Today we spent the day in sunny, beautiful Jamaica! We took a CRAZY car ride up (I'm glad I don't have a video of what it looked like because it would have worried my mother!) the large hills/small mountains of the island to a place where there is a gorgeous, completely clear, warm river. Then we hopped in individual kayaks with our Jamaican guide and floated/paddled down for 3 miles downstream. It was a little challenge for me at first to steer and not lose my balance, but I got the hang of it, and actually didn't go over until the very last little piece of "whitewater," where i capsized... but the water was so nice and just perfectly cool compared to the air that it felt wonderfully refreshing, and as we were close to the end of the trip, I just swam the rest of the way down, and it was lovely. I could have floated along in that water all day!!
Unfortunately, I am having technical difficulties with the picture upload thing, so it's just not going to work today. I'll try again tomorrow.
Now the ship has pulled out of port and we are heading for Grand Cayman Island! We have our first Snorkel Adventure tomorrow- we'll be feeding stingrays (with about 500 of our closest friends, I've heard) and then heading over to a nearby reef to (hopefully) get up close and personal with some fish! I'll try to update tomorrow, as well. It's fun for me to keep track of our week by blogging about it. :)
Monday, January 14, 2008
Sunday, January 13, 2008
On the Boat
We are on our way!! Having a great time so far; the ocean is beautiful, the ship is great, the food is fabulous... and having about 10 hours of sleep last night was phenomenal!! I'll do a more complete wrapup when we get home since they charge an outrageous amount to connect to the internet while on the ship!
I miss my little girl, but I'm confident that she is in good hands. My mom has created a blog to update daily with Carolyn news so check http://thelmcreport.blogspot.com/ if you (like me) want to see how she is doing!
Tomorrow we'll be in Jamaica! I plan to access the internet for 10 minutes daily and I'll try to choose one picture daily to show you all (and LMC) what we're up to! :)
Friday, January 11, 2008
Our Bags Are Packed!
All of them! It was quite a project this week, we're ready to go! :)
Tonight we are spending the night with my parents (before our flight leaves early tomorrow morning!) so we got a chance to get Carolyn settled in for the week and unpack her stuff so her room has a few little "mommy touches." I'm so glad we did it this way because it took me away from home and the endless to-do lists and gave me some solid, uninterrupted time to love on Carolyn and just soak her up. I have been dreading leaving ever since we decided to go (last May!)
But I thoroughly enjoyed watching her "discover" the very same special toys I played with as ac a child! You may notice that her favorite thing to do with the Little People (don't worry, Grammy won't leave the room while she is playing with them- we know they are a choking hazard!) was to stuff as many of them into the car ("choo-choo") as possible!
I'm going to miss her so much this week! But I am looking forward to some much-needed QT with my "first love." :) My anxiety has a tendency to kick into high gear whenever my "control" over a situation is challenged, and I have been struggling quite a bit this week, but I'll just take things one step at a time and keep on praying! You can pray for us, too, this week. There are bound to be some tough moments, but hopefully many more unforgettably fun ones! Stay tuned! I'll update as I can!
Tonight we are spending the night with my parents (before our flight leaves early tomorrow morning!) so we got a chance to get Carolyn settled in for the week and unpack her stuff so her room has a few little "mommy touches." I'm so glad we did it this way because it took me away from home and the endless to-do lists and gave me some solid, uninterrupted time to love on Carolyn and just soak her up. I have been dreading leaving ever since we decided to go (last May!)
But I thoroughly enjoyed watching her "discover" the very same special toys I played with as ac a child! You may notice that her favorite thing to do with the Little People (don't worry, Grammy won't leave the room while she is playing with them- we know they are a choking hazard!) was to stuff as many of them into the car ("choo-choo") as possible!
