Christmas Photo Shoot

We have been very busy getting ready for Christmas and visiting Santa Claus in Northern and Southern California. Last weekend Catie and I flew to Pasadena for a couple of days while Colin stayed at home and worked. Catie visited Santa Claus at Annandale...I will tell you more about that in the next post.

In the meantime, we took Catie to Union Square to see the window displays and all of the Christmas decorations. Before we walked around Colin, Catie and I grabbed lunch with our friend Marni and my sister, Auntie. Then we had a photo shoot in front of the Christmas tree.

Tomorrow we are headed to the Olympic Club to see Santa Claus. Tomorrow I will post pictures of Santa Claus at Annandale and Santa Claud at the OC club. Until then... Merry, Merry!

Body parts

We are working on eyes and mouth. Stay tuned....

Thanksgiving 2009

So several people have commented on the fact that I haven’t updated my blog for awhile- sorry guys! Things have been busy but that’s no excuse. I will try and post more often and I will include some more videos. We need to put the Flip to more use!

Things have been going well for us and I swear that Catie has gotten even funnier. Example- ask her to point to her nose and she will….but 9 times out of 10 she will point to it by sticking her finger up her nose. It cracks me up every time…and her too!

Catie has begun to take steps (when she feels like it). She will stand on her own for a while and walk every where holding one of your hands but she is still working on walking on her own. The doctor said not to push it. She will do it when she wants to. I just think she crawls because she can get places faster....and man is she fast!!

To recap the holdiday weekend, it was wonderful!!! We had a terrifc Thanksgiving and as usual it went by too fast. My sister and I have lived in Northern California for 7 years and this was the first time that my parents came up to celebrate the holiday. They really wanted to spend Thanksgiving with Catie (and I guess my sister and I too) and they want to spend time with the O’Connell’s (when it wasn’t at a function like a birth, baptism, etc).

For Thanksgiving dinner we went to the O’Connell’s house and had an amazing meal of turkey, stuffing, green beans, sweet potatoes, salad, cranberry sauce and more- the whole nine yards! It was delicious and was so fun to just sit around and talk. My dad was finally able to see the shrine (Colin’s bedroom and all of his trophies) and loved see the pictures of Colin and Joe DiMaggio on the wall. It was a great evening and we all really enjoyed ourselves.

On Friday afternoon we went over to the Sternberg’s to celebrate Lizzie’s 40th …I mean 30th (ha, ha) birthday! It was a great party filled with family, friends, good food and wine. Happy Birthday Lizzie. Thank you for being such a special friend. I love ya!

On Saturday we carried on our tradition of going to cut down our Christmas Tree. My parents, Barbara and Tom, and my sister all joined us as we headed to Petaluma to find the perfect tree. We had a great time and Catie loved it. It is amazing to look back at last year's pictures and see how much she has grown and changed.

A great moment was went Catie sat on Colin while he was cutting it down and tapped him over and over (cut it down faster dad).

The weather was terrific and the day successful (both the O’Connell’s and my sister got their trees too)!

So friends, it’s official, the holidays are here. As most of you know this is my favorite time of year. The Christmas tree is up, the house is decorated, and the Christmas music is playing. Catie even has her own Christmas cd with songs that have her name in them (thanks mom and dad). Cheers to the holiday season and we can’t wait to celebrate with all of you at some point! XOXO

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween.

Love your little monkey!!

One year later

Oh how the year has flown by. One year ago today I decided to start our family blog. So much has happened in the past year. When I started the blog Catie couldn't’t even sit up and now she is a toddler who loves purses.

We recently flew to New York City for 5 days to celebrate the wedding of Mark and Jayme (Colin’s cousin). We had an amazing time and Catie was terrific on the trip. Hands down, Catie’s favorite part about NYC was riding in the taxi cabs. If we lived there we would go broke on taking taxis to entertain Catie. She would tap the glass, hold the strap, laugh, smash her face on the window, and wave to people. To her Disneyland is taxi cabs!

Catie on the airplane
Catie loved the type writer in the hotel lobby

Catie in her party dress

We had a lot of fun at the wedding and walking around the city and the weather was amazing! On our last day in the city we walked around Central Park and Catie rode the carousel. It was neat for B (Colin’s mom Barbara) because her grandfather use to take her to ride the carousel in Central Park when she was younger. Her grandparents lived in NYC so she grew up spending time there. At first Catie was a little scared but towards the end she really liked it. After it she had an ice cream cone and then took a long nap. Don’t worry, she woke up just in time to go to FAO Schwartz. We all had so much fun and we can’t wait to visit again. Catie can’t wait for another taxi ride!

