Appling Happenings

A Berry Sweet Birthday Party!

2011-09-20T11:10:00.000-07:00

The theme for Caroline's 5th Birthday party started many years ago - back when I was a little girl and had my own collection of Strawberry Shortcake figurines. Funny to think that these are now considered vintage toys! Thankfully, my mom saved my figurines and Caroline has enjoyed playing with them at my parents house. Of course, she prefers the new "Sassy" Strawberry Shortcake, but I couldn't plan a Strawberry Shortcake party without including "my girls!" I think for many of the moms at the party, they brought back fond memories.

I really ran WILD with Caroline's 5th Birthday Party this year! The theme started with her mentioning she'd like a Strawberry Shortcake themed birthday party (the day after her 4th Birthday)!

I really enjoy designing my own birthday party invitations (plus it saves $). This invitation was super easy. I just googled Strawberry Shortcake images, grabbed the image I liked best, and added a border and text boxes - Quick & Easy! I then printed onto heavy card stock and bought envelopes at Michael's. Invitations: CHECK!

I started looking for decorations at Party City, Michael's, Wal-mart, etc, but only found slim pickings... so I turned to my "go to" for cute stuff - www.etsy.com. I was so excited to find a downloadable Berry Birthday party template from Dimple Prints that was "just what I was looking for" & the price was perfect (a steal at $10). From the printables, I was able to make a banner, lollipop sticks for the muffins, food labels, signage for the house, and even come up with a fun craft idea! Not bad for $10, eh?

So here are the details you have been waiting for -

1. The Welcome Sign: I used a printable from my awesome etsy find and then visited the Dollar Store for a 50 cent piece of posterboard, pink boa & ribbon. Total cost: around $2, and oh so cute!

2. I borrowed a friends cricut to create these super, cute berry friends (my daughter thought they looked like the Berrykins from the Strawberry Shortcake cartoon). I used this to embellish the banner I made & personalize the decorations.

3. I borrowed this idea from my sis-in-law (thanks!)...I picked up a bag of red & pink polka dot balloons from Hobby Lobby, and decided to just blow up the balloons and forgo the cost of a helium tank. HUGE HIT w/ the kids - they could toss the balloons around, not to mention they were great ground cover for the house and really added to the party decor!

4. I used our outdoor flag stand to hang extra berry pennant sign.

Want more details...I thought you'd never ask!

5. When the guests arrived, we used our playroom as the "holding room" - where the girls colored Strawberry Shortcake pictures while they waited to have their nails painted.

6. All of the guests received rose colored, strawberry glasses - another BIG HIT (Party City find)! We also had a Strawberry Shortcake movie playing in the living room.

7. In the dining room, we had 2 youth painting the girls finger &/or toenails. They really turned out cute! They used red paint as the base, added white polka dots and topped the nails w/ a green stem (Voila! strawberry finger nails for all).

My daughter is crazy, crafty (not sure who she gets it from (Ha!)), so I knew I had to come up with a craft for the party. Who says you can't have a Berry party when Strawberries are out of season? One idea I saw was to have the kids take home a strawberry plant, but since this party was held at the end of August, that was not an option, so we made our "own"strawberry plants - Much More Fun!! First the girls painted their own clay pot, then they took colored craft sticks & glued strawberry pictures to them and last, they got to embellish their pots with pink crinkle grass (Dollar Store find) and fun, berry stickers (clearance at Hobby Lobby).

In addition to making the strawberry pots, we also had a sack race using burlap sacks (borrowed) and had fun with parachutes. The kids also played on the outdoor play equipment. I even pulled out my sewing machine and made, adorable strawberry bean bags; however, we forgot to play the toss game (oh well! they were at least fun to make).

How yummy does this cake look? This is the recipe that my friend's grandmother made for me when I was a child. It turned out GREAT! I did use a strawberry, cream cheese icing recipe to help cut the sweetness.

Creating the menu for the party was very simple. I started off with trying to center the foods around the names of Strawberry Shortcake's friends, but quickly realized they were all "sweet, dessert" names and that wouldn't do! Instead, I just took off w/ the Berry theme! Here is the menu I selected:

Menu for Strawberry Shortcake Party:

Peanut Butter & Strawberry Jam Sandwiches (cut using Pampered Chef press)

Blueberry Muffins (decided to use the cupcake tower to display & add height to the table).

Strawberry Marshmallow Pops (super easy and so Yummy!)

Regular Potato Chips

Tray of Washed Strawberries and Whipped Fruit Dip

Strawberry Applesauce

Pink Lemonade, served in red cups with red fun, straws

Guests left with a good bag (courtesy of Party City) filled with all kinds of Strawberry Shortcake trinkets and candy.

Our Pirate Gets Her Patch!

2011-05-09T17:45:00.000-07:00

On April 13th, I took Caroline to a pediatric opthomologist (aka fancy eye doctor). We went to have her eyes re-evaluated after wearing prescription eye glasses for six months. Our optometrist suggested we go see Dr. Salit due to the fact that Caroline is so young and in glasses. Well, the good news is the opthomologist agreed with the optometrist's prescription (20/40 left eye and 20/60 right eye) along with a lazy eye (the right eye) concern. The bad news, the appointement lasted over 2-1/2 hours!! I wish I had a picture of Caroline's eyes when they were dialated - they were quite scary!! The prognosis from this visit was for Caroline to continue wearing her glasses and to patch left eye (aka the better eye) for two months to see if it helps to strengthen her right eye (aka lazy eye).

I wasn't sure how Caroline would take wearing a patch, but we were excited to learn that a company called Krafty Eye Patches specializes in getting children to "want" to wear their patch. I got online and with Caroline's help we ordered purple and pink patches along with glitter jewels (butterflies, hearts & flowers) and laser stickers. Caroline was so excited when her special package arrived!

This is not the best picture of Caroline but it does help to show her excitement. I'll have to add a picture of her with her patch on. She typically wears her patch at home, but we are open to having her wear her patch out in public whenever she suggests it (just in case at the 2 month check-up we find out prolonged use of the patch is in order).

Preschool Easter Party

2011-05-09T17:44:00.000-07:00

I was put in charge of Caroline's preschool Easter Party this year. Last year, I was the host for her class Christmas party so I was unable to reuse any ideas. I quickly enlisted the help of a fellow-mother, and together, we planned what I felt was a great Easter event!

I made a menu which included - carved ham, cross hotbuns (if you haven't had these google for the recipe, they are yummy), grapes, cheese blocks, apple slices, mini carrots, and for dessert...

I made Easter Egg Cake Pops. These turned out super cute and yummy too! To display them, I poked them into styrofoam and placed them in an Easter basket. The kids (and parents) loved them. Basically, cake pops are just crushed up cake with icing mixed in and rolled into a ball (an egg in this case) and then they are dipped in chocolate and decorated...Yumm-o-licious!

I was also in charge of finding a craft. I hunted the internet, but found that most crafts centered around the Easter Bunny, and the teacher requested that we focus on a craft that helped to spread the Good News of Easter! I found a jelly bean prayer cross on Oriental Trading that was perfect and a good price...until you add shipping which was more than the craft itself! So with my fellow-mom's help, we made our own. The kids loved dipping their fingers in the paint and hearing what each color represented. We also decided to turn the cross into a fridge magnet (we have ours on our fridge now). We are hopeful that the children shared the cross poem with their parents. Just google Easter jelly bean prayer if you are interested in reading the poem.

Of course, there was an Easter Egg Hunt. Unfortunately, most of the pictures did not turn out so great. It was spitting rain when it was time for Caroline's class to go outside, so her egg hunt had to be done down the hall in the nursery wing. It was nice that they had 2 hallways and probably 5-6 classrooms to use. There were kids and eggs everywhere! My favorite moment was when Caroline turned into the first classroom (until then all of the kids had kept to the hallways), and she yelled to everyone, "Come quick!, I just hit the jackpot!!!"

We ended the party with one of the parents reading the Easter story (in an animated Children's book). The dad chosen to read was so good with the kids and so expressive. Even Andrew sat still for the reading. Caroline was so proud to introduce Andrew to all of her friends, and Andrew loved being included!

Because we had a few minutes left before carpool, we decided to do a quick jelly bean relay race. It was fun watching the kids run as jelly beans spilled all over the floor - until one boy got smart and put his hand over the spoon (hey, we didn't say there were any rules)! Andrew enjoyed being the clean up crew for the dropped jelly beans :)

Prayers from the Mouth of a 4 yr old

2011-05-02T10:44:00.000-07:00

Last night at bedtime, after reading Caroline's bible story, singing every song on on our nightly list (and then some), Caroline began to say her prayers. They went something like this...

Thank you God for Mommy, Daddy and Andrew. And thank you for Nana, Papa & Gigi too. Thank you for my friends and please bless every one of them. Thank you also for the aliens in outer space.

Yes, you did read that correct...thank you for the "aliens in outer space." Ben and I couldn't help but chuckle! When I opened my eyes, Caroline was peaking at me through one eye which was partially opened. Yep, that one was added for total SHOCK value!!

A House Divided

2011-04-07T09:38:00.001-07:00

I am so far behind on catching our blog up to date that I have just decided to blog events, thoughts, etc that I feel will be a topic of curiousity or conversation when we look back on raising our kids. With this idea in mind, it hit me...one day, Andrew is going to ask WHEN we knew he was a "lefty?"

Ben has grown up a lefty in a right handed world and I have an Aunt who is also a lefty, so we always wondered if our kids were more prone to being left-handed. With Caroline, Ben would always tease that he was going to ensure she was a lefty. He would give her crayons, forks, etc. in her left hand. Of course, most the time she would just switch the item back to her right hand, and I would *smirk at Ben! I can recall asking the Pediatrician many times, at what age or when can you tell what hand is the dominant hand. I was told by age 2, it is pretty much determined. At age 2, Caroline was declared RIGHT handed and joined my team!

Now the home advanatage was secure with 2 girls vs 1 boy and 2 right-handed vs 1 lefty. A few months after this declaration, Andrew came along. He was probably 8-9 months old when we started noticing that he used both hands more than Caroline ever did. But we also noticed that he sucked the fingers on his right hand, leaving his left hand open to grab his blanket, hold a toy, etc. By age 1, we started seeing more of a tendency for him to choose his right hand over his left. At first I thought it was just part of learning and exploring, but later it became more intentional. Right around his first birthday is when we started having him color at the table. If you gave him a crayon in his right hand, he would move it to his left. I also noted that when I was trying to teach him to feed himself, he would always switch the spoon to his left hand. Strange, I thought. Of course, I remembered what the Pediatrician had said when Caroline was young.

Well, now that Andrew is two is it without a doubt obvious that the girls no longer hold a home field advantage. Our house is officially divided 2 girls/2 boys, 2 right/2 LEFT! Ben has told me all about being left handed growing up in a right handed world. To be honest, I never really put much thought into the issue. I have since learned that statistically, it is beleived that only 11% of the world's population is left handed. Wow, I guess it would be hard to adapt... given that we, right handed folks, dominate the world and the ergonomics of life. I guess I am blessed and feeling much more confident, knowing that Andrew has Ben to guide him through the challenges he has ahead of him.

Ben's tips for Andrew so far include:
- Make sure we find him a left handed teacher for preschool (check)
Caroline's 3 yr old teacher, Ms Ginger is left handed - we'll definitely request her
-Make sure Andrew learns to play the guitar right handed or else he will have to always re-string a guitar in order to play it (check)
Ben can be his personal instructor
-Build up a strong left arm and practice pitching everyday.
Left handed pitchers are in demand in MLB :)

Doing the Potty Dance!

2011-03-21T10:18:00.000-07:00

Exhausted and tired after an awesome weekend spent with 6th grade girls at our church's Revolution Weekend, I literally drug myself to church last night. As it turned out, I was down for nursery duty in Andrew's class (yeah, me!) so we dropped Caroline off at Cubbie's and Andrew and I went to his class to wait for another Leader and his playmates to arrive.

