Leap Day

I just want to rant a little bit right now. When I tell people that Kara's birthday is February 28th, most say, "So she was almost born on leap day!" Not so, and this is why:
1) Kara was due on March 7th, an entire week after the end of February;
2) I went into labor on the evening of Feb. 27th and had her the next morning at 4:19 (so I'd say she barely made it to the 28th);
3) She was born in 2005, which, of course, was not a leap year.
The closest leap year to her birth was 2004, at which time Brian and I were only engaged (and we'd just met only 5 months previously). Today is the first leap day of Kara's life, and she's three. She wasn't almost born today. OK, that's all. Happy Once-Every-Four-Years Day!
(One more thing- I've never realized that leap years are also years of presidential elections and the Olympic games. Cool, huh?)

Happy Birthday, Kara!

My little girl is already 3! I can't believe how time flies. Here she is with her birthday crown that she was so excited to wear today. Kara is such a sweet daughter and wonderful big sister to her little brother. She's really smart and likes to make her parents proud of her. I love my lovable girl. Have a good one, Kara!

Kara's Party

Kara will be turning 3 next week, and we had a little party for her with a few friends on Monday. Kara requested a pink cake, so Strawberry Shortcake was the theme. We all had a good time.

Happy Birthday, Melissa!

Today my little sister turned 22. She is currently serving in the New Hampshire Manchester Mission and will be until about next January. Melissa is a spunky, fun-loving, and dedicated person. Have a good one, Liss!


(This isn't a very current picture; it was taken about 2 years ago.)

Papa Visits

Brian's dad Chip is being deployed to Colombia for 6 months in March, so he came to visit us for a few days last week.


(Kara took this picture.)


We rode the train at Brackenridge Park,




went to the San Antonio Zoo,




had lots of fun at Chuck E. Cheese's,




and played.



Of course he came bearing gifts from Grandma and him, which we all appreciated. Grandma wasn't able to make it this time, but we look forward to a visit from her in the future. Thanks for coming, Papa Vance!

Mastering the Big Wheel

Last year we bought Kara a Big Wheel for her birthday. Well, she wasn't quite ready for one yet. She couldn't reach the pedals and couldn't steer worth beans; she couldn't even stay on the street let alone anything narrower. Daddy helped her practice once in a while throughout the year, but she didn't seem to be getting much better.




Then, over the past month, Kara has shown drastic improvement. She can now pedal just fine (and keep it going), stay on the sidewalk by steering, and even stop (by putting both feet down, but it works)! We regularly go on walks, and I'm pushing just one child in the stroller again. It's GREAT!

My Little Mama

Kara has been demonstrating her maternal instincts for a while now. Everything I do, she wants to do... especially if it has to do with taking care of her little brother. She wants to hold him, feed him, change him... you name it! Kara knows that when she gets bigger, she wants to be a mother. Sometimes when I say to her, "You're getting so big!", she agrees: "I'm getting Mama!"