Caitlin's World

Happy 5th Birthday Caitlin!

2011-11-16T20:33:00.001-05:00

Caitlin turned 5 today, months ago she requested an Angry Birds cake. Her and Shawn played the game on the iphone often and she had gotten pretty good at it. She was so excited when she saw it this morning, I think more in awe.... See pic and video below. Shawn did a great job with the assembly, I only helped ice the base and grass.

Fall soccer has begun....

2011-09-17T15:53:00.001-04:00

Caitlin is in soccer again this fall, both Addie & Kenzie are on her team so she's really enjoying it. Today she scored during the game but I wasn't lucky enough to be filming at the time. I was able to get this video during practice.

March showers bring April hail storms!

2011-04-09T21:52:00.001-04:00

Charlotte had a very cold and wet March and we were looking forward to a nice weekend and Mother Nature decided to change things up. After a late Friday night slumber party at Casa de Schell (formal attire required for pizza and easy mac per the girls)......


Lexi, Addie & Caitlin

After a LATE night Caitlin, crashed on the couch for a 3 hr (yes 3 hrs for the girl who never naps on weekends anymore) so I ran to the store and at 5:30pm when I came out it was dark (in the spring) so I hurried home knowing this wasn't going to be good.

We planned to go to one of our fave places for dinner but the lightening held us back, it finally let up and we decided even though it was like 6:30pm we'll still go. Everyone got ready and as we were leaving it started hailing lightly so of course my car was not coming out! So we wait.... and it got worse....

Holy crap right?

For those of you who have been to our house we live on a hill, we have a very steep driveway which you would never think to worry about it EVER retaining water. So this is what our backyard looked like (also note that cooler was originally up against the deck!)

And the video that Shawn took (sorry it's sideways).....

Soccer Fun

2011-03-12T11:20:00.000-05:00

Spring is almost here and we are all more than ready for the warm southern air. This weekend temps are supposed to be in the lower 70's. Caitlin and Kenzie started soccer today through Calvary Champs sports program. They had a blast and I look forward watching them over the next 2 1/2 months. Everyone looked so cute in their uniforms.

Running in for a goal!

Rochester Rhinos Huddle

Maddie, Caitlin & Kenzie

Charlotte Snow/Ice 2011

2011-01-11T11:07:00.000-05:00

Early Monday morning and throughout the day we received about 5" of snow which later turned into hours of sleet. Of course local schools and Caitlin's daycare closed yesterday and again today. Lets just say the Croswell home is a little tense and stir crazy right now :P

Gazing at the falling snow Monday

Our street, all uphill and a sheet of ice!

Our house

Shawn's car iced over

Now when I went outside to access the situation and take these pictures I hear ice skidding across our next door neighbors driveway. They were attempting to de-ice their cars and as the ice fell it slid all the way down.

It's beginning to feel like Christmas....

2010-12-04T10:15:00.000-05:00

As we are officially 3 weeks away from Christmas I am getting excited. Caitlin loves to see all the Christmas lights and watch all the movies. I made our 2010 Christmas cards the other night and just wondered how much has Caitlin grown in the last 4 years. She was only 5 1/2 weeks old for her first Christmas and here we are at 4 years old.

Thanksgiving party

2010-11-18T12:46:00.001-05:00

Caitlin's preschool had their Thanksgiving party today and sang a few songs for the parents. They were so cute and proud of themselves.

Here they are singing "I'm glad I'm not a turkey on Thanksgiving day,

they stuff you and bake you and taste you"

Blessing before lunch

"Thanks you Jesus for you food..."

Cakes

2010-11-13T21:09:00.001-05:00

I love picking out a themed birthday cake, one that fits what Caitlin is into at that moment or throughout the previous year. Below are the cakes from her birthday parties through the year. I have to find the actual cake used for her 1st but the Pooh was a test one I did a month before to see if I was going to make her cake (obviously decided not to).


Year of the Disney Princesses

Tink is still a favorite a year later.


Do we ever really outgrow Sesame Street? I remember laughing that I put the cars on wrong should be at the bottom of the cake so Elmo and Big Bird are looking towards you : )

My attempt at a homeade cake

Our baby is Four....

2010-11-12T21:58:00.002-05:00

I can't believe Caitlin is turning 4 in just 4 days. She's such a great child and I am so happy to experience childhood again through her eyes. Tomorrow is her birthday party at Monkey Joe's and she is beyond excited. Check back for pictures.

