Dear Sweet Caroline,

You are now 4! WOW! Four seems like a great big number to this momma! I guess I can no longer call you "the baby"! We spent your birthday at the zoo just like you wished! It was a beautiful day for seeing all of your favorite animals! You even got to spend some time with your twin cousins at the zoo! I believe your favorite part of the day was going to Cupcake downtown Columbia and getting a yummy cupcake! Mommy and daddy secretly love that place too!

Before going to the zoo we took you to your 4 year old well checkup! Since last year you have gained 9 lbs so you weigh 41 lbs and grew 3.5 inches so you are measuring 41 3/4 in! That puts you at 87% for height and 86% for weight! You passed both your hearing and vision tests! We are extremely pleased that you are so healthy! 

Here's some of the things that you are into: Barbies, being a momma to your baby dolls, coloring, drawing, painting, puzzles, singing (in the choir at church too), making up nonsense rhyming words, and watching princess movies like Cinderella, Rapunzel, and The Princess Frog! You do not go anywhere without Frog Lovey, Lamby, and Pinkey Pinkey Doo. You love our cat Stitch but you don't understand why he "pokes" you with his claws. He's sweet but his claws can hurt! I'm allergic to him so I stay away. He is however, the best cat ever. I though want a dog!

You like eating at Chick-fil-A, Mellow Mushroom, Subway, and San Jose..you call it Hands-O! It took me forever to finally figure out what Hands-O was!

You can spell your first and last names, tell what street you live on, what city you live in, and the name of your state. You can count to 20 and you know your ABC's! We are working hard at you naming your letters out of context but so far you can only name a few. You have school for the rest of your life and although I'm a teacher I know you will get it, but for now we don't really do a whole lot of extra school stuff! Speaking of school, you are going to preschool at LBC next year. I'm super excited! I believe your teacher's name is Ms. Jennifer and that's great because mommy grew up with her little sister, Julie! You will already know a lot of friends in your class because you go to Sunday School with them. You will still go to Ms. Leah's, but next year will be your last. That would be a conversation for a different day. We love Ms. Leah to pieces! How sad the day you will no longer be in her care.

Sweet girl, you are absolutely amazing. You are more than I could have ever asked for in a daughter. You make me laugh, smile, and even sometimes cry because of the joy that you have brought into our lives.

God is good! Talk to him everyday. Let him know what's on your heart. Mommy and daddy love Him so much and we ask Him everyday to show us how to raise you and how to be the parents He wants us to be for you! Trust Him! He certainly knows what's best for you princess.

I'm super excited to have spent your birthday with you! It sure was a lot of fun! I'm also looking forward to this Saturday where all of your friends are coming over for your 4th birthday party! It will be momentous for sure! I'll be sure to take lots of pictures!

I love you baby girl to the moon and back! I love it when you hug my legs and say, "Momma I want to keep you forever and ever."

You are our princess and we love you oh so very much!

Happy 4th Birthday Sweet Caroline!

Love and Prayers,

Mommy and Daddy

 

I'm perusing through my pictures that I need to blog and I had to post this one! It was taken at Caroline's friend's, Morgan Kate's, fourth birthday party (hope all those 's are right)! It was a super sweet birthday party and my girl had the best time (MK's mother is quite the party planner)!

I love this picture of Caroline for many reasons. It reminds me of how sweet and happy she is (most of the time). I love her smile as well as her giggles and I hope I never forget the way she laughs when she's tickled!

She's cute. She's smart. She's a mommy's girl. She's a ballerina and a book "reader". She's busy and sassy. She's big and growing by the day! She's 3 but she's almost four...FOUR. I want to freeze this time like picture frames do and savor every minute!

One of my most favorite things to do is have family photos taken! So when I heard of two local friends, Jen+Holly, holding mini Valentine's Day photo sessions, I couldn't wait to sign my little family up! I was so excited about our family getting to take fun pictures with super cute props! When we received our photos I was thrilled with how they all turned out and had a hard time deciding which ones would make the cut onto our Valentine's Day photo card!

We were so excited that we signed up for Jen+Holly's Easter session! And I hear that their is future shoots with a very popular teal truck! Can't.Wait.For.That!

