Must Reads

I've read a few posts/articles recently that have really touched me. They are definitely worth the time it takes to read them.

This one got my day started off just right! It was so inspiring and too good not to share! The world would have a lot fewer problems if everyone had this mentality.

I don't have a bunch of babies running around but I love the heart of this woman.
http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/motherhood-is-a-calling-and-where-your-children-rank


This last article really got me thinking!  Wow.
http://orphanjusticecenter.com/2011/06/11/is-the-church-ready-for-the-abortion-law-to-change/

Hoppy Halloween!

Since Caroline wasn't walking last October, this was her first year to fully participate in Halloween. Saturday we went to Zoo Boo. We took our neighbor's little boy along with us to enjoy the fun! He was adorable! Unfortunately, it was not quite what I expected. There were TONS of people there and long lines for everything! I guess we made a mistake when we picked a Saturday night. By the time we left, the kids had about 6 pieces of candy combined. =/ I think they enjoyed themselves anyway! (We stopped and bought candy to make up for the almost empty candy buckets!)

Monday night we joined some of our friends in their neighborhood to go trick-or-treating. Caroline did much better than I thought she would and I had the best time watching her and her little friends knocking on doors. Being a mom and watching this for the first time truly warmed my heart! This little girl brings immeasurable joy to my life.

Caroline was a bunny (obviously) and her friend Gabrielle was a goldfish! They are so cute together!

 



When Caroline realized there was candy in the packages she wanted to stop and eat!

Finally we got a sucker and that satisfied her for a little while! :)

 Oh, and just because it was so good, go check out Kelle Hampton's post on being greatful. What I wouldn't give to be able to write like her!

Caroline - 21 Months

I wanted to "jot" down a few things Caroline has done recently that make me realize how fast she is growing up. She is at such a precious age!

A few days ago, she tee-tee'd in the potty for the first time! We bought her a little potty a while back and recently she has been asking to sit on it some. She normally just sits on the potty for a few minutes until I get tired of waiting. Not this time! She went and of course I told her what a good job she did. I called Dan in and we both were loudly praising her and telling her we were proud and she burst into tears! I think maybe she was surprised by all that attention! Anyway, I'm not going to push her to potty train quite yet... I'll just continue to let her use the potty when she asks!

Caroline is also getting pretty talented holding her own boose (spoon) & not making a big mess with her food.  She insists on having her own spoon and runs to get one out of the drawer anytime she can. She also loves drinking from Daddy's cup!

With Caroline's growing vocabulary, she is starting to get frustrated when I don't understand what she wants right away. I can't believe that in just a year she'll be asking me questions and we'll have real conversations! Right now she is putting two words together. I painted her toe-nails last week and this morning when I was putting on her socks & shoes she said "bye bye nails!" :)

Welcome Fall!

Last Saturday was the first day of the Mitchell Farms Pumpkin Patch in Collins! It was so much bigger and more fun than I expected!

Caroline is constantly in motion!

Which one shall I pick?!

This one?

Yep, just right!

There was even a (wheat?) maze!

Mostly, we just had fun being silly and walking around!

Mommy's favorite picture of the day:

What Does It Mean to Be a Christian?

If you read Kelly's Korner, then you may have read the post she linked to written by Shaun Groves.

It's just too good not to share.... it really makes clear something I've been trying to put into words for a long time. Take a moment to read it if you haven't!

In other (much less important) news, I'm looking forward to the next few weeks! I hope to take Caroline to the pumpkin patch in Collins this weekend! Next weekend we're going to Jackson to spend some time with family & go to the State Fair! I hope Caroline will enjoy the Carousel but she may just want to watch all the people and games. I hope the weather is nice. Last year when we went it was miserably hot!

I am loving the fact that Caroline is at an age right now where she is enjoying new things and learning something everywhere we go. I'm amazed how she remembers new words when I've only told them to her once! She is so happy and bright... what a blessing she is in my life!!

