Milkshake!

We took Caroline to Chick-Fil-A tonight and after she ate her chicken tenders, Jeff thought it would be a good idea to get a milkshake. He said it was for Caroline, but I know he really wanted it, (especially when he said to get chocolate!). We all shared the milkshake and Caroline was so cute when she sipped from it. She had a few sips from one before and loved it. She's so cute when she gets a taste. It's like her eyes light up and she smiles like she knows it is a special treat.

Pool Time!

We got Caroline in the pool for the first time of the year today. Since it rained recently, the water was cold and Caroline wasn't too thrilled. After a little bit, she warmed up in the water and got in her new float. She just couldn't understand why this big bathtub was cold and not warm. Hopefully, we will have some hot days to get the water warm again before we get in next time. Ginger joined us outside, but decided not to jump in this time.

Suited up, sunblock on, and ready to go!

Caroline with Daddy and Ginger, testing the waters

She wasn't too happy at first. The water was a little colder than we expected.

Finally, a little smile with Mommy

Ginger to the rescue?

I still can't believe what happened last night. Jeff was swimming laps in the pool and Caroline and Ginger were outside with me watching. Ginger has always been intrigued by Jeff swimming laps and diving in. She always gets excited and runs along with him and sometimes barks when he dives in. Jeff was swimming laps around the perimeter of the pool instead of going back and forth and stopping or slowing down. He was swimming about two feet from the edge of the pool and suddenly, Ginger jumped in! I screamed because I was so shocked that she had done this for the first time ever after all these years of watching us in the pool. Jeff felt her claws on his back and didn't know what was going on until he saw Ginger swimming. I'm still not sure what was going on. Maybe she was trying to save him. Maybe she just wanted to know what it would be like to jump in after all these years of thinking about it. Who knows. I would love to read her mind.

1-year Checkup

Caroline went for her 1-year checkup today. She was so happy when she got there, dancing around and babbling up a storm. She was so good for Dr. Nikki, but after she left, the nurse came in and gave her two shots. Of course, she screamed, but she was fine by the time we left. She weighed 18 lb. 15 oz. and is 29 in., staying on track in the same percentiles that she has always been. Wow, I still can't believe she's a year old!

Birthday Cake!

Caroline had her own cake to dive into however she wanted and could make as big of a mess as she wanted. I just had to capture some of this on video. Just wait for her to dive in face first.

Happy Birthday Caroline!

Caroline turned 1 year-old on Saturday. I can't believe it has been a whole year. Time flies so fast. Our little girl is growing up. It seems like yesterday, we were bringing her home on Mother's Day. Jeff can't wait to turn her around in her car seat and was eager to weigh her today, but she missed the weight mark by 1 pound. She'll be 20 lb. before we know it and see car rides in a whole new light. Surprisingly, she does like facing backwards because when I put her in the seat, she gets happy and lunges forward at the mirror. I can imagine we will have a few toys thrown our way in the front seat. She has a habit of throwing toys in the back seat and sometimes I can reach them to toss back at her before she gets upset. I have learned that if you can tether any toys, do it. Those little rings work great. Then she can't really throw them because they stay connected. This also works great for riding in the stroller.

The birthday girl woke up happy!!! A great start to a fun-filled day! She even had the Glow Worm on.


Claudia and Caroline riding their matching 4-wheelers in the backyard. What a beautiful day it turned out to be! The weather could not have been more perfect for Caroline's first birthday.


...and CRASH! Caroline is not too good at the whole steering thing yet. One day, I hope she will grasp this concept, but for now, we'll just have to settle for running into everything.

Caroline with Mommy & Daddy

Jeff with the party girls

First bite of HER cake! She dove right in face first.

This is some good stuff! We should do this more often.

Getting a little help from Aunt Stacey and Claudia

King of the Hill

Yesterday, Jeff competed in the 5th Annual King of the Hill Triathlon at Tombigbee State Park. This involved a 1/2 mile swim in the lake, 20 mile bike ride, and a 3.6 mile run. He has been training really hard and it paid off. He won his age group and finished in a total time of 1 hour and 48 minutes (19th place overall out of 110 people). Way to go! We are so proud of you!