Kara Anne Lang July 13, 2007 - December 26, 2009

SUDC

2010-04-11T21:25:00.001-04:00

The Sudden Unexplained Death In Childhood Program (SUDC) was created in September 2001 within the CJ Foundation for SIDS. It is tasked with providing a centralized resource for information, support and advocacy. It serves families and professionals affected by the tragedy of SUDC, and promotes awareness of SUDC in communities.

Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC) is… the sudden and unexpected death of a child over the age of twelve months, which remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation is conducted. This must include: examination of the death scene, performance of a complete autopsy, and a review of the child and family’s medical history. SUDC is a diagnosis of exclusion - given when all known and possible causes of death have been ruled out.

www.sudc.org

SUDC was determined to be our Kara's cause of death. Before Kara died, we had never heard of SUDC. We knew about SIDS, and breathed a 'sigh of relief' when Kara's first birthday passed, and she was thriving. Little did we know that we would only have about 1 1/2 years left to enjoy our amazing, sweet, little girl.

Our new blog --- Three plus an angel.

2010-01-26T17:31:00.005-05:00

http://3plusangel.blogspot.com/

Until We Meet Again….

2010-01-03T09:32:00.001-05:00

Our daughter, Kara Anne Lang went to be with God on December 26, 2009. We have no idea why, but we know she went peacefully in her sleep. Our family misses her desperately, but we are comforted to know that Kara is in heaven having fun (as usual) watching over us. The two and a half years we spent with Kara, as parents, and sister, were the best we could ever imagine. Although we wanted a lifetime with her, we were truly blessed by every moment we did share with her. Our faith in God, and our loving family and friends have helped tremendously during the past week since Kara became our angel, and that is what will continue to carry us as time moves on.

Yesterday was the memorial service for our Kara. The service was perfect and beautiful, just like she was to us. We want to thank all of the people that helped so much to make it that way--you all are wonderful, and we appreciate your love and support. Life is fragile, and there are no guarantees when it comes to relationships. Please make every effort to cherish each moment you have with your children, families, and loved ones. We certainly cherish our wonderful memories of Kara, and they will last forever.

Our beautiful angel, Kara Anne Lang.

(July 13, 2007 ~ December 26, 2009)

Christmas Celebration in VA with Family

2009-12-31T08:39:00.001-05:00

On December 26th, the four of us traveled to Virginia to celebrate Christmas with Kathy’s family. We had a wonderful day! Kara so enjoyed helping Papa pass out the presents to everyone! We enjoyed a delicious meal together with all the fixings—turkey, ham, stuffing, garlic grits (family recipe), green beans, mac & cheese, etc…. Kara played with her cousins, ran around, and was a happy, energetic child throughout the day. We traveled back home that evening, and Kara spent as much time in her new playroom as possible before bedtime. Kathy, Tim, Samantha, and all of their family members will remember Christmas 2009 as a time when Kara was exceptionally happy and full of life. She loved all of the Christmas decorations and lights, playing outside in the snow (and we had LOTS of it), and playing inside with her new kitchen, dolls, nursery, and games she received as gifts for Christmas. We will choose to focus on the beautiful memories that we made with Kara on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and during the day of the 26th. We love you dearly our sweet, angel Kara.

Christmas Day 2009

2009-12-25T14:00:00.001-05:00

Today marked another wonderful Christmas celebration for our family of four! Kara verified that Santa visited our home when she saw that the milk and cookie she left out were gone…just a few crumbs left.

We opened our stockings from Santa first, and then the gifts to each other. Everyone made out pretty well, so we must have been ‘good’ this year. :) Tim loves his new range bag, and will put it to good use when he takes his new firearms to the range. Kathy loves her new kindle, and has already downloaded books to read. And, Samantha loves her new IPod touch, and has been adding new music and apps to it already.

The grand finale was Kara’s gifts from Santa inside her new playroom! The funny thing is that Kara has never been in the back room at the end of the hallway, so she had no idea where she was going at first. Kara was very surprised (shocked is probably a better word) to see a room full of familiar and new toys when we opened the door! The morning ended with us enjoying a delicious breakfast of waffles, ghutta (family recipe) and bacon.

It was not an easy feat to get Kara out of the playroom, and so she ate her lunch in there at her little table. She enjoyed having mommy, daddy or Samantha stay and play with her, but was also happy & content to play by herself.

Christmas Eve 2009

2009-12-24T22:20:00.001-05:00

HUGE December Snow!

2009-12-19T18:38:00.001-05:00

Well, the weather forecasters actually got it right. They said 10-20 inches yesterday when there was not a snowflake in sight. As you can see from one of the pictures below, we are at 21 inches on Saturday evening! The snow is still falling slowly. Kara had a great time playing in the snow again, but it wasn’t the best kind of snow for a snowman—too dry. This has definitely been the biggest snowfall Tim and Kathy have experienced since the one in Springfield, VA in the 80’s. We love that it happened on the weekend again so that we could enjoy it without having to worry about getting to work. Although, today was our nephew Sean’s 5th birthday party, and we unfortunately had to miss it. Samantha is visiting with her grandparents in Maryland, and is happy about the fact that school has already been cancelled on Monday.

Leo & his new buddy, Ryder!

