The Krauss Family

Lately...

2012-02-13T17:41:00.000-08:00

Well, we moved...and, boy, was it crazy!!! It took us two weeks, but we finally have internet. Woohoo! Back to the blogging world for me :-)
So I've been terrible about taking pictures of anything because I've basically been consumed with unpacking and getting settled for two week. However, I did manage to snap some pics of a couple things we've been up to lately:
Watching the Superbowl with Mimi and PopPop...two of New York Giants' biggest fans!!

A little New York Giants fan in the making maybe?? Not if I have anything to say about it ;-)

Team Madrid a.k.a. Team Soccerellas had their first soccer game last Saturday!

Our little soccer player...#7 just like her daddy was when he played soccer as a young lad:

Of course the game was on the coldest day we've had all year. Y'all. It was FREEZING!!!!! I think it was something like 34 degrees at the time of the game but the windchill in the 20s. The poor girls were miserable. But they played. Unfortunately, they got creamed by the other team...who had already played together 2 seasons prior btw. Caroline went out on the field and pranced around, but I don't think she quite understands the concept of the game quite yet. That's okay...Team Soccerellas will get there :-)

Trying to keep Bubs warm...he was pretty miserable :-(

Caroline liked to stop the ball whenever she would get it...she's got that move down. Now, we just have to teach her dribbling, stealing and scoring. Matt worked with her a little on it yesterday and she did really well with him. We'll see if it translates over to game #2. Way to go, Team Madrid...y'all did great despite the frigid weather!!!

2012-01-28T07:39:00.000-08:00

We interrupt this regularly scheduled (or, these days, I should say irregularly scheduled :-) blog because we are MOVING today!! Our house is ready (well, move-in ready) after 7 looooong months of construction. I don't know when we'll have internet up and running but hopefully I'll be back to blogging soon. Stay tuned!!

Team Soccerellas

2012-01-26T08:51:00.000-08:00

Caroline is officially a soccer player...she is on Team Soccerellas :-) Matt and I were hesitant to let her start soccer so young, but we didn't want to pass up an opportunity for Caroline to be on a team with some of her besties. We knew it would be so much fun for her! We had our first practice last Sunday. We love our team and our awesome coaches, Coach Scott and Coach Casey!!

Goal!!

Caroline was very serious about her drills and did such a good job practicing:

However, when it was time to scrimmage, she couldn't be less interested. She decided it was more fun to play Ring Around the Rosie with Lucy instead ;-) Games should be interesting, ha!

Bubs had a great time practicing too. I think he is ready to be on his own team!

Two soccer balls...score!!

Things I learned from our first practice:

***Caroline LOVES soccer so far and has asked to go back to practice every day

***She is so excited to be on a team with her sweet friends

***Bows do NOT belong at soccer practice/games, oops :-)

***We are in MAJOR need of some athletic clothes and shoes

***We can't wait for our first game...go Soccerellas!!

14 Months Old

2012-01-24T14:39:00.000-08:00

Matthew is 14 1/2 months old!!

Recently, Matthew...

fully dropped his morning nap and now takes one afternoon nap that usually lasts anywhere from 2-3 hours
HAS to go to sleep exactly at 7:00 and sleeps until about 7:30 in the morning
Loves to eat breakfast and dinner but isn't a huge fan of lunch
Loves pizza, eggs, pancakes, veggies, peanut butter sandwiches, french fries, bananas, graham crackers...these are just some favorites, however, he generally eats whatever we put in front of him (unless it's lunchtime :-)

LOVES to read! Which makes this book-lovin' momma SO happy! I so badly want my kids to love reading. Matthew now requests/is obsessed with Daddy Hugs by Karen Katz. He says "dada" and points to the book over and over until we read it to him. It's part of every bedtime routine now. Matthew will also sit and listen to 3-4 books at a time. He loves to point to different things and loves turning the pages.
thinks it's so funny to "give" us things and will try to hand us almost anything in his hands...he laughs when we say thank you

has 3 new molars that just came in with 3 more teeth on the way...grand total almost equalling 14 teeth
wears a size 3 diaper still but I need to move him up to size 4 diapers
wears size 12-18 month clothes

loves to wave "hi" and "bye"
is still my cuddler before bedtime
loves to smile and laugh
is a little reserved/cautious like his sister
is obsessed with cups/lids and bottles/caps...obsessed I tell you!
gives head bonks instead of kisses :-)
signs please, more, all done and nods "yes/no" appropriately
loves animals and loves to point out dogs, birds, squirrels, etc... when we're outside
makes the lion, cow, and snake sounds
sometimes makes the letter s, b, and m sounds when asked
says dada, mama, Yaya, cracker, banana, cookie, down, up, and a modified version of sissy, however, his main mode of communication is still screaming at the top of his lungs (sigh)
can identify his head, tummy, and foot
always closes doors and gets stuck in closets and rooms
is walking everywhere and fast...he hardly crawls anymore
loves to ride in Caroline's red car even though he can't push it with his feet yet
likes to play with puzzle pieces and still likes to carry balls around
he especially loves playing with soccer balls and can even walk and kick them
hit a golf ball with Caroline's putter this month...Matt was proud :-)
is really enjoying playing with Caroline more and more, especially in the bath
wants to be playing right next to his sister at most times
holds Caroline's hand in the car...melts my heart every time
gets VERY mad now when Caroline takes a toy away from him
still loves climbing and can scale a playground in no time
wants nothing to do with: having his diaper changed, getting dressed, being told "no"...tantrums are now in full swing, getting out of the bath, sitting in a high chair for very long, watching t.v., swinging
wants everything to do with: his sister and daddy, dancing, listening to music, playing outside (he asks to go outside all day long), doing the motions to "Itsy Bitsy Spider", climbing on anything he can especially stairs, playing with legos

Happy 14 Month birthday, little man! Oh how we love your feisty personality, twinkling blue eyes, contagious smile with those precious dimples, and sweet hugs and head bonks :-)

Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012

2012-01-03T13:10:00.000-08:00

We got to ring in the New Year at the Smith's house with some of our favorite people...our Supper Club group! We included the kids and it was a fun, crazy time! We picked up pizza from Coal Vines and had a blast eating, talking for hours and playing Wits and Wagers (such a cool, new game). The kids enjoyed eating, playing & watching a movie.
Caroline & Saylor at one of the kids' tables

Press, James & Mae at the other kids' table

The three "littles": Julia, Gray & Matthew...I have no idea who or what they are looking at in this picture but I love all of their expressions:

Matthew and Gray stayed up very late...7:30 p.m. :-) The other kids made it until 10:30 which was surprising.

Matthew liked Morty, Erica's cat, at little TOO much:

Deep in conversation...I can only imagine what they were talking about. They're both talkers!

A sweet sibling moment

The "bigs" enjoying popsicle time

Saylor couldn't hear the movie with all of the noise the kids were making so she pulled her chair right up to the t.v. Funny girl!

Our Supper Club:

(Top, from left) Jason, Kelly, Amy & Craig

(Bottom, from left) Erica, Matt, me & my Matt :-)

Love these folks!

Thanks for hosting, Smiths! We had so much fun!

Christmas Catch-Up

2011-12-26T20:55:00.000-08:00

Don't miss the Christmas posts below!!

All Aboard!!

'Twas the day before Christmas

Christmas Day

Christmas Day 2011

2011-12-26T20:41:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning!! Caroline woke up at about 7:30 so we were glad to sleep in a little. Caroline couldn't wait to see if Santa came...looks like he did!

She asked for two things this year...a car she could drive and a candy cane. She's been such a good girl, Santa was able to grant both requests :-)

Discovering her car...she was excited!!!

Concentrating on her driving

Santa also thought she deserved more than one candy cane and filled her stocking with them

Oops, Santa forgot to remove the tags from Target :-)

Caroline kept saying "How did Santa know I love PEZ?"

Can you believe Santa completely forgot to put all of Matthew's goodies in his stocking?!? I just know Santa was so upset and will hopefully never make that mistake again! Luckily, Caroline didn't notice (and of course Matthew had no idea...whew)

Mimi, PopPop, Daddy and Caroline all going to town on their Christmas presents

Caroline got lots of movies this year...and a few to add to her Disney collection (Alice in Wonderland, Bambi & Tangled)

Matthew "opened" a few gifts with the help of Matt...

...and then just wanted to take Caroline's necklaces in and out of a box :-)

Caroline loved her princesses from Mimi and PopPop

Matthew was excited about his basketball goal and very own lego table

He liked the lego table the best because he could climb on it (of course!)

Singing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus

Breakfast time...love Matthew in this pic

Some sister/brother pics after most of the presents were opened:

Walking!

After a terrfic morning at Mimi and PopPop's house, we got dressed and headed to my mom's house to have Christmas with her, my brother, aunt and Nannie

Yaya and Caroline looking at a Max & Ruby DVD my mom gave her

Matt helped Matthew open his gifts again. These two guys really are buddies!!

"Look, balls, my favorite!!!!!!!!!!"

A ball in each hand=one happy Matthew!!!

My mom gave Caroline this precious jewelry box with a ballerina inside that spins around and plays music when the lid is opened...Caroline was in awe!

She also loved her Madeline movies and Madeline doll...we are REALLY into Madeline these days!

Caroline's favorite gift she received at my mom's house, however, was this Fur-Real dog...you can walk this dog on a leash, it barks, whimpers, etc... and is so real. She played with it the rest of the day. Glad she likes it because it's the closest she's going to get to having a dog, haha

Caroline and Nannie

My mom and me

Some of the Krauss clan (excuse the flash in the mirror):

PopPop, Mimi & Uncle Marcus

Caroline loves to play this game we call "Pile On"...she yells out "Pile on Daddy" and we all go jump on top of Matt. We both love it...Matt, not so much!

We spent the rest of Christmas Day at my mom's house. She cooked us a delicious Christmas meal, and we enjoyed sitting around and talking while the kiddos played with their toys. So thankful for this wonderful day to be together with our family and celebrate the birth of our Savior who was born so He could die for us. Merry Christmas!!

'Twas the day before Christmas

2011-12-26T12:48:00.000-08:00

We began Christmas Eve with another new family tradition...we went to Brother Bill's Helping Hand to help pass out Christmas presents to the neighborhood kids and families. Matthew stayed with my mom, but Caroline was old enough to help us serve.
We had such a great time! Our friends, the Goodales, were there and we all got to be host families. That meant we took a sweet family through the stations at Brother Bill's and helped them collect all of their goodies. We had a huge family that consisted of a grandfather, two moms, and seven kids...Hannah (12), Emily (5), Annabelle (3), Adam (2), Joshua (2), Allison (1) & Matthew (8 months). I have some cute pictures of Caroline with her new friends, but I don't want to post the other kids' pictures without permission. It was so fun getting to know the family, love on those sweet kids and tell them how much Jesus loves them! I was sad to say goodbye and almost forgot to hand baby Allison back to her mother (I'm so used to holding a baby...oops :-)
After Brother Bill's, we grabbed a quick lunch at Chick-Fil-A with the Goodales then headed home so the kids could take naps before our church's Christmas Eve service.
The candlelight service was wonderful...I look forward to it all year, and it is my favorite part of Christmas. We came home after church and took some family pics, opened our one traditional Christmas present, put Matthew to bed then ate a yummy dinner Mimi cooked for us.
Daddy and his Jr.
(who, BTW, was already sucking his thumb in the picture which means it's bedtime...it was probably 6:59 p.m.)

