top ten best dresses of 2008...

Here's our final "best of 2008" post...

Well, half the fun of being a baby girl is all the dresses you get to wear! And boy, have I sported some dresses this year, thanks to many of you! So let's take a look back and let the fashion show begin!

Top Ten Best Dresses of 2008

10. My funky summer dress. You gotta admit, the pink flip flops really finished the look. :)


9. My fish dress.


8. Mommy's dress from when SHE was a baby girl.


7. My tea-party dress.


6. My vegetable dress.


5. My beach dress.


4. My Christmas dress.


3. My Easter dress.


2. My Gotcha Day dress.


And the #1 dress of 2008 was....

1. My baptism dress.


Which one was YOUR favorite dress?

top ten funniest blog posts 2008...

Throughout the year, we at crazyforcaroline have done our best to provide you, our faithful readers, with some truly "noteworthy" stories... :) And hopefully at least one or two of these gave you a chuckle along the way. So here goes...

Top Ten Funniest Blog Posts 2008

10. Poop Scare.(again, you can click on any of these to go back to the original post) It was my first month of life, and Mommy had no idea what she was getting into! :)

9. 4 1/2 hour roadtrip survival guide. For any of you currently with or expecting babies, THIS is the one-stop post for ALL of your traveling advice...


8. Ode to My Incoming Tooth. You never knew that something as trivial as teething could provide such beautiful poetry...

7. Spanky. This one may not be all that funny to many of you, but to Mommy & Daddy, it's still one of their favorites.

6. How to Kill a Moose. You never know when this information could come in handy. It might even save your life. (you know, all those times you encounter dangerous wild moose attacks...)


5. Love at First Sight. I don't know why you all find this so funny, because I'm still hoping Christopher will give me a call.


4. Deep and Wide. Because if this one doesn't make you at least smile, there's something wrong with you. :)

3. RIP. This was the triggering event which started an era of appliance "serial-killing" in our family...


2. Obituary. Who can EVER forget the long-lasting legacy of Ms. Hotpoint?

And here it is.... you've asked for it & you know you want to see my moves again.... the #1 funniest blog post of 2008 WAS... (drum roll please)...

1. DISCO FEVER!!! (please note: this video won't work after Jan. 15th)

top ten moments of 2008...

As the year comes to an end, the tv shows are always full of images from the past year, remembering the best and the worst of times. So I thought, why not do a little reminiscing ourselves here at crazyforcaroline? After all, it WAS my first year! So in the next few days, let's share some of the best and funniest and cutest moments from 2008. Here we go!

TOP TEN MEMORIES OF 2008

10. Moving to Virginia. (you can click on any of these to go back to the original date!) Well, I don't know if Mommy would call this the BEST of times since moving usually doesn't make ANYONE'S top list, but it certainly was one of the top defining moments of our year.

9. My first time swimming. Loved it. Want more of it.


8. Going to the park on Halloween Day. It was so beautiful outside, and we had such a good time as a family that day!

7. Going to church the first Lord's Day after my birth. It was a day we had dreamed about for years, and Daddy teared up singing while holding me!

6. My first Thanksgiving. Having all of our family together at our house was so wonderful!


5. My first Christmas! It was pretty awesome, except for the puking part...

4. Our going-away party/church particularization service in Lubbock. Mommy & Daddy have described it as the best day of their lives.

3. Gotcha Day! Being back in Lubbock & finalizing my adoption in court made this a day we'll celebrate every year...

2. My baptism day... it was our last Sunday in Lubbock and a dream come true for Daddy to baptize me! Even Pop & Mamie, my birthmommy Megan and her family were there, too! It was so special.


And can you guess what Mommy said was THE BEST moment of 2008? (it's not that hard, folks...)

1. Holding me for the first time.

little miss independent...

I've just started doing something all by myself, so call me Little Miss Independent!


I figured out how to drink by myself, with a sippy cup or a bottle! And when I'm not getting any milk out, I know how to raise it really high.


