The Toole Family

It's a "New" Car!!!!

2012-02-14T15:38:00.003-05:00

(I'm catching up again so check out the post after this to see Justin and Caroline's Daddy Daughter Date Night.)

We have been looking for a new car for a few weeks now. We sold the Camry on Craigslist in a matter of a few days, which meant I was driving the truck (not so kid friendly) and Justin was taking the bus to school. After what seemed like endless hours of research, and spending a whole day in Atlanta, we decided to get this 2011 Chevy Traverse!

We really went back and forth between this SUV and a minivan but this was the best deal at the end of the day! I love it! We got it used with 15,000 miles on it, so we got a great deal. It has everything I could imagine in it. AWD, remote engine start (which is really going to be awesome when we live in New York), leather, bucket seats in the middle, auto tailgate, dual sunroofs, every charging port imaginable, rear backup camera, seats 7 adults comfortably, etc....It drives like a car, but is obviously quite the change from my Camry. I will have to adjust to relying on mirrors more to change lanes because it doesn't have the visibility I am used to.

Caroline loves the DVD player, but is disappointed it doesn't have sliding doors!

She(and Daddy)still give it a very silly thumb's up!

Mya got a new ride too. She is now facing forward and just giggles.

Glad the car shopping is over and we ended up with a great car for a great price=)

Daddy Daughter Date Night

2012-02-14T15:15:00.007-05:00

Caroline and Justin had a Daddy Daughter Date Night the first week of February. Chick-fil-a puts it on and it was seriously adorable. I tried to get a cute picture before they left but with these two, I had my hands full.
Being a Cootie Bug...

Hanging on window....

Silly tongues...

We had to make a reservation and print an invitation, they were welcomed by men in tuxes, and the tables were decorated like this.

Daddy's view of his sweet girl=)

There was a chocolate waterfall and the cow even came to visit. Caroline thought it was hilarious that he had to keep going to take a nap (I guess the guy in the cow suit was hot!). No, you're not crazy. That isn't Caroline. I stole the photo from the Chick-fil-a facebook site.

It was a really cute and special evening. Gotta love Chick-fil-a!! Delicious and family friendly=) Check out your local Chick-fil-a next February to see if it has a Daddy Daughter Date Night. No limit. Anyone can go with their dad!

Not too old to have a few "firsts"

2012-01-26T14:47:00.002-05:00

Caroline has had a big couple weeks when it comes to "firsts." While she has been working on putting her vest on for quite some time now, she has gotten much better lately. She can now pull out the 15 pound machine, put on her vest, buckle it, hook up her hoses, and start up the machine ALL BY HERSELF. This morning, she even did it without me asking!!! So exciting to see her take control of her own health. While I don't think she fully understands how important it is, she does know it is part of her daily routine!

She also went to her first movie this past weekend. Atty was here Friday night and offered to stay longer on Saturday so we could take her. We went and saw Happy Feet 2 (not my first pick but it was what was playing at the dollar theater). We weren't sure she would make it all the way through, but she did great. I think the popcorn was the biggest hit! Here she is chilling with her hands behind her back=)

Finally, Caroline started taking showers this week. While she has had a quick shower in the past when a tub was not available, she has never liked it because she hates water in her face. Out of the blue this past weekend she said she wanted to take one. I jumped on it because it seems easier=) It was hilarious to say the least. She LOVES it and says she is not taking baths anymore.

Gymnastics

2012-01-17T12:00:00.001-05:00

Caroline started up gymnastics again last week. She really likes it and is actually pretty good! They set up 3 little circuits that are kind of like obstacle courses. There are trampoline, vault, ring, balance beam and floor stations. I honestly wish I could give it a go some days...it looks fun! I also love all their little bums hanging out of their leotards. Consequently, Caroline is constantly saying "I have a wedgie!"

Hanging upside down

Going over the cones on the balance beam. One little girl stopped, looked at them, and then stacked them all up as if they had been disorganized...too cute!

Crawling across parallel bars

The kids sing the "Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear touch the ground" song and then team up to shout "We love gymnastics!"

Mya 14 months/Fav Pics

2012-01-15T16:02:00.005-05:00

Mya is now 14 months old and is officially a toddler! She is walking/running everywhere and has found her voice. Most of the time she is a happy, smiling, clapping little girl, but she'll also throw herself on the floor and scream to let you hear her disapproval. I think she has a little more "spirit" than Caroline did, which means I think she is going to be more of a handful! She loves to wave and say "Hi" to anyone who will listen, which is pretty stinkin' adorable. She is getting her 7th tooth, still eats us out of house and home, and LOVES to be outside (she cries when we make her come in). The girls are good friends and usually get along pretty well..of course the key word "mine" does enter Caroline's vocab on a regular basis! Here are some of my favorite pics of Mya in her favorite hang outs.

"Helping" me unload the dishwasher (just like Caroline and Tater did)

Finding her seat in the fridge while I am trying to put away the groceries.

Classic Mya. Lookin' like a happy party girl with her favorite blanket.

Playing peek-a-boo in the laundry hamper. She loves to sling clothes all over the place-especially the ones I have already folded. Little stinker! She gives the camera a "Hi."

Daddy and Mya keeping their "core" warm in their vests. Mya says "Da-e" and blows him kisses all the time. She only says "Mama" when she wants something-I guess I should get used to that=)

Going on a train ride in the mall with her big sister.

Jumping in the jump castle like a big girl. This upright photo was a rare shot. She fell down so much her nose was red but she thought it was hilarious=) Love this one of her posing as she is getting out.

Love you Mya Jane. I have a feeling you are going to keep me on my toes!

New Year's in Ellijay

2012-01-07T23:59:00.007-05:00

We headed up to a cabin in Ellijay for New Year's weekend. The cabin was beautiful and was right along the river. We ate lots of yummy food, lounged in the rocking chairs while sipping wine, roasted smores fireside, played Quelf and The Game of things into the wee hours of the morning, and spent lots of time playing with the girls. Uncle Shawn even got in the freezing cold river and raced to the hot tub to warm up- what a nut!
Roasting smores by the river

Uncle Shawn with the girls.

Being silly in the rocking chairs with Aunt Jillian

Mya made Atty go up and down the stairs a million times. Thank heavens we brought gates for inside!

Mya and Papa T

Playing video games with Uncle Shawn and Daddy

The whole family, including Kim's child Alphie. Hee Hee!

We had a great trip and enjoyed spending fun times with family!

Christmas with Tooles and Dumms

2012-01-07T22:58:00.009-05:00

Christmas Eve we went to Justin's parent's house. We enjoyed lots of yummy appetizers with family before tucking the girls in and getting ready for round two.

Atty, Papa T, Uncle Shawn, Aunt Jillian, Aunt Kim, Amy & Wu were all there to celebrate with us. Caroline helped Atty be "Santa" and pass out all the gifts.

Caroline loved her bugs from Uncle Shawn and Aunt Jillian, her trampoline from Atty and Papa T(we love that she has fun AND it wears her out!), and her sleds from Aunt Kimmie(these will definitely come in handy in New York!).

Mya napped for part of the morning but not before we caught her putting these bows on her head.

We had a yummy breakfast and then packed up to head to my parent's house for round 3 at my parent's house. My brother's family and my Aunt Marty met us there.

Before opening presents the kids all enjoyed playing with Caroline's "noise puddy" which I completely forgot is fart puddy. Hilarious!

Cousins being video game nerds=)

The kids were not interested in cooperating for our family photo so it ended up being silly this year=)

The Dumm Family

After exchanging gifts, we had a yummy prime rib dinner=)My dad prides himself on making "Skillet Sensations" for breakfast for Justin. This one had leftover prime rib and was so big Justin didn't eat lunch that day.

While we were at my parent's house, we learned that Justin's grandfather, Papaw, passed away. We visited him at the hospice center on Christmas Eve day and he actually had a nice conversation with us. He told Justin's grandmother he was ready to go to heaven. I admire his ability to not only face death head on but to do it with an overwhelming sense of peace and tranquility. We love you Papaw. I am honored to be a part of the family you created=)

Christmas in Athens

2012-01-07T22:41:00.007-05:00

We have really enjoyed having Christmas in our own home the past couple years. Santa visits our house a day early so we can still spend time with our families too=)

Counting carrots for the reindeer.

Caroline helped me make cookies and even made a little "worm" for Santa. I love the picture she left for him.

Waiting with Daddy before heading out to see the tree.

Mya's tummy did not care that it was Christmas. The girl wants to eat first thing in the morning so she chowed down for the first half of the unwrapping. I didn't think she would have much of a reaction, but she was actually very excited and smiley!

Caroline was more excited about ripping into paper than actually receiving a gift. She did get the "green lipstick" she requested from Santa along with a new Mobigo handheld game system, a wooden kitchen with wooden/velcro food, an Alphie and books. She asked for lotto tickets in her stocking too!

Tater enjoyed his new bones and toys.

After checking everything out, we cleaned up, packed and headed to Fayetteville for rounds 2 and 3.....

Toole Christmas

2011-12-22T23:00:00.002-05:00

(I have been horrible about blogging lately and stayed up late tonight to catch up. This is the first of four posts. Keep scrolling to catch up on the last month!)

The Sunday before each Christmas we meet up with the Toole side of the family for food and fun. This year we met at a church in Fayetteville, ate delicious Italian potluck, had a white elephant gift exchange with lots of laughs, and played a dice gambling game called CLR (Center, Left, Right). Caroline was in the final four. God bless her...we all got so loud and excited we scared the poor girl to tears! It really is fun. If you have never played, you should check it out.

Mya spent most of her day eating or in this adorable version of Santa's workshop that was set up in the room. Caroline loved having us hide her little grasshopper toy in here so she could search for it.

Trying to get a cute picture of the girls in their dresses. Clearly, I failed!

Family photo attempt.

Girls in cute gingerbread girl cutouts. Papa T joined in the fun too.

Nanny (the matriarch of the family) and Caroline. I feel very blessed to have married into such a wonderful family=)

Meet Chippie, Our Elf on a Shelf

2011-12-22T22:28:00.011-05:00

Chippie is Caroline and Mya's Elf on a Shelf. He has come to visit us this Christmas to make sure the girls are on their best behavior. At night, he flies out the chimney to report their behavior to Santa. Each morning, Caroline loves to find where he is hiding!

One morning, he was doing her vest.....

He had a good view from the top of the Christmas tree...

One day, he couldn't get back in the chimney so he was stuck outside! Caroline made sure we let him back inside so he wasn't too cold. Mya even loves to look for him now. She squeals and points when she sees him.

He has become a wonderful new Christmas tradition.

Playing in the Leaves

2011-12-22T22:28:00.009-05:00

We actually didn't get around to raking our leaves until mid-December. Fortunately, it has been SO warm that we were still able to enjoy playing in them.

Mya enjoyed sitting in them and throwing them up in the air. Mostly, she was on the hunt for acorns to put in her mouth.

When she wasn't looking for choking hazards, she could be found teething on our rake.

Caroline loved running down the hill and jumping in the leaves. Watching her have so much fun was totally worth all the grass stains! We buried each other, threw leaves at each other, and buried her "mommy bear" and then tried to find her.

I honestly had a very good time too! Something about rolling around in the leaves on a nice day makes you feel like a kid again=)

First Dentist Visit

2011-12-22T21:51:00.005-05:00

Caroline had her first visit to the dentist the at the beginning of December. The office asked if she would be able to handle a "happy visit" and a cleaning all at once. Our girl is tough when it comes to the medical world, so I figured she was good to go. She didn't whimper once!

First, she settled into her chair and watched a video about 2 dogs that go to the dentist which was very cute=) Mya liked it to.

