Happy New Year

Loving the new Mega Blocks - our tower to the ceiling

Abigail and Audrey BFF

Henry and Caroline at a perfect table for two!

Audrey is non-stop action these days, either crawling or pulling up on something. She's quite proud of her new talent as you can see!

Big girl car seat!

Okay my resolution was on blog entry per month... January 31 and I'm still good! We have welcomed in a very non-snowy January up here in Erie, no one seems to be complaining. Our driveway was only plowed once by the neighbor, in 2008 when we moved here it was being plowed multiple times a week - sometimes twice a day. I'm loving it!

I celebrated New Year's in KC with Big Al for his 65th birthday. Unfortunately, Allison was sick so she wasn't able to join us, but we did manage a terrific brunch at Grand St. Cafe followed with dinner at 5644. It was great to see all kinds of friends, celebrate Dad, and travel/live kid-free for a couple of days. Thanks to Kathy and John for hanging with the girls while Ryan took call.

Our family road tripped to Chicago to celebrate the upcoming arrival of Little Man Wierbicki. We had a terrific shower for Anne and Paul, plus the kids all got to play together. Henry and Abigail seem to be perfect life long friends. One of the highlights for Caroline on this trip was to ride the "L" train in Chicago. She's a fan of the big city!

Caroline is currently into tap dancing and pig tails. She had her first ballet/tap class this weekend and loved every moment. I wasn't able to see the class, but the smile she had when exiting the room proved she's a fan. We had a tap dance session in our kitchen on Sunday afternoon. With all of the tapping and pounding, we managed to shatter a lightbulb in the basement just under the kitchen. She's got some strong feet! She's also embraced pig tails and getting herself dressed in the morning. So far the outfits have been above average. I just can't believe she's able to do that for herself, she's growing up!

That's the latest. Get ready for the February installment. : ) Happy Days!

Where have the Palmers been?

So one posting every six months, not bad....

Audrey: Finally cralwed tonight! She's been up on all four for a while now but finally figured out her hands need to move forward in order for the rest of her to move forward. She's a very happy baby, and also decided that sleeping through the night was fun last week. Daddy and I are very happy to say the lease. She's a great kid, but we really didn't need to check in between 1-4 AM. We have been working on eating regular foods and she thinks graham crackers are a delicacy! She can't get enough. Yogurt is also another fav, Palmer girls like to eat and she's making us proud.

Caroline: Loving school. She goes to Mercy Center of the Arts two mornings a week and loves it. She's learning letters (asks us to spell all kinds of words) and counting, advent calendars come in handy for that skill. She seems to enjoy Audrey more every day, and really loves her sister... we know this won't last forever but will enjoy it while it lasts. She loves ballet, got her first Barbie doll this weekend - loves it - and is 100% girl. (Ryan is learning all kinds of things he never knew before with all of these women.) She's a sweet three year old - most of the time - and we can't believe how quickly she's grown.

Ryan and I are doing well. He has 1.5 years left here in Erie, 18 months... but who is counting. He is talking to people about different job opportunities, but we hope to be somewhere back in the midwest when all of this residency thing is done. I'm still working at the ENT office 4 afternoons a week. It is great to have time with the girls in the morning (and get a workout in every few days) and then a little adult interaction in the afternoon. Maybe my New Year's resolution should be one blog posting a month. Time will tell.

Spring Time Photos

A good friend in Erie is beginning a photography company, she came over to take some photos of the girls for her web site. Check out www.gigglygoosephotography.com and see if you recognize some faces!

Where to begin?

I've been such a slacker with this blog, and I'm sure my memory is not going to help me out with every small detail of Caroline's life in the last few months.

As many of you know, I lost my Mom to abdominal cancer in July. It rocked our world - to say the least - and has given the entire Eidson/Palmer family a new reminder at how precious life truly is with each day.

We returned home at the end of July and somehow managed our way through August. Labor Day, we were back in KC to celebrate Lori Bettinger's wedding. All kinds of good fun and such a happy occasion to be back home. It was really a great time of healing for all of us - and with Caroline as a side kick, you just can't be down for too long - she always says/does something to cheer you up!

This Fall we have enjoyed being in Erie, yes you read that right. It was really nice to just be here - after non-stop travel the first half of the year. I wouldn't have changed any of the trips, but it was a little chaotic! I think we have hit almost every festival, fall event and local attraction we can think of around Erie. Niagara Falls was a big hit - Ryan hadn't been there since he was a little kid. It is only a 2 hour road trip and fun to say you went to Canada for lunch! We also got some happy news that we will become a family of four next April. That's right, 02 (thanks Erin Majka for the nickname) will be here around Tax Day - who knew there was ever a reason to get excited about Tax Day? We will be surprised once again on gender, but I'm thinking pink... that crazy Mom instinct. Guess we'll have to wait and see!

Caroline is a walking, talking kiddo these days. She's all about song and can break into Row, Row, Row Your Boat, Wheels on the Bus or a number of other favorite tunes. In September, she got a big girl bed and LOVES it! The kid can crank out a 3 hour nap and be happy to get back in it at 7.30 PM at night - we are so happy she made the transition with ease... now about that potty training thing. She loves to ask, "What doing?" or "What that?" I guess the inquisitive 2 1/2 year old is cranking into high gear!

Those are the big highlights as of late. I'll post some pictures to show you all how she's growing. Happy Halloween!