Progress

This summer, it appears my blog adequately reflects our life. I have several posts in the que started, but not completed. Good intentioned posts neglected waiting for pictures to be uploaded. Parallels or never ending to-do list in preparation for baby dos. We've been cleaning out the garage to make room for cleaning out the office to move to the living room to convert to baby's room. And apparently, meeting the 5 year curse of home ownership, when our house becomes all 'needy' with repairs (think new a/c unit, bathroom plumbing issues, broken stove, doors, siding....etc.). With my fixer still on this ridiculous general surgery schedule, it's been interesting to say the least. I've had to let go of my expectations and redirect my nesting instincts to more feasible tasks.

I'd be remiss to bypass the pun and say we are taking it one step at a time.

But in all truthfulness, it is such a sincere blessing to be preparing to meet the guy behind this little foot. Although at times I have felt a bit overwhelmed by all the 'things' we have going on right now, I am humbly reminded that all of these 'things' are such wonderful gifts in my life that fill me with such joy and happiness. Hard to feel anything but grateful when put in perspective.

It still seems a bit surreal that in a few weeks, we will get to see his sweet little face.

But not so surreal when I'm faced with physical evidence to to contrary....

Hello, belly. You are 35 weeks and living large. Clearly.

This pregnancy has been relatively easy in many ways and I am quite grateful. The minor pregnancy related issues I had with Caris have been present in much smaller quantities. We've had different concerns, but right now I feel pretty good and I'll take it :) Although Texas is in a record heat wave, the drought has left our normally unbearable Houston humidity lower which makes it a bit more toreable from my perspective. We shall see what the final few weeks bring us.... I will say my morning treck including commute, Caris drop-off, med-center parking, and walk to the hospital is enough to want to relegate myself to the desk everyday. And since that can't happen and I reverse the trek for the p.m. I am pretty spent by the time I get home. I'm sure this will be more fun as time goes by :)

The nursery has the neccesities. The crib, bedding, and furniture are all accounted for. I've washed loads of blue clothes (quite different from the pink & purple I'm used to :). And baby has a place to lay his newborn head. So by all accounts, we are at a functional stage. Currently, baby's room is decorated with advanced degrees and textbooks, so we may be theming his nursery 'academia' as opposed to a more baby friendly theme, but all that will come together in due time.

So with all that said, baby CJ, the belly, and I are grateful for all of our helpers. From a sweet, sweet big sister (seriously, lil C is adorably sweet about her baby brother) helping put clothes away and picking up things mommy can't reach and being kind and patient to her hormonal mommy. To a loving, patient, and caring husband who spends his post-call days and sleep-deprived hours moving his office and checking off my growing list. To my impossibly energetic mother driving hours to help with the nursery and whip my tasks into shape and just help me survive daily life and my dad bringing dinners and helping with Caris when G is working nights, and for both for making so many things possible. To my caring sisters throwing a precious celebration for our boy and taking care of their niece and her momma with dinners, and chores, and extra hands. And to patient in-laws visiting and spoiling both babies with love and gifts and some much needed big sister attention. So appreciated. Clearly, it takes a village for me to function and raise a child.

And so we are making progress in this final stage. Tying up loose ends and curbing my anxiety to be okay when some ends remain loose. Waiting for September to arrive with hopeful anticipation, and encouraging baby boy to do the same :) (wait until September, that is).

I'm sure our life will be quite different a month from now!

p.s. I am 99% sure we have a name settled for baby CJ. But until the final % is tallied, we will refrain from public proclamation :)

Things She Says...

I love talking to Caris. So amusing and entertaining. At least to me... The things she comes up with constantly surprise me. Mainly because I want to remember this early stage of communicating and exploring language, a little recollection of some things she has said...I've tried to keep it as close to verbatim as possible...right down to the fact she calls us Mom and Dad the majority of the time. At least the bossy times...

'Mom, I need to brush your hair now.' (in a hurry I tell Caris we don't have time and need to go) she responds.....'Mom I need to brush your hair for just OOONNNNEEEEE minute' (emphatic one finger pointing). 'Turn around, Mom, we need to brush the other side'



(above picture, caris insists...) 'Mom can you tie my scarf like this? Just like Nancy Nancy scarf? I need my tutu and wings, too Mom! I look like Nancy Nancy!

'Dad, here we come! Mommy and Caris are walking outside together!' (she loves loves to say caris and -insert person- are doing something together)

'Dad! Dance with me! Mom! Dance with me! I need my Ariel, and the other princess. And my purplicious. Max! Dance with me! I need my scarf. And my wand. YAY!! All my friends are dancing with me!' (seriously, an almost nightly occurence is a commanded dance party with lil' C)

'Mom and Dad! Look at me. I dancing backwards (and so she does indeed turn and dance backwards) Now I'm dancing the other backwards!' (turns around and dances backwards in the opposite direction)


'Mom! Say good girl. Say good girl again. Say good girl Caris. Say good girl Caris again. Say good job Caris. Say good job Caris again.' (after EVERY time she goes potty)


(on seeing Daddy walk in the door wearing his scrubs after work) 'Dad, you work at the hospital? You fix people? Your clothes dirty Daddy! You need to change them.' (think we've had to explain why he can't hold her right away a few times? and then followed by...) 'Dad! Where's your shirt? It's somewhere else. Mom, Daddy needs his shirt! And shoes! Put your shirt on, Dad.'

'Okay. TWO books. Can we read that book again, Mom? First the Big Red Barn book THEN Flip Flop Fly! Last book.' (or some variation of this EVERY night. she would read books for hours if we let her)


'It's sunny outside, Mom! You need you sunglasses?' and 'It's raining! I get to wear my lady bug boots and my umbrella! Mom, where you boots?'

'Mom, where are you sparkle shoes? Oh. You not can wear sparkle shoes to work? Wear you sparkle shoes mom!' (after this discussion our morning routine has derived this little interaction...Caris loves to find my shoes when I am finishing our out-the-door routine) 'Mom, here are you work shoes! You wear these shoes to work, Mom? Not your sparkle shoes. Work shoes are too dirty for Caris to wear!'

'I eat crayons! NooOOoo (laughing). We don't eat crayons, we eat dinner!' (and other variations such as...) 'Mom, I eat my hair? NoOOooOOO!! I eat dinner! I eat people food!'

(Caris discovers her Daddy home asleep when she wakes up in the morning, this occurs only once or twice a month, and excitedly proceeds to try to wake up dad running on 4 hours average sleep) 'Dad! Wake up. Wake up Dad. (her persistence leads to Dad waking up and sitting on the side of the bed) NO dad. Put your feet on the floor and wake up, out of bed, Dad!'

'Mom! I can't do it. I'm too big! Help me please!' (Anything she doesn't want to wear/do or can't do she ascribes as too big. Usually she means the clothes are too small or she's too small to accomplish the task)

And Caris LOVES to have conversations with our puppy Max....she loves to have someone to boss around. Poor baby brother!


'Max! Look at my dress. You like my dress, Max?'