Then the dentist came in and checked her teeth. She was a trooper and got a good report-no cavities. I was concerned because her high calorie diet includes much more sugar than I am really comfortable with. I was pleasantly surprised.

We moved to a new room where Caroline got her teeth cleaned. She flinched a little when "Mr. Thirsty" (the spit sucker thingie) was first in action but that was it.

Being silly to show off her pearly whites!

So proud of my tough girl for being in one chair or another for almost an hour with no complaints. My only complaint was that Mya had an explosive diaper which stunk up the rooms so bad the hygienist offered to take it out in the rain to the dumpster for me! Good job Caroline.

Oh, Christmas Tree

2011-12-06T21:31:00.003-05:00

Before Thanksgiving I went with a few friends to Pints and Paints here in Athens. We painted this Christmas tree, which I was thrilled about. I figure I never think my paintings are good enough to leave up year round, but they are definitely worthy of hanging up for the holidays.

Athens had their annual Christmas parade, so we forged the crowds to partake in the fun. Caroline enjoyed getting candy thrown her way and Mya enjoyed waving to everyone and saying "Hi" (her official first word!).
Waiting for the parade to start...

Grinning ear to ear while waving at Santa

We also picked out our Christmas tree this past weekend. We love being close to home, so we can actually have a real tree! Caroline helped us find a good one and helped daddy haul it back to the truck.

Then we stopped in the gift shop to see Santa. Mya immediately started to cry when we put her on Santa's lap, so we quickly opted for a family photo. Caroline sat on his lap, but was too shy to tell him she wants green lipstick for Christmas. This momma is kinda glad he didn't get the memo!

Mya's Walking

2011-12-04T22:03:00.003-05:00

Mya has been working on her walking for a few weeks but has really taken it to a new level this weekend! She prefers walking to crawling now and is SO proud of her accomplishment. She often pauses to look back at us and grin as if to say "hey, check me out!". This is not to say she is completely stable yet...she already has 4 bruises on her forehead. We joke about getting her a helmet=)

Mya's First Birthday

2011-12-02T23:09:00.005-05:00

Mya turned 1 on November 16th, so I guess this means she is officially not a baby anymore! We celebrated her birthday at home as a family and enjoyed watching her tear into her first cupcake. She looked so proud to be the center of attention while we were singing her Happy Birthday. Caroline was quick to help her blow out her candle because she says "fire isn't safe for babies." Good call=)

She started out slow but eventually dug in. Very little cake was actually eaten (unless you count what Tater ate)but she did taste the icing.

Love this one of her clapping with excitement.

Showing me her yucky hands!

Sprinkle grin.

Of course this party ended in the tub with her in her birthday suit. I had to clean the tub afterwards to get all the cake residue out.

Mya continues to be an awesome baby...I mean little girl. People are always commenting on how often she is happy and smiling. I know that we are very lucky to have 2 happy go lucky kiddos. She is weighing in at around 19 1/2 pounds and is 29 inches long. She is a great eater but is not a fan of milk these days. I guess Mama's milk tasted better=) She is playing more and more with Caroline and is taking more and more steps each day. I'd say she's up to 10-15 now on a big stretch! By Christmas, I think she will be cruisin'. She loves to wave to everyone and say her first word "hi." We also hear a lot of "uh-uh-ohs." I can't wait to see her personality continue to develop.We love you Mya Jane!

I also finally updated the rest of our trip to Belize if you want to check that out below!

Ambergris Caye, Belize- Scuba on Day 2

2011-11-29T21:43:00.009-05:00

We started day 2 at the Victoria House with scuba diving. We headed out to the reef, got a mini lesson on our equipment, and then jumped in the water. After figuring out our breathing and how to sink, we saw some pretty cool fish- eel, shark, sting rays, grouper and tons of brain coral. I had some trouble about 30 feet down when my mask filled with water. I had to slowly (so my lungs didn't explode!)go back to the surface with my guide trying to keep me calm the whole way. I cleared out my mask and headed back down...although I have to admit I was more nervous the second time around. Awesome experience but I think I will stick to snorkeling from now on.

We cleaned up, stopped to be inappropriate with some coconuts....

and then headed back into town for a REAL Belizian lunch. Here we are in front of El Fugon, which was seriously a hut.

There were dirt floors, a thatched roof and the food was smoked in pots over an open flame (fueled by ground coconut shells). It was awesome to experience such authentic food. We even had hicuma, which is a drink made from the nectar of the hibiscus flower. She told us it was smuggled in, so I figured anything worth smuggling in was something we should try. It didn't disappoint!

We climbed palm trees....

And made up a game called Coconut Bocce. Basically different sized coconuts were thrown into 3 different circles drawn in the sand. The bigger the coconut and the farther away the circle, the more points you got. Simple and SO FUN! And maybe slightly disruptive=)

Of course, we stuffed our faces on delicious cuisine yet again that evening. This was such an unforgettable vacation! I am so thankful that we were able to spend some much needed time together knowing all the while that our kiddos were in the best hands. Thank you so much to our families who made this trip a reality.

Ambergris Caye, Belize -Day 1

2011-11-29T21:23:00.007-05:00

After a few days inland, we a took a puddle jumper plane over to Ambergris Caye. It was nice to mix it up and enjoy the beach for a few days too.

We stayed at the Victoria House, which was absolutely beautiful! We stayed in a room on the top floor of this plantation home.

We enjoyed having drinks on the back porch with Shawn and Jillian. Good company and a killer view!

We rented a golf cart since this is how most people get around on the island. Shawn was our tour guide and we found the famous "Lobster Burrito" for lunch. It was huge and even had a full tail in it for just $15. Justin and I split the Tres Carnes Burrito and liked it so much we licked the plate clean.

We shopped downtown for a while and watched a video to "certify" us to do a shallow scuba dive the next day. Turns out I needed more than a video! But more to come on that....We headed back to the resort for drinks and dinner. The restaurant on the resort was the only 5 star restaurant on the island and it was delicious. We had conch ceviche, molten lava chocolate cake, and every other thing that swims in the ocean=) No one finished all their food....not even Justin!

Ziplining in Belize

2011-11-15T21:37:00.008-05:00

On our second full day at Chaa Creek, we headed out to zip-line through the jungle. Jillian and I had done it one time before but it was a first for the boys. We completed 9 zips including the longest zip-line in Belize, which was 500 ft. long.

In between zips, we saw a termite nest and the guide told us we could eat them. Of course we had to try it out. You would be surprised to know that they taste exactly like carrots!

We had to take a hydrolic lift to the platform for the last zip. There I go...what a view!

We enjoyed a nice lunch on site and then headed back to the resort. We went to see the butterfly farm and then hiked to a lookout point. A good hike isn't complete without tasting a few more termites...they still tasted like carrots=)

In between all this we were on a mission to complete what Shawn dubbed the "Chaa Creek Challenge." A team of four must drink everything on the bar menu. We managed to finish on the last night and celebrated with Rene, our bartender.

Most of the time, we were sweaty and gross from all of our adventures. We momentarily looked nice for dinner each evening. At Chaa, they were 5 course meals and they were delicious. Let's just say I gained 4 pounds in 6 days....

This was an absolutely amazing resort and I loved being in the jungle. What an adventure!

Spelunking in Belize

2011-11-15T21:14:00.010-05:00

We were really excited to take this vacation with Justin's brother, Shawn, and his wife, Jillian. We all landed in Belize around lunchtime, so we were able to stop at the Belize Zoo on the way to our resort. We saw many exotic animals including tapirs, pumas, spider monkeys, harpey eagles and these beautiful scarlet macaws.

We stayed inland at Chaa Creek for 3 nights. It was gorgeous and was definitely luxury in the jungle. We got settled into the resort the first day, had a few drinks, listened to the howler monkeys, and just relaxed.

I woke up at 5:15 am to the sound of birds chirping and the sun rising. (The latest I slept in on the whole vacation was 6:20..too much to see and do!) We spent our first full day at ATM. We hiked to this location before swimming into the mouth of the cave. Once inside I thought we would be on dry land but we ended up spelunking in ankle to chest high water for a good 45 minutes before making it to the Mayan ritual sites. It was surprisingly warm and the water was crystal clear.

We saw everything from jars to skulls to full skeletal remains. At the front of the cave there was evidence of them sacrificing blood to the Gods. As you go further into the cave you start to see human sacrifices of men, women and even children because they were getting more and more desperate for rain.

On the way out of the cave he took us through some sliding rocks, narrow water filled passages and even led us through the water in complete darkness(of course the boys immediately became inappropriate). We had a picnic lunch the jungle before heading back to the resort. I had high expectations for this and it far surpassed them. It was a definite highlight of the trip!

Pumpkins and Trick-or-Treating

2011-10-31T21:28:00.004-04:00

We spent the Sunday before Halloween carving our pumpkin. Both the girls loved playing in the goo and daddy did a great job doing all the carving.

Prepping the pumpkin. Caroline chose a cat with a spider on it.

Not afraid of getting messy.

Wanted to show off her yucky hands.

Mya playing in the pumpkin guts. she loved slinging it around and even sampled a few bites!

All done. We also made a pumpkin out of Caroline's Mr. Potato Head pieces.

We went trick or treating with our friends Brian and Cristin and their daughter Marlie. Caroline was very excited about it this year! She had a blast running (and rolling) from house to house.

Caroline was a black widow Spider.....

and Mya was a bug wrapped up in her web!

Caroline dining on her "catch."

Cruising the neighborhood with Marlie.

Caroline's stash....not too shabby. All good candy and even some Pistachios.

Scary, Oozy, Slimy Day

2011-10-26T14:24:00.005-04:00

Nana, Papa, and my brother's family came to visit us last weekend. When they got here on Saturday, the girls took the kids to Scary, Oozy, Slimy Day at the Nature Center while the boys stayed back with baby Mya to watch football.

We didn't have all the kids costumes so we let them pick whatever they wanted to out of the dress up box. The was the result...Caroline looks like some sort of pimp!

They made wine cork and pipe cleaner spiders.

Touched a corn snake.

Looked completely unamused by the hissing cockroaches.

Did a potion's class with Professor Snape.

Caught bed bugs in pillow cases.

Filled balloons (ticks) with blood.

And mommy even held a tarantula! Caroline was going to touch one and I squealed which made her back down. I felt bad and mustered up a lot of courage to show her it was okay to touch one.

Smiling for the camera but VERY shaky on the inside!!!!

The event definitely lived up to its name. The next day we went to the pumpkin patch for more fun....pictures from that soon.

NGCSU Gold Rush

2011-10-18T14:36:00.003-04:00

We headed up to Dahlonega on Saturday afternoon for Gold Rush. It was a beautiful day to see all the changes that have been made to the campus and catch up with old friends. Uncle Shawn and Aunt Jillian came to Athens to watch the girls so we could actually TALK to our friends and not chase the kids all over the place. THANK YOU!

The reception was on top of the new chow hall which has an amazing view of campus and the mountains. Unfortunately, this used to be where I lived in Sanford Hall. It was torn down recently so the new students can eat with a killer view=)

Friends from when I was at school. So nice seeing everyone. Seems like so much in our lives has changed but people really do stay the same=)

I sure do miss NGCSU. It would be nice to go back to college once and a while! Maybe one day Justin will teach Chemistry there. We love North Georgia=)

1 Year-Paper; 8 Years-Trapeze

2011-10-16T16:44:00.003-04:00

Justin and I decided we wanted to do something fun to celebrate our 8 year anniversary. After a little bit of searching we found out there is a place called LEAP Trapeze. The "average joe" can take a 2 hour flying trapeze class! We were sold.

We started off learning how to hang upside, swing our legs and even do a back flip before falling into the net. We learned a couple other tricks too. By the end of the night we were ready to try a catch!

