A Glimpse into the Life of the Stanfords

Caroline entertains Abigail as she rolls all over the place!

2012-01-21T21:03:00.000-05:00

Caroline had Abigail laughing hysterically playing with a lei that we have so I pulled out the camera to video it. They are too funny! Also in this video is finally a good video of Abigail rolling all over the place. They are both getting so big!

Click here

*I also forgot to mention that the song Caroline is singing is from Cinderella and she goes around singing it all the time. She will find whatever she can: a burp cloth, towel or even this lei and play like she is cleaning the floor while singing this song just like Cinderella does in the movie. I love hearing her sing and she loves to sing!

For Granny & Papa

2012-01-21T20:56:00.000-05:00

Here is a video of Caroline enjoying her new Elmo that Granny and Papa got her for Christmas. She loves to sing and we love watching her so much! You can also see Abigail in the foreground rolling all around.

Click here

Rolling Over?!?!?!?!?!?!

2011-12-13T15:49:00.002-05:00

This morning, I heard Abigail waking up through the monitor. I turned the video on just as my sweet baby rolled over for the first time! I couldn't beleive it! I knew it was coming and I am so glad I didn't miss it! I went in to get her and then went as quickly as I could to get the camera to capture a picture of her on her stomach and by the time I got back, she was already headed to her side again. Here are the pictures I got.

I love you, my sweet Abigail! You are getting so big, so fast!

I am so amazed as I watch you learn and grow each day.

Caroline Loves to HIDE

2011-11-19T16:15:00.000-05:00

One of Caroline's favorite things to do has always been to hide. David has always asked over and over where she is until he "finds" her. He recently started saying things like, "is she outside?" or "is she under the table?" and Caroline has started answering. In this video, she is hiding just beside me under the blanket and answering as to where she isn't hiding. It's too cute!

What we did on 11/11/11

2011-11-11T19:35:00.001-05:00

David's parents came into town EARLY this morning for a visit and we decided to head to Raleigh for the day.

We started with eating at The Pit

Then we headed to The North Carolina Museum of History

David had heard that they had a new interactive exhibit that he thought Caroline might enjoy.

We headed back to Rocky Mount after that and ate at a local restaurant, La Mama's Pizza and on to the new Pit Stoppe frozen yogurt shop which we LOVE!

We had a GREAT day and here are a few pictures for you to enjoy!

This tree was apparently very interesting to Abigail. She just kept staring at it.

Caroline enjoying experiencing the exhibits hand-on!

The Pirate's Treasure Chest

She LOVED the eggs, but they were "stuck"!

Pops & Abigail

She loved pushing these buttons. There was a train that "performed" when you pushed the buttons and she wanted to push it over and over.

Oh no! A turpentine spill! Caroline did not want to get near it. My girl is definitely a girlie girl! We finally convinced her that it was fine. She kept saying, "a mess, a mess!"

I liked this sign ;)

Turning the wheel for furniture making

Grammy & Abigail

Caroline just loved these leaves! I think I got a few really good pictures of Pops & Caroline playing in the leaves!

This is what the back of the car looked like on the way home. You can't see her, but Abigail joined in this group as well.

HERE is a video Caroline is going to love me for later. She has been a little sick and was snoring so loudly that I had to video it!

Abigail loves her animals!

2011-11-07T21:55:00.001-05:00

Abigail has animals hanging from a bar on her bouncy seat. She has started trying to grab onto them and it is so cute!

Here and here are 2 videos of her doing this.

Abigail is 3 Months Old

2011-11-05T21:46:00.000-04:00

Abigail is still a great sleeper! She goes back to sleep about 1.5 hours after she wakes up during the day. I am still feeding her once in the night most nights, but every once in a while, she doesn't wake for a feeding at all.

She smiles all the time and I caught a few smiles in these pictures!

She is really starting to notice and grab at things so much more.

She loves to see our faces and instantly calms down when she sees our faces when we come to get her after a nap.

She loves her big sister. She loves it when Caroline sits and plays with her.

She enjoys when you sing to her, but you can't get too loud because she doesn't like it and often cries.

She is such a joy and we can even get a few giggles out of her now and then.

Abigail, I am so blessed to be your Mommy! You light up my life each and every day and I am so glad the Lord blessed me with you as my daughter! I love you!!!

Out of the mouths of babes

2011-11-04T12:06:00.000-04:00

Caroline just said something that I had to record.

The conversation went like this:

Caroline: "Can I ask you a question?"

Me: "Sure!"

Caroline: "Do you love me?"

Me: "Of course, I love you!"

Caroline: "Awe, thank you, Mommy! That's so sweet!"

I tell you, this girl can just melt my heart!!!

I love you, sweet Caroline!!!

Singing to Abigail

2011-10-31T14:16:00.000-04:00

I left Abigail with Caroline for them to "play" in her room for a few minutes while I switched clothes from the washer to the dryer. Don't worry, I was just around the corner and checking in every few seconds. I had to take this video because I kept hearing Caroline singing to Abigail. She stopped when I went in there, so I had to prompt her a little for the video, but she was singing "Deep and Wide" and "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes". I also got to capture Caroline telling Abigail that she loves her. It was so, so sweet!

Here is the video.

Also, what I didn't capture was that a few minutes later, Caroline kept saying, "Abigail, get my hair" and she was putting her head at Abigail's hands so she could grab it. It was very cute until I had my back turned for a minute and Abigail started screaming! I turned to see Caroline pulling Abigail's hair! I couldn't believe it. We had to have a discussion about how she can let Abigail pull her hair if she wants, but she CAN'T pull Abigail's hair.

One of those fun stories in the life of sisters!

Abigail's Labor & Delivery

2011-08-06T15:09:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures from Abigail's labor & delivery. I wrote her birth story and I will post it soon!

In the triage room waiting to be checked

One HORRIBLE contraction!

Epidural in and feeling good!

Contractions & Blood Pressure

I love this about my husband. He takes such good care of me!

I was so exhauseted after the day long that I had to sleep

Preparing to push

There she is! Born at 9:49 pm

First time touching my sweet Abigail!

Tears of joy! I couldn't believe she was already here!

