The Dixon Family

3 Months Old!

2012-01-18T08:28:00.000-08:00

Sunday was Catherine's 3-month birthday! I cannot believe she is already 3 months old. She is so precious, and we are enjoying every moment with our baby girl! She is starting to be very interactive and she even started laughing this past week. She is still sleeping through the night and eats every 3.5 hours during the day.

Catherine has the sweetest smile!

Olivia came over to play on Catherine's birthday.

Catherine loves her mobile that Puppy gave her. She squeals with delight when she is watching it!

Catherine loves her Kick & Play bouncer. Lesley got it from a friend and gave it to Mom to keep at her house for the girls. Catherine loved it so much that Mom passed it on to me. She will kick and kick and kick!

Catherine loves her big sister, and Caroline is equally smitten with her. Caroline wants to hold Catherine every morning while I make breakfast.

Daddy's sweet girls!

Smith Family Christmas

2012-01-09T07:30:00.000-08:00

Yes, this is my last Christmas post! The day after Christmas we went to my parents' house to celebrate with Puppy, Granddaddy, Aunt Bessie, Uncle Jeremy, Olivia, and Aunt Dianne. Puppy had made a delicious brunch so we ate and then started with our stockings.

Olivia was very excited to open her stocking!

Puppy had each little girl a monkey in their stocking. Catherine loves this monkey. She played with it all day and stills plays with it all the time. She likes to grab the monkey by the tail!

Caroline loved her Clara figurine that was in her stocking. She is into everything Nutcracker right now after going to the ballet!

Lesley and I with our stockings

Puppy and Granddaddy loved their picture book from the girls.

Caroline loved her Rapunzel doll and dress from Aunt Bessie and Uncle Jeremy.

Tripp and Caroline with his framed diploma

Lesley and I wanted to do something special for Mom and Dad since they have been such a big help to us with our new baby girls and big sister!

Caroline and Aunt Bessie playing with her new Doggie Doo game

Olivia and Catherine were worn out from all of the excitement and fun!

Olivia and Catherine playing together in their crib!

Aunt Dianne arrived that afternoon and we exchanged presents with her. We had a great day spending time with our family and visiting with Aunt Dianne.

Christmas Day

2012-01-05T05:08:00.000-08:00

I love that Christmas was on Sunday this year. I cannot think of a better way to celebrate Christmas than by going to church and praising God for the gift of His Son. Winnie and Granddaddy came over to see what Santa brought the girls and went to church with us.

We had one worship service at church and our pastor preached on John 1:14-18. Caroline went to her class during church. I will never forget her singing "O come let us adore Him" the whole way home from church. That will always be such a special memory for me as Tripp and I try to instill in her the real meaning of Christmas!

After church Uncle Tyler and Taylor came over for lunch and opening of gifts!

Tyler showing off his new shirt that says "39047 the cool Brandon".

Enjoying Christmas lunch

Getting ready to open presents

Caroline opening her Innotab from Winnie and Granddaddy. She calls it her I-Pad!

Caroline loved her new baby doll!

Caroline gave Uncle Tyler some coconut M&Ms. This is an inside joke between them!

Catherine loves her tummy time mat from Winnie and Granddaddy!

Later that afternoon we went over to Aunt Dodo and Uncle B.G.'s house to open presents and eat Christmas dinner.

Caroline loved her kitty hat and mittens from Aunt Dodo and Uncle B.G.!

Sweet Sisters!

The girls in their matching outfits!

The girls with Uncle B.G.

Caroline with Gomme and Dandy

We had a wonderful Christmas Day! This was the first year we were able to wake up at our house on Christmas morning and open presents. It was very special! And, of course, this was Catherine's first Christmas! And Caroline loved every moment of Christmas this year. It was so fun to see her so excited! We loved hosting Christmas lunch at our house and being at every family Christmas event this year. And we still had one more Christmas the day after Christmas at Puppy and Granddaddy's house. The last Christmas post coming soon...

Christmas Morning

2012-01-04T08:02:00.000-08:00

We woke up on Christmas morning and saw that Santa had come to our house! There were presents under the tree, in our stockings, and in the keeping room. After feeding Catherine, we went upstairs to wake up Caroline (I know she will be waking us up in a few years!).

After some snuggling time for the sisters, we went downstairs to look in our stockings! Caroline was so excited to see what Catherine had gotten in her stocking, so she opened the gifts in her sister's stocking first!

Caroline loved her Ole Miss pony tail holder!

When we were done with stockings, Caroline walked around to see if Santa had left her any presents. She was so excited when she walked into the keeping room! She saw her kitchen first and checked it out. But her favorite present from Santa was the pink shopping cart with the baby doll in it just like she had asked!

After Caroline looked at all of her Santa presents, we opened our presents. She enjoyed opening her gifts and Catherine's gifts!

Catherine sat in her bouncer and took it all in!

I loved all of my gifts from Tripp. My 2 favorites were my Waxing Poetic necklace with charms and my sewing machine! He really surprised me this year, and I am so excited to get started sewing!

Tripp modeling his new coat!

After opening our presents, we got ready to go to church. The rest of Christmas day will be coming soon in the next post!

Christmas Eve

2012-01-01T18:53:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve with our family. We started the day at Winnie and Granddaddy's house for Christmas Eve lunch.

We went to the Christmas Eve Vesper Service at First Baptist with Winnie and Granddaddy. Then we headed over to Puppy and Granddaddy's for dinner.

When we got back home Caroline and Daddy went out in the rain to sprinkle the reindeer food in our yard. Then we decorated cookies for Santa!

We ended the night by reading the Christmas story in Luke 2 and putting our sweet girls to bed. Then Tripp and I got busy getting ready for Christmas morning!

Christmas Home Tour

2011-12-20T20:24:00.001-08:00

I have had a great time decorating our new house for Christmas! Tripp and I are so excited to spend our first of many Christmases in this home. We are looking forward to making some special memories with our precious girls and family!

As many of you know, I love getting a real Christmas tree, and I like it to be big! Our house in Huntsville had 9.5 foot ceilings and somehow I would always convince Tripp that we needed a 10 foot tree! They all look so small at the Christmas tree lot! Then we would get our tree home and it wouldn't fit in the house so Tripp would have to cut off a portion of the bottom. Well, in our new house we have very tall ceilings in our entrance way so I wanted a very big tree! I sent Caroline and Tripp to the Christmas tree lot with the instructions to bring back the tallest tree they had! They did! The tree is big, and I love it!

Caroline always puts the angel on the top of the tree. (This made me a little nervous!)

The finished tree. We usually have white lights on our tree, but we threw away all of our old lights when we moved. Then when we tried to find some white lights everywhere in Jackson was sold out. So colored lights it is! And we actually have grown to love the colored lights on the tree. I don't think we will ever go back to white lights!

This is our dining room. I love how the table turned out with gold Christmas trees, angels, and mercury glass ornaments.

This is the fireplace in the keeping room. I love the wreath over the mantle.

This table is in the keeping room. It is now covered in Christmas arts and crafts from Caroline!

These large gold ornaments are new, and I really like how they look in the kitchen.

This table is in our living room. It is decorated with our Apothecary snow village piece.

Finally, this is our mantle in the living room. It is decorated simply with garland and mercury glass balls. Our stockings are now hanging from the mantle, but were not up yet when this picture was taken!

Caroline and Catherine have small Christmas trees in their rooms, too. I hope your enjoyed a peek into our home at Christmas!

Let It Snow!

2011-12-20T13:13:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday night our church hosted a church-wide Christmas party. When we were walking up to the church we noticed snow was falling from the roof! Caroline was soooo excited! She immediately began playing in the snow and we had a hard time getting her to go inside! Sadly, I think this is the only snow we will see this Christmas!

We finally got Caroline inside and enjoyed some good food from Corner Bakery. We had a great time eating and visiting with families in our life group.

Caroline wanted to take a picture holding Catherine. Little sister doesn't look very comfortable!

Daddy and his girls

My precious Christmas gifts!

At the party they had some photographers with all kinds of props that would take your picture for free and then you could go online and download it. Here is our funny Christmas family picture!

The Nutcracker

2011-12-19T20:38:00.000-08:00

I was so excited to take Caroline to see The Nutcracker. The ballet was performed by Mississippi Metropolitan Ballet where she takes dance. I was curious to see how interested she would be in watching it and she loved it!

