Disney On Ice.....What a Magical Experience!

On January 26th, I took Grace and Kaitlyn to see Disney On Ice, the Dare to Dream series.  Aunt Lindsay and Onna also came along.  The girls were absolutely glued to the ice the entire time!  Kaitlyn's favorite moments were when Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy came out on the ice.  She would squeal with excitement every time these four characters made their way onto the ice.  Kaitlyn would wave with both hands while yelling "HI MICKEY!"  "HI MINNIE!", "HI DAHNOLD!", "HI GOOFU!"  The same excitement was given when the characters left the ice as well, only with Kaitlyn telling them "BYE"!  Below are some pictures from the fun filled night!

This is the beginning of the show.  Mickey and Minnie's car breaks down.  Thankfully they are close to Radiator Springs!  Sound familiar?  The "Cars" movie played out on the ice.  Good thing Lightning McQueen was nearby to help Mickey & Minnie fix their car.

The next story we watched was an under the sea adventure known as "The Little Mermaid"!  Grace and Kaitlyn loved dancing with Ariel, Sebastian, Flounder, and all of the other characters from the movie.  They especially enjoyed Eric and Ariel's performance.

The third show was Tinker Belle's Great Adventure.  The girls enjoyed watching Tink and other Fairies skate, twirl, and fly through the air.

There they are!  Kaitlyn's favorite characters from the entire show!  Mickey and Minnie Mouse!  It was fun to watch Mickey and Minnie skate throughout the show with each Disney story.

Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, & Goofy skate with the characters from Toy Story 3.  

My very own little princesses!  Cinderella (aka Grace) & Kaitlyn (aka Sleeping Beauty). Notice that Minnie Mouse also made it to the show!   

Where has the time gone! Really, no blog posts since November 2012!!!

The title says it all!  My last post was back in November and it was about Halloween!  A lot has happened with the Casterline family in the past 5 months.  Let me begin by highlighting some events month by month starting with December.  

On big event in December was Jennifer's graduation from nursing school.  On December 15th she received a Bachelors of Science Degree in Nursing (BSN) from Indiana University (via IUPUI).  All four of us were thrilled for this day!  I (Jennifer) could not have survived nursing school without the support, encouragement, and care Andrew gave to our family during the past year and a half.  The time was full of ups and downs, but in the end we all survived with only a few bumps and bruises.  :-)  

This picture makes me laugh.  It is not a typical family picture that one would post, but for those of you that are parents you completely understand!  The graduation ceremony had ended and Grace was in no mood for a family picture....even if it was an IMPORTANT and SPECIAL day for mommy.  

This is take two of a family picture minus Grace.  We decided that she didn't have to be in it.  I later learned that she was SO upset because of the site we choose to take pictures.  It is not where she thought they should be taken.  Ahhh....makes so much sense.  If only I had known then.  I must say the best part of the day was walking across the stage and hearing my sweet Kaitlyn saying "mommeee, mommeee" and seeing Grace wave excitedly at me!  What a great experience!

Onto the next fun event in December....The week before Christmas Grace, Kaitlyn and I all went to Christmas at the Zoo with a couple of my classmates.  Below are a few pictures of our fun night!

Look at those super cute penguins!

Grace tasting the sugar cookie she decorated in Mrs. Claus' bakery.  It was the perfect ending to an evening spent watching an elephant paint, giggling and pointing as dolphins jumped through hoops, and taking in all of the Christmas lights and decorations throughout the park.

I managed to get the girls to slow down for a pose by the Christmas Tree with mommy!  Thanks girls!  This will have to become a Casterline Familiy tradition.  Daddy will have to come along next year.  

Finally onto....Christmas!   We were able to spend the holiday with my family this year.  Christmas Eve was extra special because we celebrated "Papa Bob's" 80th birthday.  My aunt Martha made cherry pies (grandpa's favorite) which we all ate while watching a video the family had prepared for my grandpa.  Several family members and friends all told grandpa how much he meant to them and /or shared a Bob story.  My grandpa also opened around 30 birthday cards from family and friends.  He was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed the evening.  

