The Coulter Family

Beach Trip

2012-02-04T16:52:00.000-08:00

Near the end of January, Kate and Mills, Dan's mom Vicki, Caroline, Jackson and I took a quick get-a-way to Destin for a long weekend. The weather was so nice. We did a lot of shopping, eating, playing, wrestling, parking (at the park!) and just hanging out. What a great little escape!

Virginia's Tea Party

2012-02-03T18:26:00.000-08:00

My niece Virginia had a dress-up tea party to celebrate her fourth birthday. To say that she is Caroline's best friend would be an understatement. The two of them are soooo different but love each other sooooo much. I am so thankful that Caroline has a sweet cousin that is her exact same age and in her same class even though the two can be TROUBLE together!

Christmas 2012

2012-02-03T15:11:00.000-08:00

We will keep this short and sweet because Christmas 2012 was not the best one that we have ever had..... Caroline was literally sick the ENTIRE week before. She had 104 degree fever on and off for like 6 days. I think we went to pediatrician three times because what started off as strep turned into a nasty virus. We missed our annual cousin cookie making day, friends coming into town, and Christmas Eve Eve at Granny's house. She cried and would say "Momma, I just cant miss Christmas at Granny's, I really can't!''..so then I would cry. She felt a little better and was able to make Christmas Eve night (no church though) at the Coulter's. I was sooooo glad! She then felt good on Christmas Day, which I was so very thankful for, and we had a great one. However, I woke up the day after feeling like a dog and spent FIVE hours at the local clinic to be diagnosed with walking pneumonia......SHEESH!!

Trip to the Opryland Hotel

2012-02-02T14:54:00.000-08:00

Before Christmas, Mom, Granny, Virginia, Caroline and I took an overnight trip to the Opryland Hotel. We had an awesome room with a balcony and the hotel was decorated to the nines. The girls chose to go swimming right when we got there and then we had a nice dinner and went to the the Rockettes that night. Despite some major problems with Granny's power scooter (no power!) the night was so much fun. we ate breakfast and went to the ice exhibit the next day. Such a fun time!

Happy Birthday Caroline!!!

2011-11-29T18:33:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe it but our sweet, baby girl is FOUR years old!!!! Why does four seem so much older than three?? Caroline had been counting down the days until her fourth birthday for months... She was so excited. She had already had her big bash with her brother the weekend before but we did plan a few fun things to do on her actual birthday weekend. She started out with a small party at school with her friends. Her teacher made her a cute crown and I managed to drag myself up there after having the stomach bug the day before and bring cupcakes (Dan and Jackson both had it the day before I did). She had fun and went to bed Friday night so excited and all set for her big day on Saturday. Sadly, she woke up around midnight throwing up so she spent most of her actual birthday on the couch. It about broke her Mommy's heart but she was ok with it and we recovered to go shopping and eat with friends on Sunday. Caroline, we are so blessed to have been your parents for four incredible years. You are so smart, so funny, so sassy, so cute, so spirited, so loving, such a good big sister, and are just so special to our family. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

2011-11-15T13:31:00.000-08:00

We had a fabulous Halloween this year. Caroline decided to be Dorothy and she could not have been more into the festivities this year. We made Jackson the lion and he was completely content sucking on a sucker at all times!! On Sunday we went to "trunk or treat" at church and on Monday we went to two different Halloween parties with friends and ended the night trick-or-treating. Pictures from all:

BiRtHdAy BaSh!!!!

2011-11-05T13:18:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Jackson's first birthday and Caroline's fourth birthday with a joint party on October 29th. It was Caroline's idea to do their parties together which was great with me! She was dying to have her party at the skate castle and, I worried that it might be too much of an unorthodox spot for a year-old , but it turned out the be the perfect place! We were blessed to have so many friends and family be able to attend , and there was plenty of entertainment for the kids of all ages. When we got into the car to leave after 2.5 hours of mass choas, Caroline leaned her head back, sighed, and looked at me and said, "Mom, that the bestest birthday party ever." Well worth it!!!

Happy First Birthday Jackson!!!

2011-11-05T13:03:00.000-07:00

Our sweet, baby boy is ONE!!!!! On October 26th, Jackson turned one year old. We celebrated both his and my birthday the night before at my mom's, at lunch there again on his actual birthday, and topped it off with birthday dinner at the Coulter's. It was a great day for a great little guy. He is such a joy to be around. He has the sweetest personality of any baby I have ever known but he is VERY rambunctious and into absolutely everything. He crawls super fast and can climb up on most everything, but is still a ways from walking. He is not quite as verbal as Caroline was at his age but he does say dog, ball, da da, uh oh, bye and finally, ma ma. He loves, loves to be outside and really enjoys swinging. Happy, happy birthday Jackson...you make our family complete!!

Petting Zoo

2011-11-05T12:18:00.000-07:00

We spent a beautiful fall afternoon at a local petting zoo recently. We rode the pony, picnicked, and petted numerous animals.

Catch-Up Part Two

2011-11-05T11:34:00.000-07:00

A quick, final summer wrap-up. We spent tons of time outdoors. The boys played golf and Caroline learned to swim on her own like a little fish. The summer was going great until... I broke my heel at the park. Eight weeks on crutches and six in a cast put a damper on outside play and swimming.

Before the injury we did get to enjoy a few more fun outings and events including.......

a trip to the botanical gardens

Vacation Bible School

And one final beach trip

Catching Up (Part one)

2011-10-27T14:32:00.000-07:00

Wow...I am behind and have a lot of catching up to do. To finish the summer:

July 4th was a blast! We spent it with friends and family.

Caroline also went to Princess Ballerina camp in the beginning of August. She missed the first three of five days being sick (it almost killed her) but she pulled through for the end of the week and the recital.

After going to cheerleading camp this summer, Caroline got to cheer with the real Raider cheerleaders at a preseason football game. To say that she got into it would be an understatement!!!

