home ...

dear kate,
today you will be coming home after being with daddy
for a whole week during the Christmas holidays
that is the longest time you have been separated
from mommy
and it was very hard for her
but your daddy loves you very much and
i know he was happy to have you there
and i know you must have had a fun time.
while you were gone mommy has been a busy-bee
packing and getting everything ready for you and her
to move into your new apartment in cold lake.
today, the furniture will get moved -
and hopefully somewhat set-up before you get there!
it's going to be a crazy time in the next week or so
while you and mommy get settled in
but, it will be a home filled with love and laughter
and it is the beginning of a new beginning for both of you
i love you so much katie
and i really miss you more than you can know
it seems like a life-time since i've seen you
and i am really looking forward to the day that you and mommy
come to visit here again!
love,
grammy xox

new things . . .

dear kate,
well, christmas is over and a new year is just ahead
this will be a year with lots of changes for you
and for mommy
and for daddy
and for all of your family who loves you.
in just a couple of days, you and mommy will be moving
into a new apartment in cold lake!
it's small, but so cute!
and, guess what, it's close to your church
and all your new friends will be nearby
and mommy can sneak over to mcdonald's once in awhile
and buy you some french fries and let you play in the play place there!
you are so blessed to have so many people around you
who love you so much!
i wish i lived closer to you so that i could spend time with you
telling you stories
playing games
singing songs
watching veggie tales
going to church
playing in the park
baking cookies
going shopping
and smothering you with hugs and kisses!
i miss you and mommy so, so much . . .
and i can't wait to see you again!!
love,
grammy xoxox

more new clothes for my sweetie-pie!

dear kate,

well ... auntie tamara is coming out to visit you

(in my place ....)

in just 8 more sleeps!

and i had to go shopping to get just a few

more things to send with her!

i laid everything out on my bed to

see it all before i packed it

and i'm sending you the photos

to look at!

i can't wait for auntie tamara to arrive

so that you and mommy can see everything!

i know you will both be happy

and now you will have all the clothes you need

for the fall

oh yes ... and a few toys too!!

i love you so much and can't wait to see you again

in person ... hopefully here at my house!!

love,

grammy xox

new clothes for my sweetie-pie . . .

dear kate,

hi honey-bun . . .

i am sending you a whole pile of clothes in a couple of weeks!

this is one of the outfits.

it's pewter grey with cream and mauve in the plaid.

the matching hat is SO cute!

i bought you a couple of different long-sleeve yoga tops

to go with it

one is pewter

one is cream

and i also sent a onsie that is mauve

you are going to look so funky in this outfit!!

i hope mommy sends me a photo of you

with it on

i love you so much

and wish i could be there to give it to you myself

but i can't right now.

maybe we can go on skype so that i can see

you open all the things i'm sending!

won't that be fun!

i love you so much!

love,

grammy xo

dear kate,

today was a hot day and i was thinking that if you were here i would take you out for a
super-duper
huge
mile-high
yummy
frozen yogurt
ice cream cone!
something like the one in the picture!
wouldn't that be fun?
which colour would you like best?
hmmmmm . . .
i think i would choose the chocolate . . .
i do love chocolate best!
of course
i love you more than all of the chocolate in the world!
love,
grammy xox

dear kate,

i feel very sad today . . .

i miss you so much and things are so hard right now

i want you to know that even though

storms rage around us

and even though the waves and winds are fierce

and even when the clouds and fog make it hard to see clearly

we can always trust Jesus to rescue us

and protect us

and give us a hope and a future

whenever i feel sad

i put my trust in Him

because i know that He loves us

and i know that He knows the beginning and the ending

Jesus will never fail me

and He will never fail you

i love you so much . . .

love,

grammy xoxox

"kate-tunes" for my sweetie-pie . . .

dear kate,
today i was thinking about you
as usual . . .
and i decided to put some music on this blog
so that you can listen to it while you
are reading my notes!
i'm calling the music
"kate-tunes"
and they are special songs that i'm choosing
just for you!
i love you so much
and can't wait to see you again
soon
love,
grammy xox

dear kate,
i am so happy that you are getting to spend so much time with auntie beka!
when you were much younger, she loved it when you came to visit
and always wanted to show you off to her friends!
now you are getting to be even more fun
and auntie beka loves spending time with you!
you are getting very close to her while she spends the summer
working in bonnyville and living with you and mommy.
she is helping mommy and
getting first-hand experience in what motherhood is all about!
beka loves to help feed you and bath you . . .
she loves to play with you . . .
and she loves to take you for a walk in your stroller!
you are blessed to have such a loving auntie . . . auntie beka!
and i love her too!
love,
grammy xo

you are special . . .

dear kate,

you are such a special baby girl

and you are loved so much!

you are the joy of everyone's heart!

i really can say that i don't know a smarter baby

at age 14 months

than you

it is unbelievable!!

you mimic everything you see

it is so cute and funny at times!

you have no trouble letting us know what you need and want

and most of the time . . . it's . . .

