Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Birthday!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! Also, Happy Birthday to three November birthdays...Espy (16th!), Aunt MaMa (today!) and Spence (Sunday, 29th!)!

Behind on blogging...but a GREAT October!

Yes...this little thing thought she could pick up her birthday cake and when she found out it was too heavy, she did the next logical thing. She took a bite out of it...
She is always sweet to share...

I had looked forward to this day for so long....

October was a fun-filled month! We had lots of fun during the middle of the month, but the big events were at the month's beginning and end. I love birthdays and I love Halloween! I'm a little late on the pictures, but better late than never, right?! Caroline was SO in amusement over her guests, balloons, cake, and everyone singing Happy Birthday to her! She had the MOST PRECIOUS look on her face when everyone stood around her singing to her and her 1 little birthday candle glowing in the fading sun. I'll never forget it! I was worried about her digging into her cake but it was no problem! Let me just say that she woke up screaming early in the night with an apparent stomach ache! It's just the one time it is so hard not to tell your child to stop eating sweets! It was very special to have so many friends and family there to help celebrate and we really appreciate all of the love everyone has for Caroline. I don't think you can have too many people love your child! MiMi, Ben, and I took her on her first trip to the zoo on her ACTUAL birthday. I don't know who had more fun...Caroline, MiMi, Ben, or myself! I can't believe I have lived in Montgomery for almost 8 years and this was the FIRST trip I have made there. I have been missing out and am glad to have a very good excuse to go now! Those monkeys were SO DARN CUTE!! We spent the afternoon watching Caroline laugh at the animals and even stopped for her to eat an animal cracker snack. I can post pictures of the zoo later...they are still on my camera...

Now...on to Halloween. I think I want October to be every single month. I could do Caroline's birthday and Halloween over and over and over again and be so very happy. Do you understand that I had SO MUCH FUN with these two events?! I think Caroline should become a permanent pink striped zebra and Maggie Lee should become a permanent 50's girl and I would eat one for lunch and one for dinner every day!!! Halloween has never been so much fun than when you watch your own little child and neice walk around in those adorable little costumes! We took a trip to Haley and Espy's, who are always in the appropriate festive spirit (Caroline enjoyed all of the Halloween decor), where we took a trip to Seaside for trick-or-treating early Saturday evening, followed by a hay ride behind the International Harvester and a cookout with delicious hamburgers. PaPa was there to enjoy the festivities and take pictures of the little trick-or-treaters. Thanks for a fun weekend, Espy, Haley, and Dad! We are looking forward to doing it again next year!

Here the cousins are discussing how cute they look...

and I couldn't agree more.

Their daddies carried them into Seaside...

Doesn't this look like fun?

Caroline and Maggie Lee trick-or-treated from store to store...

They had to stop and regroup from time to time to see how their buckets of candy were growing...

Maggie Lee was a little bit frightened of this "thing":

But Papa was there to pick her up and save her...

No ghosts or gremlins got us when we went our hay ride:

We survived the night to do it again next year!

We are already into a very fun November and have a busy next few months planned. This includes hunting trips to Aunt MaMa and Uncle Steve's, birthdays (Espy, Mama, and Spence), Thanksgiving, Christmas trips to Freeport, Dothan, and Dawson, and Maggie Lee's birthday in January. Since I am having a hard time getting this blog in more often, I am going to try to do it once a month, so I'll have stories and pictures of our November next time...they are already proving to be just as fun as October's! Love to all!

1 year ago tonight....

We were waiting...not so patiently, because I was ready to get her out of me...but we were waiting...nonetheless... for Caroline to make her arrival. She was born at 3:33 am on October 1, weighed 7 lbs, 10 oz., and was 19 1/2 inches long. She goes for her 1 year checkup on the 15th, so I'll report back with her stats. I love my baby girl so much and I want to do whatever I can and need to do to make her happy. I just want to her to be HAPPY! I love my GOD, my life, my husband, my daughter, my family, my friends, and this world God has given us, and if God can just help me to instill in her how wonderful this life is, even with its ups and downs, then I believe that she WILL be happy. I have watched her laughs grow louder and louder over the past year, and have watched her personality unfold with such beauty and splendor and I see God's light shining through her every minute. I thank God for letting me be her mother and for giving me life this day to see her enter into her second year of life! Happy Birthday Caroline! (still no camera cord, but it's probably coming tomorrow...birthday pictures to come...)

WAR EAGLE!