I'm going to miss her so much this week! But I am looking forward to some much-needed QT with my "first love." :) My anxiety has a tendency to kick into high gear whenever my "control" over a situation is challenged, and I have been struggling quite a bit this week, but I'll just take things one step at a time and keep on praying! You can pray for us, too, this week. There are bound to be some tough moments, but hopefully many more unforgettably fun ones! Stay tuned! I'll update as I can!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
CDs and Hey-Na
Lately, Carolyn has become ever more focused on what she wants. In this little video, you can see two of her very favorite things: "Hey-na" (her word for Carolyn; like any self-respecting toddler, she is admittedly a bit obsessed with her own likeness and immediately demands to see "Hey-na" as soon as we pull the camera out) and "CDs"- especially her "Voggies." (Veggie Tales cd).
We got these fun pans on sale at Target this week to go with her play kitchen and she has had all sorts of fun "cooking." Eggs are her specialty. She likes to stir up the eggs and offer whoever's sitting nearby a taste. Unfortunately, you will have to imagine what this looks like since we have not yet been able to capture it on video (the aforementioned focus on her own image causing significant problems with taking her picture)! :)
Still, enjoy this little clip! It's a great example of what she's really like these days when she wants something. :)
Oooooh! I'm going to miss this little lady! How will I manage without her for a whole week?! Ouch! Letting go is no fun at all!
We got these fun pans on sale at Target this week to go with her play kitchen and she has had all sorts of fun "cooking." Eggs are her specialty. She likes to stir up the eggs and offer whoever's sitting nearby a taste. Unfortunately, you will have to imagine what this looks like since we have not yet been able to capture it on video (the aforementioned focus on her own image causing significant problems with taking her picture)! :)
Still, enjoy this little clip! It's a great example of what she's really like these days when she wants something. :)
Oooooh! I'm going to miss this little lady! How will I manage without her for a whole week?! Ouch! Letting go is no fun at all!
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
The Cake
Carolyn was very interested in my birthday cake- specially frosted by my dad in celebration of our impending trip to the tropics! :)
She was very pleased that she was not denied this most special of treats. :) Watching her eat cake reminded me of how soon we'll be doing this again for her! It seems like she just turned one... and now we're already on the downward slope to two! How could I be the parent of a two-year-old?We had our 18-month checkup today and got a good report. She is 32.5 inches tall and 22 pounds- just a little peanut, but right on target with where she is supposed to be.
I just finished working a very busy weekend at work, and now I'm off for 2 weeks! There's plenty to do around here, though. Today's housecleaning day and then tomorrow is Packing Day and our monthly Costco trip... we leave on Friday!! Carolyn will be staying with Grammy and Papa and we fly out Saturday morning to Ft. Lauderdale to catch our ship, which leaves at 5pm on the 12th! I'm looking forward to the trip with equal parts dread and anticipation. I can't wait to have some one-on-one time with Brad, but my heart aches at the very thought of leaving my precious child behind!
Thursday, January 3, 2008
27 Years!
Another birthday... starting to feel like it would be okay for them to stop about now! 27 is good! Getting precariously close to 30, though, so maybe we can just hold it right here! I saw someone on another blog do this to celebrate her birthday and thought I'd copy her idea. The older you get, the more you have to be grateful for... So here's my "27 Years of Thankful"- and a little bit of my history. :) It's fun to have the chance to look back.
1- After being obliged to wait 12 days longer than my due date (unfortunately, only the beginning of a lifetime habit of lateness for me...), my mom finally gave birth to me on January 4, 1981. I'm thankful for a mom who's always been very patient with me!
2- My sister Michelle was born when I was 2, and I had an instant best friend.
3- I am thankful for wonderful Sunday School teachers who knew how important it is to teach even three-year-olds about Jesus.
4- I remember the day Baby Laura was born, being rushed to my grandparents' house to wait for the baby. "Baby" Laura is almost 23 now! I'm so thankful for TWO wonderful sisters!!
5- I remember going to kindergarten and being so proud that I could read! At the end of the year, we had a little graduation program and we sang a song with a line that went, "I'm a great big bundle of potentiality!" I'm thankful that even from that age, the people around me taught me to believe in myself and that I could do what I set my mind to do.
6- I'm thankful for a home where my parents demonstrated how much fun you could have without spending a lot of money. Some of my favorite memories from being a kid involve bike riding, playing in the back yard, and splitting a cinnamon roll five ways at the mall!
