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. =)