Delaney Girls

Callie Jamming - Part 2

2011-09-30T18:47:00.000-07:00

One year later......She's still got it

Side Note: I had just given her a wipe to clean her sticky m&m hands. She made it part of her performance.

Easter Sunday

2011-04-29T19:24:00.000-07:00

Easter just wouldn't be right in the Delaney house without multiple attempts to get cute Easter pictures. I thought this year would be easier since we were shooting for two of the family members instead of four. Not the case......

Carlysle is apparently training for some sort of stare down contest....

Or for the WWF

Honestly, this one gives me nightmares......of when she's 13.

Wait a minute, we are working towards a smile......

And it's gone again......

There it is.........with zero sarcasm

And Callie says, "I'm out"

Despite not getting the "perfect picture" (if that even exists), all I could think as I stared at these precious faces while flipping through the pictures is "God is so Good". These sweet little girls makes us laugh and pull our hair out on a daily basis. But what fun would it be if it were only one of those? We wouldn't have such good stories!

Carlysle's School Easter Egg Hunt

2011-04-14T18:51:00.000-07:00

So this year they hid 6 golden eggs and the kids that found them got special prizes. And....my competitive side kicked in, which I was previously unaware of it's existence, but I was determined to find one. I didn't.

This is my friend, Carrie. And if Callie had her choice this would be her momma.

See? This is what happens when I (her mother) takes Callie away from Miss Carrie. In fact, she made quite the scene at the Egg Hunt b/c Miss Carrie had the audacity to hold her own child and a child she was keeping. How dare she?

Strawberry Picking

2011-04-13T17:50:00.000-07:00

Joey and I took the girls to pick strawberries a few weeks ago. We all really enjoyed picking our own berries. Ok, that was a lie. We all really enjoyed eating them.

Carlysle put on her game face and picked berries until we said, "Ok, that's good....no more".

And Callie? Well, she also put on her game face.

And ate............

And ate........until we said, "Ok, that's good.....no more."

Christmas Morning

2011-01-11T18:42:00.000-08:00

In looking back over our pictures from Christmas morning, we realized we didn't take many pictures of the girls opening presents. I think Joey and I were having too much fun helping the girls open their presents. Maybe next year we'll hire a photographer. :)

Carlysle opening her Zhu Zhu pets. It's the only thing she really wanted and talked about for months. And it saves us from having real hamsters. Still waiting for someone to invent a full size toy dog. One that can live in the backyard, run around and play with the kids and be a good guard dog but not require food/water and not urinate or poo all over the yard. Also, a cat with the same previously named wanted/unwanted functions would be equally cool.

She likes candy......a lot.

The next few pictures just make me giggle....if you know Callie you will too.
Notice a theme?

The girl likes to eat......but come on you don't get a belly like that just sittin around.

Cookies for Santa

2011-01-09T19:15:00.000-08:00

As the pictures below will show.....I really get into "the making cookies for Santa" process. The problem with this is that before we started.....I googled "Christmas Cookies". You know, just to get some cute ideas for our cookies.

Well, here is what you get when you do that.......

Which would be fine if I didn't then decide that they have to look like the above examples. And when you are decorating with someone who wants to make a blue snowman (that was Joey) and a 4 year old......

Let's just say that they didn't turn out like the pictures.

The Setup:

She looks pumped, doesn't she?

There we go. There's the forced smile that Mommy insisted she wear. :)

I just realized that we failed to take pictures of all the cookies we decorated.

Oh wait here's one picture:

Sike.

Christmas Preview

2010-12-25T17:40:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning proved to be more terrifying than fun for poor Callie. I don't understand why this toy is so scary. He's a large red and furry animal. His giggle is loud and creepy. You have no idea which direction he's going to move and he randomly yells "Again, Again" five minutes after you thought he shut off.......

Oh.

Saluda Shoals

2010-12-23T18:57:00.000-08:00

Here are a few shots from our trip to Saluda Shoals.

Callie mostly enjoyed cookies.....

Here is what you will find in our house if you leave the refridgerator door open.....

2010-10-28T20:11:00.001-07:00

Callie Jamming

2010-10-28T19:44:00.000-07:00

So far Callie hasn't been much of a dancer. Even before Carlysle could walk she would "dance" to any music she heard. Callie has seemed liked she either didn't actually hear the music or just didn't care to entertain us. So when Carlysle kept yelling at me from the back seat one day that Callie was bobbing her head to the music....I didn't believe her.....until I caught her in the rearview mirror.....and she has rhythm....who knew.

So I had my phone ready (at a stoplight) to capture her doing it on video. Apparently, it just took a little CCR to get her grooving. Yes, surprisingly enough my girls' favorite songs right now are "I heard it through the grapevine" also called "the vine song" and "Down on the corner" also called "the corner song".

I think the best part of this short clip is how Callie totally acts like, "what?" when I catch her dancing and then she stops.

Carlysle's 4th Birthday

2010-10-09T18:45:00.000-07:00

Carlysle turned 4 on October 9. Wow! That's hard to believe! For her party, we decided to have an outdoor movie party. Carlysle LOVES movies and every Friday at our house is movie night. I saw the idea to do a movie party outside in a magazine and knew it would be perfect. Another thing Carlysle LOVES is candy so I knew we would have to have mucho candy. One day I googled "candy buffet" and this gorgeous Martha Stewart candy buffet picture popped up on the screen. Carlysle was looking over my shoulder and her face lit up and she said "let's do that". Normally I would ignore this request but she rarely "requests" things. I usually come up with ideas whether it be party ideas, Christmas presents, room decor, etc. Then when I ask her opinion, I get "I don't know" or "can we talk about something else". So when she got excited about something I was also excited about.......SOLD. Game on.....let's do it.

And that's when I get in trouble........

My mind starts rolling and nothing (literally nothing) can stop it. Which isn't always a bad thing, well this is what I tell Joey when I come home with multiple glass containers for the "candy buffet". Blank stare......followed by......"candy buffet?". Yes, we're having a candy buffet. Isn't that going to be fun?......................Blank Stare.

So this was the candy buffet not quite all put together. We hung treat bags beside it and let the kids go at it...............And the parents LOVED me for that!

Our movie screen! Joey (with a little of my help) made this from canvas clothes, two 2x4s, some rope and tent stakes.

Our movie for the night was Charlie Brown's "It's the Great Pumpkin". The kids all really enjoyed it. And special thanks to Andy Ott for bringing his equipment and setting it all up.

Carlysle kept hiding her face because she gets super embarrassed when everybody is looking at her.

I also decided this year I really wanted to do a tiered cake for Carlysle. I found a girl in Lexington who does fondant cakes and she did a really awesome job on the candy cake. Her name is Jessica and the business is called "Cake it to the Limit".

Ok, I won't deny that clearly this party was for me.......
But I think Carlysle enjoyed it.

Carlysle and Grant deeply enthralled in the movie.

Carlysle and John Andrew were still watching the movie after everyone had left and gone home. I think they would have stayed there all night.....seriously.

Cute Cousins

Callie's Birthday Party

2010-09-12T17:03:00.000-07:00

We had a family gathering for Callie's 1st birthday with an owl theme. I'm a little late getting these up but better late than never! She did great for the whole party! She never got fussy and dove right into the cake....soaking up the attention.

These adorable owl cookies were made by my super-talented friend, Mary Catherine. How cute are they? I was so impressed. And they were yummy!

She snagged some icing before we got to sing....

"Oh yeah.....let me at it."

Washing off the BLUE icing! Not easy.

I think I was more into the presents than she was....

Somebody does not like a bow in her hair.

Callie and Mimi

Callie and BeeGee

Callie's Birthday Dinner and Pre-Celebration

2010-09-09T19:21:00.000-07:00

We had planned to have a little mini-celebration the night of Callie's birthday because her party wouldn't be until Sunday. Our plan was to let her open the blocks we got for her and enjoy a cupcake. We decided we weren't going to let a 103 fever and some vomit ruin it.

So for her birthday dinner she got.......McDonalds!! Only the best for my kids......

Opening her squishy blocks. She and Carlysle are getting a bigger shared present later. :) But I couldn't not get her anything b/c she will remember that when she's 15.

Carlysle enjoying the celebration b/c cupcakes were involved.

It doesn't take her long to attack the cupcake.

"Puked? Who puked today?"

"Bring it"

"Why have you been holding out on me? "

"Oh, this might not have been a good idea. Too soon, too soon."

"Sike. I'm good."

"Wow. Who made that mess? Well, good luck with that, Daddy."

Callie is ONE!!

2010-09-09T08:11:00.000-07:00

I know I desperately need to update this blog....and more than one person has told me this. I promise I am getting around to it. :)

But for now I wanted to say "Happy Birthday" to our sweet Callie. The poor thing has had a pretty crummy birthday. She started with a low fever this past weekend and by Monday night it was up to 103.7 and she just wasn't acting herself. On Tuesday, she got her throat swabbed and her finger pricked. They decided it was a virus and we would let it run it's course. Yesterday, after nap she was up to 103. 7 again, having some awesome diarrhea and absolutely puny. She was barely able to keep her head up and just laying in my lap with her head on my chest. The most alarming part though was the fact that she was HOLDING a cracker in one hand and a cookie in the other hand. If you know Callie, you know she doesn't just HOLD food. She generally inhales it. So today, on her birthday, she was back at her Daddy's office to get a cathed to have her urine checked. She has reflux in one of her kidneys so fever always concerns us about a UTI. Urine looked good but one of her ears looked bad. So we got antibiotic and headed home.
Oh and I wish I was done. Nope. We headed back out to pick Carlysle up from school. I was standing in the hallway talking to the teacher when I heard "THAT noise" you know the unmistakable "somebody just vomited noise". That was quickly followed by warm goo rolling down my arm and splattering on the floor. I'm sorry for such vivid descriptions but I wanted everyone to get the full picture. At that point, I was useless as I stood frozen trying not to vomit myself and also trying not to giggle as the kids around us stared in horror. As multiple teachers and parents tried to help me clean up, she decided to get in two more puking episodes.......followed by really awesome diarrhea when we got home. HAPPY BIRTHDAY CALLIE! Really hope tomorrow is a better day for her.

