Merry Christmas to all... and to Mom and Dad a sleepless night

Well, we survived the first Christmas as parents of two little girls...barely :) Lilly loved coming down the stairs to presents under the tree. She skipped breakfast even! Justin had a fire going and Christmas music on... I had a new little family member in my arms...it was very memorable and I will never forget it. I think we all could use a little more sleep for Christmas, but Carolyn decided to give us the gift of poopy diapers instead of the gift of sleep. She is doing great... just wanting to eat ALL the time. Which is actually what I better run and do right now to keep her happy :) In the meantime, here are my favorite pictures of Christmas... Enjoy!

Meet Carolyn Grace!

It's Momma Bear here. It's official, we are a family of 4 here now! Carolyn Grace wasn't quite ready to come we thought...but then after only 2 hours of labor and 2 hours of pushing (she was of course facing up instead of down, just like her sister!) she came into the world! The recovery for both of us has seemed much quicker this time, and except for a small disagreement about sleeping at night when not in our arms, we are all doing well.



Lilly was soooooooo excited when we came home with Carolyn. We have been very suprised at how natural it seems to her for the new baby to be around. She wants to pick her up alot, which causes a bit of a screaming fit when we say no :) Luckily too is that Lilly is a daddy's girl, and since Dad is going to be home with us for a couple of weeks, she is pretty happy about getting to spend alot of time with him.

Here's us girls just hanging out watching TV. Could be possibly the worst picture of Mom EVER, but I think I was holding back tears of having our two little girls happy and healthy beside me.

And last, here is Dad's trick to Lilly's happiness.... Christmas Oreos :) Somehow he has won over her heart with these :)

My Little Sister is Here!!!!

So, Dad just sent me a text. I am officially a big sister!! Carolyn Grace Shafer was 7 lbs 9 ounces and was born at 11 am on Thursday, December 17th. Both mom and sis are doing well, I can't wait to see them. Dad promises he took as many pictures of Carolyn as he did of me (I mean, come on, when you are that cute you need that many pictures) and he will post them as soon as he can.

Off to the Hospital....

So I woke up this morning and found out that Mom and Dad left early this morning for the Hospital. My little sis should be here soon! I will let you know as soon as Dad texts me!

Mom is still prego

WOW BABY THATS A BIG BASKETBALL BELLY!


So You have heard great promises from me about baby coming soon and lots of pictures being updated... but now here's the truth. Mom is having a hard time because she's still pregnant! My sister is being a butthead and not being anywhere as nice as I was. She's not only not coming to play yet, but she's also giving mom so many contractions that "aren't the real thing" that mom is slowly going crazy I think. The other night, she called dad while he was at a really fun basketball game, made him come home to take her to the hospital, only to find out the contractions she was having weren't doing anything to help sister come! The only bright side is that Mom now knows how to keep me very happy while she is pacing around, feeling her tummy tighten up constantly...

Just give me some chipotle with all the goodies....

And then give me my Bailey dog with some good TV (the Wiggles please!)....

I also enjoy a good walk around the mall to help mom feel better... although Mom and Dad are not a huge fan of my screaming temper when it comes time to leave...

Thanksgiving 2009

So Mom is way behind and is also becoming very forgetful. She hasn't posted pictures from my weekend at Grandma's and Pop pop's (which was very fun) or pictures of my new room (which is very cool) and forgot her camera this weekend for Thanksgiving, Dinner at Grandma and Paps (a second Thanksgiving kinda) and my baby sister's Shower. All she can give you at the moment is this slide show of pictures that Grandma Shafer took (which she tried for awhile to get into individual pictures, but got mad at Snapfish and gave up :) ). Mommy does go to the doctor today to see how Sis is doing though, so expect an update with all these wonderful things and news on Sis soon!

