Harper..Party of Four

Taking a breath...

2011-12-07T14:36:00.001-06:00

Whew...these have been a busy couple of weeks!! We spent a nice long weekend with the Harper's for Thanksgiving, then my mom came up for a SUPER fun shopping visit this past weekend, and then today Carson and I hosted a Christmas Party play date. I'm very thankful for a busy couple of weeks because it's making December 21st come faster! I am just dying to know if Carson is going to have a brother, or a sister! Next weekend the Harper's are coming up to celebrate Christmas with us, and go to a Ram's game. Then of course the next week we will find out the sex of this baby and have Christmas all in the same week! Woo Hoo!

While at the Harper's last week Carson got to do all kinds of fun things. He is quite the country boy, he obviously gets this from his daddy! He loved running around at Mimi and Poppy's house and especially loved the four wheeler rides with Poppy and Daddy! But I have to admit...I think his favorite part of the trip was going to the farm. Carson and I crossed, "Ride in a tractor" off our bucket list! He LOVED it, so much so when others went for a ride he chased it. haha He thought the cows were pretty cool, and made the funniest face every time he heard a "moooo". He also got to help feed the horses, but wasn't too sure about petting them. Most of all I think he just loved being able to run, run, run.

Lovin the hair....

I know this is blurry but this was the face he made every time he heard a cow!

He had a blast playing in the leaves with Mommy and Daddy!


Mimi and her boys!

Last Monday I had a doctor's appointment to check up on my second lil baby! Everything was PERFECT and my doctor is so cool that she did an informal ultrasound for fun. I can't believe that at every appointment so far I've gotten to actually SEE this baby! I'm spoiled :) Oh and by the way....more fun news! James and I have decided to go on a baby-moon in February! We are going to Cancun with our old neighbors from Minnesota, and we can not wait! My parents are keeping Carson for the week, I think they might be more excited than we are! haha

The bump is back...

2011-11-20T13:52:00.001-06:00

I thought I'd make it official...

Is it just me?

2011-11-16T14:14:00.001-06:00

Is it just me or is this month FLYING by... I feel like we just had Halloween and it's already nearly Thanksgiving, and my Christmas shopping is in full swing! Crazy! We are really looking forwards to spending the holidays with our families :) Next Wednesday we are heading to Benton for an extra long visit to spend time with the Harper's. We are looking forward to spending time with both sides of their family, and taking Carson to the farm. Last time we were there he wasn't even walking. Oh my, he is going to love it there. James is just dying to take him for a tractor ride, and honestly I'm excited too. Maybe he'll take me...I've never stepped foot on a tractor! I'm pretty much a city girl, through and through! haha This week I made Carson a special little turkey shirt to wear at the farm....Check him out...

The ruler is last weekend's project...a giant ruler for measuring lil' turkeys!

Gobble, Gobble!

In baby news, this tummy of mine is getting bigger. The pants are getting tighter, and it's sticking out more, and more everyday. I plan to start taking weekly pictures this weekend. I think by then you will actually be able to see this lil guy/gal in a picture! How am I feeling? Pretty good. I've been battling indigestion something awful. It's been wayyyy worse that it ever was with Mr. Carson. I'm not sure what this means...I've heard more hair? Did you know that we are only a month and 5 days away from finding out the sex? Woo-Hoo! I've had multiple friends try to talk me into not finding out. Are you kidding me? No really...Are you kidding me? There is no way on Earth I would be able to wait, knowing that I could find out. And honestly, James wouldn't be able to either. He says he could, but he lies. haha Everyone has been asking what we think it is, and for now we both are going with a girl. I know that every pregnancy is different but this one just feels so different from Carson already, I think it must be because there is a sweet, clam, creative lil' girl in there waiting for me :)

In the last month or so I have taken some cute videos of Mr. Carson....Here are my favs

Sorry for the sideways-ness...This is Carson falling asleep in the car, hilarious!

Trying to teach him a little CATS cheer. He does say "cat" so I know we're close!

The last two weekends we have gotten together with the Lawings (Sheri, mama Lawing, and her daughter Millie are friends from playgroup!) to ~~take~~ attempt to take family pictures. Millie is a nice calm, slow moving thing so we got great shots of their family both times. Carson on the other hand, is a wild man. It took two weekends, and Sheri's funny sister Colbie to do the trick. I think our most favorite is at the top of the blog. It was the only one we got of the three of us during our first photo shoot at the Arch. Here are some of our other favs!

I sure do love our family! And I just can't wait to see what our second little one is going to look like!

Carson's 2nd Halloween!

2011-11-03T13:19:00.000-05:00

This year was Carson's 2nd Halloween! Last year he was the, ever adorable, Pillsbury Doughboy

I must admit this costume was quite difficult to top. After weeks of trying to come up with this years costume I came to the conclusion that I simply didn't have to top last years. If I topped "last years" every year that would be ridiculous! At the beginning of September I bought Carson the cutest monkey costume, complete with a hood and all. He. Hated. It. Then, a week before his first Halloween party I decided we needed a different costume. I wanted him to be something he'd be comfortable in, and wouldn't have to fight. We decided on a Cardinals baseball player. Why not? The Cardinals are the World Champions after all! We couldn't have picked better timing! My parents hosted a little mini Halloween party last Friday, which of course was the same day the Cards won the World Series.

Granny and Pops with their boys :)

Parker and Carson sharing a little snack on the porch!

While Carson and I were in Owensboro my mom and I took him to get another haircut. We took him when he was tired, hoping he wouldn't put up much of a fight. He cried, but he didn't totally freak out like he did last time. He looks SO much older with his new do. I kinda miss his curls, and the long hairs that flipped out over his ears. Don't tell him I said this, but since the haircut his face looks chubbier. Geez, I hope people don't say that about me after a haircut! haha

Playing at the soccer fields :)

On Halloween night James and I ~~took~~ attempted to take Carson trick-or-treating. When that boy get outside all he wants to do is run. He goes up and down the sidewalks, up and down the driveways, and back again. He can't get enough. So, when we tried to have structured walking down the sidewalks, and up to the door, he wasn't going for it. We only visited 3 houses, and I'm pretty sure he had more mini fits than he did pieces of candy. Gotta love a good drop to the knees dramatic moment. haha After the three houses I sat on the front porch, waiting for trick-or-treaters while Carson and James ran up and down our sidewalk, the way Carson wanted to. In his eyes, that was much more fun. Before it got dark we attempted to take a picture of the three of us on the front porch with our pumpkins, and ghosts. I set up the tripod, got it all ready, and of course Carson wouldn't cooperate. This was the best we got...

Pretty much sums it up...

Sure do love my lil' arm swingin' boy :)

On Monday I also went to the doctor for my 12 week check-up. It seems to be that Harper No. 2 is going to be a little like his/her brother...stubborn. During ultrasounds Carson always seemed to be stubborn (Do you remember the whole hands in his face thing?) Well, Monday my doctor was trying to listen for the heartbeat and couldn't find it. Thanks to the stubbornness we got to see that sweet guy/gal in an ultrasound. He/she was just kicking away, which is so strange that I couldn't feel it. I guess that's because the lil peanut is only 5.7 cm from head to bottom. I got a few pictures to bring home. I love the one that shows the whole body. He/she is looking right at us, and you can see both hands, and both feet :) The funniest part of this whole ultrasound was that it appeared Harper No. 2 didn't want to miss out on the Halloween festivities, he/she choose to be an alien for their first Halloween :)

Now that Halloween is over we are excited to be gearing up for the "Holliday" season :) Aren't you?

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T09:17:00.002-05:00

Hope your bag gets filled with treats :)

More on Carson's 2nd Halloween to come...

Now Showing...

2011-10-26T08:28:00.003-05:00

It's official, I am showing, just barely though. I always have a "bump" on this belly of mine. I'm pretty sure my entire life it's never been flat, that's just me I guess. haha Any who, in the last week I've noticed my always bump, is turning into my baby bump! Yay, a reason for a bump :) Nobody would probably even notice that it's there, mainly because it just looks like I gained a few. I know for a fact it's gotten bigger because, as weird as it sounds, I've noticed that my belly button is more shallow. Strange I know. Monday I go back to the doctor for my 12 week check-up. I'm hoping that Carson and I (Yes, I'm taking him solo to the doctor, crazy I know) will get to hear lil' Harper's heartbeat :) The super nice lady at the front desk told me I could bring Carson because it should be a pretty quick check-up. She said he could sit out front and color with them if I needed him to. Ha, she doesn't know my child. I wanted to say, "Good luck getting him to sit and color, because he will be way more interested in your wall of files back there." I'll let her figure that one out, should I need her help. haha My doctor is a mother of either 5 or 6, I can't remember. She is so laid back I know she would love to have Carson running around in the exam room. She loved getting to see him throw wadded up paper balls across the room at our last appointment!

Last time I posted I babbled on about the baby room. I spent a lot of my free time last week browsing Etsy and Pinterest for cute baby bedding. Maybe I am just picky, but it's hard to find bedding that isn't dripping with cheese...If you know what I mean. I love the Chevron (zig-zag) pattern that is everywhere right now, along with all of the other geometric shapes I've been seeing. Right now I plan on having a few Chevron print things in this baby's room (boy or girl). Not a lot, because the print is so bold you don't need much. Right now I'm loving these (from Etsy of course)...

The cuteness is killing me

This weekend Carson and I are heading to Owensboro. James has a big audit at work next week and can't really leave town for the weekend. Since he isn't coming with us that allows us to leave earlier than Friday after work. We are heading that direction tomorrow after we meet him for lunch! I know Granny and Pops are just dying to see this cute kid.


Is that hilarious or what?

Getting Closer...

2011-10-18T21:02:00.000-05:00

I feel like it's safe to say that I'm getting closer to feeling like me again. My energy level is increasing and I'm feeling pretty good. I'm not out of the woods by any means but I think I see the bright shiny light at the end of the first trimester tunnel. Today I scheduled my 13 week check-up, hard to believe the first trimester is already nearing end! For a couple weeks there I was so down and out that I honestly couldn't even get excited about this pregnancy. But now, it's safe to say I'm beginning to become obsessed with all things baby again. I've been peeking around at baby bedding (both boy and girl of course), thinking of baby names, strolling through the maternity department, "ew-ing" and "aw-ing" over the newborn gear, checking out new diaper bags (because new baby means new diaper bag, right?), I even almost bought a crib this weekend. Yes, you read that right, I almost bought a crib.

Seriously, I think the one I saw was this same crib, only white. Love, love, love it!

IF, and that's a big IF, we have a girl I am dying to buy a simple crib and paint it a fun color. So, while out on a little garage sale adventure this weekend I spotted the perfect crib for the job, and it was only $30. Ugh, still feel like I should have bought it. O well, it is a little premature. haha IF we have a boy, we will probably use Carson's crib and move him to a big boy bed. So, it seemed silly to buy one with the possibility that we wouldn't even use it. The thought of Carson in a big boy bed is CRAZY. But, you know what that means? If we move him to a new bed, he'll need a mini room makeover. Now that sounds like fun! haha Maybe I should be shopping for girl bedding, boy bedding, and big boy bedding possibilities! When I was pregnant with Carson the day I found out it was a boy I ordered his bedding. I just hope this go around I'm on top of things enough to already have it picked out!!

James and I have had our "girl name" picked out since we were pregnant with Carson. If I get to start going crazy with all thing "girly" it will be for a little miss Jane Marie Harper. Jane was James' grandmother, and Marie is my grandmother. Love it! On the other hand, if we shall be blessed with another "Harper boy" (and if this happens Pam, I will need lots of advice on how to raise TWO Harper boys) we haven't quite nailed down what his name would be. Right now my favorite is Anderson James Harper. I think James is on board with that one as well so my guess is that will be our name :) Everyone assumes that I am just "dying" for a girl. Do I want a girl? Of course, but will I be disappointed if it's a boy? Absolutely not! Carson is awesome, he is such a boy, and I love it. It would be so great to have two boys, two years apart. They could be such buddies, and would always be able to play and entertain each other. I feel like brothers are much closer than a brother and a sister ever could be.

Geez...I shouldn't have written this post close to bed time. My brain is what I'm going to call, "baby busy". Bedding, paint colors, names, clothes, and room layouts, oh my! Wish me luck ;)

What's New?

2011-10-10T16:16:00.000-05:00

Why is it so hard to not complain when you don't feel well? I know this is a total girl thing, but I just can't help it! haha Overall I have been feeling ok, but this weekend I had a ~~little~~ big slip up. James took the day off on Friday so he could get a few things done around here. It was super nice having him home all day :) While crossing off lots of things on the ol' "honey-do" list we decided it would be a perfect time to go get flu shots. It felt about like any other shot and I didn't really think much about it. That is, until I woke up Saturday morning feeling like death. I'm convinced I had the side effects of the shot: NAUSEA, low fever, feeling like your dying, can't even stand to take a shower, just want to lay on the couch, and sleep, lots of sleep. My Zofran failed me...haha I guess that only helps in the "morning sickness" department. Ugh. So, very, very glad that happened on a weekend when James was here to take care of the little man, and me for that matter! Anyways, by lunch time Sunday I was feeling much more like my pregnant woozie self :) Thank goodness.

