The Many Faces of Katelyn & The Dancing Duo

I have been trying to catch little miss Katelyn's smile! She has been smiling at us since day one and I have decided that she is just the smartest baby and that it is not just gas! I know that the picture of her smile is blurry and such, but it is hard to focus a camera away from my eyes while trying to make someone smile...so this is what you get! She is a doll! Oh...and Lora, pick out a few...I think that she looks like you!

Katelyn: 4 weeks! ADORABLE! I love the one of her waving too! (Most of the pictures are in sequence.) I cannot believe that she is already 5 weeks old!!!

And as for the dancing duo... Tori is now willing to not only share dancing skirts, but her outfits and crown too! Gotta love dancing time in the morning! (Check out those BLUE eyes!)

Flying Solo

I cannot believe that time is flying so fast! Yesterday was my first day flying solo (no help with 3 kids)...I must admit that I was a bit freaked out...especially since I have to spend a lot of time on the couch nursing Little Miss Katelyn (who is 4WEEKS OLD!!! What?! How did that happen?!). Well, it all went well except for a brief 15 minutes when PBS went down and Sesame Street was cut off while I was preparing a crock pot dinner and Katelyn was really tired and screaming and Brooke decided to join in the crying fest too! Yesterday went great and we even stayed on our usual schedule (except I didn't get to shower and get out of my PJs until 6:15 PM!). I think I will be able to handle this mom of 3 thing!

So I took these pictures yesterday! Isn't Katelyn a doll?! she has so much hair that she can wear her bows without the headband! This adorable one was made by Tiffany Jones. She has some really cute stuff and I was spoiled with some really cute headbands and bows! This little yo yo matched my favorite dress and so we had a photo shoot! I caught her smile a little late, but that is a little what her smile looks like in the middle picture. Jason is a pro at getting her to smile and giggle. It is really cute!

As most of you know we moved our guest room into our den and made the guest room into the nursery. Jason and I painted the room "a hint of mint" and it looks fabulous. Katelyn models the crib as she takes her first nap in her crib. For some reason with this pregnancy I was into monkeys so she has a few monkey things that will be her own. I am still in love with our Noah's Ark theme and I am glad that we went neutral from the beginning and chose high quality stuff! Up in the right hand corner is a picture of our carrier cover made by Tiffany Dunn... it is absolutely beautiful! I LOVE it! (And just so you know Tiff, everyone comments on it too!)

This is the finished product of the girls' room. My mom brought these vinyl letters and decals made with her Cricket and we went to town one afternoon. It made the room! The girls love it too! And my painting look fabulous, I might add, on the wall! :) The rug was my inspiration. Oh and I have had this fuchsia lava lamp for a long time from my Sterling Capital days and the girls love it!

Sunday pictures! I love taking pictures of the girls in their Sunday dresses! The pictures of Jason and I were taken by our budding photographer, Tori (hence the reason why they are not focused or centered).

So I love this dress and these shoes. I bought these when I found out I was having a girl for the first time (little miss Tori bug). These are the only shoes that fit Katelyn because she has such skinny ankles. I don't even bother with socks anymore because nothing stays on! Her head is still a little small for the little matching headband, but she looked like a doll!

Here are some good pictures of her bouffant after her bath! This is usually what she looks like during the day, all snuggled up in her cocoon and resting on the Boppy!

Last but not least...here are some silly pictures of our Tori bug and Brooke-a-lito. That is Tori's new tub trick and it freaks me out because I think that she is going to drown! Check out Brooke's farmer's tan! And I am still in love with our tax return investment! Love that swing set!

Watching my babies grow...

I cannot believe how much having a baby makes me realize how much my other little babies are growing up! Tori was playing with Brooke and grabbed her around the shoulder and said, "You are my best friend!" Ahhhh! I will not explain what broke loose after that, (kicking and screaming, pulling hair), but it was a tender moment! Yesterday morning Tori was talking to Brooke in bed before their alarm went off and they were just blabbering to themselves, making conversation, mostly about how much Tori missed Auntie Lora and that Livy (their cousin) was going to visit them.
Tori constantly wants to hold Katelyn. It is pretty cute! We finally mastered a way that she can hold Katelyn all by herself.

