Rainy days, go away

Well, I haven't posted in a few days so I am making up for it with a super-long post - lots of new pictures.  First I want to announce the birth of our friends' Mollie and Steve's first child - Granger Henry Grote.  He was born yesterday and all are doing well.  We are so excited for them! We've had a fun weekend with lots going on.  Here are some of the things we've been up to:

We started the week off with beautiful weather.  At the request of my parents and others who've had to endure watching Kate eat rocks in the backyard, I finally got her some better backyard toys.  I found this little toy on Craigslist.  She seems to like it.  

We were stuck inside for a few days due to rain.  Here's how Kate copes with not being able to go outside.  Read VeggieTales' Peas and Thank You upside down...

Sigh and look bored...

and stare out the window and wonder why we're not outside.

On Saturday, we took Kate to her first crawfish boil.  I don't have too many pictures of the actual crawfish because it's amazingly hard to wrangle a toddler at a crawfish boil.  No extra hands for taking pictures :)  This is our Young Married Bible Study crawfish boil - third annual.  Always a lot of fun.

Kate with Caleb in the Barbie jeep :)

Ready for church on Sunday morning.  White pants - we were so brave!

Waiting for our friends, the Coles, to come over for a cookout on Sunday night.  

Kate doesn't like to sit in the wagon for long unless it's moving.  

Kate, Titan, and Mallie in the wagon, getting ready for a ride.  

What a crew! Corbin (Mallie's twin), "pulling" the gang along.  Fred's just there for moral support.  Take note - Kate is drinking Titan's sippy cup and sitting in his lap.  This was hilarious to watch.  

Friday Update

I have some fun pics to post this weekend, but for some reason I can't upload them from Fred's computer and I left mine at work today. I'll post them soon. Just wanted to say the Lundy's are all well. We have a lot going on this weekend - a baby shower, a crawfish boil and a cookout with some friends on Sunday. We've had some terrible weather here in the past 24 hours and some cooler temps are coming this weekend. Happy Friday!

Family Fun

We went to my cousin's house tonight and Kate got to play with some of her cousins.  She loved riding in the wagon and playing outside.  

She loves watching the older kids play.

Blaise and Kate.  Blaise is 15 months.  They had so much fun being pulled around the yard.

Spring is in the Air

As you can see, we are spending most of our time outside these days.  We are working on getting some backyard toys so Kate won't be so interested in eating rocks.  Any tips from moms with young children on backyard toys are appreciated!  

One hand for the sippy cup, one to play in the dirt.  

Hugs for Alli.  

Did I mention how much I like to play in the dirt?  

This is what we usually see of Kate these days - her running away from us :)

New dress and shoes for church.  Thanks Dottie!

Friday Fun Facts

I exhausted all my new pics earlier in the week, so I thought I'd do Friday Fun Facts instead of Friday Fun Pics. Here are a few new facts about Kate:

• She now has 5 teeth and one more on the way. I bought her a toothbrush this week and we now brush her teeth twice a day. She doesn't really love this activity.
• I am calling it...Kate's official first word is "Alli." It usually sounds more like "Abba," but she is very clearly calling and looking for Alli when she says it. She's starting to say "Mama" and "Dada" and look at Fred and I.
• Kate's favorite foods are bananas, yogurt, macaroni and cheese, graham crackers and lima beans. I know that sounds weird, but she can eat 1/2 a can of lima beans in a sitting.
• Kate LOVES to be outside. She loves playing in the dirt, chasing Alli around, eating rocks, etc.
• She's now completely off formula and drinking whole milk. Much cheaper!! She still gets milk in a bottle first thing in the morning and before bed, but she mostly drinks out of sippy cups now.

I guess that's it for today. I am going to try to brave Target on Saturday by myself to have some one-year portraits taken of Kate. Hopefully I'll have some to share soon. Have a great weekend!!

One-year Stats

We had our one-year checkup with Dr. Franz this morning and Kate did great.  Unfortunately, she has another ear infection.  One more and we've got to start thinking about tubes.  We are praying that won't happen.  Otherwise, Kate is doing great and is developmentally advanced for one year.  She's in the 75th percentile for weight (24 lbs) and 90th percentile for height (31 inches).  This is about par for the course for her.  

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Kate's St. Patty's shirt - "Green is good, except for broccoli." 

Sleeping and Eating

Fred's mom has been visiting with us for Kate's birthday.  Today we went to get beignets.  It was Kate's first experience with this New Orleans treat.  She loved them.  Big surprise :)  I've also included some other pics of Kate eating and sleeping.  

Nap with momma.  This is heavenly.  

Napping in daddy's car seat.  

This was taken at Kate's school Christmas party.  We were the only parents there.  I don't think we were really invited :)  She loved the cheesy poofs.  

A great, great nap.  

1-year old in the house!