Tailgate Party!

2011-09-14T13:44:00.000-07:00

Last week we once again attended the annual red raider tailgate party at good ole DHS. The weather was great and we love that this has become a yearly tradition of dressing up (Dan made the awesome black uniforms that Caroline and AK are wearing), eating, face-painting, dancing, and having fun with good friends. Jackson LOVED the band and I included pics of Caroline getting her face painted the last three years....time is flying! 2009

2010

2011

Sassy

2011-08-31T12:38:00.000-07:00

Central Weekday School

2011-08-31T12:11:00.001-07:00

Caroline,

You started back to pre-school and Central Weekday School last week. You are loving it!!! You are in Mrs. Donna's class this year and go four days a week. You have already learned so much in the short time you have been back. Here is a pic from your first day and one of your latest writing.

Nine Months!

2011-08-31T12:00:00.001-07:00

Jackson,

Now that you are ten months old, I am finally posting your nine month stats! We went to the doctor on August the 3rd and you were 30 inches long (95%) and you weighted 21.2 lbs (50%). Not shots this time so that was great! You continue to be the sweetest, most mild-mannered baby on the planet. I broke my foot six weekes ago and you have been passed all over town and never fretted once. You sleep wherever and are happy with everyone. What a blessing! I have missed carrying you around so bad that I can hardly stand it but I am gettnig the case off soon. You absolutely love bathtime but your absolute favorite thing to do is eat. You have yet to turn up your nose at anything I have ever given you. You consume it all....meat, cheese, casseroles, vegetables....it doesn't matter. You will eat baby food or regular food. You are finally "crawling" even though it is more of an army crawl on your belly. You can get from room to room and your cousin Mills' loves for you to chase him even though he turns around and taunts you!! Your words pretty much consist of da-da, bye bye and ahhhhhh! You love your sister, your cousins, grandparents, great-grandparents, parents, aunts, and pretty much anyone else. You are an amazing baby and I love you so, so much sweet boy!

A Week Of Camps

2011-07-26T07:59:00.000-07:00

Whew! Last week sure was busy with Caroline attending two different camps. Monday and Tuesday she went to golf camp at Quail Creek. It was very hot but the camp was so cute. They had a mini course set up and they played with big clubs and balls. Then on Wednesday and Thursday she went to DHS for cheerleading camp. This was her second year to go and to say she was excited is an understatement. They had a performance for the parents the last day and she led the group of three year olds onto the floor! She really broke it down and her whole group was adorable!

THE BIG BLUE HOUSE!

2011-07-25T14:16:00.000-07:00

We have just returned from a week at Seagrove Beach, FL. Granny took our whole family on my Mom's side to stay for a week in an enormous, 10 bedroom, blue house. I think there was 25 people in one house! We took two amazing babysitters and the week was such a blast, especially since I actually got to lay undisturbed in the sun for the first time in years. The kids had so much fun with their cousins. Jackson would wake up every morning so excited to see Mills and Caroline and Virginia were basically inseparable. We spend a big majority of our time on a huge, grassy lawn that was in between our house and the beach. We played numerous games of badminton and soccer and the babies spent hours on a splash pad. We also played on the beach, spent a day at the water park, had adult dinners out, had catered dinners in, had a luau, the guys played golf, swam in the pool, got feathers in the little girls hair, shopped around the little towns, and overall just had a blast.

Memorial Day 2011

2011-06-18T14:46:00.001-07:00

TAYLOR SWIFT CONCERT!!!!

2011-05-26T13:57:00.000-07:00

Caroline and I had the extreme pleasure of having a mini girls get-a-way for a night in Nashville to see our beloved Taylor Swift. Caroline got to see her do a small concert in the Bahamas and has loved her ever since. She knows all of the words to at least ten of the songs on her new cd...we are obsessed. Dan woke me up one morning and told me to get tickets, that she was doing a special tornado relief benefit concert. I found the best tickets for the best price on stubhub and Dan got us a hotel room for the night. We left Saturday morning at nine thirty am for a seven thirty pm concert but Caroline was so excited that we could not leave one minute later! We had the absolutely best time. We stopped at the Cool Springs Mall on the way up, went to GiGi's cupcakes and swam in the hotel pool. We later took the hotel trolley to downtown Nashville and walked around and ate a great dinner. Finally, it was concert time!!

Taylor Swift put on one the best if not the best concert that I have ever been too. There was many, many costume changes, fireworks and other special effects, dancers, acrobats, and much, much more. She even got into a "balcony" like structures and swung out over the crowd for one song. What a magical night! It was defintely one I will never forget..........

Beach With Friends

2011-05-26T13:24:00.000-07:00

We planned a quick get-away with spome of our best friends, the Jacksons, and headed down to Orange Beach. We left the day that the massive, devastating tornados hit north Alabama so we were so fortunate to be there. We love spending time with the Jacksons and we had beautiful weather the whole trip. Because of the tornados, my mom and dad, Granny, and Kate, Dave and Mills came down also and we had so much fun. Many, many pictures below:

Central Weekday Program

2011-05-26T13:09:00.000-07:00

Caroline finished up her very first week of pre-school last week. She and I both have absolutely loved the experience she has had at this sweet school and look forward to next year. They ended the school year with a spring program and Caroline's class sang "The B-I-B-L-E', "I Am Special", and "Deep and Wide." They were too cute....

EASTER 2011

2011-04-26T13:14:00.000-07:00

Annual Egg Hunt

2011-04-26T12:49:00.000-07:00

Palm Sunday

2011-04-26T12:29:00.001-07:00

I love, love, love Palm Sunday at our church every year. I tear up every time I see the children walk down the center aisle waiving their branches (esp now that one of mine is involved) and we have so much fun fellowshipping with our church family after the service. We do a potluck lunch, have an egg hunt, bust a pinata, and jump on inflatables. We had beautiful weather this year and it was so hot that Caroline ripped off her dress and hit the slides in her slip!

