Sisters

I love that Eleanor finally has a sister! She seems pretty happy about it too. She always includes Katherine in her little drawings. She's good at getting Katherine to smile. Last weekend we had Katherine outside in a bouncer while we did some yard work. Gavin was testing out the sprinklers and Eleanor stood in front of Katherine so she could protect her from getting sprayed with any water. So sweet. So glad she's getting the chance to learn how to take care of and sacrifice for a sibling!

8 Weeks Already

I've been trying to capture little Katherine's elusive smile on camera. Don't you see a little hint of a dimple on those cheeks?

We're really enjoying this newborn stage with Katherine. She's starting to sleep about 7 hours at night, so everything suddenly becomes more enjoyable! Amazing how that works. Eleanor still dotes on her and has learned quite a bit about helping with the baby. It's great to have a second set of hands (and legs, more importantly!) during the day.

Meet the Cousins

We were so lucky to have Grandma Payne, all the Payne aunts and most of the cousins come out last week to meet Katherine. We missed Natalee and Carson, but all the little ones had a great time together.

Maddie's kissy face is so adorable!

It was fun to see Addie and Maddie, born six weeks apart now as one year olds.

Isaac and Eleanor ran around together and she enjoyed reading him stories.

It was a great couple of days together. We went shopping, out to our favorite Chinese haunt, swimming with the kids, out to breakfast to celebrate Eleanor's birthday, checked out the furniture store with Grandma, and lots of fun times just watching the kids play. Thanks for the visit and for helping me realize I can do this out-and-about thing with a baby!

Some Similarities

Little Katherine is 6 weeks old today! We love the spirit she adds to our family. She's been learning a lot in these last few weeks. Most importantly, she's stretching to 5 and 6 hours between feedings at night! Hurray.

Thought I'd post a comparison of the girls. Above is Katherine at 6 weeks. Below is Eleanor at 4 weeks. I think Katherine has more hair, but otherwise they are just a little bit alike, don't you think?

I experimented with making some baby hair (should be head) bows yesterday. It was somewhat addicting! You'll have to pass on your tips Krystal.

Blessed Babe

While my dad was in town this weekend, we were able to bless Katherine... good way to celebrate the Easter holiday I think. She apparently didn't like being yanked from her warm blanket and wailed through the whole blessing. She stopped, as if on cue, with the amen. That's the first time we can remember hearing a collective chuckle after a blessing in church! She didn't make a peep the rest of the meeting of course.

Here's a peak at some of the details from her beautiful dress that Grandma made. My favorite is the flower buttons - so precious!

Wonder Woman

What a difference a few weeks makes! My mom flew out the day before Katherine was born. When she left today, we have a sweet little one-month old baby! We've been so spoiled to have her help for a whole month! I can't list everything she did while she was here, but here is a start:
Woke up at 7:30 am every day to get Eleanor ready for school
Made fabulous meals every night
Did lots of dishes
Laundry
Held the baby so I could take a shower occassionally
Mended a shirt or two of Gavins
Sewed a jacket for me
Sewed a dozen butterflies I've been meaning to add to Eleanor's bed (pictures soon)
Took Eleanor to church every week
Picked Eleanor up from school
Went grocery shopping
Finished about 100 Sudoku puzzles in her spare time!
Etc, etc, etc!


After she gets home she has just a few weeks to make a wedding dress and help with all the plans for my sister's wedding in six weeks! I hope you get a good vacation come June. Thanks Dad for sparing Mom for that long, I know it was tough, but we sure appreciate it.

My only complaint (can I even say that without sounding like a spoiled child?) is that I haven't lost a pound in several weeks with all that great cooking... banana cream pies, cinnamon rolls, cheesecake, etc. But hey, I've got to keep my strength up, right?

Happy, Happy Birthday

I know we've been a bit preoccupied with little Katherine lately, but there was no way we could forget Eleanor's birthday this week. She wouldn't let us! I think she casually mentioned it about 50 times, in passing, the day before. We already told her that we'd be building a swingset for her birthday present, so we didn't have anything in the way of gifts to give her that day. Still, we had a great time celebrating. Gavin took the time to meet us for a long lunch at Chuck E Cheese. She got to talk with all her grandparents and most of her aunts, uncles, and cousins too. Thanks for calling to wish her happy birthday - she loved it!

I saw this idea online for a rainbow cake and we decided to give it a try. I know you don't trust my pictures, but I swear this is unPhotoshopped. It really turned out this bright! Note to those who'd like to try this... the color intensifies when baked, so you don't need too much food coloring (the concentrated kind).