I can't even come up with a title because I never write on this blog anymore, but I just can't let it go! Maybe I can start updating it again.

Caroline is now 4 and a half years old. Most of the time, she seems so grown and BIG! I have moments where I realize that she really is still very small. She is VERY social - I don't think there's a day that goes by that she doesn't ask for a friend. It's her first question when we get into the car everyday after school: "Can I have a friend over?!" She isn't good about playing by herself. I'm not sure how to encourage that other than just making her have time alone.

 

 

 

Taylor Grace is now 9 months old - how is that even possible?! She is trying to crawl but she usually just ends up stuck in a corner. She is seriously THE happiest baby. She smiles at everyone as soon as they make eye contact! Yesterday I just held her close and thought about how soon she won't be a baby any more. She is a light sleeper, but she goes to sleep easily if she's in her own bed and it's dark and (relatively) quiet.

 

Life as a family of 4

This was written in January - just now publishing it.

Adding another baby to the mix has been QUITE the ride! Taylor Grace needs more attention than Caroline did as a baby, but she is still a really good baby! She is usually content as long as she's being held or as long as I'm sitting next to her making faces and talking to her. Our house pretty much stays a mess and I'm learning to be okay with that.

Taylor Grace is almost 5 months old now and still hasn't rolled over! I think it has a lot to do with the fact that she doesn't get much time on the floor. She still sleeps mostly in the rock-&-play... she will soon outgrow it and I'm dreading the time when I can't just move her from her crib to the rock-&-play because she normally will go right back to sleep. I've told myself I'll start her on baby foods at 5 months and that's just about a week away.

Caroline is a great big sister. She still can be a little rough and get too close to Taylor Grace's face. I think she is just so in love with her and excited to play with her. I really can't wait for the two of them to be able to play together!

Our New Normal

I wrote this a long time ago but didn't finish. Now Taylor Grace is 9 months old and I'm just gonna go ahead and hit the publish button...

Taylor Grace is 9 weeks old now and I've been back at work for 3 weeks.

The weekdays are exhausting... I wake up at 6:30 and it's pretty much a race to get out the door in time for work. I work all day and then pick the girls up from daycare and then head home, feed them bath them, clean bottles (UGH!!), and put them down for bed. I pretty much immediately go to bed myself and then repeat the cycle all over again the next day.

I don't feel like I've had any time to hold Taylor Grace in the mornings so I hate leaving her... I'd like to just sit and hold her for a while. She is still getting up for a bottle in the middle of the night but last night she went over 8 hours! I've just got to time that last bottle right and we'll have a full nights' rest!

Last weekend I learned that Taylor Grace likes it when I blow raspberries. She gives me the sweetest little smile. I can't wait until she laughs!

Caroline has really started adjusting well. She definitely needs daycare and that social interaction she gets all week with her friends. I was going crazy at home with her because she is constantly wanting someone to play with her. She loves Taylor Grace and is such a good little mama to her! Whenever Taylor fusses, Caroline asks that we turn on lullabies. Caroline rushes to Taylor's side to put her paci in or to bounce or swing her (we just have to watch carefully because Caroline can get carried away!) Last night Caroline wanted to hold Taylor Grace and she was wiggling quite a bit. Dan told her she had to be still if she was holding Taylor and Caroline said "ok, I'm done holding her."

Taylor Grace

My Sweet Taylor,

We are in the final stretch and I have stopped counting how many weeks I am- and am now counting down the days until we get to hold and kiss you! (16 days.... oh my goodness!!!)

Your room is coming together nicely and I only lack some decoration on the walls and curtains and a lamp. I'm hoping to take care of some of that this weekend! I washed the car seat & stroller covers last night. I really can't fathom having you HERE!

I have had a great pregnancy. The last week or so has been hard, but I think that is to be expected at this point in pregnancy (and trying to keep up with your big sister isn't easy!) I only got sick a few times in my first trimester. I was nervous and very cautiously hoping the first 9 or 10 weeks after we got pregnant. From then on, I couldn't WAIT to have a big belly and feel you kicking around! Now that we're so close to the end... I'm definitely ready to have you in my arms and not stuck under my ribs. :) I think you will like it better that way, too!

