20 Months

I promise I have more blog posts in the wings to catch things up...  Just need time to get photos organized.  For now, I just had to share this cuteness.  There's definitely a reason God makes toddlers so adorable -- this girl is a handful! ;)

January: Caroline at 18 months

Oh my goodness, this girl.  Where to begin?  She certainly gives me a run for my money every single day, pushing chairs all over the place to climb up on counters and get into cabinets, playing in the sink and dumping water all over the bathroom floor (saves me a mopping job!), climbing into a bath with all of her clothes on, spilling dishwasher fluid all over the floor and herself, and climbing onto the table to finish her sisters' half-eaten meals, to name but a few of her antics.  She is finally getting patient enough to sit and enjoy books on Mommy's lap.  She uses "no" for "yes" as well as for "no," which can get a bit confusing at times.  She still loves her "froggy" (aka pacifier, which is actually an elephant).  She loves her daddy and runs around shouting "Daddy! Daddy!" when he arrives home.  She is such an enthusiastic kiddo about just about everything, actually -- driving to Winnie's house she'll shout "Winnie's house!" over and over, followed by "Millie!" and "ball!" (her favorite game to play with her favorite pooch).  She continues to be extremely polite and is the first to thank me for pretty much anything I do for her, which never ceases to amaze me.  In many ways I feel like she "gets" grown-up stuff more than a toddler normally would -- she's very easy to reason with (she'll be crying about, say, not wanting to wear her coat and I'll say, "it's cold outside -- we wear a coat to keep warm," and she'll say "okay" and put on the coat.  What kid does that??), she really loves to help and truly DOES help do things like switch laundry, put away dishes, clean up spills, etc.  She is very in-tune with our little family life and what is going on with her sisters, and will often report little stories about them using her limited vocabulary and acting out gestures, which is just adorable.  Naptimes and bedtimes continue to be easy-peasy with this one.  She remains loud, social, and just a fun girl to be around.  As Libby often says, "I'm so glad we have a baby like Caroline in our family!"  Happy 18 months, Caroline Jo!  You are so loved, little one!

Just helping myself to some water here, Mom...

... and my sisters' leftovers...

... oh, and some more water.

December

November

October

September

What I'll remember:

Caroline is 15 months!  The screaming has stopped and has been replaced by a cute "Pee-ah!" with sign for "please," and an always enthusiastic "Na-Nee!" for thank-you.  I love the way she whispers "wow" every time we pass the stain glass windows at Margaret's preschool.  She calls her pacifiers "froggy."  She is on a constant path of destruction, which makes accomplishing anything at home especially difficult.  She loves running water in the sink and flooding the bathroom, is still found playing in the potty practically on a daily basis (despite my best efforts to prevent her!), and loves getting out her own zip-lock bag and pointing at the snack cabinet when she's hungry.  She's also REALLY into walking around with a toothbrush and toothpaste that she has procured herself from the bathroom.  Oh, and climbing up on the table to finish her sisters' leftovers.  She found a piece of Libby's gum recently, unwrapped it, and began to chew it.  Her "cheese" smile for photos is hilarious and adorable.  Oh, and I found her carrying a SNAKE across the yard recently (dead, but I couldn't tell at the time!).  I still love kissing her sweet cheeks and am trying to soak up every moment with my baby while she's still a baby.

Margaret is my new little bedtime buddy, as she insists on having me lie with her at bedtime and I  usually end up falling asleep myself.  I'll make it back to our bed at some point, and then some time later she'll try to crawl in bed with us, at which time I'll have to take her back to her bed and end up falling asleep there again.  In the meantime Libby has probably been up at least once to potty, and likely another time to come in and ask us how much longer until morning.  And at some point Caroline will wake as well, likely twice, and Joe will go in to put her back down.  This is pretty much our night at this point in our lives.  Every. Single. Night.  At least Siena sleeps.  We had ONE night recently where every girl slept the entire night through, and it was like the stars had aligned.  That definitely has not happened at least since Caroline has been born.  Strangely, I think we've both just become accustomed to the interruptions...  Unfortunately I don't think I'll ever be able to sleep through the night again, even after the kids do.

Otherwise we're getting into the swing of school around here!  I have to admit, with Siena and Libby away all day and Margaret in school part-time, this year is already feeling a LOT different from last year.  Dare I say easier?  There's still the morning craziness and tons of running around with drop-offs and pickups, and life with Margaret and Caroline at home is certainly busy, but I'm not feeling like I'm drowning all the time anymore...  a nice change!

Some fun photos from September:

Margaret's first-ever day of school!

Fun at home with these two silly heads...

... while big sisters are off to Kindergarten and First Grade

15 months

Cheese!

Snake!

August

I'm sure there are many things to report about this month...  Finishing up our travels in Colorado, starting a new school year, etc, but the only event that I will likely remember was losing my beloved dad to cancer on August 19th.  We were so blessed to have spent two great weeks in Colorado with him, saying goodbye just ten days before he passed away.  Obviously I could go on and on about Dad... what a brilliant man he was, his generosity, his humor, his quirks, his love for his grandchildren.  He really was at his best when spending time with his granddaughters, and I consider myself very fortunate to have witnessed many of those special moments over the past seven years since moving back home and starting our family.  Picky will be missed so much, and I hope I can keep the fun memories of him alive for our girls.  Here are a few of them...  We love you, Dad!

Meeting his first grandchild!  October 25, 2008

Siena with her best bud.

Christmas 2010

Baby Libby with Picky and friends

A walk with Libby at Dinkle lake

Laughs over oatmeal

With baby Margaret at Disneyland

Bubbles with Margaret

Joining Libby in her favorite activity

So many books read together...

Snuggles with Caroline!

More stories with Margaret

I'm eyeing your glasses, Picky!
Caroline and Picky had such a cute bond.