Happy Birthday, Kate!

Once again it is late at night and I am doing a birthday post. But I know if I don't do it now, it could be tomorrow night before I get it done, and I always want to have my birthday posts up on the day of their actual birthday. So, here is my birthday post for darling Katest!

I still remember vividly the day Kate was born. Janelle had to have an emergency c-section, and at first it looked like everything was okay. Mike called us later that night and told us that she wasn't doing well and they had to take her to the NICU, and asked Jan to come down. Jan was really worried on the way down, and said it could be serious. When we got there, Jan knew the two nurses there, and so we got go into the NICU with little Kate while they tried 8 times to get the IV into her. It was hard to see her get poked, but she was such a little trooper already, and I was so glad to get to be there for her first day of life.


Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera that night, but I brought it the next day, and this is one of the pictures we got, with me holding Kate and with all of us looking at her. She had to stay at the hospital for awhile, but thankfully was fine.

Here she is with cousin Jenny. As she started growing and her hair came in, it started sticking up all over. I called her Q-tip, because her hair stuck straight up. One day Mike and Janelle brought me a little plant into work with q-tips stuck into the soil around the plant to remind me of my little Q-tip!

Here she is, just over a year old, and taking her first steps.

Kate was over the day I bought my first digital camera, so she was the first one I took pictures of with it. Isn't she cute?

I love this picture! This is with her daddy, Mike, and she just looks so darling in it.

This is at a sister-in-law party we had at our house with all of the kids (we didn't have quite as many back then, but they were all tiny, so they were quite a handfull!). The kids loved playing with the lighthouse and temple we had on our end table. I love how Kate is so intent on looking at the temple.

This is from the same day, but I had to put it in because she looks so darling.

Here she is with Aunt Jan. I love her huge blue eyes!

Here she is with her sisters on Thanksgiving 2005, when she was three years old. I love the matching dresses. Janelle is amazing!

Here she is with cousin Jenni and me at the Zoo when she was five years old.

Here she is on her first day of school. I stole this picture from one that Janelle emailed me. I love how intent she is on her work.

Here she is on Christmas Eve, 2007, playing Mary in our nativity pageant. I love how she is looking at the baby Jesus with such a sweet look. She's so precious!

Here she is with Mike again, at her party for her sixth birthday last year. I love her profile in this one.

This is her with her cousins last fall when we got together for family pictures. I love the way she is sitting. She's so cute! (Did I mention that already?)

I found this one the other day when I was doing a Christmas compilation from last year (yeah, I know, I'm six months late. At least I'm getting it done). It thought it was such a beautiful picture of both Kate and her cousin Jenni.

And finally, this picture is from a few weeks ago when we went to the Temple Open House together. She was looking at the fountain with her sisters. I tell Mike and Janelle all the time that they are going to have to watch out with her. She looks so old already, and is so beautiful at seven years old that I'm sure the boys will be after her before she's old enough to date!

I'm so grateful for my little Q-tip who has grown into such a beautiful little girl. I hope you have a great birthday, Kate! I love you!