Caroline and her friend Anna during the intermission

After the performance we went to a tea party where Caroline got to meet some of the characters like Clara, the Nutcracker, the Mouse King, and other ballerinas.

We had a great time together, and I hope to take her every Christmas and start a new tradition. I look forward to taking Catherine and Olivia with Caroline when they get older, too!

Catherine's Baby Dedication

2011-12-13T19:19:00.000-08:00

Sunday, December 4th, was parent-child dedication at our church. Tripp and I were so glad to take part in this and dedicate our precious Catherine to the Lord and dedicate ourselves to raising her in a loving Christian home and pointing her always toward Jesus. Leading up to dedication Sunday we were required to take 2 parenting classes at our church. These classes were very encouraging and challenging. The classes discussed being intentional with your faith at home. Tripp and I also had to pick a verse for Catherine that was a Scripture of blessing that we will pray over her as she grows up. The verse we picked was Jeremiah 29:11 which says, "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." As we pray this verse over our precious Catherine, we pray that she will always know that God has a special plan for her life, and He desires to use her to impact this world for Him.

Daddy and Catherine before the dedication service. Catherine wore the same dress that Caroline wore for her dedication.

Our family. Caroline got to go on stage with us during the dedication. She behaved very well, and Catherine slept through it all!

Caroline with Aunt Toni and Uncle Hal

With Winnie and Granddaddy

After church, we had everyone over to our house for lunch. This day was even more special because we got to share it with our wonderful family.

Tripp and I are so thankful for our two girls. We are not perfect parents and often feel overwhelmed at the job before us in raising our girls. But our prayer is that by relying daily on the grace of God, we will model Christ for them and teach them about Jesus every opportunity we get.

Christmas Fun!

2011-12-10T20:07:00.000-08:00

Caroline is having so much fun this Christmas season. She is enjoying every little part of Christmas even more than last year. One morning Caroline, Catherine, and I put up her sweet treats Christmas tree. Caroline loved her new white tree!

The Madison Christmas parade was the first Saturday in December. The parade passes right by the entrance to our neighborhood so we met up with some neighbors and walked to the parade.

Caroline Grace and Caroline Reese enjoying the parade

Caroline and Alex, another neighborhood friend

Caroline loved seeing all the floats and cars, but the highlight of the parade was Santa and Mrs. Claus riding by on the firetruck!

One day last week Caroline, Catherine, and I met Aunt Bessie and Olivia at a paint your own pottery store. I wanted Caroline to to make a handprint Christmas tree plate. Caroline had fun, but I was a little stressed out! Luckily Catherine slept the whole time in her carseat.

Olivia made a handprint ornament. It turned out so sweet! I was not brave enough to wake Catherine up to make an ornament!

6 Weeks Old and Santa

2011-12-06T19:12:00.000-08:00

On Thursday Catherine had her 6-week doctor's appointment. This appointment was not fun because she got her first round of shots, but we were excited to find out how much she had grown since her 2-week appointment. She weighed 11 lbs. 4 oz. (80th percentile) and was 23 inches long (90th percentile). She is our growing girl! She is also starting to smile and enjoys her play gym. She has started batting at things when she is under her play gym and sometimes will even grab hold of something! She is sleeping great. She only wakes up one time during the night around 3 am. She really is such a sweet baby and we are enjoying every minute with her!

On Friday we took the girls to see Santa. I did not want to take them to the mall so I asked around and it seems that the best place to see Santa in Jackson is Bass Pro! We met Uncle Jeremy, Aunt Bessie, and Olivia there.

Waiting to see Santa

We have been asking Caroline what she was going to tell Santa she wanted for Christmas, and she always answers a pink shopping cart. And that is what she told him! So I guess Santa will be bringing her one even though she already has a white shopping cart she got last year for Christmas!

We got a picture of all three girls with Santa!

Caroline insisted on being in this picture!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-12-01T17:45:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with our family this year. It was so nice not having to travel for the holiday. We are enjoying being back home so much! We ate lunch with Tripp's family and dinner with mine. Yes, two thanksgiving feasts in one day!

Tripp's family gets together at his cousin Tracy's house in the country. Tripp had the great idea to bring Caroline's bouncer for the kids. They had a great time jumping!

Catherine and Granddaddy

Ashley and Caroline

Catherine and Uncle Tyler

Winnie and Caroline after visiting the horses

Caroline loved playing with her cousin Ruby. This is the first year they have really noticed each other and played together. I know this is a start to a great cousin friendship! They will have fun together at Thanksgiving for many years to come!

Making silly faces

Me and Taylor

My family celebrated at Puppy and Granddaddy's house. We ended up eating dinner in shifts because that's what you do when you have two babies who have to be fed and held!

Dandy and Gomme holding their great-grandbabies.

Tripp and Olivia

Dandy's first time holding Catherine. I love this sweet picture.

Puppy gave Olivia and Catherine these matching outfits with their name monogrammed on the back. Lesley and I wanted to get their picture together.

Sweet sisters

We are so thankful for our precious family. They are such a constant blessing to us. We loved spending the day with them and it was so special to celebrate our newest blessings, Catherine and Olivia!

Happy 1 Month Birthday, Catherine!

2011-11-23T21:11:00.000-08:00

Catherine's one month birthday was the same day as Uncle Jeremy's birthday. That night we went over to Aunt Bessie and Uncle Jeremy's house to celebrate. We had Mexican food and an ice cream cake per the birthday boy's requests!

The sleeping princess! I did not get any good pictures of her awake!

Granddaddy and Catherine

Aunt Dodo holding Olivia and Uncle Jeremy

Gomme and Puppy with the birthday girl

Big Sister with her new princess puzzle

Olivia and Catherine checking each other out!

Ballerina

2011-11-22T20:43:00.000-08:00

Caroline has been enjoying her ballet/tap class so much this semester. After each class, Tripp and I always ask her what she has learned and to show us some dance moves. She usually performs the same two moves each time! So we were so excited about parent observation day at ballet so we could see everything she is learning.

Caroline loves tap. She really gets into it and swings her legs and stomps her feet as hard as she can! It is very entertaining to watch!

The girls always start off with tap at the beginning of class then switch to ballet. The girls warmed up with some stretches before performing their ballet numbers!

I am not quite sure about the technical names for these positions!

We cannot wait for Caroline's recital in May!

Our Little Pilgrim

2011-11-21T18:55:00.000-08:00

Last week Caroline had her Thanksgiving program at school. She was a pilgrim! The kids sang several Thanksgiving songs and recited 1 Chronicles 16:8 which says "Give thanks to the Lord." For the past few weeks she has been singing several new songs about turkeys and thanksgiving so we were excited to see her perform in the program!

Caroline was the tallest one so she was on the back row!

Caroline showing Daddy the turkey she made!

Enjoying some snacks at a reception after the program.

Caroline had a large fan base at the program! She was so happy all of her grandparents were there.

Our family of four

Caroline really wanted to take a picture with her holding Catherine so we made her sit on the ground. Daddy is standing close by!

A Visit from Aunt Di

2011-11-12T07:12:00.001-08:00

Aunt Dianne came to visit and meet Catherine and Olivia. It was so fun having her here. She always comes to visit at Christmas but she made a special trip just to meet these sweet girls!

We cannot wait to see her again soon during the Christmas holidays!

Update on Catherine

2011-11-11T08:32:00.000-08:00

Last week we took Catherine to her 2 week doctor's appointment. She weighed 8 lbs 13 oz and was 21 1/4 inches tall. Tripp and I were so glad she was back to her birth weight plus some, and we were very excited when the doctor said we could stop waking her up during the night to feed!

We are enjoying Catherine so much! I think since she is our second child we can enjoy this baby time more because we feel like we know what we are doing! She has had several firsts over this last week.

She tried out her swing for the first time!

She had her first bottle!

Catherine loves being with her big sister and her cousin Olivia.

Happy Halloween

2011-11-09T19:31:00.001-08:00

Caroline was so excited about Halloween this year. She had been talking about trick-or-treating in our neighborhood for over a month! And she knew exactly who she wanted to be for Halloween!

PRINCESS ARIEL!

Sunday night before Halloween we went to the fun fest at our church. Winnie and Granddaddy kept Catherine so I could go. Caroline had a great time playing games and winning candy!

I packed tennis shoes for Caroline to wear when we got to the church, but she refused to put them on until the very end of the night. She walked around for an hour and a half in her Ariel high heels! Like mother, like daughter! It's all about the look! Ha! Finally she agreed to wear her shoes.

