Bubbles!

Ever since one traumatic night in my parents jacuzzi tub in Montgomery, Caroline has been scared of our new "big girl" tub. My mom had asked Caroline if she wanted to get in GiGi's big bathtub and she was really excited about it. So, we fill it up a little less than half way and she gets in with all of her toys and is having a ball. Well, GiGi decides she needs to amp up the fun a little bit by turning on the jets. However, she failed to make sure the water was above the jets before turning it on. Caroline walked on water that day to get out of the tub. Not to mention water went EVERYWHERE shooting out of the jets all over the bathroom. I have to admit, even I was a little panicked when it happened. So...she is happy to get in Mommy's new tub, but will not let you turn the jets on. Leave it to Daddy to work his magic. The other night she braved up to try the "big girl" tub again (it's been a while and I guess her memory is fading). I don't know what transpired in the bathroom, but Christopher called me in there, and sure enough, there was Caroline playing in the bubbles and begging her Daddy to turn on the jets. She loves it now and cried when we took her out.

She even felt it was safe enough for her baby doll to get in!

Growing Pains

It is amazing how quickly you forget everything that goes along with having a baby in the house again. And it's not like we didn't just have a 5 month old, oh just 18 short months ago. We should still be in practice...but we're not! Rutland is growing up so much faster than Caroline did, and it's killing me. He has the sweetest disposition and just smiles at everyone who looks at him. I don't know if hormones play a part (i.e. being a female), but Caroline was a little less generous in the "cheer" department. She was a happy baby of course, but it seemed like we had to turn a few more tricks to keep her that way. Anyway, Rutland has started eating baby food, sitting in a high chair, starting to sit up by himself, and even getting up on all 4's to "creep", and he's only been 5 months old for 1 day! I went to get him up from his nap the other day and he was all but sitting up in his crib, propped up on one hand. I thought baby #2 was supposed to be "delayed" because you don't spend as much time with them as you did with baby #1. And I'm starting to feel panic set in at what is going to happen when baby #2 gets mobile. The blog may suffer considerable set backs when that happens. Those of you with boys, I never believed you about how much more active they are than girls. Now I do...changing a boys diaper on a changing table is a total joke! Someone should have told me that it was a huge waste of money buying another changing pad, because it's much safer to change Rutland's diaper on the floor. I have never seen a baby's body contort into so many different and painful looking positions. I'm already gun shy that I might get tee teed on, now I also have to worry about whether or not the child is going to fall off the table - nightmare! Baby #2 is supposed to be exactly like baby #1, right?? It's not fair that they throw you curve balls. We are in a great place right now and actually feel somewhat normal again. Our friends Robb and Libby's second child, Miller, just celebrated his first birthday this weekend. It was a major milestone for them, and they really upped the ante for birthdays by getting a blow-up jumper. Caroline was so shocked and excited by the jumper, that she immediately got in it, jumped, and tee teed in the jumper. One of the other kids said, "Mommy, there are bubbles in the jumper!" Christopher went in to investigate and yes, it was our precious child who went in the jumper. She immediately called for Aunt Libby, because she knew Libby would not get on to her. After we sanitized the jumper, everyone had a great time, and no more accidents. Here are some pictures from the weekend...

Rutland's first time in the swing. He loves it, but is not as big a daredevil as his sister yet.

He loves to stand up in the chair in our living room and look out the window.

Could these two children look any different??

Rutland and Caroline love to ride in the stroller. It is my favorite "baby" purchase we have made!

Caroline loves to peek-a-boo at me through the slats on our front porch.

She is so big cutting the grass like her daddy...notice she is choosing to cut the concrete instead of the grass near the "real" lawnmower.

Here are Caroline, Harris, and his cousin Lizzie taking a quick rest from bouncing.

This was a great birthday idea and actually entertained the kids from Friday night through Sunday night. It might be worth renting on a weekly basis!

Here is our sweet pug Bella. She puts up with so much, I actually took the time to take her picture this weekend and thought she deserved a photo on the blog. She was my first baby! She is 4 years old now.

Happy 4th!

We decided to go to Montgomery for the 4th this year and celebrate with our families. Now that we come with some additional "baggage" (Caroline, Rutland, and Bella), traveling long distances is no picnic. We thought a nice, relaxing weekend by the pool would be great. I should have known that a weekend at my parents house (a.k.a. the family who has to "close it down") would mean lots and lots of fun, but little rest! Ever since I can remember, no matter what the holiday or vacation, my family will find a way to stay out as late as possible until every store, theme park, or mall closes. They are always up for "one more stop". My dad managed to find a "putt putt" in Prattville to go to Friday night. By the time we finished eating dinner at Mellow Mushroom it was 8:30pm and past Rutland's bedtime. Just when we thought he was going to call it a night in the carseat, we showed up at Emeral Mtn. putt putt/go carts park, and his eyes have never been so big. We were a little disappointed in the facilities though. The large, overgrown brush, wet, slippery paths, and dark course made it a little difficult to actually play putt putt. (And I'm sure that is the excuse my dad has for "letting" Christopher and my sister beat him.) But, we had a great time together and decided to call it a night at 9:30. Rutland did finally fall asleep on the way back to Montgomery, but was up bright and early the next morning at 7. Christopher and my dad went fishing, and I swam with Caroline all day until her nap. That night we had pity on Rutland and let him stay home with my Me-maw, and we all headed to the Biscuits game. Caroline is obsessed with their mascot, Big Mo. She had to give him five about 20 times and we got her picture with him. After the game, we watched the fireworks, which she loved and made it home around 11. We were all so tired on Sunday, but had such a great time. My mom and dad's theory is that we need to "break them in early" and get the kids used to "closing it down", so when it's time to go to Disney, they will be ready. Yes, they are already counting down the days until we let them take Caroline to Disneyworld. (I'm also counting the days!) Anyway, here are some pictures from the weekend. Please note how many times you see Christopher asleep (many!) and how many times I'm asleep (ZERO)!

