La Dolce Vita

brainstorm

2012-02-12T22:36:00.000-08:00

I don't know what my deal has been lately, but here's what's on my mind....It's 3 main things. 3 huge main things.

1- Dave Ramsey. Freakin Dave Ramsey. I finished reading Financial Peace University and we are now onto the implementation portion. If you have read the book or listened to his show, you know that this is no small feat. In fact, this alone could be consuming of my thoughts.

2- Total mommy freak out. I feel like I don't teach Carson enough. I think that this stems from my teacher background...I don't do lesson plans. I don't have set lecture/experiment/activities/etc. So, I totally went internet research crazy. (which for me is stupid because it always makes me feel inadequate and less than a good mommy) I mean, I am very intentional with how I talk to him. I describe things, point them out, we read, we talk, we play with friends, etc. I just feel like I could be doing more. I don't want him to miss out on anything because of my lack of teaching and structure. What I have decided is this...I'm going to put down my phone, turn off the tv, and talk, talk, talk to him. He plays by himself a lot during the day while I do chores/cooking, and at first I was super pumped that he has learned to entertain himself. It took a while to teach him this. But, now I wonder (much to do with my current reading selection...) if he plays alone too much. I wonder if I need to be having more structured play time with him and teaching him new skills. It's just so overwhelming!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He needs to learn EVERYTHING. How in the world do you start with this little mind and have to teach them EVERYTHING??????? I mean it's more than colors and numbers and shapes. It's life skills. It's social skills. It's EVERYTHING!!!! Can you tell I'm freaking out??? The other stupid thing I did was go and buy/borrow books from people. You know the best way to underestimate your parenting abilities? It's to read about other people's perspectives because they all think you're doing it wrong....and I'm sorry "Toddlerwise," my child sleeps until about 10:00 every day and under no circumstances am I going to wake him at 7:00 for the sake of keeping a schedule. No way. No how. No. No. No. Just no. The other think I'm not going to do is to tape a schedule, broken down into 15 minute intervals onto my fridge to dictate my day. Are you kidding me? Here's what I will do. I will commit to getting him up and dressed. Eating breakfast while doing a Bible study with him...you know...the kind with no tv or phone. I can read. He can listen. I can talk. He can pretend to listen. We can then have concentrated/directed play together. Maybe I'll pick a skill or activity each week...something like that. I'm not going to print out toddler assessment sheets to give him grades on what we are doing though. That's just crazy! Then, we will do lunch and nap, run afternoon errands, cook dinner and play with Daddy at night. I think that pretty much would be ideal and I don't have to conform to schedule on my fridge, I can still get Bible and learning time in, he can play alone while I cook dinner, and we can have invaluable family time in the evenings. That's my compromise. That's my solution to all that I'm reading and letting freak me out. That's what is best for our family....now...what do you do with your family? What works for you? I'd love to hear it, as long as it's not a schedule on your fridge for every 15 minutes.

3) The last thing is telling and teaching Carson about Christ. It's basically the exact same rant as #2, just in relation to his knowledge and understanding about Christ and not about "stuff." The morning Bible studies will help me, thus helping him. I also need to sing Bible songs to him and pray out loud over him at night. I think it's a good habit to start now and I don't think it's too early. I pray while I rock him before bed, but I do so silently so that he can go to sleep. I'll have to think this one over...I'll have to find the right timing in our day and for now, it doesn't necessarily have to be right before bed. I need to teach him to fold his hands and bow his head at dinner prayer. We have been working on "amen" for a while, but he's not there yet :) The other thing I could easily do is put some Christian kids songs in my car. I have a CD, I just need to use it. He can listen to those and start to learn the words now! I still remember Christian songs that I learned in the car driving around with my mom and some of those were just basic Biblical truths set to music! Voila! Perfect!

4) I need to chill. He is 16 months old. 16 months. That is all. I also need to know that I am doing a good job. He is healthy and happy and more than on track, both physically and mentally. I am just such a "check-list" person, that not having a guide for all of this is scaring me! What don't babies come with a monthly learning check list? Could someone please do that for me ;)

So.....................that's what's on my mind. It's a lot. I'm overwhelming myself with this mothering stuff. But, getting it all out there in writing has always been my #1 choice in therapy. But, using that logic, I would owe every reader (all 2 of them) an hourly fee for listening to me gripe.

mainly messes.

2012-02-12T22:06:00.000-08:00

i've come to the realization that our days are basically filled with making and cleaning up messes. the thing is, these are what i call "productive messes" because every mess is a learning opportunity! we take things out. we dump stuff. we put it back. we do it again. we learn that things fall. things make noises when thrown. some things bounce. some things hurt. some things roll...you get the drift.

sometimes we even go to daddy's office to "learn" there, too!

the other thing that consumes our day is exploring. the kid fits himself into every nook and cranny around...the higher off the ground the better! umm...adding the ER to my speed dial asap.

he climbs.

he squats.

he falls and he repeats. but again, it's all in the name of learning....right???????

on a side note...this is most likely his last sink bath ever...mainly because of the enormous volume of water on my kitchen floor post bath.

and this was his first ever ride in my old wagon from when i was a kid! it was really special.

roughly 15 months old

i'll just say...

2012-02-05T18:28:00.001-08:00

that some days, i don't find this mothering thing to be very fun.
some days, it's down right a chore.
some days, he is doing good to just be alive by 6:00 when daddy gets home.
some days...ugh....just ugh...
and on those days i feel bad about my feelings...i guess that no one ever promised it would be easy or fun. i had just assumed....and we all know what assuming does.
so that is all. that is where i am today as i sit with a screaming toddler who is screaming and throwing his food and doing everything he knows he shouldn't and it's just not fun. this too shall pass, but i just wonder when...and it better be soon....very, very soon.

Parenting a toddler

2012-01-27T10:17:00.001-08:00

I have been trying to say "no" less. I realized that I was saying it a million times a day and someone had picked up the word in his own nasty little tone..."nnnaaah." I am not letting him get away with more, I am just finding different words to use instead, like stop, ouch, yucky, hot, etc. I certainly still say no, but I try to reserve it for really important issues so that it doesn't lose its value.

Monkey see, monkey do. I have noticed that I grab stuff (toys, utensils, etc) from him a lot and I don't want him learning that habit. Instead, I have started asking him for the item. He hands it to me, I say thank you and we move on. Hopefully this will help him to learn to grab less....maybe. This of course does not apply to safety things. I'll grab unsafe items out of his hand every time!

Whining. Oh whining. Just as he started this incessant whining, I get an email from Baby Center saying that my 15 month old is learning the power of whining. They really know what they are talking about! It was spot on. Ross and I decided to tackle the issue right away because it was driving me bonkers!!! We decided to correct the whine. When he whines, we tell him what to say to express his needs. I know that he can't say what he needs yet, so I'll say something like, "Oh! That's not how we get what we want. Say I want my drink/need help/want my toy?" He usually says some sort of sweet sounding baby gibberish that's not a whine and I give him what he wanted. He is starting to get it! I mean, we do it 100 times a day, so he gets lots practice. Haha. It is also nice when he can point to what he needs and says "dat" or signs "more." I feel like I am learning a new language, an entire new way of communication and the little successes are so nice! It feels like I'm starting to make sense to the native speaker! Also, on this note, he can understand soooooo much more than he can articulate. He knows body parts, I can ask him to pick up and bring me his monkey/basket/bunny/book/car/bus/etc and he does. It is really crazy to me how much he knows. It's also pretty scary. I guess Ross and I really need to be careful what we say in front of him now!

So anyway, this is my little summary of what we are learning about raising a 15 month old. I will probably have to look back at this for reference with each additional child. (no...I'm not preg)

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Nothing Sweeter

2012-01-26T11:44:00.000-08:00

Lately I have been really trying to take time to enjoy the small things...not let them pass me by. This means reading lots of books on the floor in front of the stove while dinner cooks, taking time to just sit and play, and giving in to life's simple pleasures. It also means deciding that a little messy fun now is totally worth the messy clean up later. They are only young once!

Last night I sat on the kitchen floor and Carson and I fed each other cool whip....and then took baths. It was definitely one of my top 10 motherhood highlights so far!

go!

2012-01-21T22:06:00.000-08:00

My word for 2012 is "go."

Go...as in...

-Go make friends with the neighbors.
-Go for a good, long walk (frequently).
-Go outside to play.
-Go to one or more educational/social activities with C a week.
-Go have lunch with Ross more at work.
-Go workout...even though it's not technically a "go" since it's in my living room.
-Go for it! (whatever it is...just be gutsy and do it!)
-Go for that new hair style I have been scared to try.

Now, as for last year's resolutions.
-Run a 5K: Well, I'm doing it on Feb 11...missed the marker by one month and 11 days, but I'm still counting it as a win!
-Visit people in the nursing home: Nope. Didn't do it. I went and filled out my paper work, realized that it would be super-duper hard with a baby and never went back. Loser. Definitely not a win...and not a very good excuse either.
-Leave C in the nursery for MOPS and Bible study: Definitely a win on this one! It was so, super hard at first...but it was really good for him. He learned to be ok with other caretakers, to play with other kids and to know that I am coming back for him. For me, it was freeing and invigorating and refreshing. I love going back to the nursery after missing him desperately and getting such sweet sugar and hugs. Plus, I get some me time and feel all sorts of refreshed. In short...it's a win!

Not a baby anymore

2012-01-04T13:04:00.001-08:00

I am pretty sure that he's not a baby anymore because...
-he just blew on his hot food, used a fork to eat it and then wiped his mouth with a napkin.
-he walks everywhere.
-he laughs at burps, farts and tummy growls like he's a big boy.
-he can tell me what he wants by pointing, grunts or some words.
-he knows animal noises...cow, dog, monkey, bear, and sheep are his favorites.
-he can find the toys he wants to play with and carry them across the house.
-he can identify many things by pointing: duck, fan, car, baby, dog, airplane, monkey, etc
-he is obsessed with books. He constantly brings them to me to read.
-he figures stuff out on his own!
-and...he currently is wearing a pair of my(clean) panties as a necklace :/

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Modern Day Martha

2011-11-14T18:15:00.000-08:00

Every once in a while, Ross has a night time work function or happy hour. I take that time to have my own happy hour and turn into a Modern-Day-Martha.

I turn on some Desperate Housewives, move the sewing machine into the kitchen...

Bake some delicious goodies...

Prep for a local craft fair...

And drink a nice, cold beer! That's the modern part of Martha!

Old

2011-11-12T22:18:00.001-08:00

Realizing I may be getting old when the top two items on my Christmas list are a steam mop and spanx.

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13 Months

2011-11-10T11:32:00.000-08:00

What a fun month! This month has been filled with...