Caroline wore her costume again to school on Monday for the fall party. There were several princesses in her class, including one other Ariel.

Halloween night Catherine and I stayed home and gave out candy while Daddy took Caroline trick-or-treating with some friends across the street.

Ariel and her little pumpkin!

I have to mention that Caroline's favorite part of her costume was the red hair that I got from the dollar store. She loved it and kept telling me that people thought her red hair was so pretty!

Catherine wasn't sure what all of the excitement was about!

Strawberry shortcake and Ariel (Caroline Grace and Caroline Reese). This is Caroline's new friend who lives right across the street! They had a fun night trick-or-treating together.

Sisters

2011-10-28T12:18:00.000-07:00

My sister Lesley and I had a fun time going through our pregnancies together. We were due 5 days apart both having girls! Lesley is my best friend, and I have always loved having a sister. It has only gotten better as we have gotten older. I was so excited when Tripp and I found out we were having another girl because that meant Caroline got a sister! There is just something so special about the relationship between sisters. Lesley and I are 3 1/2 years apart just like Caroline and Catherine. I know growing up they will have so much fun together. It is so neat to see that sisterly bond already starting to form between Caroline and Catherine.

Lesley and I at the beach in August. We had to take a picture in our matching outfits! We did not go out in public matching though! (Maternity clothes are hard to find in Jackson, so we ended up with some of the same clothes!)

Caroline loves Catherine and wants to do everything for her. She likes Catherine to wake her up in the mornings and after her nap time! And she loves to hold Catherine all the time. She has been such a sweet big sister and a big help to me!

I love this picture of Caroline holding Catherine and Olivia. Caroline is just as smitten with her cousin! I know these girls will all be like sisters growing up!

Bringing Home Baby

2011-10-20T15:09:00.000-07:00

On Monday we were discharged from the hospital. We were excited about bringing Catherine home and being with Caroline. We were missing our big sister since she stayed with the grandparents while we were at the hospital. Puppy came by Monday morning to help us get Catherine ready to go home.

Catherine wore the same dress Caroline wore home from the hospital.

These booties were made by Catherine's great-grandmother, Mary Jo Smith. My Dad, Aunt Di, myself, Lesley, Caroline, Olivia, and Catherine have all worn them home from the hospital. They are so special to our family.

Tripp wanted to take a picture of us leaving the hospital with all of our stuff. It is amazing how many things a tiny baby needs!

We got home and Catherine was sleeping from the car ride. We laid her down in her bassinet and waited for big sister to get home from school.

Caroline was so happy to have her sister home!

Catherine's Birthday

2011-10-19T19:11:00.000-07:00

Catherine Ann was born Saturday morning, October 15, at 8:21 am. She weighed 8 lbs 6 oz and was 21 inches long. Her due date was October 14. I went into labor Friday night around 11:30 pm and arrived at the hospital around 1:30 am Saturday morning. Tripp, Caroline, and I are all so in love with our new baby girl!

Around 2 am on Saturday morning. We were ready to meet our baby girl!

Daddy and his baby girl

Our family of four

Catherine meeting her grandparents for the first time

Caroline is so excited that Catherine is here. She loves her so much and wants to do everything for her. She loves to hold Catherine and if anyone else is holding her she says she wants a turn!

Mommy and the big sister

Catherine meeting Aunt Dodo and Uncle B.G.

Catherine meeting her great-grandparents Gomme and Dandy

Catherine and Uncle Tyler

My precious baby girl

Aunt Bessie, Uncle Jeremy, and Olivia came to visit us on Sunday. Catherine and Olivia were excited about meeting each other! They are already best friends!

Puppy and Granddaddy holding their new granddaughters

It has been a busy week for our family! We are so thankful that Catherine and Olivia are here and healthy! And Caroline is excited that she is now a big sister and cousin. Our cup runneth over!

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-14T07:25:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we went to a local pumpkin patch with our life group from church. We all had a great time and enjoyed getting to know people from our life group better.

Before the hayride out to the pumpkins, we met at some picnic tables and had snacks. Caroline loved her pumpkin cupcake!

Picking out the Dixon family pumpkins!

Caroline found a pumpkin just her size!

It was a fun Saturday! I was so glad I got to go along to the pumpkin patch. The hayride was not that much fun for a 39-week preggo but I would not have missed such a great day with my family and friends!

Catherine's Nursery

2011-10-12T07:32:00.000-07:00

I wanted to post some pictures of Catherine's nursery for out of town friends and family. It is ready and waiting on her arrival!

Looking in from the doorway

In Caroline's nursery, she had her initials over the crib. I wanted to do something different for Catherine and I love the way her name turned out!

Changing table/dresser. Mom and I made the lamp shade for Catherine's lamp and I love how it turned out!

I wanted to get a bookcase to go on this small wall between the doorway and door to the bathroom. I found this bookshelf at Pottery Barn Kids and I love it. I cannot wait to display some pictures of Catherine on the shelves!

We used all of Caroline's nursery furniture for this room including her green chair. I cannot wait to rock Catherine in this chair!

Close up pictures of the crib bedding. I love the sweet little birds and the paisley.

Olivia's Birthday

2011-10-11T11:09:00.000-07:00

My precious niece, Olivia Elise, was born yesterday at 11:16 AM. She weighed 8 lbs 13 oz and was 20 inches long. Lesley and Olivia are doing great!

The happy family!

I am so excited to be an aunt to this precious baby girl!

The proud grandparents

Gomme holding her second great- granddaughter

That afternoon I brought Caroline up to the hospital to meet her cousin. She was so excited to meet Olivia and get to hold her. She was very gentle and did a great job with Olivia!

Caroline was Aunt Bessie's little helper!

I am so thankful I got to be there for Olivia's birth! Now it is Catherine's turn! Caroline keeps telling me to tell Catherine it is her turn to come out now that Olivia is here!

Our Little Cheerleader

2011-10-09T15:24:00.000-07:00

We have taken Caroline to all of the home Ole Miss football games so far this year, and she has loved it! She is a great cheerleader for the Rebels! She loves to shake her pom pom and yell "Go Rebels Go"! These are some pictures from the Southern Illinois and Georgia games.

The Southern Illinois game started at 5pm so we went up to Oxford early and spent some time on the Square. We ate a delicious lunch at Ajax and then walked around. Caroline stopped to do a few cheers on the Square. And she even had time for a quick chat with William Faulkner!

It is so nice to have Winnie and Granddaddy with us at the games. Winnie is so sweet to help entertain Caroline when she gets bored or take her to get a snack. And Caroline loves spending time with them!

The Georgia game started at 11AM so we went straight to the stadium when we arrived in Oxford. It was a pretty hot game, but I made it through! Then we went to the Grove after the game and visited with friends and family.

Caroline and her friend Weatherly

Caroline will miss the Alabama game, but she is planning on going to the Arkansas game with her Daddy while I stay home with Catherine. This Saturday was an off week for Ole Miss. Caroline kept asking me on Friday if we were going to Ole Miss for the game! She loves to cheer on her Rebels!

Big Sister -Little Sister Party

2011-10-08T21:13:00.000-07:00

Our sweet family decided to throw a big sister-little sister party for Caroline and Catherine. Aunt Dodo and Uncle B.G. hosted the family party at their house. It was such a fun night! I got to open presents for Catherine and Caroline got to open her big sister presents.

Tripp and I gave Caroline a new bike for one of her big sister presents. It is a Pinkalicious bike and has a baby doll carrier on the back.

Checking out her new bike! Let's just hope she doesn't try to put Catherine in the doll carrier on the back!

Caroline and Aunt Bessie

Our family of 3 soon to be 4!

Caroline loved all of her big sister presents. As always, our family went above and beyond for Caroline and Catherine.

Caroline and Ashley Rose, the new big sister doll from Aunt Bessie and Uncle Jeremy

Big Sister Class

2011-10-08T20:49:00.000-07:00

Caroline is so excited about being a big sister! When I heard about a sibling class at the hospital where Catherine will be delivered, I knew Caroline would enjoy it. She was so excited to go to Big Sister class!

Getting ready for class to start. The first thing was a video about being a sibling. It was a really funny video and Caroline still talks about it!

Caroline learned how to hold her little sister and feed her a bottle.

Then she learned how to change her little sister's diaper!

After learning all the correct techniques for holding, feeding, and changing baby, the kids got to dress up in hospital gear and take a trip to the nursery to see a new baby.

At the end of the class Caroline got a certificate and a t-shirt stating she was a certified big sister!