(we hear Caris outside whistling to Max) 'Daddy! Max is outside barking at people! No Max. No bark at people Max.' (she is always so direct and sweetly firm. It's funny!)

'Max! Help me! Come here Max! I need you to catch me!' (and enter a fairly decent attempt to whistle)


(Caris directs Max to the door and lets him out) 'Max, you go outside! No barking inside Max. You need to go outside now. No barking!'


'Max you not eat Caris' food. You eat dog food! It's in there Max. I got it for you already! You not eat my dinner' (pretty obvious what was occurring that spurred this conversation)

Fashionista

Caris loves accessories. Girl would wear her bracelets and necklaces everyday if I would allow. So on weekends, one of her favorite things to do is to hit up the accessory shelf to adorn her outfits to her heart's content. She is very specific and opinionated. And to be quite honest, it all kind of works. I have no sense of style but it seems my lil' C may have inherited what I lack. For last weekend's trip to Target, Caris insisted on both bracelets, a flower headband, and a 'braid pony' to go along with the pink dress and purple sandals she picked out on her own. I mean, who doesn't need to be fancy for a trip to Tar-get.

Caris has lately been very interested in her 'rain boots, brella, and rain jacket' since she got caught in a rainstorm at the zoo and scored a new 'brella from Susie a few months ago. Unfortunately, despite the lingering humidity, we have not had rain in quite a while and my persuasion to only wear such items when raining had left her lacking. Anytime she heard thunder and the promise of rain, she talked incessantly about her 'ladybug boots and 'brella when it rains'. And so her persistence paid off as on a rushed, stressful school morning when Caris picked out her ladybug boots to wear and put them on ready to go out the door, I gave in. And wouldn't you know girl proudly wore her rain boots all day long.

She knows what she wants, our Caris, down to the detail. This morning, after picking out the outfit she wanted to wear and getting dressed, she insisted 'I want to wear my hair long today, Mom. No ponies for school' (our typical school fixtures are ponies of the one or two variety. and yes, that is exactly how she talks these days). Then she proceeded to go pick out and put on her nice sandals on her own accord and there was no convincing her not to wear these shoes to school. So off she was, long hair and shoes on the wrong feet. Proudly independent and dressed.

Not only is Caris opinionated on what she wears, but she has taken things one step further to decide what MOM should wear. If I happen to not be dressed for work prior to Caris waking up, she loves to come pick out my clothes. Just this morning she insisted I wear a top that I have gotten more compliments on.....

Funny girl.

And in a seemingly related note, as seen in her statement above, for some reason Caris has decided to call me 'MOM' most of the time. Not mommy, momma, or any other child endearment. But Mom. Seriously. As one of her teacher's said, Caris went straight from toddler stage to pre-teen. Sass for sure.

Hey June

You are almost half-way done. Where have you gone? And welcome to the blog. I'm not sure what has been so busy in our June, but it quickly came and has quickly progressed.

As has this belly. Whoa momma. We are in week 27 and my thoughts fluctuate between feeling like I am so huge and it is so hot to ONLY be 27 weeks and feeling like I can't believe I have ONLY 12 weeks to get everything ready (at home and work) for this little one to arrive. So I guess 27 weeks is a fine place to be in the middle of those feelings. Hopefully I can get my act and house together and hopefully my daily growing self can survive this 100 degree weather and oppressive humidity.

June, I so wish I could participate in your introduction to summer daily. With Popsicles and swimming pools and afternoon naps. Our lil' C loves the water and discovered on our March vacation that she can swim all on her own with the assistance of floaties. But instead you are chores and work and etc. with a random sprinkling of summer fun. One day, June, we will have a summer to spend together again.

May ended with celebrations mixed in with busy schedules. Another fine place to be mixed in between. March and April have long since passed, yet I still have hopes of documenting our vacation, birthday celebrations, Easter, and graduation. And hey, it's June. I'm not sure how we got here so quickly.

But the arrival of mid-June means a few steps closer to Garrett finishing this punishing general surgery intern year and most excitingly, a few steps closer to meeting our little boy. I can't wait. For both. So June, go ahead and move along. Bring your heat. We will visit the pool and play in sprinklers and enjoy your summer nights when we can.

Hey, June. Thanks for introducing Caris to sno-cones. They were clearly a hit.

Big girl

My big girl. Seems like the last week or two has really seen some big girl transformation. I think (THINK) we can say that Caris is officially potty trained. I likely just jinxed this possibility, but we are going on a full week with no diapers at school, no diapers at nap, and have only had one accident (in the setting of an over-tired, over-excited, frustrated moment. kind of like a puppy).

But our big girl has done GREAT. We let her take the lead for a few months after she started showing interest way back when... But honestly, between holiday travel, birthday travel, vacation, followed by more birthday, big girl bed transition, and more holidays, fit in around work weeks and sandwiched between full weekends, I was not very consistent in training. (how's that for a disclaimer?). Mainly, we would just let C give things a try if she wanted, and then reward her by letting her wear big girl panties if successful. It worked. And I wasn't quite ready to give up diapers. But, two weekends ago, with a day home alone and no errands forcing our agenda, we gave it a go. Trained. Talked. And then worked through the week at home. By Friday, her teachers were on board and C had her first diaper free day!

So we went to Chik-Fil-A (which Caris literally asks for everyday) to celebrate with ice cream. Fun times celebrating our big girl!

And even with an eventful weekend, Caris stayed on track. And so far, hasn't had a single accident at school. She's even waking up dry from the night. And only will use the real big potty. She is proud, and also private. Doesn't really want to talk much about it; although she sure enjoyed her ice cream. I am proud and think I may be more excited than she is at how well it has worked. And thus the reason for my over-explanatory post.

In addition to the big girl potty, we have been in our big girl bed for over a month now. We ALL LOVE the big girl bed. Caris hasn't had any really problems with sleep, but in the recent months, started waking up more consistently at night. I think the issue was that she was too big for her crib and a bit uncomfortable. So thankfully, JJ and Susie gifted Caris with her very own big girl bed for her birthday. Words cannot describe how excited she was. Caris had been talking about her big girl bed since vacation a month prior and literally had been looking in magazines saying 'I want that big girl bed' for weeks. Needless to say she was ecstatic.

For the past month, she's slept like a champ. Asks for her big girl bed when she's sleepy and excitedly gets in by herself every night. She LOVES her 'pink big girl bed'. And we love how much it has helped her sleep. And my growing belly loves not having to lift 30lbs out of a crib.

My big girl all of the sudden has taken to discipline, remembers to say please and thank you without prompting, holds hands without arguing, and knows her boundaries. Putting on her clothes by herself, washing her plates, putting things away, and following orders. It's like it's clicking. I'm loving it and so is she.

Love my sweet 2 year old!! So big. My girl.

Solution

I realized after yesterday's post that I did, in fact, have a solution.

Two, actually.

But mainly one. Such a good solution that I did in fact marry him.