I was anxious/excited and feeling the rush each time I jumped up until the very end. Doing the tricks and even jumping off the platform weren't issues but leaning out to get the bar at the top was nerve racking for me. I missed my blind catch but was able to make this catch. Here is the end of it.

Justin took to flying trapeze with ease. He looked like natural up there and was "cool as a cucumber" according to the teacher. I was not surprised to hear this description of my hubbie of 8 years=) Here is his catch!

I will always remember what we did to celebrate 8 years together and I hope we can do something just as fun and adventurous next year. We've officially spent half of our lives together and I am happier than ever. I feel so blessed to have found my perfect match 15 years ago in the Fayette County High School lunchroom! Happy Anniversary=)

Geocache at Watson Mill Bridge

2011-10-02T20:23:00.004-04:00

I read about Watson Mill Bridge in an Athens Parenting Magazine and decided this would be a great way to spend a beautiful Fall day. It is the longest covered bridge in Georgia and 1 of only 20 remaining. I wish I would have heard about it over the summer months because you can swim and slide on all the rocks that are in the river in front of the falls. After hopping across all the rocks we had a picnic by the water.

Checking out the falls with daddy.

Family photo stop.

We did a 2.5 mile hike and found a Geocache. Caroline calls it "hunting for treasure" and even found a gold deb lune (like on Jake and the Neverland Pirates) in the ammo box this time. Justin hauled her around in the "Baby Rucksack" while I carried Mya in the Baby Bjorn. Both kids were great and seem to love outdoors as much as we do=)

Watching football, playing at the playground with the kiddos, going to the Farmer's Market, picnicking, and hiking...I'm in heaven!

Mya Is Learning How to Walk

2011-09-29T15:02:00.004-04:00

Mya has been pulling up for about a month now. This past week she started walking while holding onto my fingers and scooting around the coffee table. I figured it was time to bust out the walker/stroller. As soon as I put it in front of her, she pulled up and took off! I guess she has been ready. I thought it would be too fast on the hardwood floors but she keeps up just fine. She only stops if she crashes into something=) Way to go Mya Jane. I'm hoping walking signifies the end of her crawling around and eating all the nasty items she finds on the floors...and maybe splashing in the dog bowl. A mommy can dream=)

First Night Away from Mya

2011-09-23T14:31:00.004-04:00

This past weekend Justin and I left the kiddos (with Nana) for our first overnight trip in a year. While Justin has been able to get away on occasion, I hadn't left Mya more a few hours until now. This is a sacrifice of breastfeeding that I have been more than willing to make, but man does it feel good to get back out there again!!!

We went to a wedding at the Botanical Gardens. Amy and Chang got married in the Rose Garden and it was beautiful. The food and drinks at the reception were killer and I still have bruises on my feet from all the dancing I did.

Justin and I lookin' snazzy. It was a Chinese Wedding so Justin had to wear his tux ALL day. Those things are so dang expensive it makes me feel like we got our money's worth...

Jillian and I with the drink of the night-chocolate martinis.

After martinis naturally comes your best Zoolander Blue Steel impression. Justin has it mastered. I look I might kill someone..watch out!

The Toole gang.

We had a wonderful time both with family and catching up with old friends. Afterwards, we headed to the Loews (which we like to pronounce Lowe's) which is a swanky hotel downtown. Sunday morning we went to Dim-Sum, which is where everybody shares a bunch of Chinese appetizers. No idea what I was eating, but it was good.

Thanks again to Nana for watching the girls while we partied it up! Being a stay at home mom doesn't require me to look very nice, so it felt good to get all dressed up again=) Congrats again to Chang and Amy. We had a blast!

Monkey Mya

2011-09-19T22:02:00.003-04:00

Is it a monkey?....

...or a Mya?

Mya loves bath time and it just too stinkin' cute in her little monkey towel.

Nana and Papa on Duty

2011-09-15T21:43:00.005-04:00

While Justin and I were out having so much fun this weekend, my mom and dad came in to watch the girls. Thursday we took the girls to the park.

Papa tried to teach Caroline how to ride her bike and I'm pretty sure he had flashbacks to when he tried to teach me how to drive. I took a turn going a little (okay a lot) too fast! Little Miss C tends to turn into the grass a lot, so she needed his guidance.

Happy girl...

We had a great lunch outside at Big City Bread on Friday and also went to the brewery. The girls loved playing around and spending time with Nana and Papa. It was extra special because it was a fundraiser for the bears at our little local zoo. The zoo brought turtles and owls to check out.

Mya loved giving Papa high fives on the glass. Too cute. She would fuss if he walked away until he came back=)

Nana got a new camera and caught this picture of the girls before we headed for the UGA game. Cutest bulldog fans ever.

I know the girls were in good hands AND had a very fun weekend. Nana and Papa did such a good job (wink, wink), we are dropping them off again this weekend to head to a friend's wedding. It will be our first 24 hours away together in almost a year. Looking forward to dressing up, eating good food, hanging with friends, and staying in a nice hotel with my hubby!

Weekend of Fun and Freedom

2011-09-13T21:42:00.004-04:00

Friday morning began with a massage and a facial! It was very relaxing and the start of a weekend full of fun. That afternoon, we went to the Terrapin Brewery to listen to Bluegrass, have a picnic and drink a few beers. As a bonus, it was the perfect temp outside-finally!

Mya managed to sample Daddy's beer...dipped her hand right in the glass.

I love that the brewery is kid friendly since it is only open from 5:30-7:30. I tried to get the girls to slow down for a sec and take a picture with mama. They look like they would definitely rather be crawling and playing soccer. I can't blame them=)

Dancing to the bluegrass band.

Saturday, we tailgated with friends from college before heading to the UGA/South Carolina football game. Almost all girls dress up for game day, but I refuse to wear a dress to a football game. Comfort wins out every time.

I was "student for a day" and loved sitting in the student section. We laughed, cheered, yelled, screamed and then cursed a little when they lost it right at the end. We love the kiddos but it was so nice to be carefree (AKA kid free) for 12 hours straight. I don't think I have done that in almost a year.
Family photo before heading out to the game.

On Sunday, Shawn (my brother-in-law) and Jillian came over so we could finalize our plans for a trip to Belize! In about 1 1/2 months we will be headed to the rainforest. I couldn't be more excited.

We were able to have all this fun because Nana and Papa were watching the girls for us. Thank you, thank you, thank you! We will post some of their fun soon.

Big Girl Gymnastics

2011-09-06T15:35:00.005-04:00

Practicing some climbing......not gymnastics but too cute not to post!

Caroline started gymnastics again for the fall. She loves it and has really embraced NOT having mommy out on the floor with her. The first couple lessons were pretty hilarious. Six little munchkins were all over the place but they are doing really well now. These pics are from her first day.

Who doesn't love a parachute? This brought back memories from elementary school PE.

Hanging from the bars with Ms. Megan. Caroline loves to hang. It is definitely one of her favorite rotations.

Love this one. She was sitting there listening to instructions. I was so impressed I whipped out my camera to capture it on film. This is what I got instead. Not exactly paying attention. "HI MOM!"

She should be on the Georgia Bulldogs Gymnastics Team by Christmas=) It makes me happy to see her having such a good time. Mya on the other hand would rather be in her bed taking a nap!

Standing Tall

2011-08-29T14:31:00.005-04:00

Mya has learned how to pull up on things this week. While this is exciting, it makes me think she is going to try to start walking soon. AAAAHHHHHH! One of my favorite parts of the day is going in to see Mya first thing in the morning. She is SO happy to see me. She claps, laughs, throws herself on her belly and back and rolls all around her crib. Now she has added standing up to the list. I loved seeing this sweet little face looking back at me this morning!

Caroline Quotes-PG13

2011-08-25T14:30:00.003-04:00

Premise: Watching Daddy to P90X. Not so proud of this one....I gotta work on that=)
C: "Why is there a mommy in the video? Mommy's don't exercise!"

Premise: I'm trying on a dress in the changing room.
C: "That doesn't look good." Then proceeds to smack my belly. "This is your big, fat belly!" I didn't get the dress....

Premise: Eating dinner at Justin's boss' house
C: Loudly announces "I have hamburger in my 'gina(vagina)" Then she proceeded to try to dig it out. Lovely.

Premise: Caroline is playing with Justin and racks him where it counts!
C: "Drink this water daddy. It will go down to your penis and make it feel better."

She cracks me up but I think we will have to have some talks about what is appropriate to say in public!

Mya at 9 months

2011-08-19T21:07:00.004-04:00

Mya had her 9 month check up this week and seems to be doing just fine milestone wise. She weighs around 17 1/2 pounds and is 28 1/2 inches long. I honestly have no idea what the percentiles are but she seems pretty big to me (and my lower back!). She is a good sleeper and is overall a really happy, smiley baby!

She is a good eater and now eats pieces of fruit, crackers, and yogurt. She still likes to eat baby food whereas Caroline was done with that at 8 months. She spits up A LOT right now which is actually quite annoying. Everything is orange and laundry has become a nightmare. I am definitely keeping OxyClean in business! My latest defense is keeping her naked-except for a diaper of course. Here she is eating her favorite snack...Caroline's rug! She eats/chews it on a daily basis.

Mya loves the water and the bathtub is no exception. I can barely get it filled before she is crawling out of my arms to get in. She splashes, laughs and has a grand old time in her duck.

She is crawling ALL OVER the house now and can really kick it into high gear when she sees something she wants. This new found movement means she is constantly getting into things she shouldn't. In this case, it was unplugging Caroline's vest! She just looks like she is up to no good.

Caroline has been waiting for Mya to be old enough to play with for a very long time now. This week, I started letting them play together in Caroline's room without me (per Caroline's request). I keep a watchful eye and they do pretty well together. Caroline is still a little rough and wants to pick her up, but I am enjoying watching them start to interact with each other. Here they are having tea time.

Visit with Aunt Marty and Veggie Painting

2011-08-15T14:42:00.004-04:00

My Aunt Mart lives in Savannah and came up to my parent's house for a visit. We don't get to see her as much as we would like to, so we made sure to head her way! Caroline was so excited to go swimming, but the storm clouds rolled in and delayed her fun. No worries...Aunt Marty brought her Pre-K teacher stuff. Caroline was happy reading books and playing blocks with Great Aunt Mart. Here they are "resting" together since Caroline is kind of anti-nap these days.

The thunder and lightening stopped, but the rain continued. We decided to let the kids swim in the rain.

This was a big moment for Caroline. She finally started putting her face in the water and made a big effort to swim. Nana (our resident swim instructor) seized the day and jumped in the pool fully dressed to help our little swimmer practice.

Always happy to see family. I can't help but think we will have lived in New York over 2 months this time next year. Squeezing in as much family time as possible until then=)

Random photo: Caroline vegetable painting. She used asparagus, carrot, potato, broccoli, and pepper. If she only enjoyed eating it as much as she enjoyed painting with it!

Tour De North Georgia

2011-08-11T15:23:00.008-04:00

Seems like this has been the summer of birthday parties now that Caroline is old enough to have little friends. We headed to Acworth, GA to visit with friends from college and celebrate their daughter Ava's 3rd birthday. It was great to see everyone and watch our kids play together. When I was in college, I didn't imagine myself trying to nurse a baby while Justin's frat buddy was feeding his infant son in the same room...HA! Caroline had a great time and, of course, helped Ava open all her presents.

That same afternoon, we drove up to Waleska, GA to see Justin's Uncle Ken and Aunt Bridgette. Justin got his back adjusted (Uncle Ken is a chiropractor) and then we toured around their property. I think Caroline's favorite part was the horses!!