Sweet Sweet Springtime

2011-04-20T19:16:00.001-07:00

American Girl Fashion Show

2011-04-16T20:36:00.000-07:00

Caroline recently participated in the American Girl Fashion show at the Princess Theater. Mammy bought her the doll Kaya last year and she has been into the dolls ever since. The fashion show benefits the Junior League and were excited to be involved this year. Her great grandmother made Caroline and Kaya matching dresses and I gave them matching hair-dos and we were ready! Some pics before the show: (Our men snuck into the balcony the catch our girls and snuck back out!) The biggest girls dressed as the American Girl dolls and the girls Mary Bibb's age were dressed like the Bitty Baby dolls. Here is Mary Bibb in the show: Caroline was old enough to be a VIP which meant that she sat with me in the audience during the actual show but go to go on stage and model with her doll during intermission. We were surprised (kinda) when Caroline and Virgnia came out on stage together instead of separately but they were so darn cute. Caroline walked right on the front edge of the stage so everyone could check her out!

Jackson's Baptism

2011-03-08T18:57:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, February 26th, we celebrated Jackson's baptism. It was a truly special day for our family as we dedicated our precious boy to God. We were surrounded by beloved family and friends as we pledged to raise him in a way that is pleasing to God and acknowledged that he is a gift and should be brought up accordingly. My grandfather Pop performed the ceremony (he also baptised me and my sisters and infants) and he used water that he brought back many years ago from the Jordan River (the river that Jesus was baptised in). Our sweet pastor Terry assisted and Jackson was so precious. They then used Jackson as a part of children's minute to explain to the children what baptism is all about. After church, family and friends joined us for lunch at my grandaddy's office by the river. The food was great, the weather was so nice, it was just a great day.

Sweet baby was worn out from his big day!

MILLS-

We also celebrated my nephew Mills' baptism a few weeks before Jackson's. It was such and sweet and special day as well............

Jackson was wearing a gown that was my grandmother's when she was a baby.

Jackson, Mills and Kitty

4 Months!

2011-03-08T18:51:00.001-08:00

I can hardly believe that my sweet baby is four months old already. Jackson is the sweetest baby that a mother could ask for and I have cherished every second of his little life so far. Caroline is still obsessed with him and she calls him "sweetie." Everyone else still likes to call him Juicy...........

Four Month Stats: 16 pounds 2 ounces (90th) 26 inches (90th)

We started trying baby food after his four month check-up but due to a nasty case of RSV, he is not liking it so much so far...

Before church on a beautiful morning,,,

2011-01-30T20:20:00.000-08:00

Cousin Bath Time!

2011-01-30T20:19:00.001-08:00

The Great Snow Storm of 2011

2011-01-30T20:04:00.000-08:00

We had the biggest snow storm that Decatur has seen in years a few weeks ago. We got somewhere around nine inches and school was out for three days. We had an absolute blast playing with friends and sledding down Granny's hill. There were at least fifty people up on the hill and Dad was sore the next day from shoving everyone down. Jackson wasn't too into his snow suit so he spent mose of the time in the make-shift nursery we set up in Gran's house. Caroline LOVED it and even wanted to sled by herself. (I was obviously too busy sledding to take pictures but I snapped a few before Jason came to take us to Granny's house on his mule)

Christmas 2010

2011-01-30T19:36:00.000-08:00

I have been waiting to do my Christmas post until I got the pictures that my Dad took Christmas morning of Santa at my house, but I still haven't gotten them so I figured I better go ahead and post something. Christmas was absolutely wonderful but very tiring with a three year-old, a two month old, and a broken foot. We woke to snow which was awesome. Santa really spoiled Caroline this year. At our house she got a bike, a guitar, golf clubs, and lots of surprises. Jackson just got a little since he is so little. The best part of all was that Santa brought a huge swing set for both kids......Caroline's face was priceless! Here are some of the few pictures that were taken....

Juicy and the class of 2029

2011-01-06T15:23:00.000-08:00

Jackson has a new nickname...Juicy. I was getting a new boot fitted for the foot that I broke while hall ice skating in my socks with Caroline a few nights before Christmas (lame, I know) and the fitter took one look at my precious baby and said, "Girl, your baby is JUICY!!!" I should never have told my sister, because now the name is stuck. However, it is pretty fitting when you consider his most recent stats:

Birth: 7 pounds, eleven ounces 19.5 inches long

Two Weeks: 8 pounds, four ounces, 20 inches long

Two Months: 13 pounds, three ounces and 23.5 inches long!!!!!

(My sister Ginny also likes to call him "Cheeks" which is pretty fitting as well.)

I have never, ever seen a sweeter or more laid back baby... He really rarely ever cries and he has never cried to where I could not get him to stop immeadiately. He will lay for hours and entertain himself while I get things done. God knew that I needed a chill baby because his big sister is SOOOOOOO high energy!!!!

Jackson got to finally have a playdate with his buddies at our house. We had seven babies total ranging in age from 2 weeks to 22 weeks. We have two more good friends that were missing and a couple more on the way so, needless to say, Decatur has had quite a baby boom lately! I cannot wait to see all of these sweet babies grow up together and I am so thankful for Jackson's sweet friends already!

L to R: Andrew Ward, Kennedy Price, Kitty Ashwander, Jackson, Mills, Towns Worley

L To R: Andrew Ward, Jackson, Kennedy Price, Kitty Ashwander, Mills Peek, Wynn Cole

My Christmas Presents

2010-12-23T17:41:00.000-08:00

What We've Been Up To

2010-12-23T16:51:00.000-08:00

We've been busy at the Coulter house this season.....I am trying to catch up in one blog post before the big day!!!! We started things off right with a big night out at Disney Princess on Ice. Mammy sprung for front row seats and the night was truly magical. Caroline has not stopped talking about it since and we have been "skating" around the house ever since.

