christmas fun

making white chocolate oreo cookie bark for our neighbors

testing out the white chocolate

daddy got in on the action, too

festival of lights at james island county park

bundled up and ready for some fun

best buds

the fam

i think i've had enought now, mom!

waiting to ride the carousel

loving the carousel

on the way home from lunch today...

caroline: mommy, do you know what a major is?
mommy: (trying to figure out what's she's talking about) a major? i'm not sure.
caroline: (laughing) no, mommy, a manger.
mommy: yes, i know what a manger is.
caroline: good job, mommy. do you know who was born in a manger?
mommy: yes, jesus.
caroline: great job, mommy! (looks so proud of me) do you know who was the mommy?
mommy: mary
caroline: good job, mommy! do you know who was the daddy?
mommy: joseph
caroline: good job! do you know who was the shepherds?
mommy: yes
caroline: what were their names?
mommy: actually, i have no idea.
caroline: (thinks for a minute and makes up crazy names i can't remember or spell)
mommy: wow, they have interesting names.
caroline: mommy, do you know who was the wisemen?
mommy: yes, they came to see jesus.
caroline: their names were caleb, rebekah and sarah. there was one boy wiseman and 2 girl wisemans.
mommy: what a coincidence, just like your cousins.
caroline: do you know the names of the sheep?
mommy: no, but i bet you do!
caroline: fluffy and buddy
mommy: those are great names!
caroline: mommy, jesus is the shepherd and we are his sheep.

on the way to school this morning...

caroline: mommy, why is jesus in my tummy?
mommy: he's not in your tummy, silly!
caroline: he's in my heart.
mommy: that's right, he's in your heart.
caroline: silly mommy, my tummy and heart are in the same place!

quote of the day

eating breakfast this morning together....

caroline: mommy, i have something to tell you
mommy: okay, what?
caroline: i love you to the moon, the sun, the stars, to jesus, my camera and back!
mommy: wow, that's a lot. i love you, too!

the christmas picture

not very much junk in that trunk :)

this is the choke hold pose

they've had enough

we went out to folly this weekend for the first time since susanna was born...our last trip out there was july 4 and 4 days later she arrived. folly is one of our favorite places in the world. we ate at the lost dog (YUMMY) and then walked on the beach. while we were out there we attempted to take some cute pixs of the girls together to possibly use for our christmas card. these are a few of the shots we got :)

a few cute pictures and a gingerbread house

here are some cute shots of my babies and the gingerbread house caroline and i decorated the last couple of days. we will definitely make it a tradition. caroline LOVED the candy. i think she licked every piece that went on the house and i let her eat icing like it was going out of style :)

merry christmas to me!

some of you have noticed the change in the blog :) i love it and have jennisa at jennisa's bloggie designs to thank for it. she was awesome to work with and has some great design kits. i was sooooo very tired of my boring, bland blogger template. so, merry christmas to me!!

this is the scene tonight - caroline climbs up on susanna's crib and hangs on to pray for her with me. she prays first then me...

caroline: god is great, god is love, let us thank him for susanna. thank you for mommy, grammie, papa and help them to be good. thank you for going to georgia. in jesus name, amen.

caroline: mommy, can i watch just one more bideo?
mommy: nope, that's enough for today.
caroline: no, i think i should watch one more.
mommy: well, who's in charge?
caroline: me and jesus
mommy: you're half right...i'm in charge of you and jesus is in charge of both of us. and me and jesus think you've watched enough for today
caroline: no, actually, me and jesus talked and he said it was okay

lord help me!!!!!!!!!!

playing baby with caroline...she was the mommy and i was the babysitter....

caroline: okay, here is the baby's blankie, bottle and diapers, okay?
mommy: okay, great!
caroline: i'm going to lowe's so take good care of her. she's kind of sleepy, but here are 2 bottles. (hugging her baby doll) i love you, sweetie, be good.
mommy: have fun at lowe's.
caroline: i will

back after her errands...

caroline: how was she?
mommy: she was great!
caroline: i'm so glad...my baby is perfect.

happy girl and shoes

could a baby be any happier?

the "shoes"...by the way, her feet don't fill them up :)

loving my hands lately

laughing at mommy

i'm proud of myself for posting so much lately...the more i post, the more memories i'll have recorded of these wonderful times with my girls and my hubby. above are some pixs of my sweet, happy girl wearing her "shoes" and looking adorable. they look so cute on her. thank you jesus for john, caroline and susanna. i fall short contstantly being the wife and mom you've called me to be and that they deserve, but the love i have for them cannot be put into words. sometimes it fills my heart up so much that it hurts...

preschool halloween videos

i just had to share these videos i took of caroline's little "school" parade on halloween. please note the little monkey that is beside her in the video. his name is rohan and apparently he likes my caroline a lot. the teacher said he follows her around and tries to take her thumb out of her mouth. the teacher said she tolerates it and only sometimes asks him to leave her alone. i think he's the cutest thing i've ever seen. watch him pull her into place in the video of the kids walking to the steps. she was a little distracted by the girl behind her in the massive fairy costume :) they're out of order...the first one is actually on the bottom...sorry about that.

