It's been a fun week for us; Carolyn really brings such delight into our home and we really never get tired of watching her. :) I hope you enjoy this little video we took the other night to give you an idea what play time is like for her now that she is 17 months old!
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Play Time!
Monday, November 26, 2007
Thanksgiving
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family- hope you did, too! Here are some of our pictures. :) I'll have to make the text short since we're having laptop connection problems and the room with the computer that connects to the internet is the place where we stashed all our junk when we tried to childproof the house. :) I just heard the Princess stirring, so I'll have to make this snappy. :)
The thing that really struck me the most this year was remembering how much DIFFERENT she looked last year!! It doesn't seem like that long ago we were celebrating Thanksgiving 06 and this was my favorite picture! Wow has she ever changed!
Thanksgiving Day we had dinner with Brad's parents, and our friends Todd and Mollee (Mollee's mommy had to work so they came to spend the day with us. :))
The title for this picture: Sharing Stinks! Mollee is 4 weeks older than Carolyn and there were a few scuffles for toys... but toddlers forget quickly and all was made up in a hug and rousing chorus of "If You're Happy and You Know It."
The Day After Thanksgiving (after I was crazy enough to get up for some of the Black Friday sales) we headed to Grammy and Papa's for some more fun. Carolyn enjoyed an eager reception for her snacks, smiles, and various antics. :)
Hands-down favorite (except maybe the food) was the Piano. She was actually quite gentle with the keys- maybe she'll get some of the musical gene that seemed to skip my part of the generation. :)
When playing the piano gets old, there's always piano bench surfing.
We had to chuckle at the way Carolyn eats Cheerios. My parents have the multigrain ones, and she picks out only the darkest ones, then attempts to share away all the other colors! Makes me wonder which colors she'll eat first from a bag of M&Ms- everyone knows that this says something significant about a person's personality! :)
We attempted to get a family picture for our Christmas letter... but although she looked lovely in the dress, we couldn't seem to coordinate everyone looking at the camera at the same time.
Boy do I love this silly little girl!
The thing that really struck me the most this year was remembering how much DIFFERENT she looked last year!! It doesn't seem like that long ago we were celebrating Thanksgiving 06 and this was my favorite picture! Wow has she ever changed!
Thanksgiving Day we had dinner with Brad's parents, and our friends Todd and Mollee (Mollee's mommy had to work so they came to spend the day with us. :))
The title for this picture: Sharing Stinks! Mollee is 4 weeks older than Carolyn and there were a few scuffles for toys... but toddlers forget quickly and all was made up in a hug and rousing chorus of "If You're Happy and You Know It."
The Day After Thanksgiving (after I was crazy enough to get up for some of the Black Friday sales) we headed to Grammy and Papa's for some more fun. Carolyn enjoyed an eager reception for her snacks, smiles, and various antics. :)
Hands-down favorite (except maybe the food) was the Piano. She was actually quite gentle with the keys- maybe she'll get some of the musical gene that seemed to skip my part of the generation. :)
When playing the piano gets old, there's always piano bench surfing.
We had to chuckle at the way Carolyn eats Cheerios. My parents have the multigrain ones, and she picks out only the darkest ones, then attempts to share away all the other colors! Makes me wonder which colors she'll eat first from a bag of M&Ms- everyone knows that this says something significant about a person's personality! :)
We attempted to get a family picture for our Christmas letter... but although she looked lovely in the dress, we couldn't seem to coordinate everyone looking at the camera at the same time.
Boy do I love this silly little girl!
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
If you're happy and you know it...
We've been singing the song a lot lately! Carolyn's favorite part of the song is where she gets to stomp her feet.
She stomp, stomp, stomps, and turns herself around in an enthusiastic circle. I was laughing so hard yesterday at her "dancing!"
She stomp, stomp, stomps, and turns herself around in an enthusiastic circle. I was laughing so hard yesterday at her "dancing!"
Monday, November 19, 2007
Weather Changes
Some of you won't want (or have time) to read my story of Squalor below... but I thought everyone would enjoy seeing this cute picture of Carolyn decked out in her cold-weather best. We went to the park last Wednesday to enjoy one of the last fall days of the year- the temperature was cool, but bearable, especially to one dressed as cutely as she is! Thanks Lisa for this precious little vest! :)
Squalor
I have had the opportunity to incorporate this underutilized adjective into my vocabulary on several occasions this weekend! I have the Rainbow vacuum cleaner salesman who came to my house on Saturday to thank for this delightful expansion in the number of words I would have used to describe my life. Allow me to tell you the story of how I learned that I do, indeed, live in Squalor.