Walking in the room, Andrew grabbed at his diaper and said, "tee-tee!" Purely amusing myself, I said, "Let's run to the potty." So we did. Once in the bathroom, Andrew pulled at his pants and tried to stradle the potty. To be honest, I thought I don't even know which method to use (I have never trained a boy). I also thought one of two scenarios were about to play out: 1) Andrew's diaper would be wet, and he was just letting me know he went tee-tee or 2) He would go before I could get him on the potty.

After I got his pants down and noticed his diaper was still dry, I set him on the potty and helped ensure there was not a soaker hose sticking out (if you know what I mean)! To my shock and amazement, Andrew tee teed in the potty! Yes, read that again, my baby boy, peed in the potty!! As the tee-tee was coming out, I looked at Andrew and he had the biggest, chester cat grin spread across his face. When he finished he clapped and then grabbed for the toilet paper. I had to explain to him that he didn't need that, but he could stand up and flush the potty.

As we both waved good-bye to the tee-tee, Andrew flushed the potty. And that's when I broke out in my potty dance! I could not have been prouder of him. For those of you that know my experience with Caroline - this was a MAJOR event!! We then left the classroom and spread the word about Andrew's experience. He was high fiving everyone - wish I had a picture of this!

Clearly, I am not saying that he is potty trained but considering we have not even started Day 1 of potty training, this was a HUGE step in the right direction. What Andrew showed me last night is that he is ready to start training. He was able to acknowledge he needed to go tee-tee, tell me, hold it and then deliver upon command -- would I have ever guess I would have experienced this last night, NO! I honestly woke up this morning wondering if I dreamed the whole thing. Thankfully, I did not.

While we will start working with him on this. I will commit to taking the laid back approach - Caroline's potty training days left me stressed, confused, agitated...you name it. I definitely don't want a repeat of those days!

Excuses, Excuses..

2011-02-21T12:07:00.000-08:00

We are all still alive and kicking. We have just been extra busy. I hope to get the blog caught back up soon. I will probably go back and do a monthly update to catch everyone back up. This week I am busy, busy with Andrew's birthday party! I still can't believe my baby boy is TWO. I will be sure and update the site with his birthday pictures as soon as we make it through his party this weekend.

Thanks for your patience!
~Barbara

Additional Christmas Card Photos

2010-12-19T12:36:00.000-08:00

Anyone who has ever sent a photo Christmas card knows that although one picture makes it onto the card, there are always several shots that are left behind. Here are a few of our out takes:

Location for our photos: We actually took our picture in October this year. Just down from the Appling cabin in Blairsville stands a lone fireplace (the only remains of where a house once stood). I have always thought the fireplace would make a cool photo spot. As we drove away from the cabin this Fall, I looked at Ben and told him I actually had the kids Christmas pjs, and that I had planned to take their Christmas photo at the fireplace down the road...much to my surprise, Ben said, "then let's do it!" So we pulled over and changed the kids into their pjs and did a quick photo shoot before heading home. It was very spontaneous and lots of fun!!

Pictures with Santa

2010-12-15T17:51:00.000-08:00

I guess it is obvious what Andrew thought of Santa!!

Best of Fall

2010-12-15T17:18:00.000-08:00

Fall came and went quickly this year, and I did not get around to posting any pictures so here is my attempt at catching you up with a few pictures.

We took our annual trip to the cabin in mid-October to enjoy the fall foliage. We visited Brasstown Bald, enjoyed GoldRush in Dahlonega, spent lots of time outside and just enjoyed "playing" together.

This year for Halloween Caroline dressed up as Sleeping Beauty, and we dressed Andrew as "Little Man" complete with a tie, mustache and sport coat. Caroline and one of her bestfriends, Harper, were quite the glamour girls in the Costume Parade at preschool. Caroline waved like she was a beauty queen to all of the parents...it was quite a hoot!

Double Check!

2010-11-23T04:19:00.000-08:00

While Caroline was riding with Mrs. Cheri (who keeps our kids on Tuesdays), they were discussing the word "Wolf." Caroline is really into phonics lately so she sounds out and what letter each word begins with. While Mrs. Cheri was driving, Caroline says, "Wwww...olf" wolf starts with a "Y." Mrs. Cheri kindly corrects her and says, "Wwww...olf" actually starts with a "W."

Caroline comments from the back..."ummm...I think you better double check that!"

Picking out Glasses

2010-11-10T12:29:00.000-08:00

So after I made myself realize this was not such a BIG deal (and as Caroline would say this was just a "little" deal), I was reminded how thankful we are to have Doctors, Scientists and Engineers who have perfected a way to help the vision impaired. I mean I could be a Mom hearing that my child has some sort of incurable disease, but thankfully this problem has an easy remedy....GLASSES!

Following the vision screening, we met with a girl to pick out Caroline's glasses. Like any other 4 yr old, Caroline immediately ran to the board and found the pair of "PINK" glasses she had chosen before the appointment. I then proceeded to pick out a sleek pair of metal rimmed glasses. Thankfully, the staff member had good sense to pull me aside and remind me that unless Caroline buys into the glasses and likes them, she is NOT going to wear them. I then search the board for a pair that was pink but not so "PINK!" We settled on a pair of plastic frames that are an almost opaque rose color. Caroline seemed happy throughout the fitting of her glasses and was in good spirits the entire process. Of course, I don't know that she realized the impact this appointment would have on the rest of her life!

They said the glasses would take two weeks to arrive, but they actually arrived early. We got a phone call that they were in on Friday, October 22nd. Ben and I decided to make it a family outing so we all went to pick up Caroline's first pair of glasses. We arrived just 30 minutes before closing time, but we were able to pick them up that night. Caroline was just starting to show signs of a cold coming on so she really was not feeling well. She was a great sport and tried on her new glasses for the lady to fit them to her face. She was most excited about buying the Princess glasses case to put her glasses in. As we were leaving, instead of wearing her glasses out of the store, she carried them in her case. I really think she thought getting glasses was a lot of fun, because it provided her lots of special attention! We did not push her to wear her glasses much the first weekend since we knew she was not feeling well. We have been slowly easing into having her wear them more. Currenlty we have her put them on when she sits on the couch to watch television and she carries them to school each day (but I am not so sure how much she is wearing them at school). Of course, the first day all of her friends tried them on and everyone made a big fuss about them.
We are currently starting to experience a little bit of push back on her wearing the glasses. I think she has started to recognize that they make her "different" and she does not like that. We will soon have to start being firmer with requiring her to wear the glasses. I know that she "sees" a difference when she wears them, but she is still trying to get used to the idea of wearing them. I don't think she understands that they are a "permanent accessory."

Here she is in her very FIRST pair of Pink Glasses. We are all having to adjust to "seeing" her differently

2010-11-08T09:40:00.000-08:00

Since the time Caroline was about 2 years old, one of her favorite books has been an Arthur book called, "Glasses for D.W." In the book Arthur's little sister, D.W., desperately wants to be big like Arthur and wear glasses.

Although I have read this book many times to Caroline, I did not realize how close we were to experiencing our own, "Glasses for Caroline" adventure!

At Caroline's 4 yr check-up on September 24th, Dr Pitts was going through the drill of all of the different things to watch out for in the coming year. When he mentioned the eyes, he noted that the crossing of an eye or both eyes can be an early symptom for bad vision which can even lead to other eye problems. I didn't say anything at the time since I had both Caroline and Andrew (there for his 18 month appt) in the room, but my mind began racing with doubt about whether I had actually seen this before or not. Upon arriving home and telling Ben about the appointment, I told him the different warning signs to watch out for in the coming year and when I got to the eye crossing symptom, he quickly blurted out, "I've never seen anything like that." I kept quiet for a day or so and then asked Ben to help me watch and see if we notice Caroline's right eye crossing.

I did not think that it was a figment of my imagination, but because it would happen so quickly and only on occassion, I was not sure if what I thought I was seeing was real or not. On occassion when Caroline grew tired -- always late into the evening, I would notice her right eye turning in toward her nose and then with one blink it would be back in place. After a day or two Ben reported that yes, in fact, he had observed her eye crossing.

I took a couple of days to research what this meant and then I did what I think any Mother would do, I found the first Mom I could at church that had a child that wore glasses. I received a recommendation from this friend and immediately called to make an appointment. Low and behold, the recommended Doctor is actually our regular optetrician.

On October the 13th, I picked Caroline up from ballet practice and whisked her and Andrew over to the Eye Doctor. After all of Caroline's shots at her 4 yr appointment, she was a little leary of "Doctors," so I told her we were going to see a "specialist" about "my" eyes....some fibs are okay, right? We got to the Doctor and while we waited we looked at the frames and cases. Caroline picked out a pair of glasses for herself and a pair for Andrew (purely thinking we were just playing). When they called us back, she did well with the video eye measurement screening. I went first and the image was of a barn with a white picket fence. I asked her to take a look at it to see if she could find a pony in the picture? She really liked that. We then were asked to go back to the waiting room.

When the Doctor finally called us back, I referred to him as Mr Ishaque as I quietly pointed to Caroline and told him that I meant no disrespect (He smiled knowingly). The appointment actually went pretty well - aside from Andrew jumping around the room as I tried to help Caroline. Caroline sat on my lap and looked at a bunch of pictures on the screen while holding a paddle to one of her eyes. The pictures were a flashback to 1980's clipart to say the least. I was honestly not sure if Caroline would get some of the images correct since the phone looked like a 1950's telephone (which she has never seen). She did well, but she did a lot better with the left eye than she did with her right.

After the picture recognition portion of the exam, the doctor looked into her eyes with his light and performed a few other tests. Then he looked at me and asked if she has been bumping into things.

This is when my blood pressure surged and my eyes stung with tears. I gasped and said, No, never. He stated that her vision was 20/40 in the left eye and 20/60 in the right. Her right eye was what is defined as a "lazy eye" meaning, that the right eye often does not work efficiently since her brain tells her that the left eye can dominate to allow her to see clearer.

He then told me that Caroline would ALWAYS wear corrective lenses. As hard as it is to admit, this was devestating news to me. I mean we are talking about my 4 year old daughter who has the most beautiful little face and to think she is always going to be hiding it behind GLASSES, huh, excuse me...did I hear you clearly??? Then he went further and said that if the glasses don't help the lazy eye, we will need to patch it.... pause, silence, splitting headache begins to set in.

To Be Continued.....

I've Got My Big Girl Shoes On!

2010-10-20T13:45:00.000-07:00

Caroline was having a bad night - acting out, talking back, etc. We were out to eat at Wendy's and Ben finally broke it to her that her attitude and actions had just ruined her chance of getting a frosty. As you can expect this did not go over well, so Ben took her out to the van for a little "chat."

Ben: Caroline, I'm sorry we were unable to get a frosty and had to come out to the car. If I didn't know better, I'd say you are acting like the "baby" in there.

Caroline: But, I'm not a "ba-by" daddy (pause, kicks up her feet)... See daddy, I have my BIG Girl shoes on!! (smile)

Ben: sigh* (smirk)

Caroline: I just act out when I am tired.

We get back to the car and Caroline says: I'm sorry I was acting out Mommy. I'm just kinda tired that's all.

You have to love this age (smile)!

Our First FAMILY Campout

2010-10-10T18:28:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we experienced another FIRST for the Appling clan. We were invited to go camping with friends and in an effort to include the kids and do it on a budget - the decision was made to just keep it simple and camp in the Carr's backyard. Now if we had done this in our backyard, this would seem quite silly since we would basically be sleeping on bermuda grass with no big trees or leaves to be found. BUT, Jon & Bonnie, on the other hand, managed to create an entire campsite in their backyard.

