Monday, April 8, 2013

Caroline's 1st Easter



Last year I went into labor on Easter, and Caroline just missed it by one day... but this year she was pure joy... and this year I am about a week behind in posting these pictures, but our little bunny was too adorable not to share :)
I took full advantage of Caroline not seeming to mind the bunny ears this year!
 We had lots of fun spending the day with cousin Gavin!
and with Gammy & Papa!
Happy Spring from our little family!






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Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Fun {and Cute!} Vistors & Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars

This cutie and his Mama and Daddy came for a visit last week. 
Man, it was so fun to catch up. Wish they didn't live all the way in Colorado... Work on that will you Katie!?
These two had fun playing together too!

Good friendships are so refreshing to my soul! Thanks for swinging by our tiny little town :)

While they were here I made these yummy brownies... and then I ate too many of them, and then I had to take them to Chick-fil-A. Whew, addictive!
Peanut Butter Brownie Bar Layer:
1/2 Cup Crisco
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1/3 Cup Peanut Butter
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1 Egg
1/4 Cup Milk
1 Cup Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Cup Quick Cook Oatmeal

Cream together Crisco, Sugars, Peanut Butter, Vanilla, Egg, and Milk. Whisk together dry ingredients and add to the sugar mix. Stir in the oatmeal and pour into a greased 13x9 inch pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Cool completely.

Chocolate Icing:
2 Cup Powdered Sugar
1/4 Cup Cocoa Powder
3 Tbl Melted Butter
3 Tbl Boiling Water
1/2 tsp Vanilla

Mix Sugar & Cocoa. Stir in butter, water, and vanilla. Beat until smooth and spread over brownies.

White Drizzle Icing:
2 Tbl Melted Butter
1 Cup Powdered Sugar
3/4 tsp Milk

Heat butter in saucepan until golden. Mix with sugar and milk. Mix and drizzle over Chocolate icing.

Enjoy!




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Friday, March 29, 2013

Crazy Springtime Snow Days

We have had quite a bit of snow for it to be MARCH in Virginia. There are still places with snow on the ground and Easter is in two days. Crazy. I am loathing winter, and the thought of continued chilly weather into next week make me cringe. :(
Most of these pictures are from our huge two foot snow back during the first week of March, which was Caroline's first real snow! Not sure how she felt about the whole experience, but she sure looked cute and stayed warm in her huge marshmallow suit!
 SO... funny story about large snows for me in Virginia. Jay ALWAYS happens to be in Atlanta. Yes, warm, sunny, HOT-Lanta. Me I am stuck at home in the snow with no snow shovel back in 2011 (read more about that fiasco here) and then this year with a baby and no power! (Thankfully my mom was here too or I might have really lost it and forbid jay from ever leaving a five mile radius during the months of October to May)
So, mark your calendars Augusta County, Virginia, next time Jay is scheduled to be in Atlanta, IT WILL SNOW. 
 Since Jay was away enduring the dreadful mild temperatures of Georgia, I was stuck shoveling the driveway all.by.myself. I asked Jay to call me his rockstar beast of a wife for a day. He obliged. 
How cute is she!?! Caroline definitely made our snow day much more fun!

NOW, COME ON SPRING!!!




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Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Yay for 11 MONTHS!

So this girl is actually 11 1/2 months, but hey, I did get this post in before 12 months. Jay and I have been traveling the past 10 days, and I did manage to snap these pictures on her 11 month mark, but I didn't get them on the blog until we got back. (More on our amazing Costa Rica trip coming soon!)

ELEVEN MONTHS. One month short of a year. AHHH! I am remembering so many details about how I felt this time last year, and how anxious I was to meet this little girl growing in my belly... and meet her we did! No turning backnow, she has our hearts, and I am blessed beyond all measure to be her Mama and to spend so much time loving on her. 
 I fully recognize that I am biased, but seriously, she is gorgeous! 

And my biker bunny chick.. ha! She loves this motor cycle. There is a button it that she loves to push that says "Hey Baby!" and she giggles every time. Precious. 
 Caroline, you aren't quite walking yet, but you think about it, and can cover some serious ground on your bike or by holding onto furniture. 

You still are SO busy, and into exploring everything. You love to open and empty cabinets or baskets or drawers or suitcases. Just about anything that is new to you {or neatly organized!} 
 You have the best smile. And the best laugh. Your clapping is precious. Keys are your favorite ever. You have your own set that we carry everywhere. You also still love music and bounce or "dance" to anything that has even a tiny beat. 
 You love to eat, and are loving all foods that you can pick up yourself. You are sleeping great, and we are all glad that your third ear infection is behind you. YUCK. No more of those nasty things, okay? 
 Caroline, you love to be held and walked around to push buttons on the microwave or point out people in pictures on the fridge. You are SO observant. And you are a pure JOY to watch you learn. 
 You say "Ma Ma" and "Da Da" and "Ba Ba" (for Bella) appropriately and it is the greatest sound. 
 Thank you for such fun-filled days. Being your mommy is the better than anything I ever could have imagined. 
Keep up the good growing and learning sweet girl. You are so smart, and learning quickly. God is already shaping you into an amazing little girl. It is a joy to get to be a part of your story. We love you!



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Thursday, February 28, 2013

Why this little Blog?

