.

Kaitlin and Mac.

Kaitlin and Mac., originally uploaded by mcgills09.

Marietta.

We are really enjoying our new city. We knew living outside of Atlanta was going to be different than living in the heart of Buckhead, as we did before. But, really its not so different (other than BJ's commute to work). We have absolutely everything we could possibly ever want/need within just a few miles. And we are close enough to enjoy all the benefits that Atlanta has to offer, without all the traffic. Since I am not working right now, I am really trying to get to know the area. Cobb County has approximately 700,000 residents and Marietta is the county seat. Marietta is a charming/quaint southern city with a lot of history. Kaitlin and I took her dad down to Marietta Square Saturday and Sunday. Marietta Square is a park (Glover Park) in the center of the city surrounded by restaurants and boutique shops. Every Saturday morning there is a Farmer's Market, so we headed there after the gym. Here is an iphone pic of BJ and Kaitlin (I was rushed out the door and forgot my camera):

Sunday we took Maddie and Kaitlin to East Cobb Park. Growing up right across from a park, I have always loved parks. Fortunately, we have MANY to choose from close by. But, East Cobb park is really pretty and seems the most kid friendly. Everyone was out enjoying this beautiful day. Watching some kids kick around a soccer ball. Reminds me of Ritter Park with the creek.

After the park, we decided to head back down to Marietta Square for some outdoor lunch and drinks. It was a great day!

Margaritas and live music...sounds like a great day to me.

After lunch, we walked across the street to Glover park for some photos.

I am so excited for Spring and Summer. There is so much I want to do!