Bloom Where You Are Planted

Kate Eating and Talking

2012-01-22T21:34:00.002-05:00

Kate Sleeping

2012-01-22T21:32:00.002-05:00

Kate is walking!

2011-11-11T13:11:00.006-05:00

After gradually walking further and further over the last month, Kate has finally decided she is ready to walk all the way across a room.

After a big lunch Kate was having trouble staying awake

2011-10-22T18:26:00.002-04:00

Texas Trip-Part Three-Angela's Wedding

2011-10-22T16:27:00.006-04:00

Texas Trip-Part Two-Owen's Birthday Party and the Park

2011-10-22T16:21:00.006-04:00

Our Trip to Texas-Part One Austin

2011-10-22T16:17:00.006-04:00

Some of my favorite food blogs

2011-10-18T11:38:00.003-04:00

Pineapple Cake

2011-10-14T10:13:00.002-04:00

2 cups flour
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
15-1/2 oz. crushed pineapple in syrup
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix dry ingredients. Add the rest. Beat all together. Bake 350 degrees in greased 9x13, 30 minutes or until done.

Cream Cheese Frosting

6 oz. cream cheese, softened room temperature
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Beat together. Spread on cake. Sprinkle with nuts. Refrigerate.

Kate walking with her cart

2011-09-12T14:17:00.002-04:00

Kate at Daycare Ice Cream Social

2011-08-31T20:23:00.003-04:00

Kate with one of her new friednds, Nathan, at the ice cream social.

Kate's new toy

2011-08-20T22:02:00.004-04:00

Kate show's her excitement about her new toy.

Kate's first Birthday Party

2011-08-20T15:24:00.008-04:00

Kate helping with the dishwasher

2011-07-27T13:26:00.005-04:00

Climbing the stairs

2011-07-25T14:07:00.005-04:00

Busted!

We knew she was being too quiet and this is what she was up to.

Going to the pool

2011-07-22T15:45:00.002-04:00

Unfortunately, the pool scared her and she didn't want anything to do with it. Maybe when she's a little older.

Baby laughing

2011-07-17T19:18:00.002-04:00

Cousins swinging

2011-07-17T19:15:00.002-04:00

Kate playing

2011-07-17T19:12:00.002-04:00

Kate's first word

2011-07-14T18:47:00.003-04:00

Kate's been doing a lot of chattering lately and we've been able to get her to repeat the word "Da Da". Can't tell if she knows what it means or is just mimicking us. Very exciting though!

Couple of pics

2011-07-12T07:55:00.005-04:00

Reading with Daddy.

Aren't I cute?

A little Tigers fan.

Miscellaneous pics

2011-06-10T14:57:00.009-04:00

Spring Barbeque

2011-06-10T11:39:00.006-04:00

Visit from Texas - Part Two

2011-06-10T11:28:00.006-04:00

Visit from Texas

2011-06-10T11:15:00.008-04:00

Easter

2011-04-27T17:44:00.009-04:00

Easter Dress

2011-04-27T17:41:00.005-04:00

Saturday in the Park -Part Two

2011-04-27T17:36:00.005-04:00

Saturday at the Park - Part One

2011-04-26T17:55:00.007-04:00

We hadn't seen the Novak's in quite some time, so we were glad to have a chance to visit with them and Grandma Florence. We went to a nice park in Jackson and a good time was had by all.

Kate's teeth

2011-04-15T20:46:00.002-04:00

Kate now has two teeth on the bottom and her two teeth on top are busting through. It's very hard to get a shot of them though. If you try to get her to open her mouth, she shuts it tighter. If you pause at 21 seconds you can get a glimpse of her two bottom teeth.

Kate sitting up and playing

2011-04-15T20:41:00.002-04:00

Kate singing and playing

2011-04-15T20:36:00.001-04:00

Kate Developments--Part Two

2011-03-26T18:46:00.004-04:00

Kate has started briefly pushing up onto all fours. We weren't able to get a picture of her getting all the way up, but here are some of her when she's about halfway up. She also has two little teeth that have busted threw on the bottom, but it's nearly impossible to get a picture of them. We'll keep trying.