We are also in full basketball mode (our favorite family sport) and Jackson has been helping Daddy cheer on his beloved Kentucky Wildcats.Caroline has her school Christmas party and they were literally bouncing off the walls...And last, but not least, we have spent time visiting with the "big guy"!!(Jackson and Lee wore born just one day apart!)

My Little Man

2010-11-12T12:13:00.001-08:00

Happy Third Birthday Caroline!!!

2010-11-06T09:41:00.001-07:00

More Fall Fun

2010-11-06T09:24:00.000-07:00

Jackson Daniel Coulter III

2010-10-30T18:04:00.000-07:00

Our sweet son Jackson Daniel was born Tuesday, October 26th at 4:43 pm. We have prayed and prayed for this little miracle and God really answered our prayers. He has light reddish blonde hair and weighed 7 pounds and 11 ounces.

We Are Ready!

2010-10-19T17:58:00.000-07:00

Exactly one week from my scheduled induction date, I am finally finished with Jackson's nursery! Now we are just anxiously awaiting the little man's arrival! A few pics of his room:
The Mother Goose picture is actually the cover of my Granddaddy's first nursery book when he was a baby. The copyright inside is from 1929....he would have been so excited to meet his second great-grandson.

My talented mom painted the picture over the changing table and Dan's mom found the glider and had it recovered.

My great-grandmother made all of the bedding herself and the coming home gown hanging on the crib was one of Dan's.

Pictures From The Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-19T17:44:00.001-07:00

Meet MILLS!!!

2010-09-20T12:50:00.000-07:00

My first sweet nephew was born September 16 and weighed 7 pound and ten ounces...he is the cutest little thing you have ever seen and I just cannot get enough of him!

His cousin Caroline is OBSESSED with him and calls Mills her "little darlin." I am hoping that she feels the same way about her brother!!

Lately....

2010-09-20T08:15:00.000-07:00

We have been up to a lot lately and I have been a bad blogger so I am attempting to catch up in one quick post. Let's see we....
Took a girls trip to the Marriott in Florence for a night.....

Participated in a doggie parade.......

Took a family trip to the McWain Center in Birmingham......And we went to the Decatur High Tailgate Party and cheered at a real football game

Taylor Swift-Itis

2010-08-30T14:18:00.000-07:00

Ever since traveling to the Bahamas and seeing her in concert this summer, Caroline and my precious neices have been OBSESSED with all things Taylor Swift. We listen to her music constantly in the car, watch her on television, have a singing Taylor Swift barbie, etc.... Well, the night of Bibby's 5th Bday Party, my mom gave all three girls a purple sparkle "Taylor Swift" dress to match the one she was wearing in her concert the night that we saw her.....Thanks Mammy!

Pre -School!!!

2010-08-18T12:25:00.001-07:00

The sweet little baby started big girl pre-school today!! Mommy was a nervous wreck but she was so, so excited. She kept telling me to "go faster" on the way to school. She saw Virginia in the parking lot (and No, we did not plan the matching dresses!) and ran over to her and said, "come on bahginia--we gonna have so much fun!! They held hands and walked into their classroom with no tears at all!! When I went to pick her up, she was smiling from ear to ear and sweating and both of her teachers said that she had a great day!!! Her highlights that she told me about included getting to stand on a chair in front of the class and be the weather helper, following green shirt boy down the hall (a boy named Riley was the line leader, he must have had on a green shirt), walking with her hands behind her back, falling in the gym but not crying, and eating cheese puffs and drinking lemonade for snack. I was so proud of my girl!!!

Look-A-Likes

2010-08-15T17:53:00.001-07:00

Wow....I have always said that I thought Caroline looked like a mix of both of us but after these shots....I am leaning towards her looking like her Daddy.....

Cheerleading Camp

2010-07-27T07:06:00.001-07:00

Caroline,
You attended Decatur High Cheerleading Camp this past week. You were actually supposed to be three to attend but they made an exception for you and your friends (which they might have regretted after your MAJOR "I need Mommy" meltdown the second day). I never thought that a daughter of mine would attend anything cheerleading, but you were so cute and sassy and into it. Daddy did make you go around the house saying "Why am I here, they gonna cheer for me." SO bad.....

Day Four-The Bahamas

2010-07-09T12:29:00.001-07:00

Day four in the Bahamas was a very exciting one for us. We spent the morning at the pools and water park and Caroline was extremely impressed to meet the "tall man." Mommy was not so impressed when he reached down and picked her up!
The sea life at our resort was amazing. There were tunnel paths everywhere that were surrounded by aquariums with sharks and the biggest fish I have ever seen. There was a dolphin cay and small pools with different animals like sting rays and our favorite, sea turtles.

We had a special dinner planned that night and we all got dressed up and took about a 45 minute ride to a restaurant that was right on the ocean. They had a table for twenty all set up outside and the views were incredible.(Caroline wanted to wear her halter dress so she could look like the big girls!)

Grant Hill sat at the table right beside us. Ginny cracked me up when he walked in and she told John that Kobe Bryant was there! At least Dan and I were impressed....
We did have to rush through dinner a little because we had a very exciting evening planned.

Taylor Swift was playing a concert at our hotel!!! The kids were beside themselves....

What an awesome end to and awesome trip!!! Thank you Granny!

Day Three- The Bahamas

2010-07-09T12:01:00.000-07:00

Day three was the most relaxing day of our vacation. We swam the entire morning at one of the many pools that was near our room. It was the kind that you just wade in to, no steps, so it was perfect for the kids. It was also attached to a lazy river that we rode many, many times.Daddy went to the straw market during Caroline's naptime and came back with purses for both of his girls! He brought me a cute straw clutch and Caroline got this Dora purse which she ADORES!Everyone was on their own for dinner that night and we ended up in the city with the Nails at a place called The Poop Deck. The food was good even though the restaurant name was not! It was right on the marina and we sat outside, the view was beautiful.....

