Where else could we start 2008, but with the birth of Kate?! Katherine Lynn Aupperlee was born on April 7, 2008, and this was my first time holding my daughter. I am a very proud dad!
Kate immediately reached up with her little hand and grasped onto my finger. She's a smart little girl because this move melted my heart. It was pure joy to hold my daughter and to admire her. This is my favorite memory of 2008!
Drew was fascinated to meet Kate for the first time. After hearing so much about his baby sister, he was excited to meet her. He didn't entirely understand what was going on, but he knew it was exciting!
Kate was such a little peanut when she was first born!
Drew welcomed Kate home from the hospital, and he's been incredibly good with her ever since. It's been a lot of fun to watch the two of them together this past year.
This was one of Drew's first times holding Kate. He has been thrilled to be a big brother.
Getting Kate to bulk up was quite the struggle for us initially. We were extremely grateful how helpful Drew was with Kate and how quickly he adjusted to having a little sister.
We've had lots of fun this past year sitting on the couch and enjoying Drew and Kate!
Drew went to the zoo for the first time this year. We'd never taken him before! He liked looking at all the animals.
Drew has been getting more independent, and this year we enjoyed going for walks where he hiked along with us. It's so much fun to explore the outdoors with a two-year-old!
Other than Kate's birth, our family highlight this year was a family vacation to a cottage on Lake Michigan. Drew and I had many special moments around the cottage while Jana and Kate rested. 
We have so many favorite pictures from the beach that we had to choose a few. Drew was an absolute delight at the beach. His favorite thing was throwing sand, rocks, or sticks in the water. 
Drew was so proud of his shovel and pail. He strutted up and down the beach playing hard. 
Drew has quite the arm and he had quite the wind-up for his delivery. He threw the sand far!
This is my favorite picture of Jana and Drew from this past year. We had a great week together as a family and we look forward to spending a week like that again.
Kate became much more enjoyable around that time as she finally got the hang of eating and started to bulk up a little bit. It was nice to be able to just enjoy her without having to put so much work into feeding her!
Drew loves it when Kate joins him in his bed.
It's been so novel to me to have a daughter who wears little dresses!
Drew got more and more comfortable IN the water as the year progressed. 
Drew got to make good use of this lifevest for swimming and for his first sailboat ride.
This year has been a year of firefighting excitement for Drew. That included a few trips to Battle Creek to Uncle Todd's fire rescue. Very cool!
Drew still talks about feeding the giraffes at the Binder Park Zoo.
Other than Kate's birth, our family highlight this year was a family vacation to a cottage on Lake Michigan. Drew and I had many special moments around the cottage while Jana and Kate rested. 
We have so many favorite pictures from the beach that we had to choose a few. Drew was an absolute delight at the beach. His favorite thing was throwing sand, rocks, or sticks in the water. 
Drew was so proud of his shovel and pail. He strutted up and down the beach playing hard. 
Drew has quite the arm and he had quite the wind-up for his delivery. He threw the sand far!
This is my favorite picture of Jana and Drew from this past year. We had a great week together as a family and we look forward to spending a week like that again.
Kate became much more enjoyable around that time as she finally got the hang of eating and started to bulk up a little bit. It was nice to be able to just enjoy her without having to put so much work into feeding her!
Drew loves it when Kate joins him in his bed.
It's been so novel to me to have a daughter who wears little dresses!
Drew got more and more comfortable IN the water as the year progressed. 
Drew got to make good use of this lifevest for swimming and for his first sailboat ride.
This year has been a year of firefighting excitement for Drew. That included a few trips to Battle Creek to Uncle Todd's fire rescue. Very cool!
Drew still talks about feeding the giraffes at the Binder Park Zoo.
Having two children around has been exhausting at times, but it has always been an enjoyable adventure!
Kate has gotten cuter and cuter, and we've thoroughly enjoyed watching her grow. Look at those big eyes.
Drew has loved it that Kate has gotten more and more active and interactive. He's looking forward to playing with her as she gets older.
Jana and I loved Kate in this dress. She looks like such a little girl!
This is a relatively recent picture that I still enjoy. Kate always lights up whenever I walk into a room. It makes me smile too!
Here is one last picture of Drew and Kate playing together. As I'm writing this Drew is in the living room sharing toys with Kate, talking to her, saying "I'm playing with her," and giggling away. Kate has been crawling around and Drew is fully potty-trained. It seems that they both are growing up so fast!
Kate has gotten cuter and cuter, and we've thoroughly enjoyed watching her grow. Look at those big eyes.
Drew has loved it that Kate has gotten more and more active and interactive. He's looking forward to playing with her as she gets older.
Jana and I loved Kate in this dress. She looks like such a little girl!
This is a relatively recent picture that I still enjoy. Kate always lights up whenever I walk into a room. It makes me smile too!
Here is one last picture of Drew and Kate playing together. As I'm writing this Drew is in the living room sharing toys with Kate, talking to her, saying "I'm playing with her," and giggling away. Kate has been crawling around and Drew is fully potty-trained. It seems that they both are growing up so fast!We've had lots of fun this past year as a family and we're looking forward to 2009!!