Kate Developments--Part One

2011-03-26T18:37:00.006-04:00

Kate is gradually learning how to sit up with no support. She tends to lose her balance pretty quickly, mostly because she's always looking around for something to put in her mouth (her #1 goal in life right now). Here is a visual progression of what usually happens.

Kate by month

2011-03-17T11:13:00.003-04:00

Here's some pictures of Kate with her bear at one month, four months and seven months. My how she's grown.

Future quarterback

2011-02-27T13:33:00.002-05:00

Kate playing football

2011-02-27T13:27:00.002-05:00

Kate likes to toss the football around when she's in the mood. She makes sure her wrist is very limber before she throws though. Don't want to get any injuries.

Kate eating Solids

2011-02-26T09:32:00.005-05:00

After starting Kate with Rice cereal and Oatmeal, we've moved on to vegetables. Today we tried sweet potatoes for the first time. She didn't seem thrilled at first, but she ended up eating almost the whole bowl, so I guess she didn't mind it too much. She just stares at us when we eat, so we're hoping that means she'll be a good eater.

Kates' firsts

2011-02-18T14:20:00.003-05:00

Today has been a huge day of firsts for Kate. First, we all went to the park together at lunch time. Kate had her first ride on a slide (on her Daddy's lap, of course) and had her first ride in a swing (also on Daddy's lap). We also put her on the baby swing to see how she reacted. She looked so tiny in it, we didn't even think about pushing her. At home, today was the first time she finished her entire bowl of rice cereal. Then finally, this afternoon she decided to roll all the way across the living room. It's always so much fun to see her achieve these new feats.

The family at Bob Evans

2011-02-12T10:00:00.002-05:00

Kate's fussiness has been slowly improving, so we've been experimenting taking her out more and trying different things. She did pretty well with her first restaraunt experience.

Pretty girl.

2011-01-29T15:30:00.000-05:00

Where'd the food go?

2011-01-29T15:29:00.001-05:00

Kate doing some light reading

2011-01-29T15:28:00.001-05:00

Kate's first taste of solids

2011-01-29T15:26:00.000-05:00

Kate laughing 2

2011-01-23T15:54:00.002-05:00

It's hard to take videos of Kate because she just stares at the camera. This time we outsmarted her and didn't let her see the camera.

Kate laughing

2011-01-23T15:48:00.003-05:00

What are you looking at?

2011-01-22T11:42:00.000-05:00

Kate is amazed by her own strength.

2011-01-22T11:41:00.000-05:00

Sad girl

2011-01-10T14:50:00.002-05:00

Kate's world famous pout.

Sleepy girl

2011-01-10T14:49:00.000-05:00

Smiley girl

2011-01-10T14:48:00.001-05:00

Playing hungry hungry hippos

2011-01-10T14:46:00.001-05:00

Jeff, Ben, Livvie and Drew playing some hungry hungry hippos while Hannah watches. It was Hannah's game by the way.

Kate and Momma at Christmas

2011-01-10T14:44:00.003-05:00

Kate on her bumbo

2011-01-10T14:42:00.004-05:00

Learning how to sit up.

Kate with cousin Tammy

2011-01-10T14:42:00.002-05:00

After bath time

2011-01-10T14:40:00.001-05:00

Kate and Great Grandma Leona

2011-01-10T13:34:00.003-05:00

Kate has two living great grandmas, Leona and Nano.

Kate and Santa

2011-01-10T13:33:00.001-05:00

This was Kate's first Christmas. She had no clue what was going on, but she's going to love Christmas in future years.

Kate and Dad at hall party

2011-01-10T13:31:00.000-05:00

Kate with Aunt Shell at Hall Party

2011-01-10T13:29:00.001-05:00

We're overdue for a blog update. We'll try to make up for lost time.

