Time to catch up!

Wow, I can't believe it's been so long since I last posted. We are now settled into our new home in Georgia, and are slowly exploring Athens. We've had grandparents come to visit... John has also started his position at UGA, working on his research projects until he teaches next spring.

We've also had few dozen contractors to work on the house. That's right...our new 5-year old home has thrown us quite a few surprises in the 4 weeks since we've moved in, and all I want to do is call the landlord. For the first time, we are the owners and are more than acquainted with the Lowe's up the road from us. We are about to begin installation of a huge fence around our 0.8 acre property, have a designer work on the blank canvas that is our backyard, replace our rotting master shower and chimney, clean up a small lake in our crawl space, and transform our sagging, splintering, not up-to-code deck into a lovely screened-in porch. We have had our frustrating moments, from when we first stepped into the house the day of the closing to find that it was totally filthy, to our visits from contractors giving us the bad news about the molding shower that wasn't waterproofed/rotting chimney/etc. But, when the renovations are done, the home and yard will be amazing. I'm looking forward to seeing the transformation, and I'll be sure to post pictures.

Katherine has handled the transition well, and absolutely loves the stairs in the house (our house in Tucson had none). She climbs up them, screeching at the top of her lungs, totally thrilled with herself. I'm terrified! AND...on Friday afternoon, she took her first steps by herself! She and I were playing in her room and she walked over to me from a box of diapers I was unloading. We got a repeat performance on Saturday, but so far nothing on camera. She will be walking before I know it, and again...I'm terrified!

Awesome week!

As we gear up to say goodbye to Tucson, we've been packing in as much as possible. We had an amazing visit from Brian, one last visit before we are on the other side of country. We went to the zoo, where Katherine and I fed a beautiful giraffe, and Katherine got to play on real grass (we've told her about this green stuff, but now she believes us). We also hosted a big BBQ at our house...one last opportunity to see all of our friends. Brian was a grill-master-champ, while John and I soaked up as much of our friends as possible.

Winston must have taught her this trick.

The Cheerios flow freely at our house--thankfully, Winston has been a good vacuum.

April happenings

Hey everyone! Here are some pictures and a video from the last few weeks. Katherine is so much fun these days....learning learning learning. Katherine will dance to music (more of a bop, but practice makes perfect), shake her toys, and make kissing sounds back at us. This week she waved goodbye for the first time, which will serve her well as we move away from Tucson next month. That's right, East Coast, we're coming back! It is a very bittersweet time, as we say goodbye to all of the wonderful people we love in Tucson, but get to enjoy being closer to family once again. We'll be moving to Athens, GA, where John (now Dr. John!) will start on the faculty of the accounting department at UGA. Go Dawgs!

9 months old!

On Monday, Katherine will be 9 months old! It has been the absolute best 9 months of our lives, and it keeps getting better. I figured I would share a video mash-up from the last few weeks, showing her crawling, standing, playing, and eating like a piggy (with Chaka Khan in the background...she is Every Woman, for sure).

March Madness!

Go Deacs!

Katherine's happy no matter what happens to the Deacs. Hint, hint, Daddy!

Daddy's home!

A lot of you already knew this, but John was on the road the last 5 weeks, going on all of his faculty interviews. He was in and out of town for the first three weeks, then completely gone for the last two. To say that we're happy he is home is an understatement! John so far has two offers, and hopefully by the end of this week we'll know where we are headed this summer. Very exciting!

While John was gone, Katherine learned how to pull herself up to stand. She's had a great time standing (and staying) up and watching everything from up there (all 2 feet of her). She also has a tooth that is just under her gums, and ready to poke through at any moment. So much growing to do....

Winston and Katherine waiting for John to come home.

Sometimes I see a little kid more than a baby...this picture is one instance.

I can stand!

On the move!

It has been a few weeks since our last post...I've been running around the house chasing after Katherine! She is now crawling everywhere, with her favorite targets being Winston, Winston's food, Winston's toys, and the wine bottles on our wine rack (hmmmm). It is so much fun to watch Katherine explore around the house.

Katherine has grown and changed so much, and it feels like every week there is something new. Last week, she learned how to give raspberries with a mouthful of pureed peas...lovely! She is amazing to watch grow, and I find myself falling in love with Katherine a little bit more every day. I know that is cliche, but it is so ridiculously true!

Katherine kept crawling towards and grabbing at her shadow.

I was in the kitchen and heard Katherine giggling...I looked in the family room to see her laughing at the monkey picture in this book. Who doesn't find a monkey funny?!

I have some old kitchenware out for Katherine to play with while I'm cooking. Winston was not amused with her banging on the pots.

At the zoo!

Katherine and Eleanora at the zoo together.

Seen from our back patio...I bet it's peaceful up there.