Anyway, In an effort to stop complaining about feeling bad I'll fill you in on what's new at the Harper house! Two weekends ago my parents came down to visit for a long weekend :) We did lots of hanging out, watching football, and playing with Carson. He took them to his favorite park, and we took him to the Pumpkin Patch for the first time! If you asked Carson what his favorite part was (and he could tell you) he would probably say the sand. There were a couple playground and random spots that had sand.

He loved it. Maybe we should be taking another beach vacay before baby number two arrives? Yea, sounds good.

Carson also loved the open space. There were so many places to run and explore! Granny and Pops loved showing him all the different types of pumpkins too!

Pops liked the HUGE, fifty dollar, pumpkins.

Granny loved the grey ones, and the bumpy ones!

We loved that they had pumpkins still in the "patch" that you could pick yourself. So fun! We did not buy this big pumpkin but we did use it for a super cute family pic!

Pumpkins, Pumpkins, everywhere!

Love this guy.

Carson is going on 17 months old. Geez that is hard to believe! Best way to describe him is that he is his Daddy made over. Right now he is working the smile. He knows when to flash it, and just how big he needs to make it. Yes, James has used this trick his whole life. Ask anyone. He is quite the ham too. He has his own little personality and he wants to share it with EVERYONE. Gotta love that, again, just like his daddy :)

One of my favorite things Carson is doing right now is hooting. Yes, sounds weird I know! haha I have a couple owls in the house and when you point to them, or ask him what an owl says he makes the sweetest little hooting sound. Today, at Target he started hooting for no reason. I didn't prompt him, and we didn't see an owl. Hilarious. He did it for literally five minutes!

How cute is he? Love it! I apologize for the sideways video. This is the first one I have taken on this phone, to upload. :)

I hope everyone is enjoying fall! It's been so nice around here lately! All of our fall flowers are blooming and looking so pretty.

Lovin' our pumpkins and gourds :)

Right before my parents came to visit James and I bought a new kitchen table! We've been needing to for quite some time but just haven't found the right thing for our space. Thanks to a very generous gift from the Harper's we were able to purchase this bad boy :) We love that it came with a cute two seater chair, and that it can seat up to 8 when the nifty little butterfly leaf opens up :)

And baby makes four

2011-10-05T19:35:00.002-05:00

As most of you already know our little family is expecting another addition in May. I have been so busy with Carson and his little social calendar lately that I haven't taken the time, or energy to blog. So being pregnant again is the perfect time to revisit the blogging world :) I have had so many of you ask me why I stopped, and tell me I needed to start up again (and just let me say I'm completly flattered). So, I will grant you this wish. Mainly because I want to have a detailed "journal" if you will, of this pregnancy for baby number two to read someday. So, here we go.

Baby Harper 6 weeks old...Lookin' a little bean-ish

I should start by answering the number one question asked to a pregnant lady, "How are you feeling?" That's a loaded question. Physically I'm feeling not that great, although I have to thank my doctor for the Zofran (I think it's saving my life right now). I feel sooo much better since I have been taking that. Its nearly impossible to feel nauseous all day long, while caring for, playing with, and chasing a 16 month old. Emotionally, I'm on cloud 9! We are just ecstatic to be welcoming another wee one into our family! As most of you know we had some issues with getting pregnant with Carson. About a year and a half, lots of Clomid, and two inseminations later we were pregnant! This go around we got SUPER lucky! We had the same issues ( I apparently don't ovulate with out drugs, and when I do its considered a "poor ovulation"). We'd been trying since May, and a couple months ago my regular OB referred me to an infertility specialist to get injection treatments to ensure a strong ovulation. Well, we had a consultation with the new doctor, and were just waiting until a new cycle started to begin the injections. Thing is....Never started a new cycle....I was pregnant :) Whew! We were TOTALLY surprised and it was the BEST feeling ever. I've always been jealous of people that are "surprised" by a pregnancy. So I feel so lucky to have experienced my own little version of a surprise :)

Even Carson is excited about our new addition!

We went to the doctor today for an 8 week check-up, where I gave a little (more like a lot) of blood, and we did an ultrasound to pin point the due date. Looks like May 12th, 2012 we should officially be a family of four! I love my new blog title picture. It's Carson getting his first glimpse of his baby brother/sister. Such a sweet moment. I didn't capture the part where he threw it across the room, mainly because it wasn't so sweet. haha

This pregnancy is already proving to be quite different from the first. I was pretty nauseous for about a week or so and then my doctor prescribed me Zofran. Which has given me a new lease on first trimester life! I am still not feeling like my usual full of energy self of course. One thing that hasn't changed from the first pregnancy is that I need a nap, daily. Carson however gets to decide if I get one or not. One major difference I am noticing, and battling right now is indigestion. The first go around I didn't have issues with this until Carson was taking up most of the room in my stomach. This new guy/gal is only the size of a raspberry and he/she is already causing me problems. I hope this isn't a bad sign :/ haha

Baby Harper at 8 weeks, 3 days. The head is at the bottom and that little fin-like thing is his/her arm, and of course the bottom and feet are at the top. The thing that made my heart skip a beat for a minute (that other little ball thing) is the yolk sack (it goes away after the first trimester). I thought for a split second it might be a baby...yikes! haha

Consumed...

2011-08-05T14:25:00.007-05:00

I wish there was more time in a day. Do you ever feel like your brain wants to do a million things but your body just can't keep up? I've come to the conclusion that I can not do it all in a day. I need to have a day for house work, a day for being lazy, a day for doing something creative, a day for shopping, and a day that is 100% devoted to Carson. I wish I could be that organized. We've had the busy last couple of weeks. Last weekend we took a long weekend and went to Benton, for the Pirtle Family reunion! We had a blast :) Especially Carson... He loved the boats, and the lake! But more importantly he loved playing with Mimi & Poppy, along with his great aunts and uncles, and of course his cousins!

After a fun, but exhausting weekend we got to pick up our new car. I know you are thinking..."What? Didn't they already get it?" Well, yes...We did. To make a LONG story short when we got the grey one there were several "imperfections" on the inside. We ended up switching it out for a new one. This time we choose white.... LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! Yesterday Carson and I dropped it off to get our running boards put on :)

Carson is of course keeping me busy! That boy is everywhere I tell ya...You can't begin to understand unless you one: have a busy boy, or two: if you have spent some time with the guy.

He is still not talking too much but he does spit out a word every now and then. My favorite is "balloon", or "ba-boon" as he calls it. He loves balloons, he always notices them. He kept pointing them out at Walmart the other day. Yesterday I took him to the Dollar Store to get something and, oh my, they were everywhere. I bought that boy his very own "ba-boon" he smiled the whole way home.

The other thing that has sort of consumed me this week is Pinterest. If you're on Facebook you're probably tired of hearing me talk about how addicted I am. I apologize for the repetitiveness. If you don't know what it is... Check it out here! I have seen so many cool ideas and projects my mind literally can't got to bed at night. It's on creative overload. Seriously...I just lay there any think about things I could, and want to do. Ugh, it's exhausting! In efforts to relieve a little of my "creative tension" today I did a super quick little project. I've seen on Pinterest some cute framed snapshots that have cool pattered mats. I've read you can just paint, fabric, scrapbook paper, etc. So today I did it. I gave a boring white mat a little update. Although, I didn't want to wait for paint to dry, I didn't have any scrapbook paper, and honestly... I was too lazy to cut fabric to fit so I used something I had on hand, ribbon!

I used a royal blue ribbon (bad lighting in the picture so you can't really tell) and just cut, then tapped it onto the back of the mat. I love it because if I get tired of it I can take it right off. The whole project took me less than 5 minutes. Yay :) A perfect little update for this busy Mommy!

New phone...New Ride

2011-07-27T13:56:00.006-05:00

For the last couple of weeks James and I have been looking for a new car. We figured that since the used car market was so hot right now (since last year, our Altima actually went UP in value) it would be a good time to sell, and find a new one. Let me start by stating the obvious...Looking for a car is NOT easy with a 14 month old (Happy 14th months Carson!), especially when it's 1o0+ degrees outside. I'm pretty sure we picked the hottest week last year to look for houses here, and then this year we picked the hottest two weeks to buy a new car. Our timing is seriously off. Any who... We started out wanting a Buick Enclave. We just loved the body style, but when we drove one we just weren't as impressed as we thought we'd be. Then, we switched over to the Honda Pilot. Love. At. First. Sight. No seriously... Have you driven one? They are awesome! Needless to say, after many LONG, and I mean LONG, this car sits in our driveway :)

We were planning on buying a used one but, we just couldn't find one to meet our standards...So, James decided on a new one, and I'm not complaining. Ok, maybe just a little bit of complaining, I'm pretty sure we chose the most annoying car dealership to deal with, but I will not bore you with car salesman horror stories. We are taking it back tomorrow to get running boards and all weather mats installed, along with a few other little things :) I can't wait until I never have to go back to that place. haha

Speaking of all things new... I also got a new phone today. I just can't make myself get a smart phone. I just don't want to be playing on my phone all of the time. I only use it to talk and text, and I feel like I'm on it enough already. So, yes, I'm pretty lame, even the saleslady at the AT&T store made me feel that way when I asked her about a phone and she said, "Uhhh....Well, I haven't had anything but a smart phone so I couldn't tell you..." Seriously girl, do you work here? Anyways, it came in the mail today so I am busy trying to Bluetooth my fav. Carson pics from my phone, to the computer. I'll share some of the ones you haven't already seen....

Somebody's sleepy...

Playing with his new golf set Granny got him :)

So tired after a morning at the pool... I swear I think he was asleep with his eyes open! haha

Carson's Donald Trump look... haha

Sooooo sweet :)

Emptyin' drawers :) Yay for Mommy....

More fun at the gym...

2011-07-20T06:28:00.007-05:00

Ever since Carson and I have been going to the Little Gym I've been wanting James to go with us. Of course with his work schedule there is no way that's possible on Wednesday mornings. So, last week we played hooky from our regular class, and went to the Saturday morning class so James could go too! Saturday was James' birthday so Carson and I got up early, and went to get him donuts, along with a fun balloon Carson picked out. After eating donuts (which Carson LOOOOVES by the way) we all got our "gym clothes" on and headed out! James really enjoyed getting to see Carson in action. And, action it was. At the start of class we always sit in a circle, the instructor talks for a minute, and then we start doing some welcome activities. Well, most of us do anyways. Carson, he'd rather just run wild. Yes, I'm afraid he's going to be that child. haha O well, sure do love seeing that little guy run and play. Mommy was quite excited to have another set of hands, rather feet, at the gym! With James being there I was able to take a few pictures of my boys having a big time :)

Carson hamming it up for Mrs. Angela, along with the rest of the class :) haha

The boy loves to hang...

Carson finally figured out how to do the balance beam :)

Carson loooooves the steps. I honestly think it's because he loves a good challenge. If there is a little ledge or step he trips over, he always makes a u-turn, comes back to it, and walks back and fourth over it until he figures it out. He did the same thing when I was staining the backs of our cabinets. I built a little barricade with chairs and stools so he couldn't get in the kitchen, of course he worked on it for about 15 minutes until he figured out how to get through. For some reason this little quirky trait of his reminds me of my dad and I.

So strong! He was holding all of his weight! Not sure where he hides those muscles, but I guess they are in there somewhere :)

It made my day to see James and Carson playing at the gym, and I know James enjoyed it too! We've actually decided that once this summer session is over (in 3-4 weeks) we are going to quit going to the gym. I love it, and so does Carson but the whole reason we started going was to try to meet other mommies and kiddos. We've got a nice little play group going, which we are loving. Seriously, it helps keep me sane :)

My little chatterbox

2011-07-14T09:20:00.002-05:00

As I told you the other day Carson is in the wee stages of talking. He's starting to make sounds, and trying to make words. It IS the cutest thing I have ever seen. Here he is in action:

And yes, I apologize that it's sideways...

Did you hear it? "Uh Oh!" love, love, love it!

And here he is again, trying to say "dog". He's getting closer, he's got the "d" sound figured out! I love a few things about this video that I want you to notice. First, watch how hard he is drying to make the "Uh" sound for "Uh Oh" at the begining, it kinda sounds like he's pooping or something. Second, towards the end he does this little playing with his ears thing that is just precious. And third, check out how he goes from smiling to giving me a super serious, "Mom, turn it off" look at the end. Hilarious!

And just for your viewing pleasure... A quick snip-it of him chowing down on one of his favorite treats, graham crackers and Nutella :) Again, it's sideways, because I took it to send as a message! Sorry :/

Who doesn't love this snack?

This weekend at the Harper house...

