10.5 months

 Caroline is now almost 11 months!!  She is so happy playing and watching her brother.  She keeps herself busy most of the day.  

Every now and then, she gets herself into situations such as this...

She has started to let go of things while standing and she can hold herself up for a few seconds.  It probably won't be too much longer before she walks.  She continues to be a great eater and sleeper.  I'm hoping her 2 top teeth come in quickly as they've been causing a little trouble lately.  It's now time for me to start planning  a birthday party!!

Just Because....

I want to document these days of ours so that I don't ever forget...

our everyday lunches..I don't even want to know how many pb&js I've made over the past 3 years--but I'm pretty sure I could do it in my sleep...

 baby girl LOVES to eat anything (and most days she completely cleans her tray!)...

 our "short" neighborhood walks, which usually end up lasting  a few hours because we stop and talk to our sweet friends...

 baths....

 the dreaded bath (at least at our house) is starting to get  a lot more enjoyable now that Grayson will wash his own hair and doesn't seem to mind the water in his eyes as long as he's in control of the water cup...

"schoolwork"--which Grayson asks to do multiple times a day...

 

 playtimes are always full of laughing, crying, lots of conversations about sharing and being GENTLE and preferring others above yourself (oh how this truth is so hard to understand when you're 3!)...

the naps (it's not often that I can sneak up on this sleeping babe without waking her up)...

These days are precious and they're changing so quickly.  I'm so thankful for this time at home with my children.

The Greatest Show on Earth

 Last night, Grayson and I had a date night.  We went to the Ringling Bros., Barnum & Bailey circus.  This was a first for Grayson and he absolutely LOVED it!  His favorite part?  

The CLOWNS.

While I was amazed by this....

 and this..

 Grayson is saying, "Mommy, where's the clowns?  Where did the clowns go?"

Some of our friends came along with us.  So the 2 girls took turns sitting beside Grayson.

 and sharing snacks...

 It was such a fun night!  I'm so happy my friend came with me because I would have never made it out of the city at 10:30pm by myself--it never fails, I always get lost. 

I promise you, he was a happy boy, he just refuses to smile for pictures!  His excitement was priceless.  I hope daddy and Caroline can join us next time!

This Valentine's Night

 Tonight we did lots of playing...

 lots of laughing...

 and lots of loving!  

Chad had to work late tonight so it was just me and the kids this Valentine's Day.  We made the most of it but can't wait for daddy to be home!!

 Speaking of daddy, we celebrated his birthday this past Sunday! 

 Happy Birthday, Daddy!  We LOVE you!!

Playing

 Mimi came for a few days this week.  It is so nice when she is here because she is so great at PLAYING.  The kids LOVE it!

 I am pretty sure that they played with every single toy that we own over the span of 2 days. 

 Caroline has discovered the microwave.  All those little buttons are too tempting when she's in the kitchen with mommy.

 Grayson has discovered a love for puzzles. These 25 piece 

puzzles keep him busy for a while. 

 It's been fun dressing Caroline in some of my old dresses. This particular dress was made by a sweet family friend and  has gotten lots of wear.  Not only did I wear it at this age, but I used to dress my baby dolls in it.

9 months

 Our sweet baby girl is now 9 months old.  

She is pulling up on EVERYTHING.  This results in many falls or objects falling on top of her.  

Sad.

But, she's a pretty tough girl for the most part.

 She loves to feed herself.  But, unfortunately, the mess drives me crazy, so most of the time I just quickly feed her with a spoon. 

 She loves to wave and will often stop what she's doing, turn around and see who's looking.  If she notices someone looking, she'll give them a quick wave and a smile.  She also loves to laugh at herself or others--it's so very cute.

 She is starting to crawl on all fours now rather than the army crawl that she's used for the past 3 months.  She can get around much faster.

 She even tries to stand every now and then, but she hasn't quite figured that out yet. 

She has added some new words/sounds.  She's now saying "dada", "mama", and "baba". She gets real excited to see Dakota or hear her barking and she says, "D..d..d"--as she looks around for her.

And my favorite new trick is her dancing.  If she hears music, she does the head bob and looks around to make sure people are watching her.  

She's such a sweet girl with lots of personality. 

9 month stats :

16 lb.5.2 oz

29 in. long

nurses 4 times a day along with 3 meals a day

2 naps a day (1.5 hrs each)

sleeps 11-12 hours at night

A Weekend Visit

 This past weekend, the kids and I drove to Clinton to visit with Mimi and Papa.  On Saturday, we headed to Columbia to spend the day with my college roommates.  It was so much fun catching up and seeing how much the kids have grown! 

 Caroline didn't make it into the group picture because she was taking a nap.  It was nearly impossible to coordinate a picture with everyone---with all of the napping, feeding, etc.  We were so happy for Stephanie to join us this time--she is expecting twins in July!!  Yay--2 more to add to the group!! 

Benson was also there for the day and was a great help with the older kids as he watched them play outside in the freezing cold while us ladies stayed inside with a somewhat quiet house. 

 Back in Clinton, the kids got to spend some time with Daddymac and Grandmama...

 

and one of Grayson's most favorite spots.....papa's lap...