Dear Sweet Caroline,
Today, my love, we are celebrating your half birthday! Happy half birthday sweet baby girl. This is the birthday between your second and third birthdays! It just seems so recent that I wrote out your second birthday blog post where I talked about how it seems so unreal that you just turned two and now you are 2.5!
A lot has changed since you turned two. In six months you are doing so many different things from when you were two! You are continuing to talk up a storm. You talk a lot and ask so many questions, your favorite being, "where are we going". We are always on the go and love taking you places! Your most favorite place to go is Lowe's, just like daddy. Every Saturday after our breakfast at McDonald's we find ourselves taking to you Lowe's because you wanted to go! I don't think daddy minds either, he's the reason why you love going! We took you there a lot last spring when daddy was getting our yard ready for the spring and summer! You also have a love for plants. Your favorite plants are roses and you most love when your Uncle Keith gives you a rose everytime you visit and see Aunt Melinda, Kaleb, and the twins. Wow you were two when you became a cousin to twins, Nicholas and Nataleigh! I can't wait to see you play with them when they are older. Right now you try to feed them and you want to help them stay warm and you think they can't be without their pacis just like you! Yes, you are 2.5 and still have a paci!
Wow, your love for books is immense! You love reading books about babies, especially the one by Karen Katz, No Biting! We bought that for you because we thought it would help you understand that biting is something we cannot do to our friends (I think it's safe to say that you are on the tail end of this phase..phew)! You love reading and can identify your name,
Lowe's, Chic-Fil-A, Old McDonald's, CVS, and Publix. You also love books about animals and you love any story about Noah and his Ark!
Speaking of Noah reminds me about church. You so love church and this warms your mommy and daddy's hearts! You always know when we drive by our church  during the week and you quickly remind me by squealing "that's my church mommy" and I respond yes it is baby! You love saying your prayers, you love singing Jesus Loves Me (in fact I get teary eyed everytime you sing this song. You are so sincere and you get all the words right). We are so thankful and blessed for your Sunday School teachers and Ms. Andrea and Mr. Kevin who wanted to hold you and love on you as you went to church nursery for the very first time!
Your personality has always shined and it continues to blossom as you become a big girl! I love how you giggle and laugh when something gets you going like when I tickle your belly or when you see something hilarious in a book or on Nick, Jr. You also say some of the funniest things like "oh mommy look at all the birds, are they going to the airport" as we drive across Lake Murray dam. You also say some of the sweetest things too! For instance this weekend when Courtney was visiting and you began singing Jesus Loves Me and I asked you if Jesus loved you and you said, "yes He does" and then looked at Courtney and told her "He loves you too". My hope is that He has already made an impression on your heart and that you'll always look up to Him to get you through anything on this side of Heaven! You can't go through this life without Him baby! I'm so glad that you know He lives in your heart! We love singing Jesus Loves Me to you every night and saying your night night prayers with you!
What else are you up to? Oh, food! Let's see, you love eating at "Old McDonald's"! Cheeseburgers and chocolate milk are your favorites there! You also like Chic-Fil-A, but you always mostly ask to eat at Old McDonald's. Pizza is another favorite too! You are becoming a better eater, too. You've always loved eating fruits like grapes, apples, and strawberries. You are quickly disliking your veggies but when cheese is added in the mix you'll eat almost any veggie. You like eating Rush's vanilla icecream cones, and you'll drink anything from Sonic that your Aunt Rhonda buys for you! You love fruit snacks, especially the kinds that have the gushy middle!
Your stats: You weigh 30 lbs and are 3" tall! WOW! You are getting so big! I just found a blog draft that I never posted about your birth and so I'll share it after this one too.
Here's the biggie: Pottying! You have been trying to potty train since the end of last May. Ms. Leah thought that you would catch on very fast since you are super smart but you didn't quite catch on as soon as we liked. In fact, it's been four months and you are just now going to the potty without being told (mostly)! In the beginning we tried everything to get you to go potty! We took you to the potty every 20 minutes. We gave you a treat for everytime you did go. We have tried pull-ups and big girl panties, and oh training pants with plastic pants. I thought it was a little too soon for us to be working on potty training you but you are finally catching on! But it's always been funny that everytime we went out to eat or to a store you would always say that you need to go potty! Sometimes I think it was just to check the bathroom out because as soon as I pulled down your pants and covered the seat and put you on the potty you'd say, "I don't have to go". Talk about having patience. With this pottying they have been tested!
Ok, your toys! You flip flop from which are your favorites. Right now you love puzzles, your vaccuum cleaner, baby dolls (Curly Sue, Salley, and Emily). You like to write on your magna doodle, play with play-doh, and make music with your band in the box. You love singing and I just hope that you have a singing voice just like your daddy! Your absolute most favorite toy is your pink telephone that Grand gave you! You always call Nicholas and Nataleigh and love telling them about your day with your friends.
Friends! Yes, you have many friends. You love Morgan Kate, Nolan, Neeley, Cooper, Joel, Lucas, baby Lucas, Rebekah, Hannah, Nathanaiel, Cash, James, Sarah Ann, Charlie, and Anna Claire! We love playdates with your friends!
How you are like your mommy: You are sassy! You want everything your way! You are eager and ambitious, determined to do it, try it, or at least attempt. You have compassion! How you are like your daddy: You are laid back! You are very neat (you don't like being dirty, you put your toys away without being asked, and you love washing your hands and you keep your play kitchen toys clean with Clorox wipes (can some of this cleaning rub off on your mama, please). Everything makes you laugh and you'll try anything once. You want to be just like your mommy and daddy in many ways but your own little personality is shining through more and more as you grow and learn!
We love you baby girl and are so blessed beyond measure that you are ours! The joy you bring into our lives is immeasureable! We are better people and parents because of you! Thank you Sweet Caroline! You will always be mommy's Doodle and daddy's Scoot!
Love and Prayers,
Mommy and Daddy