2009-12-12T21:02:00.001-05:00

We have a new addition to our family, and his name is Ryder! He is a 12-week old retriever-mix puppy. Ryder is very sweet and laid-back…lucky for us! He reminds me of a newborn—lots of sleeping, pooping and peeing. :)

Kara's first visit with Santa!

2009-12-06T17:06:00.000-05:00

Snow & Lights

2009-12-05T20:33:00.001-05:00

Today was the first snowfall of the season, and it couldn’t have happened at a better time. It’s Saturday and we had nowhere we had to go. Tim, Kara and Kathy enjoyed playing in the snow and making a snowman! We also took some pictures of the front of the house with the Christmas lights and decorations.

Thanksgiving

2009-11-30T20:54:00.001-05:00

We had a great time this Thanksgiving celebrating at the O’Malley home (Kathy’s sister). There were 15 of us altogether, and a ton of food! Unfortunately, we didn’t get a picture of our feast, but we did get a few to show what a good time we all had!

Pictures!

2009-11-25T20:59:00.001-05:00

Sorry it has been almost a month since we last posted! Time has just flown by! So…today, Kara looked too cute in her leopard dress for us not to get a few pictures to share. :)

**Apparently Kara knows how to cross her eyes!(last picture)

Pumpkin Carving & Trick or Treating

2009-10-31T20:58:00.001-04:00

Kara had fun helping mommy and daddy carve the pumpkins, and didn’t have any problems putting her hands inside to clean out the seeds. Kara dressed up as a princess for Halloween, and had a blast trick or treating at the houses on our street! She also really liked helping mommy pass out treat to the other kids…even things she had already opened and started to eat herself!

Kara’s ‘big girl’ bedroom

2009-10-30T21:18:00.001-04:00

Kara’s new bedroom set was delivered and set up today, and we think her room looks fabulous! We still need to put up pictures, shelves, and curtains. Plus a screw for one of the knobs on the dresser is too short…so we’ll post pictures again when everything is finished. As you can tell, Kara really likes her new bed!

Homecoming Weekend at EKU

2009-10-19T22:37:00.001-04:00

Last weekend, Tim and Samantha traveled to Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, KY with Kathy’s dad, to participate in the Homecoming festivities. Samantha’s friend, Sophie was able to go too. Some of you reading may not know that Tim, and both of Kathy’s parents graduated from EKU. Everyone had a great time! When they arrived on campus Friday afternoon they were given a tour of the university by two students. Friday night they enjoyed a formal dinner. Saturday morning was a delicious brunch at the President’s home. They watched the Homecoming parade in the early afternoon, and the football game (from the President’s box) later in the afternoon. From what I’ve been told, the four of them ate very well all weekend long! Samantha and Sophie were able to experience many fun opportunities, and see a little bit of what their future may hold when they attend college!

Homecoming Dance

2009-10-11T09:54:00.001-04:00

Samantha and her friend Eugene went to Homecoming at Martinsburg HS last night and had a great time! They danced the night away and were happy and exhausted when I went to pick them up at 11 pm. :-) Don’t they look fabulous?!

Kara’s new tricycle

2009-09-24T21:34:00.001-04:00

Kara got a new Radio Flyer tricycle today! Even with the adjustable seat moved as far up as possible, she cannot completely turn the pedals. Our Kara has short, stubby (but very cute) legs. :-) But, the great thing about this tricycle is the handle on the back. It’s high enough for an adult to push, and gives us the ability to steer the tricycle where ever we want it to go. Kara really likes her new pink/purple tricycle!

Fun in the pool!

2009-09-24T21:23:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, mommy stayed home with Kara because the babysitter was sick. We actually stayed home together for two days in a row! It was actually a very warm day (mid 80’s), so Kara was able to play in her pool. She had a lot of fun!

Celebrating Hunter’s 2nd Birthday

2009-09-19T22:45:00.001-04:00

Today we went to Virginia to help celebrate Hunter’s birthday, and took some cute pictures of the cousins together!

Weekend with Grandma & Grandpa Lang

2009-09-19T22:40:00.001-04:00

We’ve really enjoyed the weekend visit with Tim’s parents, and took some good pictures while having fun!

Footsies!

2009-09-14T21:56:00.001-04:00

Nana and Papa came over last Saturday to spend time with Samantha and Kara while Tim and Kathy went out for the day. We all had a great time! Kara and Nana decided to play ‘footsies’ while reading books together, and Papa snapped the picture. :-)

Kathy’s Birthday

2009-08-18T21:52:00.001-04:00

Samantha made my birthday cake this year, and she did a great job! As you can see, from the writing on the cake…I can’t pretend I’m 29 and holding anymore!

More Smiles!

2009-08-18T21:48:00.001-04:00

Camping at Raystown Lake

2009-08-11T20:59:00.001-04:00

We camped at Raystown Lake in PA last weekend. It was beautiful, and the weather was great! Our site was huge (wish I had taken pictures), and the lake was amazing. Unfortunately, the campground has an issue with skunks. They only come out at night, but they are very bold. We saw several running through our campsite while we were sitting around the fire. The worst part of it was that the skunks were obviously unhappy because they were spraying something—thankfully not us—but the smell was horrible and overwhelming. It was so terrible that we had to go inside and were unable to enjoy the campfire. Too bad DNR doesn’t catch the skunks and release them somewhere else….We rented a pontoon boat and tube on Friday. Tim whipped Samantha all around the lake, and she hung on really well! Kara really enjoyed the playground as you can see from the pictures.

