Thanks Bubsies

My friend Jeanne, who owns Bubsies Boutique, is so creative and artistic! She made Katelyn's "Big Sister" shirt she wore on Easter and then her "1" tank she wore on her birthday. As a gift, Jeanne gave Katelyn 2 new creations she'd made. They were both so adorable!! Here's a picture of Katelyn in one of the dresses she received. If you're looking for a gift for a friend, check out her website. Thanks Jeanne!!

HUGS!!!

Katelyn is learning how to give hugs. It has to be the most precious thing I've ever seen in my life. She not only cuddles up next to you, but then she pats you on the back. So cute! I'm trying to get more of Katelyn's "firsts" on video and was able to get her hugging her daddy on camera. I'm not going to lie, it brought tears to my eyes. She is such a joyful baby, she is filled with the joy of the Lord!

1 Year Check Up

Today I took Katelyn to her One year old check up. It's hard to believe she's already 1, even though we had a wonderful party to celebrate and then went to the zoo on her birthday day. Katelyn weighed in at a little under 21lbs and was 28 inches long. She grew 2 inches in the last 2 months, which is awesome, but, poor thing did not inherit "tall genes" from Kyle and I. She is still average height on the scale of things so that's good.

Katelyn has been walking since she was 11 months old so she is quite proficient now and is beginning to figure out how to climb on things. She is becoming a little ornery at times, but is learning the meaning of "no, no" and what happens when Mommy gets to 3. She is saying Mama, Dada, Daddy, Hi, Hey, bye bye and shoes. She is working on juice, dog, cat and other simple words. When we had Katelyn dedicated we gave her a life verse that said "be joyful always" and she truly is. She is filled with smiles and laughter all day long.

The doctor said that she looks great, is very smart and noticeably coordinated for her age. Katelyn is eating solid foods, and is starting to drink whole milk. Now to wean her off the bottles and pacifiers. The doctor encouraged me to do it cold turkey, but I think it will be my goal to wean her by 13 months. I still have yet to find a sippy cup she likes.

Thank you for all your continued love, support and prayers for Katelyn and our family. We love you all!

Yes, 15%!

My cousin Jamie did this and her daughter Audra looks 8% more like her. Lately we've been saying how much our girls look alike. Guess this proves that the girls lean toward their Chinese heritage. Oh yeah!

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Free genealogy - Family history

Birthday trip to the San Diego Zoo

On Monday, Katelyn's actually birthday day, we took her to the San Diego so she could experience some of the animals we talk about and look at in her books at home. Katelyn loved watching all the animals moving around and making noises. I was actually surprised by how much she understood about what was going on around her. Our cousins Jamie, Andrew and baby Audra met us there and we saw more of the zoo in 4 hours than I think most people do on their first visit. Katelyn just kept running from one exhibit to the other pointing at all the animals and trying to talk to them. We had such a fun day together!

Katelyn mimicking the monkeys!

Experiencing her first ice cream. Of course, Mama only gave her a couple of bites.

This is the view of Katelyn we saw most of the day.

This was Katelyn's favorite exhibit. She loved watching the giraffes.

The zoos brand new elephant exhibit, Elephant Odyssey

Loving her birthday cake...

This video is long, but I figure the grandparents and great-grandparents will enjoy it.

Happy 1st Birthday Katelyn Renee Kaimilani Circle!

Last Saturday we celebrated Katelyn's 1st birthday with a party at the beach. The weather was beautiful and so many of our friends and family came to help us celebrate. It was so much fun!! I've had Katelyn's birthday planned on paper since she was 3 months old so it was so awesome to finally put all the details together and watch it unfold. It all came out better than I ever expected ... from Katelyns adorable birthday outfit to the centerpieces, cupcakes and the food. Of course we had to go with a circle theme; after all we are the Circle family. Katelyn is so loved and it is evident by all the people who came to help us celebrate. Katelyn spent the whole party running around chatting up a storm, giving out hugs and picking out her future boyfriend.... Simon! I think he's kinda crushing on her too. =) 

On the home front Katelyn has become such a proficient walker and her language has developed so much. She's starting to say words like "juice," "baby," and "bye, bye." I can't wait to see what else she starts to say. She's also an amazing eater and will try anything at least once. So far the only food she doesn't like is raspberries. Her personality is in full bloom, and she is filled with God's joy. I think she must be the happiest baby I know! Hopefully our next little one will follow in her footsteps. Praise Jesus for such a wonderful baby girl that He's given us to love and raise. We are truly blessed. We love you baby girl and we hope you had a fabulous 1st birthday!