New Christmas pajamas of course!

Listening to Daddy read her last advent devotional and the Christmas story from Luke 2:

Hanging on the last ornament! Jesus' birthday is coming!

All Aboard!! The Krauss Family Christmas Express!!

2011-12-26T12:40:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the genius that is Pinterest, we started a new family tradition on Christmas Eve Eve. Caroline has loved reading The Polar Express book and watching the movie this year. So when I saw an idea to create your family's own "Christmas Express" adventure on Pinterest, I knew Caroline would love it.
First, I printed two of these tickets onto cardstock and cut them out (link here):

We put one on Caroline's pillow (she's sleeping on the floor in Matthew's room while Matt's brother is visiting :-) and one on Matthew's crib mattress:

Then, the real fun began! Luckily, Caroline can't tell time yet. So we ate dinner early and told Caroline it was time for bed right after dinner. It was only 6 p.m. but she didn't know the difference, ha

While Matt was upstairs getting Matthew and Caroline ready for bed, I was downstairs popping popcorn, putting treats together, making hot chocolate and loading up the car.

Matthew got to have fishies and milk and Caroline had a bag-o-treats (popcorn, fishies and a lollipop) and hot chocolate:

When Matt called downstairs and said "Mommy, come kiss the kids goodnight, they're ready for bed" (that was the 'code sentence'), I ran upstairs with my camera. Caroline immediately saw the golden tickets on her pillow and Matthew's bed. She couldn't figure out what they were for. Matt and I were screaming "The Christmas Express is here"...she was so confused:

We explained that the ticket was special because it was her pass to board The Krauss Family Christmas Express, which was going to take them to see lots of Christmas lights. Matthew was oblivious of course but Caroline quickly figured it out. She kept saying "I'm not going to bed? We're going somewhere fun? I get treats? I love surprises!"

Her reaction was priceless:

Loading up in the car and discovering the goodies:

Off we go! (we flipped Matthew around so he could see the lights...don't judge :-)

One of our favorites, the Singing Pandas & Santa's mailbox on Deloache:

Pulling up to the house on Hunter's Glen with the singing Jack-in-the-Boxes and amazing lights. Always breathtaking!!!

Caroline wanted to go peek into the BIG yard. She looks so small.

We found our VERY favorite house this year on Beverly Drive...a pretend Santa "handing out" candy. The really good kind of candy :-) We had to fight the teenagers off, but we were able to make out with some twix and skittles which made Caroline's night!

After about 45 minutes of looking at lights, Matthew was SO ready for bed. Little guy turns into a pumpkin at 7:00:

So we headed home listening to Caroline talk about our Christmas Express the whole way:

This is a tradition we can't wait to repeat. Completely free and lots of fun and excitement involved. Thanks again, Pinterest!!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T19:53:00.000-08:00

WITH LOVE, FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOURS!!!

12 & 13 Months Old

2011-12-20T13:40:00.000-08:00

Our little guy is 13 months old! I never wrote his 12 month post so this is a catch-up that is all about what Matthew has been up to the last couple of months! (these pics are from his 12 month photo shoot with Andi...if you're looking for a photographer, she is GREAT!!)

***Matthew's 1 year stats:
Weight: 20 pounds, 4 ounces (15th%)
Height: 30 inches (50th%)
(can't remember head circumference right now but I think he was in the 20th%)

***wears a size 3 diaper (about to be bumped up to a size 4!) during the day and an overnight size 4 diaper

***wears mainly 6-12 month clothes and some 12-18 month sizes...he is our tiny guy which is hard to believe by the way he eats!

***Speaking of eating, Matthew loves almost any food and LOVES to eat, especially at dinner time. This post would go on forever if I listed out his favorite foods. Pizza is a new favorite. Matthew also loves eggs for breakfast and he eats them almost every morning. He seems to have a salty tooth over a sweet one...VERY unlike his sis and mom :-) Matthew doesn't love eating from a spoon but loves to bang it on the table, ha. He is drinking whole milk now from sippy cups alone and drinks about 3 cups/day. Matthew still likes to cuddle in my lap while drinking his milk. Fine with me!

***Matthew is transitioning to one nap/day. His morning nap was really disrupting his afternoon nap even if it was only 45 minutes. So the past week he has just been taking one nap in the afternoon. So far so good! It's a long nap and he sleeps later in the morning so I love it. I usually put him down around 1 and he will sleep until 3:30 or 4. He goes to bed at 7 p.m. and sleeps until 7:30-8 a.m. He is definitely a kiddo who NEEDS his sleep. If he doesn't get it, watch out folks!

***In addition to the four top teeth and three bottom teeth Matthew has had for awhile, he now has one molar (top right) and his fourth bottom tooth. They came in at the same time. It was not fun...teething makes Matthew one unhappy guy. We have to whip out the big dogs (motrin and tylenol) when he gets new teeth. I am SO not looking forward to the other 3 molars.

***Matthew began nodding "yes" and "no" this month...sometimes meaningfully, sometimes not. He signs "up", "please", "all done", "more" and waves "hi" and "bye". We're working on signing milk, thank you, and help.

***Speaking of signing, Matthew is taking some baby steps in the right direction in the communication department. He will imitate mama, milk, banana (nana), sissy (gigi), all done (done done), ball (ba) and a few others I'm forgetting. He says dada, cookie (caca :-), Yaya (my mom), and "mmmmm" when he's eating something yummy.

***Matthew can make the lion and cow sounds when we ask him. He also sometimes makes the letter 'b' and 'f' sounds when asked. He loves making his sounds and thinks he is so funny!

***Little Man is obsessed with balls. Obsessed I tell you! He always has to have one, usually one in each hand. He loves throwing them, crawling with them, banging them on everything, rolling them...you get the idea.

***He is also even more obsessed with climbing these days. He will climb on anything and loves it. Stairs, furniture, toys, Chick-Fil-A playplace...he has no fear!

*** Matthew still loves music and will dance whenever he hears it

***Will now sit long enough for us to read him one or two books (yay!)

***HATES having his diaper changed and/or getting dressed. He screams bloody murder, and I feel like I'm wrestling an alligator!

***Speaking of screaming, oh.my.word. The screaming.

Matthew screams...not cries, just screams at the top of his lungs, when he's happy, frustrated, mad, upset, excited. I don't know if it's because communication is difficult for him or what, but this screaming phase is tough, I'm not gonna lie. It's kind of funny, he starts screaming and I tell him "No screaming, Matthew, that's too loud. Use your words." Then I remember he doesn't have many to use :-( I know...this too shall pass.

***When he's not screaming, teething, hungry or tired, Matthew is a very happy and smiley boy :-)

***The boy loves his sister!!!!!! They have started to kind of play together. Matthew wants to be wherever Caroline is, playing with whatever she's playing with. It's fun and cute unless Caroline isn't having any of it. This is a new experience for her...learning to REALLY share most of the day and give up her space. She's doing a good job getting used to her new shadow, but we definitely still have moments when this is hard. Despite the little sibling quarrels, I love watching them together. It's my favorite!

***And the BIGGEST news of all...MATTHEW LEARNED TO WALK THIS MONTH!!!!

It has been so exciting! He has taken about 13 steps total at one time. He is still very "wobbly" and doesn't quite trust himself too much, but he loves to practice. Matthew will now stand up on his own from a sitting position and walk to where I am if I'm close enough. He has also started taking a few steps on his own between furniture. I think he will take off in no time.

Happy 13 Months, Matthew! We love you!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year: Part 2

2011-12-17T21:15:00.000-08:00

Part 2 to lots more Christmas fun!
Eating a Gingerbread House...yum:

I mentioned A Meaningful Christmas in my last post. This is my MOST favorite Christmas activity we are doing this year, and I'm so excited it will now be a tradition. My incredibly talented, creative friend and sorority sister from Baylor, Brittany Poe, (and her friend, Carrie Rogers) created this daily devotional to do with your kids every day in December leading up to Christmas. It's great because it's geared toward preschool-aged children. I feel that Ann Voskamp's Jesse Tree is awesome but some of her concepts can be slightly abstract for little ones. Caroline has learned so much about Jesus and the REAL meaning of Christmas this year. She has really grasped the concepts in A Meaningful Christmas and looks forward to her "devotional" every night (we do it at night so Matt can be included then do the daily activity the next day).

We bought her a purple tree (of course) to keep in her room and hang the ornaments on. Here she is hanging Day One's ornament...The Alpha and Omega:

So excited and proud!

I need to digress a minute...do you notice Caroline is in her pajamas in almost every picture (at least every picture taken at home)? The girl is going through a crazy obsession with pjs at the moment. If she is at home, she HAS to be wearing them. Nothing else will do. And getting her dressed to go somewhere...unfortunately that usually turns into quite the battle! I'll be honest, I'm a pj loving girl, but I do hope this phase passes quickly!

Matt & I have made time for a few special date nights...oh, how I need these!

We went with our community group (minus the Matthews...missed you guys!) to a tree farm for our annual tree cutting extravaganza. Unfortunately, since we aren't living in our own house at the moment, we don't get to do "our" tree this year (sad) so we went to the farm mainly to hang out with our friends :-) We went to the same farm as last year and the kiddos had fun feeding the chickens, playing on the swing set, running through the trees (very slim pickings this year), drinking hot apple cider, and riding the little train.

Wendy, Brendan, Cole, Riley, Kate, Caroline, Matthew & Matt

Matthew wasn't thrilled about the train...

...see? not too thrilled :-) Poor boy.

This one on the other hand? Pumped for the train ride!

Caroline's FIRST Preschool Christmas performance was last week. Her 3 year old class performed a few songs with the 4 year old class. They sang "I'm a Nut", "Jingle Bells", "Go Tell It On the Mountain", & "Somebody's Knocking".

Caroline sang most of her songs but wasn't too big on the hand motions. She was more interested in wiping her runny nose with her hand during most of the songs. Lovely. Really though, it was a precious performance, and I couldn't wipe the smile off my face while watching the kiddos perform.

Our last end-of-the-year Christmas performance was Caroline's ballet Parent Presentation. Another fun thing to watch! Caroline loves ballet and looks forward to it every week. Now I know exactly why!