I heard this song today and it so perfectly fits the emotions I feel for you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzND4P-LmOo
I can't wait to put your pictures together and play it with this song. The Lord has answered my prayers with you, baby girl.

Your big sister Caroline is SO excited to meet you. We made a sticker chart to count down the days until you come. She is pretty much obsessed with being "big" and you being the baby. I tell her all the time that she is going to have to teach you manners and how to be a lady (she is still working on these things herself!)

 

I hope to write down some more details soon but wanted to get some of this written while it was on my mind. I can't wait to see your sweet face and kiss those cheeks!

Little Stinker

Caroline spent the last whole WEEK at Nonnie and Pop's house. She came home yesterday and I was SO glad to see her!

Dan told me when he got to Vicksburg Friday he walked in and Caroline said, "I ate a honey bun!" (She was also holding a cup of kool-aid!) I think it may take her a few days to come off of that week long sugar high!

At one point last night I told her, "You're my favorite!". She responded, "Nonnie's my favorite too!"

Then, last night Caroline was in bed and Dan and I were talking back and forth from the kitchen to the living room. She yelled out "Stop talking! You're gonna wake up me!"

I love this little girl!!

Taylor Grace Henry

I just thought I'd write down this little memory while I still have it!

One night in February at Bunko I noticed I was spotting a little bit. I was 13 weeks pregnant and it wasn't bright red or anything, but the next morning it hadn't stopped so I went to the doctor without an appointment first thing (gasp!)

I remember being so scared on the way to the doctor's office thinking, "This is going be bad news... I just know it." I saw a doctor in his sixties who was wearing a ridiculous gold chain (HA!) who checked for a heartbeat (which he found) and sent me for an ultrasound just to be sure everything was o.k.

In the ultrasound room (where we've gotten our fair share of bad news) the tech found the baby and I couldn't believe how beautiful baby already was! I DID ask the tech if she could sneak a peak and take a guess at the baby's gender. She did and we didn't see much in between baby's legs so she said her guess would be a girl, but "don't go out and buy all pink just yet!"

A week later, Dan and I went to Hinds Community College in Jackson for a sonogram. They have a school for sonography and you can get as many free sonograms as you'd like!  I'd set up this appointment weeks prior so I just kept it because I knew we'd like to see the baby again! The students spent about an hour practicing and they, too, thought it looked like a girl. They said they were 90-95% sure and so I'm pretty certain now as well! The baby was moving all over the place and even had hiccups at one point!

On the way home from Jackson we were talking about baby girl names and Dan reminded me of the name Taylor. We had talked about that name a long time ago when we lived in Nashville and both liked it. I liked it but I thought it needed something with it to make it more feminine so I suggested Taylor Grace and it stuck! I'm thinking it will probably be a double name, but she'll probably end up being called all kinds of names (just Taylor, Gracie, Tay Tay). We're about 90% set on the name as well

I am 16 weeks pregnant right now and have felt some baby flutters this week. I love it and can't wait for it to be more often! I'm going a week from Monday for the official ultrasound where they'll confirm gender and look at baby's organs.

3 years old

My Sweet Caroline,

I just wanted to document what you're doing these days so I can reminisce one day years to come. You are determined to wear a skirt or dress pretty much every day! It can ruin your whole morning if I make you wear pants, so I try to oblige you most days. You don't want to wear your hair up at all (pigtails never, pony tail - rarely). You say you want it long! You love to dress up and every day. when we get home from school you immediately want us to put you in a princess dress.

I made the mistake of telling you that Spring was coming soon and that in Spring we celebrate Easter! You keep asking about your Easter eggs and I'm afraid it is going to be a long couple of months before it finally gets here. I bought a book about the true story of Easter and you don't want me to read it to you, I guess because it doesn't include Easter eggs. :(

You've started saying "I'm sorry I did that" over and over again if you spill something or drop things. It's cute but it kind of makes us look like we beat you or something!