See that?????? 8 lbs. 10.6 oz!

and such a cute booty! ;)

Dr. Bullard

Official text from David, "delivered"

Belly Pictures #5 and FINAL

2011-08-03T14:44:00.000-04:00

Well, here is my final belly shot before Abigail comes! Here I am at 41 weeks.

And just for fun, here is the first belly shot I took:

24 Months Old ~ July 30, 2011

2011-08-03T14:33:00.000-04:00

Photos from Caroline's 24th Month ~ My baby is TWO!

Everybody loves a good snuggle with Daddy!

This is one of Caroline's new favorite things!

She says, "back, back, back " over and over again and can't get enough.

We've been getting prepared for Abigail's arrival and part of that was setting up the pack and play.

Caroline had to get inside to "sleep".

Enjoying our last pool time before we became a family of FOUR!

Teaching Caroline a very classic trick!

It was very hard to get a shot of Caroline and me

Enjoying some batter after she helped me make muffins

I just LOVE this picture of my sweet girl!

Loving her new memory game that her Sunday School teachers gave her for her birthday

Caroline turns TWO!!!

2011-08-01T10:50:00.014-04:00

Happy Birthday, Sweet Caroline!

Caroline turned TWO this past Saturday, July 30th

I can't believe my sweet baby is already TWO years old!

Here is a little video of Caroline saying how old she is. She is such a cutie!

We put up this "Happy Birthday" banner the night before her birthday and when she walked in, it was the first thing she noticed. She asked what it was and I told her it was her birthday and sang to her. She had the biggest smile on her face and I thoroughly enjoyed her joy as the realization rolled over her face that it was her special day! I can't express how much joy I had watching her enjoy her day!

Caroline in her birthday outfit!

Isn't this embroidery so cute? I love her birthday outfit!

A little special Kermit watching just before her friends arrived!

We have been planning to have a party for Caroline with family once they come for Abigail's birth thinking that she would have been born by now, but she hasn't. So, we decided to call a couple of Caroline's friends to come over for a last minute party. They played for a while, we had pizza, I made a cake and we had ice cream then Caroline opened presents. She had a blast and I am so glad we got to do this with her friends!

Caroline with Micah Rackley

The last minute cake I threw together with my favorite: rainbow chip icing. Caroline loved it too!

She actually did most of the blowing the candles out herself. She just needed a little help from Daddy!

Loving her cake and ice cream!

Micah

Caroline with her presents: Fingerpaint and Bath Soap Paint from us, Musical Intruments from her Aunt Sue & Uncle Ken, a wooden clock puzzle from Micah and crayons, doodle pad & outfit from Noah & Lily Henry. She has thoroughly enjoyed all of them!

The bath soap paint

Here are the musical intruments that Aunt Sue and Uncle Ken gave Caroline. All the kids had a blast playing with the intruments. Here is a video of them playing.

Trying to open her crayons

The wooden clock puzzle

Lily playing with the puzzle

Later that night playing with the bath soap paint in the tub. It took her a while to warm up to it, but when she did, she couldn't get enough!

Belly Pictures #4

2011-07-28T22:12:00.002-04:00

36 Weeks ~ June 29, 2011

38 Weeks ~ July 13, 2011

39 Weeks ~ July 20, 2011

40 Weeks ~ July 27, 2011

A Sweet Baby Shower for Abigail

2011-07-28T21:59:00.007-04:00

July 23, 2011

My sweet friend, Maday Prieto, wanted to throw me a baby shower for Abigail. I was so excited! It was this past Saturday and we had a great time of devotion, fellowship, food, games and presents!

A little brunch food made by Maday. It was so yummy!

Notice the petit fours my friend, Angela, made for the shower with Abigail's monogram.

Maday giving the devotion.

Presents!

I love mongrammed things!

Little Sister/Big Sister shirts from Jamie Henry. So exciting!!!

Graycen looking at the blog book I made of Caroline's first year.

It turned out so good, all 377 pages of it!

I LOVE the smell of Pampers Swaddlers!!!!

Me and Angela

Me, Angela, Graycen, MaryEvelyn and Ella

Me and Maday

Maday, thank you for making this such a special morning. I am so thankful to have such a sweet friend like you!

All the ladies at the shower predicted when Abigail would arrive. At the moment I am editing this blog post, it is August 1st. We have officially passed all the dates predicted, so I guess Rosie is the winner!

A Surprise Baby Shower

2011-07-28T21:36:00.003-04:00

July 14, 2011

Two of the Sunday School classes at church got together for a Girls Night Out.

Little did I know that when I got there, there would be a baby shower waiting for me!

These girls are so sweet! I love surprises so this meant so much to me!

Here are a few pictures from the evening.

Yummy cupcakes!

Abigail's Room and Update

2011-07-28T21:16:00.004-04:00

A little contraction/labor update:

Monday, July 25th (39 Weeks, 5 days): I saw a different doctor because mine is on vacation. He checked me and said I was 2 1/2 cm dilated (maybe getting close to a 3) and 60-70 % effaced. This means no change from last week. My blood pressure was a little high so they retook it after I layed down for a while and it was fine. My next scheduled appointment is Aug. 4th. I'll be 41 Weeks, 1 day that day if I make it to that appt.

Here is Caroline's old room spruced up for Abigail!

Abigail's Ultrasound Photos

2011-07-28T16:38:00.006-04:00

March 9, 2011

We are so excited to be bringing another GIRL into our family!

Her name is Abigail Kathleen Stanford.

It took us a VERY long time to decide on her name, but we finally did!

I realized I hadn't posted her ultrasound pictures on the blog and I wanted to make sure we had this memory on here, so here they are!

Profile Shot

It's a Girl!
Her sweet little feet!

See her eyes, nose and legs folded up in front of her?

See those LONG legs stretched out in front of her all the way above her head?

It looks like I might have another long one!

Here is a picture I labeled with most of the parts in case you can't see them.

"If You Give a Cat a Cupcake"

2011-07-26T21:43:00.004-04:00

Caroline loves the book, If You Give a Cat a Cupcake.

One day, after reading it several times, she asked for cupcakes.

She was so sweet about it, that I went out and got cake mix.

I used some leftover buttercream icing that I had in the freezer.

This was our first time making cupcakes together and it was a blast!