Caroline's class with Ms Janie...about to do the Jingle Bell dance:

So serious about getting her "ballet hands" just perfect:

Caroline had to be RIGHT next to one of her besties, Lucy, the whole time:

Showing us their backbends:

We're now on Christmas break. No preschool, BSF, or ballet! I'm trying to soak up this extra time with my kiddos, focusing on trying to teach them why this holiday is so special. It's very hard because I'm also running around like a mad woman doing last minute shopping, wrapping, planning, etc... Does anyone else feel like Christmas kind of snuck up on them this year? It's a crazy, fun, exhausting, wonderful and overwhelming time. Can't wait for next weekend!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year: Part 1

2011-12-10T19:09:00.000-08:00

Christmastime is here, and I love it! The weekend after Thanksgiving kicks off a month full of traditions...most of which include lots of fun, family and friends! We have been going to see the Santa at McShan's florist since the year Caroline was born (you can see here, here & here). This year was extra exciting because our friends, the Woodards, joined us!

Caroline & Eleanor waiting in line

Can't stop hugging...even those big bows don't stop them :-)

Posing with Eleanor's little sis, Amelia. We didn't want to put Matthew down and make him upset before his big meeting with Santa:

It only took FOUR years (and Eleanor sitting next to her!) for Caroline not to cry in Santa's lap! She did it! All smiles (although somewhat forced) & she told him exactly what she wanted.

Love how Eleanor is all cuddled up to Santa and Caroline is sitting so straight and still with a frozen smile on her face:

The beautiful Woodard girls:

Caroline and Matthew's turn. Matthew didn't cry at all...what?!? Our little guy is SO different from his big sis. We were so surprised!

Time to sit on Bruce McShan's horse:

Again, for the first time EVER, Caroline sat on a horse!!! All it took was watching Eleanor do it first. I don't know if I should be happy Caroline conquered her fears or a little worried at how much peer pressure affects her. Hmmmmm. Going to try not to worry about that now. Anyway, we were so proud of her:

After seeing Santa and Bruce's horse we made our way into the beautiful shop to attempt some festive pics with the kiddos. My expectations were low. I've learned what to expect when photographing a 3 & 1 year old.

This pic should be titled "Distraction and a Mouthful of Candycane"

This pic should be titled (insert screaming sounds here) "Give Me That Candycane........Nooooo, You Can't Have It!!"

Good thing my expectations were low, ha.

My sweet girl...my how she has grown!!

Matt took the kids home from McShans while I headed to the arboretum to meet my family for our annual Christmas tea (another favorite tradition). Again, it was double the fun because my aunt and cousin were able to join us since they were visiting from AL.
Susan, Catherine and Nannie (who is trying not to let the wind blow her hair :-)

Posin' with my momma...isn't that tree gorgeous?!?

We ran into Frosty, Rudolph and an elf on our way to the tea:

Prancer also made an appearance:

My mom, grandmother, two aunts and cousin (L to R): Jean, me, Catherine, mom, Nannie (who can't keep her eyes open in a pic) & Susan:

More Christmas fun to come in Part 2. Stay tuned!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-05T16:05:00.000-08:00

I should have titled this post "Better Late Than Never", ha. This post is SO late but since it's better late than never, here is how we celebrated Thanksgiving 2011.
We woke up and had our traditional coffee cake and egg sausage casserole breakfast...wouldn't be a holiday without it. Matthew was excited to have cake for breakfast for the first time!

Yummy

All smiles when there is coffee cake for breakfast!

The rest of the morning was spent reading books with Mimi and watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade while Matthew took his morning nap.

Caroline was SO into the parade this year and watched every minute of the WHOLE thing. She loved the Disney floats and thought the Rockettes were amazing.

After Matthew's morning nap, we all got dressed and ready and headed over to my grandmother, Nannie's, house. This Thanksgiving was very special because my Aunt Susan, Uncle Ronnie and their three fabulous kiddos came from Mobile, AL to spend Thanksgiving with us. My aunt and mom are two of the greatest cooks I know, and we were fortunate enough to have them cook our Thanksgiving meal for us.
We ate ham, turkey, dressing, gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, herb butter muffins, cranberry bread, pumpkin bread, Commander's Palace Salad, Southern green beans, and more. For dessert we had pumpkin cheesecake, chocolate pie, cookies, petit fours and more. It was delicious!
I love taking pictures of my plate:

The Valentine sisters: Jean, my mom and Susan. My mom and Susan are the master chefs while Jean is the master dish washer. They make a great team :-) Can you believe they are sisters? They look nothing alike!

Some of the Krauss clan: Matt, Mimi and PopPop (we missed you, Marcus!)

3 of my favorite cousins: Will, Catherine and Trey

After lunch, we played games, talked (and laughed a lot!), took pictures, and Catherine and Caroline played at the park across the street from Nannie's house for a looooong time.
"Noooooooooo, don't make me walk!!!"

An attempt at a Thanksgiving sibling pic. I tried...
...1,

5 times before completely giving up. Sigh.

Caroline helped my mom (who is a Senior English teacher) grade some papers:

This little guy loves to cruise...but don't dare and try to get him to walk :-)

Time to go home to bed!

We had such a wonderful Thanksgiving with our families. It's times like these, when the whole Valentine clan is together, when I miss my Popo (who passed away in 2006) the most. He loved nothing more than when his whole family was together...especially when yummy food was involved...which it ALWAYS was if Popo had anything to say about it. I thought a lot this Thanksgiving about how thankful I am for my salvation and the hope I have because of the cross. I will get to spend eternity celebrating with sweet Popo because of Jesus' great sacrifice for us. I couldn't be more thankful for that gift! It trumps all!

"And whatever you do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

Colossians 3:17

Crazy Chaos

2011-11-21T20:51:00.000-08:00

I keep describing our life right now as crazy chaos! Between living in transition (we're living with my in-laws a.k.a. Mimi and PopPop, while we do some renovations to our new house), one of us being sick just about every week this Fall including being hit with the stomach bug TWICE, trying to help Mimi (who has a broken femur and can't do a lot on her own) when PopPop is out-of-town for work every couple of weeks, working on the house, parenting two little kiddos, a busy weekly schedule, the list goes on and on...things are just a little crazy right now. Blogging, unfortunately, has taken a major backseat, but I finally got all caught up. Don't miss the posts below:

Matthew's First Birthday

Let's Party

Fall Fun

2011-11-21T20:33:00.000-08:00

I have gotten so behind in blogging this Fall (see Crazy Chaos post above). Here are some different things we've been up to that I never blogged about. This is my mini catch-up post.

We were BOOED! Our neighborhood has this fun tradition:

I STLL haven't figured out who BOOED us, but whoever it was spoiled us for sure! There were even more treats in our bag than pictured below:

Caroline was SO excited about getting BOOED and said "this is the most exciting thing that has ever happened to me" :-) That cracked me up!! We followed all of the directions and hung up our sign then BOOED two more friends. I wonder who they were??

Caroline currently LOVES the show Max & Ruby. She thinks it's so cool that Ruby has a little brother just like her. Matt bought tickets to take her to the Live Max & Ruby show...it was supposed to be a fun daddy/daughter date. However, Matt got really sick with a terrible stomach virus (again, see Crazy Chaos post above) so I got to take Caroline on a mommy/daughter date instead. It was so fun! Caroline couldn't believe she was seeing the "real" Max & Ruby characters.

Recently, Caroline was giving her brother practice walking while Matt watched football. She steered the car while Matthew pushed it. Very cute!

Family chapel at Caroline's preschool:

(L to R: Cecilia, Natalie, Emory & Caroline)

Emory, Caroline and Jack

We have gotten to celebrate some sweet friends this Fall. I finally remembered to bring my camera to Amelia's 2nd birthday:

Lainey and Caroline

Craziness in the bounce house:

Last but not least, I got to participate in "A Meaningful Christmas" ornament exchange (thanks, Chelle). Check out all of the details here. I am beyond excited to do these daily devotionals with our family this Christmas season. It will be wonderful to have this "tool" to help keep our focus on the TRUE reason for the season.

Let's Party!

2011-11-21T15:55:00.000-08:00

Saturday, Novermber 12th was Matthew's 1st birthday party! We had a small party at my mom's house. The guest list mainly consisted of our family, community group from church and a few close friends. Matthew loves to push his little red wagon and go for wagon rides so a red wagon-themed party was a no-brainer for our little guy.

Angie outdid herself yet again...she matched the birthday cake, smash cake and cookies-on-a-stick (party favors) to our invitation:

The small cake table and Matthew's invitation:

I ordered a cute banner off Etsy but didn't get in time due to horrible mail-forwarding issues. Luckily, my mom had a back-up banner! Matt's parents were kind enough to let us borrow their vintage wagon to hold Matthew's presents:

Matthew's monthly pictures...a Pinterest idea, of course :-)

We set up toys inside for the babies to play with:

Outside, we set up a few tables (thanks, Amy!!) and a bounce house (thanks, Lacy!) for the big kids to play in:

Party favors/table centerpieces:

Sweet birthday boy!!

Caroline was so excited to see Eleanor:

Matthew, eating lunch, with our friend Ben in the background:

This cute little dude, Aaron, is Kelly's son...Kelly is one of my best friends from Baylor:

My brother was kind enough to grill out burgers for the party.
Some of the guys getting food:

Wagon filled with drinks...another Pinterest idea!

Most of our community group (we missed you, Julie & the Matthews!)

Sweet Kate...Caroline looks up to this "big girl" so much:

Some of the fam: Nannie, PopPop, Mimi (broken leg and all!) and my Aunt Jean:

Can you believe these boys are only 4 months apart?!? Aaron's dad is tall :-)

Caroline, eating lunch with Eleanor, Amelia and Elizabeth:

More pics of our guests:

Waiting for his cake...the look on his face cracks me up:

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday to Matthew. Happy birthday to you!!!"

Mimi & Matthew...Mimi was such a trooper to come to the party with her broken leg:

Two of my favorite people in the world:

Best family pic we could get:

Caroline opened Matthew's presents after all of our friends and family went home:

These climbing blocks from my aunt and Nannie were a huge hit:

I did a terrible job taking pictures of our guests. I was too busy talking, imagine that ;-)
Thank you to all of our wonderful friends & family for helping us celebrate Matthew. He is one loved little boy!!

Matthew's 1st Birthday

2011-11-21T14:43:00.000-08:00

November 11, 2011 (11/11/11) was Matthew's FIRST birthday! What an exciting day!

Following our annual birthday balloon tradition, Matt and I filled Matthew's room with balloons the night before his birthday. We sang "Happy Birthday" to him when we walked in his room on the morning of his birthday then piled the balloons into Matthew's crib. He loved it!!

I was terrible at taking pictures the rest of the day. We went to Building Blocks at our church, chick-fil-a with our friends Cori, Grace & Sam, then came home and Matt played with the kids while I ran lots of last minute errands getting ready for Matthew's party the next day.

Friday night, we had a small family party. We ate pizza (one of Matthew's favorite foods!) and cupcakes and Matthew opened his presents from us and Mimi & PopPop.

