McWane Morning

We spent the morning at the Mcwane
Center with one if C's friends from school. Caroline always talked about "Coco" last year so it's always a fun treat to see him outside of school. This year he isn't in her class but I'm sure there will be lots of fun playdates to come! It looks like we have a little flirt on our hands...she spent the morning hugging and kissing him!

Again...all iPhone pics.

Pump It Up

This time next week, Caroline will be finishing up her first day of school! We have a fun week planned to celebrate the last week of "summer." Today we went to Pump It Up with some of our favorite friends! It was so fun. C had never been before, but we will back for sure! After we jumped and played we had lunch at Chick-fil-a. Stay tuned for more fun last week adventures!!

Sorry for the blurry iPhone pics...I couldn't keep her still!!!

More of the things she says...

Caroline just says the funniest things everyday and I want to be sure I have them down!

• While looking for her basketball she says to Ann Parker: "Where's the basketball baby.  Speak baby."
• After using a sleeping Daisy for a drum, "Dog is scared."
• Adam got home late one evening and so he was eating dinner after all of us had finished.  Caroline kept pointing to something on his plate and was getting so mad that we didn't understand.  Adam said, "I don't know what you want Caroline.  Use your words."  Still pointing to his food, she replied, "Get in my mouth."
• I like nak! (I like to be naked)
• Change the baby.  PPPPPUUUUUUUUUU!!!! 
• She calls paci's "pi's." 
• She just started calling AP "sista."  It's adorable.

We can't wait to hear more of the cute and sweet things she says!

Bubbles

This little girl sure loves to blow bubbles!

4 Month Check Up

Ann Parker had her 4 month check up today.  She got 2 shots and one oral vaccine.  She was such a little trooper and only cried for a minute.  I just hate when they have to get shots!! 


Waiting for Dr. Wilson.  C insisted that Mickey get a check up as well!

Caroline doing her new cheese pose - arms up!  She wanted her picture taken as well.

We had to take one of Mickey.

 Sweet little girl!

This is how she really felt about the shots!

Big sister checking out her own boo boo's.

Ann Parker looked great!  Dr. Wilson said she was perfectly healthy.  She weighed 11 lb. 4 oz. (5%),  was 24 1/4 in. long (50%), and her head was 15 1/2 in. (25%).  We got the go ahead to start solid foods, but like I said we will probably wait another month or so.  We are so thankful for a healthy little girl!

2 1/4 Years Old

I was going to wait and do a 2 1/2 year post, but so much has changed since she turned 2 that I thought I would do one now as well!!

Caroline at 2 1/4 years old

Caroline is such a little stinker these days!!  She is busy, busy and into everything.  Her favorite things to do are puzzles, color, play with stickers, anything outside, jump, read, and watch Mickey - although she's almost equally into Backyardigans these days.  Her favorite book is Madeline.  Oh this girl loves to read!!  We have so many books out each day and she'll just look through every single one.  I hope she always loves to read this much!

She knows several shapes, all her colors, all the numbers and can count to 12 unassisted, and lots of animals.  Her vocabulary seriously grows every day.  We were watching a movie yesterday and she said, "Rescue Minnie?"  They didn't say that word in the movie, she was asking if they were going to rescue her.  How does she know what 'rescue' means?  Smartie pants!  Caroline likes to tell what everything is as she sees it.  Our car ride often goes like this, "The black car.  The tree. The house. The tree.  The tree. The road. The house. The white car. The sun...." She will often do that until we get to our destination, no matter how far away that is. 

She starts school in a couple of weeks and she is excited!!  I asked who was going to be in her class and she said, "Mickey, Minnie, Trey (one of our friends)."  Yesterday she said, "Sydney (possibly yes) and Papa (definitely not)." I know that she is going to love school.  She will be going 3 days so this is a big adjustment for her. 

I love that we are able to have conversations with her now.  After explaining Christmas to her, I asked what she wanted to ask for.  She said, "Elmo book, Elmo plane, cream cone."  Even a week later she will still say the same three things!  I can't wait to see what Santa brings :)

She loves playing with other kids and looks forward to playdates.  We had some friends over for dinner last weekend.  I told her that two friends were coming and she needed to be a sweet girl.  As soon as they to our house, she ran up and gave the little boy a hug.  Keep in mind, this was the first time they had really played together.  It was so sweet!!  Every day she asks, "I go to Sydney's house?"  or "Where's Ra Ra?"  It will be so fun to watch these little ones grow up together!