7- I'm thankful for a dad who always "really home" when he was home. He worked a lot of hours, but what I remember from childhood isn't his absence, but his presence with us- he was so much fun!!
8-I'm thankful for the decision my parents made to teach us at home for a season because it brought us closer as a family and helped me learn very important lessons in self-learning that really helped me later in life!
9-I'm thankful for the church camp I attended every summer as a child- every year it was a great chance for me to reconnect with God and helped build the foundation of my faith.
10-We moved to Edmond, Oklahoma, and got to live in our "dream house," complete with four bedrooms and a giant bathtub! Ever since then, I've been hoping for a house with a giant bathtub... and that was the major reason we bought the one we live in now!
11- Even though I had to be a soldier and didn't get the coveted role of "party child," or (only in my wildest dreams), "Clara" (not knowing until years later that these parts were handed out, not based on talent, or on good looks, but to children whose parents donated to the Foundation)- I loved being part of Ballet Oklahoma's production of The Nutcracker!
12- The "ugly" years begin, but as yet, I still had really no idea. I was fortunate enough to have relatively little exposure to the larger, meaner world around me until I was older... I'm thankful for the gift my parents gave me of a secure, unhurried childhood.
13- A year I'd like to forget! We found out we were moving right before my birthday this year... and were gone within a month from the "dream house" to the ugliest rental house you can imagine in Albuquerque, NM. It was here that my childhood really ended and a lifelong battle with my own self-worth began. For whatever reason, I was not "like" the other kids at our new church... and for years after that, I felt for some reason that I just wasn't "cool." It was a tough time for me (and my poor mother!), but I'm grateful for a mom and dad who were totally committed to weathering this season with me, who loved me even when I thought I was unlovable.
14- My homeschooling days are over, and I entered the larger world of public high school!! There were adjustments to be made- and I probably could have made better grades in geometry if I hadn't been so distracted by all the social "stuff"- but I'm thankful that I did go to high school (rather than staying at home) because I think it helped me learn important lessons about choices and consequences.
15- We move from Albuquerque to Troy, Michigan. The move was a tough experience, but I'm grateful we came, because the schools were so much better! My favorite teacher this year was Mr. Larson, my chemistry teacher, who taught me that I was good at chemistry! I went on to take every chemistry class my high school offered, majored in chemistry in college, and went on to a career that includes chemistry AND people- two of the things I found out I was best at!
16- My heart is truly broken for the first time. My first "real" boyfriend (of a whole year) broke up with me after his family moved to Mexico. Even now, almost 11 years later, the experience is still one of the defining events of my life. What I remember most about it is how my dad (and mom) saw me hurting that night, put aside their own internal celebration that it was over, and came down (with a bucket of ice cream) to grieve with me over my broken heart.
17- I'm thankful for good friends in high school. I was going through a phase of experimenting with life with Jesus "on the side," and looking back, I was so vulnerable at that time. But I had good friends who at least tried to keep me generally on the right track... and for the most part, I stayed out of serious trouble, at least until the summer after high school.
18- I'm thankful for grace. I fell pretty far away from my faith the last semester of high school and the summer afterwards... I wanted to try it all, do it all, see everything for myself. I am eternally grateful for God's hand of protection over my life during those times when I put myself in precarious positions. Much worse could have happened to me than actually did. That fall, I started my first semester at Hope College... and He found me there, after my first weekend at home, when my parents had confronted me, having found out about my "double life." I think I understood the whole concept of sin and grace that night. I knew I deserved to be punished, cast off forever- yet He looked down on me in love, and invited me back in. I rededicated my life to serving Him, not as a child anymore, but as an adult.
19- Enter Brad! We started dating shortly after I turned 19... and it didn't take long to fall in love... and a few months later... we knew we'd be together forever.
20- Another tough year for me. My beloved Brad was away in Arizona for medical school, I was working as an RA in my dorm, and God was teaching me some important lessons. I learned a lot about myself that year, but most of it wasn't all that pleasant to learn! I'm especially thankful for His divine intervention into the problems I was having with my roommate that year because without His help, we might never have solved them, and I would have missed out on one of the best friends I have ever had!