This past weekend we took Catie to the pumpkin patch. This year’s experience was much different then last year. Last year we tried to prop Catie up on the pumpkins for pictures and this year she was all over the place.

I was not sure if she would like the straw but she didn’t seem to mind. She loved riding in the wheelbarrow, standing up while holding onto the pumpkins and even trying to sit on them!

Next baby supermodel?

So I decided to enter Catie into the Gap Kids modeling contest. If you feel like voting for her go for it!

This is the picture that I submitted (thanks Dana)!

Christmas in September

Today is the first official day of fall, although it is suppose to be in the mid 90's. I can't wait for the brisk weather, bundling up, and the holiday season to begin.

This past weekend was not the best for the Trojan football team but it was fun for the O'Connell family....especially me. Sometimes I get homesick. Don't get me wrong, effective October 1st my sister and I will have lived in the bay area for 7 years. It has been an amazing 7 years and I love it....especially Marin. However, sometimes I miss home. I miss my parents, I miss my grandmother, I miss Pasadena, and I miss my friends in LA. It's funny because my sister sometimes feels this way too. We are however lucky because we have three cousins that live in Northern California and they all have amazing kids (and sometimes they even get homesick despite the fact that they have lived in Nor Cal for over 15 years). Well, when Susie and I need our family fix we can visit one of them.


On Sunday we went out to Alamo to celebrate my little cousin's Ella's 4th birthday. Baby Catie (as she is know by the kids) loved spending time with the older kids and watching everything that they did. She even had a cupcake which ended up all over her. It was such a fun party (great job Jenny and Kelly). Colin caught a glimpse of his future....15- 4 year old girls running around, crafts, face painting, pinata, bouncy house, etc. Ah, the future birthday parties.


After all of the kids left Colin, Matt and Kelly watched football and we (we being my three cousins Kirstin, Michele, Jenny and my sister) watched Ella open her gifts, had some wine, and spent some quality time together. We all stayed for dinner and then headed home. It was great to spend time with my family and as my cousin Jenny said several times, "It's feel like Christmas with us all here". One of the many reasons that I love Christmas....family.


Here is a picture of Catie having her Sunday night dinner. Such a fun day and a great way to end the weekend. xoxo

Summer is over

We have had a busy past two weeks and I can’t believe that summer is now officially over. Where did it go?

We spent the last official weekend of summer (Labor Day) in Pasadena and had a wonderful time. We went to the USC game with our friends Dana and CJ and had a blast, despite the 100 degree weather. Great win Trojans! We also went to the Jonathan Beach club, hung out by the pool, spent time with Little Nonnie, and had a lot of great food and tons of laughs. Thank you mom and dad for a wonderful weekend. We can’t wait to come back down.

Here is a picture of Catie wearing her game day gear (thank you Lissa for her tutu) standing behind the baby gate that Bampa made for her. We are still so impressed Dad!

On Sunday my friend Dana came over to take some pictures of Catie. She is an amazing photographer and I can’t believe how incredible the pictures turned out. I am almost through picking the ones that I like but in the meantime here is a glimpse of one of them.

Last weekend we celebrated Da (Tom) 60th birthday. B (Barbara) threw Tom a wonderful surprise party at Boudin’s Bakery Café in Fisherman’s Warf. Erin flew in for the weekend to surprise him and it was a great celebration. Tom was definitely surprised.

Catie looking out the window waiting for Da to arrive!

On Sunday we all had brunch at the Olympic Club and then Susie babysat Catie so Colin and I could see a movie (haven’t seen one in probably 8 months). We saw Julie & Julia and loved it!

This has been a busy week. We have had several showings of our house (it’s still on the market) so we have been leaving and taking Catie on walks in her new tricycle (which has a push bar for us until she gets bigger). She loves it!

Well, she also loves eating her toes.

We are home this weekend and looking forward to spending sometime hiking, playing in the park, and relaxing.

Have a great rest of the week!

Weekend at Home

For the first time in a long time we were at home this weekend. It was wonderful. We accomplished a lot around the house and got some quality family time in. On Saturday morning Colin went on a bike ride and then I went to a Bar Method class. When I got home I showered and then we headed to the Discovery Museum for an afternoon picnic and play time. It is so much fun taking Catie there because as she grows each time we go she can do something different and discovers something new. Unfortunately due to a broken water pipe the stream that she loved was closed, but she seemed to really enjoy the play mats, maze and drums (her dad really enjoyed them to as you will hear in the video).

Catie playing the drums (and her dad's solo)




Catie loves the play mat and crawls right in

Catie crawling through the maze (the dark part is where I had to put the camera down to lift Catie over the hump)

Sunday we went and got coffee and breakfast and then went and purchased some new plants for the front of the house. I planted the new flowers while Colin did some work.