Getting to enjoy her hard work!

Here is Mommy reading the book to Caroline while she ate her cupcake.

We even made a raspberry sauce to go over the top of it!

Papa and Granny Come for a Visit!

2011-07-26T21:15:00.005-04:00

David's grandparents, Papa & Granny, came to take care of us for a bit while David was gone to camp. We had such a great time and Caroline ran them ragged and kept them busy playing.

Thank you guys so much for coming! We had a marvelous time!

Caroline had a great time throwing and rolling the ball back and forth between her and Granny & Papa. Here is a video of them enjoying their time!

Caroline got her busy ball popper out and played with Papa with it. Here is a video of them enjoying it. She lost a ball under the couch. She loves to hunt for balls when they go under the furniture, but she decided this day to purposefully put them under the couch. Too funny!

Caroline loved getting in bed with Granny and Granny reading to her!

Kariseen Maternity Pictures

2011-07-25T21:57:00.000-04:00

Here are some of the maternity pictures my friend, Angela Murray of Kariseen Images, took for me.

They all turned out great!

Here is the link to the rest of the pictures.

Where's Sissy?

Caroline trying to show the whole world exactly where Sissy is.

There is nothing sweeter! For the last few months of my pregnancy, Caroline has had to kiss Abigail goodnight every night. I can already tell that she loves her little sister so much!

I love my husband!

Look at that belly! Wow!

2 Year Old Kariseen Portraits

2011-07-25T21:35:00.000-04:00

Here is the first installment of our 2 year old / Maternity Portraits that my sweet friend, Angela Murray, of Kariseen Images, took for us. It is always a treasure to do pictures with her and the pictures are always wonderful. I hope you all enjoy!

Caroline yelling, "Mama!" That just melts my heart!

Sweet Daddy kisses!

And finally, this is CLASSIC Caroline! I love just love how much fun she is!

Abigail Update

2011-07-22T20:19:00.003-04:00

My pregnancy is almost over. I am 39 weeks, 2 days today!

Abigail Kathleen Stanford will be here very soon! YAY!

This pregnancy has been very smooth. I did get a little sick in the beginning, but I never threw up. I haven't had any issues at all! It has been such a blessing!

Here is my dilation progress so far:

On Friday, July 8th (37 weeks, 2 days), I started having contractions. They were coming 3-4 minutes apart and even though they were VERY painful, I didn't think I was in labor just yet. So, I layed down on my left side, drank some water and they subsided.

The following Wednesday, July 13th (38 Weeks), the doctor checked me for the first time. I was nearly 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced. Progressing nicely!

Tuesday, July 19th (38 Weeks, 6 days) the doctor checked me again. He asked me if I had had any more contractions and to his surprise, I said, "No". I've been surprised too, but I still haven't had any more. So, this day I was 2 1/2 cm dilated, 70% effaced and at -2 station. My body is definitely getting ready, but who knows when she is going to come! Because I am progressing so well and Dr. Van Zant won't be in town all next week (SAD!), he offered to induce me on Wednesday, July 20th. But, even though, I REALLY want him to deliver Abigail, we decided to wait for natural labor. I also REALLY want to go into labor on my own! We'll see what happens!

Abigail is currently moving all around in my womb. Maybe she's trying to figure out how to get out. She'll figure out soon enough!

Belly Pictures - #4

2011-07-22T18:35:00.003-04:00

32 Weeks ~ June 1, 2011

33 Weeks ~ June 8, 2011

35 Weeks ~ June 22, 2011

23 Months Old ~ June 30, 2011

2011-07-22T16:32:00.006-04:00

Photos from Caroline's 23rd Month

Caroline enjoying her first lick of brownie batter! As you can guess, she loved it!

I truly can't believe Caroline can sleep comfortably like this!

On Father's Day, Daddy and Caroline enjoyed some time together on the church's playground while Mommy looked on.

Caroline helped me make a belated Father's Day breakfast for Daddy!

We got our old carseat and stroller out so we could try to sell it and Caroline loved playing in it. She also loved strapping her baby in and rocking her. Here is a video of her rocking her baby. It's too sweet! I imagine there will be much of this in the weeks to come when Abigail gets here!

Jamie, Lily and Noah Henry came over for some fun at the swimming pool!

Here is a video of Caroline dancing on the stage at VBS this year. She had a blast! I think she could have danced there for hours! She definitely loves dancing! The video is not as good a quality as usual because I used my cell phone, but you get the idea.

A 2nd, Surprise Visit from Poppa and Nonna!

2011-07-22T16:11:00.006-04:00

June 24 - 26, 2011

My Dad had to go to a meeting in GA and my parents figured since they were going to be halfway here already, they would come for a short visit. They got here Friday afternoon and left Sunday morning.

Caroline enjoying her star sunglasses she got at the Angus Barn. This was our first trip there and it was very good!

Riding on Nonna's back. This is one of her new favorite things to do.

Fun at the church playground!

Hiding by Poppa

Visiting and feeding the ducks at City Lake. You have probably guessed by now that it is one of Caroline's favorite things to do.

Caroline learned the joys of chasing the ducks back into the water this trip.

The ducks flying off after David scared them off after they got too close to us and scared Caroline.

A Visit from Pops & Grammy

2011-07-22T15:36:00.007-04:00

David's parents (Pops & Grammy) came to visit

We enjoyed swimming at our neighborhood pool. Caroline had a blast!

Here is a video of Caroline being splashed by Daddy.

Dancing in the water

This is Caroline's flower girl dress for David's brother's wedding. She looks SO beautiful in it! I can't believe she is so big!

We went to "Jumpin' Beans" for Caroline to play in a bounce house. She loved it once she warmed up to it.

Poppa and Nonna Come to Visit!

2011-07-22T15:00:00.008-04:00

June 2 - 7, 2011

Poppa and Nonna (Mommy's parents) came to visit. Here are some pictures from their visit.

We went swimming.

We celebrated Mommy's 30th Birthday at Olive Garden

We played with bubbles. Caroline was trying so hard to blow bubbles and she did such a great job. You can see her first bubble in the first picture. She did great!

Snuggle Time!

