It's ALL about Caroline & Thomas!

Caroline's 3rd Birthday Party

2010-12-17T15:30:00.020-06:00

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

2010-08-19T17:15:00.001-05:00

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

2010-08-19T17:00:00.001-05:00

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

2010-08-19T16:50:00.001-05:00

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

2010-06-11T15:20:00.001-05:00

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!

The Snake Whisperer

2010-06-11T15:15:00.001-05:00

My brother found this little green snake while he was mowing the yard. He figured Caroline would enjoy seeing it so he picked it up to show her. She was really unsure of it at first but was touching it by herself after a couple of minutes. After Uncle Charles let it go, she kept asking to see it again.

One Saturday morning, we decided to fix cinnamon rolls. Caroline put on her chef hat and helped daddy ice them.

I had to include the latest pigtail picture.

Mother's Day in Atlanta

2010-06-07T16:39:00.010-05:00

We went to Atlanta to visit Cal's family for Mother's Day. It was Caroline's first overnight trip, and she did really well.

She really enjoyed playing with the "old" phone. She knew exactly what it was even though it had a cord!

We had a yummy cookout that Saturday night, and Granny Jessica and Caroline sat outside to watch Aunt Susan and daddy cook.

The next day, we had lunch at Aunt Laura's house. Caroline made herself at home "riding" Uncle Allen's Harley.

Cousin Caitlin pulled out her old tutu so Caroline could be a ballerina. Caitlin got it for her because Caroline asked me if she could be naked. I told her she couldn't run around naked. Her reply, "I'll walk then." She is so funny sometimes.

Performing for the crowd:

After Caroline got tired of the tutu, Caitlin got her a T-shirt to wear. Caroline then became a dress up doll, which she loved. Caitlin graciously gave Caroline the white watch you see pictured here. She wears it all the time. In fact, we often have to fight to take it off at bedtime.

I love her look in this picture - don't hate me because I'm beautiful!

Aunt Laura's flowers were so pretty we wanted to take Caroline's picture with them. We had to wait for her to finish her milk - models are so demanding!!! I can't believe how grown-up she looks in these pictures.

Gotta have the Dora sunglasses.

Back on the Harley - looking cool with the shades.

Playing Catch-Up

2010-04-22T16:18:00.009-05:00

It's obviously been a while since I posted anything, so I'm posting several random pictures to try and catch myself up.

Caroline learned how to turn flips (by accident) a few weeks ago.

Doesn't everyone wear galoshes to do gymnastics?

Caroline said this was her swimsuit. In case you can't tell, it's the step stool she uses to reach the sink to wash her hands! Kids' imaginations are great. She definitely has an active one -- which is awesome!

This was Cal's birthday cake that Caroline decorated by herself. I gave her tubes of icing, and this was her creation. We think it looks like modern art.

We took advantage of a great day in March to go to the zoo. This was the first time Caroline went to the petting zoo. I personally think they are nasty, but we were with friends who wanted to go and, of course, so did Caroline. She really enjoyed brushing the goats. I think we'll probably have to go every time now.

At first I wasn't sure what Caroline was doing here (with her french fry), but she explained she had her toothpick like Ger. Whew, what a relief she wasn't doing something else!!

Caroline actually posing for a picture -- with a real smile. But don't look too closely at that smile because her mouth is really dirty.

Family Get Together

2010-03-14T08:42:00.009-05:00

Caroline has a Pottery Barn chair that is obviously designed for kids. For some reason, she wanted me to sit in it. I was a little nervous, but it is apparently really well made. After I sat down, Caroline decided to climb in behind me and pull me back against her to smash her. I don't know why, but she seemed to really enjoy it.

After the smashing, she started playing with her dollhouse. Her Aunt Linda gave it to her for Christmas 2008, and Caroline plays with it EVERY day, several times a day. It is the best toy she has ever gotten - we can't believe how much she still plays with it.

Her chair is very versatile.

Caroline loves to dance. We do this a lot.

During our get together, my dad was lifting Caroline up to let her touch the ceiling. She would stick her hand up and as she got closer to the ceiling she would start pulling her hand down and say, "I can't reach." After several times, Grammie told everyone she could touch the ceiling - I think we all looked at her like she was crazy. She ran up the stairs and touched the ceiling from the stairs. Caroline looking very unimpressed said, "Grammie, come down to the living room and do it."

Caroline's sizes

2010-03-14T08:36:00.002-05:00

A few people ask what size Caroline wears from time to time, so I will try to update the blog every time there is a change in size. Right now she fits perfectly in 3T. For summer I have been buying 4T, so it will last all summer. I figure at some point her growth will slow down, so I'm hoping she can wear 4T for a while.

When I Grow Up

2010-02-22T14:17:00.004-06:00

Caroline has decided what she wants to be when she grows up. Here's what she told me this morning - "When I get older, I'm going to be a spider."

The BIG Snow

2010-02-17T14:36:00.008-06:00

The end of January, we actually had quite a bit of snow. It was great!! We had about 5 inches and 1/2 - 1 inch of ice on top. Since it was so cold, I think it took us longer to get dress than we spent outside playing.

