A few more random shots

Marla, Beatrix, and Suzi. Little B is wearing a really cute dress in honor of her 1 year birthday celebration. Owen, Mom, and Kate

Preparing for a grandkid-photo frenzy. Just waiting for a Beatrix. . . . That I actually got all five faces (and not ears, bums, or other non-face photos) is a sign of success.

Zachary and the beach ball. Before the ball needed to be put in time out!

Abigail pushing Kate in the plastic bin.

Self-portraits

Auntie Jill & Zachary Seth and Auntie Jill

Mom, Kate, and Jill

Owen and Auntie Jill

Hugs

Kate and I went to Oregon for a couple of days to catch up with family. Kate was very into giving hugs/ loves. This is the best picture I have of her hugging Owen. And here she and Abigail are sharing loves.

Quilt done

Kate's quilt is FINALLY done. It's made entirely out of flannel. And my daughter does LOVE the flannel. She also has grown fond of talking to/ about some of the fabrics in this quilt, so that also makes it a success.

Helping cook

Kate likes to watch and help when there is action in the kitchen. I find it most useful to have her in the chair, so that I'm not actually having to hold her while preparing meals. She does a really good job putting scraps in the compost bin. And pulling dishes out of the sink!

Santa?

Kate came busting out of Terry's room wearing a Santa hat. I busted out laughing, because it was down over her face and she was running around so happy with the new experience. Apparently the red part of the hat isn't opaque, as she seemed to know where she was going!

Watching the world

We have a desk in front of the main picture window. It has a kid-size seat and view out the window. Kate likes hanging out and watching the great (cold) outdoors.

Adoption update

So, our fingerprints have come back. Yes, we all passes.

The "lost" driver's license forms have been sent/ received/ and approved.



Our application has been sent to the state.



And now we are WAITING. We were waiting before, but now there's literally nothing to be done besides WAITING for the state to approve our foster care license.



To make me more impatient, there was a wonderful article in the Seattle Times on Saturday.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010321168_webadoption20m.html



Definitely worth the read.

Growing vocabulary

On the drive home today, I was thinking about all the words Kate uses, and thought it would be a fun post. At least for me! These are words she says, though not necessarily how she actually pronounces them.

Kitty (first word beyond Mama Dada). Usually when we get home we are greeted by MamaDadaMamaDadKittyMamaDada

Meow
Duck
Quack
Cow
Moo
Moose
Milk
Water
Bear
Baby
Ball

Two (usually refers to her wanting 2 ice cubes in her sippy cup)
Ice
Cup

Peas (meaning all veggies)
Noodles
Yogurt
Apple
Banana
Cracker
Cheese
Berry

Please
Thank you

No-no-no (with emphatic shaking of head - it's very funny)
Yeah-yeah

Baseball
Ichiro (okay - that one is when prompted.)
Touchdown (also prompted)

Teeth
Eyes
Nose
Ear

Potty

Hi
Bye Bye
Love you

Shoes
Socks

That's what I have for now. I'm sure I'll think of more once I sign off and go to bed.

17-month self portrait

Kate and I, after eating our breakfast, pose for our monthly self-portrait. Daddy helped Kate smile in this one. He makes good goofy faces.