One of Caroline's favorite things to do while Poppa and Nonna were here was going up and down the escalators at the airport. She did it over and over with Poppa when they first got into town and below she is riding with Daddy when they were about to leave.

Some videos I hope you enjoy:

This first video is of Caroline enjoying www.starfall.com and singing the snowman song. She loves this website and it is very educational!

Here is Caroline singing one of her favorite songs on her favorite CD of music. She's too cute!

Here is Caroline enjoying being chased by her Daddy. I don't know where she came up with the sound she is making, but she is having a blast!

30th Birthday Beach Trip

2011-07-22T11:43:00.011-04:00

May 30th & 31st, 2011

Mommy turned 30 on June 4th and her present from Daddy was a couple of days at the beach.

We enjoyed some really good local food, the beach, pool and Festival Park. It was a great trip.

Here are some pictures of Caroline enjoying the beach.

Caroline LOVED the beach, but the water was incredibly cold. She walked with Daddy to fill up the bucket with water and in the 2nd picture, you can see that she quickly retreated as they got close because she did NOT want to get near that water!

Ready and waiting for Mommy & Daddy to be ready to head to the beach!

I was trying to get a good picture of Caroline and Daddy, but she couldn't take her eyes off the waves. Oh well!

On our way out of town, we went to Roanoke Island Festival Park.

I think it's a little too big! ;)

Caroline LOVES ducks!

She was so cute playing with all the vegetables and "working" in the general store.

David, thank you for being so thoughtful in planning this *surprise* trip for me. You knew exactly what I wanted and I had a blast being with you, Caroline and Abigail! I love you so much!

Belly Pictures - #3

2011-07-21T14:50:00.004-04:00

More pictures of the belly:

28 Weeks ~ May 4, 2011

I put my wedding dress on one day for fun and we took some pictures. It was fun to wear it again and so funny to see me in it pregnant.

30 Weeks ~ May 18, 2011

Caroline had to get in the picture. She's too cute!

31 Weeks ~ May 25, 2011

22 Months Old ~ May 30, 2011

2011-07-14T10:24:00.014-04:00

Photos from Caroline's 22nd Month

Caroline dug in her bag and found her extra set of clothes and decided to try to put them on herself. She's not too bad at it. My big girl!

Wearing Mommy's shoes

Caroline reading to her Minnie. She loves her so much!

We decided to put my wedding dress on. It was fun! Caroline loved hiding under it!

Loving some snuggle time with Daddy!

Mother's Day picture with my TWO girls!

My mother's day dinner: steak, rice casserole, fried corn and bread along with some homemade strawberry cake...YUM!

Caroline got this out of her bag...she sure knows what to do with it.

Hanging out in bed with Daddy playing with her Easter basket.

My sleeping baby. She really does very well in her new bed!

She likes reading in her bed too.

First time in her new swimming pool. She loves it! She was having fun in her pool while Daddy was doing landscaping. He was jealous!

"Painting" for the first time except there is no paint, only water.

I love to watch my sleeping baby! She rarely falls asleep in the car these days and if she does, she wakes up when we stop. She must've been exhausted this day!

So ready to swim!

First time eating a banana whole

Loving some M&Ms

More of my sweet, sleeping baby! I just love to watch her sleep!

All dolled up

Mommy getting to enjoy some snuggle time with her 2 girls!

Here are a couple of fun videos:

This is a video of Caroline enjoying her Big Al doll that her Aunt Carrie gave her. She loves to dance to it while it sings. I guess we are training her right!

After bath, Caroline loves to "be a duck". She likes to put on her duck towel I made for her and sing "Six Little Ducks". It is so cute to see! I hope you enjoy this video!

First Strawberry Picking Trip

2011-07-14T09:56:00.007-04:00

May 24, 2011

We went to Vollmer Farm to do our first strawberry picking with Caroline!

Caroline loved picking the strawberries herself.

She usually doesn't like strawberries, but she LOVED the ones directly off the vine.

I made strawberry cake and the icing from scratch from the strawberries we picked. It was SO good! It was definitely the best strawberry cake I have ever had.

21 Months Old ~ April 30, 2010

2011-07-11T20:07:00.015-04:00

Photos from Caroline's 21st Month

Caroline loves coloring with her Daddy!

Caroline had a blast playing basketball with her Daddy. She was so proud of herself for getting the ball in her hamper. Here is a video of all the excitement!

Caroline loves playing on our church's playground.

She has just amazed us at how she will do the whole length of it all.

I've been trying to capture it on video for a while now and finally got it.

It took a little coaxing and here it is.

Here is Caroline playing with her golf set.

I think she is practicing to golf with her Poppa one day.

Here is a video of her practicing.

This is our lovely set-up for the tornado warning that we received while David was away at a campout. It was definitely NO fun, but we were blessed to not have the tornado come close to us.

My cuties...LOVE this!

Caroline admiring herself in her Easter dress.

My cutie in her Easter dress

Family Easter Picture!

Caroline loves to go feed the ducks so we went as a family to enjoy them again.

She is so cute with them!

Fun in the attic. She thought she was the coolest being able to go up with Daddy.

We've been trying to train Caroline to use a blanket before we transition her to her big girl bed and this is how I found her one day. From the perspective of the door, I thought she was completely covered.

Family Movie Night

We watched a Mickey movie and ate pizza in the living room. Caroline loved all the special fun!

She loves pizza!

Our neighbor's son, Noah, has this John Deere tractor and he let Caroline ride it one day.

She had a blast! I was amazed at how well she could drive it.

She had never gotten on one of these before this day.

Caroline and Noah enjoying their lawn mowers

A Visit from Grammy & Pops

2011-07-06T20:54:00.007-04:00

David's parents visited during April as well.

They brought Caroline a Spring Basket and she loved it! We, of course, rationed the candy. She loves getting to pick an egg every once in a while and eat the goodies inside!

Caroline loves to play in Grammy & Pops' car. She has an inflatable ring on her head. I thought it was too cute!

Decorating an Easter egg at the Easter party at our church

Cookie Decorating

Yay! Finally time to eat!

Listening to Daddy talk about Easter

Caroline absolutely LOVED hunting eggs! She was an expert. Her basket was filled by the end!

Family Picture

Loving the candy!

