Kate is Three

Kate is Three.

 

It seems like just yesterday I was taking this picture before we headed to the hospital.

 

And thankfully, this little newborn face still is implanted in my memory.

 

Kate still makes this face when she cries.

 

Kate was an easy baby, the easiest of the crew.

 

 

 

But, alas, that calm, quiet demeanor soon started to become overshadowed by a bit of spunk. And this bruise on her head at her one year birthday was a timely foreshadowing of the liveliness that was to come.

 

 

And, sure enough, the spunk came and that timid smile from her first birthday emerged into a boisterous grin at her second birthday which matched her boisterous personality.

 

 

Kate is our "ham." The past year has proven it. She's sneaky. Oh so sneaky, but quick to say "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," if caught in the act. She'll finish off your drink if you leave it on the table. Or she'll grab a few chocolates from the treat bowl if it's within reach. Kate's motto most defintely aligns with, "It's better to ask for forgiveness than permission."

 

She is expressive. Oh so expressive. To communicate, words are not enough, and she uses LOTS of words. She also includes hand gestures as well as appropriate facial expressions to communicate clearly. Perhaps we have a great orator on our hands. Or perhaps an entertainer, though hopefully more of an orator. However, her "haminess" and expressive nature have made her quite attracted to her "Rockin' Star," a.k.a microphone or to the unimaginative world, a pretend doctor instrument(thanks to Grandmama she now has the real deal). Nonetheless, she manages to draw in a crowd with her love for singing with this "Rockin' Star." I'm embarrassed to say that at the last doctor visit we went to she overheard "Call Me Maybe" and proceeded to sing loudly in the waiting room for all the patrons to hear. Still, I hope for the orator. Have you seen Miley Cyrus lately?

 

In the midst of her outgoing personality, she has a very soft side. Another appropriate name for our little Kate would be "Kissing Kate." She gives John and me kisses several times a day. And, starting when she was an infant, she still continues to grab my hand to lay her cheek in it. And just as she loves to be nurtered, she loves to nurture her baby dolls. Thus far, she has received a baby doll for her three birthdays. I didn't realize that until I looked at her past birthday pictures.

 

She doesn't seem to mind.

 

She rocks her babies, feeds her babies, and talks so sweetly to them. She definitely has a motherly side.

She is the one who is most enthusiastic about the play kitchen her Papa made. She cooks for us and enjoys to play in there for an uninterrupted time. She also has taken to the dollhouse I got for Hannah a couple of Christmases ago. Hannah barely touches it. I'm glad Kate does. It's so fun to see how different these girls are.

 

This past year Kate has continued to blossom and has changed our lives forever. She has catapulted us out of the "baby stage" of life and into a new season. She potty trained in two weeks, the quickest of the three. We took down her crib and said goodbye to the nursery, along with all our other baby equipment. Diapers are a thing of the past and so are Pull Ups.

 

It looks like Baby Kate isn't such a baby anymore.

 

 

She's a "big gurl" as she continues to remind us.

 

And that she is, but she'll always be my baby.

 

Happy Third Birthday Kate!

 

We love you and thank the Lord for you!