Smile

2009-08-04T20:36:00.001-04:00

Don’t you love Kara’s cheesy smile in the pictures below?! She is cuddling the new blanket and pillow that goes with her toddler bedding we recently purchased…but we don’t have the toddler bed yet. Kara has not tried to crawl out of her crib at this point, so we’re reluctant to rush her into sleeping in a toddler bed. Right now she wakes up around 6:15 am each day, but plays happily in her crib until we get her out at 7 am. We probably could not continue this routine if Kara were to be able to get out of bed and come into our room whenever she wanted. As cute as the new bedding is, and as excited as I am about changing her room from a nursery to a little girls’ room… I think we’ll wait.

Kara the princess

2009-07-19T22:12:00.001-04:00

Kara loves her new princess dress, courtesy of Nana & Papa. Mommy tried the dress on Kara to see just how big it was on our little peanut. Then, Kara would not let us take the dress off of her! Kara was not too fond of the tiara, but we think she’ll grow into it. :-) Needless to say, Kara is just like any other girl/woman—she loves to look like a princess, and most definitely likes to be treated as a princess!

Kara loves Grandma & Grandpa

2009-07-19T21:59:00.001-04:00

Tim’s parents came from Ohio to visit, and Kara really enjoyed the extra attention from her grandparents!

Kara’s Elmo Party

2009-07-19T21:55:00.001-04:00

Today was the ‘big party’ day for Kara! We had a house full of family, Elmo decorations, Elmo cake and cookie pops, and presents! Mommy and daddy saved the sand & water table gift for today—and Kara loved it! I think her cousin Hunter had fun too. The weather was beautiful for a cookout and outdoor play, and the party was a great success!

Celebrating 2 yrs

2009-07-13T19:27:00.001-04:00

Kara is officially 2 yrs old today! Because this birthday fell on a Monday, Kara went to daycare while Tim, Kathy & Samantha went to work. For those who don’t know…Samantha is volunteering at the VA Medical Center. She is really enjoying it! We had a small family celebration when everyone got home. Kara opened presents from us, and then we had pizza for dinner (one of Kara’s favorites)! Next Sunday, the 19th will be Kara’s ‘Elmo’ party. Her grandparents from Ohio will be in town, and her grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins from Virginia will up for the party!

What Kara is able to do….run everywhere, climb on everything, and communicate better! Kara identifies certain colors by name (blue, green & yellow). She says ‘Barney’, ‘Elmo’, ‘Dora’, ‘eat’, ‘wash’, ‘up & down’, ‘brush teeth’, ‘help’, ‘snack’, ‘yes & no’, ‘Papa’, ‘nana’ (for banana—sorry Mom), ‘fish’ (for goldfish), ‘fruit’, ‘pasi’ (for pacifier), ‘blanket’, ‘fall down’, & ‘blocks’. I’m sure I’m forgetting things. Kara also mimics a LOT of what we say, and will usually repeat the last part of our sentence to us. She definitely understands most everything we say!

The beginning of a 2nd birthday…

2009-07-10T18:57:00.001-04:00

Kara looks adorable in the orange apron from Nana & Papa, while she listens to daddy read her the birthday card. Kara said ‘cat’ and ‘balloon’ while looking at the card! When her daddy asked her the color of one of the balloons, she said ‘green’—and yes, Tim was pointing to the green balloon! Our little girl is growing up!

Camping--4th of July weekend

2009-07-10T18:48:00.001-04:00

We continued our tradition of camping over the Independence Day holiday, by making a trip to the KOA campground in Harpers Ferry, WV. We like this campground a lot because of all the activities they have for all ages. As you can see, Kara was decked out for swimming. We were able to pick our site this trip and it was HUGE. We also had lots of beautiful trees around us to shade the camper, and the weather couldn’t have been more perfect! Nana & Papa came up on Sunday to visit with us and eat dinner. We walked around the campground, ate the traditional camping fare of hotdogs and cheeseburgers, and then had smores for dessert! YUM

Favorite Photo

2009-07-07T21:27:00.003-04:00

Hi and welcome to my blog! I’m loving this favorite photo blog hop! You can click on the links below to hop around to other blogs and see some great photos. It’s always hard to pick just one photo as my all-time favorite, so I’ll qualify this by saying that this photo is my favorite at the moment. This is of our youngest daughter, sweet Kara, who will be turning 2 yrs old next week! The picture was taken on vacation in Florida last month, and Kara’s smile just makes me melt.

***

Taco Night

2009-06-30T21:44:00.001-04:00

We fixed tacos, rice and re-fried beans for dinner tonight—one of Samantha’s favorite meals. Kara really enjoyed it too, as you can tell from the photos. :-) Just a tad messy…but oh so fun!

Kara Joins us for Dinner

2009-06-24T20:25:00.001-04:00

Tonight was Kara’s first dinner at the big table in her booster seat with the rest of the family! Notice that she was also eating exactly what the rest of us were eating—bow tie pasta with chicken, asparagus, covered with vodka sauce, her own small salad, and garlic bread (a favorite of Kara’s). She loved it, and we loved having four of us around the table for a family dinner. Our little girl is growing up!