This is Caroline's friend, Lily. These two girls REALLY love each other!

Here is a video of Caroline swinging. This is one of her absolutely favorite things to do! She heads straight for the playground at church as soon as she sees it.

A Visit from Nonna and Aunt Kiki!

2011-06-29T14:50:00.008-04:00

April 7 - 12, 2011

Mommy's Mom and sister came to visit in April. We had a great time!

We went to the lake and had a picnic and fed the ducks.

This is one of our favorite things to do and we all had a blast!

Caroline's first time to Chuck E. Cheese's

Caroline was MESMERIZED by the animatronic Chuckie

Fun family picture since we had someone to take it!

Caroline and Aunt Kiki - She really loves her Aunt Kiki!!!!!

We visited the playground in our neighborhood while they were here.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these picture of Caroline and Carrie. They are priceless!

I still love to watch Caroline sleep. Notice where her blanket ended up.

"Mowing" with her new toy from Nonna

Caroline had fun "hiding" in these clothes while we were shopping.

Belly Pictures - #2

2011-06-20T08:45:00.004-04:00

Here are some more pictures of my growing belly. These are from the last 2 months since I didn't post the ones form last month yet.

16 Weeks ~ February 10th

18 Weeks ~ February 26th

21 Weeks ~ March 17th

22 Weeks ~ March 24th

23 Weeks ~ March 30th

Here is an interesting comparison. The first picture is of me at 29 weeks with Caroline and the 2nd picture is of me at 23 weeks with baby #2. I think I look about the same. I always heard that you get bigger quicker the 2nd time around. I love seeing the proof in the pictures!

(You can click on the picture for a larger version).

20 Months Old ~ March 30, 2011

2011-06-19T16:07:00.013-04:00

Photos from Caroline's 20th Month

HERE is a video of my little dancer. I've mentioned before that Caroline loves to dance, but this video shows some unique aspects of her dancing. One is that you will see that she can't stand to not have us all dancing with her (you'll see her point for me to come dance on the blanket). The other thing and the main thing that is so funny about this video is towards the end where she almost falls over because she has made herself so dizzy! It's too cute.

These first 2 photos are Caroline in her duck towel that I made before she was even a thought in our brains. I did this in a sewing class I was taking. I enjoyed it so much and Caroline loves this towel! She loves to be a duck at the end of her baths!

I really don't need any toys for Caroline, apparently all I need is to give her her cups and tops to play with. She loves to pretend like she is filling them up and drinking them.

Caroline with Grammy (David's Mom). This is the only picture I have from their visit except for the pics from Marbles Kids Museum (see the previous post).

Like I said, no toys needed.

The church does an annual ice skating trip with the kids. They don't have skates small enough for Caroline so she wasn't able to skate, but she really wished she could. Here are a couple of pictures of her enjoying the ice!

LOVE pictures of my baby sleeping!

So, this actually is something that Caroline is not allowed to do, but when I came into the living room after being in the back of the house, I thought she was so cute watching TV like this, I had to take a picture!

MOST of the time, I love going and seeking out what Caroline is doing. This was one of those moments. She's sitting in the closet reading her new books.

***I have to make a huge point here. If you notice, up until this point, Caroline's hair has been mostly straight. She had a little curl at the bottom, but now it is all over her head. It was literally like one day she woke up with curls ALL over her head. It's gorgeous! It still amazes me that one day it was straight and the next, curly. I love your curls, sweet girl!***

David's grandparents came to visit this month and Caroline LOVED getting to play with them! It is such a blessing to have them in our lives and in Caroline's life. They have always been so amazing to us and are such a blessing. Here are some pictures from their visit!

Caroline REALLY loves her Papa!

Another "seek and find" moment with Caroline. She was in our closet this time with the broom. Who knows why, but she thought it was fun!

One of Caroline's friends, Micah, came for visit. They had a blast!

This girl already loves to cook with her Mommy! I often let her help me scramble the eggs in the morning. She thinks it's the best and *most* of the time, she keeps them in the bowl.

She loves books (and being practically naked), but what kid doesn't enjoy that, right?

Visiting and eating with some of our closest friends, the Murrays.

They love on Caroline and she loves them!

Marbles Kids' Museum

2011-06-18T20:05:00.007-04:00

On March 5th, we went to Marbles Kids' Museum in Raleigh with David's parents (Caroline's Pops and Grammy).

Caroline had a blast!

When David and I went on our honeymoon, there was one of these MASSIVE chessboards at our resort. I have a picture of me sitting on the board with one of the pieces in my hand. When I saw this at Marbles, I had to have all of us in a picture on it! Such a fun memory!

Caroline loves to "drive".

Caroline loves watching the fish! I love how she layed down on the floor like this and watched them. She was very intense!

My girl that LOVES trains!

Caroline loved playing in the water area. HERE is a video of her enjoying the fun. Also, I have been trying to catch something she has been doing for a while now and I finally got it! About 13 seconds into the video she uses a hand motion that she now uses ALL the time to tell us all to "come". It is TOO cute!!!

19 Months Old ~ February 28, 2011

2011-06-02T21:00:00.023-04:00

Photos from Caroline's 19 Month

Caroline got a new outside slide/play place from Mommy's parents for Christmas. David and Caroline worked together to get it ready for play! She loved helping her Daddy!

All done and so excited!

Caroline got into the packs of plastic cups in the bottom of the pantry.

You certainly can't get upset at that face!

"What Mom? It's fun in here!"

We have had some beautiful snows this season! Here is Caroline LONGING to go outside in the snow! We didn't go immediately, but went later.

As a distraction from the fact that we weren't going out in the snow just yet, Caroline got to watch "White Christmas". She loved this scene in the movie and here is a video of her enjoying it.

Finally out in the snow!

Gotta love this cuteness!

Our friends, Evan, Kelly and Owen came to visit one night. Caroline loved Owen as you can plainly see in these photos. She couldn't get enough of him.

These pictures are a little scary of what the future might hold!

Here is Caroline enjoying the balloons that we got and blew up for her for Valentine's Day. She loved playing with them! She also got a frog balloon that said "I love you". Here is a video of her enjoying hitting it around.

