HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY CAROLINE!!

It's hard to believe that our little Caroline is now TWO!!
She has really grown up a TON over the summer -- in maturity, independence, and her verbal skills. So even though it's hard for me to believe, and I can't figure out where the time went, she really does seem like a two-year-old now! Here are some pictures from her big day....



Lo and 4-month-old Emma Rose

Allen, Hutch, Tucker, & Caroline playing t-ball in the driveway

Vandersea & Ruvo girls enjoying some yummy pizza

Chase & Tucker

Bob Auman and Grandmommy

The grownups enjoying the cooler temps we had that afternoon

Caroline was very excited about her PURPLE CAKE

Rachel was happy to help little sis with the candles

Mmmmmmm..... cake.....

Caroline and baby cousin Nelson

Assorted August Pics

Some assorted pictures from August --

Caroline moved this stool directly in front of the TV, and when I asked her why, she said "see show, see show!". I guess the couch wasn't good enough! Or maybe we need a larger TV screen (yeah, right) -- I think I only need to be worried if she goes into a trance and says "They're heeeeere........."

Watching some Star Wars with Daddy on a rainy weekend afternoon

Caroline "sleeping" on the kitchen stools that she lined up for a "nap" (click any photo in the blog for a larger view)

Rachel doing her almost-daily dress up and dancing around the living room

Caroline following suit with some accessories and dancing

Our littlest Wildcat, wearing Rachel's snow boots

Caroline's 4 snugglies that she HAS to sleep with: Elmo, Puppy, Baby, and baby doll "Day"

My kitchen helpers -- making gazpacho! Not sure why Caroline was half-naked and Rachel was in fancy mode, but it's a hilarious contrast!!

Fun with play-doh

Daddy's Girls

The girls LOVE their daddy, as they should, of course... and it makes me especially happy when they spend time with him around the house. Here are some pictures of Rachel & Caroline watching Brian doing yard work, as well as a video clip of Caroline camped out on a kitchen stool, waiting patiently for Daddy's car to pull into the driveway at the end of his work day. ENJOY!







Video transcript:
Caroline, whatcha doin?
Daddy... drive... home.
That's right! ... Are you waiting for Daddy to come home?
Drive... home.
He's driving home? Where will Daddy's car be when he gets home?
Out.
Out? Point to where the car will be --
Daddy out...
Uh huh... where did Daddy go today?
Yuk [work].
Where?
Yuk [work].
Work?
Mmmm hmmm!

Visit with Ceil & Claudia

Ceil and Claudia came to NC this week to visit from Miami, and we had a great time catching up with them! It's hard to believe that Claudia is so tall -- and almost 10 years old! Here are some photos from an outing to the Museum of Life & Science in Durham.

Weekend with Mark, Miriam, and Neils

We had a fun weekend with Mark, Miriam, and Neils visiting from Morehead City. On Friday night we all went to a Durham Bulls baseball game and met Kevin, Trish, Tucker, & Chase there. Saturday included a swim at our pool and dinner at home with everyone mentioned above, plus our friend John Spencer. Here are some photos of the action....





Brian and Andy Ruvo were the Sumo wrestlers during the post-5th-inning entertainment...


Saturday at the pool



Action shot of Rachel doing quite a leap into the water!

Saturday night at home... Rachel, Chase, & Tucker having fun in the playroom

Spencer, Kevin, Brian, Snow White, and Mark hanging out by the grill

Ballet performance

Last week, Rachel went to a 5-day ballet camp each morning at a ballet school in Chapel Hill. On Friday they put on a Sleeping Beauty performance, which was really cute -- considering this was by no means "ballet lessons" -- just a week of fun, dabbling in ballet. Each child brought her favorite costume to wear for the final performance.

Rachel with Gabi and Amelia Ruvo before the show (and Caroline, too)





Rachel Ruvo was nice enough to bring each of our girls a long-stemmed rose at the end of the show!

The Little Mermaid play

On Wednesday night, we went to an outdoor theater in the town of Snow Camp, NC, to see a performance of "The Little Mermaid." The kids enjoyed meeting some of the characters during dinner beforehand, and the show itself was great for mermaid lovers! Here are some pictures.

Rachel with the little mermaid

Caroline with the sea king