The Youngbloods

Faces

2012-02-01T20:56:00.001-06:00

Oh how I love these little faces...

even if they are up to no good!

January 31, 2012

Teddy Bear Picnic

2012-01-31T20:54:00.000-06:00

Approximately 31 years ago I, along with my 3k class, left Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church and walked down the street a few houses to visit "Mama Bear". It was my friend Scott's grandmother. She had/has the biggest collection of teddy bears in the whole world...or so I thought! Well, last week Mama Bear came to Ella's class and brought some of her bears to show the class. The first thing Ella told me was that she saw an Alabama Cheerleader bear. The theme of the month must have been bears because they read a lot of bear based books and even had porridge one day...which Ella said she didn't like. I told Ella that I knew Mama Bear and she didn't believe me!

This week they brought their bears to school and had a picnic with them. Of course I had to make her a teddy bear shirt. The bow on the ear was done based on Ella's request!

January 30, 2012

Wanting to Play too!

2012-01-29T20:58:00.001-06:00

I took Caroline to the doctor on Saturday. She coughed a lot during the night Friday night and it sounded a lot like Ella's cough {which was diagnosed the croup}. So I took her into see Dr. Crum at VP. I love Dr. Crum. She is really sweet and brings a new warmth to the group. The good news is that Caroline's ear infection was all clear but she does have the croup. Dr. Crum put her on a steroid which we are now taking and praying it doesn't give her insomnia like it did Ella this past week. Since she was still croupy today I kept her inside for most of the day. Daddy & Ella got to play. While I was starting dinner Caroline found out she could see what was going on if she looked out the window. It was so pitiful. She kept banding on the window and fussing at Ella & Daddy! She wanted to play too!

Tiara

2012-01-29T20:51:00.000-06:00

Ella was playing dress up on Saturday and put this tiara on Caroline's head. I am not kidding when I tell you it stayed on there for about 5 minutes!

Friend, Sisters & Fun

2012-01-28T08:32:00.001-06:00

My new best friend...

Whatcha' doin' down there?

Weeeee.....

Best Buddies

2012-01-27T08:44:00.000-06:00

Ella's buddy Maggie came over last week to play for awhile! It was a beautiful day so the girls were so excited to get outside and swing. Ella and Maggie are so funny. They fight like sisters, or so I'm told! They will go from being jealous of whatever the other has to sweet as sugar. I can't tell you how many times I've heard, "You're NOT my best friend anymore". They are so funny to watch. They played really well on this day and at one point they were up in Ella's room playing dress-up and sharing books. It was cute but I didn't get a picture of it!

But I did get these adorable pictures!

January 19, 2012

Up, Mirror & Thanks

2012-01-25T15:15:00.001-06:00

Thank you dear friend! I love this!

Someone found themselves in the mirror!

Up...

Caroline Turns 7 Months Old

2012-01-22T16:10:00.000-06:00

Caroline turned 7 months old yesterday. I want time to slow down because she is growing up too fast!

While I was taking her pictures she started to pull up in the bed...this is the second time she has done this. The first time was on the steps in the playroom. She was actually up on both feet that time though. She was so proud of herself too.

She is such a sweet little girl. She is getting over her first ear infection. I was proud that we hadn't made a trip to the sick baby clinic until she was almost 7 months old! We started food a few weeks ago and she LOVES it. Her favorite at first was sweet peas but now she likes everything I put in her mouth. We even started her on the little puffs and wagon wheels. She feels like a big girl eating those! We are in the process of moving her to formula. Though nursing her has been very easy I feel it is just time to give it up and move her to a bottle and formula. I am proud of myself for making it 7 months!

Caroline has two teeth but we feel another one must be coming in soon because she is back to chewing on any and every thing she can get her little hands on. She loves bath time and I usually walk away from bath time really wet. She loves to splash! She sure does love her big sister. Ella can get her laughing by just smiling at her. They sit in the back seat and laugh at nothing all the time!

Thank you Lord for my precious girls!

Admiration

2012-01-22T15:46:00.001-06:00

Such admiration for Sarah...

We were so lucky to see Sarah perform at one of the local cheer competitions yesterday. It was so much fun and you could tell she was having fun too! She is a great cheerleader and gymnast. It was the first time we have been in the BJCC since Disney on Ice so Ella was a little confused to why the ice was gone. Ella really enjoyed watching the performances. She told me she wanted to be a part of the sparkly group when she got older. I am assuming she meant the girls with the sparkly outfits. You just never know what is going to catch their attention.

Pinch Pinch

2012-01-20T18:18:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure what I love more - those chubby cheeks or those fat lips!!!

Just-a-swinging

2012-01-20T18:17:00.000-06:00

We love warm days in January...

A Little Facetime

2012-01-20T18:15:00.002-06:00

The Whatley's got an ipad for Christmas and we were thrilled...for this reason alone!

This was the first time we were able to chat via facetime. After the kids stopped giggling {only after about 10 minutes} they actually had a few conversations. Mainly about girl scout cookies...

Hanging on... & The Birthday Hat

2012-01-18T08:00:00.000-06:00

This picture speaks volumes. Ella hangs onto every word that comes out of Craig's mouth. I love how she crawled up right next to him, almost falling off of the bed to see what he was looking at. It didn't even matter that he was ordering dress shirts...she stayed right at his side to watch.

Caroline loves the birthday hat!

Happy Birthday Nance!

2012-01-17T21:05:00.000-06:00

We celebrated Nance's Birthday last night! Ella gets so excited when she knows cake is going to be in the house! She asked me one million times when the party was going to start!

We gave Nance a 2012 calendar filled with pictures of the girls!

She loved it!

And you know Ella had to help blow out the candles!

Happy Birthday Nance!

Baby it's cold outside!

2012-01-17T13:51:00.000-06:00

We stayed in most of the weekend accompanied by an ear infection and pink eye. It was cold too! Alabama has the craziest weather and it really hurts us since we have bad allergies. Even mommy & daddy have the crud! But it was still a nice weekend to cuddle up and be together!

The Mask

2012-01-13T20:22:00.001-06:00

For our friends, The Whatley's. Enjoy your first Mardi Gras as a Louisiana resident.

Old Friends...I mean Toys

2012-01-13T10:10:00.003-06:00

Since Caroline is sitting up and crawling, we thought it would be a good time to bring down a few toys that we stored at my parents house. My sweet mom brought this down yesterday CLEAN!!!

I thought Caroline would be so excited.

What I never expected was to have Ella act like it was Christmas morning! She was thrilled to play with it and acted like it was her best friend that she hadn't seen in years.

I think daddy was even glad to see it...and ring the door bell.

Butterflies & Blue Eyes

2012-01-11T21:10:00.000-06:00

It was such a nasty day yesterday that when Ella asked me to put her butterfly in the window I couldn't help but want to capture it. She was so proud of her hard work.

We've been cleaning out Ella's room which has lead to a lot of play time in there for Caroline. In the midst of cleaning it out we will stop and play with something "new" we find. Wow! I'm afraid that the show Hoarders would take Ella on in a heartbeat. I even found some things I was missing. I couldn't bring myself to take a picture of what she had hidden in the little castle in her room. And her drawers were hilarious. But it's all back in its rightful places...and some in the trash can. But I digress...

Caroline was a good sport and played around us and with whatever we would allow her to play with. By "play with" I mean put in her mouth. During a moment of playing barbies on Ella's bed I was asking why Ken wasn't allowed to play with us. She told me he was in jail. I looked down to see these precious little eyes staring up at me! Be still my heart!!!!

Sister Talk

2012-01-10T10:29:00.001-06:00

Texting Mar...

2012-01-10T06:30:00.000-06:00

I love my dad...he's pretty much in the know about everything. I contribute this to the fact that he reads any and everything that he comes across...except how to read and respond to text messages on his iphone.
I sent him a text in November that included a picture of Ella in an Alabama cheerleader uniform. While in New Orleans, LA for the BCS National Championship he FINALLY answered the text.
Here is how our conversation went:
Dad: She is the cutest cheerleader we have! {talking about the picture I sent in November}
Me: Are you just now seeing this????
Dad: Yes, Sarah had to help me {my 12 year old niece that is in NOLA with them}
Me: Hehe! I think I know more people in new Orleans than in Bham now. I love seeing all the pics on facebook.
Dad: Signing off
Me: You don't sign off of texting dad.
Dad: We have seen a lot of people here and I can sign off if I want to.
Me: Ok...just don't tell people that is what you do. Craig has to take his car to the dealership so I may use mom's car...thanks :) Goodnight
Dad: Due to your snide comments you cannot use YaneYane's car. Those strollers may come in handy, right?
Dad: CNN
Me: What is cnn?
Dad: It's a news network.

WHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT??????????????
I don't know where cnn came from but I just found our texting session hilarious and I wanted to document it.

A Tooth

2012-01-09T06:30:00.000-06:00

Can you see it?

I promise it is there!

Trying to capture a little tooth is about impossible.

Just incase you can't see it I wrote the word TOOTH right under it.

It's there...I promise!

The "Cramer" Center {McWane}

2012-01-08T20:47:00.001-06:00

We visited the McWane Center {Ella calls it the cramer center - ha} on Saturday since the forecast called for rain all day! Everyone else seemed to trust the weather man too because it was a packed house...and it never rained!

Ella always seems so overwhelmed when we first get to places like the McWane Center. It's almost as if things are a little too much for her.

I think this little deal is fun and Ella liked it too! She looked like a little angel!

She loves this little house where if she stands at one end and I stand at another, we look the same height!

BUBBLES!!!

I love the last two - not because the fat guy in the back came into focus but because you can see the change in the bubble when she is blowing on it!

In Motion!

I asked her to put her hand so I could take a picture and she put her whole face. Luckily her daddy didn't see it because he would have marched her to the bathroom and made her wash her face. He's a little germ-a-phobic at these places...it's rather funny sometimes!

Ella got into the wind/tornado booth with daddy and two other little girls! The winds were blowing up to 60 MPH at one point! Ella just giggled away!

The great thing about being a member is that we don't feel we have to see everything and stay all day each time we go! I am so glad we joined. It's already paid for itself. There are all sorts of neat things we learn each time we go! I want to do the safari jeep simulator ride next time. Ella wasn't interested so we skipped it this time.

Sassy

2012-01-07T22:30:00.000-06:00

Someone has been putting their hands on their hips a lot lately...SASSY SASSY!

Goodnight Moon

2012-01-06T16:29:00.000-06:00

This is what greeted me when walking to the door tonight after a fabulous dinner with friends!

God is good and has blessed us with some terrific people in our lives!

Peek-a-boo & Shake, Rattle & Roll

2012-01-05T22:05:00.000-06:00

I thought Caroline was asleep and I snuck into her room to find these two big eyes staring at me! It reminded me of a picture of Ella that I love so much. So I grabbed my camera, opened her blinds and clicked away.

And I had to find this one for you too!

So, I'm already failing at this Project 365. I get to day 5 and forget to take a picture. But, I do have a precious video of Ella & Maggie swinging those hips at the library.

Here is 5/365

SHAKE IT SISTER!

Like her Grandmothers...

2012-01-04T08:43:00.002-06:00

Both of Ella's grandmothers love jewelry. My mom always has on a millions bracelets and Nance always has on bunches of rings. So, she gets it honestly. Putting on her jewelry is the first thing she did yesterday...so I grabbed my iphone and got her picture.

