Long time coming..........

DECEMBER 2008

So it has been months since I have done this blog, but not because I haven't wanted to!! It's amazing how time and life can let things get away from us.......I am going to do my best to summarize our past few months and post some highlights, and then start fresh for the here and now!

There has certainly not been a dull moment in the Katz household since November. Lots of wonderful, happy moments, some sad, but all memorable and special to me.

I will start with Christmas! We had a wonderful Christmas and enjoyed spending time with our families and sharing yummy food, lots of laughs, and way too many presents for our resident princess....Aubrey had an American Girl Christmas and was showered with gifts from all our families and was so excited. She smiled and laughed the entire day!

We did all of our favorite holiday traditions........seeing Santa at Phipps Plaza, riding the Pink Pig, going to see the lights at Life College, drinking lots of hot chocolate and just spending time with our family and friends. We were very blessed this year with more blessings than I am able to name and we are so thankful. We said so long and farewell to 2008 with much gratefulness and are looking forward to an exciting 2009 ahead of us!!

JANUARY 2009

January began with a sad and difficult time for our family. Jon's stepmother, Jody Katz, passed away after battling cancer. We were so sad to say goodbye to her and will miss her so very much. She loved all of us, but especially Aubrey.......she loved to talk to her and play with her and was always so excited to buy clothes for her! She definitely instilled her love of fashion in Aubrey...... :) It was hard for Aubrey to understand that she had passed, but Aubrey decided that it was okay because she was now in heaven and became an angel....... so sweet. We will miss "Grandma Jody" !!

In December I began rehearsals for Jesus Christ Superstart Gospel here in Atlanta at the Alliance Theatre.  What an unbelievable experience it was!!!  Everyday at rehearsals I was continually blown away by the talent, the joy and the love and inspiration my cast members brought this show.  And I felt even more blessed to be a part of the show considering I was hired even though I was pregnant!!!  A thing not heard of too often in the world of theatre!!  But what a sweet journey it was to share this amazing show, this beautiful music with my baby girl in my belly the whole time.  She would kick as the drummer was drumming and move all around at the sounds of these amazing voices night after night.    We opened the show to rave reviews and everyone that came to see it just couldn't stop talking about it.  What an event it was for Atlanta, for me and for everyone that came to share it.  I just feel so blessed and so grateful to have had this experience and I know I will never, ever forget it.  Every show was such a gift and a blessing to me.......no matter how big my belly got, no matter how tired I was, no matter how many contractions I was having during the shows!!!!!  Oh yes, good times.  But it was a once in a lifetime experience and I am thankful to everyone who shared it with me.  

Jon and I at opening night.......

Me on the Red Carpet!  And of course my shining moment with Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland who came to see the show and loved it!!

So exactly one month and 5 days after we closed the show..........

My precious baby girl.......Eliana Grace Katz......was born.

March 28, 2009

8lbs. 2 oz., 21.5 in 

I was 37 weeks along but had been having contractions for months!!  I woke up that morning, on a Saturday and I just knew it was the day.  I cleaned my house from top to bottom, and started having contractions around 10am.  We knew I had to have a c-section so we called the doctor to let her know about the contractions and she said to come on in.......time to have the baby!!!  I packed Aubrey up to stay with our friends and tearfully said goodbye to her.   I was so excited and so sad all at the same time......to be giving my big girl a baby sister that I knew she would love and adore, but also to be saying goodbye to the 4 years of just her here in our lives.....but I knew we were about to be blessed beyond belief with this little life and I was right!!

Eliana is the sweetest, most precious baby girl and I am the luckiest mommy alive to have her here with me, making me smile and laugh and just filling me with joy day after day.  Aubrey is such a wonderful big sister and we have just been blessed beyond belief with our 2 beautiful girls.  Everyday I am amazed at my little miracles here in front of me.  They have taught me so much about love and joy and life.  God is soooo good!  

I love getting to know Eliana more and more each day.  She is such a happy, happy girl.  I sing the Martina McBride song to her, "Happy Girl" because it makes me think of her everytime I hear it!  She does nothing but smile, eat, sleep, smile.......  

And now here we are, 4 months later, winding down a wonderful summer.  2 beach trips to Destin, one trip to Louisiana for some Wood Family time, one trip to South Florida for some Katz Family time, and lots of miles on my new car-but worth every one of them.  It has been a great summer with my family, the four of us, journeying in this new direction together!!  I feel so complete and so utterly blessed.

Aubrey starts Pre-K next week.......my very big girl that I am so proud of.  Eliana will be 5 months next week and is a "tummy time" champ....like a little yogi in her "cobra" pose......

I have begun my yoga practice again and so thankful to be back in it.  I start back to work teaching at The Music Class next week and am looking forward to all those sweet little faces I get to bless with Music every week!

Jon continues to hold down the Southeastern district in his company and still loves his job.......he has also grown his love for his yard and the raspberry bushes we have and made a delicious batch of his "jonny jam" again this year......it is a neighborhood staple now.....  I knew I would make a proper Georgia boy out of him!!

I have been wanting to update this blog and share my memories for so long now and am so proud of myself for finally doing it!!!!  Now to continue from here and share life's journey with this family that I am so blessed and thankful to have by my side.

Thanksgiving.......

I am so thankful today for so many things.......I am thankful for my husband and for how absolutely wonderful he is. I am thankful for my beautiful daughter and how she makes me smile everytime I think about her! I am thankful for this little girl baby in my belly and what a miracle and blessing she is........

We were talking today about how blessed we feel to be surrounded by so many people that we love..........we are so grateful for our families and our friends and for how much they mean to us.