After Catie woke up from her afternoon nap we went and got some ice cream. Catie loved it and really enjoyed the old fashion cake cone.

We ended the day with Colin reading Catie a book about Lance Armstrong, go figure.

It was a great weekend and we are all rested for the week. Let's hope that it's a good one!

Tahoe Take Two!

Last weekend Colin, Catie, Susie and I headed up to Tahoe with a bunch of our friends (Marni, Katie, Lesley, Jackie, and Scott). We had a great time and Catie was a real trooper. She was super adorable and very active. She went to bed at 7, never woke up once, and started tickling my arm (her new way of waking me up when her pack and play is next to me) and 6:30. She's officially done Tahoe with the group (she has accomplished so much this year).

We arrived on Friday afternoon and went to SunnySide for drinks/ lunch. There couldn't be a a better place to be. The weather was warm, the lake was gorgeous, the company was hilarious, and the food was yummy. A perfect way to start the weekend.

Ok, so sometimes parents do things to their kids just because they know that it will be funny. An example, my first boy girl party when I was 13 was a pool party. When your 13 and just arriving at a party you start with girls hanging out with girls and boys hanging out with boys. This is how my party began. Typical. What wasn't typically was my mom saying "Kim, you might want to get that bug out of the pool before you get in". Well, I leaned over to get it and she pushed me in. Yes, she pushed her own daughter in the pool at her first boy/girl party. There went my florescent shorts, matching hyper-color shirt, and pink scrunchie. Everyone laughed and of course I yelled "Mom"!!! She did it for two reasons. One it was funny and two it got the party started. Thanks for that mom.

Well, long story short here is a video of me doing something to Catie only because I knew that it would be funny. Ok, so maybe I have done it a couple of times but her reaction is always great. Enjoy!

So a great weekend was had by all. Singing, eating, drinking, rafting, and laughing. Until next year....

Let her eat cake!

This leads to....

This....

Which ultimately ends in a happy baby!

Reflection

Catie has discovered her reflection and I think that she likes her new friend.

The Little Traveler

Where has the summer gone? I can't believe that we are mid-way through August. The past couple of weeks Catie have consisted of parties, wedding, and traveling. After Catie's first birthday we headed to Lake Tahoe for a couple of days.

Colin grew up spending two weeks in Lake Tahoe with his family.He has so many memories of his summers there and it was fun for Catie to be there creating memories with her daddy. The O'Connell's rented a place in Chamberlands for two weeks and Erin and her boyfriend Ken also flew down. We arrived late Wednesday night and Catie slept the whole way. We spent the

week and weekend enjoying the lake and pool at Chambers, the guys rode their bikes in the am while we walked, we had great meals, jet skied in the Lake, and laughed...a lot. Thank you so much O'Connell's for a wonderful time. We are already looking forward to next year!

We got back from Tahoe on late Sunday night and on Thursday morning Catie and I flew to Pasadena for the weekend.



My friend Christi from college was getting married in Orange County so Catie and I decided to come home a little early to spend time with the folks. On Thursday night my grandmother "Little Nonnie' came over for dinner. She couldn't believe how much Catie had changed in just a couple of months. Catie sat next to her as she had her bottle (my mom took pictures so I will post them when I get them) and Catie showed Little Nonnie how she can walk around holding onto the furniture. It is always so special for me to see Little Nonnie and Catie together.





Now that Catie is 1 she can have real milk and eggs so on Friday morning she ate her first scrambled egg (which my dad is famous for...at least in our house he is). She loved them!



Colin came down that afternoon and we headed to Annandale for the summer bbq (his favorite).
On Saturday Colin and I headed to Orange County while my parents took care of Catie. They took her in the pool, ran errands around town, and even took her to one of their friends parties. As usual she was the hit of Pasadena. Meanwhile Colin and I hung out in Newport with our friends Lesley, Lissa, Dana and CJ. We had some drinks, sat in the sun, and got ready for the wedding that night. It was a beautiful wedding and Christi looked gorgeous. Congrats Christi and Scott!

On Sunday morning we headed back to Pasadena and my mom and I took Catie to Huntington Gardens. It was beautiful day but was very hot. It was great because they have a new children's garden which has several water areas. Catie loved the fountains. She would splash her self and then crawl over to the next one and splash herself again. She had a great time and I am so glad that we brought a change of clothes for her. She was soaked!


















After a wonderful Sunday we headed back to Nor Cal. It was a great weekend filled with family and friends. This weekend we are headed back up to Lake Tahoe with our friends and Catie!! We are looking forward to another great weekend and I promise to get some videos of Catie. XOXO

Aloha!

