Top 10 Happenings in May

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...

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

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...

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?

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!

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

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.