Note to Kate

Kate, you are beautiful - inside and out!

At two and a half, you have a sweet, deep, raspy voice that sings to me - sometimes quiet and squeaky like a mouse and other times loud and show-stopping like an elephant! You have a large vocabulary and very articulate sentences, and you speak directly to your audience. "Look at this, Mom." "Can I do that,Mom?" "I wear my new boots, Mom!"You are sensitive to others and almost always ask before you touch something, get on something, or do something. For example, when I am in my favorite chair with my legs up, feet on the ottoman, you'll come up and say, "Can I get up there, Mom?" I'll nod, and you'll climb on my legs, facing me, and do all kinds of acrobatics and tricks - falling between my legs, flipping over my legs, tickling my feet and seeing how long I can still hold you up!

You love to be a helper:

You have fine, silky hair with a touch of curl ("like you, Mom!"), and you love to have it in "two ponies" or "three ponies, like Miss Amanda do" (two up front then all of it together in the back in a third band). You love to put barrettes and bows in, but they don't tend to stay in too long -- sometimes you take them out, but more often they fall out in a wresting or chasing event!

You love to play with your brothers! They chase you around the house, and you yell, "Chase me, Owen! Come get me, Collin!" and you laugh and laugh! And they chase you, staying just one or two steps behind you, which makes you squeal around the corners! Then you'll run to me or Dad, seeking sanctuary - until you've caught your breath, dart off, and beg them to run after you again!

You love temporary tattoos; your arm is currently covered in them! (Trick or Treating was good to you!) You call them "hat-toos" and you put them on yourself with a wet wipe, always asking me to "set the timer, Mom!" so you'll know when the application is complete.

You have a couple of favorite outfits: a teal hoodie dress that you wear either with matching teal knee-high socks or with matching striped teal leggings. Sometimes, like today, you wear the leggings with a teal long sleeve top on the socks. You check every day to see if I've washed any piece of the ensemble "Is it clean, Mom?"

You also love to wear anything "that my Grandma made to me." Currently, that's a long floral-print dress, with a big red bow in the back and a red jacket with polka dot lining. You love it! You also love anything with polka dots!! Almost every outfit in your closet has polka dots somewhere! Even the bow clips for your hair have polka dot ties! Each set of jammies is covered in polka dots, but your favorite is your Hello Kitty nightgown. You hardly ever wear pants (sometimes leggings); you're almost always in a shirt or dress - sometimes with tights, sometimes with leg warmers! I can count on one hand how many times you wore jeans since you started dressing yourself! You also love shoes - lots of shoes. You have more shoes than anyone in the house. But you are also constantly misplacing them because you prefer to go barefoot and because you love to change them throughout the day (sometimes with other people's shoes)! Speaking of changing, on the weekends you might change your outfits 3 or 4 times a day!

You think everything is "purple," but tend to pick things pink and green. You know how to use your fork, but I have to remind you because you know that you can eat

faster if you scoop with your hands! You don't like to be the smallest at the dinner table -- you're always standing in your chair. We remind you "knees or bum," and you comply but are back up on your feet in no time. You've never fallen, and you stay in your seat, so for the most part, it's a battle we don't fight at home. (Just realized that you don't do it in restaurants or other people's houses ... hmmm.)

You have your own big girl bed in the room you're sharing with Eli (although he's never yet stayed a whole night in there with you), but you rarely sleep in your bed. You are great about going to sleep - but you prefer to set up your blankies at the top of stairs and sleep the night away there. Sometimes if people are over, you sleep in your doorway instead, so I know you won't accidently get stepped on.

You don't really like for me to cut your fingernails and toenails, but if I promise to put nail polish on, you sit perfectly still. I put clear on your fingernails and pink on your toenails; you love it! "They are pretty, Mom!" I can see that your salon bills will be high when you're older! *We'll go together - how fun!!

Your favorite show is Curious George. You also enjoy the Cat in the Hat, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Dinosaur Train, and Bob the Builder.

You love your dollies and love to wrap them in blankies and put them to sleep. So far, you haven't mastered getting their clothes ON, but you know how to take them off so they are "Nakey Baby" all the time!

You love blankies - have lots of them every night, morning, snuggle time! But your favorite is your "polka dot gankie" that Great Grandma Marshall made for you.

You are very girly amongst all these boys, but you're a total tomboy compared to, for example, the Gonnella Girls!

You are contagiously sweet and happy! Frowns, sadness, and tantrums pass quickly ~ almost like you recognize that you'd rather just spend your time having fun and being happy! *I love this so much about you!

I love you, Katelyn / Picnic / Kate-a-rina / Katie-Kate / Kate / Pumpkin! (If we call you a different name, like Missy or Princess, for example, you'll say, "I'm not Princess, I'm Picnic!"