Waiting for his first bite of cake:

So excited!

Caroline loved the party hats. She is still playing with them almost every day. She puts them on her dolls and pretends to have birthday parties :-)

First taste...not really a fan:

Time for presents! We got Matthew a radio flyer wagon since our old one broke earlier this Fall. Matthew also got a few fun gifts from his Mimi and PopPop. Good thing Caroline was there to open ALL of Matthew's presents. She is going to be disappointed when he wants to open his own gifts one day.

Playin' Matthew's new drum:

After presents, we kissed this sweet face goodnight and wished our ONE YEAR OLD a Happy Birthday one last time:

Then it was off to bed...we had more celebrating to do the next day!

'Twas the night before

2011-11-10T21:19:00.000-08:00

...Matthew turns the big O-N-E!
Last sleep before his 1st birthday (idea courtesy of Meggan :-)

And a couple pics from Matthew's first sleep on his birth day:

These precious pictures bring tears to my eyes. I don't know what it is about my kids' FIRST birthdays that make me super nostalgic. I just can't believe that a year ago on this same night we were celebrating the eve of Matthew's big debut. It's very surreal. I could never have imagined how much love I would have for this sweet sweet boy or how much joy he would bring us on a daily basis. It's hard to believe that on this night, one year ago, I had never seen that adorable dimple, those big blue eyes or that mischievous grin. I can't believe I had not heard his (super) contagious laugh and funny sounds. Tomorrow, we get to celebrate one of God's biggest blessings in our lives. We love you, Matthew!!!!!!!!!!!!

Trick or Treat: Halloween 2011

2011-11-03T14:15:00.000-07:00

This year was Matthew's 1st Halloween! And it was a fun one! Caroline is at a good age to REALLY get excited about trick-or-treating and dressing up. Here is how our Halloween 2011 went down in pictures (and commentary of course):

Pumpkin breakfast...doesn't get any easier than pancakes and fruity cheerios ;-)

This little guy is serious about his food!

We played for awhile after breakfast then headed to our very favorite bakery to buy some Halloween treats before meeting Matt at home for lunch:

Just look at all the sugary goodness:

I love pics of my kiddos standing side-by-side! They had fun checking out the treats. Matthew wasn't sure what everything was and Caroline was overwhelmed with the options.

Matthew kept pointing out a big cake...I think he wanted to eat it:

We bought a cookie for Matt and me to split along with a smaller one for Caroline and some candy corn cookies to bring to our community group Halloween dinner.

Being silly with their cookies:

I broke the "no sugar before the 1st birthday rule" and gave Matthew some of my cookie. He was crying for it and it just didn't seem fair for all of us to eat cookies in front of him without giving him any. Plus, he is turning one soon so I caved in. Look how happy he was:

Matt went back to work after lunch so Caroline got busy decorating a pumpkin:

Matthew opted to play and torture Mimi and PopPop's dog, Abby:

Finished product:

After afternoon naps, it was time to get all dressed up and head over to our friends, the Matthews' house, for dinner with our community group from church.

Caroline, Kate the Ballerina, Matthew & Riley the Bumblebee

Ally, the precious Pig

Brendan, the Ranger player (and Matthew's future best buddy :-)

All the kiddos in our community group (L to R):

Parker, Brendan, Ally, Kate, Matthew, Caroline, Cole & Riley

8 kiddos between five families. Oh how I love all of these sweet kiddos!

Okay, back to Halloween...

Snow White & Daddy

Matt, Matthew, Brendan & Wendy

Off we go...

"TRICK or TREAT"

Caroline was beyond thrilled to run into one of her best friends, Eleanor, while trick-or-treating. They ran to each other screaming and couldn't quit hugging. So cute!

They love each other!

We ran into Eleanor one more time and got a picture with another one of Eleanor's best friends, Lainey. Caroline has loved getting to know Lainey through Eleanor and swim lessons last summer. Sweet girls!

The Matthews Fam

Our fam...don't ask me what Caroline and Matthew are doing:

When we got back to the Matthews' house, Parker's Mimi and Pops (aka, Laura's parents) were handing out candy on the porch. The kids loved getting candy from them, and we loved getting to trick-or-treat with and see some of our closest friends.

After trick-or-treating, we went to my mom's house...she had some fun treats for the kiddos. I was done taking pictures at that point, ha! Then we all headed home and CRASHED! Halloween 2011 was a hit, but I'm still tired from all the festivities and glad I have a year to recover before doing it all again next year :-)

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T13:02:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!!!

Love,
Snow White & Doc

My Punkins

2011-10-27T14:53:00.000-07:00

Recently, I took Caroline and Matthew to a pumpkin patch in our neighborhood. We had fun playing and taking pictures. Matthew was sick, and therefore, not his usual smiley self. He was so distracted by all of the pumpkins it was a workout just to get him to look at the camera ;-) I apologize in advance for the picture overload. I get carried away at pumpkin patches...especially this year with two sweet kiddos to photograph.

Caroline's favorite thing to do was play with the wagons. She had fun giving Matthew wagon rides, taking wagon rides with me pulling her around and piling the wagons full of little pumpkins.

I like how Matthew is pointing to the hay as if to say "what in the world is this stuff??"

Sweet girl...she was all about posing for the camera!

"Hi mommy!!!!"

Handsome little (sick) guy

So obvious a certain somone doesn't feel well :-(

Love this:

State Fair 2011

2011-10-23T14:30:00.000-07:00

Matt took off work last Monday so we could have a family day at the State Fair! We haven't been since Caroline was 1 1/2 years old (see here). We didn't go last year because I was 100 months pregnant and just couldn't do it. So we were all excited to go this year.
Well, at least one of the kiddos was excited...Matthew was a little apprehensive at first:

When we first got there, we put wristbands on both kiddos in case we somehow were to get separated from the kids. We also had an important talk with Caroline about what to do if she got lost. Not a fun conversation to have but a necessary one!

We headed to the fair after Matthew's morning nap so it was lunchtime soon after we arrived. We all sat down for Fletcher's corny dogs of course. Yummo.

Next, we headed to the little hands farm and petting zoo. This was one of Caroline's favorite parts of the fair.
Checking out a $100,000 steer...seriously, $100,000!!! I don't get it.

Buying feed for the petting zoo:

The baby goats were too cute!

Zebras, up close and personal:

Caroline liked feeding this miniature horse because she could use a purple shovel. The girl likes her some purple:

Watching Caroline feed the animals:

We headed to the dog show after the petting zoo. I thought this show was pretty boring and both kids were whining to leave before it was over. We left a little early.

A certain little mister starting pointing this month and he points at everything all.the.time. It's cute!

Fascinated by the dogs...for about a minute:

Then it was time for some rides.
Surprisingly, Caroline tried two of them...the small swing ride and the carousel (which I know doesn't technically count as a ride... but for Caroline it does):

So proud of her for trying something new!

Caroline wanted cotton candy, a candy apple and ice cream. We told her she could pick one treat so the candy apple won:

Watching Cirque Shanghai...such a cool show!! We didn't leave this one early!

Both kiddos were amazed by the acrobats:

Caroline hiding behind a trash can because she was REALLY scared of the carousel at first

Matthew pointing at the carousel because he wanted to go on it...two kiddos with very different personalities :-)

Watching her brother ride the carousel first. He showed her it wasn't scary!

More pointing

Caroline's turn...she wasn't scared anymore since her 11 month old little brother did it with no problemo. However, she didn't want to ride a horse. So we sat on a very exciting bench :-)

We had a fun family day at the fair. Hopefully, we'll make it back again next year!

11 Months Old

2011-10-16T13:18:00.000-07:00

Matthew is 11 months old!!!

It has been a great month as we've seen more of Matthew's personality emerge. He is quite a little ham and loves to make us laugh. Matthew also likes to roughhouse! Thanks to some wrestling lessons this month from Matt, he began throwing himself around on the couch and bed. He will stand up and then fall straight back or nosedive onto his face. Then he laughs hysterically. We have to watch him very closely! He also plays a little too rough and thinks it's funny to "bang" us/Caroline/the dog on the face with his hand (or an object) and/or bite us. We are trying to teach him "gentle" and "no biting!" but he hasn't quite caught on to those concepts yet. Needless to say, he is all boy, and I'm loving it. Well, maybe not the hitting and biting so much, but loving the boy-playing-rough stuff. It's fun!

Matthew loves music and he started dancing this month (which really consists of him rocking back and forth). The past two times I've picked him up from BSF, his teachers told me he loved music time and clapping along/dancing to the songs. He loves any song we sing to him but his favorites are 'Twinkle Twinkle', 'Itsy Bitsy Spider', 'This is the Day' and 'Jesus Loves Me'. Matthew loves to steal Caroline's little piano book away from her and bang on the keys. He also likes stand on his tiptoes and bang on the real piano.

Speaking of stealing stuff from Caroline, the sibling squabbles have officially started. Mainly when they want to play with the same toy! Matthew decided to go and get an opinion this month and it is not okay anymore when Caroline takes a toy away from him. It's also not okay when we take something away from Matthew that he isn't allowed to play with i.e. my cell phone. He will immediately start to cry but thankfully is easily redirected. Other than a few squabbles here and there over toys, Matthew and Caroline are crazy about each other and are enjoying playing together more and more. They love to give each other kisses and make each other laugh. Watching their relationship grow has been one of our greatest joys this past year!

Matthew likes to play rough but is still my snuggler and major love bug. He loves to cuddle all throughout the day when I'm holding him, especially before naps and bedtime. I hope he never stops cuddling with me. I love it! He is also content sitting in my lap and hanging out a lot of the time. Matthew still likes to cruise and is the happiest when standing up. He pulls up on anything and everything. He started standing up without holding onto anything this month! The longest he can balance is about 20 seconds. I still don't think he will be walking anytime soon, but he loves to walk while pushing his radio flyer wagon (pictured above...also, this pic is a hint about the theme for Matthew's first birthday party!) His very favorite thing to do right now is climb, climb then climb some more. He can scale a set of stairs in no time (with me following close behind of course). Matthew also tries to climb furniture, rocking chairs, Caroline's stool, the fireplace hearth and really anything that is low to the ground. Did I mention we have to watch this little guy???

Matthew is still our great little eater and eats more than Caroline at most meals. He loves salty foods more than sweet and his favorites are any kind of meat, pasta and veggie. He ate spaghetti for the first time this month and loved it. It was fun to watch him get really messy. He still likes his formula heated up, but we're trying to wean that so he will have an easier transition to milk. Matthew has four 7 oz. bottles a day and eats 3 meals with one snack between lunch and dinner.

