Cubbies Date Night

Coan invited Caroline to "Cubbies" at his church, Henry Baptist, a couple of weeks ago and, of course, she went. Cubbies is a program held each Wednesday evening throughout the school year during which the kids learn songs, Bible verses, and play together. Caroline had so much fun the first week that she has continued to go each week with Kayce, Coan, Clark, and Danielle. Well, this week was the end-of-the-year finale and Caroline was invited to participate. She did very well - especially considering she had two short weeks to learn what the other kids have been working on all year! (Yes, that is a gratuitous boast!) She stood front and center with her little blue Cubbies vest and went to town on the songs, motions, and verses! She did her Auntie Bean Bean proud! Caroline was awarded a certificate of participation and a really generous goodie bucket!
After the program, the church had a mini-carnival for the kids. It was really cute and the kids loved it. Thank you, Johnson family for being like family to us and for loving our girls so much. You are a blessing!!

Never shall I forget the days I spent with you. Continue to be my friend, as you will always find me yours. ~ Ludwig van Beethoven

A Trip To Truvy's

One of my oldest and dearest friends, Angela Hoover, is also my hairdresser... she's also one of my funniest friends. We affectionately call her salon "Truvy's" after the hair salon from Steel Magnolias. Going to Angela's is always a hilarious event - I am talking laugh-til-your-cheeks-hurt hilarious. Another of my best friends, Amanda, also usually comes along and we all relax, catch up, get pretty, and have lunch. We've all been friends since high school and have seen each other through thick and thin. Between us, we have five children. Angela has two girls, Molly and Emily, and Amanda has a little boy named Brady. Caroline and Molly are buddies, and Angela's Emily and Brady were born three weeks apart, so there's never a dull moment when we are all together.

I have been cutting Caroline's hair her entire life... well, there was that one trip to Great Clips - but I'm not going there right now... anyway... she is terrified of having someone else come near her with a pair of scissors (although it really is me that she should be afraid of with a pair of scissors and hair). I have been trying to reason with her for the longest time in order to convince her to let Angela give her a real, professional haircut. She will not even hear of it! The funny thing is that she adores Angela, loves going with me to watch me get my hair cut, and always talks about how she's going to have hers cut, as well, "next time."

I took Caroline along with me this week for my regular haircut and lunch date - and she let Angela cut her hair! She was very resolute about it (kind of like when Shelby got her hair chopped off in the movie!). I was so proud of her! She stood perfectly still while Angela worked and the haircut turned out great! Yay Caroline! You are now a member of the Truvy Club!

Hair is vitally personal to children. They weep vigorously when it is cut for the first time; no matter how it grows, bushy, straight or curly, they feel they are being shorn of a part of their personality.
~Charles Chaplin, My Autobiography, 1964

Impromptu Portrait Session

Sooo... today I made an impromptu appointment at our local Target Portrait Studio for the girls and I to "capture some memories." I usually prefer to take our pictures myself, but I am not very good at the whole self-timer thing (huge distraction!) and so I very rarely end up in the pictures. Since Caroline just turned four and Emily is right at three months, I decided to try it and see how they turn out. I am a picture snob and think most department store studios are a little on the cheesy side, but I was pleasantly surprised with what we ended up getting... especially for the price.
Caroline is a huge ham and did absolutely great posing and smiling for the photographer. Emily did pretty well considering it was naptime and she was a little freaked out by the entire process. Here are a few of the shots we were able to get. Enjoy!

A good snapshot stops a moment from running away.
~Eudora Welty

Emily Kate - Three Month Check-In

My, how time flies... Emily Kate is now officially three months old. I can hardly believe that three months ago I held her for the first time, stared into her blue eyes for the first time, stroked her petal soft cheek for the first time... she is such a special girl and I still marvel each and every day at how lucky a mama I really am to have these two blessings in my life.

I am trying to remember to take a picture each month of Em next to her favorite stuffed bunny in order to document her growth. I forgot to do it at one month (chalk it up to newborn lack of sleep), but I did remember at two and three! Here's her three month picture:How beautiful is she? She's still holding the title of "easy" baby in our household - although her big sister did not make it very hard for any subsequent sibling to accomplish that! Every day Em does something new and wonderful and I have enjoyed every moment of my maternity leave with her. The upcoming week is my last one home with her before I have to return to work. I am going to relish it!