Grace and Kaitlyn had a fun time this year celebrating Jesus' birth and opening Christmas presents from Santa!  Below are a few pictures of our Christmas with family. 

Grace and Kaitlyn are all cuddled in bed super excited to see what Santa was going to bring them the next morning.  Normally Kaitlyn would be sleeping in her own bed, but not that night.  She insisted sleeping with her sister.  

Before going to bed, Grace and Kaitlyn set out few of the cookies they decorated earlier that day for Santa with a glass of milk.  The next morning the girls woke up to find that most of the cookies had been eaten and the milk was all gone.  Santa left a sweet note for the girls to read before opening their gifts.  Later that day, we lit a candle on a cupcake and sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus.  

Kaitlyn LOVED opening presents.  I think she had more fun unwrapping the gifts then actually playing with them.  Here she is smiling for the camera with one of her gifts.  

Happy Halloween 2012

Grace's (aka Cinderella's) face sums up the evening.  It was COLD, COLD, COLD!!!  Our little Cinderella and Pink Flower had a lot of fun Trick or Treating even with the cool temps.

Grace and Kaitlyn Trick or Treating at a neighbor's home.  

Kaitlyn posing for a quick picture in between Trick or Treating.  She loved going door to door to get candy. Kaitlyn would follow after Grace saying "I GO!  I GO TOO!"  The cold temps were not going to keep her away from getting candy.  We would put Kaitlyn in the stroller, wrap her in a blanket, and follow Grace to the next house.  She would then climb out of the stroller with her chin quivering and follow after Grace.

Mommy posing with her Pink Flower from Cinderella's Garden & Princess Cinderella!  Kaitlyn is showing some of the candy the girls received.

Daddy and Kaitlyn smiling for a picture.  At this point, Grace was more interested in answering the door and passing out candy to neighborhood children then posing for a picture.  Maybe next year!

Kaitlyn's First Hair Cut

On Friday, October 26th my dear friend Courtney cut Kaitlyn's hair for the FIRST time!  Kaitlyn was a little nervous at first and absolutely refused to sit in the chair by herself.  Earlier that morning, we took a trip to the pediatrician's office for an examination.  I suspected that Kaitlyn had an ear infection, which after an assessment from the doc proved to be true.  Kaitlyn is not a fan of going to see Dr. Wheeler and really did not like Dr. Wheeler checking her ears or for that matter even touching her.  Because of this, I figured Kaitlyn would be a little apprehensive of Courtney.  Thankfully, once Kaitlyn realized she was safe on my lap she was perfect!  She sat and watched Courtney cut her hair with little to no movement the entire time.  Since Kaitlyn was sitting on my lap, I offered my camera to Grace.  She excitedly accepted the challenge to take pictures of her little sisters first hair cut.  The pictures posted below are taken from Grace's perspective and view point.

Above is a before the hair cut picture of Kaitlyn (mommy took this one)  Can you see in her eyes that she is a little unsure?  Maybe the Paci and Blankie give it away!

Kaitlyn doing okay on mommy's lap as Courtney cuts her hair.  Having big sister Grace around helped too!

I added this one just because it is funny!  There are several pictures like this.  Grace sure had fun taking pictures for mommy.

Kaitlyn showing off her new hair cut!  She looks so much older now!  Before the hair cut, Kaitlyn's sweet eyes were always covered with her long bangs.  Not anymore.  Thanks Courtney!  Once Kaitlyn was finished with her hair cut, Grace and mommy took turns getting their hair cut.  What a fun day!

Grace the Gymnast

Thursday, October 18 was Grace's FIRST night of gymnastics!  She was SO excited to learn how to perfect her cartwheel and hoped to learn how to do a "crab walk".  Actually, the entire family was excited to see Grace at gymnastics.  Mommy, Daddy, and Kaitlyn all went along to watch our little gymnast.  At the end of her class, we all greeted Grace at the gym entrance.  She ran out all smiles and exclaimed " I wish it was LONGER! Can I come Back TOMORROW?"   Kaitlyn LOVED watching big sister.  She would often yell "Grraace" from the balcony (where we were watching).