Matthew continues to be a good little sleeper. I have to wake him up from his morning nap after 1 1/2 hours so he'll go down easier in the afternoon. He usually takes a 2 hour afternoon nap then sleeps from 7 p.m.-7:30ish a.m. every night. He likes to sleep with two little lovie blankets, his puppy dog, teddy bear, and a big blanket we cover him up with.
We're still dealing with separation anxiety, however, we have seen some improvement this month (I'm so thankful...for awhile there, this momma's heart was breaking every time I had to drop him off at BSF or MDO). He doesn't scream every time I leave now and his teachers say he is a lot happier.

Matthew isn't really doing anything new in the babbling department and definitely doesn't have any consistent real words yet. He will sometimes try to imitate us when we say "all done", "banana", "mama/dada", "Abby/doggie", and a few others. I still have some concerns about his speech but there isn't a lot we can do right now other than watch and wait. Needless to say, I'm amping up the sign language just in case. Matthew consistently signs "all done" and "more" and we're working on "thank you", "milk", "drink", "eat" and "help". He still loves to play pat-a-cake and wave hi/bye.

No new teeth this month...Matthew still has 6 total (4 top and 2 bottom)

(see that little face below? that is Matthew's mischevious face that is usually accompanied by a laugh)

I can't believe in less than one month our baby will be ONE! Where in the world did the last year go? Thanks to Caroline, I know what we have to look forward to with Matthew getting older...that makes "the big first birthday" easier this time around. On the other hand, I want time to stop so Matthew will stay my baby forever. Since that isn't an option, I'm going to take a deep breath and soak up every minute I can with my baby before he turns the big O.N.E.
We love you, sweet boy! Happy 11 month birthday!

3 1/2 Years Old

2011-10-09T15:43:00.000-07:00

Caroline is 3 1/2 years old!!
First, a little about our experience with "age 3" so far. The first 4 months of age 3 were quite different than age two. We really didn't experience the "terrible twos" with Caroline. What we have experienced are the challenging threes. Once Caroline turned three, she began crying/throwing tantrums over every.little.thing. She also began testing us...big time. All of a sudden, she didn't want to obey us anymore, and we had to re-vamp the way we handled her behavior. So we started a sticker chart and added TONS of positive reinforcement into Caroline's day. This worked wonders and (knock on wood) the past two months have been so much better. We seem to be through the most challenging time, and I'm seeing glimpses of that "magical age four" my other mommy friends talk so much about.
At 3 1/2 years old, Caroline is:
a helper, extremely talkative, sings non-stop, glued to my hip still, smart, perceptive, analytical, challenging, sensitive, cautious, loving, independent, loves to learn, likes to do things her way, is serious more than she is silly, loves to make us laugh, is crazy about her baby brother, and is the joy and light of our lives!!!!

An Interview with Caroline at 3 1/2 years old:

What is your favorite color? purple and pink, I don't like green anymore

What is your favorite animal? a doggy

What do you want to be when you grow up? a mommy

What is your favorite movie? Cinderella

What is your favorite tv show? Max & Ruby

Your favorite book to read is...any Minnie Mouse book

What is something that makes you happy? playing games on the computer

What makes you sad? when we stay home and don't go anywhere fun

What do you like to do with daddy? wrestle with him

What do you like to do with mommy? play "Go Fish"

What is your favorite food? Macaroni & Cheese

One food you really dislike is... broccoli

What is your favorite song to sing? I'm in the Lord's Army

Your favorite game is... "Go Fish"

What is the best thing about being a big sister? babysitting Matthew (huh?)

What is your favorite thing to do with Matthew? play with him in his crib

Your favorite thing to learn in school is... when we use glue sticks

If you could go anywhere in the world, it would be to... the beach!

Your favorite snack is... fruit snacks

If you had one wish in the world, what would it be? to grow up (what?!? break my heart!)

Why do you want to grow up? 'cause I want to be a mommy really bad

What is one of your favorite memories? going to the park with you

Your favorite season is... winter because I like snow

What is your favorite dessert? cupcakes

What is your favorite activity? can I say 3... BSF (Bible Study Fellowship), ballet and riding my bike

Okay, Caroline, our interview is over. We'll do another one when you're four. Okay, mommy. We'll need to because then I'll like all different things.

Fall Fun

2011-10-05T13:29:00.000-07:00

I love the change of seasons and all the new activities it brings. I end up saying every season is my favorite because each one brings a whole new set of exciting things to do. So even though Christmastime is my favorite time of year, I sure do love Fall...it's my favorite season ;-)
We've been having some Fall fun lately. Recently, we went to the Arboretum pumpkin patch with some friends from Caroline's preschool class. The Arboretum outdid themselves this year and it's amazing. So many beautiful pumpkins and, the theme this year, Cinderella's village is really neat...Caroline was in heaven.
Playing with Cecilia...

...and Lucy. Throwing the hay was one of the girls' favorite things to do.

Matthew's first trip to a pumpkin patch & first time to ever see a pumpkin!!! Prepare for picture overload. I can't seem to help myself when it comes to kids and pumpkin patches...particularly babies and pumpkin patches:

Bad squinty eye pic...we're going to have to attempt this one again

Playing "restaurant" in one of the houses. Anyone else have a 3 year old that is obsessed with playing restaurant?

Reading the stories:

The biggest hit of the day...Cinderella's carriage!!!

Our sweet friend, Clara, was with us too, but I didn't get any pics of her before my camera battery died.
We also recently went to our neighborhood's very first Oktoberfest. We didn't know what to expect because this was the first year, but it turned out to be great fun. We hope our neighborhood does it every year!
Chillin' in the stroller

We met up with Saylor. Here are the girls waiting to have their faces painted:

Giving Matthew some love:

So serious!

Caroline wanted a rainbow heart & Saylor got a matching one. They liked showing off their faces:

The petting zoo was my favorite. I loved the two little pigs that were running around. I completely understand why George Clooney has a pet pig now, ha

Funny aside...it REALLY bothered Caroline that the sheep (in the middle) wasn't white. She kept insisting that "God made sheeps WHITE mommy. This sheep is wrong. Sheeps are WHITE. I only like white sheeps. You know, like the ones God made"

The bounce houses were broken up into ages so the "big kids" were in a different bouncy house. This made Caroline's day, and we couldn't get her out of here...

...except for when she was sliding. Which she wasn't scared of either. Matt and I were proud of her!

We ran into our friends, the Libbys, who are in our community group. This is their son, Brendan, who is Matthew's best friend (even though he doesn't know that yet :-) Isn't he so adorable?!?

Caroline always smothers him with kisses everytime she sees him

And where, might you ask, was the little one while big sis was having so much fun? Completely happy just hanging out in the stroller with his feet propped up holding his sippy cup:

Fall, we are so glad you're here!

Flashback Comparison Pics

2011-09-25T14:44:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to write this post since school started. Here are some comparison pics from the first days of "school". It's so fun to see how much Caroline has grown and changed over the last couple of years. I can't believe how big she looks now...even just compared to last year. What a privilege it is to watch this sweet girl grow up!!

10 Months Old

2011-09-19T13:57:00.000-07:00

Matthew is 10 months & 1 week old!!

It has been a big month for our little guy...mainly because he started babbling this month!! It only took 10 months!! ;-) I took him to an audiologist this month because I was so worried about how quiet he was. His ears checked out fine (of course) and about 2 weeks after that appointment Matthew started "talking" a TON and hasn't stopped since. Woohoo! What a relief. We just love hearing his sweet little voice...after waiting so long to hear him talk, it is such a wonderful sound. He is making lots of different consonants and vowels sounds now. We even think he might have a few words: nana (banana), Abby (my in-laws' dog) & nigh nigh (night-night)

He hasn't used these words consistenly, and we have only heard them once or twice, so we'll see. We're just thankful Matthew has found his voice :-) I know I'll be laughing that I was worried about that someday!!

Another big change this month...Matthew is no longer eating baby food (except for those oh-so-convenient baby food "pouches" that come in the squeezable bags...love those things!) It's all table food for him and he is feeding himself (which is oh-so-nice). He usually eats cheerios or a breakfast bar with a banana in the morning, some kind of deli meat or chicken with cheese and veggies for lunch and whatever we're eating for supper. In addition, Matthew LOVES mum-mums, puffs, baby goldfish, all different types of bread, yogurt, applesauce, grilled cheese sandwiches, and chicken nuggets. Matthew's favorite foods are any kind of meat and most vegetables. He really doesn't like fruit too much which I think is funny. It's just the opposite of how Caroline used to be. I'm sure his tastes will change soon and he will love fruit and hate veggies.

At 10 months old, Matthew loves to:

"throw" a ball back and forth (I've got to get this on video soon...his "throw" is so funny)

play with his learning table and learning home

play with his sister

wrestle with Matt

cuddle before bedtime

play pat-a-cake

try to mimic the motions for "Twinkle Twinkle"

sign more & all done

reach his arms up for "so big" when we ask "how big is Matthew"

wave (but only in his high chair...weird :-)

be outside

ride in our wagon

smile while crinkling his little nose up

cruise around while holding onto furniture

climb stairs
go on walks in the stroller
take baths

Matthew does NOT love to:

ride in his carseat anymore (bummer)

read more than a couple of books at a time :-(

drink cold milk

miss his morning nap

go to Mother's Day Out (at least not yet)

try to walk while holding our hands

go to bed any later than 7 pm, no matter what

be still to have his diaper changed or get dressed

Happy 10 month birthday, Matthew! We love you so!!!

Dancing Queen

2011-09-15T13:33:00.000-07:00

Caroline had her first day of ballet last week! She was so thrilled:

We switched studios this year so Caroline could take ballet with some of her sweet friends. We're also close to home which is nice! I was really happy with our switch. Ms Janie is Caroline's teacher and couldn't be nicer. And we love seeing so many friends. Sorry for the quality of pics...they were taken through glass:

The littles, Matthew and Millie, loved watching the girls through the window.

Lucy & Caroline

Yay for ballet!!!

First Day of Preschool & Mother's Day Out/Back-to-school Traditions

2011-09-11T14:43:00.000-07:00

Last week was a BIG week at ~~our~~ Mimi & PopPop's house!! Caroline had her FIRST day of PRESCHOOL and Matthew had his first day of Mother's Day Out. I was so inspired by this post on Kelly's Korner (love her BTW!) and by my newest obsession that I decided to start some back-to-school traditions for Caroline (and eventually Matthew once he starts preschool). The first tradition we began was a mommy/daughter date the day before school started. Caroline picked the date...she wanted to get a slurpee and go to the park. I thought that was a great idea!
Heading out for some fun...just the two of us!

She is definitely my daughter...she picked wild cherry which is my favorite too

Park time!

"Ladies and Gentlemen..."

The night before school, we gave Caroline and Matthew their baths then read two of our new favorite books: this one and this one. After our reading time, we had a family prayer for Caroline, her new teachers and her classmates. Then it was time for bed and many sweet dreams of preschool.
Backpack, napmat, lunchbox...check! A big bag for Matthew packed with too much stuff...check!