My husband is a great compliment to me in this area. He's the one who carries out my projects and operationalizes our goals. He is truly one of those people who if you give a task, he will not only complete but master. In no time at all. He's good at everything he tries and isn't afraid to try anything. It's one of the things I fell for. And is a real bonus for me! And double bonus: fairly certain Caris takes after her Daddy in this arena.

So what I realized, in my post-vent analysis, was there is a reason this list feels more daunting than usual.

My 'fixer' is missing. Currently working a 17 day stretch of 17+ hour days, following maybe one day off, with a previous stretch of 17+ hour nights, he's at max capacity. I so admire his hard work and dedication and honestly have no idea how he is functioning in his current state. Ridiculous.

But all that to say, clearly he's in no sort of state to fulfill my lists of wants. We definitely miss him for so many reasons during these crazy times. And I guess I can embrace the 'auto-pilot' function we are currently one as a result. I'm not the one working these seriously crazy days, sleep-deprived.

So for now, I am relegated to my solution #2. The iPhone. Seriously. My picture taker, video, developer, album, reminder, catch-all. At least I have that.

Solution #1 courtesy of Solution #2. See how great they both are? I am clearly very partial to always having my #1 as his pictures are much better and well organized. But thanks to #2, I at least have a picture for this post, readily at my literal fingertips, and providing documentation of my sweet girls birthday. Both have their place, I guess.

To Do

Right now, I am sitting at work thinking of all the things I need and want to do. But that I am not doing.

I have a life-long bad habit. Of wanting to do things. But never doing.

In our current state of affairs, I can blame it on being busy. Because that is true.

But what is also true is that if things were different and I were a bit less busy, I would find myself wasting time and never actually completing the things I wish I did.

There is the constant big-ticket have-to-do list that lingers over my guilty conscience undone. But what currently bothers is the even smaller things I wish I could 'check-off'.

My current wish list includes: make photo books (on my to-do list for both Caris' first and second birthday), do one of those blog-to-book things, frame some of our favorites, write letters and cards to many a folks, organize our family photos, clean out closets and nooks and crannies (p.s. what are crannies??), put up the pile of clothes waiting for me in our bedroom, plant flowers, swim lessons for Caris, and various other agenda items. Really, simple items that I find slipping by constantly undone.

My intentions seem simple enough, and then so quickly, a year passes and I have yet to enroll in the class we wanted to take, or see the play we promised we would go to, or go to the fun place we always say we should go to. Somehow related to this is the fact that I also found Christmas books and Easter books this year still out that I swear I was just telling myself to put away.

So I sit here, or sit there, letting another hour pass by. And then look back realizing what I should have done with that hour I wasted. I blame it on this fact or that and let the simple things be pushed to the side. And I guess hoping that somehow by writing the fact will somehow make it go away. Or magically get done.

A New Face

As meaningful follow-up to my previous post, and also perhaps a reason behind my blogging infrequency and negligence of significant matters...

It's time to introduce our newest face!

Our sweet baby BOY due to arrive September 13th. We are overjoyed to be expecting a new addition to our little family and excited for what is in store for our growing group.

Right now, I am almost 23 weeks along and enjoying the benefits of the second trimester. Belly still small enough not to be completely uncomfortable but big enough to 'show' off, feeling the baby move, preparing for his arrival, and feeling pretty well overall! It's been a very, very full past 4 months and things have been a little crazy (crazy good, but still crazy!) but we've made it past the halfway point and are excited to shake things up with a boy at the house!

This pregnancy has been quite different from my previous in many ways. I was (am?) much more fatigued, particularly during the first trimester when coupled with a few other little medical hiccups. With Caris, I was nauseous almost constantly but never 'sick' and with this little one, I felt much better overall, but when the nausea hit, was definitely 'sick'. From early on, we could tell from ultrasounds and finding the heart rate that this little guy is already much more active than his sister, who we used to bribe with sugary treats for in-utero peeks and is still our lounging/snuggling queen. The weight gain/belly growth I think has also been different. I have been able to fit in my clothes much longer this time around, but I think I 'showed' baby sooner. It seems to be going by MUCH quicker, chasing a two-year old and working and managing the house speeds the process along! I feel a lot less anxiety about what to prepare and each nuance of pregnancy. It's been nice! Fun to see how different things can be from the get go.

And of course, the big gender reveal! We love finding out the gender and were both very excited to see what we had in store this time. I honestly had a feeling it was a boy because I just felt so different, but at the same time, with all the girls in my family I felt that surely it was a girl! We kind of lucked out because one of our good friends was on a rotation that gave her access to an ultrasound machine. So, we got an early few peeks on a few nights she was on-call. It was kind of fun, sneaking up through the hospital with Garrett, late at night, Caris at home with a sitter, and spending time alone with our new little one. The first try, Garrett left VERY convinced it was a boy (and Garrett isn't easily convinced of these types of things). The second peek was just me and my friend, and at that point, we were both convinced.

Blue it was! Our 20 week sonogram confirmed our early peeks and now we are into all things boy! I think since we are inundated with all things girly, pink, and purple with Caris, we are wanting VERY boy type things. Blue, green, animals!! So fun.

We think Caris is excited to be a big sister. She seems to get it. Largely in part of the fact that my sister just went through the process and Caris LOVES baby Annabelle. Although for awhile, when we would talk about the baby in Mommy's belly, she would point to it and say 'Baby Anbelle?' Now she calls it 'Mommy's baby. Baby brother'. She is sweet and cute already about the baby. We took her with us to the 20 week ultrasound and she loved seeing the baby on the big screen. A few weeks later, we were watching TV and a commercial with a sonogram picture came up and she said 'Look! Mommy's baby is on TV!' I got such a kick out of that.

We can't wait to meet our new little BOY!! It's such a joy to see how our family is emerging and what that looks like for us as we build our little life. It's been I'm sure I will be more than ready come September after spending a summer in Houston pregnant....

What a sweet blessing this little guy is already. Now if we can just agree on a name....

A Mother's Day

As the day entitled 'Mothers' made it's presence known in well-wishes, marketing, and celebration, I couldn't help but reflect on what mothering means to me and what being a mother truly is. Yes, the reflection was in the setting of a highly hormonal, tired, and alone momma, so it was definitely swayed towards the sappy. Advanced apologies if you attempt to read...

Primarily, I was honestly overwhelmed with the sense of thankfulness. So many people make it possible for me to be a mother. I truly couldn't do it alone. We have such a network of support that surrounds us, making it possible to be in this stage of life and to enjoy motherhood. We are attempting to balance two careers along with the financial commitments of school and residency. Truly, couldn't do it alone.

We have Grandmothers who are willingly available to help out in school closures and work commitments and who never visit empty handed, helping with holidays and birthdays and every-days, and who care for Caris the way only grandma's can. Grandfathers who support us and have a special bond with lil C. Sisters/in-laws (Aunties) who love Caris like their own and are the best gift-givers, helping with babysitting and stepping in where mom needs help (primarily in keeping Caris fancy and her hair fixed). Uncles always up for fun with lil C and willing to offer an extra set of carrying arms when Daddy's aren't available. Friends walking through this stage with me, sharing mom advice and trials and planning escapes when needed. Teachers who truly love our girl and make her day great. And of course, husband/father/friend, walking beside my crazy mommy analysis, picking up pieces where needed, and actualizing our family dreams. These people are the reason I am even able to celebrate a Mother's day. Without them, I truly could not be a mother.

