when katelyn won't nap...

we head outside. at least when it's warm anyway. we have some decent outside toys for katelyn to play with, so we have the perfect excuse to get out. if i even mention the word car she makes a mad dash for the door. nothing can beat her cozy coupy car. thank you rummages.

plus, i couldn't help making an excuse to get out as i finally saved up for and bought a dslr.

getting a good shot with a dslr, or any camera for that matter isn't as easy as some people make it look. there is quite a lot to think about when composing a shot, and a running toddler sure doesn't help that thought process. so i just might be spending a lot of time practicing trying to learn how to get it just right. and i have so much learn.

but we still had fun getting out. here's proof.

she really couldn't contain her excitement to be in her 'yellow and red car'.

she did stop playing for just a minute to find the airplane in the sky.

she was absolutely refusing to look at me. oh boy is she a two year old.

i love the determined look on her face.

until next time...

by the way, thanks kristen for helping me make the choice to get a d40!

.dos.tva.two.twee.doi.deux.zwei.

no matter how you say it, it doesn't change the fact that katelyn is no longer our little baby. she is now our big girl. on may 8th, we celebrated katelyn's second birthday. i'm pretty sure i said this last year too, but i can't believe she is growing up so fast. i've loved seeing her personality develop and grow these past two years, and i've loved seeing her understanding increase. she really does bring us so much happiness and keeps us laughing each and every day.

as i was purusing through all of our pictures of katelyn, i couldn't pick just one to share. so i decided to share many, in no particluar order.katelyn's first year.

she was always a very content baby. we had no problems putting her down for a while, holding her, getting her down for naps. as a newborn when she woke up to eat she never cried, only grunted very softly. she was a very happy baby. she did get quite attached to her mommy and daddy and only let us hold her for a while though.katelyn's second year.
her personality has popped! she's funny, wild and rambunctious, but can also be very calm, sweet and cuddly. she loves other people and especially her little friends and of course, as any two year old, loves attention.

some things i want to remember about katelyn at this point in time:

• is a talker...and repeats everything we say and more
• can finally jump. yea! two feet actually come off the floor
• knows all of her letters
• can count to 10 and does so often
• is sleeping in a toddler bed. the change went so much more smoothly than we planned
• knows circle, square, heart, star and triangle
• knows all of her colors
• loves to sing songs and do the actions. her personal favorites right now are the wiseman song, go bananas and itsy-bitsy spider.
• can throw a tantrum with the best of them
• gets so excited when her daddy comes home from school
• loves puzzles and play-doh and can play with both for a long time
• loves to be outside
• favorite phrase: it's mine
• loves to talk on the phone to "pampa"
• loves nursery. thank you nursery leaders!
• is still an extremely picky eater
• loves to help me clean whether it is putting away toys, sweeping, vacuuming or putting dishes away

to celebrate her birthday we invited katelyn's best little friends over to play some games and eat some cupcakes. her birthday party theme was all pink. we ate pink foods, decorated with pink paper and passed out pink favors. it was a great party. her friends, grandparents and parents all did a wonderful job of spoiling her. thanks everyone! happy birthday big girl!