15 months

Summertime, Summertime

This last month we enjoyed some fun summer activities. 

Our first activity was the annual Blueberry Festival in Nacogdoches, TX.  I was so looking forward to taking Caroline to a festival honoring one of her most favorite foods.  It was a hot summer day so we cooled off with some Bluebell vanilla ice cream and fresh blueberry lemonade.  We also sampled a blueberry scone at the cooking demonstration.  While watching the cooking demo Caroline consumed about one half pint of fresh blueberries.  She loves them and it kept her mostly still and quiet.  What a blessing that she likes food that is so good for her.  So in the end we went home with 11.5 pints of blueberries instead of the 12 pints we purchased.  :)  We didn't make it out to pick our own berries this year.  I think that will be our goal for next year.

 

Yucky bug bite

One less fun activity of the month was C's first experience with bug bites.  The morning of the festival when she woke up I noticed a red bump on her forehead.  It was somewhat firm.  We didn't think much of it until we got home that evening and it seemed to be getting larger.  Unsure of what it was, she hadn't fallen, we went to the minor med to have it checked out.  After quite a lengthy wait they said it was a bug bite and she was just highly sensitive.  The only real treatment was calamine lotion. 





The next day we celebrated Father's Day.  Caroline gave Daddy a card, a new polo, and pair of shoes.

The last week of June was VBS at Mobberly.  Will and I were both serving so as a family we had some long days, but Caroline hung in there with us.  She even had her own craft time those evenings and got to use stickers, dot markers, ink, and paint.  That week Caroline got two more bug bites on her face.  The swelling of the bite on her eyebrow obstructed about half of her vision.  I sure hope she grows out of this hypersensitivity.

As a "break" after the long week of VBS, Caroline and I drove to Ruston, LA to stay with Aunt Julie and Uncle Zach for the weekend and go to the Louisiana Peach Festival.  Will was on his way to Oklahoma City with his youth choir for summer tour.  We had a great time at the festival.  Caroline went decked out in her peach colored tutu and shirt.  She enjoyed wearing the beads we collected at the parade.  We had some amazing peach ice cream - much better than what we had at Efurd's, and went home with several pounds of delicious peaches from Mitcham's Farms. 

C and I were solo until Thursday of that next week so she got to go to school early early and leave late.  She was a trooper and it was fun to have her smiling face up with me in the mornings.  We were certainly ready to have Daddy back with us though.

Blowing kisses to Daddy

Wearing Daddy's hat

After a busy couple of weeks we celebrated July 4th by not leaving our house!  We heard the city fireworks but didn't attempt to go see them.  I do look forward to watching C experience fireworks for the first time, but this wasn't the time.  It was a much needed restful, relaxed weekend. 



 At 15 months Caroline:

• Can stack her toy rings
• Loves her rubber blocks and will pick them up and return them to the case when we are done playing.
• Takes a banana to school everyday and can peel her own - as Will discovered one morning when they arrived at school to find an empty banana peel and a happy baby
•  Enjoys bathtime and can sign "bath."  She requests her bath book by signing "book."  She has started to like the monkey page - maybe it's the bananas, and she is intrigued by the flow of water from the faucet.
• Looks adorable in pig tails.  She has a lot of hair.
• Eats the same food as Mom and Dad for dinner as often as we can make it work.  She enjoyed salmon this month.
• Blows kisses by putting her hands up to her mouth.
• Shows more interest in Penny Lane the dog - wants to hold her and will feed the dog from her high chair
• Is good at playing fetch with a ball, maybe better than the dog :)
• Sleeps 11-12 hours, naps 1-2 hours, just moved up to size 4 diapers (we were out of 3s),
• Is in a little screaming phase - when she's excited, happy, tired, irritated - she screams
• Is getting two more top teeth - one on each side
• Desperately needs a trip to Memphis to be immersed in the pork bbq culture after she turned down some homemade pulled pork - I guess she really is a little Texan
• Likes to close things - open doors, dishwasher and dryer door and often that means closing herself in the laundry room
• Helps unload the dryer
• Has energy and personality to boot

 Caroline, you keep us on our toes.  You are incredibly smart and a quick learner.  It can be exhausting to be with you for a whole day because you never stop.  It is constant motion, even when you are tired.  You are not a cuddler so I cherish the little moments when you are still in my arms or will give me a kiss - however slobbery it may be.  You are good tempered and kind.  I think you are going to be a helper.  I enjoy having you by my side as I do things around the house.  Your Daddy and I have enjoyed singing hymns with you in the evenings before bed.  It is my hope and prayer that you will take the words of these songs to heart one day.  Furthermore, that they will lead you to the truth found in the Bible and the salvation from Jesus.

I love you and I'll never stop.

-Momma