Again, not the best photo. I guess I need to leave my fancy camera on the kitchen counter!
January 3, 2012

Happy Birthday Wayne...I mean Russell!!

2012-01-02T21:56:00.001-06:00

Tomorrow is my brother's birthday but we celebrated tonight! Amy fixed some yummy santa fe soup. I wanted seconds but was able to control myself because I knew there was cake!

The girls entertained us with Wii dance...Ella was actually able to keep up with them better than I thought she would be able to.

Because I am such a wonderful sister I always buy my brother an Alabama t-shirt for his birthday. This year I purchased him some beads too, so he can wear them when he goes to the BCS National Championship!

We had a fun rainbow cake. We are not sure what was in it, but it was delicious. I wish I had seconds of that cake right now!

Ella entertained us with a little ukulele...which somehow ended up coming home with us! Ella was so excited. They are so good to her.

Out of all the pictures this one is my favorite so I'm going to use it as my Project 365 picture.

January 2, 2012

I love this picture because I can tell he is smiling even though his mouth is covered up by the t-shirt.

Happy Birthday Russell!
I just realized I forgot to bring the birthday hat. Don't think you'll ever get out of that again...

Project 365* ~ A Photo A Day!

2012-01-01T19:21:00.001-06:00

My friend Amanda, who took Caroline's pictures for my friend Heather's clothing line, participated in Project 365 in 2011. She inspired me to do it too. Her motivation was a little different than mine...which you can read about here. I want to learn more about my camera and how to take great pictures so I hope this will motivate me to do so. I hope you enjoy it as much as I've enjoyed seeing Amanda's!

For my first picture...

January 1, 2012

We will call it Black Eye Pea!

New Year's Day lunch at The Ridge.

{It was actually taken with my iphone at lunch so it's not the best photo!}

New Year's Eve 2011

2011-12-31T20:57:00.002-06:00

Happy New Year!
Welcome 2012!

New Year's Eve was a much needed quiet night! Caroline was exhausted and went to sleep earlier than normal so we met up with some neighbors in front of our house to shoot some fireworks! Craig and Ella drove out to leeds to the fireworks place earlier in the day to get what we needed. We haven't shot fireworks on New Year's Eve in years...so I was excited. Turns out fireworks are rediculously expensive so we didn't have too many to fire off but that didn't seem to bother anyone!

I find this picture funny. Ella was in the process of throwing a POP onto the street...with all her might!

A 3-foot sparkler...finally. I always thought sparklers ended too quick!

Madison Reed, our next door neighbor's granddaughter.

We've enjoyed Madison being in town this week. She comes over and plays with Ella for hours. They have a good time!

This is about as big as we got...except for the roman candles that I really enjoyed holding {yes, I know you are not supposed to hold them}. The funny thing is that Mr. Reed was yelling at me to "Shake it". So I did and when it shot it went much further. Craig and I shot the roman candles at the same time and Ella thought that was funny!

We watched most of the Auburn game...actually I fell asleep before it was over. Craig woke me and told me that we won though...WAR EAGLE! I'm proud of my Auburn tigers!

A recap of 2011 is coming soon...

Caroline's 6-month pictures

2011-12-30T21:39:00.000-06:00

Caroline and I ventured to Portrait Innovations to have her 6-month pictures taken. I know I say that she is the best baby, but she really is! Even the guy taking the pictures kept saying how easy Caroline had made his job!

The girls helping him kept Caroline smiling the whole time.

Here are a few of my favorite!

This is the one I picked for her main picture!

Just incase you wanted to compare, here is one of Ella's 6-month pictures. She wasn't as amused as Caroline was!

Christmas Day 2011

2011-12-26T21:25:00.000-06:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

What a great day we had on Christmas! It was filled with lots of smiles, hugs and presents. Originally I had planned to get up early to start a breakfast casserole. It's the easiest breakfast casserole ever that Amy made at the beach once and since then I make it all the time. I was smart enough to cook the sausage on Christmas Eve day and OH BOY I was so glad I did!

Ella snuck into our bed around 2:30am and Craig escorted her right back to her room. Luckily she fell back asleep. I, on the other hand, couldn't go back to sleep. I was too excited, ~~almost child-like~~ just like a child for sure. I couldn't wait to see Ella's face when she saw what Santa brought her. Especially since the past two years she hardly smiled because she was so overwhelmed {or just exhausted}. I finally fell back asleep and then at 4:30am Caroline woke up HUNGRY! I got her up and fed her and she went right back down. Again, I didn't think I would go back to sleep. The next thing I know Craig and Ella are yelling, "Wake up Mommy..Santa came!". So Ella jumped in bed with me while Craig got the lights on and the video camera on. Ella & I woke Caroline up so we could all go down together. It was 7am!

When we walked in the den Craig took a picture of Ella's face! And I love it!

She sort of stood there and giggled a little, which I found adorable.

I made them both sit so I could get a picture of them in front of the tree.

Ella had already grabbed Hello Kitty sticking out of her stocking.

She then emptied Caroline's stocking and gave Caroline a few of her gifts.

Caroline could have cared less. She just watched and smiled!

Ella got the Snow White Barbie she asked for.

And the camera she asked for. It's really a cute little camera and VERY childproof.

A few surprises included a Barbie/Ken jeep {mainly because the snow white barbie was like a unicorn until two days before Christmas} and a FIND IT game.

Caroline enjoyed her teething toys that Santa brought her!

Ella also got an ironing board and an iron. This was something I never thought I wanted to buy my daughter. My thinking was that she has the rest of her life to iron...why start at 3?

But she LOVED it...and ironed everything she could find.

And then threw it on the floor.

Maybe I should put on a fun dress to iron...it sounds like it might be more fun???

Caroline got a few books that she wanted to....eat.

Now, who is going to clean up this mess???

Too bad Sparkles & Glitter went back to the North Pole...but they did leave us this message on one of the kitchen windows.

I threw the casserole together and into the oven it went! We finished up our advent devotion and lit the last candle. Happy Birthday Jesus!

Ella just HAD To have her nails painted with some new fingernail polish...which was fine because it killed a little time before our breakfast was ready.

After we ate we tried to clean up a little bit and I started on the mac-n-cheese for lunch! Everyone got dressed and we were out the door by noon to head to my parents house.

Ella was immediately at Sarah's side...as fast as she could get there!

I didn't get many pictures at my parents. Sometimes you just have to put down your camera to really spend time with people and enjoy the day. But I did get one of my four favorite girls...it's my favorite.

Lauren 16 ~ Ella 3 ~ Caroline 6months ~ Sarah 12

As much as my brother and I give each other a hard time still, I do love to see my girls with him!

Since I forgot to get some shots of the girls in their Christmas dresses before we went to lunch I decided to get some before dinner with Craig's parents...they were about silly by then!

Nance & Pop joined us for more presents then another yummy dinner.

They gave Ella an easy bake oven...with two extra fun things to cook too. Ella was excited and couldn't wait to try it out!

Caroline got a NICE four-sided farm activity center. I'm not sure who was more excited...Ella or Caroline!

After dinner Ella wanted to show off her new WII game!

Another Christmas has come & gone. Every year I tell myself that the next year is going to be slower, more simple, but I can't figure out how to do it. Especially since we are trying to start traditions for our little family of four. It sure was a fun Christmas and I love having a child to share it with. That "magic" I felt as a child is back and here to stay for awhile.

December 25, 2012

Christmas Eve 2011

2011-12-24T21:42:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I go back through my pictures to relive the moment, to feel what I felt during the moment the picture was taken. While I was going back through our Christmas pictures I couldn't help but be humbled by the love I felt pouring out of the pictures. The looks on my girls' faces are priceless and I feel so blessed by where we are in life right now. As we counted down the days to Christmas on our advent calendar Ella kept saying, "__ days until it's over".

About three days before Christmas she said that Christmas would soon be over. I told her that we really celebrate Jesus all year round so "really Christmas doesn't end in a few days". She looked at me and said, "then can we leave up the Christmas tree". No Ella, we cannot leave up the Christmas tree....These moments with her are so cute and I love to watch her facial expressions when she is thinking about what to say next.

But I digress...

Christmas Eve began at 1pm for us. I shot some pictures of the girls in front of the tree before we went to my parents to exchange gifts with them.

Wow...she looks so old!

Silly Sisters!

Mar & his new Daniel Moore print!

Mom and her Vintage Pearl necklace. It has all of our names on it and it is adorable!

I was excited to see how Ella would handle the gifts. Like every other three-year-old she was just more interested in what the next gift was going to bring her instead of enjoying and looking at the one in her hand.

I did my best to try and get her slow down and thank everyone for each gift...but it was a little chaos!

Caroline ripped a little paper and was excited about her animal train!

After opening gifts we headed to Olivia & Jacks to see the Wells' family. Judson and Barbara were in town and were leaving that night so we moved it up a few hours. Olivia had Montez's Tom & Jerry egg nog/punch bowl set out filled with egg nog. They were spiking it with Irish Whiskey for the adults. It was yummy and fun to use the Tom & Jerry cups.

Lauren & Sarah

John, Courtney & Craig

Melinda & Amy

On to dirty santa.

Ella passed our the numbers this year but Davis amazingly had #1 again.

And he got a #1 gift! Hilarious! What's even funnier is my mom's face in the background.

Patiently waiting!

Ella picked a really neat AUBURN bank. It counts the money as you put in in there. She already has $20.00 in there. Watch your pockets if you are around her because if she hears change she will steal it right from your pockets!

Sweet Caroline watched the craziness!

The whole gang!

After dirty santa we headed to the Youngblood's for another round of food & presents!

We took a cute group shot, but by then Caroline was DONE!

We got home and got the girls in their PJs. I made them stand in front of the tree again for more pictures.

It was time to get out cookies, or in this case, cookie for Santa. Ella wanted the other cookies for herself...

After putting out reindeer food and reading "Twas the night before Christmas" we headed to bed!

Caroline's 6-month well-baby check-up!

2011-12-21T23:06:00.000-06:00

Caroline is 6 months old! She had her well-baby check-up with Dr. Hamm. He said she is doing great. She weights 17.5 pounds {70%} and is 27.5{90%} inches long. Caroline is truly a good baby. She doesn't really fuss unless she is miserably hungry or tired...and even then you can get her distracted to stop her from fussing!

She is starting to sit up with some assistance. She is bouncing on all fours and is ready to take off crawling any minute! She is a good sleeper and sleeps best when you lay her down in her bed awake. She will put herself to sleep also. She LOVES her sister and just smiles at her all the time. She is drooling because of the teeth that are starting to come in! She is eating some rice cereal but would rather just chew on the spoon. Her giggles are so sweet and I do anything to make her laugh, just to hear it.

Happy 6 months sweet Caroline!

Wood's Annual Sing-a-long 2011

2011-12-21T21:02:00.000-06:00

Another fun year at the Wood's sing-a-long. I tried to look back at previous blog posts about the party/event but I couldn't find any. So I'll have to start from square one. The sing-a-long started YEARS ago at the Wood's house - in Coventry. Us Bagbys were not part of the original group and honestly I can't remember when we started going...but I'm glad we did. Every year on a Sunday night in December we get together with families that I have known since birth, to celebrate Christmas and years of friendships. The party gets bigger and bigger each year and it's fun to see new additions every year.