To Our Sweet Callie, we decided on your second day of life, when you gave us a good scare, that you were going to make yourself known. We were right! You are a feisty little thing! But it is almost impossible to punish you. Everything you do, whether it's sweet or defiant, you do with a sparkle in your eye. You can make anyone smile and I could listen to your babbling and giggling all day long. You have become our family "entertainer" and are very aware of just how adorable you are. You make us laugh every time you start your "wallowing". Mommy and Daddy love to watch you and Carlysle "play" together, which mostly consist of you diving on top of her, wallowing, giving her kisses and eventually biting her! You watch everything your big sister does and quickly light up when she walks into the room. You also quickly let her know when you've had enough of her "playing" with you. We have enjoyed you so much this last year and can't imagine our lives with out you. We can't wait to see how your spunky personality develops over the next year! We love you so much!

This post is for my sister.........Lauren if it makes you feel better it is a sugar-free, gluten-free, nutrient-packed lollipop

2010-05-11T19:02:00.000-07:00

I thought it was only fitting to post these pictures of a pediatrician's daughter eating a lollipop at 8 months old. It really started because it was a rainy Saturday afternoon and we were bored (seriously I'm not kidding). Carlysle asked for a Dum Dum sucker and because we have a 300 count bag of them (long story) we said sure. Since she enjoys digging through the bag and picking flavors more than eating it she wanted to pick out one for me and Joey too. So we were all sitting at the table eating suckers and Callie seemed left out. So we did what all parents do with the baby of the family......we included her.

I know, I know, it "seems" unsafe. But it's not like we just handed it to her and let her gnaw away at it.

Oops, ok maybe we did........

A Photographer's Nightmare........

2010-04-25T18:38:00.000-07:00

I realize this post is a little late considering Easter was 6 weeks ago but apparently....that's how I roll. Ok, really I just have two kids (girls no less) and I haven't figured out how to do it all yet!

And now I'm giving all of you with 3 or more kids a chance to giggle, scoff, roll eyes, scream....whatever you see fit.

Ok now stop! Seriously...it's not nice to ridicule. :)

I'm also going blame eblogger because it takes forever to download pictures and requires several uninterrupted nights (whatever those are). Well, if I'm being honest it's probably my incredibly slooooowwww computer. However, if the people at eblogger would like to send me a newer faster Dell....I'd be open to stop slandering their name. Because I'm sure they read this blog. :)

This is how easy it is to get Carlysle give a sweet and genuine smile for the camera.....

Callie up close

And this is why it took me so long to upload the pictures. I'm warning you now I posted every attempt we took to get a family shot. I knew when my Mom was trying to get a decent shot that it was hard and no one was cooperating. Then I got home and pulled up the pictures on my computer. Hilarious! Way too humorous not to include all of them. I mean really what does it take to have 4 people look in the general direction of the camera at the same time. It's not like this was a family reunion picture with 30 people who see each other once a year....yet still seem to be able to look at the camera at the same time. We're impossible!

Yeah, I'm not sure we even knew there was a camera around. I'm going to blame the photographer for this one.

Maybe my Mom said "everyone look at the flower"?

Ok honestly, I think this was one of those times when someone says "I'm going to take the picture on 3". 1....2 snap

Well Joey and Carlysle are ready and seem to get the idea. Callie found something better to look at on the ground and I.........well I have ADD and probably was just as curious as Callie.

Callie and I again....but seriously I was about to lose an ear.

I don't know........

Oh Callie.....come on. That was almost the shot.

Still protecting my ear.....

Maybe somebody else had a camera over there.....

Callie moving in for the attack and Carlysle looks like she just witnessed something horrific.

Ok, I can't explain why Joey can continue to face forward and smile for every picture. I have ADD. Wait, did I use that already?

I would have taken this shot even with Carlysle's look of shock but Callie looks asleep while sitting up and it's sort of creepy.

Callie's attack. This happens very often b/c she takes any anger, frustration, teething pain or sleepiness out on my face, neck and jewelry.

Callie checked out. And finally we got Joey looking away!

And the winner is......

Best shot we got even though Carlysle looks like she just got bitten by something! We'll take it!

HOLLYWILD

2010-02-22T12:11:00.000-08:00

Honestly, I don't even know where to start to describe this place........
Carrie told us about this place called "Hollywild" that was on the way home and we thought it would fun to do on the trip back. Apparently, this place has exotic animals that were once in movies and on TV. They have a "safari ride" set up where you ride through in your car (with food you purchase from them) and get an "up close and very personal" view of these animals. I had no idea what was to come. I'm pretty sure I squealed like a 5 year old girl more than one time.....which was not helpful to Carlysle. I guess when Mommy is squealing and trying to crawl into Daddy's lap, then as a 3 year old you would be a little freaked out too! Anyway, it was well worth the money and the extra stop. I laughed so hard my stomach hurt and I almost peed my pants.....which is easy to do after two kids. :)

Me: (head looking to the right) Joey, look at the pretty pond. Ahhh that's pretty, isnt....... (turning head). Oh wow.......

Wow......that is close. (That is Carrie and Lucas in front of us).

And at this point, I was howling with laughter, unaware I was about to be accosted.

Ummmm.......So hello there little guy.....I mean what do you say?

Seriously.....

Ok Joey, I think this thing wants to make out with me.

Aren't we a cute couple though? Really, I look all smiley but you can look closer and tell I'm freaking out and I think I was screaming through my smile "hurry up and take the picture, he thinks we're really going out"!

Oh if you could only see Carlysle's face or the slobber that was all over me, the window and the car seat.

Oh deer.....ok good I like deer.

This was one freaky looking bird. I was not a fan at all. I kept having flashes of some blooper show where the person is getting pecked by an ostrich and I wanted no part of that. I rolled the window up on him.....but that didn't stop him. Relentless bird.

The zebra was really digging Joey. I loved it. Payback for the Yak that assaulted me.

Joey: Ok, I fed you. You can leave now. Seriously, we're done here. Really. Les, how do I get it's head out of my window?

We couldn't get any pictures of Carlysle near the animals. She mostly just cried and screamed "don't let it slobber on me". Oops, guess I overreacted about the slobber.

"Uh, whatcha got left in there?"

Creepy Bird.

She'll be comin round the mountain......only because I couldn't get that song out of my head as we drove up the windy roads.

2010-02-21T17:22:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we headed back up to the mountains with our friends, Carrie and Lucas, along with their two kids, Reece and Mason. We were excited to see there was still snow left from the "fury" so the kids (and adults) would get to go sledding! Yeah! We all had a blast! Thanks Carrie and Lucas for another awesome trip. We love getting away especially to such a beautiful place!

Reece is up first!

Carlysle's turn....she looks a little scared.

Better ride on Daddy's back and help him steer.

15 minutes later the kids needed a snack!

This is the only picture I have to prove Callie was there. She was happy as she could be being spoiled by "Miss Carrie". Callie has definitely learned that when Carrie is around she will get held! She justs starts smiling and giggling as soon as she sees her.

Reece is at it again! He's got this sledding thing down. He did an awesome job steering and controlling the sled. Which sounds pretty easy but it's definitely harder than you think I almost took out a tree (or 3).

Ahhh....Mason. She is hilarious!

Here comes Joey!

My turn!

Carlysle came to help me back up the hill.

And apparently I needed her help to steer too!

Yeah Mason!

Carlysle and Reece got to ride back on the sled with "Mr. Woocus" pulling them. Fun for them I'm sure, tiring for Lucas.

View from the house

Daddy's Girls

2010-02-18T13:13:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures I took of Joey and the girls when we were at my Mom's.

Look at this spoonful of sugar! I could just eat her up. And.....she's spoiled rotten already. But look at that face and tell me how you couldn't spoil her. :)

"February Fury".....ok I had to do that because Joey and I always wait with nail-biting anticipation at the incredibly cheesy titles from the media.

2010-02-17T04:06:00.000-08:00

Joey was moonlighting in Hartsville for the weekend of "February Fury" and we were pumped and ready to get there. It was great to be out at the farm (my parent's house) for the snow and my sister and her family are living there temporarily so the cousins would get to have a blast together. After dinner, we bundled up the crumb snatchers and headed out into the fury. Carlysle was a little apprehensive and not real sure what to do.....so she just stood in one spot and whined, afraid to take a step. So I grabbed her and said, "Let's Run"! She was wearing Little David's rain boots and couldn't run so I basically drug her through the snow. Once she recovered and put on shoes that fit.....she had a blast.

I love this picture of Carlysle and Grant trying to catch snowflakes on their tongues. How cute do they look?

The next morning we were all excited to see the snow was still there and we headed out to start our snowman. The next few pictures are of my parents house and the barns behind their house. These were taken by Big David.

SNOW ANGEL!!!!!