Click here to view these pictures larger

I don't need toys...just send the box

Mom spent all this time making a Christmas list for me....which is pretty hard to do since I try to eat EVERYTHING right now... so no real fun toys for me yet :( But really, she didn't have to, because all I want is a box. I can do everything fun in a box. I just need new boxes every once in awhile to keep it fresh and fun :) But really, if you're considering helping Santa fill my tree with gifts, you should really consider something that comes in a large box with no staples so I can get what I really want... a box!

I can climb in and out of my box.... (I also like to flip my box and climb on top of it)

I can have a party in my box....

I can chill and watch some TV in my box....

And I can move my box to the kitchen to keep an eye on Mom's cooking...

Updates on My Sister

Just wanted to let you know how sis is doing... She's doing GREAT! :) She kicks the doppler almost everytime mom goes to the doctor, and this week they could hear her hiccuping. She is giving mom alot of achs now, as she's getting rather large. It makes mom look kinda funny with her huge tummy...I like to point at her weird belly button :)

Mom is starting to show progression towards labor, so hopefully Sis will come before her Christmas Eve due date. I'd like to wake-up with Mom, Dad, sis, and Bailey on Christmas morning :) What fun it will be!

A Vet, an accountant, a piano player?

Here are a few glipses of what I might become...

Maybe I'll be a vet, because I LOVE animals. Here's me with Jesse when she was still with us. See how nice I can be to animals...if these were humans, there would be no way I'd be sharing food!

Or I might be an accountant like daddy... I know how to use a 10 key already! And in this picture, I'm telling dad that everything he did is wrong and to fix it!

And here is me playing my piano... what a musical ear I have :)

Trick or Treat!...and Homecoming!

I can promise you that I was the cutest ladybug in town this weekend! You'll have to scroll down to see the pictures though, because I first need to tell you about Homecoming! It was a mighty cold day, but I had fun at my second homecoming parade. I liked the Bearcat the best, and I liked my hat the least. I cried for about a half hour before realizing it was a battle I wasn't going to win. Atleast I tried. Bearcats won the game and I can't wait until next year, when I can show my sister what campus is like!

Cindy and Ernie came into town for the celebration. Many stories to share of course...

Me and my fellow bearcat legacy hung out to watch the parade.

Okay... and now onto halloween! The night before, we carved pumpkins! By we, I mean Dad :) He spent awhile tearing out the insides and making them look scary! I was not a fan of the messy insides, but I did like the end result. You can tell it took awhile because i start with clothes on, and end up running around with a diaper on!

But they did look pretty good in the end! Nice work Dad!

Then came the Trick or Treat part. First, mom baked cupcakes for me, so I could load up on sugar before going out. She said that I couldn't have the candy when I got back, since I had a cupcake, but that turned out to be a lie. She's a pushover. :)

Here's me departing our house....after throwing a small fit about having a hat on. Eventually, I kept the hat on because I was worried about someone taking my candy. But I do not like hats!

Here's me at my first house. Mom and dad were quite impressed because I walked to about 5 houses before needing a rest. I don't think they understand that I'm a very smart girl, and I realized after the first one that this was the easiest way to get candy without them saying "No"!

And here I am taking a break from all the walking to eat some of my candy-- yum!

And finally, I need to give a special thanks to my Aunt Alyssa who made my halloween costume! That's right folks, she made it all by hand...even the hat! Thank you!

The Bourbon Trail... Minus Me!

Well, the parents have had this trip planned for awhile to go away for a night with their friends...with-out me. It had been a long week with lots of sadness for Jesse, and Mom was saying she didn't know if she could go have fun... but I told them they needed to get out and enjoy it before Sister comes and really rocks their world.

So Here's some pictures of them enjoying the little freedom they have remaining... and some pictures of me of course :)

Here's Dad and Jeff dipping their bottles into the Maker's red wax...

Here's the crew during their Bourbon tasting (Mom sat this one out of course). There was over 80 Bourbons to choose from... so needless to say Dad and Jeff throughly enjoyed themselves.