"mommy!"

"mommy - mommy - mommy"

i think you must say that word at least 50 times a day!!!

you also really like to play with keys

you take your plastic keys and open everything you can

if there is a slot or hole anywhere

you will put the key in it and turn it

how smart is that?!!

i love you so much, katie

and you are always in my prayers . . .

love,

grammy xoxo

a fun day in the sun . . .

dear kate,
today we played in the sun
and you played in the water in your little pool
you sure do love the water!
we blowed bubbles on the deck and you chased them!
mommy had to put alot of sunscreen on you because
it was very hot!
i just love this little bathing suit
it looks so adorable on you
i just couldn't stop taking photos of you today!
love,
grammy xoxox

family visit . . .

dear kate,
today is sunday already . . .
wow . . . the time is flying by.
guess who came to visit today?
aimee, julia, sarah and nicholas came
with their nana
of course auntie tamara and uncle marcel came too!
the kids' nana came from Alberta too
just like you!
love,
grammy xox

ahhhhh . . . summer!

dear kate,
we are enjoying every minute of your visit!
we have a small baby pool on the deck and you just love it!
you have all kinds of toys to play with too!
it is so much fun to have you and mommy here!
you are so busy - from morning (which starts around 6:30 am)
until you go to bed at 7 pm at night!
all day long you say "mommy"
"mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy"
it is really funny
you love your mommy so much - you just adore her
and she adores you
just like all of us!
love,
grammy xoxo

cottage visit . . .

dear kate,

today we went to a cottage with grammy's and mommy's friends

mommy's friend is becci and she has a little boy named

gabe

who is just 5 months older than you

it was so much fun to see them and to play at their cottage

gabe's oma is my friend, chris

we played on the swings and in their sandbox

and we went down to the lake

it was beautiful, but it was too cold to go in the water today

you and gabe played in the yard and in the cottage

gabe has a big 'puppy' and you sure loved that

he looks kinda scary, but he is really nice

you especially liked rocking on the wooden rocking horse!

we had so much fun today

what a beautiful place and what special friends!

i think that you and gabe will be really good friends

as the years go by

whenever you come to visit in ontario

we will get together and do fun stuff!

we came home really late because we were having so much fun

that we didn't want to leave!

love,

grammy xoxo

day two . . .

dear kate,
today one of mommy's best friends
came over to visit.
her name is naomi
and she is one of mommy's bridesmaids!
mommy loves her so much
and they always have such a good time together!
naomi brought you a present . . .
she brought a cute sundress, a really cute summer outfit and . . .
your favourite . . .
wooden blocks!
you really like those blocks!
everyone loves you so much and thinks you are adorable . . .
and everyone is right!
love,
grammy xoxo

just chillin' today ...

dear kate,
today is your first day here

and we are just hanging around the house

relaxing

auntie beka and auntie steph are home because it is exam time

uncle donny has a few days off and he's staying here too

great-granny joy came for supper and was so excited to see you

you are making the ontario adjustment just fine!

you haven't fussed at all and you love everybody!

it is so nice to have you and mommy here

i love you so much, my sweetie-pie

love,

grammy xo

You and Mommy are Finally Here ... O Happy Day!

dear kate,

here you are! and here is mommy!

we picked you up at the airport at 6:15 pm

and we were so happy to see you both!

when mommy and i got home from the airport

everyone was waiting for you . . .

grampa, auntie beka, auntie steph and uncle donny

you arrived on grampa's 49th birthday

and you were the best present ever!

you are not fussing at all and you are friendly with everyone!

mommy said that the flight on the plane was amazing!

you were so good!

only mommy made a scene when she dropped a

whole big tupperware container of blueberries

all over the place!

blueberries were rolling down the aisles!

it was so funny!

we are all so happy you're here!

love,

grammy xox

here's an old photo . . .

dear kate,
i just found this old picture of your mommy
when she was about 6 years old.
she loved swimming and loved the water.
and she still does!
only now ... most of the water she gets into
is "dish water!"
i hope she remembers her bathing suit
when you both come on Tuesday . . .
cause we'll be swimming in the pool for sure!
see you soon sweetie!
love,
grammy xoxo

two more sleeps . . .

dear kate,
two more sleeps and you will be here!
tomorrow i'm going to get your room ready
wash all your bedding
organize your toys
buy some goat milk
and other groceries.
the house will be all clean and tidy
so that mommy and i can just kick our feet up
and r..e..l..a..x and have fun with you! i can't wait!
love,
grammy xoxo

it's june already!

dear kate,

i can hardly believe that the month of june is here already
and it's only 2 weeks now until you and mommy arrive!
i'm all stocked up on diapers, wipes
and toys . . . lots of toys!
now grampa has to get the pool going
it's been raining here for a week straight
and it's so cold
it's hard to think about getting a pool going
but, i know the sun will shine when you're here
and you'll love playing in the water
i love you so much katie
i can't wait to see you again!
love,
grammy xoxo

only 27 days . . .

dear kate,
in less than one month you will be here
and everyone is so excited!
you are such a happy girl
and i am looking forward to seeing
your beautiful smile every morning!
you will be flying in from edmonton
on june 16th
and do you know what day that is?
it is grampa's birthday!
and you are going to be the best present he gets!
when you get home with us
we will have birthday cake and ice cream
and you can help grampa blow out his candles
(there will be so many candles - i know he will need your help!)
when you get here
uncle donny will be here too
he is very anxious to see you again
what a happy, happy day june 16th will be
love,
mammy xo

and again . . . and again . . .

dear kate,
okay . . .
yes . . .
i confess . . .
i'm watching the video of you dancing
again
love,
mammy xoxox

dancing queen . . .

dear kate,
mommy uploaded a video to facebook today
a video of you dancing
it is unbelievably cute and you are a real
dancing queen
you really have the moves down baby!
i told everyone i knew to watch it
auntie steph and her friends watched it
auntie beka and her friend watched it
grampa loved it
i drove over to great-granny joy's house to show it to her
and . . . i think i've watched it at least 50 times
and that's just today!
you are a bundle of joy and i love you so, so, so much
i am counting the minutes until you are here with us
and we are going to dance, dance, dance
love,
mammy xoxo

another new cousin . . .

dear kate,
you have another new cousin!!
jada was born today . . .
i can just imagine
all the fun you two
will have playing together
as you grow up
love,
mammy xoxo

the best mommy in the world . . .

dear kate,
i've been thinking about what a great mom you have
she was once my "little girl"
this is a picture of her when she was your age
she's sitting on my knee
with your uncle donny when he was a tiny baby
i can hardly believe how fast time flies by
she's all grown up
and now she's your mommy!
she l..o..v..e..s being your mommy
she tells me that all the time
all she ever really wanted to be was a
mom
and now she has you!
she takes such good care of you
and loves you so much
i'm so proud of her
you have the best mommy in the world
and i thank God for that!
love,
mammy xoxo

mammy's soup surprise . . .

dear kate,
i was thinking about you today . . .
i'm sure you must be eating all the food
mommy makes you
she hasn't called to tell me about any problems
i bet you're eating all your fruits and veggies!
when you come to see me, i'm going to make you my special soup
it's called, "mammy's soup surprise!"
and here's a little song about it . . .

oh, when i was a little kid i didn't like to eat
when mammy put things on my plate, i dumped them on her feet
then one day she made this soup - i ate it all in bed
i asked her what she put in it and this is what she said
chicken lips and lizard hips
and alligator eyes
monkey legs and buzzard eggs
and salamander thighs
rabbit ears and camel rears
and tasty toenail pies
stir them all together and
it's mammy's soup surprise
i went into the bathroom and stood beside the sink
i said i'm feeling slightly ill - i think i need a drink
mammy said - i've just the thing, i'll get it in a wink
it's full of lots of protein and vitamins, i think

mmmmmm . . . i can't wait to make it
for you and mommy
you're going to l..o..v..e it!!
love,
mammy xoxo

you named me . . .

dear kate,
when you were born mommy asked me
what i wanted to be called by you
i thought and thought
and came up with some ideas
but mommy said that when you learned to talk
you would probably come up with
your own "unique" name for me
and today . . . you did!
i was talking with mommy on the phone
and she put me on speaker-phone
so that you and i could chat
i said
"hi katie! it's grammy . . ."
and you said
mammy
yes, mammy!
it was very clear
and you said it quite a few times
so . . . that's it
my name is "mammy"
and from now on, i'm signing my notes
love,
mammy xoxo

count-down . . .

