Wet days, dry pants

So, I mentioned in my last post that I enjoy a good rainy day every now and then as a welcomed break from steamy hot September days. Well, I think that I can speak for all of Northwest Georgia (and much of the southeast!) right now when I say that we are sick of rain! We in Rome have been fortunate enough to have not experienced the tremendous flooding taking place in Atlanta, but how much rain can sun-loving folks like us take?! Surely the crisp blue fall skies are out there and arriving to us soon, right?! We saw sunlight this afternoon, so I feel a little optimism creeping in!

Thanks to a fever virus, Aly missed the first official dance class, but got to go last week. She loved it and was very proud of herself. Because she wears the outfit almost daily, my new ambition is to keep it somewhat clean and presentable for the actual class. When I asked her recently what she wanted to be for Halloween, it was no surprise when she answered, "A ballerina." Done, darlin'!



And thanks to the rain, we decided to buckle down and get serious about potty-training. I say (with a little nervous trepidation!) that Caroline is trained! We picked out her big-girl panties (I feel a little weird typing "panties" over the Internet!) on Monday, as she is proudly displaying below. She's done a great job!

RAIN RAIN GO AWAY, COME AGAIN ANOTHER DAY!

The week-in-review

We've had a week of rain here in Rome, therefore a week of indoor activities. It's honestly been kind of nice to hunker-down inside and give the outside fun a bit of a break. Here are just a few pictures from the week:

A picnic-party with all of the fixin's. The girls' favorite activity lately is getting ALL the kitchen pieces out and making parties. The funny thing is that because Aly is just a little type-A, she also enjoys cleaning it up afterward. They say they are doing their 'chores' (like Cinderella!)


I haven't totally gone all-out with potty training Caroline, but she did use her potty twice on Monday! I just couldn't resist a little diaper-free-bottom shot!


The girls have a new obsession: Batman (Caroline) and Superman (Aly). We received a catalog in the mail about a week ago with Halloween costumes, and the girls have been smitten ever since. Aly has a MAJOR crush on the superhero (she laughs giddily every time we say his name), and Caroline follows right along!



Speaking of crushes... this season, each Tuesday night is "Family Night" with the team. We go up to the cafeteria and eat with the basketball boys. The girls L-O-V-E love the basketball boys, and the guys are so sweet to them. When I tell them that it's 'basketball-boy-dinner-night', they run to the dress-up clothes and load on the jewelry and accessories. I just had a Bible study last night with senior girls in which we talked about how our image and identity of ourselves is formed early and we build this identity based on what elicits praise from others when we're young. I couldn't help but think of my own girls knowing already that dressing up 'pretty' elicits attention from the boys they want to impress... (Gulp!) I guess there is always something to worry about. For now, we'll just enjoy Tuesday Family Nights!!

Baby BLUE!!

We had a doctor's appointment today; our wonderful doctor gave us an early Ultrasound and we found out that we are having A BOY!! A little more blue to mix in with our very pink household! Chad and I are ecstatic and were a little on the obnoxious side in the Ultrasound room-- I was laughing so hard with excitement the technician could barely see a picture! Chad said through tears, "I didn't want to tell you this, but I really wanted one!" We told the girls and Aly's only response was, "Can I still call him Lily?" (Not ever a name in the running, but sure!) Here are a few pictures from our exciting morning:

Once upon a time...

Tonight was a night that has been marked on the girls' calendar for weeks, and anticipated each day: Princess Night at the Chick-Fil-A. Every eligible young lady in town was there for hair and make-up, a jumping castle, pictures with real-live princesses, and best of all: free chicken nuggets! Of all of our beautiful dress-up gowns, Caroline chose the pink one with the gaping holes on each side and Aly chose the very...dare I say 'gaudy'...hot pink and purple ensemble! The family listened to princess music all the way to the restaurant, pulled up to see oodles of beautiful princesses, and made our way through herds of pushy moms and excited kids! We had a great time, and the girls are dreaming sweet princess dreams in their princess nightgowns as we speak. (they're actually singing right now, but at least singing in bed!)

A nice calm dinner with no distractions--yeah, right! The girls with Tinkerbell, aka Mary Burke

My princesses with "real-live princesses"

The not-so-brave Aly on the slide... (look at the bottoms of her socks!!)

...and the classic princess pose by Caroline!

We didn't stay for hair and make-up (partly because the line was forever long and partly because it was already past bedtime!), but I thought I'd include this picture from Chad's hair up-do session this weekend. What a Prince Charming he is!

The Warner Kids (Kind of!)

Our little baby is 15 weeks old, and the size of an apple! So here is the first portrait of all 3 kids!

A Week of Firsts

This first week back from our long vacation has seemed a bit like a whirlwind. I guess you have to get back into real life at some point, but I feel like between the big birthday and a week of orientations, meetings, and firsts, Chad and I are looking forward to sitting down on the couch tonight to do NOTHING!! But it's been a fun week back, and very exciting for the girls.

Aly's first day of 'school' was on Wednesday. Here she is loaded down with her new lunch box and show-and-tell:

She cried while getting out of the car last year, but this year seemed to be an old pro:

Caroline has been asking for a haircut for the past month, so I thought that Wednesday while Aly was enjoying school, Caroline could embrace her first haircut!
Look how grown-up she looks!!

And after waiting for a year while her big sis talked about school, Caroline finally got her chance on Thursday! She was so excited, and picked out her own dress!

I think that the actual "going" to school was a bit of a shock, but the teachers assured me that she stopped crying by the time they reached the door!

She had a great time, and when she and Aly got into the car on Thursday and were all buckled up, I asked how the morning was. Aly said, "When I was getting in pick-up line, I saw a little girl with flip-flops on her dress and I knew that was my sister. So I walked up and gave her a hug and then we sat next to each other in line." That in itself warmed my heart. Then I looked in the back seat and saw the two of them holding hands across their carseats. Absolutely precious.

Friday morning, I think that it was a relief to all of us to spend a morning in pajamas with no schedule, nowhere to go, and nothing to do but relax:

Our Baby is 2!!

Little Caroline turned 2 on Friday! As keeping with tradition (well, a TWO YEAR tradition!), we celebrated with my parents at their house before we returned home, and then had a little party at our house for the actual day. She loved getting sung to (several times throughout the day!), and really got into opening presents this year.

She is truly an absolute ray of sunshine all day, everyday. She is a source of entertainment to all of us, especially Aly. She loves to love, kiss and hug, and her biggest concern is that everyone (including inanimate objects like forks!) are happy. What a blessing she is and I look forward to every wake-up we have with her!

Sweet amazement! Blowing candles (at my parents')

I LOVE this girl!!

I love the way Aly's eye-ing Caro here!

Annual Birthday Breakfast at the 3 girls' favorite: Panera

Opening Presents (the ribbons were the highlight!)

Private Birthday Party

Aly in Minnie Mouse ears

This picture is sooo Caroline! The messed up hair, the crooked hat...and absolutely loving life!

Playing with new dollhouse and dolls (well, furry little animals)