Praxis Update

So I took the Praxis I yesterday while we were in Jackson. I was pretty unsure about how I would do because I just haven't had the energy or time to practice as much as I'd like. Most of the test was multiple choice so I got the results for those sections right away. I PASSED reading and math!!!!! I was most worried about math so I was very pleased when I got my scores! I have to wait a week or so for the writing portion be graded, but I think I did fine.

Next up is the Praxis II; I'm not sure if I'll take it in January or March but I will need every possible extra minute to study for this one. I'm going to try and do math because I always enjoyed it in school... it's just so concrete and makes so much sense to me. This test has some trig & some calculus (I'm not sure how much) and I never even took calculus so I'm definitely going to have to learn quite a bit of new material. I just have to do my best and see how well I can do!

Teaching

After enjoying all summer home with Caroline I have finally accepted a job at a local elementary school as an assistant teacher. I am doing administrative work right now more than anything else. Eventually, I'm supposed to keep the kids that are being isolated for punishment. I should never have more than a few kids at one time. I'm praying that this job will give me a foot in the door to be a "real" teacher next year.

I'm hoping this is the right path for me. I've always moved between nursing, business, and teaching (unsure of which will be the best for my family & I). The longer I think about what I want to do when I grow up, the more I think teaching might be it for me. I've always enjoyed teaching informally to my peers in classes but for some reason, I've resisted the idea.

I have to take two Praxis tests to become certified to teach. My first test is scheduled for September 11th and is on reading, writing, and math. I think I'll do good in reading & writing without much study, but I definitely need to prepare for the math portion. I'm planning on taking the Praxis II in November and I think I'd like to teach math (7th-12th) so that's what I'll have to study really hard for. Finally, I'll apply to the MAPQT program for a 3 week certification program next June. Hopefully I'll be ready to teach by next August! It sort of feels like a pipe dream at this point, but I just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other and making steps toward the goal!

Caroline at 19 months

I have been SUCH a bad blogger lately. I hate that so much because I love going back and reading old posts to find out what I was doing a year or so ago!

So for now, an update on our little handful!

( Blurry cell phone picture from Cracker Barrel last weekend. YUM!)

Driving home from the pool (in our neighborhood).

Caroline is about 19 months old and I can't believe she is closer to being a two year old than a one year old! She is definitely a strong willed and very lovable toddler! She loves going on walks up and down our street and she is so independent! She also loves brushing her teeth! I have to keep the bathroom door closed or else she'd be carrying her toothbrush around all day.

She loves to look at picture books and she can name a lot of what she sees! She knows the moon and stars, can identify lots of animals and of course eyes, nose, fingers, toes etc. She says "fly" for butterfly, "B" for bird, and she knows all kind of animal sounds. My favorite sounds she makes is Raaawwrr for the bear. She even does her little hands up in the air like claws! : )

I took her to two movies recently and it went as well as can be expected. Our theater has $3 movies on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the summer with children's movies that have been released a while back so we took advantage of that with some of our friends and went! Caroline did better during the Alvin and the Chipmunks movie (her first movie ever!) and she did so-so in the Charlotte's web movie. In both movies we ended up leaving about half way through because she didn't have the attention span to sit through the whole thing.

Dan and I have always loved going out to eat but it is definitely becoming harder and harder with Caroline. Sometimes she goes and does SO well and then other times we take her and agree that we have to stop eating out with such a busy bee!
Caroline's favorite word right now is NO! I have been trying so hard to be very patient but firm in telling her it is not okay to tell mommy and daddy no, but she just keeps on saying it. She also went through a spell of hitting and I was so torn over the spanking decision. A big part of me feels like she is too young for that kind of punishment, but my instinct when she hits me in the face is to pop her leg to let her know how it feels!! I definitely don't want her to start hitting other children or animals.
 
Anyone have some really good recommendations for books on toddler discipline? She has several molars coming in so I'm wondering too if that doesn't have something to do with the behavior issues we're seeing. I'm sure its all normal for this age but we're working on shaping her into a sweet, respectful little girl!

Pitter Patter Art Giveaway

I came across this blog through a former coworker. She has some beautiful art and is doing a giveaway so I thought I'd participate! Go check it out!