Daddy and Caroline all bundled up.

Unfortunately the ice was all Caroline had to play with, you really couldn't get to the snow.

I had to stomp the ice to get it to break every time I put my foot down - Caroline didn't make a dent.

Love the view from our backyard!!

Caroline did find a little snow to knock off the window sill. She was ready to go inside at this point, but we convinced her to stay out a little longer. To be honest, ice really isn't that fun - you can't make anything with it.

I pulled this chuck of ice off the grill cover. Caroline had fun throwing the ice down and breaking it.

As I was clearing the grill cover, I found snow underneath and made a pile for Caroline. She really enjoyed playing with the snow. I just wish we had gone out the day before when there was no ice.

She was ready to go inside - and I guess Cal and I weren't cooperating - so she took off by herself.

As we were walking inside the garage, I looked down and saw this ladybug laying on top of the ice. It was kind of odd looking.

After the ice melted, Caroline and I played in the snow. She had so much fun. She loves Frosty the Snowman from the 1960s that comes on TV around Christmas time, so we built a snowman. I took this picture while she was taking her nap - a couple of hours after we made it. I call it our Charlie Brown Snowman. The important thing is that Caroline really liked it and got to participate.

The same night, I looked outside and saw this. I was sure it would fall off during the middle of the night and wake Caroline up - her bedroom is right above the front porch roof - but we never heard it.

Cute Scientist

2010-02-02T14:56:00.005-06:00

A couple of Saturdays ago, we went to my parents to visit. Caroline found Uncle Charles's goggles and - since everything she sees belongs to her - put them on.

We tried to get her to put them on correctly, but I think they felt too tight on her face. She started chewing on them instead - until we realized what she was doing. Hopefully Uncle Charles hasn't noticed the bite marks.

The next Saturday, we visited Granny Jessica and Aunt Linda, and everyone had a great time!

As you can see, someone missed her nap.

New Year's Day & The 1st Snow

2010-01-28T14:06:00.011-06:00

On New Year's Day, we went to Cal's cousins, Chris and Christy's, house - we didn't get to see them at Christmas because Christy was sick. Below is the reason we don't ask Caroline to smile for the camera anymore.

While we were there, Chris and Christy gave Caroline the coolest Elmo microwave for Christmas. It has a turntable that rotates, and a couple of the pieces of food actually pop up when they are done. She played with it nonstop for a couple of days. Now it is in the normal rotation.

Below, Chris is giving Caroline a piggyback ride. She loved it! Although she doesn't like men (except daddy, her granddads and Uncle Charles), she has definitely embraced Chris.

Our first snow of the winter (the next morning) was so deep we could hardly walk. HA! If you look really hard on the ground and in the air, you might see a few flakes. But, when we told Caroline it was snowing, she said, "I have to get my boots on and go outside," so we did. It was SO COLD that day we stayed out less than 10 minutes.

While Cal and I were fixing breakfast, Caroline had to play with her new microwave.

Could this be a new trend - how many hair accessories can we fit in our hair? She wanted more, but I finally convinced her they wouldn't fit.

Christmas Morning at Home 2009

2010-01-11T15:15:00.006-06:00

On Christmas morning, both sets of grandparents and my brother (Uncle Charles) came over to see what Santa brought.

When Caroline first sat on the Sit 'n Spin, she wanted me to do all the work and turn her. She figured out pretty quickly that it's a lot more fun when she does it herself - she goes a lot faster!

Santa brought a Dora doll that actually smells like strawberries and came with a brush which Caroline enjoys using. Unfortunately for Dora, her hair doesn't look that good anymore.

She had so much fun tearing wrapping paper this year!

Cal and I got her a shopping cart. Once she opened it, she started putting presents in it and pushing them over to the spot where she was opening her presents.

Then, she would put her trash in it and push it over to Ger for disposal. It really kept things nice and neat.

She brought another present over to open, and then...

took another load to Ger. It was really cute to watch!

Grammie and Ger got her a tutu. We were trying to get her to pose like a ballerina (since we know so much about it) - this is her interpretation.

Grandma and Grandpa got Caroline a Minnie Mouse cash register. She sometimes uses the scanner as a phone.

Caroline was so much fun during Christmas this year. She really enjoyed it. I think next year will be even better!!

Christmas in Shelbyville 2009

2010-01-11T15:04:00.004-06:00

Cal's aunts and Granny Jessica gave Caroline a recordable version of The Night Before Christmas with each one reading a page or two. Caroline loves hearing it over and over. She'll probably have it memorized by next Christmas.

Caroline definitely enjoyed playing with Rocky. He was very patient and gentle with her.

She kept hugging him again and again, and he mostly stood there and let her do it.

Aunt Diane gave Caroline a pram. For the first few days, we had to take it everywhere we went - good thing we have an SUV.

After the festivities, Caroline helped vacuum the rug.

For some reason, she would not move from this spot. She would reach out as far as she could - that one strip was very clean!

Christmas Eve 2009

2010-01-07T13:14:00.001-06:00

On Christmas Eve, Caroline received the traditional Christmas pajamas.