-Head stands
-FIRST STEPS! He's not full on walking, but he takes little steps here and there.
-Hugging things (us, cat, toys) and going mmmmmm
-Feeding the cat....more like shoving his food in her face to share with her
-Talking to Dada on the "phone" (toy, remote, his hand)
-Brushing his own hair
-Rolling and bouncing ball
-Big boy clothes that look like little Ross clothes
-A little bit of crying when I drop him off at the church nursery
-Throwing things
-Obsessed with putting things in his mouth (still)
-Loving to watch the effects of gravity
-Pushing buttons with one finger
-Waiting out front for Dada to come home. When C sees Dada's car he gets SO excited!
-Lots of splashing during bath time
-Licking the floor, walls, cabinets...
-Climbing (read: falling)
-Dancing
-Clapping when he hears clapping on the TV or when we say "yay"
-Coughing anytime he hears coughing
-Growling at any type of animal
-Biting us and himself

-Hair that is extremely curly and in desperate need of a trim...I just can't do it yet.
-Being busy...that is the understatement of the year.
-Still nursing- I tried to quit but I couldn't. I got totally, overwhelmingly sad.
-Teething...so, so much teething. All of his teeth, including molars, have busted through the surface!
-Sickness...Baby and Dada both spent lots of time being sick this month :(
-Carson dislikes grass- If you put him on a blanket in the grass, he stays on it to avoid the grass.
-ba=ball, da=dog, bshhh=brush, bwub=airplane, mama, dada, ruff, growling, mimicking

He is eating everything that we eat. This makes going out to eat and cooking dinner much easier! I do tone down the spiciness for his portions, but other than that, he eats like us! He loves beans, tortillas, quesadillas, fruit, cheese, turkey hotdogs, Daddy's eggs, heck...the boy just likes to eat. He isn't loving sweet potatoes right now though. Those get thrown straight onto the floor.

My Little Etsy

2011-10-26T20:05:00.000-07:00

I just posted lots of new items on my Etsy shop! I have been a busy bee making things for an upcoming (my first!) craft show...Wish me luck!

Check it all out HERE

I have been cranking out lots of headbands and coasters.

our little punkin {patch}

2011-10-16T15:01:00.000-07:00

We went to the most amazing pumpkin patch this weekend. It had a corn maze, hay rides and tons of great spots for pictures. Happy Fall Y'all!

I love lamp.

2011-10-10T22:24:00.001-07:00

Have I ever told you the story about why I love lamp? (it's a quote from Anchorman, in case you're wondering) It goes like this.

Every night I put lotion on my hands before I go to bed. Then, every night I have to turn the knob to turn off my lamp, which is darn near impossible with greasy-lotion-hands. So, I huff and puff and squeeze my fingers real tight and turn it until it's turned off.

Then, one night, I come out of the bathroom and the bedroom is dark, like way dark and Ross is sitting there...in the way dark.

I walk to my side of the room, lotion up my hands and then reach to turn the lamp on and, instead of finding the hard to turn knob, I find a lotion-friendly pull chain! "What?!?!?!?" I think, "How is this possible? Have I never noticed that it had two switches? Wait a second...." And I look over at Ross, who is smirking with a proud little smile and he just beams!

He had noticed my nightly dilemma, gone to the hardware store over his lunch break and had replaced the knob while I showered that night! Then he made the room unusually dark so that I'd be certain to turn on my lamp and just sat there, waiting for me to find my surprise!

And that's why I love lamp! (and my hubby)

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1 Year

2011-10-07T16:53:00.000-07:00

Our big boy is ONE year old!
12 months. 52 weeks. 365 days. 8,765.8 hours. 31,566,926 seconds.
What a sweet, sweet year; without a doubt, the best year of our lives.

Weight: 20.6 lbs, 10-25 percentile

Height: 30.5 inches, 75 percentile

Teeth: 8 full in front, bottom and top left molars and canines poking through

Mobility: Crawling, standing unassisted, cruising around furniture, he just doesn't want to walk yet and I'm in no rush at all for that milestone!

Vocals/communication: Dada, Mama, ba = ball, bwub = airplane, gabba, so many sweet babbles, pointing, laughing when others laugh (including on the tv), waving, pointing to sky when you say airplane, waving bye-bye and hi, clicking conversations, mimicking words (brush = bshhh), growling at anything with fur or when he hears barking

This has been the month of playing and interacting! His personality has blossomed and it has been amazing!! He is an easy, happy baby boy. He still takes two naps a day, although the morning nap is getting shorter. I still nurse 2-3 times a day.

Carson likes to...
-put blocks in our mouths and crawl around with blocks in his mouth.
-put his fingers in our mouths and my/his belly button.
-grind his teeth while he is awake....it drives me crazy!
-knock down stacks of blocks.
-stack things.
-rub the curls on the back of his head with his right hand while sucking on his thumb with his left.
-put things on/in other things.
-crunch cheerios between his front teeth.
-play with and chase Riley!
-say Dada, Dada, Dada, Dada around 5:00 every day.
-lift his legs up on the changing table when I'm ready to put on his pants.
-kick his feet with excitement. We call it happy feet.
-feed us soggy, slobbery cheerios or other food.
-bounce, roll and throw balls.
-play with other kids, any age will do!
-sit outside and watch airplanes. He points to them and gets super excited. He's also better than Ross and I at spotting them.
-fake laugh when he hears us laughing (people laughing or on the tv)
-point at interesting things.
-dance...well, try to :)
-bang on things
-explore "his" cabinet
-splash in the tub.
-talk to everyone in the grocery store and lean to them so they hold him. (I don't let them though)
-look at girls. He spots the cutest ones everywhere we go and then stares and stares.

Dislikes: canned peaches, the texture of avocados, being wiped down, being contained, staying still, water being poured over his face, that's all I can think of though. He's incredibly easy going.

Party Preview

2011-10-02T20:08:00.001-07:00

Worn out

2011-09-23T10:40:00.001-07:00

For the first time since he has been born I am feeling totally worn out. Sick of saying no. Tired of pulling things out of his mouth. Tired of having to watch his every move to protect himself... Just really exhausted. He is almost a year old and I'm finally feeling drained. It probably has a lot to do with his demeanor this week- cranky, whiny, into everything, wants to be constantly held, teething. It has just been a hard week. I feel like I need a break, a rejuvenation, a time to replenish myself so that I can take better care of him and of Ross. I know that it's ok to feel like this but I feel guilty. I am very, very grateful to be home with him. I love our time together. I should be focusing on that. Maybe I just need an attitude adjustment!?!?!? Done venting...just a hard week.

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The best.

2011-09-11T18:53:00.000-07:00

This has probably been the best month with the baby so far. I think that every month, but then the next month is even better! Talk about blessed!!! His personality is so vibrant and fun. He is learning, exploring and communicating more than ever. I always find myself thinking "this has been the best weekend/month/year of my life!" It's just so fun!

Over the weekend we took the baby, and his newly found talent of pointing and grunting, to watch the planes coming in and out of DFW airport. It was one of the funnest things we have ever done with him. Here are some videos and pictures of that and more. Enjoy the baby giggles! (I know that some of the videos are sideways...I just don't know how to fix them.)

It's his party---and I'll cry if I want to!

2011-08-30T21:26:00.001-07:00

Sweet baby boy will be turning...
Our precious angel is about to be...
Carson Reid is almost....

Nope, can't do it...
Can't write those words...
There is just NO WAY.

Let's just go with this. We are having some sort of party at our house in the near future. The theme will be nautical, the crowd will be large and the tears will be flowing. No. Doubt.

Here are some pics of my party inspirations! (If I focus on the fun part, maybe the sadness will be suppressed.)

This is the invitation that I ordered it from this darling little Etsy shop.

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Ahhhh....moments like these

2011-08-26T09:27:00.000-07:00

Sweet baby boy,
These days, you are much more "big boy" than you are "baby." I have been planning your first birthday party and it absolutely kills me. Where has the time gone and why are you so big? Well, I think that you can sense that I am struggling because you just let me rock you to sleep before your nap! We rocked, and rocked, and rocked, and rocked. We haven't done that since you were super little because you are usually way too wiggly, squirmy and busy to just let me love on you, so I super enjoyed our little lovey time. Now I smell like lots of baby lotion and never want to wash it off. I love you!

10 Months

2011-08-14T18:50:00.001-07:00

How? How in the world have we already had our sweet baby boy for 10 months? I feel like he just got here, yet is already so grown up! He is busy, busy...oh. so. busy. Our house is in constant disarray- toys strung high and low, sippy cups all over and cheerios in every nook and cranny. Baby boy keeps me on my toes, that's for sure! In all of that, we have been going-going-going. We have had company several times, took at extended weekend in Santa Fe and took a {baby free} overnighter in Fort Worth for our anniversary! I have also been making and selling lots of crafty things, so every spare minute (aka: nap time) is spent in my craft room. So, I guess that the one word that sums up baby's month number 10 would be busy!

Height/weight: tall and filling out (ok: those aren't really height and weights, but we haven't been to the dr in over a month for the exact count)
Teeth: 8 and his top canine teeth keep coming to the surface and then going back down...so mean!

Likes: Eating. This boy can eat! Playing with blocks, knocking down towers of them that we build, pulling out toys (he stands at the shelf and clears one section, moves to the next, repeat), swinging on his new swing set, waving at himself in the mirror, exploring, splashing in the bath, playing with Riley, chewing on every thing within reach

Dislikes: being wiped down, staying still, loud noises like the vacuum, dust buster and disposal

Mobility: army crawling, real crawling, standing, cruising, pulling up

Vocals: B, W, M, D, G, S, vowels, clicking (loves it!), sounds like a turkey...kinda like a gobble gobble thing. He is super vocal and it's beyond precious!

Eating: SO MUCH! He is insatiable, a super good eater. I feed him 3 meals a day and at least 2 snacks. He pretty much eats everything but citrus, strawberries, pineapple, tomatoes and meat. Some of his favorite foods are fruit, yogurt, cheese, noodles, puffs, beans, cheerios, bread and cereal bars. The only thing he doesn't like is canned peaches! He hates them!! It's hilarious! His face squinches all up and he spits them out, super far! He nurses 2-3 times a day, although I'm thinking about winding down on that...I'm pretty ready to have my body back.

Firsts: I'm not sure of any, really. I feel like we have kinda reached this plateau where he doesn't really have new tricks; he's perfecting everything he already knows. He's amazing!

Santa Fe with GMaw

Sitting at Daddy's desk like a big boy
Laying on the floor playing on our 4th anniversary, like we do every night.
C's second ball game

9 months

2011-07-05T20:16:00.001-07:00

Seriously? How has it been 3/4 of a year already with our sweet little boy? It seems impossible. It seems like he is 9 days old...not 9 months! Father Time, please stop ticking away!

And, oh, about the little not-blogging-for-a-month-deal...My sister was here for 3 weeks and I got lazy. Pure and simple.

Weight and Height: We go to the doctor on the 7th to get the exact measurements, but I know that he is tall and skinny with huge feet, like Daddy!

Teeth: 8! Holy moly! He's got 8 chompers in there! 4 on top, 4 on bottom.