Day Two-The Bahamas

2010-07-01T13:46:00.000-07:00

We decided to spend our second day at the water park at our resort. This slide was featured on the Amazing Race and sliders reach speeds of 70 mph going down and at the bottom they shoot through a tube with sharks swimming all around them.

Our brave men decided to try it and Dan quickly went from this:
To this: (HAHAHAHHA)

The other brave sliders:

Dad
JohnDave
Caroline was so excited to see her Daddy pop out safely:
The group watching Dave come out:

More water park pics:

That night for dinner all twenty of us ventured out to into Nassau to a little conch restaurant.
(It is really hard to get a good group shot with this many people) Since all twenty of us went together it took quite awhile to get our food. Luckily, there was a spot out the back door that was great for pictures so we all ventured out there for a photo shoot. The entire bank was made up of huge conch shells and the sun was setting.The Nail Family:The Pylant Family:
The Peek Family:

The Coulter family:
And one more attempt at the whole group:
During dinner and after, a Bahamian band was playing right outside the restaurant and everyone danced their hearts out....it was magical....

I love this last shot of Granny..she looks so happy watching all of her family have so much fun.......much, much more to come!!!

ThE bAhAmAs!!!!

2010-07-01T13:25:00.000-07:00

We recently returned from a oh-so-fabulous family trip to the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. My sweet Granny took all 20! of us on my mom's side and we had an absolute blast. Thank you Granny for a trip to remember!

Pre-Trip and Day One

Before we left, Mammy treated us to much needed pedicures. This was Caroline's first time to ever have one done at a professional place and she chose for us to have matching hot pink toes! We were ready to go......

We woke up at the crack of dawn and 16 of the 20 of us flew on the 6:30 am flight from Huntsville to Atlanta and then on to the Bahamas. We were a nervous to see how the little kids would do on their first flight and after Virginia yelled at take-off "We goin up, we gonna fall down!!" they settled down and were fine. Two limos were waiting at the Nassau airport to take us to the resort (when you travel with 20 people and bags it is cheaper to get limos than 10 taxis) and everyone was so excited to get there. We couldn't check in right away so we grabbed some lunch and swam and finally got to our rooms and napped. That night, my cousin Heather watched the little girls and Ginny, John, Dan and I ate an incredible Japanese meal at Nobu. It was right next to the casino and we gambled a little but I definitely did not win anything. My sister Kate won $1,000 on her second pull on the slot machines though....lucky dog!!

Limo pics:

We are here!!!

Beginning of Summer

2010-06-11T20:14:00.001-07:00

I have been the most terrible blogger lately and I hate squeezing the first third of the summer into one post but, oh well here it goes. We paid a visit to the Huntsville Botanical Gardens for their tree house exhibit in May. We met friends there and explored the whole place.

We also went to Gulf Shores for one more good visit before the oil hit with Mammy, Granny, Birdie, Ginny and the girls and basically took no pictures... We had a great time and Mammy treated us to our first trip to Build-a-Bear where Caroline picked out "Panda" and decked her out in a Bama cheerleading outfit, tennis shoes, pom poms, megaphone, and cell phone. Dan, Caroline and I also spent a week in Destin with the Coulter's. It was heavenly, the grandparents were on baby sitting duty and I got play time with Caroline and relaxation time by myself.
(While there, Caroline ate shrimp for the first time of the summer and liked it!!)

During the Destin trip, we spent a suprisingly really fun day at Big Kahuna's water park.

And finally we had a great Memorial Day weekend hanging out at home and at Point Mallard!

Another Caroline Quote

2010-05-19T14:12:00.000-07:00

Caroline and I had to run to Sonic to get some ice for a party. As soon as we pulled in, she told me that she wanted a slushy and some croutons. (She meant tater tots) I asked her if she wanted cheese on her tots like how Mommy get them. She replied, "No, I only like sweater cheese." I asked her to repeat herself and it finally dawned on me that she meant "cheddar". Love it!

Granddaddy

2010-04-19T17:57:00.000-07:00

Caroline,

We lost your great-grandfather, John Charles Eyster, this week. It has been such a sad week for us because we lost such a great man that meant so much to so many people. He loved you so much baby girl. You loved to dance for him when he played the guitar and you loved to give him kisses. Noone that knew him has any doubt that he is now in heaven with Jesus, laughing and dancing and cracking everyone up. It breaks my heart that you wont remember him but I am going to strive to teach you about him and try to live more like he did especially in the regards of helping others and loving Jesus. Granddaddy, we love you and miss you so much...........

Gone Fishing!!!

2010-04-13T14:04:00.000-07:00

Mom and Dad took all three girls fishing this past weekend. They were sooooo excited..here is a shot from the car ride there.

All three girls were able to reel in one fish each and that was all we caught!

Easter 2010

2010-04-12T13:57:00.000-07:00

What a happy Easter!! It was the best one that I could ever remember! Caroline is at such a fun age and we had the most beautiful weather and so much fun with family and friends. The day before Easter was CRAZY but we managed to leave out our basket for the bunny to fill....
A shot snapped before church:

We went to my mom's house after church for a family lunch (around forty people!) and we hunted eggs and continued on with our family tradition of hitting the hard-boiled ones with a baseball bat after the hunt. Everyone takes a turn by age and Caroline was VERY VERY into it, as you can tell from the pictures!

We then napped and headed to Dan's parents house for more festivities. We hunted eggs again and ate and Caroline was so impressed by MeMe's homemade bunny cake.

An incredible Easter week was topped off by getting to see this little peanut again. He or she is growing away! Heart rate was 162 at 9 weeks, five days.

Egg Hunt Extravaganza!

