Hey all you instagram users out there, did you hear the big news? All your photos will be available via the internet. Yes! That’s awesome, I’ve been waiting for that! I know, it’s exciting. This is my public service announcement. Make sure you know that your photos will not be shared with just your friends and only on their devices anymore! For example: http://instagram.com/fabric311/ is the public profile of my older brother. I can see all his photos. I have to login to favorite, follow, or comment; But you can look all you want. I have not found any settings to limit this new public profile, but my account has not been upgraded yet. Anyone sen how to limit this new “feature” for those who would like to?
Tired girl, ready for a nap! Sweet baby.
She’s a picky eater these days, and drops things onto the ground when she doesn’t like them.
I love the big girl jeans. Caroline is such a wonderful baby. I’m glad she still has those pudgy legs, even at 14 months old!
Charlotte wouldn’t turn & face me for the picture! She wanted to take a bath wearing this shower cap, “because GG has one.” Charlotte gets to spend the night at GG’s sometimes, which is awesome!
I get to have these two at home with me while Chase is away at school. Charlotte & Caroline both love it when they get to have juice instead of boring old water.
“Tea Party” at lunch. We still babysit this little friend at our house once a week.
I didn’t take a lot of pictures this season! I didn’t want to pretend that Chase had a good ol’ time. He did play hard every time and was the best on his team, not gonna lie. But he didn’t really enjoy playing soccer this year, which was a surprise because it’s always been his favorite sport!
Perhaps he might be getting tired of sports for the time being… Gasp! What?? In his six years of life, I believe the only sports he’s done are: Gymnastics, swimming (2 sessions), ice skating (4x), soccer (3x), kickball, hockey, karate, & trampoline/tumbling. Why would he be burnt out?!? I mean, come on. Just kidding. I think what he really wants to do is run around with friends all day! So that’s all he’s doing these days after school. And we’re okay with that!
Some spectators, Mollie & Charlotte. Their expressions sum up their excitement about the game.
Charlotte was looking all sweet & sentimental as she was watching Chase’s last game, so I was about to take a picture of her, when she suddenly threw on this spaz face. Silly girl.
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Recent Happenings
Charlotte started Joy School at the beginning of September. It was fun to do Joy School for Chase, & I wanted to do it again for Charlotte! A group of 4 moms from our ward are rotating teaching our kids (and I think 4 is the perfect number for this). Of course there are no girls anywhere near Charlotte’s age, but these cute boys will do!
We were talking about the human body this particular day, & they were figuring out how to make some letters with their bodies. Here they were making the letter H.
This was our attempt at taking a picture of our little skeletons. We will have to try that again soon, but in the meantime, this photo is entertaining. (The next morning, we went out to breakfast while the kids were still in these pajamas, and we sat near a group of elderly men. One of the old guys pointed at Chase and shouted, “I can see your ribs!!!”)
Warning: Photos of Pace’s masculine chest will be seen in the following photos, and feelings of jealousy may be evoked.
Our ward had a big Book of Mormon Fiesta which we really enjoyed. Here are the hams showing off their war paint.
Scary and intimidating!
This is not only a blurry, weird picture, but I also wanted to capture the moment when there were nine kids all playing in Chase’s little bedroom. This is exactly how Chase likes things to be!
Chase is a master gardener & we recently picked our first pumpkin. Pumpkins are extremely invasive and take over the whole entire garden, and then some—that is what we learned this year!
Caroline is the cutest baby!! I know, we all think that about our own babies. I love to kiss her chubby little cheeks and snuggle her sweet, thick hair. OK, enough of that. Here she was stealing Pace’s dried fruit that he was snacking on.
Aunt Jessica (my baby sister) turned 22 a couple weeks ago. Casey did a great job throwing a big party with lots of their friends to celebrate with Jess. I think she felt very loved!
Birthday Buddies (September 7th & 8th)
Caroline is at a fun age. She likes to rearrange the pantry for me. Whatever it takes to safely entertain her while I prepare meals is alright with me!
This picture reminds me of one of myself around the same age, caught in the act of proudly pulling every single towel out of a kitchen drawer. Remember that one, Mom & Dad?
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Caroline Jean is One Year Old!
Baby Caroline had her 1st birthday last Saturday (Sept. 8th). She is the cutest baby in the whole world, according to me. I am amazed by the intense bond a mother & baby can have. I’m overwhelmed by how much I adore her & her calm disposition. She is a joy!
Caroline weighs 20 lbs (55th percentile), is 28.5” tall (75th%), & has a head circumference of 44.1 cm (25th%). She used to be quite the little chubster, but just like her siblings, she thinned out when she started crawling (at 7.5 months old). She has 4 teeth, & it looks like 2 more are popping through. I believe her 1st real word was “Mama.” She also says “Uh-oh” (<our fave), “dada”, “ba”=bath, & “whoa.” Like always, I really wish I could somehow bottle up the wonderfulness of this age & her sweet smell, just like I wanted to with Chase & Charlotte. It is gone before you know it!