Caroline's first Ole Miss football game

2011-10-07T22:15:00.000-07:00

For the 2011 Ole Miss football season, we bought Caroline a season ticket. She has spent many Saturdays in the Grove, but she had never gone to a game before this year. We went to the first home game versus BYU with Winnie and Granddaddy. Caroline had so much fun hanging out in the Grove. I was curious to see how she would do at the game, and she did great! She was very sweet and made it through the whole game. Of course it really helped having Winnie there to entertain her and take her to get snacks!

Caroline and Sarah Gaines in the Grove. Sarah Gaines is a freshman at Ole Miss this year!

Caroline and Daddy cheering on the Rebels as they walk through the Grove

Caroline "locking the vault" with Uncle Tyler and Taylor

At the game

Enjoying some cotton candy!

Caroline loved cheering on her Rebels!

Beach Trip

2011-10-07T21:02:00.001-07:00

At the end of August, we went on a beach trip with my family. We had so much fun! Caroline loved the beach, the ocean, the swimming pool, and spending lots of time with Puppy and Granddaddy and Aunt Bessie and Uncle Jeremy! It was a hot trip for the 2 preggos, but if you are going to be hot anyway there is no better place to be than the beach.

Caroline and Puppy had fun fishing for shells and other sea life with their nets.

Caroline showing off a crab that Uncle Jeremy caught in the ocean.

Caroline and Daddy spent lots of time building sand castles.

We took a few pictures in the condo before going out to eat at Lulu's. Caroline was not in the mood for serious picture taking!

Tripp and I at Lulu's

Lesley and I spent most of our time just relaxing on the beach!

Caroline loved being with Aunt Bessie and Uncle Jeremy. By the second day of the trip, Caroline was calling Aunt Bessie "Bessie Mama"! She wanted her "Bessie Mama" to do everything for her, and Lesley was so sweet to oblige!

Caroline and Granddaddy before going to dinner at Louisiana Lagniappe

We tried to take some beach pictures before we left. The sun was so bright on the beach that the best pictures were taken by the pool at our condo.

This trip was the perfect last hoorah before Olivia and Catherine's births! We are looking forward to our family beach trip next year. It will definitely be very interesting with Caroline, Catherine, and Olivia!

Character Breakfast

2011-08-24T17:23:00.001-07:00

On Saturday morning, Tripp and I took Caroline to a character breakfast benefiting the American Cancer Society. Caroline was soooo excited about seeing the real princesses! The breakfast was held at Mint, a cool restaurant at Renaissance.

Caroline wore a new Snow White princess dress and her Tiana princess shoes. She looked so cute all dressed up! When we first arrived several of the princesses were outside the restaurant.

Caroline and Tinkerbell

Caroline and Tiana

Caroline and Belle

After a few minutes, they opened the doors to the restaurant. We picked out our seats and waited for chocolate chip pancakes and more characters!

Caroline and Sleeping Beauty

Caroline and Snow White

Caroline and Cinderella

With Ariel

After the breakfast was over, we went back outside and snapped some pictures with Minnie and Mickey.

Caroline did not want to leave. She kept going up to the princesses and telling them bye over and over again! She loved seeing all the characters! Tripp and I cannot wait to take her to Disney World next year! It was a fun Saturday morning for a great cause!

Caroline's First Day of Preschool

2011-08-22T12:40:00.000-07:00

Wednesday was Caroline's first day of 3 year old preschool! Of course we had to take some pictures of our girl to document this special occasion!

Caroline picked out her first day of school outfit! In fact, she has picked out her school outfit everyday. (I do give her 3 choices to choose from!)

Walking into school with her backpack on!

She had a great first day of school! She loves her teachers, Ms. Veanessa and Ms. Tracy.

Caroline's class has a Bible verse for each week. This was their verse for the first week. I wrote the verse and Caroline decorated it so we could read it every day.

We are so excited about the school year. We cannot wait to see everything that Caroline is going to learn!

Fun with Friends!

2011-08-18T15:04:00.000-07:00

Caroline and I were so excited to have Stacey and William in town this week! William and Caroline had so much fun playing together, and Stacey and I enjoyed visiting and catching up.

On Monday, we went swimming and then came over to our house to play. They played so sweet together and shared very well. Stacey and I were very impressed!

I was excited to take Stacey and William to the Mississippi Children's Museum on Tuesday because they had never been before. William's favorite part was the train set, of course! He kept saying the whole time we were there that he wanted to go back to the trains!

I was so proud of Caroline for spelling her name on the large Scrabble board!

Caroline's favorite thing at the museum is the Jump and Stick!

Tuesday afternoon we went swimming again and then out to dinner at Primos. It was such a fun day! Wednesday morning was Caroline's first day of school so we met up with Stacey and William after nap time. We went swimming again and then back over to our house to play and eat dinner.

It was so hard to say goodbye to such sweet friends. The first thing Caroline asked about this morning when she woke up was William and Miss Stacey. We are hoping to get together again in September in Oxford!

Meeting Her Teachers!

2011-08-17T12:11:00.000-07:00

Last week Tripp and I went to the open house at Caroline's new school, Madison United Methodist Church. We enjoyed meeting her teachers and learning more about the school and Caroline's class. We left very excited about the upcoming year! On Monday it was Caroline's turn to meet her teachers, see her classroom, and meet her classmates.

After saying hello to her teachers, Caroline went straight for the babies and a baby stroller! I enjoyed visiting with the other moms and teachers while she learned her way around her new room and played with her new friends.

Olivia's Baby Shower

2011-08-16T13:46:00.000-07:00

Sunday afternoon we celebrated the upcoming arrival of my niece, Olivia Elise. My sister Lesley is due 5 days before me! Her friends hosted a beautiful shower, and Olivia got so many precious things! I had so much fun celebrating my sister and niece with family and friends.

The Sisters! It has been so much fun going through these pregnancies together!

Mom, Lesley, me, Gomme, and Aunt Dodo (and Olivia and Catherine!)

Caroline and William

2011-08-10T11:51:00.000-07:00

One of Caroline's best friends in Huntsville was William. They are just a couple of months apart in age and William lived right down the street. We were so blessed to have such great neighbors! His precious mother, Stacey, and I became great friends, too. Caroline and I are so excited that William and Stacey are coming to visit us next week! Caroline has waited all summer for their visit! Stacey and I have big plans for them including lots of swimming, playing, and a trip to the children's museum. We can't wait!

These pictures were taken at a going away party Stacey had for Caroline in May.

Caroline loves William, but she just adores Miss Stacey!

Play Group

2011-08-08T17:09:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, Caroline and I hosted a play group at our house for some of my best friends and some new friends. Caroline was so excited to meet some new friends and play with friends she already knew! The kids ranged in ages of 2-9 but they all got along well and had a fun time playing. The girls went one way and the boys went the other way!

I took this picture of Caroline (and her baby, of course) before the play date started. She wanted to stand by the cupcakes she picked out -- Tinkerbell for the girls and Elmo for the boys!

The girls found a spot on the stairs to eat their snacks! Caroline loved hanging out with the older girls and they were so sweet to include her in everything.

Kinson and Oliver eating cupcakes

It was so hot outside that the kids played inside most of the time. Oliver and Mylee did play in Caroline's house for a little while.

Aunt Bessie and Puppy stopped by during the play group. Puppy was a nervous wreck watching the kids go up and down the stairs!

Caroline with Oliver and Mackenzie. Mackenzie is always so sweet to Caroline and Caroline just adores her. She made bows and bracelets for all of the girls out of pink pipe cleaners.

The kids had a great time playing together, and the moms had fun visiting!

Boat Ride

2011-08-06T18:13:00.001-07:00

On Thursday, Tripp, Caroline, and I met up with Uncle Tyler, Taylor, Winnie, and Granddaddy for a boat ride on the Reservoir. Caroline was so excited because this was her first time on a boat. And she loved every minute of it! Winnie got Caroline her very own life vest and she did a great job wearing it the whole time she was on the boat.

We enjoyed riding on the pontoon boat and the breeze felt nice. It was so, so hot! Then it was time for tubing. Caroline watched Daddy go one time and then decided it was her turn. She is fearless!

She was not too sure about it at first, but then she loved it. She rode the tube with Tripp all the way back to the boat dock which took about 30 minutes!

Of course she had to drive the boat with Uncle Tyler!

Caroline had such a fun experience and she cannot wait for her next time on the boat!

