twenty-one

This girl.
To know her, is to love her.
You just can't help yourself...

At twenty-one months, our Caroline...

... is hilarious. You can't help but laugh at her. Even when you're not supposed to. Like when she crawls out of her crib or climbs on top of the table and laughs in your face.

... is learning new words and even started combining two. It usually comes in the form of 'more'. "More apples?" "More cookies?"

... has added 'why?' to her vocabulary. It seems a little early for that, but I guess I can thank big sister for that. While we continue to work on please and thank you, 'why' is a constant. A normal conversation at our house... "cookies?" No, Caroline. "Why?"

... loves her some animal sounds, frozen soundtrack, dressing up like Doc McStuffins and giving check ups, dolls and books. Still obsessed with Anna as well.

... adores her Bella and kisses her. She also adores her sister and they play together so well. Most of the time. They have their moments and when they do she seems to be able to stick up for herself pretty well. I'm not sure if thats part of being a younger sister or just our Caroline's personality. We will keep you posted.

... is expressive. Big eyes and surprise is her signature look. We can't get enough of it.

glimpses of life lately

So, I'm a bit behind on my whole daily blog.
Is anyone surprised?
Life has been busy,
with school starting, birthday party planning, gearing up for a family vacay,
I put the memory card in my computer and there were no photos.

But that's okay.
I read an article recently about keeping a family blog with some tips.
And I may be adjusting my goal of posting daily,
it seemed a little easier in the summer breeze,
but that doesn't mean the blog will go dark again.
2-3 times a week,
and who knows... maybe daily?!?

Back to lately.

Lauren started soccer.
And Matt became her coach.
It was all a bit last minute and we spent our Friday evening googling ideas for U4 soccer practice,
but they made it through a HOT first practice
and everyone had fun!



Caroline has taken her climbing skills to another level and escaped from her crib.
Matt and I were so shocked we couldn't stop laughing,
but after the third time,
it wasn't really funny.

We haven't really decided what our plan of action is,
but we're taking it day by day,
or night by night.

Dress up is still a daily activity at our house.
It's so FUN!



School.
Both girls are loving it.

Lauren can't get enough of it and celebrates every morning that is a 'school day'.


Caroline had one morning that was a little rough,
but I was told she was just fine about 3 seconds after I left.
It's also been reported that she is quite the leader.
As evidenced by her flag holding role.

And they send me photos like this throughout the day.

I cannot HANDLE it.

Caroline's bunnies

Caroline's lovey is a bunny.

Her love of bunnies has grown

times three.

While her original bunny, is still her most loved lovey,
all three get snuggled, and kissed, and cuddled.

And seeing this little darling walk with all three tucked in her little arms.
I can't.

I didn't manage to get a photo of it,
but that's okay.
Because it's a sweet little memory this mama will keep in her heart.
And those are the best kind.

our second daughter

and her facial expressions.






I can't handle it.
Does she remind you of anyone...?

Sunday Best

This girl loves a hat. 

twenty

This girl.
I've probably said this a million times but she is literally a bundle of joy.
She makes me laugh all the time and that smile,
Matt and I are doomed.

At 20 months, this little bundle...

... is hilarious. Her facial expressions. Those eyes. The way she runs into a room, giggling to announce herself. We can't handle it. At night, Matt and I trade stories and try to mimic her and nail the way she says cookies.

... she says cookies. About half way through dinner. With her head cocked to the side in a cute subtle way. And when Mom says no, she turns to dad and does it again. I can't. She also says ball, Bella, Lola, bow, owl, bye, duck, book, eyes, and several other words. And in case you're wondering her 'uh-huh & uh-uh' has moved on to 'yeah' and 'no'.

... she calls every Disney princess, Anna. Because that's her favorite... we think.

... has so much energy. She runs everywhere, keeps up with her sister, and has no fear. She has started animal sounds and the other day while running errands, I caught her singing Row Row Row your Boat. {which was basically sounded like 'row row row}

... has started to show some interest in the whole potty chair thing. You may remember my battle with Lauren, so by no means are we 'potty training'. But when she started taking off her dirty diaper and giving it to me, I thought we would at least give it a whirl. She nailed it. Again. And again. Hence her new word cookies.

... is the best snuggler. Like I cannot get enough of it. She will hug and kiss you at any given moments and her hugs are like squeezes of goodness. She also starts school in one week.

And just in case you thought I left out anything, we also have our share of this lately.


Whining.
She does plenty of it.

cauliflower & ice cream

Tonight finishing all your cauliflower tater-tots earned you a scoop of ice cream & sprinkles...


Apparently one is not enough.

goose egg

that child i wrote about yesterday...

She looks slightly different this morning.

Last night, while I was at the gym, at Matt was on solo duty at home,
Caroline made a dash after grabbing some toys from her sister,
tripping and falling into the chair,
just right,
that it left a big old swollen bruise,
with a nice little scratch,
right in the middle of her forehead.

Matt said there were a lot of tears,
but by the time I got home
she was playing
and climbing
like her normal happy self.
After a thorough assessment,
we concluded that there was no concussion
and made a rule that there was no more running in the house.

We shall see how long that one lasts...

this child

makes me laugh.
everyday.
multiple times a day.

Is it the pigtails?

I wish I could tell you how many times Matt and I have looked at one another this weekend in the
'what are we going to do with her?' way
or
how many times we've tried to keep a straight face when trying to redirect her from all the trouble she's getting in to.

She's busy,
and silly,
and daring,
and independent,
and oh so cute.

Maybe I need to stop putting her in pigtails...
then it might be easier for me to tell her no.

Probably not, though.

big girl

Sometimes I can't believe how big this girl is getting.
And I think trying to keep up with her big sister
makes her seem even bigger.
But throughout the day during her many snuggle sessions,
I still feel baby soft skin and the faintest hint of baby scent.
I inhale and hang on,
scared that tomorrow it will be gone.
But for now,
it's here
and I can't get enough.

Dr. Caroline

Lately, this girl is all about the check-ups.


And I can't get enough of that sweet smile and stethoscope.

nineteen

At nineteen months, this sweet independent soul...

...continues to amaze us with her BIG personality, independence, and fearlessness. She gives us a near heart attack almost daily and then sends us in to heart burst mode with the huge smile.

... is learning new language skills all the time. She is beginning to learn all of her animal sounds and can still answer any question you give her. But not 'yes or no'... it's still uh-huh or uh-uh.

... stands on everything. Please see the part about heart attacks. She also runs. Everywhere. And typically is holding something is one hand while the other arm is pumping to increase her speed. It's a sight.

...is beyond sweet. She is always up for a kiss, a hug, a cuddle, a giggle. She has been known to give random hugs. She really is a true joy to be around.

... is working on all 4 eye/canine teeth. She's got a mouthful.

... still loves books, puzzles, baby dolls, her sister, our dogs, snacks, and her bunny. We just can't seem to get enough of her.

a common scene

our family of four

In February, we had Caroline's one year/family photos taken.

With a day after Christmas birthday,
it seems like everything gets pushed back a little bit,
but in this case it worked perfectly.

We worked with Shalonda from Chubby Cheek Photography,
our magic fairy photographer who we can't get enough of,
on a gorgeous and warm Houston, Texas February day.

I won't share every picture,
but I could.
That's how much I love this session.





Every picture makes me smile.
And while I will mention that the girls outfits
arrived in the mail the day of the shoot,
which caused us a near panic meltdown,
that's not what I see.












I see the love.
And those smiles.
And the little girl details.
And the sister kisses.
And a sweet little family of four.

I see all that and more.