When Cal asked her to hold them up so he could take a picture, this is what she did.

We decided to be a little more specific for the second one.

Caroline wanted to leave cookies for Santa on her plate with a glass of milk and a Nemo napkin.

These are presents Caroline put under the tree for some of our family. They are sorted by wrapping paper and in a straight line - I can't imagine where she gets that!! Ha, Ha!!!

Baking: Christmas 2009

2010-01-05T14:50:00.007-06:00

The Sunday before Christmas we decided to knock out almost all of our baking. This was the first year Caroline really participated, and she had so much fun making sugar cookies. She helped roll out the dough...

cut out cookies...

and make fingerprints in the cookies as she smashed them into the cookie sheet. Unfortunately, I can't say there were no cookies harmed in the making of this blog entry.

Earlier that day we went to the mall to use a coupon that was about to expire. Caroline and I went to Gymboree while daddy tried on shoes. She had been wanting an umbrella for months, and we FINALLY found a good one!!! As soon as we got home, she opened it up and started carrying it around (and no we're not superstitious). As you can see, she didn't even waste time taking off her coat.

After a couple of mintues of picture taking, she decided she wanted to take daddy's picture with the umbrella. I only helped keep the camera steady and Cal actually made it in the picture!

Caroline & The Fatboy

2009-12-19T20:47:00.010-06:00

When my mother-in-law's best friend found out that Caroline loves motorcycles, her husband offered to let Caroline come "test drive" his yellow Harley Fatboy! We knew Caroline would be so excited, and she was. At first, she wouldn't sit on it alone - I think she was afraid she was going to slide off.

Then, she decided she wanted to have it all to herself.

She got a little more adventurous the longer she sat on it. Look - no feet!

Caroline finally decided to share, and we got this priceless family photo.

After she was done with the Harley (primarily because she was cold), she enjoyed bouncing endlessly on the rebounder. . .

. . . and dancing . . .

. . . sometimes, in unconventional ways.

After warming up, it was time for round #2!

I love my Harley!!

Visit to the Art Museum

2009-12-18T13:08:00.004-06:00

I decided to take Caroline to the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, because they had a free admission day on Wednesday. When we arrived, I took her to the gallery to look at the art work (just to see what she would think). After about 2 minutes, she said, "I want to go to the art museum," so I took her to the kid's area. It's an interactive area, so she began by using colored pencils to create her masterpiece.

Then, she painted for the first time in her life which she really enjoyed. When it was time to leave, she didn't want to go. I guess there will probably be a return trip in our future.

1st Haircut

2009-12-08T14:27:00.005-06:00

Caroline had her 1st haircut on Saturday. We wanted to have her 2-year pictures taken before we cut her hair. As you can see, it was really long. She had 4 inches cut off at the longest point.

Caroline had been getting pretend haircuts for months, so she would be prepared for the real thing. It really paid off, because she sat still the entire time.

I think she enjoyed having her hair cut, because she smiled most of the time.

She looks so grown up now, and the cut is really adorable.

Decorating: Christmas 2009

2009-12-08T14:16:00.004-06:00

While we were decorating for Christmas, I was going to hang the stockings on the fireplace, but Caroline decided she had to have them. When I handed them to her, she immediately sat down, took off her crocs and put the stockings on.

She tried to walk in them, but they were a little too slippery.

Flashback: Christmas 2007. This was the first time Caroline put on a stocking! She did not attempt to walk on this occasion -- she's become such a daredevil at age 2! In many ways, it seems like yesterday that we were bringing her home. We can't believe how much she's changed.

Birthday Adventure

2009-11-28T19:01:00.003-06:00

On Caroline's birthday, we took her to Opry Mills. The first place we took her was Build-a-Bear. She picked a dog - no surprise there - and we named her Maggie. I love the bows they put in Maggie's hair. Cal didn't understand why a stuffed animal needed clothes. He's still learning about little girls.

Then, we ate at Burger King. We took her for a real birthday lunch on Wednesday to Maggiano's, her favorite restaurant, where she had her favorite meal - chicken parmesan.

After lunch, we took her to Dave & Buster's. They have a couple of games she loves to play and win tons of tickets. Here, she's pretending to drive.

Daddy and Caroline riding a motorcycle.

Later, she decided to use Maggie's box as a hat.

Caroline's 2nd Birthday Party

2009-11-24T13:25:00.007-06:00

We had Caroline's birthday party last Saturday - I still can't believe she is 2. Caroline is helping daddy grill hamburgers and hot dogs.

Caroline and her best friend Blair (who were born 10 days apart) are enjoying Cal's grilling - but mostly they are enjoying Doritos.

After lunch, we opened presents. My brother got Caroline the coolest book called Waddle that she loves. We had to take it away to open more presents.

As you can see, she loves books. Cal and I ended up opening most of her presents because she was too focused on the books she got.

Grammie and Ger got her a rocking horse, which she rides several times a day.

Cal and I got her a tricycle. She also rides on it several times a day. She doesn't have any trouble pedaling, but we definitely need to work on steering (she is improving though).

