Just a few random shots of Kate and her "BFF", Charlotte. Above, at Kate's birthday party...
...and here, at a birthday party of one of their siblilngs' friends.
Seriously? I'm now updating the blog monthly? Unacceptable. I'm committed to "dig" myself out of my blog-backlog hole over the next few weeks, so bear with me on the outdated posts.
(As Clint noted as he walked behind me as I was posting this--"Is she wearing long sleeves there? Yes, yes dear--I am in fact now TWO seasons behind on blog updates. We'll get there...)
Anyway...
I've heard many mixed reviews over the years about these sand-and-water tables because lots of mom friends of mine told me that they just turn into mud tables. Well, I was really excited when the girls got one as a gift because I kind of thought they were neat! The verdict? Yes, the absolutely turn into mud tables. And, yes, that is absolutely wonderful! The girls have SO much fun playing in the mud, but its all so neat and contained (and "clean"--at least its mud made with "play sand"), that I don't mind a bit! A little hosing off (or dip in the pool, depending on the season), and we're all cleaned up! Kate has now joined in the fun (she was a little young for it LAST FEBRUARY when this pic was taken...ha!), and I think loves it even more than Anna does...
More "blasts from the past"--here is Anna at Go Texan Day at her school (last late winter/spring).
Look at that cowgirl ride! I think she'll be ready for the barrel races in 15 years...
Anna had so much fun playing with her girlfriends outside...
...and of course eating lunch with her "boyfriend". Hot dogs, cheetos, AND Owen?? While wearing cowgirl boots? Happy.
I've decided to do a few more "catch up" posts before tackling our family vacation to Hilton Head. That one's going to be another doozie...
Every summer, the girls' school puts on a "circus". It is seriously the cutest thing in the whole world. Each class has an "act", and the kids practice for it all week. Last year it was one of the first events I braved "in public" with Kate soon after she was born. This year she was in it! She loved being a "Dalmation" with her friends for the show...
Kate wasn't quite walking yet for the show, so wonderful Ms. Dianna carried her in the show. Quite the pampered pup she was!
Anna's class was the "Terrible Tigers", but between you and me, they were a little more adorable than they were frightening. 
To say that Kate has been a trouper over the last week would be a phenomenal understatement. To make a long story short, while on our family vacation with Clint's family in South Carolina, we noticed that Kate had a diaper rash that was getting worse and worse. By the time we were flying home, it had gotten bad enough to make me call the nurse at her pedi's office, and on her advice we took Kate to the ER as soon as we got home "just in case". (It was a Sunday night, so the pedi's office was closed.)
Turns out this overreacting mama wasn't totally overreacting this time--Kate had a pretty serious staph infection that had turned into an abscess, and they recommended immediate surgery. So, first thing Monday morning, she braved "the knife" and had surgery at Texas Childrens'.
The picture above is from right before her surgery. As you can see, by this point she was pretty uncomfortable and not too happy a camper...
But, within an hour from waking up from the anesthesia, she was a whole new lady!! She didn't have any physical limitations put on her by the surgeon, and she took full advantage of that to run around as much as possible!
I think the sleepless night Sunday night and the surgery did finally hit her, though, and she took a nice nap--with her new giraffe from Grammie and Bucko! A HUGE thanks to them for everything they did for us during this ordeal (including both sleeping upright in hospital chairs Sunday night!!). 
Kate enjoyed spending some serious time cruising the halls of the hospital with her grocery cart...
Daddy's visit on Tuesday brought a "resupply", including fresh clothes and some food from home (she was NOT a fan of hospital food). Needless to say, she was a happy girl with her full belly and in her clean clothes. It didn't take long at all for her to settle in and doze off in Daddy's lap...
The Easter egg huntin' activities were certainly not limited to the excursion in the Park from the previous post. The girls had their annual Egg Hunt at school, and Anna loved exploring for eggs with all of her buddies!
The tots checking out their loot...
We also had a wonderful Easter afternoon at the Maples house hunting for eggs in their big backyard. So many great places for egg hiding!! Thank you Maples for having us!
And, about the only thing better than hunting for Easter eggs with your best friend/future husband, Owen, is snuggling on the couch with him afterwards. These two are inseparable...
As part of this year's Easter festivities, we took the girls to an egg hunt at a local park. They loved meeting the Bunny, and finding lots and lots (and lots!) of eggs.
Let me clarify something on this event--when I say "we" took them to the park, what I really mean is that Clint took them to the park, and I met them there. I had been away for the whole weekend at a crafting retreat, and Clint not only took care of them all weekend, but also managed to get them dressed in matching outfits, with Easter baskets in hand (I hadn't even gotten them out for the season yet!), and to the park (more than 20 minutes from our house!) for the egg hunt. Seriously....Dad of the Year.
Kate not only loved the Bunny and all of the Easter hoopla, but also playing on the playground equipment. She's SO growing up...
For whatever reason, the H-E-Buddy (the "mascot" for one of our grocery stores, H-E-B) was as big of a hit with Anna as the Easter Bunny was! Not exactly sure what the appeal of a giant paper shopping bag is, but Anna was thrilled!