And then there was reflection on the Mother's Day. My third, hard to believe. The first spent in the blissful delirium of a two-week old baby. A day I remember vividly; rocking my sweet girl in the warmth of the sun in my newly gifted Adirondack rocker, savoring the newness of motherhood. The second spent with a joyful one-year old and a happy husband, lots of family, and a fancy dinner. Thrilled at what the past year of mothering brought.

This year I found to be most poignant in it's own way. A day planned to be low-key, with my girl, being her mommy. I was home alone with a two-year old in fine two-year old form. Starting off our day with promise, reading books snuggled in bed. Then quickly followed by a breakdown surrounding blackberries. And it was a kind of downhill from there. We had moments of pure mothering joy; dancing silly to loud music in the kitchen, cooking together, and snuggles on the couch. But my girl was in her own mood and mind, and the day was dictated by fits and resistance as the driving force. I spent my day 23-weeks pregnant, managing a toddler's moods, cleaning after a week gone, cooking, and preparing for house changes. We had peanut butter sandwhiches for lunch and macaroni for dinner. I faced my insecurities on gravity of parenting a strong-willed two-year old and the thought of having two littles. It was mothering. And very fitting.

I thought about my own mother, who spent her weekend driving across Texas to help her girls. Who spent a week taking care of Caris while I was gone and did chore after chore and gave gift after gift. Only to spend her Mother's Day home alone with her girls away. I thought about how mothering, at its essence, is self-sacrificing. And how that has been given and demonstrated to me throughout my life. We don't even realize growing up how much our own mother's gave us because they have given so much from day one that it embodies who they are and defines our relationship.

I thought about how beautiful the gift of self-sacrifice truly is. What a precious blessing to be given a mother's heart. Truly, something that can only be explained by a loving offering from our Creator. How a mother can have a day filled with tantrums, or teenage attitude, or newborn sleeplessness and savor each moment and cry at the thought of having to go to work the next day. How the tiny moments of silly smiles, sweet dances, little kisses, and funny quips override the moments of hitting, crying, and demanding. I am so thankful for the provision of a mother's heart.

The gift of a mother's heart is precious and I feel lately challenged to manage it responsibly. Taken in the wrong direction, context, and without guidance of God, sacrifice can turn into something unrecognizable. To nurture the gift of self-sacrifice with joy, selflessness, and love. To be pure in it's virtue and honest in the delivery. And to remain thankful that each day is a Mother's Day.

The Second Year

We've arrived at year two. I want to remember Caris at this sweet age; it's such an enjoyable stage of life. The last several months have brought such growth and development. We have been constantly amazed at each little shift as our toddler takes on the appearance and attitude of a little girl.

Mainly, it's the talking that makes us feel our toddler is more big girl. We have conversations with our little one, such a natural progression that I'm not so sure when they began. I love (as I've said in the past) watching the nuances of language develop. Caris uses pronouns correctly, uses plurals and correct tenses, descriptors and directions, and so many other language details that surprise me daily. She tells us her likes and dislikes clearly and is quick to tell us just what she wants :) I love hearing her sweet voice. I don't get too many phone calls from Caris (as I'm usually the one facilitating the calls) and was shocked on a recent phone call at just how grown up my girl sounded.



She is girlie, our little one. Although still not sure of the origins, we are embracing. All things pink, purple, frilly, colorful, and accessorized. She LOVES fixing her hair and feeling pretty. Braids, rollers, bows, ponies, and 'two ponies' all favorite requests. She opines on her daily wardrobe choice, prefers dresses and sparkly shoes, and oohs with excitement upon receiving new clothes. I'm a little out of my league in this area, but luckily we have a good team of girls for back up :)

Caris loves books and has begun to participate in one of my favorite little one activities by reading along with the reader. She anticipates the next page and reads along as we go. Sometimes she reads alone, telling the story from her own unique perspective. I love that she knows her books. She would read for hours on end if she had the option :)

My lil C seems to embrace learning. She picked up on her Alphabet letters quite easily and can now identify the majority of her letters, even the 'Mommy/Daddy letters and baby letters'. She loves to sing 'Now I know My ABC'. She counts to 14 for some strange reason, but half of the time 8-10 is ocho-diez. I think we had a Little Pim confusion in that learning process....

Caris loves to sing songs. She knows a few favorites and sings her sweet little heart out. Her favorite song to sing, which she literally will sing and dance around to for an hour goes something like this 'Homily, Homily. Homily, Homily'. We have no idea what this song is. If it's real, made-up, or modified. I inquired as to what 'homily' was and was answered with a sassy dance. So who knows. She does love to dance indeed. Adding versions of skills such as 'arabesques, curtsies, and pirouettes' courtesy of Angelina Ballerina. Dancing with the Stars if an absolute favorite. And little one recently dance for three hours straight at a party. Girl loves some music.



Right now, Caris loves animals, babies, princess Rapunzel, dolls, and playing house with small figures. She is in the midst of imagination and pretend. Forks and spoons have been know to 'Go to sleep' under napkins at dinner and she happily shows her animals new things and adventures.


I love watching the complexities of her personality emerge. She is full of both complexities and personality, this little one. She has a sensitive and sweet heart. Offering sympathies and running to the aid when she hears someone crying. She loves to be close to her mommy and has a need for down time and mommy time. She is loving to her sweet baby cousin and initiates kind acts of giving. She was so thankful for each of her gifts and her friends and gave hugs to all. With this sensitive heart comes sensitive emotions and Caris is not shy in expressing how she feels. Caris knows what she wants and is quite assertive. She is a little 'boss' at school (and home) and is comfortable directing others and leading the way. She is talkative and expressive and colorful. She is stubborn, independent, strong-willed, and opinionated. Loving, silly, sweet, and sassy. I love seeing how the intricacies of her personality form.

She is constantly inquisitive. Our conversations are filled with 'Why Mommy? But why Mommy? Why (continued until I can no longer answer....) What happened to....(insert innumerable subjects) ... Mommy?? Where is (anyone)??? Where did (anyone) go??'


We have tried to capture our 'classic Caris' moments in video form to remember this special time. From her funny habit of 'cheers-ing' anything from water to cheese, to her cutie smile, bossing Max around, and happily singing, I want to remember it all. Caris, you are precious to us and I am so grateful to share in the joy of who you are. I can't wait to see what the next year has in store!

Birthday Girl - 2Birthday Girl - 1 Birthday Girl - 0

Two

Happy Birthday to my sweet girl!!! Celebrating two has been fun. And turning two has been exciting for our lil' C.

I assume because of the recent abundance of birthdays in her classroom the previous few months, Caris has been very attune to the celebrations of birthdays recently. She associates candles, cakes, and crowns with birthday celebration and routinely asked upon seeing said items, 'Happy birthday to me??'