We had a Nemo theme for her party. I made cupcakes and a Nemo cake.

Caroline loved the icing off the cupcake!

After everyone left, Caroline enjoyed playing with all her new toys. We got her cutting food, which is wooden pieces of food held together by velcro. It comes with a wooden knife and a cutting board. She sat and played with it for an hour straight after her birthday party. She has hardly touched her old toys since her birthday party.

Halloween & Building Shelves

2009-11-16T16:12:00.003-06:00

Caroline dressed up as Snow White again this year. She didn't go trick-or-treating because of nap issues but she loves dressing up in her costume.

We spent two weekends building shelves for our garage. Caroline wanted to help and really enjoyed hammering. Anytime she sees a hammer now she wants to use it.

She was really concentrating here - you can see her tongue sticking out.

Another cute pigtail picture - I couldn't resist.

Ponytails and Pigtails

2009-10-30T15:02:00.006-05:00

Caroline has started letting me put her hair in a ponytail some. It completely changes the way she looks.

Here's how she looks when she decides to pull the ponytail holder out of her hair. This hair style reminds me of Donald Trump and Cal of Woody Woodpecker.

Here, she's sporting her chocolate icing mustache. She did eventually eat a little of the cake part.

After a few successful ponytail attempts, I decide to go for pigtails. She looks so adorable!

Gymboree

2009-10-27T13:47:00.008-05:00

Here we are at Gymboree. Since we can attend unlimited classes right now, we sometimes go on Saturday so daddy can join in the fun. Caroline loves Gymboree!!! She was so excited daddy came with us that she didn't want to leave.

After Gymboree we went to Grammie and Ger's house. Grammie bought her a special notebook to write in. She always wants to use a pen to write/color. She hardly touches crayons anymore.

Caroline and Ger were making "soup." She loves to help cook. When I'm cooking, she will ask, "Need help momma?" The other day I was carrying her things in from the car, and she asked me if I needed help - she is so sweet.

Caroline won't pose with us for many pictures, so I'm glad we got a good one.

Recently Caroline has started singing the entire alphabet. She usually starts with H for some reason. When she gets to "now I've sung my ABCs," she starts singing the alphabet again - "now I've sung my ABCDEFGH...and Z, now I've sung my ABCDEFGH, etc." It has become the song that never ends.

Touch-A-Truck

2009-10-13T14:26:00.006-05:00

We went to Touch-a-Truck on Saturday. Touch-a-Truck is an event with construction equipment and emergency vehicles where kids can explore all the equipment and "drive" most of it. Caroline loved it!! Our little girl LOVES construction equipment. Every time we go somewhere we have to look for equipment - dump trucks, cement mixers, tractors, etc.

They gave the kids hard hats.

Caroline is driving the dump truck.

We're in the back of a FedEx tractor trailer complete with a roller conveyor belt.

She's checking out the ambulance.

Sitting in the Franklin trolley car.

All the kids loved walking/running on this truck. Caroline was being very cautious and wouldn't let go of my hand.

The school bus was one of her favorites. We sometimes get to see a school bus in our neighborhood and the bus driver honks the horn and waves to Caroline, so she was very excited to see the bus up close and sit on the seats.

Caroline is the tiny speck in white standing in front of the back right tire.

I think the favorite piece of equipment of the day was the garbage truck because they were doing demonstrations. I have never seen a garbage truck arm as fast as that one.

After the demonstration, she wanted to sit in the seat and drive the garbage truck. We all had a lot of fun and look forward to the next one - hopefully it will be warmer. Caroline couldn't settle down for her nap 3 hours later because she was so excited - it took her over an hour to finally fall asleep. For those of you with kids, I would definitely recommend this (it's free).

Boring

2009-10-08T14:58:00.002-05:00

The title doesn't mean this post is going to be boring (I'm sure it will be the highlight of your weekend) - only that we've been boring the last few weeks. Don't worry though, we've got something scheduled every Saturday for the next 5 -6 weeks so I don't think I'll have any trouble finding material to update the blog. I plan to update it every Monday.

For the past couple of weeks, Caroline has started talking exclusively in sentences. It makes my life so much easier, because she can tell me exactly what she wants/needs or if she doesn't like something, she'll say "I no like that." We will have to work on wants and needs though because she will sometimes tell us "I need some ice cream."

Speaking of sentences, I was rocking Caroline before her nap today, and she started rubbing/playing with my neck. Then, she started pinching my neck like she was trying to get some of it to come off, so I told her not to pinch. This was her reply - "Mommy, have a little piece of your neck."

Cal asked her to smile and this is what we got. I think we're in trouble for pictures next Saturday at the pumpkin patch!

Getting a precious hug from Caroline - she hardly gives them anymore so it's an honor when you do get one.

Daddy and Caroline playing after a hard day's work for daddy. Caroline is always so excited to see daddy come home. This is the smile we need for our pictures.

How do you eat a PB&J?