Stealing Daddy’s Dinner

2009-06-22T22:27:00.001-04:00

Tonight’s dinner turned out to be quite hilarious! Most of the time, Kara is fed her dinner before the three of us sit down to eat. Then while we eat, Kara watches a movie and plays with toys. Kara had other plans tonight. When Tim got up from the table to get something, Kara got up in his chair, grabbed his fork, and started eating his Beef Lombardy! It was so cute, that we had to take pictures. :-) Being the generous type, Kara eventually decided to allow Daddy to share the chair with her, and eat some of the dinner that she stole from him!

A Day with Nana & Papa

2009-06-22T22:08:00.001-04:00

Last Saturday Nana & Papa came up to spend time with Samantha and Kara while Kathy & Tim went out on a date! The date included seeing a movie in the theatre, and birthday shopping for Kara’s 2nd birthday coming up on July 13th! In the pictures below Kara is wearing a new outfit that Nana & Papa brought for her—too cute! Kara LOVES to be read to, and Papa wasn’t in the house very long before Kara recruited him to read one of her new books. :-)

Last Day at the Beach

2009-06-19T20:11:00.001-04:00

We had a wonderful week in Destin! We were very sad to see our vacation come to an end, and are already looking forward to going back again in 2010!

More pictures from Florida

2009-06-19T19:53:00.001-04:00

New flip-flops for Kara—her first pair of in-between-the-toe sandals. It’s going to take more practice for her to get used to walking in them. :-) We love spending time on the screened in porch at the Florida house. We’re able to enjoy being outdoors, but without the sunscreen!

Parasailing!

2009-06-13T13:30:00.004-04:00

Tim, Samantha and Rachael had a blast parasailing today! Tim said it was really peaceful while approximately 400 feet up in the air. It was all fun until they got dunked...don't you just love the looks on Samantha's face?!? They also saw a giant sting ray and several sharks while up in the air! Good thing the boat driver didn't drop them in the middle of all of that.

Fun on the Pontoon boat in the Bay!

2009-06-13T09:25:00.003-04:00

The time on the boat was fun! Kara loved to think of herself as the Captain, as you can tell from the pictures. :-) What is it with teens not liking to have their picture taken?? The weather was gorgeous! Only downside is that all of us (except Kara) got burnt, b/c our sunscreen application was less than adequate. :-(

More pictures from Florida!

2009-06-13T09:05:00.004-04:00

Pictures of Kara in the house and on the screen porch in Florida. She's sportin the cutest outfit--sparkles and new, pink converse! Mommy loves it!

Fun at the Beach!

2009-06-11T20:38:00.003-04:00

We arrived in Destin, FL for our vacation at noon on Tuesday of this week. We are having a wonderful time! Kara's first beach experience occurred last summer while in Destin, but of course, she doesn't remember. It was all brand new to her again, and she loved it. Playing in the sand and riding the waves were lots of fun!

Tomorrow we are heading out on the pontoon boat, and I plan to get pictures of Samantha and her friend Rachael. Tim, Samantha and Rachael will be going parasailing on Saturday, and Tim will get some pictures of that adventure--so check back soon!

Too Cute for Words

2009-06-10T16:17:00.002-04:00

Grandpa & Grandma Lang visit

2009-06-02T21:55:00.002-04:00

Tim's parents came to visit last weekend and we really enjoyed our time together. The pictures we've posted were actually taken by Ellen, and we think think they turned out great!

Samantha's 8th grade Formal

2009-05-30T20:17:00.003-04:00

Samantha and eight of her friends got together to go to their first formal dance this evening! Everyone looked great! Several other parents stopped by, and we all took a LOT of pictures. Samantha looks beautiful, and so grown up....boy how time flies!

Hershey Park on Samantha's Birthday

2009-05-25T17:05:00.004-04:00

On Sunday, we spent the day at Hershey Park--just 30 minutes from our campground. We discovered that Kara is not quite old enough to enjoy amusement parks (as you can see by the look on her face above), so she and Tim left rather early and headed back to the campground. Kathy and Samantha enjoyed the rest of their day, and were exhausted by the time the campground shuttle picked them up at 6 pm. Roller coasters, an aqua show w/sea lions, Zoo America, arcade games, Chocolate World, and LOTS of walking made for a very full day. (What do you think of Samantha's temporary tattoo on her wrist?!)

Memorial Day Weekend Camping Trip

2009-05-25T16:46:00.003-04:00

We went camping at the KOA campground in Elizabethtown, PA over the holiday weekend. We had lots of fun! Kara really enjoyed the swimming as you can tell by the pictures, and Samantha re-discovered her joy of coloring, while Kara decided that she liked to color also! :-)

Kara, balloons, bubbles and the outdoors

2009-05-17T21:57:00.006-04:00

Tim, Kara and I enjoyed being outside this afternoon. It was sunny and windy, and a perfect time to blow bubbles. We also released pink balloons in honor of Kayleigh Anne Freeman, who went to be with Jesus on 5/11/09 after a courageous fight. Kara had a blast...can't you tell?!