The campsite included two large tents, a real fire pit, and even trees to nestle the tents into. Their backyard is a wide, long rectangular shape so where the campsite was carved out, you could not even see the house. This was really key in making our campout seem "real." We did all of the typical camping activities - made hobo dinners (silver turtles as Bonnie calls them), s'mores, used flashlights, slept in sleeping bags and stayed up late chatting in camp chairs. Although, I will mark this as the first Appling family campout, Andrew might have to do a redo for his memory book -- he and Emily cheated and slept in the house in the comfort of a crib and pack n' play. The girls sacked out around 9pm and the adults held out until midnight.

We all had a great time and awoke around 7:30 the next morning, but instead of coffee brewing over the fire, we decided to do breakfast on the stove...so yes, we did cheat a little bit! It just made for easier clean-up (at least that is how Jon put it).

One funny story from the night: Caroline did not go to the bathroom before going to bed and I told Bonnie that she may wake up in the night and need to go (the girls slept in their tent - another nice treat for us). Around 3:30 am Caroline woke up and said, "I need to go tee-tee!" Bonnie called out, "Bar-ba-ra!" I am such a sound sleeper that I didn't hear a thing...but Ben jumped up to help out and when he did, Caroline and Bonnie were already headed toward the house. We all laughed about this since I had predicted this would happen, yet I slept through it all.

A Reminder to Always Have a Plan (by Caroline)

2010-10-07T09:07:00.000-07:00

So yesterday from about 4-5pm was the longest day of my life. Here's what was going on - Caroline doing everything and anything to annoy Andrew, Andrew crying because he was tired but there was no time to nap again before church, Caroline crying because Andrew was crying, Caroline with her nose in the corner, Andrew poking Caroline while she was in the corner, Caroline getting aggrevated with Andrew....you get the picture! Yes, my head was throbbing and I was reminding myself to stay calm and not overreact, to exhibit Christ in how I treat my children and to remember "I am the Mommy not the child!"

Well, things smoothed over after dinner - perhaps everyone was just hungry and acting out because of it. We were trying to get out the door and I had both kids in the car. I told the kids that I had to run back inside really quick to put Dixie in her room. When I got back to the car, this was Caroline's insight on the situation:

"You know Mommy if you had of put Dixie in her room 'before' we came out to the car, you would not have had to run back inside."

My response: "Yes, you are right. I'll have to remember that for next time. Thank you for reminding me." I know she was right, but Arghhh! is what I was thinking in my head. I have trained that girl too well and she really does constantly remind me of my own rules and tidbits of advice. Gotta love a 4 yr old that is so wise :)

Glad I was off to a Parenting class at church that night. I need it!

Got any advice on how to 'parent' preschoolers. What works for you and your family?

My Little Mini - Me!

2010-09-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

I am still trying to figure out how to add blogging into my already hectic schedule. I am hoping to blog more often and use it as a way to record and save memories of our crazy family life. Even if no one reads this blog, I think I will still take a stab at a weekly posting -- sounds easy and doable, but I'm certain it will slip by most weeks.

This week's posting is simply a brief list of some cute things Caroline has said/done lately:

While shopping for a gift recently - Me: What do you think we should buy? Caroline: Let's look for sale items first and then we can decide (is she not a mini me or what?)
Caroline's new form of interruption is - "I have a question" or "Can I ask a question?" What this really means is, I want to talk and tell you something.
At her first day of ballet, the class learned how to leap frog in order to strengthen their muscles. Waiting outside of her class, I hear Caroline ask, "When are we going to really learn how to dance?" (This was said with total sincerity).
Caroline has two best friends now, and she loves to talk about "me and my friends."
Her bed is filled with just about every stuffed animal she can find. Her comment, "they were lonely and wanted to sleep in her bed."
She is already planning her birthday party for next year (perhaps I did outdo myself this year) Ha!
She asked if Ben and I remembered how we took her trick-or-treating last year and left Andrew at Gigi's...and then she said, "Can we drop him off there again this year?"

Well, that's all I have time to list for now. I'm sure I'll think of more. That girl is always coming up with something!

Pampered Puppy Party

2010-09-13T09:13:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we hosted Caroline's 4th birthday party. Her birthday was actually on September 3rd, but we chose to drag out her celebrations for two full weeks (what were we thinking?)!

On her actual birthday, we took a quick two night trip up to the Appling cabin (located near Blairsville). She woke up on her birthday to several birthday surprises. I'll have to post pictures of her riding her new bike (with training wheels of course). Ben and I had a hard time enforcing the helmet rule (it's a wonder we survived our childhood without one). We spent most of the time up at the cabin prepping crafts and items for her "friend" birthday party.

As you can see from the photo, although a somewhat odd theme, The Pampered Puppy Party was a HUGE success!

The party included:

1. Pet Grooming Spa (pink nails, personalized dog tags, fluffy dog ears, face painting) Each girl was asked to where lots of PINK and a tutu.

2. Photo Session for each new "posh pup" out in a custom doghouse (made by Ben and the Mrs.)

3. Puppy Hunt (we hid puppies in the yard and had the kids hunt for them and return them to their kennel).

4. Puppy adoption Ceremony. In true "Baby General" style, we had the kids claim a puppy and name them. We then presented them with an adoption certificate.

5. Freeze Dance to "Who Let the Dogs Out" (I'll have to add this video clip)

6. Bead necklaces for their new puppies

7. And what party would be complete without CAKE & ICECREAM! The shaggy dog cake was purchased from Publix and I added the pink bow and candles. The kids ate their cake out of their own dog bowls personalized dog bowls (another craft we did at the beginning).

8. Gift Time - Caroline received lots of fun toys!

9. Free Time and then last but not least, Caroline gave out "Doggy Bags" to all of her friends. My mom helped her make bone shaped cookies.

The party was a lot of FUN, and it is definitely an idea I hope to redesign and use for Andrew - perhaps with more of a firetruck/dalmation theme.

I just still can't believe my baby girl is "FOUR!!"

Andrew at ONE!

2010-03-04T09:54:00.000-08:00

EATING – You are like a little birdie when it comes to eating. You open your mouth wide and wait for us to drop the food in. You get aggravated with us if we are not quick enough for you. If we leave the table, you make a mess by reaching to grab whatever was left within reach. You basically don’t stop eating until you are removed from the table :) You are really good at picking up your own food. Some of your favorites include: bananas (but you don’t like the slimy texture and won’t pick them up, you prefer to eat them from the peel – like a big boy), green beans, sliced cheese, you used to love tomatoes – but not so much recently. For breakfast you are still eating the lil’ concoction I developed for you when you were 6 months old (oatmeal, applesauce, whole milk & CINNAMON…warm for 20 seconds – YUM!). By 11-1/2 months you were completely rid of the bottle and now always drink whole milk from a sippy cup.
SLEEPING – You still continue to be a great sleeper. You typically go to bed around 8pm, and you basically sleep until we get you up (8 – 9 a.m.). You never cry out in the morning. One of my favorite sounds is hearing you sucking your first 3 fingers and making happy sounds while you suck your fingers (mmm, mmm, mmm…). This is how I typically know you are awake in the morning. You are NOT like your sister as far as sleep positions go. We never find you in the same position – side, fanny in the air, back, stomach, whatever works! You tend to stay sitting up in the bed when we put you to bed. It’s as though you are contemplating what your sleep position will be for the night :) We have had you sleeping on a boppy pillow for about 4 months now (it was helping with your runny nose), but now we always find you off of the pillow.
WALKING – You started cruising around 10 months and you still love to pull up on everything. Although, you have not yet found the confidence to walk on your own, you are starting to walk holding onto our hand. You still crawl a lot. Sometimes you crawl with great determination (one arm, then the next as hard and fast as you can go). You have made it up to the second step on our stairs, but have not ventured beyond that.
PLAYING – You are enjoying your new birthday toys – trucks and little people are your favorite. You like things that make noise. You love your Thomas the Train ride-on which you received from Santa. You like to get into whatever Caroline is into. We have packed away all of the typical baby toys – excersaucer, bumbo, swing, Johnny jumper, etc. You are our BIG, adventurous boy now!
WHAT’S NEW – You are babbling more and more. You love to clap on command and sometimes clap just for our attention. You are a giggly boy. You learned how to “high 5” about a month back and you like doing it. You love to play peek-a-boo. You are enjoying being read to more and more. You LOVE bathtime and make sure everyone knows it! You squirm and giggle, kick and splash everything in sight!!
MOMMY’S FAVORITES – By far, my favorite thing about you is that you love to cuddle! I love hearing your sounds when you suck your fingers.

Saying goodbye to 2009

2010-01-06T16:20:00.000-08:00

Needless to say, two kids kept us quite busy in 2009! We apologize for being out of touch for such a long time. I am in the process of going through our 300+ Christmas pictures so hopefully, I will have some to post soon.

2009 was a great year for our family. The addition of Andrew in February of '09 was definitely the highlight of our year. Andrew is now 10 months + and into everything! He, unlike his sister at his age, has already started crawling, pulling up, cruising and is even trying to climb our stairs. He currenlty has 4 bottom teeth and his 2 front teeth are starting to drop down. At his 9month appointment he was 22 lbs and has dropped to around the 70th percentile for both weight and height. He is talking (well, babbling really). His primary word is bye-bye, bbbb...bye-bye...(repeat, jabber, jabber, repeat). Our experience has definitely been that girls talk a lot more and boys are more active. Andrew is full of energy and a lot of fun! It is hard to believe that the time has come for me to start planning his ONE YEAR birthday. While it has been a great year, it will be said to say good-bye to Andrew's "baby" days (sob, sob!).

Caroline still enjoys preschool and was excited to start back today. She loves the fact that Andrew is becoming more active and able to "play" with her more. Our BIG Christmas gift this year was the fact that our BIG girl is now 110% potty trained (day and night). Around November Caroline spotted a Beauty and the Beast tea cart in the Disney store and asked if Santa would bring it to her on Christmas. Why I chose the response I did, I don't know...but, I said, "if you are potty trained by Christmas, I guarantee you that Santa will bring you that cart." Well, that was all it took for our strong willed Miss Priss to go home and ask to put on her BIG girl panties (prior to this she was going potty but she was not willing to let pull-ups go - they were just more convenient she once told me). We are LOVING our new pull-up free life with Caroline. To better explain just how trained she is let me give you three good examples: 1) awoke us last night at 2:30 am by knocking on our door and asking to go potty, 2) likes to go "all by herself" & 3) 2 nights ago she even got out of the tub to go "tinkle!" To say we are estatic at her sudden breakthrough is an understatement!! And yes, everyone of you did say, "Don't push it, she'll do it on her on time and when she does that will be it."

As far as Ben and I go, we were blessed to celebrate our 7th anniversary in December and we truly are more in love today than we were the day we said our vows (mushy, mushy I know but it's true). We are still grateful to have our same jobs -- I will celebrate my 10th year at my Company this year, and Ben continues to enjoy his work with the State. Ben completed his 3rd TSO Orchestra event December 20th (where he truly "rocked" our church with some awesome guitar licks) and he continues to participate in our church's orchestra and teach guitar lessons to 7 students. We absolutely LOVE our Life Group at North Metro and are looking forward to 2010 as we continue to grow closer friendships.

Overall, we are just grateful that God has afforded us so many blessings in 2009. While many looked forward to saying farewell to 2009, we will definitely miss the moments we have enjoyed over this last year. We are eager to learn what God has in store for our family in 2010!!

Fall Photo Fun!