21- I graduated from Hope, and Brad and I were married just 5 weeks later on June 15, 2002! I'm so thankful for that glorious, golden day, which even 5 and a half years later, still shines as one of the happiest of my life. :)
22- I'm thankful for our deep and lasting friendship with Steve and Carolyn Rohrer. They were married the same day we were, and Brad and Steve were classmates in medical school. They quickly became some of our very best friends and have consistently encouraged us to keep on deepening our walk with God. Little Carolyn is named after Carolyn Rohrer.
23- I'm thankful for Immanuel Bible Church, our church home in Phoenix. It was a very nurturing spiritual environment where we learned and grew so much and made so many special friends.
24- We sell our first house at prime time in the Phoenix real estate market and Brad gets his first NEW car... we move to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he starts his OB residency, and I start my first "real" job as a pharmacist at Meijer. I'm so thankful for this job because of the great people I work for and with. It was a wonderful place to get my feet on the ground and learn how to "be" a pharmacist, and now it has been such a flexible work environment- I'd never trade jobs for the world!
25- Another of the happiest days of my life, Carolyn Ann was born! My whole world was forever changed that day, and I will be forever grateful.
26- One of the happiest years I can remember. I have loved watching Carolyn grow! I'm so thankful for the opportunity to make being a mommy my "main" job.
27- Who knows what this year holds? I sometimes feel faithless and anxious about the future- but I really have no reason to. Looking back over the past 27 years of my life, I can see the hand of God actively working in my life to bring about His purposes- which are always for my best. I know I can trust the One who has guided my past to guide my future. Looking forward to seeing what He has in store next!!
PS: if you've never done something like this, you should try! It was a really uplifting experience to just consider how many things I have to be thankful for over the years!
1- After being obliged to wait 12 days longer than my due date (unfortunately, only the beginning of a lifetime habit of lateness for me...), my mom finally gave birth to me on January 4, 1981. I'm thankful for a mom who's always been very patient with me!
2- My sister Michelle was born when I was 2, and I had an instant best friend.
3- I am thankful for wonderful Sunday School teachers who knew how important it is to teach even three-year-olds about Jesus.
4- I remember the day Baby Laura was born, being rushed to my grandparents' house to wait for the baby. "Baby" Laura is almost 23 now! I'm so thankful for TWO wonderful sisters!!
5- I remember going to kindergarten and being so proud that I could read! At the end of the year, we had a little graduation program and we sang a song with a line that went, "I'm a great big bundle of potentiality!" I'm thankful that even from that age, the people around me taught me to believe in myself and that I could do what I set my mind to do.
6- I'm thankful for a home where my parents demonstrated how much fun you could have without spending a lot of money. Some of my favorite memories from being a kid involve bike riding, playing in the back yard, and splitting a cinnamon roll five ways at the mall!
7- I'm thankful for a dad who always "really home" when he was home. He worked a lot of hours, but what I remember from childhood isn't his absence, but his presence with us- he was so much fun!!
8-I'm thankful for the decision my parents made to teach us at home for a season because it brought us closer as a family and helped me learn very important lessons in self-learning that really helped me later in life!
9-I'm thankful for the church camp I attended every summer as a child- every year it was a great chance for me to reconnect with God and helped build the foundation of my faith.
10-We moved to Edmond, Oklahoma, and got to live in our "dream house," complete with four bedrooms and a giant bathtub! Ever since then, I've been hoping for a house with a giant bathtub... and that was the major reason we bought the one we live in now!
11- Even though I had to be a soldier and didn't get the coveted role of "party child," or (only in my wildest dreams), "Clara" (not knowing until years later that these parts were handed out, not based on talent, or on good looks, but to children whose parents donated to the Foundation)- I loved being part of Ballet Oklahoma's production of The Nutcracker!
12- The "ugly" years begin, but as yet, I still had really no idea. I was fortunate enough to have relatively little exposure to the larger, meaner world around me until I was older... I'm thankful for the gift my parents gave me of a secure, unhurried childhood.