 Above is a picture of Grace attentively listening to her teacher (also named Grace).

Grace is trying to perfect her cartwheel with the assistance of her teacher.

Somersault time on the bar.  By the third time she was doing this task all by herself!

Grace preparing to use the rings.  Last night was a success!  Even though Grace didn't learn how to do a "crab walk", she is anxiously waiting for next Thursday when she gets to go back!

Welcome Kaitlyn Elizabeth

It has been a little less than 2 years since my last post....I am definitely not the best at journaling! A lot has happened in the past couple of years. Grace is now 2 1/2 years old and is a Big Sister!

We were blessed with the arrival of our second daughter Kaitlyn Elizabeth on February 9 at 12:35am. She was 8lbs and was 22 inches of absolute perfection! I am amazed at how I can be in love with two beautiful girls at the same time. Our family definitely feels complete!

We checked into the hospital at 6:30am on February 8 with the expectation of meeting out little girl by lunch time. Afterall, her big sister arrived about 7 hours after induction. Kaitlyn was on a schedule of her own and decided to make us wait 16 hours before making her appearance. Maybe Kaitlyn knew that mommy and daddy had yet to pick out a name for her.

As you can see from the picture, Grace is one proud "Big Sister". She was at the hospital most of the day with family eagerly awaiting the arrival of "baby sister". Finally around 1:30am on the 9th, Grace had the privilege of meeting Kaitlyn. Grace was all smiles and was ready to introduce her sister to the rest of the family.

Kaitlyn is two weeks old today and thankfully Grace still thinks she is pretty cool. There have been moments of unhappiness that "baby sister" is here, but overall things are going well. Grace loves to give Kaitlyn kisses and hugs. She also enjoys holding "baby sister" (with mommy's helps) as well as making sure Kaitlyn has her paci.

Mommy is adjusting to life with two little girls. This has been my second day without daddy around to help. At this moment, we are taking each day hour by hour. Nothing is on my agenda and no list of things to accomplish for the day is being made. Instead, Grace and Kaitlyn are guiding me through each day. Aside from being exhausted, things are going well. I do have moments of feeling overwhelmed, but those thoughts are quickly adverted by Grace or Kaitlyn making me smile. I feel so blessed to have two healthy and happy girls.

Grace Ellen Casterline

Baby Grace has arrived! One week earlier then expected. She was born on Saturday, June 14th at 12:38pm. Grace weighed 7lbs and 4oz and was 20 and 1/2 inches long. I ended up having to be induced due to developing preeclampsia. After waiting all day for a labor room to come available, Andrew and I were finally moved to the room around 4pm Friday afternoon. I was admitted to the hospital around 10am Friday morning and spent most of the day hooked up to a heart monitor for the baby and contraction belt. I was induced around 6:45am on Saturday morning and Grace was born about 6 hours later. Things progressed much faster then the nurses or doctor thought. The doctor was at home and had to be called. She did not think that I would have Grace until Saturday evening. I went from being dilated from a 4 to a 10 in about an hour and a half. The delivery process was not at all painful thanks to the epidural.

Having Grace was a blessing and an awesome experience to watch. The entire labor process was not as bad as I thought it was going to be. Seeing that beautiful baby made every moment of morning sickness, heart burn, swollen feet, labor pains, and all of the other joys of being pregnant totally worth it. She is a wonderful miracle from God.

Having Grace around has been quite an adjustment for Andrew and I. As you can tell with this post being over three weeks late.....Grace takes up a lot of my free time. :) She is a lot of fun, but can be quite demanding. :) It was wonderful having Andrew home the first two weeks while we adjusted from going from a family of two to a family of three. He has been and continues to be a huge help and encouragement to me. I have had the baby blues a little and can get cranky due to a lack of sleep.

Big brother Quincy has been a great dog. He was curious of Grace at first, but now she is old news. He will give her a few licks every once in a while and looks concerned when she cries. Other then that he pretty much ignores her. As she gets older, I am sure they will become best buddies.

I will continue to post updates and pictures of Grace as she grows. Thanks for sharing in this special moment with us.

Andrew, Jennifer, and Grace