Riggs had a blast playing in the snow and finally getting some attention. Joey and I used to wrestle with Riggs all the time (before kids). He looks and sounds so mean but he learned how hard to bite and never really hurts. But seriously, wouldn't this make you run away? Intimidating.......he thinks he's a pit bull. Do we tell him he's supposed to be a gentle and loving breed that is best for a family with kids? Nah.....let him have his fun.

But look how quickly he obeys when I tell him to "sit".

Then Joey got in on the attack.

Big David, Little David and Grant. Preggers and "Baby X" stayed inside....we missed them.

I was so excited to make a snowman (more excited than the kids) so I immediately got to work.

My first attempt to roll the body of the snowman....it fell apart.

Try, try again

Seriously, that thing was heavy.

Tada! Our creepy snowman. I don't know what happen but instead of a jolly "Frosty the Snowman" he looked more like a snowman who might have been something back in the day but after getting into booze and drugs and many hard winters, he became a grouchy old cynic.

Easy Joey, he doesn't like people putting their arm around him.

Yeah! Callie came out to see the snow. She wasn't impressed but in her defense she doesn't know the difference in grass, dirt, snow so it's all the same to her.

Callie's Debut

2010-02-08T12:00:00.000-08:00

I thought I would share how Callie made her entrance into the world since I started updating the blog 4 months after she was born. So there have been no pictures of her arrival, coming home, trip back to the hospital and her coming home again. My theory is that she could vividly hear everything that was going on outside of the womb and that would mostly included her sister talking, laughing, talking, pitching fits, talking, giggling, and more talking. Although, Carlysle can be quite shy (at first) once she warms up........she is non-stop. My guess is Callie began to wonder, "how will I ever compete with this very inquisitive (yes I'm sure that's the word she used) chatty little girl?" She probably thought we would hardly notice her and that her emergence into humanity must be something grand.

After an uneventful pregnancy and relatively easy birth, we prepared ourselves to go home. Carlysle was so excited and had the cutest response which is on the video below. Aunt Courtney stopped by that night and we ordered pizza. At dinner, Joey was holding Callie and he suddenly got up and walked her over to the window. I thought nothing of it until he walked back to the table with a concerned look on his face. Before he could say anything, his mom said "Joey, her color doesn't look good". When I looked at her, she appeared to be bluish-gray. That is not something you want to see on a baby that is less than 48 hours old. Joey grabbed his phone, called Kyle and said meet me at the office and proceeded to load Callie in the car. By the time we got to the office her color was normal again and after checking her oxygen levels, they decided she was ok and maybe it was a fluke thing. That didn't stop Joey from deciding we needed to stare at her all night. So we literally took turns staying up ALL NIGHT holding her and staring at her.

She did fine all night and most of the next day until around 4. Joey was feeding her when she did it again. This time she also went limp and it lasted much longer. He grabbed her, put her in the car and we took off. He called a cardiologist he knew and they said come on in....at 4:30 on a Friday afternoon. They were awesome. This is when I began to panic because Joey panicked. He generally brushes things off and I have to keep pushing, insisting I know when our child's sick. In the car, tears started coming down his face so I just shut my eyes and prayed knowing it was out of our hands. At the cardiologist's office, they did an echo and said it was normal. Her heart looked great! Ahhh, sigh of relief......followed by "Ok what now". We both decided we weren't comfortable going home with her turning blue so off to the Children's Hospital we went.

Callie was admitted that Friday night into the PICU two days after she was born. That night she had blood work done, an IV put in and a spinal tap. The spinal tap was normal....thank goodness. For the next two days we anxiously stared at the monitors in her room panicking at every beep. In the PICU, the rooms are very open and there is no bathroom. Joey and I shared a very uncomfortable and tiny couch. At two days postpartum, this was miserable but neither of us were going to leave her side. During those two days, she had more tests including a brain ultrasound, an EEG and an upper GI. During the upper GI, we watched the barium go down into her stomach and immediately come back all the way to her throat. The radiologist said that was one of the worst cases of reflux he had seen. So there it was, after all that, she had severe reflux. So she basically just stopped breathing when she refluxed and turned blue. We felt so relieved to have a diagnosis and somewhat silly that we had to go through all that to find out! So we got prescriptions for Prevacid and Zantac and finally brought her back home!

Here are some pictures of Callie during her stay in the PICU. We actually took the pictures b/c when we came home quickly Saturday morning to shower, Carlysle was adamant that we take the pink bear (pictured below) to Callie. She "bought" this bear for Callie at the hospital gift shop the day Callie was born. We wanted to be able to show her that Callie had the bear and it was helping her feel better. :)

This is video of us bringing Callie home....the first time!

Yard Work

2010-01-24T12:12:00.000-08:00

Enough said. I think it's obvious from the pictures who did yard work and who ran around "redistributing" our leaf piles.

This picture below was me changing the settings on our camera and trying to learn how to use it. Apparently, I still have some learning to do or I found a new setting "orange".

Callie was such a big help.

Tea Party

2010-01-24T11:40:00.000-08:00

This weekend Carlysle and I decided to have a tea party while Daddy was working. This tea set was made by my friends and family at a baby shower given to me while I was pregnant with Carlysle. It sits on her bookshelf and she's been told she isn't allowed to play with it and surprisingly she's has never really messed with it. So she and I were both excited that she was finally big enough to play with it (as long as an adult is present). I also let her put "real" water in the teapot and pour it into the cups. She wore her tinkerbell costume with a pink tutu over it and I wore an old bridesmaid dress. I finished off my outfit with silver heels, a white veil and lots of plastic jewelry! No, I did not include pictures of me although I did let Carlysle take a picture of me because her Daddy really wanted to see my "costume". She did manage to get me in the picture however it was my ankles to my neck! We had a lot of fun!

I showed her how to hold the teapot and she looks so grown up. I almost cried when I looked at this picture. Of course some of it may be that I straightened her hair!

She eventually took my veil!

Our invited guests:
JennyBeth (Carlysle got her for Christmas this year from Mimi)

And unnamed doll.....

this doll Callie received for Christmas from Mimi but somehow she ended up in Carlysle's room and on the guest list. We did escort unnamed doll back to Callie's room followed by another talk about taking Callie's things. Carlysle has figured out that Callie is too young to know she has toys or even knows what a "toy" is so she has taken complete advantage of this knowledge. She continually sneaks Callie's toys and dolls into her stash in her room. She has also figured out that Mommy and Daddy can't quite keep up with which doll belongs to who so I'm sure she's gotten away with several new things.

Our snack for tea party.......Smores Goldfish, which are delicious but more on that later, and saltine crackers. You know the standard.

Taking Donations for Carlysle's Law School Fund

2010-01-22T10:59:00.001-08:00

I have determined that Carlysle is destined to be an attorney (which her Uncle Andy will like). It's either that or she will be a negotiator, like the movie, where she will be responsible for talking people down off roofs and bridges. This skill she has mastered has to come in use, or to clarify, good use at some point. Of course as I start to think of examples, I've forgotten all of the things she's said. Here is one conversation that occurred yesterday. A little history first.....everyday we have a "discussion" about what classifies as a "snack". This is because she always asks for a snack when I'm busy feeding or changing Callie. So she goes and looks in the pantry/refrigerator/candy cabinet and brings back things that aren't snacks. Mostly cookies, ice cream, Popsicle, candy, etc.

Carlysle: (Holding a bag of marshmallows) Momma, can I have these for snack?

Me: No, Carlysle those are treats. A marshmallow isn't a snack.

Carlysle: Well Momma, you can "call" it a snack if you want to.

Yes, that's right folks, you can "call "something whatever you want to.........and that makes it become what you want.

So I'm now driving a BMW x5.

More stories to come........

Because everybody cleans in their underwear.......

2010-01-21T10:25:00.000-08:00

Right?

2010-01-20T19:06:00.000-08:00

Ok ok ok.....enough already! I feel awful about not updating. There isn't a single picture of Callie on this blog. Carlysle's every babble, spit, smile, laugh and poop were well documented at this point. Such is life as the 2nd child. I have realized that the "lack of time" I thought I had when Carlysle was a newborn makes me laugh now.....and want it back!

A little about Callie--she is Carlysle's clone. I still don't know how we did it. It's eerie! The only difference I have found so far in their looks is their skin color. Callie definitely inherited her Daddy's color. Poor thing will never bask in the piercing UV rays of sunshine, well not without a full body suit, hat, shoes and SPF 85. She has been an easy baby beating her sister by sleeping through the night at 3 weeks old. She seems much more laid back but at times can show a little spunk in her personality! She has the prettiest little smile that shows mostly in her eyes. Even behind a pacifier or with her mouth covered you know she's smiling! So I will post this picture as a tease because I once again didn't have time to fully update but I promise I will. We have really been blessed with another sweet little girl and we can't wait to watch her grow!

2010-01-20T17:18:00.000-08:00

Trying to get some pictures of Callie but big sister cannot be left out........

Christmas

2009-12-24T11:03:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve
This is Carlysle rolling out the cookie dough for Santa's cookies. Wait.....ok it appears she's rolling out the counter but I think there is actually some dough under the roller. I was pleased that this year's cookie experiment went much better than last year's.

Carlysle modeling her Christmas pajamas.

Carlysle made reindeer food at school so the evening wouldn't have been complete without going outside and sprinkling it in the yard. I didn't have the heart to tell her that it looked like whatever was actually in that bag would probably kill the reindeer. But it was a fun activity!

Christmas Day

Yes a train table! She is so girly but still loves to play with little boy's toys. She actually asked for the Handy Manny workbench and a pink toolbox. Joey and I vetoed the workbench and decided on the train table. It goes perfectly with her very girly room!