2009-11-04T13:18:00.000-08:00

We took a family picnic to the park on Sunday and enjoyed breathing in the fall air and observing the beautiful fall foliage. Caroline was not feeling her typical bouncy self so we did not get too many photo opportunities of her by herself, but we were able to capture a few good ones of Andrew. We saw a local photographer out at the park taking family portraits and he was kind enough to walk up and ask to take ours (including Gigi) with our camera. I thought the picture he took turned out great and I know Gigi (Ben's mom) loves it! If you haven't already, get out and enjoy this beautiful fall weather. God has blessed us with so much to enjoy in nature that we should not take it for granted.

Our Little "Treats!"

2009-11-02T17:40:00.000-08:00

Caroline really got into dressing up this year. She dressed up not once, not twice but THREE times in TWO different costumes -- neither of which were the costume we had planned! :) Her first dress up opportunity was at preschool. Her school hosted a Costume Parade. Caroline was planning to go as Ariel (her Mermaid costume from her birthday party -- remember that story!), but she changed her mind the day before and decided to go as Snow White (thanks Aunt Anne for the costume!). I must say she did make a beautiful Snow White. The night before the Costume Parade, she and I enjoyed some GIRL time which started with a bubble bath fit for a Princess, followed with a spa pedicure and manicure and ended with a dress rehearsal. What fun!

Our church hosted a Trunk or Treat event the Wednesday before Halloween where Caroline announced she was going to go as Ariel an hour before time to leave for the event (She had planned to go as Snow White earlier in the day). I turned into Super Mom and swung into action to mend the Ariel costume which had gotten ripped during her birthday festivities. I got it all fixed just in time to hear Caroline say she had changed her mind "again" -- She wanted to go asSnow White after all. As I started to pull the Snow White gown over her head, she spotted a pair of Butterfly wings in her dress-up box, and that was it -- she no longer wanted to be Snow White...but instead, she wanted to be none other than, you guessed it, a BUTTERFLY! I decided that it wasn't worth my breath to argue with her. Instead, I decided to make dressing up "fun!," so I started pulling things from her closet and drawers to help us pull off a Butterfly costume-- I hope this isn't a glimpse into our future (an indecisive three year old dressing up is one thing but I hope this doesn't become a pattern).

Andrew wore his Pirate costume from Caroline's birthday party. Of course, it was quite cool once we got to church so he pretty much stayed in his stroller bundled up with a blanket. Luckily, we did manage to get a few pictures before the festivities began.

On Halloween night, Caroline was back in the mood to be Snow White again. We took Andrew over to the Appling's and then Ben and I took Caroline door to door trick or treating. We hit up a few houses in the Appling's neighborhood and then headed over to visit some friends. Their neighborhood proved to be "the" neighborhood for trick or treating (nearly every house was decorated w/ lights and there were kids everywhere, along with golf carts, wagons and trailor pulls w/ kids). We definitely plan to go back next year! All in all Caroline had a GREAT "1st" Trick or Treating experience.

Caroline knocking on the first door.

Do YOU think we look alike?

2009-10-03T18:13:00.000-07:00

People are constantly telling us that they think Andrew looks just like Caroline when she was a baby, so the other day I dug up these milestone pictures-- too funny how we had many of the exact same poses. Tell us what you think? Do you see the family resemblance?

Bathtime in the inflatable duck- 7 months

First Foods - 6 months

Portraits - Andrew 4months; Caroline 3months

Caroline the School Girl!

2009-09-26T12:04:00.000-07:00

Caroline started a two year old preschool class at our church on Sept 10th. Yes, she did turn 3 in September for those who are confused. Georgia's cut-off date for starting school is September 1st, so Caroline would have had to be 3 by September 1st (which she was not - her bday is the 3rd).

Caroline's class has a website http://www.northmetrotwos.blogspot.com/ if you'd like to follow her year. Her teacher is Mrs. Jan and her assistant teacher is Mrs. Jenell -- both are awesome and Caroline dearly loves them. Caroline's class is currently going through the alphabet, learning to share, and walk in a line. The teachers are very creative and Caroline often comes home with handmade crafts and fun projects! Caroline's class mascot is a lamb named Marshmellow (see 1st project of Marshmellow below).

Here are some pictures of Caroline's first day. She was excited about carrying her backpack (which she has actually carried for a while, but carrying it to school was very exciting for her). Of course, the first day we discovered that she has a school bag which she will take instead of her backpack. Each age group has a different color school bag. Hers is red and has her name and teacher's name on it. This helps during dropoff. The school is very organized (which I, of course, love). Pickups and dropoffs have been a breeze! Of course, Mom got the first homework assignments: make homemade play dough and bring a birthday treat to celebrate Caroline's bday w/ the class (we made double doozie chocolate chip cookies w/sprinkles-Yum!)

Andrew's Baby Dedication

2009-09-26T11:56:00.000-07:00

We had the joy of presenting Andrew before our church at North Metro First Baptist on August 30th. The service was so sweet with Pastor Cox challenging Ben and I to raise Andrew in a Christian home. We then were presented with a letter for Andrew to read on the day he accepts Christ. Andrew did very well in front of so many people. Caroline got to sit in big church and watch while sitting with the grandparents. We weren't sure how she would do, but she did great. She was in awe of everything and enjoyed watching Andrew up on the stage with us. It was a sweet day for us all!

Our Little Princess is THREE!

2009-09-09T17:34:00.000-07:00

The night before the party, Ben and I stayed up late while I worked on the Princess cake and Ben and I decorated the house. We set up several stations around the house. First we planned to have the guests arrive and walk on a red carpet to enter the house. Next stop was the dressing room (our dining room was staged with princess tiaras, bangle bracelets, earings, rings and of course Pirate accessories - hats, knifes, hooks, coins, etc). In the dressing room the kids were also able to make their own fruit loop necklaces.

After choosing all of their accessories, the children were guided into the playroom where Princess and Pirate tatoos were applied. While the pizza was being picked up, I served the kids a snack mix of teddy grahams, m&m's, pretzels and goldfish in colored icecream cones (yep snack, pizza and cake were on the menu...sugar them up and send them home).

We then led them into the kitchen where the kids were able to color at the table and make foam, fans using geometrical stickers. Then it was pizza time! Most of the kids were too excited to eat much, but they looked so cute all dressed up sitting at the kid-sized tables in the playroom.

After a brief playtime, it was time for cake. The Princess doll cake was a big hit and the kids had fun blowing blow horns at Caroline while she blew out her "3" candles. We then moved the party to the living room for Caroline to open the presents. Of course, she did what any 3 year old would do and faced her chair toward the presents (as her friends all gathered around). The gift opening was a total free for all! Next time, I will know to have the kids all seated before starting the gift opening time. Caroline received lots of nice gifts -- a baby doll, click and dress puppy dog, princess gown, playdough set, stickers, princess game, computer game, and of course some Little Mermaid stuff!

Once the presents were all opened, we took the kids outside to dig for jewels and play in the backyard. The kids about wore Ben out having him give them chariot rides (in the wagon of course)!

All in all it was a successful party and Caroline had the BEST time -- even if she was "The Mermaid" at her Princess Party.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Preparations for a Princess Party

2009-09-09T16:45:00.000-07:00

Caroline turned "3!" on September 3rd. We hosted a Princess Party the Saturday before her birthday. Caroline chose to invite 5 girls and 2 boys. I ran into the dilemma of whether or not boys should be invited to a girl, Princess Party. Thankfully, we came up with the idea to have the boys come as Pirates so that they could pretend they were "crashing" the Princess Party. The mothers of the boys (one a mother of 5 and the other a mother of 4) were awesome and managed to get their boys excited about coming to Caroline's party. The fact of the matter is that the first two names Caroline had on the invite list were the two boys (yep, Ben thought that meant trouble as well).

Three weeks leading up to the party, I was pulled aside by one of the boys' moms and told that while she was teaching Caroline's class at church, Caroline let her in on a little secret. The mom (Rebekah) had been telling Caroline that Joshua (her son) was excited about her upcoming birthday party. Rebekah asked Caroline if all of the girls were going to "dress" as princesses, and Caroline with excitement in her eyes said, "YES!, but not me...(pause) I'm going to be the "mermaid." When Rebekah told me this, I laughed (you know kids do say the darndest things - Caroline included). I told Rebekah that we already had a Princess costume and that I was certain that Caroline was just saying that because she had been watching and reading about Ariel, the Little Mermaid, lately. I was sure that Caroline would grow more excited about her princess costume over the next few weeks and that this whole "mermaid" thing was a fleeting thought.

BOY! Was I wrong!! For the next three weeks, all Caroline talked about was Mermaids; however, she still never mentioned that she was going to "be" a Mermaid at her birthday party. Finally, the Sunday before her party, I started trying to get her to try on and get excited about her princess costume. And that's when it happened...the tears, the break down, and finally the outburst that she was NOT going to be a princess but that she was going to be "THE Mermaid!"

Ben and I talked later that night, and with compassion in his eyes, Ben told me that his baby girl was going to be a Mermaid if that is what she wanted to be -- he would make sure of it. He and I both agreed that the party (time, money and effort) would be in vain if on that day we had a teary eyed princess have no fun at her own party.

So with that decision made, the hunt was on...I (yes, even though daddy was making sure Caroline was happy, the hunt was left to me) started searching ebay, craigslist, target, party city, etc for the perfect Mermaid costume (the hard part, Caroline was aware that Mermaids have "tails" and most of the costumes out there are simply Princess Ariel costumes w/out a tail). ebay left me discouraged since the price was right but shipping costs would more than double the final prince. The Disney Store liked their costume a little too much and priced it at a whopping $50 (something I just couldn't swallow).

Then on Monday, I discovered the "perfect" costume while searching online at toysrus.com. I started making phone calls to the area stores in the morning and was disappointed to discover that every store in the Athens/Atlanta area was showing an inventory of "0." One store (the one in Duluth) gave me a glimmer of hope when they said their computer showed "1" on hand, but that they would have to confirm it on the floor. The sales clerk (Bobby) said he would call me if he found it on the floor.

I got the call around 1pm that Bobby had located the costume. I whipped out my credit card prepared to pay over the phone, prior to pick-up. But Bobby stopped me in my haste and told me that it was Toys R Us' policy that they customers could not prepay for items or request that items be held. I told Bobby that I understood he couldn't hold it but that I would appreciate it if he would at least "hide" it and "guard" it! He laughed and said that he seriously doubted that anyone else would come in the store looking for a Mermaid costume before 5pm on a Monday. I assured him I would be there by 5pm and called Ben thrilled that I had found "the" costume!

After work, we headed straight to the store. In all my haste, I forgot that Babies R Us is not next to Toys R Us in Duluth like it is in Buford...so we arrived at the wrong store. I couldn't recall where Toys R Us was so I ran in Babies R Us to ask. While there I went ahead and perused there costumes but did not find the one I was looking for. We then headed straight to Toys R Us (it was 5 minutes until 5pm when we arrived). We ran in, perused the costumes and when we didn't find the Mermaid one I had seen online, I was not surprised. I was actually relieved. I figured my boy, Bobby, had done his job and hidden the costume from the general public.

I proceeded to the front while Ben continued to search through the costumes on the floor. I asked the first salesman I came to where I could find Bobby. He pointed to the only guy checking customers out. I went up to his line and decided to be patient and just wait in his line to talk to him. As I was waiting, I started looking at the buggy in front of me and listening to the ladies (a middle aged lady and her mom) talk about an upcoming birthday party they were planning. As I observed there cart, I saw a cute Little Mermaid, ride on toy, Mermaid plates, napkins, and a few other toys....and then that is when I saw it...

The purple and aqua material shimmered in the light of the tail that was flung over the side of the buggy. My heart was racing and my mind turned to jello as I wondered what I should do. I quickly motioned for Ben to come quick. When he arrived, I quitely pointed to the fish tail and told him, "that is our costume!" I guess I was thinking Ben would do something about it...instead, he turned to me and asked, "so what are you going to do, offer her more money?"