We do family devotions every night before bedtime. As a part of that, we pull out the hymnal and sing hymns. I came up front one day and found Caroline with the hymn book. She really loves our singing time!

Fun at the playground in our neighborhood!

Here is another video of Caroline that is just hysterical! She discovered this solely on her own. She likes to play with credit card type things. In this case, she was playing with a hotel key card. She figured out how to pick it up with her foot and thought it was the best thing ever. She's so cute!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First Belly Pictures!

2011-05-26T15:40:00.005-04:00

Here are the first belly pictures I've taken with this baby. Not too much is happening yet, but it will be fun to compare these to the end ones!

January 13, 2011

January 19, 2011

18 Months Old ~ January 30, 2011

2011-05-26T14:54:00.010-04:00

Photos from Caroline's 18th Month

One of Caroline's Christmas presents was a water toy that she loves! She has to have it at every bath now. Here is a picture and video.

Caroline's Aunt Carrie (Mommy's sister) went to Disney World this month. On the 21st, Caroline got a surprise in the mail from her Aunt Carrie! It's a Dumbo! Caroline loves it!

Caroline loving on Dumbo!

Caroline and Daddy ~ I love this picture!

One of the first toys David and I bought Caroline is her gloworm. She has always loved it! When she was little, we could always use it to calm her down. Here is a picture and video evidence of just how much she loves it even today!

Caroline LOVES to dance! She asks all the time for us to turn her music on. My favorite part is she has a blanket that has become her dance floor. We HAVE to lay the blanket out for her to dance on or she won't dance. Here and here are a couple of cute videos. She was a little camera shy with both of these, but you can at least get a little taste of her love of dancing.

Caroline has a toy MP3 player with kids songs on it. I have 2 videos of her enjoying it.

The first is "The Wheels on the Bus".

The second is "If You're Happy and You Know It". Caroline enjoys doing the hand motions to this song too. Our favorite is in the "and your face will surely show it" part. When you are supposed to point to your face, she points to her neck. Too cute!

17 Months Old ~ December 30, 2010

2011-05-21T10:29:00.008-04:00

Pictures from Caroline's 17th Month

Caroline sure knows what to do with keys, exept she always tries to unlock the wrong part of the door! Here is a cute video.

This was Caroline's first year where she was really aware of the Christmas decorations going up. It is our tradition that we always watch "White Christmas" while we decorate the house. As you can see in the following 2 pictures, Caroline loved it! She enjoyed helping decorate too.

We did our own little photography session for our Christmas pictures this year and this is how it started:

She didn't want to sit in the rocker, so we got her bear and a little lovin' to calm her down and we took the pictures with her standing up.

On December 4th, it snowed in Rocky Mount. It was beautiful! Here we are out in the snow. Caroline loved it! Here is a video a little bit later out our kitchen window of the beautiful snow!

One of Caroline's favorite toys: the collander.

Christmas Trip 2010

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December 17 - 31, 2010

"Rock, Rock" - Caroline loves to get in any kind of rocker and rock. Click here to see a video.
Here she is sitting with her Teddy that she loves to have us swaddle like a little baby.

Caroline loves to help us vacuum the floors.

Let's hope this love continues into the teenage years!

This is Caroline with her Papa (David's grandfather). This child LOVES her Papa. We were sitting down at a restaurant and he came in and she wanted to go straight to him. So sweet!

Here we are at Bellingrath Gardens in our hometown. They do a "Magic Christmas in Lights" every year and it is such a magical thing to go to. It holds great memories for us and this was Caroline's first year. She loved it! Bellingrath is also where David and I got engaged! It wasn't at "Magic Christmas in Lights", but it sure was magical!

Caroline with her Poppa (Erin's Dad). I don't think she was feeling well this day, so she got the privilege of sitting with Poppa to eat! I bet she thought she was hot stuff!

"'Twas the Night Before Christmas" - It is a tradition in the Stanford house for Papa to read this on Christmas Eve. Here are 7 of the 10 great-grandchildren with Papa on Christmas Eve this year.

Present Time! This was Caroline's second Christmas and her first to really get into opening gifts. She loved it!

With Grammy, David's Mom

This is one of the recordable story books Caroline got this year. This one is called "The Very First Christmas" and it is from Poppa & Nonna (Erin's parents). She loves them! She also got one from Pops & Grammy (Frosty the Snowman) & one from Papa & Granny ('Twas the Night Before Christmas). Here is a video of Caroline reading the first one with her Aunt Carrie. She loved to push the buttons!

One of Caroline's new favorite things is playing the piano at Poppa & Nonna's house. She has so much fun and is so cute doing it! Here is a video of her "playing".

Here Mommy is with her sister and Mom. So much fun to get a picture of us girls!

Daddy, Mommy & Caroline (and little unborn baby) at church on Dec. 26th.

This time with Pops & Grammy

Josh's brother will be getting married in Sept. 2011 and his fiance's birthday was while we were at home. We all went out to eat for her birthday to a hibatchi grill place where they do everything in front of you. Caroline was a little scared at first when the flames flared up, but she soon began to love it. Here is a video of her enjoying the chef flipping pieces of food to everyone. At one point, you can here her laughing, but for some reason, I don't have the camera on her at that point.

At this point I HAVE to mention something that happened at the hibatchi grill. It is a story I will NEVER forget! We were all standing around waiting on our table, when a woman we did not know came out of the bathroom. Low and behold, my "never met a stranger" child walked up to her, arms held high. Since it was such a controlled situation, we let her pick her up, but it was quite scary thinking Caroline might just go up to anyone! I am going to have to keep a close eye on this one!

I have one last video to share. You have to see this one! "Good Old Noah Built an Ark" (to the the tune of "Old MacDonald") is one of Caroline's favorite books ever. She loves to have her Pops read it to her constantly. Over Christmas I captured a video of her singing with him some. Enjoy!

16 Months Old ~ November 30, 2010

2011-04-17T20:25:00.013-04:00

Photos from Caroline's 16th Month

I love her hair when she gets out of the bath. It's so cute!

Snuggle & snack with Daddy!

She loves to play with my keys!

Fun at the Murray house

With MaryEvelyn

With Graycen

Caroline's cute new Christmas outfit from her Nonna & Poppa, made by Silly Owl Boutique.