We had a great weekend celebrating Kate's birthday.  It was kind of rainy on Saturday, but so many of our sweet friends and family came out any way to wish Kate a Happy Birthday.  Here are some pics from the weekend.

Setting up before the party started. 

My mom and dad took Kate in the gym to watch some kids playing basketball before the party started.  She loved watching them. 

Birthday girl with mom and dad.  

Having some hot dog with Granny (Fred's mom) before the cake.  

This is Kate's "boyfriend" Nicholas.  He sent her a Valentine :)  What a trooper!

Enjoying some cake.  

She really like the cake.  She cried when I took it away :)

Opening presents.  

You can see how well Kate sits still for pictures.  

Trying on her new shades after the party.  

All the kids at church got these cute shirts yesterday.  Kate wore hers all afternoon.  

Almost One

We are busy getting ready for Kate's birthday party on Saturday. I should have lots of pictures to post next week. Thank you to all of you for your love and support this first year of Kate's life. You are a blessing to us! My parents arrive this afternoon and Fred's mom on Friday, so Kate will be surrounded by loved ones for her birthday. Click below to see a slideshow of her first year:

Kate's First Year

Weekend Fun

Relaxing before we headed to Parents' Night Out at church.  All the kids were supposed to wear green.

Dad was watching me and left me alone for a few minutes.  He found me on the hearth.  How did I get there?  That's my little secret :)

Mom let me have a chocolate popsicle for a snack on Saturday.  Yummy!

All ready in my new dress for church!

Puzzle Pieces

My Uncle Carter used to love puzzles. He would work the most elaborate puzzles on his porch in Florida. When we visited him, I marveled at how he had the patience to work these puzzles. Thousands of little pieces. Of course, it is a little easier to work the puzzle when you look at the box and see what the whole picture looks like.

I work with kids at our church on Wednesday nights. This month, we are studying the virtue of Hope, which we defined as believing that God can bring something good out of something bad. This week, we worked puzzles with the kids and talked about how we only see little puzzle pieces of our lives, but God has the box. He sees the whole picture. And while some pieces are happy and some are sad, the whole picture is beautiful because "we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him" (Romans 8:28).

I had lunch with my sweet friend Katye today. Katye and her husband Rusty were expecting their first child, a baby boy, last December. They went to the doctor the day after Christmas for a routine checkup three days before her due date. Their baby (Scout) had no heartbeat. She carried that sweet boy for nine months and then had to say goodbye before she ever said hello. I've been blessed over these past few months to spend some time with Katye. She is definitely holding a puzzle piece right now that looks like it was put in the wrong box. It doesn't fit. Why would God include this piece in her puzzle? But Katye is trusting God and believing his promise that he will bring something good from all this pain. I share this story with you today for two reasons. (1) Please pray for Katye. She still desperately longs to be a mom. Pray for God to heal her heart. (2) Maybe you're holding a puzzle piece today that doesn't seem to fit. You can trust God. Remember, He's holding the box :)

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11)

Friday Fun Pics

Here are some pics from this week.  Enjoy!

I decided to rearrange Mom's books for her.  I think they look better now.  

I've become a big fan of the sippy cup.  My favorite drink is Mott's for Tots - Apple or Fruit Punch. 

We've been spending a lot of time outside since the weather's been so nice.  

Alli's teaching me how to eat sticks.  They are pretty tasty.

Here, Alli, try this one.  

That was fun!

Best friends from the start

Today's another of our favorite pictures. As soon as Kate noticed anything around her, she noticed Alli. First thing in the morning when you go get Kate in her crib, she is looking for Alli. She tries to say her name. It sounds like, "Ah" right now. Here is Kate's first picture taken with Alli. Stay tuned...tomorrow for Friday fun pics I have some hilarious new pictures of Kate and Alli together :)

Under the weather

I came home from work yesterday because I felt really nauseous and couldn't shake it.  Sure enough, I caught the yucky stomach bug so many of my students have had recently.  I've had fever and just overall stomach yuckiness.  I am starting to feel a little better today and so far Fred and Kate seem to have been spared.  Hopefully they stay healthy! 

As we lead up to Kate's birthday next weekend, I thought it would be fun to share some of our favorite pictures from this past year.  This first one is very special because it's our first picture together.  I've never been more overcome with love in all my life.  

Approach with Confidence

Do you feel confident going in to this week?  What lies ahead of you?  Maybe you are overwhelmed thinking about all of the things you have to take care of and the week hasn't even started yet.  Sometimes, we look at the road ahead and the last thing we feel is confident.  The good news is that God knows what lies ahead of you this week and He stands ready to walk alongside you.  In one of my favorite verses, we are invited in Hebrews 4:16 to "approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."  We can bring all of our concerns before God with confidence that He cares deeply for us and knows every detail of our lives.  May you receive mercy this week as you approach the throne of grace with confidence!