A Fabulous Weekend

Dan & I are a little down tonight after nearly 4 wonderful days together my sister and Dan's brother (as they call one another - brothers).  Brent & Kelsey drove in late Friday night and just left before noon today.  It was our own version of a "staycation" I suppose you could say - and we loved every minute of it.  Kels brought her camera and literally took hundreds of pictures, so I need some time to sort through.  I'll write more and share more pictures soon, but in the mean time, here are a few of my favorites.  I'll be back with more details soon!

We're still here!

Betcha thought the new house was holding me hostage, huh?  While it has been taking a good amount of my time & energy lately, there have been a few other things going on this past month.  I thought I'd share a few pictures to kind of catch up - although a bit too much time has passed and I haven't taken enough pictures to really capture it all.  It's been busy 'round these parts!  Here's a brief recap:

 My wonderful Mom & Aunt Linda came in a couple of days before the move, which literally set everything in motion.  They were a 2-woman cleaning/packing/unpacking/organizing force of nature.  Seriously.  I think I'd still be cleaning my other house if they hadn't been here.  Pathetically, this is the only picture I got of the two of them - out in our new front "yard" (culd-a-sac) with Caroline and her new friends.  Mom & Aunt Linda - THANK YOU!!!!  We really couldn't have done it without you.   Also, please come again and I promise I won't make you work the whole time you're here.

Caroline has been getting acquainted with lots of new friends in the neighborhood these last few weeks, and she has been quite the little socialite.  We are thrilled to be surrounded by lots of kids and sweet families who all like to hang out outside, and Caroline is nearly convinced that the "tids" (kids) actually live out on the pavement of the cul-da-sac.  We just can't convince her that inside the house is just as much fun as outside :)

She's also become a big fan of sidewalk chalk.

Inside, she has become quite the little Mama lately, diapering, swaddling, feeding, rocking, and dragging baby around everywhere she goes.  It's pretty cute, and it makes this Mama hopeful that she'll be eager for her role of big sister come August.

I've been breaking in my new kitchen (which I LOVE), and Caroline is my ever-present (except during blessed naptimes) sidekick.  She's quite the little baker!

One of our recent creations - yummy cupcakes!

Last week (well, a week and a half ago now), we headed back to Missouri for Paige's high school graduation.  I know, I know - I can't believe it either.  But it happened.  She's become quite the young lady, and I was very grateful to be a part of her big day.  I told her that she is officially the first graduate to make me feel old (it was one of those "but-I-rocked-you-as-a-baby-and-you-can't-possibly-be-this-old!" moments for me).

Me and the beautiful grad - and my 6-month baby bump!

Paige's lovely sister, Torri.  While I was there, I also got to watch her qualify for state track in 3 different events -- which she went on to medal in 2 of this past weekend!  No big deal - she's just a stud like that.

Caroline also enjoyed LOTS of time outdoors.  Here she is feeding the birds at Great-Grandpa & Grandma's house.

4 Generations (minus the 3rd generation, who was taking the picture) - Great-Grandpa AJ, Great Grandma Ann, Papa & Caroline.

Great-Grandpa AJ, Papa & Caroline roaming around in the beautiful weather - it was PERFECT while we were there.

Love this picture - Great Grandpa & Caroline throwing rocks in the pond.  This just makes my heart happy.

Of course, we also spent lots of time with Nana, Aunt Kelsey, Uncle Brent, and even Daddy got to come along this time!  I just didn't take very many pictures, unfortunately.

So there is a quick recap, with lots of missing pieces.  Whew.  Now that I'm a bit caught up, I'll try not to stay away so long!

We did it!!!

 We bought a house!!!

We just closed today, and everything went as smoothly as it possibly could.  Dan and I were a bundle of nerves driving over to the attorney's office, but we signed our lives away and left with a set of keys!  Dan's Mom was gracious enough to come spend the afternoon with Caroline, and once we finished with the paperwork, we picked up some delicious pizza & headed to our new castle. 