I recognized the young salesman as soon as I saw him. Later he asked me where he knew me from, and I reminded him that I was mean to him the last time he came knocking on my door. He came 45 minutes earlier than I had been told to expect him, made my dog bark, woke my baby up, and refused to leave until I had told him "no" at least eight times and finally reminded him that this was my house and I did not have to allow him in the door and that I did not care whether he got paid for coming to demonstrate an unwanted vacuum cleaner at a time other than when he was scheduled... then I shut the door in his face. One thing I remembered from this encounter (besides the slimy, absurd persistence of this particular individual) was the promise of a "really short" demonstration- just 20 minutes- that entered into his negotiations at this time.
Brad was home on Saturday so I had to let him in the door... but I informed him first-thing that we wanted the SHORT demonstration we had been offered before and that we would not be purchasing the vacuum cleaner but that we would do him a favor by listening to what he had to say as long as he made it short. Short?! HA!! An HOUR later, he was still only halfway through his demonstration!! This was partly due to a totally unexplainable reaction Carolyn's part. For whatever reason, perhaps sensing her parents' coldness toward this person, she threw herself fully at his feet and continually interrupted him with requests for hugs and stories- she NEVER responds this way to strangers! Evidently her people skills and ability to sense slime are still developing... we may have to keep an eye on her judgment!
Anyway, ON the presentation went, and ON, and ON... after an hour of sucking up junk from our carpet and asking us inane questions about what we would do if we had a vacuum cleaner that didn't work and actually made the air dirtier than before... blah, blah, blah... he gets to the punch line, where he's supposed to have us hanging off his every word... and says "Do you want me to go on?"- the "obvious" answer being yes, of course- and I said emphatically NO! He pleaded with me to consider more carefully the life I am certainly dooming my family to without the wonderful, magical, $1000 Rainbow vacuum in my home. Consider the dust! Consider dirt! Look at these black pieces of fabric I trapped yucky dust in directly from your carpet! Finally, I told him that I just didn't care, and I certainly didn't care $1000 about it. He looked at me incredulously. He offered us the opportunity to accumulate credit card debt by purchasing the wonder machine on credit. HA! As IF we had shown the slightest interest from the moment he walked in the door! Finally, he pulled out the big guns and invited me to tell him all about how I still say I wash my clothes even if I can't see if they're dirty, and I wanted to tell him, just for fun, that I wear them until they're stiff. Then he made this guilt-call to his supervisor from our phone to tell them all about how he couldn't finish his presentation because the wicked wife doesn't care about whether she lives in filth. I should have shown him the rats we keep in the back closet! Finally, we got him packed off, and since the entire encounter was my dear husband's fault (people seem to know that I'll say no, so they ask him)... I got the whole rest of the day OFF to run errands by myself while he watched the little girl in our nest of filthy squalor. Ahhh... there's no place like home!
I recognized the young salesman as soon as I saw him. Later he asked me where he knew me from, and I reminded him that I was mean to him the last time he came knocking on my door. He came 45 minutes earlier than I had been told to expect him, made my dog bark, woke my baby up, and refused to leave until I had told him "no" at least eight times and finally reminded him that this was my house and I did not have to allow him in the door and that I did not care whether he got paid for coming to demonstrate an unwanted vacuum cleaner at a time other than when he was scheduled... then I shut the door in his face. One thing I remembered from this encounter (besides the slimy, absurd persistence of this particular individual) was the promise of a "really short" demonstration- just 20 minutes- that entered into his negotiations at this time.
Brad was home on Saturday so I had to let him in the door... but I informed him first-thing that we wanted the SHORT demonstration we had been offered before and that we would not be purchasing the vacuum cleaner but that we would do him a favor by listening to what he had to say as long as he made it short. Short?! HA!! An HOUR later, he was still only halfway through his demonstration!! This was partly due to a totally unexplainable reaction Carolyn's part. For whatever reason, perhaps sensing her parents' coldness toward this person, she threw herself fully at his feet and continually interrupted him with requests for hugs and stories- she NEVER responds this way to strangers! Evidently her people skills and ability to sense slime are still developing... we may have to keep an eye on her judgment!
