1st Day Pictures

Caleb Update

Well, Caleb wound up having a good afternoon yesterday. He immediately went to sleep at nap time and then had a blast playing in the afternoon. When I went to pick him up, they were in the gym playing with cars, and he did not want to leave. So it was good to see him having a good time.

When I dropped him off this morning, he cried a little in the room with the bigger kids. I had to just run out of the room so that he would calm down. Then besides a little crying on the playground from being stressed out (I've never known a kid to be stressed out on the playground, but mine is!), he has been great today! I just talked to his teacher, and she said he has had a much easier day. He went right down at nap time again, so that is really great since that was one of the things I was worried about the most with him.

So, anyway, I'm sure by the end of the week everything will be going well, and we'll all be used to the back to school mode.

This weekend we may go camping with my parents at Purtis Creek State Park. Anybody have any interesting Labor Day plans?

Oh, and sorry for no pictures yet. I promise I'll get them up here soon!

Caleb's First Day in TA

I have been so excited about Caleb moving up to the new class. I love new things! And I love the first day of school! It is always so exciting! So it has made me a little sad that Caleb has had such a hard morning in his new class. I know he will love it after a few days...I just feel really sorry for him right now. We may have one really worn out kid on our hands this afternoon!

I took some first day of school pictures this morning, so I will post them on here when I get home tonight. I left my camera cord at home, or else I would post them at some point during the day today.

I hope all of your kids are having a great first day of school!

Caleb's Graduation Party

Caleb and the girls from his class at school are moving up into a new class on Monday. So they had a graduation party for them today! It was so fun (except for the fact that Caleb didn't seem to have all that much fun), but I had fun. Here are some pictures! Congratulations babies!!!

Bad Dreams & Arms Sticking Out of Windows

I hate bad dreams. Don't you? I had a doozy of one last night that had me feeling all disturbed. Then after I went back to sleep, I kept having dreams about it. I sure wish we never had any bad dreams!

---------------------------------------------------

There has been a weird phenomenon that I have noticed lately. About 3/4 of the time when I am driving, someone in the car in front of me has their hand out of the window. I noticed it last week, and ever since it has been happening all of the time. Isn't this weird?!

Childhood Photos of Celebrities

I saw this link from another website. If you like celebrities, you'll like this.

Rise and Shine!

At midnight last night (or actually this morning) Chris woke me up by saying "There is a sound going off in Caleb's room!" I immediately recognized it as his cd player/alarm clock. He had been messing around with it last night while I was putting his toys in his toy box, and I guess he turned the alarm function on.

So, I ran to his room and tried to turn the alarm off. I have never really messed with his alarm though, so I didn't know how to work it. After messing with it for a few seconds, I decided to just unplug it. But his bed was in the way. So I had to call to Chris to come move his bed so that I could unplug it.

Meanwhile, Caleb is scared to death and is screaming his head off. Shoot, I would be scared if my alarm went off at midnight too!!!

So, we finally got it taken care of, and I rocked Caleb back to sleep in order to get him to calm down. In the midst of rocking him, it struck me as really funny (it might have only been funny because it was midnight) that the song that was playing when the alarm went off was "Rise and Shine!" How perfect is that?!

Caleb's Crummy Mom

I went yesterday and bought a toy box and a book shelf for Caleb's room. I was so excited about putting them both together and getting his room all organized last night. What I didn't anticipate (which I should have) was Caleb wanting to be involved in every step of the putting together process. He wanted to sit on the toy box while I was putting it together. He wanted to eat the hinge that keeps the lid from falling on him. He just simply wanted to be a part of everything I was doing.

At one point, as I was working, he grabbed a handful of my hair and took off running and fell. The handful of hair that he was holding ripped out of my head. It hurt so much that I yelled kind of loud.

I immediately felt horrible about yelling (though I don't know if I could have stopped it) because Caleb went crazy crying. It took me a few minutes to get him calmed down, and then even for a few minutes later when he looked at me, his bottom lip kept sticking out like he was about to cry again. It was so sad.

So I apologized for yelling but then explained that he cannot keep pulling Mommy's hair (he is pretty bad about this). For the rest of the night, there were times that he would grab my hair but then he would sit there and think about it and let it go.

Hopefully he learned his lesson. My hair would appreciate it. I just wish I didn't have to yell to get him to learn it.

Potter Party!

Have you read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (or haven't but want to party anyway)? Are you dying to discuss it over dinner with friends?

Join us in a Potter Party!
Monday, August 27th
7:00 p.m.
My house!

I will be providing dinner and dessert for all who come. Please RSVP to scarroll@carechurch.org or by posting a comment to this blog as soon as you can so I know how much food to provide! If you have any friends that have read the book (or who haven't but would like to come anyway) and would also like to come, that is great! Just let me know how many are coming!

I am really looking forward to the discussion, food and a good time! Hope to see you there!!

Hello Texas!!!

This morning as we were listening to the radio while we were getting ready, a Michael W. Smith song was playing. In this particular song, there is an instrumental introduction, and right before he starts singing he says, "Hello Texas!" Of course, the crowd then goes wild.

This made me wonder to myself why we have this kind of response when a performer does this. In all of the times that I have been to concerts, I am right along screaming with everyone else. It sort of struck me funny this morning as I was thinking about it, and Chris and I discussed why we think we have this kind of response. I just think it is kind of funny that we all have the desire to scream and go crazy when we hear this!

I'm Finished! I'm Finished!

Well, I finished the last Harry Potter book last night. It was sooo good! Chris is still on the 5th book, so I can't talk to him about it. After I finished the last page, I immediately thought, "Now I want to read them all over again!" There is so much that I am sure I have missed, and I'm sure if I read them again, new things would pop out at me. I may wait for awhile to read them again. Maybe even a few years, but they are definitely worth reading again...just like all great books!

I have thought about having a HP discussion party sometime since I want to talk about it with people really bad. Maybe after school starts and things slow down, I will host a party.

Church Sign

On the way home tonight, I passed a church that had a sign out front that said:

Try our Sundays. They are better than Braums.

This church is known to have wacky sayings on it. Most of them just as cheesy as this one.

High School Stalking

I received in the mail yesterday a letter requesting more information about myself for an alumni directory for Mesquite I.S.D., where I went to school growing up. My question is: How did they find me? (Not that I want to be not found or anything.) My 10 year high school reunion will be next year, and I have always wondered how they find everyone to send the invitations, etc. Do they somehow look up your social security number to find your address? This has always been a mystery to me. If someone knows how they do this, please inform me. Curious minds want to know...or at least this one does.

Bulk Trash Update

I know you have all been on pins and needles wanting to find out how my bulk trash pick up went. Well, the city didn't get a chance to come pick it up on Friday. But my neighbor came over on Friday night and said that he had called about it and they would pick it up Saturday or Monday. It has not been picked up yet, so I'm really hoping they come today. I did wake up Saturday morning to find that the treadmill had been taken by someone. I was so excited that it was gone, but I was little scared that whoever took it might decide to bring it back! It hasn't shown back up yet though. :) So, hopefully the trash will be gone when I get home this afternoon!

Zooming Around the Store

The other day when Caleb and I were at Kroger, I decided to let him try the car shopping cart. I had thought in the past that he might be too little for it still, but I decided to go ahead and give it a try. He absolutely loved it! He was going crazy with both of the steering wheels the whole time we were there! So, we may be using these fun carts every time we go to the store!

Bulk Trash Day

As promised, here are two pictures of our bulk trash! I am so excited about getting rid of all of this stuff! I sure hope they take it all! We'll see this afternoon!

This is the Carroll family trash.

This is our trash and our neighbor's trash. Our neighbors probably think we are moving!

More Excited Than Words Can Express

As I was pulling into my driveway after eating dinner at a cool new Mexican place in Wylie, I noticed that my next door neighbor was putting tons of large trash outside. I immediately went over and asked if tomorrow was bulk pick up day. He said it was, so my mom and I started pulling out tons of trash we have had in our garage so that it can be picked up tomorrow. We even pulled out an old treadmill that has been in the backyard for probably three years to see if they will take that tomorrow too. I am so excited about getting rid of all of this junk! More excited than words can express. And if they take the treadmill tomorrow too, I am going to be elated! I will let you know how that goes tomorrow when I get home in the afternoon. Keep your fingers crossed! I'll try to take a picture tomorrow before I leave for work to let you see how much trash is out there. Between us and our neighbor, it was completely ridiculous!

Just Do It At Home!

This morning on the way to work, I was reminded of something that kind of drives me nuts. There was a woman in front of me who was putting her make-up on at a stop light. I don't know why, but this has always been a pet peeve of mine. I just don't understand why women can't do their make-up at home. It wouldn't take but a few more minutes in front of the mirror before you leave for work, so why not just do it there! Now, maybe I'm just catching all these women on off days where something happened at home and they couldn't do it there, but I sure see lots of people doing it.

I don't know why this drives me crazy. It's not like it is something gross to see or anything. It's just not something I really want to see when I am driving.

Now, if you are someone who does this in the car regularly, I in no way mean to offend you. This is my blog and I'm just posting something that I was thinking about today. :)

Plagued by Exercise Injuries

I have been trying really hard lately to exercise, but I have been plagued by a few injuries that keep from it. I had knee problems for about three weeks which made it to where I couldn't run like I wanted to. Then last night as I was running, my stomach started hurting. I think I pulled something in my stomach somehow. So even as I sit here typing, it is hurting now. It is very frustrating to have to wait out the injuries until they get better to exercise. I want to exercise whenever I want...not have to wait awhile for my body to heal. Hopefully after this little setback, I'll be alright for awhile.

Come One, Come All!

To Wednesdays in the Park tonight! Tonight is the last time for this, and it has been a blast. It is from 7-8 p.m. at Huffhines Park in Richardson. There will be free burgers, games, and fun! Hope to see you there!

Can you believe it?

Can you believe this summer is almost over? It always goes by way too fast. This year has been unreal with how fast it is going by. I can't believe it is August already! Crazy!

My Great Husband

Yesterday afternoon, as soon as I got home, I had a flute lesson for an hour. After that, Chris said he would take Caleb with him to the store so that I could take a nap. So I got to sleep for about an hour. Then Chris came and woke me up because he had made dinner...a really great flavored steak and some great bean & cheese nachos. It was all very delicious and I was so appreciative of the time to rest and then getting to wake up to a great meal! Chris is so good to me!

A Much Better Night's Sleep

Two nights ago, none of the Carroll family got much sleep. Caleb kept waking up screaming about every 10 minutes or so after we finally got him back to sleep each time. It was not a fun time at all. Last night when he went to bed, he felt clammy, so I took his temperature (it was about 99) and gave him some tylenol. He woke up at 4:30 and I rocked him and put him back to bed. He slept until 7 this morning which gave me time to get up and get totally ready for work before he woke up. That was very nice! I don't know if he is teething or what, but I'm ready for him to sleep all night again.

When it rains...it thunders really loud!

Yesterday afternoon after I left work, Caleb and I had to run by the story to pick up some things. The weather looked fine, a little cloudy, but not too bad. When I got to the register to check out, it was POURING outside.

There was no way that I was going to take Caleb out in the rain to get to the car because in one second, we would both be soaked. So, I stood outside under the roof waiting for it to slow down or clear up. We waited 20 minutes until our Knight in Shining Armor, Chris (daddy), rescued us. Chris came all the way from home to help us out by moving my car up by the building so that I could get Caleb and the groceries all in the car. What a great daddy! We sure do love him!

