A reward for your patience

You have been very patient readers these past few weeks...putting up with my motherhood musings and political rantings. So, to reward you, especially you KJM Fan Club members (Blake B, Jeff K, and Ben B), here are a few photos and videos of Katie from the other Saturday when it was 80 degrees in Louisville!

(Unfortunately, the mic on our camera has started to act up, so you may want to mute the volume on the videos. Sadly you'll miss most of my hilarious commentary.)

Katie finally figures out how to ride her tricycle (albeit a short-lived attempt)

You can have fun imagining what we're actually saying in these:

Playing fetch with Katie (who needs a dog when you have a 3 year old?)

Bratton Reunion, 2008

Every year since well before I was born, my mom's extended family gathers at the farmily farm on the second weekend in August. These family reunions were always one of the highlights of my summer as a child, the one sure chance for this city mouse to rendezvouz as the country mouse, if you will.

This last time Adam and I were able to attend was three years ago when I was pregnant with Katie, so we were quite excited to be able to make it this year, especially because we knew that Katie would have a blast. And a blast she did have.....

Fun on the paddle boat

Feeding the goats

A cool evening walk around the farm

A beautiful Sunday morning

Family picture with crying child being forced to smile

An awesome WV breakfast

"Cowgirl Kate and her horse Cocoa"

These are a few of her favorite things, #1

1.) Merry-go-rounds

Dancing, Cake, Bubbles and Princesses

A few weekends ago we drove to Augusta, GA to attend the wedding of a good friend of ours we had met in China. It was an awesome weekend, a refreshing time of fellowship with friends, both new and old.

It was Katie, however, who may have enjoyed the weekend the most. In the midst of tough circumstances (late nights, no naps, fast food meals), she had the time of the her life. The weekend was filled with all of her favorite things--dancing, cake, bubbles and princesses (in her mind, brides and bridesmaids are the close kin of princesses).

Here are some of the best shots from the weekend:

Update

Thanks to all of you who voted in the Brohm vs. Isaacs poll. A whopping 12 readers contributed and the results of this completely scientific and highly accurate poll revealed that the Heavy Hitter is more famous than QB Brohm in the 'Ville. That may soon be changing as Brohm was recently drafted to be a quarterback for the Green Bay Packers. Darryl Isaacs celebrity may fade if Brohm becomes the next Brett Favre. Only time will tell......

I must share, however, one final celebrity encounter that occurred just today as Adam and I were trying out a new restaurant that just opened near us. Once again, we dined right next to none other than Brian Brohm during Sunday lunch. A fitting end to this debate.

Because I was recently rebuked for depriving my readership of Katie photos and videos, I plan on several posts this week that will chronicle some of our recent adventures. In other words, come back often this week to see lots of Katie.

For now, here are some pictures we took last night at our impromptu cook-out. One of my best friends from college was here for the weekend and got to join us for the occassion! The event was actually inspired by Katie, who earlier this week pretended to roast marshmallows over a stump when we were outside playing one evening. She took her cues from one of her favorite books of late, Curious George Goes Camping. Clearly, she enjoyed this campfire delicacy:

A post devoted to what you really care about....

60 Years of Marriage!

This past weekend Adam, Katie, and I travelled to Harrisville, WV to join my other 27 family members in celebrating my grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary. It was a blast.

The Lovebirds

All the grandchildren plus one great-grandchild!

4 generations

More photos of the weekend can be found here.

And of course, some videos.....

KJM Fan Club Meeting

Thanks for bearing with all my recent "serious" posts. Here's your reward for bearing with me:

Also, I added two new links to my "Favorite Links" list on the sidebar--one is our photo website, the other our video website.

Lastly, here are some photos from the playgroup's trip to the zoo today. It's really more like "Pictures of Katie with the Wheelers" since she is absolutely obsessed with the "Weewees" (all of whom she calls "Miney" meaning "Maggie"). Enjoy!

Watch out, Jeremiah...

looks like an older man might be making a move on your woman.

Fun shot through the bus window.

Page and Katie were best buds today.

Katie thinks she's 4 years old these days.

Here she is trying to hang with the big girls.

And just to prove that we really did see animals at the zoo, here's a pic of the Wheeler girls up close and personal with one of the gorillas. Seriously, that's a real, live gorilla RIGHT THERE.

Signs of the Season (and a new Katie video!)

I am so incredibly ready for fall. Here are a few tips for those out there who, like me, desire to hasten fall's advent.

1. Make cranberry scones.
I'm usually not a big scone fan (too dry and tasteless), but I've been dreaming about making these ever since Erin Wheeler served them at play group last spring. They are moist and sweet and awesome. They're actually great any time of year, but I got to enjoy them this week, so I put them on my list. Thanks, Erin, for the recipe!

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (I use unbleached)
1/2 cup sugar
1 rounded T baking powder
1/4 t salt
3/4 cup milk
1 t vanilla
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup coarsely chopped apples
1 cup coarsely chopped cranberries (I used Craisins)

Combine dry ingredients. Combine milk, vanilla, egg, butter, and apples in a separate bowl and add to dry mixture. After stirring together, gently fold in cranberries. Spread batter in greased 9-10" pie pan. Spread some milk and sugar on top. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Do not undercook.

2. Buy a "Mulled Cider" candle from Wal-mart.
This tip is for those of you who would like to buy Yankee Candle Company's "Harvest" candle but can't justify the expense in your monthly budget. I bought Wal-mart's "Mulled Cider" candle expecting to be disappointed but discovered it was actually a great buy! The only problem is it smells so much like mulled cider that I keep walking into the kitchen to get a mug full!


3. Get a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks.
For me, this event used to herald the official arrival of fall. That is, until I found out that you could order a pumpkin spice latte any time of year. Is the Peppermint Mocha Latte available year round too? That's the real question. I am such a sucker for "Starbucks at Christmas." Doesn't the coffee taste so much better in those red cups? Anyway, the inside scoop from any of my Starbuck-employed friends re: peppermint mocha would be warmly welcomed.


3. Let your child crumple a dried leaf all over your carpet.
Okay, so not really a recommendation. It was more a discovery after the fact. I guess that's what I get for always giving her dead leaves to play with in an attempt to finish the last five minutes of my morning walk in some semblance of peace.


Speaking of Katie, she is sick again! Not with a cold this time but with a fever. Yikes. Pray for little Katie to get well soon! Until she's back to her funny self, here is a video I took yesterday before she got sick.

I'm still alive!

To my (five) faithful blog readers:

I am so sorry I left you staring at that pizza for so long! Perhaps you thought that I had finally eaten one slice too many...

The truth is I've been enjoying summer too much to blog (well, that and our camera was sick so I couldn't even get by with posting photos of Katie). Thankfully, our camera is better now, so here's some of the latest footage for all the KJM fans. More substantial posts to come.


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New Katie video!

Forgot to post this one a month ago:

Just wanted to share with you Katie's latest developmental milestone. She finally figured out how to build with blocks!

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Katie and her favorite friend

We had the pleasure of baby-sitting one of Katie's favorite friends the other week. Katie and Jeremiah have basically grown up together, and it's neat to see how they relate to each other now. (You might remember Miah from the video below taken when she was 4 months old.) Katie absolutely loves Jeremiah. If I just say his name, a special smile (reserved for him alone) spreads across her face. Then she starts chanting his name, which right now sounds like, "Mom-mee." Jeremiah likes Katie, but he's definitely more interested in stuff. It's amazing to see the differences between girls and boys already--relationships vs. toys.


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