Likes: Eating, being outside, pulling out toys, pulling hair, sippy cups, car rides, being tickled, putting his fingers in our mouths, swinging, making messes, pulling up, cruising around furniture, crawling through/under/over things, standing in his crib and screaming bloody murder, having his teeth brushed (aka: gnawing on the baby toothbrush), seeing Daddy walk through the door after work, chewing on me, throwing himself backwards while I am holding him so that he can look at the world upside down

Dislikes: these are the same as last month- being cleaned after eating, staying still, laying on his back, shirts going over his head. Really, he is very easy going and mild tempered, besides the constant noise factor.

Mobility: Cruising from furniture to furniture, pulling up, army crawling really fast, expert faller *side note: my dad skipped crawling on all 4's and went straight from army crawl to walking...hopefully C will take his time to get to the walking stage.

Vocals: He knows how to do the sign for the word more when he is ready for another bite! Bwa, B, T, S, Da, D, and maybe G. He talks a lot, screams a lot (not in a crying way, just in a loud boy way), growls, blows raspberries and clicks his tongue! It has been a big month for vocals!

Eating: He's pretty much eating off of our plates at this point, with the exception of citrus, tomatoes and stuff like that. A typical meal is some combo of fruit, veggies, cheerios, yogurt, applesauce, cheese, oatmeal or cereal and puffs. It's ah-mazing to be able to put food on his tray and let him feed himself! What freedom!!! I still nurse 2-3 times a day. He is losing interest in it and it makes me horribly sad.

Firsts: First time to go swimming in a big pool, first time to watch Willy Wonka! Ok, so he watched like 5 minutes of it, but it is my favorite movie in the whole wide world and I was so excited to let him see it! He was entranced!

~This month~

-Celebrated our first Father's Day as a family of 3!

-Celebrated Baby's first 4th of July

-Went swimming several times
-My sister lived with us for 3 1/2 weeks while she worked at a local camp.
-G-Maw came to visit!
-Carson started using sign language!!!!
-Carson waves hi and bye (but only when he feels like it). He likes to wave at people who pass us in the grocery store and it makes me smile.
-We had to put corner covers on the furniture to prevent {some} bumps to the noggin, although, he still manages to get quite a few.
-Daddy and "Uncle Danny" built Carson's swing set!

-We hung out a lot in our igloo tent

Spotlight: Kim's Crafty Korner

2011-06-15T19:42:00.000-07:00

One of my sweet and SUPER CREATIVE friends, Kim, has an amazing blog that you should totally check out! She has all sorts of crafty tutorials and some are even videos! She's pretty amazing.

I just love this little sailboat card.

This birdie one is just adorable, too!

Head on over to Kim's Crafty Korner to see more!

Introducing....Sparkle and Spice

2011-06-14T21:10:00.000-07:00

After much ~~pushing~~ encouragement from my hubby, family and friends, I have finally opened an Etsy shop! So, I am now officially introducing....

As the tagline implies, I will be selling accessories for you and your home, as well as gifts and items for baby. Head on over and check it out!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/kaciewhigham

Here's a little preview of some of the items that I have already listed.

Multicolored Button Heart on Teal Fabric: Wall Hanging

Blue and Rust Paisley Coasters: Set of 4

Paisley Swirl Stretch Headband: Bandana Style

Father's Day Photo Shoot

2011-06-09T19:25:00.000-07:00

My sweet friend, Lacy, took these pictures for us the other day. She says she is "learning" how to take pictures. I think she's already super good! Check out her site www.lacyvargas.tumblr.com Thanks again, friend!

My hair looks like a lion in this one. Raaaaar!

Happy Daddy's Day

Wearing Daddy's tie sitting in Daddy's old rocking chair

It was hotttttt outside and he was getting sweaty by this point.
That's why his hair is so nice and curly!

why

2011-06-01T21:07:00.000-07:00

Why is it that we hurt the ones we love the most?

Why is it, that when I am upset, frustrated and just plain cranky, that I take it out on my husband?

Why is this such a hard lesson to learn?

Why do I do it over and over and over, and then spend the next few days absolutely hating myself?

You would think that I would learn my lesson...learn to bite my tongue...learn to express my frustration in a constructive way....but no. I don't. I continue to spit fire in the heat of the moment and then cry in the shower.

I apologize. I tell him how wrong, mean, and ugly I was. I ask for forgiveness that I don't deserve. The thing is, I know he forgives me...but I still hurt him....and that's worse than anything....anything in the world. And bleepin bleep....I did it again.

Maybe I'll post...

2011-05-23T21:54:00.000-07:00

Here's what we've been up to lately...all through the lens of the iPhone.

Big boy baths in Mommy and Daddy's tub. He's sitting on a towel so he doesn't slip.

Scootchin all around...especially under the ottoman, which we have dubbed the "baby fort"

I finally remembered to stop and take a picture of Dr. Doctor's office! It makes me giggle every time.

Looking SO big in these clothes!

Some sweet time with Sister. C is sick right now with an ear infection and FIVE, count them F-I-V-E, teeth coming in! Poor punkin!!!

Here's hoping baby feels better in the morning!

26 and my amazing husband

2011-05-15T20:32:00.001-07:00

Today I woke up a year older. It's a weird feeling, too. I mean, I have never though much about my age, but last night I realized that 25 sounds really young and for some reason, 26 sounds pretty old! (now--I KNOW that 26 isn't old...I know...Just let me have my moment.) I think more than anything, having a child has made this age difference thing feel a bit more substantial. But now, onto more important things---

My birthday went something like this:
10:09am- Ross wakes me up with birthday cake pancakes in bed! The baby was napping, I was eating sprinkles in bed and all was right with the world :)

10:25am- Ross gives me my super-duper thoughtful presents. Do you remember how I had asked him for a lap giraffe? (which I later learned is an internet hoax---sad day) Well, he went to SIX stores and finally found me my very own! Before I tell you the next thing, you have to know that I always have cold toes and so I always, always have socks on. Then he said, "Do you remember about 2 or 3 months ago...we were in the study and you were sewing. You said that your feet always got cold when you are sewing because you have to take your socks off because they slipped on the pedal. Well, I got you these socks with little grippers on the bottom! That way your toes won't be cold." So sweet! Finally, he told me that I needed to get out of bed and get ready because I had an appointment for a massage! Yay!!

12:45pm- Ross drops me off at my massage.

1:00-2:00pm- Pure heaven. It was the best massage I have ever had.

2:00pm- We went and ate a fat hamburger. And fries. And it was delicious.

3:00pm- Ross drops me off at Loft and I shoppity-shop while he takes care of a screaming baby. He told me, in no uncertain terms, that I was to enjoy myself and take my time. When I got done, they were sitting in the back of the car beside a pond, playing with toys and baby was a happy camper.

4:00pm- We come home. Baby naps. We lay in back yard and take in the sun.

Evening- Sew/tv/shower/blog. Ross had everything set to make me the dinner of my choice, his special Lemon Pasta, but we were still pretty full from lunch...and maybe some cake...

Perfection.

He is amazing and so very, very thoughtful and
he knows that to me, it really is the thought that counts.

7 (ish) month stats

2011-05-15T19:18:00.000-07:00

Well, this post is a little late...Like, 2 weeks late....But better late than never! And, I want to be able to look back and remember this last month, so I am going to post it anyway.

I feel like this month his little personality has really started to show through and this has really made me fall even more in love...like a lot more in love...and I didn't know I could be more in love than I already was! I just can't get enough of him! I count down until he wakes up and then run in there and scoop him up, cover him with sugars and squeeze him a little too tight! I honestly think that no one on the planet has ever loved a child as much as I love Carson. It's truly amazing.

Weight: 20 ish pounds (6 month clothes size)

Height: 30ish inches (18 month clothes size)

Height and weight translation---What the heck?!?! How do I dress this kid? Is there a baby big-n-tall section somewhere?

Teeth: 4 total, 2 top and 2 bottom

Likes: eating vegetables, fruit, cereal and puff snacks, meeting new people (my trips anywhere take a lot longer because he just talks to everybody--i love it), coughing for fun (we think that he as discovered that he can cough on command, so he coughs and then laughs about it), watching cars, watching the trees blow in the wind, watching the yellow school bus drive by, tickles, being loud, talking, playing with daddy, pulling out toys, sitting up and reaching, scooting all over

Dislikes: being cleaned after eating, staying still, laying on his back, shirts going over his head

Mobility: army crawling/scooting everywhere, rolling, sitting, reaching, climbing (eek!), getting on all fours and rocking back and forth

Vocals: he's super loud these days and we hear lots of dadadadadada, yayaya, some b, p and g sounds and lots of vowels. there are also high pitched squeals mixed in with the occasional growl and cough. it's super fun! plus, he's mimicking us- which provides hours of babbling entertainment!

Firsts: first time to say dada and we are definitely going to count this as his first word! c went on his first boat rides this month, helped mommy celebrate my first mother's day, had his first time in a kiddie pool (total failure) and more that i'm sure i'll think of later.

Sailboat picture: Before and after

2011-05-10T14:47:00.001-07:00

I wanted to make a simple little sailboat picture for the nursery and I didn't want to spend a lot of money.

I found this on clearance for $6.50. The frame and matting were perfect! I definitely couldn't have found such a big frame so cheap anywhere else. I was thrilled!

I cut up some scrapbook paper that I already had, glued it into place and voila!

"S. S. Carson"

Carson loves it! He thinks it looks perfect in his room. Ok, fine...maybe that's me. One day he will appreciate the "art" I made for him...maybe :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Mother's Birthday

2011-05-09T20:42:00.001-07:00

Mother's Birthday---That's what I'm going to start calling my mother's day/birthday celebration which, I'm predicting now, will become an annual mega-holiday. It's awesome!!! So, thanks Carson, for adding another holiday to the calendar for me! Wahoo!

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love my family more than anything and that I miss them like crazy...and that I have the world's most amazing husband. Add those three things together and you get this- hubby who takes off of work to drive me 6 hours to spend the weekend with my family! (and a mom/daughter pedi and shopping trip scheduled in there, too!) Talk about the perfect mother's birthday present!

I felt like a spoiled little princess (tiara included) the entire weekend and it was amazing! My mom had decorated the house with banners, my favorite flowers and balloons. Then, she baked me a funfetti cake with white icing, sprinkles (my favorite food) and pink writing! Absolute perfection. To top it all off, the men planned a "dinner cruise" for us on Saturday night at sunset. My brother even drove in from Houston in time to surprise us for the cruise! We had an amazing dinner on the boat, I wore my crown, the boys caught fish and there were tons of laughs. I just wish my sister could have been there....stupid college final exams...

*disclaimer...we took baby's life jacket off for pictures and the water there was only 6 feet deep...and we were really close to shore...so don't call cps.

little family birthday pics

birds flying down the river

mom sat on my birthday cake! priceless!!!!! we all laughed SO hard. can you see the butt print???

i think it's safe to say that little one likes the boat

This was definitely one of the most memorable birthdays in a while.

