the connors family: 2009

A Dumptruck, a Jumprope, and a Dog

>> Tuesday, December 15, 2009 – Anna Kate, Caroline, holidays

...these are the things on Caroline's Christmas wishlist this year. We've been assured that she is only expecting a pretend dog, and when we asked what kind of dog she wanted, she said "White."

Though we couldn't get her to actually ask Santa for them at their breakfast meeting at Irish pub Ri-Ra.

Yes, the Connors visited Santa at a bar. For breakfast. The only unfortunate part was that they hadn't actually started serving yet. But that didn't stop CEC from getting some early lessons about good beer.

There was also singing, courtesy of a local high school ensemble. Caroline was fascinated.

And of course, there was the trip to Santa's lap. Even Anna Kate woke up in time to join in! The photo is priceless.

I wish I could bottle the look on Caroline's face and keep it in my pocket. It's just so... Caroline. And sweet Anna... oh my. You are just so... sweet. It kills me.

Yes, I had this photo made into a magnet and it is going on my filing cabinet at work.

So Very Thankful

>> Monday, November 30, 2009 – Anna Kate, Caroline, holidays

The DC-edition of the Connors family got a visit from the Melbourne-based Connors, who came to celebrate Turkey Day with us.

Well, and to visit their oldest granddaughter and meet the youngest.

Let's be honest. That's why they were really here. And who can blame them?

The meeting went splendidly....

Getting to know you

And then there was the actual meal. Most of us had the traditional Connors' Thanksgiving lobster and oyster dressing. And Sean even made a turkey. We slaved over nothing for the rest of the meal and went straight to Whole Foods. Thank you Whole Foods for keeping me sane.

Looks yummy, huh?

All the activity wore Anna out

Crashed out turkey

Lucky Caroline even convinced Grandmom and Papa Mike to make a trip to the park. Though it seems like they had some fun there too...

No doubt there are two little girls who can't wait for the next Connors meeting. Who wouldn't love time like this?

Halloween, 2009 Edition

>> Monday, November 2, 2009 – Anna Kate, Caroline, holidays

Our first holiday as a family of 4, and a mere 4 days after little Anna Kate joined us. Luckily, we had prepared for this one in advance (and at some points, even thought we might have a Halloween baby!)

There was plenty of celebration, with Grandma and Grandpa on hand to help out.

1st, on Friday, the Red Suedes Halloween party! Mom couldn't miss this one, so left AK for a playdate with her grandparents and headed to Caroline's school. Yummy treats - and a riot!

Caroline's Halloween Witch

Our cookie double-fister and her friends

Saturday brought the official Holiday. The butterfly fairy considered accessorizing her costume with a hat...

... but eventually settled on a butterfly bow (whew). Daddy and Grandpa took her for a very successful Trick or Treating. There were lots of comments about our adorable fairy and her cat bag, and the treats were flowing...

Anna Kate even got into the Halloween spirit. Princess Pumpkin Cheeks sported a very pumpkin-y outfit during the day, then dressed up as the cutest baby giraffe we've ever scene for the evening festivities. Of course, not as much fun to have to stay at home with Mommy and Grandma, but there's always next year.

Labor Day Adventures

>> Monday, September 7, 2009 – Caroline, holidays

No no, not that kind of labor. Still waiting on that one. Thankfully.

This one came as a result of Caroline's school being closed for both the holiday and some teacher training days. So mom and dad split up CEC duty and headed out for one-on-one adventures with our little one.

First up, the ZOO with Daddy. As many of you know, C's dad is a guy who cannot resist a trip to the zoo.

Per the norm, there were lots of fun things to see, including, apparently, elephant tails...

They shared a hamburger...

And at least one of them did some running. Go Caroline, Go!

The next day took our star to the butterfly exhibit at Brookside Gardens with Mommy. This was not C's first trip to the exhibit, but we're betting she doesn't remember being there before. You know, since she was less than two months old and all.

This time was much more exiting. Caroline even made friends with a butterfly who liked her head. No, I did not tell her it was there. Figured it was better to preserve the health of the butterfly and the peace of the moment.

Think maybe the butterfly saw her doing her impersonation of one, and thought she was a friend...

"Butterflies go 'flutter flutter'"

Or maybe that saw this precious little girl, all dressed up in her butterfly get-up and found being close to her as irresistible as we do.

Classtacular

>> – Caroline, CEC thoughts, random updates, video

The end of August was very exciting for our little star - the first day in a new class at school! For some time, she's been promised that she'd soon be in the "big kid" class, and even had made some field trips down the hall to visit.

And finally, her day arrived! She was characteristically enthusiastic about the new adventure, and anxiously got dressed and ready to go. She used her new backpack for the first time, and apparently thought is was necessary for not only Gis, but a soccer ball, to accompany her.

Always be prepared, C.

Showing off her pretty smile and her school (?) supplies

Mommy even interviewed our the little scholar on the way to school - listen for observations on the colors she sees, and some comments about age (hers and her friends).

Thoughts on the First Day of School from Sarah on Vimeo.

She is so yummy, isn't she?

Thoughts from a Little Girl, Part 1

>> Thursday, August 27, 2009 – Caroline, CEC thoughts

I've realized that I should start writing down all of the fun/ adorable/ frustrating/ hilarious/ insightful things that come out of our little girl before I lose every brain cell and forget them all. Truly, there is probably something every day, but some of it is gone from my memory before I can even repeat to Sean, much less write it down.

Still, I think it's worth giving it a shot.

Regular readers will remember that conversations with Caroline started LONG ago - she is quite the talker (and well known for it around the grater DC area, too). It has been so much fun to see her go from this to now. Can only imagine that it gets funnier from here.

So... to start off, a few stories from recent conversations with Caroline.