 (This picture cracks me up, so I just had to include it.)

 Dan insisted on carrying me over the threshold - 5 months pregnant & all.  What a man :-)  **Side note:  I had a dream the other night in which I went to my regular OB check-up and stepped on the scales only to find I weighed 900 pounds!!!  I guess I've been a little paranoid about all the extra sweets I've been consuming lately.  All that to say, I was relieved to know that Dan could still pick me up without throwing his back out  :-)

Party in the new kitchen!  We were so thankful to have Grandma with us to celebrate tonight.  (and to babysit...and to clean tomorrow...)

You may not hear from me much these next few days as we get moved, but I promise to update as soon as I can.  If you think of it, feel free to pray for us these next few days...we have a lot to do to get from here to there.

Our first pony tail (sorta)

Just thought I'd give you an assortment of pictures from our first pony tail experience.  I bought the tiniest rubber bands I could find (they remind me of the ones you have to use with braces), and I managed to get it wrapped around her little sprig of hair 3 times.  I love it :)

Bubbles!

We have found a new and exciting activity at our house:  BUBBLES!  Now that the weather is turning warmer, I'm trying to find things to do outside for Caroline while I finish dinner, wash dishes, etc.  This is how she feels about that:

 She certainly hasn't mastered the art yet, but it is not for lack of trying.  This girl is determined.  And not just about bubbles.

 I love to watch that look of concentration take over as she focuses on a "project."  Sometimes it's taking care of her baby doll, sometimes it's trying to maneuver something out of a tight spot, sometimes it's trying to maneuver herself out of a tight spot.

 She occasionally gets frustrated and wants help, but most of the time, I get the impression that Mama just needs to stay out of the way.

 And she usually figures it out eventually.  Not every time...but these small successes seem to keep her motivated.

Daddy was trying to help her today, and after having had control of the bubble jar yesterday, she was not so sure about him holding it for her.  But they figured something out. 

 She held the wand while Daddy tried really hard to convince her not to put it actually on her mouth.  I just sat back and took pictures.  I figure the child has eaten worse things.

It's so fun to watch her discover the world around her.  It makes me very excited to think about her little sister tagging along behind.

P.S.  I realize the poor girl needs a new hat, but I just haven't gotten out to look for one yet.  I suppose I was hoping that either A) the 12-24 mo hat she has would still fit or B) she would have more hair by now.  But alas, our sweet girl still looks a little like Charlie Brown these days.  I'm hoping there's enough for a bow by the time she goes to Kindergarten.

Celebrations

Geesh...I just can't seem to keep up with this thing these days. I suppose keeping up with Caroline has something to do with that. Anyway, I have some real posts rolling around in my head, but while I wait to get those from head to keyboard, I'll just share another cute video. With a few notes, of course:

1) She fell again last week and sustained a pretty good "boo boo" on the old nose. She's been telling everyone who will listen about it, with lots of emotion, too. This video was a taken a few days ago, and it's looking MUCH better today. It's amazing how fast they heal!

2) She's sort of a finicky eater, much to her Mama's shagrin. I swore I would never had a picky eater...which I'm learning is the quickest way to get whatever it is that you "swear" you'll never have in a child. Anyway, we resort to anything we can think of to get her to eat new things, especially veggies (hence the celebrating, etc.). By some weird fluke the other night, she was eating ASPARAGUS! Dan threw some on her plate, and when she started eating them, he looked at me and said "Don't say anything to her! She might figure out that she's not supposed to like that!"

3) I realize she's almost always in her high chair in these videos I post. I'll try and branch out...but have you ever tried to chase an 18-mo-old around with a video camera? It's interesting, to say the least.

Okay, I'll shut up and let you watch. Here she is:

A Video Message

When Caroline heard that Great-Grandma Fedorka wasn't feeling very well, she wanted to send her a short video message to say hello.  Hope you're feeling better soon Grandma!  We love you!