Movin' On Up...

...to a big girl bed, that is!

Well, actually it's just a toddler bed.  But it's still an exciting change!

Mommy and Daddy didn't plan on making this change so soon.  In the last two weeks, though, I've tried to climb out of the crib a few times when I was playing in it.  And I've asked to sleep in a big girl bed a couple of times when nap time rolled around.

I think the book below is partially responsible for my sudden interest in big girl beds.  It's called My Goodnight Book and my Great-Aunt Pat sent it to me at Thanksgiving via Nana and Papa Guth.  (Mommy had this book when she was a little girl, too, so she was thrilled to add it to my nightly bedtime routine.)

The little girl in the book sleeps in a real big girl bed.  Mommy and I talk about her bed every time we read the book...so the idea of a BGB has been working it's way into my head over the last few weeks.

Since Mommy and Daddy didn't know how easy this transition would be for me, they figured they better give it a try on a week that neither of them have to work. Heading off to the office is really no fun when you've been up all night with a little one, you know?

Thankfully, though, my first night in my new bed went great!  It was just like any other night...except for the fact that I was laying on the floor when Mommy came to get me in the morning.  She's not quite sure when that move occured, but she knows it was sometime between 4 am (when she knows I was still in the bed because she could hear the eyes on my Elmo doll bumping up against the bed slats) and 7:45 am (when heard my "Mama, Mama" whimper and came to get me up).

I really didn't mind the floor, though!  When Mommy opened my bedroom door, I was comfortably draped over my huge stuffed bear and one of my favorite blankets with a huge smile on my face.

Ah, freedom!

Cute, Easy Christmas Crafts for Kiddos

If you're looking for a last minute Christmas craft idea to try out with your (school-age) kiddos, you might want to check out these two cuties Mommy received from students last week at school:

That candy cane Rudolph was made by wrapping brown yarn around two candy canes and adding googly eyes, a tiny red pompom, and a little ribbon-tied bell.  They were a huge hit with Mommy's first grade students!

The North Pole sign definitely looks more challenging (Mommy's not even going to try to dissect how that one was made), but is sure does look adorable on my little Christmas tree!

Sunday Best!

(Please pretend that it is still Sunday when you read this.)

Happy Christmas Sunday!

Every Sunday when Mommy and I* are getting ready for church we talk about why we go to church.  Since my very first Sunday at church (Easter 2009), mommy's mantra has been something along the lines of, "We go to church to worship with other Believers."  Her wording may change a bit from week to week, but the message is always the same.

As Mommy was getting me dressed this week, she told me that this Sunday was special because we were going to focus on the fact that God the Father sent his son, Jesus, into the world as a baby.  I listened intently, nodding my head in agreement with every few words.  Once my white leggings and black sparkly shoes were in place, Mommy put me down on the floor and asked, "Katelyn, who are we going to church to worship?"

My quick response was, "Jesus...and Ian."

Mommy seemed to think that was a bit humorous.  But don't worry...she did correct my theology.

*Daddy would love to be part of this weekly conversation, too, but he has to get to church super early to prepare for the worship service.

Feliz Navidad: iStuff Style

If you haven't already seen this electronic version of Feliz Navidad, performed by North Point Community Church's iBand, you've got to check it out here.



I love to break it down to this video.  You should give it a try, too.

Zoo Trip (where I saw pirates)

Yesterday Auntie and I went to the Fort Worth Zoo with Danielle, Brenda, "Baby" Dallas (Brenda's nephew).

Even though this picture says otherwise, Dallas (or Downtown Dallas, as I like to call him) and I really had a great time.

I helped Dallas walk around the zoo by holding his hand and guiding him...boys need a girl's direction, you know.

 Our favorite exhibit was the penguins.  We squealed with delight when we saw those waddly guys! 

I tried to coax them over to me with pleas of "Come here, penguins.  I don't bite."...but they just couldn't figure out how to get through that glass.

While we were checking out the penguins, Auntie captured this Olan Mills circa 1985 style photo of me.  Pretty sweet, huh?

I'm sure that by now you're probably wondering where the pirates come in.  Auntie is wondering the same thing, too.  While we were eating dinner last night, Auntie and I were telling Mommy and Daddy about all of the animals we saw at the zoo.  After listing "elephants", "gorillas", "penguins", and "kangaroos" I confidently added "pirates" to the list. 

The conversation went something like this:

Auntie: What else did we see, Katelyn?

Me: Pirates.

Mommy, Daddy, or Auntie: Pirates?  Oh, did you see parrots?

Me: No, Pirates.

Auntie: No, we didn't see pirates, KK.

Me: Yes, we did.

For some reason, that last line was met with laughter from all of the grownups in my house.

Cry Room Truths

If any of you mommies out there have spent time in your church's Cry Room (or if your church doesn't have a Cry Room and you can only wish you had spent time in there) you should check out yesterday's Stuff Christian's Like post.

Mommy especially liked the part about Calvanist toddlers.  And the guy-warning at the end.

Sunday Best

Happy Sunday, everyone!

Since I missed last week's Sunday Best post, I thought I'd include two week's worth of SB today.

Last Sunday, our church kicked off our "Going Green" Christmas theme with a presentation by our music, media, and children's departments. Daddy puts in a lot of extra hours for these presentation Sundays...but the extra time always pays off!

 

One of Mommy's favorite parts of this presentation was the kid's manger scene.  Those little sheep on the bottom left came crawling into the sanctuary.  How cute!

Speaking of cute, check out this lovely little dress Mimi picked up for me a few weeks ago. 

Doesn't it look similar to the dress I wore for my birthday party?

And can you believe that said birthday party was almost one year ago?! 

*****

Last night at church, Lighthouse Christian Academy put on their annual Christmas presentation.  Mommy let me stay in the sanctuary with her because she thought I'd enjoy watching the big kids sing.  Boy, was she right!  I sat in awe through the entire service.

But who wouldn't when seated so close to these fascinating presents, candy canes, and Christmas-best-dressed kiddos?

It didnt' hurt, either, that Preston was sitting right behind me.  He considers it his personal responsibilty to entertain me any time we're together.

As you can see, this is one three year old who takes responsibility very seriously!