Perspective

Me: You know it doesn't seem that long ago that we were giving you rides in the baby swing. Now look at you. You are growing up so fast.

Braden: It's okay mom. You still have me for 10 more years.

Well, I guess that puts everything into perspective.

Leprechauns

Connor's preschool teachers really played up the whole St. Patrick's day theme at school today. Apparently there was a Leprechaun that was running crazy throughout the preschool causing some trouble. He put the teachers chair on the table, left a candy wrapper on the floor after seemingly enjoying a snack and crayons were all over the table. The kids began to gather clues as they realized that something funny was going on. The director of the preschool was sure that she saw someone running fast past the dining room door, but she could not see who it was. The teachers were pretty sure it was a leprechaun. Connor is totally convinced that it was real. He and his friend Luke began gathering clues the minute they realized that there was a mystery to be solved. They have made plans to come to preschool early on Friday so they can try to catch the leprechaun before school. Connor has deduced that it must have been a kid because kids can run faster than grown ups. He even locked the door when he got home to be sure that the leprechaun does not try to get into our house and cause trouble. I am glad that he is looking out for us. I don't need anyone else in our house messing it up.

8 Months

How quickly 8 months has flown by. Caroline is acting older every day and she is not our newborn baby anymore. Here is what she has been up to lately.

• Caroline has become a very steady "sitter" and spends lots of time playing with her toys. She is very content and is okay with just hanging out and taking in all the activity of her family around her. Connor frequently swoops in and gives her a hug and a kiss and tells her how cute or pretty she looks that day and she takes it all in stride. Unless he is too close for too long and then she lets him know!
• Caroline is eating more and more foods. This has been a slow process and I think she is just one that needs time to adjust to new foods. While she still isn't a fan of cereal, she will eat most vegetables and fruits. She took to peas and green beans first, followed by squash and sweet potatoes and then decided that fruits were okay, too. She seems to have the pincher grasp down and does well eating cheerios and puffs. What she really wants to eat is anything that I am eating!
• Caroline is vocalizing more and more. She says ba-ba, da-da, ya-ya and the occasional ma-ma. She loves to "talk" on the phone. Whenever I am on the phone she begs until I put it on speaker so she can hear and talk, too. At first I thought she wanted to play with the phone, but she doesn't try to reach and grab for it, she just wants to talk!
• Caroline continues to be a fabulous sleeper. She goes to bed around 7:30 for the night and wakes up between 7 - 7:30 the next morning. She typically takes 2 naps and sometimes a third shorter one later in the day.
• We have yet to see the first tooth pop through. For now we will continue to enjoy her toothless smiles!
• When Caroline wants someone's attention she leans over to the side and flashes a big smile. It is amazing how effective this is in getting what she wants since it is so cute.
• We call Caroline our "little grabber" right now. If anything is too close she is going to try to grab it and put it in her mouth!
• Caroline gets around pretty well by doing a back bend and scooting around. It looks like it would hurt her neck as she is standing on her head but it seems to be very effective for her. I keep telling the boys that they have to be more careful with their things because when I see this,

and this

I know that crawling can't be too far behind!

It's Broke

Connor: Mom, my baseball glove is broke.
Me: Oh, yeah?
Connor: Tristan told me that it was and I checked and it's broke.
Me: Can you show me?
Connor: See how I can bend it - that means it's broke.
Me: Oh, you mean "broken in?"
Connor: Yeah, broke.

How Could I Ever Forget?

I forgot how much attention a little one gets as you walk around the grocery store. Caroline had her first experience riding in the grocery cart seat this week instead of sitting down in her car seat all covered up. She was loving it and several people stopped just to talk to her and tell her how cute she was. It definately made my grocery shopping trip more pleasant!

I love to catch my boys being kind and caring for one another. While you are more likely to catch them wrestling each other, they ultimately defend and look out for one another.

Not a day goes by without something cute, funny, thought-provoking or just worth noting. I take mental notes and hope that I will remember these stories to share with my children as they grow older. I am resigned that "trying to remember" is not enough, so I am resurrecting this blog in an attempt to record these moments for our family. Also, I hope that this will help me to live in the moment and to look at my blessings each day.