2011-07-11T09:40:00.005-05:00

We had visitors :) Holli, Stacey, and little Cooper made the drive from Bowling Green to hang out for the weekend! It was Cooper's first big road trip and he did a great job with the traveling, and adjusting to his now mixed up schedule! They got here Friday afternoon, we spent a few hours hanging out while the boys slept, then let Carson play outside for a while. I cooked a yummy dinner and then we sat out by the fire and made smores! So fun :) I hardly ever get to see these girls (& Cooper), and when I do its usually only for a couple hours. It was so nice to really get to spend time with them this weekend! I know Carson enjoyed the company as well. He was quite the show off. Friday, while we were waiting for them to arrive he was kicking his ball around the house. I was following him saying "kick" and after saying it about 50 times he finally said it, several times! Yay! Future soccer player? I'm chalking this one up as his first official word :) Of course he hasn't said it since.

While we were outside playing I was telling the girls about it, and saying that I feel like he should be saying more, when he blurts out, "tree". So cute! But, like "kick" he only said it once. I don't think he can figure out how to say it again. Although, if you say "tree" he immediately points at them, whether we're inside or out.

Saturday we sent James to the golf course with a friend and we took the boys shopping at the outlet mall! They were SO good :) We didn't hear a cry ALL day! They must like hanging out together....

Yeah, they are quite the little duo!

Saturday afternoon Stacey and Carson were having a little romp session in the living room, and she got him to spit out another word, "Ah, Boo!" She was saying it, trying to scare him and he started saying it back. He said it a couple times...So adorable :) I love seeing Carson interacting with my friends...Just makes me smile! Carson didn't just wear out Stacey while she was here. Holli got her turn too, at the outlet mall. I'm pretty sure she worked up a sweat chasing him around that place, squeaker shoes and all. Saturday night we treated the girls to a tasty PF Chang's dinner followed by a couple (much needed...yeah right) slices of cheesecake, from the Cheesecake Factory. The girls & Cooper left early Sunday morning and we miss them already!

James, Carson, and I enjoyed a lazy day on Sunday....Just hanging out :) What a great weekend!

All Boy

2011-07-03T15:43:00.007-05:00

Carson is, without a doubt 100% boy. I can give you 5 reasons why...

1. His knees have been skinned up for a solid two weeks. And, I'm thinking they will probably be that way for a while :) haha He's not clumsy really, he's just busy. He is walking and running everywhere, even if it's a little dangerous ;)

2. He eats stuff he shouldn't... Ok, maybe this isn't just a boy thing but I just can't imagine a little girl eating clovers with a big bow in her hair. haha During this trip to the park he ate a clover (which I repeatedly pulled away from his mouth, but he just insisted he ate), along with a dead flower. Yum. At home he likes to put mulch and rocks in his mouth too. Lovely Carson.

3. He loves to play rough. He really enjoys being tickled, he laughs, and laughs, and laughs. I can remember when I was little and my dad would kinda pin us down and tickle us on the floor. That game pretty much always ended with me crying. Yeah, Carson doesn't cry. He's a boy, he loves it! He also loves being upside down, and being flipped, and tossed around! One of his favorite things is to be scared-a total boy thing!

4. He likes the ladies. Meet Millie, she is one of the little girls in our play group from the gym. This week several of us went to the magic house. Carson and I rode with Millie and her mom Sheri :) Before we even left the parking lot Carson couldn't keep his hands off of her. haha He is also quite a flirt. It's like he knows the exact right time to flash that little smile of his ;)

5. He's brave. This must explain all of the scrapes and bruises!

This boy of mine is so fun! Even though he's a boy he still loves spending time with his momma...I hope this never changes :)

Cards Game

2011-06-28T08:54:00.005-05:00

This past weekend my parents came down for a quick visit! Saturday night we took Carson to his first Cardinals game! The weather looked a little iffy but it ended up being a perfect night! Carson LOVED seeing all of the people, and mostly just loved walking & running around the park! Right now Carson is REALLY into pointing. He points at everything, especially flags. The boy loves a good flag waving in the air! Needless to say there were plenty to point out at the stadium. The Cards are in a slump right now so the game was lacking on energy and excitement but the four of us were too busy playing, and watching Carson to really even notice!

We are looking forward to taking Carson to his next game in a couple weeks when Stacey, Holli, and Cooper come to visit! Yay :)

On a totally unrelated note I have some horrible news to share. Friday night, late, we received a phone call that James' grandfather, aka Big Daddy had a heart attack, and passed away. He was 76 years old and was in really great health, and incredibly active! He was actually out dancing when it happened so at least he was busy doing something he loved during his last moments. It was a rough weekend for the entire family but we are thankful that he went quickly, and without any pain. He was an amazing father, grandfather, and great grandfather. I feel so lucky and blessed that I have been in the family long enough to get to know him. I'm also so happy that he got to meet, and spend some time with Carson...

Here's a picture of the two of them together at Christmas. It's hard to believe he's gone. He will be incredibly missed! Please keep James' family in your thoughts over the next few weeks as they try to adjust to life him :)

Father's Day

2011-06-23T08:24:00.003-05:00

We had a pretty quiet father's day weekend this year :) Saturday night we met some friends for dinner at PF Chang's, which is ALWAYS yummy! We spent most of the day around here, playing with the little man! Of course I wanted to do something "special", and out of the ordinary so I decided we should go try out a local pool. They had a kids area, lazy river, and water slide so I thought for sure it would be fun! Well, we get up to the gate and the lady taking the $$ tells us that we can't use our float (that would be Carson's float). What a bummer! That pretty much put a damper on the whole trip! We had to just hold him in the water which wasn't near as fun. There were TONS of people there (most of them covered in tattoos, no seriously), and all Carson wanted to do was walk around the pools. So, needless to say the pool trip was a little of a flop and we stayed an hour or so and headed home.

Having a few goldfish :) I told you that nearly everyone at the pool had tattoos (And I don't just mean one little one...James has that...I mean like major works of art!) I took 6 pictures while we were there and there were only two that didn't have a tattooed body in the background...

Did you notice the tattooed arm on the right side?

And then there is the lovely lady with a tattoo covering her whole lower back... nice. Click the picture to enlarge, should you really want to check it out. haha

O well... I did mow the grass for James that afternoon so at least I was able to do that right :) haha For Father's Day Carson and I got James a swing for the backyard. We actually gave it to him a couple weeks ago because I was too excited about it, of course.

Grant's Farm

2011-06-18T11:37:00.015-05:00

I just realized that I never told you about our trip to Grant's Farm last weekend! Grant's Farm is here in St. Louis, and is owned by the Busch's, that would be an in the beer. haha They keep the famous Clydesdales there, along with MANY other animals! It's like a mini zoo :) When we got there we rode over to the farm on a tram. On the way we saw all kinds of crazy animals: deer, longhorns, ostriches, yaks, bison, antelope, buffalo, geese, and koi. Our favorite was the longhorn! Of course because it always reminds us of the little man, and his finger sucking habit. haha The longhorns were funny too because at one point they were blocking the road, and our tram driver honked, and honked but they wouldn't move. Turns out two of them got their horns all twisted together! haha They finally managed to move as a "unit" out of our way!

A mini history lesson: The farm was originally owned by Ulysses S. Grant, and was later bought by his good friend Adolphus Busch, who later married into the Anheuser family, creating Anheuser Busch. The Busch family preserved the old cabin on the property and then built themselves a monster of a house in the center of the farm. It hides behind lots of trees but from our tram ride you can get a sneak peek...

Yeah, they are doing pretty well.

I wont bore you with picture, after picture of the animals but I must show you the biggest longhorn we've ever seen! This guy was HUGE, no wonder he got all tied up with his buddy.

I love these boys! (That would be James and Carson, not the cows)

When we got off the tram we walked right into the petting zoo area! There were several different types of animals to pet and feed. First was the baby goats. They were in a huge pin. You could actually pick up a bottle of milk, and go inside the pin and find one to feed. We didn't think Carson was quite big enough for all of that. He is done with the bottle and all but I wouldn't put it past him to tip up the bottle of goat milk and take a big swig. haha Oh gosh, that would be gross! So, needless to say we stayed outside the pin and let Carson pet the goats from there. He picked a sweet little goat, he was snoozing. Carson pet him so gently (very unlike how he pets Chloe...what the heck?), he didn't even wake him up!

Me and my little man :)

I'd have to say, my favorite animal was the elephant! I don't know that I've ever really seen one up close. Those things are HUGE, and really quite amazing.

I'm just glad Carson wasn't old enough to say, "Mommy, what is that big grey thing hanging down from his belly?" haha Lucky for me, those questions will be redirected to Daddy :)

Yes, the cuteness is killing me too!

My favorite part of the day was riding the carousel with Carson! It was his first time and he LOVED it. He loved the lights, and going up and down! I can't wait to take him again :)

The only bummer of the day was that we didn't get to see the Clydesdales! Well, we did see one but we didn't get to go visit the stables. Carson was getting close to being "done", if your a Mommy you know what I mean. And, to be honest, Daddy was "done" too! haha Next time we'll be sure to visit the stables first, instead of last :) Here's the only picture I got of a horse but, o well :) This place was so cool, there will be a next time!

Empanadas a'la Pujols

2011-06-14T20:04:00.003-05:00

A couple weeks ago, while at a local grocery I picked up a copy of their magazine, which usually has lots of recipes! I've never actually made any of them until I saw these little Empanadas, recipe courtesy of Deidre Pujols (Albert's wife of course). So in keeping up my theme of being a little home-maker I thought I'd whip them up tonight...Homemade dough and all! They were OUTSTANDING! The best thing about them is that once you make them you can freeze them, and then just pop them in the oven as you want them. James picked up rice and beans from our fav. Mexican place to go with them :) It was a little time consuming but they were worth it! And, it made it a bunch of them so they'll be great for a snack, or even an appetizer! Carson loved them too :) I thought I'd share the recipe in case your wanting a change from your normal dinner combos...

Empanadas

1lb lean ground beef
1tsp garlic salt
2tbsp olive oil
1 cup finely diced green pepper
1 cup finely diced yellow pepper (I had red, so I used that)
1 cup finely diced onion
1 cup finely diced tomato (I used canned)
5 cloves garlic (I used 4)
1tsp ground chili powder
1tsp ground cumin
1 beef bouillon cube
Empanada dough (recipe follows)
Veg. oil for frying
Hot pepper sauce (we didn't use this, instead we used salsa and sour cream)

Cook ground beef with garlic salt until brown, drain, and set aside. In same skillet heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add peppers, onion, tomatoes, garlic, spices, and bouillon; cook stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender. Add cooked ground beef, cook another 10 min or so. Cool to room temp.

Roll and cut dough as directed. Place about 1 tbsp of meat filling in each round. Fold in half to enclose filling, press edges together with tines of fork to seal. In deep fryer, or deep skillet, heat oil to 375*. Add empanadas one at a time to oil, don't overcrowd. Cook, turning once, until evenly brown. Drain on paper towels, and serve warm with hot pepper sauce (salsa/sour cream).

Empanada Dough

3 cups flour
1tsp baking powder
2tsp sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening, cubed and chilled
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 large egg

In bowl combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Stir to combine. Add shortening, cut with knives (I used two and just doing cutting motions with both, at the same time) until mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk egg and broth together. Slowly pour into flour mixture. Mix until soft dough forms (it will be hard to stir and mix, I used my knife and a fork). Shape dough into two discs, wrap in plastic wrap and chill 30 minutes.

On lightly floured surface, roll one disc 1/8 inch thick. Using 4 inch cookie cutter, cut out circles. Fill as directed. Repeat with remaining disc.

Now, if you want to freeze them....Follow same directions, put in air-tight container and freeze. Reheat from Empanadas in a single layer, on a baking sheet, 425* for 10 minutes!

Enjoy!!!! I know we did :)

A little home-maker

2011-06-14T08:35:00.003-05:00

I feel like it's quite the cliche to be a stay at home Mom, sew during the afternoon, and then cook dinner at night. I don't care what it is... I love it! I got my sewing machine the Christmas before Carson was born. I never really had any lessons or anything so I don't really know a whole lot about it. I read the owners manual cover to cover and that pretty much taught me the basics. I've decided the best way to learn is by doing, so every once in a while I drag it out and try something new! Last Thursday I decided to tackle a project I found online a while back...A kid sized floor pillow. It looked fairly easy but it had piping on it so I was intimidated immediately. Once I got started though, and realized it was pre-made, it was no biggie! I LOOOOOOVE going to the fabric store. When I get there I always want to buy all of the pretty fabrics, and decide what to do with them later. If you ever need motivation to drag your sewing machine out of the closet, just visit the fabric store, works every time. So, now I'm on a sewing kick. I want to make stuff. Just not sure what! haha Last week I made the floor pillow and it turned out super cute....