Kate and her Bear Blanket

2010-12-11T12:42:00.001-05:00

The bear blanket is one of Kate's favorite toys. She likes to hug it and chew on its ears.

Kate and Livvie

2010-12-11T12:40:00.000-05:00

Kate is looking suspiciously at her cousin.

Kate on the boppy

2010-12-11T12:36:00.000-05:00

Look how strong her neck has gotten.

Kate with Mr. Bear at four months

2010-12-11T12:35:00.002-05:00

Kate with her big cousin Livvie

2010-12-11T12:26:00.000-05:00

Kate's tiny hand

2010-11-27T19:32:00.000-05:00

Kate's friends the butterfly and frog

2010-11-27T19:28:00.001-05:00

Kate talking to her "friends"

2010-11-27T19:22:00.002-05:00

Favorite Toy

2010-11-03T19:37:00.002-04:00

Kate's favorite toy right now is a little stuffed butterfly that plays Rock a Bye Baby. It never fails to get a smile out of her.

Trick or treating

2010-11-02T09:30:00.002-04:00

We went over to the Guidingers' for Halloween. We captured a nice video of them coming back from trick or treating.

Tummy Time

2010-11-02T09:15:00.002-04:00

Every day Kate works on her tummy time to make her neck stronger. In the last couple weeks she has improved tremendously. She's growing and changing every day.

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-01T13:42:00.000-04:00

Deep thinker

2010-10-25T19:42:00.000-04:00

Kate was thinking some deep thoughts when she drifted off to sleep.

Kates four Grandma's

2010-10-25T19:29:00.005-04:00

Rita

Marilyn

Kay

Florence

Cousins

2010-10-25T19:26:00.000-04:00

Kate being held by her big cousin Hannah.

Kate at two months with Mr. Bear

2010-10-10T14:04:00.001-04:00

Here is our first comparison picture of Kate with Mr. Bear. Can you see any difference from the one month picture?

Tummy time

2010-09-27T19:57:00.003-04:00

Kate was doing a little tummy time and she decided to grace us with a little smile.

Some smiles

2010-09-24T16:45:00.004-04:00

Five Week Update

2010-09-14T13:59:00.002-04:00

Went to the pediatrician's today. Kate is growing like a weed. She has grown from 6 lbs, 4 oz, to 8 lbs, 1 oz, in just five weeks. Still only 15th percentile, but that's because she came out small. We think the hospital must have made a mistake with her initial length measurement. They said she was 19.25 inches at birth, but just a couple days later at the pediatrician's office, they said she was 21 inches and she is now 22 inches, which is 75th percentile. We're assuming the pediatrician's office is right, but it may be time to do a measurement of our own.

Kate at one month

2010-09-11T11:48:00.002-04:00

Someone gave us an idea we liked: To periodically take pictures of Kate with a stuffed animal, using the bear to mark her progress as she grows. So here is Kate at one month with Mr. Bear.

In the swing

2010-09-04T14:06:00.002-04:00

Gwennie & Livvie meet Kate

2010-09-04T13:55:00.002-04:00

Kate awake

2010-09-04T11:41:00.003-04:00

Here are some pictures of Kate while she is alert. We seem to have posted mostly pictures of her sleeping so far. To fully enjoy the Kate experience I thought you should see a picture of her crying, one of her favorite activities :-).

Sacked Out

2010-08-18T21:06:00.004-04:00

Kate meets the Novaks

2010-08-15T11:32:00.002-04:00

First Video

2010-08-13T15:03:00.003-04:00

This is her first video. It's a little dark and we're learning that to post videos on the blog we have to keep them short. She lets out a cute little wail towards the end.

Daisy outfit

2010-08-13T14:26:00.001-04:00

Kate

2010-08-12T16:04:00.002-04:00

Here she is. More to follow when we have time.

Baby on the way

2010-08-07T11:55:00.002-04:00

With the baby due in 11 days, we figured it was time to reignite our dormant blog. Here is our first video, still pre-baby.

