Summer Zoo Days

Earlier this year we decided to get a Brookfield Zoo membership & we have gone a few different times already.  I think Josiah's favorite animal to see has been the giraffes : )  One time we were there in particular we were walking back to our stroller after seeing the gorillas, & as Josiah & I were walking side by side he did the sweetest thing ever that made my heart melt, he grabbed for my hand & we continued to walk hand in hand for a few more minutes.  Awwe... so presh!

Another day at the zoo was with Nana & Papa Bear!  They picked us up on a Saturday morning in July & we had a blast!  We went & saw the dolphin show & it was so good.  Josiah absolutely loved it & clapped & cheered the whole time, it was adorable.  

What a cutie patootie : )

I'm sure I will have more stories from the zoo to share as the year goes on!

A 'sprinkle' in June & a Baby in July!

Last month a few of my girlfriends & I threw Angie a "sprinkle" for her 2nd baby on the way.  It was a beautiful day to celebrate in downtown Geneva.  We ate brunch at Egg Harbor, one of Angie's faves, & then walked around 3rd street & shopped.  She was given to so generously by all who came & had such a great time.  I was soo happy to spoil & love on my sista, it was a blast!  

Angie & Lucas decided not to find out if they were having a boy or girl... so you can only imagine our anticipation as d-day drew near.  From day one I thought she was having a boy & was really hoping so too... so when I got the news that Judah Lucas had been born I was ecstatic! What joy!  Judah made his grand entrance into the world on July 16th at 11:45pm weighing 7lbs 7oz & 20in long.  I couldn't wait to go meet him the next day!  We  met Alison & Parker at Calamos to get Dan & then off to the hospital we went.  Angie looked so great for just having a baby & lil Judah is so precious, a perfect lil miracle, so fearfully & wonderfully made!  He looks so much like his big sis, Tehya & definitely a Knappster : )  We are so incredibly happy for our dear friends, Lucas & Angie, & are excited to raise our sons together to be strong & courageous & modern day Knights!  Congratulations you guys, we love you! (Will post pics soon)

5 Years Married

A little over a month ago Dan & I celebrated 5 years of marriage : )  I'd say that is a pretty big deal, don't you think?  Well if you read my previous post you know that we went all out in celebrating this years BIG anniversary & went to Jamaica.  It was glorious.  It was fantabulous.  It was perfecto.  & it went by in a flash!  We came home the day before our anniversary, so on June 16th we hung out with our son who we missed so terribly much.  We took him to the pool & then went to church that night to hear a great message from Pastor James.  After church we went to Claim Jumper for dinner, we hadn't been there in a while, so it was a great treat.  Later, we looked through our lovely wedding album & watched our wedding video of our amazing day.  I love reminiscing about the past... so here we go... come along with me to 5 years ago, June 16th, 2007...


The anticipation of our wedding day was at its peak as the day finally arrived!  I remember waking up super early with a few of my girlfriends because I was too excited to sleep.  We all went to the salon to get our hair done, came back to my parents house in Hampshire & got ready... after makeup was applied & my beautiful white dress put on, we took pictures outside.  It was a very hot, sunny, summer day, exactly what I had imagined!  The limo arrived & off we went to the chapel in Rolling Meadows.  As I walked down the isle & kept my eyes on my groom, I remember thinking wow, he is so incredibly handsome, I am one lucky girl : )  Our wedding ceremony was beautiful & I know God was glorified.  We took lots of pictures at the church & then at our reception site as well & had a blast doing it with our closest friends & family.  Its unbelievable how fast the day went, but I remember it like it was yesterday.  Dan & I tried our best to take moments during the day to sit back & really take it all in.  We couldn't believe we were husband & wife!  It was so surreal!  Our wedding reception was SO beautiful & SO fun, everything I ever dreamed it to be.  After an amazing dinner, toasts & a skit by our dads, we danced the night away with all our friends & family.  It was the funnest day of my life!!  I don't think anything could ever top it!