They do great work at reasonable prices!

Caroline with Great Great Aunt Janet Lane (My mother's dad's sister-in-law)

Caroline loved this singing dog. See the video below the picture.

The rest of these pictures are from our trip to Birmingham/Tuscaloosa, AL for Thanksgiving & the Alabama vs. Auburn game. We met my mom and dad and sister.

Meeting my friend, Abby Jackson for the first time. It was so great to spend even just a little while with her and her husband!

Ready to head to the game! Caroline stayed with Nonna for the time we were at the game. It was the longest I had been away from her ever and it was so hard, but we had a great time!

Million Dollar Band

(There is a link to a video of the band that was too large to load here)

This was definitely an experience that you MUST have sometime in your life! AMAZING!

http://s660.photobucket.com/albums/uu328/lalagirl8383/?action=view¤t=M4H00966.mp4

Waiting for the game to start...ROLL TIDE!

Sun going down over the field.

We didn't win the game this year, but we had a great time!

Video: What does a duck say?

A Wonderful Surprise!

2011-04-17T11:27:00.007-04:00

November 14, 2010

On the 12th of November, David's parents were visiting and I was working on the computer when I had the sudden realization that my monthly friend was late. Without saying a word, I went to the back to take a pregnancy test. I *thought* I saw a line, but I just couldn't decide. I called David back and we couldn't decide. I took another test the next day and it looked about the same. Sunday morning came and I took another test. We thought that line was a bit darker, but couldn't be sure. That afternoon, we decided that it was time for a digital test. So, off I went to the store and below are the results!

We are PREGNANT!

This picture is of a couple of the first tests. If you click on the picture, you can enlarge it and barely see the lines.

Little does she know what she is headed for here!

Here are a few pictures from a small photo session we did to get some pictures to tell our parents about the baby.

We sent some of these pictures along with a card that said, "Happy Thanksgiving! Here are a couple of things we are most thankful for this year!"

They are all very excited about welcoming another grandchild!

*I am 27 weeks pregnant as I am writing this post, so I am obviously way behind, but I wanted this chronicled, so here it is! Enjoy!

15 Months Old ~ October 30, 2010

2011-04-16T18:28:00.009-04:00

Photos from Caroline's 15th Month

Caroline still LOVES books and I love this trail she left behind her. Too cute!

One of Caroline's favorite DVDs is Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Here are David and Caroline enjoying it.

Caroline got to drive with Daddy while he moved his car when Grammy & Pops left after a trip. Caroline was sad that they were leaving, so this is how we distracted her and she loved it.

I knew that I would get this picture one day.

As least she had a blast and she hasn't done it again since!

Caroline loves the kid rocking chair that Nonna and Poppa sent her. This is the same chair my Mom (Nonna) had when she was a kid and the same one Carrie and I used too.

Below the picture is a video of her rocking. Every time she sits there, she says, "Rock, Rock" over and over.

You can't beat a sleeping baby!

I looked for Caroline all over the place and this is where I found her.

She loves to play in her closet!

Caroline and her books again. I don't think I can say enough how much she loves books!

Happy 27th Birthday, Daddy!

We celebrated Daddy's birthday on October 26th. He got an nice, new Alabama shirt!

She loves to sit on our cushions for our bed and there she is with another book.

I hope her love of books is a sign of things to come.

Caroline was Princess Leia for Fall Festival this year. She looked so precious!

The only thing is that she didn't like the hat at first. But fabulous, Mrs. Tammy distracted her and life was GOOD after that!

We got a popper at the Asheboro Zoo when we went and Caroline thinks it is so funny!

Enjoy the video below. Her laugh is so beautiful!

NC Zoo with Grammy & Pops

2011-04-16T09:27:00.010-04:00

October 16, 2010

David's parents came for a visit and we all went to the NC Zoo in Asheboro. Caroline had a great time seeing all the animals. We saw giraffes, zebras, elephants, apes, raccoons, bears, ducks, walruses, alligators and many more. I think Caroline's favorite was the bear. More on that later.

Watching the giraffes. They wouldn't come over so we could feed them, but they are beautiful creatures!

Pops & Caroline with an elephant in the background (elephants are one of our favorites!)

Grammy & Caroline - time for some milk & yummy pizza!

Caroline was NOT a fan of the carousel animals. She cried every time we tried to put her on one so we settled on sitting together on one of the benches.

Caroline's favorite: the bears! Caroline's favorite book is The Very Cranky Bear. When we approached the bear habitat, I said, "Look, Caroline, it's the very cranky bear!' She got very excited and pointed at them and just loved the bears!

What a great day! October is the best time to tour the NC Zoo. We had perfect weather!

Here is Caroline with Grammy & Pops at the entrance to the zoo.

NC Mountain Glory!

2011-04-13T16:10:00.017-04:00

October 6 - 9, 2010

David's grandparents have a home in Maggie Valley, NC. Mine and David's first trip together was to their house to spend our spring break with them in 2004. It was an amazing week that I will never forget. They took me all over the mountains and showed me the glories of the NC mountains. It truly is God's beautiful creation and I am so thankful that anytime we want to enjoy some time there, we have a place to go. The first two pictures below are from that first trip.

In October, we went together to their house as a family for the first time when Caroline was 14 months old. Granny & Papa didn't get to join us, but know that you were missed!

Caroline loved walking in Papa's apple orchard each day and sometimes picking apples.

She looked forward to it EVERY morning.

She also LOVED to pick the blueberries and squish them in her hands.

Caroline found these dominoes and had a blast putting them in and dumping them out of the container. There is a video after the picture.

Caroline loved Papa's vibrating chair. She would make sounds going along with the vibration. There is a video of it after the picture. She sounds so cute!

We took Caroline to the Apple Barn, which is one of our favorite places to eat in the mountains. I don't have any pictures in there, but this one is outside there.

We took one day to drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway, also a favorite thing. A kind couple took this family picture of us.

At the highest elevation on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

This is Looking Glass Falls, my FAVORITE waterfall in the mountains!

We had to take Caroline there and she was mesmerized!

14 Months Old ~ September 30, 2010

2011-04-10T20:41:00.010-04:00

Photos from Caroline's 14th month!

