Lainey Caroline Is Two Years Old Today

Our baby is 2 today. She is such a blessing to us and in so many ways. A few things I love:


*the little girl sweetness.....there is nothing like it.


*that she is 100% girl, but can still hold her own with the boys.


*her love of babies....nurturing them, feeding them, changing them.


*the sassy part of her personality that catches us off guard.


*her laugh.....it's pure joy to hear.


*the way she talks....not just what she says.....but her sweet voice, too.


*her place in line....with two big brothers to take care of her....so happy how everything fell into place.


*a new bossy side emerging....which makes Jack a little nervous.


*her hugs and kisses and (finally) love of cuddling before bedtime.


A few pictures of our baby from birth until now:

Day 1. Our punkin arrives.

With her namesake, Caroline.

The celebrated paci.....she loved it for about 5 months. And, we did, too, because colic is such a very strong force to reckon with.

Growing up.....starting to crawl.

How she spent the majority of her first year....in the Baby Bjorn....so I could have my hands free to wrangle Jack, of course.

Curly Q.

Gorgeous eyes.....ever changing.

First summer.

Bathing beauty.

Her Catholic baptism.

One of my favorite pictures ever. Fitz, you gave her that top. Loved it!

Birthday girl....1 year old.....lots of hair, turning blonde.

Our only Colorado born kiddo.....hopefully she'll turn into a little tree hugging, earth loving environmentalist.

Sweetness sleeps.....always with Lamby, (now with Meow Meow, not pictured) and her baby.

So happy when she has something to nurture....like the kitty perched up on her arm.

Starting to look so big.

Messy fun.

Lovely, curly, long blonde hair.

Full of life and so much fun. She may be little, but her personality is BIG.


A party at home is planned for the evening......making homemade pizzas with the kids....cupcakes and presents and birthday fun.

Happy Birthday to our sweet baby Laine!!!!!!!

Soccer

First game on Saturday.....he loved it. Hasn't played since he was 3...barely 3 years old, mind you...(this should be illegal)....but it was crazy fun....Blake and I coached his team.

In the past few years, he's played football in the fall - both flag and tackle - and we felt like switching things up this year. So glad we did.

Doesn't he just look like a pro here?

That is a Casey profile if I've ever seen one.

Soccer is a fun change from football where sports got serious quickly. Not sure we should be so serious when he's still this young.

And, to our delight, he's really good at it! We had nothing to go on because 3 year old soccer consists of picking grass and watching airplanes fly over. But, Carter has some skills. Here he is after his first goal.....one of the only two scored today in their season opener.

Lainey missed it all because her dog had to eat. "Puppy hondy, Mama!" Priorities, people.

Back to the game.....he comes alive on the field......rallying his team and cheering his teammates on. I'm so happy he's having so much fun.

The crew post-game. Yes, Jack's shoes are on the wrong feet. He prefers them that way.

The Latest Scoop

Carter's first soccer game is tomorrow afternoon. We can't wait. HE can't wait. Reminds us every hour about his excitement. He hasn't played in years, so I was a bit nervous about how he would do. The kid is awesome! Happy he's having so much fun.

And, yes, he dresses himself for practice. Lord help me.

Our littlest punkin turns 2 on Monday. Monday!!!!!! I've been busy these past few days working on the details.....a family-only party at home.....didn't feel right about a big bash here in the neighborhood when we are still so new to the area.

"Hi, we've met once. Please come over and bring a gift."

Probably not the best manners. So, we'll have a little party here in town and then we're celebrating again at The American Girl Store in Dallas when we arrive in October.

And, a random picture with a funny little note... This was from Carter's first soccer practice. Blake met us there and upon unbuckling Jack from his car seat, he told Blake, "Nice pink shirt, Dad." Just like that. No fanfare. An observation and compliment. We weren't even aware that Jack knew we wore clothes, nor did he notice or have opinions about them. And, of all pieces.....his pink one......hilarious.

One more thing.....lots of people have asked about my new design. After admiring her banner-style headers for months, Sarah from Clover Lane posted a tutorial on how to make them. All you need is an hour and a simple Picasa download. Check her out. Love, love, love her blog! Oh, and be sure to change your template to a Minima Stretch via your dashboard. Know this, though.....the background options are much harder to come by with this template. Most of what I've seen are designed for the template I had before.