I got some coordinating fabric so I could have a pair of them, and I haven't made the second one yet. If case you sew, and you'd like to try making the pillow here is the tutorial I used. While I'm all about trying to make new things I'm not quite sure I have the ability, or supplies to make what I've got my eyes on, this ric rac quilt I found on Etsy. You can't buy the actual quilt on there, you just buy the pattern ($5). I have NO idea what it takes to make a quilt. If you've made one, or someone that makes them plllllllease let me know. I'd love to know more about it!

"What's up doc?"

2011-06-08T08:27:00.004-05:00

Right before we left for the weekend I had to take Carson back to the doctor for his one year check-up, and to make sure his ear infection had cleared up. Well, the ear infection was just barely still in his left ear so the doctor gave us another script for amoxil. Because of the ear infection the little guy didn't have to get his shots...I'm pretty sure he's thankful. Our appointment was at 10:30, and we had a play date scheduled for noon at the park. I thought that SURELY we'd be done in time to grab some lunch and head to the park...Boy was I wrong! The doctor took FOREVER! We waited 30 minutes in the (well) waiting room, which didn't bother us at all because Carson was busy playing with some new friends :) When we got back to the exam room we waited another 30 minutes. What does one do with a one year, in a really small exam room, where they aren't supposed to touch anything for 30 whole minutes?

This:

Once the doctor finally came in Carson was sooooo ready to show off his stuff! Everything looked great (except that wee little ear infection)! He weighed 20 lbs, yes he weighed more last month...Apparently it's normal to loose a little when they start walking. After all, he's burning more calories. Only problem is that Carson doesn't have much weight to loose. The poor guy is skinny enough :) haha His weight landed him in the 11th%tile. He was 30 inches tall, and in the 56th%tile. We go back next Wednesday for shots, a little blood work, and to make sure the infection is gone!

To Benton...

2011-06-06T15:28:00.003-05:00

This past weekend our whole party of three traveled to Benton, Ky for a weekend on the lake, and to celebrate Carson's birthday! He celebrated...True Harper style with a full day on the lake! While we were there I had several people tell me how much they enjoy reading this blog...And I immediately felt quite guilty, I've been slacking. Well, slacking really isn't the word for it...I've been so busy with Carson, the house, and all of our recent travels that I haven't hardly had a minute to even sit down and reflect! So, this post is a promise to everyone who reads, especially those of you in Benton, that I will do better!

They were having boat races at the lake this weekend so there were lots of VERY loud fast boats zooming by us... Carson did not like the noise at first, but once he got used to it he almost seemed to enjoy it! haha Luckily Gary and Pam's friends have a big cabin cruiser boat and Carson was even able to take a much needed siesta. He only slept for about 30-45 min but it made ALL of the difference! Once he got up he was ready to play! He splashed around and was in the water for a long time, heck...He had to be, it was SO hot!!

Playing with Mimi's chapstick, of course! Oh, that reminds me... The other day Carson figured out how to get the lid off, and then proceeded to put it in his mouth. No more playing with the chapstick.
Our little babe had a so much fun celebrating his first birthday with Mimi and Poppy! They got him the cutest little t-ball game :) He'll be hitting homers in no time! After several hours on the lake Carson was sporting quite the little tan (no worries...I used sunscreen). I love that in his creases (I know you're thinking, "What creases? The boy's too skinny!" but he does have a couple!) there is a little white line. So adorable :) After our full day we headed back to Mimi and Poppy's to grill, eat homemade ice cream and cookie cake, and hang out with friends! What a great weekend!

It's my party, I can cry if I want to...

2011-06-05T21:26:00.004-05:00

Memorial weekend we celebrated Carson's 1st Birthday in Owensboro! James and I had a party for him at my parents house on Sunday and it sure was a blast :) We had lots of family and friends there to help us make sure Carson's 1st Birthday was super special! We decorated the back porch with TONS of balloons, just perfect for a little boy's party! My grandmother, "Ree", who can make/bake anything, made Carson a special birthday cake! On the outside it looked quite simple...But on the inside, a rainbow of colors!

Of course it was yummy too :) Granny and I made cupcake sprinkle cookies, homemade strawberry golden oreo ice cream, and had lots of little snacks for everyone!

I put together a little year recap in photos on this board so everyone could see how much Carson has grown over the past year :) It turned out cute, and it's just so hard to believe he was ever that small!
I also made Carson a sweet little shirt with a big number one on it! I looked at several on Etsy but I just couldn't make myself pay $30 for one! I bought a yellow t-shirt at Target ($5) and used some fabric I had here, traced and cut out the "1" and then ironed, and sewed it on. For $5 it was pretty darn cute, if I do say so myself!

(Post cake...)

I just knew Carson would dive into his cake... Maybe I started it off on a bad note by trying to make him wear this cute hat.... He wasn't feeling it.

Once he finally calmed down from the hat episode he started playing in the cake a little! He got icing ALL over his hands and he really didn't like it. He wanted it off...He tried rubbing it on me, James, his shorts, his shirt, and oh yeah...HIS HAIR! Yuck... he had icing and sprinkles everywhere!

He really didn't actually eat ANY of the cake until he was all clean! I actually had to do a quick bath to get the sprinkles and icing off of him. We even left lots of sprinkles in Granny & Pops' tub....Whoops!

After cake, ice cream, and a bath he was ready for presents! This boy sure is loved...He had gifts EVERYWHERE! It took us forever to open them all :) Carson's favorite thing was all of the cards he received. He couldn't get enough of them! haha

It sure was hot outside (90*+) but we didn't let that stop us from having a good time :)

A special thanks to everyone who helped us celebrate Carson's birthday...Whether at the party, through a card in the mail, or a weekend on the lake in Benton! He truly had an amazing birthday :) I took lots of pictures and documented it quite well...So I know we'll never forget it :) We love you all!

Best. Year. Ever.

2011-05-26T21:02:00.007-05:00

This year has been the best year of my life, and I know James would totally agree! One year ago today, at exactly 9:43am, in a little hospital in Minnesota, our little baby boy was born :) Carson's first year has been quite exciting, especially considering our big move in the fall! At 12 months Carson can officially be labeled a toddler. The little guy never stops walking! haha He walks laps around the house, and loves it when I forget to close a door, specifically our bedroom. If he sneaks in he goes straight to my night stand a grabs my chap-stick. He loves carrying it around, and he like it when I put a little on his lips. So funny...James said the other day, don't get him addicted to that stuff too! haha To late! He also likes to slip into the bathroom, and I bet you can already guess what he goes for... the toilet paper.

Carson is in the process of growing his third tooth! It's just barely poking through the skin and he looks forward to showing it off his weekend. On a tooth related note...The boy loves brushing his teeth! I can't decide if it's the apple banana tooth paste, or the pokey tooth brush he likes best. After we brush he likes to carry his tooth brush around the house for a while, chewing on it of course. We are going though a little not eating phase, which will hopefully be ending soon! Today, in honor of his birthday I got up and made him peanut butter & jelly pancakes! He LOVED them. He ate so much he probably wont eat lunch now! haha

He's wearing 12-18 month tops, and well, all of his shorts are about 6 months, maybe a couple 9. He's still my sweet long and lean boy :) I bet in the last two weeks I have looked at his monthly pictures at least 10 times. I LOVE to see how he's grown over the past year, mainly because it's so hard to believe it's been that long! Here's his 12 month recap :)

(We're still convinced he got his first sunburn this day...whoops! Hey, we were new parents...)

He laid on the floor so nicely this day I bet I took 75+ pictures of him!

This one was taken when he was sick with his first stomach bug, he then passed it to everyone. Seriously, weren't you sick?

This was when we were staying with Granny & Pops while we were in between Minnesota and St. Louis

The cable guy was at our house while I took these, bet he thought I was nuts.

He was so happy this day :)

Sucking his fingers...Love it!

Our first monthly photo shoot sitting up! Yay!

This was the month he realized he had a sticker on his shirt... I had a hard time getting him to focus! haha

Love this one, including the drool hanging from his chin!

At this point the pictures are nearly impossible to get.... He was crawling and climbing everywhere!

Loved how his hair was perfectly combed down for these, and he looks so happy in his new blue chair!

Lookin' like a toddler :)

Happy 1st Birthday to the sweetest, cutest, most lovable boy ever!

Buh Bye Bottle...Hello Milk!

2011-05-25T07:21:00.003-05:00

Before we left for Florida we decided to go ahead and switch Carson to straight cow milk! A week or so after he turned 11 months we started mixing the formula with the milk, and just gradually worked our way to straight whole milk. He loves it... And Daddy's wallet loves it even better :) Since we've made the switch Carson has stopped sitting down to "take a bottle" he just has drinks throughout the day, sometimes more than others. When we got back from vacation I decided I was done with bottles. I switch over to all sippy cups one day and he actually did awesome! He didn't even seem to notice, or care about the change! I put all of the bottles, drying rack, and bottle brush in the basement with the 4-5 tubs of clothes the kiddo has outgrown! Woo Hoo :)

On another food related note...Yes, Carson is crying in this picture. We are going through another phase where he doesn't want to eat anything. What the heck? I can barely even get him to eat fruit! It started last Friday because he's cutting a tooth (it is barely poking through today), I think he just didn't feel like chewing much on it or something. So for a couple days he ate applesauce, yogurt, and PB&J...I know not the healthiest but I can't force the child to eat! haha I took this picture last night while trying to feed him ham (which he usually loves) and mashed potatoes (which were buttery and yummy). Ugh... There is nothing more frustrating than going through the trouble to make something like mashed potatoes and then have him wave his hands around and say no. I can't wait for this phase to be over... Hopefully he eats his birthday cake!

Flo-Rida...

2011-05-20T15:18:00.008-05:00

I love Florida, but every time I type the word I can't help but think of the singer Flo-Rida...In some strange way I think it helps me spell it or something. I don't even know what he looks like, or what song he sings. The only thing I know about him is that he sings rap, and his name sounds like the way Florida is spelled. ANYWAYS.... Back to the sunshine state...Florida.

Our trip was WONDERFUL, AMAZING, FUN, EXCITING, RELAXING, and so on, and so on. As a matter of fact it was so great I wish I was still there. Our sweet little boy loved getting to spend the week with all of his favorite people, ear infection or not! He is simply amazed by our nephew Parker (he's 4 1/2). He never sits still, and never stops talking, which of course is what Carson loves about him! haha Parker and Carson had many baby talk conversations which was so adorable :)

I could tell you about our trip all day long but I'll try not to ramble because I told you yesterday I'd do more of a "rapid fire" style....

Carson LOVED the water...

Loved playing in the sand, and grew accustom to the ocean after a couple days

He looked exceptionally cute in his array of hats...

Carson tried all kinds of new foods while vacationing in the sunshine state! He tried calamari, crab cakes, shrimp, sway (not sure if that's how you spell it, it's a white fish), and amberjack. By our last night he was a seafood pro and just ordered himself some popcorn shrimp off the menu! The boy loooooves eating out! I'm not sure if it's the different foods or all of the people he has to entertain...

See what I mean?

James, Carson, and I are so thankful for Granny & Pops, and Mimi & Poppy for making this trip possible :) I'll leave you with three of my favorite pictures from the trip!

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's an...ear infection?

2011-05-19T09:50:00.004-05:00

The day before we left for Florida I spent about 5 hours carrying a screaming baby around the house. Never, and I mean NEVER has Carson cried for so long. He was clearly in pain. The kind of pain that makes you grab your ears and pull your hair, no seriously...that's what he was doing. I knew something wasn't right. I called the doc and got an appointment for Monday afternoon. As soon as the doctor looked in his ears he saw it...the dreaded ear infection. But wait, there was more "infection" in ear numero dos. Yup, our little man got a double ear infection before our first family vacay, and more importantly our first time flying with the little guy! Yikes, and double yikes. When I told our doc that we were going to be flying the next day he made this awful face, and proceeded to tell me he could write me an excuse to try to get our money back for our flight. Um, we ARE going to Florida Dr. Harrison. I'm pretty sure Granny, Pops, Mimi, and Poppy will have a fit if we are no shows. haha He prescribed some amoxil (which Carson enjoyed taking, I actually think he loved it), along with some ear drops for pain. He also told us to give him Children's ibuprofen every 6-8 hours for a few days to help with pain. When Carson woke up Tuesday morning he was his happy self again. Love that kid. He is quite the trooper!

He LOVED the flight! He only cried for a minute while trying to get comfy to fall asleep. The take off and landing didn't bother him a bit. He loved the people watching in the terminals, looking out the little windows in the airplane, and the sugary apple juice he chugged during the flight.

Daddy and Carson looking for the ocean and palm trees!

Rapid Fire...

2011-05-19T09:22:00.007-05:00

After a fabulous Mother's Day weekend, a long vacation, a few days of unpacking, and spending every free minute trying to make a photo book from our trip, I'm officially back. It's amazing how long it takes to prep and unpack a family from vacation! I feel like for the last three weeks I've been engulfed in "vacation". That week in the middle was quite nice I must say :)

I haven't sat down to blog since my 11 month update, and we are already quickly approaching 12 months! I have lots of things to blog about so I'm going to try to just give you a "rapid fire" update on what's been going on with Harper..Party of Three over the last three weeks! I'll separate it into short blog post as to not overwhelm. haha

I'll start with my first Mother's Day...AMAZING! I got to spend the whole weekend just relaxing with my boys. Most of you already know this...but in case you don't, a few days before we left for Florida James broke his fibula (the small bone in your leg). He did it playing in a church league softball game. And no, he wasn't doing anything cool like sliding into home for the game winning run. He was just fielding a ground ball. Poor guy.

This was his foot on Mother's Day...As the days passed it got more colorful and more swollen...So I spent those first few days handing out lots of TLC to the hubs. I told him I should be due for a spectacular Mother's day gift...haha He didn't disappoint. I have been going on, and on, and on about wanting a SLR camera ever since Carson was born. I told James I was going to start saving up for it (which would have taken quite a long time since I am currently not bring in any $$). He finally caved and bought me my camera :)
Yes, I know... It's beautiful! haha I know it sounds ridiculous but words can't describe how excited I am about it. James said he could just see me, "beaming" while I was taking it out of the box. What better time to get it than right before our trip! Woo Hoo I still haven't quite figured it all out but I did get lots of great pictures from the beach. Do you want a sneak peek (most of you have probably seen them on Facebook, but if you haven't this sneak peek is for you)

Now, that is beautiful :) I love that kid. More on the trip later...Back to Mother's Day! Carson surprised me with an ice cream cake from DQ! It's been forever since I've had one of those and I seem to have forgotten just how yummy they are :)

Carson and I before church :)

My 1st Mother's Day was perfect :) And I look forward to many more with my boys!

11 Months (a few days late)

2011-05-03T13:09:00.005-05:00

My sweet little boy is almost one year old, which I find SO hard to believe! He actually turned 11 months old almost a week ago but I am just now getting around to posting our pictures! We've had a crazy week since getting home from Owensboro. We got back in town last Thursday night, ate a quick dinner and then sent James off to a softball game. About an hour later he calls telling me he's hurt himself. Oh geez... We thought it was just a high ankle sprain but Saturday morning it was quite colorful, so he went off to the doctor, only to discover he'd broken his fibula. Lovely. Yesterday we went to the orthopedic doctor and James got a walking boot. It sounds like it wont totally put a damper on our trip to the beach next week. He can take it off when he's just sitting around and stuff so he'll still get to be in the water, and hopefully chase around our little guy.

Yes, I did say chase, that would be because he is crawling faster than ever, and walking all over the place! He's pretty much got it all figured out! I am tired, so, so tired. I feel like all I do is chase him around and try to keep him out of things....haha

Check him out in action:

(And yes, that would be Carson running into the screen door at the end of the video... haha)

At 11 months Carson is more fun than EVER! His little personality is just so precious. Yesterday he started a new trick...Kisses! Quite possibly the sweetest thing EVER! Is there really anything better than an open mouth baby kiss? Nope :)

Look at all of that blonde hair! I actually ended up trimming it a week or so ago, just over his ears :)

Right now Carson is wearing mostly 12-18 month onesies and shirts, but his shorts...Yeah, they are all 6 month. What a skinny mini :) Right now we are sooooo excited to say that our last can of formula is almost gone! Woot Woot! We wanted Carson to be off the formula and drinking whole milk by our family vacay. He's doing great with the transition and next week will start drinking straight cow milk! Yay :)

I tried to get a picture of him walking in his little 11 month outfit but he wasn't having it. This is the beginnings of a little Carson fit. The next stage would be throwing the head back, and then if he's really mad he'll add a little arching of the back. Hilarious, and frustrating all at the same time.

Finally, our child will hold his own bottle. It's too cute when he just grabs it from our hands, throws his head back and chugs it. Today, we were on our way to Target and I was just able to give him his bottle in his car seat and he drank it on the way... love that!

One of Carson's favorite things to do right now is chase Chloe around the house. They have become quite the pair. She knows when to get out of his way (while he's walking, or pushing his walker), and when to stick close by his side (when he's eating, of course). I can't wait to see them running around the back yard together!

Best buddies :)

Lucky Duck...

2011-04-25T09:48:00.005-05:00

Carson is a lucky duck. Why? Well, aside from the fact that he has amazing parents, he considers himself quite lucky that his daddy was able to move us to St. Louis last fall. Last week we decided kind of spur of the moment that we'd make the 4 hour drive down to Owensboro for Easter :) It's so nice to be this close to home. That 12 hour drive from Minnesota was just brutal. It was so nice to see some of the family this weekend! And, speaking of lucky ducks, Carson and I are getting to spend the rest of the week in Owensboro. James had a business trip Monday-Thursday of this week so we were going to be home alone anyways. With the threat of MORE severe weather, possibly another tornado, I just decided I'd rather not be "home alone" all week. So, Granny, being the amazing Granny that she is, volunteered to drive Carson and I back up to St. Louis Friday morning :) Carson and I are pumped to be here for the week and hope to do lots of visiting, lounging, and playing. Yesterday he started doing some serious walking. He was walking from one side of the living room to the other. Everyday that passes he is getting better and better with his balance :) I was starting to doubt he'd walk by the beach (15 days) but it's looking more and more like a possibility!!

My little lucky duck also had a big Easter....

The Easter Bunny visited us in St. Louis :)

A special package from Ree :)

Carson loved helping Parker open his eggs after the egg hunt!

The Easter Bunny brought Carson a sand bucket/basket (he must have known about our upcoming trip) to Granny & Pop's house!

Our whole family :) I just love these guys!

Granny & Pops with the boys. We've decided it's nearly impossible to get all three boys looking for a picture! haha

My lucky duck :)

Funny Bunny...

2011-04-19T09:52:00.005-05:00

A couple weeks ago while roaming around Target I found some bunny ears, you know, the kind that are on a headband. As soon as I saw them I knew they'd be just precious on top of my little guy's head for some Easter pictures :) Carson and I had our little photo shoot while Daddy was at work, which worked out nicely considering James was NOT a fan of the ears. He said he looked like Ralphie from A Christmas Story (only way cuter). James felt the same way after our Christmas picture in the snowman suit. haha He informed me that night that once Carson turns one I'm not allowed to take these kind of pictures anymore! haha Good thing I got a super cute one this time :)

That wasn't the only fab. picture of the bunch. Check em' out...

I've been putting goldfish in his eggs so he LOVES to shake them! Notice his left leg. He still isn't quite sure about the grass. He pretty much kept his left leg raised the whole time! haha

I can't stand the cuteness!! Look at those big hands :)

Still not letting that leg touch the grass!

Man, I love this kid. And I say kid because everyday that goes by Carson seems less like a baby and more like a kid. This past weekend he took his first solo steps. James and I were sitting across from each other on the floor and he was walking back and forth! The kid seems to want to just skip the walking, and go right to running. So, it's hard to get him to slow down enough to get his balance and walk. He's pushing his walker around the living room all by himself and yes, I realize it's only a matter of days before hes walking around the house. Yikes. Yikes. Double Yikes. This morning he figured out how to open the kitchen cabinets, ugh. Chloe's water bowl is his new favorite thing. If it's on the floor he can spot it from a mile away, and in a matter of seconds he's across the room splashing in it. It pretty much stays on the counter now. Chloe is adjusting to eating/drinking when Carson is either napping or in his highchair. Whelp, Carson just woke up....duty calls :)

Now that I have a minute...

2011-04-11T14:47:00.006-05:00

I can blog again. I wondered why some other Mommy bloggers just quit the whole blog sharing thing, but I think I've got it figured out....Their bundle of joy started crawling! Last week Carson was scooting around on his tummy, army crawl style. And last Saturday afternoon he figured out how to crawl like a "big boy". He is everywhere, gaining speed each day. My house totally looks like a boy that crawls lives here. There are balls and toys everywhere, nothing sits on the bottom shelves, and mom is tired. I'm predicting that by next week we'll be keeping all of the doors closed, or maybe a putting a baby gate at the front of our hallway to keep him somewhat corralled.

Harper...Party of Three has been super busy in the last week and a half as well. James and I have been trying to mark some items off of our looooong "Spring To-Do" list that I've compiled. We've got lots of new landscaping planted, and as I type the last bits of our white rock are being scooped out. We are planning on laying mulch sometime this week! I can NOT wait! I've painted the front door twice (didn't like the first color) and hung and planted flowers in some window baskets around our deck. The outside of our house was never our favorite but with the new front door color, and big plant on the front porch are looking SO much more homey!

White door...

Charcoal door...

(Since this picture those awkwardly placed large shrubs have found a new home in the backyard and were replaced with boxwoods. Pics to come...)

Carson has been a busy boy too, which of course goes without saying. haha He is soooooo busy these days exploring the house. He's finding new places to crawl, new things to climb on, and new things to play with! Looks a little something like this...

My little man is wearing me out but I'm so excited for him that's he's mobile :) He seems to have so much fun chasing his balls around the house! He is also getting better at walking. He can now push his walker around by himself, and just today he started walking while I just held onto one of his hands. He isn't quite sure how he likes that though, he's a little nervous and whiny but I'm sure in a day or two he'll prefer having that other hand free. Things are looking up for our goal (walking by the time we head to Florida-29 days!)

I've been holding out...

2011-03-31T20:29:00.007-05:00

My phone is FULL of Carson videos and pictures that are too cute not to share... Enjoy :)

This is cute...most of the time.

Playing IPad games with Daddy :)

The boy loves his 4-Wheeler!

Playin' in the car on our way home from Kentucky :)

One of my favorites :)

I took this today, he just LOVES watching himself in the mirror!

Eating a peanut butter cracker...Yum :)

Our little man is ALL over the place :) I love the sound of my little inch worm moving around the house!

10 Months

2011-03-29T08:26:00.011-05:00

Sunday our little guy turned 10 months old :) He still continues to make us smile each and everyday, hour, and minute! It still amazes us how much he changes from day to day. Friday at lunch Carson figured out how to "suck" on his sippy cup instead of biting it, and then by the afternoon he was crawling around. Yes....He's finally decided to crawl! I've always heard that crawling comes in all shapes and sizes. James' brother never let his knees touch the ground, he just crawled around with his bum in the air. My grandmother told me that my mom, and her brother and sister all crawled around without ever lifting their tummy off the ground, which must be where Carson gets it from. He can blame his tummy rug burns on his Granny. Carson kind of has the whole "army crawl" thing going on right now :) He looks like a little inch worm making his way around the living room, or the kitchen. Right now he loves to play with any kind of ball, so he is loving being able to chase it around the house.

A re-cap of Carson's 10 month happenings....

Carson LOVES to bang on anything and everything he can get his hands (or feet) on! He's still loving that big yellow bouncy ball, his new 4 wheeler, and his music table (the guy LOVES to dance), but...His favorite thing to do is walk around the house (with a little assistance). He just started using his car/walker that he got for Christmas, he'll walk behind it but is a little reckless so we've got to be ready to catch him when he gets to going too fast! haha We love to watch him walk around the house, however...We don't love to walk him around. It's a killer on the back, and your fingers, considering he has a death grip on them. Let's just hope before too long he wont need our help. I know all of you mom's are thinking, "Don't rush it... You'll miss the days he couldn't move on his own!" I know this is true but, we're ready! Our goal is for him to be walking before our trip to the beach, we leave in 42 days, but who's counting?

Every day Carson gets harder, and harder to photograph. He is still just as smiley as always its just harder to catch. I've got to get a camera with a faster shutter speed. With as many pictures as I take I know it would be a good investment. Can someone convince my husband?
Speaking of the hubs...I'm thinking Carson is going to have his Daddy's people skills. James is quite the people person! He ALWAYS remembers names, and can strike up a conversation with anyone, anywhere, at anytime. When Carson and I are out and about he's always trying to start up a convo with anyone, and everyone. When we are waiting in line somewhere he will be leaning from side to side to look around me so he can smile at the person behind us in line. So stinkin' cute.

I know this picture is a bit blurry but I love the facial expression. I'm pretty sure that everyday Carson adds a new expression to his repertoire. I love those little eyebrows :) Speaking of eyebrows and hair....The boys got tons! James has been saying for the last two months that he needs a hair cut! And, I have to admit...It's a little long around his ears. It's just so cute when it lays on top of his ears, all flipped out and stuff, I just don't know if I can do it!

See what I mean?

Our little guy also loves to be read to, and of course play/eat the books! Reading books with him is such a special, intimate thing... I love it :)
The little man is still putting everything in his mouth! He was a little fussy last night and when James rubbed the top of his gums he started screaming....We're thinking he might be in the very beginning stages of getting his top teeth. While we're talking about teeth I have to tell you that the boy is eating sooooo many new foods! He isn't totally eating "from the table" but he's close! Right now his favorite food is definitely the PB & J! He also loves, peanut butter crackers, vanilla wafers, goldfish, chicken, fruit, fruit, and fruit, crackers, yogurt, and grilled cheese. Of course he's still eating his veggies, and cereal, along with some pasta. It's sooo much easier to feed him foods that we actually eat :) Can't wait until we don't have to mess with baby food. I'm tired of the mess and mashing....

I just love this guy...Skinny arms, smiley face, shiny white teeth and all :) Happy 10 months Carson!

A Dinner Date

2011-03-23T20:54:00.007-05:00

Wednesday night Carson and I shared a special dinner. James was out of town for work so we were home alone. I thought it was the perfect chance to have a special little dinner with my main man. After a day of shopping, and a lunch date with the moms & kids from The Little Gym, he'd had a long day. I'll also take a minute to add that he only had one nap. Oh geez...I am not ready for him to drop his morning nap. Anyways...back to our dinner. I was SO excited to share one of my favorite sandwiches of all time with Carson. Have you figured it out yet? Well, it's official...Carson is no longer a PB&J virgin. We didn't really have much around for dinner so we both enjoyed a little PB&J! Carson LOVED it! He ate a whole half of the sandwich...crust and all :) He even ate half a cup of banana yogurt too.

Speaking of eating a lot...I've been having a hard time finding shorts/swim trunks to fit my skinny baby. This is what I'm working with....

Those shorts are 9 months and they aren't even close to fitting. I guess we'll have to try the 6 months... We've had a hard time with bathing suits too. I found one that fits him pretty well today and then I got one as a shower gift a while back that's actually 6-9 months that fits him like a glove. He must have been eating such a big dinner to try and fill out his shorts/trunks. Now, how many people can say they have that problem? Uh...Not me. haha

After our day of shopping, new friends, and PB&J's we were both ready for a little bit of this...

I should invent this...

2011-03-23T20:39:00.004-05:00

On the ride home from Owensboro the other day I semi invented a new use for a great toy. Carson LOVES to play with the links. He chews on them, and we love to play our little version of tug-o-war with them! After climbing back and fourth from the front, to the back seat at least 5 times I decided Carson would be more entertained if he had a toy he couldn't drop, or throw. So I created this....Why didn't I think of this sooner? There are about a million baby toys out there but I don't think I've ever seen one that connects to what we call the "Oh, shit handle", and hangs down for the little one to play with. I'm loving this new invention for four main reasons:

1. It swings around, which encourages hand-eye coordination.
2. You can adjust the length to suit your child. I made my long enough so he could still get it in his mouth.
3. Other toys can be connected to the end. I added baby keys to the end of mine :)
4. And most importantly...It allows Mommy to sit in the front seat.

Ok Mom's...I'm sure I'm not the only one to come up with a new way to use and old toy....Spill the beans. What new toys have you created with your little ones toys?

One FULL Weekend!

2011-03-23T19:57:00.007-05:00

Last Wednesday we loaded up the car and headed to Owensboro. Carson and I were staying for a long weekend but James had to do some traveling for work on Thursday and Friday, which of course was a real bummer. I was anxious to get home and see everyone, especially my dad! He had surgery on Monday to correct his irregular heart beat. It was supposed to be a pretty simple thing, but lucky him, he fell in the 4% that had a complication. The doc accidentally burned a hole in his heart. Yeah, scary right? Before I go any further, he's ok! haha He went back to work yesterday and is feeling much better. After the hole was clotted everything was fine. It just took him a few extra days to get over the added trama of it all. We are SO glad he is ok and back to normal!

On a much lighter note, the extra days in Owensboro also allowed Carson and I time to go visit our favorite Bowling Greenians. Yeah, I'm aware that's not a word...it just seemed to fit. Thursday we spent a few hours visiting Carson new buddy Cooper Waltrip. He is absolutely adorable and Carson can't wait to play with him again! Oh, and we also got to see Holli, Stacey, and Tara :)

During our trip the weather was beautiful which allowed for some good old fun on Pop's Playhouse! In this picture Carson is standing up by himself! This is his latest trick, and when he gets it going it's like his little feet are glued to the ground! So cute :) Everyone seems to think he'll be walking soon....Yikes. Yikes. Did I already say Yikes?

Thank God he survived Pops & James' sliding experiment... Scared me to death.

Another fun part of our trip was getting to see my cousin Justin and meet his fiance Vrinda! They live out in California and aren't in town often. They hadn't gotten to meet Carson yet, and I hadn't met Vrinda! They came out to visit for a while and brought Carson's buddy Miles...What a crew :) Saturday night my mom and aunt hosted a shower for them so we got to see the rest of the Fiorella crew too!!
When we got back to St. Louie on Sunday James and I made use of the pretty day by doing a little bit of yard work, and taking our pup and baby for two walks through the neighborhood.

Playing in the yard :)

On another house related note, Friday we are getting rid of our white landscaping rock! Woo Hoo :) I am quite excited, and proud of myself. I haven't really been a fan of the white rock since day one. I've been wanting to replace it with dark brown mulch for a while! We were going to pay someone to come dig it out of the landscaping, and haul it off. It was probably going to cost us a couple hundred dollars...boo. This weekend I posted an add on Craigslist...The rock was free if you'd come scoop and haul it. Believe it or not I got about 15 e-mails from people wanting it! I spoke to a guy today that will be coming Friday to get it. I'm SO pumped! Buh bye white rock :)

The Little Gym

2011-03-16T14:07:00.005-05:00

I love this place, and I'm pretty sure my little guy does too! Today was our 3rd time and it just keeps getting better :) Carson loves all of the different activities we get to do together, but most of all I think he likes the other kids (or "bugs" as their referred to in class), and the change of scenery!

Look at my little "bug" in action...

He loves these bars!

Look Ma, no hands!
(He's really started letting go of things and balancing himself! I love watching his little toes flex as he tries to balance...so cute!)

Playing with his friend Carter

Rolling on the big donut was Carson's favorite thing today!

The boy loves his balls. I know how that sounds...haha Funny thing is, he loves the big bouncy balls, and yes...his too. He's found them and he thinks they are quite fun to play with as well. Sometimes, he even laughs out loud while doing so! True boy.

I'm pretty sure this is his, "Mom, I don't want to leave" face.

Before we even get out of the parking lot this is what we've got...

The gym totally wears him out. So cute.

One of the other things I like about the gym is being around other mom's! It's so nice to "compare notes" with other mom's that have kids right around Carson's age. It sounds like several of the mom's in our class stay home with their kiddos too. Today some of us exchanged numbers so we can get together outside of class :) Yay! I smell a play date in our near future!

Sunday Funday

2011-03-13T20:08:00.010-05:00

Today we had such a fun day :) This morning we got up and went to church. Carson was a little angel! He was awake and extra alert during all of the signing and about the time the message started he fell asleep on my chest, and woke up just in time to enjoy a little more music before we left! When we got home we had lunch and then James and I watched a little basketball while Carson napped. This afternoon we took Carson to the library for the first time. He LOVED all of the books and said he wants to go back :) Heck, the boy even met two girls while he was there! Who knew the library was a place to pick up the ladies? haha One of the girls was older (probably around 5-6) she came over to us and said, "Uhh, did you know your kid just yelled in the library?" Crack me up! I just told her I didn't think he was old enough to know better! haha

Now, you know me well enough to know that I took a few minutes to snap some pics of my boy during his first library visit!

Daddy chose this book...of course.

After the library we ran to Wal-Mart to pick up a carrier seat to attach to the back of our bike! We also let Carson pick out a helmet. Well, Mommy picked it out, but I think he liked it. It's Paul Frank and has the little monkeys all over it! Too cute :) When we got home James got it all attached and we took turns taking him for a spin!

Another photo opportunity...

I'm thinking this is a thumbs up?

After a good old fashioned Sunday Funday (I know, that's so cheesy but I couldn't think of anything better...) Carson was ready for a big ol' bottle and a bath!

Oh, and by the way... How cute is my new picture of Carson at the top of the blog? Carson and I had a little photo shoot Saturday morning and I got some adorable pictures of the little guy! I just loved the way the sun was shining on him. Precious :)

Transitions...

2011-03-10T15:18:00.006-06:00

It's that time of year. We are all starting to begin the transition from winter to spring! I love spring but I hate the month or so before it. I'm constantly in limbo. I've worn flip flops a few days, which has now made me feel like it's time to pack up the boots and sweaters. Is it time? Probably not considering I'm sitting in front of the fire with a cold nose and cold toes. Ugh. Most of Carson's winter clothes are too small, and I'm soooo ready to put him in some of his cute spring garb. But the spring clothes don't look as cute with a fleece jacket over top of them. Ugh. Some of my plants outside are starting to bud, and turn green, however it's too cold to be out there to enjoy it. It dawned on me the other day that Carson hasn't really gotten a chance to explore the grass. He's sat in it a couple times but now that he's more aware of his surroundings I know he'd really appreciate it. But, our grass is soaking wet so there is no way I can sit his cute little bum (or lack there of) on the soggy grass. Ugh. Ok, enough talk about the weather.

Wishing for a warm and sunny day!

My main man is going through a transitional period as well. He STILL hasn't figured out how to crawl and I think it's starting to frustrate him. He knows that he wants to do it, he just doesn't know how. He lifts his upper body up really well when he's on his tummy but he can't seem to get the bottom half a-movin'. I'm kind of starting to feel like he might walk before he crawls. He love, love, loves to walk. If you stop walking him....He cries. Kind of like when you stop pushing his 4-Wheeler he cries. Ugh. It's hard on our backs....doesn't he get that? haha Carson hasn't started pulling up yet either. Although, he did do it twice at The Little Gym (which we joined, and I will tell you more about soon) the other day.

This is his "please keep pushing me" face. How do you say no?

Right now his favorite things to do are walk, ride his 4 wheeler, and play ball. I bought him a big yellow bouncy ball at Wal-mart the other day, and I'm pretty sure it was the best dollar I've ever spent. He knows how to catch it and throw & roll it back....ADORABLE! My favorite is when he brings it up over his head and throws it, like a little soccer player! I need to get a video of it soon...I'll share when I do :)

Just lookin' cute...

We are also in the process of transitioning Carson from pureed foods to finger foods. We had a little glitch the other day but I'm blaming that on myself. I think I tried to jump too fast from one to the other. So we are going to gradually make his food chunkier :) Right now I think his favorite foods are oyster crackers and yogurt. I'm pretty sure he would eat them all day!

Carson is starting to become harder to photograph. Don't worry... I wont stop taking pictures. I don't think I could if I wanted to! haha He is moving around so much he's hard to catch! Speaking of moving... Carson's latest "movement" is dancing. Anytime I start singing (which sounds oh so bad) he starts swaying from side to side. If he really likes the tune he'll move his head too. Might be the cutest thing I've ever seen. He's also figured out how to shake his head "no". While it's quite precious I'm not sure how excited I am about this milestone.....

I love this picture... Mainly because it makes me think of this...

What a difference a year and a half can make.

I can't end this post without mentioning my best friend Holli! Today she gave birth to a happy, healthy baby boy! Copper Evans Waltrip, 6 lbs 15 oz and 20 inches of pure joy. Holli and Brad had quite the adventure getting Cooper here but all of their time and energy were worth it. He is perfect in every way and I can't wait to get my hands on him next week...

How sweet is he? I kept telling Holli today would be the best day of their lives, and even though she is upside down in this picture, I know her well enough to know this is her "best day of my life" face.

I can't look at this picture without thinking about this...

The best day of our lives :)

Weekend with the Harper's

2011-03-07T08:31:00.004-06:00

Friday afternoon Carson was smiling a little bigger when he saw Mimi and Poppy walk through the front door :) He had an absolute blast hanging out with them this weekend! They hadn't seem him (in person) since Christmas, so they were amazed at how much he had changed! At Christmas he was just getting the hang of sitting up, and now he nearly mobile! It's crazy what a difference a couple months can make. Speaking of Christmas, Pam had ordered a special gift for Carson and Jett that didn't arrive in time for Christmas. This weekend she surprised Carson with his late Christmas gift... His very own 4-Wheeler, a Kawasaki to be exact! So. Stinkin'. Cute. In case you didn't know, Gary and Pam love to ride. They both have 4-Wheelers and of course they are Kawasaki's! Carson loves it and I'm pretty sure he's going to be riding it around the house, and down the street before we know it.

I'm pretty sure the Harper's enjoyed their weekend in St. Louis! It seems that all we did was EAT and play with Carson. I'm actually not sure which we did more of. haha Friday night we went to a little local burger place, Christy's, that had the biggest, and best burger I've ever had. Saturday for lunch we went to the best BBQ place in St. Louis, Pappy's Smokehouse. I'm pretty sure we ate a whole pig, and a quarter of a chicken. Yum, yum, and more yum. Saturday night we ordered pizzas from Papa Murphy's and ate as if we hadn't all day! Then Sunday morning we topped it all off with donuts from Heaven Scent Bakery, our favorite local donut shop. Whew, it sure is a good thing I bought a new pair of black comfy pants this weekend :) haha

9 Months

2011-03-02T08:58:00.006-06:00

I have a 9 month old! Crazy I know :) He is an even bigger "bundle of joy" than I ever imagined. He makes everyday, every minute, and every second special. I honestly can't imagine our lives without Carson in it. Yesterday we went to the doctor for Carson's 9 month well visit. He weighed in at 19 lbs 2 oz (26%tile), and he was 28 1/2 inches tall (56%tile). He is slowing down on his height and becoming more in the "average" range, however I feel he is in no way "average" he is definitely better than the "average" baby. Ok, so maybe I'm partial but I'd bet all my chips that you agree. The doctor said he looked perfect :) Good ears, lungs, heart, etc, etc, etc.
While we were there I asked a whole bunch of questions, like always. haha We talked about the car seat....Apparently the American Association of Pediatrics says kids should not turn forward until 20 lbs AND 1 year. Thanks Evenflo for writing in your directions that at 20 lbs it was safe. Carson has been cruising around for 2 weeks facing forward. I hate it that I'm going to have to now turn him back around....hopefully he does ok, because he sure does LOVE facing forward. I also had lots of questions about food. Carson is really good at eating his puffs so I felt that he might be ready for some finger foods. His doctor pretty much gave him the OK to eat everything. I was pretty excited :) When we got home we celebrated with a new snack... Cheerios! Of course he loved them! Then, for dinner last night he had a little slice of turkey with his sweet potatoes and apples....LOVED it, and I'm pretty sure he felt like a big kid feeding himself. I have a feeling meals are about to get A LOT more messy. Yikes!
We also discussed all of the developmental milestones. Carson seems to be right on track. He is still not crawling, but he is really into the walking. He LOVES to walk while we hold his hands, and just yesterday he seemed to get better at it. He's going a lot faster and is wanting to walk all of the time. This morning he was walking around, and when I sat him on the floor he pitched a little fit. Oh geez....
Right now Carson has two teeth! One has completely broken through and is standing up just the slightest little bit, while the other is still in the process of breaking the skin. We have started introducing the sippy cup. Right now he just loves to play with it, and bite on the bottom...What the heck? haha Every once in a while I will get him to take a few drinks but right now I think he's just in the whole discovery phase. Too cute.

Today I am taking Carson to The Little Gym. I was checking out their website and noticed that they offer a free introductory class. I called last week and got it scheduled for today! We will be with a class of 10 other 8-10 month olds, and their mom's. They work on sensory development along with other developmental skills. I'm really excited to see what it's all about :) If we like it I think it would be a GREAT way to meet some other mom's and have Carson interact with other kids his age! I'll let you know how it goes....

In the mean time I will leave you with my favorite picture from our 9 month photo shoot...
Why do I love this picture? I can't decide if it's the innocent look on his face, the rolls in his legs, his perfect blonde locks, or the string of drool hanging from his chin. The cuteness is killing me.

Three teeth out....Two teeth in....

2011-02-27T16:15:00.009-06:00

We've had a busy weekend at the Harper house :) On Thursday James worked all day and then had to drive to Iowa in a snow storm to meet with a client Friday morning. In the mean time Granny and Pops were on their way here to visit/help me after my surgery. I had three wisdom teeth cut out on Friday morning. I survived, and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. We were SO thankful that they were able to be here to help out with Carson & Mommy! Surprisingly I wasn't stuck in bed hurting all weekend :) I slept for an hour or so when I got home on Friday and then I actually was still able to function somewhat normally the rest of the weekend. Saturday morning I woke up feeling pretty good and was able to make a trip to Homegoods and Target with Mom, Dad, and Carson (James was attending a CPR/First Aid class at work). I am ALWAYS up for a Homegoods trip... Always.

I told you a week or so ago that Carson had a tooth poking through. Well, it's getting taller and this weekend we spotted tooth number 2 :) Woo Hoo! So stinkin' cute. He's had his semi-fussy moments as they are coming in but nothing too bad. Again, he's the perfect child I swear.

If you click on the picture to make it bigger you'll really be able to see the first tooth....It's too early to get a picture of the 2nd.

I took some A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E pictures of Carson this morning playing with Daddy... I just have to share.

As long as I am able to get such cute picture of my boy I just can't make myself pay hundreds of dollars to have his picture professionally taken. A picture for just 19 cents a print...I think I will :) haha Today is also Carson's 9 month birthday! Woo Hoo! He goes to the doctor on Tuesday so I'll give you the 9 month low-down then. In the mean time...Here's a sneak-peak at our 9 month photo shoot...

If you remember, during our 8 month shoot he realized that there was a number sticker on his shirt... And, as you can see, I didn't fool him this month either. Funny kid.

During all of the teeth growing/teeth pulling I have been trying to complete my monstrous project, that is the kitchen cabinets. It is dangerously close to being finished...Woo freakin' Hoo (and I say that with the most excitement possible) I still have to paint the backsides of my doors but it sure is looking good! It took me hours and hours to get where I am now, and I am pleased to show you our new kitchen :)

Before...

And after...
To steal a quote from Modern Family a couple weeks ago, "Cue gasp..."

Yes, I am in love with my kitchen. It looks like a TOTALLY different room. It was worth every big of my time and energy :) And yes, that banister will be painted white pronto it now sticks out like a sore thumb. haha

Love my house. Love my child. Love my hubby. Love my life.

Weekend Getaway

2011-02-22T20:52:00.007-06:00

Last weekend Carson and I headed to Owensboro to spend a little quality time with Granny and Pops! I also got to do something that I haven't gotten to do in a LOOOOONG time....Have a girls day :) On Saturday I went to Bowling Green, by myself, to meet up with Holli, Stacey, Tara, and Katie to treat Holli to a special little day before the arrival of Cooper (16 days....Oh my I can't wait)! We spent the day having lunch at a quaint little bed and breakfast, got pedicures, and finished the day off at a frozen yogurt bar (yes, it was just as cool as it sounds). It was SO nice to hang out with some of my favorite people!

Carson really enjoyed his weekend with Granny and Pops as well! It's so much fun to watch Parker interact with Carson. I can just tell that he is dying to play with him....and he's just trying to figure out how. Parker is always using his tools to fix things around the house. And Friday night he got himself a little helper. They literally sat there banging away for 10 minutes together trying to fix Granny's coffee table. I will remember this moment for a very long time, it was just precious. While were talking about play-time, Parker and I also had a blast making a fort in the living room! Carson of course had already gone to bed but as soon as the boys woke up Parker couldn't wait to get Carson in there with him....
The weather was fairly nice all weekend so Carson got try out Pop's Playhouse, which was a Christmas gift for the grand babies :) He absolutely LOVED the swing, and the slide! See for yourself....

Carson also had a busy weekend with his tooth. Everyday it seems to be getting closer and closer to standing up big and tall in his mouth! Today for the first time I noticed it just barely sticking up....adorable! I can't believe how big Carson is getting, and I can't believe he will be 9 months old this week! I feel like it was just last week that I was taking his 8 month pictures! My how the time flies....

And so it begins...

2011-02-16T16:07:00.006-06:00

I've been telling you for quite a while that Carson loves to eat. Well, he does and that hasn't changed! One of his new favorite foods are blueberries!! He's also been eating yogurt (banana, peach, and strawberry), and he is lovin' it! However, lately Carson has decided that he likes fruit better than vegetables. For lunch and dinner I typically give Carson a fruit (or yogurt) and a vegetable. Now that he is eating more I have to put them in separate bowls. Being that I am not one of those people that eats all of my green beans before I move onto my apples I don't make him do that either. He'll have a few bites of green beans, a couple bites of apple, and so on. Well, a couple days ago I saw a little light bulb go off in Carson's head. I'm pretty sure his little brain told him this, "Hey, you like whats in the red bowl...lets just eat that." So, he moaned and groaned through the veggies bites and gobbled up the fruit. I didn't really think much about it until the next day, and next day that he did it again. And then yesterday I could barely get him to eat the veggies at all.... that little stinker. Today for lunch Carson had carrots and apples. Only this time, he was one of those people that eat all of their green beans before they eat a bite of their apples :)

Right after the new year we taught Carson to raise his arms up when we say, "Touchdown"! It was absolutely adorable but he only did it for a couple days and then he was over it. Since then he'll do it once in a blue moon. During the last couple of days we've gotten him to do it, and this morning....I somehow managed to get a picture. And how perfect...He was wearing his football pj's!!!

Yeah I know, pretty much the cutest thing ever!

Today while I was doing some laundry Carson found a new toy...The laundry basket! He was very intrigued by all of the little holes in the sides. Isn't it funny by what they find fun to play with? haha He scooted it around for a while and then figured out that he could dump it over. While I was folding the laundry he was tipping it back and forth pulling the clothes out, as if to hand them to me, one at a time to fold. Sweet. I'm going to have this boy doing laundry in no time :)

Last night I got a cute little video of Carson walking around the living room with James... Love seeing those two playing together :)

Oh, and on another random note...Did I mention that we are experiencing a little Spring Fever over here? Today, I wore flip flops and Carson went shoe and sock less...and it was oh, so wonderful :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T23:01:00.005-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day from the Harper's! I've been SO busy with my cabinet refinishing project that I almost forgot to put Carson's adorable little Valentine on the blog! The cabinets are looking...ah-mazing! I am make some serious progress and I have to admit I am quite proud of them :) Can't wait to share!

We had a wonderful Valentine's day/weekend :) James surprised me on Saturday with an early (in true Harper fashion...the two of us can never seem to wait until the ACTUAL holiday to exchange gifts.) gift... An IPad :) I was totally surprised! James has such a busy work schedule lately I was kind of afraid he'd forget about the day all together. Of course he didn't :) After receiving the IPad my gift felt quite inadequate. Although, it was special! I took a picture of James and Carson and turned it into the cutest silhouette. I then just mounted it to a piece of blue painted paper, added a title, and framed it. LOVE the way it turned out, and James thought it was pretty cool too :)I can't wait to get it hung in the living room!

Well, I hope that you all got to spend Valentine's day with someone special :)

Spring Fever...

2011-02-12T14:10:00.002-06:00

First of all I apologize for my lack of blog writing lately. I've been having a little bit of writers block I guess. We are all doing great :) Carson is just growing up so quickly! This week he started taking some steps when we hold onto his hands. As James helps him walk across the living room I can't tell who is more proud, Carson or James. So cute!! And, I know I have said it a million times but I REALLY do think Carson's teeth are about to come in. In the last couple days we've noticed some progress in his little gummies :) I just can't wait to see that first pearly white!

I'm feeling the begining signs of my spring fever settling in. I ordered a bathing suit and shorts from Lands End Canvas the other day (which you should totally check out) and I think that's what started it! I am SO tired of snow, coats, and cold weather!! I can't wait for it to be warm enough to take Chloe and Carson for walks again :) While I'm soooo ready for the warm weather I think I'm most excited about what the warm weather will bring. By spring Carson will be doing all kinds of fun things!! Maybe walking, more talking, swimming, teeth (lets hope), finger foods, and lots more! I can't wait to spend the summer outside playing with Carson! And of course late spring/early summer we are taking our first big family vacay to the beach :) I absolutely can't wait for that!!!!!

In the mean time we just started a new project at the house. It's a rather large project. We are refinishing our kitchen cabinets, or I should say I am refinishing our kitchen cabinets! haha We weren't big fans of our light, yellowish cabinets so I am in the process of applying a dark brown glaze/stain to them. When I am finished they should be dark brown cabinets. I think it will totally warm up the kitchen and just make it look a WHOLE lot richer :) I can NOT wait to share before after pictures because it's going to totally transform the whole space! This project however will be very time consuming! I will probably have to apply 4 coats of the glaze...ugh. I know the time and energy will be worth it :)

Movie Night...

2011-02-05T19:09:00.005-06:00

I can't really think of a clever way to share our newest videos of Carson. So... I figured that tonight would make for a good movie night :) Enjoy!

Notice the smile about 16 seconds in. This is the latest! He does this a lot when he is entertaining himself....hilarious!

This was a little conversation at Target...If you listen closely you can hear his "monster voice" towards the end :)

The little guy is so fun in the bathtub :)

I said before that Carson LOVES to eat! He is really enjoying feeding himself the little puffs. He's finally got it figured out :)

Storm Mode...

2011-01-31T10:55:00.003-06:00

Our local news station gets into what they call, "Storm Mode" when severe weather is in the forecast. They crack me up with all of their "hype" about the weather when they get into this "mode". They are covering the storms "every hour, on the hour", and they are so proud of themselves for bringing us the weather. haha Well, I'm pretty sure the "storm mode" has rubbed off on the entire St. Louis area! We are bracing ourselves for our heaviest ice/snow storm of the year! We are going to be getting anywhere from a 1/2 inch to an inch of ice, and then 8-12 inches of snow on top of that. Pretty much when looking at the radar the whole map is either white or pink. The "Storm Mode" crew says that it only takes a 1/2 inch of ice to bring down tree limbs and power lines, so there is a good chance we'll loose power tomorrow.