Offer her more money? Is that what I should do? I couldn't think, no words would even come out if I had tried. Instead I stood there and watched as the lady put the Mermaid costume on the counter to ring out. As she raised up the costume, Bobby (my boy) smirked and asked her, "what's your name?" That is when I found my voice and finally said, "I'm Barbara. I'm the one you have been talking to all day. That's the costume I'm here to buy." The lady looked shocked as she turned to me...and then, I went for it...

Yep, misty eyed, panic in my voice, I pleaded with the lady and told her my story. That is when kindness was shown to me by a total stranger (a woman who could have very well cussed me out and told me the costume was in her buggy and she found it first). Instead, she turned to me and said, "It sounds like you need this costume a whole lot more than me. I just thought it was cute. I wondered why it was shoved in the very back of the store. My daughter is turning 2 and she want even know the difference if she has the costume or not. I just thought it would make cute pictures." Then she handed me the costume and the tears flowed...then as Ben would say, I pulled my final card and lept to hug her (this stranger I had never even known). God definitely orchestrated this one because I could never have predicted the outcome!

Gimme' That Spoon!

2009-09-04T13:22:00.000-07:00

Happy 1/2 Year Birthday Andrew! To celebrate Andrew's 6 month milestone, we gave him rice cereal (cake flavored of course). As you can see in the video, he was very interested in getting the spoon to his mouth. He wasn't so sure he liked the taste of rice cereal though. Because the rice cereal was so bland, we switched his morning feeding to oatmeal the second week. He is now enjoying oatmeal with mashed bananas each morning. We need to add a vegetable this week. We're thinking about starting him with some fresh, sweet potatoes (which is what we started Caroline with). Andrew weighed 18 lbs 11 oz at his 6 month check-up which was on Aug 21st. He is in the 70th+ percentiles for both weight and height. One would think he would enjoy eating, but he really has been less interested in solid foods than I would have imagined he would be.

He is developing into quite the lil' talker. He has a real deep grunt that he likes to use when he is serious and he smiles almost all of the time. He is still ticklish on his inner thigh and feet. He is completely sitting up on his own and enjoys playing in his excersaucer and playing with toys. Andrew is still fond of his hands and will suck one or all of his fingers at once. On occassion, he has even been known to suck other peoples hands, necks or arms (he just likes anything in his mouth- aside from a paci). He is a pure joy to be around and is doing well with his 8 pm bedtime. He now sleeps twelve hours a day. Bathtime is also becoming more fun (especially now that he can sit up). Of course his biggest fan is still Caroline. The two of them have so much fun together!

Red White & Blue...in August?

2009-08-10T17:58:00.001-07:00

Well, I am finally getting around to posting some of our 4th of July pictures...Yes, I do realize that it is already after August 4th, but at least I am getting them posted, right? Caroline absolutely adored her 4th of July dress (I thought it was pretty cute as well). Andrew continues to be a happy baby (taking after his big sister). Our only complaint is that he is a BIG drooler (I just can't keep enough bibs and burp cloths in the house) -- but if that is our only issue, I figure we are very blessed. We have enjoyed summer, but we are ready for the HOT temperatures to taper off and Fall to arrive. Caroline LOVES playing outside, but sometimes during these hot, summer days we are only able to go out in the early morning and evening hours. Caroline will be starting Pre-school in September. She will be attending our church's program Mon, Wed & Fri from 9-12. She is really looking forward to it. She is hopeful that they will teach her to read. She often tells me that she, "wished she could read the words." I think it is so cute how eager she is to learn. She truly is a sponge these days. I am busy planning her 3rd birthday party (Princess, of course). It is so hard to believe that she will soon be THREE. Andrew is coming up on six months - yes, he is still our chunky monkey (much like Caroline was), but we all love his rolls and bubbly personality. Caroline continues to be endeared toward Andrew. I will have to post some video of the two of them soon. Our latest news is that we are officially an Aunt & Uncle and Caroline and Andrew have a new cousin! Reagan Montgomery Mays was born on Sunday, August 9th weighing in at 7lbs 7oz. We are all eager to meet her!

Hilton Head 2009 Part II

2009-07-22T13:01:00.000-07:00

Here is the long overdue Part II posting of our family beach vacation. At the end of June, we loaded up the van (and I mean "loaded" up the van) and took Caroline & Andrew down to Hilton Head. We did stop over in Statesboro on the way down to see our niece's nursery. It was decked in pink and green and all ready for Reagan (she is due Aug 11th).

These are pictures of everyone who went on the trip: Ben & me, Caroline, Larry (my brother) & Ansley (34 wks prego- doesn't she look great!), Andrew & my parents:

We were somewhat concerned about keeping a four-month old baby out on the beach for too long, but thanks to a friend of mine, we had a great baby canopy which was ideal for the beach. We also had a huge tailgating tent that we put up to mark our spot on the beach (I was amazed by how popular these have become).

Caroline was immediately hesitant about the ocean. She liked playing in the sand and sitting with us on the beach, but taking her near the water was another story. We were just thankful that she was not down at the beach when a shark was spotted.

Pure panic as she nears the water.

If you look at the picture below you can somewhat make out the shark. It is just a little right-center.

Caroline had fun playing in the sand and enjoyed tearing down all of the sandcastles we all tried to help her build :)

To get the picture in the center, I told Caroline to say, "ice-cream" she immediately looked up (she had been ignoring me before) with a BIG smile!

Andrew, on the other hand, did not seem to mind the ocean at all. Dipping his toesies in it was quite fun since he was the only one we could seem to get to go down by the ocean.

Both kids really liked the pool. Caroline stuck to the steps the first two days, but as soon as she met her new friend, Ashley, it was off to the deep end for her! Ashley was from Smyrna. Ben and I enjoyed meeting her parents and hanging out with them by the pool. We called the girls the "pink hat" club. It was too cute to look in the pool and see two pink hats bobbing along.

Caroline also had fun blowing bubbles and eating ice-cream! Although the two kids were the center of most of the trip, it was nice hanging out with my family and relaxing on the beach.

Hilton Head 2009 Part I

2009-07-12T18:29:00.000-07:00

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

We were fortunate to get to continue our beach trip tradition with my family this year. The destination we chose was Hilton Head. We chose Hilton Head for two primary reasons: 1) shorter drive w/ 2 kids and 2) close to Savannah for my 34 week pregnant sis-in-law (which is where her doctor is located). We couldn't have asked for a better location and ammenities. Our condo was HUGE and convenient to everything. We enjoyed spending time with family, playing in the sun and making memories with Caroline and Andrew. Sorry this post has taken me a week to upload but when you take nearly 1,000 pictures sifting through them is quite a challenge :) This post will be my first of two. The slide show is of our beach portraits (w/ Ben and I serving as the photographers--hee-hee). We tried to get a family photo but w/ a 2 yr old and a self-timer none of them really turned out (both kids crying, Caroline running off, or wind blowing hair everywhere). Yes, it was quite windy when these pictures were taken so let me go ahead and apologize for my crazy hair (of course Caroline's looked quite pretty - she doesn't get that from me). Enjoy the slideshow and check back for post #2 which will include our candid beach and pool pictures from the week.

Has it really been 4 months...already?

2009-06-26T19:46:00.001-07:00

It's hard to believe that Andrew is already four months old. As you can see from the picture he is a "healthy" boy! I took him for his 4 month check-up on Wednesday. Andrew received a good report. He weighed in at 16lbs (72 percentile) and was 26" long (82 percentile...I think). The doctor commented on how strong Andrew is and mentioned that he appeared to be ready to rollover (I think it will definitely be soon). He actually liked the vaccine that he got to drink. The nurse said most babies gag on it and try to spit out, but not Andrew...he actually slurped it up and then smiled :) The two shots were a bit of a different story. He cried before but not during the shots and then he screamed after the shots. He fell asleep on the ride home and was fine after that. Caroline loved his army wounds (bandaids). Andrew really is starting to look more and more like Caroline did at this age (face rounding out, legs chubbing up, etc). My mom took him to have two pictures mirrored that we had of Caroline at this age and the similarities are scary. I will try and post them side by side soon.

Well, we are headed to Hilton Head tomorrow so I'm sure my next post will be of sandy beaches and sunny skies! Caroline is so ready to go to the beach...she has been asking to go since we left last year (literally) :-).

A Birthday for Daddy!

2009-06-17T13:09:00.000-07:00

Last night we surprised Ben when he got home from teaching guitar lessons by hanging a BIG HBD banner across the fireplace mantle. I drew out the banner and Caroline colored it. We even traced everyone's hands and wrote messages on it. We then all hid in the playroom to wait for Daddy to walk in the door.

Of course, typical of most men, Ben walked in -- didn't call out our names or think it was odd that no one was around, nor did he even notice the banner hanging in the living room. He then walked up stairs...all the while, Caroline and I were trying to keep Andrew from giggling (he was on a roll). Caroline and I would whisper to each other as we hid behind her princess playhut. And then sometimes, Caroline would forget and start talking in her regular voice and I would remind her we were hiding. She would then whisper while holding her finger up to her lips, "oh yeah, we have to be very, very quiet, it's a surprise.". Too cute! Ben finally came downstairs (he had changed clothes and looked for us upstairs).

When he walked toward the playroom, we all yelled "SURPRISE." And in the process I scared Andrew and Ben half to death....the moment was priceless!!

For Ben's birthday we all gave him Keith Urban concert tix. We went to the concert Sat night. Ben LOVED the guitar solos and said it was one of the best concerts he had ever been to-- I guess we did good :)

Bathtime Buddies!

2009-06-17T12:58:00.000-07:00

So I tried something new...I let the 2 kids take a bath together. This was Caroline's idea of course. I have now done this successfully twice, and both kids seem to really enjoy it. Here's what I do... I fill the tub w/ just a little water, put Caroline in the back corner, and then I lay Andrew on his back in the water. I had to laugh when Caroline immediately started washing Andrew. She started with his toes and said, you have to get all in between the toesies, Mommy, then she moved up his legs and said, you have to get him all sudsed up really good, and then she finished by tickling his tummy. I'm assuming this is what she has observed Ben and I doing when we wash Andrew. It was too funny to watch my 2 yr old bathing her 4 month old brother. And, Andrew just loved it -- he was grinning from ear to ear!

Once Andrew is all clean, I grab him out of the tub, dry him off good and put him in his pjs. I then add more water, toys, bubbles, etc and Caroline starts splishin' and a splashin'. It amazes me how well she understands that she can't splash water or have toys in the tub while we wash Andrew. This has been a great experience so I plan to keep it up. I told Caroline that as soon as Andrew gets big enough to sit up, we can put more water in the tub and they can play together...she liked that idea.

The other night, while Caroline was still in the tub, I was flying Andrew "super man" style toward her and they were both just a giggling...when Caroline stops, looks up at me very seriously and says,"Mommy, I want Andrew to go back in your tummy." I asked her why, and she said, because she wanted a "new" baby. I laughed and said, awe but Caroline why would you want another baby when you have Andrew...and she splashed the water all around as a BIG smile drew across her face and said, I'm just kiddin' Mommy. I like Andrew. Too funny...she was just watching for my reaction -- she's doing that more and more these days that is for sure.

Family Photo Fun!

2009-06-12T11:38:00.000-07:00

We have a new family photographer that we are using. Veader Photography was recently started as a side business by a good friend of mine, Shawn Veader. He took Andrew's newborn pictures in early March - http://veaderphotography.com/clients/andrew/ and did an awesome job, so we decided to have him do a family photo shoot for us at the end of May. The photo shoot helped to capture Andrew at 3 months as well as provide an opportunity for us to get some great shots of Caroline. You can check out the proofs by going to http://veaderphotography.com/clients/the_applings/ Caroline was quite the typical 2 year old during the photo shoot, so we were impressed at how many good shots Shawn got of her.