This is a picture of our family made into a puzzle.

And the hit of Christmas.....Jelly Beans! Why did we even buy other gifts when she was going to tell everybody, "Jelly Beans", when asked what Santa brought her.

Callie struggling with her Santa bib.

So behind......

2009-09-04T19:11:00.000-07:00

Yes, yes I know........our blog is lame. I have been scolded numerous times for the lack of updates. I forgot how pregnancy makes you want to do NOTHING!! I promise to start updating.

For now, this post is to let our friends and family know that Callie Ann Delaney should be arriving on Wednesday, Septemeber 9, 2009. I have been dilated to 3cm for about 2 weeks and told by the doctors that I would probably go any day now--well nothing is happening. I'm having tons of contractions which just seem to be annoying and painful but not very productive. So we go in on Wednesday for them to break my water and hopefully have a baby by noon! :) That's was my doctor's prediction. I'm going to disregard the fact that her last couples of predictions were wrong. This one will totally be true......I'm sure of it.

It's a..........

2009-04-06T18:02:00.000-07:00

GIRL!!!! Yes, Joey will be completely outnumbered and he is frightened! We are both very excited. I have thought the entire pregnancy that it was another girl, maybe because Carlysle constantly refers to the baby as "she". I'm thrilled that she will have a sister. I don't know what I would do without mine and there is nothing like the relationship between sisters. Although, I'm fully aware that they will probably hate and torture each other until they are in their 20's but when they do grow up they will be so thankful to have one another.....at least I hope.

We had a hard time getting a "between the leg" shot so this is as close as we could get. She was curled up in a tight little ball and apparently very comfortable. The ultrasound tech could not get her to unravel.

Why we can't leave the house before Carlysle's hair has been washed.....

2009-03-08T16:52:00.001-07:00

There has always been a debate about who Carlysle favors.

Some say me.......

Some say Joey.......

But I think we've settled the dispute.......

A Carlysle Funny

2009-03-02T12:11:00.000-08:00

This really made me giggle but it may be one of those stories that you have to be there for.....

Joey plays tennis on Thursdays nights and Carlysle and I usually go to the matches. The other wives also bring their children and the kiddos run around and play while we talk and pretend to watch the match. So last Thursday Carlysle and I were not going to the match because it was a late one so we were going to go shopping and grab a bite to eat. On the way out of the door Carlysle was pitching a fit because she saw jelly beans on the counter and really wanted some. Of course, because I'm such a cruel and evil Mom, I told her no because we would eating dinner soon. So, we're leaving the driveway the same time as Joey. As I'm backing out this is the conversation.....

Carlysle : (a very whiney voice) "Where's Daddy?"
Me: "He's leaving the driveway too.....see his car.....he's going to tennis" .
Carlysle: (An equally whiney voice, with some cracking like she going to cry) "Awwww".
Me: "Awww, are you sad?"
Carlysle: "Yessss".......(pause)......"I really wanted some jelly beans".

I couldn't help but crack up laughing. I assumed that she was sad because we weren't going to tennis with Daddy and she usually gets very sad whenever he leaves. I thought I was going to have a sweet story to tell Joey. Turns out she was really just upset about the jelly beans.

Carlysle's Big Girl Bed

2009-02-25T19:17:00.000-08:00

So, we moved Carlysle into her big girl bed. We decided to go ahead and do this well before the next baby comes. This way she'll be used to her bed and won't think that we took her crib away and gave it to the new baby.....which is exactly what we're doing but she doesn't need to know that. :) She's has really surprised us and adjusted very easily. She slept all night in it and never woke up. And immediately took naps with no fuss. She has fallen out a couple of times but was unharmed. It's pretty low to the ground and her bedroom is carpeted. She really loves her big girl bed and tells everybody that it's so "comfy".

I took some pictures of her sleeping in it the first night. It looks kind of silly because we put the bed together in her room but it was late and we didn't have time to take the crib down. :) So in these pictures she has both in her room. I will post pictures later of her room with just her bed...it's really cute. I can't believe how fast she is growing. It's still hard to see her in a bed and not her crib!

Weekend in the Mountains

2009-02-19T17:34:00.000-08:00

Joey surprised me with a trip to the mountains as part of my Christmas gift. He found an awesome cabin in Tennessee, had a baby-sitter all lined up (thanks Mimi) and he even made me an acronym out of wooden letters....that he painted. On Christmas morning he had a piece of paper and starting reading out words that "describe me" and he layed out the letters. And eventually they spelled out "Mountain Charm". This was the name of the cabin we were going to be staying in. It was incredibly sweet. I was really looking forward to our trip. Its been a while since we went away just the two of us and sometimes you forget how important it is to have that time. We had so much fun! We slept in, went out to eat and actually got to relax instead of rushing through our meal which you commonly do with a 2 year old, and we just walked around shopping and sight-seeing. It was wonderful! Thank you, Hubby for an awesome weekend. That was definitely the best Christmas gift.

Joey kept wanting to take my picture and I was ready to go!

Joey and I were being goofy in these pictures.....these were his idea and he totally made me do it.

This is me sitting on the hot tub.....somehow my picture kept getting snapped.

The view of the sunset from our cabin. Isn't it beautiful?

We had a hard time with the lighting.

Joey relaxing in the cabin.

I was being kind of silly and pretending to slide down the winding staircase.

The view from the porch of our cabin.

Carlysle is going to be a big sister!

2009-02-17T18:29:00.000-08:00

I think most of you already know our latest news....due to not-so-quiet family members and my own slip-ups!! We were pleasantly surprised with the news of baby #2! We had our first appt. last week and all is well. My due date is Sept. 16 although the baby measured two days smaller so the ultrasound tech changed my due date to Sept. 18.....what??!!! Carlysle always measured at least 4 days ahead and they refused to change my date. Joey just laughs at me and says "it's only 2 days". And clearly, he's never been pregnant! Every day counts!!

I have ultrasound pictures but haven't scanned them into the computer yet so those will come later. And I just want to add that I'm terrified of having two! So I will take any good stories that any of you want to share. Examples of things that will help are "oh it will be fine, transitioning to two is easier than one" or "they'll keep each other entertained". Please nothing like "I haven't showered in months" or "you will lock yourself in the closet daily". Because I'm actually scared I'll be doing that!!

Chats with Carlysle

2009-02-03T13:37:00.000-08:00

Ok, Kerri I'm totally stealing your idea and I really hope you don't mind. I love, love, love reading McCanless' quotes! It is definitely my favorite part of your blog and I always share them with Joey...who also really enjoys them. Since Carlysle has become quite the chatterbox and often surprises us with the things that come out of her mouth....I feel like I must write them down. I have been saying this for months but have yet to do it and have forgotten so many already. I love that you write these in your blog so you can look back at them (and it's great entertainment for the rest of us)! So if I can remember to do it, I'm going to try and record some chats with Carlysle.

Earlier she was playing with some adhesive foam letters that I had from a craft project. She knows the rules are that she can't take the backing off. Learned my lesson when there were tiny letters stuck all over the house. So as she pulled them out, I reminded her of the rules. This is the conversation that followed.
Carlysle: "This letter doesn't stick." The backing was still on.
Me: "No, it doesn't because the white part is still on the back.....like it should be."

2 minutes later
Carlysle: "Mommy, (whining) this letter is stuck to my hand."
Me: "That's because you took the white part off like I just asked you not to."
Carlysle: "Yeah, that's gonna happen."

What??!!

SNOW DAY!!!

2009-01-20T19:39:00.000-08:00

We got a little excited about the snow and took Carlysle out too early. There really wasn't much accumulation but we still had fun letting it fall on us and trying to catch snowflakes with our tongue.

Joey was trying to get a picture of our house with "snow" covering it. Although, you can hardly tell it even snowed. Oh well!

We had to come inside because it was too cold!!! So what else do you do when you're stuck inside with a two year old? Make cupcakes!! She finally got to use her cupcake set that she got for Christmas from Gigi, Grandy and Aunt Frances. We had a lot of fun!

Christmas at Bee Gee and Papa's

2008-12-27T19:20:00.000-08:00

Christmas at Gigi and Grandy's

2008-12-26T18:40:00.000-08:00

Pictures from Christmas at Mimi and Papa's

2008-12-25T18:43:00.000-08:00

Christmas Morning

2008-12-25T18:35:00.000-08:00

Christmas at Mimi and Papa's

2008-12-25T07:30:00.000-08:00

Pictures will be added later. :)

Making cookies for Santa

2008-12-24T18:17:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Eve, Carlysle and I made cookies to leave for Santa. I intended it to be a fun activity filled with excitement, laughter and eventually beautifully decorated cookies. However, that is not what happened. Our Christmas Eve service lasted waaaay longer than we anticipated. So Carlysle was in the nursery for almost two hours and not happy about it. We didn't think they would have childcare so we pumped her up all day about how she would get to sit in "Big Church" with Mommy and Daddy. When we got to church we found out they had someone in the nursery so being the horrible parents she apparently now thinks we are, we left her there with a creepy monster who then placed her in a pot of boiling water. Actually, it was a very nice lady, who handled the task of peeling Carlysle off of me limb by limb, very well.

