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Category Archives: Katie

A privilege

blessings, children, Katie, priorities February 4, 2012 Comments: 2

Last night Foster, Katie and I did some research on how they could use their H.C.I.N money. We visited the Feeding the Orphans site. We read about 9 ways their money could help and also watched 2 short videos of the orphans in Ghana.

They both made several comments about the children’s lack of housing, clothing and toys. We discussed their lack of clean water and of healthy food. Katie said one thing though that stuck with me.
She said “Mommy, I bet those children don’t even get to go to church.”

Our children see going to church as a privilege. Not a duty or a burden, but something to be thankful for and something to be excited about.

I think as parents we should try to nurture this attitude. When Saturday rolls around and it’s time to start ironing church clothes and taking baths and packing diaper bags and all that, we try to use words like “we get to go to church tomorrow” or “tomorrow is a church day! Yay!” It may sound corny, but to very young children how you present something is huge in how they view it.

On the flip side, we could be too lazy to go to church. Getting our family of 7 to church at 9am on Sunday morning is no small feat. We start on Saturday night and do the ironing, baths, clipping of nails, finding of dress socks, shoes and coats, piling up bibles, stocking diaper bags, filling sippy cups, making sure there is something quick and painless for breakfast, and tucking everyone in by 8pm so they will wake up in a decent mood. Then Sunday morning Chris and I get up at least an hour or more before the kids, shower, wake them, feed them, clean them up, dress them (even a 6 year old girl needs help with her tights), start the van so the frost will melt off, put coats on, grab the bibles, load up and go! Of course, in between all that is the nursing of the baby, the time-outs, disciplining, crying, laughing, lego building, car racing and lots and lots of questions. Are you tired yet?

But why should we complain? Wouldn’t we do all that same preparation to go somewhere like Dollywood? Don’t we hurry and rush to get to doctor appointments on time? Aren’t we faithful to attend family or friend birthday parties? Why should taking advantage of a chance to go to God’s house be something we avoid or procrastinate on?

Our family is thankful to have the privilege, the freedom to attend a worship service.

Favorite girl, favorite song

favorite songs, Katie, priorities February 1, 2012 Leave a comment

Katie before her AHG meeting

That smile lights up my life. The best part of my day today was playing “Guess Who” with my little girl. Sometimes I get too busy with chores or the younger boys to take time for Katie. She doesn’t ask for too much from me, she wanted to help me in the kitchen tonight and then play a game. I cherish the years where she looks at me with admiration and doesn’t think I’m a big dork (even when I am acting like one). We have a favorite song right now that we love to sing. Even when my little Grubb worms are screaming and crying and fussing and fighting and whining…we can turn this song up and it turns our mood around!

Our princess

children, Katie January 14, 2012 Leave a comment

Katie Belle (age 5 mos.)

Katie is smart, sensitive and tender-hearted. She adores her brothers and would do anything to help them. She loves to laugh and loves doing her school work. She is a genuine help to me and I am so excited to get to teach her how to be a good mommy and wife. We are praying for the day she gives her heart to Christ. She has lost her Nana and her Gigi in the past couple of years and so she has asked a lot of questions about heaven and getting to be with Jesus.

We left her at a sleepover at her cousin’s house tonight and the dynamic of our house just isn’t the same with her not here. She brings sweetness, drama, excitement and giggles.

I am so thankful God blessed us with our princess.

Katie (6 mos.)

Katie (age 2 1/2)

Katie’s 3rd birthday

Katie (age 4)

Katie (age 5 1/2)

Katie’s 6th birthday with her best friend Avalon

Resident photographer

Katie January 8, 2012 1 Comment

Cake

Self-portrait

Grandad

Grammy

Little brother

semi trailer

another little brother

Nativity

Nerf bullets

Shivers

Big brother

Big and little brother

baby brother

karate chop brothers

Katie received a camera for Christmas. She may soon take the place of resident photographer in our family.

AHG Grandmother, Mother, Daughter Tea

Grammy, Katie December 16, 2010 Comments: 3

This month has been so much fun already! My mom, Katie and I attended our first American Heritage Girls tea. The mothers and daughters did a great job decorating and with cooking and serving the tea and goodies. Grammy and Katie made homemade biscotti earlier that day. Many of the girls read poems or played an instrument for everyone to enjoy.

Of course, Katie doesn’t drink hot tea but she did try it and felt pretty special to be drinking out of a real teacup.

One of her best friends sat with us. Two of Katie’s friends had grandmothers who were too sick to attend, we were grateful her Grammy got to come with us. She even drove 100 miles to come and then 100 miles back home because she had to work the next day!

I guess you can see by the smile on her face, she was so happy Grammy came. What you can’t hear are the squeals and giggles and delight she has anytime she knows she will get to see Grammy and Grandad. She is the only granddaughter right now and so she gets a little extra special attention. Which is what every girl needs right?