Top 10 Happenings in May

2009-05-30T12:34:00.000-07:00

1. Mom went back to work -- transition was even more successful than we had prayed for. Both kids are adjusting well, and I am happy to be back at work.

2. Andrew turned 3 months old and started babbling more. His smiles and giggles are priceless!

He also has the saddest pouty face ever...but it is soo cute.

3. Caroline was caught on video saying her ABC's while multi-tasking (I think she gets this from me) :)

4. Caroline is still not potty trained (arghhh!), so we are trying to make her more responsible for telling us when she needs to be changed. The other day I asked her how her diaper was. Her reply: My diaper is doing well. Such a courteous child -- Ha!

5. Andrew took his first vacation. We enjoyed spending Memorial Day weekend at the Appling's cabin near Vogel St Park. Andrew did great!

6. Caroline rode on her first horse and buggy ride, and she even got to help drive the horse. She enjoyed talking to Cadillac Jack (the horse).

7. Andrew is becoming our lil' thumbsucker. No matter how many times we place a pacifier in his mouth, he'll eventually push it out and move his hand in.
8. Andrew has a new girlfriend - Marti Antonakos (yep, she'll be happy to marry an Appling)! Sorry Sadie Hartzog, but you were last month's girl.

9. Andrew thinks tummy time = nap time.

10. Caroline has gotten more comfortable with holding Andrew and loves to have him sit on her lap.

Hi-Ho Hi-Ho It's Back to Work I Go...

2009-05-13T16:24:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that I have already been at home for twelve weeks. At first I wondered if I could do it; could I really keep two kids under the age of three day in and day out for twelve weeks?? What would we do every day? How would I juggle the schedule of a newborn with a toddler?

I am happy to say that I have enjoyed my time at home far more than I ever thought possible (those of you that know me, know that I am not a home body -- more of the on the go type). Although my time home with the kiddos has been nice, I am heading back out into the workforce tomorrow morning. I'll hit I-85 at 6 a.m. with hundreds of others to make the trek to Atlanta.

Am I sad? Yes, a little. I'll miss waking up Andrew at 7a.m. by rubbing his back and rocking him in his glider while I feed him (Yes, I do actually wake him at 7 so I can put him back down before Caroline rises around 8). I'll also miss swinging Caroline's door wide open and saying, "Good Morning Sunshine, It's Mommy!" I have definitely enjoyed my time at home, and I am thankful that I was able to take such a long leave of absence from work. The break has been nice, and I know that I have made memories with Caroline and Andrew that I shall never forget.

So tomorrow morning do I leave for work with a heavy heart? NO! I am so blessed to have the best of both worlds. While I do go back to work tomorrow, I am fortunate enough to still be able to stay home with my kids two days per week. On top of that, we are very blessed to have a wonderful team of caregivers working throughout the week to care for Caroline and Andrew. Thankfully, my parents, Ben's mom & Miss Cheri (a dear friend from church) each take a day during the week to babysit while I am at work. This network has been instrumental in shaping Caroline's young life, and I look forward to seeing how each special relationship will impact Andrew's life.

Please pray for me as I head back to the office, and pray for my awesome network of caregivers as they learn how to juggle two little ones (I think my dad is the most apprehensive of the pack :) ).

Yellow River Game Ranch

2009-05-13T05:59:00.001-07:00

Caroline feeding the goat (notice the chicken on the goats back).

Caroline enjoyed feeding the deer carrots, but she didn't like when the carrot got too short and the deer started nibbling her finger (ouch!).

Caroline would sit down along the trail and just gaze at the animals. She really enjoyed herself (you would never guess that her favorite song is "Old McDonald Had A Farm").

Andrew being attacked by a deer looking for more food.

At the end of April, we took the kids to the Yellow River Game Ranch (near Stone Mountain). It is an outdoor, interactive animal park. Immediately after starting the trail, we were greeted by fawns that walked right up to us, along with squirrels, chickens, ducks and a baby goat. Caroline enjoyed feeding the deer and mooing at the baby calf (which was behind a gate). The entire trail took us approximately two hours. We got to see many different types of birds, black bear, bison, goats, peacocks and even swine (they were quite smelly). At the end of the trail was a fenced area where you could go in and feed bunny rabbits. While Caroline and I were feeding the rabbits and Ben was trying to take pictures and video, Andrew was being attacked by a friendly squirrel! Caroline started pointing and yelling for Ben to save Andrew. It was somewhat comical, but scary at the same time. The squirrel then pounced on Ben's head, and then a deer started poking into Andrew's stroller. Andrew didn't seemed phased by any of the excitement going on around him. We had a great family day at the park and hope to take the kids back once Andrew gets older.

Andrew is not a little boy anymore...

2009-05-01T13:22:00.000-07:00

I took Andrew for his 2 month check-up this week. He has made a tremendous leap in his growth since his 1 month check-up. At 1 month, he was 8lbs 3 oz (19th percentile) and now at 2 months (10 weeks) he weighs 12lbs 3 oz (51st percentile) and is in the 67th percentile for height. The doc said he was progressing well and was amazed by his strength. He definitely is developing his motor skills as he loves to kick and squirm whenever he can. We were blessed to receive a good report.

Who's in my bed?

2009-05-01T13:11:00.000-07:00

Caroline's favorite morning activity is waking up and having Mommy walk in carrying Andrew. She always raises up and says, "put Andrew in my pink bed." We then proceed to read stories and sing songs. This is without a doubt the best way to start the day (a memory I will always cherish).

All of these pictures were Caroline's idea. One morning she asked me to go get my camera...of course, I ran to get it and came back w/ the video camera too. I'll have to post the video another time. I thought the silly faces picture was hilarious. Caroline said, "let's make a funny face for the pic-ture An-rew" and Andrew happened to yawn just as I snapped the picture which made it look like he had actually understood what Caroline had asked him to do.

Easter Fun!

2009-04-19T13:13:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed celebrating Easter as a family this year. We started off the Easter week by taking Caroline to our church's Easter celebration where she got to learn about the real reason for Easter through interactive centers and watching a drama performance. Afterwards, Caroline was able to partake in the Easter egg hunt for her age group. Caroline enjoyed picking up the colorful eggs, but was a bit confused when it was all over; she even asked me, "Where did all the eggs go Mommy? I want more eggs." She didn't want to join the others for the balloon send off (symbolic of Christ's resurrection) because she was afraid she might miss finding the rest of the eggs :)

On Easter morning Caroline and Andrew awoke to find that the Easter Bunny had hopped by and left them lots of goodies in their Easter baskets. Caroline's favorite treat was a play bottle and sippy cup for her baby doll. Typically, Fluffy (a bunny she has had since she was 4 months old), is always by her side....but, just like a two-year old, Caroline decided on Easter of all days to put Fluffy aside for her favorite baby doll. She would not take her bunny to church on Easter morning, instead she insisted on taking her baby (who would need feeding and burping during church).

After church, we headed to my parents' home in Winder, where we enjoyed a great meal and celebrated my birthday (yep, it happened that dreaded day came again and I turned another year older). Caroline was delighted to discover that the Easter Bunny also found time to drop by Nana & Papa's house. And then when Gigi & Papa Joe dropped in, they came with the baskets that they found for Caroline & Andrew at their house. Yes, before you think it or say it, these kids are spoiled (3 Easter baskets in one day)!!

Caroline finally got into her very own Easter egg hunt at Nana & Papa's.

Andrew slept through most of the festivities, but he seemed to enjoy his First Easter.

Note: Andrew really was not as big as he looks in these pictures. He was wearing an outfit that, because it was too big, gaped out on him making him look extra pudgy.

Picture Perfect Moment

2009-04-15T18:24:00.000-07:00

I hope to get a posting about Easter up soon, but in the mean time, I wanted to post this adorable picture of Caroline and Andrew.

Bottling Time

2009-04-06T12:03:00.000-07:00

Why is it that six weeks felt like an eternity when you were waiting for school to let out for summer, Christmas to arrive or your wedding day?

And yet, as I watch Andrew grow, six weeks seem to have just passed me by while I'm left wondering what will I remember of this time I've spent with him.

I hope I remember the first time he stuck his tongue out at me (as I'm sure it will not be the last).

The way he sometimes, even without knowing it, smiles at me as I catch his eye.

His "old man face"...a wrinkly scowl he displays from time to time.

And when he towers over me, will I remember how little he once was?

I hope I will remember all of this and so much more. For I am tucking away little memories of this precious time and instead of fretting over what I cannot capture in a journal, on film or video, I am living each and every moment I have with this little man of mine.

Quick update on Andrew:

He is doing great! At his 1 month visit, he weighed 8lbs 6oz. We did have to take him to a Pediatric Cardiologist for an echo and EKG due to a slight heart murmer...and thankfully, that is all it was a "slight" murmer (no follow-up needed). God has blessed us with a healthy baby boy who by all accounts is doing well. He is very active and is always on the move --diapering and bathing him are challenges as he likes to kick and move so much. His sleep habits are where they should be for 6 weeks anywhere from 7hrs then 3 hrs or two stints of 4-1/2 to 5 hrs at night (I really can't complain). He seems to only cry when he has gas (which is often .... again total BOY!), is tired or hungry. Caroline continues to love "Baby An-rew" and can't wait until he is big enough to play "chase" with her.

Andrew's Birth Announcement

2009-04-01T18:01:00.001-07:00

Oh the things kids say...

2009-04-01T17:48:00.001-07:00

Caroline is getting more and more clever with her come backs these days. Caroline has always been a child that enjoys her sleep...nap time is never a struggle for any of us, HOWEVER... On Friday when I tried to put Caroline down for a nap, she just kept singing and talking and calling out for me. One time I was feeding Andrew and kept hearing her call my name and saying something, but I couldn't make it out. When I was finally able to go up and check on her, I was shocked to hear what she wanted...she wanted her hairbow taken out of her hair. She said she couldn't sleep with it in (and she couldn't take it out??).

About 15 minutes later, she started singing at the top of her lungs..."Oh McDonaldS had a farm." When I went back in for the like 10th time to check on her, I asked her why she wasn't asleep, and she looked back up at me with her big, blue eyes and in a very "duh" way said, "because my eyes are open Mommy!"

Enough said....so, I let her get up.

Andrew's 1 Month Birthday

2009-03-18T16:00:00.000-07:00

Today we are celebrating Andrew's one month birthday. The days truly have flown by. I am excited to announce that Andrew has gained weight! As of Monday, he weighed 8.03 lbs so he is now back over his birth weight. We were also told that we can stop supplementing his feedings.

He is staying awake a bit more these days. He actually enjoyed laying on his playmat for about an hour today. The picture below was taken today.

Andrew is already on the move!

2009-03-15T15:33:00.000-07:00

Week 2 of Andrew's life proved very eventful. On our first attempt to start "tummy time," Andrew within a minute of being on his tummy rolled from his tummy onto his back. Ben and I were amazed! This task which took Caroline a whopping 7 months to master only took Andrew days. We thought it was just a fluke at first and that folks wouldn't even believe us...but every single time we put Andrew on his tummy, he just rolls over...so can someone tell me how we are to accomplish tummy time or if he even needs it? Last week, we managed to capture this milestone on video (see above). Caroline of course wanted to join in the fun, so you'll be amused by how our TWO "babies" can rollover :)

WEIGHING IN ON ANDREW:

As of last Friday Andrew weighed in at 7.03 lbs...still not up to his birth weight of 7lbs 10oz. I am supplementing an ounce of formula with each feeding and we have another checkup tomorrow. He looks to be gaining some weight. His face seems a bit fuller and he actually has a little bit of meat on his legs (as opposed to the skeleton legs he had last week). He is a great eater, so I can't imagine that he is not picking up weight (I'll keep you updated).

