pretty hairs! it's barely long enough to clip a bow on. Now if only she would forget it's there...
(taken 7.26)
7.29.2011
7.28.2011
11 months old
I'm partially in denial that my baby is almost a year old. Excuse me?! I feel like in the past couple of months she has started looking and acting so much older. At 11 months:
-She is taking steps! She took her first steps while we were in California on vacation (her first one was July 9th) since then she has been taking more and more. Her longest string to this point is probably about 11 steps. She is beginning to want to walk as her main form of movement. So exciting!
-She is sleeping more than ever. I don't know why but i'm not complaining. She has been sleeping in til between 9-10 AM and then has about a 3 hour nap and then goes back to sleep around 9. Sometimes she sleeps in later, sometimes she naps longer. Like i said: not complaining.
-She is a pretty good eater. She eats pretty much the same things everyday (which is really my fault not hers) She loves hot dogs, yogurt, ice cream, strawberries, bananas, clementines, and oatmeal. Haven't had much luck with the veggies. She still has 3 bottles a day (breakfast, lunch, bedtime) but we ad switched to whole milk now. (yay! no more buying formula) She's doing pretty well with it. She drinks it just find but i think it's given her a few tummy problems getting used to it.
-She is starting to clap. She waves. She stands all the time. She says "da da da" all the time and other arrangements of sounds... still no real words.
-She still has 6 teeth (4 on top 2 on bottom)
-She is very stubborn and determined. If she likes something, she will let you know. If she does NOT like something, she will also let you know. If she wants something she will go to any length to get it.
-She loves to push things around. Anything from the stroller to her walker to the laundry basket.
-She is VERY wiggly all the time. She will barely snuggle anymore, but sometimes i can get her too.
-She loves music. It calms her down in the car and whenever it's on tv she will actually stop and watch.
-She still has crazy hairs. And she is still very messy.
-She has a "stink face". My parents always joke (but in a serious way) that i was an expert pouter. I would pout to get my way all the time. Caitlin just does the stink face. If she is mad or unamused or unsure of something.. stink face.
-I still love her like crazy.
-She is taking steps! She took her first steps while we were in California on vacation (her first one was July 9th) since then she has been taking more and more. Her longest string to this point is probably about 11 steps. She is beginning to want to walk as her main form of movement. So exciting!
-She is sleeping more than ever. I don't know why but i'm not complaining. She has been sleeping in til between 9-10 AM and then has about a 3 hour nap and then goes back to sleep around 9. Sometimes she sleeps in later, sometimes she naps longer. Like i said: not complaining.
-She is a pretty good eater. She eats pretty much the same things everyday (which is really my fault not hers) She loves hot dogs, yogurt, ice cream, strawberries, bananas, clementines, and oatmeal. Haven't had much luck with the veggies. She still has 3 bottles a day (breakfast, lunch, bedtime) but we ad switched to whole milk now. (yay! no more buying formula) She's doing pretty well with it. She drinks it just find but i think it's given her a few tummy problems getting used to it.
-She is starting to clap. She waves. She stands all the time. She says "da da da" all the time and other arrangements of sounds... still no real words.
-She still has 6 teeth (4 on top 2 on bottom)
-She is very stubborn and determined. If she likes something, she will let you know. If she does NOT like something, she will also let you know. If she wants something she will go to any length to get it.
-She loves to push things around. Anything from the stroller to her walker to the laundry basket.
-She is VERY wiggly all the time. She will barely snuggle anymore, but sometimes i can get her too.
-She loves music. It calms her down in the car and whenever it's on tv she will actually stop and watch.
-She still has crazy hairs. And she is still very messy.
-She has a "stink face". My parents always joke (but in a serious way) that i was an expert pouter. I would pout to get my way all the time. Caitlin just does the stink face. If she is mad or unamused or unsure of something.. stink face.
-I still love her like crazy.
