BIG Changes!!!

We have has some big changes at the Coulter house this month. First of all, Caroline has moved into her BIG GIRL ROOM!! She actually changed bedrooms and has done great. When we were taking down her crib she did say, "No take down my cwib, my a baby" but she has never mentioned it since and is really proud of her room. This room was definitely a group effort and just about everyone in our family contributed. Caroline's "new" beds are her great-great grandparents...I spent many hours painting them blue. Then her Papa and Daddy painstakingly attached the headboard and footboard to the frames. Meme and Pappy gave her new mattresses. Her Mammy gave her the coverlets on her beds and the fabric for the blankets, bedskirts and pillows for Christmas and Caroline's great-gradmother Mymamma spent weeks lovingly sewing it all.I found this chandelier at Target and Caroline's Pop and Mymamma gave it to her for Christmas and Papa rewired it to hang from the ceiling. I found this old swingdown desk in my parents attic and we painted it to match her beds. It is in her closet for storage for now but will be used as her desk in the future.

Santa brought Caroline the dollhouse for Christmas and I found her cornishboard in my parents attic and had it recovered. I found the two wooden, hot pink frames at Big Lot's for five dollars each.

Caroline's green shelf is a gift from her great-grandmother Maggie. My sister Ginny came up with the idea for the canvases over the beds. She had seen some with the words to "You Are My Sunshine" painted on them and we decided that the words to "Sweet Caroline" would be perfect (for obvious reasons). Ginny also came up with the idea to sew on the fabric letters.

It makes me sad sometimes to see my baby in her big girl room but we sure love it and are thankful for everyone's help!

**Our second big change is that Caroline is officially potty trained!!! She has been in big girl panties exclusively during the days for about three weeks now and just wears a diaper and naptime and bedtime.

Chili Cook-Off

This past Saturday we spent the morning at Decatur's 2nd annual Chili Cook-Off. The weather was beautiful, the band was good, the inflatables were bouncy, good friends were everywhere, and the chili was very tasty. It was a great day! Dan and a group of his Hartselle friends won the People's Choice Award and we will soon be enjoying a free night at the Marriott in Florence!

Valentines Day and Snow!

One of those moments...

I just experienced one of those little moments that make all of the hard and frustrating parts of being a parent totally, totally worth it. After a long day of playing and potty training (five days now in big girl panties with only a few accidents) I was putting Caroline in bed a few minutes ago. She has been in a big girl bed for about two weeks now (pictures coming soon!) and our bedtime routine includes me laying down with her, reading a Bible story, saying prayers, singing Jesus Loves Me, and reciting Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep. Well, tonight I laid her down and she said "Lay down with me Mommy?" I told her not tonight, that my back was hurting and I was just going to stand beside her bed and say prayers. Well, she reached for my hand and said, "back hurts, Mommy? Lie down, I rub it." I couldn't resist. I laid down and she rubbed my back with those tiny, precious hands through the entire bedtime routine. What an angel, I am so blessed to be her Mommy......

What A FUNUNDRUM!

We had a big night out Friday night at the ...........................CIRCUS!! Ringling Brothers and Barnum Bailey brought the "greatest show on earth" to Huntsville, Alabama and we had a blast. The show was actually really good and the adults and the kids all had fun. We took a big group that included Mammy and Papa, Dan, Caroline, Me, Mary Bibb, Virginia, and suprisingly, Birdie and Dave. The little girls had been soooo excited at they were not disappointed, especially when Papa and Uncle Dave sprang for 3 $9 lemonades, 3 $9 sno cones, and 1 $8 box of popcorn! Sweet Papa even surprised each girl with a stuffed elephant that Caroline has slept with every night since. Here are some pictures of the big night:

This last picture makes me laugh. The circus did not get over until around ten o'clock and Virginia was basically passed out on his shoulder the whole time trying to get out of there through the masses of people. She finally lifted her little head up and I asked her if she had fun at the circus and this was the best smile she could muster!

Wordless Wednesday