Anna in Berlin Museum

I am FINALLY going through pictures from last year to put up here. So be warned...there will be MANY in the next few days or so. It's mostly for us, but of course you're welcome to look at them too! :)

Here is a funny video of Anna from our trip to Berlin in July. Whenever we went to museums with big empty rooms, she would figure out almost immediately that her voice echoed. It was so stinkin' cute, even if disruptive. :)



This was in Berlin at the Pergamon Museum in the Temple of Athena.

Welcome to the family, Uncle Book of Mormon

Okay, this is turning into the Chronicles of Cate. But she just keeps saying the best stuff.

First off, CONGRATULATIONS HANNAH! Nate's little sister is engaged! Norman proposed while they were in the Bahamas on New Year's Eve. Check out the romantic set-up. We're so happy for them.


So, tonight in the bath, Cate was counting how many uncles she has. Then I was telling her how Hannah was going to get married, and when that happened Norman would become her uncle, so she would have four uncles. She was chatting about it as I washed her hair and this is what she said: "Cuyler is my uncle, and Christian, and Jake. And Book of Mormon is going to be my uncle." I said, "Did you say Book of Mormon? You think Mormon will be your uncle?" "Yeah." So, I clarified that NOR-MAN would be her uncle, to which she replied, "Wow, that's a tricky name."

shadows

EARLY this morning, lying in my bed:

cate: mommy, why can we see our shadows?

jane (very sleepily): I don't know, cate.

cate: maybe it's because everyone in the world is magic.

oh, to be four again...when the only logical explanation for a shadow is magic.

by the way - this is one time that I'm grateful I was too grumpy and tired to provide cate with a response she deserved. her answer was so much better than anything I could have come up with. :)

has anyone seen my belt?

nate: "has anyone seen my belt?"

cate: "oh yeah! I'll get it for you."

- cate runs into the other room -

nate, chuckling: "oh! you're so smart! what would I do without you?"

cate: "and you're belt!"

nate, laughing more: "yeah, and my belt!"

cate: "yeah, and mom, and anna, and cate!"

nate: "yup, what would I do without all of you?"

cate: "you'd be alone and naked."

cute things said by the girls

anna was totally trying to talk last night. it was really cute. she was trying to say thank you, which was almost completely unintelligible, but it was always the same two sounds. then when we said nighttime prayers, after we said "amen" she said "men"! go anna! then, when we put her in bed and I was saying "I love you" a million times, she would make the same 3-syllable sounds, that ended with an "ooo". it was so stinkin' cute.

cate was telling us what she learned in church yesterday and mentioned the neefighters. so cute.

we helped deliver christmas gifts to a family in east palo alto before christmas for cate's preschool. that morning I was labeling the gifts. the family had a baby girl names concepcion. cate told me she wanted to write tags for the gifts, so she went in the kitchen and started writing her notes. this is what she said as she scribbled, "consepsia. I love you so much. we're just gonna give you some presents just for you. I don't know why."

A Star is Born!

For our church Christmas party, Cate performed in a "Once there was a snowman" parody - she opened and closed the number and was completely adorable. :) Here she is performing, completely un-phased by the room full of people. Nerves of steel!
You can see the video on YouTube - click here! It's 10 minutes long...it's funny, but if you really just want to see Cate, she's at the very beginning and the very end. :)

new year!

wow, another year. this past year has been a great one for us, but also a little crazy. I'm looking forward to a year with very little change. hopefully that will really happen. :)

so, as usual, I'm way behind putting pictures up here. hopefully soon. but I need to write down a few things I love about the girls before I forget them.
- I love how cate loves to wear headbands, but they don't ever actually hold her hair back. the front of her hair is always in her face, headband or not. it's so cute.
- recently cate has solidified her parental alliance...with me. she ALWAYS comes to my defense or takes my side in situations. it's really funny. poor nate.
- cate is always making up and singing songs to herself. the other day at the grocery store, she basically sang the whole time. it was so cute and made me happy as I heard her little voice.
- anna's security "blanket" is my hair. when she's eating, snuggling, sick, whatever...she cuddles up, sticks her thumb in her mouth and then holds my hair with the other hand. she's even started doing it to nate. it's seriously so sweet.
- anna is a lazybones. we know she can stand on her own....she stood for a LONG time on christmas day night. we couldn't believe it. but now she refuses to do it. she just collapses. little stinker.

Happy 4th Birthday, Cate

Wow! 4 years old! Happy Birthday, Cate! You are a wonderful little lady!

To think she started out so small!!!

Happy 1st Birthday, Anna!

Wow! I can't believe it's been a year since we had this little girl! At the same time, it seems like ages ago.


Happy Birthday, sweet Anna Louisa! We're so happy you are with us!!!

happy day...

we finally have a piano. it's quite old but in great shape. I'm so happy. I have missed having a piano so much.

yes, I have much to post about. still need to do our paris trip, and thanksgiving was SO FUN with our visitors this year (grandma, grandpa hans and anne). more to come, hopefully soon...