Happy 2.5 Sweet Caroline!

Calling Nicholas and Nataleigh on your "tellyphone"!

Last Saturday Big C came to visit little C! It was such a fun visit, one that I was so sad when it was over! C adores C! Little C still asks if Courtney is coming back to see her. Of course I tell her that she is! We had fun on Saturday, eating (minus the after affect), shopping, and playing! After church on Sunday, Big C left and it was bittersweet! Bittersweet because she's now able to come and visit and see us more but sad that she had to leave all too soon! We can't wait for Big C to come back! We already miss her!

The Two C's!

Love them!

I just have to blog how excited I am for this sweet couple and friends, Blythe and Eric! They have just adopted their precious daughter, Emma Kate! I'm posting this because I know how excited they are for Emma Kate to be a part of their family as their daughter and for Hendrix to have a baby sister! My heart is just so happy and warm for this very sweet family!

This picture warms my heart! It was taken last week and it's of my Maw-Maw holding the twins for the very first time! She looks so proud of the twins and I know she is! She hasn't seen them before now due to timing and illness (twins had strep when they were three weeks old). Tomorrow Nicholas and Nataliegh will be 11 weeks old! I miss them. I need to take a trip to see them. Caroline wants to see them and she pretends to call them on her "tellyphone"! I really think that they are mine!

Sky Top 2011!

When my bestie, Heather said she had an absolute good time picking apples at Sky Top last year I knew I wanted to take C! We went the Sunday after our Clemson visit! Priss loved picking apples and she wasn't completely satisfied unless she was in a tree picking! My favorite apples are Pink Lady and they weren't in season yet but we got plenty of Fuji and Granny Smith apples! It was a lot of fun and we very much enjoyed watching C play with her two big cousins, C and K, run around in the orchard, and have the experience of picking her own fruit! Sam is super excited and wants to return to Sky Top in October but we are also looking at going to Steps apple orchard which is also in Hendersonville, NC!

Big girl!

Where are they?

Having fun, fun, fun!

Every time we turned around and saw C she was eating apples.

She would find one, take a bite, grab another, take a bite!

I think we counted seven apples that she nibbled!

Another apple!

Oh and another!

The Dukes! Love them!

C picking more apples with Uncle D...

and eating her finds, yum, yum!

Sam was MIA at the orchard and when he came back

this is how I found him!

If she wasn't eating apples

she was picking them!

Kelsey reaching for her produce!

The Leviners!

The Two C's!

The Mommy and the Daddy...

and Their Doodle!

AW! We had such a great day!

Another apple, another bite!

It was a hard's day work picking all those apples!

Oh my goodness, another one down!

