The Bumbo Seat

This seat is kind of cool. It allows your little one to sit up before they can do it on their own. It also serves as a fun place to sit as they get older. -We are borrowing it from cousin Trevor, who doesn't need it anymore. Until now, Kate has been too small for it. We are not sure if she likes it yet...

Bumbo seat huh...

I am not so sure about this...

I don't think I like it! We'll have to try again later...

So Happy Together

We are all just having so much fun with Kate. (I hope you don't get sick of me saying that...It is just so true.) With such a large gap between Rachael and Kate, it seems like we are having a first baby all over again. Only this time, we know what we are doing, and we have two willing and capable helpers. I know I've just said it, and I am sure that I will say it again...We are all just having so much fun with Kate.

One morning before school, I came into the living room to find Morgan playing with Kate. She was showing her this snowman and Kate was smiling at it. =)

Kate smiling at Daddy.

This picture was taken one day when Chris was post-call and needed a nap. Kate had taken a short nap, but was still tired. Chris cuddled her and they both fell asleep. I couldn't resist taking a picture. (He is having so much fun with Kate.)

Gingerbread Girl

Rachael had a day in class where they got to decorate gingerbread cookies. They read The Gingerbread Man before decorating and had a really fun day. She brought it home for Chris and was so proud of it. When I asked her if that was her gingerbread man, she said, "No Mom, it's a gingerbread girl." Oh. Sorry about the mix up. If you look closely, you can clearly see the dress decorated on there. Chris said she was yummy. =) P.S. Great job decorating Rach!

My Birthday

So, I think I am to the point where I just post about the birthday without relating the number...Chris told the girls last night that I was turning 26. Nice. I think I will take it. Actually, I am now in the 30's and totally fine with it. I just do not feel the need to broadcast the actual number. I had a great day. Some good friends came over with a yummy breakfast to share, and Chris was post call, so he got to be home on my day. The Sullivans (Chris's sister Emily, hubby Jaron and their three boys) went to Indianapolis so that they could then come to our house for Kate's baby blessing. We decided to meet them there to let the kids play and celebrate my birthday too. We had a wonderful night filled with games, goodies, and of course, Graeter's.

Family Pictures

We thought it might be fun to have a few family pictures taken before it got too cold and we lost the rest of the leaves from our trees. Our friend Jennett came over and took several for us. Here are are a few of them:

(I put that flower on Kate's head just for you Mom. =)) -Side note: I love a little flower on a baby girl's head. Nothing bigger than what you see here, as that is not my style. My mom doesn't like them at all...

Three girls, what fun! I had to include this picture because this is what the girls would do all day if they could. The first thing I hear in the morning is, "Can I hold Kate?". Also, they are in matching dresses and you can't see that in the first picture as they are behind me and Chris. I know that my days of matching dresses are numbered, so I have to enjoy it while I can.

How cute is she? Ah, babies.

The Runyans at their finest.

Smiles

Last week, Kate surprised us with some smiles. This week they have become more frequent, though they are still hard to get on camera. We caught this one while Chris was holding her. I only caught half of it, but it was so cute we had to post it. -Side note, I got the first half smile last week, but Daddy did get the first full-fledged smile.He makes me smile too Kate.

Two Fingers

Kate is my first baby that is able to sooth herself by sucking. She takes a binkie, which Morgan and Rachael did not do. She has also shown an interest in her fingers when she can get them into her mouth. (Not often yet as she is only 6 weeks old and does not have hand control.) One night Kate was a little bit fussy as I was trying to get the older girls to bed. Before I could get her binkie, she found her two middle fingers and soothed herself. It was so cute, we had to get a picture.

Yes, I Did...