Learning to walk!

Caroline loves to read!

Fun with sweet friends!

This is my sweet, little OCD child.

She was taking these rocks and separating them into piles of the same size rocks.

Caroline LOVES her books!

Pictures from Caroline's first BAMA game!

We went to the Alabama vs. Duke game on September 18. Of course, we won!

First McDonald's and she shared with Nonna!

Nonna and Caroline had to take a break from the IMMENSE sun to cool down and have some dinner.

It was 62 to 13 when we left. I don't remember the final score.

Caroline and Poppa - she loved the ride!

It was an exhausting day! This baby zonked on the way home!!!

Fun with Poppa!

Caroline's first playgroup at DEPC. She LOVES it!

This was also her first experience with dot paint. I was SUPER nervous, but she had fun!

Another one of Caroline's favorite things:

playing with the dirty clothes and IN the laundry basket.

Caroline BEGGED to go outside to play in the rain so, we did. She LOVED it! She kept trying to walk out into the yard, but every time she walked under the run-off from the house, she would stop, frozen and cry. I couldn't get her to understand that if she would keep walking, she would no longer have the hard rain on her head. She was so cute!

This is after I got her in out of the rain and she really wanted to go back out!

A fun day at Sunset Park

She LOVES this toy at playgroup!

Caroline loves to play in the bath. It's one of her favorite things. Her is a video of her playing!

13 Months Old ~ August 30, 2010

2011-03-07T20:54:00.007-05:00

Here are a few pictures and videos from Caroline's 13th month

Caroline got this fridge magnet set for her birthday and she loves it!

There's nothing like my sleeping baby!

Eating muffins for the first time...she loved them!

We visited the NC Museum of Science. I didn't take many pictures, but here is one of Caroline looking at the large dinosaur skeletons. She had a great time!

Finally getting used to drinking out of a cup!

She loved sitting on top of the coffee table playing. Now, we have to keep her from getting on it!

I really just LOVE this picture of Caroline! It is so sweet! She is playing with a pair of her pants here. I don't know why she enjoys it so much, but she does.

"Rock, Rock" She loves to "rock, rock" in her rocking chair.

Caroline working on walking.

Caroline likes to do this when I am feeding her. It's to cute!

"Where's your belly?" Caroline found her belly!

A Sweet Comparison

2011-02-06T21:16:00.003-05:00

I decided to do a comparison of 5 of the weekly photos I did of Caroline in her first year.

It's interesting to see how she progressed over the year.

One week old

Three months old

Six months old

Nine months old

Twelve months old

This picture is a comparison of her one week photo and twelve month photo with her gloworm.

I used so you can see how much she has grown!

You can click on it to see it bigger.

Caroline turns ONE!

2011-02-01T14:42:00.020-05:00

July 30, 2010

I can't believe my baby is ONE!

It seems like it was just yesterday that we were preparing to leave for the hospital for the induction. It wasn't, of course. It was a year ago today and I am SO glad that my baby is here!

Caroline, you are the light of my life. I am so proud of you.

You make me smile every day. I love you, sweet girl!

As you can see, I tried to get a last set of growth pictures, but my sweet Caroline wasn't very happy that we were trying to take her picture.

I debated whether or not to put these up, but I thought you guys should see all of our life! ;)

I started Caroline's birthday out by going into her room singing "Happy Birthday". Here is a video. I am not sure she knew what to think.

Daddy came home with flowers for me and Caroline. I got roses and Caroline got an assortment. It was such a sweet thing! We really enjoyed them!

Caroline's Flowers

Mommy's Flowers ( I am SO, SO happy to be a Mommy!)

We went to Cracker Barrel for Caroline's first meal out.

She had grilled chicken, green beans and biscuits, of course!

She loved everything, but the green beans!

Very Messy Baby!

I made Caroline "Happy Birthday" cookies since she had already

had her birthday cake in Mobile. She loved it!

Singing "Happy Birthday!"

Unwrapping Presents

Mommy & Caroline

Daddy & Caroline

This video is Caroline getting her first Happy Birthday call from David's grandfather. He calls all of us to sing to us every birthday. It is so special!

This is a video of Caroline opening presents. She had a good time!

What I Love About You...52 Weeks

2011-01-31T14:46:00.006-05:00

52 Weeks

July 29, 2010

*This is my last weekly post. I can't believe I made it a whole year of weekly posts and pictures. It took forever to get them posted, but I love them!

I Love...

-relaxing with you at the Grand Hotel!

-how much you love all your new toys. Here is the one your Aunt Carrie gave you for your birthday. You love it!

Caroline's First Birthday Party!

2011-01-29T20:27:00.007-05:00

July 24, 2010

We had Caroline's First Birthday Party in Mobile.

I made the invitations and cakes.

Most of the family came and we swam and had a great time!

The theme for the party was taken from a pink and purble elephant toy that Carolie LOVES!

A picture of it is below with the party invitation.

The Cake!

Caroline's personal cake. It was huge!

The invitation and toy the theme was taken from.

Opening Presents

Time for the cake!

Caroline was so funny with her cake!

She just looked at it like, "what am I supposed to do with that?"

Eventually, I took her finger and put it in the icing and then in her mouth

and after that, all bets were off. She dug in like crazy! She loved it!

"Awe, Mom, why did you take it away?"

Family shots from the day:

David's Papa, Granny, Mom and Dad with Caroline

David's Granny & Mom with me and Caroline

My parents with Caroline

David and I with Caroline

What I Love About You...51 Weeks

2011-01-28T21:31:00.007-05:00

51 Weeks

July 22, 2010

I forgot to do Caroline's weekly shot this week! I can't believe I did it in the second to last week!

I love...

-watching you crawl under your exersaucer. You love playing under there!

-watching you play with dominoes with your Daddy. You LOVED to slide/throw them off the table. There is a video of all this below.

-watching you play with your friend, Sadie. You guys play so well together!

-watching you play with these weights that Daddy just had to put on your ankles. You had no idea what to do with them!

-how we scraped every piece of food out of this jar we could and you still had to try to get every last bit! Too cute!

-seeing you snuggling with your Poppa! It was so sweet! I used to do this with him when I was a little girl too!

The Dominoe Video: