Formal Attire

Caroline came to dinner with this outfit on. Steve and I were too tired to fight it.

So, come to our house for dinner. Formal attire is expected. Fairy wings and tutus are a must. Shirts are optional.

The Big Girls

My basketball season is over, and while we were not a terribly successful team (1-16), we had a team full of girls that played hard. Lucy, Caroline, and Steve were at most games and the girls in particular enjoyed coming to watch. And my "big girls" sure did have fun seeing Lucy and Caroline. 

Since our season is done, Steve and I have made it a point to bring Lucy and Caroline to local women's basketball games. All of us have had a great time getting to know the local teams, getting to see the local venues, and eating lots of popcorn and candy in the process.

These Two

They get along most of the time.

They are insane all of the time.

Birthday Part II

Here are some pics from Caroline's big day.

Breakfast with the birthday girl

She was SO excited.

Her dinner: pancakes, eggs, and bacon.

Funny face

Make a wish

In her Toy Story PJs from Nana and Yoinkie

Happy and smiling

Happy birthday, Sweet Caroline!

Happy birthday, Caroline!

We celebrated Caroline's fourth birthday yesterday. This is the first year that she really understood that her birthday was coming. I knew this because everyone she interacted with in the past five days has been greeted with, "My birthday is in ___ days!"

You have to love a four year old's simple requests. Her birthday dinner: pancakes and eggs. Her "party" will be a playdate tomorrow with a friend from school that will include cupcakes. She still has presents to open, and she has totally forgotten about them. She was just excited to have her day and bring muffins to her friends at school to celebrate.

One of the funniest parts of the day was seeing Lucy's interaction with Caroline. What was expected was Lucy's initial reaction to be jealous of the attention that Caroline was getting, but her genuine excitement for Caroline was incredibly sweet. She made Caroline two homemade presents while at school (a picture and a mask that Caroline wore the entire drive home) and helped Caroline to put together a few of her presents.

It's hard to believe that four years have passed since this moment:

Hours old

And now to fast forward four years and see this little person:

Happy birthday, Sweet Caroline. It's hard to describe you at this moment: you are crazy and happy and full of life. But most of all, Caroline, you have a kind heart. That is what I love most about you.

Eeek!

It has been over a month since I last posted anything. Yikes! Life has just hummed right along with the return to school, a basketball season in full swing for both me and Lucy, exams, etc. It has been a full month. As I collect some pictures from the month, I will leave you with these pictures from Caroline's school (she is the one standing up):

Duck

Duck

Goose!

Happy New Year!

Our New Year's Eve was far from exciting, but we spent it at home with these two crazy children in front of the fire.

2013 was a good year for us. We became homeowners - and have since learned all sorts of things, like how to reglaze windows, when to prune hydrangeas, how to keep bamboo from spreading, etc. The girls continue to be healthy and happy. And while the year has seen its low spots, like the passing of my grandfather and other health concerns in the family, we have so much to be thankful for.

I have no resolution. I think my only goal is that everyday I want to look around at some point and say, "Holy crap, I've got it pretty good."

So, Happy New Year from the Sodens. We hope 2014 is a great year for everyone!