13- A year I'd like to forget! We found out we were moving right before my birthday this year... and were gone within a month from the "dream house" to the ugliest rental house you can imagine in Albuquerque, NM. It was here that my childhood really ended and a lifelong battle with my own self-worth began. For whatever reason, I was not "like" the other kids at our new church... and for years after that, I felt for some reason that I just wasn't "cool." It was a tough time for me (and my poor mother!), but I'm grateful for a mom and dad who were totally committed to weathering this season with me, who loved me even when I thought I was unlovable.
14- My homeschooling days are over, and I entered the larger world of public high school!! There were adjustments to be made- and I probably could have made better grades in geometry if I hadn't been so distracted by all the social "stuff"- but I'm thankful that I did go to high school (rather than staying at home) because I think it helped me learn important lessons about choices and consequences.
15- We move from Albuquerque to Troy, Michigan. The move was a tough experience, but I'm grateful we came, because the schools were so much better! My favorite teacher this year was Mr. Larson, my chemistry teacher, who taught me that I was good at chemistry! I went on to take every chemistry class my high school offered, majored in chemistry in college, and went on to a career that includes chemistry AND people- two of the things I found out I was best at!
16- My heart is truly broken for the first time. My first "real" boyfriend (of a whole year) broke up with me after his family moved to Mexico. Even now, almost 11 years later, the experience is still one of the defining events of my life. What I remember most about it is how my dad (and mom) saw me hurting that night, put aside their own internal celebration that it was over, and came down (with a bucket of ice cream) to grieve with me over my broken heart.
17- I'm thankful for good friends in high school. I was going through a phase of experimenting with life with Jesus "on the side," and looking back, I was so vulnerable at that time. But I had good friends who at least tried to keep me generally on the right track... and for the most part, I stayed out of serious trouble, at least until the summer after high school.
18- I'm thankful for grace. I fell pretty far away from my faith the last semester of high school and the summer afterwards... I wanted to try it all, do it all, see everything for myself. I am eternally grateful for God's hand of protection over my life during those times when I put myself in precarious positions. Much worse could have happened to me than actually did. That fall, I started my first semester at Hope College... and He found me there, after my first weekend at home, when my parents had confronted me, having found out about my "double life." I think I understood the whole concept of sin and grace that night. I knew I deserved to be punished, cast off forever- yet He looked down on me in love, and invited me back in. I rededicated my life to serving Him, not as a child anymore, but as an adult.
19- Enter Brad! We started dating shortly after I turned 19... and it didn't take long to fall in love... and a few months later... we knew we'd be together forever.
20- Another tough year for me. My beloved Brad was away in Arizona for medical school, I was working as an RA in my dorm, and God was teaching me some important lessons. I learned a lot about myself that year, but most of it wasn't all that pleasant to learn! I'm especially thankful for His divine intervention into the problems I was having with my roommate that year because without His help, we might never have solved them, and I would have missed out on one of the best friends I have ever had!
21- I graduated from Hope, and Brad and I were married just 5 weeks later on June 15, 2002! I'm so thankful for that glorious, golden day, which even 5 and a half years later, still shines as one of the happiest of my life. :)
22- I'm thankful for our deep and lasting friendship with Steve and Carolyn Rohrer. They were married the same day we were, and Brad and Steve were classmates in medical school. They quickly became some of our very best friends and have consistently encouraged us to keep on deepening our walk with God. Little Carolyn is named after Carolyn Rohrer.
23- I'm thankful for Immanuel Bible Church, our church home in Phoenix. It was a very nurturing spiritual environment where we learned and grew so much and made so many special friends.
24- We sell our first house at prime time in the Phoenix real estate market and Brad gets his first NEW car... we move to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he starts his OB residency, and I start my first "real" job as a pharmacist at Meijer. I'm so thankful for this job because of the great people I work for and with. It was a wonderful place to get my feet on the ground and learn how to "be" a pharmacist, and now it has been such a flexible work environment- I'd never trade jobs for the world!
25- Another of the happiest days of my life, Carolyn Ann was born! My whole world was forever changed that day, and I will be forever grateful.