I tried to educate Caris that her birth-date was April 20th and that (at the time) was in two months. She easily got down that she was turning two and when inquired by others, would answer 'I'm TWO' so I would follow by 'on April 20th' 'next month' 'two months' whatever the qualifier.

Apparently that morphed into something that appears to be 'Two Minutes'. And thus the video explanation.

We have been looking forward to celebrating our girl this week. And celebrate we are doing. We've had special events, friend events, morning birthday surprise, school events, traditions, favorites, challenges, tantrums, adventures, and gifts and soon to be family events. I hope to recount soon :) But safe to say our Caris has felt special and loved this week. She gets it.

We spent the birthday together as a family. Celebrating and reminiscing two years of a precious life. It was a sweet day (although quite eventful) and we were grateful for a special time together with our girl.

I am forever thankful for this little life introduced to us two years ago. My sweet Caris brings so much joy and enriches our lives. We are honored to be her parents. I think it's the best thing we have ever done :)

Happy birthday to my beautiful, spirited, loving, funny little girl!!! We love you and are overjoyed to celebrate your life.

(pictures and updates to follow! and a special update from my sister :)

Tasks

My lil C loves tasks. In this (and SOO many other ways) she is JUST like her Daddy. I have said for awhile now that Caris and her Poppa G will most definitely bond over task related activities. And will stubbornly clash heads in many other areas....(SO alike, I tell you, these two).

I've watched this prediction become truth. Caris loves a task with her Daddy and her Daddy loves a task, so it works out well. Caris loves to cook alongside Mommy or Daddy and help with little tasks. Especially if she's allowed to 'Sit on the Counner? I want to sit on the counner and cook'.

But she really loves working outside with Daddy. These two have spent many evenings and weekends working on various yard projects.The most consistent being a 'shovel dirt and remove from path' task.

Garrett equips Caris with her own little shovel, gloves, and bucket and off they go. Caris happily working alongside her daddy for long stretches of time. Shoveling dirt, placing it in the wheelbarrow, proudly completing her work.

So, the past few weeks, when I have arrived at Caris' school, I have found Caris working away in the play-yard. Happily shoveling wood chips and carefully carrying them to a little wheelbarrow. Apparently, she does this for long stretches of time. Daily. Her teacher said that over years of being in the classroom, Caris is the first child she has seen actually use the shovel to load the wood chips.

I found it hilarious. And fitting.

Missing the bus

My girl loves buses. She loves the song, the idea, spotting buses, and riding. I think it may legitimately be her favorite thing right now. The picture above is her face upon riding a 'bus'.

We play a little game on our daily commute. A game developed by Caris herself. Spot the bus. She has baby bus (Taxi cabs) and mommy buses (the mini school bus) and the coveted prize of finding a daddy bus (the BIG bus). Yellow bus are fun. And then there are the 'city buses'. With the baby, mommy, and daddy categories established as well.

We spend our morning searching for buses. 'Two buses, Mommy I see TWO buses!' That's what we call jackpot. And each sighting is promptly followed by 'I need more buses!'. Her excitements level is kind of off the charts with each bus sighting.

We have had a few prized opportunities to ride buses on recent occasions to various events. THE highlight of the adventure. Not the event we paid good money to attend, but the bus ride to the event....She cried when she left the bus and begged for it to return. And she STILL talks about riding the bus over two months ago...

Girl loves bus.

And so we play the bus game and sing the bus song on our commute. Easy entertainment. And it seems I've grown attached, accustomed to this tradition.

March came and went with strange occurrences. Regular pick-up and drop-off were interrupted by spring break, vacation, daddy-time and family time. Our commute was deferred.

And I missed the bus.

I found myself spotting buses on my way to and from work. Wanting to talk to show them to my girl, who I knew would be thrilled with excitement. But I had no smiling face greeting me with enthusiasm. No toddler searching for 'More Bus?'

The last few weeks, we have welcomed back regular programming in full force. With Garrett working nights and 16 hour days, it's just Caris and I back in our commuting saddle. It's been a challenging past weeks.

But when I feel myself getting frustrated and complaining about the annoyances of traffic and length of time in the car, I'm reminded.

By a sweet, excited, smiling girl proclaiming happily, 'I see a bus!! Mommy, I see two buses! There is a mommy bus! And a city bus! A baby bus!'

I'm reminded. Of where simple joys can be found. And as much as I wish Caris could go back to her easy schedule, I'm thankful for the times we have finding buses together. So I'll take these moments. And remember. Life is a little sweeter when we look for the bus :)

Blog Interrupted

A little 'technical' intermission and explanation. I've had issues. Mainly, blog and Internet issues. Boring, but true. Felt I owed my blog a little explanation for my neglect :) Between my blog disappearing, email being scammed, Internet down at home, computer and office switch at work, and apparently compatibility issues with my Mac Air and uploading pictures, this poor blog hasn't stood a chance. But we are here. And have missed some great moments. I feel like this little blog is kind of like any other relationship; the longer you are away, the easier it is to make excuses for. But then you realize how much you miss this little project. And the inspiration and creativity is allows. Hopefully we will be back to regularly scheduled programming with a few new additions soon.... Not so much that I think our 5 family members who read this are really all that sad for the interlude, but at least it's a little project I can accomplish :)

Discipline

Disciplining an almost-two-year old is fun.

I seriously almost just left this post with only the above sentence. Because I'm pretty sure I don't have to elaborate on that much. Anyone who has, had, or been around a two-year old knows that they can be a challenge. Independence, Opinions, Abilities, Frustrations, Wants, Needs, Mine all collide into a mess of frustrations. Called being two.

In all honestly, Caris is a pretty good little toddler. Hilarious, always, which certainly keeps things joyful. And I am thankful for a few things that have worked in our favor. She is very verbal, which has REALLY helped work through frustrations. She follows directions well (thanks to school) and loves to be a helper, so I kind of know how to refocus. She is not overly physically active, either, which makes it easier to keep things corralled. And she went through an independent-my-way streak a little earlier, so we've worked through some of that. Those things help.

But still. Discipline is fun.

Too be honest, I have always been very nervous about my ability to discipline. A little too tender-hearted, a little too over-analytical, I felt I would very much struggle in this area. And truthfully, I have no idea really what I'm doing. I know there are tons of theories, books etc. out there and I have done my share of reading. But what I am learning is much like what I learned in the infant stage.

It kind of comes naturally. You can read, analyze, research, and worry to death. But what I have found, is if I give myself some time and really listen to Caris and watch how our personalities interact, we can end up with a much more workable solution. That most of the time, end up looking quite similar to one of the never-ending researched theories. I found this to be the case in nursing, feeding, developmental stages, sleeping, all sorts of things I worried myself too much over.

In the end, doing what is best for my daughter and our family works out just fine. It takes time, no doubt. And it takes doubt, for a time. But you find your way. Together.

I get lots of opinions, ideas, and advice. My degrees were in related fields. I know the knowledge is there. But what works best? My instincts. I truly never really felt I would have the 'Motherly' demeanor. But it's there. And I am learning to try to trust it.