Even the rocking horse inside was a big hit.

We ate tomatoes from their organic garden, rode down to the lake and enjoyed just catching up. It is such a beautiful area=) Thanks for letting us stop in!
That same night we surprised Atty and Papa T at their cabin on Lake Lanier. It was on the way home to Athens, so we couldn't pass by without saying hello!
We did so much in one day, we started thinking things that happened in the morning had happened the previous day. Oh, Caroline also got signed up for gymnastics that morning before we hit the asphalt. It begins next week and I can't wait to see her in action.

SeaWorld

2011-08-03T21:11:00.005-04:00

We headed out first thing on day one of our vacation to Sea World. The military has a Here's to the Heroes program that makes it free for service members and their dependents. Can't beat that! It was a hot day but we were excited. Here is the big man himself-Shamu! He was impressive, but since the incident with the trainer no one is allowed in the water with them anymore. This really took away from the show but as all Caroline's kid TV shows say "Safety First."

My brother's family and our family. Mya is hidden in the baby rucksack back there somewhere.

Sea Lion show was really funny!

Caroline smiling at the Sea Lions while wearing Papa's hat....priceless.

The 3 amigos and Nana making silly faces. Future blackmail photo for sure.

Carrie won sister-in-law of the day when she offered to carry Mya in the Baby Rucksack! She lost more than a few hairs.....

....so that we could ride this! Manta! It pulls you back so you are facing the ground like superman. Crazy fun. My brother said I broke the record for saying the most "Oh My God"s on a roller coaster. I think he was right. What a thrill!

The dolphins were my favorite. They had music, circus tricks, amazing costumes, birds flying over your head, water spraying everywhere...but nothing beats the awesomeness of all the tricks done by the trainers and dolphins in the water together.

Watching the dolphins with Caroline.

It was really hot so we bought water and Gatorade around every corner. Mya was AWESOME and was so content. Nevertheless, I was concerned she would overheat so here I am dumping water on her hair. I should have done it to myself too.

Mya checking out the penguins..or maybe just Justin's back=)What a lounge fly.

Carrie needed a push too! The sign on the wall in the background says "Child Swap." We found this to be hilarious and wanted to now where we could trade our kids in...J/K. I guess it has something to do with waiting in line for roller coasters.

It was a crazy day but a great day! Thank you Nana and Papa for treating the family to a trip to Sea World. We had a wonderful time=)

Improv, Downtown Disney and Pool Time

2011-08-02T21:50:00.005-04:00

One night Justin and I went to SAK with Joe and Carrie. SAK is improv comedy (where Wayne Brady got his start) and was absolutely hilarious! If you are ever in Orlando I highly recommend going. Bonus: it was only $15/person, $12 for military! It was great to have an adult night and just laugh until we hurt=)

The resort had a great pool, so we all enjoyed some fun in the sun.
Nana, Papa and the grandkids headed to the pool. We went along to help!

Big jumps to daddy

Mya loves the water.

We also went to Downtown Disney one night. We walked around the shops for a bit watching poor souls with baskets of Disney "stuff" that will be in a garage sale next year. We did,however, find a place to put together and buy Mr. Potato Head pieces. Caroline LOVES her potato head so we were pretty excited to get pirate, Minnie, Donald and Goofy pieces.

Mya cruisin' the downtown Disney boardwalk.

We ate at The Rainforest Cafe. Caroline loved the huge butterflies and dragonflies out front. She was not a huge fan of the thunderstorms but toughed it out.

Papa wrangling the girls at dinner. Our kids were actually awesome during this meal, which was pretty exciting. They are still rather hard to take out to eat, so I was stoked they were cool through dinner=)

Reading the kids Too Much TV while Caroline did her vest when we got home. Ironically, their little eyes kept drifting to the TV while I was reading it. Little boogers!

Mya is on the move!

2011-07-27T21:39:00.005-04:00

Mya is now over 8 months old and is rapidly changing. She has 2 teeth, babbles constantly, and still loves to laugh at Caroline. She will eat pretty much any baby food you put in front of her, including green beans (my least favorite). This week she started eating little pieces of peaches, bananas and those little dissolving graduates puffs. Down the hatch! She also started using her big girl duck bathtub and loves every minute of it..she splashes and squeals with delight.

She still seems pretty chunky and I have a feeling she will maintain her 90%ile status at her 9 month well baby in August. Mya is such a good baby and is tolerant of being lugged all over the place even if it means missing her morning nap....again! My only concern is that she is going to think her name is "Bean" since I tend to call her that more than Mya=)

While on vacation she learned how to sit up from her back and she has mastered the "low crawl." She will crawl on her belly all over the house. She just gets pretty bad because she can't go as fast as she would like to! I took the bumbo and the baby toys downstairs and replaced them with the pack n' play (so she can't get away) and "big baby" toys. Caroline is trying to "help" her learn to crawl in this video. Pretty sure Mya just wonders why her ball keeps getting stolen! I love when I ask her if she wants to try again and she just moans.

And thanks to our friend Tara both girls are ready for UGA football this fall. She is covering up the "Go Dawgs." You can see them better in the video above. So cute!

Wekiwa Springs and Orlando Science Center

2011-07-26T21:26:00.006-04:00

While on vacation, we took Caroline and Mya to the Orlando Science Center. It was a great way to let Caroline run around and explore while beating the heat! The toddler area was the best spot and included a place for her to pick "oranges" from the trees.

She dug for dinosaur bones. She preferred using her paintbrush like a shovel...brushing gently takes WAY too long!

Me in the hurricane wind simulator. My hair felt like tiny little whips on my face=(

One of the coolest parts was seeing "Animalopolis" in the Cinedome Theater. Blows IMAX away! The screen is over your head. At one point it looked like a seal was going to eat us-very cool!

The next day, we went to Wekiwa Springs State Park. I thought it was going to be a little spring but it was a huge area to actually go swimming. The even had steps so you could torture yourself by slowly entering the freezing water. It was cold enough to take your breath away when you got in, but it was better than I thought it would be. The girls were troopers and enjoyed swimming in the crystal clear water.

About to take the plunge!

After our swim we had a picnic lunch overlooking the spring and went on a hike. We definitely did this in the wrong order. It was 98 degrees out, so we were chugging water and Gatorade and ready to jump back on the spring.
Mya rode with me and napped most of the trip. Caroline rode in the big hiking backpack, talked our ears off the whole time and made sure that we were on the white and orange path every 50 yards!

We had a great day and it was FREE! They even waved the $6 park entrance fee because Justin was active duty.

Orlando Vacation-Grand Beach Resort

2011-07-24T21:29:00.005-04:00

Last Friday, we hit the road for Orlando Florida. After 10 long hours and way too many torrential downpours we were thrilled to arrive at Grand Beach Resort. Fortunately, Mya was a dream baby and Caroline stayed glued to the portable DVD player during the trip. We spent the first couple days with my family, but I will post about that soon after I get the pics off my mom's camera=) (I don't take the time to get mine out if I know she is getting good ones!)

We didn't go to any of the big parks other than Seaworld(we thought the kids were still way too young), but we still had a wonderful time in Orlando! The resort was beautiful and had plenty to do right onsite.

There were plenty of ducks to feed-even right out of your hand.

A lake for Justin to take Caroline fishing...

or to play with worms! Notice the other 4 of her "best friends" in between her legs that she is playing with. No girly girl here=)

A beautiful sunset view from our balcony each night. Justin and I would sit out here to talk and have a few drinks after the girls went to bed. We were stuck in the room as of 8:30pm, so this was the extent of our nightlife!

The kids loved playing on the little playground and the outdoor grills next to it came in handy for steak night.

We also spent a lot of time poolside (on mom's camera). It was a great place to stay and made vacationing with 2 little ones a treat! Our other family outings included the Orlando Science Center, Wekiwa Springs State Park, putt-putt, Rainforest Cafe, Downtown Disney, and Seaworld. More posts to come=)

CF Clinic Visit

2011-07-12T21:42:00.006-04:00

Today was Caroline's routine CF Clinic visit in Atlanta. We left around 10 for what we knew would be a crazy day. I took a few pictures this time to kind of document some of what we do at clinic.

She starts out by getting her height checked. More often than not they double check it because she grows so much between visits. Today was no exception-she is near the 90%tile.

Then they moved on to weight, blood pressure and oxygen levels all at once. Caroline didn't gain any weight over these last 3 months, so weight continues to be our main concern. Despite our best efforts to get her to eat a high calorie diet, it just doesn't seem to be enough. The doctors continue to throw around giving her an appetite stimulant, which means more meds. We have been putting it off because she has always shown growth...small growth...but growth nonetheless. This is the first time she hasn't gained any weight. If the trend continues, we will consider an appetite stimulant to get her to eat more calories. She is in the 45%tile for weight but her height/weight (BMI) is only 6%.

Then about 8-10 doctor types make their rounds. This process takes a few hours and is always completely draining on Justin and I. The kids need lunch, Mya gets tired (poops and throws up all over us), and Caroline is going bonkers after being trapped in a doctor's office for so long. We juggle all this while trying to have serious conversations with her doctors. Not fun at all, but we know it is the best way to track her growth and keep her lungs healthy. We are always looking for ways to entertain the kids. This is where Justin really comes in handy. He is so fun! Mya loves riding on the rolling chair and Caroline can't get enough doctor gloves.

Caroline loves to let the pulmonologist listen to her lungs and lays down flat as soon as she sees them come in.

Drawing 5 vials of blood did not go as smoothly, but she really was a trooper! Here she is with her "glub" (glove) balloon after she was finished with her blood draw.

We love you Caroline. Thank you for being such a trooper!

Everyday Fun

2011-07-11T21:39:00.005-04:00

There is never a dull moment around the Toole household. Even when we don't have big plans, everyday fun around the house and around Athens keeps us busy.
We frequently enjoy ice pops after the kids afternoon nap. It makes a pretty awesome teething ring and Caroline loves to suck the juice up the sides.

One of our new favorite places is Pump It Up. Caroline loves to jump and go down the big slides. I love that she takes a good nap on these afternoons.

Mya is learning to hold a sippie cup of water. Big sister is there to help when she needs it.

Chuck E Cheese birthday party- Caroline having to mercy on the birthday girl. She got really good at this water gun game!

Getting thrown off the diving board on the last day of swimming lessons. She thought we were crazy for asking her to jump by herself.

Caroline loves to hold Mya and I love it when she sucks her big toe! So gross and so cute all at the same time.

One of my best buds from college, Mandy, came to visit the other weekend. We went to Athfest and then had tapas for dinner. In the middle of dinner, my eye just started tearing up and was causing me a lot of pain. It was all downhill from there. I had to call it a night. The next day, I taped my eye shut because I couldn't handle any light entering my eye. Justin was Mr. Mom! The doc said I had pink eye but I think I cut it! Either way, Mandy brought "Momma's Happy Juice" and I was determined to have a glass with her...crappy eye and all.

4th of July at Lake Lanier

2011-07-06T14:52:00.004-04:00

We spent the long weekend with Justin's side of the family at Lake Lanier. It was so much fun! We laughed, ate lots of yummy food, swam in the lake, went skiing, jumped of the boat dock, caught fish, relaxed and had a wonderful time.

Fishing with Uncle Shawn was one of Caroline's favorite things to do. I think they caught 33 little fish right by the dock. Corn and English Muffins were the bait of choice! She eventually even touched one and would tell us to "Be Quiet!" so we wouldn't scare away the fish. She didn't see the irony in yelling it.

Mya was not a fan of swimming in the lake and preferred to lounge on the swing or sit on the dock and watch everyone. Here she is sporting her 4th of July outfit. What a cutie!

