Just for Fun!

[goofin' around - I think she was sticking her tongue out at us!]


[hello world!]


[one of her favorite spots!]

[check out this series of pics...]



[along the way, I obviously upset her ; ) but she's still so precious!]


Life has been so great! We can hardly believe how fast Kate is growing and changing. She's 6 1/2 weeks as of today!!! We haven't gotten out of the house much since she was born, except to maybe go to grandma's house for a few hours. We decided to wait until she has all of her shots to get her out and about like we'd like. So, for now, we're just making our to-do list of all the places we'll get to go once we're officially on the move. Here's a few of the latest pics we've captured! We've got some great video too and I need to get a few of those clips posted soon so you can see her in action! She loves the bath and we've got some fun bath time footage.

Kate also flashed me her first "real" smile about a week or so ago! It totally caught me off guard. It was one random morning and she's always happy after getting a good night's rest. I looked down at her and it was the biggest, gummy smile I've ever seen - so great! I also got her to do it for me on command on video the other day...I was shocked but it's priceless! Those are the moments you wish you could bottle up forever and ever!!

Kate's First Month in the World

I'm lagging behind these days and with good reason ; ) My mom left just a few short days ago - she's been in town living with us temporarily for about a month since Kate's birth. She helped out in so many ways and made the mommyhood transition as easy as possible for me. But, now she's gone (eek!!!) and we're getting adjusted around here to managing on our own.

Kate turned one month old on July 16! Thought I'd share a few of my favorite pics of her. She's getting so big and she's more and more alert and in tune with the world around her every day! It's fun times!!! Just wish I could bottle up this time and re-live the moments we've had over and over. Time flies!

Oh...and the first pic of Kate with her monkey is a standard shot you'll be seeing more of. I'm going to take her picture with the monkey each month as she gets older so we can see how much bigger she gets over time.

Kate's First Swimsuit!

Ok...so I just had to share these pics of Kate in her first swimsuit! She's actually got several tiny suits but this was one especially for the 4th of July holiday but she didn't get to wear it on that occasion...maybe she'll get to wear it again for Labor Day! And of course, we can't get her tiny body out in the sun, so really this was merely a little photo shoot we did with her sporting her first bathing suit! She'll probably look back on these pics one day and think they are embarrassing, but I, on the other hand, think she looks so adorable. She doesn't look so happy in one of these pics ; ) This little swimsuit is red, white and blue and has a little tie on the front and ruffles on the buns! Ahhh...so precious!!

OMG - I'm 30!

Hard to believe that I've turned the BIG 30! My birthday was on July 14 and we celebrated with friends over dinner at Mama Roja's out on Lake Hefner. It was a great first night out for fun since the baby and the margarita was EXCELLENT! I have to say though that turning 30 was sort of anti-climatic. After having the excitement of having a baby and experiencing all the joy that she has brought, growing another year older isn't all so bad. I'm pretty certain that my next 30 years are going to be the best ever! Thanks to everyone who sent birthday wishes my way!

Kyle and Carrie's B'day

We celebrated Kyle and his sister Carrie's birthdays recently - they are two years and a day apart in age! Carrie is his older sister and they grew up sharing their birthday celebrations together! And it continues ; ) As you can see, Kyle got a little something nice from Victoria Secret -- haha! Just kidding, it was just what the fam wrapped up a bottle of Jack Daniels single barrel whiskey. I think Kyle also got a Twilight card from the fam too - ha! And, he always has to have his favorite dessert - a big cookie cake.

Kyle is still celebrating with the best b'day gift ever - Kate! But, I also bought him a comfy hammock and it's big enough for the whole family to enjoy. We'll be spending mucho time in it! Can't wait!

Newborn Pics

Kate had newborn pics made recently with the phenomenal Traina Photography who also did my maternity pics! These are just a few of the pics that she edited quickly to give me a sneak peek! We took so many other precious pics that I'll share once I have them. I had no idea what went into a newborn photo session. I thought it would be like any other session - a quick hour or maybe two and it's a wrap! No way...photographing a newborn takes true talent and a special touch. Brandi Traina did amazing with Kate. She would sit with her, rock with her, rub her little back and then position her to get the perfect shots. Kate did a fantastic job with her first official photo shoot with a professional, I must admit! I think she maybe wimpered one time but otherwise, she was either awake or asleep...and either way, we got some pretty precious pictures that are absolutely priceless!

Welcome to the Family!

[Four Generations - from left to right: My mom (Mimi), Me, Kate, Mamaw (Kate's Great Grandmother)]


[Kyle's mom (Grandma) and Kate]


[Aunt Alli and Kate]


[Aunt Carrie and Kate]


[Grandma, Aunt Alli, Grandpa and Kate]


[Kate with her Great Grandmother]


[Kyle, Me and Kate with Kyle's Parents]


[Kyle, Me and Kate with my Parents]


[Me, Kate and her Great Grandmother]


[Mimi and Papa with Kate]


[Mimi and Kate]


[Kate with her Great Grandmother]


[Kate being admired by her Great Grandmother and Great Grandfather]


[My dad (papa) and Me and Kate]


[Papa with Kate]

We have had so many visitors over the last two weeks and Kate has been officially welcomed to the family by so many proud relatives! Thought I'd share a few of the pics we took with Kate with some very meaningful people in our lives who love her so very much!!! She's a pretty lucky girl!