Caroline Elizabeth is 3 years old!

Dear Caroline,

 

When I was a little girl, all of my baby dolls were girls.  When your older brother, Rob, was born, I thought I could never love anything or anyone more than him...a boy!  Then you came along and I knew that God would see to it that my heart instantly had just enough love for you both.  The same thing happened a third time with your little brother.  But this is about you.  Going back to when I was a little girl and I was a "mommy" to my babies, how little did I know that I was always daydreaming about you.  You are everything I have ever wanted in a daughter.  You are the perfect blend of sugar and spice -- your laughter, your dimpled-smile, and your funny antics consume me.  Then again, your free-will, your determination and your independence challenge me on a daily basis.  I thank you for those challenges. You keep me from becoming a complacent parent.  You create in me a continual desire to do better by you and your brothers.  You are, in essence, exactly what I need.  Happy 3rd birthday!

 

[All of the pictures featured today are taken from Caroline's birthday party which was held the day after her actual birthday...more on the party in a later post.]

Height: (approx) 38 1/2" or 3' 2 1/2"

Weight: (approx) 30 lbs

How Big You Are: You wear a size 3T in almost all clothing and a size 7 1/2 shoe.

 

Sleeping Patterns: You never sleep (it would seem)!  Mommy and Daddy have finally waived the proverbial white flag in surrender to your sleeping patterns.  You are not meant for a "set" bedtime, and you will not conform to a "proper" time slot for sleep.  Rather, we let you decide when you are ready for bed.  Believe it or not, you know your body better than we do; thus, what used to be an hour-and-a-half battle of wills has now settled back into a quick book, sip of drink, and you are asleep in about 30 minutes.  You usually are ready for this around 8:30 or so.  You no longer nap and you rise with the sun.  So I guess you simply are not a "sleepy" little girl!

Eating Habits: Some of your favorite foods still include chicken nuggets/tenders/fingers, broccoli with cheese (crazy girl), and -- of course -- pop-tarts.  You are much more ambitious than big brother Rob, though.  You will usually at least try whatever is put in front of you. 

 

New Discoveries and Accomplishments:  You have learned to propel a 3-wheeled scooter.  You had a hand-me-down from the neighbor, but Nona bought you a princess one for your birthday.  You try so hard to keep up with your brother and the neighborhood big kids.  This scooter is a major help in doing just that.  This summer you potty trained, got rid of your beloved pappy (pacifier) and got your ears pierced.  You can count, you are working on your ABC's, you can sing many songs including "Sweet Caroline (Bum, Bum, Bum)", "Jesus Loves Me", "You Are My Sunshine".  But your current favorite song that you sing and want mommy to play in the car is "We Are Never, Ever Getting Back Together" by, as you pronounce it, Tay'r Siff

Places You Love: You love going to Ms. Beth's daycare and seeing "my girls" as you call the little girls who go there.  You love hanging out with your MeeMaw at her house because she has tea parties with you and plays dress up with you.  We had a wonderful beach vacation this summer and you were not scared at all of the ocean or the pool -- a fact which terrified Mommy and Daddy!  You like shopping with Mommy so long as a trip to the Riverchase Galleria includes a carousel ride.  And you love the Birmingham Zoo, too.

Special Friends: Addy and Kambell are "your girls" at Ms. Beth's.  Your Aunt Kristy is still the apple of your eye.  You really like playing with Shelbi, too.  But you would do anything in the world that your Bubba tells you to do.  You practically idolize big brother Rob!

 

Current Events: It's been a newsworthy year.  This summer the Olympic Games were held in London.  This November saw the Presidential re-election of Barak Obama. Mother Nature has unleashed her fury with Colorado wildfires and Hurricane Sandy in the Northeast.  There is terrible unrest in the Middle East.  In more exciting news, 2012 started off with an Alabama football National Championship (#14 for those who are counting). And now Bama is now ranked #2 in the BCS standings with a record of 12-1.  We just won the SEC Championship and are headed to Miami to play for a back-to-back national title.

What We Did This Day: Today (December 1st) was a Saturday.  We woke up bright and early and headed to downtown Birmingham for some family photos.  Then we ended the day at Nona's house for a small birthday celebration and a large football celebration -- Bama is the SEC Championship team!  32-28 Woot, Woot!