Taking the Plunge

I got a chance to video Aly jumping off the diving board. This is her favorite new thing to watch!! At this pool, you have to be a good-enough swimmer to swim unassisted to the ladder, and Caroline is not quite a strong enough swimmer; she did a great job as a cheerleader, though!

Don't Blink

Something strange has happened in the past week: we've blinked, and suddenly we're surrounded by little people who are not so little anymore! They seem to be passing milestones, each at their own rate, and I can't make them stop!! Aly and Caroline have turned into little fish (well, mermaids, according to them!) They want to spend every afternoon at the pool and it's just amazing to watch them swim! And both of them love the diving board. The diving board?! When did they get old enough for that?! I'd love to get some video of them, but I don't think I'm talented enough to tread water, watch out for a sinking kid, and manipulate a camera at the same time. Poor Jack doesn't exactly love the water yet, so he spends a good majority of the time sweating in his stroller in the shade. He doesn't seem to mind, but it is enough to kill a mom whose guilt-meter is already off the charts!

On Jack's part, he is teething big time and always has half of his hand in his mouth.

I don't know if it's a boy thing or a Jack-thing, but he is quite the little eater! He is already starting to eat rice cereal. The girls didn't start until closer to six months, but he just eats a lot--too much for me to keep up with! He seemed pretty excited about the new food... though I do have to say that he is the happiest and most easy-going baby ever so I didn't expect anything less.


Caroline and Aly still dance everywhere. Our kitchen is a permanent stage with The Nutcracker playing constantly. They now refer to me as Ms. Meredith (Aly's dance teacher!) The will have the privilege of attending her dance camp next week--they are absolutely ecstatic. Pictures of the big week to come!

Next Week

The girls have been really curious about death lately. Apparently that's normal with kids around Aly's age, but it has definitely made for some interesting questions and conversations lately! Obviously, Aly's comprehension is about a year and a half ahead of Caroline's, so Aly's questions probably lead to a little confusion in Caroline's world. After a conversation tonight about how great Heaven is going to be, Caroline very thoughtfully asked, "Mama, are we going to die on the cross next week?" Gosh, Sugar, I hope not!

Not much!

I am tired tonight! I've had these pictures downloaded onto this post for 3 days, and every time that I sit down to write something descriptive about what we've been doing lately, my fingertips lack the words to type! So here are a few pictures and a video--mostly for the benefit of Nana and Papa! Have a good week!

Memorial Day fun with friends

Bathtime: my favorite time of day with Jack

"Welcome Summer" party

Jack started really "talking" this week, just all of a sudden! There is a lot going on in the room during this video, but the squeals are actually him!

Jack's Day

Yesterday was a special day for Jack, as he was baptized! It was made even more special because his godfather, Bill, performed the ceremony. (And Jack was Bill's first baptism since graduating from seminary and being ordained last fall!) Chad's mom had bought him a beautiful gown that he wore, and then we had a little celebration lunch with family afterward. It was a great day for our sweet boy!

Our Family with Reverend Bill!

With Big D and Poppy

The Ceremony

Jack and Bill

Snapshots of our Week

I guess that now that school is out, I seem to find the camera in my hand a lot more often; maybe it also has to do with finally settling into a normal routine with 3 kids! Here are just a few shots from our events over the past few days:

A visit from the cousins. Aly and Caroline totally look up to Warner and William and stood at the door all morning on Sunday waiting on them. Caroline took out her binoculars and, looking through them, yelled repeatedly, "Warner, William!!" They arrived about an hour later!

This is how I find Jack every time that he naps. He LOVES this blanket, but surely this can't be good, right?!

Our sweet, hilarious Caroline. Truly a non-stop source of entertainment. This morning, she and Aly were playing in their room when all of a sudden I heard her wailing. I ran back there and tried to translate between her hysterical sobs but all I could get was "glass slipper" and "booger". With the help of some tweezers, this is what I found crammed up her nose. Yes, babe... quite the booger you've got there.

Aly has really been working on giving up her thumb-sucking, and has gone almost a week without it. Caroline said she was ready for the Paci-fairy to come tonight, so we kissed it good-bye and left it in a treasure box.

She is quite addicted to her paci. The poor thing was awake until at least 9:15 just struggling (her bedtime is 7). I felt like we were in an episode of "Celebrity Rehab"! But, the Paci-fairy didn't disappoint and brought the girls sleeping bags for breaking their "addictions"!

I realize that the majority of this post is about Caroline...here's a video to end on:

Caroline, the Fairy Godmother. (singing "Bibbidy-Bobbidy-Boo")

Third Time's a Charmer

The three kids, each around 31/2 months:

Aly

Caroline

Jack