Caroline's 3rd Birthday Party

We let Caroline open a few presents before the party started, so she and her friends could play with her big gift during the party.

What could be under the sheet?

A KITCHEN!!!

Exploring every detail.

This is a box of utensils and pots and pans for her kitchen. She loved the rolling pin.


Getting the kitchen set-up with all her accessories.


We had a Dora-the-Explorer themed party. The cake represented some of her favorite scenes from Dora - snow hills, the troll bridge and a duck pond. I went a little easier with the cake this year.

We also needed cupcakes - we had to have something with chocolate icing!

Caroline guarding the cupcakes - not really, but she looks so serious - while wearing her Dora party hat.

This is why we need chocolate icing. It's not a birthday party without icing everywhere and a chocolate goatee.

Digging into her presents while wearing her new apron.

She loves her Hello Kitty throw!

Throwing tissue paper is part of the fun - the look of excitement is so cute.

"Reading" her birthday card. This card actually had dogs barking Happy Birthday. It makes her smile every time she opens it.

She got Granny Jessica bracelets, which she is wearing on her upper arm.


She got a big sister t-shirt and was so excited. She wore this shirt to the hospital the first time she met Thomas.


. . . winding down from all the excitement - and the sugar - while wearing her new Minnie Mouse ears from Uncle Charles!

She got a Dora-the-Explorer backpack filled with everything an explorer needs - a magnifying glass,

. . . binoculars (still wearing the Minnie Mouse ears and apron),

. . . a flashlight, a map and a cell phone. She had a great party! I just can't believe it was her 3rd birthday. She is growing up so fast (I think I said the same thing last year!!).

Lounging Around

Caroline loves this green stocking hat, which was mine when I was little. She wears it all the time, and her little head is like an oven when she takes it off.

She was feeding me my bottle. I guess she is practicing for Thomas.

Then it was my turn to feed her.

Daddy and Caroline lounging around on a Saturday morning watching a little TV.

Caroline likes Daddy's new phone as much as Daddy. Cal loaded some learning games for her, so she is constantly wanting to play with the phone when she sees it. She knows how to unlock it, scroll to the page with her games, and start the game she wants. Kids pick up on things so quickly.


"Reading" before bed. She is always looking at books and loves for me to read to her. I definitely hope she continues to love books as she gets older!

Playing Baseball

We found a very cute baseball glove and ball for Caroline. She loves it and knows which hand her glove goes on.


I think she might be a little overdressed for playing baseball.


She has a really good arm and is amazingly accurate.

First Lollipop

Caroline tried her first lollipop a few weeks ago. She was a little nervous about it, but finally - with some persuasion - tried it.



Finally, her first lick. After a couple more licks, she ran around with it for a few minutes then decided I needed to eat it. She hasn't had any interest since.

I love this picture! Can't you just FEEEEEEEEEL the drama!!

She is actually posing for the camera, which is a VERY rare occurrence these days.

She's so serious while she performs.

Caroline's Big Girl Bedroom

We finally decided it was time to move Caroline out of her crib. The first step was painting her new room. We let her paint a small section. Getting to help daddy and Grammie made her feel like a big girl.

She was so excited to sleep in her big girl room. Unfortunately, she wasn't as excited about having her picture taken. This is the best we got of her posing for us.

Here, she's looking through her telescope.

That just doesn't look comfortable to me, but I'm not made of rubber. Now, she sleeps with the pillow flat on the bed, which appears to us to be much more comfortable!

Getting ready to read to Caroline for the first time in her new bed. You can see how happy she was.

This is Caroline's preferred method of having her picture taken. I think the reason she didn't cooperate that night was because she was so excited to sleep in her new bed that daddy was slowing the process down by taking pictures.

Caroline has transitioned to her new bed flawlessly. She actually sleeps later (on average) than she used to in her crib. I think it's because she has plenty of room to move around without hitting hard wooden sides. In the mornings, she even stays in bed until we come get her - I don't know how long that will last!