Caroline requested PopPop's special pancakes for breakfast and he was nice enough to make them for the kiddos. (one of the perks about living with the grandparents)
Matthew inhaled them as he does most food :-)

SO happy about PopPop's pancakes!!

The traditional picture in front of the door...can't wait to have our own front door next year! (please excuse that crazy lady's reflection in the glass)

Bubs' turn!!

Signing "more" but I don't know what he wanted...

Clapping for Daddy

Trying to get away...

...not successful

My best attempt at the two of them. Why do I bother??

Finding her star:

Matthew with sweet Mrs. Dina:

All smiles+lots of excitement=a successful drop-off with no tears!!

The first drop-off of the year is always kind of sad for me. Not hysterically crying sad or anything (although there is nothing wrong with that :-)...just a pit-in-my-stomach general sadness because my kids are growing up SO fast. Each new "school year" is always a big reminder of that and it's hard. But all I have to do to feel better is ask Matt, after we've just dropped the kids off, "aren't you so sad?" Matt's response? "Nope, we'll see them again in a few hours!" Um, oh yeah.

When we picked the kids up, Caroline's teachers said she did great!! Matthew did okay but had a hard time adjusting to the new nap schedule at Mother's Day Out. The boy likes his schedule and he likes his sleep. He'll get it and, luckily, he's just going one day/week so I can do some private speech therapy for a few hours/week.

We came home from school and had a low-key afternoon while Matthew caught up on his sleep. One last tradition we'll do every year...pizza for supper! Nothing fancy but it's Caroline's favorite food, and I figured the first day of school will always be too busy to cook a meal. So pizza it is!

And a back-to-school cake. Please don't make fun of me. I'm not a baker and this is what happens when I try. But I'm committed to getting better and next year I might even attempt this (gasp). Kate, I'm gonna need some help!!!

I can't believe I'm about to post this picture on the world wide web but in the interest of keeping it real...here 'tis (I ran out of room...it was supposed to say "Happy 1st Day of Preschool). Good thing Caroline can't read ;-)

Meet the Teacher 2011

2011-09-03T09:37:00.000-07:00

Last week was Meet the Teacher day at Caroline's preschool. This is a big year for her because it's her FIRST year of PRESCHOOL (she has been in Mother's Day Out the past two years). Matthew will also be going to MDO one day/week this year. Caroline was so excited the day before meet the teacher and asked if we could go to her class first (before Matthew's). I was so glad she was excited. Well....turns out meet the teacher was a total BUST. The moment we walked into the class, Caroline decided she was not having it. She was shy and wanted nothing to do with her new teachers (who were being so sweet to her BTW). She was even, dare I say it, quite rude. I was so embarrassed and kept apologizing to Ms. Wilson and Ms. Taylor. Needless to say, the morning didn't go as planned, and Caroline and I had a tough conversation when we got into the car.
I really struggle with how to handle Caroline's personality sometimes. God made her wonderfully and perfect just the way she is. That includes her shy, timid in new situations, more introverted personality. However, that can never be an excuse to be rude to other people. I realize that it is hard for introverted people to want to talk to/play with people they don't know. So I walk a fine line between not making Caroline feel bad for being the way she is vs. still being kind/polite to others even when she doesn't feel like it. The issue is also compounded because I couldn't be more different than my daughter. I'm an extreme extrovert so it's hard for me to always understand Caroline, and I'm afraid I push her too hard sometimes. This is something I pray about often, and I trust God will give me wisdom in this area. I need it!
The only pic I got of Caroline with her Preschool 3 teachers, Ms. Wilson and Ms. Taylor...I think she was screaming "NO" in this picture and trying to get to me (next time, I will know better than to even attempt a picture until Caroline feels more comfortable):

Caroline was all smiles once she was out of the unfamiliar classroom and with one of her best buddies, Lucy. They are standing in front of their stars on the wall outside the class (both excited they got purple :-) I am glad the girls are in class together this year!

The picture I took of Matthew with his teachers didn't turn out. Hopefully, I'll get one on the first day of school. His teachers, Ms. Dina and Ms. Gretel, are super sweet, and I know Matthew will have a great year. Here's hoping and praying for a good first day next week for both of my kiddos!!

Soakin' It Up

2011-08-30T14:42:00.000-07:00

We are trying to soak up these last days of summer before preschool/our "school year" routine starts next week. Yesterday, we met our sweet friends, Lauren and Riley, at the splash park in our neighborhood. We were the only people there which was so nice. Matthew hasn't been to the splash park since he started crawling, and I wasn't sure what he would think. Well, he loved it! We will be going back as much as possible before Labor Day!

These sweet smiles melt my heart (and make those tough parenting days a lot easier :-)

The only picture I got of the two of them...awesome, uh?!?

Lauren & Riley (who just turned 1)

She was SO cute toddlin' around...I can't imagine Matthew walking

Fun friends!

My seemingly fearless little guy. I can't believe he crawled through these rings. Caroline wouldn't go near them.

Playing on the playground

I'm sad for all of the summer fun to end but excited for our new "school year"...and COOLER weather!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday Pics

2011-08-28T14:26:00.000-07:00

My best attempt at some pics before church this morning
I don't know what Matthew is holding but I promise it's not coming out of his nose ;-)

The morning wouldn't be complete without some tosses (Matthew's fav!!)

A Daddy-Daughter Date Day

2011-08-22T14:39:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a daddy/daughter date day. Caroline wanted to swim and go to Chick-Fil-A so that's what they did!

Caroline wanted to dress "fancy" for her daddy. So cute.

Heading off to lunch:

I hung with this fella:

I think he was tired of me by the time Matt & Caroline came home. He was really happy to see them.

Apparently daddy/daughter dates are very tiring. They both crashed on the couch. Love these two and their special relationship.

9 Months Old

2011-08-15T15:47:00.000-07:00

Matthew is 9 months old!

3/4 of the way to 1 year old...oh.my.goodness.

Matthew's 9 Month Stats:

Weight: 19 pounds, 8 ounces (40th%)

Height: 28 1/4 inches (55th%)

Head: 17 3/4 inches (45th%)

All about Matthew at 9 months old:

as evidenced by the pics, he LOVES to play with Caroline's/his lego table
he also loves to play with any ball, water bottle, remote control and balloon
will give us "cuddles" before bed when we ask for them

is crawling everywhere very fast and has fun getting into plants, Mimi and PopPop's water bowl for their dog, Abby, and any books/magazines in baskets
waved "bye-bye" and signed "more" a few times this month when prompted but not doing either of these things consistently just yet
started playing peek-a-boo! (see video at bottom of post)

still takes two naps/day (a shorter one in the morning and long one in the afternoon)
sleeps about 12 hours at night
started eating a lot more table food and isn't choking/gagging as much (thankfully)...in fact, he doesn't love baby food too much anymore, and I have a feeling he'll be eating table foods for every meal pretty soon
favorite foods so far: chicken nuggets from CFA, grilled cheese sandwiches, soft carrot, strawberries, blueberries, cheerios, cheese sticks and mum-mums
least favorite foods: bananas, pears, mandarin oranges

loves doing "downward-facing dog" yoga poses with his big sister:

...and by himself

three more teeth popped up this month...his two top middle ones and an "i" tooth. His second "i" tooth should pop through any day now equaling 6 teeth total
Matthew started pulling up this month and is now doing it anywhere and everywhere. This is what we see when we go in his room in the morning or after naps:

Matthew now rides in the car with Caroline at the grocery store...they love this!

Matthew started vocalizing more this month and we have heard some "g" and "m" sounds in addition to some different vowels but still no real babbling. We are watching him very closely for the next 3 months and if he still isn't forming consonant sounds/babbling by 1 year we're going to start some early intervention evaluations of his hearing and speech. Sometimes I wish I wasn't a speech therapist! As my sweet friend, Erica, put it...Matthew is definitely making me sweat a little! Stinker.
Matthew is an observer when we're out and about and loves to sit back and take in the world around him (usually while sitting in my lap). At home, he is quite the explorer and actually crawls away from me to check things out. This is new for me since Caroline never left my side. Once she could crawl, she followed me around and never crawled away. And she hasn't really left my side since, ha. However, I think Matthew might be a little more adventurous...time will tell.
he also still loves to look at us and give us that big ole' gorgeous grin of his
Overall, Matthew seems to have a very sweet, laid-back personality. I'm thinking he's more like his daddy, ha

We sure love our little man! (see peek-a-boo video below)

'Tis the summer...

2011-08-05T13:56:00.000-07:00

...Caroline conquered her fear of the water! Woohoo! Go Caroline, we are so proud of you!

A Fun Tuesday

2011-08-03T11:34:00.000-07:00

We had a fun Tuesday yesterday! Caroline saw her first movie in a theater...Winnie the Pooh! She was super pumped about it and was even more excited to get to go with one of her besties, Eleanor, and her mom Elizabeth. Elizabeth and I arranged childcare for our littles and decided the girls would love riding in the same car together. We were right:

Playing outside while buying our tickets:

Running through the theater. Both girls kept yelling, "this is so exciting" :-)

Movie time!

I have no idea what Caroline is doing here, but both girls were SO sad the movie was over. They wanted to watch it again.

We loved Winnie the Pooh! It was the perfect movie for the girls' age and both girls sat through the whole thing and did really well. The massive amounts of drinks and snacks helped too ;-) I'd highly recommend the movie!!

Outside Caroline wanted a picture of herself posing...cracks me up:

They loved these sunflowers Elizabeth ~~picked~~ found on the ground for them:

Sweet friends

After naps, our fam of 4 headed to our neighborhood's National Night Out. We didn't get to stay very long but had fun while we were there:

Caroline headed right up this bouncy slide. We couldn't believe it. She's leading the pack up the stairs in this pic:

"Weeeeeeeeee"

Climbing into the bounce house:

My two fav guys!!

A fun day for sure!

1st Visit to the Dentist

2011-08-01T19:25:00.000-07:00

Today, Caroline went to the dentist for the first time. I'm VERY surprised to report that it was a wonderful experience ;-)
Caroline loved posing in the chair:

However, she loved watching a movie on the ceiling even more...the dentist has changed since I was a little girl!

First up, was Caroline's teeth cleaning. Miss Samantha did a fantastic job with Caroline (who was already in tears after having to lay down). She showed Caroline all of the cleaning tools and even let her touch them and turn them off and on. Samantha gave the tools funny names and quickly had Caroline laughing. I was amazed. I honestly didn't think we'd get very far at this appointment. However, Caroline's fear completely faded away the more Samantha talked to her. Caroline did such a great job and let Samantha polish/scrape her teeth then apply the flouride. I'm so thankful for that sweet Samantha!

After the cleaning, Caroline got to pick out a prize. She chose a ring with a red heart on it and was really excited.