While we were waiting in front of the store, the lightening was so close it looked like it was hitting in the parking lot. The thunder was the loudest I have ever heard too. It sounded like extremely loud rapid rounds of gunfire were going off. I had never heard thunder sound like this. I was very impressed that Caleb didn't jump or cry. He just said, "Whoa!" a few times. Whoa! was right! It was incredible!

How's Your Geography

Just saw a link to this from the Dallas News website. Take the quiz and see how you do. I am no good at geography, so I did crummy. I won't tell you what my score was, but it wasn't pretty. :)

Here's the link!

Not Paying Attention

I normally pride myself on being very observant. Last night was not one of those times!

On my way home from running errands, I decided to go by the store to get Caleb some diapers. I had been in Mesquite, so I decided to stop at a store on my way home. As soon as I walked in the door, I thought "That is funny, they are out of most of their produce!" I immediately noticed that there were big, HUGE signs all over the place that said Store Closing! Last 6 days! Everything marked down! I walked around for a second but was sickened by how disgusting the place was and turned around and walked out. On my way out of the store, I noticed signs all over the front doors and a huge sign hanging from the building announcing the closing/sale. I could not believe how I pulled up in front of the store and walked in not noticing the big signs everywhere. It struck me as really funny that I was so non-observant.

I wound up going to a Tom Thumb further down the road and getting the diapers and also some ice cream that I have been looking for for awhile. It was a successful trip!

A Taste for Diet Coke

I have always disliked diet drinks. I never thought I would ever drink them. They have always just tasted nasty to me. But then Chris' Aunt Kathy (Hi Kathy if you're reading this!) left some Diet Cokes at our house this weekend. I thought, "Well, what the heck! I'll try them out to see if I still don't like them." And what do you know! Diet Coke isn't so bad! This is exciting to me because it has opened up new doors to new refreshing beverages. I have had one over the past few days and even got one at lunch at Subway, and I really like them. Isn't it amazing how your taste buds can change?!

Thank God for Antibiotics!

Well, Caleb is much better thanks to some antibiotics! It is amazing how fast those things work. Within a short amount of time of taking the medicine, he was no longer screaming but running around the house playing like normal. And he only has one more day of taking medicine, so it must work pretty darn fast.

Well, he just woke up from a nap and is crying. Better run...

Sick Baby

Well, my little boy is sick. He was MISERABLE last night, so I finally called my mom, and she came to spend the night with us since Chris is out of town and I knew it was going to be a very long night. Then mom took him to the doctor this morning, and he has bronchitis. So hopefully the medicines will start working quickly to make him feel better. There is nothing worse than the helpless feeling when your kid is sick.

I am so thankful for my mom! She was a huge help last night and then keeping Caleb and taking him to the doctor today so that I could go to work at least for a little while. I don't know what I'd do without my family!

Wednesdays in the Park

Caleb and I had a blast at the park tonight! It started off slow because Caleb was tired and didn't want to do anything but cling to mom...maybe a little because of the crowd of people too. But he warmed up eventually after playing with sticks (Hi Kristi!). Then when it was time for the Bible lesson, he had full energy and was no longer shy. He wanted to run straight into the crowd of people. I tried to find ways of distracting him, but once he gets something in his head, you can forget about making him forget about it.

I'm glad our church is doing church in the park this summer. It is so nice to go hang out outside, and at least the weather and temperature outside tonight was wonderful!

So, if you're looking for something to do on Wednesday nights, come to Huffhines Park...it's well worth your time!

Things Caleb Likes to Say

"Woh" - He started saying this this weekend. Every time he sees something "cool," he says "Woh". We're not sure where he picked it up, but it's pretty darn funny.

"No-no" - Of course, this is always a favorite with the kids.

"Me" = Milk - He can't get the "lk" part of it yet, but I know when he says "me" that he wants milk.

"Light" - He has been able to say this for awhile. He loves lights and always points to them and says "light". For awhile, he didn't really say the t on the end, but he has it down now.

"Down" - Sounds more like "dow." He knows this from when he climbs up on the first step of our stairs and gets told to come down. He also points his finger down like I do when he says this also.

"Bye" - He likes to say this just as the person is walking away....so they normally don't hear him.

"Hi" - He has gotten really good at this lately. He will wave and say "Hi" to anyone he meets on the street, etc.

That's all that I can think of that he is saying right now, but I'm sure he'll be saying much more very soon. It's so exciting to see him learn new things, and I am really excited about him learning to talk! So much fun!

Seatbelt & Swimming: Take 2

I am always very cautious about wearing my seat belt. When Chris tries to take his off two seconds before the car stops moving, I nearly always get onto him. So, as I was driving home from church this morning, I realized about a mile down the road that something wasn't right. I immediately looked down, and I hadn't buckled in. I was so glad I hadn't been around a police officer during that mile. I couldn't believe that I had done that. I guess with trying to get Caleb in the car and thinking about many other things on the way out from church, I just forgot. What a dingbat!

Caleb and I went last Wednesday night to Hawaiian Falls with our church, and Caleb had a horrible time. All he wanted to do was sit in my lap (away from the water) and cling to me like nothing else. So, on Thursday I bought a little blow-up pool so that we could practice at home. And I decided that today was the day to try it out. So after blowing up the pool (all three rings of it) by myself...no small feat...we were ready.

Today was much better than Wednesday. I put his feet in the pool, and he immediately started crying. I then put him in my lap in the pool, and he continued to cry. I had put some of his bath toys in the pool, so I started playing with them like they were the most exciting things ever. After a few minutes, he quit crying and wanted to play with the toys. He was still very apprehensive about the whole thing and wanted to stay in my lap the whole time, but it was a big step in the right direction. I figure if we can keep going out to play in the pool often, he just might do well when the church goes back to Hawaiian Falls in mid August. So, I count today as a success!

13 Months

It's amazing to think my little boy is 13 months old today! The first year flew by, and it seems like we just had his party a few days ago. Isn't it amazing how slow time seems to go when you are a kid, but now that we are adults, I would love to slow it down?