This is the first year Caroline has been able to use her floaties.

She has it down pat now and even jumps off the diving board - FEARLESS!

Enjoying a popsicle in the pool! Please note who is waiting in the wings to get a lick!Swimming with Daddy.

Rutland enjoyed some time in the shade with Me-maw.He has Aunt Ashley wrapped around his finger.Do you see any similarities here??

Pops slaved over the grill all morning - three little savages were waiting for a scrap to fall!

Nap #1...

Nap #2!! Christopher clearly is not used to "closing it down".

We got to see Ella & Gray over at Christopher's parents house on Sunday. We love our cousins!

All Dressed Up!

We visited a new church on Sunday, Covenant Presbyterian, which is also where I teach those "sweet" little 3 year olds during the school year and where Caroline LOVES to go to school. We have had such a wonderful experience with the most caring ladies in the nursery there, that we wanted to visit on Sunday. All this to say, we got all the kiddies dressed up and actually took some time to have a few "Family Shots" before we got in the car. Caroline also had a dress-up session of her own the night before, sporting her Aunt Ashley's 4-inch Jessica Simpson gold heels. She thinks she is so big - her daddy is definitely in for some heart-breaking years to come! Rutland had his 4 month check-up today. He weighed in at a "whopping" 13 lb. 3 oz. (25 percentile) and was 25.5 inches long (75-90 percentile). As his daddy says, he will be a lean, mean, lady-catching machine when he gets older. He is a sweet, sweet boy and nobody will love him like his mama does!

Rutland is wearing one of Christopher's gowns

I think the fact that we didn't have to be there until 11:00 played a definite role in our ability to take a few pictures. We started getting ready at 9:00 though.

Here are those fabulous 4 inch heels of Aunt Ashley's...

she honestly had NO problem walking in them!

Summertime by the Pool

We decided not to join the Vestavia Pool this year since Rutland is so little still. I couldn't imagine how I could play with Caroline (who is quite the little fish in GiGi and Pop's pool) and keep Rutland from frying like bacon in the sun. So we bought a baby pool and just make do in the backyard. We also make trips to Montgomery to swim in GiGi and Pops pool. Sweet Me-mee bought Rutland a frog pool with a shade canopy, so I set him up in the Bumbo in that pool and let Caroline swim in the other baby pool. He can only last so long before he gets tired of it though. But Caroline loves it and splashes him every chance she gets. Sibling rivalry starts very early I guess. Here are some pictures of our days outside by the pool and some others I've had on my camera.

Caroline will finally wear sunglasses for more than 2 seconds. She says she is a "moviestar"!

Rutland loves the water!

Rutland getting his first "tan".It is getting harder and harder to keep Caroline's clothes on - she prefers to be topless.

We hope this doesn't translate into a profession later in life!Christopher put Rutland in Caroline's babydoll stroller. He loved it! Here is Caroline's reaction to her brother using her stroller. Rutland is a happy baby!

Sweet Caroline

A few weeks ago I had Caroline's picture taken by Heather Swanner. As if it's not stressful enough to get a 21 month old ready, clothes packed, hair combed, and happy, I also had Rutland tagging along. Did I also metion it was 90 degrees! Heather was so sweet to take pitty on me and completely took care of everything with Caroline. She changed her clothes, fixed her hair for me, and even pushed the stroller up several hills at Botanical Gardens. She was fantastic and so happy during every moment of it. Caroline had a blast and loved being the center of attention. Poor Rutland was just content to look around and get tossed on a blanket in between shots. I guess he should get used to playing second fiddle to his sister at an early age. I am quickly learning to be self-sufficient with two children. Otherwise we will end up sitting at home the rest of our lives. Heather did an amazing job and here are a few pictures she posted on her blog, so I was able to copy them to mine!

It's a Miracle!

I can't believe that I've had time to set up a blog! It's a miracle - both kids are sleeping through the night and sometimes napping at the same time! Our lives are finally getting back to some sense of normalcy after having a baby AND renovating our house at the same time - were we smoking something or what when we decided to do this! Sweet Rutland is 4 months old and Caroline is 22 months and we are finally in a rhythm. I am making no promises on how often I'm able to update our blog though - so all of you who love reading blogs and keep yours fresh and tidy, no judging! Our days are still crazy and you never know what is in store (that's what makes it exciting, right??), but boy do we feel blessed!