2009-09-21T14:29:00.003-05:00

For the past few months Caroline has not eaten a sandwich if it has a top on it - I guess she wants to see what she is eating. More recently, she has decided she only wants the jelly on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, so she takes her finger and scraps the jelly off the peanut butter and eats it.

Last week, she decided to try a different method - a spoon.

I actually prefer this method too because she gets some peanut butter and it is definitely less messy.

Planting Flowers

2009-09-16T14:22:00.007-05:00

My parents brought us some beautiful mums for our front landscaping which definitely needs some help - the builder picked all the landscaping before we purchased the house. We decided the mums would look better in pots on the porch, so we all went to Home Depot and bought some pots Cal and I had seen the day before. Caroline is always such a big help. Surprisingly, she kept all the dirt in the pot.

The finished product - it really adds some color.

We also bought a grill Labor Day weekend for Cal's Father's Day from last year (2008). I'm not sure what took us so long. For our first meal, we had hamburgers and grilled corn. I really like the easy clean up when you use a grill!

That same night we gave Caroline a tricycle (with a parent push handle) that I bought at a consignment sale for $4. She loves it! We'll probably upgrade it for her birthday or Christmas, but for $4 we can live with how ugly it looks for a few months.

Caroline hanging out on her Elmo potty. She loves to sit on it - usually with her diaper on - but she does actually use it for the intended purpose once in a while.

Lazy Days at Home

2009-08-31T14:55:00.004-05:00

It took us a little while to figure out what Caroline was doing here. She started saying "daddy's car," and we realized this was her car and she is driving her animals around. She drives different animals or baby dolls around - I guess it depends on where she is going that day.

She's enjoying a favorite snack - mott's country berry applesauce. She has to do everything herself. We hear "I do it," "I got it," etc. all the time.

Daddy and Caroline dancing in the destroyed living room. Since we have a playroom upstairs, I naively thought our downstairs would be fairly toy free, but Caroline had other plans. She wants to stay downstairs a lot - I think it's because downstairs she can run circles and circles and circles...

Caroline is planning her escape. I put the drinks there to take out to the garage. I guess we're going to have to put the door knob covers on our outside doors, so she really doesn't escape.

She especially enjoyed playing with the dead bolt - it makes more noise than the knob lock.

Cooking with Caroline

2009-08-31T14:47:00.006-05:00

Caroline is cooking one of her favorite meals - scrambled eggs. Look at the eggs go! After a couple of minutes she started making a mess, so we had to take the whisk from her which didn't go well. The next time we fixed eggs I gave her a plastic container with water and a smaller whisk so she could get as messy as she wanted. It was a hit!

Outdoor Fun

2009-08-17T15:40:00.006-05:00

Caroline is fascinated by lawn mowers so I decided she needed her own. It is supposed to blow bubbles - that part doesn't work quite right - but she doesn't seem to mind. She starts it up and off she goes.

She needed to work on it. As you can see, the bubble solution spills out every time you look under the "hood."

We finally got a chance to swim at my parent's pool since it was put back together after the tornado. We thought Caroline's reactions to sunscreen application were particularly cute.

Here she's cruising around with grandpa.

We were enjoying a really nice evening outside with daddy, grammie and ger. We're not sure what she was doing here.

Caroline was standing on the sidewalk saying, "three, one, two, blastoff!" She'd stand up and squat down while she was counting, then when she got to blastoff she would run and hug my legs. She did this over and over. It's amazing how much energy she has.

I was swinging her between my legs until she started holding her legs out to the side - and then she didn't fit so well.

Playing in the Dirt

2009-07-30T13:56:00.006-05:00

A couple of Saturdays ago, we decided to go to Edwin Warner Park and play in the dirt piles. Caroline wanted daddy to put her shoes on.

As soon as Caroline saw the slide, she climbed to the top of the dirt pile to slide down the longest slide she's probably ever seen. The only problem was the landing - she didn't like landing in the sand, so one time was enough.

When she first starting playing in the sand/dirt, she would hold up her hands and say, "clean it." I wasn't sure if she would get over her hands being dirty and actually play - but she did until she saw the...

WATER SPOUT!!! She stood there and washed the shovel and her hands over and over. It was definitely her favorite part!

She monitored everyone's usage of the water .

Like the energizer bunny, she keep washing and washing...

This was her "swimming pool." Thankfully she didn't plop down in the water like some of the other kids. I'm sure that will be a future blog. Stay tuned.

Little Red Wagon

2009-07-20T14:04:00.004-05:00

We bought Caroline a red wagon so we could take her to the neighborhood pool and for walks. She loves her wagon! The stroller she once loved has been unused for months - big girls don't use those.

Mathmetician?

2009-07-13T13:49:00.004-05:00

Today Caroline was lying in her crib before she fell asleep for her nap. She always talks constantly until she finally falls asleep. She started calling out for me and then saying, "couple of dollars" over and over. We don't know where she picked that up but it's funny. As I kept listening she started counting. Normally she will count 1,2,3 then jump to 8, 9, 10,11. This time she said 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, pond. I'm not sure where pond fits it, but you can't expect perfection at 19 months. She just amazes us more and more with her memory and verbal skills. She can say rhinoceros perfectly and only has a little trouble with hippopotamus. We always wonder what she'll come up with next.

Firsts

2009-07-06T14:24:00.007-05:00

I guess I should have put the cereal pictures with these - oh, well.

First ponytail: Caroline found one of my ponytail holders and wanted a ponytail. She left it in long enough for me to take a picture.

First bubble bath: I bought some new bubble bath/body wash for Caroline because she loves bubbles. When I wash her hair, she always wants me to put my hands in the water so she can have bubbles. Below is the result of her 1st bubble bath. I think the pictures speak for themselves.

She kept holding up her arms and her toys saying "clean it," so we drained all the bubbles out and started over. I think everyone has to have a picture like this.

First deck building project: My parents are rebuilding their deck, and this is how Caroline helped out - walking on the balance beam. She was fascinated walking back and forth across the boards. This is how she spent her July 4th.

Hanging out at Home

2009-06-28T14:05:00.007-05:00

Caroline loves cereal, but I have been feeding it to her to avoid the mess. One day I figured it was time to let her do it by herself. Much to my surprise, she didn't make a mess - she got a little on her chin and in her bib. She was so proud of herself! Little Miss Independent!

Some of Cal's family came to visit and Caroline had to show off her purse, beads and bracelets. She was ready to go shopping. When we're going somewhere, I'll ask her where we're going and she usually says Gymboree but sometimes her answer is Target. When we go to Target I let her play with the toys, so it's a very memorable experience for a 19-month old.

Playing outside is definitely a favorite activity.

Bubbles are always a hit!

It is sometimes the simplest things that are so fascinating - playing with tree bark.

1st Trip to the Pool

2009-06-19T15:28:00.006-05:00

We went to the pool for the first time a couple of weeks ago. The water was COLD!!! Caroline didn't want to have anything to do with it, so for the first 30 minutes this is what she did:

A family with a little boy a couple months older than Caroline got there when we did, and we got Caroline interested in the water by going over to see him and the bugs his dad was getting out of the water (she loves bugs). They ended up playing for an hour. Now, Caroline loves playing in the pool!

Fun at Home

2009-06-10T15:12:00.005-05:00

Caroline didn't want to get out of her car seat after we got home one day. After about 5 minutes, I told her I would bring her other car seat in from the garage so she could sit in it. She ate all her snacks in it and even part of her lunch. She loves to buckle the straps!

A friend asked me to make cupcakes for her daughter's birthday. I wanted to do a trial run, and Caroline selflessly volunteered to eat one. She enjoyed tearing it apart more than eating it.

Look at that form - pens are so much more fun than crayons.

A rare moment of waiting patiently for a diaper change.

I wanted her to try on a rain coat I bought her, and she wouldn't take it off.

May 2009

2009-06-01T14:48:00.001-05:00

This was taken during her banana craze. Unfortunately, I think she is burned out on bananas. Now she'll take one or two bites and is done, but she has developed a love for pineapple.

Here is the lovely"pond" in our backyard (we do actually own part of it). Thankfully, this only happens when it rains a lot - usually it's dry.

Caroline is such a girl - pushing her stroller and carrying her purse. In case you're wondering, that's painter's tape she is pushing around.

Look at that flexibility!

I bought her some sidewalk chalk to use on our back patio. She had to try out all 20 colors.

I didn't realize how messy it would be.

My Brother's Graduation

2009-05-23T13:38:00.003-05:00

My brother graduated from high school!! Talk about time flying. As you can see, Caroline loves her uncle Charles.

This is one of the cakes I made for his graduation party. It was fun but challenging because I'm such a perfecionist.

Grandpa and cousin Chris pushed Caroline up and down the hill several times - nothing is more exciting!

Running around in circles - this is Caroline in her element. She doesn't usually sit still for more than a few seconds. Too much for an 18-month old to do.

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T13:32:00.007-05:00

The Saturday before Mother's Day we went to Granny's house to visit with Cal's family. His grandmother always lets Caroline play with her silver bracelets. When Caroline wears them, she looks like such a little girl - they grow up so fast!!

Cal's grandmother fixed her Oreo ice cream pie, and Caroline gobbled it up. She made the funniest face every time she ate it because it was so cold. She also had half the chocolate topping on her face - she insisted on feeding herself. She won't let me feed her anymore. She has become so independent in that respect.

The next day on Mother's Day we went to my parent's house to celebrate Mother's Day and my brother's eighteenth birthday.

Caroline always wants to play the "piano."

Caroline enjoyed wearing this dress which was so exciting to me because my mom made this dress for me when I was little, and it fit Caroline perfectly.

Enjoying the New House

2009-04-30T15:08:00.007-05:00

These are a few pictures of Caroline enjoying the new house.

She LOVES bananas. Sometimes she eats two a day and doesn't make a mess.

Butcher paper not only makes good window treatments but is great for coloring too.

I'm not sure what Caroline was thinking with this. She has one of Cal's winter gloves on and a pacifier in her mouth (which she never used for the intended purpose but loves to chew on).