Nothing much new is going on here. I'm enjoying these hot summer days with my sweet baby. I thought I would get bored staying at home all the time but I haven't at all! I do like having play dates and trips to the library to break up my day, but this is definitely the life! :) I've been cooking more, cleaning more, and most important of all, loving on my girl a LOT more!

I've had a couple of interviews recently and I'm hoping something will work out. I've just been praying that God will put me where He wants me. That's definitely the best place for me!

Stay at Home Mama

A few things have happened since my last post...

I graduated from Southern!

We had a perfect, amazing, relaxing trip to the beach! My mom and mother in law both kept Caroline and it was SO nice to take a little break from everything for a few days! We went to Destin and the water was absolutely beautiful.





Now that it's post-graduation, I'm back in the job hunting world. I'm enjoying all this extra time with my sweet girl and I hope she is too! It is giving me a taste of being a stay at home mama. Something I definitely hope to do one day! We are trying our hardest to stay at home and not spend money, but it's hard when you're used to breaking the boredom by doing a little shopping or going out to eat. I'm working on getting some play dates lined up so that should help.

We bought a little $8 pool from the dollar store and she enjoys putting her hands in it and occasionally standing and splashing with her feet. At least it keeps me cool while we play outside!

Here are some pics I took this afternoon. The only way to get her to smile when I'm trying to take a picture is to say, "I'm going to get you!!!"

Today after she woke up from her nap I told her "put your paci in your bed" and she did it! I was so amazed because I didn't know she knew what her bed was! Little ones definitely know more than we give them credit for!

How have you been enjoying your summer?

Lil' Syd Grows Up!

Caroline (Sydney is her first name in case you didn't get the title) is growing up so fast. I was just telling Dan the other day how they're only little babies for such a short period of time.
 She says a few words now including uh-oh, bah-bah for bye bye, of course mama and dada, daaaah for dog, and her most recent addition is shiii for outside. It's so cute to hear her learning to say these words!

She points to her belly button now (in addition to her head, ear, and foot). She loves Harry the Bunny on babyTV. She smiles so big every time he comes on and wears those big sunglasses. I actually find myself loving Harry the bunny, too. :)

If you sing "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" she will point to her head and toes and will clap to "If You're Happy and You Know it!" She is so much fun!

Here are some pictures from a few weeks ago on Easter morning. I was really surprised at how well she did with finding the eggs and putting them in her basket (and eating jelly beans that got all over her dress!)

My smart girl

Video 37 a video by jhenry418 on Flickr.

Mama is loud and country sounding. Ignore that.

Superhero Birthday Party!

My nephew's 4th birthday party was today and it was so much fun! My sister in law is always so creative and does a great job with her kids' parties and this was no exception! Here are some pics from the day.

Such a handsome birthday boy!

To go with the superhero theme, the kids decorated felt capes & masks. Such a fun, cute idea!

Superhero Caroline!

cupcake face!

Happy birthday, sweet Bryce! We love you!

The Will of a Toddler

A couple of weeks ago I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I'm going to be the recipient of a scholarship at USM. Today, I gave a short speech to the Business Advisory Counsel. I'm not an especially great or terrible speaker, but I think you can tell mid-speech that I'm nervous. Anyway, I was so relieved to get my little speech over with this afternoon and I think I did a pretty good job! I sat next to a director of their MBA program and it really got me thinking about the possibility of going to school online or maybe one night a week to get my masters. Definitely something to think about!

We went to eat at Chili's tonight and it was delicious! I was so surprised at how well Caroline acted during dinner. She has gotten to be quite a handful lately because she wants to eat from the minute we sit down to the minute we get up! I usually can't even take a bite of my food without her yelling. Well tonight this was not the case! She played with the kids menu and didn't yell for food once! I kind of struggle with whether or not I should let her get away with things right now. Part of me thinks she's too young to understand patience but the other part of me thinks that I need to teach her things now so she doesn't get used to being bad or demanding. Our other problem is standing up in chairs or the grocery cart. I guess we're getting to that age where you just have to not eat out as much & not take her shopping. : /    Thoughts? Should I be firm with her and let her pitch a fit in public or should I give in?