 

I surely can't let the month of January end without posting some of our New Year's Eve pictures and 2013's New Year's resolution.
We spent New Year's Eve day at EdVenture with our sweet neighbors Amy, Cooper, and Jackson. Caroline and Cooper loved ringing in the Noon Year together! My MIL was with us too and I secretly think she had more fun than the children! She did everything that the kiddos did including going into Eddie and sliding down the slide multiple times (with static and all)!
We spent New Year's Eve around our burning barrel! It was cozy! The fireworks we shot later were amazing thanks to our neighbors Amy and Mr. Bill, and of course C's sparklers! I have no idea where Mr. Bill gets his fireworks from but I do think that they are on the side of illegal. They are the kind that you'd see at some fancy show...full of lots of awesome and boom pow! We had a lot of fun for sure!
Every year I make a list of resolutions! The list includes items that I want to try or get better at. I like beginning a new year with bright eyes and new objectives, however, as the year progresses I tend to still do a little of this and a little of that. For example, I wanted to start running. My church offered a running training class and for three months I trained for my first 5K (every Saturday beginning @ 7 am..now that was some dedication). I trained even though I had a prior obligation on the same date as the 5K! I was committed! I loved running but I didn't like the whole walk 1 minute then run for 2, and repeat, etc. It was hard but I loved how I felt afterwards...sweaty, hot, tired, and awesome! After the 5K I had to decide to continue running or not... then June came which =s hot and that didn't work for me no matter what time of day I put my tennis shoes on. So I no longer ran. Sad. Sad. Sad decision. Now that I know all of the effort it took to get my body to run for 30 minutes straight..I can't seem to do it again..at least for right now (however Sam is going to join this year's training class)..He.Can.Do.It! He's already Mr. Fit!
I said all of this to say that I'm not going to make a list of resolutions this year. I'm only going to make one! 2012 has certainly been a great year of growing and learning in many aspects! I'm one of those that wishes if I only would have known what I know now about ten years ago kinda gals. Ignorance is still bliss people!
My one and only new year's resolution for 2013 is to do what is most important in my life. We all have a calling on our hearts from Jesus. I want to know Him more and more each day. I want to tell others of His mercies and grace! I want to do what matters for His kingdom and then everything else will fall into place. Serving Him and teaching others about Him is what matters to this momma's heart! I can't expect anyone else to be this type of an example for my child and her children but me!
This year, I resolve to make much of Jesus by knowing Him and making Him known.
"Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me" (Colossians 1:28-29).
I am not perfect nor do I profess to be but I know that I can't walk through this life without a relationship with Him. God made me and I am accountable to Him. WE.ALL.ARE.! In 2013, what are you offering for God's kingdom?
 

Cooper and Caroline at EdVenture!

She's shopped till she's dropped!

Sweet friends!

My beautiful baby! I could eat her up!

Ringing in the New Year!

 

Happy New Year Princess!

Christmas just seemed like it went like it came this year...super fast. I feel like, especially since C's been born, that when Christmas arrives it seems like it was just the previous Christmas. WOW! The older I get the faster it seems the years go.

Anywho, this Christmas came and left behind lots of fun memories with family and friends. I'm treasuring these family/friend fun times more and more (I'll save these thoughts for my New Year's Resolution post).

Here's how The Leviners celebrated Christmas this year.

 

Christmas began with the arrival of Cinderella, our elf. This is Cinderella's second year being C's elf!  During one visit, one evening, she brought along Jack and a letter! Jack enjoyed hearing all the wonderful things that Cinderella told Santa at the North Pole about C and wanted to see C for himself. He came the night that he was passing through on his way to see Brycen and Braylie!

 

My family celebrated Christmas at my house this year. Here's Miss Nataleigh! She loves baby dolls! She also loved being pushed around in this toy stroller by C.

Here's Nataleigh's twin brother, Nicolas!

He's a cutie and easy going! My kinda guy!

Loving on my sweet angel baby!

Can't get enough of her!

They.Have.My.Heart.!

Kelsey, Nicholas, Caroline, Courtney, and Nataleigh

It just wouldn't be a visit without Big C painting

C's toenails. A Christmas pedi for sure!

C loving her rainboots from Aunt Rhonda!

She wears them all day when she's home!

 

The Leviners celebrating Christmas at The Longs

with our Sunday School class! It was a blast!

LBC's Young Families Sunday School Christmas party! Love these ladies (several couldn't make the celebration). These gals are pretty special not to mention a lot of fun! Me, Kristen, Amy, Jamie, Rachel, and Holly!

My sweet dear friend Raven held her annual cookie decorating party for Nolan, Morgan Kate, and Caroline! The kiddos had a great time decorating the cookies that Heather made from scratch! They were delish! I think the adults had as much fun (if not more) than the kiddos!

 

Nolan, Morgan Kate, and C! Love, love, love

these little friends!

 

Miss Emi! Nolan's baby sister!

She is one sweet angel! She slept through the cookie decorating this year! I'm quite sure that next year she'll be getting down and dirty in the flour and frosting just like the big kids!

