A Birthday Party I will NEVER forget!

BinBin and I are having FUN!

GayGay hanging out!!!

I had an audience to blow out my candles!!!

Nanna and Grandpa are so SPECIAL!!!

Opening my birthday gifts!

Reagan.... I REALLY want that passy!

Caroline and Reagan playing with her new toy...a counting toy.

Caroline enjoying ALL her friends!

KK loves me!

I was very ladylike with my cake!

Blowing out my first BIRTHDAY CANDLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well, mama helped me!!!!!

Opening gifts is FUN!

Bree, Mackenzie, Mary Kathryn, Allison, Reagan, Devin, Jackson, Emma Kate, Taylor, Me, Caroline, Whitney and Wade..smiling and playing with Cara's new toys!

The Parade Station was moved to the garage! Sadly, the parade actually didnt take place....boo hoo- the lays, face paint, streamers, balloons, and noise makers will be saved for next year!!!!

Thanks for coming Allison and Kent!! Caroline LOVES Reagan!

Mrs. Janine (Ninni) and Mr. Jim!!! I LOVE THEM!!!

Thanks GayGAy for my Bubble!!! It was precious!

All this fuss for me Mommy?

Waiting for her guests to arrive!!

Kellie, Pat and Jackson made the trip~!

Emma and Taylor dancing with Caroline. We had the ipod playing Sweet Caroline, Black Eyed Peas, Kenney Chesney, Taylor Swift, and MJ!

More decorations!

Emma Kate and Taylor make everything SPECIAL!

I LOVE MY COUSINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A life to Celebrate!!!! Caroline is ONE!!!!!

Thanks to Leigh Ann Butler for the Banners and the hat! And to Robin for the precious bib!!!
And to Lynn for the adorable smash cake!!

The invitation read Come and Celebrate with Me, A Grand Parade is What it Will be. Caroline is Turning One and We Want to Have Some Fun1

Lunch was served with an assorment of tea sandwiches....including PBJ, Homemade Pimento and Cheese, and a Roast Beef with Maytag Bleu Cheese spread. I stacked the sandwiches for the party. The above pic was the only one I got pre-stack.

Chicken fingers, and the staple cream cheese with pepper jelly spread for a dip

The Oh so Good, BLT dip! Bacon, sour cream, and mayo mixed, layered over lettuce and topped with fresh tomatoes!!! YUMYUM!

Lynn made the CAKE! It was soooo good. She tiered like the invitation and I made the toppers with Leigh Anne's scraps!

The above pics are some of pumpkins gifts....she got toys, books, and clothes, a slide and a new pink car!! THANKS so much to everyone that gave her a gift!!

Lynn also made the delicious balloon and 1 sugar cookies!! Favors included bubbles too!!

On April 24, 2010 we gathered to celebrate the short lil life our most PRECIOUS ANGEL from HEAVEN!!! WOW-what a year. Caroline Grace Benson born April 27, 2009 was about to be ONE. The joy, terror, love, fun, laughter, tears, stress, sleepless nights.....an array of wild emotions and more LOVE than words can express was about to be celebrated. It had to be PINK and it had to be fun!!! I wanted music, dancing, food, toys, and lots of laugter to reflect the new life that was before not only Caroline but her father and me as well. And that is exactly what we tried to do.....A PARTY to REMEMBER! A life to CELEBRATE and a LOVE like no OTHER!!!!

THANK YOU LORD for giving us such a precious gift. We will strive to do the best we can in raising her to be in your likeness and with the love, joy, and peace that only you can give. When I think about my wish for her life....it is to LOVE like you LOVED us!!!!! Unconditional LOVE!

THE PLANNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What kind of party/celebration could reflect the kind of fun, love adoration and pure joy that Caroline has brought. Well, Dave and I did all we could do in order to make that happen! I had the idea of a PARADE!! How fun would that be? Parading down the street in honor of not the President, Christmas, or Thanksgiving....but our lil Caroline!!! LOL!! What a hoot that would be....

