cheers to 6 years

I can't believe this sweet girl of mine is 6 years old. When most people find out they are going to become a mom, while ecstatic, worry about raising a kid. For some reason I was not worried in the slightest about becoming a mom (as much as I was trying to figure out how I was going to get through labor!). Katy is a dream come true in the kid department. She made the transition into becoming a mother quite smooth. 

She even let Will open her presents.

would you like some cheese with that?

This picture kills me on a number of levels. I'm seriously at a loss where my kids got the "cheese" face from. Oh and they actually say "cheese" too. Will is demonstrating this as seen above.

He has been having a particularly rough go of things this week. I feel like he is not trying to be bad, but also that he knows better. I know, I know he's only 2 but I think he uses that cute face to his advantage. When I saw him taking selfies with my Instax camera again (wasting a lot of film) I got mad at him and made him sit in his room (seriously the third time this week he had some how MacGyvered my camera from the shelf). When I went to have a "Full House Moment" with him, he kept saying sorry and he gave me a big hug and kiss....which turned into lots and lots of kisses all over my face. And of course I totally melted and he had me wrapped around his finger again. This kid is going to be trouble for this sucker of a mom. Dad wasn't as moved with him when he found a pen in the back seat of his brand new truck and decided to have an art show all over the seats! Your on your own for that one buddy.

good bye mr. tooth

September 2, 2014
First Lost Tooth

As you can tell this girl was a wee bit excited about her first lost tooth. It was loose for several days, actually. I tied a piece of floss around it and she walked around all day tugging on it ever so gently. I finally convinced her, through my many years of having teeth, that I could just get it in one quick tug. That tooth went flying...we were lucky to find it. Katy and Will erupted into cheers and screams. Lucky for her the tooth fairy had a 2 dollar bills on hand. She was one happy camper when she woke up in the morning. Just another reason she is growing up too fast.

in pictures . a pretty happy preschool graduate

May 22, 2014
Preschool Graduation.

It's funny to think that a day like preschool graduation would hit you so hard. I mean it's preschool after all....but I think for me it really hit me how fast time has gone by since we welcomed Katy to the world.

I always say it, but Katy is defiantly one of a kind. I can't say enough what a neat person I think this girl is. Of course I am sure that you would chalk that up to the fact that I am her mom. But I think if you met her you would get a feel for what I am talking about.

Although Katy is scared to death of anything Halloween, and is sensitive....she is also one of the most thoughtful and caring people I know. She is always so kind to others, she is beyond excited when she can meet someone new and is instantly "best friends" with them (at least in her eyes....by that I mean complete strangers we meet at the park and are bound not to ever see again). She has a huge heart and an interest in learning anything that will fit in her head.

When we moved up to Bountiful I was not expecting this is where we would end up, as we had looked at 40+ houses pretty much all over the valley. Everything fell into place, as it should, but we found our selves moving at the end of August and all of the preschools around here were full. I was feeling pretty desperate when I found Mrs. Bri. She has been teaching for over 7 years (I believe) and had recently moved her family back from China, where her husband was in the military. She decided last minute to start her preschool up (something she wasn't sure about since she had just barley moved back). Boy am I glad I found her. We had a good experience in her last preschool...but if you know Bri then you will understand that she would BLOW any other preschool right out of the water. She was incredibly amazing and caring and is beyond gifted at what she does. I have never seen Katy more excited about learning and going to school. She had a great bunch of kids in her class and they were able to do the neatest things.

Katy was especially excited about all the Chinese she was learning. She said it was her favorite country, ha ha! At the end of the year I felt so strongly about her love of Chinese that I opted to put her into the Chinese Emersion lottery for a school that we are just barley out of bounds for. Unfortunately she did not get in, but I am grateful for all that she learned with Bri and for our experiences there. I am blessed to call her my friend.

little miss independent

Katy is my little miss independent. She makes me laugh how old she is getting, and also makes me want to cry when she is constantly telling me that she doesn't need any help with anything...as she can do it herself.

Having a kid like Katy is a dream come true. In the morning, she gets her breakfast, sneaks the iPad and watches shows until someone gets up. This of course is on the mornings I am at work. With Steve on a graveyard schedule he usually stays up late even if he isn't working and we always try to let him sleep in when we can.

Something else that has been happening as of late is her spunky and funky attitude. Something I absolutely love, and something I have a hard time with. I read somewhere that everything is a phase, that's it. It's just a phase. And although it's hard, sometimes, for pregnant and inpatient Amy to remember...all I have to do is LOVE her through the rough patches. Just like everyone get's potty trained - everyone eventually figures themselves out. Katy is shaping up to be a pretty cool cat. I can't wait to see what the next few years makes of her.

These were taken a while ago, as there is now a set of bunk beds in her room. I do love all her hanging art work...that has made it's way to the hallway. And I love how, no matter what, she needs a glass or bottle of water by her bed in case she needs a drink while she's sleeping.