Crazy in Conway!

2011-07-25T11:49:00.000-07:00

Last week Caroline and I went to Conway, Arkansas, to visit my best friend Tracy and her family. Tracy and I met as freshmen at Ole Miss and have been best friends ever since. And now it is so fun because we both have girls only a few months apart! Caroline was so excited to go to Adalyn's house! She could not wait to get there. Tracy also has a sweet boy named Hugh who will turn 2 in October. He was a good sport with the girls around and pretty much did his own thing!

They have a pool in their backyard so we did lots of swimming! I was so impressed with Adalyn and Caroline. Neither of them wanted to wear their floaties and they swam all over the pool!

Taking a popsicle break!

We had been in the pool for about 5 minutes when Caroline noticed the diving board. She immediately had to jump off the diving board, and she and Adalyn must have jumped off a thousand times!

Caroline and Adalyn only get to see each other about once a year, but they are always so excited to see each other and play together. I was gladly surprised at how sweet they played and interacted together. Adalyn was so sweet to share all of her toys with Caroline!

Tracy and I tried to buy the girls the same presents so they could play happily together! Here they are checking out their new lipglosses and twirling in their matching tutus!

Tracy even got the girls matching swimsuits and PJs (pictured with their matching pink teeth)!

On Monday, Caroline attended Adalyn's gymnastics class. The girls looked so cute in their leotards! (Tracy and I love this picture of the girls holding hands walking into gymnastics. Precious!)

On Tuesday, Tracy got a babysitter for Hugh and we took the girls to Little Rock. The first stop was Pigtails and Crewcuts where the girls got their hair cut.

Looking so sweet after they were finished!

After that we went to lunch and then did a little shopping. We got the girls some candy and Tracy and I took turns going into stores and watching the girls!

After nap time, the girls made pink cupcakes!

Caroline and I had so much fun in Conway. Tracy and Adam always make us feel right at home! It is always such a blessing to get to see Tracy and such an encouragement to both of us as we try to be the best Moms we can be! We are already missing them and looking forward to our next time together.

Ballet Camp Recital

2011-07-22T12:06:00.000-07:00

On the last day of Caroline's ballet camp, the girls performed a small recital of what they had learned during the week. Tripp and I were so excited to see Caroline perform! We had been asking her everyday after camp what tap and ballet moves she had learned and she showed us a few steps but watching her during the recital was priceless!

The recital was the last 30 minutes of class on Friday. I snapped this picture before class started. Caroline loved her princess crown she made at camp!

Caroline and her new friend Summer

All of the parents were anxiously awaiting the opening of the studio doors so we could go in. When we walked in, all the girls were in cute dance costumes! Caroline told us later that she picked out her costume and she loved it!

First the girls performed several tap routines to fun music. Caroline really liked to swing and stomp her feet as hard as she could! It was so funny!

Caroline lead the tap train behind one of her teachers, Miss Brittany.

Next it was ballet time. We were so impressed that the girls had learned to go get their bag, take off their tap shoes, and put on their ballet shoes all by themselves!

Showing off her ballet moves!

Caroline chasseing across the room

After the recital, Caroline returned her costume and got some love from her cheering section. I know she felt so special to have her grandparents there!

Caroline loved her pink rose from her Daddy

Princess ballet camp was such a great experience. Caroline enjoyed every minute! We are looking forward to Caroline starting a ballet/tap/tumbling combination class in August.

Ballet Camp

2011-07-12T12:47:00.000-07:00

This week is princess ballet camp at the Mississippi Metropolitan Dance Academy. Caroline has been waiting for ballet camp to start all summer! Each day at camp they learn some tap and ballet moves, hear a story about a princess, and make a craft. Caroline is having so much fun!

I had to take a few pictures of our ballerina before her first class.

Showing me some of her moves!

Tripp and I cannot wait for her "recital" on Friday where we get to see what she has learned this week!

Pool Time!

2011-07-11T12:30:00.001-07:00

Caroline and I have enjoyed going to the pool this summer. That is about the only outdoor activity I am doing this summer because it is so hot! We usually go several mornings a week while Daddy is at work, but Caroline loves when her Daddy comes with us! And on Saturday Aunt Bessie swam with us, too. Caroline had so much fun!

Now that Caroline has learned to swim, she rarely wears her floaties anymore. Luckily she can stand up in the 3 foot depth at the pool!

She loves jumping off the side of the pool and swimming to her Daddy!

Caroline and Aunt Bessie

This is why having Daddy at the pool is so much fun! I cannot throw Caroline quite that high! Ha!

Catching Up (on Easter)!

2011-07-07T12:30:00.000-07:00

We had a couple of crazy months during our move to Mississippi so I am getting caught up on my blogging! So yes, I am posting about Easter in July! But I want to have these special memories recorded here.

We spent Easter in Mississippi with our family. On Saturday, we went to the local Easter egg hunt and Caroline had so much fun! She is quite the egg hunter (especially since we have egg hunts year round at our house!).

The preggo sisters!

There were all kinds of activities for the kids after the egg hunt. Caroline enjoyed the face painting!

Caroline and Hailey

On Easter morning we went to church with Puppy and Granddaddy. We had Easter lunch at Aunt Dodo's house with all of my family. We celebrated with the Dixons that evening.

Caroline loved her Easter basket and goodies from Aunt Bessie and Uncle Jeremy!

Opening an Easter present from Gomme and Dandy

Caroline enjoyed another egg hunt at Aunt Dodo and Uncle B.G.'s house!

Happy Fourth!

2011-07-06T11:23:00.000-07:00

We had a great weekend celebrating with friends, family, fireworks, and lots of good food! This was Caroline's first year to watch a large fireworks display and she loved it!

Tripp had to work on Monday so Caroline and I went swimming with Aunt Bessie, Uncle Jeremy, and Puppy. Then we celebrated with Daddy, Winnie, and Granddaddy that night. We ate dinner at our house and then went to a park and watched the fireworks display. It was such a fun day!

Swim Lessons

2011-07-06T11:15:00.000-07:00

Caroline took swim lessons this summer for the first time. She took a 2 week course at Maley Swim School and it was a wonderful experience. Tripp and I did not know what to expect, but Caroline loved it and now she can swim without floaties! Her teacher said she was a little fish! Puppy and Granddaddy and Winnie and Granddaddy came on her last day to see what she had learned. She was so excited to have her grandparents there and she put on a great show!

Caroline was in the seahorse group.

Caroline and her classmates (I was taking pictures through glass so they did not turn out very clear)

Caroline loved her teacher, Ms. Carolyn. She was so sweet to the kids. She is helping Caroline learn to swim on her back in this picture.

Caroline loved this swing in front of Maley's. She had to bring a baby to swim lessons everyday so she could swing with it after her lesson!

We're Tickled Pink!

2011-07-05T13:07:00.000-07:00

Tripp, Caroline, and I were so excited to find out on Caroline's birthday that we are having a GIRL! Caroline is so happy about being a big sister. We let Caroline announce the news to our family at her birthday party. We are naming our baby girl Catherine Ann Dixon and calling her Catherine. We cannot wait to meet her in October!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Caroline!

2011-07-05T12:51:00.000-07:00

Caroline's birthday started with a trip to Build-A-Bear. She picked out a pink bear and had a great time building it and picking out her outfit! Caroline named her bear Alice Reese Dixon!

Then we met Daddy and Puppy at Primo's for her birthday lunch. After lunch, Puppy took Caroline to Brent's Drugs for ice cream and Tripp and I went to my doctor's appointment. We were so excited to find out that we are having a GIRL!

After Caroline woke up from her nap, we gave her a birthday present. A horse she named Daisy!

That night we had Caroline's birthday party at Puppy and Granddaddy's house. Caroline had so much fun opening presents and playing with her family! She requested a princess cake and that is what she got!

Our Birthday Princess!

Caroline loved her horses from Aunt Bessie and Uncle Jeremy!

Showing off her ballerina doll from Winnie and Granddaddy!

Aunt Dodo showing Caroline how to work her new kitty cat!

Stealing a birthday kiss!

Valentine's Day!

2011-03-07T08:17:00.000-08:00

We had a pretty laid back Valentine's day this year. Tripp and I both had to work, but I left work early to go to Caroline's Valentine party at school! Then we ordered in and enjoyed our night together as a family. (Tripp and I left for our ski trip on Friday so we wanted to spend some time with our girl!)

Caroline picked out her shirt and wanted to wear it for Valentine's Day! Here are some pictures from her school party.