Caitlin Riley

minutes old 11/16/2006

1 Year Old

2 Years Old

3 Years Old

4 Years Old

Summer's end

2010-08-29T18:59:00.008-04:00

Wow didn't realize it's been almost 7 months since I last wrote something. Summer is coming to an end, it's been a crazy year so far but hoping for smoother times to come soon. Caitlin is definitely going through her 3/4 stage - oh my! Very opinionated, stubborn and too smart for her little body. Last week we moved her from Chesterbrook Academy to Calvary Child Development center ( http://www.calvarycdc.com ) and it certainly has been a little different for me. Shawn was in Atlanta last week beginning a new job and the new school routine is just different. She seems to adore her new teachers and loves the activities they do each day. Calvary is just a much bigger school than Chesterbrook was and she had been there since 6 months old. Most of her friends we hang out with outside of the school so we weren't concerned with losing touch with them.

Caitlin & Ms. Carol (3s teacher at Chesterbrook)

Lexie & Caitlin (they have been in school together since they were very young and could almost be twins).

Caitlin & Alex have been in the same class for close to 3 years

Last month Caitlin was the flower girl in Marybeth & Steve's wedding in Delaware. She did an amazing job and it was a beautiful wedding.

Flower girl Caitlin

Caitlin getting down at Marybeth's wedding


Shane, Brendan & Caitlin 2010

In May/June we went to Myrtle Beach for our annual Hoelderlin vacation. Shane, Brendan and Caitlin got along so well. We all had a great time.
This week Caitlin and I are flying to NY for my cousin Mark's wedding. Again will be a quick trip (Thurs to Sun) but we should get some QT with the Martin's and then the rest of the family on Saturday for the wedding. It's been a while since we have all been together again.

2010 is here....

2010-02-07T20:59:00.003-05:00

Although it's been a tough start to 2010 Caitlin is amazing. Outside the normal (or at least I hope normal) whining of a 3 year old she is such a sweet child. Constantly telling us she loves us and we are her best (friend). She says please and thank you and at times ma'am. I will be 35 this year and will admit hearing ma'am makes me feel old but also proud that we are raising a polite child.

Caitlin has been sick on and off for 2 weeks. Two weeks ago was a stomach bug that left her throwing up every 45 minutes for hours. I stayed home with her on that Monday and then the next week she had a fever at school so I ended up working from home again. Now she has something that is causing grumpiness (ok that may not be a true symptom), runny nose, coughing and a fever.

Since the wee one has been such a trooper through the last month, I promised her new Tinkerbell sheets. She's still in her converted crib/toddler bed so there's not a great selection of sheets out there for the crib size mattress it uses. The next grow with me step in her crib is a full bed, I just don't think a 3 year old needs a full size bed so we'll keep her here for a while or until she grows out of it.

New Tink set

4 days until the big guy comes !

2009-12-21T21:25:00.004-05:00

Caitlin is so cute and innocent when it comes to Santa and I love it. Each morning she asks Shawn and I if she can have her piece of chocolate (from the advent calendar). We accidentally skipped a day so I indulged and yup the chocolate is just as nasty as I remember and certainly not Hersey's!

As I was wrapping presents tonight some little 3 year old walks out of her room peering down at me. I think I was far enough out of view, this is the first year we have had to consider she will remember what she hears and sees. I quickly called to Shawn to help her back to her room.

I forgot to add the Santa pictures from Saturday, the girl had a blast. Check out the video. She was so excited but scared at the same time that Santa was really there.

We thank Libby for hosting another Santa Brunch, we had a great time and will cherish the memories!

Me and my favorite girl - I love that not a day goes by where she asks me if I am her best friend.

Ballerina Caitlin

2009-12-19T20:04:00.003-05:00

When we signed Caitlin up for a tap/ballet combo class I thought she would enjoy it but wondered how much you can teach 2.5 - 3.5 yr olds. She has now been in class for four months and absolutely loves going. Class is each Saturday for 45 minutes and they begin with tap and finish with ballet.

Today was parents observation day (first one), normally we can only see the girls through the small cracks in the blinds. They will even have a recital in June!

The video below is a glimpse of what goes on each Saturday morning. As you will see Caitlin is the only girl without tap shoes on and that was mommy's fault. I totally forgot to grab her dance bag with her shoes in them when we left. Shawn didn't think twice and dropped us off to run home to get them.

Chesterbrook Academy Christmas Show

2009-12-19T14:55:00.005-05:00

Here is Caitlin and her preschool class singing "This Little Light of Mine" you can definitely hear her stand out a few times : ) There were 8 kids in class that day but I opted to zoom in on our little star.