 

It's cookie decorating time!

 

Ta-da! Beautiful! Yum!

 

Having loads of Christmas fun making smores @ LBC's Christmas at the Barn at Harmon's Tree Farm.

Aunt R and C decorating cookies! This is my fav pic of these two!

 

Now on to eating those decorated cookies!

It's snowing at the barn! My recent most fav pic of my girl!

 

All bundled up and ready for worship!

We love Jesus and are so thankful for His birth!

Some of my favs enjoying celebrating Christmas at the Barn!

 

This photo booth pic is worth showing twice!

I love, love, love this! We are a silly bunch!

Here's C seeing the lights at Riverbanks Zoo!

It was cold but oh so fun!

 

It was a treat running into some of Sam's family! We were ready to go when we ran into them but decided to stay 2 more hours! It made for an even more fun night with The Beckwiths, The Macks, and The Toole families!

It's Christmas Eve! We are getting ready to take 40+ Mary Kay Satin Hands Set to Richland's NICU mothers! After our delivery we headed to LBC's Christmas Eve service! By the evening's end we were blessed and our hearts were full!

 

I say this every year, but I love making our Chrismtas cards and I love getting Christmas cards! Here we are for 2012's!

 

 Santa came and dropped off presents for a very good little girl all while eating his milk and cookies and writing our girl a special note!

 

Merry Christmas! Ho-Ho-Ho!

 

One excited little girl about getting the princess 

barbies! One.Very.Excited.Girl.!

After seeing what Santa brought we headed to the Burg to have Christmas with the rest of the Leviner family! Here's C with Samantha and Anna! Afterwards Samantha read the verses from Luke 2. The story of the baby Jesus. We had a very fun afternoon with this gang of loves!

 

All the Leviner cousins: Silas, Samantha, C, Anna, Christian, and Franklin! They are a cute looking bunch! After the Christmas festivities these kiddos played for hours outside!

Before C headed off to Boiling Springs to spend time with her big cousins we headed over to the Broadwell's. This had been a three year tradition! Here they are: Caroline, Charlie, Sarah Ann, Anna Claire, Nathan, and Reece! Next year we'll have Sarah Ann and Reece's little brother Carson to join in the big kid fun! Can't wait for Carson to make his debut in about 7 weeks!



I love Christmas ornaments! Every year I add new ones to our tree that reflect our year! C made a couple hand made ones at Ms. Leah's and in Sunday School. I always add a new picture of her in a photo ornament (these are my absolute favorite)! She hand painted a Christmas tree on a cermanic ornament at Saluda Shoals which I also love! C began ballet this year and so we have one each from her aunt, Nanny, and us! We have a family ornament that marks the year! My favorite fun ornament is the one that we took in a photo booth during a recent Christmas family fun night at Harmon's Tree Farm that our church put on.

The bottom picture is not an ornament but a nativity set. I've never had one in our home but had one growing up. I couldn't find the perfect one for years. This past summer when we were in Charleston I passed by a children's boutique in the market and spotted this perfect child friendly nativity set. C can play with it and I don't have to worry about anything breaking. C loves it. We love it. We have loved telling C about the greatest Christmas present ever this Christmas...the birth of Baby Jesus!

For the past three years we've gone to Saluda Shoals to enjoy the park's fascinating light display and to see Santa! I was so excited when C said she was going to sit on his lap this Christmas and that she was not scared of him. She's been saying this ever since last Christmas and every time that we've driven by Saluda Shoals since! When the time came this year, mommy had to take her to Santa's lap and once she saw how nice he was she was willing to go forward with her plan and she sat on his lap! When I asked C what she asked Santa for she said, "a dollhouse and that's all"! Yes Santa brought the most beautiful dollhouse and our girl is pleased!

 

Last Saturday, my house was full of Christmas fun! Being together was a treat for all. Saturday had some "sunshine" but we all were thinking about the horrific news about Newtown, CT. My heart was not only aching it was broken. So so so sad. My prayers will be with those families and that town for the weeks and months to come for sure. I was thinking about making a memory ornament of Newtown and placing each person's name that lost their lives that day on a strip of paper and placing each strip inside a clear ornament. I want their memories to go on. This is just a thought.

So getting back to Saturday! I saw and loved on my twin loves, Big C and Kelsey! These four are my heart. I love them! They are precious in every way imaginable! LOVE THEM!

One of C's gifts from my sister was this pair of rain boots! She wanted to wear them all day. When she heard that Sunday would be a rainy day she couldn't wait to wear her rainboots! She also thought they were appropriate to wear to our Sunday School's Christmas party that night...

My Sassy girl!