Celebrating Samantha's B-day & Mother's Day

2009-05-10T14:29:00.008-04:00

Yesterday we all got together to celebrate Samantha's 14th birthday and Mother's Day at our house. We had good food and a great time! Samantha and Nana (Kathy's mom) were happy to receive some nice gifts!

Kara & the new swingset!

2009-05-07T19:18:00.004-04:00

Tim finished putting together the new swingset, and Kara was finally able to enjoy it today! Thank goodness the never-ending rain finally stopped this afternoon. Didn't Tim do a great job!?

Home Projects

2009-04-17T20:25:00.005-04:00

As you can see from the pictures, our paver patio was finished today--yea!! We absolutely love it and know that we will really enjoy using it.

The other pictures are of our stairs without carpet, and with new hardwood! The installers will be back next week to lay the hardwood in the upstairs hallway, and our master bedroom. We are very happy with the results!

HAPPY EASTER!!

2009-04-12T12:18:00.004-04:00

Although I love bunnies, eggs and chocolate (LOVE chocolate), I hope everyone knows that today is about much more than those fun things. It's about Jesus' death and resurrection, and that's what we're celebrating today! Think about it...without the resurrection, everything else would be meaningless. Thank God for Easter!

Kara and Samantha were really happy with what the Easter Bunny left for them! Unfortunately, Samantha wasn't keen about having her picture taken before showering. We took the other pictures before heading off to church. Sure would be nice to get all four of us in a picture, but that's kind of hard b/c then there's nobody to hold the camera. While a tripod would be nice, we just don't have the time to deal with all that! After church, Kara went down for a nap right away--without lunch. She was all tuckered out after playing with the kiddos her in classroom--probably because she has been fighting a virus since she had the seizure on Thursday. We're hoping she sleeps well, even on an empty stomach. :-)

Another Seizure

2009-04-09T21:43:00.003-04:00

Kara had her 2nd febrile seizure late this afternoon after Tim brought her home from the babysitter. It's been almost 9 months since her first seizure, which occurred the day before her 1st birthday. Of course I was away again--which meant that Tim had to experience it all by himself, and that kills me! I took Samantha and a friend of hers to Six Flags because they are on Spring Break this week. We left the park as soon as Tim let me know what happened. Another VERY long 2 hour car ride. :-( Tim took Kara to her pediatrician's office to have her checked out. The doctor said that everything looked just fine, but wanted to collect a urine sample. Kinda hard to do on a 20 month old. The doctor taped a bag 'down there', which will 'catch' it, and then we get to pour it in a cup. This is just in case Kara has a urinary tract infection, since it's the only thing the doctor can't examine up front.

Please pray for Kara. This is so hard on her. She was exhausted for the rest of the evening. For the next 24 hours, we will be alternating the doses of Motrin and Tylenol every 3 hours. This is also very stressful for us, her parents. We feel so helpless. We try to be proactive, and actually take her temperature way more than normal--much more than I ever took Samantha's temperature. Unfortunately, Kara seems to be prone to getting fevers, and when they spike quickly, the seizure occurs. The doctor mentioned that Kara may be more susceptible to seizures now, and will most likely outgrow them by the age of 5 or 6 yrs old. I sure hope that's not the case.

20 months old!

2009-03-13T20:50:00.002-04:00

Kara is 20 months old today! Time sure flies when you're having fun! :-) Caught Kara having a loving daughter & daddy moment.

Books

2009-03-11T21:02:00.002-04:00

Kara has recently re-discovered books. She loves to have us read books to her, and look at the pictures in books on her own. We caught her doing just that while hanging out in her ball pit. What a cutie!

Kara at the gym

2009-03-08T14:18:00.002-04:00

Kara experienced her first gymnastics class yesterday. She had fun, as long as she could do what she wanted to do! We learned that Kara is still too young to participate in an organized activity, and that sitting in a circle and following (stretching) instructions was not her cup of tea. :-)

1st ponytail

2009-02-22T21:28:00.002-05:00

Kara wore her first ponytail today--compliments of her older sister, Samantha! It didn't stay in very long, but just getting it in her hair was a miracle. Kara, probably like many other little girls, does not like to have her hair combed/brushed, or have any other things like barrettes put in her hair. It's a mother's duty to torture her daughter on occasion, right? So Kathy does put barrettes in Kara's hair every once in a while. Trimming her bangs is also another form of necessary torture, due to all that hair that she's had since birth. Too bad it's not getting longer in the back like it is on her forehead!

Love that laugh!

2009-02-20T21:23:00.004-05:00

We were playing with Kara and her Dora ball this morning, and having so much fun! Kara's laugh was so contagious and wonderful, that we just had to get a video of it. :-)

Kara is 19 months old!

2009-02-13T19:58:00.003-05:00

To celebrate Kara's 19 months of life, Tim pumped up the little tikes jumper for her to play on. Although Kara doesn't quite understand the 'jumping' concept, she had a blast!

Our 1st Bike Ride of 2009

2009-02-08T20:34:00.003-05:00

Today was another beautiful 60 degree day, and we decided to go for a bike ride. We found a Schwinn carrier for Kara, and she loved it! Kara even got a helmet with the Disney princesses on it. We had a wonderful time riding around the neighborhood, and we're looking forward to nice Spring temperatures so we can ride more often!