7.27.2011
7.26.2011
back at home
things haven't slowed down too much for us since being back at home after our vacations. It's so funny how when you think of summer you think of relaxing, yet every summer is so busy! I like it that way though. A few things we've been up to:
Gottfredson Family Reunion: Paul's mom's side of the family had a reunion at their cabin in Evanston, WY. It was also a celebration of Grandma and Grandpa Gottfredson's 50th Wedding anniversary. Congratulations! We had a specail presentation night with pictures from their courtship and life together that was really cool. We also went boating, ate, shot guns, did archery, played with all the kids, i read a book (The Help--so so good), we shot off fireworks and took family pictures. And Paul and I didn't even get to stay the whole time! Paul's family is big and fun. There is always something going on and kids running around. I love their family and I am glad to be a part of it. (I'm ashamed to say i took no pictures. hopefully i can steal some from someone soon)
a little shiner: learning to walk is rough. Caitlin fell while we were playing mini croquet and got a boo-boo. I feel so bad. We went and got ice right after it happened and tried to put it on as much as she would let us. she was such a trooper and it seems to be clearing up fast.
fireworks: We shot off fireworks for pioneer day with Chelsea and Tyler. It was low-key and fun. We got fancy with the sparklers.
Barnes Cabin: On Sunday the 24th, we went up to the Barnes cabin for dinner and hanging out. Dinner was delicious. We took a little drive up the mountain to see "our trees" where we carved our names in 2 years ago. I couldn't believe it had been so long. We added Caitlin's name in the tree and it'll be fun to see what has changed by the next time we go up!
Gottfredson Family Reunion: Paul's mom's side of the family had a reunion at their cabin in Evanston, WY. It was also a celebration of Grandma and Grandpa Gottfredson's 50th Wedding anniversary. Congratulations! We had a specail presentation night with pictures from their courtship and life together that was really cool. We also went boating, ate, shot guns, did archery, played with all the kids, i read a book (The Help--so so good), we shot off fireworks and took family pictures. And Paul and I didn't even get to stay the whole time! Paul's family is big and fun. There is always something going on and kids running around. I love their family and I am glad to be a part of it. (I'm ashamed to say i took no pictures. hopefully i can steal some from someone soon)
a little shiner: learning to walk is rough. Caitlin fell while we were playing mini croquet and got a boo-boo. I feel so bad. We went and got ice right after it happened and tried to put it on as much as she would let us. she was such a trooper and it seems to be clearing up fast.
fireworks: We shot off fireworks for pioneer day with Chelsea and Tyler. It was low-key and fun. We got fancy with the sparklers.
Barnes Cabin: On Sunday the 24th, we went up to the Barnes cabin for dinner and hanging out. Dinner was delicious. We took a little drive up the mountain to see "our trees" where we carved our names in 2 years ago. I couldn't believe it had been so long. We added Caitlin's name in the tree and it'll be fun to see what has changed by the next time we go up!
7.24.2011
part 3: California dreamin.
Straight from Dallas we flew to California where we met up with the whole Dickson family: all the spouses, siblings and grandbabies. There were 14 of us total. We had an amazing time in California as a family. We had so much fun together every day that we were there and did so many cool things. I'm so glad that everyone was able to come because it would not have been the same without each person. Paul's parents were so generous and all the planning and preparation was completely worth it. I (of course) took entirely too many pictures so here they come:
Day 1: Several people were still coming in town so before everyone was officially together Paul, Caitlin and I along with Jeff, Melissa and Madison met up with Morgan Taylor and his family at the San Clemente beach and the boys went surfing. That night we met up with Mike and Jenna and went to dinner at "Big Boy Burger" and then got to go to a tennis match! The Taylors were so nice to invite us and it was fun to go since we had never been to one. We saw (professionals) Pete Sampras and Martina Hingis play. Apparently they both aren't as good as in their glory days but i didn't know any better... it was just fun to watch everyone playing.