some more pixs

sisters

first matching outfits...on the way to church

look at that smile :)

she LOVES her outfit...can't you tell?

sissy definitely liked her little kiss

halloween 2007

we had such a fun halloween this year! caroline was way into it and loved every celebration. we had a little get together at our neighborhood pool sunday night and that kicked things off. tuesday night, we went to the aquarium downtown for "fish or treat", which has become a tradition. it was crazy crowded and i took both kids by myself since john was working. thank goodness my friend mandi was there to help. her hubby, cory carried caroline around b/c it was so crowded. on the way to school wed morning, caroline said "i just can't believe it's halloween today". her school had a halloween parade and the kids sang cute songs and stood around looking adorable. she LOVES her school, her teacher and friends and so do i :) last night, we went over to a friend's house and a bunch of us ate pizza and trick or treated together. thank goodness caroline was not scared of anything this year. she had no problem with any of the decorations or scary noises. susanna, of course, got lugged around to all the festivities, but didn't last long trick or treating. she didn't get any rest during the day so by 7pm, she was very ill. john ended up taking her home and putting her to bed. oh by the way, caroline was cinderella and susanna was a hershey kiss. my mom had gotten caroline an adorable ladybug costume that we found, but i didn't realize it was going to be a tad big so we're going to wait until next year when caroline can fit into it perfectly. i can't wait b/c it's sooo cute! she was disappointed, but bucked up when i said she could be cinderella. and, please remind me to buy about twice as much candy b/c we ran flat out :) unfortunately, i wasn't able to get a pix of both my girls together...hate that!! i'm seriously going to dress them up again just to get a shot together.

3 months

sisters

my big girl testing out the bumbo...so cute!

love this pix of susanna - her round head and "serious" face

just like always, i'm a little behind. susanna was 3 months old monday, october 8. i remember thinking in the early weeks of her life that we would be cruising with her and our family once fall and the month of october came. well, i was right :) life could not be better. of course, it's also busier and crazier than ever. susanna is such a precious girl and brings us so much joy. from the moment she came out and was placed on my tummy, i've been absolutely in love with her. love at first sight! at 3 months she.....

*looks just like daddy (except no brown eyes, maybe the next baby)

*sleeps through the night and naps like a champ during the day
*takes a 4 oz bottle every 3.5 - 4 hours - eats quickly unlike her big sis did
*only cries if she needs to burp or is in her carseat - unfortunately, we seem to breed babies who hate carseats - caroline hated hers, too, until she was old enough and weighed enough to be turned around. since then, she's been a dream traveler. so, we only have 9 more months to deal with this :)
*has the sweetest smile in the world - smiles the biggest after waking up in the morning and after naps
*is loved immensely by big sis - i mess with caroline sometimes and say we're going to take susanna back to the hospital and she loses it every time b/c "she's our baby" and "i love her"
*loves to coo - especially likes to do this one on one with mommy and daddy
*just starting to laugh a little - mostly when mommy makes funny noises
*is extremely flexible and laidback - goes with the flow, which is good since we're always on the go
*goes to chick-fil-a and moe's more often than someone her age should :)
*has rolled over from her back to her tummy, but not doing it consistently yet
*loves to fall asleep in my arms - likes to lay on my left shoulder, with her body across my tummy and her right arm hanging over mine; this is especially handy in church
*apparently looks like a doll - i've had so many people make this comment about her when i'm holding her
*likes to swing and play under the baby einstein playgym; also likes to look at the fan in mommy and daddy's bedroom
*stores all her fat on her upper thighs - she must have four rolls from her knee up to the top of her thigh....so cute!!!
*also has arm rolls
*is such an amazing blessing and gift; makes me want #3:)

i love you, susanna, and can't imagine life without you!!

plie and step....or pile and step

here is caroline doing some ballet moves...or as she says "pile and step". the funniest part of this video is that 2 minutes later she and susanna were both crying and screaming. caroline dropped my camera, i scolded her, she burst into tears at the top of her lungs, which scared susanna to death and made her cry so hard her whole head turned red. fun times and it always seems to happen while i'm trying to cook dinner :)

(at dusk, on the way home from church)

caroline: mommy, the sun has a scratch
mommy: oh, really
caroline: yeah and it's crying
mommy: well, that's sad
caroline: it's okay, the mommy sun will take care of the baby sun and make it all better. i think the mommy sun will give the baby sun a dora band aid

as susanna is screaming in the car....

caroline: hush now, hush now....take a deep breaf, take a deep breaf

caroline: mommy, my tummy hurts
mommy: i'm so sorry, i hope it feels better soon.
caroline: maybe there's a baby in there.

a few updates

daddy and caroline
how appropriate! she loves this sign at target b/c it was pink and had sequins :)

caroline and emma on their first day of ballet

susanna banana...10 weeks, 3 days

i should be doing so many other things right now while caroline is at school, but oh well. i'd rather update the blog b/c laundry, dishes, cleaning, etc is no fun :) here are a few pixs of the girls and a video of susanna cooing and being adorable as usual. caroline started ballet and LOVES it! she only goes once a week, but would go every day if she could. she loves everything about it...the leotard, the shoes, the teachers, the other little girls. susanna went to the dr last friday (9weeks, 5 days old) and is healthy as can be. she weighed 11lbs, 2 oz and is 22 inches long. caroline weighed 10lbs and was 22.5 inches at 9weeks. my mom looked back at my baby book and i was 11lbs 13oz at 10 weeks and taller than both my girls...can't remember the height mom told me.

