The Gentry's: Sweet Kate

I am so overdue on a Kate update! I've been putting pictures of her in a folder since April with the intention of doing a blog post. Life happens!

Kate is about as precious as they come. I know Josh and I are biased and we will always cherish the arrival of Kate after those difficult days post losing our Sadie. She will always be our stream in the desert. But in addition to all that, she is the sweetest! We seriously just look at her and shake our heads all the time. There will never be another like her.

She is so compliant. We've definitely entered the 2's but still, for the most part, she is sweet and obedient and typically responds with a "yes ma'am, Mommy" when asked to do something. We have our moments and I'm sure she will develop a stubborn streak like the others, but so far she has been a breath of fresh air! Just easy!

She's also very sweet and loving. She shares eagerly and loves doting over Lucy and bringing her things to hold. She will gladly hand over part of her snack to the big girls and (if they will just ask!) she also hands over anything she's holding. Now, if they come and snatch it out of her hands, it's another story!

Her vocabulary is mind-blowing; reminds us of Macy at this age. She's been talking for so long and so clearly that I really can't remember a time when I couldn't communicate with her. She catches onto things quickly and learns and incorporates new words daily. She seems to be really intuitive; very aware of what's going on around her. If she hears me mumble to myself, "where did I put my phone??" She will immediately pop up and say, "I FIND IT MOMMY!" And she does. Also, from an early age, she could sense when I was talking on the phone and I was about to get off. Like I would tell Josh, "OK, well let us know when you're headed home" and she would immediately yell out, "Bye Daddy!" She did this all the time and was accuarate in knowing the conversation was winding down.

Her determination and independence is another thing that reminds us of her big sister Macy. By all means, do not try to do anything for this girl! She likes figuring things out for herself although she's still pretty receptive if we tell her she needs help.

She has assumed the task of feeding Lexi everyday and it's really cute to see Lexi trotting through the house after her. I forget most days, so I'm sure Lexi appreciates Kate's attentiveness.

The big girls are still really sweet with her and inclusive in whatever they are playing with. And Kate knows her position with them! She squeezes herself in the middle of them whether they are sitting on the floor, walking somewhere, or dancing. She feels like her place is between them. It's cute.

She also calls them "big girls" which is really cute. Most school days she wakes up after Josh has already taken Macy and Eden to school and she says, "Where's the big girls, Mommy?"

She seems to enjoy putting things back in their place (which makes this Mommy's heart happy!) She also went through this phase where she started making her bed because she would hear the big girls talk about making theirs. She would be so proud when I would walk in :)

She is one strong little girl! She pulls herself up on the back of the couch and flings her legs over. She carries things that really should be too heavy for her. We watch her and say often, "She is probably going to be the athlete." She is super coordinated and strong. We are often reminded of her pregnancy when Josh and I would plead with the Lord for this baby girl to be STRONG. He answered that prayer in so many ways!

She even made potty training a breeze. It seriously took less then a week and she is completely trustworthy and I can't even remember her having any accidents!? Sometimes she will even go by herself; I'll hear her flush and start washing her hands. She's a-ma-zing.

Some of my favorite KitKat things and sayings:

*if anything is not working, she automatically assumes it's the battery. "Battery charge, Mommy?"

*She has an avid love of chapstick and bandaids

*She went through this phase where everytime she asked for something she would immediately follow it with "PLEEEEEAAAAASSSEE".

*She tells Josh and I to buckle our seat belts if we start backing out of the garage and haven't done it yet.

*One of the cutest things she says right now is "AWE MAAANN." It cracks me up. She always uses it in the correct context too; when she's disappointed about something.

*I thought she would be immune to noise after living in this household, but really she can't stand loud noises. She doesn't like the blender, hand dryers in public restrooms, and mowers outside. When she does get scared, she says "I scared, Mommy" and she puts her hand on her chest. She's also not a fan of the dark and if I ask her to put something away in a room that doesn't have the light on, she will come get me and say "Help me Mommy. It's dark."

*When Lucy is drooling, she will go get a burp cloth and say "Lucy's mouth is leaking."

*When she's trying to squeeze herself between you and another person or thing, she says "Scooch up."

*Thanks to the big girls, she's learned the word "disgusting" and uses it all the time. She has quite the sensitive nose like Eden so often we will hear her say, "What's that smell, Mommy? Ewwww, disgusting."

*Lucy's a messy baby food eater and Kate will say, "Lucy has a mustache."

*If it's dark and she can't see, she says "I don't see." Instead of "I can't."

*Sometimes in the mornings when she first wakes up, she will tell me, "Mommy, my legs don't work."

She's also become our teenager and sleeps until almost 9:00 most days and still naps for 3 hours every afternoon.

She is something else. We can't get enough of her and, I know I've said it before, but I wish we could keep a camera on her all the time.

We praise the Lord for our "pure work of the Lord", Kate Amelya. She is such a precious reminder of His provision and redemption.

These start back in April!