Blueberries anyone?

2009-01-31T22:54:00.002-05:00

Kara loves blueberries! Tim fixed blueberry pancakes this morning, and Kara loved them--can't you tell?!

18-month doctor appointment

2009-01-27T19:54:00.002-05:00

Kara's 18-month appointment was today. Dr. Joe, our pediatrician, was pleased with Kara's progress in all areas. Kara weighed 20 lbs 8 oz, and is 29 1/2 inches long. She had three shots today--MMR, Hep A, and Chicken Pox. She cried of course, but it didn't last too long. Our little peanut is doing great!

**The pictures are of Kara kissing our wooden bear that sits in our office. She likes giving kisses!

Kara & the keyboard

2009-01-24T20:33:00.002-05:00

Kara loves to play with our computer keyboards, which isn't very convenient when we're working on the computer. So, when Tim got his new computer after Christmas, Kara inherited his old keyboard. She has a lot of fun on it, so of course we decided to take a couple of pictures of her enjoying it.

Our Leo Bear

2009-01-20T20:39:00.002-05:00

I just realized that we do not have any pictures of our dog on our blog! Something is wrong with that, so we took a few tonight to change that fact! Isn't he cute?

Kathy's Outpatient Surgery

2009-01-19T20:31:00.002-05:00

I had surgery on my wrist last Friday, the 16th. I started having pain/weakness a little over a year and a half ago. I mentioned it to my family doctor after about a year because the pain was becoming worse. I was referred to an orthopedist who told me that I had something called Stenosing Tenosynovitis. I was given a cortisone shot which solved the problem for 8 months. The pain came back and the tendon in my wrist 'popped' and made a bump protrude. It was strange looking! I saw the orthopedist again in early January and the surgery was scheduled. The pictures posted on here are three days after surgery, and actually look much better. I'm still feeling pain, but that's to be expected for another 10 or 11 more days. It's so odd to not be able to do things with my left hand, or do simple tasks that require two hands...like natural necessities. :-(

Kara's 1st GMU game

2009-01-17T21:31:00.002-05:00

Kara went to her first GMU basketball game in November 2008. As you can tell from the picture, she looks like she's having a great time! This picture was actually taken by Kara's Aunt Krista, before Kara hit the 'point of no return'--exhaustion and melt-down time. Unfortunately, we had to leave the game early. We'll have to try taking Kara again when she's a little older. :-)

Kara is 18 months old!

2009-01-14T20:03:00.002-05:00

Kara turned 18 months old yesterday, January 13th! Hard to believe our little girl is 1 1/2 yrs old! She is still a little 'peanut', and barely weighs 20 lbs--as of last Friday, the 9th. Kara eats a lot at every meal, and two big snacks a day, so we're definitely not starving her! She looks healthy, as you can tell by the pictures. We're guessing Kara will be small all her life. Nothing wrong with that...great things come in small packages!

The beef has arrived!!!

2009-01-10T18:52:00.003-05:00

We ordered a half a cow to tide us over for the next year. The first picture shows the bottom of our freezer that is filled with ground beef. The top four baskets are filled with steaks and roasts. We had our first steaks tonight and they were awesome!!

Doggy PJ'S

2009-01-02T20:10:00.002-05:00

Kara got some new pajamas today with her favorite animal on them--a dog! She looked so cute at bedtime, we just had to take pictures.

New outfit and hair clip

2009-01-02T20:02:00.004-05:00

Kara is wearing a new outfit from Grandma and Grandpa Lang, and a hair clip made by Aunt Anne! Pretty darn cute! The outfit is size 18 months...but it must run small, because that is the only clothing that size that will fit her. :-)

Celebrating Christmas with Family in Ohio on the 27th

2009-01-01T15:00:00.003-05:00

The four of us drove to Ohio to visit with Tim's family and celebrate Christmas. The drive was a little over six hours--the longest Kara has ever been confined to her carseat! She did really well, thanks to the van's DVD player and many hours of new movies for her to watch. Samantha slept, watched movies on the portable DVD player with headset, and listened to her new iPOD. Kathy read, slept and made sure Kara was happy. Tim drove the whole way, which is typical. LOL

We celebrated Christmas the evening of the 27th with Grandma and Grandpa Lang, Aunt Anne, Uncle Matt, Aunt Zoe, Uncle Mike, cousin Bean, and Zoe's mom, Wendy. We enjoyed our visit, and didn't head home till the 31st. We drove back home through snow, but were disappointed to find no snow at home. :-(

Celebrating Christmas with Family in VA on the 26th

2009-01-01T14:39:00.003-05:00

The four of us celebrated Christmas with all of Kathy's family in VA on December 26th at Nana & Papas' home. GrandMimi and GrandBob were there too! We had a great time, as the photos show. The kiddos make it all more fun!

Christmas Day 2008!

2008-12-25T19:19:00.003-05:00

Kara running to her wagon with mega blocks that Santa left for her!

Kara in her 'princess' chair!

Kara with her xylophone and Elmo Live!

Samantha with her new Canon digital camera!

Samantha received perfume from Aerie. She also received a new ipod nano and was loading videos and songs during the picture-taking. :-)

The finished product--not a pretty picture, in my opinion, but tasted so darn good!