Okay. I had to do it. I shaved my baby's head! Before you think I am mean, just look at the pictures. Kate was born with a lot of hair for a Runyan baby. Out of nowhere, she lost all of it on the top of her head. I was beginning to think that she looked like a little old man, when Morgan informed me out of the blue, in hushed tones mind you, that she 'Kinda looks like an old man Mom.' Here are the before and after shots:

Before:
After:
Soooooo much better. I just couldn't let my little girl look like a little old man... =)

Baby Kate

It is so fun to have another baby after so long! I forgot how sweet and wonderful it is to have a baby in the house. There is just something about a new baby that makes time slow down, and helps you realize what is really important. For example, does it really matter that the laundry is not folded if it is clean? Of course not. Hold the baby. She will not be small forever. Does it really matter if the dusting or the vacuuming is not done? Of course not. Hold the baby. She will not be small forever. Does it really matter if it takes you 5 or 6 weeks to blog about your baby? Of course not. Hold the baby. She will not stay small forever. I think you see my point. This time around, I have two very capable and willing helpers in Morgan and Rachael. They have been awesome with Kate, and around the house whenever I need it. Chris, the girls and I are all enjoying Kate so much! Here are some fun pics of Kate and such.

Can you have too many pictures of a sleeping baby? I think not. This hat came from the hospital, and the fuzzy sleeper came from Arizona. In fact, her cousin Bridget just wore it too. Thanks Amy.

Rachael holding Kate and 'Stretch', her newest little stuffed animal. -He currently goes everywhere with her; even to school.

Morgan holding Kate in one of my favorite outfits. This one came from a good friend, Rachel Vaughn. Thanks Rachel!

You're Almost Ahundred!!

The other day while we were getting ready, Rachael and I were chatting about this and that. She is 6, so the conversations that we have take many turns and are often quite entertaining. This particular morning she said, "Hey Mom, how old are you? 20?" (I liked that.) "No Rachael, I'm 30." (Wince.) She then began to count by tens from 30 to 100. When she reached 100, she declared, "Hey Mom, you're almost ahundred!!" Not really, but it was kind of funny. I love kids! They say the funniest things. I also love how it is 'a-hundred', not 100. Ah, Rachael.

The Third Boss

I just remembered this funny thing that Morgan said this summer to Rachael when she didn't know I was listening. I am still in 'catch-up' mode on the summer months, so I thought I would post it now as I just posted a funny Rachael-ism.

Rachael (in response to Morgan big-sistering her): "Morgan, you're not the mom."
Morgan: "I'm like the third boss in the house Rach. It goes Daddy, Mommy, Me."
Rachael: "What about Chief?"
Morgan: "Okay, he is in there too. Daddy, Mommy, Me, You, Chief."

Nice. It's good to know I have another boss in the house...

Um...Thanks?

So, the other night after all three girls were fast asleep, Chris put his hands on my hips and said, "I just love your little love-handles! They are so cute." To which I responded, "Honey, that is not exactly something that a postpartum mom wants to hear." He then said, "Hey, I have to enjoy them while I can. Before I know it, they will be gone." Let's hope he is right...=)

Dear Tooth Fairy...

Rachael lost her first tooth last night on the way home from ballet. She was so excited, and was quite pleased with her tooth. So pleased in fact, that she decided she would rather keep this tooth, and then let the Tooth Fairy take the rest. In order to make this request, she wrote a sweet little letter. This is what it said:

"Dear Tooth Fairy,
I lost my first tooth and really want to keep it but I also want the money. The picture you see if of my tooth. I love you. From Rachael. You ROCK. I love you."

The Tooth Fairy wrote her back and said that she could keep it. She also left $5. -Side note: In our house, the Tooth Fairy normally leaves $1 per tooth. However, this particular evening, there was no change for a $5 in the house, and she was too tired to go to the store to get change. The Tooth Fairy let Rachael know in her letter that since this was her 1st tooth, she would get $5, and each tooth after this would be $1. =)



Here is Rachael showing her new 'window'. -Her new tooth had come in behind her loose tooth, so the wondow is kind of hard to see. It is there though, and she is really proud of it. =)

Halloween

Trick-or-Treat! We had a great Halloween this year. Chris and the girls carved pumpkins the week before, as they do every year. Morgan chose to do the 'Vomiting Pumpkin' this year, complete with the pumpkin guts coming out of the mouth, while Rachael came up with the cutest dog design. Unfortunately, I did not get a picture of this. (Bad.) Oh well, they were super cute. As for costumes, I did not get them purchased before Kate was born, so they were picked over by the time we went to the store. Rachael chose a fun witch costume, while Morgan went with a princess costume. Kate was a little bear and Chief was a skeleton. Here are some pictures of the whole crew before trick-or-treating. (Rachael forgot to put on her witch hat. Something I did not even notice until I looked at the pictures a few days later...) We all had a great time trick-or-treating, Chief included.