Over the past 2 months or so I have been thinking on and off about why I write this little blog. It hasn't really been the focus of life over the past several months, and maybe that is why I have had so many thoughts about what I like about blogging, and what I don't.

The past several months have been B.U.S.Y with a capitol B. And I have a pretty strong hunch that seems to be the new normal, and its kinda the way we like things around here. Miss Love Bug is getting more and more fun, and busier by the day, and we want to throw more kids into that mix... more kids we birth {and Lord knows that being pregnant alone makes a mama feel like her body is hiking a 10,000 foot mountain every.single.day.} and we want to adopt... a some point. All that kid talk to say life will only speed up... in the best possible ways.

So, I am in a season of focusing on priorities and figuring our how to make my life Full {you know, my 2013 goal word} without seeming like frantic chaos. I want to be invested in what matters, in the things God is calling me too, and in the commitments that only I am uniquely able to handle.

Alright, with that said, I love this little blog. My little corner of the web. My space to express myself and reflect our life. I blog for my family. For Caroline. One day hopefully, she can look back and read about her Mama's memories, and her parent's heart for her along the way.

It's by far not my top priority. It falls somewhere in the mix when all the important playing, and memory making, and celebrating, and loving and relationships, and oh after some working, and after the cleaning gets finished up. Yes, after the cleaning, because I am a little OCD like that, and it is important to me that our home is a place of peace for my hard working husband to come home to {As I type this, I have about 3 loads of laundry screaming my name, and dinner would be much less stressful if was currently being fixed while C is napping, but apparently today blogging does feel more important than those things.}

Blogging to me isn't about how many followers I have, or how many comments I get... sure those things are nice and affirming, but its not why I started this blog, or what motivates me.

My first blog post was about this time three years ago when Jay and I lived in Oklahoma... I was desperate to keep up with all that was going on in our lives and all the changes that were coming full force in our direction. In the 3 years since I first designed this little page, we have moved to Virginia, adopted our Bella-Dog, overseen the building of, and opening of our very own Chick-fil-A, bought and renovated a house, and welcomed sweet Caroline into the world. I love looking back on those memories and reading and seeing pictures from those times. That is why I blog, for me really. For me it is to capture moments and weigh them down with the importance of written word and reflection.

I love reading other blogs. I probably really spend too much time doing it... Mom blogs, food blogs, and decorating blogs, and money saving blogs, and everything in between. They provide so much wisdom, and even some connective-ness for a mostly stay-at-home mom. They feel like you have an unknown friend in your corner. Kinda like when a mom stopped behind me at a stop light gave me a quick thumbs up and wave as I am parked, at a green light, to re-insert Caroline's pacifier into her screaming mouth, instead of just honking and seeming overly annoyed that I am holding up traffic. While each mom's journey in child loving is so very different, it is also so very similar in the day in, and day out devotion and unexplainable care for those hands and feet, and smiles that you have known since their very creation. Its a powerful, unspoken bond in being a mama.

If I can ever be an encouragement to others in my words or stories, or if I can point others in a tiny way towards Jesus then I pray fervently that my blog does that. There would be no greater purpose.





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Monday, February 18, 2013

10 Months!

Our Busy Little Love Bug turned TEN WHOLE MONTHS last week... Ahhhhh! I am already thinking first birthday {actually, i'll be honest, I started thinking first birthday party planning when she was one month... so its more nailing down details now! What can I say I like to plan, and especially when it involves celebrating}

But for now she is thankfully still only 10 months and 1 week... and I am so glad because she is fun to the tenth degree. Into EVERYTHING, and doesn't sit still unless she is asleep. I tricked her into 2 minutes of stillness to snap these pictures by giving her a couple new books. Sneaky mama :)
Books, Caroline, are your favorite thing. You like to be read to, like to flip pages, love to pull them out of the basket, you adore books with buttons, flaps, textures, or sound, and your water books in the bath are a must every.single.night. You love them all. Caroline, I hope this love for books sticks around forever. 
 Along with being busy and reading you love to eat. You love snacks and your current favorite foods are butternut squash, yogurt, and mangos! 
 Caroline, you are pulling up on everything you can get your hands on. You "cruise" around the coffee table and ottoman, and are even standing alone some when you let go of a chair or furniture. Walking is coming, but Mama is in no hurry. I feel like I am just getting use to crawling.
In the last couple weeks you have now figured out how throw the ball for Bella. You are so proud of yourself, and Bella loves that you are able to interact more and more. She is such a sweet and gentle "big sis". 
Mom and Dad left you for the first time last week for 5 nights. You stayed with Gram and did awesome. You had a blast and I am doubtful if you even missed Mama at all. Mama on the other hand missed you tons! 
Caroline, you are into dancing these days. You think music is the greatest, and bounce around and clap your hands to anything that has a beat {even Mama's awful singing!} 
You are wearing 9 and 12 month clothes these days... you are so long, and your chubby baby rolls are disappearing quickly. Your 9 month check up and "stats" were really 9 1/2 month stats:
Weight: 19 lbs 12 oz
Length: 29 1/2 in 
Caroline, your very favorite thing these days is to say "Bye-Bye" to everything. and to everyone. All the time. Its adorable, and you have a country twang to your "bye." It couldn't be any cuter. 
Thanks for another wonderful month full of laughter and silliness. Thanks for your grins and your learning. You remain our joy!




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