Andrew is now sleeping 5 hours and then 3 hours at a time during the night. He is also staying awake a bit more between feedings. Aside from rolling over, he has also started batting his toy on his car seat carrier and his sporadic smiles are coming more frequently (love those). He is a bit gassy these days and the bubbles in his tummy sound just pitiful (I plan to check w/ the doc about this). So far, he appears to be even more laid back than Caroline was as a baby (very few crying spells and he even deals well w/ his constant tummy bubbles, hiccups and blowouts).

Score on diaper changing sprays (to date):

Ben: 2 (too slow during diaper changings)

Barbara: 1 (diaper wasn't fixed right and he peed out the side during a feeding -- yep, even my jeans got wet).

LIFE WITH A 2 YR OLD:

Caroline continues to be a great BIG Sister -- fetching diapers, holding Andrew's paci in his mouth, bringing Andrew toys and looking after him when they ride in the back seat together. She genuinely LOVES her brother. Caroline likes to call him "Baby An-rew" (I wonder how long that will last...wouldn't it be funny if she still calls him this when they are older--doubt it will stick).

Balancing two is fairly easy at this point, especially when one sleeps all of the time (Andrew) and the other sleeps all through the night and takes great naps (Caroline). Most of our attention is actually devoted to Caroline at this point since she has recently found her free will :). This week's challenge: Caroline can lock and unlock doors. She is helpful with this new skill (she loves letting Dixie out the back door); but unfortunately, she likes to use her new found skill without permission. This week's conversation went something like this:

(Caroline unlocks the back door)

Caroline: Dixie wanna go outside? Ok...here you go (door opens then slams and is locked)

Ben: Caroline, you can't let Dixie out without mommy or daddy's permission (daddy goes and calls Dixie back inside). Caroline, do you understand.

Caroline: But, Dixie wanted to go outside. I can let her outside all by myselfs. (yes, she adds and "s" sound to the end of myself).

Ben: Caroline, what did daddy tell you. If you do it again, you are going to time out. Do you want to go to time out?

Caroline: Yes, I go to timeout.

Ben: I said if you do it again, you are going to time out. Understand.

Caroline: Crying, but I do wanna go to timeout!! (now total meltdown phase).

Oh, the joys of a 2 yr old! And the other fun announcement this week: when we go to change her diaper (which we are trying to head toward potty training)...Caroline: But I do wanna wear a dirty diaper! (Argh!!) Gotta love 'em!

BREAKING DOWN ON MY FIRST OUTING OUT:

I enjoyed my first outing with the two kiddos this past week by venturing out to the mall to grab a quick bite to eat with my mom. Fortunately, I was meeting my mom, because after lunch I returned to head home and discovered my van battery was dead--what luck! (and I was blocked in on all sides so I couldn't even have it jumped off). So on my first outing, my mom had the pleasure of getting to shuttle us all back to my house--thanks mom!

MEETING MORE OF THE FAMILY:

This week Andrew also got to meet his Aunt Ansley and Uncle Larry. I don't think I have ever seen two people enjoy holding a baby as much as they did -- my how your emotions and feelings change toward babies when you are expecting one of your own! Aunt Ansley is 17 weeks pregnant and looked beautiful as ever...she definitely has the prego glow. We can't wait to hear the gender of baby Mays in a few weeks. This is definitely shaping up to be an exciting year for our family.

Andrew's Two Week Review

2009-03-03T17:03:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that tomorrow Andrew will be two weeks old. These last two weeks have flown by. Andrew has endured a lot of first in these past two weeks:

First Nail Cut:

Yes, I had to cut Andrew's nails the day we got home from the hospital. For some reason he came out w/ a nail set as long as mine. I have honestly never seen finger nails on a baby this long. I wish I had an up close picture of his nails, but even without a picture his nails are something that I will always remember.

First Car Ride:

We came home from the hospital on Friday, Feb 20th. After I was released by my doctor and Andrew by his Pediatrician, we were sent home to begin our new life as a family of FOUR. My parents kept Caroline over the weekend so that Ben and I could get adjusted to having a new baby in our home before Caroline came back home. Andrew seemed so small in his carseat. It was strange placing him in what once was Caroline's infant seat. In some ways it seems like only yesterday that we were bringing Caroline home the hospital.

First Night in His New Home:

We gladly welcomed Andrew into our home. Although his nursery is all ready, we are keeping Andrew in a bassinet in our room for these first few weeks (it just makes the night time feedings much easier). Andrew had a good first night. He slept in 3 hour spurts. The second night home, however, he just seemed to want to cuddle (meaning he was fine sleeping in your arms, but the minute you went to put him down, he would cry). As we struggled to get some sleep, Ben finally had an old trick from our first sleepless nights with Caroline come to mind...the idea literally was like a light bulb going off -- Turn on the lamp is what Ben remembered we should do...and with one click on the lamp, miraculously Andrew was immediately silent. We've determined both of our children seem to have a fear of the dark (at least when they are sleeping in our room). So yes, for those of you that are wondering, Ben and I are sleeping each night with a lamp on in our room. I'm wishing I still had my night blinders to use, but Ben thought they were silly years ago when we first married so he threw them out...Argh!

First Trip to the Pediatrician:

On Saturday after being released from the hospital on Friday, Andrew met his new pediatrician. At this appointment we discovered that Andrew had dropped an entire pound...he now weighed in at only 6lbs 10oz. The doc was a bit concerned about his coloring and sagging skin, not to mention the huge drop in weight, so we were sent back to the hospital for another billirubin blood test. The doc thought his condition had probably peaked, but wanted to continue seeing us for weight checks. Since his initial appointment, Andrew has been 2 more times and has gained 3oz. As of today, he is no longer losing weight but is not gaining either, so I will have to take him back "again" this Friday for another weight check (they want to see this lil' fellow pick up the weight).

At Andrew's first pediatrician's appointment, we discovered that in addition to dropping a pound, Andrew shrunk in size...yes, I said it, "he shrunk." When the doc measured him, she said he was 20" and I said, "how can that be, he was registered as being 21" when we were in the hospital." The doc measured him again, and finally concluded that the hospital staff had to have been mistaken in their measurement, because he was definitely NOT 21"...perhaps 20-1/2" but NOT 21". So from here on out, Andrew will always have the mistaken length printed on his birth certificate...but we will all know the truth :)

First Bath:

Andrew's umbilical cord fell off and he was ready for a bath. We used our aquarium bathtub w/ the sling to accomplish this task. Like most babies, Andrew was not so sure what to think about the warm water that we kept ringing out on his head and body. He was startled at first and then started scratching his face. He finally mellowed out and tried to enjoy it. He was definitely relieved when Ben lifted him out and into my arms where a warm towel awaited him. Of course we bathed Andrew while Caroline was napping. I can't wait until I can put the two of them into one tub...fun times ahead!

Andrew finally calmed down and started to "endure" his first bath. He was all too happy that snuggle time wrapped in a warm blanket was what awaited him after his bath.

While in some ways the past two weeks have been a blur, in other ways they are days that I will always cherish. I think with your second baby you work less trying to survive and more trying to enjoy the "firsts." We are so blessed to have Andrew in our lives. We just pray that he picks up his weight gain and beats this border line jaundiced issue without having to endure photo-therapy (like Caroline had to undergo in her first weeks).

Fun in the Snow!

2009-03-02T06:35:00.000-08:00

Caroline showing off her snowman. Yes, the nose is a zucchini and the eyes are grapes (all we had!). Five minutes after it was built it fell over and in Caroline's words, "snowman go boom?"

Photo collage of all our snow pictures:

When the snow started falling, I don't think Caroline quite understood what it was. Ben and I enjoyed watching it fall, and I even propped Andrew up in his carseat so he would have a good view of it all :) When Caroline awoke from her nap on Sunday afternoon, she was amazed at how "white" her backyard had become. She was ready to go out and "PLAY!" We layered her up w/ fleece pants, slick pants, 2 pair of socks, baggies over her tennis shoes, a warm coat, hat & mittens. She really didn't want all of the layers on, but if it meant she could go out and play in the snow, she was willing to appease us. Caroline and daddy built a snowman, had a snowball fight and chased Dixie around the backyard. I was mainly the photographer and videographer. I did manage to bundle Andrew up for a quick pic outside (I know what is a week old baby doing out in the snow...shame on me, but it was a photo op I wasn't willing to miss).

Caroline watching the snowflakes fall on her eyelashes.

Ben teaching Caroline to make snowballs.

Andrew's first snow!

Life as a BIG Sister

2009-02-27T12:54:00.000-08:00

Well, it has been one week since Caroline "officially" assumed her role as a BIG Sister. She has met or exceeded all of our expectations. She has proven to be quite the protective, BIG Sister. When Ben was helping undress Andrew for a feeding to help wake him up, Caroline ran over and immediately started trying to put his clothes back on and crying, "da-da put his clothes back on, he's not hot, he needs his clothes!" She also likes to always make sure An-rew (as she calls him) has either the toy elephant she gave him or his snuggly bear. If asked if she is a BIG Sister, she responds enthusiastically, "Yeah, I'm An-rew's BIG Sister -- and, He's my baby brudder?"

Caroline just missed getting to meet Andrew the night he was born. She waited about an hour at the hospital before it got to late and she had to go home and go to bed. She worked on several craft projects to welcome Andrew to our family, and she even wore a special BIG Sister shirt in honor of Andrew. Caroline first got to meet Andrew on Thursday. She was very excited to see him and said, "An-rew's not in mommy's belly anymore?" "An-rew is here?"

Although she doesn't quite understand why An-rew can't share her chick'n nuggets, play in her playroom or watch Caillou with her yet...she has come to understand that babies sleep an awful lot! She has even given Andrew her favorite bunny to sleep with and tried out his carseat to ensure it is safe :) Ben and I feel very blessed to have such a sweet daughter who is already fulfilling her role as a BIG Sister by looking after her baby brother.

Andrew Benjamin's Arrival!

2009-02-19T12:23:00.000-08:00

We could not be prouder to announce the arrival of our son, Andrew Benjamin, born on Wednesday, February 18th at 8:52 p.m. He weighed 7lbs 10 oz and is 21" long. The doctor induced labor around 10:30 on Wednesday morning and then my water was broke around 6pm. Unlike Caroline's fast delivery, this delivery took a little longer; however, I did not feel the first contraction...so basically we just sat around all day awaiting Andrew's arrival (while I was comfortably numb from an epidural). At 8:40 pm, I was told it was time to push and at 8:52 pm out popped our precious, baby boy. We think he looks a lot like Caroline did as a baby...see what you think.
Andrew just after his bath and post-birth testing and shots.

10 long skinny toes!

Right after delivery

Being held by Mommy for the 1st time

A proud Nana & Papa

GG left Caroline at her house asleep with Papa Joe to come to the hospital

Andrew's 1st Bath

Father & Son!

The Appling's: Family of FOUR!

A Room For Andrew

2009-02-15T17:29:00.000-08:00

The walls are antique blue and the nursery theme is nautical.

Nautical Paintings hang over Andrew's changing table

The nursery is finally ready and we are now just awaiting Andrew's arrival. The small teddy bear in Andrew's crib marks the spot where he will first lay his tiny head. The paintings over the changing table were lovingly painted just for Andrew by Gigi (Ben's mom) and the glider ottoman was recovered by Nana (my mom). Everyone has made a special touch on the room -- with Ben painting it, me decorating it and many friends and family helping to outfit it (including my dear friend Julie who loaned us the nautical bedding set).

Andrew's Baby Shower - Jan. 31st

2009-02-14T12:09:00.001-08:00

My Aunt Barbara blessed us immensely by hosting a shower for Andrew at the end of January. The shower definitely helped fill our home with many items we were lacking, including lots of BLUE, bath towels, adorable boy outfits to fill Andrew's closet & other baby essentials. We are so thankful to have such great friends and family. Below are some pictures from the shower:

Sue, Me and Aunt Barbara (my mom's best friend for over 40 yrs)
Blue balloons, plates & napkins w/ tiny footprints and lots of yummy food!