Happy Halloween!

Chris's Birthday!

Chris turned 34 this year. Wow, the time is flying...It was so fun to have a new baby on his birthday. -I figure that I can count Kate as one of his presents. I mean, I worked on that gift for 9 months, so why not? Here is a fun shot of Chris and his girls; all three of them.

Kate Elise Runyan

She is here!!! She is here and we all adore her. Kate was born on Saturday, October 10, 2009 at 3:31pm. She was 6 lbs, 8 oz, and 20 inches long. It was a lovely Fall day. Chris was on nights in October, which allowed him to have Friday and Saturday off. The girls had their Fall Festival at school, so Chris took them to enjoy the festivities. While they were gone, I finished unpacking a box of board books in the baby's room, and then started having regular contractions. They were strong enough to make me stop what I was doing, so I called Chris and said they might want to come home in the next 15 minutes. By the time they arrived, the contractions were more intense. We had a friend come pick up the girls and RACED to the hospital. Literally. It was a good thing, as Kate was born 15 minutes after we got there. YIKES, that was an uncomfortable car ride...



This is a shot taken just after delivery with our doctor (Dr. Froehlich), nurse (Holly) and Kate. Notice the t-shirt, shorts and sandals on Dr. Froehlich. He was in the middle of putting up new tile in his bathroom when we called him. He delivered Rachael, and knows how quick my deliveries are. He dropped what he was doing and rushed to the hospital, arriving just in time to catch Kate. We visited for a few minutes after the delivery, and then went back home to his project. =)



This is Kate in her 'Home From the Hospital Outfit'. The girls chose this from a few options as 'The One' to bring home their new sister in. We all like the little lamb on the front of the nightgown. (I made the flower headband.)



First family picture with Kate. =)

Pregnant Me

Well, I thought that I would post a shot of me pregnant for those of you who have never seen me this way. This is me at 33 weeks. My mom and sister Mary picked out this cute maternity outfit for me, and my dad sent it to me without letting me know. It came on a day that I was feeling particularly big and frumpy, and was a very welcomed surprise. Morgan and Rachael loved the outfit. Infact, the next morning Morgan asked if I was going to wear it that day. I replied that I was, and she said, "Yessss!". Later that day, I asked Morgan if she liked it when I wore cute outfits that were not frumpy. She was unsure of the definition of 'frumpy'. After I explained it she said, "Yes Mom. But...your hair is frumpy. You should do it in pig-tails or braids." Guess I still have some work to do in the 'frumpy' department...

Frumpy hair? Okay, she is right. It really needs to be cut...

First Day of School

Well, it got here before we knew it! (I cannot believe that the summer is over.) Chris has been on vacation, and was able to be here for the girls' first day of school. We had a lovely, calm morning and went to school together. It was indeed a treat to have Daddy around for this exciting day. The girls were a little nervous as they were starting a new school, but they ended up having a great first day. Both Morgan and Rachael are adjusting well to their new school, and think that they just might like it better than their last.

May

What a big and exciting month this was for our family! This will be a long post, so read when you have a minute, or two, or five.

1.) We celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary! Wow, ten great years together. They have all been great, but it seems like each year just gets better. I cannot believe that it has been ten years. In some ways it seems like we just got married, and in some ways it seems like we have always been together. Chris surprised me with a dozen red roses (my favorite and flowers from my wedding bouquet), and had the girls make cards for the anniversary.


A good friend, Jenny Reynolds, came into town for a wedding, and we got to see her right around this time too. (The wedding was on May 1st, our anniversary.) Jenny watched our girls the next evening so that we could go out to dinner. We went to PF Changs. (Did you know that they have a gluten-free menu? So yummy!)