Our daughters are the most precious of our treasures,
the dearest possessions of our homes and the objects of our most watchful love.
~ Margaret E. Sangster

Happy Birthday, Foopy Girl!

Yesterday was Caroline's fourth birthday party. We had originally planned to celebrate at Noah's Ark, but the weather did not cooperate! It rained, and rained, and rained, and rained. And then, when it stopped raining, it rained some more. It's become somewhat of a tradition to have Caroline's party at Noah's Ark every year, so I was disappointed for her - but, in reality, I was probably more disappointed for myself at having to figure out how to entertain a bunch of preschool-aged children inside my house all afternoon at the very last minute! As it turned out, my fears were unwarranted, and the party was absolutely wonderful! So many people pitched in to help me at the last minute and Caroline has the sweetest friends who braved the rain and bad weather to make sure her day was special.

The kids had a sidewalk chalk art contest, story time (I am a children's librarian, after all!), a dance-off, and played Pin-the-Tail-on-the-Donkey and Simon Says. We had lunch, ate cake and ice cream, and then watched Caroline open all of her presents. Barbies were the order of the day and she is now the proud owner of five! All of the little pieces that go with Barbie scare me for Emily, so I am sure at some point I will have to figure out an alternate arrangement for Barbie's shoe, handbag, and jewelry collection, but for now, Caroline is having a blast.

At any rate, the day was wonderful! Caroline asked me this morning, "Mommy, is it still my birthday today?"

I can't help but be a little bit nostalgic at this time of year, so I've posted pictures of Caroline at each of her four birthday parties so far. She's growing into such a beautiful young lady.

I am thankful for the mess to clean after a party because it means I have been surrounded by friends.
~Nancie J. Carmody

Future Entomologist

During my senior year at UGA, I had to face the detestable fact that I still had one more science course left in order to fulfill all of my degree requirements. I was not a great science student and wished the requirement would magically transform into an extra English course. I even contemplated submitting a request to the Dean of Franklin College in an attempt to convince him that a course in the Naturalist Writers could expose me to a love of and appreciation for the great outdoors and the biological underpinnings of ecosystems, photosynthesis, and cellular respiration as much as a Biology course. After all, has there ever been a greater outdoor laboratory than Walden Pond?

To make a long story short, I asked around and the overwhelming opinion on campus was to take Dr. Karl Espelie's Intro to Entomology course... the study of insects. I heard that all the football players took the course... and, no offense to the football players, but we all know what that's supposed to mean. So, I registered for the course and prepared to be bored for the rest of the semester.

I was so wrong! Dr. Espelie is a genius and, in all honesty, REALLY loves bugs!!! I learned so much about the environment, the earth, even our economy, and - of course - more than I ever desired to know about bugs...ahem... excuse me, INSECTS! The class really was amazing and interesting and completely fun.

So, ever since then, I have had a deep appreciation for bugs (with the exception of the cockroach - Order Blattodea) and think twice before I squoosh one. Caroline loves them, too, and today we decided to go hunt caterpillars. You know the big hairy ones from when we were all kids...

We got our Mason jar all ready, grabbed her magnifying glass, and set out. We found three. They are going to sleep in Caroline's room tonight. I just hope I don't wake up and find an empty Mason Jar. Ick.

Teaching a child not to step on a caterpillar is as
valuable to the child as it is to the caterpillar.
~Bradley Millar

Twins?

As each day passes, I am more and more amazed at how much Emily looks just like her big sister. There are moments, flashes, really, when I look at Em and see Caroline - it's uncanny! Em does have some adorable chubby cheeks that Caroline never fully developed, but, other than that, they could pass for twins. Several "veteran mom" friends of mine have chided me to write names on the backs of all baby pictures because when they are grown I won't be able to distinguish which child is which. At first I thought that was crazy, but now I am starting to understand their advice! Here are some pictures of the girls, see if you think they favor each other as much as I do.

A sister can be seen as someone who is both ourselves and very much not ourselves - a special kind of double.
~Toni Morrison