Caroline and little Chandler (they call her "little Chandler" because there is another Chandler in Caroline's class). Caroline loves her and treats her like a baby even though they are the same age!

Daddy with his Valentine

Caroline was so excited to get Sleeping Beauty for one of her Valentine's presents!

Going Away Party

2011-03-07T08:05:00.000-08:00

Tripp and I have been so blessed over the past 7 years to work with the most wonderful group of people at Huntsville Hospital. They are so much more than our coworkers, and some have even become our best friends! Our pharmacist friends were so sweet to throw us a going away party. Tripp and I had such a great time visiting with everyone, and Caroline had a blast playing with her friends! There were 10 kids ages 5 and younger at the party, so it was a wild time! Our friends, Kurt and Nikki, were so sweet to open up their beautiful home for the party.

Caroline and I before we left for the party

Caroline eating pizza with 3 of her favorite people, Jenni, Travis, and Kate!

Shelby and Caroline

Sharon, Jill, me, and Nikki

A group picture of our pharmacy residents

Caroline with Lauren and Hannah

Caroline's First Haircut

2011-02-05T11:54:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I took Caroline to Spoiled Rockin Kidz Salon for her first haircut (really it was just a trim!). The salon is just for kids and it is so cute. Caroline picked out the train to sit in for her haircut!

Before picture

Caroline really enjoyed her haircut. She watched Angelina Ballerina while Miss Lisa cut her hair!

After picture

Holding her first haircut certificate

Snow Days!

2011-02-04T11:16:00.000-08:00

In January, Huntsville got more snow than I have ever seen in my life, 10 inches! I was so happy that it snowed again because Caroline missed the first snow on Christmas day. On Monday, Tripp stayed home with Caroline while I went to work. They had a fun day building a snowman and playing with our neighbors!

One excited girl!

Our little snow angel!

Caroline posing with her snowman named Frosty!

On Tuesday, Tripp went to work and I stayed home with Caroline. We met up with our neighbors, Stacey and William, and had such a fun snow day! I loaded Caroline up in her wagon and we went to William's house to build a snowman in his yard.

Stacey, William, and Caroline working on the snowman!

Caroline and William posing with their snowman (if you can call it that!).

Taking a wagon ride in the snow!

Me and my girl enjoying our snow day!

On Tuesday afternoon when Tripp got home from work, we pulled Caroline around the neighborhood in her wagon to see all the snowmen. Here are a few of our favorites.

The Cowboy

The Happy Couple

Caroline's favorite, the Ballerina

After the neighborhood snowman tour, we went to the park and met up with Stacey, Mark, and William. Caroline loved seeing the park covered in snow!

Caroline and William swinging in the snow

We snapped some family pictures at the park.

We had a wonderful snow week! I am so glad Caroline got to enjoy the snow! I am hoping we get one more snow week before winter is done!

Mississippi Children's Museum

2011-01-13T11:25:00.000-08:00

While we were in Jackson for Christmas, we took Caroline to the Mississippi Children's Museum with Winnie and Granddaddy. The museum opened in December and we were so excited to take Caroline there. We had heard great things about the museum and it was amazing! Caroline had so much fun!

Our little construction worker

I had to get a picture of Caroline with a Mississippi catfish!

Playing in the kitchen with Winnie and Daddy

Caroline and I performing a puppet show

Grocery shopping with Winnie

There is a part of the museum called "Underground Mississippi." Caroline dressed up as a skunk and crawled through the tunnels!

Caroline and Daddy trying to spot wildlife in the forest.

The museum even had a bouncer with a velcro wall! I am pretty sure this was designed for children ages 5 and up, but when Caroline saw it she had to do it! The velcro suit was a little big for her but she gave it her best shot. With a little help from Daddy she ended up stuck on the wall!

There were several different places where the kids could dress up. Of course Caroline could not pass up the princess dress-up clothes!

One part of the museum had a wall of mirrors with a jukebox where kids could dress up and dance. Caroline looked so cute in her tutu and cowgirl hat. We had fun dancing to "Mississippi Girl"!

Our last stop was the make your own music video station!

We cannot wait to go back the next time we are in Jackson! Thank you, Winnie and Granddaddy, for such a fun day!

Christmas with the Smiths

2011-01-12T12:31:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday afternoon, Tripp, Caroline, and I went over to Lesley and Jeremy's house to exchange presents with Aunt Dianne. We usually only get to see Aunt Di a couple of times a year, so we really enjoyed visiting with her.

Caroline loved the ballerina doll and books that Aunt Di gave her!

After that we went to Aunt Dodo and Uncle B.G.'s house to celebrate Christmas with the rest of the family.

We attempted to take a group picture. This one turned out okay, but Caroline is sticking her tongue out!

Our family

Caroline and Puppy

Reading one of her new books with Puppy and Dandy

One of Caroline's favorite gifts was dress-up clothes from Aunt Dodo and Uncle B.G.! She immediately had to put on her tutu with help from Puppy.

Doing a ballerina twirl in her tutu!

Decked out in her crown, feather boa, tutu, and Ariel shoes!

On Wednesday afternoon, we finished up Christmas with my family. We went to Puppy and Granddaddy's house and opened gifts with them and Aunt Bessie and Uncle Jeremy.

We always start with our stockings!

Unwrapping a gift from Aunt Bessie and Uncle Jeremy!

Caroline loved her monkey from the San Diego Zoo!

Roxy helping Jeremy unwrap a present!

Caroline and Aunt Bessie

I love this gift from my Mom!

Jeremy trying on his new robe.

The twins!

Aunt Bessie and Uncle Jeremy surprised Caroline (and her parents) with one last gift. I am not sure who is more excited, Tripp or Caroline!

Caroline loves her pink Barbie car!

My Dad usually gets me and Lesley a special gift each Christmas that is just from him. He has always spoiled us and that hasn't changed! So sweet!

Lesley and I were so excited when we opened up our Coach purses! We love them! We had to take a picture of the sisters in their matching outfits and purses!

Tripp, Caroline, and I had a wonderful Christmas with our family. They were so sweet to go out of their way to celebrate Christmas again with us when we got to Mississippi. We are so blessed to have such an amazing family!

Christmas with the Dixons

2011-01-08T11:05:00.000-08:00

The day after Christmas, Tripp and I drove to Mississippi to see our girl and have Christmas with our family. On Monday morning, we celebrated Christmas with Tripp's family. Winnie made a delicious breakfast and then we opened presents!

Caroline helped Daddy and Uncle Tyler with the eggs!

Caroline and Winnie opening presents. Winnie seems really shocked that Caroline got moon dough!

Caroline loved her ironing board and iron from Uncle Tyler and (soon-to-be Aunt) Taylor!

Me and my girl

Uncle Tyler and Caroline opening her big present from Winnie and Granddaddy

I love the purse my in-laws got me for Christmas! Haha! It was a gift that they got playing Dirty Santa with their neighbors and they decided to regift it to me!

After Daddy and Uncle Tyler got Caroline's wagon assembled, everyone went outside to watch her take her first ride! She loves her wagon!

Winnie gave Caroline a cupcake making set so after the wagon ride Caroline wanted to make cupcakes. She had to sample a little bit of the batter!

Caroline with the finished cupcakes!

That evening we celebrated with Uncle Hal, Aunt Toni, Ben, and Melissa. Caroline loves playing with her cousin Melissa! She is always so sweet to give Caroline so much attention and Caroline just eats it up!

Caroline with Melissa and Ben

Enjoying Christmas dinner

One last picture of the happy couple and their new baby! Tyler proposed to Taylor on Christmas morning and she said yes! Taylor wanted a puppy for Christmas so Tyler got her this golden retriever/lab mix named Amos. His dog collar said "Will you marry me?" Such a sweet way to propose! We are so excited about having Aunt Taylor in our family!

Snow!

2011-01-07T10:31:00.001-08:00

Tripp and I woke up on Christmas morning and checked outside to see if it was snowing. And all we saw was rain. Tripp had saved one special Christmas present for me to open on Christmas morning. I opened my present and then we got ready to go to work. And when we walked outside to get in our car, we noticed that the rain had turned to snow! But we had no idea just how much it would snow! When we got off work, we came home and had fun playing in the snow! We really wish Caroline was here for the snow, but she was having a very Merry Christmas with our family in Jackson.

Our home and yard looked so pretty covered in snow!

Tripp and I had fun playing in the snow. He kept throwing snowballs at me!

