On Stage

Caroline has been taking dance this year and she has really loved it. She has been especially looking forward to being "on stage" to show off what she learned through the year. Caroline loves theatre and ballets, and so for her the prospect of being on stage like the dancers and actors she enjoys so much is really thrilling for her. Her dance class had their performance last night and she had so much fun - though it might be hard to tell from some of the pictures below, given her very serious expression. It was great to watch her and we were so proud of how well she did. I am guessing that this was the first of many times we'll be sitting in an audience watching this little girl perform.

Lately

April was officially a whirlwind and I'm not really sorry to see it in the rearview mirror. While things on the blog have been quiet, things in our life have not been! Here's a quick rundown of the past month: Jeff had back surgery (and he's recovering well),

the girls were sick off and on for two or three weeks, and we found out that we are having ANOTHER GIRL!

More importantly we found out that from all indicators, we are having another healthy girl. We are so happy that Caroline and Charlotte get to welcome another sister into our family and that we'll have another baby covered in all things pink to love on soon.

The girls finally appear to be well and Jeff is working hard on his physical therapy, so I'm sort of holding my breath right now just praying that things can keep looking up for us. Does it sound like I'm complaining? Because even though I probably am, I am so aware that these things are all relatively minor in the big picture and one month of upheaval is truly a wink of an eye. We have managed to have fun and laugh and smile this month too.

Here are a few pictures to prove it:

The girls "playing school" early one morning. Charlotte has started hamming it up for pictures!

Caroline enjoying a sunny, warm afternoon last week.

We've been spending a little time at the park in the evenings and the girls love it - leaving is never a fun experience.

Red Beans and Rice

One of my favorite Louisiana dishes is red beans and rice. Perhaps that is because it is the Louisiana dish I remember my mom cooking most often growing up. There is something really comforting about a bowl of steaming rice, beans, and sausage (or if recollection serves me, in my mom's case, smoked ham hocks). I came across this little blog post today on the subject and it made me wish I had a bowl of beans soaking at home.

And, for the record, I'm in complete agreement with him on the Camellia beans. I had never even tasted canned red beans in red beans and rice until very recently. There's nothing wrong with them per se, but for some reason they just lack something. Hours soaking in a bowl on the counter, another few hours cooking low and slow in a cast iron pot, it all adds up to a bowl that tastes more like home.

Dinning with Royalty

One of the many highlights of the trip for Caroline was meeting the princesses. Caroline has a love (obsession?) with the Disney princesses. She loves their movies, their songs, their dresses, their tiaras. So for her, meeting the objects of her affection was like nothing else she's ever experienced.
We had three character meals that involved princesses (and for the record, we had to cancel all character meals with Mickey and friends, Winnie the Pooh, and any other costumed character, but that's another story). The second day we were in Disney World, we ate breakfast at Cinderella's castle. As we went into the part of the castle with the restaurant, we got to meet Cinderella herself and take pictures right away. After we were shown to to our table in the dinning room, we were treated to having the other princesses come to our table to sign Caroline's autograph book and take a picture. Here are the pictures from that morning:







The next meal we had with princesses was again a Cinderella themed dinner, but this time Prince Charming and the Stepmother, Lady Tremaine, joined her. Caroline was petrified of the stepmother and I thought we might have to ask her to move on to the next table, but after I told her that Caroline was a bit afraid, she didn't miss a beat. Lady Tremaine had a seat at our table and had a little conversation with Caroline that left Caroline very pleased with the old stepmother. After she left our table, Caroline said, "I think she really likes me!" Caroline also enjoyed meeting the prince and said that they were "in love".


Our Lady Tremaine encounter ended up being one of our favorite moments from the trip. She was such a great character and Caroline was over the moon that she wasn't afraid of her anymore.



Our final princess meal was at Epcot in Norway with the host of princesses yet again. First we met Belle in her yellow gown this time. After that we were seated and the rest of the princesses made their way away the restaurant as dessert was being served. Caroline was especially enthralled with Aurora at this dinner. We had bought her Aurora's crown earlier in the day to match her Aurora dress that had become the favorite one over the course of the trip. Aurora took a little extra time at our table and she and Caroline had a great little conversation about singing and forest animals.












The Snow White at this dinner was exceptional. She sounded exactly like Snow White from the movie.

Finally, we met several other princesses and Cinderella's Fairy Godmother in the park at different times. Here is Caroline meeting the Fairy Godmother on our last day.

The Happiest Place on Earth!

Early this week, we returned from a week at Disney World. It was my first trip there and I think I enjoyed it just as much as Caroline. Jeff loved every moment of it too; he said that it puts a different perspective on it when you get to see the joy in your child's face when she experiences it! The trip was fantastic in every sense. Caroline was a trooper on the drive and was so caught up in the magic of it all when we were at the parks. The weather was great and the crowds were non-existent. Pictures won't quite do it justice, but words most certainly wouldn't, so I'll let the pictures tell most of the story!

Breakfast at Cinderella's castle (and at the best table in the house) was a great way to start the trip!

This was actually our first glimpse at the castle!

This is just the first batch of pictures, I'll be back with plenty more!

On feeling not so sick

Hallelujah! I realize I'm tempting fate here, but I have officially felt not sick for over 48 hours now. At twelve weeks and 2 days, I believe the pervading yuck that is the first trimester somehow, someway, miraculously left me. And I don't miss it. One. Bit. Yes, my fingers are crossed as I type this.

Because I was actually feeling close to normal this morning, I rolled out of bed at what used to be my normal time. For the past 6 or 8 weeks, that normal time has been pushed to a later and later hour. I had time to sit alone and wake up without one or two kids jumping on the bed. And although I didn't enjoy a morning cup of coffee, I did enjoy my morning water sitting in the near dark of the quiet house.

Around 6:15, I heard footsteps coming down the hall toward the living room and soon thereafter a little four year old with a mess of head of hair peaked around the corner. Caroline had her hands behind her back and her face was still puffy from sleep; she had a tiny grin on her face as she crawled up into my lap. She brought her hands around to reveal three pieces of chocolate wrapped in foil in her little hands. "Mama, I have to ask you to forgive me of this. I brought this candy to my room and I thought I would eat just one piece while I slept, but I didn't. I'm sorry." I hugged her tightly and quickly told her I forgave her "of this".

Stories and Dreams

If you've never read her writing, you are missing out on something really beautiful and probing. Ann Voskamp has a blog that is really more a respite than a website, and her post today is especially touching. It reminds me of bedtime with Caroline and her love of stories from "when mama and papa were little". Click on over and take a few minutes remembering your own stories and dreams.