After church we did not have time to go have dinner like we intended to do so we ended up at the McDonalds drive-thru along with the rest of Lexington. I should mention this McDonalds is brand new and clearly has not yet set a good "system" of moving people through quickly. We spent 30 minutes waiting in the drive thru line. Needless to say, by the time we arrived home, it was way past Carlysle's bedtime and we were 3 very grouchy people but I did not want to skip the cookie making. So my idea of fun and laughter was replaced with, "No Carlysle, you can't have the sprinkles yet", "Carlysle, you just pressed the snowman cookie cutter on top of the stocking cookie", "Carlysle, please stop pressing the cookie cutter on the already cut out cookies", "Carlysle, put the sprinkles down", "Carlysle, do you remember that I just asked you not to press the......Carlysle stop......Carlysle are you listening.....one more time and........Ok you're going to bed". Nope, not how I planned but the cookies were made and nobody got hurt!

We managed to get a few pictures before she got sassy and I got impatient.

Carlysle's Santa

2008-12-24T18:11:00.000-08:00

Ok, here's why Carlysle is officially spoiled when it comes to Christmas. Somehow, we kept forgetting about things we bought for her. I guess because I wrapped her packages and then hid or shoved them under the tree with all the other gifts. As Joey and I started putting out her "Santa" stuff, we realized we may have gone a little overboard. Ooops! Hopefully she won't remember next year. :) But we had a lot fun setting everything up!

Lights and Presents with the Guytons

2008-12-23T16:56:00.000-08:00

We went to the Holiday Lights at Saluda Shoals with Kyle, Sara, Gavin and Madison. The lights were incredible and the kids loved them! We also got to ride a train through part of the lights which Gavin REALLY enjoyed. After the train ride, we attempted to get the kids pictures made with Santa. Unfortunately, Carlysle and Madison wanted nothing to do with the man in the big red suit. Carlysle did however snag a candy cane from him while she wailed and refused to sit in his lap. Maybe next year.

We went to Chick-fila for dinner before the lights....yummy!

After the lights, we did our gift exchange.

Swofford Christmas

2008-12-19T19:27:00.000-08:00

We had the Swofford Christmas in Charlotte at my aunt Sharon's house. We had a great time visiting with family that we don't get to see very often. Right now Carlysle and Tucker are the only little ones but two more are on the way!

Carlysle and Uncle Robbie

Mana with Carlysle and Tucker

Girtman Christmas

2008-12-06T20:03:00.000-08:00

We have multiple sets of family to celebrate Christmas with each year so our season of yummy meals and present opening actually begins the first weekend of December. Carlysle is now officially spoiled when it comes to Christmas. She has gotten a gift every weekend in the month of December. These are pictures from our first celebration (Pop's Christmas) with my Mom, her sisters and father.

Carlysle and Jolie (Little Don's daughter)

And apparently we didn't take many pictures that day. Ooops!

Daddy's Helper

2008-12-05T17:50:00.000-08:00

Here is some video of Joey and Carlysle putting up the Christmas tree. I had forgotten about it until I opened my video camera recently. And there's two videos because I accidently stopped recording and had to start recording again.

Pinkalicious Cupcakes

2008-11-30T19:39:00.000-08:00

Right now, Carlysle's favorite book is called "Pinkalicious". This book goes everywhere with us and we have to read it EVERY night before bed. She knows all the words and if you stop at any point in the book, she will finish the paragraph for you. It's all about a little girl whose Mom decides they should make pink cupcakes since it was raining outside. The little girl eats too many pink cupcakes and turns pink. Then she has to eat green food to go back to her normal color.

So the other day I was heading to the grocery store and called Joey to see if he needed anything. He said, "I want to make pink cupcakes with Carlysle this weekend." It was so sweet! So I got the stuff and let Carlysle pick out which toppings she wanted. Joey was so excited about it....of course it was hard not to be with Carlysle's infectious energy and excitement. She couldn't wait and kept asking "Where the cupcakes, Daddy?". We kept explaining to her that we had to make them. When we got started, she really got into it. We had so much fun and the best part was that today was a rainy day....so it was just like her book!

I love these pictures where she's got her hand on her Daddy's hand.....so sweet.

Our Pinkalicious Cupcakes!

Dress Up

2008-11-30T18:58:00.000-08:00

While getting ready for church this morning, Carlysle ventured into our closet to play. This happens pretty much on a daily basis. She always exits with some article of clothing, a belt, or a pair of shoes. Today she walked out with Joey's hat and she was wearing his shoes but by the time he got the camera she had taken them off. She looked too cute!

Decorating the Christmas Tree

2008-11-29T17:51:00.000-08:00

This is Carlysle "helping" her Daddy put up the tree.

Then she decided it was more fun to tackle Daddy and cling to him like a Monkey.

I made Hot Chocolate and let Carlysle have some for the first time. Ok, technically hers should be called "Lukewarm Chocolate" but I couldn't give it to her hot!

And she's a fan!!!

Choosing our Christmas Tree

2008-11-28T17:22:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from our trip to pick out a Christmas tree. Carlysle loved the trees! However, she was much more interested in playing hide-and-seek behind all the trees than actually studying them and helping us pick the "perfect" tree. This made for an interesting trip because as Joey and I would stop at each tree and discuss whether it had too many holes, wasn't big enough, wasn't fat enough, etc.....we would suddenly stop and remember we brought a two year old with us. Thankfully she was always only a couple trees away and still hasn't quite grasped the concept of hide-and-seek because all you have to say is "Carlysle, where are you?" and wait.....then you'll here a quiet voice say "I'm right here". So needless to say it wasn't a long trip and when we got it home and looked at the tree closely.......well let's just say it isn't "perfect" but perfect for us.

Trick or Treat!!

2008-11-01T20:17:00.000-07:00

This was, of course, the first year we were able to really take Carlysle trick or treating and I was super excited. I went over the whole process with her several times before we headed out and she pretty much heard "candy" and I lost her. She was READY TO GO! All the kids looked so cute and the street we went to for trick or treating was a cul-de-sac with about 8 houses. It was perfect because the kids got just the right amount of candy so that they weren't overloaded with it but it was also enough that Mommy or Daddy or Mommy could steal some. :) Carlysle did really well and wasn't scared at all to march up to those doors and take candy from a stranger. :) She only said "trick or treat" a few times but they at least got "thank choo" out of her everytime. Carlysle had a blast and so did Mommy and Daddy!

Carlysle kept looking in her bucket saying, "I have trick or treat". It was too cute!

Carlysle and Reece.

She also told me on the way to trick or treat that she wanted to hold Reece's hand. That's two boys this week that she has said that about. I think it's hilarious.....Joey is worried.

Boo at the Zoo

2008-10-30T19:12:00.000-07:00

This week we took Carlysle to Boo at the Zoo with our friends, Jamie and Oakley and their two little boys, James and Jude. We had a lot of fun letting the kids collect some goodies and at the end of the night we got to have smores. Yummy!

Here's our little Butterfly....minus her orange bloomers!

James and Carlysle holding hands. Carlysle loves playing with James and told us on the way to the zoo that she wanted to "hold James hand". The best part was Joey's response to her "you can hold Daddy's hand". Ah, just you wait Joey!

Oakley and James roasting marshmellows.

Baby Jude

This is me looking nervous about letting Carlysle roast marshmellows when actually we should have worried about my ability to do this task. I am telling this story just because Joey thought this was hilarious and is still making fun of me. The marshmellows caught on fire (which apparently "always happens"...says Joey) and I kind of panicked and wanted to put them out so I started beating them on the ashes.......forgetting we were going to EAT them. So they were covered in black ashes but we managed to salvage some parts.

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-29T16:37:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from our trip to the pumpkin patch at Harmon Tree Farm in Lexington.

In this picture Carlysle spotted a rabbit running around and took off to catch herself a new pet.

And yes, she managed to get this close....obviously this bunny was pretty tame and seemingly unaffected by the squealing little girl in pigtails and bright orange sweater.

And off he goes....with Carlysle tagging behind.

Maybe next year......

Carlysle's Birthday Party

2008-10-28T10:49:00.000-07:00

This year for Carlysle's birthday I decided to have a bug-themed party. She is fascinated with bugs and I thought it was a good gender neutral theme that little boys and girls would enjoy. Her party was held at a local park under their picnic shelter. I found plastic bug catchers at the dollar store and used scrapbook stickers to put each child's name on their catchers. I bought a ton of plastics bugs and basically just tossed them on the ground around one area of the shelter. After all the kids got there we had a "bug hunt" and the kids got to take home the plastics bugs that they "caught". They seemed to have a lot of fun. I figured 2 year olds weren't going to be interested in participating in any structured games or activities but they love to "find" things. It was kind of a cold and rainy day but we still had a great time. Joey and I both brought our cameras for the first time ever......and they both had dead batteries. Oh well we tried!! So these pictures are courtesy of Aunt Frances.....thank you Frances!

I want to say a quick thank you to my friend, Carrie, for helping me set up for the party. Also, to Alysson for getting Carlysle dressed and to the party! Thanks guys, you're awesome!

These were her invitations....although this is not the best picture since I scanned it in.

Carlysle and Grandy (Joey's Dad)

The Bug Hunt

Aunt Courtney and John Andrew

Uncle David (Joey's brother), Aunt Sarah (Joey's sister), baby Max and Joey.

This was attempt to get a picture of all the kids.....although we only got 5 of them. This is John Andrew, Charlee, Campbell, Carlysle and Reece.

Mimi feeding gummy worms to the kids!

Joey, Carlysle and Grant

2008-10-24T08:37:00.000-07:00

This is some video I took of Joey holding Carlysle and Grant when Lauren and David came in September. I had forgotten that I took this and just found it on my camera.

**Please note what Carlysle is wearing and who is holding her....allowing her to wear it. There is still a chance I can convert him.......