Anyway, ON the presentation went, and ON, and ON... after an hour of sucking up junk from our carpet and asking us inane questions about what we would do if we had a vacuum cleaner that didn't work and actually made the air dirtier than before... blah, blah, blah... he gets to the punch line, where he's supposed to have us hanging off his every word... and says "Do you want me to go on?"- the "obvious" answer being yes, of course- and I said emphatically NO! He pleaded with me to consider more carefully the life I am certainly dooming my family to without the wonderful, magical, $1000 Rainbow vacuum in my home. Consider the dust! Consider dirt! Look at these black pieces of fabric I trapped yucky dust in directly from your carpet! Finally, I told him that I just didn't care, and I certainly didn't care $1000 about it. He looked at me incredulously. He offered us the opportunity to accumulate credit card debt by purchasing the wonder machine on credit. HA! As IF we had shown the slightest interest from the moment he walked in the door! Finally, he pulled out the big guns and invited me to tell him all about how I still say I wash my clothes even if I can't see if they're dirty, and I wanted to tell him, just for fun, that I wear them until they're stiff. Then he made this guilt-call to his supervisor from our phone to tell them all about how he couldn't finish his presentation because the wicked wife doesn't care about whether she lives in filth. I should have shown him the rats we keep in the back closet! Finally, we got him packed off, and since the entire encounter was my dear husband's fault (people seem to know that I'll say no, so they ask him)... I got the whole rest of the day OFF to run errands by myself while he watched the little girl in our nest of filthy squalor. Ahhh... there's no place like home!
Friday, November 16, 2007
South Carolina
We had a wonderful time in South Carolina visiting with family and seeing where Brad's parents will eventually relocate (in 2009 after Brad's dad finishes mentoring Brad through his residency- South Carolina is great, but he just couldn't pass up the priceless opportunity to teach his son as one of his attendings at the hospital... so they put off the "full" retirement for a few years from when they might otherwise have gone down there sooner). It's a beautiful home and a lovely place and we know that they will be very happy there and we will enjoy going down to visit often, no matter where we land ourselves when this crazy residency thing is over. :) This weekend together was a great reminder of the intangible things that make life so precious, and we are so blessed to have a loving, intact, wonderful family on both sides- getting together is always such a treat! It was really nice, actually, NOT to have access to the "outside" world (they don't have internet in the new house yet and their tv only gets NBC)- we spent a lot of time playing cards, talking, and walking around outside with the kids. It was a great time! Here are some pictures of our fun time together- it took awhile to pare down my 200+ pictures- hope you think it's worth the wait! Enjoy! :)
Here is the view from the many Southern-exposure windows in the house- it's a saltwater marsh that comes and goes with the tides; it's beautiful and ever-changing with lots of plant and animal life. It was maybe my favorite thing about their new house. :)
There's a dock off the neighbor's property and we took many little trips out to look at the water.
The hands-down favorite thing for the girls was this big box that Nana set up as their "Fort."
There was much hiding inside and shutting of the doors.
Plenty of hugs between the girls inside the box.
And lots of joyful popping out- it was Peekaboo at its best! :)
We think Carolyn may grow up to have a career as an incarcerated person. :) Just kidding... we hope! But she sure did love the dog's crates! We just couldn't keep her out! She just kept going in and shutting the door. :) Maybe we should get her a cage for Christmas.
All the cabinets are empty because they don't really live there yet and the girls (especially Carolyn) so enjoyed crawling inside.
Carolyn has a growing interest in hiding... which means that we have to keep an extra close watch on her- or she'll just disappear! One day we had a little scare- we all thought someone else was watching her and we looked up and saw she was gone! We quickly ensured that all the exits were sealed and the stairs were blocked and then we scattered to search for her, and finally discovered her here, sitting in a corner of Nana's room on the dog's bed, munching her Cheerios (doo-doos) in peace. :) Crisis averted!
The rocking chairs on the back porch were a big hit, too- both with the boys, who enjoyed sitting in them while shooting Kath's BB gun at pop cans, and with the little girls. Carolyn kept asking to "Ock! Ock!" and became quite agitated when circumstances necessitated her removal from the chair. :)
This isn't really the greatest picture (when you have toddlers, you settle for just having them look at the camera- there's no point in trying to get them to smile at the same time :)), but it shows how much more alike Emily and Carolyn are beginning to look. Their hair is nearly the same length and color now, and they really look related now- as babies they looked nothing alike!
