Caleb's Third Birthday

Caleb turned 3 in April, and to celebrate we went to Thomas' Day Out in Grapevine. We had a great time, though Caleb was definitely not eager to pose for photos. Caleb loved playing with the train tables, the bounce house, and especially riding the train. We had a great time celebrating with our family.








Aunt Janice, thank you for the xylophone! He loves it and plays it all the time....sometimes to a deafening decibel, but we're working on it :)
Caleb requested a chocolate chip cookie cake with Lightning McQueen and Mater on it, so I did my best! I LOVE to make my kids' birthday cakes!

Karis' First Birthday! (a little late)

Ok, I know her first birthday was exactly a month ago today, but at least I'm getting pictures up. I've decided this is just how it's going to be. I always have great plans to blog frequently, and I think of all kinds of things to say, but then there are other things I need to do or I forget.

Karis' first birthday was so great. Her birthday was on a Friday. She and Caleb and I just spent the day playing and then as a family of 4, we headed to Chick fil a for dinner, which she and Caleb both love. The next day we had a family party with all of the grandparents, great-grandparents and aunts and uncles. It was lots of fun, and Karis seriously loved her cake!

It's hard to believe she is already a year old (well, technically 13 months old today). In some ways this year has just flown by, and in other ways it has seemed very long with lots going on. But she is the biggest blessing - such a sweet, sweet girl. I think she just might be as loud as her brother, and she also loves to roar at him and her daddy as a way of saying hello. I really need to get it on video! At her 1 year Dr. appt. Karis weighed in at 18.6 lbs and 28 3/4 inches. She is in the 10-15th percentile for both height and weight - funny after having such a big boy first! My beautiful girl is so close to walking, which is very exciting to me! I can't wait to go to the park this spring and summer when they can both run around and climb and play.




I didn't mean for my fingers to get in the picture, but all I have to do is act like I'm going to tickle her, and she starts giggling. You can also see her teeth, which she now has 8.
Isn't this shirt so cute - made by her Aunt Missy - thank you!
I love making my kids' birthday cakes. My mom always made ours, and I always thought that was so special. I think this one turned out pretty well :)


LOVE this picture. She had such a good time eating that cake.
But it was very clear when she was done! Happy Birthday my sweet, beautiful Karis!

My big girl

Really? My sweet girl turns 1 tomorrow?! It's crazy to me that a year has already gone by. Karis is pretty funny these days. She's still all about her tongue...And she's walking while pushing a toy walker! Today she stood by herself for a couple of seconds, so I know it's not too much longer before I am really chasing her around. I think she's going to be quite a talker - she is constantly babbling. We've heard from lots of people that 2nd children tend to talk later and less, esp if their older sibling is very verbal. Caleb is definitely very verbal, but he didn't babble like this so young. I think in our case, Karis just wants to be like her big brother and will probably be quite the talker, too.

Karis has 7 teeth and has a very healthy appetite! But she still wants to do it all by herself, so she mostly only eats finger foods. My attempt with yogurt ended in a battle of wills, and I finally decided to let her win this one this time :) (see picture below!)

Anyhow, our sweet girl is growing up so fast, and if I think about it too long, it makes me a little sad. But it's also exciting to see grow and watch that personality developing. One of my nicknames for her is "feisty girl." She is just very feisty when she does or does not want something, and is getting the opposite, and she's very determined to do things on her own. As I was telling my parents that I realized this about her, they lovingly laughed and told me I was the same way!
So, that long tongue isn't the only thing she gets from her momma!


Thank you for the shirt, Auntie Jan!

She wanted to hold the spoon and the bowl, dip the spoon in the bowl, and feed herself. I finally relented, though I don't think she actually got any yogurt in her mouth! :)
Love this sweet, feisty girl of mine!

Caleb These Days

He has such a sweet smile, but it's so hard to get a picture of his real smile! Usually we get something like what you see below! Update on Caleb....I often jokingly tell him he's a nut. He has entered this hyper phase of unending energy. We try to run it out of him, but these crazy cold days have made that harder. I am so eager for spring.

Caleb is constantly cracking us up w/the things he says. As he gets older, it's so much fun to watch him playing. Today as he was heading upstairs for a nap, he asked if he could bring his stuffed Handy Manny to bed with him. I told him sure, so he turned to Manny and said "Hey Manny, you wanna take a nap with me?" Then, speaking for Manny: "Yeah, that would be COOL!"

Caleb was so happy to have Marc home almost all of last week due to the weather. So it was much harder for him when his daddy had to go back to work on Monday. When he woke up that morning, he went to his window to check and see if Marc's truck was gone. It was, and Caleb went to sit in his rocking chair by the window and said "Mommy, I'm sad. I don't like it when daddy goes to school and then work. I'm going to sit in the rocking chair until he gets home."
Me: "You're going to sit there all day?"
Caleb: "Yep"
He sat there for a few minutes and then decided it would be more fun to play. I am still just so impressed with his verbal skills.

Caleb and Marc going to play in the snow. Like the grocery bags around his shoes?! Brings back fond memories of my childhood.


See what I mean about the silly smile?! Love this sweet boy of mine!

Christmas 2010

We had a great Christmas this year! It was so great to spend time with all of our family members. (sorry you're not all pictured - I didn't get very many pics this year) First we spent the night with the Rose side of the family and had a great time together.
Then we headed to the Richards' side for the next night...also lots of fun!

The best surprise - my sister lives out of state and we didn't think we would get to see her for Christmas, but she showed up at my parents' doorstep Christmas Eve and surprised us all! It was so great to see her.


Caleb is the cutest reindeer I've ever seen :)
That girl and her tongue. Seriously, have you ever seen a baby with such a long tongue? And she loves to stick it out and play with it...too funny!


Marc and I decided that we will not do Santa with the kids. Instead we made a birthday cake for baby Jesus and then Marc read the Christmas story from Caleb's Children's Bible, complete with hand motions. The boys had a great time with it!

Love these Pics

My friend, Kelli, took these pictures for our Christmas card this year. I think they turned out great! My fave is the last one of the kids together. Kelli is starting her own photography business, so if you're in the metroplex and need some great pics, she's wonderful! Check out her website at www.kelliduhaney.com