10 months

I held a 1-week-old baby last week who is one pound heavier than you were at her age. I don't remember you being that small (smaller, actually) 10 months ago. You've grown so quickly. How have 10 months passed so easily?

You are lovely, bright, spirited, and just all over cute.


You are noisy now - making all kinds of sounds. You even mimic us sometimes. You say "mama" and we are sure you use it correctly. I'm really quite pleased "mama" is your first word. We've also been doing some baby signs. Caroline really gets into that part of your education. We are pretty sure you do "dog" (sticking out tongue and panting). Regardless, you know and love your dog and get so excited when he is patient enough to let you pat his back and tug his ears. It's just a matter of time before all these silly sounds and motions we make start to click in your amazing little brain.

You eat almost everything we eat. You love feeding yourself and get frustrated if I offer you too much from a spoon. Your very favorites are sweet potatoes, saltine crackers, toast, and pineapple.

Playtime is so much fun these days. You love playing hide-and-seek and "boo". You have discovered that splashing in Tigger's water bowl is very exciting. When the refrigerator door opens, you crawl as fast as you can to see what treasures you can grab from the bottom door shelf. Your favorite toy is whatever Caroline is playing with at the moment.

I have a hard time keeping up with you. I've caught you trying to climb onto Caroline's step stool. You love opening drawers and cabinets. You are bold and curious and adventurous.

I've said it one thousand times, but you adore Caroline. You search for her every morning and after every nap. You get so excited when we find her - bouncing in my arms, smiling, reaching out for her. You're very lucky to have such an awesome big sister.


(Winter dresses I made - blue corduroy jumpers with hand-embroidered snowflakes)

You have a shy side. If we are around someone new, you tuck your head into my shoulder and peek out at them. It's very flirty and endearing.

You aren't much of a snuggler. You almost always put yourself to sleep. I lay you down and you grab your lovey and fall asleep with very little fussing. I occasionally get to rock you to sleep at night after your last meal of the day. Rocking you (and your big sister when she was little) is a huge privilege to me. I love coming to get you out of your crib after your naps. You are HAPPY!



I have a hard time finding the right words to praise and thank God for the precious gifts He has given me in you and your sister. I find myself praying, "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you." It feels like such an inadequate way to describe how immensely grateful and joyful we are for you both.

The LORD is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.
My heart leaps for joy
and I will give thanks to him in song.
-Psalm 28:7

Marshmallow World

Funny girl

We saw a commercial for the Olympics and I got excited, telling Caroline all the things we'd be able to watch on TV.

Me: People will be ice skating and skiing and sledding!

Caroline: Yeah, and probably making snow angels, too!


At dinner one night, Caroline was telling Daddy about her day. One of the things she told him about was lunch. She said, "Mommy fixed me peanut butter and jelly for lunch. But I didn't want peanut butter and jelly. So I ate it sadly. Like this." She then makes the most mournful, depressed face I've ever seen. Similar to this one:

Tee-pee

The tee-pee...

There's a children's store just down the road from our house. I've never been in, but we walk past it to get to the world's most awesome children's book store (Blue Manatee). In the front windows sit two adorable fabric tee-pees. And guess what? Every time we walk past the store front (which is quite frequently because we all love books), I tell Kevin that it would be so cool to have one. Could I make it?

And this is when my husband normally tells me that I have too many ideas, too many unfinished sewing projects, it's more trouble than it's worth, just buy it if you want it. But not this time. Kevin came home, did the complicated geometry/trigonometry, and calculated how much fabric I needed.

The fabric arrived and we were able to put the entire thing together in a couple of late-night sewing sessions. I wish I had pictures of the construction process. I think we both thought this was going to be a royal flop. It is anything but a flop! The girls LOVE it. And I am really very proud that we were able to build this!



(If you want some generic guidelines to build your own, let me know. It was really very easy.)

I do have to tell you that for weeks before Christmas, Caroline was asking Santa for a "ladybug tent" that she had seen in a catalog. She was very specific about wanting a ladybug tent. We decided that this would take the place of the ladybug tent. I worried that Christmas morning would arrive and Caroline would look around and say, "Where's my ladybug tent?" Much to my relief, when she saw it and played in it she declared, "This is BETTER than a ladybug tent!" Whew!

Happy New Year!

From January 2010

We had a very quiet celebration at home and got two of our New Year's Eve kisses a little bit before midnight. It was perfect.

Every year, Kevin and I have a champagne toast. And every year at midnight we are bewildered as to why we choose to toast each other with a beverage we just do not like. There. I publicly admit it. Next year we're toasting with Blanton's or Disaronno or even Lorina. Remind me next year.

2009 was a fantastic year for us, full of change and adventure. I wish I could eloquently write about all God did for us last year. I see His work in so many little aspects of our year together and I am incredibly awed and grateful. We are eager to see what He does for us in 2010!

Christmas at our house

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Get your own

We waited until we returned home to do our family Christmas. Our third celebration was a very sweet time. Caroline was so appreciative of all her gifts and was so excited to see others open theirs. It's really fun and special to see her "get" Christmas. We all got some very nice things from each other: a new baby doll for Helen, bird-watching gear for Caroline, a Dremel tool for Daddy, an enameled cast iron skillet for Mommy (to name a few).

This week Caroline has been out of her regular activities, so I took the girls to the Newport Aquarium to see "Scuba Santa." It was kind of silly, but worth it to see my three-year-old's delight. Caroline has been asking us what Santa is doing now that Christmas is over and we've been telling her that he's probably sleeping. When she saw Santa scuba diving, she said, "SEE! I knew he wasn't sleeping!" Then she asked me, "Why is Santa scuba diving?" I told her he is on vacation and people sometimes scuba on their vacations.

Christmas in Mayfield and Paris

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Get your own

We had a great Christmas! There was baking, duck hunting, playing, eating, unwrapping, worshiping, celebrating, laughing, resting, merry-making. We were all sad when this Christmas came to an end.