Then they went to Jeff Ruby's in Louisville... always good food. I'm just mad they didn't bring me back some steak! PS-- the horse head was not supposed to be on the table. I'm saving this picture for the next time Mom and Dad tell me not to touch a decoration....

If being Silly is any indication of how much fun you are having... Dad was having alot of Fun!

Here's me and Pap, who watch me with Grandma for the night. I did great of course, and they came over and did a sleep over at my house-- what fun!

And last... I have to give a shout out to my Bearcats! Number 5 in the nation!!! Go UC!!! Here's me and the guys watching the game and cheering them on! Homecoming is this weekend!

We love you Jesse!

It's a sad day at our house. Jesse dog has passed away. We are all very very sad with everything happening so fast, but we know that Jesse is in a far happier place and is probably sleeping in this morning, planning on a big breakfast of milk, bacon, and eggs... after she happily pees all over doggie heaven to properly mark her place :) This is a picture of Jesse right after Mom and Dad got her about 4 years ago. She was a rescue, esimated to be about 10 or 11 when they got her. She is very very missed in our home. We love you Jesse.

The Rainbow Bridge

By the edge of a woods, at the foot of a hill,Is a lush, green meadow where time stands still.Where the friends of man and woman do run,When their time on earth is over and done.
For here, between this world and the next,Is a place where each beloved creature finds rest.On this golden land, they wait and they play,Till the Rainbow Bridge they cross over one day.
No more do they suffer, in pain or in sadness,For here they are whole, their lives filled with gladness.Their limbs are restored, their health renewed,Their bodies have healed, with strength imbued.

They romp through the grass, without even a care,Until one day they start, and sniff at the air.All ears prick forward, eyes dart front and back,Then all of a sudden, one breaks from the pack.

For just at that instant, their eyes have met;Together again, both person and pet.So they run to each other, these friends from long past,The time of their parting is over at last.The sadness they felt while they were apart,Has turned into joy once more in each heart.They embrace with a love that will last forever,And then, side-by-side, they cross over… together.

Weddings, Pumpkins, Haircuts and more!

Before I start, Have I mentioned how much I like Mexican food? Chipotle Gift Certificates for Christmas stocking Mom and Dad!

So Here is tons of pictures of tons of stuff going on the past few weeks. In between it all, Mom and Dad are starting to put together my new room and organizing stuff for my sister. It's a crazy time here! And in the coming weeks we have UC's Homecoming, Halloween and other fun stuff... all before the holiday season and my sister come around!

First off... Mom thinks her egg having two yolks is bringing us good fortune... I think she's a little high on estrogen and pregnancy hormones. :)

First we have My First Haircut. I told mom not to take too much off... but it's still way more than I wanted! Luckily, my hair seems to be growing fast and already is recovering.

Then, here are more pictures of the pumpkin patch! I really had a great time. Here's the mom's trying to get baby pictures... Of course my mom is taking a picture of them taking pictures. (She's a little nutty these days)

I liked being on dad's shoulders rather than in the pumpkin patch.

And like always, I love seeing animals. They had goats and horses and chickens and rabbits!

And Finally we have the big wedding event from this past weekend! Joe and Sarah got married up in a really pretty park. But before the wedding, we of course had to have some fun wine tasting :) You can see I was right up on the bar with the rest of them. My Favorite was the Strawberry wine :)

Here is proof that Daddy isn't perfect. He was best man, but you'll notice he's missing. That's because he forgot the rings in the hotel room!! Haha!!

Here's the happy couple! What a pretty bride and what a pretty day!

Here's Mom and me, and my sister

My Crazy Shafer Aunts!!

Here's me dancing with Daddy. I was such an angel all night. I danced a bit, had some cake, and then Mom and I turned in a little early while everyone else got a bit crazy. Mom and Dad said if only I was better in the car ride, it would have been a perfect weekend. And to that I say... No one is perfect! :)