Kaitlyn would like to wish everyone a Very Happy New Years!
Last night, she had a lot of fun celebrating New Years, East Coast style :) We started with dinner at Olive Garden with Nana, Papa, Aunt Stephanie, Uncle Craig and Hope. Our plan from there was to go to Old Sac and watch the fireworks with Aunt Christy, Uncle Dennis and Camaryn. Of course, we didn't realize Olive Garden would be a 3 hour adventure, so we were unable to make it to Old Sac in time :(
While we were driving there, we saw the fireworks go off while we were near the river. We pulled over and got out of the car to watch them there. Kaitlyn was so excited to see all of the gorgeous fire works!
From there, we came to Grandma's house where Kaitlyn had a blast playing with her toys and then with Grandma on the computer. She slept really good!
Today, we are going to do the last of our moving and hopefully, if we do that quickly we can go to the movies.
Kaitlyn had quite a Christmas. It all started the Thursday before Christmas when Kaitlyn, mommy and Daddy went to Aunt Stephanie and Uncle Craig's house to do Gingerbread houses with Camaryn and Hope. Last year, as pictures can tell you, Kaitlyn enjoyed perfecting her gingerbread house for hours. Making sure that each piece was on securly and in a great area, this year she wasn't as interested in anything other than tasting each piece of candy!
The girls had a blast! I think Hope's gingerbread house turned out the prettiest, Camaryn's was the most adorned and Kaitlyn's was the most tasted.
The following day was a Friday. Friday morning was Kaitlyn's last day of school before winter break. She had a potluck that morning with all of the mommies and daddies of her friends. We worked during the day and then went over to visit Mommy's friend who was visiting from Texas. Kaitlyn had so much fun playing with her sons as well as the other toddlers around and her friend Isaiah. It was a late night for the princess, but she handled it like a champ.
Saturday was a day of relaxing before the events started at full force. Mommy went shopping for daddy's present and Kaitlyn spent a lot of the day sleeping. I think she was resting up for the festivities to come! Sunday was much more of the same. We spent time at Grandma and Grandpa's house where Kaitlyn decorated her Gingerbread train and again, ate a lot more than she decorated! :)
Monday started early. Mommy worked and Kaitlyn helped. We did last minute present making, wrapping and food shopping for Santa. We also got a wee bit of packing done for the big move.
Monday afternoon came all too fast. Archie got adorned in his Christmas collar and Kaitlyn in her Christmas clothes and we headed to Grandma's house to get Daddy. From there we headed to Auntie Beth and Uncle Paul's house where there were plenty of goodies, including olympias. Kaitlyn had a blast, opened her present from cousin Felecia and colored ornamanets. She was a good little girl.
From there we headed to Nana and Papa's house where Kaitlyn, Hope and Camaryn all opened their presents from Nana and Papa. They all got new Kenmore washer and dryers. While the other girls began washing clothes and drying them while vacumming, Kaitlyn ran straight to the tool bench! She is her daddy's daughter for sure! After a few moments, she went over to show her skills of laundering and how to properly put soap in the dispenser.
After Nana and Papa's house, we headed to Aunt Stephanie and Uncle Craig's house for Christmas eve festivities. There we spent time with Aunt Stephanie, Uncle Craig, Hope, Nana, Papa, Aunt Christy, Uncle Dennis, Camaryn, Great Grandma Bobbie Sue, Uncle Allen, Aunt Alicia and Hope's Pop Mike. It was a full house and those little girls walked away with more than a toy store's worth of stuff! Some of Kaitlyn's favorites were her new suit case from Aunt Christy, Uncle Dennis and Camaryn with her new Princess jacket with her name on it. She also loved her new Strawberry Shortcake and My Little Pony Dollies from Aunt Stepahnie, Uncle Craig and Hope. She loved her big girl Make-up set from Aunt Alicia and Uncle Allen. She's been reading her Veggie Tales Christmas book from Mike like crazy! She loved all of the movies from Nana and Papa and Great Grandma Bobbie got her a beautiful snow globe with her name on it.
It was getting late when all of the girls heard Santa on his sleigh out of Hope's bedroom window. That was a good time for us to start heading home.
Christmas morning got a late start. By 8:30, Kaitlyn still wasn't up. By 9, she was awake but didn't want out of her bedroom. We had to practically drag her down the stairs. Even telling her that Santa had visited wasn't enough.
When Kaitlyn got down the stairs, she was so excited to see what Santa had left. He had left Kaitlyn the Big Dora she has been asking for! He also left Kaitlyn and Matthew matching teddy bears. Mommy and Daddy had NO idea just how much they had bought Kaitlyn until she started digging into the loot under the tree!
After the opening of presents (including her own runway, personalized name puzzle, dollies, Dora stuff, Spongebob stuff, jammies, disney clothes and so much more) we all had a big breakfast, showered and got dressed. We headed to the cemetery to take Matthew his presents and wish him a very Merry Christmas. Kaitlyn was a really good girl and helped us put his presents all around.
We to Grandma and Grandpa's house after that. There we were greeted by an anxious Uncle Scotty who was all ready to open presents. We also saw Grandma, Grandpa, Auntie Christina, Uncle Brian, Auntie Sammie, Uncle Davey, Auntie Beth, Uncle Paul, Cousin Felecia, Great Grandma Mauda and Aunt Jamie. Holy Moly, there were a lot of presents for Miss Kaitlyn to open. Far, Far too many. Some of her favorites were her new Princess bookshelf and Dance with me Sleeping Beauty from Grandma and Grandpa. Her new Princess CD player and cool art set from Auntie Christina and Uncle Brian, her new Dora Bike from Auntie Sammie and Uncle Davey, her new Princess Kareoke Set From Auntie Beth and Uncle Paul, her new baby doll rainforest set from Uncle Scotty and Aunt Jamie and her new clothes from Great Grandma Mauda.
It was a full full day and by the end of it all, Kaitlyn was exhausted.
This past week, Kaitlyn has been helping mommy pack like crazy. As of yesterday we had just about everything out of the apartment and into storage. We found a house we both love, we're just waiting to see if someone else who loves it is moving in or not and going from there. In the mean time, we are staying at my parent's house.
For New Year's tonight, Kaitlyn gets to go out to dinner with her cousins and then watch Fireworks at Old Sac! It should be a very fun night!
This weekend has been great and filled with holiday cheer. On Friday night we went to visit Mommy and Daddy's friends Dorin, Nicole and their son Dominick. Kaitlyn was in love with Dominick and quickly decided she was in charge. We went to eat at Red Robin where Kaitlyn was a good little girl.
On Saturday we spent the morning packing and cleaning before heading to cousin Michael's birthday party. Kaitlyn was excited the whole way to go to a Spiderman party. She fell asleep on the way, poor girl. She did wake up with glee when we got there. After the party we headed home where Kaitlyn helped mommy wrap presents :) She's a good wrapper.
This morning was more packing and cleaning. We visited the cemetery on the way to Grandma and Grandpa's house. We dropped Kaitlyn and Archie off while we went to look at a house. We spent the rest of the afternoon watching Kaitlyn play and be such a funny little girl.
Because of recent events, we have to move so much sooner than we were supposed (like over 2 weeks sooner) Which means, our surprise trip to Disneyland is more than likely going to have to be cancelled :( Hopefully, we can reschedule it for the first week of January.
We hope everyone is having a happy holiday season!
On Monday, Mommy and Kaitlyn had a lot of fun. After school we went to see Daddy for lunch and then came home and rested. We spent the night working on our Christmas decorations.
Oh Tuesday, we started the day with Kaitlyn going to school. After school, we had some fun together and worked on Christmas decorating :) Tuesday night Mommy, Daddy and Kaitlyn took Auntie Alicia and Uncle Allen out to dinner at our favorite resturaunt to celebrate Auntie Alicia's birthday. Kaitlyn loved playing with them until it was time for her to go to bed.
Wednesday, Kaitlyn woke up with a headache so we decided that she would stay home. We worked on painting and Auntie Christina came over to play with Kaitlyn for a while. We spent Wednesday night at Auntie Stephanie, Uncle Craig's and Hope's house having dinner to celebrate Auntie Alicia's birthday.
Today was another busy day. After Kaitlyn went to school, her preschool picture proofs came in! Here are the three shots they got to capture her personality :)
Tonight, we went and got our Christmas tree. Kaitlyn picked it out all by herself. She also put on nearly all of the ornaments. She was SO good and so interested. Once we finished decorating the tree, she was so helpful with all of the presents, she helped to put the away and to put bows on all of them.
Tomorrow we are going to dinner with our friends and their little boy who Kaitlyn is in love with. We're looking forward to a fun filled weekend!
Yesterday was a ton of fun. Kaitlyn played with Hope in the morning at Hope's house with snow! Then, she went to Shelby's birthday party and saw a lot of friends. That was followed with having pictures taken at Sear's before heading to Grandma and Grandpa's to play.
This morning was the Sweet Pea Holiday Pageant. Kaitlyn had the pleasure of being in the pageant with her cousins Camaryn and Hope and her friends Mackenzie, Krista, Kai and Skyla. And, her friend Kayla was the hostess. Kaitlyn loved playing with her!
First up was Camaryn who did great on stage. She blew kisses, waved and smiled her big pretty smile. Camaryn was in the 24-35 month age category. Camaryn won Overall Ultimate Most Beautiful!! She also won photogenic in her age category, Best Smile and Best attire! Way to go Super Star!!!
Next was Kaitlyn, Hope and Mackenzie's category, the 3-5 year olds. The girls all did so great! Kaitlyn had a rocky start but overcame it when she realized it was her turn in front of the judges. Hope did great! She's a born natural!
Kaitlyn walked away with her trophey, crown and sash for October's photo contest. Kaitlyn also won the photogenic in her category, Best Attire, Grand Supreme Hostess and Grand Supreme Queen in her age category!! Way to go Princess! We are SO proud of you!
Hope walked away with the Featured Contestant award. It was out of all the girls in the pageant and she got her picture in the program! Hope also won Best Hair, prettiest smile AND Supreme Queen in the 3-5 age category! YAY Hope!! Way to go!
We are so proud of you girls! WAY TO GO! Thank you so much to Grandma, Auntie Christina, Nana, Auntie Stephanie, Auntie Christy, Craig and Craig's daddy Mike for being there to cheer the girls on and give them your love.
After the pageant, we went to visit the cemetery before Reid's Birthday Party. Kaitlyn was such a good girl.
Kaitlyn fell asleep on her way to Reid's party. When she woke up, she was so excited to see him. We asked her if she wanted Reid to be her boyfriend or her cousin, she said boyfriend with the shyest look on her face. It was so cute!
After Reid's party, we went Downtown with the intentions of Ice Skating. Because it was a busy rink, Daddy and I decided not to skate, but had a good time with Aunt Jamie and Uncle Joel anyways! Kaitlyn was so excited to see them and decided to get to work wrapping Uncle Joel around her little finger!
We finished the evening at Grandma and Grandpa's house! Kaitlyn got to decorate cookies and have fun playing :)
Kaitlyn had her parent/teacher conference on Wednesday. Kaitlyn is doing so good in her class. Even though she is the youngest by several months, she one of the smartest. Her teachers are very impressed with how well she knows all of her shapes, how well she counts and she has the best recall abilities in the class. When most students come back to circle time from recess and talk about what they did, it's usually "I played outside" and that's it, Kaitlyn will recall who she played with, what they did, what order they did it in and how she felt about doing it.
Kaitlyn is also great at making friends. Her social skills are really good, she likes to sit with her friends and play in the sandbox and in the cafeteria and play with them instead of just near them. She is also the only kid in the class to not have ever gotten into trouble. Kaityn never has to be reminded of any of the rules, she knows and follows them with ease.
Kaitlyn's weakness is her conflict negotiation. If another kid comes and takes a toy from Kaitlyn, she won't protest, instead she'll just let them have it and find something else. Teacher Cindy would like Kaitlyn to practice saying "No, that's mine, here is something for you to play with."
Kaitlyn also has great motor skills and plays on all the playground equipment with ease. She goes to school, and is fairly quiet, until it's her turn. They always forget just how young she is since she shows so much maturity and wanting to learn. She'll be ready for kindergarten next year if we decide to put her in.
Last night, Kaitlyn was in the Lodi Parade of Lights. What an amazing parade that was! I had no idea how big it was. Kaitlyn is the lifetime State Grand Supreme Ambassador for the NES pageant system. She got to ride in the parade and wave to everyone who was out there. She wants to give a huge thanks to Grandma for driving down there with us and to Nana, Papa, Auntie Christy, Camaryn, Auntie Stephanie and Hope for braving the cold, windy, wet weather to see her! I didn't get pictures (it was too cold and wet) but Daneka's mom (A grand Supreme Queen) did get a cute picture of Kaitlyn she promised to e-mail to me!
This weekend is absolutely packed full of fun! We have 2 birthday parties, a pageant on Sunday, a picture appt, Ice Skating, and probably a trip to see Santa! We hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!
Kaitlyn is very excited to congratulate her Aunt Stephanie, Uncle Craig and cousin Hope on their exciting news that at the end of May, they will be welcoming a baby boy to their family. We wish them a very healthy and happy pregnancy.
Today, Kaitlyn made her first apperance as Tiny Miss Carmichael. She was an absolute doll! As you can guess, I took quite a few pictures.
I was so proud of Kaitlyn, she sat in the truck the entire time and smiled, waved and blew kisses at everyone who passed. When they got to the announcer session, she even said "Merry Christmas" into the microphone for crowd! Thanks to Auntie Christina we have plenty of video for me to upload after the battery charges :)
After the parade, Kaitlyn got to meet another very royal and special person, Santa Clause! She introduced herself to him and told him what she would like for Christmas. Then, she posed for a photo op for the paparazzi, ok, for mommy :)
After some nice warm Hot Chocolate and singing of Christmas songs, she was pooped out! Thank you so much to everyone who came to see her and her cousin Camaryn and her Aunt Christy.
Kaitlyn had her 3 year check up today. She is 31 pounds and 37.5 inches. She is in the 50% for both categories :)
Her doctor thinks she is incredibly smart. Many of the things she's doing and he saw are typical of a 5 year old in Kindergarten! Yay Kaitlyn!
He does think she might need glasses next year :( Her vision is 20/40, but it isn't promised to be accurate because she is only 3. She will have it retested next year to determine what the course of action is.
Kaitlyn also seems to have some minor sensory intergration issues. She is incredibly sensitive to some sounds. Right now, we are going to let it be her little quirk. If it begins to ever interfere with her daily life, we will look into occupational therapy to try and get it resolved.
Kaitlyn had 2 shots today and was a pretty good girl :)
Kaitlyn's IEP meeting with her school was today. This meeting is what determines if she is still in need of speech therapy now that she's 3 or if she has improved enough to go without.
It has been determined that Kaitlyn has exceeded all of the goals that were set for her in record time! In most areas, Kaitlyn is at least 6 months ahead of where she should be. Her language skills have improved greatly. Her biggest problem now is changing letters or dragging sounds such as Bork for Fork (as many saw last night :P ) or saying lellow for yellow. They are all sounds that she does correctly with a model.
Kaitlyn's ability to remember details about events has amazed her therapist. She's very impressed by Kaitlyn's ability to recall details, emotions and actions taking place during the events.
It has been decided that since Kaitlyn is ahead she will no longer be a candidate for speech therapy and she is no longer speech delayed! Yippee Kaitlyn! All the hard work has paid off!
She also commented on Kaitlyn's learning ability. Kaitlyn is able to decipher all of her colors, shapes, letters, numbers, animals and patterns (such as spots, stripes, dots). She can also recall the information as it relates to everyday life, such as boy bathrooms has a triangle sign and girl's bathrooms have a circle sign. She is really impressed and strongly believes Kaitlyn will go very far in her education and do great in school.
She ended by telling us that Kaitlyn is a well behaved pleasure and she is saddened that they will not work together anymore.
Kaitlyn's parent teacher conference is scheduled for the 4th at noon. Kaitlyn's 3 year check up is tomorrow at 2:15.
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