The class also sang "Oh Candy Cane" and the kids had such a good time. Not everyone sang but Caitlin really seemed to enjoy the singing and being on 'stage'.

My Sunshine

2009-04-23T21:01:00.004-04:00

It's been a while since I last wrote, life has not stopped.

Caitlin is growing and keeps us laughing which is a great release from the day-to-day stresses of life. She loves to sing so about a month ago I taught her "You are my Sunshine" and she picked it right up and we sing it often and has become our song. I missed the beginning (we were driving to my parents house) but you all can see enough. Melts me heart every time she sings it - enjoy!

Snow Day

2009-02-03T22:08:00.005-05:00

Everyone who lives in Charlotte knows how rare it is for snow to occur (especially when the weathermen predict it). About 2 weeks ago we woke up to snow and a good amount of it! Caitlin's daycare had a delayed opening so I worked from home in the morning.

As you can see in the below video, Caitlin was SO excited that it snowed.

I took her out to play for a little while and she loved it and ran around in circles. I am guessing because she just wasn't too sure what she was supposed to do with it! Casey came out to play with us.

Nothing really stuck to the roads so I took her into school about 11:30 and went on into work. By the time we got home that evening, the snow was mostly gone. I am so glad she was about to play for the little bit she did.

Monkey Joe's Fun

2009-01-24T17:17:00.008-05:00

Today we had a playdate with Amelia and Mackenzie at Monkey Joe's. They all had a blast running around and playing with each other. Caitlin was VERY brave and wanted to go on ALL the big inflatables.

We weren't sure how she would take to these big inflatables since she was intimidated a Terry's birthday party in October and didn't love them at Matthew's Alive in September. As soon as she saw Mackenzie in there she was ready to go!

Snow Videos

2009-01-22T22:10:00.003-05:00

Snow in Charlotte

2009-01-22T21:50:00.004-05:00

Monday the news was calling for snow her in Charlotte. Anyone who lives here knows what a rare and sometime comical event. Usually they call for snow, everyone rushes out to the supermarket and buys all the milk and bread in the store and goes home an wait. More often than not we get no snow and life goes on.

Tuesday we woke up to snow and a decent amount! Caitlin's daycare was delayed until 10AM so I worked from home that morning and we got to go out and play for a bit. She loved it and at first just ran circles around the backyard. Then I let Casey out and they got to play. Around 11:30 I took her into school and went into the office since the roads were fine.

2009 has begun!

2009-01-22T21:30:00.003-05:00

We had a great Christmas. Caitlin loved every minute of the holiday season. Each day she got to open the next window of the advent calendar and eat the chocolate. That was special treat because mommy doesn't really let Caitlin have sweets like that. As soon as we walked in from school/work she would say "piece of chocolate" over and over again.

Shawn and I hosted our first holiday on Christmas Eve. I don't have a lot of family here in NC, and none of Shawn's family lives here so we had a nice dinner with my grandmother, parents, brother, uncle, aunt and 2 of their 3 kids. She enjoyed opening presents and actually liked the presents and not the paper or boxes.

Christmas morning I went into her room and she said "Santa here." She was one lucky girl with the amount of presents Santa brought her. Took her a while to open them, Shawn and I just enjoyed the moment. We had a nice family day at home to play with all our new toys. Mommy got a new ipod nano that I absolutely LOVE!

The day after Christmas Shawn's parents came to visit and we got to do Christmas all over again and it was great! She is so lucky to have so many people who love her so much. She was so funny opening her presents because when given a wrapped shirtbox to open she knew it was clothes and wanted nothing to do with opening it. How does a 2 year old know a wrapped box has clothes it in?

A couple of weeks before Christmas Caitlin started using the potty regularly but we didn't push it. She was starting to go in school also so the day after Christmas we started to work with her and alternate between diapers, pull-ups and panties and she was doing great. On Tuesday, January 6th, it was raining out and I figured her class couldn't go out to play so lets try panties. I was so happy when Ms. Ebony told me she stayed dry all day!!!! So we kept at it, no more diapers or pull-ups during the day and she just got it. It's been 2 1/2 weeks now that she's been in panties and we have only had 1 pee accident (it was at home the day after we started and I was vacuuming so she could have told me she had to go and I didn't hear her). The #2 took about a week longer and each day Ms. Kari would tell me she did that in her panties. I knew that would take more time so I went out and bought "Everybody Poops". I am still amazed at the book but she seemed to understand and literally the next day went at school and has been doing it every since. I am going to work on the nap this weekend and we'll tackle nighttime soon. My goal was to have her trained by the spring so we could be out and about with no worries. It has been perfect timing since it's so cold we don't go out too much on the weekends. Shawn and I are both so proud of her!