So thanks for going back to yesteryears with me!  Now here we are 5 years later, with a 16 month old son & enjoying life as a family of 3.  It doesn't come without its challenges of course, but with the Lord on our side, we can get through & do all things : )  I can honestly say I am more in love with my amazing husband today than I was on our wedding day, which is crazy to think, because I have been head over heals in love with Daniel David Haskell from the moment I met him 8 years ago : )

Here's to 50+ more years together, Sweetness!  You are my knight in shining armor, thank you for sweeping me off my feet!  I love you forever & always, & I am yours forever faithfully,

Katey  

Jamaican Me Crazy : )

To celebrate our 5 year wedding anniversary we wanted to go BIG, so we saved some money & booked a trip to Jamaica!  We left on Sunday, June 10th for a 5 night, all inclusive vaca to the beautiful island where Reggae music fills your ears & you experience the authentic Jamaican jerk chicken : )  Our top 10 highlights from the week include:

1.  Relaxation at its best!  The only decisions we had to make were where to go to dinner each night
2. Waking up when we woke up : )
3. Laying out by the pool & taking naps on the beach
4. Trying the jerk chicken & a fresh coconut- surprisingly both are not my fave : /
5. Our private champagne breakfast on our patio Wednesday morning
6. Jacuzzi bath
7. Watching the sun set over the vast ocean- God's creation shouts His existence!
8.  Good food, good drinks & good entertainment each night
9. Horseback riding in the ocean, yes that's right, I said IN the ocean : ) Bareback! 
10. & most of all, loved every minute of reconnecting & spending quality time with each other

While there we read through the short books 10 questions to ask your husband/wife every year & got real, honest answers from each other which I was so grateful for.  If you're married & haven't done this, I highly recommend it.  We are committing to asking these questions every anniversary.  We also read the book "Real Marriage" by Marc Driscoll.  My favorite part was in chapter 2 when Marc talks about the importance of friendship in marriage & he shares an acronym for it:

Fruitful 

Reciprocal 

Intimate

Enjoyable*

Needed

Devoted

Sanctifying

I starred enjoyable because I loved that section of the chapter.  Maybe because we were really enjoying ourselves being on a tropical island and all, but Driscoll writes,

"Any couple who hope to exit this life together still holding hands must be friends who have fun along the way & laugh a lot.  The big idea is that life is short.  God in His grace gives us spouses as enjoyable friends.  And He expects us to get dressed up now & then & have some fun with our friends, eating & laughing to God's glory & our good.  We are convinced that the couples who pray & play together stay together."  We really enjoyed our time together as husband & wife & will never forget this amazing vacation!  Praise God for His goodness to us!  

My 26th Birthday Weekend

June 2nd fell on a Saturday this year, so we planned a night out with friends.  Unfortunately, Lucas & Angie & Jeremy & Jennifer couldn't make it, but Ryan & Alison, Nick & Katie, David & Joei could & Justin even joined us for a little bit.  We also celebrated Joei's birthday since hers is only 5 days prior to mine.  We started our night out at Cooper's Hawk in Naperville, which is mine & Dan's favorite restaurant.  No one else had ever been there before, so I knew they were in for a treat!  We did their wine tasting first & then sat down for dinner.  We had an absolute blast with everyone & enjoyed delicious food.  Our night continued with the Glendenning's & Borst's in downtown Naperville, where we danced the night away!  Dan's best friend, Justin, also met up with us again, which was great!  I haven't had that much fun in years!  Love our friends so much!  Enjoy a few pics:

The Birthday Girls!

Smokin Hot ; )

Then on Sunday we celebrated with our family at our house.  It was a really fun day that consisted of yummy homemade food, bag-ohs (sp?), & great conversation!  Love my family so much & thank God for their love & support.  Unfortunately we didn't really capture many pictures of the day except of me opening gifts & I don't really feel like posting just those ; )  But here is one of Siah & I & Nilsa & I : )

Josiah 13 & 14 month Overview

The past few months have been a whirlwind!  Josiah is growing like crazy & learning so much, so fast!  He is now tall enough to grab door knobs & reach his high chair tray, unbelievable!  Slow down lil boy!  We go to the doctor in a month, & so I am looking forward to seeing how tall he is now & how much he weighs.  Well I will try & give a brief, but hey when are any of my blog posts brief?!, synopsis on the past few months in Josiah land!


In the past couple weeks he has noticed & pointed out things in the sky, including: airplanes, clouds, birds & most recently, the moon.  He hears the planes now & will look for them & point them out & get all excited.  I of course marvel at this & tell him that Papa Bear works on those airplanes & hopefully he will get to ride on one soon.  