One more picture of our backyard the next morning. It continued to snow some more the day after Christmas.

This was the first time in our lives when we have had snow on Christmas morning (and it may be the last!). It reminded me of how good God is to us and how Jesus covers us with His grace. It was truly a Christmas miracle. All day long this verse was running through my mind

"'Come now, and let us reason together', says the Lord, 'though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.'" Isaiah 1:18

The beautiful gift of snow on Christmas day reminded me of God's greatest gift, salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Our Family Christmas

2011-01-06T12:41:00.000-08:00

Santa came to our house a little early this year! Tripp and I had to work Christmas weekend, so Santa came on Wednesday night. Caroline had so much fun getting ready for Santa to stop at her house. The first step was covering our yard in reindeer food!

Then we decorated cookies for Santa!

Caroline was so excited about leaving cookies and milk for Santa and carrots for the reindeer!

Before she went to sleep on Christmas Eve, we read the Christmas story from Luke 2. Then we read some of her favorite Christmas books. Daddy and Caroline laughed and laughed while reading "It's Christmas, David"!

After Caroline went to sleep, Tripp and I helped Santa with a few little projects! Before we knew it, it was Christmas morning. Caroline woke up and we immediately went to see what Santa had brought!

Caroline loved her new dollhouse and princess tent from Santa!

She loved opening up all of her presents. Santa also brought a baby doll and stroller which Caroline loved!

We had a wonderful family Christmas. Everything about Christmas was so much fun this year with Caroline. She loved Christmas lights, Christmas trees, singing Christmas carols, and reading Christmas books. She also loved her nativity and learning about the true meaning of Christmas, Jesus's birthday.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T04:41:00.000-08:00

From our family to yours, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

"God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, who He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high..."

Hebrews 1:1-3

Christmas Party!

2010-12-22T12:44:00.001-08:00

On Saturday night, Jason, Jennifer, Tripp, and I hosted our annual Christmas party. And we had so much fun! Jason and Jennifer let us use their beautiful home for the party and the Christmas decorations looked perfect. Jennifer and I were smart this year and had the food catered. With a busy December and an 18 month old and 2 1/2 year old, we thought we may not have the time or energy to prepare the food!

We had a wonderful night visiting with friends! It was a fun group of people, some we have known for years and some new friends we have made recently. We snapped a few pictures before the party started.

Me and Jenn. This was the first Christmas party where neither of us was pregnant! We had a fun time!

Tripp and I all dressed up and ready to celebrate with friends!

Best friends!

Christmas with Charlotte

2010-12-20T18:52:00.000-08:00

On Friday morning, Caroline and I went over to Charlotte's house to play and exchange Christmas presents. Caroline loves Charlotte so much and enjoys playing with her. She was so excited about Christmas presents, too!

The girls enjoyed coloring together and playing with stickers (and eating cheese nips, I think Caroline has a mouth full!)

Caroline was so excited to open her first Christmas present this year!

Checking out her new pink tutu, crown, fairy wings, and wand!

Charlotte checking out her presents!

Jennifer and I attempted to get a good picture of the girls but that is getting harder and harder as they get older! But I love to see them interacting with each other in pictures!

Here is the picture we took of them last year. Wow, we have two growing girls!

Merry Christmas!

Dinner with Santa

2010-12-16T15:11:00.001-08:00

Last week we took Caroline to the Early Works Museum for dinner with Santa. Caroline was so excited to see Santa and spend time with Charlotte! Every table had a place especially reserved for Santa. He went from table to table and visited with the children. The second Caroline laid eyes on Santa at another table she started saying, "Mommy, I don't love Santa" over and over again!

Tripp explained to Caroline that Santa was going to ask her what she wanted for Christmas. When Santa approached, Caroline sat in her Daddy's lap! Santa sat down and asked Caroline her name. Caroline yelled out "A puppy dog and a kitty cat"! She was ready to tell Santa what she wanted! She did fine with Santa but she did not take her eyes off him for second!

Caroline loved the elves and wanted her picture made with them!

Caroline had a great time after she got over the initial shock of Santa!

After dinner with Santa, we went across the street to Santa's Village. It was so cold, one of the coldest nights we have had, so we did not stay too long. But Caroline had fun while we were there and she didn't want to leave!

Mailing her wish list to Santa!

The cutest Christmas tree I have ever seen!

Since there was no line to see Santa, we tried a picture with Santa at Santa's Village. Caroline was not very excited to see Santa again!

Writing her Christmas list which included a pretend puppy dog, a pretend kitty cat, and jelly beans!

Our last stop was decorating gingerbread cookies!

Deeper Still

2010-12-08T19:24:00.000-08:00

Last weekend Jennifer and I went to Deeper Still in Birmingham. The conference featured Kay Arthur, Priscilla Shirer, and Beth Moore as speakers and Travis Cottrell as the worship leader. Need I say more! What an awesome weekend being taught from the Word of God and worshiping with 14,000 women.

When I left for the conference on Friday I was feeling very overwhelmed with life. On Thursday we had gotten our Christmas tree, and I wanted to have it decorated and ready by Friday when my Mom came in town. So Tripp and I were up until 2am decorating the tree. Then on Friday, I cleaned the house all morning and decorated some more for Christmas. I was worn out and tired and just overwhelmed.

When I got back home Saturday night, I was overwhelmed in a completely different way, a good way. I was overwhelmed by God's love for me. I was overwhelmed by His faithfulness towards me. I was overwhelmed by the fact that He desires to use me to bring Himself glory. I was overwhelmed by Jesus' sacrifice for me. I was overwhelmed by the blessings that God has given me. I was overwhelmed that I am His daughter and He loves me like a Father.

Needless to say, it was an awesome weekend which I needed to get reenergized and refocused on what is important in my life. And that is Jesus. God has already used this weekend in an amazing way, and I know that He will continue to as I go deeper still.

(A highlight of the weekend was when Jennifer and I and other "siestas" got to meet Beth Moore and get our picture made with her!)

The Dixon Family Christmas Tree

2010-12-08T11:22:00.000-08:00

On Thursday we loaded up in our 4-wheel drive sleigh to find the most important of Christmas symbols, our Christmas tree! We drove a few miles to the Young Life Christmas Tree lot to find the Dixon Family Christmas Tree. It was a great time to go because we were the only people at the Christmas tree lot, and we picked out a tree in a matter of minutes (this is a huge feat for me because usually I agonize over the trees for a least an hour!). Tripp and I let Caroline choose between 2 trees we liked, and she picked the perfect tree!

Caroline loved running around the lot and looking at the trees.

The Dixon Family Christmas Tree!

It was very cold so we were bundled up!

Caroline and Tripp watering the Christmas tree

Our beautiful tree!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-12-01T11:41:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with our family in Mississippi! We were so happy to be home and get to celebrate with family. We started with the Gardner family Thanksgiving (Tripp's Mom's family). Caroline was so excited to see Winnie and Granddaddy!

Caroline ate lunch with Winnie at the kids table!

Caroline loved playing with Ruby. Ruby just turned 3 so they are very close in age and had a great time together. I am just so glad I brought 2 babies and 2 bottles or we may have had a problem!

We had a great time visiting with family, some of which we see only once a year. The weather was very warm so we spent most of the day outside. It was great to see Tyler and Taylor and hang out with them, too!

One group of Gardners

Ken, Tracy, Taylor, and Tyler. Ken and Tracy are so sweet to host this large group of family every year at their home!

Cousins -- Sara Gaines, Patrick, and Ashley. They are high school seniors this year.

Caroline requested to have her picture made with Ashley and Sara Gaines. They are both so sweet to Caroline and she loves them!

We spent Thanksgiving night celebrating with my family at my parents' house.

The Sisters

Enjoying dinner! (Notice Rebel trying to eat Dad's roll!)

Caroline eating dinner with Aunt Dodo and Puppy

Tripp and I have so much to be thankful for this year. At the top of our list is our precious daughter, Caroline, and our families. It was such a blessing to spend Thanksgiving with our family. We enjoyed every minute of it and cannot wait to be back in Mississippi for Christmas!

Mommy-Daddy-Daughter Day

2010-12-01T11:24:00.000-08:00

Caroline and I always love when Tripp has a day off during the week. Tripp and I try to plan something special for our family on these days! And we call it "Mommy-Daddy-Daughter Day" to get Caroline really excited!

