7 Reasons We Love Katie

Have you met our little niece Katie? She turns 7 today! Danny and Jackie had recently started dating when she was born. She was a phenomenal flower girl in our wedding when she was 3. And now she's 7! Here's a little something to let her (and you) know how special we think she is. 7 Reasons We Love Katie

1. She's fun! - Katie is up for anything. She's the first to participate in our made-up games of "what else could this be?" and "jump when the elevator door closes". She's the loudest to sing and the last to stop laughing. Her head is full of dreams and imagination and she puts them to use adding color to life. The world is happier with her in it.
   
2. She's got a BIG heart - It wasn't long ago that the fact Danny was saving up for a computer something made its was into a conversation we were having. Upon hearing of this, Katie swiftly offered her savings (of tens of dollars) to Uncle Danny. It was a sincere and quick response for her. He was in need and she was in a place to help.
   
3. She loves Dane - It's a long running joke that Jackie and her sister go back and forth staking claim to the cuter baby. Jen's whole team of kids join her side. Recently however, Katie swore us to the most urgent secrecy that she thought Dane was in fact cuter than her brother Cole. We'll never tell. When she isn't stating her love for Dane aloud, she's doing so by kissing him. She's loved him since he was Frankenstein.
   
4. She's a reader - Jackie asked Katie about a book she saw she was reading. No fine detail was missing from Katie's unabridged account of the book. After lengthy summaries and explanations of why this was funny or that was happy; after she had finished telling exactly everything about the book, she decidedly says "Okay, I'll read it to you.". And without Jackie even asking... (The book was called Pinkalicious, and if you want to know ALL about it, ask Katie how it is).
   
5. She loves God - You couldn't volunteer faster than Katie to say grace for a family meal. She prays for the kid on the bus who teases her. She does what she should do because it is what God would want of her. She knows, very much so, who God is, how he loves her and why she should love Him.
   
6. She marches to he own beat - to march to another drummer is an understatement, as Katie does not follow anyone. She totally rocks her pink cowgirl boots and overly-bedazzled Christmas sweater. She doesn't care about what you think is good/cool/"fashion". She knows what she likes and that's all there is to it.
   
7. In three words, we think she's "Pitty kew, huh?".

Happy Birthday, Kit-Kat. We love you!

Picture of the Week

Early because Friday and Saturday are tribute days.

Here's one of Dane's 'do. No, he did not stick his finger in the electric outlet (...yet...).

A Howard Man

Gramps recently commented on the things Dane has been eating. Well, we think he would be particularly proud of Dane's latest new taste. So this one's for you, Gramps:

Dane's first taste of chicken and dumplings.

A Howard man, indeed.

Brian's 30!!!

Dane's Uncle Brian turned the BIG 3-0 today. We actually celebrated with him on Sunday, so we'll share a few pics of his party with you. Doesn't he look happy to be 30? On the upside, he has no gray hairs yet. The bad? Brian, you have to stop burping, farting, and doing your King of the Hill impression in public. Sorry man, we don't make the rules.

I think the gift we got will fit him like a glove! Don't worry, Brian; the years look good on you. Happy Birthday.

Dane with Nana and Papaw.

Dane with Uncle Marcus, Aunt Trina and Dane's favorite toy, the hat.

Weekend Wrap-Up

A weekend full of family fun for the Howards. The highlight was Saturday when we went to the library so Dan and Dane could participate in a "Daddy, Donuts and Me" program (minus the donuts, I saw no donuts). There were songs, coffee can bongos and girls who made Dane cry. It was a fun experience for Big D and Little D to get together with other fathers and kids. No moms allowed! Afterwards, the three of us joined up with some other families and went to lunch. Dane sat in his highchair the whole time and ate like a big boy. We're loving the time we spend with him.

Picture of the Week

A couple treats for you of Dane's first V-Day.

First Cookie

Dane had his very first cookie recently. A Nilla Wafer. Needless to say, it went over big.