Yogurt Confessions (sitting at the dinner table with Mommy)

CEC: Mommy, what did Caroline do with her yogurt?
Mommy (remembering that she had yogurt in her lunch at school): I don't know Caroline... What did Caroline do with her yogurt?
CEC: Did...she... pour it on the floor?
Mommy: Oh No Caroline! Did she pour it on the floor?
CEC (emphatically): Yes.
Mommy: Oh Caroline, that is not nice. We don't pour our yogurt on the floor!
CEC: Sara (one of her teachers) have to clean it up.
Mommy: We need to say, "I'm sorry Sara, for pouring yogurt on the floor."
CEC: Pooooooorrrr Saaarrraaa....

*I should note that this confession was completely unprompted and came out of the blue! We reported the above to Sara the next day, and sure enough, Caroline had poured her yogurt on the floor. The only part of the story needing correction was that Sara and Caroline had to clean it up. We love Sara :-)

Baby in the Backseat (riding in the car - aka "Caroline car" on the way home from school)

CEC: When our baby comes, our baby will sit in the backseat with Caroline
Mommy and Daddy: That's right! Will you help take care of our baby in the back seat?
CEC: We have to share.

*No idea where this one came from either. We've talked about sharing her room, her crib, her toys, and lots about her helping - but the car, she brought up on her own. Maybe she just realizes that from here on out, sharing is the name of the game.

Hmmm... that sounds familiar

*We have started to hear things that we say coming out of the mouth of our child (note to self: watch EVERYTHING you say). Some of our favorites:

CEC (riding down the road, pointing at signs): Do you see the letters mommy?
Mommy: I do see the letters!
CEC: That's a good eye! Mommy, say, "That's a good eye Caroline!"
*Variations on this theme abound. Mommy or Daddy, letters, birds, clouds, airplanes are all interchangeable in the scenario.

CEC (playing with toys): Daddy, do you want to go outside?
Daddy:
CEC: Is that a great idea Daddy? That's a great idea!

Part-tay with the Polsons

>> Tuesday, August 25, 2009 – Caroline, random updates

This weekend, while Daddy was doing his annual Fantasy Football Draft thing in a land far far away (I think Sterling, VA), Caroline and Mommy headed up to Germantown to celebrate our friend Dani's 3rd birthday.

To say that CEC was excited would be the understatement of the year. Granted, Mommy had been hyping the party for a week, but once she realized that birthday=cake (sometime back around Grandmom's birthday in July), it wasn't a hard sell.

That, and she really idolizes Dani. Remember, this is the same little girl who, back in January, convinced Caroline that this was cool.

After a nearly record setting 3 hour nap (at home. for the second day in a row. it's a miracle!), we put on our party clothes, grabbed a snack and headed out. In addition to much singing and story telling, the repeated dialogue in the car went something like this:

CEC: Mommy, we going to Dani's house

Mommy: Yes, we are!

CEC: We bring a birthday to Dani [pretty sure she means a present, since Dani had the birthday part all wrapped up on her own].

We say, "Thank you Dani!"

Mommy: Well, that will be nice - we will thank her for inviting us!

CEC: I say, "Hi, I'm Caroline. I two years old!"

Something about the whole thing melts my heart even thinking about it. She is getting to be so... grown up. And sweet. Excited about the party and planning what she was going to say when she got there and met her new friends.

Ah, if only I could bottle it and bring it back out when she's 13. But who knows? Maybe we'll be lucky :)

There were 12 (yes, a whole dozen) kids there, all under 4 years old. If that doesn't make for chaos, I don't know what does. I should note though, it was the BEST kind of chaos you could imagine. Despite the rain outside, the Polsons were excellent hosts and there was plenty of playtime inside. Crafty Adele even had a project for the kids - check out the photos below for evidence of the beautiful personalized crowns!

The birthday girl blows the candles!

Lots of cake eating

Checking out Barbie

They had a Moon Bounce!

Big Girl Bed, Here We Come

>> Thursday, August 20, 2009 – Caroline, random updates

Hooray!

In preparation for Baby Sesame's arrival, Caroline is getting her very own big girl bed.

She.is.so.excited.

We took her with us a few times to look for them, which has only heightened her excitement. Unfortunately, the bed we ultimately picked out had to be ordered, which is putting the whole transition on hold for the next few weeks.

Here it is (with the trundle, which will also be hers):

One tricky thing - when asked, she insists that it is green... or green and white. So off we go to buy some green sheets!

Happy Birthday, Grandmom

>> Thursday, July 16, 2009 – Caroline, random updates, vacation

The Connors trio headed to Melbourne, Florida for a SURPRISE visit to CEC's Grandmom and Papa Mike, and to celebrate Grandmom's 60th birthday!

The surprise went off without a hitch (whew!) and Caroline loved hanging in the Florida sunshine, doing some swimming in the pool and at the beach, playing with Aunt Catherine and Uncle Al (and new BFF Holly the dog), and enjoying the family vacay. And mom and dad loved it too.

Sleepy on the plane

SURPRISE!

Swimming with 2 of her guys

Papa Mike showed us a manatee!

Outside at church

Grandmom reads stories

C fed a giraffe at the zoo!

LOVING the beach! A girl after her mommy's heart

Our Own Little Firecracker

>> Tuesday, July 7, 2009 – Caroline, holidays

What better way to celebrate our Independence Day than with a trip to the National Mall?

This was the second annual such venture for our native Washingtonian and her family, and though both trips started with a pre-game nap (see below), this year brought lots more activity, including *running* up and down the Mall.

She was particularly impressed with what might be known to you as the Washington Monument. Lots of, "Daddy - see the big house? That a BIG HOUSE!"

Yep, sweet girl, that's a big house.