Mr. Personality

I realize that I've posted a lot on Cate and Jane Ramsey lately. I hope I'm not giving Drew that middle child complex! I don't think so. He is probably one of the cutest kids in the universe!

He's approaching 2 and he's trying to be so independent with EVERYTHING. One one hand, it is wonderful and on the other, very frustrating. He doesn't want to be confined to the stroller, refuses the highchair whenever we aren't at home, won't accept help brushing his teeth, has an opinion on what clothes he wears, and doesn't listen very well!

He continues to love basketball, trucks, trains and all things boy! He'll happily and contentedly play by himself for periods of time but then also loves to play with Cate. He LOVES her and will do anything that she does. They are becoming good buddies, or more like partners in crime. During the day I'll hear a lot of, "Hi Cate," "Bye Cate," "Night night, Cate."

As for his vocab...it is definitely increasing by the day but still not the clearest. He'll string together 2 and 3 words on occasion like, "wook (look), bus!" He loves to point out all buses, dump trucks, and construction vehicles, as well as bikes when driving around town.

He is a delight, quick to smile and loves to laugh! He's got some great dance moves, too. Maybe I can catch some on video and post those soon.

Passed down....

This dress was passed down to me from my mom. My sister and I wore it as babies! I need to dig up the picture I took of Cate in it. Jane Ramsey wore it to church on Sunday! I love hand-me-downs but these 30+ year old ones are so special. I hope to pass it along to our granddaugthers, should we be blessed to have them one day!

Daddy/Daughter Dance

Last night, Jacob and Cate went to Cotswold's Daddy/Daughter dance. Cotswold is the elementary school Cate will attend in the fall and "newcomers" were invited to the dance! Cate was already excited about going to kindergarten and this dance enhanced that excitement. She came home with a huge grin telling me, "there is our very own gym and very own library." This was her first time in the school, she'd only been in the parking lot to ride her bike.

Next Friday, we'll go for a "beginners" day. The parents will be given info about school uniforms, supplies, start time, transportation, etc and the kids will be able to experience the classroom and meet the teachers. Then at the end of May is a "Newcomers" Ice Cream social. The Cotswold community is tight and we're excited to be a part of that!

We can't believe that Cate will be starting kindergarten in the fall. She really is growing up!

Our littlest love...

Art Gallery

Cate's preschool had their annual Art Gallery reception yesterday afternoon. Throughout the school year, the teachers collect several of the student's artwork that they think are extra special. Then parents mat them and display them along the walls of the preschool. The artists, friends and family are invited to the "opening" to view the artwork.

Cate had 3 pieces displayed. One was this watercolor on a coffee filter. Looks like a colorful earth to me! Another was a paper mache (not sure how to spell that) Humpty Dumpty, complete with band-aids and everything! The last was "Lucy" the butterfly made with a clothes pin and tissue paper.

Cate has some artistic talents, I think. She loves to color and draw and paint! Maybe she'll take after her 2 aunts who both have infinitely more creative and artistic tendancies than we do:)

3 months old!

Where has the time gone?!? I feel like I blinked and now it is the middle of April. Sweet Jane Ramsey is 3 months old today. She is such a peanut, at least I think so! Especially when compared to the other 2 at this stage of life. She has such a contagious smile. I feel like she is going to bust out with a giggle soon. She likes to "talk" to you when you are right in her face! She continues to sleep pretty well, although the last couple of nights she has woken more frequently. I think she's having a growth spurt. This morning, I pulled out the Bumbo chair since her head control is improving. She sat in it pretty well for a few minutes before her head starting bobbing!

The only thing about this sweet baby is that she will not take a bottle! We keep trying but she's not so fond of it. Pray if you think of it as it is a bit restrictive for me!

She's awoken from her nap so I'm off....

Kids in Motion

Yesterday the Junior League of Charlotte held their annual Kids in Motion festival. It promotes teaching kids how to live healthy lives through activity, essentially. There are also all types of things that move such as tow trucks, a firetruck, a helicopter, race car, bobcat, and moving truck to name a few! Drew was giddy with excitement. He kept running around almost in circles because he didn't know where to go next! After checking these things out, we and did some "Jazzercise" which was especially fun for Cate and I!

I'm not sure if you can tell from these pictures, but Cate has an especially nice "up-d0." She went to a birthday party yesterday morning where they dressed as princesses, had their hair and nails done. It was very girly, which I don't necessarily think of when I think of Cate, but she had a blast! She doesn't want to wash her hair now!

Although today is a bit overcast, we really enjoyed the beautiful spring weather yesterday. I hope you all have enjoyed your weekend, too.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter...just a few days late! I'm feeling behind on a lot of things around here lately. Having 3 kids is getting harder rather than easier!! I wish I could have snapped a photo of all 3 together on Sunday but when I thought about it, one was asleep. Oh well! Jane Ramsey is sporting her first dress, made by a dear friend!

We attended several Easter egg hunts this year and Cate enjoyed all the treats that were found inside. I don't remember having all of the eggs filled with surprises growing up as a kid! The highlight of this Easter was our church service! It was an amazing reminder of what we should remember every day....that CHRIST is ALIVE, He has RISEN. I live my life and my faith as if Christ had not been raised on that 3rd day. I'm so thankful that He died for our sins so that we can live eternally with Him.

Massage time

While in Raleigh, we were ALL treated to a massage from our dear friend, Jo. She is an amazing massage therapist who truly has a gift of healing touch. Mom treated me to a massage on Monday afternoon and Jo treated the kids to a massage on Tuesday evening. Her gift to each child has been an infant massage and Cate received hers when she was Jane Ramsey's age. Drew did not get his as a baby so she gave him his and Cate couldn't be left out so Jo even massaged Cate a bit this time, too!

Drew was a bit apprehensive at first and wouldn't lay down. But, you could tell in his eyes that he loved it. Jane Ramsey seemed to enjoy hers as well, as you can tell from her face.

Spring Break

Last weekend we headed to Raleigh for our first road trip since Jane Ramsey was born. I had not been home since last October! It was so nice to get out of town and be able to enjoy being at home with Gran and Daddy Mac. Beth, Scott, Grady and Libby also came for the weekend. Cate and Libby were like two peas in a pod playing together. It is neat to see their developing friendship!

My mom and Beth hosted a "sip and see" for Jane Ramsey on Saturday afternoon. It was wonderful to see my dear friends from Raleigh and have them meet JR. Beth took all of the pictures so I don't have any to show you now. I hope to figure out how to get those from her so I can post them.

Cate, Drew, Jane Ramsey and I stayed on until Wednesday. Here are some cute pictures of the kids from our time there! This first one is of Cate's reaction to her Easter gift from Gran and Daddy Mac....the Mary Poppins soundtrack. She is really into Mary Poppins right now so she couldn't be happier!

Our trip also included a trip to the dollar store where we purchased these sunglasses!

Drew is now obsessed with "bass-e-ball." We have an outdoor hoop his size but needed one for indoors to entertain him. I found this one at Target (but would not recommend it as it is not the best quality....fell apart 15 minutes into first use!). Anytime we see a ball or even a basketball hoop, he says, "bass-e-ball." I'm hoping he'll grow up to be the next Tyler Hansborough!!

And here is little pumpkin! She's growing quite a bit and gives the best smiles! She is also cooing and making the cutest noises!

Thanks Gran and Daddy Mac for a wonderful visit!