It's a loud party...

And a fun party...

But most of all it's a great time to catch up with friends that we don't get to see much. Years ago we started taking pictures of all the kids with Ginny & Johnny. I can only find the past five years...minus 2007. But I'll post the ones I do have at the end...just because it's fun to see how much everyone has grown.

So the party begins at 6 and it used to last until 9 or 10 but for the past few years it's ended around 8, mainly because of young children that need their sleep!

The best part is the player piano that everyone gathers around each year trying to sing as loud as they can.

And every year Bill Meadows gets the award...

There are children of all ages dancing...

And this year there were some baton lessons going on {thanks Mrs. Ann - she is still asking about what you were doing!}

Even the babies have a great time {and maybe an accidental taste of beer}.

Ella loves Jaja and his piano.

Dad, Caroline, Mom & Sarah

Johnny Wood is one of my most favorite people on this earth for many reasons that I can't even begin to go into. Every year Ginny puts this out as NOEL and every year he changes it to:

Ella exchanged gifts with JB & MV. JB loved his batman & superman!

Lilly & Ella

Silly kids!

Sarah & Caroline

The annual kid photo!

2011

2006

2008

2009

2010

What a fun tradition! Thanks Gigi & Jaja for opening up your house for this crazy night!

Someone is ready to move...

2011-12-17T14:37:00.001-06:00

Caroline is starting to rock back and forth! Wow! She kind of looks like a little froggy!

Vestavia Day School Christmas Program

2011-12-16T14:24:00.000-06:00

Ella's Christmas program was so much fun today. This is the first time we have seen her sing in a program like this. I'll admit that I was so proud. I felt what I used to see on my brother & sister-in-laws face at Lauren & Sarah's programs. There is nothing greater than seeing your child sing about the greatest gift EVER given to us. The program, "Christmas Step By Step" was adorable. Luckily our good friends Lauren & Maggie got to the church early and saved us a row for family because the church was pretty full when it came time to start!

The kids walked in together which I just think is precious. I don't know why she looks so sleepy!!!

This is her whole class, along with Mrs. Patsy, her teacher. Such a cute group!

Anna Sofia, Henry, G.W., Caroline,

Kate, Ella, Ben, Mrs. Patsy

Isabella, David, Maggie & Mary Beth

After the program we were invited back down to her room for cookies & punch. It was fun meeting some of the parents that I haven't met yet.

During the program, Caroline stayed in the narthex with my good friend Katie. She is the best. Caroline has this tendency to want to sing with everyone else and I didn't want to have to run out in the middle of the program! But she got to join us for the party afterwards.

Yep, she does look like Mar!

Silly Ella & Caroline were too busy looking at each other!

Mary Beth, Ella & Maggie

Ella, Maggie & Adelaide

Cookies with Friends...again!

2011-12-15T14:06:00.000-06:00

Adelaide & Allison invited us to a cookie decorating party at their house this past week. There were a lot of kids there, which makes for a crazy fun time.

Rolling the out to cut!

Caroline & Annabel

Silly Maggie!

Our children look tired...

My favorite pictures from the day are of the graduating class of 2030!

Caroline, Mary Allison, Annabel, Mia, Andrew & DeEtte

That cookie made it all better didn't it, Mary Allison!

One of our new tricks...

Sparkles & Glitter

2011-12-14T21:31:00.003-06:00

We officially have two elves. One day we got home from somewhere and Sparkles had cloned herself and there were two. Luckily Sparkles was smart {lucky} enough to clone herself with a red hat so we can tell them apart. Glitter, as the 2nd was named, is really Caroline's elf. But we all know Caroline could care less about a little elf now. In fact we have to keep Glitter away from her because all she does is try and stick her in her mouth.

I'll be honest...our elves are dull. But Ella freaking LOVES it when we move them around. I just wish I could be sneaky enough and remember to do it more often. I did get creative {Pinterest} and let Sparkles make a sprinkle angel one night.

Sweet Caroline woke up at 5:30 the next morning so she got to see it first. She is so dang cute!

And one day while Ella was a school the two elves climbed in the sink and took a bath in marshmallows.

PICTURE TO POST SOON...

A friend of mine posted this link of facebook and it made me feel a little better about our elves not being so active this year. If you need this reassurance...here is the link: http://peopleiwanttopunchinthethroat.blogspot.com/2011/12/over-achieving-elf-on-shelf-mommies.html

I'm off to steal an elf from a 3-year-old's bedroom...

Dance Christmas Party & Show

2011-12-14T20:00:00.000-06:00

Ella's dance class has a little Christmas show for us. We were invited to come see what they have learned since the beginning of the year. Then they celebrated with a Christmas party...with treats and all!

I took some video but it's too big for our blog! So some photos will have to do for now!

Reese & Ella

Miss Britney is the best!

Caroline

2011-12-11T21:50:00.001-06:00

Caroline will turn 6 months on the 21st...and I have not even posted the first "MONTH" picture. Shame on me. So, here they are in a collage. More on this sweet baby soon!

Vestavia Hills Christmas Parade

2011-12-11T21:07:00.000-06:00

The Vestavia Christmas parade has been a city tradition for years and years. I can remember going to see Santa one cold night when they actually had live reindeer. I also was in the parade as a Pizitz Cheerleader in 7th grade and also when I was a Vestavia Belle in High School. So, I was a little disappointed when they cancelled the parade a few years ago due to unhappy merchants and motorists trying to get home at 5pm with half of 31 South blocked off....however they really just moved it to Liberty Park. I asked our friends who live in Liberty Park, the Kiels, about it and they invited us to go with them. Ella was THRILLED. They have a little girl named Allison that is Ella's age. So we packed up this past Saturday and headed out there around 1pm.

Allison & Ella piled in this stroller that Mark navigated...

Emily, Allison's older sister, rode her bike but jumped in when we stopped for the parade.

Caroline missed the parade for a much needed nap...

Kailey is my parents next door neighbor. She is such a sweet girl. I talked to her after the parade and she said she would love to come play with the girls when they were at my parents one day. What a sweetie!

Santa came along in his F150 pulling the TOWN VILLAGE FLOAT! It was so cute and my friend Leigh Ann was riding in it. I didn't recognize any residents but the ones on there were so cute!

What a great float!

Mr. Jim came by in his Happy Days car. This is the car that took us from the Church to the reception when we got married! The girls were excited about seeing Mr Jim!

I read there was a golf cart decorating contest...but there was no contest since only one golf cart was decorated. But they get an A for effort!

The Rebelettes were handing out Candy. I just love those little outfits. They are so festive. Ella & the kids loved the candy! I wish they would have danced!

SANTA!!! In a fire truck! FUN!

After the parade there was a party in one of the subdivisions. There were tents, food and Royal Cup Coffee. We didn't last very long because it was freezing...which is odd when I think back on it because I am blogging in shorts right now!

SANTA!! AGAIN!!! This is our fourth time to see him. Thank goodness Ella didn't mention something new she wanted for Christmas. Same story - "a camera and a barbie doll" SWEET!

We had a great time with the Kiels. They are a lot of fun and it was sweet of them to let us go with them to the parade. Liberty park is a nice neighborhood and I see why they enjoy living out there. {I say out there because even though it is Vestavia it's a good 20 minutes from our house!}We walked away with a full zip-loc bag of candy that the girls divided up. They were so sweet and there was no arguing over candy. Allison & Emily are sweet kids. Ethan, their little brother, is a cute little thing and just did whatever the girls did! Thanks Kiels for a great Saturday!

The Polar Express PJ Party

2011-12-11T20:44:00.001-06:00

Since Royal Cup is sponsoring the Winter Wonderland at the McWane Center I thought it might be fun to take my parents down there so Dad could see what they actually sponsored. There were many events to choose from but I chose the Polar Express PJ Party! The main reason is that it is sort of a tradition to watch that movie every Christmas with my family. My dad bought the book and tape, yes I said TAPE of someone reading it YEARS ago and we listened to it every year until they came out with the movie.

So the night began with a picture with Santa and some hot chocolate. Ella, who at this point is a pro at seeing Santa, gave me a "are you kidding" look when I told her to get in line for another picture....but she hung in there for one more {maybe} picture with him.

Caroline did good, just wanted to grab his beard!

Have I mentioned what a happy baby she is?

It was really cute seeing all the kids walk around in their pajamas. Some parents even had on their pajamas...and some teenagers did too. One "couple" who had to be 15 or so had on matching footed pajamas. The guy was MISERABLE but I give him bonus points for trying to win over his girl's heart!

The snow was really neat, but Ella wasn't impressed. She sometimes get a little overwhelmed in places like the McWane Center. There is just too much going on!

Craig was impressed with this bass...

The model train exhibit was really neat. I have seen it before but it's always amazing the time spent on putting together a little train "city".

The bubble room is a lot of fun. Ella & Craig in a big bubble below.

What else is there to do in a giant bubble...but try to blow a little bubble!

After Santa and playing around the McWane Center it was time to watch The Polar Express. It started at 6pm...or at least it was supposed to. It actually didn't end up starting until 6:30. Caroline had just finished a bottle and was asleep but the minute those speakers came on she was up and wanting to know what was going on. She sat through the whole movie wide awake. She LOVED the big screen! Ella did great too, but was ready to leave toward the end!

When we were leaving the staff of the McWane Center passed out little bells! It was cute.

Breakfast with Santa

2011-12-08T20:50:00.001-06:00

Vestavia is having some great events this Christmas! A whole committee has worked on creating these events for the community so we are going to do our best to support them and go to as many as we can!

Saturday was Breakfast with Santa at the Vestavia Lodge. We got up early because we had to go to a PALS event at Barnes & Noble at 10. I am glad that we went early because it was getting busy right before we left!

Ella said she didn't want to sit with Santa but wanted to sit with Mrs. Claus, but she had run out to the car. So Caroline took the opportunity to sit with him!

She liked his beard...

Mrs Claus was glad to have Ella sit with her but had a fit to get a hold of Caroline. She told Ella to sit with Santa and Ella listened to her!

Craig said Mrs. Claus didn't want to give Caroline back! It was cute!

It was another great event! Ella really enjoyed it. The breakfast wasn't half bad either!

Cookie Time

2011-12-08T20:41:00.000-06:00

Oh how we love to bake and decorate cookies this time of year. It's just not Christmas without a ginormous mess of icing and sprinkles all over everything. It was an ugly day outside...cold and wet!

We invited Elliott and Maggie to come over and make some cookies with us! Ella was so excited...I love to watch her face light up when friends come over!

Ella is just like me..she doesn't think ANY of the cookie should be showing so you must cover it up with layer upon layer of icing. Yes, I ate two of her cookies. She wasn't interested in eating them...which was fine with me :)

Such fun & silly friends!

It was a super fun day with our friends. We even snuck out and ate at Hungry Howies with Lauren & Maggie {which brought back many memories from Whale of a Sale}. The girls sat at a table by themselves {again} and thought they were big girls.

Let the Christmas Festivities Begin!

2011-12-06T20:38:00.001-06:00

Oh how I LOVE Christmas! I love that it starts the day after Thanksgiving and that there is something ALL THE TIME TO DO!!! It is the most wonderful time of the year...after all!

Ella is at such a wonderful age where there is "Christmas magic" in our house. Her eyes light up over the smallest thing.

Our elf is back too...Sparkles the elf.