Loves his Lamb

For Christmas, Karen's brother Cliff, his wife Frances, and their kids Chris, Anna, Mary and Katie sent Dane this precious lamb. It's adorable, unbelievably soft, and when you wind it up it plays "Jesus Loves Me". It was put into the large rotation of new toys, and on its second round through it was a bit hit. He tossed it around, chewed on it, talked to it and wrestled it. Here's some proof of his love for it.

Thanks to the Blendermann Family for our little tiger's lamb.

Weekend Wrap-Up

We had a fine Valentine's weekend. Dane's cousins Katie and Cole spent the night on Friday, and the three kiddies had much fun keeping us up all night. On Saturday, we took Dane out for our family date and then went on one all our own.

Dane really came alive this weekend. All of a sudden he is in full force in... everything! He's doing laps around the living room and driving the dogs nuts. And when I check the video monitor during his nap I see our little baby STANDING IN HIS CRIB. The mamarazzi was hot on it; grabbed the camera and got a few shots of Dane pulling to standing in his crib. He was just holding onto the rail like he'd done this a thousand times before. He even hammed up for the camera, playing a daredevil and dropping to one hand. We promptly lowered the crib level so he can't jump out. He's so big!

Before

After

In jail in his crib

Picture of the Week

Daddy and Dane.

Same smile? We have a lot to be happy about.

Shots

Blogger won't let me post pictures now, so we'll just talk about Dane's round of vaccination shots today. These are his 6 month shots - Didn't take us very long to get behind in the schedule! It went as well as one would expect. He sat on Mommy's lap while the nurse stuck him in his thighs. He let out a loud, pathetic cry for like ten seconds... and then it was over. After Dane's nap at home though, the shots really set in. He was whiny and sad all day and wanted to be held continuously. It's actually rather precious. He was dosed with Tylenol before bed and we're wishing for a good night's sleep like we've been having all week! Hey, we can hope, right?

Dane in the Headlights

Weekend Wrap-Up

This weekend was full of fun for us.
Dane had a very fun (very big) play date,
We took Dane to a family bowling event,
We dropped Dane off with his Gramps and went on a date,
We pulled out some toys we packed away before Dane was born,
Dane had his two youngest Spicer cousins, Tyler and Cole, over and the three boys left no toy untouched.

Just a few pictures for you.

It is crazy to watch Dane play with other kids. He actually interacts with kids and plays with toys. He is getting so so big so so fast. We're hoping Dane's first words aren't "He's so big", because it seems like that's all we say these days!

Picture of the Week

We got some of the best shots of Dane with blueberries. We agree with our friend, Pau - each week his picture is cuter and cuter, and this is by far one of our favorites. So stinkin' cute. And here's a freebie for you...

Why so serious?

First Runny Nose

Danny's better and Dane's sick. Well, not sick really, but he has his first runny nose AND an attitude. He did not sleep well last night and as a result, neither did we. With his only symptoms being parallel to teething, there's really no way to know what's what. No temperature, no dehydration, no changes in eating. Just a leaky baby. And sad parents.

yuck

Daniel was sick today. He left work early and took to bed all day. Dane threw up today. He's 7 months old (dang!) and has not once thrown up before. Although it isn't common for Dane to vomit, it isn't uncommon for a baby to do so, so we aren't exactly worried. But with the mess pre-soaking we aren't exactly happy either...

Weekend Wrap-Up

This weekend we took Dane out on our first family date, which we all found a lot of fun. We went to a restaurant and put Dane in a highchair so he could sit with us. We brought him food from home and a couple of Cheerios (most of which wound up on the ground; don't worry, we tipped well) so he could eat with us. He got a lot of attention and put on a show for his fans. We all really enjoyed our time focused on our family.

We also went to a Super Bowl party with Jackie's Moms Group. There were many families there with lots of babies around Dane's age. Watching him play with other babies is quite entertaining, but a girl did make him cry. Get used to it, Dane. How is it that at 59, Springsteen can rock like that at 8:30pm, but all of our babies were pooped out by halftime?

A Year Ago Today...

You might have gotten an email from us. To refresh your memory, it went like this:

Gestating nicely at 18 weeks, coming in at nearly

17 centimeters and 9 ounces...
Is Baby BOY Howard!

Due July 4th, 2008

Thrilled,
Danny & Jackie