Day 2: Happy Birthday Rebekah! She turned 17. We spent the day with extended family (Stewart's Aunt & Uncle Betty and John and also his brother Dave's family) who live in Laguna Beach. We went to church with them and then had a delicious lunch at their house. Later that night we all went out to dinner. Rebekah is really the whole reason we planned this trip. Through her FCCLA class at school, her and her group came up with a presentation and campaign against texting while driving. They put a ton of work into it and presented it to win state, regionals, and were able to come to California to compete in nationals. They have done an awesome job with it and we are all really proud of her for being so dedicated to getting us all to Disneyland :)
Day 3: We headed to Disneyland. I think I was just as excited as any of the kids. I don't care who you are.. when you walk in and start walking down Main Street and see the castle, you just get excited. We weren't sure what Caitlin would think of everything and maybe she won't remember it but she definitely LOVED it. She just loved looking everywhere and seeing so many fun things. She also loved the rides. She would just watch and be so focused the whole time we were on one. They have "baby passes" where they will give a baby pass to you so you can stay outside a ride with your baby while one person goes and then when they are off you can take our baby pass and get to the front of the line. Of course we totally took advantage of the system and got baby passes wherever and whenever possible so we only had to wait in one line all day. And a lot of rides we got to ride twice in a row. It was sweet. So we hit all the big ones and a lot of the little kiddie rides too for the babies. I showed Paul how to really ride the teacups. The babies were SO good. They had little cat naps in the strollers and were just so happy to be at Disneyland. My highlight of the day was probably going to see Mickey. I've been putting on "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" in the morning for Caitlin trying to get her geared up for it. We only had to wait like 5 minutes to see him and as soon as we walked in that room with Mickey her eyes were GLUED to him. She totally recognized him it was so cute. They were so nice and let us take a ton of pictures. By the end of the day, Caitlin was zonked. She fell asleep on "Finding Nemo submarine ride" and was out for the rest of the night.
Day 4: California Adventures. We went straight to the Soarin' ride and then hit all the other big ones: Tower of Terror, the Grizzly Log Ride, California Screamin', etc. Caitlin got her first taste of Cotton Candy in the line for Little Mermaid and she definitely liked it. (That's the life... Minnie Ears, cotton candy, and the Little Mermaid) We went to House of Blues that night for an early Happy Birthday dinner for Mike and then went back to see the "World of Color" water/light show at California Adventures. It was amazing, my pictures don't do it justice. They had tons of fountains that would spray and then they would project pictures on it and do different lights and lasers and colors all with music. It was awesome, a great ending to our Disney visit.
Day 5: We went to the Crescent Bay beach and played for most the day. Paul sadly had to leave to get back to work. Mike and Jenna also had to leave for work. I have discovered that Caitlin likes the beach, but for all the wrong reasons. I'm positive that she ingested way to much sand and debris. But, she didn't mind the cold water too much. She would put her toes in. Even i got out in the water and body surfed with Paul for a little while (emphasis on little). That evening we went back to a clubhouse pool with our extended relatives and swam a little more, hot tubbed and ate dinner.
Day 6: Our last day together. Rebekah had an awards presentation that morning where she got a gold medal for her presentation and I watched the babies. Caitlin fell asleep in our bed and she looked so tiny in it! Afterwards we got lunch and went to Balboa Island. We walked around town and of course had to get a frozen banana (SO GOOD!) and explored the shops. Caitlin was happy as a clam and was waving and trying to touch all the flowers and checking out everyone from the stroller. We went to "The Crab Cooker" by Newport Beach for dinner. That night Chris, Christine and I watched the babies while the others went to the Harry Potter movie. We talked and played phase 10.
Day 1: Several people were still coming in town so before everyone was officially together Paul, Caitlin and I along with Jeff, Melissa and Madison met up with Morgan Taylor and his family at the San Clemente beach and the boys went surfing. That night we met up with Mike and Jenna and went to dinner at "Big Boy Burger" and then got to go to a tennis match! The Taylors were so nice to invite us and it was fun to go since we had never been to one. We saw (professionals) Pete Sampras and Martina Hingis play. Apparently they both aren't as good as in their glory days but i didn't know any better... it was just fun to watch everyone playing.
Day 2: Happy Birthday Rebekah! She turned 17. We spent the day with extended family (Stewart's Aunt & Uncle Betty and John and also his brother Dave's family) who live in Laguna Beach. We went to church with them and then had a delicious lunch at their house. Later that night we all went out to dinner. Rebekah is really the whole reason we planned this trip. Through her FCCLA class at school, her and her group came up with a presentation and campaign against texting while driving. They put a ton of work into it and presented it to win state, regionals, and were able to come to California to compete in nationals. They have done an awesome job with it and we are all really proud of her for being so dedicated to getting us all to Disneyland :) 
Day 3: We headed to Disneyland. I think I was just as excited as any of the kids. I don't care who you are.. when you walk in and start walking down Main Street and see the castle, you just get excited. We weren't sure what Caitlin would think of everything and maybe she won't remember it but she definitely LOVED it. She just loved looking everywhere and seeing so many fun things. She also loved the rides. She would just watch and be so focused the whole time we were on one. They have "baby passes" where they will give a baby pass to you so you can stay outside a ride with your baby while one person goes and then when they are off you can take our baby pass and get to the front of the line. Of course we totally took advantage of the system and got baby passes wherever and whenever possible so we only had to wait in one line all day. And a lot of rides we got to ride twice in a row. It was sweet. So we hit all the big ones and a lot of the little kiddie rides too for the babies. I showed Paul how to really ride the teacups. The babies were SO good. They had little cat naps in the strollers and were just so happy to be at Disneyland. My highlight of the day was probably going to see Mickey. I've been putting on "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" in the morning for Caitlin trying to get her geared up for it. We only had to wait like 5 minutes to see him and as soon as we walked in that room with Mickey her eyes were GLUED to him. She totally recognized him it was so cute. They were so nice and let us take a ton of pictures. By the end of the day, Caitlin was zonked. She fell asleep on "Finding Nemo submarine ride" and was out for the rest of the night.