2.) After only 3 weeks on the market, we sold our house! For anyone familiar with the real estate market at this time in Cincinnati, you will know that this was no less than a small miracle. Fasting and prayer work!!! The house hunting began in earnest as our house was set to close on the 5th of June.

3.) Rachael's 6th Birthday!!! We started off her big day with our family tradition of breakfast in bed. This year she wanted scrambled eggs with catsup, sausage and raspberry lemonade. Yum! Morgan made her a necklace out of a sea shell and black yarn, and made her the sweetest card. It said, 'Happy Birthday Ms. 6-year-old'. So cute! Rachael had a great day at school. I was able to bring in cupcakes with blue frosting, which was so fun. When Chris got home, we went out to dinner at one of Rachael's favorite restaurants, Cancun. (It is a local Mexican food restaurant, and is actually quite tasty.) Jennett Simpson and Jeana and Abby met us at the restaurant and joined us for dinner. We just did a small family gift (a 'Teeniest Petshop') this year as her big gift would come later in the month when all of the family was visiting for graduation; a trip to King's Island! All in all, she had a great 6th birthday, and we had a great time watching her.

Rachael and Morgan with the breakfast in bed. Cheeeeeese!!!

Rachael, Abby Simpson, Morgan and Jeana Simpson. The Simpson girls surprised Rachael with a webkinz stuffed animal for her birthday. (It was a white cat. Side note, in case you do not know, Rachael LOVES stuffed animals, and she LOVES webkinz. You register these animals online and it is your job to take care of them on the webkinz website. This is another story entirely. Suffice it to say, she was excited.) It was fun to hear the four girls discuss an appropriate name for the newest addition to Rachael's stuffed animal collection/family. After a few minutes, they all agreed that 'Meowie Pancake' was a suitable and down-right lovely name. All of the girls enjoyed dinner.

At Cancun, they sing to you in Spanish on your birthday. Additionally, they top your head with a giant sombrero which reads 'Viva Mexico' and they bring you fried ice cream. Towards the end of the song, they smear a bit of whipped cream on your face and wish you well. (In Mexico, they get the birthday person's face all messy with cake.) It was funny to see the expression on Rachael's face as they did all of these things. She did not really know what to think as they put the whipped cream on her face. We assured her that they were not being mean, but it was their way of helping her celebrate. She was fine after that. Of course, she really enjoyed the ice cream.
Jeana Simpson, Chris, Rachael & Meowie Pancake, Morgan, Deanna, Abby Simpson.

4.) Rachael's spring music concert. Most of these pictures turned out blurry, but I had to post something. This was to be her first and only concert with the music department at her school, as we would be moving. She was really cute singing. She has been to several of these for Morgan, so it was really special to go for her. Also pictured is one of her favorite friends, Michael Paulson. He is a friend from church, and has been in her class for the last two years. This has been fun for both of them. Michael is on Rachael's left, or to the right of Rachael. Side note, this was a concert solely of Kindergarten students, and was so sweet.


5.) Graduation! Graduation! Graduation! Eight year MD/PhD program completed. Not much more to say than, HOORAY!!!

Blurry, but the only picture that I have on my computer of Chris that day. We have others somewhere (on one of the many family cameras that were present that day), but unfortunately, they are in one of three states right now.

This was Chris's seat for the ceremony. We ended up sitting only two rows behind him. It was pretty neat. Notice that just above his name, it says, 'Congratulations, you did it!'. Yes we did. Eight years and 2.5 children later, yes we did.

****May, to be continued...**** More to update but my computer is acting up and I am sleepy.

April

So, April was a blurr. I will do my best to remember and report. Not many pictures were taken this month. You'll see why if you get a chance to read...

1.) I was still feeling yucky from the pregnancy. A little emotional too. Not mean or moody, just weepy. Ah, hormones...

2.) House projects. At this point, we knew that we did not have to move out of state for residency. However, we decided to move within the city into a better school district for the kids. Because of this, April was a flurry of last minute house projects that included a lot of painting, some yard work, and minor touch-ups here and there. Basically, at the end of it all, our house was finally how we always wanted it to look, just in time to sell it. Mom Runyan came out to help with a few of the last minute projects, and she was a life-saver. We finished what we needed to and got the house listed. Hooray!!! This took up a good portion of the month, so not many pictures were taken.

