The Farm....Part I

Watch out world, here I come... I can climb on to the chair all by myself. Make sure you check out my videos this week. You will see how much fun I have.

This week, we included pictures of our animals, the beloved farm. I love them all and give each of them a big "hi" in the morning. Sometimes I try to love them too much (I try to throw my entire body on top of them) and I end up "behind the gate". That is where I have to stay for a bit when I do something I shouldn't. A time out spot for me. In true rebellious fashion, I make sure to try stuff two or three times in a row to see if mommy and daddy are serious about telling me not to do something. Not working too well for me so far. They seem pretty serious and stick to their guns despite my objections and really cool big tears. Oh well, it's still fun to try and let's face it, that's my job...
Love,
Izzy


Now I am on the chair, playing with my etch - o - sketch. The toy ages say for "3 & up". I am only one but I really like this toy. I can get in and out of this chair all by myself. Mommy and daddy get very little time to complete any task without checking on me to make sure I don't fall and hurt myself!! Sierra hurt her leg again; here is her crate. I just can't resist playing with the crate when she is in the bedroom sleeping!! I crawled in and played for a long time this morning while mommy made pancakes.

After our pancakes, we went to church. Aunt Susu got me this rockin' outfit with the cute hat. She will be happy to know that I wear hats quite well as long as I don't remember they are on my head. Mommy and daddy love me in hats and put me in them a lot so I mostly forget that I have one on. You can't see my earrings in the photo but it is almost a year that I have had them. I will get ruby earrings soon...

Here is part of our farm. I love them so much. They love me too. They give me kisses and they love what a messy eater I am. I am very smart and know to get out of their way when they are after something like a treat or food. Sierra is my favorite. She plays "keep away" with me a lot. I have made it around the couch like 4 times with her keeping the tennis ball away from me. Mommy and daddy love it when we entertain each other!!

The Farm....Part 2

This is Kobi. He lets me pet him a lot. He is 11 years old now but he is still very active and friendly! Who knew cats could get red-eye (yellow in this case)?? Here is Kobi in the hallway. His eyes look normal now...

Here is Kaze. He will be 17 next year. He is hiding from me but he still hangs out with mommy and daddy a lot in the evenings. Mommy has had Kaze since he was 5 weeks old. The vet said he looks great for his age!

My video's are next...

I love peaches!

Daddy & I have so much fun in the mornings eating breakfast. Here we are last week. Did I mention how much I LOVE peaches?

My Chair Rocks!

It's hard to believe sometimes how fast I am. Check out my moves in this video!!

Not in the video but my new things this week are saying "mommy", giving big bear hugs and giving lots of kisses.

Quite the problem solver. Notice at the end of the video how the items in the sink catch my eye. I promptly got down, moved my chair closer to the sink, climbed back up and successfully got the black spatula. Pure joy!!

Bye....Izzy's Hide & Seek Game

This video is about 10 minutes long but mommy chopped it down to something she could get online. If you come to visit though, this is one you have to see the full length feature on!!

Love, Izzy

Light Switch & On the Train at My Gym

Here is Elizabeth using her problem solving skills. I always let her turn on or off the light as we enter or exit a room. She doesn't get to play with the switch but she does get to use her abilities and practice her skills when we enter or exit. Well, apparently, playing with the switch is more fun and here she is; she had pushed her chair to the wall so she could reach the switches in the kitchen. I heard squeals of delight and found this...

Elizabeth had so much fun riding Thomas the Train at My Gym...until it was time to share. There were about 5 other kids waiting to ride. What you are seeing is the end of her third and final turn. After the first two rides, she pretty much threw a tantrum until it was her turn to go again. There is just no reasoning or comprehension of "we have to wait our turn" with a 14 month old. She was the last kid to ride before Thomas went back to storage. After I shut down the camera, she willingly exited the train as it wasn't moving anymore and therefore, had lost its attraction :-) Whew!!

On the Table

Okay, I think this video is like 30 seconds long or something so she is pretty fast when you are in the next room trying to finish up an email, put dishes away or feed the dogs/cats. She can also push her blue & white striped chair to the dining room from the family room to accomplish this goal. Quite mobile these days!!

At the Park..

She loved the park, walking around and saying hello to all.

Keeping us busy!

Daddy gets to write the blog for a change. It's been another incredible week with this wonderful farm and we're glad to share it.
To start Elizabeth is just a giggle box when she's getting to explore her environment in new and exciting ways. Who knew stuff like light switches could be so much fun...

Brrittani (our employee) and her husband Jeremy (both past clients) invited us over for dinner. It was an excellent meal, but Izzy had to have some bread. We didn't quite capture the real moment, since what's not obvious here is she has an entire piece of bread in her mouth. Her hand is covering what won't fit, as she tried to push it in but still chew whats already there. Needless to say she was eventually successful, but it's just a matter of time before she's threatening her uncle's record of multiple McDonalds cheeseburgers in one bite.

Yes, we live in a flawless Mediterranean climate, but it actually rained this day. Some borderline hurricane was hitting the Baja peninsula several hundred miles south of us and we got whacked by a big storm. At least that's how the news reported it. In truth it drizzled some, and there were times it actually filled the gutters enough to make for Izzy's first real rain. She was fascinated since she'd never seen the water come out of anything but the sprinklers before. It didn't hurt that mommy let her play with her old cell phone which she loves to say "Hi" into. Apparently she sees mom and dad do that enough that she understands exactly what they're for.