My favorite was floating in the lake and jumping of the second story of the boat dock. Such a rush. Justin pulled off this salute to America mid air=)

Justin did a little skiing and Uncle Shawn went for the speed record on the jetski. This Ben Affleck inspired hairdo is the result!

Bath time in the sink for Mya. She is already rinsing her mouth out with soap...not a good sign=)

We had so much fun we both were seriously struggling on Tuesday. (The kids, of course, were a mile minute as usual!) I never made it out of my glasses and PJ's as I cleaned up from the trip all day and Justin said he suffered from the ancient Chinese disease "DragonA**" all day! It was worth it though=)

Mya: The Comedian

2011-06-27T15:44:00.005-04:00

We have caught some silly photos of Mya lately. By the way, she is now 7 months and is just adorable. She smiles all the time (well almost) and is so rolly polly.

Sporting the Mrs. Potato Head look. She also got her first tooth this day! She has been teething for a few months so we are thrilled the little sucker finally came through. She LOVES to eat baby food, so I was hoping to see some teeth ASAP. She will want to eat "food food" pretty soon.

Which bean is longer? Mya Bean or the green bean?

We got these "yard beans" at the farmer's market and they were the exact same height as Mya. Her nickname is "bean" so we thought it was pretty adorable that "Bean was eating a bean!"

When my parents brought Caroline's cousins to visit, we all went out for pizza and frozen yogurt (at Menchie's...yum!).

Mya sat in a highchair for the first time at the pizza place. She looked so tiny at the head of the table but did great. I put a towel around her waist to keep her steady and she escaped with only a couple small head bonks!

Caroline turns 3!

2011-06-22T15:23:00.005-04:00

Holy cow have I had trouble keeping up with blogging lately. Anyway, the last 2 weekends were spent celebrating Caroline's 3rd birthday. We celebrated with family at my parents house and then we had a little party with her friends here in Athens too.

We did a combo retirement party and birthday party with my family, so we had a big crowd at my parent's house. Thanks to everyone who made the long trip to celebrate with us! We swam, ate until we popped, and watched the kiddos in the jump castle. It was wonderful.

The kids went back and forth from the pool to the jump house all day.

Fish angel food ice cream cake for the "big kids"

Fish cupcakes for the kids

Blowing out her candles. You would have thought they were trick candles. She was so excited to have everyone sing to her!

Sugar Rush!

Papa and Mya in their Panama Jack hats

We also had a little party for Caroline here in Athens. I was so busy, I really didn't get the camera out until most everyone was gone. She had a water themed party, so we pulled out all our pools and sprinklers for the kids to play in. They had a great time and enjoyed eating octopus hotdogs and jello with Swedish fish suspended in it. Ramsey taught Caroline how to Slip N' Slide. We also enjoyed having his mommy and daddy, Cope and Tara, spend the night with us. Game nights are always fun...too bad the kids still get up at 6:45 am=)

I meant to do this at the party but left them in the freezer. Oops!
Ice Surprise- put little prize in a balloon, fill with water, freeze, peel off balloon, roll around in water until ice melts and you can get the prize out. Pretty Cool! Caroline and her cousins enjoyed it a couple days later.

It has been tons of fun and Caroline already seems older to me. Her new haircut makes her look like a little lady and she is talking more and more like grown up every day. We love you Caroline!

First Swim Lesson

2011-06-14T21:46:00.003-04:00

Caroline had her first swimming lesson this morning. She loved it and jumped in with both feet. I was a little nervous because this is her first class that is not "mommy and me." Plus, the idea of her being trusted to follow directions while sitting on a ledge in the deep end freaked me out. But she exceeded all expectations. She was wonderful and loved every minute of it!

Learning to "doggie paddle."

KICK!

Feeling proud of my big girl!

We go 3 days a week for 3 weeks. I am anxious to see what she can learn...so far it looks like more than I thought.

Papa's Retirement Party

2011-06-13T22:07:00.005-04:00

This weekend was jam packed with fun times. Saturday started with Caroline's birthday party with family. I'll post about that later....most of the pictures are on my mom's camera. That evening we threw my dad a surprise retirement party. Family from Pennsylvania, South Carolina and North Carolina made the trip so it was like a mini family reunion.

My brother and I made him a "Words of Wisdom" picture. It included some of his best catch phrases like "Listen to me an you'll where diamonds" and "Life is full of inequities"...all the sayings we have heard our whole lives.

He was showered with many more gifts, dinner and then a slide show my brother and mom worked on. We showed it on this huge outdoor movie screen my brother borrowed from a friend...pretty darn cool! The kids watched some of The Incredibles before we watched "Tim:The Movie." There were definitely some oldies but goodies=)

Sunday we chilled by the pool all day with family....so relaxing. This one of Papa and Mya is just too cute. My dad always wears these hats. I think Mya looks good in them too!

It was so great to spend time with family we don't get to see very often, surprise papa, eat like kings and chill by the pool. Happy Retirement Papa. We look forward to seeing you in Athens more often=) I'll post about Caroline's b-day party soon.

Water Fun & Babies and Beasties

2011-06-04T21:10:00.006-04:00

Water Fun
The only way to stay cool around here is to get in the water! We have been swimming at Nana and Papa's, the local community pool, and in our little inflatable pools on the back porch to try to beat the heat.

Mya chills in her bumbo and is not afraid to splash...as you can see. I thought it was so cute she stopped to suck her thumb-must have been close to nap time.

New goggles-she looks like a cross between a swimmer and an elf from The Lord of the Rings.

Our bathing beauty looks like she is actually posing.

This lady loves to swim and I continue to LOVE her puddlejumper vest that gives her independence and keeps her safe.

Babies and Beasties
This class at the nature center introduces little ones to plants and animals. This is Caroline with her grasshopper during the first class.

We went straight to Wal-Mart after the class to get her own bug catcher. For the past month, she has been OBSESSED with bugs. Yesterday, I had to implement a "No beetles in the house policy" after she let one out of her bug catcher so she could play with him. "I think he likes me" is what she says about the beetles. We bug hunt on a daily basis and have captured (and sometimes killed): daddy long-leggers, a bumble bee, ladybugs, tons of beetles, spiders, moths, crickets, grasshoppers, ants, and more.

In the other classes, we planted flowers, went on a river walk to find tadpoles and listen to frogs, pet a hissing cockroach(not my favorite!), and much more. I love all the kid friendly activities in this community. There is fun around every corner! This is Caroline and her buddy Elsie showing off their matching water bottles.

Mya is 6 months

2011-05-24T21:40:00.007-04:00

Mya had her 6 month check up this week and is doing just great! She is in the 90th percentile for height and 50th percentile for weight (about 16 1/2 pounds). She nurses about 4 times a day and has started eating rice cereal and baby food. She is not a fan of taking her milk out of a bottle which makes it hard for me to get away, but we are working on it.
First bite of applesauce = sour face. Sweet potatoes went down much more smoothly!

I have been thinking Mya is geting a tooth for over a month now and have yet to see one. Chewing on the umbrella pole is just one reason I have this hunch=)

She did take a teething ring instead but refused to let go of the pole.

She still likes to play in her jungle but usually rolls out of it or sits up like this to look around.

Mya doing some skinny dipping. We got her a little whale pool because big sister can make quite a splash. Mya loves to bend over and make her own "little splashes" in the water.

My little monkey!

We love you Mya Bean! You are an amazing baby and we can't wait to see your little personality continue to develop!

Birthday Surprise

2011-05-22T21:05:00.005-04:00

Friday evening started like any other. I was starting dinner, getting Caroline's treatment done, and entertaining Mya simultaneously. Suddenly, Tater went crazy when someone pulled in the driveway. I threw him in the back bedroom and came out to see Justin standing in the kitchen. (This was confusing because he was way early and usually rides the bus.) Before I knew it, Atty came in the door. Justin said "get ready!" and my plans dramatically changed.

I got dressed up quick, passed the baby to Atty (prayed that she would take a bottle), told Caroline to be a good girl and headed out the door within 30 minutes. We went to a very nice restaurant downtown called The National. The food was killer...soft shell crab was amazing. Then we got dessert...well, I ate a chocolate torte a la mode by myself. The extra spoon for Justin sat there and made me look like less of a pig=)

Afterwards we came back to the house. Mya did not drink her bottle, which is an ongoing battle. Really no big deal that night. I fed her and we went back out. We decided to go to Ten Pin Tavern, which is a beer and bowling beer lounge. We had a great time and I really appreciated all the thought put in to surprising me!

Atty on Saturday morning. This is classic. Caroline is completely in her space and has spilled coffee on her shirt. Mya is refusing to drink the bottle and Atty is still smiling! Can't thank you enough for being in on the surprise!

Today, I turned 30! We kept in pretty low key. We went to the park for a picnic and to play with the kids, watched some Arrested Development (we are just now discovering how awesome this show is), played in the little pool out back with the girls and then went to Yoforia for yogurt ice cream. What a wonderful weekend. I have a feeling my 30's will be fun-filled=)

CF Great Strides Walk

2011-05-16T21:05:00.005-04:00

The Peanut Gallery

We were able to walk with the family this year, so the walk was extra special for us. Aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents were all there to support us. It was pretty much guaranteed to not only rain, but thunderstorm, so we were more than thrilled when the clouds parted and it turned into a beautiful morning=) Not a drop fell from the sky! As of now, The Peanut Gallery has raised over $8,000...awesome!

Family Shot

Caroline
I'm so proud! The theme was "Blow CF Away" so they had Blow-pop suckers. Caroline loved it and ended up with more in her hair than in her mouth...gross!

She also enjoyed "flying" over the cracks in the pavement. Uncle Shawn quickly learned the only way to get this exhausting game to end was to walk in the grass=)

Mya
Was a trooper and looked adorable in her little hat. She rode in the carrier for the walk and enjoyed a nice catnap.

Cousins
Sporting their "Let's Lick CF shirts." The best shirt there said "We run for CF because CF gives us the runs(aka diarrhea)" Hilarious if you are a CFer.

We came home and chilled by the pool. Caroline even had the chance to go swimming for the first time this year. If you don't have a Puddlejumper vest, I highly recommend buying one. Mya and dad had deep conversations about life...poolside.

We even celebrated by birthday, my Dad's birthday, and Mother's Day with dinner and cake! That's a full day of fun.

Great Strides to Cure "Cystic FiCaroline"

2011-05-11T14:37:00.000-04:00

All is well here. Our days are full of time with our families, play dates, library, classes at the nature center and water fun to beat these 80 and 90 degree hot days. I'll do a real update with pictures soon....I currently have baby Mya "helping" me type in my nonstop effort to multi-task=)

Anyway, I did want to send out a quick reminder that we are walking in Great Strides this weekend to benefit CF research. It occurred to me that I never actually posted about this huge yearly event for us. If you would like to donate, please click on Caroline's picture in her vest on the right.

Thank you to everyone who has donated already...you are giving our daughter the chance to live a long full life!!! I can't possibly express how much your donations and the awesome work being done by the CF Foundation and pharmaceutical companies mean to us. My hope for a "cure" has never been so high! Thank you!!!!!!!

I'll be sure to post pictures from the walk soon. Oh, Caroline has been running around saying she has "Cystic FiCaroline." So cute.

Sitting Up...Well, almost!

2011-05-06T15:35:00.003-04:00

Mya has been working hard on trying to sit up. If you lay her on her back, she constantly leans her head up so she can see. She doesn't want to miss a thing! She can sit up momentarily and then plops back down...I think she'll have it down in a few weeks=)

I love that we are now entering the phase of "firsts." First rice cereal...check. First time sitting up...check. Next up...first baby food=)

Caroline Quotes...Prepare to Laugh

2011-04-29T21:06:00.003-04:00

Caroline has had me laughing so hard these days. Here are a few of her one liners.