Here she is, picking out her ring, with my mom (who wanted to come along for support :-)

Next up, time for x-rays! I love this picture:

Admiring her new ring:

Caroline did a great job during the x-rays too. She walked into the room all by herself and followed all of the directions. She got to pick out a sticker afterwards. She couldn't believe it...two surprises in a row:

Last but not least, it was time to see the dentist (or teeth doctor as Caroline calls her). Again, she did well and wasn't scared at all. She let the dentist check all of her teeth. Caroline's teeth received a clean bill of health...no cavities, yay! The dentist talked to me about Caroline's finger-sucking which I had lots of questions about. We've got to nip that in the bud before permanent teeth come in. Whew, that's gonna be hard. Not going to think about that just yet.

Notice the blue balloon in the background...that was given to Caroline along with a sugar-free lollipop on our way out. It was treat overload!

Matthew was content playing with a water bottle the whole time:

All in all, Caroline's first visit to the dentist was terrific. Caroline can't wait to go back and get another ring, sticker, lollipop and balloon ;-)

A Special Conversation

2011-07-31T18:49:00.000-07:00

Recently, Caroline and I had a special conversation, and I want to record it for our blog book:
Caroline: Mommy, how is Jesus in Heaven in the sky and in our hearts at the same time?
Me: (thinking how in the world do you explain the Trinity and the Holy Spirit to a 3 year old) Well, after Jesus died and went to be with God in Heaven, He sent part of Himself, the Holy Spirit, to live in our hearts. That is how we can have some of Jesus in our hearts even though He lives in Heaven. Do you understand?
Caroline: Yes (yeah right :-)
Me: I'm so thankful Jesus died on the cross to save our sins. And I'm so thankful He sent the Holy Spirit to live in our hearts.
Caroline: Do you want to know what I'm thankful for? I'm thankful to God for creating the whole Earth and me and you and Daddy and Matthew. And I'm thankful God loves us. And I love God very very much.
Sweet, precious girl. How I love her so. I pray her love for God continues to grow everyday.

Splish Splash

2011-07-27T09:19:00.000-07:00

We are loving bath time at ~~our~~ Mimi's house these days!! Matthew and Caroline enjoy playing with each other and their toys, and I love that it's a great way to kill time during the 5:00 p.m. "witching hour" before Matt gets home. Caroline's bath 'must-haves' right now are water color tablets and bath crayons. Matthew's bath 'must-haves' are his whistle and ball.

The first time Caroline wrote her name!

Snapshots of Summer

2011-07-23T10:47:00.000-07:00

I haven't had the chance to do many "what we've been up to" posts this summer with all of the craziness that has been going on (traveling and moving mainly). So here is a recap of some of our summer in snapshots...please excuse the quality of a few pictures that were taken with my phone.

The NUMBER ONE thing we've been doing this summer is SWIMMING!!! It's pretty much all we can do since it has been 200 degrees every day:

Caroline, Will, Matthew & Ellie

Caroline swimming with her buddy, Cole:

Matthew floatin' around:

Caroline particpated in a fun ballet camp with one of her best buddies, Lucy:

We've had a couple fun supper clubs and included the kids:

Saylor, Press, Caroline and Mae (missing from the pic...James and the babies, Matthew, Julia & Gray) I think it's so funny that our supper club has grown from 0 kids to 8 kids in only 3 1/2 years. Makes me tired just thinking about it ;-)

We have had great quality time with our sweet Nannie:

There has been lots of hand holding in the car (I never get tired of turning around and seeing this):

Running in the grass on warm summer nights:

Spending extra time with daddy since he gets off work early on Fridays during the summer (hooray):

We have celebrated some very special birthdays with family and friends:

Riding bikes in the morning before it gets to 200 degrees:

Practicing writing letters (Caroline has really been into this lately):

And last but not least, this summer has been full of many playdates with all of our fantastic friends!!

Matthew & Ally:

Caroline and Parker:

That pretty much sums up our summer (so far) in snapshots!!

Comparison Pic: 8 Months Old

2011-07-17T15:18:00.000-07:00

I haven't done a comparison pic on here in awhile, and I thought it was time. I love comparison pics :-) Here are Caroline (left...just in case you weren't sure, ha) and Matthew (right) at 8 months old:

I can't believe how DIFFERENT they look!! When Matthew was a newborn, I thought his pictures looked very similar to Caroline's baby pictures. Now that Matthew is older, I don't think they look anything like each other. What do you think??

All Caught Up

2011-07-14T12:22:00.000-07:00

I finally got caught up on the ole' blog...it only took me a week :-) In case you missed them, check out my newest posts:

8 Months Old

Red River, Part 1, 2 and 3

Big Changes

8 Months Old

2011-07-14T12:12:00.000-07:00

Sweet Matthew is 8 MONTHS OLD!!

It has been another month full of changes for our baby boy! Matthew is doing something new almost everyday. This month, Matthew:

Started CRAWLING!! He will take up to 3 "crawls" (what do you call that??) then fall on his stomach, push himself back up to all fours and do it again. So he hasn't really taken off yet but he is mobile and can get himself to where he wants to go most of the time.
Pulled himself up to his knees a couple of times on the side of the bathtub and ottoman
Learned how to push himself to a sitting position when he is up on all fours and then can get back down on his stomach from a sitting position
Learned how to clap his hands...he is so proud of himself when he does this
Began shaking his head "no" and sometimes does it purposefully (if he doesn't want a certain food) and sometimes does it just because it's fun and makes him laugh

Started signing "all done" when he's finished eating...his version is twisting his hands all around instead of shaking them. He also imitates the sign "more" but doesn't use it purposefully yet
Figured out how to really jump in his jumperoo and now he loves it more than ever
Had his first pureed meats and loves them like he does the rest of his baby food
Ate his first "table" food: very small bites of tortillas, cheese and bananas (he is NOT a fan of table food at all and either gags or spits it out...we're going to wait a couple of weeks then try again)
Traveled to Red River, New Mexico for his first trip to the mountains
Watched his first 4th of July parade
Rode a ski lift
Got his SECOND tooth (middle bottom, right next to his other one)
Decided he hates the cold water in the pool and cries most of the time when he is in the water (either in his float or if I'm holding him)...this is quite a bummer since we tend to live at the pool these days
Is still such a happy baby which is such a blessing given our rough start during those lovely newborn days...that's the comment we hear most about Matthew..."He's SO happy!!!"
Continues to follow the same eating and sleeping schedule he was on at 7 months
LOVES to laugh (especially at his sister right before bedtime...this has become quite the tradition every afternoon and/or night if Caroline is in the room when we're getting Matthew ready for bed), bang on his toys, cuddle, listen to songs, read books, play with anything he can get his sneaky little hands on, and splash/crawl around in the bath (this is scary :-)

Matthew's smile is contagious and we can't look at him without smiling or laughing most of the time. It's hard to believe Matthew is already 8 months old...as everyone always says, time is flying by and I wish it would just slow down. We are thankful for the endless joy Matthew brings into our lives everyday.

Happy 8 month birthday to our little guy!!!

Red River- Part 3

2011-07-13T20:36:00.000-07:00

Here are some last highlights/misc pics from our trip to New Mexico to conclude the Red River posts.
Matthew's favorite morning activity...playing with a measuring cup while watching us make breakfast. He is one happy boy!!!

Red River has a new activity...a tubing hill! They have a "bunny slope" for little kids and a big one for the "big kids". Caroline went down the bunny slope twice. I couldn't believe she did it! Once she was done, she hung out with Susan (who is not a fan of speed) while the rest of us rode the ski lift up and tubed down the mountain over and over. It was a blast! I only took pictures of Caroline because I left my camera at the bottom of the mountain while we were tubing.
My mom and Caroline tubing down the hill:

Just starting off:

Ready, set....

Riding up the moving sidewalk

View from the back porch of our cabin:

Our back porch...a lot of time was spent out here reading and talking

More pics of our cabin (the one we rented, not the one my grandfather built):

We love Dwyer's Den!

View from our front porch:

One of Caroline's favorite activites...swinging on the front porch while playing "I Spy"

Pretty view on a jeep ride:

My very favorite...the beautiful Aspen!!

My Uncle Ronnie, Trey and I went on a jeep ride one day. Popo LOVED this Willie jeep, and I'm so glad Ronnie has kept it in shape so we can still use it. I've ridden in this thing almost my entire life. I have SO many great memories of riding in this jeep with Popo looking for deer and elk in the summer evenings. We still love those nighttime animal hunts!

I made Caroline get in the jeep for a picture...can you tell she was not happy about it? I have a feeling I'll be seeing this face quite often during the pre-teen/teen years :-)

And we're back to being happy again:

Caroline's other favorite activity...throwing rocks in the river and splashing/stomping in the river in her rain boots

The cabin in the background is the one my grandfather built. I forgot to get a good picture of it.

One morning, we thought it would be fun to take the kids up the ski lift to the top of the mountain. Even though Matthew was strapped to me in the Bjorn, I was REALLY anxious the whole time. Caroline made me nervous too even though she was completely still. This was a little too adventurous for this worrying momma ;-)

Top of the ski lift:

Goodbye Red River...hope to see you next year!!!

Red River- Part 2

2011-07-13T14:00:00.000-07:00

The second night in Red River, we went to COWBOY EVENING. Cowboy Evening is just what its name says...it is an evening full of all things cowboy, including live country music, a HUGE home-cooked meal with the best cinnamon rolls you have ever put in your mouth, and lots of kiddie activities like (pretend) riding horses, roping cattle, riding in a chuck wagon, swings, etc...
I hadn't been since I was younger and my cousins were little kids. We were all excited for Caroline to experience the fun.
All dressed and ready to go (look at Matthew eyeing the remote control :-)

My little cowgirl and cowboy!!

Playing in the chuck wagon:

Playing on the hay bales and posing with one of Caroline's greatest heroes...my cousin, Catherine

Rida-go-horsey

Yup, and I ate every bit of it...PLUS a cinnamon roll the size of my face :-)

The Swing Riders...I don't know who was more entertaining, the band or Caroline dancing to the band.

It was a fun, cowboy evening!!!!

Red River-Part 1

2011-07-13T13:26:00.000-07:00

We took a trip to one of my favorite vacation spots for the week of July 4th this year...RED RIVER, NEW MEXICO!! My sweet grandfather (Popo) built a small cabin in RR when my mom was a little girl. I grew up vacationing there every summer from the time I was 2 until I was 17. I just love that place!!! It's very near and dear to my heart. Especially since my sweet Popo passed away...Red River reminds me of him so much. I love being there and feeling close to him. I've been DYING to take Caroline (and now Matthew too of course :-) to visit Red River since she was born, and I was so excited to finally get the chance to take the kids this summer. Unfortunately, Matt couldn't get off work after our beach trip and the move. However, my mom and aunt, Jean, drove with me and the kiddos. They were a HUGE help. The five of us rented a cabin next door to Popo's cabin where my other aunt, Susan, and her family of five were staying (they now own Popo's cabin).