That being said, disciplining a two year old is fun.

Particularly when you know the reason they are acting up is because of fatigue (that I've contributed too) or valid source of excitement or varied other explainable reasons.

But we are entering a stage where our discipline looks much more structured. And I am becoming much more cognizant of how to enforce. And with all that being said about finding our way and what works best for you, I'd love to hear what works for others. Ideas to add to the toolbox
never hurt :)

Right now, here's a little of what we are doing: We do a lot of 'serious talks, look at Mommy's eyes', showing appropriate uses of hands, telling mad feelings to walk away, persistently focusing on a solution until an 'I'm sorry' or remedy is utilized. I've started to try do some 'take aways' and rewards, mainly in the form of books. That isn't working great. Does it just take time? I could probably go on, but I'm finding kind of hard to extrapolate implementation into words :)

Disciplining a two year old is fun.

The overarching thing I've come to realize, is that with lots of love and lots of patience, technique is kind of secondary. My most successful forms of discipline come when I am PATIENT and don't let my emotions get in the way. And I let LOVE dominate the interaction. Truly, I think those two things are the most important and successful way to discipline. I am hoping if I focus on those truths, the little techniques will fall into place.

But really, would love to get some feedback from those who have been there and are doing that :)

Por que?

Caris has entered a 'Why?' stage as of late. Meaning, every provided answer she follows up with an inquisitive 'But why Mommy?'

Por ejemplo - 'But why are there no oranges in the car Mommy?' 'Because the oranges are at home in the refrigerator' 'Oh. Why Mommy?' 'Because oranges have to stay cold and it isn't cold in the car.' 'Oh'

And so on and so forth.

'Why' finds itself pleasantly inquired throughout the day. It's pretty funny. And I've found myself really starting to have to think. Really? Why is that cat sitting on the car? Not so sure.

And why Por Que?

A current favortive Caris item is her Little Pim videos in Spanish. Garrett got these for C as her Christmas gift. And although we were both teased for our nerdy presents (thank goodness for fun aunties and uncles and baby loving grandmas) Caris seriously loves these videos. She asks for them on par with the amount of times she inquires for 'George' videos and 'Toy Story'. Plus she loves the Pim doll.

We've loved them too, subsequently. And they have become our car-to favorite. Caris loves them and they seem to really work. C loves saying 'Adios! Hasta Pronto!', Pim's signature statement.

So the pre-emption for the orange/why conversation has a direct correlation to Little Pim. In the midst of a Pim video, I hear Caris begin asking for something. Becoming more persistant. VERY persistant. But I can't quite figure out what it is she is asking for.

Finally, I realize she is making an attempt at saying 'Naranja'
Oh, you want Oranges! Yes, Orange!
Which is currently on Caris' top food list, she goes through 3 a day. Goodness. I should have known.

Needless to say, I may want to brush up on my Espanol.

I wonder how long until she starts in with Por que??

This weekend...

We are celebrating Garrett's entry into the next decade, welcoming the Big 30. I think I MAY be a bit more excited than he is :) We have a few things planned for this weekend and next and I am hoping it provides some much needed relief from this CRAZY work schedule/little sleep he's been on lately. Friends, family, dinners, trips, and celebrations are in the works. Hopefully all add up to a little stress relief and celebrate the 30 years of life that have made a GREAT man, husband, father, son, brother, friend.

We've been prepping Caris for the birthday weekend. Apparently there have been quite a few birthdays lately at school, so she has come home from school lately singing 'Happy To you Birthday'. When you ask her whose birthday it is, she emphatically insists 'MINE'. Just before this little video I convinced her it was actually Daddy's birthday and she got real excited and started to sing 'Happy to You Birthday Daddy'. As soon as I got the camera out, a tired, hungry girl resorted to this:

I think somebody is going to REALLY love her birthday this year.

Let's hope she gets on board with Daddy's birthday before this weekend.... :)

Ps and Qs and Ws

(yes, I totally left Caris in her pajamas on a weekend morning and let her pair them with a tutu and rain boots and - her choice, clearly - then play outside for a few hours. hey, it worked. but I won't even tell you what my outfit looked)

And to the title point.....

We've been introducing the Please and Thank yous from the outset. I'm sure most parents know the drill. A little modeling, a little insistence, etc. Caris began with utilizing sign language for please, which too be honest, I didn't quite pick up that was what she was doing for awhile.....that's good parenting right there. And then the 'thank you' was a bit delayed in usage.

So this morning, during our little daily commute, an opportunity arose from a little grape sharing to instill some Ps and Qs.

Caris, say please if you want another grape.

PEEASSEE (with the sign still utilized, the same when she asks for more)

And then what do you say when someone gives you what you ask for?

Silence.

Say Thank you!

Thank you!!

And then, Mommy says Your welcome!

And the rest of grape-sharing was repetition. That went like this....

Pleaaase more grapes Mommy!

And after someone gives you what you ask for? Now what do you say?

Thank you! I Welcome!!!

Not the intended lesson, but apparently now the thank you is now always immediately followed by 'I Welcome!'

I'm guessing she'll figure it out. But for now, we will take a W with our Ps and Qs.

Which, incidentally, are three of Caris' favorite letters? Along with O and S. Caris LOVES naming her letters.

Okay, random post. Concluded.

Perhaps I will have a post with real pictures and coherency soon.

No promises.

Embracing Purple

There is irony found in the color.

Perhaps without reason (or perhaps with) I have throughout the years been a self-proclaimed loather of purple. For some reason, I turn my nose up at the presentation of purple in all of it's forms. No one is quite sure why, myself included. But this is a legitimate, long-standing conviction I've held. Visibly making faces when presented this as a color option in my wedding flowers, I declared no purple be present in any bouquets! No purple! It's been a running joke in my family.

My search for baby room decorations were insistent on no evidence of purple. I sought blues, yellows, and greens. I picked clothes out in tones of grey, brown, orange, and blacks and whites. I begrudgingly allowed the presence of pink to be present, but honestly, not without convincing and in minimal presentation. Pink, as it turns out, is just too precious to pass up in little girl form.

But purple, I stuck to my convictions of No Purple! No Purple! Be allowed in my little girls room or attire.

And so, naturally, Caris began to show preference for the purple. And as a tongue-in-cheek fun, my mom began to indulge the purple. It became a thing. Caris always choosing the purple clothes. Purple being her first color recognized and a clear word utilized. And then enter purplicious.

So I am embracing the purple. Dressing Caris in the color multiple times a week, seeking out purple ice cream, and finding purple accessories to make our purplicious girl smile. Purple, it seems, has made it's way into my wardrobe, my decor, my vocabulary. Caris requests purple clothes and purple shoes, and I don't argue.