Katelyn's birthday cupcakes were made by my friend Kelly at Once Upon a Cupcake. She's amazing!

The birthday girl. I made her tutu, my friend Jeanne made her tank top and my Mom bought her pink sparkly shoes for her birthday. They complete her adorable outfit!

Katelyn and her Grandma

Katelyn and Gigi

Katelyn with her Great-Grandmas

This toy box was a gift from my friend Stephanie who has a business making them. Isn't it so beautiful?!

Katelyn got a baby dolly from her Great-Great Aunt Vickie. She walks around all day long holding onto her baby giving her hugs and kisses. It's the most adorable thing ever!

This is how Katelyn's birthday party ended. She was exhausted and it was about 4pm. She reached out to hug one of her little friends, but fell backwards and hit her head on the stone floor on the deck. We were concerned about her having a concussion so instead of napping we all worked to keep her up to make sure she was ok. The only person she let put ice on her boo boo was her Grandpa. What a way to end a wonderful day. Her little bump didn't slow her down, before long she was back playing with her friends, laughing, giggling and dancing around. We were so thankful, everyone was very worried.

I'm ONE!!

It's so hard to believe that Katelyn is 1 already. It feels like it was just yesterday that Kyle and I were driving to Hoag because I had gone into labor. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful daughter and can't wait to continue to watch her grow and change. Since I've had Katelyn's pictures taken every month since she was born, of course I wasn't going to miss out on her 1st birthday pictures. My Mom came in last Thursday morning and we headed straight to Picture People to have Katelyn's pictures taken. I'm so glad my Mom was there... it is so hard to take pictures of a very mobile 1 year old. Katelyn was all over the place! Never-the-less it was fun and Mom and I both worked up a sweat. 

Katelyn's wearing her birthday outfit in her pictures. I made her tutu in January when I made one for my cousin Jamie whose daughter Audra was born in February and then my friend Jeanne made her cute tank top. The letters were a last minute idea when I was a Michael's picking up a few things to make for her party. I though it would be fun to decorate her cupcake table with and then I ended up bringing them as a prop idea for her pictures. She was so cute holding onto them!

Happy Birthday Kyle! The big 2-6!

Happy Birthday babe, I love you so much!!!!! You are my best friend. Thank you for working so hard, taking care of our family, and always remembering to keep God first. 

Last Friday night we celebrated Kyle's birthday by heading to the Angel's game with the Fransz family. It was so great to celebrate such a special occasion with special friends. The Fransz's are going to be starting a new journey at the end of June: they are moving to Atlanta, Georgia. This is a big step for them, but they have stepped out in faith and God is blessing every step of their journey. Even Ella enjoyed herself at the game munching on snacks and bouncing from lap to lap. We love you guys, thanks for coming and celebrating Kyle's birthday with us, we can't wait to visit you in Hotlanta!!

Memorial Weekend

We had a busy, busy Memorial weekend. On Friday night Grandma Jan came over to babysit Katelyn so Kyle and I could head to Long Beach to help our friend Aj, pastor of Origins Church in Long Beach, celebrate graduating with his Master's degree in Theology. It was so great to be able to visit with friends we haven't seen in many months. It did feel weird not to have Katelyn with us because we do so much as a family, but it was so nice to have a date night with Kyle.

Saturday night Uncle Brendan and Auntie Ashlyn came over to watch Katelyn so Kyle's parents and Kyle and I could go to a wedding at Pala Mesa Resort in Fallbrook. One of Kyle's good friends from Junior High married his college girlfriend and the wedding was beautiful, a little chilly, but beautiful. Kyle had a great time reminiscing with old friends. Meanwhile, Katelyn learned from her Uncle B how to climb up the sofa into the window sill and bang and blow kisses on the window. 

Sunday was a day of rest, and that's exactly what we did! Katelyn slept in, yes! And then took a nice long nap, so that I could take a nice, long afternoon nap as well. I was so worn out from being out late 2 nights in a row so it was nice to be home all day with no plans. 

Monday we celebrated Memorial Day at the beach house with Kyle's family. We love going down there and relaxing with family. Kyle's dad also makes the best filet on the bbq, yum, yum! Katelyn had fun showing off her walking skills, going for a swim, and then of course walking around naked. She refused to put on her diaper and clothes so we had a naked jay bird hanging out on the patio until the chilly wind forced her to put some clothes on to warm up. All in all it was a great day and Katelyn had fun with her Grandma and Grandpa Circle, her Uncle B, and Auntie Leah. 

I'm so silly!