Me: Your last name is Toole.
C: No, (laughing) I'm not a Toole. Daddy has Tooles.

Caroline comes into the room and says: "Mom,(giggling)Tater is riding your pillow like a horse!"

C: What is that shape? (Pointing to Tater's boy parts)
Me: Well, Tater is a boy so he has a penis. (No nicknames in this house)
C: Boys have penises and girls have vaginas. (straight out of the movie Kindergarten Cop)

Me: Tornadoes have winds so big that they can lift up cars and move them.
C: They can take the car to someone else's house. It is nice to share.

Me: Daddy is stuck at work. (Justin had to stay late to finish homework)
C: Daddy needs to tell Lindsay(his coworker)to get some scissors and snip snip him out. He is stuck in a net.

The girl cracks me up! She takes everything so literally...I can only imagine what is yet to come.

What is this stuff?

2011-04-28T15:46:00.004-04:00

Mya had her first bite of rice cereal last week.

What a face! I think she prefers her milk, but will eat 1-2 tablespoons.

On a completely unrelated note, I just heard her fart through the baby monitor! Ha! I guess she is awake=)

Egg Hunts & Jelly Bean Hunts

2011-04-26T14:21:00.005-04:00

Easter at my brother's house was full of fun for everyone! Thanks for having us!

Fun for Kids!
First time on power wheel car...squealed with delight when she discovered reverse!

Mya's first egg hunt involved sitting and chewing on an egg.

Dying eggs at Nana's the previous weekend.

1st attempt at family photo..Justin not cooperating produced this adorable and hilarious pic of he and Mya.

Second attempt better...complete with Caroline, the lioness=)

Fun for Adults!
The Jelly Bean hunt is awesome. If you have never done one of these, you should try it. They are so much fun and let the adults get in on the egg hunt action=)
Make sure to protect your cups from those who might knock you over and steal your beans!

Tally your beans and add up your points to see who the big winner is. If you are military and completely anal about it make sure to do it like this! Love you hunny=)

Mya is 5 months

2011-04-18T22:47:00.002-04:00

Mya is officially 5 months old now and continues to be a wonderful baby. Here she is letting me know she is hungry. I also think she might be starting to teeth. The girl puts everything in her mouth and drools an awful lot lately.

She wore her swimsuit for the first time recently and looked adorable. She was happy to just have her toes in the water.

Moments later Caroline took the sprinkling can and dumped water on Mya's head. Of course, she screamed and I asked Caroline why she would do that to Mya. Caroline said, "Mya's hair was dirty" in a very matter of fact way. I wasn't sure whether to put her in time out or laugh.

We love her laugh, her rolly polly legs, her happy demeanor and the way she sucks her little thumb while she sleeps=)

CF Clinic Visit

2011-04-12T22:27:00.004-04:00

Even after a long fun-filled day this past weekend, Caroline did her vest...even if she didn't really know it was happening=)

Caroline had her CF Clinic in Atlanta today. It went very well. I am always so proud of how cooperative she is with the doctors. She had a chest x-ray done today by the "big camera" and was such a trooper. It actually looks very intimidating but she just talked and asked questions throughout the whole thing. I said she did great and the technician said she did better than great=) Her lungs sound clear and her x-rays looked clear...yeah for healthy lungs.

Perhaps most exciting was Caroline's weight gain. She gained 2.2 pounds in 2 months and finally hit 30 pounds. She went from the 6th percentile 5 months ago, to the 9th percentile 2 months ago, and to the 25th percentile this visit!!! Weight gain hasn't always been easy for Caroline so this was well beyond any expectation we had for today. Way to go Caroline.

How to entertain a toddler for over 2 hours in the same small room....
1) Use all the foam hand sanitizer
2) Spin her until she is dizzy in the doctor's chair
3) Watch the window washer repel to our window and wash over Caroline's face
4) Tilt one end of exam table up very high in order to make a slide...hilarious
5) Don't play with any of the toys in their backpack
6) Watch for Atty's car and have her visit (thanks Atty..you were a BIG help!)
7) Locate bug traps in windows
8) Snack and a little lunch
9) Play in sink water
10) Be good for the doctors but give mom and dad a run for their money

We will get the throat culture results in the middle of next week, so we are hoping the good news continues.

Bouncing, Beer Brewing, Bathing Beauty

2011-04-06T15:15:00.012-04:00

We are making the most of the beautiful weather (in between thunderstorms!). Saturday, Uncle Shawn came over to start another homebrew and play with Caroline.

Not every 2 year old knows what hops smell like.

Making the most of those windy days by flying her Dora kite from Atty and Papa T.

She loves wearing her helmet....Ha! Look at that face!

Sunday we went to my brother's house to jump in a jump castle. Caroline had to have jumped for at least 3 hours that day, conservatively speaking. I had to force her to come out and drink so she wouldn't pass out on me=) The kids had a blast and so did we.

The babies chillin' in the pack n' play. Mya has one less toe now=)

We even grilled and and did a little "redneck sledding" as my brother named it. My niece and nephew rode this dump truck down the hill in lieu of sledding on snow. Caroline gave it a try too.. she liked it but quickly made her way back to the bounce castle for some more jumping!

Monday was in the 80s so we dug out the bathing suit and did a little sliding in the baby pool. We also played bubbles, washed her Little Tikes car and splashed around in the water table.

4 months, Rainy Day Fun,Videos

2011-03-27T20:52:00.006-04:00

Mya turned 4 months on March 16th...I can hardly believe it. She is a wonderful baby and is just as happy as Caroline was. We had her check up and were not surprised to find out she is in the 95%ile for height and 75%ile for weight. She is a chunk and I love her rolls! She is rolling over, jumping in her swing, laughing, smiling, grabbing, and putting everything in her mouth. I am much more relaxed with baby #2. I have no idea how much she eats-I just nurse her whenever she seems hungry. She doesn't really have a sleeping schedule either, but she also inherited Justin's narcolepsy. Most nights she sleeps from 6:30pm-7:30am. I know I am one lucky mama to have such easy going kiddos.

Mya loves to jump in her swing.

Caroline is a big help. This day, Mya was crying so Caroline got her a toy and was singing twinkle twinkle little star while I tried to get ready for the day.

This weekend was very rainy, so we had some indoor fun. A friend of ours from Missouri stopped by on his way to New York, which means Caroline got to do a little air mattress flying. She loves it and it is hilarious!

Mya was content just watching from the safety of the couch=)

The power drills come out when daddy is involved in craft time.

She was making this bird house out of a OJ carton.

Terrapin Brewery and The Naked Chef

2011-03-20T20:57:00.005-04:00

Caroline and I made a Swiper sandwich...turned out so cute. Anyone who has a child obsessed with Dora the Explorer knows Swiper the Fox!

When the weather gets warm, the clothes come off! Justin was pleasantly surprised when he came home to find out his girls washed his truck=)

The naked chef helping me smash crackers.

My mom and dad came for a visit on Saturday. We had a picnic in the park that has a little zoo. The animals put on a show. The turkey fluffed his feathers, the baby bears climbed trees, and the opossum was even awake! That evening we headed to the Terrapin Brewery, a local microbrewery here in Athens.

We spread out a blanket and listened to the steel drum band on an absolutely gorgeous evening. It is only open from 5-7:30 so it is really kid friendly. (In other words, no one is smashed and obnoxious...yet!) Kids throw footballs while dogs catch Frisbees. So relaxing.

You pay $10 for a glass you get to keep and get 8 samples of the current beers they are brewing. Mya was more interested in the dogs than the beer.

Caroline loved throwing fritos in her daddy's mouth and chasing us around. The dog in the background lifted his leg and peed on the backs of the people next to us!!!!

Mya chilling at the brewery at just 4 months old...she was a happy camper=)

Picnic, Pints and Paints

2011-03-14T14:52:00.005-04:00

My good friend from college was able to come to Athens for a visit this past weekend. It was so nice to catch up=) We had an amazing dinner at East West downtown and then went out for drinks afterwords.

Saturday, we had a picnic and went geocaching with the whole family.
Mya's first time in a swing. She can't sit up yet but she enjoyed it anyway.

Caroline enjoyed the "big girl" swing.

Caroline finding her "treasure" which usually includes broken McDonald's toys.

That night Mandy and I headed to Pints and Paints for some more "girl time."

Doing some multitasking.....

Love this picture of Mandy because this is how we felt at times. It was fun but also REALLY challenging.

Our "masterpieces." This place differentiates itself by having more complex paintings...no kidding. This was the real deal, so I was happy my painting mildly resembled The Tree That Owns Itself.

It was a fun filled weekend. Come back any time Mandy!

The Circle of Life

2011-03-10T14:41:00.005-05:00

This past weekend was bitter sweet. We lost a beloved part of our family last Wednesday. Justin's grandmother, Meme, passed away. She was our "Darlin'" and will be deeply missed. We have many wonderful memories and stories to cherish! Caroline and Meme spent some time together this past August.

While we attended the funeral, Caroline went to TJ and Allyson's 4th birthday party with my parents. It was a carnival theme and she had a wonderful time!!! She always loves playing and acting crazy with her cousins. I'll have to get some pics to share soon.

We also celebrated the day Justin was born...30 years ago on March 9th.

Caroline putting 4 candles of her choice on the cake. Random but she wanted to help=)

Make a wish...

Nanny and Mya. Mya by the way can wear some 6 month clothes and she isn't even 4 months yet..what a chunk!

Atty came up to watch the girls on Tuesday night so Justin and I could have a date night downtown for his birthday. We had dinner at a nice (non kid friendly) restaurant followed by a couple drinks. So nice to just talk=) This is right when Atty arrived...EVERYONE, including Tater, was so happy to see her!

Smiling tostadas, potty trained and geocaching

2011-02-28T13:41:00.004-05:00

What a hodgepodge title! We have so much going on that I have a hard time keeping up these days.

First of all, Caroline is 100% potty trained. She has been down to just wearing diapers at night for quite some time now, but this week we went to underwear. She has done great and hasn't had any accidents...yet. Way to go Caroline. We are so proud of you!

Nana came to visit. Caroline and she made smiling tostadas and they turned out so cute. Justin and I took advantage of having a babysitter and went to trivia night. Our team won!

Check out those Angelina Jolie lips.

We also went geocaching for the first time since our move to Georgia. We also had a picnic at a park by the lake. It is so nice to be outside again.

Poor Mya could barely see but enjoyed the ride and time outdoors too.

Ringling Brothers Circus

2011-02-25T21:31:00.006-05:00

Last Saturday, we headed to the circus with my side of the family. I think I enjoyed it just as much as the kids=)

Before the start of "The Greatest Show on Earth," we watched this elephant paint with his trunk. I think it had more artistic ability than I do....

A rare glimpse of Caroline sitting in her seat. Otherwise, she was pretty much hopping from lap to lap.

"Hurry up and take the picture. Mya is about to spit up!"

One of our favorites...the sphere cage with SEVEN motorcycles in it!! Wild!

We also loved these guys dressed up like fireworks on the trampolines.

It was a fun trip for both the young and the young at heart! Although, between diaper changes on my lap, nursing in public, and Caroline having ants in her pants, I kind of felt like our family was its very own circus=)

Exciting Announcement from CF Foundation

2011-02-23T15:30:00.003-05:00

Today is a big day for our family because one of the drugs Caroline needs in order to be "cured" finished phase 3 clinical trials. They will seek FDA approval the second half of this year. If all goes well it will be approved for use some time in 2012!!! This has been 10 years in the making and we can't wait to see what the future brings.
People on VX770 had:

Better lung function
Increased weight gain
Near normal salt levels(a key indication the drug is working at a cellular level and treating the disease..not just the symptoms)
Overall better health

What does this mean for Caroline?
VX 770 will not "cure" Caroline. However, it is PART of the "cure" for her so this is still very exciting news for us. Caroline needs to use VX770 in conjunction with VX809, which is a "corrector" that helps move the defective CFTR protein to the proper place in the airway cell. (I put "cure" in quotes because she would still need to take pills the rest of her life.)

