She did it! Katie ate at 7:30 last night, went to bed at 8:45, and didn't wake up until 7:00 this morning. She had the biggest smiles this morning, but not nearly as big as her mother's.

Ethan likes to chase girls at recess (remember those days?). Yesterday we asked him which girls he chased and he said, "I dunno; they're not in my class. But they're always yelling at me." "Well, do they like having you chase them?" Again, "I dunno; I think so." "When they're running, are they saying 'Come and get me' or 'Aaah! Get away from me!' " Ethan: "I don't know." Mike and I looked at him with "the parent eyes," thinking he was hiding something from us. He said, "I really don't know! They just run around yelling in Spanish!"

There's a class of Kindergarteners at his school who are still learning English- apparently those are the girls Ethan likes to chase. I guess love is a universal language. So today we taught him some phrases in Spanish.

I have to start out with a couple pics of good friends. Great friends have made all the difference in my life as a mom and I'm sure you can all relate.

This is Jewel, my closest friend in Texas. She's better than the best- what else can I say!

Here's Bryce Rothlisberger holding Katie. He is one of the most phenomenal and thoughtful young men we know. The Rothlisberger family will always be among our closest friends.

Three of my brothers came to visit and go to the Cowboys game last week. We had so much fun! I am so grateful for a family that can laugh till we cry every time we get together.

Katie is all smiles these days and it's wonderful to have such a happy baby around. Here are some of our favorites of her.
Katie was blessed in church on Nov. 16 along with her newest cousin, Graham Martino. We had lots of family there for the special occasion. It warms a mother's heart to hear blessings the Lord bestows upon your children. Katie is such a sweetie and has a remarkable spirit about her.

Now all the way back to Halloween- I'm way behind. Austin was Dash and Ethan was Optimus Prime. You can see from the pics that they really got into character. Austin even wore his costume every day for months before Halloween. Katie was wearing a princess costume. It was actually made for a 7-12 lb. dog, but hey! She pulled it off stunningly. My nephew Jonathan Martino is perfectly suited in his monkey costume.

Katie:

Austin spends a lot of his day being my helper, Katie's entertainer, and the best playmate a mom could ever ask for. He cracks me up all the time and gives the best compliments: "Mom, you are Wonder Woman" or "Mom, you are rock 'n' roll." He also tells Katie she is a rockstar and is the first by her side, singing "We are a Happy Family," whenever she cries. He can be found in his Dash costume at almost anytime and plans to wear it for Halloween.

Ethan:

Ethan is learning to read and write very well!! I think I'm more excited about it than he is. He wants to be by Katie's side constantly and can always be found cuddling with her the exact same way he did with Austin when he was a baby- holding her hand while sucking his thumb. After school, he often falls asleep beside her - it's so sweet! He's almost done with his soccer season and has done well learning the sport, but doesn't seem to love it. He's very aggressive when we play at home, but in his games he's more apt to run alongside the other kids rather than steal the ball from them. He avoids mud puddles on the field completely (I used to live to slide-tackle in the mud puddles) and at his last game he stopped mid-run and started dancing to the music that was blaring from a passing truck!! It was hilarious! We asked him if he'd like to try a break-dancing or hip-hop class next, but he said all he really wants to do is take a snowboarding class. He is still as loving as ever and we have enjoyed the time we have at home with him.

My mom came to visit after Katie was born and was more than a life-saver. It was so nice to have her here and we can't wait to see her again in December. Every time the boys get on the phone with her, they end up asking if she can come over to play that day.

Austin's 3rd birthday! Can't even begin to describe the blessing he has been in our lives. He has brought so much joy and laughter into our family. We just love him and can't get enough of him. His birthday was actually Friday September 26th, so we celebrated as a family. Then on Saturday we celebrated again for his birthday party, and then again sunday with the extended family. I hope he doesn't think that we celebrate for weeks at a time :) He loved opening presents on three different ocassions.

Austin has found many ways to keep himself entertained while Ethan is in school. From inside our house you can hear if the water is running outside. One afternoon, I was in the kitchen and heard the water running. I looked outside and found this little boy having the time of his life!

I have such an amazing sister! For months Michael and I have been looking around for crib bedding but had no luck finding one that week liked for under $300. And there was no way I would pay that much for baby bedding. So my wonderful sister offered to make our bedding once we picked out the material. We found this great butterfly floral print, soft cream corduroy, brown fleece, and various solid fabrics. Kim even went way beyond, (like she normally does, and so easily can do because she is so talented) and made a butterfly pillow and ribbons just to mention some of the fine detail that went into it. One day, when she had completed the bedding, she brought if over and set it up before I could get home. I walked into the nursery and almost cried. It was beautiful! I never could have imagined it to be so perfect. Michael also painted the pictures on canvas to match the bedding and cut out wooden butterflies and painted them. The nursery is almost complete, with just a little time left before she's due.

Ocho Rios, Jamaica. We went ziplining, hiked waterfalls, and shopped in the markets. The jungle was amazing!

Mike probably doesn't want this pic of him posted, but I'm sure you can all see why it's one of my favorite pictures ever! My gorgeous man in a gorgeous place.




Grand Cayman- We swam with stingrays and even kissed them for 7 yrs. of good luck. Then we hung out on the world-famous 7 mile beach - the most beautiful water we've ever seen!





Lauren and Mason- our dinner buddies and friends from the ship.





Then in January '08 we went to Utah and I learned how to ski- that was also a ton of fun, but less relaxing :) We were so happy to spend time with family in Utah, and I also told Mike that I was pregnant with our third. The news caught up with us quickly, as I spent the last 2 days of the trip puking.





The Bountiful, UT temple- one of my favorites. It's right up the street from my Grandma GG's house.






Top: GG, Mom, Me, my sister Shelley, and her husband Alan.
Bottom: Isn't Mike a hottie!





We had a blast sledding with my Aunt Suzie and cousins JJ and Nathan. After I beat Michael in 5 straight races, he decided he should join the winning team and sled with me :)




Learning to ski. I stayed in "pizza position" for the whole first morning.

Ethan loves Kindergarten and wasn't nervous at all about his first day. As a matter of fact, he posed for pictures after every little thing he did- putting his lunch up, sitting at his desk, everything- even if I wasn't trying to get a picture, he was ready.

Ethan lost his first tooth a few weeks ago and his big smile is even more adorable now.

Austin really wanted "a lawnmower and a cupcake" for his birthday, which is in September. When I saw him pretending to mow the lawn with a baby stroller, I took pity on him and decided he could get better use of the lawnmower if he had it through summer. So he did chores around the house for a few days and earned $2 to help buy this lawnmower. Then he wanted his picture taken with Papi and his big lawnmower. Austin mows the lawn several times a day now, but only in his dirty "mowing shoes." When he's done. he tells us to "stay off the grass because I just finished mowing."

These are the pictures Mike took of the boys at Lake Ray Roberts this Spring. He edited them and had them blown up, matted, and framed, and surprised me with them for Mother's Day. It was the best gift ever!