THEN....
You know how I told you that my sister couldn't come because she is a good student and had to study for finals?
Well, she was bummed. I was bummed. We all were bummed.
So, on our way back to DFW from south TX, we stopped at A&M to surprise her!
(btw---totally not on the way)
We called her when we got in town and asked her if she wanted to do lunch. She kept saying, "are you serious?" We told her to come out of her dorm and there we were!
It was glorious! All I can say is glorious!!!

Love.Love.

Let's be friends

2011-05-05T21:54:00.001-07:00

Friends. Hmm. For the longest time the word friend scared me. I didn't want to meet new friends. I didn't want to reach my neck out and be vulnerable. I didn't want to open up and be judged. Most of this comes from my own insecurities and past experiences. I feel like I got burned in high school. During my junior and senior years of high school, our class lost a lot of classmates and friends to suicide, drug overdose, car wrecks, etc. After a few, I just refused to let anyone else in because of the fear of losing them. It was scary...terrifying, in fact. I was hurt and my heart was hardened. I was done letting people in. I was just done. The other problem I had was this- I didn't know how to be Christ like and still be friends with "sinners." I refused to drink, cuss, have sex, etc and the only way I knew how to do that was to be totally disconnected from those who had a different lifestyle than I did. In hindsight, this was absolutely, one hundred and a million percent, the wrong way to approach people! I didn't have the compassionate, loving, people oriented spirit that a Christ follower should have. I was a judgmental snob! I totally ruined my witness! I didn't get it. I didn't understand how Jesus was able to be the friend of sinners. I didn't know how to love the sinner and not the sin. I didn't just didn't know how! AND HELLO, I AM A SINNER! I just had different sins and didn't take that into account. Dumb. Now. I look back and think this: doctors don't cure the well, they cure the sick. I was a horrible doctor.

Then, fast forward to college, emotional baggage in hand. I'm in a new place with tons of new people...new, pretty, skinny, cute girls with big boobs and even bigger diamonds. None of which I viewed as potential friends, but rather as people who were judging me. Obviously they weren't. And really, how self centered of me to think that everyone was walking around thinking about me. What a loser! So, instead of making tons of new friends like I should have, I kept my guard up and my insecurities high. I did meet my best friend in college, and a few others, but my life could have been so much richer, had I opened up my heart.

Fast forward again to present day. I have decided to open up. It was/is hard. It was/is scary. It makes me mega nervous. Like, heart racing- short of breath if I think about it too much kind of nervous. But, you know what? It's exhilarating! My life is already so much richer! I have sought after the similarities I have with others, instead of letting our differences dominate my opinions. And, I have learned that the differences are beautiful! If I can get over myself and give others a chance, I find these amazing, truly amazing, jewels of women! I mean, wow! How I have missed out in the past and how much more I am going to get out of the future! I am learning the meaning of fellowship. I am learning to love. I am learning to be ok with the vulnerability of being open. And guess what? They aren't judging me after all! It's incredible! This is the start of a good and very sweet new chapter.

Thank you, Lord, for softening my heart. Thank you for helping me open up to others again. Thank you for showing me how to love. Thank you for helping conquer my fears and make new friends. I know that this is what you have planned for us as believers and for that, I thank you. Thank you also for these new amazing friends that you have placed in my path and for the richness they will add to my life and hopefully I will add to theirs. Thank you.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

iPood

2011-05-03T21:46:00.001-07:00

This is one of those shirts that will never be worn in public, but that we think is so "stinkin" funny! It helps that Ross is a Mac-head.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

no-sama bin laden

2011-05-02T13:49:00.001-07:00

this is the first political post i've ever written on here, but i think it's worth documenting my feelings about what happened last night.

i was crafting and watching brothers and sisters. the show was interrupted for a "special report," which i assumed was about the bad weather we were having...much to my surprise, it was a report about the killing on bin laden! i was shocked! (not really happy, definitely not sad...just shocked...like, heart racing kind of shocked) ross and i stayed glued to the tv until after the president was done speaking. then we discussed our thoughts...a lot.

basically, here's what i think:

-it's an odd feeling to be joyful about the death of another human being

-i am glad that justice was served

-i really hope that this gives some peace to the families of those lost on 9/11

-i also hope that this gives our military a boost of encouragement and unites our country

-i hope this really happened and that it wasn't some giant conspiracy thing...guess i'm just skeptical. many of the media reports didn't add up. the time lines were all different. the dna testing info was all over the place. they buried his body at sea? idk...just skeptical.

-i don't think that his killing will make a big difference. there are tons of others waiting in line to take his place.

-i'm pretty scared, actually. this has, no doubt, further enraged members of al qaeda and i'm just waiting on their revolt.

-and mainly, i just keep thinking about his salvation. as evil as he was, no person deserves to spend eternity in hell. what a difference christ could have made in his life. i am moved to pray for other members of al qaeda that somehow, some way, they will come to know jesus.

roomies

2011-04-26T21:34:00.001-07:00

so when we were in college, ross and i complained to each other about our roommates...a lot.
we both had some really fabulous roomies, but we also had some that were just plain awful.

i had one who would completely fill the sink with dirty dishes...then move to piling them on the counters...and when the counters filled up, she'd start putting them on the patio! i mean, really?!??!

ross had one who would get out, idk--say lunch meat and mayo or chicken fried steak and gravy-- leave it on the counter over night(s) and then, when it was nice and close to rotten, put it back in the fridge!! sick!

anywhoo- these complaints became super valuable info to remember upon getting married and becoming roomies! we knew each other's pet peeves and could take care to avoid them.

well, i don't think i've done a very good job. you see, i'm kinda messy! my room was super-duper-oldest-child-perfectionist-clean growing up. then i moved to college. somehow between end of sr year and start of college, i decided that i didn't really care to make my bed every day. i didn't mind a few clothes on the back of my chair. a few stacks of paper really didn't bother me! so, my crazy clean and organized room became, well, not. i mean, it was/is never dirty...like with dirt. it's just not tidy and i'm pretty sure it gets on ross' nerves! so, here are the reasons that i think i've become a bad roommate. followed by my *excuse...i mean, reasons :)

-i leave little stacks of crap everywhere i go.
*idk why and i really can't blame this on the baby. it definitely has bc (before carson) roots

-i hang stuff on doorknobs all over the house! (bras, bags, purses, diaper bag, etc)
*the cats can't get into it

-my couponing binder/supplies are always on the living room floor.
*i watch tv while i plan my next big money saving excursion

-i only make the bed if we have company coming over
*and they are really lucky guests

-i leave shoes all over the house and pile them on the closet floor
*there is no reason for this one

-there are, pretty much at all times, 3 stacks of my unfolded clothes in our room/bathroom/closet
*i have to try on 50 million different things before i leave the house at least semi-satisfied

(like the paint splotches on the wall in the bathroom? we are testing out sample colors)

-when i do laundry, i leave stacks of clothes on the couch...for a long time
*mainly, i just can't stand laundry. plus, the baby only lets me get so much done at once

-my car is a total mess
*some of it is baby stuff, but i've always been a messy car kind of gal. it makes me feel cozy. in college, i actually used my trunk as a makeshift storage unit!

-i never can fall asleep at the same time as ross
*i've always been a night owl, but this whole insomnia deal is new

-i fill up his dvr with amazingly girly tv
*he actually won a contest at work the other day because of my tv selection awesomeness! ya, you're welcome!

-i definitely don't clean the floors as much as i should.
*it's kinda pointless. it's just going to get dirty again!

-my craft room is a complete and total disaster 99% of the time.
*i'm always mid-project and cleaning it up/taking it all out takes up lots of valuable time

so, even though ross has never once mentioned any of these rommie sins, i have decided to work on them. well, to try to work on them. i mean, they are important to ross (i think?!?!), and i don't want to be his annoying roommate. that being said, i do know that, despite what i do wrong, i also do a lot of stuff right...like, umm...keeping our son alive and putting dinner on the table! that counts for something, right?!?!?!?

albuQUIRKY

2011-04-22T21:13:00.000-07:00

last weekend we went to see ross' parents in albuquerque.
we had an absolutely fabulous time!

on friday, his amazing mother had planned a girl's day for me. we went shopping, had lunch and then she dropped me off at the spa for a facial (my first!), a massage and a pedi! aaahhhh! i was SO relaxed. then, ross picked me up and we went on a hot date! we at ate a super special place called seasons...the same place we went the night we got engaged! great steak, great wine, great creme brulee! AND- his mom watched little man. it was awesome.

on saturday, the boys went out on the motorcycles and drove a whopping 350 miles! i think it's safe to say that they had a good time. they saw an alpaca farm, ate some good food and certainly had quite a few laughs.

sunday was our last full day there. in the morning we went out to the middle of the desert and played with guns. i felt like a total bad a**! it was aaaawwwweeessome. i even got a ricochet wound! (again...total bad a**) then, we headed up the mountain to this quirky little town called madrid. it's pronounced MAD-rid. not mad-RID, like in spain. it was a fabulous place for looking at weird shops, walking around and taking pics!

it was a wonderful, wonderful extended weekend!

all i want is...

2011-04-21T19:33:00.001-07:00

my birthday is in about a month. [to be more precise, it's on may 15...that will give you some time to prepare lavish gifts to send my way] anyway, i've been telling ross for a few weeks now, "add that to my birthday list!" poor guy, here's what's on my list so far.

a llama

a lap giraffe
yes, they are real [look here at the LIVE FEED GIRAFFE CAM!!!! holy moly!!!!!!!]...yes, i want one more than anything...yes, i will ask for one for the rest of my life...yes, i am super obsessed!!!

a pocket goat

a staircase
it doesn't have to lead anywhere. i would just use it to stand a step above ross to kiss him. my tippie-toes get tired and stair kisses are the best ever!

and, the one thing that i actually may receive, a cute new suitcase.

image sources: goat llama
suitcase stairs

sister's bday {my favorite holiday!}

2011-04-20T11:42:00.000-07:00

My little sister turned the big 1-9 on the 14th! Ya, she's old.
So, in true Kacie style, I threw her quite the party! I mean, her birthday is, after all, my favorite holiday! And, I totally live for this kind of stuff! Truth be told, it's more for me than it is for her.

I sewed up some bday banners...

Sewed a country chic table cloth...

And made THREE, yes 3, birthday cakes! I just couldn't seem to decide on one style.

6 month stats

2011-04-20T10:42:00.000-07:00

Blogging has slowly moved to the back burner as baby boy has become much more mobile. I can no longer leave him in one place and expect him to be there when I come back! Eek! Carson isn't quite crawling but he is scooting and rolling all over the place. So, now that he's napping, I can take a sec to update my super neglected online journal!

