Just a little update on Kate's potty training:  today, she only had ONE WET PULLUP ALL DAY.  One.  Uno.  Un.  And it was during dinner.  She was dry this morning, after nap, you name it.  She willingly went to the potty all day long.  It has literally been months since we have had such a successful day with the potty!  Now I'm going to screw it all up again by taking her to the pool tomorrow!

Today's success gave me a glimmer of hope once again that she will eventually be fully trained.  We had lots of other challenges today, but I was so glad to not have to have those potty battles.  They are getting really old!  She starts preschool in a few weeks and I imagine that the peer pressure will be helpful in encouraging her to finish training.  She'll be at FBC Georgetown, which is kind of a drive, but it sounds like a great place. 

(Scene: Kate and Daddy are eating lunch at Chili's after a fun morning together)

Daddy:  Kate, I had so much fun with you this morning.  You are such a delight!

(Katelyn pats Daddy's face)

Katelyn:  Congratulations, Daddy.  You deserve it!

On Friday, Audrey turned 3 months old!

Audrey's favorite things:

• being held with one arm hanging over yours (the grandmas got good practice with this carrying position while we were in OK)
• trying to get her hands in her mouth
• grabbing toys, esp. Buzz the bug
• looking at books
• trying to get her feet
• eye contact (seriously, she is an eye contact junkie and would love it 24-7.  this is how i get knitting done: i put her in the bouncy and just look her in the eye every couple of stitches - she's in heaven)
• Kate, but Kate never holds still long enough for Audrey to get the eye contact, oh well

Audrey does not like:

• mirrors, which i find weird given her love for eye contact
• hats (proof below)
• the hiccups
• the pack and play
• the baby swing
• being alone (but sometimes i can fool her with toys that have faces, just long enough to go to the bathroom or something)

Current silly Audrey nicknames:

• Sweet Potato Pie (to continue the Pie motif, Kate being the Punkin Pie)
• Crabcakes (when fussy)
• Audrey Audrey (Kate invention)
• Audrey-doh (another Kate invention, including Daddy-doh, Katelyn-koh, Mommy-moh)
• Baby Aud-a-dree (you guessed it)
• Baby Dree (yup)

And, oh, what a joy she is!

Updated flickr with our latest pictures, and added a fun peek at Kate and Audrey's development side by side.  Don't forget, you will need to log in to see them all because they are not completely public.  If you are not already registered as one of our friends and family, let me know and I will invite you.  :)

today's update:

• took audrey to dr because she is rubbing that right ear like crazy.  she has inflammation but no infection, got some eyedrops that we are going to put in her ear.  sounds weird but i guess it's so if she rubs her ears and then her eyes it won't hurt them.
• audrey weighs 12 lb 7.5 oz.  she is 12 weeks old today.
• katelyn is bored because she can't play in the backyard due to MORE RAIN and really tall grass.  she is literally bouncing off the walls half the day.
• mommy stubbed her right big toe so badly last night that it took off half the nail and hurts like the dickens.  now instead of my beautiful pedicure i am sporting a cartoonishly large gauze bandage.  merh.  when it grows back i want another pedicure.

check flickr for vacation and 4th of july pix.

"Hey Kate, it's art time!  What do you want to do?"

"Mommy, let's do painting."

"Ok, what color brush do you want?"

"I want all of them."  (Proceeds to paint with three brushes at the same time.)

"May I have one, please?"

(reluctantly) "Ok..."  (hands me one brush)  "Here's yours."

"Why thank you.  I like yellow."

(snatches it back) "It's MY turn, Mommy.  You take pink."

"Ok, I like pink, too."

(squints eyes) "It's MY TURN.  You take purple."

"Why thank you.  Let's paint."

(turns to tea set) "I'm making Minnie-strone soup."  (reference to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse)

"I thought we were painting."

(scowls)  "It's YOUR TURN, MOMMY.  I MAKE SOUP."

"Ok, well, if you are done with painting, then let's put it away and make soup."

"NO, n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-NO, MOMMY.  YOU PAINT.  I MAKE SOUP."  (stirs cup)  "Here, you eat your soup.  It's good."

"Mmm, it is good.  Let me clean up this paint and then I will have some more."

"I WANT TO DO PAINTING!  NO, MOMMY!  NO CLEAN UP!  I WANT TO PAINT!  I WANT THE YELLOW BRUSH!"  (all the while stirring soup)

(patience wearing thin) "Kate, if you want to paint, THEN PAINT.  If not, then we are going to clean it up."

(big scowl)  "Fine, I paint too."  (Grabs brush from my hand, paints with her right hand while drinking soup with other hand.)  "Eat your soup, Mommy."

(trying not to laugh) "Wow, you can paint with one hand and make soup with the other.  Very talented."

"No I'm not.  I no talented.  I make soup."

"That's a lovely picture we made today.  Who is the picture for, Kate?  Do you want to give it to Audrey."

(slams brush and soup down on table) "IT'S FOR MEEEEEE!"  (gets up and runs away)

So I actually meant to post on our actual anniversary, June 28, but life intervened, as it has a way of doing.  Anyways:

This is Team Hooper, pre-kids.  (We look like people who sleep!)  We look happy because we are.  We have always been happy together.  If I knew how to use the scanner I would upload a picture from Long Ago, when we were first dating.  Long Ago we were children, foolish and head over heels in love, absolutely shocked that our parents did not share our certainty that we were soulmates.  (NOW we get it.)  We thought we understood "true love."  We thought we knew what it took to always be a team.  Then (this keeps happening) LIFE INTERVENED.  And it taught us a lot of things but inevitably confirmed what we suspected all along: that we are indeed meant to be together and we had better work hard to keep it that way.  So I'd like to just share with you 10 random reasons why I still want to be with this man every single day:

1. He really truly makes the best breakfast tacos in the world, and I don't really like eggs, but I can't get enough of these.
2. He doesn't let me boss him around.  (It's true.  I try every day.)
3. He actually called my knitting "an interesting part of you" and lets me talk about it in detail.
4. He came to every single boring endless flute performance I had in college and stayed awake for most of them.  (This is EXTREMELY hard to do, even if you aren't a sleepy person like Paul.)  Bonus points:  actually stayed until the end of the 70 minute Bruckner symphony.  I think there were 10 people left in the audience at the end of the concert.  (ask Kelly and Joe, I'm not exaggerating)
5. Everyone calls him for computer help and he never complains and always helps, no matter how long it takes.  And he takes time out at work for my stupid computer questions.
6. He gave me my sweet babies.
7. He always supports me in my crazy pursuits, be it songwriting, singing, teaching, Finale, Arbonne, knitting, you name it.  He encourages, finances, watches kids, whatever, and he pushes me to be the best but never makes me feel bad if I fail.
8. He knows that I like my coffee really strong with lots of cream and if he adds flavored syrup he only adds enough to give it a hint of flavor but not enough to make it sweet.
9. He brings home Serranos.
10. No matter what my body looks like (and believe me, 9 weeks postpartum, it isn't pretty) he has always genuinely and completely thought I am beautiful, and he tells me every day.  This amazes me to no end and reassures me that when I am old and decrepit he'll still feel the same.

See, Daddy, I told you he was perfect for me!