2010-04-12T13:34:00.000-07:00

The day before Easter, some of our good friends hosted one heck of an egg hunt. There were over 60 kids invited and I think around 650 hidden that were hidden. It was a blast! Caroline loved hanging out with all of her buddies and she really got into hunting this year. We can's wait for next year!

A Caroline Quote

2010-03-22T13:16:00.000-07:00

This morning I brought Caroline a bunch of grapes still on the vine as part of her breakfast. I had never given her any still attached before, I had always pulled them off and put them in a bowl. Well, she looked at them and then said, "Mom, I love gwapes, but dese got tangles!!!!" So cute....

A Big Announcement

2010-03-20T10:54:00.000-07:00

Caroline has something she wants to tell you... (check out her t-shirt)

Our family is so excited to announce that God is blessing us with a new addition. I am 7 weeks pregnant with our second son or daughter. So far everything looks great, and we continue to pray that the baby grows strong and healthy. This new baby is due November 4th, which is a day before Caroline's 3rd birthday. Caroline could not be more excited and hugs and kisses "her baby" a lot. We went for our first ultrasound this past Wednesday, and the little heart was fluttering away. It measured 124 beats per minute at 6 weeks and 5 days. We have a second ultrasound set for this Wednesday. Please keep us in your prayers during this exciting time.

Photo Shoot with a Spud

2010-03-10T19:35:00.000-08:00

Caroline loves to take pictures so we think of any excuse to have a photo shoot. Tonight's session had a Mr. Potato Head theme....... She has some skills as a photographer! (kinda)

Naptime Essentials

2010-03-10T19:33:00.000-08:00

It is okay to take a nap without a diaper when you are two..
..Only if you have on your Cinderella slap-bracelet!!!!

Bowling Babes

2010-03-10T19:23:00.001-08:00

Dan and I kept the Jackson girls recently and we decided to take them bowling. Gray and Mary Bradford are both pros but this was Caroline's first time and to say that she liked it is an understatement. SHE LOVED IT!! She was so mad when her game was over and has asked to go back every day since. They had bumpers and the neatest metal ramp thing that made bowling possible for a two year old. She would get her own ball, carry it to the ramp, and shove it down and cheer for herself so hard when it knocked over the pins. She shot a 70! Caroline loves hanging with those girls and we all had a blast!

Happy 80th Granddaddy!!!

2010-03-04T19:03:00.000-08:00

BIG Changes!!!

2010-02-24T14:39:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-24T14:19:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-02-15T13:04:00.000-08:00

One of those moments...

2010-02-09T19:17:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-02-08T14:16:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-03T11:18:00.000-08:00

Family Outing!

2010-01-27T12:15:00.000-08:00

This past weekend Dan, Caroline and I headed to Huntsville to the Hands-On Children's Museum for some good ole family fun. (And we were tired of being stuck in the house due to cold and extemely windy weather) Caroline really liked everything except the clock that had a face on it and the tree that had a face on it. Everytime we would get close to one of those she would say "do someptin else peassseeee Mommy!" I didn't take too many pictures but here are a couple:

Happy Birthday GiGi!!!

2010-01-10T13:27:00.000-08:00

We celebrated my niece Virginia's second birthday this week with a party at Chuckie Cheese. Virginia is Caroline's very best friend and those two are TROUBLE together but they are also hilarious together. They are really into wanting what the other has, but play together pretty well too. Virginia is such a joy and we love her soooo much!

Christmas 2009

2010-01-09T18:44:00.000-08:00

We had such a great Christmas. I am slow posting so I am not going to make many comments, just lots of pictures. I will say that Caroline had an amazing time and we are SO blessed with such great family and loved ones. This pictures are from Christmas eve and Christmas day. They include all of the stops on our Christmas schedule which goes something like this: Christmas eve presents at Granny's, Church, back to Granny's for dinner, the Coulter's for Christmas Eve present opening, ome to sleep, Santa at our house, Santa at Mammy's, Santa at Granny's, lunch at Grandmother Maggie's house, and then dinner and presents with the Vickery side Christmas night!

Christmas Activities!

2009-12-24T11:04:00.000-08:00

Whew! We have had a busy and fun-filled Christmas season. As we get ready for Santa to come tonight, I wanted to go ahead and get some pictures up of what we have been doing this December. First, we spent a night with the Pylant's and Jackson's at Calvary Assembly for their annual Christmas show. It is called Christmas Now and Then and the first half was Christmas now and they had all of Caroline's favorite characters including Dora, Barney, Diego, and SANTA! Christmas then was a live nativity. It was a fun night with great family and friends.Then Dan and I snuck away one night for my friend Jenna's annual tacky Christmas party.

Lastly, we went to Granny's this week for our annual cookie making extravaganza.

The participants included:

Caroline "Stink-Eye" Coulter

Virginia "Sprinkle-Swiper" Pylant

Luke "Too-Cool for Cookies" Nail

Mary Bibb "Flour Power" PylantKatie "Killer Kutter" Eyster (and her sister Mary Frances who had to leave before I got my camera out)

The finished products! (Santa is one lucky guy to get to eat these cookies!)