Weight: 16 lbs 14 oz, 25-50 percentile

Height: 29 inches, literally off the charts for percentile

Teeth: Two bottom ones and two top ones have been trying to come in for a week or so

Mobility: Sitting for about a minute before toppling over, scooting, rolling

Likes: sneezing, dancing to music, playing in the exercauser, petting the kitties (aka: ripping out their fur), rolling, pulling hair, feeling faces, sucking on toes, playing with water, eating, the color red, sucking on his left thumb, toys, holding his own bottle

Dislikes: laying on his back on changing table, keeping socks on

Vocals: we went through a growling faze, high pitched squeals, lots of laughing, no consonant sounds yet...although I pretty much spend my days saying "dada" over and over and over

Firsts: first veggies, first airplane ride (he did great), first out of state trip, first time on the top of a mountain

We have started introducing new veggies to the little man. Unfortunately, after a few days of carrots, he broke out in a rash. We haven't tried them again but have tried sweet potatoes and he really loves them! We will give carrots another go round in a few weeks. He still doesn't seem to tolerate wheat very well. It gives him a belly ache. Again, we will try another time in a few weeks. Next up is squash! Yum, yum!

He has started to really become attached to Ross. At one point recently, Ross had said that he felt like a cactus when he tried to hold Carson....the baby would cry and try to get away. He was feeling really discouraged and it broke our hearts. Well, in the past few weeks, all of that has changed! I am so happy! When Ross comes home, C leans out of my arms and tries with all of his might to get to Daddy! Talk about a warm welcome home! Last night, we were sitting on the couch and the baby moved back and forth between me and Ross for like 30 minutes! It was so cute. It's like he is realizing that he can get lovin' from us both!

*heading to Albuquerque on baby's first plane ride...phone pics are yucky*

Bestie's Etsy

2011-04-08T20:50:00.000-07:00

My amazing best friend opened an Etsy shop! Check it out here.
I can personally vouch for the quality and cuteness!

I think I want these pillowcases...

Or these burp cloths...

Or these...

How's a girl supposed to decide?!?!?! So cute!!

videos

2011-04-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

Excited for carrots!

Giggly pit stop!

Squeals like a girl!

going home...

2011-04-05T19:13:00.001-07:00

I think I have told you that my parents bought a little yellow cabin on the lake.
It's a super fun place to go...out in the country, on the water, land to play on, toys to play with, family all around and lots of laughs!

This trip was full of projects for the men. They built an awesome dock for the little boat and hung a swing for el bambino.

Carson got {and LoVeD} his first outdoor bath.

Baby boy got lots and lots of loving from his aunts, uncle and grandparents.

I went on a scary boat ride with my dad.

Dad bought a big boat!!!

And of course, there was a lot of fishing...and possibly shooting of snakes...ahhh, Texas!

Hiatus

2011-04-05T11:31:00.000-07:00

So maybe I gave up blogging for Lent...
Or maybe I chose to go on hiatus like one of my favorite shows, Cougar Town...
Or maybe I've just been in total-mind-paralysis...

Yup. It's definitely the third. We have been doing TONS and I have not felt inspired to write.
At. All.
Hopefully I'm back.

In the last few weeks we have...
-gone to Victoria

-had company twice

-gone to the Dallas Arboretum to see the beautiful tulips

-went to a friend's fabulous baseball party

-Ross went to Albuquerque for my first weekend alone with the baby (and we survived)

-we started going to story time at the library

-I helped throw a MOPS party

-I have done lots of crafting, like these ruffle towels for my sister

-cooked many new dishes

-frequently walked the park with friends

-survived C's first strep throat

-Carson started eating veggies

-planned my sister's birthday party and so much more!

This one makes me laugh. Every time I would open my mouth, he would do the same. I think it looks like he is on a baby roller coaster ride!

Car seat cover

2011-03-11T18:12:00.000-08:00

It's incredible what you can accomplish when baby takes a good, long nap!

I used this tutorial to make this fun little car seat cover. It will be good to block wind, rain, cold and germs!

Spring has sprung!

2011-03-10T13:07:00.000-08:00

Spring is coming! The flowers are blooming, the birds are chirping, the weeds are growing...The other day, on our walk, the Lord told me something in all of these signs of spring. It went something like this.

"Kacie, do you see all of these flowers?

Do you see how beautiful and intricate they are?

Do you see how I take care of them? Do you see how I provide everything that they need even though they are tiny and insignificant?

Well, my child, if I provide for them with such care, how much more will I provide and care for Carson and his eye. Trust in me as the great protector." -God

I got so much peace from our little walk. It's amazing how the Lord can speak to you in such ways.

Wordle = love

2011-03-09T20:59:00.000-08:00

I heart wordle. It makes word clouds out of text.
I'm thinking that it's totally framable!
This one is from words on my blog. Go try it! Super fun!

5 month stats

2011-03-05T21:11:00.000-08:00

Month 4 was a huge one for our little man. It seemed like every day he was doing something new.

-16 lbs 8 oz (50% for weight)
-I'm not sure about length but I know it's 90%
-He HAS TWO TEETH! The bottom two came in super early at 4 months and one week.
-He rolls all over the place. There's no telling what position he will be in when I get him out of bed in the morning.
-He (kinda) eats cereal. E for effort. I have finally started stripping him down to feed him. I'm sick of having to change his clothes just because he ate!

-He reaches up when you go to pick him up.
-He still sleeps through the night...hopefully I'm not jinxing it.
-I believe that he is starting to be attached to me, as in...I leave the room and he cries. This is new and not a good thing. I think that he used to think that everyone was like one big person and now he notices the difference.
-He still laughs at everything.
-He is trying to sit up. I'll lay him on his back and he does this sort of crunch action but can't sit all the way up. Also, when we practice sitting, he doesn't quite have the balance thing down and topples over. It'll be any day now.
-He loves being outside. This month we have spent lots of time laying out in the backyard on a blanket learning about the sky, birds, grass, bugs, etc. It's super fun!!! We do it almost every day and I look forward to it.

-He loves to interact with other babies. It's so precious! He will just talk and talk and talk...They smile at each other and touch each other...It's stinkin adorable! I can't wait until they can actually play!

-He is taking pretty consistent afternoon naps and has gotten pretty accustomed to falling asleep in his crib on his own.
-He likes to stand up. Most of the time, if he is crying, we can hold him up so he is "standing" and he will stop crying. I think it feels good on his legs.
-I still breastfeed about 95% of the time. Mainly bottles are for when we are running errands or when Ross is taking over (fab.u.lous.)
-He is finally starting to notice the cats and he loves them! He tries to get a hold of them any time he can. He also talks to them, pets them and tries to occasionally bite their tails (oops).

I can't believe that he has been with us for almost half of a year! What did we do with our time before he was here? We love you, Bubba!!

relief.

2011-03-04T12:17:00.000-08:00

Yay!!!! We went to the doctor this morning for baby's eye. We left relieved. It wasn't that she told us particulary good news, but she definitely didn't tell us bad news, either.

The doctor said that Carson is far sighted in his left eye, causing it to turn inward when he is trying to focus on things close to his face. It is not an optic nerve issue, meaning that I did not give him this. I cried when she told me. I was so relieved. The structure of his eye is great and his issue most likely won't require surgery. He will probably need glasses as a child for focusing on things close to him, like reading. He will probably grow out of it. For now, we are supposed to patch his good eye for 1-2 hours a day and go back in 3 months for a check up. She was also very encouraging about us catching it early. Thanks for the prayers and concern! I will definitely be able to sleep much better tonight!

Lunch at the park

2011-03-03T15:25:00.000-08:00

We like to go have lunch with Ross at work as much as possible. It's quite a trek to get there, but it totally makes his day, so it's totally worth it. The other day we picked up lunch and ate at the park! It was WAY fun! I can't wait until Carson can actually play on the toys...until then, I will continue to look like the lunatic who is playing alone on the kiddie toys.

Zoo

2011-03-03T15:15:00.000-08:00

We took C to the zoo for the first time last weekend with a friend and her daughter. Ross says that some of his favorite childhood memories are from the zoo. Carson did great...such a trooper! We were there about 4 1/2 hours with not a single melt down! Way to go, little man! I don't have any pictures of Ross on here...he was taking the pics.

Heavy heart

2011-03-03T12:09:00.001-08:00

This is a heavy heart topic. I am struggling to even write it without crying.

I have noticed in the past few days that Carson's left eye is drifting inward. It doesn't happen all of the time...like mainly when he's tired...or it's late...or stuff like that. But, I'm super scared.

The problem is this...I have an underdeveloped optic nerve and am legally blind in my left eye, something that most people don't know about me. I function completely fine (except for the increased amount of times I run into things due to lack of depth perception) and since I've had it from birth, I don't know any different. For me, it's no big deal. For my baby to possibly have it BECAUSE of me...killer.

It has only been going on for 3 days and hopefully I am overreacting. We went to the pediatrician yesterday and they referred us to a pediatric ophthalmologist. We go in the morning. I. Am. Terrified.

Please pray for miraculous healing. Please pray that the Lord intervenes and heals the muscle that is not functioning properly. Please pray that I can hold it together and that I will have peace.

My mom sent me this verse yesterday and it has been quite comforting for me heart...

Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh, is anything too difficult for me? Jeremiah 32:27

When I think of it in accordance to this verse, Carson's eye is no big deal for the Lord! He can fix it in a flash! Nothing is too difficult for our God.

Couponing

2011-03-01T17:27:00.000-08:00

I am very blessed to be able to stay home to care for the baby. Ross works very hard to make this happen for us, but I have to do my part as well. I've been trying to be a good steward of the Lord's provision and recently that has meant couponing. I have only been twice but I've had exciting results both times. Trip #1 I saved $47 off of our $110 total. Trip #2 was even better.

I bought the Prilosec and Listerine and got the remaining things for 22 cents!!!!!!!!!!! Yup...22 CENTS!!! I was so excited!

The loot:

You know you're a mom when...

2011-03-01T17:09:00.001-08:00

-You realize that 99% of things in life can be accomplished using only one hand

-You have become an expert multi-tasker. Take for example...putting on your make-up while nursing and eating breakfast

-You have vacuumed while carrying the baby

-You have vacuumed solely to drown out the sound of your baby fighting a nap (*Don't worry, CPS...he was safely pitching a fit in his crib*)

-You have made a bottle while sitting at a red light

-You have thought, "I can definitely still wear this shirt to the store...It's not that much spit up."

-You have nursed while going to the bathroom (eewwww! I know...but ya gotta do what ya gotta do), walking around Target, sitting in parking lots, restaurants, etc...(behind a Hooter Hider, of course)

-You can get more done in a two hour nap time than you could have accomplished in an entire day before the baby arrived

-Your hands have become the ultimate chew toy

-You can't make it through a single day without getting poop, pee, spit up, boogers or some combination of the 4 on yourself

-You wouldn't change it for the world.

I am SO sorry

2011-02-16T11:24:00.000-08:00

I was so proud of myself for using the Youtube video uploader thing...and it put nasty pictures of girls on the bottom of the video for some reason! I am SO sorry! I have no clue how that happened. Ugh....

Valentine's

2011-02-13T23:18:00.000-08:00

Oh, how times have changed. In high school and college, v-day was a big deal for us. I felt like we somehow had to "prove" our love with lots of gifts and spending lots of money. Looking back, that's pretty stinkin dumb. I mean, really? It should just be about spending quality time with the one you love.

This year, we didn't go out for a fancy dinner. We didn't get presents for each other. We didn't even get cards! Instead, I made us a nice big dinner and got all dressed up. (even put the baby in a "tie") We put the baby to bed early. We lit candles. We drank some prosecco, ok, a lot of prosecco. We laughed and talked about how much more love we have in our lives this year than any other year ever...no presents required. And in my book, it doesn't get much sweeter than that. It was, without question, the best Valentine's Day ever.

iced in = craft time

2011-02-13T23:01:00.000-08:00

The one good thing about being iced in is having time to craft!
This past week, I made an apron for my brother's girlfriend's birthday. It took two tries.
I didn't like this one...

So, I made this one instead...

I also made a little cake for a family bday party. We always combine birthdays that are close together. This one was for Tracy, Jay and Taylor.
Or, if you're running short on space, Tray, Jay and Tay!

God's Funny

2011-02-13T22:18:00.000-08:00

We went to Galveston this weekend to visit family. It. Was. Fab. I'll post pics later.

About 4 hours into our 6 hours trek home, Baby Boy woke up sCrEaMiNg...Like blood curdling, something's wrong, kind of cries. We pulled over to the next gas station and I took him inside to change his diaper. He was still screaming. I'm 99% sure he had gas, so there was really nothing I could do to help the poor little guy.

Anywhoo...Other ladies were going in and out of the bathroom as I change him in the stall. All the while, I'm humming to him, shhhing, saying "You're ok," on and on...Partly to try to calm him down and partly to assure outsiders that I am not in fact torturing my son. (though it sure sounded like it)

Ross was waiting for us outside the bathroom and two ladies walked out past him. One said to the other, "Has saying "you're ok" one million times to a baby EVER fixed anything?" Ross bit his lip and silently asked God for patience so that he didn't go off on this lady. And just then, the rude lady drops her purse on the gas station floor and all of her belongings roll everywhere...just picking up the nasty, filthy germs. Bwahahahaha. We win. Good one, God...That's some funny stuff!

I told Ross that he should have turned to her and said, "Shhhhh...You're ok," after everything spilled.

The whole deal had me thinking about my parenting the remainder of the ride home. Could I have done something better in that situation? Was I doing something wrong? Should I just stand there and not try to comfort my crying, sweet, helpless baby boy? My answer: No. I did exactly what was right for our family in that situation. I am, through and through, a nurturer for my son. If he is hurting, or sad, or hungry, or whatever, I am going to do my darndest to fix it! And, in this situation, that meant to change his diaper and tell him "you're ok" a million times. (so shut up, lady!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

The other thing that it made me consider was my attitude toward other parents. I am not innocent in this at all. I am super judgmental of other parents in public. I mean, I don't tell them anything, but I certainly do think it and talk to Ross about it. I need to step back and realize that every family is different. Different strategies are right for some and not for others. I need not judge. I need to have a soft heart and be compassionate because they too, are probably doing their darndest to fix it.

4 month stats

2011-02-06T22:17:00.000-08:00

This has been a month of many changes. I feel like his brain has started developing at a rapid-fire pace. He wakes up some mornings with new tricks and it is so fun!

4 month highlights-
-Sleeping through the night!!! Way to go C!!! This started at about 3 1/2 months.
-Rolling over...back to tummy, tummy to back, back and forth...all over the place!
-Grabbing everything
-Chewing on everything- especially my hands
-Still loving bath time
-Loves looking at faces
-We are getting into a pretty good nap and bedtime schedule
-I breastfeed about 95% of the time. Formula is mainly for the weekends when Daddy lets me sleep or if we are in town and I get in a bind.
-He now sleeps like a big boy in his crib without a sleep positioner. It makes me so sad to see him so big.
-We sit him in his highchair with us at the dinner table and I love it!
-Baby is in 6 month clothes
-He loves watching other children. He just sits and intently studies their every move. It's so cool to watch because it's like he's trying to figure it all out.
-He likes to smell different foods. I'll let him smell things and it makes his little tongue start licking the air. So cute!

Weight 15 lbs 4 oz (50% percentile)
Length 26.5 inches (90% percentile)
So, basically, he's like his dad---tall and thin!

I wish I would've known...

2011-02-06T22:05:00.000-08:00

-If you buy nursing bras before the baby comes, buy them one size bigger than your current size because those puppies are gonna get b-i-g! (sorry Dad...hope you skipped out on reading this post)

-Postpartum hair loss: 3 to 4 months after you deliver, you will lose massive quantities of hair. It's totally normal because you grow lots of hair when you're preggie. You're not going bald from baby stress.

-There's a possibility that your knuckles will from still be swollen 4 months after the baby comes. They will go down.

-If you and the hubs are inexplicably cranky, you probably need to have sex. It'll cure it. (again...sorry Dad)

-Bring a bag of change to the hospital for the vending machine. Everyone, including you, will appreciate it.

Snow flops

2011-02-04T20:06:00.000-08:00

Sunday it was in the 70s...
Ross wore flip flops and shorts.
It's been snowing since Tuesday.
Today, I found these outside.
Only in Texas.

Because we're seeesters!

2011-02-03T21:55:00.000-08:00

Have I mentioned before that my sister is my heart and soul?

Maybe just once or twice?

From Etsy

I'm sooooo making one of these for her for Valentine's Day! It'll probably cost like $1.00.
Thrifted frame + one print out = crafting success

Please, Phil!

2011-02-02T19:41:00.001-08:00

How I'm longing for a warm day like this...

Instead, we are having a FREEZING week like this...

and this...
Punxsutawney Phil didn't see his shadow today. Maybe spring will come soon....

But, on the upside, I am getting a lot done.
Not knowing how to drive in the ice and snow does have it's benefits. Right???
*House cleaned.
*Good food cooked. (taco soup and chicken pot pie for which I did not have to purchase a single additional item!)
*Work out videos completed while simultaneously entertaining C. I felt like a big dork.
*Little crafty craft made for baby.

*Birdies in the back yard fed...I felt so sorry for them. They were pecking around in the snow looking for food so, I went and sprinkled bird seed all over the place. It made me happy.

Tomorrow I will do some more crafting, some more cleaning, some more laundry and a few more work out videos. Then, I'll pray (double time) that God heats up the ice so that I can
GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Image sources
Spring Pic/Snow Pic

Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad {week}

2011-02-02T12:25:00.000-08:00

We're having a tough week around here.

Ross is sick...fever, sore throat.
He still has to go to work.
We don't want the baby to get sick, so Ross comes home and stays in our bedroom.
This means double duty for Momma.

The high for the week is like 20.
There is snow and ice on the ground and I don't know how to drive in it.
We are cooped up inside.
DFW is having rolling black-outs. Yay.
Our outside pipes are frozen...even though they are wrapped up tight.

But, on the plus side, we got some more pictures from C's little photo shoot!

This one just melts my heart...over and over and over again. Wow.

Modeling Debut

2011-01-31T17:41:00.000-08:00

One of my new friends from MOPS is learning photography and her two sons are tired of modeling. So...she asked C to make his modeling debut! Here's a little sneak peek.
Isn't he cute?

Mom Jeans

2011-01-31T06:15:00.000-08:00

I’m officially back down to pre-preggie weight! **cheers from the crowd**

Unfortunately, and NOT as I expected, I still have a closet full of clothes that do not fit. I thought that pre-preggie weight would = pre-preggie clothes. Hahahahaha. Nope. Not even close.

So now, still about a size bigger than BC (Before Carson), I have no clue how to dress myself. I don’t know if I’m “allowed” to dress the same as before now that I’m a mom. I don’t know what looks good. And, I don’t know how to dress this weird new body. I need a stylist, like pronto. Clinton Kelly, please?

I’ll go into the stores that I used to shop at frequently (mainly Ann Taylor Loft, Banana Republic, Old Navy and Target) and I feel totally lost, totally out of place. I’ll wander around confused, and then leave empty handed. In my former, baby-less life, I felt pretty good…ok, decent, at navigating the fashion scene. Now, I’m like a blind person, clumsily feeling my way around with a cane.

Hopefully I will continue to lose weight (I’m working on it) and will be able to ease back into my old clothes and back into the fashion scene super soon. In the meantime, here are some looks that I’ve been crushing on.

Old Navy

Loft

Anthropologie

It's a compliment?

2011-01-20T21:33:00.000-08:00

People give you the most bizarre compliments when you have a baby. Take these for example...

-He has the best sized thumb nails!
-His little nostrils are so cute!
-He has the best shaped head!
-I love his little belly button!

Now, I can totally agree with all of the above, but this next one blows my mind.

The all time weirdest compliment ever given in the history of all of human existence...

-what a cute little baby puppy fetus!!!

To which I almost choked...and slowly backed away...reaching my hand towards my mace. What does that even mean you psycho crazy lady?????

Black and White Party

2011-01-20T21:26:00.001-08:00

I am totally inspired to have black and white party!
Now I just need a reason to celebrate!

*all images are from google images*

Bring it on!

2011-01-20T12:46:00.000-08:00

Last night was a really hard night. No, Carson wasn't up all night. Instead, I was in excruciating pain. I went on a run last night. It was supposed to be week 2: run 2. Instead it was run-for-15-minutes-and-end-up-crying-because-you-can't-walk-on-your-ankle. Ya. It was brutal. Here's how it went down.

I reluctantly ventured into the cold to go to the gym. I get there, stretch out all nice and good and begin to run. Now, my ankle has been hurting for several weeks, but nothing like this. After a few minutes it's hurting pretty nice but I kept going. Then, at about minute 15, I can't step on it. I text Ross and ask him what to do. He said to come home or, that he'd be happy to come get me. I hobble, literally, out of the gym and make it home. He meets me at the car and helps me inside. He has an ice pack and some medicine ready and waiting. I ice-advil-hot bath-ice it and am finally able to put pressure on it again. I mean, seriously, it was horrible. It was way worse pain than when I broke my wrist. I was crying, frustrated and just plain ticked off. Why won't my body cooperate with my 5k goal? So, after elevating, icing and advil-ing my pain away last night, I can sorta-kinda walk on it today. I think it's safe to say that I'll be taking a few days off for my ankle to heal and then it's back to 3 days a week. There may also be a trip to the doctor in there somewhere, just to check things out. I don't think that this much pain is normal or healthy. I just hate, hate, hate going to the doctor. I'm afraid that they'll give me some sort of crap diagnosis like tendonitis and tell me to just take it easy. Blah.

The thing is, it kind of just adds more fuel to my fire about accomplishing my goal! It's like...Body? You don't think you can do this? Well, I'll show you! Bring it on.

Not boots for walking

2011-01-19T21:30:00.000-08:00

So, I've been running lately...as you know...because I post ramblings about it frequently. And, I love shoes...as you know...because, well, I'm a girl.So, naturally I've decided that I need new running shoes. For practical purposes only. Right? Qualifications? They must be pink. Not pretty little baby girl pink...but, HOT PINK. And they must be comfy, good running shoes, blah, blah, blah. I've looked several places but haven't found the ones yet but I know they're out there just awaiting on me!

Week 2: Run 1 (aka: Advil needed)

2011-01-17T17:53:00.000-08:00

Week 2 Workouts: Brisk five-minute warm up walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes. Five minute cool down walk.

Week 2: Run 1
Distance: 1.85 miles
Walk pace: 3.2 mph
Run pace: 5.7 mph
Calories burnt: 191
Terrain: Treadmill

How was your run? Brutal but I somehow made it through. My left ankle is killing me...still...an hour later. I feel accomplished! The new workouts for week 2 are definitely taking it up a notch. My distance and calories are down. I guess that is because I was slower towards the end since I was so tired.

Rocking Chair

2011-01-17T10:40:00.001-08:00

I snapped this cute little pic of C in Ross' old rocking chair from when he was a kiddo. I think it's quite precious!

Here's another of C getting some sweet kisses from Daddy!

By the way...I totally love Hipstamatic on my iPhone! Vintage pictures are way more fun!

GiGgLeS

2011-01-16T15:57:00.000-08:00

Hope this brightens your day like it did for us!

Kacie's Run

2011-01-15T20:51:00.000-08:00

So, I'm looking at different area race calendars and guess what I found?!!?!?
One called Kacie's Run. For real. No lie.
I mean, I'm pretty sure it's just begging me to run it!
No one ever spells Kacie like that!!! Pretty much, I'll do it just for the shirt. Seriously.

Here's the link for it. It's March 26...may just by my first one! Kacie's Run

Then...I found one for my sister on May 14! It's called Run for Sarah.
This is awesome stuff!

Here's another one that I'm interested in...just so I can keep track.
This might be the one that my sister and I run for Yaya.
Komen Race for the Cure- April 9

Week 1: Run 3

2011-01-15T14:11:00.000-08:00

Today totally sucked...Maybe because it was a Saturday?!?! I'm going to post a picture of my favorite food, sprinkles, to make myself feel better. And yes, sprinkles most definitely ARE a food.

Week 1 workout: Brisk five-minute warm-up walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes. Five minute cool down walk.

Week 1: Run 3
Distance: 1.96 miles
Walk pace: 3.2-3.5 mph
Run pace: 5.0-5.9 mph
Calories burnt: 201
Terrain: Treadmill

How was your run? Today was brutal. I think it was harder for several reasons. One, all of the good TVs were taken so, I was forced to watch an infomercial about a shaving product and a football game. Ugh. Second, I forgot to stretch until run #7 and by then I figured it was too late to do much good. Third, my heart rate was exceptionally high today. I walked run #8 because it was higher than the treadmill recommended and I needed to get it just a little bit lower. And finally, I was in lots and lots of ankle and knee pain. That doesn't help. But...on a good note, I'm proud of myself for going on a Saturday and I burnt the most calories thus far!

Week 1: Run 2

2011-01-14T10:33:00.000-08:00

Last night I completed run #2 for this week.

Week 1 workout: Brisk five-minute warm-up walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes. Five minute cool down walk.

Week 1: Run 1
Distance: 1.95 miles
Walk pace: 3.2-3.5 mph
Run pace: 5.5-6.1 mph
Calories burnt: 198
Terrain: Treadmill

How was your run? I ran much faster than the last run and was way more out of breath. It was a good thing! My ankles hurt again but my knee doesn't! I feel happy and healthy. I'm excited that I ran .3 more miles than last time. I ran about 1 mph faster and that's good, too! Also, I burnt about 50 more calories than last time. Yea!! It's progress :)

SUPER guilty pleasure

2011-01-12T16:53:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my little slice of trashy tv delight. Ooooh so entertainingly delish. I'd encourage you to join me in wasting several hours of you life and dvr some episodes, too!

Image source

I learned a lesson today...

2011-01-12T16:47:00.000-08:00

-Never dress your baby in a fuzzy, light colored onesie and wear a black shirt. You will end up gray all day long.

-Always keep one long fingernail. You will need it to pick at something on your baby's head... boogies, ear wax, peeling skin...It's sick but true.

-It's ok to push the Target cart full of (paid for) groceries into the stall with you so that you can go to the bathroom and not leave your baby unattended. It is ok to be that person.

-When you are running late, he WILL poop up his back side. Guaranteed.

Running and Week 1: Run 1

2011-01-11T19:38:00.001-08:00

I am not a runner. Never have been. Never thought I would be!

But, with the help of this program, C25k, I may become one! I am on the website and I have the app for my phone. It gives you the exact work out for each day. You run 3 times a week for 20-30 minutes a time for 9 weeks. The app talks to you and tells you when to walk, when to run, etc. My friend told me about it (check our her blog...she has a precious little boy) and tonight was my first night. It was the perfect amount of challenging. I was stretched but didn't die. I felt accomplished for finishing, but not that it was too easy. I think that this is the perfect start to achieving my goal of running a 5k in honor of my grandma, Yaya!

I am going to be documenting each of my runs on here to hold myself accountable, not because I think that it will be interesting :)

These are the guidelines given/asked from the app.

Week 1 workout: Brisk five-minute warm-up walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes. Five minute cool down walk.

Week 1: Run 1
Distance: 1.6 miles
Walk pace: 3.2-3.5 mph
Run pace: 4.4-4.7 mph
Calories burnt: 150
Terrain: Treadmill

How was your run? During it I felt ok...just the right amount of challenge. Immediately afterward, my ankles hurt so bad that I could barely walk. We will see how the night goes from here.

5 O'Clock...aka The Witching Hour

2011-01-10T18:55:00.000-08:00

Screams. Cries. Blood curdling shrieks.
Wanna come play at our house?
Every day around 5-ish Carson enters into the witching hour.

I run through the normal solutions.
Clean diaper? Check.
Fed? Check.
Not sleepy? Check.
Still crying? Check.

Why, oh why my baby? Why, oh why?
What it's come down to is this. He's going to cry, even if I sit down and hold him. He's going to scream, even if I do everything I know how. So...I just stick him in his swing, put him in the kitchen and make dinner...with baby cries as my cooking soundtrack. I don't know what else to do!

Did your little ones ever have a certain "melt down" time every day? What did you do to survive? How did you make le bebe feel better? Do you have a solution? PLEASE!

Happy 26th!

2011-01-09T17:54:00.000-08:00

This weekend we celebrated Ross' 26th birthday! I planned a day of surprises for him...not all went as planned but we still had a good time.

Ross loves BBQ so, I did lots of research and found this place: Angelo's. It had fabulous reviews, was on Food Network, was #1 on Urbanspoon, etc. It was the best north Texas BBQ we have found. I mean, it was no Goode Company but it was still really good. We'll be back and that says a lot.

The next thing we did was go to the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. It was a thoughtful place to go because Ross loves these types of museums. I thought he'd like to show Carson some of his favorite things like dinosaur bones but....it was a total bust. We were really disappointed. Turns out, it's super small and totally geared toward small children. We streeeetched it out and stayed almost an hour but it wasn't good at all. We even left before our scheduled viewing of the planetarium, one of Ross' favorite things ever.

Finally, we went to Sweet Sammies for some dessert! This was FAB! They make these fantastic ice cream sandwiches from homemade cookies and Bluebell ice cream! Can you think of anything better? You pick your cookies and your ice cream flavor...then you sit in complete gluttony and devour every last morsel.

Happy birthday to my wonderful, fabulous, caring, providing, supportive, helpful, loving, handsome, driven, successful, kind husband!

3 Months

2011-01-08T18:45:00.000-08:00

Holy Moly! Carson is 3 months old!

Stats:
16 lbs
25-ish inches
Size 2-3 diapers
Feet are too long for footsies.
Arms are too long for shirts.
Legs are too long for clothes.
Torso is just right :)

Now, at this point, I'm sure you are thinking...Get him bigger clothes...and we have but, he is built like his daddy. For things to fit width wise, they are too short. For things to fit length wise, they are too wide. We have gone up a size in clothes and still are having issues. We might just wrap him up like a mummy and call it a day.

This month has been filled with: smiles, laughs, tracking, holding his head up, cooing, being highly entertained with singing and funny faces, sitting with us in his high chair for dinner (my fave)...still an inconsistent sleep schedule

Likes: still likes his swing, loves to sit in his high chair while I'm in the kitchen, his mobile, laying on the changing table, sucking on his hands, putting things into his mouth, bath time, rides in the car, going on walks in the stroller

Dislikes: Tummy time (still h-a-t-e-s it), binkies, and he is starting to dislike taking a bottle, having lotion put on

The Resolutions

2011-01-08T18:02:00.000-08:00

This is the quintessential New Year's Resolutions post.
But, before I get started on this year, let's debrief 2010.

Last year, my resolutions were to:
Drink less Diet coke- Accomplished...pregnancy nipped that in the bud
Floss my teeth every other day- That lasted until March.
Try new things- Accomplished...Pickled herring (sick), water aerobics (good), spin class (excellent), lots of new recipes (some good, some not), not to mention all of the newness that comes with pregnancy and motherhood

In 2011 my goals are to:
Run a 5K- Now, this may not be a large goal for many people but, for me it will be exceptionally difficult. For one, I have never been able to run even one lap around the track, not even in school...never. ever. ever. For two- it hurts my knees and ankles for days...not like sore muscles...but sore joints. BUT---I'm going to do it. My goal is to run a 5K during Breast Cancer Awareness month. My grandmother and aunt have both survived it and it would be in honor of them.

The next thing I am going to do is visit 2 people in a local nursing home every week. I went last week and filled out my paperwork and am waiting on a phone call. I want to build relationships with 2 people who do not usually have visitors. I will be bring Carson, so they need to be appreciative of children and not sick with something contagious. I hope that this turns out to be a worthy endeavor.

Leave C in the nursery during MOPS and Bible study. YiKeS! This will be the toughest of the resolutions but, I think it will be good for the both of us. I will be able to enjoy some mommy time and he will learn to be ok in the care of others. Still, it will be brutal.

What are your goals this year?

In other news...
WE LEFT CARSON WITH MY PARENTS OVERNIGHT FOR NEW YEAR'S EVE!
Wow was it hard but, wow was it awesome! It was so fun to have a night to just be Ross and Kacie and not Mom and Dad. We went to the beach with friends and that night the boys had their annual almost-die-blowing-things-up-marathon. Here are some pics of the fun! I'm not going to even attempt to explain them. We'll just say that there were costumes. There were laughs. There was fun.