dear kate,
i forgot to ask you . . .
did you see the count-down clock
i installed at the bottom of this blog page?
i'm counting the days, hours, minutes & seconds
till you come!
love,
grammy xoxo

you are changing so much . . .

dear kate,
i can't believe how much you are changing!
whenever i call mommy, she puts the speakerphone on
and i chat with you
and now
you chat back! you can say
katie
puppy
mama
baby
it's all so exciting to hear your little voice
what fun we are going to have in just a few weeks!
love,
grammy xox

veggies in disguise . . .

dear kate,
hi honey
mommy sounded worried today
she makes you all kinds of yummy food
and you spit it all out . . .
hmmmm . . .
hmmmm . . .
i told her NOT to worry
you will eat when you're ready - when you're really hungry
i told her that she should
DISGUISE your veggies!!!
she could make you
broccoli smoothies
or, maybe
asparagus muffins
sound yummy?
mmmmmmmm . . .
bon appetite!
love,
grammy xox

happy easter . . .

dear kate,
this is easter weekend and grammy is going away with great-auntie tamara for 4 days!
we are going to 'the cabin' in almonte for the weekend
we will be pumping water from a well
and since there are no toilets, we will be using an outhouse!
at night, we will have oil lamps and candles for light
during the day we will be quading all through the bush
the cabin in on 100 acres . . . in the middle of nowhere
with 1,000 acres of forest all around us
it is very remote
and very secluded
i will be thinking about you while i am there
some day we will bring you there and
we will take you quading
it is so much fun!
love,
grammy xo

i love shopping for you . . .

dear kate,
i bought you little surprise today!
something really cute to wear in june
when it's hot
love,
grammy xo

thinkin' about-cha . . .

dear kate,
hi sweetie-pie!
my phone has been broken for over 3 days now, so i haven't been talking
to mommy
and I don't know what you've been up to . . .
i'm wondering if you're walking all by yourself yet
i know for sure you'll probably even be running by the time you
get here in the summer
we are going to have so much fun!
grampy will have the swimming pool all ready
and i will get you some floatie things
oh yes, and don't forget
grampy is going to give you your first
great, big chocolate ice cream cone!
we can't wait till June!
love
grammy xo

happy 1st birthday . . .

dear kate,
woo-hoo!
today is your first birthday!
one year ago today i got the call that you were born
i was so happy that i cried . . . yes . . . i was overwhelmed with love
thank you, lord, for the miracle of birth
i was so excited i called all my family and friends
but, of course, i called grampy first
he cried too . . .
some people thought it was an april fool's day joke
but i told them it wasn't!
you were here!
april 1st was a day of celebration here in ontario
and it always will be, because it was the day you were born!
love,
grammy xo

thinking about you . . .

dear kate,
tomorrow is your first birthday
it's hard to believe that you will be one whole year old . . .
where does the time go?
it's seems like just yesterday that i was holding you for the first time just after you were born . . .
i sent you a parcel with some presents in it and i hope you like them
tomorrow we will have a nice 'chat' on skype and i'll watch you open your gifts
i love you so much my little angel . . .
love,
grammy xo

your 1st birthday party . . .

dear kate,
mommy sent me these pictures of your very first birthday party!
grampy and grammy couldn't be there because we live so far away . . . but
we were thinking about you, and we knew you would have loads of fun . . .
and you did!
when you come to visit in june, i will make you a special belated birthday cake!
we all love you so much . . .
love,
grammy xo

piddle . . .

dear kate,
mommy called me today to say you had a terrible diaper rash . . .
the experts told her to let you run around without a diaper
you know, so you would 'air out' . . .
so she did . . .
and it was quite the adventure, i'm told . . .
so . . . in honour of the event . . . i wrote a little nursery rhyme . . .

hey diddle, diddle

katie did piddle

all over the kitchen floor

she peed here and there

while she ran around bare

till katie could pee no more

it trickled and dripped

till mom almost tripped

on the wet spots all over the place

she just followed and wiped

while she murmered and griped

all the while with a smile on her face

she really couldn't get mad

you weren't being bad

but just following the doctor's plan

and so it went on

till the rash was all gone

and mommy lifted that diaper ban

love,

grammy xo