Caroline's first football season and first Auburn outfit

I have the cutest picture of Caroline in a UAB cheerleader uniform that her PaPa gave her, but Ben has taken my camera cord to his office and I can't download it. Ben, please bring back my camera cord! I know everyone will LOVE this picture of our baby!! Being "a family divided", Ben and I promised each other before Caroline was born that we would not push her one way or the other...Auburn or Alabama. Ben has kept his promise (it was his idea in the first place) while I have sported her around in Auburn AND Alabama outfits. What fun would it be if didn't dress her up in any of it? She'll make up her mind soon enough and I am sure she'll be a smart little one and choose to pull for the orange and blue...but...in the meantime, Ben is happy with the UAB outfit, which is adorable on her, and whom we proudly support since Caroline's Uncle Spence will be a graduate of UAB before too long. Go Blazers! Looking forward to a great college football weekend!

A week behind...

I'm a little behind...over a week, but I have so many cute pictures from weekend before last that I can't not post them..we had lots of company. Dad and Spence on Friday night, Mom Saturday morning, and Aunt MaMa and Uncle Steve Sunday. Caroline entertained everyone...we relaxed throughout the weekend and even enjoyed a cruise through the Buckmasters Expo downtown on Sunday. Caroline had her very first open house (for daycare) on Friday, and we brought home the first of many things she will make us...an imprint of her little feet in clay. I so look forward to the day she will color me pictures to hang on my refrigerator! Saturday she went to her first birthday party. She had been invited to a couple before, but we had been out of town and been unable to attend, but I hate it for her because she just looked at the balloons and giggled and grinned. I can't let her miss any more!! Today I had a work trip to Birmingham and stopped by to see one of my best long-time friends, Elizabeth Jackson, and her husband Rod, who welcomed their first little one, Lottie, into the world a couple of weeks ago. She was beautiful and perfect and we wish the best and many congratulations. As for updates since then...the biggest thing is that Caroline can stand up from a sitting down position by herself! Walking is just around the corner!

For those of you who have never seen Caroline crawl...CANCELLED.

I have been wanting to try uploading a video, but have been wondering how long it will take. If I don't let everyone see Caroline crawling around now, so many people will miss this stage of her life because she is going to be walking before we know it. Here she is crawling from me AND after me, and laughing her head off when I go in to tickle her.

By the way, Maggie Lee did the sweetest thing tonight when Haley was putting her to bed. They always read Good Night Moon and then say their prayers before bedtime, and tonight, after they read their book, but before Haley could say "now it's time to say your prayers", Maggie Lee had bowed her sweet little head and put her hands together. HOW PRECIOUS IS THIS??!!

Right now, my child is standing up against the blank wall beating on it. I guess she wants to climb it.

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OK, I wrote this over 2 hours ago and this video is STILL uploading.

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Cancelled video upload...it is morning and it STILL hasn't finished. Will try a shorter one at another time. Sorry!!

I love pictures of my Caroline!

I love this picture of Caroline scrunching her nose up. This is a character trait of hers now. She thinks it is so fun.

We've been at home for the weekend...really just relaxing. Ben has still been doing a lot of studying, but took today off to relax. Caroline and I went to the Hope Hull pool yesterday with our friends Leslie and Henlee. We had a wonderful, relaxing time and mommy even got to lay out in the chair for 15 minutes while Caroline took a nap. This was the first actual "lay-out" time I have had since before I was pregnant. Usually I am staying close by to her in her float, and while I was pregnant, I never wanted to get too hot, so I usually stayed in the water. Thanks for a great time, Leslie! I am glad we had the chance to get Caroline and Henlee together. Today, we went to church and came home to relax in the baby pool and do a few things around the house. We have a busy week ahead and are planning on a relaxing night tonight with dinner at home and probably, as usual, a movie. (Shark Week is over, unfortunately!)

A few cute photos...

Caroline taking a bubble bath tonight.

Caroline on codeine. She has had an ear infection and the pain was bad Sunday night, so we gave her some tylenol with codeine that the doctor prescribed her for bad nights. I thought this picture was funny. She just laid like this on my chest for a while.

Caroline and Holly (Amelia's dog) discovering, for the first time, the gate we put up last weekend, and discussing their plans to break out. They both gave up and the gate has worked GREAT!

Ready for wings...

This little one right here....

is about ready for her wings! I know some babies learn to pull up, stand on their own, and then seem to take forever before they take those first steps, but we are definitely headed in that direction. The picture above is the first picture I've gotten of Caroline standing on her own. She can go for about 10 seconds, but keeps practicing, and I know what is around the corner...us chasing her around the house as she laughs and laughs. I love this baby so much! We had to get gates to keep her in the family room this weekend, and baby-proofed the fire hearth with rubber edge and corner guards, have electrical outlet covers, and have to keep the floor vacuumed constantly as the tiniest piece of dog hair goes in her mouth. Shark week starts shortly...I will be watching every night this week...tune in to the Discovery Channel if you are interested. I must go watch...!