Well-I guess the Good Lord thought otherwise. The forecast showed THUNDERSTORMS...we thought just in case...we'll pitch a tent on the deck...so the above pics are from the day BEFRORE the party.

Caroline MEETS Aubie!

Aubie is SO cool!!!

So, here lil and her Dad are wishing they were meeting Phil esp. after this year's Masters! But she will settle for Aubie!
I told you she loved to hold my keys!

Gene....he was swamped by excited AU fans!! I'm like people it's April, can't we just enjoy say azaleas?


Having some fun with Jan!!!

Aubie was soooo sweet and as usual funny!!!

So, Wednesday night we went to an Auburn Alumni Association fundraiser and Caroline got to meet AUBIE!!! She was just too cute with him. Cautious but Polite was she!!! She actually SMILED at him!!!!!!! Sweet thing.....she was sooo excited. The trip was short and sweet!!!

Caroline Does THS!

So, last weekend we made the dance recital. The memories in that auditorium were just too much. Lots of dreams dreamed on that stage. Lots of laughs lauged too!!

Emma Kate and her little friends did a marvelous job and Caroline enjoyed herself VERY much too!

Communicating More and More each day

I haven't blogged in a while about what she is doing at 11 months so I wanted to write some highlights. And this has sort of become a baby book. She now has 4 teeth on the top and 4 on the bottom!! She is working on but doesn't yet have her 12 month molars.
She is WALKING really fast now all over the house. I am most amazed though now with her ability to communicate which I first really noticed at about a month ago but lately it has seemed to blossom. She can on command by her Mommy--kick like a donkey, wave her arms like a monkey, turn her head "like a peguin", wiggle her hips, and clap "like a seal". We LOVE the Eric Carl books!!! If I say sit down she will squat down and my favorite, if I say brush your hair....she will "brush" her hair with her little pink brush!!!! It is HYSTERICAL!!! And really rather wild to think she is literally LISTENING to EVERYTHING! If I say do you wanna go outside....she heads for the door. She can say Mama, Dada, Baba, GayGay, Papa, CaCat, Ball. Today though she really plainly said GayGay Gay Gay when Mom called and I put her on speakerphone. It was FREAKY!! If the next year is anything like the first, we will have a full blown person on our hands by 2...with a full blown mind of her own! So much this is for Dave and Me. I love her more than words can describe and I enjoy watching her grow more than anything else on this earth!! What a wonderful precious angel from heave, my lil Caroline is! Thank you Lord for our gift!!

More Easter Fun!

Look at my French Hand Sewn Dress! Thanks Gay-Gay for all your hardwork. I will cherish this for many years to come!!!!

Proud Grandparents!!

He is Risen from the Dead and he is LORD!

I can't even believe I am saying this but this was Caroline's FIRST trip to church. Call it a lack of faith or an overprotective first time Mother, but I did not take Caroline to church all winter long. So, this was a HUGE day for my precious angel from heaven!!!! Now she sat through the singing and that was about it. We took turns standing in the vestabule with her. But she LOVED the singing. We went to the traditional service and it was just wonderful....lots of old hymns and praising going on!! The service was wonderful and I left feeling peace which is what Jesus is all about!!!! What a WONDERFUL day!!

Egg Hunting 101!

This is the Day that the Lord hath made we should rejoice and be glad in it!! He is ALIVE!! What a beautiful weekend it was to celebrate the risen Lord!! We went to Cherokee for the Easter Egg Hunt and much fun was had by all!!! The Grandparents and Cara especially had FUN!!! And Caroline actually picked up the eggs and put them in the basket...thanks Granna for teaching me how to do that!!!!

Oh and by the way I learned something knew this Easter....when did they start hiding fake eggs?! Apparently, this is how it is every where and even Mom said we hunted fake ones at school and at public easter egg hunts when I was little. Though I always remember hiding and hunting REAL eggs....I would work so hard to make sure the eggs were pefect in color. That the colors didnt run together and that the color was spread equally throughout the egg...Pastels.....I was so proud to present my very pretty eggs at the Taylor Easter Egg hunt and at hunts we had at my house. Why do rules and heath regualtions have to break up the fun stuff?! LOL!