Caroline was playing with Cal while I was getting ready for church. She loves playing peek-a-boo between the spindles on the stairs.

Easter

2009-04-12T14:53:00.005-05:00

On Easter we went to grannymama's house to hang out and hunt Easter eggs. Caroline enjoyed wearing the bunny ears...

and hunting eggs...

and taking family photos.

WE MOVED

2009-03-31T14:13:00.003-05:00

We moved on March 31st! We finally have more space, and Caroline loves running around in all the new space.

This was the last morning she was in her crib at the old house. We took her crib apart a couple of days before we moved so we wouldn't have to do it that day - BIG mistake. She rolled off the mattress the first night, so I got to sleep on the floor beside her. The next night we learned from our mistake and put sleeping bags and blankets on the floor so she wouldn't roll off. Not long after she went to sleep, I heard the pitter-patter of little feet, and Caroline was walking through the bathroom toward me. I got to sleep on the floor with her for a second night - nothing like getting two good nights of sleep before you finish packing and move.

This is our new house. I can't tell you how much we love it! It is around 2,800 square feet with 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths and a PLAYROOM! This was a must for all the toys.

Caroline made herself right at home. Fortunately, she transitioned flawlessly.

Here is the kitchen (if you can see it under all the boxes). I hate packing and unpacking, but it's worth it in the end.

Do you like our window treatments? We went 5 weeks without blinds because we have so many windows and some of the sizes were special order. You don't realize how much you needs blinds until you don't have them. When the day came for the blinds to be installed, it was like Christmas for me.

Once we finish unpacking and have the house reasonably together, we'll post more pictures of the house.

March 2009

2009-03-07T13:59:00.000-06:00

We had a tiny amount of snow on the ground, so we dressed Caroline up to go play outside before it melted. She had such a hard time walking with all the bulk but looked so adorable.

Caroline and daddy - it is so sweet! Cal was reading her one of her favorite books ("Sweet Dreams Mimi") before bed.

This was a really warm day in March, so we went to the playground with some friends. Caroline loves to swing - but who doesn't?

February 2009

2009-02-28T13:41:00.002-06:00

If you're wondering what's in the container - it's a MOUSE! We had one in our house for a few days. We tried to catch it in a trap that doesn't kill it, but it chewed through two of them. We then tried the traps that don't keep them alive, but it never went near them (smart mouse). One night it was running around, and I told Cal we had to catch it somehow. I went and got a Rubbermaid container and finally the mouse hopped in after I corner it. Caroline thought it was great. I think she wanted to keep it, because she asked about it for days after we let it go.

On Valentine's Day, Caroline got some Sesame Street books and a coloring book. It's so nice she's at an age where it doesn't take much to make her happy.

We were over at my parent's house for a visit, and Caroline decided to pose for the camera in her panda outfit.

January 2009

2009-01-31T13:02:00.003-06:00

Caroline is still learning to feed herself. This is how it usually ends - and then straight to the bath.

Caroline loves for us to read to her. We read several books a day. On this day, she decided to read a book to her baby.

She loves to "help" daddy on the laptop. She always does things to the computer that require a "help" search on the computer for daddy to figure out how to change it back to normal. It's amazing how many buttons she can push at one time.

She also loves to work on her own laptop. She got it for Christmas, and she still plays with it everyday!

Miscellaneous

2009-01-20T13:31:00.001-06:00

Here are a couple of pictures that I thought were cute.

As you can see, Caroline loves the camera. She probably thinks it is part of everyday life because she has seen it so much. I'm really surprised camera or smile or picture was not her first word.

This was one of those nights that began with a struggle to get her to eat anything. In my frustration, I put the food in front of her, gave her a spoon and let her eat. I'm not sure she actually got any to her mouth with her spoon (her hands were a different story), but it allowed me the opportunity to get her to eat almost the entire thing because she was so distracted spooning food onto her tray/floor/clothes. She had a really good time until I had to dry her off after her bath.

Christmas Day Excitement

2009-01-15T14:43:00.006-06:00

On Christmas Day, we planned to be at my parents (where Santa brought her presents) at 8:00a. We had 3 stops that day so we didn't want to get too late a start but also didn't want to get up at the crack of dawn. Caroline was SO excited Santa came to see her that she slept until 9:30a - this from a child who normally wakes up no later than 7:00a. However, Cal and I were both able to get completely ready, load the SUV, and still have 2 hours to wait until she finally woke up. The whole day began 2 hours behind!!

At my parents, we started with Santa gifts which are not wrapped (a Renegar family tradition).

One of the presents we got her was a Sit & Spin Zebra. We told her it was a toy for her to sit on, so she climbed up on the box and sat on it.

Our next stop was Shelbyville to have Christmas with my father-in-law's family. At this point Caroline started losing interest in unwrapping presents, so she mostly played with toys we unwrapped.

The last stop was my dad's family in Nashville. We didn't arrive there until dinner time, but Caroline was a trooper and lasted until after she would normally go to bed. Since she went to bed so late that night and didn't get a great nap that day, she again slept late. This continued for a couple weeks, but we are now back on schedule.