The first day we were there was July 4th so we headed to downtown for the "big" parade:

This sweet child just CANNOT open his eyes in the sun :-)

Waiting for the parade to start:

It's funny how things often look so "perfect" in family pictures (like the one above). The parade was far from "perfect" and not what I was expecting at all. After catching only a couple of pieces of candy, Caroline just wanted to sit down and eat them. She wanted nothing to do with the rest of the parade. Matthew screamed his little head off from the moment the parade started until we took him away from the noise. It was too loud/overstimulating for him. Oh well, there is always next year.

Caroline was SO excited to ~~pick the candy up off of the street~~ catch the candy from the floats:

Waving!

Caroline had her ears covered most of the time...the parade was super loud

"Look what I got!!"

Jean, Caroline, my mom and my cousin, Trey

Matthew loved his pink frisbee...he can pull of playing with a pink toy because he is so secure in his manhood :-)

After the parade, we headed straight to our favorite store in Red River...The Bobcat!! Owned by our dear friend, Sheri McShan. Her store has some of the most beautiful hand-crafted jewelry and pottery I've ever seen, and I just love seeing Sheri and catching up with her. She has known my grandparents/family for a very long time, and we have pictures of me "shopping" in her store at age 3 :-)
Sheri and Caroline (sorry, bad pic of Sheri with her eyes closed)

Caroline, a.k.a. my little shopper, immediately began admiring a pretty silver bracelet with a green stone in the middle. Sheri, in her usual sweet and generous fashion, GAVE the bracelet to Caroline as a gift. Caroline will be wearing it for special occasions only! She is still super excited...it is her first "real" piece of jewelry:

The rest of our 4th of July was spent having a big, yummy lunch at our cabin (thanks, Susan), splashing/throwing rocks in the river, taking naps, attending the annual Upper Valley BBQ party that evening, and taking pics with the kids at our "posing spot" with Wheeler Peak in the background:

BIG Changes

2011-07-13T09:18:00.000-07:00

Our family went through some BIG changes during the month of June. We bought a new house! It is in our same neighborhood (which we LOVE!!) but will afford us some more space which we so desperately needed. So we sold our house and said goodbye to our FIRST home Matt and I bought as a married couple and the home we brought our babies home to. It was very bittersweet, and I might have cried a bit in the process. I also might have taken way too many pictures of the house. Here are just a few I took on moving day:

Matthew's nursery:

Caroline's room:

Caroline wanted to go into every room and wave goodbye...so sad :-(

Sorry for the blurry pic...Caroline was saying goodbye to our family room:

Goodbye to our first wonderful home. We will NEVER forget all of the special memories that were made here!!

We are now living with Matt's parents while we renovate the new house. I'll be posting pics throughout the ~~arduous~~ fun project!

Blog Catch-up

2011-07-10T12:25:00.000-07:00

This summer has been the craziest, busiest summer EVER. I have so many catch-up posts to write. We've had LOTS going on, and I have missed blogging. So I plan/hope to get all caught up this week. Stay tuned!!

7 Months Old

2011-06-25T12:58:00.000-07:00

Matthew is 7 months (and 2 weeks :-) old!!

Matthew's 7th month included lots of firsts for our Little Man:

As you can see from the picture above, Matthew got his FIRST tooth this month (bottom front)! I was not expecting it at all since Caroline didn't get any teeth until she was 10 months old. I will miss Matthew's sweet, gummy smile but it's fun watching him hit "big" milestones.
Matthew took his FIRST trip to the beach
He rolled from back to tummy for the FIRST time...now that he can roll both ways, Matthew is a lean, mean rolling maching. He rolls all over his crib/the floor to get to where he wants to go.
FIRST bath with Caroline sitting up all by himself without the bumbo/bath seat...they have so much fun during bathtime together!
FIRST time to "swim" in the pool
He got up on all fours and rocked back and forth for the FIRST time
FIRST time to refuse his 3rd nap of the day
FIRST time to move! (From the FIRST home he was brought home to. More to come about this big adventure soon!)
What else is Matthew up to these days?
He continues to drool constantly...more teeth must be on the way
Loves to play with books, toys that light up/make sounds, his Sophie giraffe and anything else he can chew on
Still loves his exersaucer, shape sorter toy and stacking rings
Obsessed with anything he isn't allowed to play with...our keys, the tv remotes, cell phones, etc...
Matthew loves to eat! He drinks 4 bottles a day, usually about 28-32 oz. total
I think he was going through a growth spurt this month and was eating up to 5-6 jars of baby food a day (what?!?) Now he's eating anywhere from 2-4 jars/day...usually oatmeal and/or fruit for breakfast and some variation of veggies and/or fruit for lunch and dinner
His favorite food at the moment is pears and least favorite is green peas
Loves Baby Mum Mums but gags/chokes on puffs
Matthew typically sleeps from 7 pm to 7:30 am and takes a 1 1/2 hour morning nap and a 2 hour afternoon nap
He dropped his 3rd catnap this month and wants nothing to do with it anymore. So now he takes his two naps/day and goes to bed early. This makes for a happier baby boy!
We think Matthew will be on the move soon...he loves to rock back and forth on his hands and knees
The Little Mister is still quite smitten with his big sister: he laughs at her a TON and is always entertained when she is close by, Caroline loves to give him toys, make him smile, play with him in the car and bath, kiss him and hold his hand, take his picture with my phone and have squealing conversations with him
Speaking of squealing...Matthew is a pro! It is definitely his main mode of communication right now along with screaming (LOUD), laughing, and cooing. Matthew is still not babbling and the speech therapist in me is trying not to worry too much. Still, if Matthew isn't babbling by his 9 month birthday, we'll be discussing it with the pediatrician at his check-up for sure!
Matthew is Mr. Social and one of his favorite things to do is to look at people, smile really big and squeal at the top of his lungs.
He is understanding more words: will kick his legs when lying on his back if we say "kick, kick, kick", will bang on a toy if we say "bang, bang", looks at us if we ask him "where is mommy" "where is daddy" "where is Caroline", and he will give us big, open-mouthed kisses when we ask him for a kiss (he also loves to give us kisses voluntarily before and after he wakes up from a bedtime...it's the sweetest thing!)
Matthew is our snuggler...and I love it! He really loves to cuddle at night before bed and will rest his head on my shoulder and wrap his left arm around my neck
He still soothes himself by sucking his thumb when he is tired or hungry

These days, we can't get enough of Matthew's cuddles, smiles, laughter, big blue eyes and dimples! What a busy, exciting month it has been with lots of BIG changes and firsts for our little man.

We love you, Matthew!!

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-18T20:27:00.000-07:00

Dear Daddy,

Thank you for being such a wonderful, loving father. Thank you for working so hard to provide for our family.

Thank you for playing with us and making us laugh. Thank you for the many hugs and kisses you give us everyday.

Thank you for setting a great example of what a Godly husband and daddy look like. Thank you for loving us like nobody else can.

We love you so much,

Caroline and Matthew

Vacation Day 3

2011-06-12T18:46:00.000-07:00

The last day of our mini-trip was spent swimming in my aunt and uncle's pool. Matthew enjoyed hanging out in his float, and Caroline had fun ~~doggypaddling~~ swimming up and down the length of the pool, pretending to have a birthday party for Minnie Mouse at each end ;-)

Matt and my uncle played golf and they had a good time. I caught a pic of Matt in the middle of putting on his sunscreen:

Caroline LOVED swimming with my cousin, Catherine! Actually, she loved Catherine in general and followed her around the house most of the time we were there...it was funny to watch. Catherine was so sweet to put up with her little shadow! My sweet cousin just graduated from high school (she was Valedictorian and is scary smart :-) and is headed to Vanderbilt in the Fall. I've had the wonderful pleasure of getting to watch her grow up. I love her so much, and it's fun to see her now play with my kids. Her older brothers, Trey and Will, were out-of-town while we were visiting...we missed them!!

Catherine & Caroline:

Swimming to Matt:

Hugs!

Some serious cuteness:

The next day, we headed home. This is what my view was when I turned around in my seat during the whole trip. The silence was lovely :-)

What a great first trip as a family of four. Thanks for letting us come visit, Susan and Ronnie! We love you guys!!

Vacation Day 2

2011-06-06T18:48:00.000-07:00

Beach day 2 looked a lot like day 1. Here are more of the same pictures:

Matthew decided to join Caroline in her "waves are gonna getcha" game

Caroline repeatedly threw her arms up and yelled, at the top of her lungs, "I love the beach"

The pretty seagulls...Caroline called them woodpeckers the whole time

My two favorite dudes!!

Another long nap, ahhhhhhh

The picture below is Caroline telling me that I may NOT build sandcastles with her :-( She told me I was messing up her perfect castle (when all I was trying to do was teach her how to build one!)

So while Little Miss Independent built her own sand castles...Matt read his book, Matthew slept, and I took pics, swam in the ocean and read my own book. It was quite nice actually :-)

My attempt at some sibling pics:

This pic makes me laugh...they are making the exact same squinty-facial expression. Can you tell they're related??

"Matthew, Matthew, put down that sand right now! Do you hear me?? Matthew! Put down that sand!"

My loves:

Please excuse the ~~huge glob~~ little bit of drool on Matthew's chin

Our fam...smiles all around!

Vacation Day 1

2011-06-05T18:30:00.000-07:00

We just returned from our first trip as a family of four! It was a mini-vacay...we drove to Alabama to stay with/visit my aunt (and her sweet fam!) for a few days and take the kids to Orange Beach. Matt and I decided to do this trip very last minute and were excited but nervous too. We didn't know how a 9 hour car drive would go with both kids. But they did great! Caroline watched movies the whole time and Matthew slept a lot, ate (I just crawled in the back seat and fed him when he was hungry) and played in his car seat. We only stopped once on the way there and once on the way home...pretty good!
The first day we were there, we headed to Orange Beach. Caroline was very excited. She has been asking to go to the beach to "play in the sand" for a long time. This was her second trip to the beach but the first one she might remember (she was only 5 months old on her first trip). Of course, it was Matthew's first time at the beach. They both loved it and are complete beach bums...which is good because so are their parents :-) It was beautiful weather albeit HOT. But with lots of shade from our tent (thanks, Mimi and PopPop) and the nice ocean breeze, the heat was bearable. Here are way too many pictures from our first day at the beach:

Who's that little ole' man sitting on the beach? ;-)

Can you find Matthew?

Thumbs up for the beach!

Squirt gun fight!

Matt, swimming in the ocean. I was too scared to join him for very long the first day. Those waves were big!

Some cuddle time with my sweet boy. He was so relaxed!

Playing in the sand together. Matthew loved picking up the sand and dropping it.

Watching the ocean in amazement:

Such a happy boy.

And an excited, goofy girl!

Walkin' on the beach with daddy to find sea shells:

The sound of the waves were the perfect sound machine. Matthew took a 2 hour nap:

Loungin'

Running to the water to play our favorite game...

..."the waves are gonna getcha"

More to come on beach day 2!