She hasn't brought treats yet and I'm not sure she will...but she is still fun! Ella loves her!

Sparkles did bring a friend the other night...her name is Glitter and she is Caroline's elf.

We actually went to see Santa the night before Thanksgiving. For some reason we went to the mall with my parents the night before Thanksgiving last year. I don't remember why we did, but I remember making a mental note that there was not a line to see Santa and I needed to bring the girls back the same night this year. So we ventured out thinking I was getting ahead of the game. Well...it was so frustrating! Santa takes a much needed break from 5-6pm...which is fine. I have no problem with that. But I did expect him to be ready to start at 6pm. Well he walked out around 6:15pm and his "elves" opened the door around 6:20pm. Then the "elves" decided they needed to change out the paper for the printers, then they messed something up. We were the fourth family in line to see Santa {at 6pm} and we got up to see him at 7:10pm. Ella sat in Santa's lap for about 10 minutes because the elves were messing with the computer/printers again. I told her to cancel our picture and I just took some myself.

Caroline was so sweet. Especially since she really needed to eat at 6:30 but didn't get to.

Patiently waiting...

You can tell she is nervous because she is picking at her nails!

This is when I told Craig to put Caroline on his lap and I started taking pictures.

I felt sorry for Santa because he seemed really sweet...but his elves were idiots.
Next year we go to Brookwood.

We started decorating the day after Thanksgiving.
Ella started with her tree!

Don't forget the star...

Caroline just hung out and watched!

And our fun child-proof train that Ella loves so much! Yay!

Just in case you were wondering we did purchase another inflatable after ours was stolen from us last Christmas {Yes, I blogged about it here}. However we plugged it in and it wasn't working very well. In fact it would only work for about 5 minutes and then stop rotating {it was a carousel}. So we took it back and are going to wait another year to find one we really like {and hopefully a better brand}!

Our first Christmas event was the Vestavia Christmas tree lighting ceremony. Maggie & Lauren met us there. The first thing that we did was get our picture taken with Santa!

Sarah sang with the Pizitz choir. Ella got a good view on top of Russ's shoulders.

Maggie & Ella got to get a picture with sweet Margaret...a Rebelette. They were a little star struck!

We had a blast and the tree was pretty, small, but pretty! We ate dinner with Russ & Amy, Lauren & Maggie & Yane-Yane! It was so much fun. I enjoyed seeing all the activity in the Vestavia City Center.

My friend Ashley took this picture while we waited on Santa!

Next Up: BREAKFAST WITH SANTA! YAY!!!

Thanksgiving

2011-12-06T19:28:00.001-06:00

Thanksgiving...it comes and goes so fast...but this year I took the time to enjoy it! Ella and I started preparing for it weeks beforehand. We were hosting Craig's family so I took the opportunity to teach Ella what Thanksgiving is all about. We took dollar store placemats and made them special by putting making a turkey out of her hand. I painted her hand brown and each finger a different color. It turned out really cute. The placemats were also "party favors" for NanNa and Pop!

You can kind of see the placemats in this picture...

You will also notice an assortment of pilgrim hats and indian headdresses that we made for everyone to wear. Ella's was pink...which I am sure isn't surprising!

Ella was also learning about Thanksgiving at school so we talked a lot about it and she asked a lot of questions. I love her curiosity. When we talked about thanking God for all our blessing she said, "sort of like when we say our prayers before bed." You got it sister!

After a delicious lunch it was warm enough for Ella to go outside. While I was washing dishes I saw this outside my kitchen window...and I love it!

What were they looking at and talking about. Pricesless daddy/daughter memories and I love it when I get it on film!

It felt so good outside that me and Caroline joined them!

It was a beautiful day and Ella had a blast!

After we played outside for a little while we went to Su-Su & Charles' house for dessert!

NanNa, Caroline, Jenny & Thomas

Ella loved playing with Thomas! He is a little more entertaining than Caroline!

After we got home and settled, my parents called and invited us up for left overs and roasting some marshmallows. They had started a fire outside on their porch and wanted us to come enjoy it with them and my brother's family! So we headed up there for some more fun!

Here is what Caroline thought about us eating again and her not having any...

HILARIOUS!!!!

YaYa & Caroline

The only way Ella would roast her marshmallow is if Sarah did!

And she even sat with Russ {obviously because Sarah was there}

It was a great Thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for and we counted all our blessings!

Uncle Bear {Blair} Gets Married!

2011-12-05T21:27:00.001-06:00

We are so thrilled for Blair! I am also excited to have another sister-in-law and niece. There are now officially more girls in the Youngblood family than boys ~ so they are outnumbered! ;)

The wedding was just outside Atlanta which meant we got to spend the night in a hotel. Ella was thrilled that the three of us got to go away for one night. Caroline stayed with my parents. This was the first time I had left her but we both did just fine!

Ella & Blair before the ceremony.

Mr & Mrs Youngblood! Yay!

Now I figured that Ella would have a great time at the reception, after all she is my daughter. But she just wouldn't stop. She was a dancing queen and partying fool! It was adorable!

She was so amazed by the lighting that hit the wall.

Hugging sweet Lea!

Did I mention Ella had a good time?? She drank the fire out of some sparkling grape juice too! And she also welcomed Lea to the family during the toasts.

Now for the really cute part! Ella stayed on the dance floor most of the night. She had two little friends, Jenny & Jenny's cousin who she played and danced with the whole night. I'm not kidding when I say she really enjoyed herself. I did catch a little video of her dancing...along with her Uncle Rob. It's priceless!

We are so happy for Blair and Lea and look forward to getting to know her and her daughter Jenny! It was a late night for us, but a lot of fun. We didn't get to the hotel until after 11pm and we didn't get to sleep until midnight. We got up early and we were back in Birmingham to pick up Caroline by 11:30. I am so glad she did so well for my parents. However she could have been a little more excited to see us! She looked at us like, "oh, you people are back".

Halloween

2011-12-03T21:36:00.001-06:00

Catching up {part 2}

Halloween was a blast this year. Ella was all into it which makes it all the more exciting. Her friend Maggie invited her to be an M&M with her which was so exciting for Ella. Lauren, Maggie's mom, started the costumes and I finished ours with about an hour left to go. Our Halloween started at school with the annual parade of costumes. The administrative staff at the school always has a cute theme. This year they were dressed as Toddlers in Tiaras...it was hilarious. I walked into the school and THIS is what I saw.

Are they a fun bunch or what????

Here is a little collage I put together.

The 3-year-old class teachers dressed up as So You Think You Can Dance! Too cute.

Then it was time for trick-or-treating. Since we weren't staying in our neighborhood this year {because the M&Ms had to be together}, NanNa and Pop came over so they could see the girls.

Oh and Caroline was a mini M&M, along with Maggie's little sister, Mary Allison.

We started our night at the DeGweck's house for a little dinner and "pre-party"!

Here are our M&Ms. Cutest little M&Ms I've ever seen!

Allison, Lauren, Me & Madeline

What a fun bunch of friends! A little witches brew to keep us warm! yummy!

The minute the sun went down it got cold. Caroline was warm though!

This was a cool pumpkin Craig saw!

What happens when your children get tired of their costumes...

The kids had a blast and Maggie, Ella & Adelaide enjoyed their night. The three of them hopped in and out of a red wagon. At one point they stopped getting out of the wagon. I asked why and they told me they just wanted to ride and look at the decorations. We realized at that point the night was over!!!

But, our night was not over yet. We still needed to go see Yane-Yane and Mar!

We didn't stay long because Ella walked in their house and this is where I found her...

Halloween is exhausting for little ones!!!
We had a great night with some fun friends!

Catching up on documenting life...

2011-12-01T09:47:00.001-06:00

Catching up! {PART 1}

Let's start with pops birthday! It's always fun to celebrate pops birthday because we just love Pop so much! And he always looks so silly in the birthday hat.

Ella is such the little helper these days. She helped daddy with the candles and helped Pop open all his gifts.

Happy birthday to our Pop! We love you!

Look att this little mischievous face...I could eat her up with a spoon. This face comes out and we just can't help but laugh at her.

We took our annual trip to the pumpkin patch.

Oh how I love the old barn door in the two pictures above. I'd give anything to have it closer so I could take more pictures in front of it. Maybe it's not the door but the cutie pie in front of it??

We went to old baker farms again during a weekday...which we won't ever do again. Here is why...last year we went during the cotton picking festival which included vendors, food and music. So when we went this year just on a normal day, it was a little boring. We also took Caroline which proved to be a big hassle since you can really take strollers on the ride to pick out your pumpkin. She was still just a little too small. And I forgot a hat for her...mom of the year.

Ella loved picking out the pumpkin. She wanted everyone she saw and wanted to carry them herself.

I love Old Baker Farms, even though it wasn't as interesting as last year.

Vestavia hosted a Community Service Day and since Ella missed the fire trucks at school {since we snuck away to the beach} I thought it would be fun for her to see them. She LOVED them! We even ran into her friend William.

She was so excited about the little Dalmatian. He was adorable.

Wanna know how small your child really is?

Put her in front of a fire truck...

Caroline hung out and stayed warm.

They let the kids really explore every inch of the fire trucks. Ella was thrilled. Oh and there is her friend William.

Caroline hit four months {another post to come soon} so we decided to try rice cereal

She wasn't too thrilled with it. We will try again at 6 months.

I love silly times in our house!

Whatley Birthdays Beach Trip

2011-10-13T21:43:00.000-05:00

We met the Whatley's at the beach over Columbus day weekend to celebrate John Bay's & Mary Virginia's birthdays. I love the beach in October. The heat isn't as bad so therefore we can stay out a little longer during the day...normally. However what we lacked in heat we made up for in hail-force sand! It was awful. The sand was blowing so hard that footprints in the sand were covered up within minutes. So we stuck to the pool most of the time!

Ella and all her sassiness where done for the day around 5pm on Thursday afternoon so I decided it would be better for her to go to bed early instead of waiting on the Whatley's to arrive. I think it was a good decision since they didn't get in until close to 8:30. The first words out of her mouth on Friday were, "are they here yet". A few minutes later Leigh and MV came down to from their condo to get Ella so they could all eat breakfast together. Leigh got this cute picture of them...

So our day began early!

We played in the pool, ate a yummy lunch and then finished the day off with dinner at Fisherman's Corner. If you go to perdido key, fl then it is a must! We sat outside which was a lot of fun...once the sun went down!

It is so yummy. I learned that I can eat a whole thing of bread pudding by myself - this was extra good because the topping was almost like a praline!

I also learned that I still don't like seafood and that even parents play on their phones while at the dinner table - and I have the picture to prove it!

I immediately sent this to my nieces and told them to keep it just incase he tells them to get off their phones during dinner one day!

Saturday the Hunton's came and joined in on the fun! Ella kept to the pool because the sand on the beach hurt her legs since it was blowing so hard.

Caroline hung out with Mar in the condo. They both slept a lot.

Gigi and Jaja came around 4pm and joined the fun we were having at the pool. With all of us there it reminded me of when we were little and the whole gang would come down. It was always a packed condo but still fun as ever!

Saturday night we celebrated birthdays with a low country boil. Leigh spent the whole time in the kitchen...

Caroline slept...

Johnny fixed his glasses with fishing wire...

The kids entertained themselves...

Leigh made these adorable fish cupcakes...and put them in the shape of a fish

And we had to sing Happy Birthday to these sweet kids!