Another major highlight of the new house is the outlet mall right across the street from their subdivision! We got some great deals, and the girls had a fun time playing in the little machines- they don't know that they move if you put money in them yet. :)
But of course the best part of our weekend was spending time with family. There were lots of hugs all around, with Uncle Doug (Gug)
And Aunt Katy (with whom Carolyn really seemed to bond- when she'd wake up, "Tatie" was asked for, right after Papa). :)
We had an early Thanksgiving meal together, so Carolyn got to enjoy sweet potatoes, turkey, dressing, and cranberries for the first time. It was a hit!
One of my favorite parts of the whole thing was introducing Carolyn to the ocean! I've never lived anywhere very close to the sea, so I've only ever been to the beach a few times in my life, and every time I'm there, I feel like a child again and love to go running over the sand, watch the waves, and put my feet in the water. It was fun to see Carolyn absorb the beauty of this unique place for the first time.
The girls were immediately and irresistibly drawn to the water; they'd have wandered right in over their little heads if we'd let them! Carolyn loved to "follow" the wave as it went out and in.
She also had a ball chasing down the seagulls (Bir! Bir! Bir!)
We went back a second time, this time with Da Boys also. Here's our little family at the beach (never mind Brad's silly wave :))
I really love this picture of me with Carolyn; the colors are so beautiful and you can't even see anybody else. Great job Brad the photographer!
And I love Carolyn's facial expression here- she really just had a wonderful time; it was fun to see her enjoying the experience so much.
Again, the waves hold a mysterious pulling power for little girls...
Emily cracks me up when she gets excited! She makes this silly face whenever she gets really happy about something. :)
And here's my last picture... we ended our beach experience with a Nana Group Hug. There's no doubt about it, this grandma loves her little granddaughters! We really couldn't be more blessed.
Here is the view from the many Southern-exposure windows in the house- it's a saltwater marsh that comes and goes with the tides; it's beautiful and ever-changing with lots of plant and animal life. It was maybe my favorite thing about their new house. :)
There's a dock off the neighbor's property and we took many little trips out to look at the water.
The hands-down favorite thing for the girls was this big box that Nana set up as their "Fort."
There was much hiding inside and shutting of the doors.
Plenty of hugs between the girls inside the box.
And lots of joyful popping out- it was Peekaboo at its best! :)
We think Carolyn may grow up to have a career as an incarcerated person. :) Just kidding... we hope! But she sure did love the dog's crates! We just couldn't keep her out! She just kept going in and shutting the door. :) Maybe we should get her a cage for Christmas.
All the cabinets are empty because they don't really live there yet and the girls (especially Carolyn) so enjoyed crawling inside.
Carolyn has a growing interest in hiding... which means that we have to keep an extra close watch on her- or she'll just disappear! One day we had a little scare- we all thought someone else was watching her and we looked up and saw she was gone! We quickly ensured that all the exits were sealed and the stairs were blocked and then we scattered to search for her, and finally discovered her here, sitting in a corner of Nana's room on the dog's bed, munching her Cheerios (doo-doos) in peace. :) Crisis averted!
The rocking chairs on the back porch were a big hit, too- both with the boys, who enjoyed sitting in them while shooting Kath's BB gun at pop cans, and with the little girls. Carolyn kept asking to "Ock! Ock!" and became quite agitated when circumstances necessitated her removal from the chair. :)
This isn't really the greatest picture (when you have toddlers, you settle for just having them look at the camera- there's no point in trying to get them to smile at the same time :)), but it shows how much more alike Emily and Carolyn are beginning to look. Their hair is nearly the same length and color now, and they really look related now- as babies they looked nothing alike!
Another major highlight of the new house is the outlet mall right across the street from their subdivision! We got some great deals, and the girls had a fun time playing in the little machines- they don't know that they move if you put money in them yet. :)
But of course the best part of our weekend was spending time with family. There were lots of hugs all around, with Uncle Doug (Gug)
And Aunt Katy (with whom Carolyn really seemed to bond- when she'd wake up, "Tatie" was asked for, right after Papa). :)
We had an early Thanksgiving meal together, so Carolyn got to enjoy sweet potatoes, turkey, dressing, and cranberries for the first time. It was a hit!
One of my favorite parts of the whole thing was introducing Carolyn to the ocean! I've never lived anywhere very close to the sea, so I've only ever been to the beach a few times in my life, and every time I'm there, I feel like a child again and love to go running over the sand, watch the waves, and put my feet in the water. It was fun to see Carolyn absorb the beauty of this unique place for the first time.