Carlysle "riding in Mommy's car"

2008-10-24T07:35:00.000-07:00

Carlysle loves to sit in the front seat of my car or any car really. She has so much fun imitating me and will even pull down the mirror and pretend to put on makeup. I'm sure she must actually get that from watching her Daddy because I always keep my eyes on the road and my hands at "10 and 2". :)

Here is some video of Carlysle sitting in my car playing after a trip to the grocery store. This particular trip involved a lot of emphasis on her helping me pick out yogurt (her current favorite food). Sometimes you will do anything to get them to sit in the buggy and behave. That's why there is so much talk about yogurt in this video.

Happy Birthday Carlysle (Late....wait this post is actually on my birthday). Well I'm sure she is planning on writing something sweet about me soon.

2008-10-19T16:52:00.000-07:00

Ok so I'm a little late! Her birthday was actually on the 9th but I forgot to write anything. I feel awful. So many of you have written such sweet things about your children on their birthday and I just let the day pass. In my defense, the week prior consisted of Joey having two car accidents....yes two! Two within two days of each other! No, not fender benders. He managed to total two cars. The first was his car and yes it was his fault because he ran a stop sign in Hartsville on a road he isn't familiar with and it was incredibly foggy. We are so thankful he is ok because it was a pretty bad accident with air bags deploying and all. However, his was the third accident that morning according to the police officer. Don was nice enough to let Joey borrow his car for a little while although that was short lived because two days later Joey was rear-ended on his way home from work (and yes the lady hit him so hard that both cars were totaled). The good news is he is doing well, just shaken up and very sore!

So about Carlysle.....I can't believe she is two! I want to write a few things about her at this age so I don't forget. I honestly feel like we just brought her home. I have no idea where the time has gone. She has been such a joy and makes us laugh every day. She can bring a smile to your face even on your worst day. It seems she is going to take after me because she is quite the chatterbox. Joey and I have been amazed at how well she is talking and how much she understands (which can be a good thing and a bad)! She repeats any and every word she hears, which means Mommy and Daddy have had to learn to filter....since she called something "stupid" the other day. And I'm certain she heard that from her Daddy. :)

She is already speaking in full sentences and I don't think a day goes by that someone doesn't stop us and comment on how well she speaks. This can be quite embarrassing because I never know what may come out of her mouth. For example, the other day in the grocery store she tried to stand up in the buggy. I quickly yet calmly reminded her that we sit on our bottom in the buggy. In response to me correcting her she decides to yell very loudly "STOP YELLING AT ME MOMMY"! Over and Over! Several people stopped to stare as I just smiled while gritting my teeth and giving her "the look".....which clearly doesn't have the same effect on her as it did on me when I was a kid!

She also still loves, loves, loves books and prefers them over toys and I honestly attribute her language skills to her love for books. The couple of toys that she does love is her baby doll and her dollhouse. She is quite the little mother. All day long she tells me that "baby needs _ _ _ _ _ (fill in the blank with milk, yogurt, nap, etc) and usually it's something that she actually wants. Just last week she took a trip to Greenville with Alysson and her Mom. They took Carlysle shopping for her birthday. Her favorite baby doll (Baby Frances) got left at Barnes and Noble. She told Alysson in the car that "baby was probably crying so much". We thought that was so sweet that she was worried about the baby being upset because she was left in the store. She is quite the ham and will do anything for a laugh. And once she gets a laugh at something, she will do it again and again. She full of sass....which I think is payback....sorry Mom. But at the same time she is doing really well with her manners. She almost always says "please" when asking for something and she always says "thank choo, Mommy" when I give her something. On most days she does great with "ma'am and sir". Although, it's hard not to laugh when she is being defiant and telling me NO she doesn't want to do something but instead of just "NO" she says "No Ma'am".

A few more things that she says and I'll be done. She has gotten in the habit of adding random words at the end of sentences. It's hilarious because she doesn't really know what they mean but she's heard us say them. The most common are "quick, probably, over here, I think, so much and little bit". So this is how many of her sentences go....."I need yogurt, Mommy, I think." or "The baby needs to take a nap, quick." or "I need to go get blanket, over here". You have to hear in the inflection in her voice to get the full effect. I crack up everytime. She is a little comedian!

So....all that to say, Happy Birthday Carlysle!! Mommy and Daddy love you so much! Birthday party pictures to come soon!

Kiawah Island Trip

2008-10-12T16:52:00.000-07:00

For Labor Day Weekend Joey and I took Carlysle down to the beach to stay at his Dad's beach house. Carlysle has never been to the beach and we were so excited to take her. She did not disappoint! She loved it! The first day she was a little skittish about the water....in her defense I was holding her when I was knocked over by a wave. Not the best way to introduce her to the ocean. The second day she started getting brave and by the third day she was saying "farther, farther". We had such a great time and I can't wait to take her back next summer!

Random Pictures

2008-10-12T16:30:00.000-07:00

These are just some random pictures that Alysson (our babysitter) took over the summer. Eventually, I will get to recent pictures.....eventually......

Carlysle and Alysson

I love this picture! It's one of my favorites. Apparently my child has an obsession with shoes....such a girl already! If there is any pair of shoes laying around, she will immediately kick her shoes off and go put the other ones on. Joey left his shoes out.....and she just had to play in them. And she doesn't have a shirt on because she discovered how to take it off about 2 minutes before this picture was taken. Alysson thought it was cute and I agree!

Alysson and Carlysle again......we are so blessed to have this girl in our lives! I don't know what we would do without Alysson.

Daddy and Carlysle Playing

2008-09-23T10:08:00.001-07:00

Summer Fun at Aunt Courtney and Uncle Andy's House

2008-09-22T10:02:00.000-07:00

These are pictures from this summer (still trying to catch up). Andy and Courtney moved into a beautiful new house with a pool. We had a good time hanging out with them and John Andrew. Now I'm starting to miss the summer!

Kissing Cousins!

Carlysle's OCD

2008-08-25T09:50:00.000-07:00

So not only does Carlysle get her stubborness and sassy attitude from Joey (all the sweet stuff came from me) but she also may have a touch of his OCD. For the record, he does not think he has OCD....he says it's his idiosyncrasies. Ok, Joey. Well, Carlysle loves to line up.....well anything she can find. Mostly on the edges of things. She loves to set her blocks or toys along the bar underneath our kitchen table chairs or across the rail of our bed. She is very meticulous about it and gets frustrated very easily if the object will not stay put. The following pictures and video are from one of the days when I found her in our bathroom doing this.......

Still Catching up with Summer Pictures

2008-08-21T17:35:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pictures from Palmetto Falls. Sara and I took Gavin and Carlysle this past summer. They had a blast. I'm sure Carlysle enjoyed having someone to play with besides me!

We're Back!!

2008-08-20T17:56:00.000-07:00

Ok well for tonight. I am trying really hard to get back to updating the blog regularly which is going to require me to first upload all the pictures and video from this summer. Never again will I be such a slacker. The longer you wait the more overwhelming it becomes.

So just an update on why our blog has been stuck on Mother's Day weekend for 3 months. We moved!!! Yeah!! No, we did not sell our house yet. But the drive to Lexington was too much and we found a house that we fell in love with. So we have spent most of the summer trying to get settled into a new house and new jobs for both of us. And also a new baby-sitter for Carlysle. Her name is Alysson, she is a student at USC but lives in Lexington with her parents. She is an early education major, a wonderful Christian and an absolute blessing. She and Carlysle have formed a wonderful bond, which is exactly what I wanted. I was incredibly anxious about going back to work after staying home for 18 months. The moment I met her I felt at ease. She finds the coolest things to do with Carlysle and has taught her so many new things.

I have loved "working" again. I only work part-time and the other days I still get to be at home with Carlysle. I love being able to get out of the house and use my brain again (although Kyle and Joey will say there are some days when they are not sure that is true). I have had to ease into the whole "using my brain again" thing. On the days I'm off Carlysle and I always stop by the office for lunch or just for her to play. She loves going up there. I think it's because of the attention she gets from the staff. Joey and I couldn't be happier with the situation and it is exactly what we hoped it would be. So that's what has been going on in our lives and I have lots of pictures to post including pics of the new house....just as soon as we finish all our projects. Ha, ha that was a joke. The projects will never end!!!

Palmetto Falls

2008-06-09T09:12:00.000-07:00

My favorite discovery of the summer was the Fort Jackson water park. I had heard about it but assumed it was military only and it was for some time. It's now open to the public Tuesday through Friday. It's incredible (for Columbia). It has a shallow pool with a little slide and mushroom fountain for toddlers. There is also a bigger pool with several slides and a lazy river that goes around the pools. They also have a spray park and snack bar. And it is only $9.00 because Carlysle is free. We went several times this summer and had a blast.

This is Carlysle deciding to venture out on her own. One minute she was playing in the water and the next minute she was leaving the toddler section and heading off to the big pool.

This is her closing the gate so that I couldn't come after her!

Carlysle's First Watermelon

2008-06-08T19:20:00.000-07:00

Carlysle feeding the ducks at the park

2008-06-05T18:19:00.000-07:00

These are pictures from one Sunday afternoon when we took Carlysle to Sesquintental Park. We took some bread for her to feed the geese. She loved it but was determined to hug one, until it actually came near her, then she would run away. In her defense, they look all cute and cuddly until they get close. Those things were pretty intimidating and taller than she was. And they are all business. They just keep walking towards you with a very determined look as if they were saying "Drop the bread and no one will get hurt".

Here is some video from our visit to the park.

Mother's Day Weekend

2008-06-02T18:15:00.000-07:00

Ok so I'm just posting pictures from Mother's Day Weekend (I know I'm behind). We attended a surprise birthday party for Gail (Joey's step-mom) that Friday night while Carlysle and John Andrew stayed with Mimi. These are pictures of the cousins playing together.