Yep, to say we went!

My absolute two favs!

Exactly 3" and 30 lbs!

Scoot and her pumpkin!

The one she picked all by herself!

Before the game we tailgated with some very yummy foods! I think I could eat mashed potatoes with gravy, fried chicken, and drink sweet tea daily! The food was great but the fellowship was more than fun! I love hanging out with my family!

Yes, Sam and I have a house divided. He

goes for Clemson!

C's Uncle D with his mother, (we all call her grandmother)!

Miss Kelsey!

Melissa and Grandmother!

After having trekked 2.5 miles we are still all smiles

but very very hot!

The Leviners!

Miss Caroline had the absolute

best time with her cousins!

Our Big C!

On the 9th of this month we went to Death Valley to celebrate my niece, Courtney's, 18th birthday! Our first destination at Clemson was to visit Courtney's dorm room. It was just as I thought and brought back tons of college memories. She and her roommate, which is also her BFF from back home (another college memory), had everything set up very nice, pretty, and well quite homey. As I snooped around I saw so much more of what our Courtney's all about and how much her college reminded me of so many of my first college memories. The girls like things orderly, real orderly like bed made, desktop cleaned, clothes in closet, dresser sparkly with all their jewels, momentos and notes to and from each other wishing for a great day and a "I'll meet you for lunch" types of notes (notes like this from my roommate and bestie Heather, kept me going, I don't know if she really knew the depth of their importance to me, she was pretty special and made college a ton of fun..more about that later)! It was like I had stepped back into 1998- FOR REAL!

Courtney loves her family and her BFF's! This was defintely shown by all of her pics displayed on her side of the room. Of course I smiled big when I saw that she had C and the twins in her collection. That was PRESH!

As I moved around her room I noted the similarity of everything college: loft beds, dorm keys, school id, snacks, fridge, foutons, tv, alarm clocks, and the dorm room/hall atmosphere, and even the residence hall bathroom (glad that this memory for me wasn't all that horrible, really). After all of this and considering I was at Clemson (my university's rival) I felt proud. Proud of my sweet niece for choosing college, proud that she's chosen to go the "higher education" route, proud of what she stands for in herself, her faith, and most importantly her God! Never would I imagine that 18 years ago, this time would be here so quickly! I love you our "Big C" and I'm so proud of the young lady you have become. Clemson will defintely be a better place because of you!

Romans 8:28 is the verse you'll read before entering

Manning's, dorm room 4D!

The Two C's!

This is a picture of Courtney and Pops, (my dad)
when C was a baby! This picture made me teary
for many reasons but the main one is how

she treasures it!

Quotes for inspiration and BFF memories, love it!

The memory board is awesome! I like the money part!

Tons of college fun!

The "Don't Be a Jerk Jar" and "Swearing" jar seems

to be a money maker for these girls!

Gotta love all things college!

After Levinerville, we headed to The Pages so that I could love on my "chillin" as I call them! Oh, this picture doesn't even put a dent into how sweet they really are. Remember how I told you a few posts back that I wasn't jealous that this twin didn't have the twins? I think I'm taking that back. I'm a smidgen more jealous! They are precious, thriving, and getting bigger by the day! I love these sweet babies!

On Labor Day, The Leviners headed down to Levinerville for a day of fun! Sam set up the croquet set and the children loved it. I didn't know that there were so many different rules to playing this outdoor game but Sam read the instructions to see if we've been playing right all these years and apparently we haven't. I just thought that you had to hit the ball between the stakes until you've reached the end. Apparently I've been living in the "ignorance is bliss" mode when it comes to this game. I knew it could not be just this simple! Oh well, we'll continue to play as we always have, the way my granddaddy taught me when I was a kid!

This little girl had a blast learning to play croquet.

Just look at that big smile as her daddy helps her!

Then the big cousins attempted to show little girl

how to ride a big bike! This was fun!

Samantha playing croquet! She's so beautiful!



A few Sundays ago our Sunday School class particiapted in our church's tailgate Sunday where we ate a delicious bar-b-que lunch on the grounds! It was a lot of fun, a lot of food, and most importantly a lot of fellowship!  

Catherine, Elizabeth, Brooke, Claudia

& Emma

C and Olivia

Holly and Caroline

Daddy and his scoot!

Bella pushing Caroline!