Santa Fe Chowder

2009-04-03T09:14:00.003-04:00

Mel M. has inspired me to get back into blogging. I added a link to her blog on the list of "Blogs I Visit". Here is a delicious recipe that I typed up for my Facebook page. It is perfect for rainy days like today. Enjoy!

Santa Fe Chowder

2 lbs. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 pkgs. taco seasoning mix
2 pkgs. ranch dressing mix
1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans
1 (15 oz.) can black beans
1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans
1 (15 oz.) can shoepeg corn
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz.) can Ro-Tel tomatoes
2 cups water

Brown ground beef and onion; place in a crock-pot. Stir in seasoning, dressing, beans, corn, tomatoes, and water, including juices. Cook on low all day or 1 hour on stove.

From the kitchen of Mel C.

It's been forever...

2008-10-17T16:12:00.002-04:00

If anyone is still reading this blog, I apologize for not posting in months. Things haven't changed much here. We still have both houses up for sale or for rent, and even with 49 showings and counting, we haven't had any offers. Blech! This weekend Jeff heads to Texas for a week to visit his family, and I will spend the week in my condo. Woohoo! No commute! I will be in Jackson for the weekend for a friend's baby shower. Should be fun...

Tamale Pie

2008-07-14T08:19:00.000-04:00

This is a favorite at our house.

Tamale Pie

1 package Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 cup salsa
1 cup cheddar cheese

Prepare Jiffy mix per package instructions. Spread a thin layer of the prepared Jiffy mix in the bottom of a greased 8x8 pan. Brown ground beef. Drain grease, and saute ground beef with onion & green pepper (a few minutes until onion and green pepper are cooked). Add salsa to beef mixture. Spread meat mixture on top of Jiffy mix and top with the remaining Jiffy mix. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees.Top with cheese for the last few minutes. Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Double recipe for 9x13 pan.

Recipe from Leona Horn - Jeff's grandma.

Happy Spring!

2008-04-29T15:09:00.007-04:00

My favorite flowers...

W.P.O.T.D. - The End!

2008-01-31T15:45:00.001-05:00

All good things must come to end and so this will be the last W.P.O.T.D. I hope that you have enjoyed the pictures. It was fun for me to document the wedding day through the pictures. I will be back to regular blogging soon -- although probably not every day!

W.P.O.T.D. - Thank you!

2008-01-30T14:27:00.000-05:00

Special thanks to Casey for videotaping our ceremony & reception, and to his wife Carmen for giving up her husband for most of the evening. :-) We asked Casey to tape the wedding festivities at the last minute, and he did a wonderful job! Thank you so much!

W.P.O.T.D. - Breaking traditions

2008-01-29T16:04:00.000-05:00

Jeff and I didn't do the bouquet or garter toss because as a thirty-something single, I really REALLY disliked that tradition! :-) But if we had followed the tradition, it is clear to me that one of the following couples would have caught the bouquet and/or garter. Ken and Suzanne were married on November 2, 2007, and Will and Cady Ruth will be married on February 23, 2008. Best wishes and congratulations to you all!

Ken and Suzanne

Will and Cady Ruth

W.P.O.T.D. - Dancing

2008-01-28T15:41:00.000-05:00

Everyone had such a good time dancing at our reception!

W.P.O.T.D. - Anniversary Dance

2008-01-25T16:35:00.000-05:00

With 43 years of marriage, Cheryl and Dennis had been married longer than any other couple who participated in the Anniversary Dance. Jeff and I left the dance floor first because we had only been married for 4 hours or so.

W.P.O.T.D. - We love our nieces to pieces!

2008-01-24T17:13:00.000-05:00

Jeff and I had four nieces born within six months of each other in 2006. Olivia G. was born in January, Olivia H. was born in April, Hannah in May, and Isabella in July. Hannah and Isabella were at our wedding and reception. They looked so cute and had such a great time dancing!

Hannah Florence

Isabella Kay

W.P.O.T.D. - Arbor Research Coworkers (Past and Present!)

2008-01-23T13:58:00.000-05:00