Caleb is also getting in another tooth on the bottom. I think this is the reason why he has been waking up in the middle of the night the past few nights. Last night he woke up at 3:30 and was not going to go back down. I hate to admit it, but I put him in bed with me so I could at least get some sleep. Hey, whatever works! Especially without Daddy in town to help!

Tomorrow we are going to our family farm for probably the last time. My parents and grandmother are selling it, and it is mostly cleaned out, so I just wanted to see it one last time. It is such a great place, and I really wanted my kids to be able to go hang out there as they grew up, but there is no way any of us have time to take care of it like it would need. So, it will be fun to go run around at the farm tomorrow.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Fun Times

Caleb is at a really fun time right now. He is at the stage where he copies every single little thing I do. I love to make funny faces at him to see him do it right back to me. He even has started making faces of his own and wanting me to copy them. It is so nice right now that he is so easily entertained and thinks his mommy and daddy are pretty darn funny!

Having a kid just keeps getting more and more fun!

Movies I have seen recently

Ratatouille - Not as funny as I had heard that it was going to be. It was cute, but not as great as all the hype.

Fantastic Four - An ok movie, but not as good as the first one.

Evan Almighty - I really enjoyed this movie. It was very entertaining and was pretty funny.

Has anyone seen the new Harry Potter movie yet? I am really wanting to see it, but I haven't heard many reviews from people about it. Let me know what you think!

Running

I have run for the past three days (today included). I took almost 2 years off from running since I had no desire to run while big and pregnant and then had no energy the first year of Caleb's life. The first night was ok, last night was crummy, but tonight was much better. I shaved off some time from the two previous nights, so I am happy.

It feels good to be active again!

What do you want to do?

If I could do anything I wanted whenever I wanted, most days I would choose to read. I am a complete book lover, and I crave reading time. Though I have to say, sleep is definitely right up there too!

If you could do anything you wanted right now, what would you do?

Google Searches

I am just now starting to get Google searches leading to my blog. Here are two of the things people searched for:

"stephanie carroll"+"austin"

Then it said:
Stephanie Carroll's Blog. These are the random thoughts of Stephanie who is married .... She did this in Austin, Dallas, Atlanta, Minneapolis & Des Moines. ...

What did I do in all of those places? I've never even been to all of those places. Why did it put that? Very strange.

Another one:
spank son OR daughter OR dd OR ds OR kid OR child OR children "bare"

Very strange indeed. It is interesting to see what people are "Googling" for and are winding up at my blog.

Weekend Away

Chris and I went on a trip this weekend...just the two of us. My parents kept Caleb for us so that we could spend some time together. It was a much needed trip, and we had a great time! Chris likes to surprise me with where we are going on trips, so I did not know where we were going until we got there. We wound up outside of Kerrville (about 30 minutes from Fredericksburg), and we stayed in a great bed & breakfast (this one - the Tuscan Barn Room). It was very relaxing and we got to do some fun things while we were there. On Saturday, we went to Stonehenge II, a replica of the real thing. They also had Easter Island statues there. Then we went to see where Chris' grandparents used to live outside of Kerrville. Next we went to the James Avery Headquarters which was beautiful and I got a really pretty bracelet. That night we went to see Guys and Dolls at their community theater. It was a wonderful trip and it was so nice to get away. Of course, I love Caleb and getting to play with him, but it was nice to get away with my sweetie!

Fourth of July Madness

Chris and I spent the past few days in Ennis with his mom & step dad and had a great, relaxing time. So, last night, we started coming home around 8:40. This putting us driving while a bunch of fireworks shows were starting up. It was neat to see fireworks around us the whole time.

When we got near Hwy 78 which is near our home, it was ALL backed up because of Garland's Star Spangled 4th celebration at Firewheel Mall. We wavered between deciding which way would be better to go home because of all of the traffic. We decided to just go hom the normal way. So, as we were making the loop to get on 78, there were people sitting out in lawn chairs and parked cars EVERYWHERE! They were packed at Spring Creek BBQ as well as all down the road. I told Chris that it was like we were in a parade...going 10 miles an hour in a line of cars. I decided we should roll down our windows and start waving to the massive crowd, and then I decided that it would be really funny if I stood up through the sun roof and started waving. Now, I really didn't do any of this, but we thought it was pretty darn funny.

So next year, if you attend this celebration and see a black Mazda Tribute with people hanging out of it and waving, you'll know it's us! And if you want to join in on the parade, we can form a line! I'll even provide the streamers!

There were so many people that the Kroger parking lot down the road in Sachse was even completely filled with people sitting in their cars or standing around outside to watch. I joked to Chris that we were going to have people sitting in our driveway when we got home. No one was in our driveway, but there were people at the elementary school down the street. And when we were driving by the school, the fireworks started. So I made Chris pull into the school parking lot so we could watch them too.

It really was a good show. We could see fireworks shows from two cities going at the same time from about the same distance away, so it was very impressive.

Anyway, I hope you had a great 4th and are looking forward to our parade next year! :)

Smiling Jesus

When we were visiting the Christ of the Ozarks statue in AR a few weeks ago, Chris noticed that one of the pictures of Jesus on the flyer from the place looked like Jesus had a "knowing smile" on his face from a certain angle. We tried to duplicate this smile with our own camera. What do you think?

Caleb Talk

In the car, I normally have the radio on. I like to hear the news and sing along with the songs. But yesterday on the way home from work, I noticed that Caleb was chatting away like crazy in the back seat. I quickly turned the radio off to listen to him talking. He talked the whole way home, and it was the best music ever! What a blessing!

Caleb in a Box

Caleb got a new car seat a few weeks ago, so we let him play around in the box for awhile. I got some really cute pictures.

2007 Books

Ok, I am copying Rachel too. I had a list going on the blog where no one else could see it, but I would like to have a link to my books, so I decided to make a post for it. I'll add more as I think of the others I have read.