Some of the guests that made the extra effort to make this day truly special
Andrew's 1st Boy Toy...a pop and roll choo-choo train!

My dear friend, Jennifer, who is expecting a baby in April (if not sooner).
We can't wait to meet Andrew's playmate.

Lots of Prego's from our Young Married Dept at church --

yes, the nursery will be exploding soon!

Thanks to all of the wonderful gifts we received, we are now all set for Andrew's arrival!

Glamour Girl soon to be BIG Sister!

2009-02-14T11:54:00.001-08:00

Caroline has become quite the "Lil' Glamour Girl" lately. She loves to priss around the house, help mommy put on makeup, wear mommy's high heels and host tea parties. She is such a nurturing mommy to her babies, bunny and elephant. I am confident that she will be a great help to me once An-rew (as she calls him) arrives next week. She has regressed somewhat with the potty training, but she definitely gets the concept. We are amazed each day at her expanding vocabulary. She is a very vocal little girl (gee, I wonder who she gets that from). Thankfully, she still continues to be a great sleeper...taking 2-3 hr naps each day and sleeping 12 hours each night....yes, Ben and I are spoiled and somewhat fearful of going back to sleepless nights once Andrew arrives.

Current Caroline Favorites:

Books: Dear God & God Bless (which she can practically recite)
Food: chick'n nuggets, ketch up (which she says with a big pause), french fries
Restaurant: Chick-fil-A
Place: My "new" house, in my play room
Show: Caillou
Movies: Care Bears
Toy: My Lil' Ponies
Clothes: Anything Princess
Animal: Nee-haw, giddy-up, giddy-up (her terms for horse)
Place to Visit: Mall of GA Play area or the Park

This is what Caroline does when you say, "Say Cheese!" If she'd only open her eyes, we'd have some great photo opportunities...but she always squints when she does this.

Our Lil' Glamour Girl!

The Incredible Expanding Woman!

2009-02-13T13:44:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that this pregnancy is quickly approaching the end. At my 38 week appointment, the doctor went ahead and scheduled an induction for Wed, Feb 18th. So...unless Andrew has other plans, we will meet our precious, baby boy next week! The reason for the induction is to put me in a controlled environment to ensure I receive an epidural (which is a definite desire of mine). Since Caroline arrived in just over 5 hours after my water broke, and it is typical that your second child comes quicker, the thought is that I may not have time to get an epidural if Andrew decides to come on his own. Either way, keep checking back in next week as we should have a post announcing Andrew's arrival (hopefully with pictures).

nearly 38 Weeks
36-1/2 Weeks

34 Weeks (above & below) --The belly is taking over me!!

29 Weeks--Christmas

20 Weeks--The day we found out we will be blessed w/ a BOY!

16 Weeks--Old House

9 Weeks -- 1st Ultrasound

Christmas Memories

2009-01-14T17:49:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that it is already mid-January, and I am just now finding the time to blog about our Christmas memories....who knew a toddler could keep you so busy!

We enjoyed a wonderful Christmas with both of our families. The week leading up to Christmas, Ben took part in a Trans Siberian Orchestra music presentation held at our church. He was one of the lead, electric guitarist, and I must say I was swooned by his talent yet again as I proudly watched from the audience. I will try and remember to post a music clip from the DVD once we receive it.

December 23rd was spent with the Applings along with Christmas Eve day. We enjoyed a wonderful turkey feast along with GG's best ever, dressing. Caroline was so cute as she opened her presents. She would open one gift and then say, "thank you," "mmm...I want to open mmmore presents!" It was so cute. She received a HUGE Care Bear (nearly 1/2 her size), Care Bear movies, a stick pony to ride, coloring books, pop up Princess tent and many other fun, girly things. I felt like I was reliving my childhood when she opened the Care Bear items and a Cabbage Patch Kid. Caroline had a blast playing with her Uncle Chris, Papa Joe and GG. We attended the Christmas Eve service at our church, where Ben played an acoustic solo of Noel. Caroline just kept pointing at the large screens, waving to her da-da. Of course, it was difficult for Caroline to sit through the service since church to her is seeing her friends and playing in the nursery.
After the service, we drove on to Winder to join up with the Mays clan for a traditional, Christmas Eve dinner....yes, I was thankful for stretchy, maternity pants yet again! Eating two big meals in one day is quite an experience in itself :)

Exhausted and tired from a long day already, I was thrilled to discover that my mom had already made cookies for Caroline to leave out for Santa. Caroline enjoyed setting out the goodies and hearing all about Santa's expected arrival. Before putting Caroline to bed, Ben and I read the "real" Christmas story to her along with "Twas the Night Before Christmas." Caroline nestled down in her bed, tuckered out from a long, eventful day.

Christmas morning was filled with chaos and excitement with 3 dogs (ours, my brothers and my uncle's), one sleepy 2 yr old (yes, we had to wake her up around 7:30 a.m.) and presents waiting to be unwrapped. Caroline was thrilled to find the empty milk glass & cookie crumbs left by Santa. I think she was overwhelmed to see all that Santa had left her. She received a table & chair set along with several craft supplies, a pink puppy kennel, sit n' spin (again something from our childhood days), and a baby jog stroller w/ car carrier (this is so she can carry her babies around like I'll be carrying Andrew). Her stocking was filled with all kinds of goodies fit for a princess, including a crown, necklace, bracelets, etc. I guess you can say, Santa felt she was a very, good lil' girl this year (plus he blessed mom & dad w/ lots of great value finds)!

We enjoyed opening gifts with my family and then it was time to say good-bye to my brother & his wife Ansley as they headed back South to spend Christmas day w/ Ansley's family. Caroline was definitely sad to see Callie go. The evening of Christmas day was spent with some more of my dad's family. Caroline had a ball being entertained by everyone.

My mom helped me make matching Christmas jeans for Caroline and me. It was fun wearing matching outfits, but by the end of the evening I folded up the jeans, knowing they would never be worn again -- hopefully, mine will not fit next year :) and sadly, Caroline will be too big for hers.

Our New House -- A Photo Peek!

2008-12-11T15:49:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe we have been in our new home for nearly 3 months. We have been in constant motion since moving...working hard to make our house a "home." We finally have the first floor completed. We recently finished Caroline's room (aside from adding some drawer knobs to her dresser). After Christmas we plan to paint Andrew's room and get the nursery all ready for his fast approaching arrival. Ben and I are also eager to paint our room and upgrade some of the fixtures (our gift to each other this year for Christmas). Once those two rooms are completed, and if we are not completely pooped, we'll begin work on painting the guest room (low priority for now).

Enjoy the photo tour of our new home located in Lawrenceville, GA (email me at barbaraappling@yahoo.com if you need our new address)...better yet, come by and visit us soon!

Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of the outside of the house and our backyard (I'll post those later).

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

29 weeks and GROWING!

2008-12-11T15:39:00.000-08:00

Here I am at 29 weeks. This preganancy has definitely been different from my first (which was pretty uneventful). I am definitely feeling like the "incredible expanding woman" these days! While I don't seem to growing anywhere but in my belly -- my belly does feel HUGE...maybe I just don't remember everything from last time (selective memory) :)

I received the results from my glucose test -- Aced it...whoo-hoo! However, I did fail my iron test miserably and I am now taking a supplement. So perhaps that can be my new excuse for being so tired lately -- instead of, chasing a 2 yr old, taking care of a sick husband with hectic rehearsal (guitar solos galore at church this season) and work schedules, moving while pregnant, decorating for Christmas, and the list goes on!! Just pray that I don't "pop" before the next 11 weeks are up :)

He has a NAME!

2008-12-06T03:08:00.000-08:00

After much debate and careful thought, we are pleased to announce that our Baby Boy (previously referenced as "BB") has a name! The day before Thanksgiving I pinned Ben down and made him "talk" names again. While there were few options that he would even consider, we did finally go back to our original boy name from when we found out I was pregnant with Caroline and did not know whether we were having a boy or a girl. The name has always been on the list, however, nicknames have been the real issue. The name we have chosen actually has two, popular nicknames -- of course, I like one and he likes the other...I don't prefer his and he doesn't prefer mine :) So finally, we agreed to just go with the full name instead of eliminating a good, fitting name due to the "nickname battle!"

So without further explanation...and for those dying to know what are "son" will be called...

We are pleased to now call our wonderful gift from God by the name:

"ANDREW" BENJAMIN APPLING

This ultrasound picture was taken at 24 weeks on 11/7/08. I had to have another ultrasound so that the doctor could get better facial images. The doctor said everything looked great and that Andrew and I are both doing well. I had my 28 week appointment on 12/3/08. February will be here before we know it!

Trick or Treat!

2008-11-01T04:16:00.001-07:00

We took Caroline to our neighborhood block party and then on to our church's Fall Festival. While Caroline loved her pink poodle costume (prissy costume for a prissy gal), she didn't care much for the head piece. The head would cover her face up so that she could not see (of course this could be quite entertaining for observers). She was very shy at our fall festival and would not jump or slide. She only warmed up the Ashburns (her extended family) and then was ready to head to GG's house. Papa Joe had scary music playing outside their house, but this didn't phase Caroline for she knew at this house she would receive her one treat for the night (no, not a dog treat but a reese's cup)! She had fun watching the trick or treaters arriving at the door, but by 9pm, she was one tired pup!

It's A BOY!

2008-10-31T11:17:00.000-07:00

Well, as you can see from my 20 week ultrasound pictures, there is no doubt that this lil' one is all BOY. Ben and Caroline were present at the appointment, and we are all thrilled with the news. With all that said, I haven't a clue what we're going to do with a little boy...but I'm sure we'll figure it out! We are working on a name, so we'll update you on that as soon as we have finalized our selection.

Profile Picture (nose up, spine down)

Obviously It's A BOY!

4D Image -- these are somewhat scary to me

Two Tiny Feet (actually they look big to me)

The Proud Bun Maker and His Masterpiece!

2008-10-25T04:28:00.000-07:00

Ben and I attended a couples Sunday School Party on Oct 25th. I had a great time making our costumes (total spent $12). I used one of our moving boxes (which I need to get rid of anyway) and made an oven for me. I then bought an apron and ironed on it, "The Bun Maker" for Ben to wear along w/ a chef's hat. Saturday night was very cool so I was thankful I had my oven to keep me warm! We enjoyed an adult night out, fun w/ friends, s'mores, a LONG hayride (yes, we went on a hayride that drove us on some pretty major Gwinnett Co roads -- we thought we'd never return home), and seeing everyone all dressed up. We are hoping this will become an annual event.

Inaugural Blog

2007-11-08T18:49:00.000-08:00

Okay, so after reading tons of blogs and realizing that no matter how hard I try to find a website that my work will not block, I am finally ready to throw in the towel and become an official "blogger." Our previous website through aboutmybaby.com charged a minimal annual fee but it was worth it to have it not considered a blog (meaning work would not block it). Recently my disguised blog was discovered due to the number of hits it was receiving so now it has officially been BLOCKED!! Needless to say, I am ready for a free option since the only purpose in paying the fee was to avoid being blocked from private networks. Since this benefit has been eliminated, I have decided the ease of our old site is not worth the fee and FREE is always the best way to go. I also assume that as we enter year #2 with Caroline, I will be able to highlight her life and I won't feel the need to post 50 gazillion pictures at one time--guess we shall see!

I hope you will enjoy our new site and that you will continue to keep up with our family via our posts. Please redirect your favorites to keep up with this site as we begin phasing out our old site http://www.appling.aboutmybaby.com/ As a new blogger, I would love to hear your tips and tricks about this site. Feel free to include them in a post.