The kids opened their presents and loved them!

We had a great night, even though Auburn lost. We still love our tigers though.

We loved getting to be at the beach with the Whatleys. Daddy stayed home so we missed him a lot. He missed us too. He thinks this house is toooo quiet without us here!

Embracing the Chaos...with a little more control

2011-10-11T21:25:00.001-05:00

WARNING...lots of honesty in this post.

Is it really already October? Stores are already filling up with Christmas decor and I still haven't accomplished what I wanted to during the summer. Between failing to complete my summer projects, not having lost as much pregnancy weight as I technically should have, having a 3-year-old who has become a complete nightmare and having a house that is never straight anymore and waiting for the show hoarders to show up any minute...I had a breakdown a few weeks ago. Then I started Operation TAKE BACK MY LIFE. I felt my life was running me and NOT the other way around...so I took it back. My first project was the most important...my child. My friend Lauren told me that if my house was clean all the time then I wasn't doing what I should be doing...a good job raising my children...which is so true. Which my child proved her right when during the Auburn game two weeks ago when she taught her sweet child all sorts of things she shouldn't have. That was really the straw that broke the camels back. I never felt that Ella was running our house until that point. Then I realized that if she is going to jump on our beds and crawl on our furniture and counters, then is is going to do that at other people's houses too. So, we came up with new rules that she is expected to follow.

1) No climbing on counters or jumping on furniture.

2) You ask to be excused from the dinner table before you get up...and the answer may be no if you haven't eaten enough.

3) 3 strikes and you are out. If we have to ask you three times to do something you go to time out for not listening.

4) Manners are NOT optional. This includes saying "excuse me" if you need something while we are talking to another adult.

5) You put yourself to sleep every night after we read two books and sometimes tell a story...and maybe just a little back rub!

I feel it is working so far. There is always room for improvement but you have to remember she is still just 3-years-old. Rome wasn't built in a day, right?

Other projects I have completed are:

1) This outfit

It's sort of an Auburn outfit. It is supposed to have something monogrammed on the orange but as soon as I finished it I had to take my machine in to get fixed...and I'm still waiting on it! I'd love to make more of these for this fall but time, again, is slipping away.

2) The basement/garage is FINALLY cleaned out. You could eat off the floor. There are a few more boxes that "we" need to go through but for the most part it looks great and organized...YIPPEEEE!

3) Then there is this:

who is now sitting in her bumbo!

I wouldn't call her a project but she gets most of my attention during the day. She is the happiest baby and is sooooo good. She puts herself to sleep which is about a miracle and what I feel a big accomplishment! Yes, I'm proud of myself. And NO, she doesn't cry herself to sleep every night. Does she fuss...yes...but if she gets to the point of crying then we rock her to sleep.

On Sunday I put her in her bed so I could unpack her bag from the beach and she ROLLED OVER!

Yes people I said ROLLED OVER! She's also found her toes which is hilarious because if you lay her on her back she will find those toes with both hands {unless they are in her mouth} and pull on them and talk like a little bird!

And if her hands are not at her toes, then they are in her mouth. I'm starting to think she is getting some teeth because she is drooling and can't keep her fingers out of her mouth...and which I say fingers I mean four of one hand and at least two of the other hand. And she still tries to smile at you with all those fingers in her mouth. Sweet baby!

Just one more...

I love my girls!

To address the weight issue we have started walking. We bought a new jogging stroller and are trying to slowly work our way around the neighborhood hoping to get where we don't feel like we are going to pass out. Our neighborhood does have some challenging hills...don't laugh people, it's been awhile.

I've realized that Life Balance doesn't happen over night. And that I have to make smarter decisions about using my time to do things that I need to have done to function on a daily basis. This also sometimes means giving up a little sleep here and there to get things done while the girls are asleep.

One day two weeks ago I forgot to put a drink in Ella's lunch box. It dawned on me when I went to get a drink for myself. I sat down and tried to relax but couldn't let it go. Deep down I knew that they would get her a drink but I couldn't get her face out of my mind. Especially what her face would look like when she realized that I had forgotten to put a drink in her lunchbox. So, I drove back up to the school, went into her classroom and put a drink in her lunchbox. When I told the director, who has become a dear friend, what I had done, she looked at me like I was crazy and asked why hadn't I just texted her to go put one in there. Again, an eye opener for me. I think she used the word "neurotic". I deserved it... And it's ok if you would have done the same thing.

So, neurotic no more I will be. I feel more in control of life...though there is still room for improvement. Like as I am sitting at my computer I can't look left or right in my office because it needs a major overhaul too. But instead of starting this project...I think I'll go fix Ella's lunch for tomorrow. I think I'll pack her drink first.

A Visit from Costa Rica & NY

2011-09-29T22:08:00.001-05:00

My BFF Katie came in town from NY and brought her niece and nephew over to play...who live in Costa Rica. This isn't our first visit with them so I think Ella remembered Caia. Issac was just a baby the last time we saw him so I was surprised to see how big he was! CUTIE PIE!

These two had a blast playing! We even got out the pools and slip-n-slide but they really were not very interested in the water! It was a little chilly!

Sweet Issac doesn't know what is hitting him!

I'm really proud of my friend Katie. She doesn't have kids but you wouldn't have ever known it. Her sister is so lucky to have her. She really loves these kids like her own and did a really great job taking care of them! I am sure Katie was glad to get back to NY to get some rest. I wanted to go with her! ;)

We didn't get to visit much because the kids require so much attention. So Katie came back over that night and we did get to spend some quality time together. Craig was out of time at the time so I LOVED having the company since I"m such a scaredy cat at night when he is not here!

I wish I could convince her to move back south...I miss her tremendously!

Picture Time!

2011-09-26T15:13:00.000-05:00

We had Caroline's & Ella's pictures taken on Sunday at Portrait Innovations. We had the first appointment of the day so the girls were refreshed and ready to have their picture taken! We promised Ella tic-tacs if she listened and did what the photographer asked. They both did great!
Here is a little preview!

The Zoo!

2011-09-12T21:54:00.002-05:00

On Friday, Ella's "little buddy" Maggie and her mom, Lauren, and sister, Mary Allison, joined us for a little trip to the Birmingham Zoo. And OH BOY what a wonderful trip it was! The weather was absolutely beautiful thanks to Tropical Storm Lee, which we were glad was gone!

We left straight from school, but had to get a picture with our AUBURN GIRLS!

These girls have so much fun!

The girls headed straight to the little playground in the Africa exhibit...but first they had to get a little wet!

Here is Elephant "Sally" - which Ella named. She names everything Sally. Lauren and I got so tickled because this elephant disappeared behind the bushes to the left of it for awhile but it didn't seem the bushes were big enough for it to hide behind!

Sweet friends!

Sweet Mary Allison taking her bottle...staying out of the sun.

Always time for a snack...out of a bag as big as she is!

The new lion cubs are adorable. I had a fit over them...but the girls missed them because right when we got there they went inside. I captured this picture right before they went in. So cute!

Caroline enjoyed herself. She slept most of the time we were there.

Mary Allison passed out on us too!

They seemed to be more interested in this pipe than they did the giraffes.

Lauren took this picture of me & Caroline. You will normally not see my picture on this blog but I thought this was sweet! Kissing my baby!

After a picture with Aubie we decided to head to Davenports for some pizza! It was delicious.

Too bad the dads missed out on the pizza. We got there early so we were in and out pretty quick. The girls entertained themselves with the video games and loved it.

We are so thankful for such sweet friends!

Sneak Peak!

2011-09-08T22:16:00.001-05:00

Just a sneak preview of Caroline's first photo shoot on Wednesday. She modeled some day gowns for a friend's clothing line. This picture is just adorable. She loved the photographer, Amanda Knerr. Caroline did so good. She never fussed...even after many changes of very tight day gowns!

Labor Weekend at Lake Martin with the Whatleys

2011-09-06T21:55:00.000-05:00

In spite of the weather we had a wonderful weekend at Lake Martin. The Whatley's came in from Louisiana and we were so excited to see them. Mary Virginia & John Bay looked as if they had grown two feet since the last time we saw them...which was really only two months ago. I had really missed Leigh so I was so excited to see her.

We got in on Saturday morning and we unpacked, then repacked to go to Ed's parents lake house. They have a better place for swimming and tubing so Craig, Ella, Johnny & Ginny took the boat over there. Leigh rode in the car with me & Caroline since I'm not ready for her to go boat riding. Ed and the kids were already over at the Whatleys house. We managed to beat the boaters over there so I was so excited that I was going to get to see the kids see each other. When the boat riders arrived Ella was at the front of the boat, excited to get off and see her friends!

The kids swam around the dock for a little while. It amazes me how clear the water is at Lake Martin. I don't understand why or how it is so clear and no one could really answer me when I asked.

1...2...3...JUMP!

Then it was time for a boat ride and some tubing.

Sweet friends waiting on a boat ride!

Mary Virginia & Johnny! I love this picture. She looks so much like Leigh!

Ella wasn't really thrilled with the idea but pretended to be excited because Mary Virginia was excited. They did get her out there to tube though! You can tell she has white knuckles holding on and can barely wave because she doesn't want to let go!

We hung out inside and watched the Auburn game. Mary said Caroline needed a picture in her visor to remember that it was her first Auburn game to watch!

That night we grilled out and let the kids play play & play! They had so much fun and were so glad to be together. Leigh bathed everyone and we got them down to sleep around 9 or so. Mary Virginia & Ella slept in the loft in the guest house and we slept in the bedroom in the guest house. Caroline slept all night thank goodness.

On Sunday Yane-Yane & Mar came to the lake so they could see Leigh, Ed & the kids too. It was raining when we got up so we did our best to entertain the kids. The screened porch is great and they stayed out there and played for awhile and even watched a movie out there on the portable dvd player. I tried to get them to play duck duck goose but every time someone would say goose there would be three children running around me! They thought it was fun so I just went with it.

We lined up their towels and Ed told them a ghost story.

But it didn't last very long...

I did get them to stop long enough for me to take some cute pictures of them...

It stopped raining long enough for the kids to swim for a little bit.

They've grown a little since the last time I took a picture of them like this...which was almost a year ago.

John Bay seemed more interested in walking around the pool than actually getting in it! He would throw things in the pool and tell the girls, "go get it boy!" He is so cute!

After visiting with my parents they headed back to Birmingham and we headed back to the Whatley's for a low country boil. I enjoyed the veggies & sausage while everyone else loved the shrimp! It was delicious. After dinner we came home and got Caroline & the kids to sleep we stayed up and visited for a little bit. The topic of conversation was hilarious...Leigh & I were discussing our blogs and how we would like our own domains and some other words that have to do with the Internet, pictures {like snapfish} and technology.

Ginny & Johnny were listening to our conversation and were totally lost. Johnny, who is by far the funniest person I know, said, "So how do like your snapfish cooked?" {For those of you who don't know...snapfish is a website you can store and order photos from. www.snapfish.com}

It was hilarious!

Monday, we packed up and headed back home, right into Tropical Storm Lee! The kids didn't want to say goodbye but luckily we get to see them in only 30 days at the beach to celebrate Mary Virginia & John Bay's birthdays! Yay!

War Eagle

2011-09-03T15:46:00.000-05:00

Ella is ready for some football....Auburn Football that is!