Speaking of shopping, look at these adorable sandals I got for Caroline! Yay for summer!

When I put the flower sandals on her feet to try out the size and took them off again she started crying. The girl likes her some shoes, ok!?

Photo Shoot!

My sister-in-law, Amy, took some beautiful pictures of Caroline last weekend while we were in town! I am in love!!! I think this calls for an updated header... HA!

We're babysitting my niece and nephew this weekend... I am so excited! They are almost 4 and 6. Any arts/crafts ideas y'all have for me to keep us all happy and entertained?

Lookie lookie!

I'm like a kid on Christmas morning! I messed up my blog a while back playing with the design and my header was off center forever. Anyway I was kind of stuck on fixing it because I also wanted an updated header (which I was clueless on how to do). I went to work yesterday googling how to make your own header and I actually did it! It isn't perfect but I'm so happy with my first attempt! I used these instructions. So helpful! Now maybe I can find some motivation to start blogging again!

This semester is already half way over. Last week was spring break and Caroline and I spent a few days in Jackson with my mom, Gommy, and a day with my sis-in-law, Amy. We went to the zoo and I loved it! Caroline watched the animals but still isn't quite old enough to be excited about them. I think my favorite part was seeing the giraffes. There was a daddy, momma, and a baby giraffe! Of course my animal-loving family had to feel bad for them and my Gommy was picking grass and throwing it to them behind the bars. I can totally see us getting kicked out of the zoo.

This week it's back to school and a new change for Caroline. She is headed back to daycare and I'm worried about how she will adjust. I know she will be fine and they will take good care of her, but it's a big change in her environment. She is getting to be such a big girl now. She started walking in her 12th month and has been running ever since. We love to take her outside to play now that it's warming up. It would be so nice to sit down while she plays, but she doesn't stay in one area and has no care for property lines so I have to chase her everywhere she goes.

She has become very "lovey" in the last couple of months! It absolutely melts my heart when she lays her head on my shoulder (and gives me the 'friend-pat'). She never used to do that! She is also a social butterfly! At a friend's birthday party a week or so ago she walked up to stranger after stranger wanting to be held. 

That's all for now. I'm going to take advantage of this quiet house and work on a paper for school. Let me know what you think of my header (only if you love it)!

A dog, a 1 year old, and a book

I am the worst when it comes to picking a title for each post... so, I give up and leave them blank sometimes. It's just that my posts are never really about one thing... just a mish mash of random things happening in my life at the moment. So here goes another titleless post!

Today we became the proud new parents of a beagle/hound mix. She will be an outside dog (which is very against my nature... I feel so bad for animals outside!) We picked her up from a shelter sitting outside of petsmart kind of spontaneously this afternoon. She is timid and so very sweet... we love her already. Her name is Retta (short for Loretta).

I finished reading The Help today and I LOVED it! Seriously, such a good book! I almost cried at the end. It was really interesting reading about Jackson, Mississippi in the 60's too. The author said at the end of the book, "Mississippi is like my mother. I am allowed to complain about her all I want, but God help the person who raises an ill word about her around me, unless she is their mother too." I cannot wait for the movie to come out... I think I read that it will come to theaters in August.

Caroline turned one last week and she is turning into a toddler before my eyes. We had a very small party at Aunt Amy's house.

Here's a pic of Caroline on her first day in the world

She still isn't walking yet but she will take a few steps here and there. The most she has taken at one time is about 6 or 7. I was certain she would walk while I was on break before I go back to school but she has proven me wrong, yet again. I've really gotten used to staying at home with her during this break. At first I thought, "man I'm not cut out for this stay at home mom business" but now I'm loving it and wishing I could stretch this time out. Maybe one day this will be a possibility for us. I've been cooking a lot more too! Nothing fancy though... things like chicken spaghetti, red beans and rice, and poppy seed chicken. Let me know if you have something easy that you love! I'm thinking next will be some kind of ranch chicken recipe. That sounds delicious!

Caroline's got muscles!!

Or tickets to the gun show, as her daddy would like to say!



Man, I love this baby!