(in the car)
caroline: mommy, we forgot to pray!
mommy: we did? well, let's pray then.
caroline: it's okay, i'll pray on sunday.
mommy: baby, we can pray whenever and wherever we want to...do you want to pray right now?
caroline: no, that's okay, i'll just do it next week.

....doesn't say much for a few minutes until susanna starts to cray...

caroline: mommy, it's okay to cry.
mommy: you're right, it is okay.
caroline: you can cry when you're sad.
mommy: yes, you can.
caroline: you can cry when someone hurts your feelings.
mommy: that's right...you can cry whenever you need to. there is nothing wrong with crying sometimes.
caroline: you can cry when you're scared, too.
mommy: yes, you can.
caroline: but jesus will protect you. from the dinosaurs and lizards.
mommy: that's right, jesus will protect you.
caroline: jesus saves, end of story.
mommy: couldn't have said it better myself!

caroline: i'm going to be a doctor when i grow up
daddy: really, good!
caroline: i'm going to be a doctor and a dentist
daddy: i thought you wanted to be a turtle doctor (loves this one book we have about loggerhead turtles)
caroline: oh yeah...i'm going to be a doctor, dentist and turtle doctor

due date

as this photo shows, susanna was born on july 8 and daddy was there :)

this conversation actually just took place in our kitchen between me and john...

lauren: i still think it's crazy that susanna was actually born on her due date
john looks at me slightly puzzled
lauren: please tell me that you know she was born on her due date
john shakes his head no and we both start to laugh
lauren: you do know what date she was born on, right?
john: (looking less than confident) the 9th? no, the 10th?
lauren: (laughing hysterically and shaking my head no) no, baby, it was the 8th...not even 2 months ago
john: (laughing) it's not easy like caroline's being on tax day. i'll never forget that. i went the wrong way (meaning when he guessed the 10th after getting the 9th wrong)
lauren: do you remember caroline's due date? (now i'm just having fun looking for more laughs, but know he will get this one right b/c she was due on his b'day)
john: (once again not looking very confident) well, i know she came a week late
lauren: good job, baby...but what was the date? (now i'm just having fun with this)
john: my b'day, april 8
lauren: you got it! now, i'm going to post this on the blog b/c this is most worthy of being the quote the day

my man is the bomb!

my man is amazing...here are 2 videos of him from this past weekend in georgia barefoot skiing. how cool is that? he hasn't gotten to barefoot in a long time, but it looks like he still remembers how. as caroline says, "my daddy is the bomb" and i agree!! i'll post more from our long weekend at home later :)

first day of school

first day of 3k preschool

showing me her dora backpack

she wanted to pose by the plant :)

she and her new friend abby heading into school

ms. perle and caroline

making herself at home :)

this is how susanna napped this am

nice and clean!

today was caroline's first day of 3k preschool...and she loved it! i took a few pictures on our front porch, which made us late, but it's worth it to have those pixs :) like i expected, she had no problem at all leaving me and waved good bye at the door. i had to make her come back and give me a hug and kiss and take a pix with her teacher, mrs. emily perle (who is wonderful!). she has yet to ever cry going to "school". susanna and i had just enough time to go to the grocery, come home, drink a bottle, unload clean dishes, load dirty dishes, do laundry, make up beds and then it was time to go back and get sister. caroline was so excited to see us when we got to her room to pick her up. she jabbered the whole way home. i asked her if she wanted to go back to school again or stay at home with me and she said, "mommy, i'm going to go to school, but you can always come back and get me when i'm done every day"...there is not a chance this girl would be happy at home with me every day, she is way too social for her own good (and mine)!

quote of the day

caroline: mommy, i'm going to be a doctor when i grow up
mommy: that's great, sounds good
caroline: mommy, what are you going to be when you grow up?
mommy: i'm not sure, but i know i'll always be you and susanna's mommy
caroline: you can't be our mommy all the time...well, i'm going to grow up, but then you can be with susanna. i think maybe you should be a firefighter
mommy: oh really, i'm not sure i would be a good firefighter
caroline: what is grandad going to be when he grows up?
mommy: i don't know, what do you think he should be?
caroline: a firefighter...and grandma can be a donut maker. i'm going to be a ballet girl, a teacher girl and a doctor