Her favorite foods are pancakes, edamame, anything sweet, all fruit, cheese, broccoli, beans, and pickles.  Last night we were putting C to bed and she said, "Awww pickle. Pickle, pickle, pickle, pickle, pickle..."  We were dying laughing!!  She was just sitting there yelling 'pickle' over and over and we have no idea why! 

Yesterday I was getting dressed while C was watching the last couple minutes of a Mickey.  When that is over, Doc McStuffins comes on.  While watching that C said, "Check Baby."  I said, "Baby is fine.  She's right here."  Caroline ran to her room and got out her doctor kit.  She took the stethoscope and put it on AP's head.  And then said, "Baby's heart"  She moved it to AP's chest and said, "Awww, no heart."  After that she just walked away.  It was too funny.  I know I say every stage is my favorite, but this one may actually be my favorite!! :)

Caroline, you are the sweetest, smartest, cutest little girl I know and I am so lucky to be your mommy!!  We are all so proud of the precious little girl you are becoming.  We love you to the moon and back!!! 

Is this real life??

** Warning...this is a totally boring blog post that I did for myself.  It's not full of cute pictures of my kids or filled with funny stories.**

Today I had a great conversation with a great friend.  We were discussing the obsession that most moms feel to sort of compete with other moms.  Not in a "I want to be better than her" way but in a "I don't want my child to be missing out" sort of way.  Now that facebook/blogs/twitter/instagram/etc. are so popular it has made this even worse since you constantly see what other moms are doing for their children.  And dang that pinterest for throwing more ideas into the mix!! 

I try so hard not to compare my life with others, but it's hard at times.  I remember spending 6 months preparing for Caroline's first birthday party.  I put so much time, effort, and money into making that day picture perfect.  It was wonderful and I thought it would go down in best first birthday party history.  Shortly after Ann Parker was born another little girl I know turned one.  Her first birthday party was probably nicer than most weddings.  In the height of my post partum crazy new mom hormones, I spent two days crying.  How could I have let Caroline down?  Why wasn't the party I planned even bigger and better??  Now that I am past the craziness of those hormones, I can clearly see that Caroline's party was perfect.  She had a great time.  Adam and I had a great time.  Our friends and family had a great time.  It was a success in every way and I am very proud of how it turned out.  My friend and I talked about how it's not uncommon for moms to feel like that though - to feel like what we are doing isn't good enough.

We all highlight the good moments in our lives.  Our trips to the zoo, trips to the park, playdates, Christmas mornings, etc.  We give off the appearance that we have a wonderful life full of perfection.  While I do have a wonderful life full of love and smiles and fun, it has some frustration, stress, exhaustion, and a whole lot of mess thrown in there too!  Here's a little glimpse of our "real life."  I am doing this so I can look back and give myself a reality check when I need it.  Maybe someone else reading it will feel better about their own messes at times as well. 

While my girls have closets full of nice clothes and tons of hair bows, Caroline spends most of her days without clothes.  She has learned how to undress herself.  Fun stuff...  Also, she has more toys than she needs yet she spends her days taking things away from Ann Parker.  Here she is without clothes laying in AP's rocker.  She's watching Mickey, which is why she is so focused.  Why is she still watching Mickey?  Daisy got out of the yard and into our neighbor's trash.  She ate some rancid food that made her sick and she threw up 12 times all over the rug and our carpet.  I had lots of cleaning to do so Mickey to the rescue.

3:30 pm...bed still unmade. 

I had planned on folding this laundry this morning, but Ann Parker spit up while we were walking by and it somehow landed on the clothes...so back to the washer they go.

 We play hard every.single.day.  My house usually isn't all the way picked up until both kids are in bed.

I was going to make up my bed, but I guess I'll peel these stickers off the coffee table instead.

Being a stay at home mom is the best job for me.  Even with the tantrums, spit up, messy house, piles of clothes, no naps, etc. I enjoy what I do.  I know that I only have a limited time with my kids before I send them to school and I want to have every second with them that I can.  Even though I love it, it's not easy.  I don't have it all together.  Some days ARE picture perfect and I tell Adam that we are totally have four kids...other days are just horrible and I don't know how I function with only two.  I wouldn't trade it for the world, but sometimes I need a little break.  I know I am so guilty about only putting the happy and pretty stuff in the blog.  While that is part of my real life, it's not all.  These messes, naked kids, vomiting dogs, and dirty clothes are also part of my real life.