Last weekend I threw away some old toys and 2 bath toys (one was a rubber duck w/ mold in it and the other was a belle pool toy that was missing half the paint). You saw them in the trash and said "hey! We need her!!" I explained that she was missing her paint and I showed you and you were fine with it! That's a little surprising!

You've been on a bed time strike lately and you'll stay up in your bed playing until about 9:15 or so each night. It drives me a little crazy! Last night you were trying to have a tea party in bed (our rule is only soft toys in bed) and the night before you had a tent along with about 20 other toys in your bed... with no room for you!!!

Last night after we babysat a friend's baby I was tucking you into bed. We were talking about what a good big sister you are going to be and you said "did the baby gonna like my skirts??" It is definitely important that this next baby supports your fashion sense! ( ;

I love her little profile!

 

Speaking of new baby, you are pretty excited about your little sister and you ask to kiss the baby (my belly) occasionally! You wore a big sister shirt today and you were so excited! I am so happy that you're going to have a sister and I hope that you aren't TOO far apart in age! I found out today that I passed my early gestational diabetes test & quad screen. This is a HUGE relief for me because I had gestational diabetes with my last pregnancy. It is starting to sink in that we are really having another precious little girl! I'm about 15 weeks pregnant and we confirm the gender in about 2 weeks.

Pretty funny

I couldn't get the video to embed for some reason, but these two skits cracked me UP!

http://skitguys.com/videos/item/christmas-connection

http://skitguys.com/videos/item/the-living-nativity

Just had to share.

http://itsalmostnaptime.blogspot.com/2012/11/no-pictures-allowed.html

I wish it weren't so hard to help these sweet angels who are desperate for love.

Halloween 2012

My Sweet Caroline,

 

The last three days have been filled with fun Halloween activities. I wish I could bottle up your cuteness and innocence and remember you like this forever. Monday night we went to ZooBoo. You've said you wanted to be princess Aurora for weeks now so that is what you were Monday. We went to zooboo with your friend Gabrielle and her friend came dressed as a bumblebee. She is about a year younger than you and you wanted to hold her hand the whole night. It was so sweet! As soon as we got in the van you started saying that you wanted to be a bumblebee! Tuesday your daddy was off work and stayed home with you. I knew he'd probably want to spoil you and get you what you wanted so I called him and told him you had requested a new costume! You both went to Toys-R-Us and picked out the perfect bumblebee costume.

Tuesday we had ballet and then we went to a carnival being held by an elementary school nearby. Again, we went with Gabrielle. I'm so glad you have a sweet friend we can do fun things with!

 

There was a band and you and Gabrielle kept dancing! It was precious!

 

Last night was the REAL Halloween and I think Ms. Kim and I were both very tired by the 3rd night in a row of activities with the kids! It is a lot of work but it is so worth it to see you having fun and experiencing new things. I am ready to be a homebody tonight!! :) Last night you opted for the bumblebee costume again. Gabrielle was a princess/birthday/butterfly girl!

I think you were talking with the director at daycare about your costume because you did a few really cute things that night that we hadn't talked about. You said something about flying around to get candy and a few times you randomly said "buzzz buzzz" while we were walking from house to house. It was too cute! When people opened their doors to give you candy, a few times you walked inside their house without invitation! Oops!
For some time leading up to Halloween you kept asking, "Can I go see Halloween?"... like it is a person. I couldn't make you understand that Halloween is just a day. Last night a few times when people would open their doors you'd say, "Hello Halloween!!"

 

You are smart and independent but also sensitive and sweet. You're such a girly-girl and I love being your mama. I'm blessed every day that I get to watch you grow.

 

Love,

Mama



Sweet Summertime

This summer has absolutely flown! In the beginning of June, we went to Orange Beach with Dan, his parents, and his brother and their family. We had a wonderful trip, but it went by too quickly!

She was cracking me up with all her crazy faces during our photo shoot!

Last year Caroline wouldn't walk on the sand at all. This year she didn't love it, but would tolerate it. The picture below shows how she walked around on the sand for the first few minutes. It was like she was thinking, "just don't let it get on my hands!"

Lucky for her, her Daddy kept her happy by taking her to the lazy river most of every day! 

