Long time, no posting.......

It has been two months since I have posted and Alot had been going on in the Katrina Household. A month ago, Ryan took the biggest leap EVER, by leaving QVC and going to Comcast to work in the interactive media department. He LOVES it and it is a HUGe challenge for him. It was the opportunity of a lifetime that he could not pass up. Now that he is commuting on the train to center city ever day, we decided to move. We found a PERFECT house in Havertown, PA which is a suburb of Philadelphia on the Main Line. We move in four weeks and have been so busy prepping for it. We also have been showing our house to try and sell it. (fingers crossed) Christmas is next week and we hope Santa treats Liv real good because she deserves it.
Besides the fact that she still is not a "great" sleeper, she is so MUCH FUN. Did I mention EXHAUSTING? Gymborie has taught her how to CLIMB on everything. Her Latest past time is bouncing on the big exercise ball, dancing in the kitchen with mommy to the Chipmunks Christmas. She loves feeding Dora when she eats. Whenever she eats, she has to smoosh the same food with dora and take turns sharing bites (so FUNNY). Liv LOVES dancing to anything. All she has to hear is a beat of ANY sort and her foot starts tapping and she runs over to mommy or daddy to dance with ehr. She also has the eye of a scout. She will notice a hawk in the sky from way far and start pointing and OOOHING. She LOVES animals. Her favorite book right now is her BIG COLOR book which is a collage of items all the same color. She loves to sit with us and point to whatever we ask her to. She is such a sponge and knows so many things already. She loves saying Dora, Yes, etzel (for pretzel), Crap (oops! she got that from me). She loves nodding her head yes (we haven't mastered the meaning of no yet, it is driving me NUTZ). She likes to let us know when she is ready go nighty night by waving and saying(nay,na). When she is ready for a nap and I asked her if she is ready, she walks into her room (so GREAT). I never thought that would happen....
A few weeks ago, we went to see Santa (two times). Each time, she screamed bloody murder. I think we traumatized her!

We are so excited for our new house. I probably won't post until we are settle in. I will be posting pics of it soon. Until next time, much LOVE!

It has only been about two weeks since Liv's birthday and she is not looking back. She would spent 12 hours of her day walking, jumping, and climbing if she could. Thank goodness she has gymboree because it tires her out and she loves it so much. When we are there,Liv will leave me and walk into the middle of the circle so she is the center of attention. She is the loudest squealer and such a teacher's pet (just l like Mommy). She walks up to all of the kids and initiates play. It is so funny to see her in action. She loves the tunnels and slides. Her favorite activituy is parachute time. As soon as the teacher announces it,she lights up and claps really big.
Before the weather gets cold, we have been enjoying family walks around the neighborhood. Liv loves being in the backpack so she can be as tall as us. We had fun walking on the broken down traintracks and standing on the tresil watching the bright lights on the cars as they zoom by.
Last weekend we had a lot of fun! We celebrated Aunt Chrissy's birthday at the pumpkin patch and Grandmom and Grandpop visited. During the week, we had cupcakes for Syndey's birthday andwent to the mall with Aunt Nichole, Sydney,and Ava. Me Mom and Gpop are in Hawaii for two weeks and we have been chatting with them through isight. Aunt Chrissy is away for her job training in New York.
Her newest tricks this week are finding mommy's nose, teeth, toungue, and hair. She loves climbing into the dishwasher, straddling Corriah and bouncing up and down, and standing in the fridge to find her foods (cheese, yogurt, pears). She also discovered last night how the climb on top of the coffee table by propping herself on daddy's boots.
The week of her birthday we discovered that her top two side teeth had pooped through so now she has 8 teeth. This weekend we plan on going to the Please Touch Museum since she is so into exploring new things.
Until next time, much love.
Corinne