Tree Trimming and Meeting Santa

2009-12-08T13:46:00.000-08:00

We had a big "Christmasy" night last week. We got our tree and saw Santa all in the same night! After two years of artificial due to having a one month old and then a one year-old, we went back to having a live tree this year. We went to eat and then picked out our tree. Caroline loved it and ran around like a wild child so we kindof just grabbed one and ran. We stopped by the mall on the way home to let her see Santa and she had been telling us all night that she would sit on his lap. Well, she balked!! But she was perfectly content to sit on my lap and let me sit on Santa's. Santa even talked Dan into sitting on his other knee so we got a pretty funny family picture with Santa. We (mostly me!) decorated the tree when we got home and Caroline LOVES it. She is at such a great age this Christmas and we are loving the season!!Dressed and ready to hunt for the perfect tree!!!
Caroline and Daddy discussing why he had to tie our tree to the top of the car.Just a little excited!Waiting to see Santa...Caroline was trying to smile but she was a little nervous.All I can say is niiiiiiiiiiiiiice.TA DA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fall Photo Shoots

2009-11-23T19:47:00.001-08:00

Disney On Ice

2009-11-23T19:37:00.000-08:00

Mammy recently took us to see Disney On Ice in Birmingham. I was anxious to see how Caroline would do since we have never taken her to any kind of show or movie before and she is not the best at sitting still for very long. Well, she LOVED it!!! Caroline, Virginia, and Mary Bibb were all mesmerized by the characters and songs. I kept getting teared up watching their little face. Mammy did get the stomach bug about half way through, but, other than that, it was a day to be remembered...

Running in, sooooo excited!!

Granny quickly dropped about fifty bucks on two small stuffed Mickeys and a Belle necklace, very pricy but we have slept with Mickey every night since...At the show.....

Parenthood

2009-11-10T19:06:00.000-08:00

Can you believe that I waited for half an hour in this line....

With these two jokers............

Who killed time by doing this.........

Just to see her........

And experience this reaction from my child..............AHHHHH.....the joys of parenthood!!

PaRtY pArTy PaRtY

2009-11-09T17:31:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Caroline's second birthday with a Dora-themed party! We had a moon bounce (which Dan coincidently won in a golf tourney), riding toys, balls, a pinata, and lots of food and cake. We had a great turnout and loved getting to celebrate with all of our friends and family.The "real" Dora even came. All of the kids seemed mesmerized for just a second but most came around and gave her a hug.
(I loved that Mary Bibb later commented to Ginny that she cant see Dora's braces when she watches her on TV!)

The Dora pinata before.....

And after.......
Caroline was so excited when it was time for her friends to sing Happy Birthday...she had been practicing singing it to herself and blowing out the candles for WEEKS!
We saved the presents for when we got home and Caroline got SOOOOOO MANY nice things. Thanks so much everybody!

Happy Birthday Caroline!!!

2009-11-07T20:51:00.001-08:00

Caroline,

Happy Birthday sweetheart. We celebrated your second birthday this week. These last two years with you have been the happiest of my life. I love you so much. You are so cute and sweet and have so much personality. You are growing up so fast....talking, running, riding a tricycle and much more. You like to be the center of attention and are such a little ham. We had to have you a Dora party because you are obsessed with her and with Barney. I can hardly remember what my life was like without you are I thank God everyday that he lets me be your Mommy.
The previous pictures mark your birth, your first birthday, and your second. The two below are from Cracker Barrel on your first and second.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

2009-11-01T13:27:00.000-08:00

We had such a great Halloween. Caroline was fired up the entire day.....in fact, she layed in her bed for an entire hour at nap time and never fell asleep and never stopped talking to herself the whole time. We finally relented and got dressed up. We started trick-or-treating about 3:30 in the afternoon and did not get home until about ten pm. We hit the family members first (which if you know the size of my family, it took awhile) and then went on the two great parties. Caroline played so hard and loved trick-or-treating. She was very good about yelling Tick or Teat!! and saying thank you. She was also saying "Best Niiiiii Ebberrrr!!!!! (Best Night Ever) She and her daddy went on a long hayride and she ate TONS of candy. She was probably the dirtiest I have ever seen her by the time that we got home but it was well worth it. Here are some pic in random order and even a few from last year just to compare.....(I sadly did not get any pics from our last get together because I could not find the camera...I finally found it this morning at the bottom of Caroline's pumpkin candy bag.....maybe someone will send me some!)

TrUnK oR tReAt!!!

2009-11-01T13:04:00.000-08:00

We took Caroline to Trunk-or-Treat at our church recently. She got to wear her Raggedy Ann costume and looked adorable. She loved getting to see all of her buddies dressed up and really loved getting all of the candy. We then went inside and ate and played all kinds of festival games. Caroline expecially loved the cake walk....she played until she won a chocolate pie which we took to Granddaddy. She also won a prize for her costume. Can't wait until next year!!!

Carving at the Coulters

2009-10-21T18:19:00.000-07:00

The Coulters have been busy carving our halloween pumpkins this week. We didn't get many pictures..my hands were too messy from cleaning three pumpkins, but we did get a few.

During the process....

And our finished masterpieces......

DADDY'S ALABAMA "A"

MOMMY'S GIRL JACK-O-LANTERNAND CAROLINE'S DORA!!!!! SHE IS OBSESSED WITH THIS PUMPKIN..TOO BAD ITS ALREADY ROTTING......

Pumpkin Patch 2009!

2009-10-20T19:27:00.000-07:00

Some friends and I decided to take our girls to the Tate Farm Pumpkin Patch this past Saturday. Besides it being the coldest and windiest day of the year so far, we had a blast. It was absolutely freezing so we did kind of hurry through, but the kids got to do almost everything. We somehow did not manage to make it home with a single pumpkin! Oh well.....maybe next year.

The kids were so excited on the way there....hehe

We loved the petting zoo part..they had bunnies, puppies, pigs, goats, and a llama.

We played on the playground equipment and walked around....LOVED playing in the corb cribs...Took a hayride out to the pumpkin patch and picked out pumkins (that we were too lazy and too cold to carry back in and buy)...

And tried to get one group shot before we headed home...this was the best we got!