We wrap the bobby around her and then drop the baby right onto her lap. Katelyn and Tori will sit like that on the couch together for about a half an hour. Tori loves to play this little piggy with Katelyn's "cute little toes". She also loves to hold her hands and play with her hair.

Princess Victoria and baby Katelyn.

Who can resist snuggling with Katelyn?! After she eats she stays awake for a while to explore the world around her. She is usually snatched up into someones loving arms and it is usually Grandma Frann! Katelyn smiles a ton and she has revealed to us that she has two dimples on her cute little cheeks! (I haven't caught these on film of course, but they could melt your heart!). Her hair is still as crazy as ever and I will have to remember to take a picture of her bouffant after she takes a bath! Her hair is a bit curly and wavy! I think that her eyes are going to be dark blue like her Auntie Marie. She looks an awful lot like her Auntie Lora... sometimes it is a bit uncanny.
Katelyn slept a whole 4 hours in a row last night! Hurray for sleep!!!! She is getting bigger and bigger...Last time we checked she was 7 pounds 6 ounces. I cannot believe that she is already 3 weeks old!

Brooke...well, she likes to give Katelyn kisses and give her "the rock". Brooke is still improving her clown act daily and is quite the one ring circus! In this picture her hair is plastered with a large amount of spaghetti goo!

We went out yesterday morning and took the girls to the duck pond. Brooke was a little skeptical at first and stayed in the car. She didn't like the hissing geese so much. Tori helped Grandma and Grandpa spread the bread love and by the end we coaxed Brookie out of the car! We are having a lot of fun with Grandma and Grandpa and I wish they could stay here forever! I now know why there are some cultures where all of their extended family lives under the same roof! My parents are amazing helps here and I can't believe that next week I will be flying solo!

A Name and a Blessing

We have an amazing family! During the last two weeks we have had family come from Utah, Oregon and California to visit with us and celebrate the birth of baby Katelyn. Thank heavens for their help and all of their extra arms! I am still not exactly sure how I am going to handle having 3 little munchkins all by myself!
All is going well with my recovery. Each C Section seems easier and easier (this is the 4th one!) and the pain is pretty much under control. Katelyn is the best baby. She is breastfeeding like a pro and sleeps pretty well too! (Although I am still tired a lot!)
Here are some pictures from the last week or so.

The girls seem to really love Katelyn (as well as all of her Aunties, Uncles, cousins and Grandparents....not to mention Mommy & Daddy...oh and basically everyone that she meets!).

A doughnut feast brought to you by Auntie Marie! One way to keep Tori and Brooke busy is FOOD! Brooke and Tori devouring some Krispy Kreme doughnuts! I love that hat!

Katelyn...what a cute little cupcake! Need I say more?! This is a picture at 7 days old after a little sponge bath. Check out that hair! I bought this little outfit especially for Katelyn when I found out that I was having a little girl! TENDER!

Here are some pictures of our visitors. Mind you there are only a few because Lora was the photographer of this special occasion. Auntie Marie came before the big huge rush (and we all know that she just wanted to have more snuggle time with Katelyn and not have to share her with a half a dozen other people!) Over the holiday weekend we had a house full of visitors! Grandpa & Grandma Dinger, Grandma Frann & Grandpa Lee, Auntie Lora, Uncle Jake, Oscar and Livy all hanging out at our house at the same time. It was really crazy in our house, but it was so much fun! I loved seeing the girls all playing together and watching Oscar love on his new little cousin Katelyn. I miss my sister so much it hurts sometimes. I am glad that she made the trip even though the trip home was rough with all of that California holiday traffic!

Our sweet little angel baby is now officially known as Katelyn Amelia Dinger!I decided (on kind of a whim) that we should bless Katelyn this Sunday because most of the people we would want in her circle just happened to be here all at once! It was serendipitous! Jason gave her a beautiful blessing and I was able to sit through the first hour of church! Her dress was a present from Grandma & Grandpa Dinger and Auntie Marie and although it was a bit large, it was perfect. I bought the shoes at Target and the little lacy socks at Walmart! The hair bow was the same one that Brookie used and is absolutely gorgeous! Little miss Katelyn looked beautiful and was a doll as we took 8 million pictures of her and all of our family! There will be an amazing blog of all of the pictures that Lora took after she has edited them. I just took a few as she was photographing.