Day 5: We went to the Crescent Bay beach and played for most the day. Paul sadly had to leave to get back to work. Mike and Jenna also had to leave for work. I have discovered that Caitlin likes the beach, but for all the wrong reasons. I'm positive that she ingested way to much sand and debris. But, she didn't mind the cold water too much. She would put her toes in. Even i got out in the water and body surfed with Paul for a little while (emphasis on little). That evening we went back to a clubhouse pool with our extended relatives and swam a little more, hot tubbed and ate dinner.
Day 6: Our last day together. Rebekah had an awards presentation that morning where she got a gold medal for her presentation and I watched the babies. Caitlin fell asleep in our bed and she looked so tiny in it! Afterwards we got lunch and went to Balboa Island. We walked around town and of course had to get a frozen banana (SO GOOD!) and explored the shops. Caitlin was happy as a clam and was waving and trying to touch all the flowers and checking out everyone from the stroller. We went to "The Crab Cooker" by Newport Beach for dinner. That night Chris, Christine and I watched the babies while the others went to the Harry Potter movie. We talked and played phase 10.
7.22.2011
part 2: dallas
After the wedding weekend I got to spend about a week with my family in Dallas. We had so much fun! We went swimming, shopping, went to a darling kid's sprinkler park, watched the Tour de France, hung out with my grandparents, played games, and went to a Rangers game! (finally my summer must-dos have been granted as mentioned in THIS post) The Rangers played the Orioles so we got the added bonus of getting to see our friend Jeremy Guthrie pitch! And here are a bunch of pictures to show for it:
Caitlin LOVED the sprinkler park, although she is a very selective splasher. She wants to be in the water on her own terms.
My dad is SO cute with Caitlin. He is so smitten with her. He wanted to take her swimming every day and she loved it.
Caitlin also loved the cats (my parents have 3). She would squeal and get excited every time she saw one. Then she would crawl over to it really fast but get hesitant to pet them. Soon she warmed up to even that though and would grab fur all over the place. Luckily the cats were patient and kind to her.
Caitlin LOVED the sprinkler park, although she is a very selective splasher. She wants to be in the water on her own terms.
My dad is SO cute with Caitlin. He is so smitten with her. He wanted to take her swimming every day and she loved it.
spangled
I'm proud to be an American, and grateful to live in this wonderful country. We live in a very special country and we are truly blessed.
We had a lovely 4th of July in Dallas. Including...
watching fireworks (the night before)
Caitlin loved swimming and after a little break decided to get back in and go skinny-dipping!
patriotic and extremely delicious rocky road brownies
and of course home made ice cream!
Brittany & Travis
Brittany Jackman is one of the coolest girls i know. She could make friends with anyone (and she actually does)... but luckily i claimed her as my own best friend during our senior year of high school, and since.
We had some crazy amazing times back in high school and I am so glad that we have been able to pick up where we left off every time we've seen each other in these years in between. Almost 4 years ago, Brittany came to my wedding, and brought along with her to the reception her new boyfriend... Travis.
We've gotten to see their relationship progress over the years and what a pleasure it was to attend their wedding on July 2nd and see them tie the knot! They are so great for each other. Their wedding was at a ranch and it was a hot but beautiful evening. I got to be part of the "house party" and pass out programs and welcome guests. Brittany was glowing and everyone was so genuinely happy for this awesome couple.
Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Sims!
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