1st Birthday Party

Well, Livi had her 1st birthday party this weekend and it ended up being a success. I was a little worried while we were setting up because it started to rainabout 1 hour before the party started. Knowing how small our house is, it would have been a mess if we had to squeeze 40 people in it. Luckily, the rain only last a few minutes. Liv had so much fun seeing everyone and being the center of attention. She wore a cute little navy dress with pink and navy leggings underneath. I struggled to find the PERFECT outfit. This one was cute and practical. She never got to wear the high tip converse I got her because they ended up being too small. Oh well.
Elmo was the theme. We had elmo balloons, a blow up elmo out front, elmo plates, elmo pinata. As you can see, Elmo is a hit in our house. There was a kiddie table for all of the kids to do face painting, color, paint, sidewalk chalk. The kids loved the pinata. Even though the candy didn't really fall out on its own so I had to help it. Later Ryan toldme that I was hitting the kids in the head with it and they were yelling "Ouch". OOPS! I guess I was too excited to hear. Even Liv had fun sitting on the ground finding the candy.
Candy Corn Contest......After much contemplation. Everyone decided how many candy corns were in the jar. The winner was Uncle Johnny.
Cake time.....I am so proud of Liv. She wore her crown the whole song and she didn't cry. She just watched everyone sing to her. Then when it was her turn to eat the cake, she took her time. At first she was apprehensive, then she sped up feeding herself once she realized how good it was. She loved the vanilla icing (thanks Margaret).
Present time.......Boy did she get alot of good presents. A lot of clothes (thank goodness, because she doesn't fit in much of her old clothes). Some really fun toys (a ride on zebra, puzzle, books, turtle toy, dora doll). A really cool bowl set that suctions to the table. A winter coat (mommy wishes it fit her). A bracelet. Table and Chair set. Money for her college fund. An Eric Carle plate and cup set. A wooden horsie. Nike Shox (because of all of her running, haha). The list goes on........
She hung in there. I was a little worried when she was rubbing her eyes at 1 oclock (right when it started). But she lasted until Gpop took her for a walk. Then she passed out for an hour on the front porch. Once everyone left (except Liv's grandparents and aunts/uncles and GGK), we hungout in the house and played with some of her new toys. The zebra was a hit. Liv, Sydney, and Ava loved it.
At around 7, the party was officially over. Then we got to show daddy all of the presents and play with them. At around 7:15,Liv called it a day. She was pooped. What a FUN day! Filled with LOVE and LAUGHTER! All of the prep work was worth it. Ry and I have a day that we will always remember and be able to tell Liv about it. A day for reflection and pride. A day of love and.......ELMO.
Until next time, much love.

What a year!

Boy, oh, boy! What a year! I can't believe all that has happened......How much Liv has grown. How much I have grown. How much love our family has discovered. It is amazing how much love a little being can bring...can give....can teach.

It is a week shy of Liv's first birthday. She has been taking risks and climbing on everything. Her favorite toys this week are the front door, her Olivia chair, and Corriah's water bowl. She also loves to help mommy clean the fridge out by grabbing whatever she can and pulling it onto the floor.

Her favorite game to initiate is peek a boo. She loves to stand in the kitchen and peek her head into the living room. She could play that game for hours if it was up to her.

This week has been filled with birthday party prep work. It truly feels like a celebration. I day that a few years ago I feared would never happen. I have mixed feelings because I feel like she is saying goodbye to her baby phase and pludging full force into toddlerhood. I haveto keep reminding myself that I still have a few years of being the center of her universe. I still have a few years of protecting her from mean kids and self-doubt (kinda).

My goal is to teach her self-worth and self-confidence. I want her to embrace all of her strengths and flaws. I want her to be proud of who she is. If I do that then all that I have done (a year of sleepless nights and days of endless messes) will be all worth it. My reason for living and being a genuine person is to teach her all that I can.

Oh by the way, Liv broke a record by taking 42 steps tonight. Just a week ago she was only taking three steps here and there. Now she is really testing her balance and strength out. It is so much fun seeing her excitement when she realizes what she can do.

I will go for now. I will probably post some photos and have a story for you after her birthday party. Until then, much love!