We sometimes wish to be closer and see each other more often, but we know that we all love each other very much and that is what matters the most.

I especially want to write and say how thankful I am for my beautiful Grandmother that passed away last month. I have been wanting to write about her but have just been a little sad and not able to. But today I was thinking of her and how much we all miss her and I am just so thankful to have had her in my life for so long and for all the memories and love I was able to share with her. She lived 93 amazing years and was a Mother, Grandmother, Great Grandmother and even a Great, Great Grandmother...........she was so wonderful. Our family got together last weekend to celebrate Thanksgiving and it was the first time in my 31 years that she wasn't there to celebrate and be with us all........we were sad, but just looking around the room at all the family she created and brought together was truly a blessing to see. She was loved by so many, and very much by me.

So a heartfelt thankfulness goes to my Grandmother, all my family, my friends and the many blessings I am given each and every day.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!!!

Thanksgiving Party at School

I headed up to Aubrey's school today for their Thanksgiving celebration and we had so much fun. The kids did a smashing rendition of "Turkey Tango" for all of us adoring parents and then the sweetest Thanksgiving prayer ever before we feasted on some yummy Thanksgiving food!

It was a great day and a great way to kick off the Thanksgiving holiday.....I must say I am looking forward to eating at least a few more Thanksgiving meals in the next week or so!!

Baby Katz........

Is a Girl!!! We went for our 18 week ultrasound today and found out we are going to have another baby girl. We are so thrilled and excited! Aubrey can't wait to have a sister..........

She may be another fiesty one like Aubrey....she was moving around so much the nurse could hardly get the pictures she needed for the ultrasound! We can't wait to meet this precious little baby girl and we are so thankful for her!!

Blue Ridge 2008!!

This past weekend we went up to Blue Ridge, GA with our friends for our second annual Blue Ridge trip and had a wonderful time! We made stops in Blue Ridge, Dahlonega, and Ellijay to do some antique shopping and a little local dining and deserting too! We had a blast at the cabin enjoying the views, eating some great food, and the kids even enjoyed a little hot tub action! We also built a bonfire and sat out under the stars which was awesome..........It was chilly and the leaves and trees were just amazing. It was a perfect fall weekend! I included a video of all of our shots..........

Halloween 2008!!

Halloween was a blast this year! Aubrey definitely had a fun filled week as she had 3 Halloween parties in 2 days!

First was "Fun Day" at ballet class where they all got to dress up for ballet in their favorite costume......tons of princesses of course.

Then on Halloween Friday she had a big party at school where she got to dress up again! So we made a trip to the playroom and let her pick from one of her many princess dresses her grandparents have given her over the past couple of years!! For school she chose to be Belle and everyone thought she looked just like her! Precious I thought.........she wore the dress the whole day at school and loved every minute of it........I wish I could wear princess dresses to work!! :)

And of course there was Trick or Treating on Halloween night! And of course once again, Aubrey was a princess......this time a pink princess named "Annalise" from one of her Barbie movies that she loves! We had a little driveway party with our neighbors and friends and the kids ran around, ate tons of candy, and just had so much fun. Aubrey definitely had a sugar high since she refused to eat her dinner and instead ate from her trick or treat basket! Ah well........the one night you get to go nuts with candy right??? She loved it and we actually managed to make it to bed without a post-sugar meltdown which was wonderful!!! All in all, we had a fun, festive and memorable Halloween this year........OH, and little baby Katz in my belly was having a party of it's own last night as I sat there and felt it kicking and movin' and groovin after I had my own piece of chocolate!!! It was a wonderful feeling.......next year Aubrey will have to teach her little sibling the finer points of trick or treating and eating large quantities of candy!!

Pumpkin Festival

Today we headed over to the Stone Mountain Pumpkin Festival and enjoyed a beautiful day together! The weather was sooo nice and breezy and really got us into the fall spirit! Aubrey had a blast running around all the different pumpkins, painting a pumpkin, and rolling and running around on the great lawn. The only bummer to the whole day is that we didn't get to eat any pumpkin pie!!!

Baby Katz # 2 is on the way!

So I am finally feeling like it is time to announce to my blogging world that we are having another baby! Finally! We are so thrilled and excited. The past two years have been a long journey as we have tried for another child and a sister or brother for Miss Aubrey, but it has all been completely worth it. We were so blessed to have found amazing doctors who knew how to help us and we are thankful to them, and to our family and friends for all their support and prayers.

So far I am going on 13 weeks pregnant and the baby is looking wonderful. We had an ultrasound last week and things looked great! We just continue to be thankful for this amazing little blessing and pray for a happy and healthy baby! Aubrey is so excited to be a big sister. She calls the baby "our baby" which I think is just perfect.

Here is our latest and greatest pictures of baby # 2! We have to start now otherwise we'll never get caught up with all the pictures we have taken of Aubrey over the years!!!

Fall....

Just a pretty fall day here in Atlanta and a cute little outfit to go with it!! She was very excited to finally get to wear her tights today since the weather finally turned cool!

Aubrey learned the Pledge of Allegiance at school today and I must say it is pretty precious to hear her pronouncing all those big words! She also went to the doctor today for her big 4 year old checkup and she is 36 lbs. and 40 inches tall and just perfect!

Aubrey's Party at the Children's Museum

We had a great birthday party for Aubrey at the Children's Museum in Downtown Atlanta!! She loved having all her friends there and everyone had a fun time!! She is so excited to be 4 years old now.........she loves to tell everyone that she is a big 4 year old!!
Here are some favorite pics from her birthday weekend.........