3.) Pinewood Derby. We had two Pinewood Derby races within two months. One was a combined Cub Scout/Achievement Day activity, and one was on the ward level. Morgan got 3rd place in one of them, but I can't remember which. (Isn't that terrible? This is what happens when you do not blog along the way.) Anyway, here is a picture of the car that she made with Chris:

Chris and the girls had a great time making their cars together. (Who says you need boys to make Derby cars?) Rachael's car is in the crowd on the left. She and Chris looked at different cars on the internet, and she picked out the design. It was in the shape of a log with a beaver on it. (The beaver was an animal figurine.) Chris did the cutting and the girls helped with the sanding and painting. Chris even melted down lead fishing weights to put into the cars in order to bring them to regulation weight. Wow.

4.) Easter. Chris was on call the night before Easter, so the girls and I surprised my mom and went out for a quick visit. It was a lot of fun. We drove out, spent some great time together, spent the night, went to church, did Easter baskets, ate the traditional ham dinner (which was delicious) and drove back home to see Chris after he woke up from being on call. All in all it was a fun quick trip. Also, while dinner was cooking, the girls and I had a photo session. (It is a good thing too, otherwise there would be no pictures of the girls from the month of April...) Here are some shots from the weekend:

The girls watching the 'Speed Channel' with Grandpa. He loves classic cars and the girls love to watch with him.

Rachael in her new Easter dress with her basket. She got a little lamb in the basket. Morgan had previously given her one of her lambs, so that now Rachael owns two. She recently informed us that she is a shepherd because she has two sheep.

Morgan in her new Easter dress with her basket.

Rachael with Oscar, Grandma Gwen's dachshund. She LOVES this dog.


Morgan with Chief.

5.) House showings. Our house was listed less than a week and we began to have showings. We were pleased with this. Boy, is selling a house stressful. I will admit that I enjoyed how clean it was all of the time, but it was a little crazy bustling around before a showing making sure that it was just perfect. Fortunately, our realty office gave us a fair amount of notice. The last bit of April was spent keeping the house clean and finding places to go during the showing times. Thanks to Jennett Simpson for letting us hang out at her place several times, Chief included.

March

March was a good and highly anticipated month in the Runyan household this year. This was the month that we were to find out where we matched for medical residency. For those of you familiar with this process, you know what I mean. I will enlighten the rest of you. In your 4th year of medical school, you begin this process by interviewing at different residency programs in the specialty of your choice. As you interview, you take notes of which programs you like and which ones you don't like. Which cities would be a good fit for you and your family, and which cities would not. Then, you fast and pray, (which you have been doing all along the way so that you can have guidance) and rank the programs in order 1 through whatever. (In our case, it was 1-7.) You submit this information to the powers-that-be, and it is put into a computer. Meanwhile, the programs that you have interviewed at have also been taking notes on all of their applicants. They have ranked the applicants 1 to whatever, have also submitted this information to the powers-that-be, and it is put into a computer. Then, the computer runs a program, and in a matter of seconds, the fate of hundreds of future residents all over the country is decided. WOW! What did they do before computers...Needless to say, we were all looking forward to finding out where we would be for the next 6 years of our lives. Anyway, here are the exciting events of March, listed chronologically. (Again, so that you can see them if I had posted them along the way...)

1.) I started feeling the affects of the first trimester. YUCK! There really is nothing redeeming about the first trimester. Don't get me wrong, it is exciting to be pregnant and to know that you will be adding another member to your family. But that is so far away from this point in your pregnancy. Furthermore, you are super tired, your kidneys kick into turbo action causing multiple trips to the potty, you are super tired, and if you are like me, you get really, really, really nauseous. Plus, you are super tired. -It was worse for me this time than with the previous two pregnancies. (I really can't complain as I was not as sick as some.) Suffice it to say that nausea and heaving were a big part of my life for a good three months, and that brushing my teeth at night was not pretty.

2.) Dad Lueken's 50th birthday! Wow Dad, you look great! Plus, you are way to young to have a daughter my age...We went to Indiana for the weekend to visit my parents and celebrate my dad's birthday. Here are some shots from the best part of the weekend, the cake and ice cream of course!