In short, she needs both drugs. VX770 on its way to FDA approval is a big step closer to a "cure" for our sweet girl!!! I am actually welling up with tears of joy just thinking about the possibility!

You can read the article at http://www.cff.org/aboutCFFoundation/NewsEvents/2-23-Phase-3-Study-VX-770-Shows-Positive-Results.cfm

Thank you SO much to all of our friends and family who have supported us throughout this journey.

Busy but Good...a Picture Update

2011-02-14T21:42:00.005-05:00

Life has been busy so I will update y'all with a bit of a picture post.

Atty and PapaT came to visit. Consignment shopping followed by dress up and Tapas for dinner.

Super Bowl Party. Sad Steelers lost but my girls sure did look the part of true fans=)

Snowed AGAIN..thought I left it in Missouri but I guess not. Caroline made Tater snow pies.

Went home to celebrate my mom's birthday. Good food and my first tier cake-Chocolate Italian Cream Cake. Yum! Wagon rides, parks and fun times with family.

Mya is 3 months tomorrow. Holy cow. She is a great baby and now sleeps from 8-8, 12 hours straight. I once again must thank my husband for passing his narcoleptic sleep habits on to our kiddos. She smiles, coos, giggles, has rolled over a couple times and grins from ear to ear when Caroline is playing with her. My favorite part of the day is getting her in the morning because she is so happy to see me...melts my heart! She is adorable and is the perfect addition to our family. Here she is in her new jumpy swing.

She also loves to suck her thumb. Cool now but probably not 3 years from now when I am dumping tabasco sauce on her hands to get her to stop!

This weekend we head to the Ringling Brothers Circus in Atlanta. Sometimes I feel like our life is its own little circus act=) I'm sure many of you can relate.

1st time lungs need some help

2011-02-08T14:22:00.003-05:00

Caroline had her quarterly CF care center visit last Monday. She was a trooper but was once again ready to go after 3 hours at the doc (better than the 4 1/2 hours we were there last time). She wore her little mask like a champ and let the doctors poke and prod her without complaint. The doctor kit we bought her last Christmas was the biggest help...it is no big deal to her now.

Weight
She weighs over 28 pounds now, but is still considered "in the red" for her height/weight which is in the 9%tile. We continue to try to pack as many calories into her diet as possible...who knows maybe we will be "yellow" next visit. In the meantime, we increased her enzymes to 1 1/2 with snack and 2 1/2 with meals. Combined with other meds, that means she is currently popping about 15 pills a day.

Lungs
Unfortunately, we have to add a few more. Caroline has been sick with a bad chest cold for well over a week now and can't seem to shake it on her own. Despite doing 3 vest (as opposed to 2) vest treatments a day, we need some help. Her throat cultures did grown staff again (not a bad scarring bacteria!) which may be hindering her body's ability to shake this chest cold. I head to CVS after her nap to get Bactrum and some other pill to prevent diarrhea while she is taking it. The doctor says this should get rid of her cough after a few days.

All in all this is good news. 1) She did gain weight and now we have more enzymes to help her gain more. 2) Still no "bad bacteria" that causes permanent damage to her lungs. 3) We can hopefully shake this nasty cough and stop doing 3 vest treatments (1 1/2 hours a day).

"Being Mommy"

2011-01-30T22:21:00.004-05:00

Caroline likes to do whatever she sees me doing with Mya. This includes doing all of the following to her stuffed animal "babies": putting diapers on them, burping them with my burp rags, giving them pacifiers, rocking them, putting clothes on them, putting them in the swing and vibrating chair etc. The latest addition to this long list is breastfeeding them.

She went and got her rocking chair and stole my nursing blanket out of my purse so that she could feed mommy bear.

Instead of milk, mommy bear got one of Tater's dog bones=) So funny. I know she is imitating me but I promise I don't try to feed Mya dog treats! She came up with that all on her own.

Everything is Better With a Sister

2011-01-26T14:22:00.005-05:00

Caroline and Mya are 2 peas in a pod these days. Here are some of their daily adventures together.

First trip in the jogging stroller together. Yes...it is harder to push it uphill!

First bath together. All went well until Caroline thought Mya could be rinsed off a bit more and got water on her face.

Doesn't she just look like she is about to cause trouble=) Mya even looks like she knows it's coming!

Hanging out on the Dora couch together this morning. Caroline loves to hold Mya and I have to admit she has a knack for making her happy.

Jungle sisters=)

2 Months, First REAL Haircut & a Tornado

2011-01-18T13:41:00.006-05:00

Caroline had her first real haircut...2 inches came off! She did great and loved her pink car. Kidzdooz had a play area too so your other children can play...sooo smart.

Mya is 2 months old this week. She is a chunk at 12 pounds 5.5 ounces and 23 1/2 inches long. That's 90% in each area..she is going to have to shop at Big and Tall for babies pretty soon. She is snug in some of her 3 month clothes. She is sleeping 6-8 hours at night now, has rolled from her belly to back once, and laughs at her big sister. She is a wonderful baby.

Caroline loves to "help" me...sometimes I think she still wants to be the baby. Here she is happily playing in Mya's crib about 5 minutes before breaking the mobile! Duct tape couldn't even fix it...

Mya gets a lot of attention, so we try to make sure Caroline feels special too. Here we are making circus animal shaped waffles. She loves helping me cook.

Caroline likes to play beauty shop with me. This is her latest creation...minus a few hairs!

A tornado hit Fort Leonard Wood before Christmas!
The intersection about 4 houses from our old house on post.

Tornado hitting officer housing on Fort Leonard Wood, MO. Taken from the parking lot where Justin used to work.

Who needs a REAL sled?

2011-01-10T23:06:00.004-05:00

Caroline loved eating all the snow and riding on Daddy's makeshift sled, a military PT mat.

Justin took all his girls for a ride. I love Caroline saying "again" at the end. She liked it so much they went out to sled again after her nap...fun times.

New Years in Blue Ridge Mountains

2011-01-07T22:39:00.009-05:00

Both of our entire families were able to spend New Years together at this cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Christmas snow/ice was still around on day one (causing most to get stuck and or spin out) but it sure was pretty. The waterfall is frozen in this picture. This place was amazing and 3 days together flew by. Here are some pics to document our stay=)Sorry some are so small...they are borrowed from another site where they were condensed, but you get the idea.

The kids loved the playground and the game room complete with pool table, jukebox, and arcade games. The "big kids" enjoyed competing with each other on the race car game.

We also played challenges from the TV show Minute to Win It. So fun...the boys ultimately won..boo!
Unrolling TP the fastest

Knocking down cups with rubberbands. Notice the awesome outdoor space with kitchen, fireplace and tv. This is in my dream home!

Flick raisen box from underneath beer bottle..Joe did it perfectly on the first try!

The boys put on an awesome fireworks display on New Year's Eve. We hauled them all the way from Missouri and it was worth it. Caroline would disagree. She said she like the colors but they were too loud and opted to go to bed instead.

Sunday was a rainy day of football and lounging, especially by Mya. Atty could get that girl to calm down/sleep in no time.

Mya started smiling this week=)

Kiddos making a mess- I mean playing with playdoe.

My dad and Mya lounging in the jungle.

My mom and Mya on the back porch.

We're not sure, but we think Aunt Carrie must have smelled bad=)

Uncle Shawn took one for the team and painted Caroline's toenails. He did a great job!

It was a trip I will remember for a long time. Thanks everyone for a weekend full of great memories.

Christmas Full of Firsts

2010-12-28T23:15:00.007-05:00

We were able to celebrate Christmas as a family in our OWN house for the first time ever! Santa came to our house a day early on the 24th.
We put out cookies and carrots for Santa and his reindeer.

Santa brought Caroline a tricycle. Look at that bedhead!

Mya had her first Christmas! Although she certainly didn't know it...she slept right through Christmas morning.

Christmas Eve and Christmas morning were spent at Justin's parent's house. We decided Mya looked like baby Jesus in the manger while she slept next to the Christmas tree.

Caroline helped everyone open their gifts and got the hang of ripping into her own fairly quickly.

We went to my parent's house Christmas day in the afternoon for our 3rd Christmas.
Caroline enjoyed her gifts and put together an awesome outfit from her new "dress up" box.

We think she looks like a cuter version of ET!! HA! Can you see the resemblance?

While we were there it snowed for the first time in 130 years on Christmas day!! So cool. We darted outside to catch snowflakes on our tongues=)

The next day we took Caroline out to play in the snow. It was probably a little over an inch, but she loved chasing us and wiping her snowballs on us.

It was a wonderful weekend with family and fun! Thursday we head to a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains to spend New Years with both our families...can't wait!

On a side note, I should be better about blogging again. Mya has started sleeping more at night. This means I am sleeping more at night and feeling more like myself again=)

Visiting Santa

2010-12-06T22:20:00.004-05:00

We went to get a REAL Christmas tree this weekend. For the last 7 years we have had a fake one because we left Missouri to come home to Georgia for a couple weeks. This year, we will be home!

Caroline pushed down the tree and then pretended to be an airplane down the row while daddy hauled it back to the car.

Santa was there and I could not believe that Caroline was willing to sit on his lap. When he asked her what she wanted she said "a snake." We had to explain to Santa that our dog, Tater, needs a new stuffed snake toy!

Santa was really sleepy and kept yawning. I think he had a late night.....

Santa and the family

Tree Frog and Parade of Lights

2010-12-03T16:26:00.005-05:00

Mya loves to be a "tree frog" on Justin's belly. I could watch her there all day...sooo cute!

Thursday night we headed downtown to grab some dinner and watch the Parade of Lights. This was quite the parade- great floats, lots of music and of course Santa!
Santa said he would get Caroline something for Christmas, but that was before she jammed the DVD player this morning...he may be thinking twice=)

Mya in her snowman suit. It was 35 degrees so we were all bundled up=)

My girls before the parade starts.

Caroline and I enjoying the lights before the parade starts.

Float

Clapping and waving as the floats go by.

Daddy and Caroline watching parade.

We also started opening our advent calendar which Caroline calls her "numbers." She wants to open ALL of them in one day, of course.

This weekend we head to the Christmas tree farm...the holidays have begun=)

2 weeks with Mya

2010-11-29T16:35:00.007-05:00

Things have been very busy around here between the holidays and a new baby in the house, but it has been wonderful. Here are a few pics from the hospital, Thanksgiving with our families, and our new life as a family of four in random order.

Caroline stayed with Nana and Papa for a couple days so Justin and I could get settled with Mya. I think she missed us for about 1 minute....there was too much fun to be had=)

My IV, medical bracelets and 2 blood draw gauze patches made me feel a little like a rock-star!

Caroline played Mya a song on her piano.

Papa (my dad) holding Mya.

Caroline wanted to curl up under this blanket with Nana and Mya...so sweet!

Caroline served Mya a lovely tea party on her first day home. She is already eager to have a playmate.

Caroline giving Mya a kiss. Do you think they will always be this sweet with each other? Ha!

Joe and Carrie (my brother and sister-in-law) came to visit with their kiddos.

This was taken in the hospital and was not posed believe it or not. The lighting in the ceiling made everyone look so angelic=)

Mya's first walk in her stroller.

Playing in the leaves outback once we were home and settled.