We had a wonderful day celebrating Christmas! It started at 7 am with opening presents & stockings--which only took an hour! Then we had a yummy breakfast...eggs, home-made waffles, and ghutta (family recipe). Afterwards, Kara went down for a nap and the rest of us showered and got dressed for the day. Then we started cooking Christmas dinner. We prepared the turkey with a delicious rub my dad passed down to us. It is a mixture of olive oil, freshly chopped rosemary, freshly chopped basil, minced garlic, Italian seasoning and pepper. Tim followed in his older brother's footsteps and took a picture of the finished product above. Along with the turkey, we had sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce and rolls. It was incredibly delicious, and we loved having our friend, Connie, join us for dinner.

Christmas 2008 has been one to remember!

Christmas Eve 2008

2008-12-24T20:53:00.004-05:00

Tim and Kathy have decided to keep the tradition of opening up one gift on Christmas Eve...at least for the children in the family. Kara didn't have to open hers, because there was no way to wrap it! Kara loves her little pink pony from mommy and daddy! When you press its' ears, it neighs and sings a song. :-) It's just the right size for our little Kara. Samantha was dying (and I'm not exaggerating) to open up the 4th book in the Twilight saga! She finished the 3rd book about a month ago, and wasn't too happy about having to wait this long to start the last book. Samantha has been reading every minute since she opened the book (I was barely able to take her picture!), except while eating dinner and during the Christmas Eve service at church. The service was terrific, especially the wonderful music performed by many talented singers. Our family is very blessed and we're so thankful for everything, especially our two beautiful daughters!

Visiting with Grandparents and Great-Grandparents!

2008-12-23T20:46:00.002-05:00

Samantha and Kara's grandparents, Nana and Papa, brought Grand Mimi and Grand Bob to our house today! We had a great time visiting before, during, and after dinner. :-) Kara was in rare form, as usual these days, and the center of attention! Samantha was a good, big sister and very helpful...especially during the picture taking!

Celebrating Sean's Birthday!

2008-12-22T19:27:00.003-05:00

Our nephew, Sean, celebrated his 4th birthday with family and friends on Saturday! Isn't that smile adorable? We all had a great time eating the yummy food and socializing with the adults while the kiddos played. Sean seemed to really enjoy his cupcake and all of the cool gifts he received. :-) Kara also showed off her beautiful smile and her good walking skills!

Kara's First Fast Food Experience

2008-12-14T21:58:00.002-05:00

Last Thursday night Tim, Kathy & Kara went to Chick-fil-A for the Make-A-Wish fundraiser. Samantha was cheering at the basketball games, so she couldn't make it. Kara ate chicken nuggets and waffle fries for the first time--and she liked it! Kara also enjoyed playing on the indoor playground--another first. :-)

Tim's Birthday Present

2008-12-14T21:47:00.003-05:00

To celebrate Tim's birthday, we went to the Casting Crowns Christmas concert in Reading, PA. It was absolutely wonderful! Tim has been to a lot of concerts in his lifetime, and he said that he believes this one was the best ever~that is saying a lot! Natalie Grant, Avalon, Michael English, Pure NRG and Denver and The Mile High Orchestra performed for the concert also. Kathy's parents came up to watch the girls for us overnight. We were gone a little over 26 hours, and we enjoyed every bit of our time together!

Happy Birthday Tim!

2008-12-12T20:24:00.003-05:00

Today is Tim's 34th birthday! We had a nice steak dinner, and for dessert...an ice cream cake! Tim loves M & M's, so it was the perfect cake for him. :-)

Our Christmas Card

2008-12-07T17:10:00.006-05:00

Merry Christmas!!

We wanted to post our card on the blog, because we didn't purchase enough (unfortunately) to send to everyone.

We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas celebration with your families, and we wish you a glorious New Year!

Samantha's Handi-work

2008-12-06T21:15:00.002-05:00

Nana & Papa brought our family a gingerbread house kit on Thanksgiving. Samantha immediately offered to tackle the project. She enjoyed the process, but realized it was much harder than she thought it would be initially. We think she did a great job for her first attempt!

Kara loves Elmo!

2008-12-06T21:10:00.002-05:00

Kara, like most children her age, loves Elmo! We found Elmo slippers for her while we were out finishing our Christmas shopping today. Kara usually takes her shoes and socks off shortly after we get home, and in these winter temperatures, her feet get so cold. She was very proud of her slippers, and didn't pull them off!

Our Child-Proof Christmas Tree

2008-12-06T21:04:00.003-05:00

Keeping Kara out of the Christmas decorations, especially the tree, has been quite challenging this year! Purchasing the gate to put around the tree was a great idea. Kara can still enjoy the tree, but not pull it down on herself!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T17:00:00.004-05:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration with Samantha and Kara's Nana & Papa! Good food and great company! We only wish that Tim's parents could have been here to celebrate with us also.

Too cute!

2008-11-25T21:35:00.003-05:00

Kara has been walking so much more--on her own, without any encouragement from us! She's also flat-footed 90% of the time. :-) We are enjoying this stage in Kara's life and looking forward to the next. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Kara is 16 months old today!!