Embracing the purple. Clearly metaphorical, teaches me so much. Caris is already such a strong personality. She is fully Caris. She is sweet, loving, strong-willed, opinionated, bossy, sensitive, moody, hilarious. Introverted at times and loving the center of attention the next. She is attentive to detail, particular, creative, and stubborn. And this is evident before she is two. Caris will be who she is. Pieces revealing themselves over time. In the friends she chooses, hobbies preferred, career desired, interests invoked. And likely, wearing purple.

And whatever projections, imaginations, pre-conceived notions I have or had of my first born are side notes. Yes, my little C may love rocks and trees and birds as I dreamed when I created her nature themed room. She loves books, as I both hoped and feared (you would too if you saw her Dad's book collection and associated expenses).

But unpredicted, she also loves all things fancy. Glitter shoes. Fancy Nancy. Boas. Tutus. Bows. Dresses. Performing. Dancing. Purses. And Pink. And mostly Purple. Shoes were her third word. Purse was her second. Purple is definitely her most used.

So I put my carefully chosen neutrals in the back of the closet. I allow her to choose her purple. And today, I totally gave in and let her wear purple sparkly dress shoes to school. And I sat back and inwardly laughed as she pranced around in a frilly tutu and girly tights. These things make her smile. They express her joy. They are of her choosing.

I hope I remember this lesson throughout the seasons of life we travel with Caris. In whatever form Purple takes throughout our lives. I hope that I remember to embrace it as fully Caris.

Because you know what? The purple flowers my florist snuck in totally make the arrangement. And the new purple clothes I've added to my wardrobe have received many a compliment. And I even surprisingly found myself looking for purple bedding for our big-girl room (clearly, the more classically toned. I may be embracing, but I have my limits).

We can all benefit by welcoming a bit of unexpected Purple into our lives. And embracing its impact. I have my little purplicious lady to thank for the addition of color to my life. I'm sure there is much more to come.

Purplicious

We are in a state of purple. Purplicious, to be precise. A favorite book which has now become a favorite word and a favorite adjective. We aren't convinced it is completely associated with a favorite-dcolor. Although preference to the purple is certainly indicated. More a fun word, A fun book, A fun obsession. Caris can be heard invoking an 'I NEED' purplicious book. Mornings getting ready for school most often sound like this: 'Mom, I need Purplicious shirt. I need a purplicious shirt. I need a purplicious pony.'Anything can be persuaded with the addition of a purplicious adjective. And the other night, Caris on a random night-time wake up, woke up sweetly yelling for 'I need some Purplicious milk, Mommy!'. Purple milk?? pretty sure we have no such thing. Whoever, just an adjective to demonstrate favor to the beverage of desire. Oh, our sweet little purplicious lady.

Thursday's Belated Edition

A little story about my lil C.

Monday morning, we arrive at Caris' school to discover, 'WOW' new work! A clearly excited Caris takes off to investigate. And what does she discover but a true love of her heart, a new baby. Joy and love is instantaneous. Caris takes the new baby and proclaims 'My baby my baby!' and sets of to comfort, rock, and dress baby. I am quick to remind Caris (as I spy little eyes closing in) that this baby is the school's baby and must be shared.

On pick-up, there is my sweet girl once again excitedly showing me her new found joy. 'My baby' is adored. And with some convincing, she leaves baby in her little crib. 'Baby stays at school' I remind her. And so we set off for home. Leaving baby for another day.

That evening, sitting with Poppa G at dinner, I coax Caris to tell us about her day. I try the normal questions, who did you play with, what did you do, what did you eat. Lil C indulges us with obligatory responses for a bit.

And then, she stands and proceeds to go into a lengthy and involved description. Mainly nonsensical to us, it was clear her little speech was full of information we could not glean. She was purposeful and direct and animated. Looking at us and talking along, knowing we could understand.

With her soliloquy drawing to a close, Caris looks at her Daddy straight in the eyes. One hand perched on her hip, the other raised up at her side, hand in the air. Serious, she was indeed, expressed through her eyes and tone. She begins shaking her head and says clear as day:

'But Daddy, you can't take that Baby home.'

You think she heard that a few times that day? And don't you know she had been thinking of that baby all evening?

Again, not sure if I can quite do this poetic justice. But I seriously laughed about this ALL evening. I mean, girl was downright focused.

'You CAN'T take that baby home'

Re-adjusting

Along with resoling, I am also readjusting. To life after Holidays. I've heard the sentiment is shared, but it feels like I look up after the span from Halloween to New Years and realize we've been in three months of beautiful chaos. Wonderful at the time, no doubt. But packed full of celebrations, travels, plans, and preparations and ending with an assimilation of an entire new batch of goodies to fit into our already taxed space.

Don't get me wrong, I love every second of the celebrations and the remnants, but I think this is where he resolutions come into place. It's as if you exhale from it all and realize, you gotta get a grip on this thing we try to function in daily. We resolve to turn away from the holiday indulgence of foods and the lax in normal workouts to make room for celebrations. Out of necessity we resolve to purge and cleanse to make way for the new excitements and the new year. We make lists of good habits to hope for as they fell by the wayside with our prioty preperations. The fun and relaxation has come to an end and the list of to-dos shows up in stark contrast.

So thus the readjustment.

Although my 'holiday break' consisted of one winter holiday day and an extra used day of PTO, it felt like a holiday break in some ways. Caris' school was closed and we had grandmas and aunties serving as babysitters in it's stead. That meant no drop-off, a little later sleeping and coinciding later bedtime, no fighting to get out the door, no pick-up, no late afternoon meltdowns, no rush to get home to get in dinner/bath/bed in an hour, and the bonus of fun family activities in the evening. It was refreshing.

Our return to roles of student and working-city-mom has not come easy. We've had a few of those morning bodering on disaster. Fighting over jackets, breakdowns at school, tears (from us both) on approaching long days away, tardiness, and forgetfulness. It's been a bit rough at times. But the return to routine has not been without benefits. Primarily a return to a Caris who minds and follows directions.

We've spent the past few weekends purging, re-organizing, and re-arranging. We have a ways to go yet. But thanks to Caris' new closet from Susie and JJ, I feel we at least have her room under some control. Office and the remaining rooms are still pending...

So thus the new year has so far been one of readjustment. I had one succesful morning with resolutions: early arousal, workout, juice, ready before Caris, on time for work, breakfast made. The rest have been interrupted by Caris attempting to wake up early enough to see 'My Daddy' and my futile attempts to encourage additional slumber. Well futile for Caris; usually succesful for me which throws my whole morning into dysfunction. Fun times.

So we continue on. Trying to resolve and attempting to readjust.

Also, isn't todays date so great? 1/11/11. A perfect date for resolutions and readjustments to realign.

A Look at Christmas...

A little look back at our Christmas celebrations. What a beautiful holiday we had this year.

Getting ready for Christmas! Caris taking a break during Christmas decorating. I love that this picture has some our favorite Christmas decor from the season.: Caris LOVED her 'Elf!!' and our new shelf tradition and our little Santa door hanger was a favorite daily greeter. The pine cones were lil C's own to decorate with and she did great. I put the little pink tree in Caris' room and it was my favorite this year's find. We made a good attempt at an Advent calendar this year, although it was not without it's challenges for our toddler.
We took a trip up to College Station to go with Aunt Alli on a tour Santa's Village and had a hay ride through an amazing light display. Caris LOVED the lights and the dancing. Such a fun little venture that we will definitely have to go back to.

