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.