What glorious freedom, for me AND for Mommy!


Ahh, I love being such a big girl. :)

shower party...

It was kinda fun to pull back the curtain of Daddy's shower and feel the water droplets fall on my face...


but I don't think they had any idea that I would climb ALL THE WAY INTO the shower with Daddy, complete with a dirty diaper, of course! :)


But boy, was it fun! As Mommy & Daddy were laughing hysterically in disbelief, I was flapping my arms, dancing, and full of shrills!


Maybe next time I ought to think about taking my pajamas off first...

strike a pose...

Turn and stare...


Super Model...


Tip-toes...


Mischievous...

christmas chatterbox...

christmas and adoption...

We made it back home yesterday safe and sound in one piece, and we'll be back to pictures soon enough, I'm sure... :)

But I (Amy) couldn't pass up the opportunity to pass along this article: "Every Year a New Baby-- and More Joy" & 2 minute audio slideshow.

Wow! This is a family who lives out the Gospel and understands how completely upside-down it really is from the middle-class American dream. I'm ashamed to watch the slideshow & find myself thinking, "ugh, who wants to eat on paper plates at CHRISTMAS? I would go crazy living under THOSE conditions and having to deal with all of that.." And then it hits me-- I remember that the KING of all the universe was born in a feeding trough for ANIMALS and suffered under far WORSE conditions, and suddenly I can see my "American idols" of comfort, safety, wealth & materialism shining through and blurring what is truly important in life.

So if it means you eat pizza on paper plates for Christmas, but there's a home filled with children and guests from all walks of life who are experiencing the same kind of radical love that we have experienced ourselves, isn't that what we who are Christians should desire more? Isn't that the very point of Jesus' incarnation? Isn't that why many of us feel so empty on Christmas? "[We] finally stop working and realize there's nothing there," as this woman so insightfully shares.

Hope it is a blessing to you as it was to me this morning! I am thankful for this family and for my own brother and sister-in-law who are doing a similar thing! (Thank you, Tara Barthel - whose blog I am addicted to, for sharing this article.)

first christmas pt. 1...

After our family read the Christmas story & prayed together, this was the scene at 8:30am this morning! Complete mayhem and we loved it!


Mommy & Daddy were teary-eyed as we shared our first Christmas morning together.


I liked the girl on the box the best! :)


I'm so thankful for the great gifts... a "tickle me" Cookie Monster, a xylophone, a walker/riding toy, a talking/learning purse, a circus animal train, a talking/singing teddy bear and some CUTE outfits! Thanks for the loot, everybody!

first christmas pt. 2...

While I was more enthralled with bows and paper than what was in the box, Mommy got a GREAT gift from Daddy she has to tell you about! Daddy got her an indoor flash that attaches to her new camera to take better indoor pictures! (as if she needed anything else to feed her obsession!?) So compare this picture before getting the flash...


to these pictures! I love you, Papa.


I love you, Nanny.


And I LOVED my first Christmas.

an eventful ending...

One of the greatest things about this Christmas is how much our family has expanded! Not only am I new around here, but my Uncle Johnny & Aunt Mimi are fostering five precious children that we have fallen in love with!


Well, they were great- they loved feeding me and playing with me, but you know, after such a chaotic day without ANY sleep, lots of activity and lots of yummy food, I literally "lost it" for the first time ever. Yep- you read it right. At my late afternoon snack, I started choking on a goldfish cracker (which is normal for me), but then my face turned bright red & Mommy knew something was just NOT right. (not normal) She took me out of the chair and just as she held me close, I threw up EVERYTHING in my belly all over her and everything around me.


So Mommy had a Merry Christmas cleaning up my puke...


Cousin Follin wanted it to be known that while others in the family might have been repulsed by the disgusting ordeal, she stuck around to help and wiped up much of my vomit. Now THAT is love. :)


And that's our conclusion to a wonderful first Christmas 2008!!! See you next year!