On that Saturday we had a picnic in Mimi's backyard to celebrate Mother's Day. It was such a beautiful day and we loved spending time with the family and seeing the cousins played together.

Andy and John Andrew

Mimi and Carlysle

John Andre, aka "Coco"

"Chocket"

2008-05-31T17:30:00.000-07:00

So really I shouldn't post this because its beginning to look like all Carlysle eats is junk....which my sister was so kind to point out for me. And while I don't make flax seed, soy, gluten free, splenda, ginseng, whole wheat, chocolateless brownies, we do feed her vegetables and fruit. But really, would it be that funny if I posted pictures of her sitting in the kitchen floor surronded by peas, carrots and celery. Ok maybe it would be funny but for some reason those aren't the things she "gets into".

One of the nights we were working late at the office I had gone to the store and decided to buy some candy for everyone because we were all in need of a sugar rush. Well there was a partial Kit-Kat left so I took it home. The next day I let Carlysle try a bite (just a bite Lauren) and while she was eating it I said "Yummy Chocolate". Later while I was on the phone with a friend, I noticed it was quiet and there wasn't a little girl chasing me saying "I talking" (which is what she does when I get on the phone.) I walked into the den and my mouth dropped. She was COVERED in brown mush and had also decided to smear into the carpet. She just looked up with the sweetest look on her face and said "Chocket?" I really wanted to fuss at her but she was looking at me like "I'm sorry I forgot to invite you. Want some?" So I just blew this one off and took to the task of cleaning up. Oh what fun!

Lake Murray Pediatrics Grand Opening

2008-05-30T19:35:00.000-07:00

Yea, we're open!!!!

Ok so I had to steal pictures from Sara's blog because I forgot my camera. Yes, I admitted it....I forgot to bring my camera for the Grand Opening. The one thing that has consumed our life for the last 6 months and suddenly it seems so unimportant that I don't even need a camera for it. Anyway, here are a few pictures:

"The Scowl"

2008-05-26T12:31:00.000-07:00

Carlysle's new thing is her "scowl". If you ask her to show you the scowl, she will look at you with a seriously mean face and then she'll burst into a giggle. Just for the record, I did not teach her this. Although, someone asked her that and she looked right at him and said "yes". She totally sold me out. She learned this because lately when you fuss at her or tell her she can't have something she gives you that look. I always say, "Don't scowl at me". So I guess she put it together and figured out what her "scowl" is.

First day in the "pool"

2008-05-25T17:04:00.000-07:00

I bought another kiddie pool this year because last year's lacked the "bells and whistles" that this year's pools had. So behold the whale pool........with a slide! These pictures are of our first day actually letting Carlylse in the "pool". It had been too chilly so I wouldn't let her in it. And to be honest, this wasn't the best day either. Turns out it's pretty cold when you fill it up with water from the hose and get right in. She is definitely going to be our little swimmer. She loves, loves, loves the water! Baths are impossible because she immediately flips onto her tummy, starts kicking and says "I swimmin". Our new neighborhood has a real pool so eventually I will get to see her try out swimming in the big pool. I can't wait.

It's so cute when she gets to the top of the slide, she always looks up and says "Ready?". I guess because we always say, "Ok, are you ready?"

Yummy.....doughnuts

2008-05-22T10:17:00.000-07:00

Joey and I are self-admitted doughnut lovers although we keep it in check and only get them on lazy Saturdays, which are few are far between lately. So a couple of Saturdays ago Joey got up and headed to Dunkin Donuts for a breakfast treat. Carlysle has never had doughnuts before and when Joey walked in with the box she said "Present". We decided just to give her a whole doughnut because what is the fun of a doughnut if it's in pieces.

By the way, she's hooked.

Never leave Oreos unattended....

2008-05-21T18:03:00.000-07:00

While getting ready one day I noticed the house was quiet...too quiet. Never a good sign. Now, let me set up the next few pictures. Earlier in the day, I opened a 6-pack of Oreos, ate two of them (trying out portion control) and left them on the table. And here's why I should have eaten the whole pack....

Here's what I found when I walked into the kitchen. Clearly, she was unaware of my prescence because I had time to go get the camera and return and she was still doing this.....

I couldn't help but laugh because not only did she get into the rest of the Oreos but she had actually opened each cookie and licked out the white part. How does she know how to do that?

Yes, we are still alive.....

2008-05-21T17:36:00.000-07:00

although barely. So, lately I have had several people ask me about our blog or lack thereof. The last couple of months have been exhausting...to say the least. Looking back, I'm sure we all expected to have stressful times but I think we underestimated just how many there would be. We decided to do much of the work inside the building ourselves, including the painting. Carlysle adjusted quite nicely to the weekly routine of feeding her fast food at the office (on the floor), going to bed in a pack and play (in a closet) only to be woken up usually around midnight or later, loaded in the car for a 30 minute ride home and then put to bed again. She never cried when we woke her up, rode home giggling and went right to sleep when we put her down...again. Now, when we pull into the parking lot she smiles and says "office" like she still likes the place!!! We are so blessed that she adapts so well. Some days I don't know how we got so lucky.

We did make it to the Grand Opening (with an unfinished building) but it was exciting nonetheless. I have several posts to add and now that things are starting to calm down, I will try to update the blog. :)

We have pigtails.....

2008-04-08T17:54:00.000-07:00

Joey and I went to pick Carlysle up at my Mom's house on Sunday. We were sitting around watching her play and discussing the fact that she most definitely inherited her hairline from me. Poor thing. My Mom apparently found some pictures of me at her age and I also had no hair around the side of my head. The good news is......it eventually grew in.

Suddenly, my Mom said I think she has enough hair in the back for pigtails and she ran off to get ponytail holders. It was so adorable that I have been doing her hair that way ever since. It actually makes her look like a little girl, so maybe people will stop calling her a boy. I realize we have a ways to go but we're getting there.

Glassys...

2008-04-08T10:24:00.000-07:00

These are some pictures of Carlysle showing off her "Crocs" and "Glassys". She loves wearing her little sunglasses and anytime she sees her glasses or mine she goes crazy saying "glassys".

Oreo face....

2008-04-06T09:38:00.000-07:00

And this is what happens when you let a toddler eat Oreo cookies. I happened to be eating a cookie one afternoon when Carlysle wonder in the office and had a fit for me to share. So I gave her half of a half. She acts just like her brother, our Golden Retriever, and quickly exits the room before you changed your mind. I assumed this would be okay because it was such a small piece that she certainly just put the whole thing in her mouth and there would be no mess. Wrong! She walked into the office a few minutes later looking like this.....

I mean what happened here? Did she take the piece of cookie, smash it into her face and smear it around? How does this happen?

Silly Carlysle

2008-04-03T17:18:00.001-07:00

These are just a couple of recent videos I've taken of Carlysle. I didn't want to do a whole post for each one so I'm just posting all three.

This is a video of Carlysle "reading" to us while she sits in her wagon at Mimi's house.

The next two videos are just me and Carlysle playing during the day when we get bored and want something to do.

Easter Sunday

2008-03-30T06:08:00.000-07:00

So these are attempts at Easter pictures. We went to our church in Columbia so we didn't have any family to take our picture. So Joey did the "set the timer, run over, jump in picture" thing. Sad but we tried. And I have been trying to upload this video for almost two weeks. We set up our own Easter Egg Hunt in the backyard for Carlysle since she didn't get to actually hunt for eggs at the Orangeburg Hunt (we had a meltdown right before it started). This video is long and I actually cut it but she was too cute to watch so we recorded a lot.

This is Carlysle carrying the multiple ducks that were in her Easter Basket. I don't know what we were thinking but we forgot to take any pictures or video of her actually getting her Easter Basket.

This is Carlysle after church running around in her ruffly bloomers and tights.

Orangeburg Easter Egg Hunt

2008-03-22T11:22:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, we traveled to Orangeburg to spend time with Joey's family and attend the Annual Easter Egg Hunt. I will try my best to explain the scale of this event. The pictures will show some of what I'm talking about but you cannot get the full effect unless you've been. I've heard about this for many years but have never been until this year. A little background first. This family in Orangeburg started this Easter Egg Hunt 14 years ago with the birth of their first grandchild. It's free and open to the public. They live out in the country on the most gorgeous land complete with a pond and immaculate landscaping.

As we cross through the gates of the large brick wall that surronds the property, my mouth just dropped. It was absolutely beautiful with Easter decorations everywhere and a bridge you cross to get over to the fun stuff. I don't even know where to begin to describe the neat things they had. I'll just run through them. They had ducks for the children to hold, baby chicks, bunnies, a merry-go-round, pony rides, a bouncy house and face painting. They also had cake and ice cream, skittles, mini candy bars, and punch. Then they of course there was an Easter egg hunt set up but not just one. They had it organized by age group and each one was on a different part of the property.

Carlysle had a blast! And so did Mommy. I had the best time watching her holding the little chicks and bunnies. Well, I say "holding" them. She actually kept squeezing them because she has several stuffed toys that when you squeeze their tummy, they make a noise. And one of them is a duck. So we couldn't let her "hold" them for very long because that would have been a very tramatic Easter for some children if they had watched Carlysle squeeze one of the cute chicks to death. Also, there is a toy duck at Target that she loves, it's one of those "Fur Real" toys. This one's little mouth is open and you squeeze the bottom part of it's beak and tongue together, it quacks. She just giggles and giggles (so of course Mommy and Daddy bought it for her easter basket). So the first thing she did when saw the ducks was try and squeeze it's beak to make it quack. It was hilarious. We had so much fun. Can't wait to go back next year.