26- One of the happiest years I can remember. I have loved watching Carolyn grow! I'm so thankful for the opportunity to make being a mommy my "main" job.
27- Who knows what this year holds? I sometimes feel faithless and anxious about the future- but I really have no reason to. Looking back over the past 27 years of my life, I can see the hand of God actively working in my life to bring about His purposes- which are always for my best. I know I can trust the One who has guided my past to guide my future. Looking forward to seeing what He has in store next!!
PS: if you've never done something like this, you should try! It was a really uplifting experience to just consider how many things I have to be thankful for over the years!
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
2007 in Review!
Well, I'm a day late (due to Round Two of the Stomach Flu and working New Year's Day), and a few pictures over the limit of "one per month," but here it is (drumroll please)...
2007 In Review!
January:
Newsflash! Carolyn has achieved the motor skills necessary to retrieve her own pacifier- consequently, we begin sleeping through the night!! Major life upgrade! :) Of course, a year later, we are now faced with the problem of Pacifier Elimination... but I wouldn't give up this year of sleep for anything! :)
February:
Snowstorm 07: our town in Michigan is no stranger to snow, but this blizzard shut everything down for a couple of days! We were stuck in the house and took the opportunity to do our taxes (and pick out a flat screen tv to buy with the refund!) and to take this now-famous picture of Carolyn (it has been called Yoda Picture by some) :)
Scooting Around: At about 8 months, after extensive field research, Carolyn has developed her own unique ways to move around the house- scooting on her back like this, and rolling her way across a room!
April
Crawling, Crawling, Crawling! At first Carolyn would only crawl on the hard floor- she preferred to scoot along the carpet... but it wasn't long before she honed in on the fact that crawling was faster- and she became a master speed crawler!
May
Warming Up! The warmer weather means we are free to get out with friends! This picture was actually taken the 1st of June, but it's my blog and I can cheat a little. :) We spent lots of time with friends, enjoying the sunshine and all the color of Spring!
June
Five Years Together! June 15 we had our 5th anniversary- we had a "mini" celebration at a nice restaurant in town, looking forward to the big celebration that will be in just 10 days now! We are taking a 7-night Caribbean cruise January 12-19! Pictures will be posted as the ship does have internet access! :)
Happy Birthday Carolyn! Our little girl turned ONE June 30!
July
Toes in the Sand: We visited Lake Michigan one beautiful summer evening and loved sharing this place we visited many times in our college days with our sweet little girl.
Carolyn and Emma: We visited our friends the Rohrers in Pennsylvania: their daughter Emma is 11 months older than Carolyn and really loved having Little Carolyn around. Sadly, the two did share the same stomach virus that put them (and us!) out of commission for awhile after we got home! :)
August
Seattle! We visited my college roommate Chandra and her husband Andrew and they showed us all the sights of their awesome town!
Look Out World! Here comes Carolyn! She's waaalking! I loved seeing the world just open up before Carolyn's very eyes as she started seeing everything from an upright perspective! This is about when her vocabulary began to take off, too, and she started being able to TELL us more about what she could see.
September:
Emily Comes to Town: Emily and Carolyn meet for the first time as Toddlers! We had such fun watching them play. I love this picture of them together!
Playing Around: Life is made up of the little things, like trips to the park! We enjoyed an extra-long summer (hopefully not to make up for an extra-long Winter to come!), with playground weather all the way through September and most of October too!
October
Marathon 07: We traveled to Chicago to watch my dad and Bryan run the Chicago Marathon in record-heat conditions! Carolyn loves to show only her bottom teeth when asked to identify them. :)
Appo! One of my favorite pictures of the year! We visited an apple orchard to pick apples with friends! :) Weather-wise, not the best day, but we were so glad we did it when we had a chance because we all had fun.
November
Beaching! We went to South Carolina to visit Nana and Papa's new home near Hilton Head and enjoyed some time on the beach- in November!