I spent the last three weeks of June in my alternate route teaching certification class. I took the class through MAPQT and it was a wonderful program. I don't think there is anything out there that can fully prepare you to teach, but this class came as close as possible! :) I think we lucked out by having an awesome instructor, too!

The final week of class I accepted a job teaching 9th grade English at a high school about 25 miles from home. I'm thrilled but I'm apprehensive because I know I have a lot to learn and I have a tough job ahead of me. I just want to be an effective teacher and do a good job. All I can do is try my best!

I'm trying to savor these last couple of weeks before school starts. We went to the Paul B. Johnson splash pad last week and it was so fun until Caroline's sweet friend, G got bitten by fire ants. She had never been bitten before and started swelling all over her little body within 15 minutes. It was very scary! We rushed her to the E.R. because she was swelling so quickly. Thankfully, after some shots and medicine she recovered. We hope to go back to the park again this week or next (sans ants!!!).

Caroline & one of her best friends, G!

I think Caroline finally has gotten the hang of her tricycle! She has a tough time going up hill but she understands the concept now. A few months ago when she tried riding it she kept going backwards. She seems so proud of herself! Mommy is proud too! She is full of life and fills my days with laughter. I'm just in awe of what a blessing she is to us. Yesterday I told her I wanted her to stop playing in my make up drawer and she said "Are you listening to me? Do you understand?" HA! I hear her asking her baby dolls if they are listening to her on a regular basis. I guess we know what she is used to hearing me say!

I've introduced most of the princess movies to her in the last couple months. I'm in love with Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty! Caroline sometimes says "I Cinda-lella and you sleeping beauuuty!" Other times, when I call her Cinda-lella she says, "I not Cinda-lella, I Keh-line!" She has loved dressing up for quite some time now. There isn't a day that goes by that she doesn't have some fantastic get up on!

That's all I've got for now! Time to relax while I still can! ( ;

Potty Training & Sleep Issues

Caroline has grown and changed SO much in the last few months. I really feel like there is almost no baby left in her! Just a heads up: this post, (like all my posts), is full of things I want to remember about our lives right now; it may bore you to tears!

Yesterday we were all outside while Dan was building a step stool. Caroline decided she wanted to build a bridge! She would line up all the pieces and then prance across it several times only to dismantle it and rebuild it again! Like her outfit? She has on her church dress (wouldn't let me take it off) along with a skirt I bought her Saturday. Love the placement of her bracelet too!

We switched Caroline to a big girl bed in January and she did very well for the first couple of months. The last month or so, however, has NOT been fun! She always takes a short nap at daycare, usually about an hour, but on the weekends she has been way too busy playing with all her toys to take a nap. I have been spending  at least two hours going back and forth putting her in bed. I tried standing at her door and telling her to lay down every time she sat up. I tried spankings and I tried taking her favorite sleep toys away from her! Usually by the time I gave up each day, I was exhausted! A few days ago I thought I might need to try putting her in the pack 'n play to see if that would contain her (she climbed out of it once a few months ago while we were at a friend's house). I am thrilled to report that after about 45 minutes of “I need to potty... get me down... etc, etc.” she finally fell asleep! SWEET VICTORY!!!!!!!!! I'm hoping that maybe a few nap times in the pack 'n play will convince her to stay in her big girl bed.

In other news, we gave our first shot at potty training last weekend and it has been going GREAT! Caroline has really amazed me with how easy she caught on! I read “PottyTraining 123” the week before last and since I had 4 days at home for Easter break I decided to give it a try! I was very discouraged the first two or three days but I thought I should keep trying for all four days just to give it all my effort. I think it was especially difficult because she wasn't napping and I was just a bit more frazzled. 

She spent lots of time in just her pajama top and big girl panties!

She still wears a diaper at nap time and bedtime so we'll have to work on that later. She has had only a few accidents all week! I'm completely blown away at how quickly she got it! I'm sure all the Easter candy hasn't hurt! :)

This post is getting a little out of hand so I'll try and post more soon. That little girl of mine cracks me up every single day! What a joy she is to us!

Welcome Spring!

I never have a good title for my posts because I write so infrequently that my posts are a total mishmash of what we've been up to. I find this very aggravating!