Henrietta

By the way...Caroline is petrified of this rubber chicken named Henrietta! She is also very uncertain about the deer hanging in our office. She has become keenly aware that they are there and won't take her eyes off of them when she enters the office. From far away, she will giggle at times, but hold her up at their level, and you better be holding your ears. I guess they might be scary looking to me if I were her size, too!

Visit with Mimi

Amelia (Ben's mother) is here. To Caroline, she is otherwise known as "Mimi", or should we say so desires Caroline to call her such when she gets old enough to call her name. My mother desires to be "BB", my father, "PaPa", and "Granddaddy Moore" has yet to put in a request so for now is "Grandaddy Moore". Anyway, Mimi came to visit Wednesday and is here through the weekend. We have thoroughly enjoyed her company and Caroline has enjoyed spending the day at home with her. We had a great Mexican lunch where Caroline successfully broke her first dish in a restaurant (it was the waiter's fault...why someone would put a bowl right down in front of a baby is beyond me) and demonstrated her new ability to drink through a straw. She loves diet coke and seems to love the caffeine! Yikes! This picture above is of MiMi and Caroline riding mommy around on the boat. Caroline does so well! Tomorrow is going to be a baby pool day after we run a few morning errands. All is good at the homefront...

Sippy Cup

We are starting to work with Caroline on drinking from a sippy cup, so that hopefully she can be off of a bottle around the 1 year mark. Tonight she did really well, and actually drank some of her milk. She has to lay back to drink it or she ends up playing with it more than anything else, but it's not a bad start. We are home for the weekend. Ben has been studying all day, as he takes his real estate appraiser certification test this week, and Caroline and I spent the day relaxing in the baby pool and doing a little house work. One picture above is of Caroline with her Grandaddy Moore when we spent Thursday night with him. Our a/c was broken and we couldn't stand the 86 degrees in our house. The other one shows off her new sippy cup skills.

Grandaddy Moore

One of my favorite pictures of our cutie!

Caroline loves the grass

Caroline in her baby pool

Little flower girl

Caroline kissing herself in the mirror.

Daddy and Caroline

Caroline peeping over the couch.

Caroline in the bouncer

We are sending up thanks to God tonight for a good outcome from what started out as a trip to the cardiologist for Ben's dad today. He was feeling very lightheaded and short of breath over the past few days, and the symptoms kept getting worse, so he made an appointment for today in Birmingham. It turns out that his heart rate had dropped significantly and he needed a pacemaker to help keep it regulated. He got out of surgery about 5:15 today and all reports are good. He is awake and feeling well and glad to know what has been making him feel bad and that there was a solution to the problem. We are very thankful for the outcome and can't wait to go and visit him when he gets home tomorrow.

On another note, I have posted some fun pictures from the past few days. We had another fun weekend at home and enjoyed relaxing with Caroline in her new baby pool Saturday and going fishing at a little pond in Ada yesterday. Hope everyone else had a great weekend, as well!

Daily Routine

Caroline after the jog!
Caroline before the jog!

I always blog about our weekends, so for a change will blog about what goes on around here during the week. The weeks are pretty routine, with us getting into bed around 10:00 or 10:30. Mommy and Daddy get home from work, daddy usually starts supper, mommy washes bottles and gets Caroline's bag ready for daycare the next day. We then do one of two things...Caroline's supper, followed by bath and then bottle, OR a ride in the jogging stroller while Mommy jogs, followed by Caroline's supper, bath and bottle. As Caroline drinks her bottle, Mommy and Daddy enjoy their supper and the occasional (or quite often) movie. Our weekday shows (now that American Idol and CSI Miami are out of season and Jay Leno's "Headlines" are no longer around) consist of a single show, Deadliest Catch (which reminds me, we just missed tonight's episode, but it replays at 10:00, so that is what I'll be doing when 10:oo rolls around). Caroline's seems to enjoy the whole routine, loves riding in the jogging stroller, and, well, you can see from the pictures the effect it has on her. I really hope she'll love to jog like her Mommy! I'm in no great shape, but do enjoy it. With God's help, I feel like we manage to lead a fairly balanced life with lots of good times! I must give Ben lots of credit for the amount of housework he manages to do, (which is a whole other blog in itself, because he deserves A LOT of thanks) along with managing to do so many other things, because he is quick and efficient, and quite the multitasker. He can clean twice as much in 30 minutes as I can. So...yes, I am lucky to have him as a wonderful father and husband, and enjoy the heck out of the daily routine that we have.