2007 In Review!
January:
Newsflash! Carolyn has achieved the motor skills necessary to retrieve her own pacifier- consequently, we begin sleeping through the night!! Major life upgrade! :) Of course, a year later, we are now faced with the problem of Pacifier Elimination... but I wouldn't give up this year of sleep for anything! :)
Adventures in Eating: Carolyn begins her journey into a wider world of edible wonder and discovery... making lots of messes (and cute baby pictures: don't you just love those round cheekies! :))
Snowstorm 07: our town in Michigan is no stranger to snow, but this blizzard shut everything down for a couple of days! We were stuck in the house and took the opportunity to do our taxes (and pick out a flat screen tv to buy with the refund!) and to take this now-famous picture of Carolyn (it has been called Yoda Picture by some) :)
March
Happy Birthday Daddy: all our friends come over to celebrate Daddy's 30th Birthday!
Bluebonnet Baby: We took a trip to Austin, Texas, to meet the extended family (timing chosen especially to catch the famous Texas Bluebonnets, Carolyn's mother having had many a picture taken in the blue fields as a child!)
Happy Birthday Daddy: all our friends come over to celebrate Daddy's 30th Birthday!
Bluebonnet Baby: We took a trip to Austin, Texas, to meet the extended family (timing chosen especially to catch the famous Texas Bluebonnets, Carolyn's mother having had many a picture taken in the blue fields as a child!)
AprilCrawling, Crawling, Crawling! At first Carolyn would only crawl on the hard floor- she preferred to scoot along the carpet... but it wasn't long before she honed in on the fact that crawling was faster- and she became a master speed crawler!
MayWarming Up! The warmer weather means we are free to get out with friends! This picture was actually taken the 1st of June, but it's my blog and I can cheat a little. :) We spent lots of time with friends, enjoying the sunshine and all the color of Spring!
JuneFive Years Together! June 15 we had our 5th anniversary- we had a "mini" celebration at a nice restaurant in town, looking forward to the big celebration that will be in just 10 days now! We are taking a 7-night Caribbean cruise January 12-19! Pictures will be posted as the ship does have internet access! :)
Happy Birthday Carolyn! Our little girl turned ONE June 30!
July
Toes in the Sand: We visited Lake Michigan one beautiful summer evening and loved sharing this place we visited many times in our college days with our sweet little girl.
Carolyn and Emma: We visited our friends the Rohrers in Pennsylvania: their daughter Emma is 11 months older than Carolyn and really loved having Little Carolyn around. Sadly, the two did share the same stomach virus that put them (and us!) out of commission for awhile after we got home! :)
August
Seattle! We visited my college roommate Chandra and her husband Andrew and they showed us all the sights of their awesome town!
Look Out World! Here comes Carolyn! She's waaalking! I loved seeing the world just open up before Carolyn's very eyes as she started seeing everything from an upright perspective! This is about when her vocabulary began to take off, too, and she started being able to TELL us more about what she could see.
September:Emily Comes to Town: Emily and Carolyn meet for the first time as Toddlers! We had such fun watching them play. I love this picture of them together!
Playing Around: Life is made up of the little things, like trips to the park! We enjoyed an extra-long summer (hopefully not to make up for an extra-long Winter to come!), with playground weather all the way through September and most of October too!
OctoberMarathon 07: We traveled to Chicago to watch my dad and Bryan run the Chicago Marathon in record-heat conditions! Carolyn loves to show only her bottom teeth when asked to identify them. :)
Appo! One of my favorite pictures of the year! We visited an apple orchard to pick apples with friends! :) Weather-wise, not the best day, but we were so glad we did it when we had a chance because we all had fun.
NovemberBeaching! We went to South Carolina to visit Nana and Papa's new home near Hilton Head and enjoyed some time on the beach- in November!
December
Merry Christmas! Next year, maybe we will have someone come over to help us take our family picture! It was harder than anticipated to get a shot we liked... and this wasn't perfect, but it does say something about "where we are" this year. :)
Merry Christmas! Next year, maybe we will have someone come over to help us take our family picture! It was harder than anticipated to get a shot we liked... and this wasn't perfect, but it does say something about "where we are" this year. :)
So, Happy New Year (one day late!) Hope you enjoyed our little Year in Review! We are looking forward to sharing our fun and our not-so-fun with all our friends in the blogosphere in 2008!
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