Christmas Eve & Chicken Dance Elmo

2009-01-09T13:43:00.014-06:00

On Christmas Eve, we went to Cool Springs to have Christmas with my mother-in-law's family at her niece's house. The first thing Caroline did when she arrived was check out their dog (Nelson), since she absolutely loves dogs! Nelson also did some checking out of his own, but Caroline didn't mind too much.

Caroline has unfortunately gotten to the stage where she constantly pulls her bow out unless she is completely distracted - even then she will eventually pull it out. Cal happened to be closest to her when she pulled it out , so he decided it could serve a different purpose - a bow tie for his polo shirt. All he needed were wire-rim glasses to complete the look. It did look festive though!

I think for the adults the entertainment was provided by Caroline's reaction to Chicken Dance Elmo. She had previously played with a similar one at a friend's house and thought he was funny; however, that was not quite the reaction we got. When Chicken Dance Elmo started "dancing" toward Caroline, she moved quicker than I have ever seen her move. Grammie was closest, so she jetted toward her to be "saved." Once Elmo came too close, Caroline picked him up and basically threw him at me. Kids are so funny though, because she kept wanting me to start him up but then she would throw him back. To this day, they still have a love-hate relationship.

Caroline really enjoyed unwrapping presents. We were surprised that she would actually rip the paper to see what was inside. I guess any time you have permission to rip paper at her age you can't pass that up.

Her aunt Deborah gave her a laptop - her first one but I'm sure not her last (she'll probably be required to have one for kindergarten). I think this was one of her favorite Christmas gifts. As you can see, she was typing away before it was even out of the box.

This is how Caroline and Nelson ended their night. Caroline had a wonderful time playing with him - I just hope he's recovered.

The Friday After Thanksgiving

2009-01-07T10:36:00.014-06:00

The day after Thanksgiving we went to my parents' house. Caroline loves to go outside when she is over there to chase the cat, but she also enjoyed playing in the leaves this particular day. She's never seen this many leaves since we don't have any trees in front of our house. When she saw her daddy come outside, she couldn't get there fast enough.

It was also the first time she rode in a Radio Flyer! She really knows how to ride in style.

As you can see here, she was getting a little more adventurous, so my mom had to grab hold. She still doesn't realize that you can't just jump off something.

After all the excitement outside, we put the Christmas tree up. We actually put our tree up at their house, because I didn't want to spend every minute of everyday being the Christmas tree police.

I think Cal just went along at first because I felt strongly about it. HOWEVER, after a couple minutes of telling Caroline "No, don't touch the ornaments!" (or some variation of that), I think he realized how right I was! Hopefully next year, we will have our tree in a much larger new house! I'll post info and pictures of it if we EVER get a contract signed. But that's a post for another day.

Thanksgiving

2009-01-07T10:07:00.016-06:00

I'll try not to go so long between posts next time! With the holidays (not to mention the food poisoning Cal and I got the Friday after Christmas), I just couldn't find the time or energy to look through - literally - a couple thousand pictures. I plan to catch up soon.

For the first time since Cal and I started dating in 1997, we had a very quiet Thanksgiving. We went to Cal's parents and had lunch with his granny and two of his aunts (on his dad's side). The aunts gave Caroline a mouse that recites the Night Before Christmas. Caroline really wasn't sure what to think about it at first, but now she loves it! It makes this funny/annoying laugh before it starts speaking, and Caroline turns it on and off OVER AND OVER AND OVER to hear the laugh - it hardly ever gets past the laugh.

Caroline loves playing with/trying to eat the magnets off the frig. She was pretending to give them away but would pull them back before anyone could touch them (which she thinks is the funniest thing). Cal calls her an Indian giver because she does that to him all the time.

Caroline thought Thanksgiving lunch was okay. She ate some turkey, but for some reason she has not grown to love mashed potatoes like every true Southerner - playing with "big people" spoons was much more entertaining.

She looked very stylish in her great-granny's Thanksgiving vest. I don't think you would confuse which holiday she was dressed for in this outfit.

Caroline's Birthday - One Month Late

2008-12-22T15:49:00.026-06:00

Welcome to our blog!

I'm finally starting a blog to keep everyone updated on our "exciting" life. I decided to take the plunge because I love reading Emily's blog (a friend from law school), and her husband (Matt) keeps asking when we are starting a blog - so here goes! Now, I will HAVE to remember to take my camera everywhere so I will actually have new material. I think the title describes pretty accurately what my focus will be. I'm starting with Caroline's birthday and working my way forward. Her party was Elmo themed - what 1 year old doesn't love Elmo? We began the festivities with her "smash" cake.

Then everyone got to enjoy cake that had not been poked, prodded or slobbered on.

After we opened presents, you can see what she enjoyed playing with the most - RIBBONS. She now plays with the other toys she received (we secretly threw the ribbon away).

As you can see from the last picture, she can walk on her own but has decided she's not going to yet. She can be so stubborn sometimes. We just hope she starts walking unassisted by the time she goes to kindergarten, although I think Cal has his doubts.