Almost Christmas

2008-12-22T20:20:00.005-05:00

We have had a great couple of weeks. In early December we went to Addie's 2nd birthday party and the kids decorated cookies shaped as trees and snowmen. They all had a blast! The weekend after Caitlin and I went on a playdate with 2 other girls from her class. The kids attempted to make bead candy cane ornaments but the attention spans were short. They were more interested in playing with each other and chasing McKenzie's 2 dogs around the house.

Last weekend we went to Terry's house for a Santa party. Santa showed up and each kid got to sit on his lap and tell him what they wanted for Christmas (I think there were 20 kids there... Elizabeth is VERY brave). Caitlin loved when Santa wanted through the door and was so excited bouncing up and down. When he made his way over to us she wasn't so sure and when it came her turn to sit on his lap she was certainly sure that is not where she wanted to sit! As you can see by the picture we ended up with a really good shot!

This weekend I was pretty sick. It started Wednesday or Thursday of last week and by Saturday afternoon it hit me. Sunday I was miserable and my wonderful husband took over and let me rest for 3 hours! He and Caitlin made me a picture to help me feel beet : )

Christmas Eve is in 2 days and we are having 12 people here! I am excited about Shawn and I hosting our first big holiday although it will be a sad time since papa won't be there. He is greatly missed by all that knew him.

On Friday my MIL & FIL are coming to visit so it will be a filled week of holiday fun with family. I am hoping my boss lets us go at 3pm tomorrow so I can get moving on some cleaning. With being sick this weekend I didn't get to any of it (so not like me!)

Caitlin's Favorite "real" song

2008-12-10T19:39:00.002-05:00

I found this song that I love "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz and I guess I listen to it a lot in the car (LOL) because one day Caitlin started singing it. She sings a lot more in the car but you hear bits and pieces of her catching the end of sentences plus her amazing personality. What a fun age we are at right now!

Begining to look a lot like Christmas.....

2008-12-09T20:39:00.003-05:00

Caitlin turned 2 years old just over 3 weeks ago and she seems like such a big girl! Very independent which I have read comes with the age. Everything is "k-kin do". Shawn was trying to open a bag of pre-cut apple slices for her last week and she said "cut it!"

She is as excited about Christmas as we are! It's been a long time since I have enjoyed Christmas. I always love the season but having a toddler brings a whole new set of eyes to view through. We put up the Christmas tree and she is in charge of "stepping on it" to turn on the tree (there is a push button to turn it on). Each night we come home from work/daycare and the first thing she does is run to the tree to turn it on. Then continues to point out all the other sets of lights I need to turn on (mantal, stairway, outside.) Each morning she insists on "touch it" to the reindeer we have outside. She is having such a great time and I love it! We cannot wait until Christmas morning to see her eyes when she sees the many presents Santa will bring her.

Shawn and I are hosting our first Christmas Eve dinner. We are looking forward to the "older crowd" to not have to stress out over cooking and just sit back and relax. It will be a sad time for all since it will be out first Christmas without papa. He is greatly missed and thought about everyday.

Sesame Street Live

2008-10-24T20:15:00.005-04:00

Last weekend we took Caitlin to see Sesame Street Live: When Elmo Grows Up and she absolutely LOVED it. You never know what to expect with a child her age between all the people, the loud show and very large characters but she had a ball. She only wanted her daddy and bounced and clapped during the entire show. Kelly, Walt & Addie went with us and we all had a great time living through the kids.

During the intermission Amelia from Caitlin's class and her mom came by to say hi. The girls had a blast dancing and playing. They have been together since they were infants and just get along so great.

Sunday we went to Stride-Rite for some new fall shoes. She was so good letting the lady measure her feet and try on her new shoes.

Hunter Farms 2008

2008-10-11T20:02:00.008-04:00

Today we took Caitlin to a local farm to see the pumpkins and take her on a hayride around the farm.

At one point the hayride stops at a small petting zoo area and Caitlin absolutely LOVED the sheep. Her and Shawn fed them and she really enjoyed petting them and mimicking their sound.

Kelly, Walt and Addie + 1 met us there and we had a great time. Caitlin couldn't stop talking about the pumpkins on the drive home. We managed to get some great pictures (although I guess if you take 200 you are bound to get a few good ones!) There were so many pallets of pumpkins, towards the end of our outing she was literally running around them laughing and giggling.