2008-11-13T20:56:00.005-05:00

Our beautiful, sweet Kara was born exactly 16 months ago! We wanted to share some videos of Kara's walking attempts with everyone. She still likes to walk & stand on her tippytoes, which makes her a little unstable. Even though...Kara looks likes she's having fun~as usual!

Visiting with family (cousins)!

2008-11-13T12:51:00.002-05:00

Last Sunday Samantha, Kara and I headed to my sister Karen's home to visit with some of the family. Tim was sick, so he stayed home to rest...and Charlie, my brother-in-law, and Krista's husband was sick at home too. So, it was all women, except for Kevin, and the kiddos. My dad, Papa to the five grandkids, was out of town. The pictures of Kara (16 months old) and Hunter (14 months old) on Karen's deck are great! The older kids decorated sugar cookies, raked leaves and jumped in the piles and had a good time outside after we all ate lunch together.

Halloween Pumpkins & Decorations

2008-10-31T20:50:00.005-04:00

Samantha and Tim carved our pumkins this year, and both did a good job. Interestingly enough, Samantha's pumpkin looks like a Wal-Mart smiley face! Don't you agree?!

Halloween Candy

2008-10-31T20:40:00.003-04:00

The video is of Kara playing with the candy and putting it from the container we were using to pass it out, into her pumpkin pail. She has no idea what candy tastes like, but she loves to play with it!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T20:26:00.003-04:00

Kara, the furry, purple kitty had a so much fun this Halloween! She loved playing with all of the bright-colored paper & plastic-wrapped candy. It was easy to go trick or treating at our neighbors' homes while pulling Kara in the wagon. All of our friends thought she was so adorable, and we definitely agree. :-)

Samantha dressed up as a cute mouse last night for trick or treating in downtown Martinsburg, but she ran out of the house so quickly that I didn't get to take her picture. :-( She went to a birthday party tonight, and has a costume party to go to tomorrow night. No more mouse costume though, because Samantha wants to go as a football player--interesting, huh? We'll definitely take pictures tomorrow.

I can see!

2008-10-26T19:12:00.003-04:00

Today was the day for mommy to give Kara a haircut--finally! She screamed and cried as expected, but loves being able to see everything without looking through hair. :-)

Havin' Fun

2008-10-20T19:44:00.003-04:00

We took some pictures today of Kara enjoying her new wagon, and Samantha joined in on the fun. Don't you love those girls' smiles?!

Kara loves dogs...

2008-10-19T20:07:00.002-04:00

Apparently, Kara also loves dog beds! Kara has been getting into this dog bed since she's been able to sit up and crawl. We finally got pictures of her enjoying our dog Leo's bed!

A Radio Flyer!

2008-10-19T19:54:00.003-04:00

We picked up a Radio Flyer today for Kara. Trick or Treating this Halloween will be easy and fun while pulling her around in the wagon! Yes, Kara needs a haircut...but if you knew how much she screams (because she hates getting it cut), you would understand why we are procrastinating. :-)

More pictures of Kara

2008-10-18T17:31:00.002-04:00

We took some cute pictures of Kara the other day that we wanted to share with everyone. The first shows Kara being lazy while drinking her milk--she is propping it up on the toy chest! :-) The next two were taken while Kara was playing ball with Daddy. She had a great time, and was so excited to see Daddy catch it when she threw or rolled the ball to him!

Kara is 15 months old today!

2008-10-13T20:34:00.004-04:00

So hard to believe that it's been three months since Kara's 1st birthday! Kara is a very happy child and loves playing with her toys (especially the musical ones), and watching Dora, the Backyardigans, and Little Einsteins on TV. She is eating well and weighs over 19 pounds. Although she can still wear some 9 month clothes, she is able to wear many 12 month ones also. She is walking well holding one of our hands, or just a finger, and does it best in her Nike tennis shoes. :-) Kara got a Little People school bus a week ago, that she can sit on and ride. It also has a long handle on the back that she can stand and hold onto and walk. She loves it!

Today, we took her to Butler's Farm Market to pick out some pumpkins, mums, and a few other fresh veggies. Kara had a great time, and she helped pick out some very nice pumpkins.

Blue-eyed Dora

2008-10-02T21:35:00.002-04:00

Many have said that Kara resembles Dora the Explorer, except she has beautiful blue eyes. Kara loved wearing her Dora shirt!

More photos of our little sweetie!

2008-09-26T21:05:00.002-04:00

Kara received this cute outfit on her 1st birthday from one our great friends, Connie. Thanks, Connie!

What a cutie!

2008-09-25T20:52:00.003-04:00

The weather has definitely become cooler, so we broke out Kara's Fall/Winter wardrobe. Kathy just had to take some pictures. Could she be any cuter?!

Last Camping Trip of the Season & Luray Caverns

2008-09-21T19:37:00.004-04:00

We really enjoyed our last camping trip of the season! The campground was Yogi Bear in Luray, VA, and the weather was beautiful! We also decided to take a tour of Luray Caverns, as it was just a couple miles down the road from the campground. The pictures were taken underground in the caverns, and turned out pretty good considering the lack of light. Kara got excited when we went underground and she saw all of the big rocks (stalagmites and stalagtites)! Samantha thought it was kinda boring--imagine that--a 13 yr old thought going somewhere with her parents was boring! LOL