One Down....Lots More to Go!

Last weekend we celebrated Katelyn's first birthday. We had a real fun time. I made a bunch of snacks, she opened her presents, and then she had her traditional first piece of birthday cake.



Katelyn got this cute little Minnie Mouse from her friends Freeman and Nathan



This is Kate's butterfly cake. I must say, I was very proud that I could create this all by myself! I didn't need Kelly's creative juices one bit!







Also this weekend, Connor had a first. On Sunday, he lost his first tooth! It fell out while he was eating dinner. He said he thought he was eating something crunchy when he realized it was his tooth! He was very excited when the tooth fairy came to visit. Although the Tooth Fairy's assistants had to dig around to find any money to leave behind!



These are just some random pictures we took. My friend Tifany let us use her very nice camera and we got a lot of cute pictures. Thanks Tif!







One birthday down, lots more to go! One tooth down, lots more to go!

One Candle For Katelyn....

Our little Miss Katie Bug is 1 year old. Time has sure gone fast with her. She is such a blessing in our family and we love having a little sis in our home!

Katelyn was born on September 19, 2007. My pregnancy was a little different with her than with the boys. At around 28 weeks, I found out I had Gestational Diabetes. I was devastated! Hands down, I have the biggest sweet tooth around. Well, maybe not the biggest. Perhaps a few of you might have the same problem and can sympathize with me! Anyway, because of this, they watched the size of my baby very closely. At 36 weeks, an ultrasound had shown that there were pretty good chances she wasn't going to be very tiny! A week later, after a successful induction, Katelyn Zierse made her grand entrance, all 8 pounds and 5 ounces of her!









She is such a sweet, feisty, cuddly, little firecracker! Her red hair and blue eyes attracts a lot of attention. Her hair is always a topic of conversation with strangers. She loves her pink nigh-nigh (blankie) and will cuddle and grab for it whenever she is ready for bed. She loves her big brothers and giggles with excitement when they come in the room. She plays patty cake and peek-a-boo. Her favorite book is Pajama Time. She will laugh every time it is read to her. She says Ma Ma, Da Da, eet-ta-boo (peek-a-boo) and num (for food.) She loves water and nearly jumps out of your arms at the first sight or sound of the bathtub. She has become quite the little walker. She wanders around the house looking for any new adventure. One of her favorite games is to get a cup or bowl, or any container really, and stick objects in and out of it. She can sit there for what seems like forever sometimes, just putting in and dumping out her little treasures! She has the loudest scream imaginable! It isn’t a cry, just a loud, high pitched, scream. I guess she wants to make sure we all remember she’s around.









I have definitely had such a fun time having a little girl. Picking out her outfits, making bows, and other girly things, has been so much fun!













Happy 1st birthday, Katelyn, Katie, Kate, Katydid, Katie Bug, Little Red. We love you to pieces!!

Yay For Season Premieres!

So, it is no secret that I enjoy a little television. I get so excited for the season premieres of my favorite shows. I thought I would pay a little tribute to some of my most anticipated shows!







Who is ready for a little Dr. McDreamy? I couldn't decide which picture to use, so I picked all 3!



Because so many years of my life were spent dancing, I love any show that has anything to do with dance. I especially love Dancing With the Stars. I am most looking forward to the partnership of Lance Bass and Lacey Schwimmer. Lacey was a finalist in my other favorite dancing show, So You Think You Can Dance.



Yes, I am not ashamed to admit that I love this show! I am sure he wouldn't appreciate it, but, Kelly likes it just a little bit!



This has been a long time favorite of mine. I have been watching ER since the beginning. A couple of my favorite characters were Dr. Greene and Dr. Carter. I am a little sad that this is the final season.



Survivor is always a good one to watch, if you like realty shows that is. I happen to love realty television, so this is up there on my list!



I also really enjoy The Amazing Race. I always try and imagine Kelly on that show. He would love all the thrilling challenges and the competition aspect of the race. I don't want to go on the show, but I would volunteer him to do it!

I suppose you all know what I will be doing this fall!

My Quirks Tag!

A fellow blogger tagged me recently. So, I will try my best at narrowing down my answers! I am supposed to list six quirks about me. I am pretty sure I have more than six, but here goes!

