this little girl is doing and saying new and hilarious things every day. she is on the brink of being two years old, but shhh... don't tell her that. i suspect that caroline sees herself as a 3 year old equal to her brother. while she does love her bracelets, dishes, and babydolls, you will find her most often playing with cars that go "wast" (fast) and walking around in a construction hat, safety goggles, and "eees shoes" (ethan's shoes).
caroline's speech is pretty comical. it's actually getting a lot clearer these days, but i usually feel like i need to leave a translation guide with anyone that is watching her. "gram" is "wam", "covers" are "co-co", and "caroline" is..well... i can't even type it. kind of like "ngai-ngai". she's repeating "line line", but the "l" is not there. she is using a ton of words, and once you figure out what she's saying, it makes complete sense. it's just that in between step that counts! :) she is getting close to putting two words together, but for now, it's separate. emphatic. one-word statements. and you'd better be listening! you can often hear her declare "mess!" (usually announcing something she's done) and "trash!" if there is something to be thrown away. (i'm counting on caroline to be my right-hand-girl for cleaning before too long!!) she also says the SAME things for various routines we have or for recent experiences that she remembers... like everytime i change her diaper she says, "ninks!" (stinks). and natalie and joseph did sidewalk chalk on our front porch the other day, and evvvvvverytime we walk by their artwork, caroline reminds me, "nah-nah" (natalie). "draw". "jo-jo". "draw". yes, caroline, i remember. :)
one of caroline's favorite "mommy" things right now is "chubby". does anyone remember this silly little joke from our childhood? one day, it just came to mind as caroline was messing with my face, and wow, she laughed and laughed. i couldn't even remember the words, but as long as i squished my cheeks together, she was cracking up! she usually uses it as a bedtime stalling tactic, when i'm singing songs to her and she doesn't want me to stop. after the inevitable, "ok, it's time for bed", she puts her fat little hands on my cheeks, smiles, and says, "chu-chu?!" and we do our little chubby thing. she and i don't have very many "just us" things. usually i sing her the same songs that i have always sung to ethan, and usually he's right there in the mix of things. but "chubby" is really just between me and caroline, and while it's not really that endearing within itself, caroline just turns it into something special. i know that is terribly cheesy! oh, i am so pregnant!
caroline, like most two-ish year olds (and three and four!), is very into doing things herself. after she has put on her pants or shoes by herself, she will throw her hands up in the air and announce "diiiit!" (did it!) i have a hilarious video of her doing this with some too-small clothes she found in her closet, but she is naked otherwise, and that violates daddy's no-naked-child-pictures-on-the-blog rule. SO i will have to stage a clothed version of this and post it sometime. ok, so that probably means never. but if you're ever at my house, ask to see it. :)
the other day, ethan was wearing a soccer shirt, so caroline went on the hunt for her own soccer shirt! she came into the living room pleading for help... i looked up to see this...
yes, instead of helping her, i ran to get the camera. :) she was so stuck inside that shirt. after she got it on the right way, i realized that i actually needed to get her dressed so we could go to wal-mart. well, that sista was leaving brother's soccer shirt ON! i decided to not make this a battle, considering it was wal-mart. so i stuck a bow in her hair and put on ruffly little shorts and pink shoes. i think she passed as a girl. :) here's the "i am not taking off this shirt that matches my brother's" look...
one afternoon when i was picking up our room, caroline was playing on my bed. she wanted to stay up there while i made the bed, so i told her she had to be a pillow. she was so amused with this idea that she sat behind the pillows for a good long while. (at least long enough for me to get the camera again!) she had fun playing peek-a-boo from behind those pillows... but the minute nana knocked on the door, she got down from the bed in a flash! here's that cheesy cute grin from behind the pillows...
caroline's curls are getting out of control. once she is out in the humidity, they bounce up into a nearly perfect 'do, but at home, we like to call her "caro-lion". especially after i've brushed the tangles out! anytime we head out the door, i have to attack her with a spray bottle to scrunch up her curls. she's used to it now, but i did have to chase her down the hall to do her hair! i have also invested in detangler, which helps soften her hair overall. the humidity has been wonderful for her hair (don't we all wish we could say that?!?!?), so i am fearful of what the winter will bring. caroline's head may be one big fuzz ball!!!! but then again, the humidity never really takes a winter vacation down here, so maybe it won't be so bad for caroline's hair. i still can't believe i have a daughter with CURLS. my hair won't even hold curl from a curling iron for an hour!
we are blessed to be a part of a wonderful Bible study. the older kids take care of the younger ones while we fellowship and grow in the Word. there are many blessings associated with this group, but one great blessing is that my children are growing closer to the children of families that we highly, highly respect. these kids are so sweet to ethan and caroline. they greet them so cheerfully and include them in their playing. i'm sure "tolerate" is a good word to use at times!! haha. during our labor day cookout, the older girls let caroline join them in playing dress-up. look at how proud they were of their little doll! you can't see it very well, but her get-up includes a full length sequin gown! :) my kids love these kids!!
sometimes i will realize that it's been at least 15 or 20 minutes since i've heard anything out of caroline while she's playing. this usually means 1 of 2 things... she is either sitting in the middle of a pile of books in ethan's room, just reading away... or she is really into something she shouldn't be (like the toilet or something in my room). i hesitate to run to check on her during times like this because if she IS reading or playing happily, my presence usually ends her contentedness. so i often just take my chances and enjoy the peace. well, it was getting close to naptime one day, and it was one of those quiet lapses in her play. i peeked in her room to see what she was doing, and well, i guess it was naptime. the soundtrack in my mind started playing, "i come to the garden aloooone!"
since nana and daddy both have camera phones now, the kids are really into taking "pictures" of me with their play phones allll day doing whatever i'm doing. (i guess now i know how they feel! ha!) i hear "cheeeese!" and i flash a smile, and click. they're satisfied. ethan will even stop and say, "that's soooooo cute!" after the picture. so i try to pose every now and then. :) well, the paparazzi grew weary of their job after awhile and decided to settle down in my laundry basket. now it was my turn to grab the camera. as soon as i said "cheese!", their "camera phones" went right up!
but here's a keeper. now i need to teach them to put the laundry in the basket!
we are really enjoying caroline right now. i saw on someone's blog the other day how the "two's" should not be a time that we endure but a time that we embrace. that statement really encouraged and challenged me. there are so many days that i'm sure i have the attitude of simply enduring caroline's constant requests and unintellible whinings. i am convicted when she exclaims "yowwwww-d!" because i have raised my voice at her. i want to have enough patience to sit and read the same book 30 times to her like she asks. my prayer with caroline these days is that i would embrace her. embrace these almost two-year old days. (not embrace in the sense that i ignore her need for parental guidance and discipline... i hope i am making sense.) before we know it, she is going to be talking in sentences, and she will be a big sister. wow. and she'll say her name perfectly, and we'll wonder where the days went.
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