Last week was spring break and we welcomed a new Henry to the family! Audrey Layne Henry was born Monday afternoon of last week.

Isn't she precious?!

 We only got to see her for a little while because we had to come back to Hattiesburg but we're going again this weekend. I can't wait to see her!

We enjoyed the rest of our break at home. Dan bought Caroline a trampoline so we spent a lot of time jumping and enjoying the warm weather!

This sweet girl is saying things all the time that take my by surprise! The other day we were at the park and she was watching a boy on the playground. She decided he needed a word of caution so she yelled out, "Be careful little boy!!" So cute! She likes to say "good mornin' Mama!" at random times in the day. :)

I can't believe summer is right around the corner! The only thing that stands in the way of my teaching certification is a 3 week class that I'll be completing in June. Then in July I'll be looking for a teaching position! I'm both scared and very excited! I know I have a lot to learn!

My Sweet Caroline

As usual, I haven't kept up with my blog like I would have liked to. I didn't write about Christmas or Caroline's 2nd birthday but I hope to get those posts done soon. I gotta write this stuff down though or I'll forget!

Caroline is talking so much now I can barely remember when she wasn't! On our way to church Sunday she kept saying the most funny and random things! First she said "cute shirt Mommy". Then she wouldn't stop talking about how her sock monkey tooted. I was worried she'd go into church talking about that so we tried to change the subject! Later she kept saying what sounded like "daddy... big ol' ears!" She said it several times so finally Dan told her "I get it!! Big ol' ears!!" ( :

She is such a ham and we love her!

She seems to be a tad bit OCD at times... I'm not sure if that is just normal 2 year old behavior or not. If her pants don't fall perfectly over her tennis shoes or if her sleeves aren't just right she cries "fix it! fix it!" If her baby doll doesn't sit up straight enough in the stroller or chair she has a little melt down. She loves loves loves her violet "puppy-gog" whom she refers to as Biolet and her hello kitty cat. Here she is feeding them some cheese!

She loves books and we have to read 4 (or 10) every night before bedtime. Without fail though, we have to read fish kisses! Each page has a different animal and we imitate how the animals say goodnight. It is so cute to watch her do the motions for each one!

http://www.amazon.com/Fish-Kisses-bedtime-Marianne-Richmond/dp/1934082309

She can sing most of Jesus Loves me, the ABCs, and twinkle twinkle little star. She loves to sing them over and over and over again!

Her two best buddies are Nathan (our neighbor) and Gabrielle. She asks about them every day! We walk with Nathan & his family several times a week and we get to see Gabrielle every Sunday at church. It is so nice to have friends with kids her age!

Must Reads

I've read a few posts/articles recently that have really touched me. They are definitely worth the time it takes to read them.

This one got my day started off just right! It was so inspiring and too good not to share! The world would have a lot fewer problems if everyone had this mentality.

I don't have a bunch of babies running around but I love the heart of this woman.
http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/motherhood-is-a-calling-and-where-your-children-rank


This last article really got me thinking!  Wow.
http://orphanjusticecenter.com/2011/06/11/is-the-church-ready-for-the-abortion-law-to-change/

Hoppy Halloween!

Since Caroline wasn't walking last October, this was her first year to fully participate in Halloween. Saturday we went to Zoo Boo. We took our neighbor's little boy along with us to enjoy the fun! He was adorable! Unfortunately, it was not quite what I expected. There were TONS of people there and long lines for everything! I guess we made a mistake when we picked a Saturday night. By the time we left, the kids had about 6 pieces of candy combined. =/ I think they enjoyed themselves anyway! (We stopped and bought candy to make up for the almost empty candy buckets!)

Monday night we joined some of our friends in their neighborhood to go trick-or-treating. Caroline did much better than I thought she would and I had the best time watching her and her little friends knocking on doors. Being a mom and watching this for the first time truly warmed my heart! This little girl brings immeasurable joy to my life.

Caroline was a bunny (obviously) and her friend Gabrielle was a goldfish! They are so cute together!

 



When Caroline realized there was candy in the packages she wanted to stop and eat!