First Slumber Party

Katie November 9, 2010 Leave a comment

In our immediate family, Katie’s birthday is the last one of the year. What this means is she has to see, starting with Foster, everyone else get gifts and a special day. And for Katie, the main thing everyone else gets all through the year is ATTENTION. For her, especially at 4, that was the hardest. Don’t get me wrong, she doesn’t really pitch any fits or hold any grudges against the birthday person. She doesn’t even try to open their gifts before they can. What she does do is plan. Seems very harmless to you I am sure but that’s because you don’t know her like we do. Foster’s birthday is in February, so starting then there is the count down to how many days, weeks, months until her birthday in October. She can also tell you each family members birthday and whose is first, second, etc. Her planning began in February so she had 8 months to convince me that it would be a good idea to have 5 other little girls spend the night for her birthday. I knew that it would be a long shot. I mean, what would Chris and the boys do? Camp in the backyard? (They spent the night with Papaw.)
What about the fact that all but 1 of the girls had never slept over at a friend’s house? Surely I would be calling parents at 2 am with a crying, hysterical little girl to pick up. (They all stayed!) So even though it seemed like a crazy idea at the time, I am glad that we did it. It was a great way for Katie to turn 5, almost like she was moving from little girl to big girl with that one event. She has grown up a lot over the past year and a half. She lost her Nana and now her Gigi. She started crying when I tucked her in the other night and she said, “I know Gigi is with Nana but I miss them both so much.” I am always amazed by Katie’s sensitivity. She loves to help in the kitchen, she is a hard worker with her jobs and she still enjoys any kind of arts and crafts. She is a good friend, kind and patient with her brothers (most of the time). I am blessed that she is my girl!

Katie is 4

Katie November 2, 2009 Leave a comment

Oh what a girl I have! A couple of weeks ago, we celebrated Katie’s 4th birthday. She is one of a kind! Her voice is naturally loud and high pitched so she slips into whining very easily. She’s working on it though and doing a good job trying to corral all those emotions that come stampeding out of her. When she starts to break down and cry over something we try to encourage her to breathe. I know it sounds silly but it works – a few deep breaths and she’s a little less hysterical and you can better make out what happened in the first place. She is full of joy and her love language is time and attention. Unfortunately, that is in short demand when you have 1 big brother and 2 little brothers to share mommy and daddy’s time. She can be very silly but she’s also sensitive and caring. I’m proud of her. She’s beautiful to me and I thank God that I get to be her mommy. I pray that she and I will stay close through the years. It’s funny because I seldom have thoughts of my boys as parents but I often think of how I will feel when my little girl becomes a mommy and I get to hold her children in my arms. There is something unique and wonderful about a mother/daughter relationship.

Miscommunication

Grammy, Grandad, humor, Katie August 17, 2009 Leave a comment

So the kids and I headed out after church today. Packing up the van and loading everyone but Daddy because we are spending a few days in Chattanooga with Grammy and Grandad. We actually haven’t made this 100 mile trip since January. In that time, we’ve added one more passenger (Parker) and Foster, Katie and Theodore forgot how long that van ride can seem. My sweet, little chatterbox asked me several versions and for a few days before we left “Mommy, how long will it take to get to Grammy’s house?” As I answered today, leaving the driveway “It will take a VERY long time Katie.” About 20 minutes passed and as we drove through Lenoir City she asked “Mommy are we almost to Grammy’s now?” my response, in an attempt to be more clear and have her understand was more detailed this time “Katie we are in Lenoir City, we still have to get on the interstate and then we drive for a very long time and look for Exit #11 and then we will be very close to Grammy’s house.” She chattered away for a few minutes and then said “Mommy are we on a date?” and I’m thinking – OK that’s out of the blue! Why would she think we are on a date? Because we are together and daddy’s not here? Because sometimes her daddy takes her on dates? Because Daddy and I talk about going on dates? I came up with nothing and so in response said “No, Katie we are not on a date.” About 10 minutes later, as we merge on to the interstate, she says “Mommy NOW are we on a date?” Oh. That’s what she meant. I said we had to get on the interstate. Get it? On the interstate, on a date… It’s no wonder children get so frustrated with us. Pay attention, they know what they mean.

Snow

Katie, memories, Theodore January 20, 2009 Leave a comment

“Mommy, it’s SNOWING!!” When we were headed out the door to a friend’s house for a playdate this morning it started snowing. And for some reason the kid’s excitement about snow is contagious. I love snow. The problem I have though is I really dislike the cold of winter, and here in Tennessee it only spits snow or maybe we get an inch every few years. It isn’t really like the snow the kids have in their imaginations because on just about every kid show or movie when it snows, it REALLY snows. The kids or animals on those movies get to build snowmen and make snow angels. But somehow even a few minutes out in the frozen, white wonderland is enough for Foster, Katie and Theodore, they don’t compare what they don’t have, they enjoy what they do have. A nice lesson for today.

It’s our house…

Foster, imagination, Katie, Theodore December 16, 2008 Leave a comment

One of the lastest interests for everyone at our house is to make a “house” out of all the pillows, blankets, stuffed animals, etc. that aren’t nailed down. When I unloaded the Christmas tree from this box they were very excited. Foster and Theodore were in the “house” as Katie did most of the running and loading of all things soft into their new home. The funny thing is the box lasted much longer than I thought and kept everyone entertained for a least an hour, even little Theodore had a blast. Nothing beats a cardboard box, soft stuff and an imagination.

All the Little Grubbs