The girls were immediately and irresistibly drawn to the water; they'd have wandered right in over their little heads if we'd let them! Carolyn loved to "follow" the wave as it went out and in.
She also had a ball chasing down the seagulls (Bir! Bir! Bir!)
We went back a second time, this time with Da Boys also. Here's our little family at the beach (never mind Brad's silly wave :))
I really love this picture of me with Carolyn; the colors are so beautiful and you can't even see anybody else. Great job Brad the photographer!
And I love Carolyn's facial expression here- she really just had a wonderful time; it was fun to see her enjoying the experience so much.
Again, the waves hold a mysterious pulling power for little girls...
Emily cracks me up when she gets excited! She makes this silly face whenever she gets really happy about something. :)
And here's my last picture... we ended our beach experience with a Nana Group Hug. There's no doubt about it, this grandma loves her little granddaughters! We really couldn't be more blessed.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
We're Back!
Just a little picture to whet your appetite- and make anyone who lives in Michigan (where WINTER is coming and we know it!) jealous. :) We just got back from a wonderful five days OFF "The Grid!" We went down to sunny South Carolina to visit with family and... gasp... had NO internet access for 5 whole days! It was quite refreshing, actually- we spent our time sleeping, eating, beaching, playing cards, shopping- what fun we had! Even though I made my best effort to be reasonable about it... I still ended up with over 200 pictures- though I did spend less time stressing about it and more time and mental energy focusing on absorbing the delights of this priceless time with family. Overall, I think I did pretty well- and oh, I DO love pictures! :) I'll be sorting through them at some point soon and I'll get a more complete post up when I get a chance. :)
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Taking a Break and Catching Up
Those of you who only know me "virtually" might not realize that I'm really kind of a nutcase. :) I spent a large part of my relatively short (so far :)) life pursuing excellence in my education and eventually in the professional world. I'm a pretty "driven" person... somewhat of a perfectionist... and I've always been my own worst critic. The same "drive" to succeed (and really, when it comes right down to it, to look good in front of others... ouch!) that made me successful as a student and professionally is something that really stands to wreak havoc on my personal life now that my "drive" has been redirected into a world where success is not measured empirically, where so often all your hard work goes so un-noticed and unappreciated. I think a lot of moms struggle with this, but I've fallen into the trap of wanting to appear as though I've got it all together- like I have the "perfect house," the "perfect kid," even the "perfect blog!" Really, I push myself to do a lot of things that aren't really necessary because down inside I'm pretty insecure and crave the pat on the back that will tell me that I'm okay.
I've been working through some of these issues with a new friend- the kind of friend you pay money to be your friend- :) and I'm really coming face to face with some of the not-so-nice truths about myself. It's not really that much fun, but in so many ways, it's cleansing, and I feel like I'm getting a hold on some of the core issues that have troubled me a long time. Last Wednesday, my new friend challenged me to find rest, not in the fact that I completed (or didn't complete) all 19 things on my to-do list, but in the fact that when God extended His grace to me in Christ and by faith I accepted His free gift, it was FINISHED. I need to, and cannot do, any more than He has already done. It's hard for me to wrap my mind around this gigantic truth that has been part of my life for longer than I can remember- perhaps as much for its very familiarity as anything else. But I think the answers are there. The answers to my drive to succeed in the eyes of others. The answers to my problems with worry and sleep. The answers are there. I don't like the part of the answer that says that to live in this way, I have to essentially "die" to myself- to my own notions about what is good for my life- to my pride- to my sense of "control" over my life. But I know this is the right road for me.
I do have a point- I promise! You can page down to the pictures if you want. :) I've been doing a lot of thinking this past week about simplicity. About scaling it down. About what's really important. I have been SO stressed out lately about things that really don't matter and have a lot to do with external appearances. Even this blog! Allow me to illustrate.
Last Wednesday I took Carolyn to the park to crunch around in the leaves. I didn't expect to have to stare an ugly truth about myself right in the face. I spent about half the time we were there TAKING PICTURES- trying to get just the right angle, just the right expression, just the right everything- instead of just simply enjoying the gift of some uninterrupted time with my little girl on a beautiful fall day. This picture says it all to me.
Mommy, can we swing?! [In my own defense, I immediately did put the camera down after this and put her in the swing :)]
She loved the swing! And I do love this picture... but I'm not going to do this anymore. Taking pictures is great. Blogging is great. But I don't need 17 pictures of the same thing just so I can make it all look "just right."