His vocabulary has increased tremendously as I think he learns a new word almost every day.  He says Nana & Papa all the time, he says duck, tree, tractor (like his best buddy Parker ), boo-booies (blueberries), cheese, & ball.  Which leads me into his obsession with balls, any kind, any size... he goes crazy for them.  We have a lil basketball & hoop for him that he plays with, he has a beach ball from Grandpa & Grandma, a softball size wiffle ball, & outside he has a soccer & basketball.  He will kick & throw all these balls, & is getting quite good at it.  I think its safe to say he will be some kind of athlete some day.  Now just gotta get him a football!


A few fun stories:


About a month ago, it was a really nice day out, so when Dan got home from work we were planning on going for a bike ride.  We had only been on one before, about a month prior, & Josiah didn't care much for his helmet or the ride.  So we left his helmet in the house for him to get used to, he would pick it up every once in a while & I would tell him that its for when we go on bike rides.  Well, that night when Dan got home I asked Josiah if he would like to go for a bike ride & he got all excited, ran over to his helmet & wanted me to help him put it on!  I couldn't believe my eyes!  He wore it the entire time & absolutely loved the ride!


Also about a month ago one day, I told Josiah it was time for a nap, I would say nigh-night.  Well, for the first time, he went & grabbed his "taggie" blankie & pacifier & walked to his bedroom.  He now knows he gets a small bottle before nap, so when I say it is time for a nap he goes to the refrigerator & points.  I give him his bottle, he walks to his room, gets his taggie & then walks to his rocker & waits for me to pick him up & rock him & sing to him.  So stinkin sweet!  & soo easy for Mama!


We can ask Josiah where his belly button is & he lifts up his shirt & points to it.  We also started playing peek a boo with him again, by putting our hands over our eyes & then quickly taking them away & saying "boo".  He now does it too!  Its so cute to see him put his lil hands over his eyes & pull them away & say "boo"!  

He's such a sweetheart, full of life & along for the ride!  Love this face so stinkin much!!

A Day with my Bff

In my previous post I mentioned some of my bff's, except Alison.  Well, where do I begin?  We were destined to be besties.  Our husbands became best friends in college, before they even started dating us.  But, naturally when Dan & I started dating, we hung out with Ryan on a few different occasions, & I immediately got along with & loved Dan's outgoing, goofy, fun-loving, Sanquine personality, best friend. A few years later, Ryan & Alison started dating & although it took months to finally meet her, I did, at mine & Dan's wedding, & immediately loved her as well.  I remember thinking, wow, Ryan has met his perfect match : )  After that, we got together with them here & there when we could, since we lived a few hours a part.  The following year Ryan & Alison got married, & I'd say that is when our friendship really started to grow.  Al was still in school at UWP, but we managed to go see them there & they came to see us here.  & then when they told us eventually that they were moving to Naperville, 25 minutes from us, we were thrilled!  We were then inseparable!  I'm so thankful for our friendship with Ry guy & Ali girl : )  Well, I tell you all this because a) I wanted to brag about our best friends & b) because I thought it would be a good sag way into the reason for this post... of a day with my Bff, Alison...

Whenever we are together, we have a lot of fun!  And this particular, recent day, was just that, fun!  Her & Parker came over after school & hung out for the afternoon.  I had already put Josiah down for a nap, & after lunch Al put Parks down too.  We then made, for the 1st time & definitely not the last, Nutella iced coffee's!  Yes thats right, I said NUTELLA iced coffee's.  They were to die for!  & we sipped them while we soaked up some sun outside on the deck, it was perfect : )  Once our boys woke up, we walked to the park down the street to play, we were there for a while because they were having sooo much fun running around together!  Cuteness!  & of course Al & I just loved watching our son's bond & become best friends before our eyes.  We walked back to the house & made dinner, a yummy mexican pasta dish, & Angie & Tehya came over then too.  I loved having 2 of my bff's & their cutie kids over for dinner with Dan, Siah & I.  It was great!  Another girlfriend & her 3 year old daughter came over too after dinner & we had a blast playing with all the kiddos & had great conversations together as moms.  I'm so blessed to know these women!

What a fun day that was, one that will stick in my mind for ages to come (I hope!)

Thankful for best friends,
  Kate