Finally we got a sucker and that satisfied her for a little while! :)

 Oh, and just because it was so good, go check out Kelle Hampton's post on being greatful. What I wouldn't give to be able to write like her!

Caroline - 21 Months

I wanted to "jot" down a few things Caroline has done recently that make me realize how fast she is growing up. She is at such a precious age!

A few days ago, she tee-tee'd in the potty for the first time! We bought her a little potty a while back and recently she has been asking to sit on it some. She normally just sits on the potty for a few minutes until I get tired of waiting. Not this time! She went and of course I told her what a good job she did. I called Dan in and we both were loudly praising her and telling her we were proud and she burst into tears! I think maybe she was surprised by all that attention! Anyway, I'm not going to push her to potty train quite yet... I'll just continue to let her use the potty when she asks!

Caroline is also getting pretty talented holding her own boose (spoon) & not making a big mess with her food.  She insists on having her own spoon and runs to get one out of the drawer anytime she can. She also loves drinking from Daddy's cup!

With Caroline's growing vocabulary, she is starting to get frustrated when I don't understand what she wants right away. I can't believe that in just a year she'll be asking me questions and we'll have real conversations! Right now she is putting two words together. I painted her toe-nails last week and this morning when I was putting on her socks & shoes she said "bye bye nails!" :)

Welcome Fall!

Last Saturday was the first day of the Mitchell Farms Pumpkin Patch in Collins! It was so much bigger and more fun than I expected!

Caroline is constantly in motion!

Which one shall I pick?!

This one?

Yep, just right!

There was even a (wheat?) maze!

Mostly, we just had fun being silly and walking around!

Mommy's favorite picture of the day:

What Does It Mean to Be a Christian?

If you read Kelly's Korner, then you may have read the post she linked to written by Shaun Groves.

It's just too good not to share.... it really makes clear something I've been trying to put into words for a long time. Take a moment to read it if you haven't!

In other (much less important) news, I'm looking forward to the next few weeks! I hope to take Caroline to the pumpkin patch in Collins this weekend! Next weekend we're going to Jackson to spend some time with family & go to the State Fair! I hope Caroline will enjoy the Carousel but she may just want to watch all the people and games. I hope the weather is nice. Last year when we went it was miserably hot!

I am loving the fact that Caroline is at an age right now where she is enjoying new things and learning something everywhere we go. I'm amazed how she remembers new words when I've only told them to her once! She is so happy and bright... what a blessing she is in my life!!

Praxis Update

So I took the Praxis I yesterday while we were in Jackson. I was pretty unsure about how I would do because I just haven't had the energy or time to practice as much as I'd like. Most of the test was multiple choice so I got the results for those sections right away. I PASSED reading and math!!!!! I was most worried about math so I was very pleased when I got my scores! I have to wait a week or so for the writing portion be graded, but I think I did fine.

Next up is the Praxis II; I'm not sure if I'll take it in January or March but I will need every possible extra minute to study for this one. I'm going to try and do math because I always enjoyed it in school... it's just so concrete and makes so much sense to me. This test has some trig & some calculus (I'm not sure how much) and I never even took calculus so I'm definitely going to have to learn quite a bit of new material. I just have to do my best and see how well I can do!

Teaching

After enjoying all summer home with Caroline I have finally accepted a job at a local elementary school as an assistant teacher. I am doing administrative work right now more than anything else. Eventually, I'm supposed to keep the kids that are being isolated for punishment. I should never have more than a few kids at one time. I'm praying that this job will give me a foot in the door to be a "real" teacher next year.

I'm hoping this is the right path for me. I've always moved between nursing, business, and teaching (unsure of which will be the best for my family & I). The longer I think about what I want to do when I grow up, the more I think teaching might be it for me. I've always enjoyed teaching informally to my peers in classes but for some reason, I've resisted the idea.

I have to take two Praxis tests to become certified to teach. My first test is scheduled for September 11th and is on reading, writing, and math. I think I'll do good in reading & writing without much study, but I definitely need to prepare for the math portion. I'm planning on taking the Praxis II in November and I think I'd like to teach math (7th-12th) so that's what I'll have to study really hard for. Finally, I'll apply to the MAPQT program for a 3 week certification program next June. Hopefully I'll be ready to teach by next August! It sort of feels like a pipe dream at this point, but I just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other and making steps toward the goal!