So I took a break for a few days- I intentionally went several days without taking a single picture and almost a whole week without updating my blog! I needed to find some balance and just take time to ENJOY life instead of just trying to document it. It was good for me. But I'm glad to be back now- I love blogging! But just for the record for now and forever, if you were ever fooled by my millions of pictures of smiling faces, we DON'T have it all together! It feels good to say that! I'm going to try to be more "real" with my blog and stop pretending... and if I take a break every once in awhile, know that I'll always be back when I've gotten my head screwed back on straight again. :)
And now, on to more pictures and less text!
Here Carolyn makes a silly face on the merry-go-round at the park!
What do you mean Mom, I have to get off?!! She did NOT want me to take her down! :)
The night of Halloween, we trekked down to the new hospital where Brad works (they just opened a great new building in September) to visit with the other residents and the nurses- the picture I got of the group wasn't very good, so I didn't post it.
This was clearly the highlight of Carolyn's day- they had Smarties! I know her well and I can see every muscle in her body tensing in this picture, ready for the upcoming treat from Dad!
And THIS is the best part of life with a little girl- getting to be there for moments of pure joy like this- when she was "flying" between her grandparents!
The same arms that "flew" me, now "fly" my daughter- how precious! [I'm a little too big now!]
I've been working through some of these issues with a new friend- the kind of friend you pay money to be your friend- :) and I'm really coming face to face with some of the not-so-nice truths about myself. It's not really that much fun, but in so many ways, it's cleansing, and I feel like I'm getting a hold on some of the core issues that have troubled me a long time. Last Wednesday, my new friend challenged me to find rest, not in the fact that I completed (or didn't complete) all 19 things on my to-do list, but in the fact that when God extended His grace to me in Christ and by faith I accepted His free gift, it was FINISHED. I need to, and cannot do, any more than He has already done. It's hard for me to wrap my mind around this gigantic truth that has been part of my life for longer than I can remember- perhaps as much for its very familiarity as anything else. But I think the answers are there. The answers to my drive to succeed in the eyes of others. The answers to my problems with worry and sleep. The answers are there. I don't like the part of the answer that says that to live in this way, I have to essentially "die" to myself- to my own notions about what is good for my life- to my pride- to my sense of "control" over my life. But I know this is the right road for me.
I do have a point- I promise! You can page down to the pictures if you want. :) I've been doing a lot of thinking this past week about simplicity. About scaling it down. About what's really important. I have been SO stressed out lately about things that really don't matter and have a lot to do with external appearances. Even this blog! Allow me to illustrate.
Last Wednesday I took Carolyn to the park to crunch around in the leaves. I didn't expect to have to stare an ugly truth about myself right in the face. I spent about half the time we were there TAKING PICTURES- trying to get just the right angle, just the right expression, just the right everything- instead of just simply enjoying the gift of some uninterrupted time with my little girl on a beautiful fall day. This picture says it all to me.
Mommy, can we swing?! [In my own defense, I immediately did put the camera down after this and put her in the swing :)]
She loved the swing! And I do love this picture... but I'm not going to do this anymore. Taking pictures is great. Blogging is great. But I don't need 17 pictures of the same thing just so I can make it all look "just right."
So I took a break for a few days- I intentionally went several days without taking a single picture and almost a whole week without updating my blog! I needed to find some balance and just take time to ENJOY life instead of just trying to document it. It was good for me. But I'm glad to be back now- I love blogging! But just for the record for now and forever, if you were ever fooled by my millions of pictures of smiling faces, we DON'T have it all together! It feels good to say that! I'm going to try to be more "real" with my blog and stop pretending... and if I take a break every once in awhile, know that I'll always be back when I've gotten my head screwed back on straight again. :)
And now, on to more pictures and less text!
Here Carolyn makes a silly face on the merry-go-round at the park!
What do you mean Mom, I have to get off?!! She did NOT want me to take her down! :)
The night of Halloween, we trekked down to the new hospital where Brad works (they just opened a great new building in September) to visit with the other residents and the nurses- the picture I got of the group wasn't very good, so I didn't post it.
This was clearly the highlight of Carolyn's day- they had Smarties! I know her well and I can see every muscle in her body tensing in this picture, ready for the upcoming treat from Dad!
And THIS is the best part of life with a little girl- getting to be there for moments of pure joy like this- when she was "flying" between her grandparents!
The same arms that "flew" me, now "fly" my daughter- how precious! [I'm a little too big now!]
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