I love when Caroline repeatedly sticks a chubby leg up in the air for me to rub or tickle her. Or when she sticks out her chubby baby foot when she sees me about to put her little shoes on. Or when she vigorously shakes her head back & forth or sticks her tongue out, just to be funny.
She still doesn’t quite know how to go down the stairs, but she certainly cruises up them (since she was 9 mos. old)! She started taking her first steps on Sept 1st, a week before her birthday. Then on her birthday, she stood up on her own & walked several steps! So walking right at age one. With both walking & crawling, she started about 2 weeks before her siblings did when they were that age. Prodigy child, I tell ya.
These were from a couple months ago, but they illustrate how much she enjoys scavenging food from the floor, since it constantly has little crumb treasures on it that she thinks are just for her.
Caroline has wonderful relatives that love her! The McCulloch grandparents & the Skankeys live in the area, so they get to dote on her regularly. We’re glad to have them nearby!
Caroline really loves being outside. I don’t go out on walks with her as often as I used to with the older kids, but we still take time to be outside. Sometimes the older kids get to play out in the backyard while I make dinner, & Caroline watches them excitedly from the window, longing to be out there with them!
I love how thick & rich her hair is. Sorry girlie, it might be a curse when you get older, & you’ll have to get it thinned out every other month like mama does just to keep it manageable!
Chase & Charlotte fight over who gets to play with Caroline. They are both very protective of her & love to see her when she just wakes up. She eats up all the attention, even if she sometimes clings onto me like a baby monkey when she sees them a-comin’!!
Even though Caroline has a very mild disposition, she is a busy girl & loves to pull everything out of the drawers & cupboards. The other day during Joy School here at our house, while I was helping the four other kids with a craft, she found a dishwasher tablet & put it in her mouth (which she does with EVERYTHING, especially LEGOs). I pulled the tablet out immediately, but she still got a little in her mouth & threw up. Then she was fine.
She eats all kinds of food now. The only sugary treat she’s had is that big ol’ cupcake & ice cream on her birthday. I love her little face.
Caroline still nurses & doesn’t show any sign of slowing down with that. I’m okay with it for now. She also still wakes up a lot in the night, something we haven’t figured out even with the third child. We do not make good sleepers, that’s for sure. Until they’re about 2 years old… then they sleep like champs, 11 hours a night! But until then… painful.
We love it that Caroline is such a calm, quiet girl. She is fascinated by other babies & studies them. Some of her little friends scream a lot or get upset when someone takes something away from them, but she has never done that. Caroline seems to think about things & take it all in. Sometimes when I’ve been standing there talking to someone for a few minutes, I forget that I’m even holding her because she’s so quiet & content to just be there in my arms. Sweet, sweet girl. I’m glad she still looks like such a baby with those yummy cheeks, & not like a toddler quite yet.
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Park City Adventure
Every year, Pace & I like to go on an overnighter to celebrate our anniversary (which is actually in December, but that is a very crazy time for us with birthdays + holidays). We are blessed to have Pace’s mom, Gretchen, who is willing to watch our kids while we go!
This year we went to Park City (Pace planned it)! We did some adventurous activities at Olympic Park (I’ve become very afraid of heights in my old age). We then went to our hotel for a very fancy dinner & then walking around Main Street with the McGowans, & hot stone massages in the morning. Such a great retreat! Thank you to Gretchen.
Yes, he’s big now. Yes, he’s gone all day now. It’s exciting! Every day he whines about having to go to school, but I think he kind of likes it anyway. He has a great teacher (Ms. Chatterley), who has been teaching for 28 years.
I get to have girl time with these cuties! We’re also doing Joy School at home with Charlotte & friends. (Weird that when she starts kindergarten, Chase will be starting 3rd grade)!
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California Part 2
Fishing under the tutelage of Uncle Nathan at Lake Phil (=my parents’ pond)
The one below kind of makes my heart melt! Ah I LOVE this baby!!
Tender-hearted Uncle Nathan brought a BB gun for Chase & Charlotte to try out, in exchange for being well-behaved during family photos (which are coming up in California Part 3! As soon as I figure out how to blog those).
This picture reminds me of that part in Cinderella when the stepsisters push each other back & forth & then peep through the keyhole to watch Cinderella get scolded. I told the kids that, and they miraculously knew exactly which part I was talking about! We’re all geniuses.
Charlotte is basically a model here.
Isn’t Rachel a great photographer (with a great camera)?
Caroline ate tons of delicious baby food that Jessica had selected at the store before we got there (& Caroline even had whole blueberries there for the first time). I love her kissable little face.
Chase & Charlotte’s first time on a Ferris wheel—at Traintown in Sonoma with Pace, Rachel, & Grandma.
Charlotte has been really eager to ride a Ferris wheel since she was 2, when we read a library book about Barbie’s little sister, Kelly, riding a Ferris wheel.
These kids have some amazing adults in their lives!
Rachel could certainly pass as the cute mother of these cute children.
I love this picture. Even the horses were overjoyed that day!! Charlotte’s horse looks like a psycho!
Don’t cry, baby sister.
Big Brother Chase knows how to comfort her.