Best Friends

2009-10-08T12:35:00.000-07:00

Callway Gardens

2009-09-15T12:33:00.000-07:00

Granddaddy took our whole family (Mom's side) to Callaway Gardens for a Labor Day Weekend get-away. There were 17 of us, Dan, John P., Dave, and Kate were the only ones missing. We really had a good time, only a few hairy moments, which is pretty good with that many family members. After a long trip down on the backroads, Granddaddy does not like to drive interstate, and a even longer check-in process, we visited the butterfly exhibit. It was pretty but really, really hot. We let the kids run around outside of it and all watched the Bama game that night. The next day we ate a buffet breakfast and then we split up and some went to FDR's vacation home and Ginny and I got to spend some incredible time at the spa getting massages and pedicures (thanks Mom and Dad) Later we all spent the afternoon at the beach, and my child had an absolute blast. She lept running into the water full speed and flopping in. We also played in a jump jump and slid down an inflatable slide, ate sno cones, and watched hot air balloons fly over our heads. Then, all 17 of us went to the lodge for dinner that night. Some of the pics:

GO DHS!!

2009-09-10T10:36:00.001-07:00

We recently took Caroline to Decatur High School's annual tailgate party before the first home football game of the season. She loved it and even Dan (who is NOT a DHS alum) had fun. Caroline got her face painted, ate dinner, danced to the band, watched the cheerleaders, got a balloon which she released, ate a sucker, got her picture thaken with the raiders, and played with all of her friends.

Just for Daddy...

2009-09-04T14:29:00.001-07:00

In honor of the Bird Bass Tournament.....................GO Americans!!!!!
(Even though Mommy thinks the MONTHS of preparation for this tourney are a little ridiculous!)

Where is Caroline????

2009-09-01T12:29:00.001-07:00

Play Date

2009-09-01T12:08:00.000-07:00

Caroline recently had a big night out/play date with her parents and her friend Maggie and her parents. Caroline and Maggie had so much fun together...they actually played and interacted the whole night. We went the Bridgestreet and it was perfect because it was a beautiful night and there was actually so much for these little girls to do.

We started at the fountains....

Checked out the toy games.....Rode the Carousel.......
Played in the bubbles.........
Ate some pizza and some bright blue chocolate "brick"......
And danced the night away to the outdoor band......

"Chuck Cheese"

2009-08-11T07:38:00.000-07:00

We went to "Chuck Cheese" (as Caroline says it) a couple of weeks ago with MeMe and Pappy. Caroline LOVED it, especially putting the tokens in the slot and pulling the tickets off when they came out. She really got into that more then she got into playing the games. EXCEPT, for ski ball!!! A couple of pics:

Caroline and Daddy strategizing:Lining up the perfect toss:

Going for it!

Forget it Dad, this works so much better!

Back to the Beach!

2009-08-06T20:22:00.000-07:00

Last week we headed back to Orange Beach. This time it was Caroline and I, Mammy, Ginny and the girls, and my Aunt Carol and her son Luke. The trip had very few hairy moments (though it did have some!) and we really had a great time. A few highlights include:

Playing at the beach in the sand and in the ocean. Caroline really got into going into the ocean for the first time this trip. She was fearless and loved trying to jump the waves.Getting pedicures on the balcony. Thanks Mammy!

Going out to eat and trying seafood for the first time for Caroline. (She loved it.) This also includes doing our best walrus impression while waiting for our food to arrive.

Trying to go to the Track to ride rides after 8 pm one night. (This was the most "hairy" time of the entire trip!) Mom spent $70 on tickets and the three girls all had to be pulled off the first ride screaming...it was a chain reaction: first Virginia, then Caroline, then Bibby. We finally forced everyone onto the carousel just to say that we had ridden something. Please notice the facial expressions....not our best night!
Looking at the boats, dancing to the band, and riding the giant ferris wheel at Baytowne.

And most off all just getting to spend time together....

Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-29T09:12:00.001-07:00

Point Mallard Pics

2009-07-28T07:06:00.000-07:00

I forgot to post these pics from Point Mallard Water Park. Mammy took us on our annual visit a couple of weeks ago. So fun!

The Kiddie Carnival

2009-07-12T13:37:00.000-07:00

Friday night Amy and I decided to take the kids to Athens to a carnival that we had heard about. Just she and I took a one-year old (Caroline), a two-year old (Amy's niece), a three-year old (Mary Bibb), a four-year old (Gray), and a six year old (Mary Bradford). Needless to say, things got a a little WILD from time to time, but we had an absolute blast! We went to Village Pizza for dinner and I snapped this shot on the way inside (I was holding Caroline). After a yummy dinner, we headed to the carnival. It was adorable. They had rides for kids ages 1 to around 8ish only. Everything was tiny and so so cute. Caroline and all of the others had the best time. I would definitely recommend it for parents with small children. (We rode more rides than I have pictures of because my camera died.) We enjoyed the rides and the cotton candy and hope to go back soon!

A FaBuLoUs FoUrTh!!!

2009-07-05T14:35:00.000-07:00

We had a great Fourth of July! Caroline seemed to love every second of it. We started the day at the club pool. They had a huge inflatable slide set up and games planned for the kids. Caroline's favorites were... Swimming with Daddy

Jumping off the Diving Board

We enjoyed a picnic lunched topped off with lots of juicy watermelon.Then Caroline looked for coins in the pool and

Won a prize!!.....BUBBLES!We finished up our time at the pool with a water balloon tossThat turned into a water balloon FIGHT!After a long nap, we headed to the Ashwander's for a shrimp boil and party. All of us had a blast. They were sweet enough to even have activites for all of the kids. These included sidewalk chalk

And a corn hole game that Caroline thought was her personal "Hide" (slide)

We played and ate and ended the night with sparklers!

Our sweet baby was such a trooper and hung in with us for one more stop that night.......a wagon ride to a friend's backyard to watch the Point Mallard fireworks show. Such a great day to celebrate such a great country!!!

My Little Ballerina

2009-07-05T14:25:00.000-07:00

This past Friday I took Caroline to see her cousin Bibby's recital for Princess Ballerina Camp. Me Me bought Caroline her own Tu-Tu and she wore it to the show. Mary Bibb did awesome....she knew every word and movement to every song. I was a proud aunt. A few pics....