The first thing on the agenda for our Mommy-Daddy-Daughter Day in November was a trip to Pottery By You so Caroline could make some Christmas ornaments. She picked out two Christmas trees and one ball to paint.

Caroline had a great time, but it was a little stressful for me (I am not very crafty)!

Next we went to eat lunch at one of our favorite places, Shea's Express. We had a delicious lunch and we were ready for the next activity, the Early Works Museum. We spent the whole time in Biscuit's Backyard. It is the perfect place to play on cold days!

Caroline enjoyed fishing in the water with Daddy and doing puppet shows! The trees out in front of the museum were beautiful so I had to take a picture of Caroline and her Daddy in front of them.

We had a wonderful family day. I am already planning our Mommy-Daddy-Daughter Day for December!

Ole Miss - Tennessee Game

2010-11-20T11:31:00.000-08:00

Tripp and I went to Knoxville last weekend for the Ole Miss - Tennessee game. Puppy and Granddaddy kept Caroline while we were gone. This was our first trip to Knoxville, and we had a fun weekend together!

On Friday night, we went to Market Square in downtown Knoxville. We ate dinner at Cafe 4, and it was delicious. I highly recommend it if you are ever in Knoxville.

We were hoping to see a good football game since Ole Miss and Tennessee are both having rough seasons. But the game was pretty much over after the first quarter. Of course, Tripp and I stayed to the end like we always do to support our Rebels.

After the game, we met up with my best friend Ashley, her husband, and some of their friends. They live in Chattanooga and drove up for the game. We had a fun afternoon hanging out together and visiting. We ate a late lunch/dinner at the Copper Cellar on the strip and spent hours just talking and laughing!

Please notice in the above picture that Ashley is proudly supporting the Rebels! Ashley has lived in Tennessee now for over 10 years, but she is still a Mississippi girl!

Build-A-Bear

2010-11-20T11:16:00.000-08:00

Tripp and I took Caroline to Build-A-Bear Workshop a couple of weeks ago. This was her first trip there and she loved every minute of it!

Caroline had a hard time deciding which animal she wanted to make. She finally the chose a black bear, with a little help from her Daddy!

Caroline enjoyed every step of making her black bear!

After the bear was made and Caroline gave her a bath, it was time to pick out clothes. Of course Caroline picked out a pink ballerina outfit!

Caroline named her bear Bella Ballerina. After she was all dressed up Caroline strolled her around the store about a hundred times!

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-10T20:33:00.000-08:00

Caroline had so much fun on Halloween this year! We went trick-or-treating with our friends Jason, Jennifer, and Charlotte. Caroline loved every minute. She kept saying "I want to go to that house" as we would pass them by. I think she would have gone to every house in the neighborhood if we let her! At one house, a nice lady gave Caroline and Charlotte each a Dr. Seus book. Caroline looked at the lady and said "I want candy!" I guess I trained her well for trick-or-treating!

The most precious lamb and Abby Cadabby you will ever see!

Caroline would run right up to the door and knock! Charlotte was taking it all in!

Trick-or-treating with my girl!

Caroline and Tripp in front of the best house in the neighborhood! You had to walk through the haunted house blow-up to get your candy. There were kid ninjas hiding inside to scare you, but luckily Jennifer saw them and asked them not to scare Charlotte and Caroline! After you got your candy, someone on the balcony sent a balloon down to you that had a neon glowing bracelet attached!

The trick-or-treating group!

Ole Miss - Auburn Game

2010-11-07T14:03:00.000-08:00

Ole Miss played Auburn in Oxford this year on Halloween weekend. Tripp and I decided to rent a house for the weekend since a lot of people we knew were coming to the game. And our good friends, Jenni and Travis, came with us. We were so excited to show them around Oxford and Ole Miss and share their first Grove experience! Winnie and Granddaddy came up for the game, too, and stayed with us.

Caroline and Winnie before we left for the Grove

It turned out to be a perfect day for groving and football. We had so much fun in the Grove visiting with friends and family!

Caroline and Taylor

Tripp and I with Jenni and Travis

Jenni and I planned a great Grove menu and we had so much food!

Granddaddy and Winnie gave Caroline her own Ole Miss Grove chair! Caroline loved sitting in it at the tent!

Caroline was so excited to get her picture made with the Rebelettes in the Grove. With her dance moves, she may be a future Rebelette!

Winnie and Granddaddy were so sweet to keep Caroline for us during the game. Caroline was so excited to ride the Double Decker bus with Winnie and Granddaddy back to the Square!

We had another great weekend with family and friends in Oxford! We did lose the game, but the atmosphere in the stadium before the game started was electric. I was so happy to be there to cheer on my Rebels!

Halloween Party

2010-11-07T13:53:00.001-08:00

The Friday before Halloween, Caroline's class at school had a Halloween party. All of the kids in her class wore their costumes. They all looked so cute and enjoyed having their picture made!

Caroline (Abby Cadabby) and Caleb (a pirate)

The kids loved Tripp! Caroline kept reminding them that he was her Daddy by saying "My Daddy" about a thousand times!

Caroline and her friends

Halloween Playdate

2010-10-26T07:09:00.001-07:00

Last Friday, Jennifer and Charlotte hosted a Halloween playdate for our playgroup. Caroline was so excited about playing with her friends!

Before we left, Tripp took a picture of me and my girl. She is not too happy to be leaving Winnie and Granddaddy, but she had a great time once we got to playgroup.

Jennifer had everything looking so cute. She made ghosts (marshmellows dipped in white chocolate) and witches (decorated pretzel sticks) which all the kids loved!

Caroline, Thomas, and Kate enjoying their ghosts!

The girls hanging out together

Caroline enjoyed playing with baby Reese. She was so sweet with Reese and even let me hold her without screaming "my Mommy"!

Caroline loved playing with Charlotte's activity cube. She managed to share it with Kate and William, too!

Best friends William and Thomas (Caroline was fascinated with William's pumpkin pacifier!)

The kids loved making a pumpkin.

Rylie and Caroline are showing off their work!

Kristina and Joshua coloring!

This playdate was a great way to kick off Halloween! Caroline is looking forward to dressing up as Abby Cadabby and trick-or-treating with her friends!

Caroline and Kate

2010-10-22T11:57:00.000-07:00

Caroline and Kate are 3 months apart and have so much fun playing together. Lately, Caroline has had an imaginary friend fashioned after the real Kate. For example, when we go to the park, we have to pretend to push Kate in a swing. One day we were leaving the park and I was putting Caroline in her stroller. She asked how Kate was going to get home. I told Caroline she could ride with her in the stroller. To which Caroline responded by screaming "Mine!" and throwing a fit! Yes, it is true, my child will not even share with her imaginary friend. Not good!

Caroline has been asking to go to Kate's house one day and play. So she was so excited last Friday to get to play with the real Kate and all of her fun toys!

Caroline had a great time and did not want to leave. She had to give Kate a few hugs before going. Kate looks like she is not so sure about Caroline hugging her!

It will be so fun to watch these girls grow up together and became even closer friends!

Ole Miss - Alabama Game

2010-10-20T11:48:00.001-07:00

This weekend Tripp and I went to Tuscaloosa for the Ole Miss-Alabama game. Our best friends, Jason and Jennifer, are Alabama fans so every year we go to the game together. Puppy and Granddaddy kept Caroline so we could enjoy our weekend with friends! Friday night the 4 of us went to dinner on the strip at Buffalo Phil's. We ate here together a few years ago when I was pregnant with Caroline. Then we walked down the strip to The Houndstooth. We enjoyed visiting with Jason, Jennifer, and Charlie (Jenn's brother)!

This was Alabama's homecoming weekend, so Saturday we went to the homecoming parade. Charlotte loved the parade! She sat in her stroller and watched all the floats go by!

We enjoyed a lazy Saturday afternoon watching football since our game was not until 8pm. Lesley and Jeremy drove up Saturday for the game. It was great to see them!

We also got to see Tripp's cousin Carolyn and her fiancee Patrick on Saturday. Finally, it was almost game time so we got dressed and went to eat at the President's Mansion.

I love this picture of all of us, but Caroline is missing!

Colonel Reb even made an appearance. When I saw this lawn decoration at one of the sorority houses, we had to get a picture! (I guess this sorority didn't hear that we are now the black bears!)

As usual, we lost the game. I am hoping one of these years Ole Miss will actually beat Alabama! But we had such a fun weekend with our friends! Thank you, Jason and Jennifer, for such a great time in T-town! Can't wait until we are back in the Grove next year!