Dad with cake and presenents. (My nephew Owen used to call presents 'presenents'. It was so cute, we adopted the name. Funny thing is, he didn't do it for very long...)
Dad reading a card from the girls with Rachael looking on. -Yes, if you are wondering, Rachael is in her pajamas, and no, it is not the morning. This is Rachael's outfit of choice after church 9 times out of 10. Can't say that I blame her...Who doesn't want to put on their p.j.'s after wearing a dress and tights?
I thought that I would include this shot just for kicks. You can see the Graeter's ice cream, cake and presents in the background. Yum. Morgan and Rachael with their new webkinz ON the table. (At grandmas, of course. At our house, you are not allowed to have toys at the table, let alone on the table. The toys could get food on them, or worse, distract you from the wonderful purpose of being at the table: eating.) Then you have me in the background looking sick and tired. I am looking at the beautiful cake and wishing that I had even the smallest desire to partake of it and some ice cream. Darn you 1st trimester!

3.) Achievement Days. In our ward, another sister and I work with the Achievement Day girls. It is loads of fun. This particular evening, Sister Hand taught about temple marriage and had the girls try on their mother's wedding dresses. They all loved this. Here is a picture of Morgan in mine, big slip and all. (She loved it!)
4.) Home Repairs. Yes, that is Chris attached to a rock climbing harness and rope, being belayed by his 2 month pregnant wife on our roof so that he can fix the gutters. We do not own a ladder, which is something that we will have to remedy in the not-too-distant future. Chris did a great job fixing the gutter, and he did not fall, and I did not drop him. (Thank goodness!) We had to do a minor repair or two in order to get the house ready to sell...This was one of them.

5.) Morgan's violin recital. This was a fun night. She has been loving the violin this year, and is really playing quite well. She played 'Go Tell Aunt Rhody', and did great!

This picture turned out a little blurry, but it had to be included. She really did a great job.

Here is a shot of Rachael while we waited for the recital to begin. She is holding two very dear possessions, Dottie, her first webkinz animal, and a small pillow that she acquired from the treasure box in gym class. Thanks Mr. B...

This is Morgan with her friend Elizabeth who also plays the violin.

6.) MATCH DAY!!! March 19th! We made it! Here is a picture of me and Chris at the Match Day party. Here in Cincinnati, everyone gets together to open their match letters. Fun, right? Well yes, however, your name is drawn out of a bowl and you and your significant-other go to the front of the room and open it in front of the entire class. It really was quite exciting. Fun, nerve-racking and exciting. This shot was taken just before the letter opening commenced.

What a fun day. My dad, grandmother, and Chris's mom came to join us for the event. (Chris's dad couldn't get away from work, and my mom was away on a business trip.) Everyone was thrilled to discover that we would get to stay here for residency! The program for plastic surgery here is really good, and both of our parents live within 2 hours of driving. Hooray for grandparents living close!

7.) Quick visit with family! We had a quick visit with family the end of this month. Chris's sister Emily, her husband Jaron and their boys came from Iowa for a quick weekend trip. This was the first opportunity that we got to meet our new nephew and cousin to the girls, Trevor. Chris's cousin Tom came from Louisville, KY to join us. We spent time together, ate yummy food, and the cousins had a blast as usual. Tom brought his AWESOME camera along and took some fun shots. The only problem is that his camera takes pictures that makes our camera's pictures look, well, not as good as his. It takes great pictures. So crisp and clean. Wow, thanks Tom!

Here is Morgan holding 'Baby Trevor'. He is such a sweet baby!

This is Rachael with a stuffed bunny of hers. She loves stuffed animals, just like I did when I was a little girl. Though, hers are her little buddies. Each week or so, she has a new one that has to go everywhere with her...This week, it was 'Bunny'.

Morgan, Chief, cousin Spencer, 'Bunny', and Rachael.

***Family picture of the Runyans taken by Tom, to be inserted here. For some reason, we could not get all of the shots from Tom that weekend. -They were not transferring. I will get a copy and insert it here.***