Izzy's first punishment for dad is her joy of climbing. He tortured his mother and dad, so she's bound an determined to climb up anything she can find so he truly appreciates the torture he put everyone through. For a kid that learned how to walk two months ago, she's already learned how to push her chair over to the dinning room chair to climb all the way up onto the dinning room table. She's so proud of her accomplishment, that every time she gets to the top she plops down on her bottom and cheers for herself. Typically this involves clapping and always a giant grin and giggle...

As a final note, Izzy's hair is getting longer these days. We haven't done haircut #1 yet, but her bangs are starting to get pretty long. This awesome hair style is actually courtesy of mom, not dad. It was just one of those tub moments that couldn't be missed.

Other stuff for us this week is that the Steelers are 3-o and so are the Cowboys. Unfortunately we can't same the same for our local Chargers. Hopefully the Padres can hold on to make the post season, and our clients stop springing surprises on us like they haven't filed their taxes yet (oops).

Sampson is fighting his allergy's, and both he and Sierra are staring to learn that the Izzy loves to chase them for a hug. Sampson is much better at just leaving, but Sierra isn't too keen on her space being violated. However she loves to play with Izzy when she was the ball and it's keep away. Needless to say the baby is oblivious to any distinction and just wants to love on everyone, which is normally a great compliment. Of course to sleeping animals or even exhausted parents, that can sometimes be a bit more than we're ready for...

Working?? from home...part 3

Working?? from home...part 2

Working?? from home...

Week 2 of Blogging - Small Victories!!

It's been another fun week at The Bates Farm!

We are thrilled it's football season. Watching the games are always fun and crazy in the living room with the animals and the baby.

The first picture is of Izzy in a skirt. I have just begun to let her wear dresses and skirts around since she is walking so well. I used to keep her in long pants to protect her knees and legs but that is not a problem anymore. Yeah!

Ken's morning routine is running the dogs and getting Izzy out for some fresh air. The baby jogger works better than the bugaboo since Ken runs so fast (such a stud - smile) but it sure does make us miss Carissa.

Elizabeth in a pretty dress (thanks cousin Jemma). She is ready for church and tolerating us chasing after her, literally like the paparazzi, one parent with the camcorder and the other with the camera. But we just think she is so stinkin' cute! Here are Ken & Izzy playing in the living room during a football game. He made hats for them out of the newspapers. Izzy left hers on for a while but then decided to throw it off right after I took the photo!Here is the broader picture of what the house is like during football season. Who knew newspapers made such great toys??!!

A note from Izzy...
After a while the games got a bit boring, and mommy was stuck doing tax returns, so we decided that all the newspapers should be used to cover the living room. Boy was it fun...

Lots of love!

KMB

The Bates' First Post - Yeah.....

The Bates'

Our first post with pictures and video. Yeah! Small victories.

There always seems to be so much going on around here. We thought this would be the most efficient way to journal and at the same time, keep in touch with everyone. Win-win!!

We have made a commitment to post once a week on Sundays. What a great way to capture our best moments with Elizabeth. We have both been blessed to have quality time with her. Ken watches her until noon and then I take over at noon each weekday. And wow, is she at a fun age! As most of you know, it is something new everyday.

August was a fun but busy month. We returned this week from some R&R on the east coast with the Guilfoile's (Ken's mom's side of the family). It was GrandMary's first time with all of her children, daughter-in-law's and grandchildren together under one roof. She was very appreciative of all of us making the trip for her. She had to wait for grandchildren but she is definitely a loving and attentive grandmother!! We also had a very special day where we celebrated Nanny's 90th birthday. What a milestone and what an amazing lady as well.

Here is Elizabeth, her first time in the ocean (the Atlantic no less). She will be 14 months in just 2 days. She has so many words, talks all of the time and is an incredibly busy and happy child. I can't get over how cute she looks in her little suit with those chubby little thighs and pink hat. She also donned some Carter's sunglasses which I am surprised she let me torture her with for as long as she did.

Now...especially for the grandparents, here is a short video taken in early August, just as Elizabeth was getting confident walking around. I think she will be running soon! I will be posting lots of videos for you so that you can watch her grow.

Enjoy.......

As for business, Military Home Programs is alive and thriving. Luckily, we picked a nitch that has a chance of surviving this mortgage lending storm as we do VA Loans. Apparently, they have been around now for 63 years and continue to work in any market. So don't forget to refer your family and friends to us!

I am also excited as I just received word from Military Spouse Magazine that they would like for me to continue writing for them. In 2008, they are going to be publising monthly issues and the "Home Buying Guide" is a welcome curriculum. Yeah! What great exposure for our little company.

Ken news this week is that he joined a men's bible study at church covering the Wild at Heart book. It is Saturday mornings at 8:00am. Prior to Elizabeth, this would have sounded pretty early but now, 8:00 am is a full hour after we are all up and about. Pretty funny how life changes.

Well, I am late on my MSM deadline so I must get back to article writing. Lots of love to you all.

KMB