10 Weeks Old & Through the First Two Weeks of School

2011-08-30T08:18:00.003-05:00

Caroline is already 10 weeks old. The time is flying by and I am so thankful that I don't have to go back to work in two weeks. I do miss work and my friends there but I am so thankful to be able to stay home with my two girls. We've spent the past 10 weeks getting settled and learning our new life as we know it!

Caroline is such a sweet baby. Craig was known as a cackle rascal growing up and I think that Caroline is going to be the same way because she loves to smile and giggle at you! She is also a great sleeper. I lay her down and she puts herself to sleep at night. I am now working on getting her to put herself to sleep during the day. She's already learned to "go with the flow" because I'm dragging her everywhere!
We have spent time with friends which has allowed me to get to know some new friends, the moms! Most of the moms have a newborn or one that is under a year old. It's great to have friends who have just gone through some of the same changes I have over the past ten weeks. They've been a great support system and have been good to invite Ella over to play. Ella has loved it. Ella enjoyed her first two weeks at school. It seems there is a little boy in her class that has been hitting and kicking her. She is not the only victim of this and Mrs. Patsy told me that they have it under control. We've talked to Ella about not calling him a "mean boy" but it's sort of hard when you want to tell her to punch him in the face. However that is not what the good Lord tells us to do. He tells us to love everyone {thanks LH for the reminder} no matter what. I feel bad because Ella tried to tell me this was happening at school but I didn't believe her because she decided to tell me right when she was getting in trouble. Then another mom told me that it was happening and she knew it was happening to Ella too because every time her little one mentioned it the story included Ella. It doesn't seem to be bothering her to much because she still seems happy when she gets in the car. Happy and VERY TIRED...which means a little grumpy too!

Gymnastics

2011-08-28T22:48:00.001-05:00

Ella went to a birthday party at Premiere Gymnastics for her friend Campbell yesterday. It was her first experience with Gymnastics so I was excited to see how much she would like it. I brought Caroline along with me so Craig could ~~do some things on his honey-do list~~ have a break. Earlier in the morning Ella was asking what type of birthday party she was going to so I explained a little bit about it. I told her she would be able to walk on a balance beam. From the time I mentioned it until the time we walked into the door for the party she kept saying, "I don't want to walk on the balance beam". I just nodded my head and went along with it

After we got there and got her shoes off she looked kind of lost. Then the girl working there told the kids they could do whatever they want. Well, here is the first thing she ran to...

And again...

They were having a great time!

William hanging around!

This beam was a little higher so she had a little help. She was so proud of herself.

So strong! ;)

Sweet Maggie on the bars!

Savannah & Ella hanging on the bars!

After free play it was time for the parachute. The kids were so quiet we were all amazed.

They loved it when she put the balls on top of them!

Time to go under!

They made a tent! It was a lot of fun for them. While they were under there they screamed, "Happy Birthday Campbell".

Group shots are always a challenge...

Don't you want to know what is soooo funny!

Silly face time!

After we finished group photos Summer pointed out that we are all in the mirror in the pictures...yuck! But funny at the same time!

Ella really enjoyed gymnastics so we may look into taking a class! It's a good energy burner!

We're READY!

2011-08-28T10:57:00.000-05:00

It was a beautiful Saturday morning yesterday! Nothing better than to start off the morning getting ready for SEC football...

Getting the flag ready!

So we are now officially ALL IN!

War Eagle

We can't wait to see the Tigers play!

Three Reasons I Don't Mind Getting Up Early...

2011-08-26T21:08:00.000-05:00

Caroline's Two month Check-Up

2011-08-25T21:13:00.000-05:00

This bathing beauty had her two month check up with Dr. Hamm yesterday.

She is now 12 pounds and 22 & 1/2 inches long!

She is in the 90% for weight and 75% for height.

She had three shots and one oral immunization. Her face was the color of a tomato when they gave her the shots. It took a lot to keep myself together. Luckily the nurse couldn't tell my voice was cracking because Caroline was screaming so loud. We've had some side effects to these shots which we didn't experience with Ella. Caroline was inconsolable last night and after I gave her formula because she wouldn't nurse, she finally crashed. She slept until about 3am and woke up in the best mood. I put her back down after feeding her and she put herself back to sleep. Then at 6am she acted hungry but didn't really eat good. Around 8:30 I tried to feed her again. She ate a little bit then fell sound asleep. She took a 3 and 1/2 hour nap this morning and wasn't hungry when she woke up. Then she took another 3 and 1/2 hour nap this afternoon. She took a 5 oz bottle, then another 2 ounces a little later. She seems much better tonight thank goodness.

The little red spot on her leg is a Hemangioma which is basically abnormal buildup of blood vessels in the skin. He said it will either go away in the next eight months or she will have it removed when she is about five or six.

Caroline is the sweetest baby. She smiles all the time and is starting to giggle a little bit at the same time. She is trying hard to focus on things and it is cute to watch her do so. Some of the girls from BBVA Compass gave us this sweet big rattle and Caroline loves to listen to it. I stick it by her legs so she can kick it. She gets so proud of herself when she realizes that she made it make the noise! I think it is her favorite toy so far! Ella loves to hold her and asks to do so multiple times a day! They are such blessings!

Carpool

2011-08-24T12:01:00.000-05:00

Ella got out of the car by herself this morning! Yes, I cried.

There is just something about them getting out of the car and walking in by themselves that is just so different than walking them in.

She was so excited though!

I dread Kindergarten.

First day of 3K

2011-08-22T21:44:00.000-05:00

I'll be honest...I've been ready for school to start back for awhile. Ella does so well with structure and I was ready to get back on a schedule. This year Ella starts 3K. She's in the Clifford the big red dog room with Mrs. Patsy and Mrs. Mande. We are so lucky to have Mrs. Mande for another year, the third year in fact! We are excited about Mrs. Patsy too. She also taught my nieces so it's a family tradition to have her I guess!

We got moving early this morning because I wasn't sure how it was going to work getting her there on time when Caroline really needed to be fed right in the middle of us heading out the door.

Caroline woke up ready to eat around 5:30 which meant I fed her again at 8am, which was about 30 minutes early, but she didn't argue.

Our big red chair picture. We have taken one every year since she started at Vestavia Day School.

This year we added Caroline into the mix! :)

One of my favorite pictures! She is really growing up!

Ella is so proud of her big girl backpack & matching lunch bag! So sweet!

My sweet girl ready to go!

I didn't drop Ella off in the carpool line like I was supposed to. I came up with a million excuses why I needed to walk her in instead. I will drop her off on Wednesday...and yes, I am sure it will be harder than walking her in. It is something that she needs to do though - helps her get ready for big school {or so I'm told}.

When we got to her room she was so excited and hardly told me bye! I look at it as a good thing though...because that means she is comfortable! We have new friends in our class this year which Ella is excited about! We also got to see Kate, a friend we met at Princess Camp!

After school we had a special treat! We went to Yogurt Lab with Maggie, Lauren & Mary Allison. Caroline wasn't a happy camper but after Lauren gave her a bottle she was much happier!

Ella & Maggie were so silly! They love the garbage cans in Yogurt lab. They kept taking baby wipes & cleaning the outside, then they were cleaning under the tables. Lauren & I just laughed at them and were glad it was keeping them entertained!

I couldn't get them to stand still long enough for a picture.

Check out the ice cream on their faces below! Hilarious!

The only thing missing from the day was the Whatleys...:( The good news is that we get to see them in two weeks! I can't wait. We've missed them so much it hurts!

While I thought I was going to be able to get Caroline down for a nap and accomplish a whole lot of facebook, I mean housework, I got NOTHING ACCOMPLISHED.

The good news is that we have a new roof.

The roofers were supposed to come on Wednesday. Well around 10:45 I heard a truck backing into my driveway and it was a dumpster being dropped off. I thought that it must be for Wednesday. Then someone knocked on my door and asked me to move my car because they were about to start tearing off the old roof.

I'm glad it is over and now I can accomplish more on Wednesday! Yay!

Princess Camp

2011-08-11T14:52:00.000-05:00

Ella participated in a Princess Camp at Jackie O'Neal School of Dance the last week in July. It was a three day camp and only lasted an hour a day. She didn't know anyone in her class but that didn't seem to bother her. She wore her Cinderella dress the first and last day but didn't want to wear a costume the second day. On the last day I was able to watch her dance. They danced to the cutest song called "Wake Up and Wiggle". We actually downloaded it last week and we play it all the time!

Getting ready to go! She is such a little ham!

Showing me some dance moves!

Ella dancing so high!

It was a fun little camp for her and we will do it again next year for sure!

Swimming with Friends

2011-08-08T20:00:00.001-05:00

Ella had a birthday party for her friend John Brooks a few weeks ago. It was a swim party and the day was perfect for us because it was cloudy!

Ella was so glad to see some of her friends. I just couldn't get them to sit still long enough to take a picture!

Ella & her sweet friend Allison. We haven't seen her all summer!

Ella & Maggie being so silly!

Two Week Check-Up

2011-08-08T13:49:00.000-05:00

We took Caroline in for her two week check up with Dr. Hamm. Ella went with us because I wanted him to look at a little cyst under her arm {which he said was nothing to worry about and has since gone away}. So, it was a wild appointment to say the least.

Caroline weighed 7lbs 12ozs, was 20.5 inches long and her head circumference was 14.

He said Caroline looked great and that he would see us in a few months!

We were glad for a happy check-up.

Life is interesting to say the least.

The first few weeks were challenging. Ella was sweet but just wanted to be all in Caroline's business...all the time. So we were doing our best to keep her busy. She was also slowly turning into a 3-year old terror and was talking back to me like I did to my parents when I was a teenager. {SORRY MOM & DAD}

Ella is so proud of her sister and loves to wear these matching pajamas. Caroline has already grown out of hers so I'm trying to find a bigger size!

We are embracing the changes life is throwing at us, counting our blessings daily!

July 4th Weekend

2011-08-04T21:33:00.000-05:00

Our next door neighbor's granddaughter, Madison, came to visit from Tennessee for the July 4th Weekend. Madison and her friend came over the Sunday before July 4th to play & entertain Ella. After an hour or so I asked them if they brought their bathing suits. They told me yes, so I suggested that they play outside in the water toys. They ran next door and changed into their bathing suits. Ella was so excited and the girls were so sweet to her!

She had to have a little help with the slip-n-slide at first!

They played with just about every water toy we had! It was a lot of fun for Ella!

Watermelon time...

We spent July 4th at my aunt's house. It was really my first outing with Caroline. So, we packed up like we were going to spend the night and headed on over there. It was nice to be out and with family too. Everyone enjoyed seeing Caroline and Ella. Ella is finally old enough to play with the "big kids" so we didn't really see her once we got there! We celebrated my birthday with a yummy caramel cake!
I had a helper! Ella thinks it is so funny when everyone sings happy birthday to me!

Oh I love this little girl! Such a beautiful little face!

A little catching up to do!

2011-08-03T20:00:00.003-05:00

Wow! Where has the summer gone? School starts in about 20 days and I feel like we haven't stopped - even with a new born in the house. Caroline is already 6 weeks old! She started smiling at us last week and I can't get enough of it!

To back up a little bit...

My recovery from my C-section wasn't as easy as I had hoped it would be. I had a lot of pain, some headaches and was just moving a lot slower than I did after I had Ella. Thanks to my mother and in-laws ~ they helped entertain Ella or kept Caroline so Ella and I could do some things together.