Here is a video clip of Catie's first experience at the beach!

Happy 1st Birthday!

Here is a picture of a Catie when she was 364 days old (wearing the same dress that I wore when I was little).

.....and here is a picture of a 1 year old!!

Happy 1st Birthday Catie! I can't believe how old you are. We are so very blessed to have you as a daughter. You are smart, super funny, happy, beautiful and simply perfect!

Two Big Milestones

This was a big weekend for Catie O. She got her first haircut and also celebrated her first birthday with a BBQ in the park.

For the past week my mom has been up in Northern California Catie sitting during the day. Normally Colin's parents watch Catie Monday-Wednesday while I am at work, but they are currently in Tahoe for a much needed and VERY well deserved vacation. We can't wait to join them on Wednesday! It's been great to spend time with my mom and Catie has loved seeing her Nonnie. On Thursday my dad also made the trip up to celebrate Catie's first birthday.

Every girl needs a new do for their first big party and Catie is no exception. She was born with a lot of hair and never really lost all of it. As a result, it was getting pretty long and was growing at different lengths. I figured that it was time for her first trip to the salon.

As you can see her hair is getting pretty long.

On Friday morning my parents, Catie and I went to Locks and Lollipops for her first haircut and stopped and took this picture before we went in. On the car ride over my mom was telling that during my first haircut I held cookies in both of my hands and just screamed the whole time. I came prepared with cookies (which I knew Catie would love) but I wasn't sure how she would react. Catie sat in my lap, they placed a smock on her, I handed her a cookie, the hair dresser wet Catie's hair, and she began to cut. Guess what, in typical Catie fashion she just smiled, ate her cookie and never made a peep. She was perfect and her hair do turned out wonderful. She is adorable!

On Friday night we went to Jazz on the Bay in Sausalito and had some wine and apps while we listened to the music. I really only mention this so I can add the adorable picture of Catie.

On Saturday night Colin and I headed to Healdsburg a for wedding and my parents stayed with Catie for the night. Thank you! They were a huge help getting everything prepared for Catie's birthday party, especially since we were gone the day before. The wedding was at Geyser Peak Vineyard and was beautiful. We had a wonderful time and thank you Barbara and Tom for our hotel room. What a perfect anniversary gift! On Sunday morning we woke up at 6 am and headed back home to get ready for the birthday bbq.

We celebrated Catie's first birthday at Freeman Park in Mill Valley. It was a great party (cupcake themed and pink and green of course) and Catie was fantastic. She loved every minute of it and so did we. We had sliders and hotdogs (thanks for grilling dad), salad, chips and beverages (both for kids and adults). Catie loved her cake. She looked at me first as if to say "is this ok mom" and then dug right in. She loved the frosting and loved squshing it between her fingers. She was so funny and I will post pictures of her eating her cake later today.

It was wonderful to have family and friends (new and old) help Catie celebrate her big day. It meant so much to us that people came (especially the night after 3 different weddings). I really do believe the saying "it takes a village to raise a child" is true. Each one of you mean so much to us and Catie is so lucky to have you in her life.

It is hard to believe that a year ago today, at 8:30 pm Colin and I had just finished eating dinner and watching the movie the Bucket List, when I thought that I peed my pants sneezing (if you are pregnant, were ever pregnant, or will ever be pregnant, you will understand that this isn't hard to believe towards to the end of your pregnancy). It turns out that my water broke 1 month early and Catie was ready to join us. As look back on the past year I can only say that I am so incredible blessed and I am so honored to be Catie's mom.

-PS...I will post pictures of her birthday party later tonight. They are on my camera at home.

-PPS, sorry that it has been so long since I have posted anything. We were in Hawaii for a couple of weeks and things have just been crazy. I will post all about Hawaii next week..after the birthday activities are done. I promise to start posting again!

Two Years

Two years ago today (at about the time that I am posting this) I was getting ready with my friends and family at Annandale. We were sipping champagne, getting our hair and makeup done, chatting and talking about the night ahead. What a wonderful night it was. It was perfect. Everything was exactly as I dreamed it would be. I wouldn't change one thing about the night.

I married the man of my dreams and was surrounded by everyone that I loved. I remember looking at you and thinking wow...fairy tales do come true.

Happy 2nd Anniversary Colin. We sure have accomplished a lot and there wouldn't be anyone else that I would want to take this journey with. We have had our struggles but the love and laughter has out weighed them all. Thank you for being my best friend, my confidant, my partner and the most amazing father to my daughter. Thank you for always holding my hand and supporting me.

Happy Anniversary Cols! 2NOUIS2LUVU