when you're 15...

can i just say that i can't wait to have a fifteen year old daughter so that i can have a legit reason to be "into" tween music, books, movies and telies? wait a sec. she will think i am the most uncool person on the planet at fifteen years, so i will stay grateful for the fifteen month old who thinks i hung the moon.

speaking of moon, that is one of her very fave words. we hear a lot about moon and stars and clouds and sun these days. elmo (or "mo") is still a huge favorite. we have quite the elmo video collection (thanks, aunt ash and katelyn) and she lets us know when she ready to see some "mo" by standing in front of the dvr player and pointing to it while saying "mo. mo. mo. mo. mo." she's quite persistent. she loves to spin around. and she's got the first part of a jump down. she hasn't caught actual air yet, but she can get one foot off the ground and that is enough for her.

she continues to love playing outside. she almost always cries when we take her out of her porch swing, even when she's been swinging for a very long time. i love to watch her face when she feels the breeze. she has the sweetest expression. i like to think she's imagining her Father touching her face with His finger and saying, "i love you, my precious one." her other favorite outdoor activity is watering flowers with her little bee watering can.




vital stats at 15 months:
weight: 23 lbs 2 ounces (50th percentile)
length: 32.5 inches (97th percentile)
head circumference: 18.4 inches (90th percentile)

cate received an absolutely amazing gift this summer...her first first cousin!

the beautiful rosemary catherine buchanan was born on july 8th in the woodlands, texas. cate already loves her. when we skype, she points at sweet baby rose and says, "ro." i can't wait for the two girl cousins to meet each other in person. we'll have to start counting sleeps!

14 months of beauty

we had something to celebrate a couple of months ago.
animal print lanterns were involved.they hung from anything that would stand still in ninety mile per hour wind.
wild animals roamed free.and were confined to what may have been ill-advised centerpieces designed by a mommy feeling the "this is her first birthday party EVER" pressure. there were people who adore the birthday girl.
and the all-important first cake EVER.
the initial contact was gentle and lady like.
but then we got down to business. yummo!there were wagons filled with lovely gifts.
and lots of little hands to help open them.

there was a lunch followed by a jewelry shopping trip with our daddy on the real deal holyfield day of birth. we started her charm bracelet with a tiny silver cupcake. and then dad and i ate a real one while the birthday girl watched. how wrong is that?
we wrapped the day up with an inaugural thai dinner with the ohio grands.fast forward three weeks to our one year pictures...we had a ball. literally.







funny foot note to these pics: jared and i were trying to make cate smile and subsequently look like complete lunatics in most of the photos. when i mentioned that to my mom, she said, "that's how you always look when you are around cate." i can't believe no one has mentioned this to me before now. sorry i've looked like a crazy person for a full calendar year. see below if you need an example.i'm guess i'm actually totally ok with being a lunatic over this girl!

other news from months 12 and 13:

• cate had her first, and what i hope will be her only, surgery on may 11th. she had a growth removed and it required general anesthesia. scary! but she was a trooper and, for the most part, so were we.
• i went back to work full time on june 1. thanks to classy and cate's beloved sitter, katelyn, it has been a fairly smooth transition. this bullet demands a major shout out to jared for his complete embodiment of support. he is such an amazing partner and daddy. he steps up to keep our ship right on a day to day, and sometimes, second to second basis. cate and i heart him.
• cate is such a little busy body. her favorite toys right now are her tea set, picnic basket, and hand-me-down animal flashcards from charlie and o. she knows all 26 animals. some of them are unusual names, like quetzal. quewhatzal? we have spent hours laying the cards out and asking her to "bring mommy the armadillo."
• food is not so much our friend right now. cate eats "well" on an average of one out of every 3 days. that is my biggest source of worry these days. i worry that she's going to have some major deficiency or develop scurvy or turn into a cheerio.
  
• i think we officially have a curly haired girl. definitely on the sides and the back. the longer the top and front get, the more waves we see.

and we're still curled around her pretty little finger.

happy birthday, dearest cate. happy birthday to you!

i can't even think about trying to catch up on the last four, count 'em, four months i've slacked off on tonight. what i am thinking about is that my sweet, tiny babe will be one whole year old tomorrow. it is the strangest thing, this one year deal. one side of my coin can't wrap around the warp speed with which we've flown through this year. on the flip side, it is so odd to think about the fact that she's only been a part of our outside world for 12 months. in some ways, it feels like she's always been knitted deep within our hearts and minds.

and our hearts and mind are so completely hers. we think thoughts of pure love about her all day long. it is not possible to recount all of the ways she captivates, amazes and inspires us. but just for funsies, i'll give it a try.

her smile is pure sunshine. i realize it this is not likely to always be the case, but on this day, it is not physically possible for us not to smile in return. her eyebrows speak their own adorable language. she has six teeth. four on top with a buchanan gap between the middle two. and just two on the bottom. i sometimes hope she never grows any more on the bottom row so i can call her caty two-teeth forever. isn't that a good gangster name? she is a lover of people she doesn't know. she waited until her dad and i were together to take her first few steps yesterday. she points at things all day long, but my favorite point is the one that happens every time she wakes up in her room. she points at her bookshelves and gives a little, "buh, buh" sound every. single. time. when she is sleepy and lays her head on your shoulder, she tucks her arms under her body. she is becoming more affectionate by the day. she recognizes people and things (mostly stuffed animals) she likes and loves. she gives sweet kisses and will even blow them at you on request. she is at her absolute happiest when every book she owns is open and spread out around her. she loves to smell flowers. even though she can't express it verbally, i think she relishes feeling the breeze (or full on west texas wind) on her face.

it is probably equally impossible to articulate all of the hopes we have for her. mostly, we hope she knows how much she is loved by us, of course, but also by her Shepherd. we read a sweet little poem and prayer about her Shepherd at bedtime on most nights. we hope that she will know His character and begin to recognize His voice and purpose for her.

we're so thankful for our cate.