My baby's ONE!!!

On March 4th, we were blessed to celebrate Caroline's first birthday! What a joy she has been! We were blessed to have a few family and friends over to celebrate the big O-N-E. Has it really been a year already?! Where does the time go? Anyway, here are a few pictures from the day.

Caroline & Gracie testing out the new wagon.

First bite of cake, diggin' right in!

The Pooh cake from Publix

Sharing with Kaiser--too cute!

Facing forward in my big girl carseat.

Out to dinner with mom & dad on my actual birthday!

As a side note-if you didn't make it to the party, don't feel too bad. Half of our guests ended up with a stomach flu that we think made it's way to us via airplane. Nevertheless, we are thankful that Auntie MaryBeth, Cousin Nickie and Grandma made the trip. We'll try not to return the favor for Nickie's first birthday!

Happy 30th Birthday to Me!!!

Well it's official! I'm no longer in my 20's...thank you Aunt Colleen for reminding me of that! Anyway, I feel great and have no depression to speak of. I woke up yesterday the same as any other day and realized that I am very happy with my life. I have a fabulous husband who is willing to do anything and everything that I need and is very supportive of me and our new little family. Of course there's the beautiful little girl that graces every inch of this blog who absolutely lights up my days! We are so blessed to have Caroline in our lives and love every minute of the experience. It's probably what keeps us young! And I can't forget my darling puppy, Kaiser, who is the protector of our household and is my right-hand man when daddy is working.
Thank you to everyone for your calls and cards! I really appreciate each and every thought. Please keep checking in on us via the blog. I have a bunch of pictures to post from our journey to Cincinnati and Halloween. I know, I know, I'm a bit behind but what's new. :) We hope and pray that your families are doing well. Love you, Steph

The Growl

We have absolutely no clue where Caroline picked this up, but it is hilarious!!! She started doing this about three weeks ago and suddenly became very horse around Halloween. I think she was hurting her throat doing it all the time and realized that she shouldn't do it anymore. I can't explain it...see for yourself.

Learning to Stand

Caroline is becoming such a BIG girl. She has been pulling herself up and crawling for a few weeks now. She wants to stand constantly! In fact, she is always standing in the crib when we go in to get her and she spends the rest of her time crawling from one side of the room to the other. This has been a fairly quick process for mom and dad. She seems to have really taken to being mobile.

Dinnertime or Naptime

A New Love...The Swing

We have graduated from the indoor swing to the outdoor version. A few weekends ago, the weather was absolutely beautiful here, so I decided to take Caroline to the park. We had a wonderful visit to Lakes Park and were able to enjoy their brand new playground! We had a blast! So much fun, in fact, that we took Daddy back with us a week later. It's amazing how the simplest things cause the biggest smiles. I love seeing my sweet girl grinning from ear to ear!

Hold on tight, Daddy!

Not sure who's having more fun?!

Check out this adorable video of Caroline enjoying the swing at the park for the first time:

Osh Kosh Model

You gotta love the overalls! Freakin' adorable and such an electric smile.

Playtime

When it's playtime for Caroline, it's hard to decide exactly how to pass the time. She is so busy these days it is absolutely incredible. She is extremely curious and loves books. A toy that entertained her one minute ago will be tossed to the side in an effort to reach the next object of her desire. Nevertheless, we love spending time with her and watching her develop her skills.

Happy 50th Birthday, Papa Harrison!

Cheerleader Caroline and the birthday Grandpa!

Lots of family and friends gathered for the surprise!

There was even a special guest appearance!
Look at all the Chicago gear.

Papa,

Happy 50th Birthday! We are so excited to celebrate this birthday with you. Caroline is blessed to have you to show her the fun in life. We can't wait until she can say "Urlacher" or sing "Go Cubs, Go!", and we know you will be teaching her. Thank you for everything you do for our family. You are amazing! XOXO

Happy Grandparent's Day!

Sittin' pretty with Grandma Kohl

Lovin' on my PaPa Harrison

A litt bit of Granny Marjie Magic at work

1st visit to Cincy w/ Grandpa "Elmo" & Grandma Lamb

Thank you all for your loving support of baby Caroline! You've done an excellent job spoiling her already; it's like you are pros at this already! Near or far, we're thankful for every moment our little angel has with each and every one of you! All our love, hugs n' kisses! XOXO

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

Happy 1st official birthday as a Grandma! You've been there for us right from the beginning, and we are truly thankful for this. Caroline is blessed to have such a wonderful Grandma. We look forward to talking to you each and every night and hope you know that no matter how far away you are, you're always in our hearts. XOXO!!!

What's so funny?

Caroline enjoying a good belly laugh! So cute!!!

Six Month Sweetness

My little princess has shown me so much more joy than I could ever have imagined over the past six months. I want to share some of that happiness with you too! Look at that smile; it's contagious! How can you not smile when you see that? I learned that toes and fists/fingers are yummy and good teething toys. Puppies and bottles (still not sure about that one) are hilarious to her! She loves to play in her activity center and with her stuffed animals and anything she can chew on. She is rolling over now and life as we know it is changing again. She keeps us on our toes, picks us up when we're down, brings a tear to your eye with one look, never judges us even when we mess up, and wholeheartedly trusts her mom and dad. What an amazing gift! I look forward to a lifetime of blessings with her.

Beach Baby

Caroline loves the beach! She is getting used to the salt water and loves to "jump" over the waves. It was uncharacteristically wavy the last few times we've gone, probably because of all the hurricanes!