Carson's First Christmas

2011-01-05T17:47:00.000-08:00

For Christmas we went to my parent's house in Victoria. It was ah-mazing! It was so laid back, relaxed and fun! Really, it was the perfect Christmas! Here are some pictures from our time at their little country cabin!

Uncle Stephen was trying to drink egg nog while feeding Carson. He decided that he'd die if all of his sustenance was dependent on bottle feeding.

Where's Carson?

Look carefully at this one...He outgrew the feet on his outfit so we "ghetto rigged" it and cut out the ends. It looks like the froggies are barfing.

My parents just can't get enough of this sweet little boy!

Yowza...It's our first (rough looking) Christmas morning picture!

Here's C, my sister and my Yaya!

I love this!
Yaya and Papoo (Greek for Grandma and Grandpa) loved on the baby the whole time!

Blog much?

2011-01-05T17:41:00.000-08:00

So ya...I've been more than negligent with this little bloggy-blog. In my defense, I've been at my parent's house out in the country, sans internet. Now we are back home, things are unpacked, Christmas decorations are put away and I'm back to normal life!
Happy 2011!

Carson goes to A&M

2010-12-20T21:04:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we took our first road trip as a family! We went to our old stomping grounds, Texas A&M. It was Carson's first trip there (outside of the belly) and it was really sweet to take him around to special places on campus. We even took him to some spots where I had bridal pictures taken. I thought that was pretty neat!

Bridal shots and pictures with the baby in the same spot on campus!

Felt Flower Tutorial #1

2010-12-20T20:35:00.000-08:00

I've been making tons of crafts lately for Christmas...many include little felt flowers. Here's my first of several tutorials on how to make them! I think that you will find the pictures to be more helpful than my written directions.

This one is like a poinsettia or something...I also made one using the same technique with rounded petals.

Cut out 5 petals.

Sew one stitch through the bottom of each one, stringing them together.
Be sure to sew each the same way.

Scrunch the petals together and pull string into a loop. Tie in a knot and trim string.

Spread out petals into flower shape.

Attach to something like a wreath, head band, barrette, packages, etc...

9 Years Ago...

2010-12-15T15:43:00.000-08:00

9 years ago today Ross asked me to be his girlfriend! We were juniors in high school. Here's our first picture ever taken together! We are in Mrs. Cook's history class.

(and a few other high school ones thrown in for good measure. They are all scans...sorry they're so scratchy looking.)

*Jr. Prom*

*Sr. Homecoming*

*Sr. Prom*

Blog worthy news!

2010-12-14T11:35:00.000-08:00

Carson slept from 11-6 last night!
That is BY FAR the best night yet!!
Way to go, baby boy!

sMiLe

2010-12-13T13:13:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday!

Love, Carson

2 Month Stats

2010-12-11T20:28:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that our baby boy is 2 months already! He had his 2 month check up and shots (eek!) this week. Here's the rundown.

-13.4 pounds, 75-90th percentile
-24 inches long, 90th percentile
-lots of smiles and laughs
-cooing and making cute baby sounds
-tracks movements like a pro
-starting to grab things
-sucking on hands
-sticking tongue in and out, in and out
-loves to sneeze :)
-pretty good head control

-likes: laying on his changing table, holding Daddy's thumbs, car rides, mobile, blowing air on his face, swing, vibrating chair, walks, baths
-dislikes: tummy time and gas...that's all we can come up with!

Here's a little video of him laughing and cooing on his changing table. It's his favorite place!

Under construction

2010-12-07T17:43:00.000-08:00

I'm messing around with new templates and backgrounds...
My apologies if it gets all messed up.
Recommendations for good background sites?
(besides shabby blogs and cutest blog on the block)

Words

2010-12-03T17:17:00.000-08:00

James 1:26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.

Lately I have been contemplating my use of language. I mean, I hardly ever, ever, say "bad words" and when I do, I immediately regret it. I instead, use my "Baptist curse words" to release frustration. These include: crap, sucks, pissed...you know...the ones that you can get away with saying with your youth group friends. I mean, most people (except for my mother) wouldn't consider those bad words and...by the world's standards, they are totally fine! The thing is, as a believer, I am not called to live by the world's standards. I am called to live by a higher standard, a standard set by Jesus...and frankly, I just can't see him walking around saying any of those words so, I'm thinking that I shouldn't say them either...I'm committing to work on it because I think that a pure tongue is a resemblance of a pure heart, plain and simple.

Family Pictures

2010-12-03T17:12:00.001-08:00

Our amazingly talented photographer friend, Leslie, came from California to take our family and baby pictures. Here are some of our favorites!

This is a love story.

2010-12-03T16:47:00.000-08:00

Before Carson was born I had this vision of the love I would have for him. I expected them to place him on my chest and for me to be as full of love for him as I would ever be in my life. And I was...or so I thought. At that moment, full of tears and joy and pain and awe, I saw my sweet, precious baby boy and thought, "I could never love you anymore than I do now." You see, I thought that my love was complete, at 100%, but I was wrong.

As the days went on, I got concerned. I didn't feel like we were connecting as much as I expected us to. In hindsight, he was just in "newborn coma" and I was just plain exhausted. We didn't have time to connect. I mean, his eyes were hardly ever even open! But now, ooooh, but now...we are connected. We are like one.

It seems like each day I think, "I could never love you anymore than I do now." And then, the next day, I think the same thing and I just smile. I love him so much. I wish that there was a better way to say it because that doesn't seem to even scratch the surface of the feeling. This is a 100% unconditional, unselfish, unwavering kind of love. (wow- that sounded like a line from a country song) I mean, I love him when he's crying, screaming his head off with crocodile tears streaming down his round little cheeks. I love him when he's pooed half-way up his back side and barfed all over his carpet at 3am. I love him when he's sleeping and his tiny little chest rises and falls. I love him when we are in the bath and his eyes get wide when he feels the water. I love him when he is on his changing table, cooing and laughing and smiling. I even love him when he's screaming at the top of his lunges in Target and people think I'm a horrible mom.

It is truly unfathomable how great my love is for this precious baby boy. My heart aches with how deep my concern is for him and it is just amazing how my love for him grows each and every day. I know that the Lord has given us, as parents, a never ending supply of love for our children. I know that, no matter what he does, I will never be able to love him less. (I may not like him for the moment, but that's another story.) I am thankful for the ability to love. I am thankful for the chance to be a mother. I am thankful for our son.

And, you know what I'm excited about? I'm excited for when he reciprocates...for that hug or kiss or "I love you." I mean, wow. What a day that will be! But for now, each little smile is enough for me to know that he loves me too.

Got scraps?

2010-11-30T19:44:00.000-08:00

Got scraps? Make this! Today I used up some fabric scraps and a foam ring to make this festive little Christmas wreath. (sorry for the pic...it's from my phone)

Favorite things

2010-11-19T11:34:00.000-08:00

Here are a few of our favorite things

Medela bottles are the best. The nipples on them seem to be the easiest for C to use. They are softer than the others we have tried. We have both the glass and plastic ones.Medela BPA Free Breast Milk Bottle Set - 8 oz.

His swing! What a life saver!
Fisher Price Take Along Swing - How Now Brown Cow

These are our favorite things for him to sleep in. They don't have buttons or snaps so they are perfect for those middle of the night diaper changes. There is just an elastic band around the bottom to keep it snug.
Carter's Sleep Gowns (couldn't find a link)

The zippers on these make them so easy to dress him. We love these! We have them in a variety of colors.
Carter's Striped Monkey Cotton Sleep & Play

I love this! It helps me so much when we are shopping. I can hang my clutch and diaper bag from the buggy and free up space for groceries or strap it to the stroller and not have to carry it.
The Mommy Hook

Baby picture preview!

2010-11-18T18:58:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend we flew in our dear friend, and ah-mazing photographer, Leslie to take some super sweet baby/family pictures for us! Here's the sneak peek! Ohhh...I can hardly wait to get the rest! Take a looksie!

Unconditional Love

2010-11-17T09:48:00.000-08:00

Sheer frustration but absolute, unconditional love.
The story: Today was one of those hard days, but I learned a lot. It seems that hard nights are always followed by rough days and this was no exception. This morning I wanted to go to MOPS for the first time since he was born. It was a lofty goal, being that it starts at 9 am, but we made it! Side note: MOPS is very difficult for me. Strangers scare me. Meeting new people scares me. Large amounts of people scare me. Trying to start up conversations scares me. Add all of these together and it's basically my worst nightmare. Now, add a new, squirmy, grunting, pooping, loud baby in a quiet room and ta dah!! You get a hard morning. After the awkward small talk over breakfast, the speaker began...and so did Carson. *moan*grunt*fart*squeak*repeat* Now, you'd think that a room full of mothers would be the most understanding place in the world. Or not. So, I took Cars into another room to feed and change him. (and to avoid the glares, I mean, glances from other moms) He was doing better so we tried again. Well, that lasted for all of about 3 minutes. I ended up leaving early and crying in my car. Cool, huh? I mean, way to hold it together, be strong, etc. And...of course, he stops crying and starts being all happy when we get in the car so I set lofty goal #2...Sonic and Target solo with the little man. We got half way through getting a drink and he starts super-fussing again. Ok. I get the point. It's time to go home. We went home, nursed, had lunch and crashed out on the couch. He slept on my chest and let me tell you, it was way better than any speaker at MOPS.

The evaluation: Today I learned that it's ok if my plans change because of my son. He comes first. I was so frustrated with those other moms and was in total "momma bear" mode. I mean I was MAD! As trying as these times are, I am so very, beyond words, in love with Carson. I am truly learning the meaning of unconditional love. He can be spitting up, pooping, screaming and snotting all at the same time and I still can't get mad at him! I think that The Lord gives us patience beyond what we could ever have on our own. He gives us compassion and strength. He gives us love. Carson can be testing me to my absolute limit but then I look at his sweet little face and melt all over again. Not mad. Not frustrated. Not at my wit's end...just smitten. Just a momma loving her baby boy. Just doing the best, the one million percent best, that I can to be the mom that the Lord has prepared me to be. So you know what? Target can wait. MOPS will be there again next time. The dishes can be put away later. For now, my son needs me to lay on the couch and let him sleep on my chest...and that's exactly what we will do.

sweetness

2010-11-16T15:58:00.000-08:00

me: "ross, what do you want for christmas?"
ross: "nothing. i have a baby!"
:)

Thankful

2010-11-15T12:41:00.000-08:00

Last night I was fixing a bottle for Carson and, of course, I couldn't fix it fast enough to make him happy. He was throwing a royal fit that was, quite honestly, breaking my heart. His screams and wails were painful to hear. It made me think about how terrible it would be to be a mother who couldn't provide food for her baby and who had to listen to those screams knowing that they couldn't be satiated. It was a heartbreaking thought that made me very grateful for what we have, down to the simplest of things like formula and breast milk. Thank you Lord for providing us with food for our baby.

New accessory

2010-11-10T20:00:00.000-08:00

Thanks to some wicked-awesome tendinitis,
I now have this new super cute accessory.
Boo.