Caroline at 19 months

I have been SUCH a bad blogger lately. I hate that so much because I love going back and reading old posts to find out what I was doing a year or so ago!

So for now, an update on our little handful!

( Blurry cell phone picture from Cracker Barrel last weekend. YUM!)

Driving home from the pool (in our neighborhood).

Caroline is about 19 months old and I can't believe she is closer to being a two year old than a one year old! She is definitely a strong willed and very lovable toddler! She loves going on walks up and down our street and she is so independent! She also loves brushing her teeth! I have to keep the bathroom door closed or else she'd be carrying her toothbrush around all day.

She loves to look at picture books and she can name a lot of what she sees! She knows the moon and stars, can identify lots of animals and of course eyes, nose, fingers, toes etc. She says "fly" for butterfly, "B" for bird, and she knows all kind of animal sounds. My favorite sounds she makes is Raaawwrr for the bear. She even does her little hands up in the air like claws! : )

I took her to two movies recently and it went as well as can be expected. Our theater has $3 movies on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the summer with children's movies that have been released a while back so we took advantage of that with some of our friends and went! Caroline did better during the Alvin and the Chipmunks movie (her first movie ever!) and she did so-so in the Charlotte's web movie. In both movies we ended up leaving about half way through because she didn't have the attention span to sit through the whole thing.

Dan and I have always loved going out to eat but it is definitely becoming harder and harder with Caroline. Sometimes she goes and does SO well and then other times we take her and agree that we have to stop eating out with such a busy bee!
Caroline's favorite word right now is NO! I have been trying so hard to be very patient but firm in telling her it is not okay to tell mommy and daddy no, but she just keeps on saying it. She also went through a spell of hitting and I was so torn over the spanking decision. A big part of me feels like she is too young for that kind of punishment, but my instinct when she hits me in the face is to pop her leg to let her know how it feels!! I definitely don't want her to start hitting other children or animals.
 
Anyone have some really good recommendations for books on toddler discipline? She has several molars coming in so I'm wondering too if that doesn't have something to do with the behavior issues we're seeing. I'm sure its all normal for this age but we're working on shaping her into a sweet, respectful little girl!

Pitter Patter Art Giveaway

I came across this blog through a former coworker. She has some beautiful art and is doing a giveaway so I thought I'd participate! Go check it out!

Nothing much new is going on here. I'm enjoying these hot summer days with my sweet baby. I thought I would get bored staying at home all the time but I haven't at all! I do like having play dates and trips to the library to break up my day, but this is definitely the life! :) I've been cooking more, cleaning more, and most important of all, loving on my girl a LOT more!

I've had a couple of interviews recently and I'm hoping something will work out. I've just been praying that God will put me where He wants me. That's definitely the best place for me!

Stay at Home Mama

A few things have happened since my last post...

I graduated from Southern!

We had a perfect, amazing, relaxing trip to the beach! My mom and mother in law both kept Caroline and it was SO nice to take a little break from everything for a few days! We went to Destin and the water was absolutely beautiful.





Now that it's post-graduation, I'm back in the job hunting world. I'm enjoying all this extra time with my sweet girl and I hope she is too! It is giving me a taste of being a stay at home mama. Something I definitely hope to do one day! We are trying our hardest to stay at home and not spend money, but it's hard when you're used to breaking the boredom by doing a little shopping or going out to eat. I'm working on getting some play dates lined up so that should help.

We bought a little $8 pool from the dollar store and she enjoys putting her hands in it and occasionally standing and splashing with her feet. At least it keeps me cool while we play outside!

Here are some pics I took this afternoon. The only way to get her to smile when I'm trying to take a picture is to say, "I'm going to get you!!!"

Today after she woke up from her nap I told her "put your paci in your bed" and she did it! I was so amazed because I didn't know she knew what her bed was! Little ones definitely know more than we give them credit for!

How have you been enjoying your summer?