Fun and fancy Christmas party, family pic. Caris loved her fancy party and that she got to wear her pretty necklace from Daddy.

Opening stockings at home before Christmas Eve. Left to us by our 'Elf' when we left our house to go to the North Pole to let Santa know of our traveling destinations.

Christmas jammas!!! Our annual Christmas Eve tradition. Which our family was kind to wait on us for since we drove after Garrett's Christmas Eve shift so we didn't get there until technically Christmas morning...(1:00am). (apparently driving on Christmas Eve is also a tradition....last years was 10 hours in a blizzard; this years was 7 in a rain storm)

This jammies were so so adorable and extra adorable because they were almost identical to a matching set us Jones girls had once-upon a year and the best picture displayed as proof.

Christmas morning!!!! My most magical of childhood memories. We love Christmas mornings filled with lights, surprises, and crepes. I was so excited to begin to introduce Caris to one of my most joyful childhood traditions. She didn't quite get it this year, but she was definitely excited to find a new baby doll, highchair, and her own kitchen waiting for her beneath the lights. And not pictured, a new little table just her size that she LOVES. Grandma Susie and JJ definitely got us in the right direction for Christmas morning. We had a busy, happy, tired girl!

Aunt Shelby's traditional nativity gift. This year's was so fun! Caris can't get enough of playing with 'baby Jesus' and his 'mommy'. Auntie Shelby also gave Caris her own 'Com-Puter' so she fit right in with our Santa treats of iPads and Airbook. Fun!

The matching Patagonia outfits Annabelle gave to her parents. And a happy Mrs. Susie Clause.

Gingerbread house making!! Shortly thereafter this structure collapsed....but it was a brief moment of glory. JJ was on detail duty. Caris was on eating duty....

My little ballerina. She LOVED this little tutu from Auntie TJ. We couldn't get her to take it off....and we may need to find a ballet class soon. Auntie TJ indulged Caris in her girly side and (luckily) gave lil C her very own 'purrshe' / bag and fancy bracelets! She was in love.
Love my Christmas girl. What a joyful morning we had.


Our wonderful celebration with the Blundells! Truly a joyful evening full of Christmas celebrations. I love our 'private' Christmas (as Grammy Jane called it once). We had such a nice dinner, day, and a great evening of family. Caris was really in heaven and loved opening her presents! Caris LOVED LOVED her bitty Baby from Grammy. I will never forget the moment she opened it. 'Oh wow. Baby!!'. I don't think she has gone without it in her arms since.

Caris, AKA 'Fancy Nancy' Blundell. Aunt Alli really hooked up our fancy lady with all things pink. Caris has had a love for scarves and this one suits her just perfectly. She would wear this skirt all the time if she could. And how cute are those sparkly Toms shoes?? SO Caris.

And this is the now infamous 'My Car'. Caris was so so excited upon first opening her car from Aunt Natalie and seeing the picture of what to come. After a rush put-together by Uncle Jordan and Daddy, Caris soon entered her car and pretty much has yet to leave.

Clearly loves her new stool created lovingly by Grandaddy and Grammy. She has been downright obsessed with sitting in stools and tables. Plus check out her adorable outfit Grammy made!
And there it is; our Christmas in pictures. And in apparently a lot more words than I originally intended....

We are so thankful for our family and their loving kindness demonstrated in generous form over the holiday season. What wonderful memories we made this year. And I'm so thankful for Caris' fun Aunts and Uncles since I was super boring in my gift selections. Caris has been having such a blast with all her new things! Honestly, as much as I kind of avoid toys and clutter, we needed an age-appropriate upgrade. And I have to add, I really tried to prepare ahead as last year seemed so stressful between travels and preparations. It helped. The lesson I learned this year is where I can simplify. That will be my goal for next year! Let's just say, Caris has all her birthday presents from us still wrapped in Christmas paper...lesson learned. Although there is beauty in the chaos, I think it is easy to overwhelm. The joys I have from Christmas are always found in the simple magic of lights, lounging for two days in new sweatsuits, cooking, and staying put for days. Love these simple joys.

Resolving

Resolving.

Growing up, we had the annual tradition New Years tradition of sitting around the table, proclaiming and listing all things we resolved to do, wished for, and goals we aspired to achieve. We made not so much resolutions, but proclaimed our ambitions and pondered our predictions for the year to come. I've somewhat lost this habit, and I feel the merit to be sorely missed. Although the pattern of resolving and forgetting is the most prevalent, there is something to be said about publicly proclaiming good intents and hoped ambitions. Perhaps by announcing to the inter-webs all that I aspire to, I will adhere to my ambitions out of simple desire to maintain face. So, in list format, I am proclaiming my hopes and good intents for 2011, some simple habits and others wistful, idyllic life changes:

Simple changes.....

- Bring my lunch to work. I go through phases with this little habit. I hate scavenging the cafeterias for sub-par food and succumbing to bad snacks out of doldrums and boredom. But the majority of the time, I forget the simple act of bringing cheaper, healthier foods to work. Sounds so simple. But somehow, I have not succeeded.

- Get up with Garrett in the mornings. My caveat is that I don't have to if it's in the 4a.m. hour...that is NOT on my radar. Again, such a simple thing with many added benefits. See my husband, get ready prior to Caris competing for attention, be on time for work, and perhaps remember to make my lunch. But with the ever-changing sleep habits of a baby-turned-toddler and a small house not so good about hiding noises, I'm good at finding excuses.

- Introduce some 'vegetable purges' or just have more focused efforts on healthier foods. I'm thinking more juicing, lots of quinoa, farrow, and no cokes.

- Resolve my career conundrum. Including: explore a creative outlet, narrow my future career aspirations, and resolve a lingering board issue. It's time for a move of some sorts and I feel 2011 is the time.

And some idyllic hopes....

- To love a little more freely and see beauty more clearly. And in the same token, not be so feeling-sensitive.

- Embrace the life we have while still working to creating the best within what we have been given.

- Stay organized!! Purge, purge, purge and stay on top of cleaning out Caris' things.

- And not be so lazy :)

What I'm looking forward to...

- Garrett's completion of medical school and general surgery rotations!!! Woohoo.

- Caris turning two.

- My little niece arriving soon!

- Mini family vacation

- Garrett and I turning the big 3-0.

- And what the year brings us not yet known!

So there you have them. My resolves for the New Year.

Here's a brief synopsis of how they have gone so far:

Today, I not only did not get up with Garrett, but manage to sleep 45 minutes past my personal alarm. I left my pre-made lunch in the fridge and had a coke at work. Yesterday, I destroyed Caris' newly cleaned bedroom with a half-attempt of purging. I also fell asleep on the couch at 9:00 p.m. And I can't even speak about my work frustrations today....

So clearly, I'm off to a great start!!

Look out, 2011, here I come!!!