On our way to the Easter Egg Hunt

Ok, let's play a game....."Which person in the picture doesn't belong on the tiny Merry-Go-Round?

Here is some video of Carlysle with the Bunnies:

And here is some video of Carlysle with the baby chicks, watch the part when she stands up and is holding a baby chick by it's neck. We'll have to teach some better lessons about being gentle
:

Who needs carseats????

2008-03-21T18:10:00.000-07:00

We decided that carseats are for amateurs. When I was growing up you rode in the front seat when you were three with no seat belt and it was fun to go from the back seat to the front seat to the back seat.....maybe do a handstand on the floorboard of the car. Besides, Riggs will keep her safe.

Actually, this is what happens while Mommy shops. We stopped at Stein Mart on the way to Orangeburg for me to "run" in and look for something while Daddy entertained Carlysle outside the store. Apparently, I was gone for too long and he had to resort to this.

Watching what I say....

2008-03-20T07:13:00.000-07:00

Wow, I had no idea I would be at this stage already. Things really start to change when everything you say is being absorbed by little ears. I really thought I wouldn't have to worry about this until closer to two. It amazes me everyday when I say something to Carlysle and she responds with a word or reaction and it's very clear she UNDERSTANDS me. She also is repeating words we say without being prompted. Sorry if this is long but I wanted to record some of the things she is doing so I don't forget. Here are a few examples:

Yesterday, something fell out of the closest on top of me (which is a daily occurence and the reason we are buying a new house) and I said "Crap" having no idea she had just entered the room and was standing behind me. All the sudden I hear a little voice say, "Crop". My mouth just dropped and then I had to do damage control and say "Oh no, we don't say that". Which I'm sure was really confusing to her at this age because she's probably thinking "Yes we do, I just heard you."

The day before I put her down for her afternoon nap and she had been in the crib for about an hour just playing, then crying, then playing, etc. So I finally went in there and was leaning over the crib talking to her, thinking she had no idea what I was saying. I should add that she still has a passy but only gets it during naps and at night (and during the occasional meltdown at Target). So back to me having a "discussion" with her. She was just staring at me, sucking on the passy as I was leaning in the crib saying "So this is how it's going to be today, you're just not going to nap, you're just thinking you've had with this nap thing and maybe you just want to play. Well, you know you can't keep passy if you're not going nite, nite. You know the rules. If you want to get up and play you have to give passy up." She looked up at me, popped that passy out of her mouth and set it down in the crib. Then stood up and reached her arms out for me to get her out. I just stood there and thought.....no way.

She also has gotten into the habit of praising herself for good behavior. When she does something like says please or thank you or hands you something she knows she's not supposed to have we say "Good Girl". She always repeats us and quickly learned that she is being praised for something she did. So now she doesn't even wait for us to say it. The other day she picked up a dirty diaper that was wrapped up on her dresser and was carrying it around. I said, "Carlysle that's yucky, can you please go put that in the trash". She marched right over to the trash can dropped it in, shut the lid and then turned around clapped for herself and said "Good Girl". Now if she closes any door, drawer or cabinet she says, "Good Girl". Even if it's the TV armoire doors and we're watching the TV. I guess it's because she never gets rewarded when she opens doors because she's not supposed to be in them. It just when she closes them after I say, "No mam, get out of there."

Lunch at the Lake

2008-03-01T16:18:00.000-08:00

A couple of Saturdays ago we decided to go to Lake Murray to one of the public parks and have a picnic. It was such a beautiful day and Carlysle loved being outside (she would seriously sleep outside if I would let her). She's never seen such a large body of water before (just the tub which maybe in her mind is a large body of water). Anyway, to Carlysle this was a kicking bathtub, if only she had a rubber ducky.....all would be right with the world.

She was really fascinated by the fact that a bird was so close to her. She was determined she was going to catch up to this bird.

"Come here little birdie, I won't hurt you."

"Little birdie.....please slow down"

"Ok seriously my legs are too short to run after you"

"Alright listen you stupid bird....I will throw my sippy cup at you."

"I really didn't want to do this........Dad hand me the sippy cup"

Baby Swing

2008-02-28T08:03:00.000-08:00

Carlysle's baby swing has been sitting back in our office for months now and she has never really shown any interest in it. Well lately, I have been working in the office during most of the day so she seems to spend quite a bit of time in there too. I guess out of boredom she "discovered" the swing and climbed into it by herself. I thought, "Hey, why not". If it keeps her entertained, I'm game. And yes, it does still hold her and it still swings her. Probably because she only weighs 21 pounds, which is barely over the legal limit for riding forward facing in the car. I don't know why but she has to have an armful of "stuff" with her at all times, including while "riding" in the swing. It doesn't matter if she is currently holding two stuffed puppies, 5 books, a cup of milk and a baby doll. If one of those books hits the floor, she wants it back immediately.

Edventure

2008-02-27T06:06:00.000-08:00

Ok, I'm way behind on posting pictures and these are from our trip to Edventure back in February. Joey's sister, Sarah, was visiting and we wanted to get together and take the kids to do something fun. She has a daughter, Charlee, who is two and half and our newest addition to the family, Max, who was born in October. This was my first time seeing little Max. What a cutie! Jeff and Sarah sure do make some cute babies!!

So Joey's Mom (Mimi), Sarah, Charlee, Max, me and Carlysle all met at Edventure for an afternoon of fun......and chasing kids! That place is incredible. The best was Carlysle's reaction to "Eddie", the HUGE boy that is several stories high that you actually can climb through. He is in the foyer as soon as you walk in. She seriously stopped looked up and said "Whoaaaa". We had a great time and I can't wait to take Carlysle back, especially when she's a little older.

Baby Max

This is Carlysle seeing "Eddie" for the first time.

So this was the biggest hit of the day and I have to say it was pretty cool. They had a mini grocery store where you get your own mini grocery cart, then you get to fill your cart with "real" groceries (they've taken the food out of the boxes, cans, etc), and they even have a mini checkout counter where you scan your groceries and it beeps with each product. It is so cool how much it resembles an actual grocery store. The funniest part was when Charlee walked over the credit card machine and pretended to swipe her card. Hilarious! Sarah had no idea she knew to do that. Another example of how much kids take in when you have no clue they are even watching!

This is my child trying to steal a box of cereal. She clearly didn't understand you had to "pay" for items. She just walked in, saw a cereal box she liked and tried to leave with it. Guess we'll have to do a better job of explaining why you can't just take things.

Carlysle and Charlee playing in the snow at Snowville.

Carlysle and Mimi

I love this picture. It's hard to tell but Charlee came over and grabbed Carlysle's hand and was trying to help her over the display in front of them. Too cute!

This is a statue that Carlysle was scared of at first but then decided she would check him out when she realized he wasn't moving.

Delaney Girls

Callie Jamming - Part 2

Easter Sunday

Carlysle's School Easter Egg Hunt

Strawberry Picking

Christmas Morning

Cookies for Santa

Christmas Preview

Saluda Shoals

Here is what you will find in our house if you leave the refridgerator door open.....

Callie Jamming

Carlysle's 4th Birthday

Callie's Birthday Party

Callie's Birthday Dinner and Pre-Celebration

Callie is ONE!!

This post is for my sister.........Lauren if it makes you feel better it is a sugar-free, gluten-free, nutrient-packed lollipop

A Photographer's Nightmare........

HOLLYWILD

She'll be comin round the mountain......only because I couldn't get that song out of my head as we drove up the windy roads.

Daddy's Girls

"February Fury".....ok I had to do that because Joey and I always wait with nail-biting anticipation at the incredibly cheesy titles from the media.

Callie's Debut

Yard Work

Tea Party

Taking Donations for Carlysle's Law School Fund

Because everybody cleans in their underwear.......

Christmas

So behind......

It's a..........

Why we can't leave the house before Carlysle's hair has been washed.....

A Carlysle Funny

Carlysle's Big Girl Bed

Weekend in the Mountains

Carlysle is going to be a big sister!

Chats with Carlysle

SNOW DAY!!!

Christmas at Bee Gee and Papa's

Christmas at Gigi and Grandy's

Pictures from Christmas at Mimi and Papa's

Christmas Morning

Christmas at Mimi and Papa's

Making cookies for Santa

Carlysle's Santa

Lights and Presents with the Guytons

Swofford Christmas

Girtman Christmas

Daddy's Helper

Pinkalicious Cupcakes

Dress Up

Decorating the Christmas Tree

Choosing our Christmas Tree

Trick or Treat!!

Boo at the Zoo

Pumpkin Patch

Carlysle's Birthday Party

Joey, Carlysle and Grant

Carlysle "riding in Mommy's car"

Happy Birthday Carlysle (Late....wait this post is actually on my birthday). Well I'm sure she is planning on writing something sweet about me soon.

Kiawah Island Trip

Random Pictures

Daddy and Carlysle Playing

Summer Fun at Aunt Courtney and Uncle Andy's House

Carlysle's OCD

Still Catching up with Summer Pictures

We're Back!!

Palmetto Falls

Carlysle's First Watermelon

Carlysle feeding the ducks at the park

Mother's Day Weekend

"Chocket"

Lake Murray Pediatrics Grand Opening

"The Scowl"

First day in the "pool"

Yummy.....doughnuts

Never leave Oreos unattended....

Yes, we are still alive.....

More Video

We have pigtails.....

Glassys...

Oreo face....