1. I have a definite system when it comes to loading the dishwasher. Everything has its place. Bowls, plates, cups, silverware, you name it; it has to go in the right location. It even has to face a certain way. I appreciate it so much when my husband will take the time to do the dishes. It is especially helpful when he does it without being asked. This being said, if I open the dishwasher and the baby spoons are in with the spatulas or other serving utensils, I will surely get things in their proper order!

2. To go along with my dish problem, I can’t stand it when bottle nipples or sippy cut lids get mixed up. All lids and nipples must remain with their original cup or bottle! Kelly will often purpously mix them up just to see if I can handle it!

3. Recently I was converted to the wonderful world of Fantasy Football! I have always been a fan of college football. The NFL however, was something I could live without. Well, one exception has been for the Super Bowl because my family always has amazing food. Anyway, this football season, our friends Freeman and Tiffany recruited us to be in their Fantasy Football league, and I must say that I am addicted! Kelly actually had to be the one to turn off the game and tell me it was time to get ready for church!

4. I often agonize if I think I have possibly offended someone. If I say something (which always turns out to be nothing) I will worry my little head off! I tend to fret about it for days. I will keep myself awake at night, replaying the conversation in my head. I often wish I either didn’t say anything at all, or hope whatever dumb thing I did say never crossed their mind.

5. My kid’s pajamas have to go together. It drives me crazy when they wear the bottoms of one jammy to the top of another. I put them together in their drawer for a reason!

6. I have to eat dessert with a spoon. I don’t know what it is, but it just feels weird to eat a piece of cake or anything of that nature with a fork! If Kelly dishes up dessert and he gets a fork, I have to go back and trade it for a spoon. Weird, I know!

Okay, there it is folks. I hope that wasn’t too much torture for you! I tag: Darice, Kim, and Tina. Or any of my buddies who haven't had a turn yet!

Random Thoughts.....

Yesterday was our first parent/teacher conference for Connor. Connor's teacher had nothing but good things to say about him (Whew!) He is a well behaved and polite little boy. He is very social and loves to play with his friends. He is also learning a lot and is starting to sound things out in order to spell words. He is surely enjoying kindergarten. Each day, at the end of school, I go directly to his classroom to pick him up. As we walk out of the building, the kids who take the bus are lined up in the hall. As we leave, many of the kids call out to each other, bidding farewell until they meet the next day. It is pretty cute to hear little boys and girls saying "bye Connor," or "see ya Connor." He has made a lot of new friends and he loves it!





Connor didn't have school today, so yesterday, he got to sleep over at Kutter's house. I guess all the excitement wore him right out!



It has been a busy time for Carson as well. He has recently started preschool. Six mom's (including myself) in our ward take turns holding preschool in our homes. It has been fun for him. His friend, Payton, is in preschool with him. They are inseparable! Carson has to sit by her at all times! They have a great time with each other. Payton recently announced that she was going to marry Carson. He also just started gymnastics! Ever since the Olympics (we watched A LOT of Olympics,) he has become very interested in tumbling. He is actually pretty good. He can stand on his head, do a handstand, and can do a cartwheel. I can't wait to see how this will play out!



Here is Carson at gymnastics. Unfortunately, we weren't able to stay in the room and watch. So, I didn't get any exciting pictures.



Can you believe Katelyn will turn 1 in just a week? It is so crazy! Stay tuned for more on her!


I just love that little face!

Poor Kelly....Oh, Katelyn!

Story number 1:
First off let me say, poor Kelly! My dear husband loves to play sports. We all remember about 6 months when he broke his all important trigger finger playing football. Last Tuesday, after work, he decided to stop by the gym for a little exercise. Well, he thought he would have a quick warm up on the basketball court and then make his way up stairs for some weight lifting. We all know what happens when several men are just "shooting some hoops." It turns into a basketball game. Kelly just couldn't refuse the invitation to play ball. At some point, Kelly came down with a rebound, and twisted his ankle. The next morning he could hardly walk and his foot was swollen and bruised. So a trip to the doctor was in order! Much to his relief, the xrays showed there were no fractures. Just a pretty good sprain! He has spent the last few days icing, wrapping, and elevating his foot. The next week or so will be spent doing light duty until he can walk normally!



Story number 2:
Katelyn is quite the busy little thing. She loves to get into things. Her newest adventures are taking out her clothes from her drawers. I know all babies go through this most wonderful phase. I don't even know why I bother to put her clothes away while she is in my presence! She most definitely will undo anything I have just done!