Rating System 1 (Lowest) -10 (Highest)

Books I have read in 2007:
Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert - 7
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - 9
Shattered Dreams by Irene Spencer - 8
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez - 8
The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright - 6
Friends, Lovers, Chocolate by Alexander McCall Smith - 7
His Favorite Wife by Susan Ray Schmidt - 9
Looking for a Miracle by Wanda Brunstetter - 7
Beloved by Toni Morrison - 7
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho - 9
We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates - 8
Blessings by Anna Quindlen - 8
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling - 10
Abide With Me by Elizabeth Strout - 8
The Awakening by Kate Chopin - 8
Life of Pi by Yann Martel - 7
The Englisher by Beverly Lewis - 6
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield - 10
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver - 7
The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls - 8
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See - 9
For Better For Worse by Carole Matthews - 7
Next by Michael Crichton - 8
Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller - 7
The Warrior by Francine Rivers - 8
An Ordinary Man by Paul Rusesabagina - 9
The Color of Law by Mark Gimenez - 9
Left to Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza - 9
The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue - 9

More Vacation Pictures

A sweet picture with Mimi

Another sweet picture with Mimi
Caleb doing his favorite thing while camping...digging through Mimi and Pops' buckets of stuff!
Chris reading Caleb a book.
Aunt Kathy came to visit us!

Vacation Pictures

Here are pictures from our vacation to Eureka Springs, AR. We camped with my parents in their RV.

Went on a walk one day and got stuck in the rain about 3/4 of a mile away from the trailer. Chris ran back pushing Caleb in his stroller.

Another picture from the walk. Chris and Caleb going over a bridge. My dad to the right.
Chris and I went to The Great Passion Play and saw the Christ of the Ozarks Statue while we were there.
Caleb in his new camping seat that Grammie and Gramps gave him for his birthday! He is such a big boy!
Caleb playing with his percussion toys that Uncle John gave him for his birthday. He loves them!

Back From Vacation

Well, we are back from our week of vacation to Eureka Springs, AR. We had a great trip and a great birthday party for Caleb before we left. I will post pictures on here as soon as I can from everything.

The night before Caleb's party, we all went to Master Grill at Firewheel Mall which is a Churrascaria like Texas De Brazil or Fogo de Chao. I am not a huge fan of meat most of the time, but it was fantastic. The food was so great, and it is about half the price of TDB or FDC.

So, if you have not been to a place like this, I recommend it. Even if you aren't all that nuts about meat!

Baby Gates

In the past month, we have finally gotten to where we needed to have baby gates. So, a few weeks ago I went to Target and bought two. Aren't they doing a great job? :)

We did finally use them correctly, but we did go about a week with them being used like this. Chris thought I should post this to show everyone how great of parents we are! :)

A Flight to Remember

One of my greatest fears came true this morning. I fell/flew down the stairs of my house face down...the whole flight of stairs! Praise God I didn't have Caleb with me! I had glasses in my hands (and one of them had water sloshing in it), and as I was adjusting it at the top of the stairs, my foot must have slipped. And down I went.

It's amazing what goes through your head in a split second as something is happening to you (Can I stop this? No, I can't...just let it happen.). And then also as soon as I hit the downstairs floor, another round of things was going through my head (At least I'm not knocked out. Did I break anything? What happened to the glass cup I was carrying? Am I about to start really hurting somewhere? I am covered in water! Now I'm going to have to re-do my hair!)

I seem to be ok...at least for now. We'll see how I feel in a day or two. Right now I just have some ugly carpet burns and some pretty scary bruises. But I feel extremely lucky to be feeling ok. Ever since that happened this morning, I have been thanking God over and over and over that I'm ok.

I told my mom on the way to work that I'm going to start going down the stairs on my bottom from now on. :) So if Caleb thinks that is the only way to go down stairs his whole life, this may be why. :)

Caleb's First Haircut

Before

Caleb had just woke up from the car ride when we brought him in. He didn't know what to think of the whole ordeal.

After

Caleb had quite a bit of hair cut off, so he looks much less shabby now! It is really cute!

Movies

My mom and I went to San Antonio last week. While we were there, we thought we'd catch a movie. Since I have a one year old (almost), that is about how long I have been out of touch with current movies, tv, life in genereal, etc. My mom had heard that 'Knocked Up' was supposed to be a cute move. It was NOT a cute movie and by no means do I recommend it to anyone. With that said...

the most interesting part of the experience was that a couple walked in about 10 minutes before the movie started (while it was still light in the theater) and sat in the front row. They IMMEDIATELY starting mugging down and making out. My mom and I were cracking up laughing about this whole senario. Mom kept saying we were about to see someone get knocked up in the movie 'Knocked Up.' I really wanted to go sit right behind them and giggle, make jokes, or just ask them to stop.

What I don't get is why they sat in the first row...with the lights on...to make out. Why not sit in the back row? Or at least wait till the lights go down? I guess I'll never understand. This was the first time I have seen something like this happen, and I was shocked. But it was interesting that it was happening in that movie of all movies. :)

Videos of Caleb Walking

Ok, I tried putting two videos of Caleb walking in Photobucket from my camera and upload them on here. Didn't work. If anyone has done it before, what do I do to get it on here without having to link to it? Thanks for the help!

http://s168.photobucket.com/albums/u185/stephaniemcarroll/?action=view&current=Picture455.flv

http://s168.photobucket.com/albums/u185/stephaniemcarroll/?action=view&current=Picture452.flv

The Pledge of Allegiance

On Mike Cope's blog two days ago (this post), he talked about a church that said the Pledge of Allegiance on Sunday because of Memorial Day. Here is a quote from this blog:

"The Christian assembly is the place where we remember that there is only one ultimate allegiance, and it is to Jesus Christ. It is where we remember that any other ultimate allegiance is idolatry.
The early church didn’t pledge allegiance to Rome. They confessed Jesus as Lord — which was a political statement over against the confession that Caesar is Lord."

This made me think about the Pledge when I heard it on KLTY yesterday morning. If it does not belong in the church, does it belong on Christian radio?

I have never had a problem with the pledge. I feel that God does honor governments that are put in place, and he wants us to honor them some too. I don't feel like saying the Pledge is a big huge deal. Maybe I should. Maybe since I've had to say it in school my whole life, I just don't think much of it.

What are your thoughts on this topic? Do you feel churches should or should not say the pledge in their worship assemblies? Is it wrong for a Christian radio station to have the pledge aired?

Let the discussion begin!

Playing at the Park

Caleb and I got to go on a lunch date to meet some friends at the park today. Here are some pictures from his first time in a swing! He had a great time!

FREE Oil Change

Do you know anyone who might benefit from a free oil change? A neighbor, a friend, a family member? Someone who is not able to do it themselves or who might not be able to afford it? Have them call Richardson East Church at 972-231-8231 by tomorrow afternoon. Pit Stop Ministry is Saturday, June 2, 2007. 8AM-12PM

10 Things

10 Things you probably don't know about me:

1. Chris and I met when I was his student teacher. Scandalous!
2. I am a mean crocheter (not a word).
3. I was a drum major in my high school's band.
4. I made the All Region choir when I was in middle school. I quit choir in high school though so I'd have time for band.
5. I learned to ride my bike a day before my little brother so that he couldn't say he learned first. I was 7, he was 4.
6. I rode on an elephant once. At a field trip to Scarborough Faire.
7. I am not an animal person at all. I like Lindsay's dog Barnabas, and that is about it. I guess that is why we just have fish.
8. I used to be scared of holding little babies until I had one of my own. I guess I thought I would do it wrong or hurt the baby. Now it is no big deal!
9. I love to go camping!
10. My parents are two of my best friends.

Well, that was a little hard to think of things to add to the list.

Jungle

Anyone else have a jungle for a yard like we do? It keeps raining everyday, so we don't get to mow. We had a new neighbor move in two days ago, and I was kind of embarrassed about our yard when we met him. I'm sure he thinks (as well as our other neighbors) that we are scum, but oh well! Until we get a break in the rain, the jungle continues. :)

Amazing!

This weekend, it rained and rained in the Dallas area.

We were in Daingerfield camping, and the amazing thing was that it did not rain there at all! It made for a great weekend of camping! Cool weather, beautiful days, and we didn't get wet!

Memorial Day Weekend

This weekend, we are going camping with my parents and their long-time church friends.

Are you doing anything special for Memorial Day or the weekend?

Have a great weekend!
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Everyone celebrate! This is my 100th post on this blog! Woo hoo!

Summer Reading Program

When my brother and I were little, the library by our house had a Summer Reading Program for kids. We would read like crazy all summer to earn coupons for free food at restaurants, etc.

I have been thinking lately that I really wish libraries would have a Summer Reading Program for adults. I read like crazy anyway, so it would be really cool to earn stuff for it! I would think libraries would want to encourage everyone to read as much as possible. Maybe someday, I'll get the courage to ask my local library if they could start something like that.

Fun With Caleb

Caleb loves the camera. Mainly because he wants to eat it. He gets all excited when I get the camera out and starts attacking me because he thinks "maybe this time, she'll finally let me eat it." Here are some fun pictures from tonight's attack.

Attack of the baby!

He's climbed up against me and is standing in front of me.

I'm not sure why this turned out red, but it makes him look kind of evil. :)

Crawling up on me to get the camera.

To Tyler We Go

We are going camping this weekend with some friends from church at Tyler State Park. I love camping! Our family hasn't gone on our own since we had Caleb, so I have been missing it. I will have pictures when we get back of the weekend. In the mean time, here is a picture of the park.

More Arboretum Pictures

Trip to the Arboretum

Dallas Arboretum

We went to the arboretum awhile back and I am just now getting the pictures off my camera. Here are some shots from the day. Enjoy!

Ok, Blogger isn't working. I'll put them on here when it starts acting right.

Sress Release

When I feel stressed any little bit, I eat...and eat...and eat.

What do you do when you feel stressed?

My First Mother's Day Art

I can't tell you how proud I am! It's the best gift ever!

Bare Minerals Make-Up

My mom bought me this make-up for Christmas. I have had some people ask how I like it, so I thought I would finally put something on here about it.

Now, I can never do any make-up any justice because I am simply make-up slow. It has never been a huge priority of mine, so I am really no good at it.

But I really do love Bare Minerals. It is fun (feels like you are painting) and it does not feel like you are wearing much make-up. All of my make-up was bought at the Ulta store in Mesquite, and the lady that is the make-up expert there is FABULOUS! I really wish I could remember her name. I went back to get some eye make-up and more brushes, and she spend tons of time with me in order to decide what to get, and she did my make-up while I was there so that I could see what it would all look like and to show me how to do it. If you are thinking about going with Bare Minerals, I definitely recommend driving out to the Mesquite Ulta to talk with them. It was a great experience. The lady obviously knew what to tell me in order to want to buy more stuff, but she was so encouraging and complimentary and made it a great experience.

But anyway, the make-up is easy to do and really works great. I have had some blemishes over the past few months, and the make-up seems to cover them up very easily. Plus it's a lot of fun!

Odds and Ends

I have been so busy lately that I haven't even thought about blogging. I have been thinking of things to write...just haven't gotten around to it.

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Road Rage Update...
I have been horn happy lately. Last week on my way to work, a car pulled out in front of me going extremely slow and I had to hit the brakes hard to keep from hitting her...so I honked at her. What got me was that there was no one behind me. She could have waited one more second until I passed to pull out, but NO! She had to pull out in front of me and make me slam on my brakes.

I immediately felt bad about honking though. I was going to have to sit by this lady in traffic on 78 for awhile, so I felt rotten that I had honked at her.

Then this morning, on my way to work, I was sitting at the light coming out of my neighborhood onto 78. I was the first car in the line, and I got busy looking at something so when the light changed the lady behind me honked at me. I thought it was funny that I have been honking at people lately and then I got honked at. :)

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Today is my sweet Grandmother's birthday! I love my grandparents so much! They have been a huge help to me and my parents over my lifetime and have already been a huge help with Caleb. My grandmother is CRAZY about Caleb, so they are coming over tonight so she can play with him. It will be so nice to spend time with them.

Road Rage

I still can't believe I did this...

Last week, while on the way to work one day, I needed to make a U-turn. There was already someone in the intersection, so I sat there and waited for the person to be able to go. Then there was another lady that pulled into the intersection also (3 cars in the turn lane now) from Kroger.

The Kroger lady got ticked off because the 1st lady wouldn't move yet (which there was no way she could - wall to wall traffic). Kroger lady was yelling, flailing her arms about and honking in her car.

Before I could think against it, I honked my horn at Kroger lady because I thought she needed a wake up call at how ridiculous she was acting in a situation where nothing could be done at that point. Immediately, Kroger lady turns toward me and starts her yelling, flailing arms, etc.

It struck me as really, really funny that the lady was going nuts and that I had just honked at her, so while she is looking at me and yelling like a crazy person, I start cracking up laughing about the whole situation.

I still cannot believe I did this, but even as I sit here typing about it, it is cracking me up. Maybe it was really mean of me to do this. Maybe I shouldn't have. Maybe I could have been shot. But it sure did make me laugh.

10 Months Old - Crawling and Sitting Up

Caleb is 10 months old today. I cannot believe how fast this year is flying by. In just a few short months, we will have a birthday party. Though I am very excited for all of the things Caleb is learning and will learn how to do, there is also a part of me that is sad that we are leaving the baby days. He is very quickly becoming a "big boy."
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Chris had a meeting last night, so Caleb and I got to have some mommy/Caleb time. Caleb actually crawled right a few times in the course of playing. I was so excited, so I kept clapping and saying "Yay!" Caleb thought it was hilarious that I was going so nuts over him and looked like he felt good about himself for what he had done. He also pushed himself up from his stomach into a sitting position for the first time too. So of course I had to go crazy over that too!

I also discovered that the bottom stair is the pefect height for him to sit and then stand up and start walking to me. I had been using phone books over the past week, but the stair is perfect for this little endeavor. Now I don't have to have phone books in my living room floor all of the time. :)

Maggiano's

Marcie and I went to a lunch meeting today at Maggiano's Little Italy. If you have never been there, I highly recommend it.

I always heard my mom say that she ate so much that she hurt. I never understood this statement and thought she was making it up...until today. I could not believe how much food they gave us (and of course I had to try everything!). They had a couple of people that spoke after we ate lunch, and I seriously thought I was going to have to get up and walk around because I hurt so bad.

I've decided that next time, I need to exercise some control. :)

Caleb and Daddy

Caleb has started a new thing where if Chris is running on the treadmill in the other room, he HAS to be there next to him. I tried to distract him with toys, etc. last night, but nothing worked. He simply wanted to be in the room with his Daddy. If I would have let him, he would have walked up on the treadmill to be where Daddy was. But he was perfectly happy just sitting there chewing on something once I let him walk in there. Happy to be near his Daddy.

Just think if we HAD to be or wanted so much to be near our Heavenly Father like that. That's the way it should be.

Sun!

The sun is out today...finally! It has been so cloudy and dreary looking for so long now. It is so nice to see the sun out again! Ah, sun!

Coupons

Do you clip, save and use coupons? If so, do you believe it makes a difference?

I used to clip and use coupons quite a bit but haven't done so in the past few years. I have thought about starting up again. What do you think?

Easter Bunny Picture

Caleb had his picture taken with the Easter Bunny at school today. Here it is! He looks kind of scared. :)

Uh-Oh

New and exciting Caleb news! Caleb started saying "Uh-oh!" yesterday. He says it all of the time now. He doesn't have a clue of what it means, but he thinks it is fun. It's so neat because I can now start saying Uh-oh, Dada, etc. and he will repeat it back to me. He is getting more fun all of the time!

Cadre

Maybe I'm weird, but I had never heard this word before last weekend. It was in a newsletter from my parents' church which I thought was really strange since I had never heard of that word before.

It's funny sometimes to hear words that people have never heard before. Most of the time, I am thinking "Where have they been all their life?" So I guess this is my time for people to wonder how in the world I did not know about this word.

Here is cadre's definition:
NOUN:
A nucleus of trained personnel around which a larger organization can be built and trained: a cadre of corporals who train recruits.
A tightly knit group of zealots who are active in advancing the interests of a revolutionary party.
A member of such a group.
A framework.

What's the Deal?

Last night when we got home, there were 4 messages on our recorder from Caleb's doctor's office about his lab work. Then this morning when I looked at my cell phone, I had two messages from them from last night. I was starting to get a little worried that something was wrong (even though one of the messages said that his results were normal but still said to call back). So I called this morning to see what the deal was, and they just said everything was normal.

What is the deal with leaving 6 messages on my recorder? And why can't they just leave a message saying everything was normal? Is there a law that says you have to actually reach someone on the phone before you can let it go...even if you tell them it is fine on the message?

How strange.

A Must Read

I just finished reading Francine River's An Echo in the Darkness (2nd book in the series) last night. This series (The Mark of the Lion) is a must read! It is the best story I have read in a long, long time, and this series is quickly becoming one of my very favorites. If you haven't read it, you really need to. If you would like to borrow the books from me, I would be glad to loan them to you.

Here are the books in the series:

A Voice in the Wind
An Echo in the Darkness
As Sure As The Dawn

Weekend Plans

What are your weekend plans?

Tonight we are going to a party. Tomorrow Chris has a fantasy baseball draft, and Caleb and I are going to the hospital to visit my grandaddy. Sunday, we have church and then Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. Those are our plans.

Things That Make My Mouth Water By Just Thinking About Them...

1) Pickles

2) Salad - but not all of the time

3) Olives

What makes your mouth water just by thinking about it?

Another Prayer Request

Some of you already know about this, but I would like for you to be in prayer for my grandfather, W.B. He had surgery on Tuesday to fix blockage in his neck (he had sugery a month ago on the other side of his neck also) and while in surgery, he had a small stroke and a blood clot. At first we didn't think there had been any or much damage from the stroke, but the damage was actually pretty extensive. He is unable to talk, is unable to move the right side of his face, and the whole right side of his body is weak. I went to visit him today, and I really hope think that he is understanding things...he just has no way of communicating back. At one point, I asked him a question and he did say "Yeah." That was encouraging. He will stay in ICU tonight and then will probably go to a room tomorrow and stay there for at least a few days. Then he will go to a rehab place.

Please pray that when the swelling on his brain goes down that he will regain some or all of the things he has lost. I really hope this will happen.

This week has not been a good week to be related to me or Chris. :) Pray that things will return to normal for our family soon!

A Walk Around the Block

I love the nice weather we have been having lately. With Chris recovering from his surgery and needing to sleep a lot, Caleb and I have taken lots of walks lately. Caleb absolutely loves riding in the stroller on walks. He gets so calm and still just looking around. It's nice to be able to walk around the neighborhood and it not be too hot yet. Walking is good down time. It gives me time to think about things without Caleb screaming or demanding my attention which is nice. So, good weather, stick around!

Please Keep Praying

Well, Chris went to the doctor yesterday for a post-op visit and was told that he is not allowed to travel for another week. So, we are not going to be able to go to El Paso for his grandfather's funeral this weekend. I know he is really, really bummed about it...and being sick....and being in pain, etc. Please keep Chris in your prayers over the next few days that he will heal quickly. He has felt so rotten for so long. He needs a break (a break from Spring Break!).

Also, please pray for Chris' family as they plan for the funeral, travel to El Paso, etc. This is a rough time for everyone, so pray that they will all be comforted.

Busy, Busy

Well, it's been over a week since I posted last. Chris had his tonsils out last Wednesday, so things have been kind of crazy since then. Everyone said it would be hard on an adult, and they were right. Chris has some different medicine now that hopefully will make him feel better within a day or two. I feel really bad that he has felt so crummy. I feel so helpless when he or Caleb is sick or feels bad. I wish I could do something to make it better, but I can't. I just have to try to help out the best I can.

I don't know what I would do without family to help out. Our family has been such a huge help to us this past week. Thank you mom, dad, Jeanette, grandmother and grandaddy! We love you all!

Also, please be in prayer for Chris and his family. His grandfather passed away last night. We are not sure of the details yet, but the funeral will be in El Paso. With Chris feeling the way he does right now, there is no way he can travel. Pray for speedy recovery for Chris so that he will feel up to making the trip and for all of us as we travel.

I'm Going to Have a Sister!

No, my mom is not pregnant. My brother, Casey, got engaged this weekend! We are all really excited and happy for them both! It looks like they will get married December 28 of this year which is Chris and my anniversary also. That would make it easy to remember!

The Phone That Got Away

We went to the El Chico in Rockwall on Friday night with my parents. On the way over there, I called my dad to let him know that we were running late. Then on Saturday morning at Pit Stop, I went looking for my phone, but it wasn't there. I didn't think anything about it since I thought it would be at home.

Then at around 5:30 Saturday night, I started wondering about my phone. I turned the car and house inside and out looking for it. I remembered using it on Friday night and had Chris look it up the internet to see if that was in fact the last time it was used. I called El Chico, but they said they didn't have it. I decided to drive to El Chico (35 minutes away) to look for it anyway (I thought it might have been in a dark corner under the table we were sitting at or in the parking lot). When I got there, I asked the family sitting at the table if I could look under it for my phone...not there. Then I talked to the manager again and left him my contact info. in case he found it. Then I went and bought a flash light at CVS and then came back to look for it...not there. So I went home.

By this point I was all in a tizzy (sp?) because I thought someone had found my phone and stolen it. I was bummed that I was about to have to go spend money to buy a new phone.

At 10:00 that night, Chris' cell phone rang. He went downstairs to see who it was. Almost immediately, the home phone started ringing. It was the manager at El Chico saying he had just been walking by their safe in the back and heard a phone ringing. He looked inside to find the phone, and saw that it was mine...it had been shoved in the back corner of the safe.

My brother had tried to call my cell phone, and when he couldn't get me he tried Chris' phone. Because of Casey calling me, I got my cell phone back! How cool is that! My parents also said they were calling my phone all night once an hour to see if someone would find it and answer it.

This story reminds me of the time that I lost my purse in a gas station for three days, and when I returned to pick it up, everything was still there.

God is looking out for me even though I'm a ding-dong! :)

I will be shopping for a new purse that zips over the next few days so I hopefully wont have this problem again. Yay, new purse! :)

Baby Food Meat - Blehhh!

Ok, so Caleb has been trying baby food meat for the first time this week. He has been eating chicken with chicken gravy, and he absolutely hates it. He's liked everything so far, but he just does not like this meat. I have other kinds that I will continue trying, but I was just going to ask if anyone's kids ever had this dislike of meat...at least at the beginning. I realize it probably will take some time for him to get used to it since it is weird, but I just thought I would ask.

Grocery Buggies or Carts?

What do you say? I say "Buggies", but Chris says "Carts." A thing of much debate in our house. :)

March 1st

How can it be March 1st already?! This year is going by way too fast! I'm not even used to it being 2007 yet!

3

That is how many outfits Caleb pooped, etc. in yesterday. Crazy!

I packed many more outfits today in his bag. We'll see...