I'll do my best to catch up on the past month over the next few posts!

Starting at June 29, 2011

We celebrated my birthday - just the four of us. I knew that I wouldn't be up to entertaining at this point so we Craig just got me a cake and I was one happy girl!

Ella was her silly self!

And she got the first piece of cake - and a little on her nose to prove it.

Caroline is 8 days old in this picture. Such a sweet baby! She doesn't fuss much either...which is good when you have a 3-year-old running around too!

The week after we got home from the hospital Ella went to art camp at Vestavia Baptist.

On Friday we picked her up and she looked like this:

She told us she was a tiger.

Have you ever seen a tiger with a rainbow and a heart?

Must be a nice tiger!

Ella and ALL her artwork from the week! What a great camp!

We have spent a lot of time playing in the water in the backyard this summer!

Daddy loves it just as much as Ella does!

Ella has come a long way with anything that sprays water. She will actually run through it now. Before she wasn't sure how to get the water out of her face and eyes. Now she just keeps on going!

And Caroline just sleeps through everything!

No Goodbyes...Only See You Laters...

2011-07-25T16:01:00.000-05:00

Saturday brought lots of play time with the Whatley's before they headed back to Baton Rouge. As I mentioned in my last post my best friend moved to Baton Rouge a few weeks before Caroline was born. I knew I would be fine because I can talk to her anytime I want to - we both have free long distance on our home & cell phones - yay! But I was most upset because I knew that it would take a while for Ella to really understand that they don't live here anymore and that it was going to break my heart every time she asked about them...which she asks about them at least every other day. She doesn't ask to see them now...I think she understands they aren't just a five minute drive away anymore...but she is more concerned with what they are doing while they are away from us.

Anyways, here are the pictures from that day. They had a great time!

Hot Hot Hot! Thank goodness for capri suns & a fan!

Time to cool of in front of the television!

John Bay wasn't up for pictures on this day.

Saying "See You Later" was hard. I couldn't stop crying which I'm sure was not easy for Leigh to watch. I know a lot of it was the hormones but I'm just so sad that our kids can't play together like they used to!

It's not like it is the first time we have had to live away from each other...but this involves our children and that makes it a little harder!

They'll move back soon enough hopefully!

Caroline Elizabeth Youngblood ~ Part 7 ~ Coming Home

2011-07-24T20:00:00.001-05:00

After we got the clear to go home I quickly showered and got dressed. We got the car seat and got Caroline bundled up like it was 30 degrees outside. What was I thinking? It was about 95 degrees when we went out to our car! Yikes!

She looks so sweet and sleeping so peacefully!

She looks a little like her sister - don't you think?

We got home after a brief stop at Wal-mart for my pain meds...

and lunch from guthries in the car while we waited on it to be filled...

Then it was home to get "little bit" in the sun since she was just a big jaundice.

Just like someone else...

Caroline showed off her legs...

so tiny still...

Craig made me take this picture below. He think Caroline will one day want to see her fat mamma in front of the angel wreath the day we brought her home from the hospital...

I hope she doesn't ask me if I was still pregnant...

My mom gave us a few hours to get settled and that was the greatest thing EVER! We were able to get some stuff unpacked and figure out what else we needed for Caroline...like batteries since NOTHING had batteries in them...poor Caroline...

So in came Ella. She was glad to be home and I was glad for her to be there. As I watched her walk up the stairs to the house I was, again, shocked at how grown up she looked. Everyone had told me that I would be amazed at how big the first one looks after the second one is born but I guess I just wasn't prepared!

She immediately came in, grabbed not one, but two burp cloths so she could hold Caroline. How cute!

She was so proud.

Caroline had a gift for Ella. The intention was for her use this gift for quiet time...

She was thrilled to open it and see a castle.

Daddy & Ella immediately started putting it together...

which was hysterical to watch...

Ella had to help him...

And he patiently let her like always...

Ta-Da! It's done and ready for the princess.

We took it to the playroom so everyone that came in could see it too...

And it is still there. I don't know if it will ever make it to her room!

Leigh brought the kids & Gigi by to bring us a fantastic dinner! It was so nice not having to worry about food for a little while!

Ella was excited to see her little buddies. They played for a little while and promised to come back the next day so they could really play before they had to head back to Louisiana.

Best Friends!

I caught these two checking out baby Caroline. Ella told JB not to touch her...if only she would listen to us when we ask her not to touch her!!??!!

Ella wanted Caroline to wear her "lil sis" shirt so they would match! So I got her changed...which changing a newborn takes some getting used to! I forget how hard it is at first!

Caroline Elizabeth Youngblood ~ Part 6 ~ Day 3

2011-07-24T15:59:00.000-05:00

Day 3 started with a funny story. Craig and Ella came in just as I had undressed Caroline down to her diaper so my friend Katie could see fingers and toes and such! Ella came in and looked at Caroline, then looked at me and said, "Where is baby Caroline?" We all just laughed and I pointed to Caroline and said, "She is right here." Ella hadn't seen Caroline without the swaddle on so I think she was a little confused of who the little naked thing was laying on the bed.

I took the opportunity to get some cute pictures of them. The one below is my favorite!

Ella was so excited about Caroline and was so sweet to her!

Ella was going to spend the day with NanNa and Pop. They brought in the sweetest gifts for the girls. They now are both proud owners of little carousels. Ella opened them both up and picked out which one she wanted ~ the most pink of course! They are up high in their bedrooms for now, but we let her get it down and play with it too!

Ella had a great day with NanNa and Pop. They kept really busy and got to spend some time with "Star" - Ella's favorite dog! NanNa later told me that Ella kept asking to come to the hospital, but we had already planned for her just to go straight to my parents to spend the night. I was really missing her at this point and was ready to come home ~ sort of...

We had a few more visitors but all-in-all it was pretty quiet. Craig was refreshed from a good night sleep at home! I was glad he was back

Mar stopped by on his way home from work!

We tried to get to bed early because we were heading home the next day! Yay!

Caroline Elizabeth Youngblood ~ Part 5 ~ Day 2

2011-07-24T15:39:00.000-05:00

Wednesday brought the removal of my IV {Yippeeeee}, a much needed shower and some comfy pajamas {bye bye hospital gown}.

One thing I love about the hospital is the abundance of pillows that fit on the hospital bed, along with MY pillow. Here we are propped up on a bunch of them having a little mommy time!

Ella came early in the morning to see Baby Caroline. She couldn't wait to hold her when she walked in the door.

Yane-Yane was getting a little break this day because Craig & Ella were going home to stay the night! Leigh was coming to stay with me at the hospital {More on this later}.

Johnny Wood came by and met our sweet girl! We always love to see Johnny and hear what he has been up to!

NanNa and Pop came by too!

Caroline was glad to see them - she even opened her eyes for them!

Wednesday was a quiet day for the most part, which was nice. Mom stayed with me for awhile after Craig left so I got to visit with her and give her and Caroline some one-on-one time - well with me in the room.

I love being in the hospital after having a baby. I truly enjoyed my stay - for the second time. I had a great experience when I had Ella too! The only complaint I have is the towels - they are too small - especially for someone who just had a baby!

That night, Leigh, my BFF, stayed with me. She drove with her two kids to be in town for Caroline's birth. Now I haven't talked a lot about her moving on my blog but it just about broke my heart! I finally am going to stay home and we would have had the best time...but she moved to Louisiana a few weeks before Caroline was born. Her husband's job took them there. I know it will be a great adventure for them...but those of us "left behind" here in Birmingham sure do miss them.

Anyways, we had the best night. We read, watched TV and visited. I don't know if she got a lot of sleep...but she is used to it...her soon-to-be 3-year-old doesn't sleep much so she is used to waking up a lot!

THANK YOU, LEIGH, {and Gigi & Jaja for keeping the kids} for staying with me at the hospital. It was so nice for Craig to have a break and Ella to have a somewhat normal night at home!!!

Caroline Elizabeth Youngblood ~ Part 4 ~ Meeting More Friends & Family

2011-07-21T08:17:00.000-05:00

After lunch Caroline had many more visitors. She met Mary Virginia, John Bay & Gigi. Leigh was at the hospital that morning but she jumped in and started taking pictures, so we didn't get a picture of Caroline & Leigh that morning!

Mary Virginia & Caroline

Leigh, Mary Virginia & Caroline

John Bay & Caroline

Mary Virginia, John Bay & Caroline

After the Whatley's left we had a little time with just us and Caroline. Once everyone cleared out Caroline started opening her eyes! At first she would open just one, then decide if it was worth opening both of them! We were so excited to get the picture below! So sweet!

Company picked back up again closer to 5pm. We were so excited to see Jayme. She brought the most beautiful flowers for Caroline!

Joey & Katie came by to meet sweet Caroline!

Uncle Russ loves babies! Ella was really glad to see him once he got there...

So glad that she had to take Caroline away from him!

I'm not sure what was all over her face at this point!

Sarah came back to see Caroline! I love this sweet picture!

Jeremy & Lisa dropped by for a visit. Unfortunately that was when my nausea hit and they quickly left!

It was odd. It would hit me so fast but would leave just as quick. I don't know why it waited until that afternoon/night to hit me though.

Honestly I don't remember much about the afternoon Caroline was born. I felt like I was in and out of sleep but I always knew there were people in the room. I guess it was a combination of the morphine and the epidural wearing off? I was allowed to get up and walk around a little bit around 5pm. Then I begged to get up again around 6:30 to take my contacts out and wash my face! I was very unsteady but made it back to the bed without injury!

We got a little sleep that first night. We sent Caroline off to the nursery so we could get some sleep. However the nurses come in every couple of hours to check on you and get vitals...Craig slept through most of that!

Caroline Elizabeth Youngblood ~ Part 3 ~ 1st Bath & Meeting More Family & Friends

2011-07-15T08:42:00.000-05:00

I was so glad to be in our room! The door sign is from my friend Holly's store...

www.shophollydays.com

Leigh filled it out. I was still shaky and didn't trust my handwriting.

Caroline really didn't enjoy her first bath...at all. Bonita, who turned out to be one of our favorite nurses worked as quickly as she could but Caroline just kept on fussing!

Look at little bit - I love it when they sit up like this...

Finally at peace!

Bonita shows Ella how clean Caroline is!

Ella couldn't wait to get her hands on Caroline again! She was thrilled to hold and kiss her! It didn't last long. She got a little bored with her.

Sweet kisses!

Everyone at the hospital was very patient as we got settled. Then everyone got a chance to hold Caroline! She slept the whole time!

Besides Ella, here are some other special people Caroline met!

Nan Na & Pop

Yane-Yane

Sarah & Lauren

Melinda

Olivia

Mar

Amy

Ann

And this was only by 11am!

Caroline Elizabeth Youngblood ~ Part 2 ~ Meeting Ella

2011-07-12T08:58:00.000-05:00

Like most C-sections baby & daddy get to go off and start the fun before Mommy gets sewn up! It took about 25 minutes for me to get back to our room. When I arrived Caroline was still screaming. Craig told me immediately that she hadn't stopped. I thought to myself..."I'm sure she is starving...like me!"
The nursery nurse continued to take vitals and...well I'm not really sure what all they did while I was still in surgery.