Enjoy your weekend!

Change Of Wardrobe

Shhh....don't tell Blake.

I found some old Halloween costumes while searching in the basement for my fall candles. Brought them out and the kids have had a ball trying them on. Strange capes from various costumes, "Blue" from Blues Clues, the precious pink octopus from last year.....all enjoyed again.

Then, Lainey had to go and get brave on me.





You're playing with fire, baby girl.

Playing with fire.

Movie Reviews

OK, here we go.


Taking Woodstock - (Demtri Martin); Any movie "based on a true story" immediately draws my attention. Like most people, I know this story already. I am a huge fan of the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin and other late hippies, so the music alone drew me in. It wasn't a great movie, but I enjoyed it. I loved learning more details about how it all came together.....the best concert in history.....still upset I missed it. Oh, wait. I wasn't born yet.

Did see the Grateful Dead's second to last show in St. Louis in '95. Nothing in the world like it. Makes me giddy with excitement in anticipation for my neuvo-hippie fest in October....Widespread Panic and the Allman Brothers! I can almost smell the patchouli.

Extract - Had high hopes since Mike Judge has created a few good movies (Office Space) and TV shows (King of the Hill). It didn't measure up. I love Jason Bateman and Ben Affleck, but the movie was pretty slow and the characters were not strong.

500 Days of Summer - One of my favorites of the year so far. Precious cast, creative plot, edgy feel and lots of good music. I could watch Joseph Gordon-Levitt (3rd Rock from the Sun) sing karaoke and dance through the park over and over again. Zooey Deschanel was intoxicating. The movie had an artsy direction, but not too much to turn off standard audiences. Highly recommend it.

All About Steve - When you have low expectations, it's hard to walk away disappointed. Go into it with that in mind, and you'll be fine. Sandra Bullock used to really annoy me and recently, I've grown to like her. Her quirky character was tolerable and Bradley Cooper can do no wrong (minus choosing scripts), but overall, it was weak.

Halloween 2 - Save it. Y'all know I'm a freak about Halloween.

I honestly had not seen a horror movie since I was a teen, I believe. Today's version of "horror" is quite different than what I knew in the likes of Poltergeist and Children of the Corn, way back when scary movies were suspenseful and psychologically thrilling. But, I was intrigued. After the 15th slaying, you kind of grow numb to the gore. Rob Zombie directed it, so it had a different feel. The funky cinematography reminded me of old Trent Reznor videos. Overall, it was horrific, but I didn't walk away despising it as much as I expected.

Looking forward to:

The Informant! - (Matt Damon); Based on a true story about the highest ranking corporate whistle blower in U.S. history....who appears completely ignorant to the penalties facing him as a result of his "spy" work....looks like all sorts of fun.

Love Happens - (Jennifer Aniston, Aaron Eckhart); Let's pause a moment first and ponder the title...hmmmm.....that took some soul searching. Another low expectation (no brainer), I'm sure. Jenny is so darn cute, though. I'll be there.

Fame - (doesn't matter); A classic remade. Excited about it.

I Can Do Bad All By Myself - (not familiar with the cast); Love Tyler Perry movies.

Capitalism, A Love Story - (Michael Moore); Have never seen one of his films. Catchy trailer caught my interest......likely will be a hit due to the economy's current state.

Under Our Skin - Documentary on Lyme disease. I know! Invite your friends and sneak in some popcorn. But, seriously, I'm curious about this subject and anxious to learn more.

Lo Mejor De Mi - (translation...The Best of Me); Latin American love story.

****Note - Take 5 minutes to research theaters in your area and you'll be surprised what great deals are out there right now. Two huge theaters in our town offer Monday-Thursday movies at $5 each, regardless of time. One sells all-you-can-eat popcorn and coke for $5. Another has BYOB on Tuesdays (bring your own bowl for free popcorn).

Our Fine Arts Theater (shows mainly independent movies) has free popcorn on Wednesdays for members of the Film League, which I will be joining soon. A nerdy club for movie lovers, t-shirt and early screenings? Don't mind if I do!