Caroline and Daddy playing in the leaves.

Justin eating the Turkey carcass...eeewwww!

Toole family at Thanksgiving.

Life is good=)

It's a girl!

2010-11-19T13:38:00.004-05:00

By now most of you have probably heard that our baby has arrived. Mya Jane was born on Tuesday, November 16th at 1:42 p.m. She weighed 8 pounds 3 ounces and was 20 1/4 inches long.

I went into labor Monday night around 11:00 pm. I labored for 9 hours at home and 3 hours in the hospital before getting an epidural around 11:00 am. 2 1/2 hours later I was able to start pushing. At that time, the doctor still wasn't sure whether I would be able to deliver without assistance, so I was eager to start pushing. After just a few minutes, it was clear that my dream of delivering my baby naturally was finally going to happen. I was blessed to have an amazing doctor that allowed me to do a VBAC=)

The timing worked out pretty well as Caroline slept through the majority of my labor. We called our families around 4:30 am and they were able to watch Caroline when Justin and I left for the hospital. Caroline is SO excited to have Baby Cheeto here and is going to be a great helper. She loves to hold her and sit next to her and just stare! She is just too adorable and I can't wait for the sisters to play with each other very soon.Here are the few pictures I have so far. I will post some new ones soon.

Caroline getting ready to come see Mya. She looks like a little rockstar=)

Caroline visiting with Baby Cheeto for the 1st time. She didn't have a name at this point yet. She and Daddy are giving Mya kisses.

My beautiful girls...Caroline is just in awe of Mya.

Our attempt at a family photo. I could hardly believe that I was showered, cleaned up and ready to go home just 24 hours after delivery. Big change from last time.

Mya in her Baby Cheeto shirt. Thanks Tara for making the girls their matching shirts. They looked so cute together and the nurses thought it was pretty hilarious too.

My mom, Caroline, Mya and I.

Caroline has been with my mom the last couple days and comes home tonight. Let the real fun begin!!!!

Quick Baby Cheeto Update

2010-11-10T14:15:00.003-05:00

I am trying to get many things done before Baby Cheeto arrives and we have been having some Internet woes with our wireless router...so I haven't been blogging much lately. Just wanted to put up a quick post that Baby Cheeto and I are still doing fine. I go back to the doc this Friday for a checkup but I am not expecting to have any real progress until I am IN labor. If history repeats itself, my body crams everything into a 24 hour time period as opposed to stretching it out over the course of a few days. I am due next Friday, Nov. 19th, but am willing to accept early arrivals at this point=) Cheeto is OUT OF ROOM! I am NOT planning on having a C-Section (even though Caroline was one) so Cheeto is coming when he/she is ready. Look for a "It's a......" post soon. I can't wait to see if we are having a boy or a girl!!!!

Halloween Lil' Stinkers

2010-11-01T20:31:00.005-04:00

Tater and Caroline were both skunks for Halloween this year...our "Lil' Stinkers." I think the people at Jo Ann fabric thought I was crazy when I told them my daughter was going to be a SKUNK for Halloween, but I thought she was an adorable (sweet smelling) skunkette=)

Atty was here the Thursday before Halloween for work and stopped by to take Caroline to the park for the Halloween carnival. She went down the huge slide, jumped in bounce houses, did the ring toss, threw a baseball at milk bottles and most importantly...ate suckers...her favorite!

Face painting: She sat very still and seemed to "tolerate," but not enjoy, the process.

Of course, we did a little pumpkin carving. She was hesitant to dig out the seeds at first and proclaimed everything to be "yucky" but was pulling it out by the handfuls eventually.

While daddy carved the pumpkin (and watched the Georgia/Florida game), Caroline and I painted 2 small pumpkins. She was very neat and tidy about it to my surprise..I was prepared for clothing to be thrown away and an immediate bath.

We cruised the neighborhood in our little red wagon. Caroline was a little shy but usually did whisper "trick-or-treat" and "thank you." She was all smiles!

She was thrilled with all the candy she got...and so was Tater!

My attempt to get a pic of both stinkers...a 2 year old is hard enough...I think I bit off more than I could chew when I thought I could add a dog in costume and get a good photo=)

It makes me so happy to watch Caroline laughing and having fun. We only have a couple weeks left as a family of three and Halloween weekend was a great way to spend that time together.

Pumpkin Patch and Brewing Our First Beer

2010-10-25T21:06:00.007-04:00

We went to Washington Farms Pumpkin Patch this past weekend, and it was amazing. There was SO much to do. Nana and Papa were able to make a trip up to go with us. As you will see, I had a hard time narrowing down the pictures this time...too many Kodak moments!
Finally finding the right pumpkin. It had to be "little" because Caroline said she was little.

Wheelbarrow ride with her pumpkin...too cool Caroline!

Watching "Arnold Scwartzenhogger," "Porka Dot," "Kevin Bacon," and "Squeelie Nelson" at the Pig Races.

Riding the cow train

Papa got the closest with the pumpkin sling shot...I pretty much lost my balance and fell on my butt=) We also got to shoot corn with the air gun.

Buried in corn...we even brought some home in our shoes and underwear.

Very cool trampoline-nice hair Caroline!

Riding the off road tricycles.

Caroline got to pet baby goats, cows and bunnies.

After going to the pumpkin patch, Uncle Shawn and Aunt Jillian came over to help us brew our very first beer...a 'Punkin' Porter. I caught several steps on camera...boy is it an exact science!
Boiling the pumpkin that we bought at the pumpkin patch.

Adding the malt extract..thank you Papa for bringing a burner we could use outside. This step was NOT pleasing to the nose!

Cooling the beer down with every ice pack we own and running a hose through our back window! Gives it that redneck taste=)

Testing the specific gravity..whatever that means. Looks like Justin is back in the chemistry lab.

The ladies entertained Caroline while the brewing was going on. Thank you Aunt jillian for the 3D chalk. I think the adults were equally impressed!

Thank you Nana for the Playdoe. We are still making pumpkins.

Can't wait to try it. Baby Cheeto should be here by the time it is ready. Right now it is brewing in our basement.

Gold Rush and Other Fun Times

2010-10-20T15:42:00.006-04:00

Justin, Caroline, Atty and Papa T (Justin's Parents) and I all headed to Dahlonega for Gold Rush this past weekend. Gold Rush is a craft festival, but Justin and I spent most of our time catching up with friends we haven't seen since graduation! The Alumni Reception was a couple hours, which just wasn't long enough for us! However, Miss Caroline was ready to head back to get some sleep.

Rick, Arlene, Justin, Caroline and I under the NGCSU arch. His parents are alumni too!

Our little fam under the arch.

This is what Caroline really wanted to do....play in the mulch, bushes, flowers and grass. She was running around like a wild woman. I think having no nap made her completely silly!

We stayed at the Toole's cabin, so Caroline enjoyed getting up to feed the fish down at the lake...too chilly for ducks I guess.

2 weeks ago Caroline made Halloween cookies with Atty. Love the apron=)

Sporting her new backpack. I am trying to get her to haul her own stuff, so I only have to carry Baby Cheeto's!

First Atlanta CF Appointment

2010-10-18T20:54:00.002-04:00

It has been a couple weeks since Caroline's first CF appointment in Atlanta, but I am finally getting around to posting a quick update. It was a VERY long visit..we were in the exam room for 4 hours and 15 minutes. Thank heavens Justin was with me to help wrangle Caroline. She met the whole CF team, which included 9 different doctors and specialists. They all seem very nice and told me repeatedly that her next visit would not take nearly as long...WHEW!

Her throat cultures came back negative for any "bad bacteria" in her lungs again. This is always a relief and means no new medication for now! We will keep giving her albuterol breathing treatments and doing her vest twice a day.

She is still tall and skinny. They would like to see her gain more weight and suggested an appetite stimulant pill. I started counting her caloric intake and she is getting around 60 grams of fat and 1400 calories a day...I think she eats a lot for a 2 year old. She just doesn't absorb it all. So I think we are going to hold off on the appetite stimulant for now. She is skinny, but she looks healthy to us.

All and all it is a pretty good report...we are just looking for some more weight gain=) She sees her GI here in Athens on Oct. 27th, so we'll pray that she tips the scales!

Baby Shower and Nana's Visit

2010-10-12T21:38:00.005-04:00

This past weekend was my Baby Shower. Thank you Atty and Mama for hosting fun times with family and friends...and of course for ice cream sundaes! Baby Cheeto went home with lots of goodies from people near and far. Thanks to all our family and friends who sent things long distance.
Mama and I- I'm not really that much taller. I was feeling brave enough to wear heels=)

Caroline and Allyson were quite the little "helpers." Caroline enjoyed being just as spoiled as Baby Cheeto (tutu, brother and sister bear, balloons etc.) while Allyson helped hand me all my gifts!

Nanny, Atty and Caroline

Nana came to visit Monday and Tuesday. We went to the park with the little zoo and out to lunch at a bakery with seating under the shade trees.

Checking out the bald eagle at its big nest.

Nana also got to see Caroline in her element....gymnastics!

Nana also helped me make Caroline's skunk costume...she and Tater are being "Lil' Stinkers" together!!

Another great weekend=)

My Busy Little Bee

2010-10-05T20:55:00.002-04:00

Uncle Shawn and Aunt Jillian came for a visit this weekend. We relaxed at the house for a while and then went downtown for dinner and drinks. While the boys had beers, the ladies sipped on Cola and juice. We hit up Pauley's for dinner...everything is in a crepe...pretty unique and yummy. Caroline was quite the trooper and enjoyed playing with her aunt and uncle.

Being oh so ladylike during pre-dinner drinks...I guess she thought everyone should enjoy her Chexmix.

My Assistant Chef. Caroline LOVES to help me in the kitchen-especially if it involves making a mess!

This week was Caroline's first full week in underwear-minus nap and bedtime. She has done wonderful on the potty and has christened Wal-Mart, Lowes, the mall, the grocery store and more. I am SO proud of her wearing her big girl undies. As you can see, she is pretty proud too!

Playing in the rain with Tater.

As you can see Caroline is a busy bee. We had her first CF care center visit in Atlanta today, so I will post about it soon.

Visit from Cousins and 7 year Anniversary

2010-09-26T21:27:00.004-04:00

Things have been as busy as usual around here. Last weekend, my brother and his family came for a visit. Caroline thinks TJ and Allyson hung the moon so she was super excited about their visit. It was a game day here in Athens so we did our best to dodge the craziness of downtown and took the kiddos to Memorial Park. It has a small zoo, lake, picnic areas, playground, dog park etc. There are such wonderful parks here!
The zoo has bears, deer, alligators, eagles and other small rescue animals. Perfect for toddlers. Here are the kids checking out the turkey, which they said they would see again at Thanksgiving.

A walk around the lake.

Feeding the ducks and geese bread.

Playing in "Allyson's house" at the playground.

We even hit up the ice cream truck. Caroline wanted everything pictured on the side of the van=)

Thanks for a great visit. Come back soon!

This weekend Justin and I celebrated our 7 year wedding anniversary. We went to the 40 Watt Club in downtown Athens to listen to a few bands. It was really good to relax and listen to some good music. The fact that it only takes 5 minutes to drive home is nice too=)

My parents arrived Saturday morning to help us around the house and watch Caroline so we could go out to dinner. We went to Farm 225 downtown and it was delicious! They have their own organic farm...whatever is in season is what is on the menu. Ordering is a little scary because I have never heard of half of what I am eating, but it paid off big...sooooo good! Justin and I love good food so we are loving having so many great restaurants to choose from=)

Thanks for being such a wonderful husband and father baber! Caroline, Baby Cheeto, and I are so lucky to have you=)