To help regulate her body temperature Caroline and I were skin to skin for almost 45 minutes after she was born. This helps regulate her body temperature. It's such a sweet time!

It was time for Baby Caroline to meet her family! Big Sister Ella came in the room first. She really didn't know what to think. She just smiled at her and looked a little confused. With all the machines and such in the room I wasn't surprised!

Waiting patiently to hold her new sister!

Everyone always told me that you don't realize how big your "baby", meaning your first, is until you have a second. Ella looked like such a big girl! It was so exciting!

A little love for mommy too!

Finally...a family of 4!

Everyone came in and just looked at her long enough for the nurses to tell them I was being moved up to our room. So everyone left and we told them we would call them when we are ready!

Caroline Elizabeth Youngblood ~ Part 1 ~ The Birth

2011-07-09T15:42:00.000-05:00

Caroline is here and we couldn't be more thrilled! She is a little doll and looks a little like one too!

June 21, 2011

We left the house around 5:30am. Craig made me take a belly shot since I had avoided them for 10 months. You can see how swollen my legs...and ten days later I am still not in those flipflops. Ella had spent the night with my parents so that we could get up and leave without having to worry about getting her up so early and to my parents house. I also knew that I might be a little more emotional saying goodbye to her. Bless her heart...as excited as she was about Baby Caroline I knew that life would never be the same for any of us...a good different though, but still a tough adjustment...especially for a 3-year old.

We arrived at the hospital a little before 6. Craig dropped me and my suitcase off and he parked the car in the parking deck. When I went into the Labor & Delivery floor it brought back so many memories of being there for Ella's birth. A nurse asked me to sign in and then another nurse led me to my suite for the morning. Katie was her name and she looked 12...but I know she wasn't and decided that I needed to trust her to get through this. She had me use the restroom and change into a hospital gown...seriously can they not come up with a better design? Or at least give us a fun color like PINK for me since I was having a girl?

Anyways, she gave me my IV - which was very painful and I doubted it was put in right the whole time...well at least until I couldn't feel it anymore and then I forgot about it until they took it out the next day.

Dr. Ross came in and saw me and assured me that the sextuplets were not going to interrupt my day...I guess I made an impression the Thursday before when I asked him was my delivery going to be put on hold if those babies decided to come on the day Caroline was to be born. He prayed with me and told me he would see me right at 8:15am. What a wonderful doctor!!

Katie continued to do this and that to me and around me...getting things ready for Baby Caroline.

Then it was epidural time...the morning was flying by!

Dr. Nag came and and explained everything he was going to do. They made Craig leave the room which was fine with him and I knew that someone would be there telling me what to do so I was ok too! The epidural wasn't bad, just uncomfortable. He explained everything as he did it, explaining to me what I should be feeling, etc. I found it hard not to hold my breath for some reason. As quick as he started he was through and wheeling the little epidural cart out of the room.

Within about 20 minutes I was feeling great and very VERY loopy. Katie called it a "Nag cocktail". I called it a little piece of happiness! Whatever it was I wanted him to come back and give me more. Katie asked me to sign some papers...UM, No. I couldn't even hold the pen. It was hilarious. Craig couldn't stop laughing at me and laughing at the never ending smile on my face. No one would ever tell me what it was that was in that "cocktail"!

Before we knew it, 8:00 was here and it was time to wheel me back. I told Craig I would see him in a minute and I was headed to the OR. Turns out Caroline was delivered in the same OR as the sextuplets...and by two of the same Doctors.

I love how people ask you to assist them in moving you when you can't feel anything below your breasts. I did the best I could but it was almost impossible for me to help. It is amazing how strong a bunch of women can be to move me from one bed to a table of some sort for the C-section.

What I love about Brookwood Medical Center is the way that the operating rooms move as if they were orchastrated to do so. No one gets in the way of anyone else and I swear everything is timed perfectly. I met the nurse anethesist and a few others as they prepared for my surgery. Then Dr. Ross came in and it was showtime. Craig appeared at my side and we just sort of looked at each other. It's an odd thing to be cut open...much less cut open and talking at the same time! Dr. Adcock came in and said hello and got to work helping Dr. Ross.

All the sudden I hear Dr. Ross say, "What is that?"

I looked at Craig and said, "Did he just say 'What is that?'"? Craig laughed and said, "I think he did."

Then Dr. Ross & Dr. Adcock started laughing and making me fun of me. I told them that is not something I wanted to hear during surgery!

After a few minutes and a TON of pressure they lowered the blue sheet and Craig started taking pictures...she was here! Baby Caroline joined us at 8:24am. She weighed 7 lbs 10 ounces and was 21 inches long.

And she was screaming as loud as she possibly could.

They brought her over to me and stuck her in my arms. Somehow I was able to hold onto her for just a minute. She did stop crying for a second...while I was kissing her and for us to take the picture below. One of my favorites!

Recovery & Meeting Ella to be posted soon!

Welcome Caroline Elizabeth Youngblood

2011-06-29T11:04:00.000-05:00

We have so much to be thankful for - Caroline is here and is healthy- but that post will have to come later. I'm in the midst of newborn land and trying to entertain a 3-year-old, who is spending this week at art camp! So for now, please enjoy my best friend's blog about Baby Caroline. I promise to update you soon. I haven't even had a chance to upload my pictures to our computer!
http://whatleywilddays.blogspot.com/2011/06/welcome-baby-caroline.html

Father's Day 2011

2011-06-20T14:18:00.000-05:00

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to our sweet daddy! Bless his heart he didn't have much of a relaxing Father's Day. I was in the bed with high blood pressure so he entertained Ella all afternoon, which he said he wouldn't have rather done anything else I'm pretty sure if I had pushed him out the door to fish he wouldn't have argued!

Anyways, we had lunch with my family to celebrate with my Dad! On the way out I got some quick pictures of my dad and the grandkids! SO CUTE! It was our first experience eating at the club house at Altadena Valley Country Club. It was really good and Ella seemed to enjoy it too! We saw a lot of people we knew - including our cousins the Wells!

On our way back out to the cars I got these quick shots which I thought was really cute!

To celebrate father's day with Pop they came over and we had some BBQ. Nana had cooked some yummy sides. By then I felt a lot better, however Craig still got everything ready himself!

Ella had Pop all over the place so I was never able to get a picture of them!

I guess Father's Day begins again tomorrow for Craig since we will be welcoming Baby Caroline into our lives! We are so excited to meet her! We can't wait to see how Ella reacts too!

Swim, swim, swim

2011-06-17T14:25:00.000-05:00

I don't think I've met anyone who loves water more than my husband! He took off 1/2 a day to get some things fixed around the house before Caroline gets here. He got everything finished so we headed to the pool after 5pm to get some swimming in! Ella would swim back and forth to us like a champ! We still have some work to do but she really loves it and isn't scared at all!

She also loves to just float around in her little ring! As you can tell she is rather comfortable in the water.

I don't think I would be able to capture this picture below again if I tried!

Toes and Getting Ready!

2011-06-14T22:09:00.000-05:00

My brother and his family gave Ella the cutest make-up/overnight bag with goodies in it - including fingernail polish. Since then she has been talking about painting her nails & toenails.

As motivation for swim lessons I promised Ella that I would take her and get her toes done at Nail World 3. I explained that they had "princess chairs" just her size that she could sit in and they would paint her toenails! She talked about it the whole two weeks.

"Did I do good Mommy? Can I get my toes done now?" she would ask everyday! I told her once the lessons were over we would get them done. Mainly because sometimes the chlorine would take of the polish. I would usually get a blank stare from her!

Well swim lessons were great and at the end of week two Ella was swimming underwater and even learned how to come up for a breath! We are so proud of her!

So yesterday we headed to the nail place! It was so much fun! I didn't take my camera and so all I had was my phone! It's not the best pictures, but are still so cute!

Ella picked out purple - luckily a pretty lilac color! I could tell she was a little unsure about it but got more comfortable once I was in the chair next to her!

We left with our nails & toes done. I got her nails done too mainly to entertain her while they finished my pedicure.

This was my last pedicure before Baby Caroline arrives. We are a week away and are so excited to meet the little one. I'm sad I haven't blogged more about this pregnancy. I honestly haven't had time. I've quit my part-time job with Home Instead Senior Care. Now that I've been gone for 3 weeks I wonder why I didn't do it before. I have enjoyed these past three weeks with Ella so much and feel so blessed to have this time with her. I know I can't get it back and no money in the world is worth missing this time with her. I feel so blessed that I can stay home with her {and Caroline}. It's been an adjustment because she is so used to having undivided attention from grandparents when I was at work...so she sort of expects the same from me. I still have to get a few things done during the day so we are working on entertaining ourselves. One day I noticed that she can't go 15 minutes without saying my name or needing something. Craig thought I was exaggerating until this past weekend when we were home for most of one day and he saw it for himself. It is pretty funny!

If you saw my feet right now, you wouldn't be able to tell where my calves end and my feet begin - and don't even look for my ankles. This heat has really gotten to me. Luckily we joined Altadena Valley Country Club so it's given us a pool to go to for the past few weeks. And it has felt great! I know people there are amazed I actually show up in a bathing suit this big!

Sweet 16

2011-06-08T22:24:00.000-05:00

16 years ago today I was in Tuscaloosa, visiting my friend Steve while he was at Summer School. My cell phone - which back then was only used in emergencies - started ringing. My mom was calling to tell me that Lauren was born! This was the first grandbaby so we were about beside ourselves! I was so excited that I could not hardly wait to get back to pack and make the drive to go see her!

And it feels like that was just yesterday!

16 years later and she is officially driving! Yikes! I can't believe it!

Happy Birthday Sweet Lauren! I love you!

PALS Summer Reading Kickoff

2011-06-07T09:05:00.000-05:00

Ella and I went to the PALS Summer Reading Kickoff a few weeks ago ~ actually back in May. It was held at Wald Park and you don't have to ask us twice to go swim! The problem is that it was really cold, but she wanted to get in anyways!
Her friend Adelaide was there so they had a great time. Luckily the kiddie pool was a little warmer than the big pool!

After a little swimming it was time for some ZUMBA! Ella loved it and kept up pretty good!

The whole point of the event was to sign up for the Summer Reading program at the library! We keep a list of all the book we read during the summer. For every 50 pages she reads she gets a ticket. Then, she can exchange the tickets in for prizes! We've done ok keeping up with it so far, but could use a little improvement!

We will go in a few weeks and start collecting her tickets!

The library has some great programs and we plan to go to as many as we can this summer!

Still Celebrating

2011-06-06T07:06:00.001-05:00

My grandmother would be mad if she knew I just cried reading what my cousin said about her at her funeral. She would tell me not to be sad - that she had some, well actually a lot of good times on this earth and to not be sad that she is gone. Montez was just like that! Selfless, not wanting to bother anyone.

I hope I am like that when I am older.

Today, we celebrate the day she passed away. The day she took her last breathe and joined her husband, momma & daddy & all her brothers and sister in heaven. Yes, death is not fun for those of us left behind but I truly smile when I think of her reunited with her family. Today we celebrate her life, again!

You can read my post from the day she died HERE.

You can read what my cousin said about her HERE.

I am sad she will never meet Caroline and watch both my girls grow up. But really she will - she will watch from heaven and smile at how much Ella looks and acts like me...and maybe even shake her head a little bit {with a smile though}.

We miss you Tez! We hope we make you proud!