Fun with Pastels

Samantha and her friend, Allison, decided to get creative with the pastels tonight. Instead of paper, they used their arms and legs. They had fun! It was Samantha's idea to post their artwork on the blog. Crazy 13 year-old girls!

Naptime--no way!

Kara may be weaning herself off of the morning nap. This morning we laid her down as usual, but she was having nothing of it. We took some pictures of the way we found her every time we went in the room to check on her. Initially, we thought it was very cute, but what you can't see are the teeth marks on the left-side rail of her crib. Kara is definitely cutting teeth, but we don't want to encourage her new interest in wood. So, from now on, Kara will be napping in her playpen!

No More Braces!

The countdown is over. Today was THE day that Samantha has been waiting for since her last orthodontic appointment. Samantha's braces were removed today! She's happy to have them off, and even happier with her new smile! :-) Kathy took before and after pictures to document the special occasion.

Video of Kara in her walker

Kara is traversing the hallway--and when she hits a wall, she figures out how to get going again. Kara loves to chase Leo, so having him nearby is encouraging for her. :-)

Kara in her walker

Kara has really been enjoying her walker lately. She can get almost anywhere she wants to go on the main level of the house. Only problem...everybody else better watch their toes!

Grandma & Grandpa Lang visit

Tim parent's came to visit us from Ohio. They arrived on 8/14, and we treated them to dinner at Bob Evan's--for a change! Last night we enjoyed John's famous beef tenderloin and potato/watercress salad--it was delicious! Tonight, seafood is on the menu--yum. We're off to Shepherdstown to look through the shops and get a bite to eat for lunch.

Love that laugh!!

While camping, Kathy took video of Kara laughing hysterically while Tim was playing with her--can't help but laugh along with her!

Camping at Yogi Bear

Kara is standing pretty well while holding onto things. She walked up and down the side of her playpen while we were camping, and pulls herself up on a variety of things now. It's just a matter of time before she decides that she wants to do more--like walk! We're not in a rush though because the less mobile she is, the more she still feels like a baby--she'll always be our baby. :-)

We also got a photo of Samantha and her friend, Kacy, hanging out by the campfire over the weekend. We had a good time, and the weather was perfect!

Got Milk?

Kara didn't have any problem switching from formula to whole milk a couple of weeks ago. She's also been drinking it well from a sippy cup. What a cutie!

More cute pictures

A sweet picture of the beautiful sisters...and Kara holding onto the hallway railing. Is she saying,"Let me out of jail!"?

Church Pool Party

Last night was our church pool party, and everyone had a lot of fun! The food and fellowship was great! Tim took Kara into the pool, and Samantha swam with her friends. Kathy caught a few pictures of everyone.

Fish?

Kara's is learning new words all the time. The video shows just how 'sharp' our little girl is! The picture shows the fish a little better.

Camping in Gettysburg

We just got back from a 3-night camping trip in Gettysburg, PA at the Granite Hill Campground. The weather was wonderful--couldn't have asked for anything better! We really enjoyed our trip, even though the campground was on the older side. The sites were big and shady, with lots of nice, mature trees. We are so happy with our new travel trailer, and hope to enjoy many more camping trips in the future!

Pictures:
Kathy & Kara enjoying the nice weather.
Kara knows how to give kisses now. :-)
Kara crawling around in the camper.

Kara's 12-month check-up

Kara's appointment was re-scheduled for today after being sick last week. She weighs 17 lbs and 15 oz--so close to that 18 lb mark! That's what Kathy weighed at 1 yr old, says Kara's Nana. Kara is also 28 3/4 inches tall. So, she is definitely getting longer, but still lean. The pediatrician said it is okay to start weening her off the bottle and give her whole milk in the sippy cup, and also feed her snacks in between the three meals. We were given samples of PediaSure, which will help supplement on days when Kara doesn't feel like eating as much--gotta get those calories in there somehow. Kara's a pretty good eater, but she doesn't seem to be interested in that many kinds of table food. She is still liking jar food, but has at least ventured on to stage 3, which is much chunkier. She has four teeth--two on top and two on the bottom. Kara has a very cute, toothy smile! She received two immunizations today, and no fever has occurred yet. We're checking her often, though!

Kara likes Elmo!

We took video of Kara watching an Elmo DVD. You can tell Elmo gets her very excited!

Kara in her frog pool!

On yet another 90+ degree day, it seemed like the perfect time for Kara to try out her new frog pool. She loved it! The water coming out of the hose was ice cold, and Kara kept nice and cool while splashing her arms and legs!

Kara is feeling much better!

Kara hasn't had a fever in almost 24 hours! She is getting back to her 'normal', sweet self, and we couldn't be happier. We definitely feel like we are on the 'other side' of this stressful time. The first picture is when Kara was still not feeling her best, but really liked playing with her butterfly balloon. :-) The last pictures were taken today while Kara was playing with her new birthday toys and feeling much better!

Kara holding her own bottle....

We've told several friends and family members that Kara uses her feet almost as much as her hands. We've also said that she can hold her bottle with just her feet. The proof is in the picture!

Birthday cake video!

Tim took a short video of Kara enjoying her birthday cake. She loves purple frosting!

Happy 1st Birthday Kara!!!!

Kara had a wonderful 1st birthday party at our house! We were thrilled that she seemed happy and enjoyed all that was going on, considering that she's been fighting fevers since late afternoon yesterday. Kara had a febrile seizure at Martins grocery store while Tim was picking up formula yesterday afternoon. It scared him to death, as I'm sure you can imagine! Kathy was in DC at the Women of Faith conference, and felt completely helpless for the 2 1/2 hours that it took her to get from DC to the hospital where Kara was taken by ambulance. The good news is that the blood and urine tests and x-rays came back normal, and her fever dropped from 104 to 99.5 degrees after being given Tylenol and Motrin in the ER. The fever has been up and down since we've returned home, but not as high as it was when Kara had the seizure. The ER doctor told us that Kara would be fighting the fevers for the next few days, so Tim and Kathy will both be staying home with her.

Kara's grandparents, Nana & Papa, her two Aunts and Uncles, and her three cousins came up to celebrate her 1st birthday with her. Kara also had friends, Tristan, Kyra, Chase, Alyssa, Rebecca, Megan and Kaitlyn (as well as their parents) come celebrate with her too! We had a house-full to say the least. The young kids had a great time playing in the bubblegum ball pit and on the bouncy house trampoline! Kara really seemed to like her birthday cake, especially the purple frosting--as the picture shows. :-) Everyone else chowed down on burgers and hotdogs, salads, chips and dips before eating the delicious 'fish in the aquarium' cake that Kara's babysitter, Dawn, made. It was a beautiful cake and it tasted great! Kara received many fun, cute, and age-appropriate gifts from all of her family and friends. Her baby toys just weren't stimulating enough anymore! :-) Enjoy the pictures!