Last night James and I made sure we were ready and prepared to be stuck at the house for a few days, power or no power. Luckily we have a gas fireplace which still works when the power is out (which we discovered after a test-run last night). Now we know we can at least keep one room of our house warm! We made a quick run out last night for D batteries and ice melt (which of course was already sold out everywhere). We have all of the food staples, milk, diet cokes, water, beer, bread, and peanut butter, along with tons of other ready-foods! Carson is stocked up on formula, baby food, diapers and wipes! I made a quick run out this morning to return a movie and pick up a couple more, in case we are stuck here for a couple days (and still have power). On my way home the freezing rain started, about 5 minutes later I pulled in the garage and my car was already completely covered in ice. Whoa...this storm is no joke! Our driveway already has a thin layer of ice along with our back deck.

So I have to confess... I'm secretly hoping it gets really bad tonight and James is snowed/iced in with Carson and I tomorrow! I don't hope for a power outage of course but I'd love a good day at home with both of my boys :) There is a good chance things will get quite interesting around here in the next couple of days! I'm just hoping that tomorrow night we're not having to sleep on an air mattress in the living room beside Carson's crib. Now wouldn't that make for a funny picture, and a great family memory :) haha Wish as luck as we sink into our own little version of "Storm Mode" we'll keep you posted!

Eight for Eight

2011-01-28T11:48:00.006-06:00

You already know what I'm about to say..."I can't believe Carson is already 8 months old!" I've said that for the last 8 months, I know, and I'm sorry! But really... I can't believe he's 8 months old! haha It's crazy :) In honor of the 8 month birthday I'm going to share 8 things that are going on with the little guy :)

1: At 8 months old Carson still has no teeth. He's got two pretty big, bump like, things on his bottom gum that look to be where his first two will come in. When they will come, I have no clue. I will say he's been a little fussy and extra snugly in the last 2-3 days so maybe they'll be here soon (Yes, I realize we've been saying that since Thanksgiving. I just figure that eventually when I say it I'll be right! haha)

2: Carson has a head full of beautiful blonde hair! It's growing in so evenly and it's just perfect :) Although, I will say we've still been battling the dry scalp thing. He had a little of the cradle cap for a while but it looks like after using some Selsun Blue that has cleared up and now it's just dry. I can't figure out what to do for it....If you have any ideas feel free to shoot em' my way :)

3: We are still not crawling. Well, James and I can, but Carson can not. haha I will say though that two days ago he made a little progress. While laying on his tummy he was stretching out, trying to reach the computer during a Skype session with Granny, and he pulled one of his knees up toward his chest. Woo Hoo!

4: The 8 month photo shoot did not goes as well as the previous 7. Why? Well, it only took Carson 8 months to realize I was putting a sticker on his shirt. And this month, he couldn't quit looking at it, and grabbing it. It was precious, but it didn't make for good pictures...

I had to whip out something new to get his mind off of the sticker, Carson...Meet your rocking chair! Carson got his chair from Mimi Harper (James' grandmother) at one of our showers last spring! He LOVED sitting in it and I'm pretty sure he was feeling "Large, and in charge", which of course he is.

5: Carson's sleeping patterns seem to change every week or so. He's still sleeping good but every once in a while he'll wake up during the night. I'm so used to waking up during the night, and early in the mornings I honestly don't know what I'd do if I didn't have to. Oh, yeah I do, I'd be up anyways. haha In the last month or two Carson has had some little episodes I call nightmares. I know it sounds silly, because what could scare an 8 month old in a dream? Not getting a bottle, or having a stinky diaper that nobody is changing? But "nightmare" is the best way we can describe it. It ALWAYS happens exactly one hour after he falls asleep (which makes sense because its probably when he enters that really deep sleep). He'll just start screaming crying. It's not a hungry cry, or a cry we are used to hearing. We can never decide if its a scared cry, or a hurting cry (neither of which we hear very often). It usually takes a good 5 minutes of crying before he can even get calmed down enough to open his eyes (poor little guy). We usually end up getting him calmed down 10 minutes or so later, and sometimes use a little Ora-gel or Tylenol. Once he calms down he falls right back asleep. It's so bizarre. Has anyone else ever experienced this?

6: Long and Lean...Yes, you can still use those two words to describe Carson! Last time we weighed him we think he was pretty close to 20 lbs, and right now he is probably roughly 31 inches long. I say 31 because that's how long his changing table pad is and he's just about too big for it.

7: We have recently entered phase one of "into everything". What is phase one? Well the beginning of phase one was when I saw a little light bulb go off over Carson's head that said, "Hey, I want that, and I can grab that." Now, if he can reach it he'll grab it. And if he can't reach it, he'll stretch all of the way out and try again. And if he still doesn't get it, he waits...Until you've let your guard down, or until you move just a little bit closer, then he grabs it. I learned all about phase one a couple weeks ago at Texas Roadhouse when Carson knocked a full glass of water into my lap. However, it is SO cute to watch him explore all of the things around him. Right now the one thing he is just dying to get a hold of is the remote, and my wallet. When we are out running errands and I pull it out he just has a fit to get it. Maybe he wants to chew on it or maybe he's trying to keep me from spending money, oh wow, he really is James' child. haha

8: And last but not least Carson is perfect :) He's happy, he loves to play, read books, eat, and sleep all cuddled up with his blanket. As a mater of fact, yesterday we fell asleep together on the floor watching a little Baby Einsteins :) I love this kid :)

Crib Sheets- 2, Mommy- 1

2011-01-25T07:52:00.003-06:00

Ok Mommies.... I need your help! Since Saturday night Carson has "peed out" of his diaper three times. There is nothing worse than going to get him out of bed and noticing that he's been laying in a big pee spot for the last, who knows how many hours. Of course we know removing, washing, and putting on crib sheets is NOT my favorite thing to do. As we all remember from my previous post Crib Sheets: 1, Mommy: 0. A few weeks ago Carson moved out of the Swaddler/Little Snugglers and into the Cruisers (size 3). We of course have been making sure he goes to bed with a clean, fresh diaper but somehow he still manages to "pee out". I'm sure that boys have this problem more than girls...that makes sense. But come on, we shouldn't have this problem every night. James said this morning that maybe he's getting "hard" (Yes, that's exactly what he said...haha) and when it stands up it's just shooting out the top, which is quite possible.

Yesterday when putting the clean sheets on the bed I had, what Oprah likes to call, an "Ah ha" moment. I decided that if I put the sheet protector under Carson rear it would soak up any leaking and then I could just take that off and wash it, point to Mommy. Thinking I was quite brilliant I shared my "plan" with James, telling him to make sure he got the bum positioned on top of the sheet protector. Well, this morning when I went in to get Carson out of bed there it was...A big wet circle, right in the center of the sheet protector. I kind of did a little victory dance as I scooped up Carson :) But as I was celebrating I untied the sheet protector only to realize that...wait for it... Yeah, the sheets were wet too, the point goes to the crib sheets.

So Mommies, I ask you...What do I do? Change diapers? Buy stock in Gain, or just get used to it?

The Toothless Wonder

2011-01-18T12:32:00.004-06:00

I just realized that it's been quite a while since I have given you an update on whats new with Carson! James and I still can't believe how fast he is growing up! The whole "My how the time flies" thing is totally true. Carson is a measly 9 days shy of being 8 months old. Seems hard to believe doesn't it? He is the sweetest little thing :) Even though he doesn't like to be cuddled like he used to he continues to find new ways to show his affection. His smile of course being number one!

As I'm sure you can tell, my kiddo is still toothless. I'm pretty sure back in December I was rambling on about him getting a tooth any day, and then I remember telling our families that by the new year he'd definitely have one. None, Notta, Zilch. However, when he does, we feel sure he will be showing them off!

At the first of the year Carson mastered the art of clapping. And he is still clapping quite often! haha We also taught him to raise his arms up when we say, "Touchdown" but now we can't hardly get him to to it anymore. Right now we are working on waving. He is intrigued when we do it so I know he's trying to figure it out. As far as words go he's doing lots of babbling mixed with a little "Da-Da" here and there :) It's precious! We've also been trying to work on the standing up. He still hasn't really figured out that if he lets go of something, he'll fall!

If you asked me what Carson's favorite thing to do is I'd probably have to say, Eat! You wouldn't really know it by his long and lean physic but the boy LOVES his food! It seems that as soon as I build up my baby food stash he gobbles it all up! Right now he's eating peas, carrots, green beans, squash, zucchini, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, apples, pears, mangoes, peaches, bananas, and plums. He's still eating the rice or oatmeal cereal everyday (mixed with fruit) for breakfast, and last week we introduced him to the little puffs that melt-away. We were surprised to see that when we poured them on his tray he was able to pick them right up with his fingers and put them in his mouth! If the little guy would grow some teeth he'd be able to start trying some finger foods! Last week we also gave him his first teething biscuit...which he LOVED! He chewed/ate that thing for at least 20 minutes, and was a complete MESS! haha

Carson is sleeping great right now too! He's been going to bed around 8:15ish and waking up at about 5am for a diaper change and a bottle, then he'll usually go back to sleep for another hour or two :) Yes, he is a mother's dream!

This weekend the three of us are heading to Owensboro for a quick visit, and for Holli's baby shower! Then, next weekend James' parents are coming up :) We are looking forward to the next couple of weeks with family and friends!!!

We are having such a blast with Carson and everyday I imagine how much fun lies ahead!

Have I Told You Lately...

2011-01-15T21:28:00.004-06:00

Have I told you lately how much I love my life?

Yeah, It's pretty much perfect.

Playtime and Lunch Dates

2011-01-14T09:12:00.005-06:00

Yesterday Carson had a lunch date with a very special little girl named Avery :) Well, actually it was a lunch date/shopping trip! haha Carson and I met Beth and Avery Strautz at the West County Mall to have a little lunch and do a little shopping! Carson and Avery (month and a half old) enjoyed riding around in their strollers while picking out new clothes! Carson must have been looking quite spiffy because he turned a few heads at the mall. While the ladies were checking him out he proceeded to melt their hearts by flashing his big, still toothless, grin :)

In the last couple days Carson has been enjoying having some play time in his bed. He's usually only in there to sleep but while I put away laundry in his room he's liking sitting up and playing in bed :) We've also been working on his first word, "Da-da". He's been saying it lots in his little random babbles but we've been trying to get him to, well, say it on command (for lack of a better word). I took a little video this morning of him playing and babbling... Enjoy :)

Splish Splash, He Was Taking a Bath!

2011-01-11T08:30:00.010-06:00

Yes, it's true! Last night Carson took his first bath in his brand new tub! And of course, he loved it! It's such a relief to have this project behind us! We knew when we bought the house this was something we wanted to tackle right away and a couple months, a week of banging, and a few thousand dollars later here we are!

For a quick recap our bathroom used to have a stall shower, which we converted to a tub, with ceramic tile surround. I love how the white, rectangular tiles make the space look clean and open. We also had an ugly linoleum floor, which sported 3 lovely shades of grey, that was ripped up and replaced with a light tan ceramic tile. And, I'm sure you remember our vanity top. It was black with some white swirls. Enough said. We replaced that with a light tan marble top that has a deep white bowl, along with a shiny new faucet! We also bought a new light fixture and updated the mirror by removing the old one and replacing it with a framed decorative mirror! Our hall bath is quite small so we added a new double towel bar, and moved the tp holder to the side of the vanity to open up a little wall space. I picked out a super cute shower curtain wayyyyy back in the summer (I pretty sure I bought it before we even found the house). I love it because it doesn't scream KIDS BATHROOM :) Enough of the babble I know you want to see the pics!

The lovely bathroom before...

Stall shower...Buh bye!

And now....

And up-close picture of the shower curtain...

Gotta love the double towel bar... If you're lacking in space I highly recommend one of these :)

I love how the mirror and vanity top (minus the back-splash) updated the space!

There is pretty much nothing better than a sparkling new bathroom!

I can't wait to see Carson standing on his little ram step-stool brushing his teeth in front of this mirror....

The kid loves his bathtub! James says we better all love it 4,000 times :) I'm sure we will...And so will our visitors!

Ahh, The Joys of Renovating...

2011-01-06T09:42:00.006-06:00

So when I posted, or should I say bragged, about my $37 tub on Monday I totally jinxed it. Let me explain...Tuesday morning the plumbers came in to move a few pipes to make our shower stall/tub conversion work. While here of course there was something that was going to have to be moved that wasn't planned on....I don't really understand the details all I know is that is cost us an extra $240. Nice. The guys were here most of the day doing their work. Around 2ish they brought in the new tub! I was SOO excited to actually see it in the space so I quickly grabbed a pic while they were outside...

Nice right? Yeah, that's what I thought! Well, about an hour later they inform me that there is a huge crack in the side of it. Now we all know why the dang thing was $37. Thanks Lowe's we appreciate the heads up. So, long story short our contractor tried to find another one at a Lowe's in our area and later found out that every Lowe's in the St. Louis area that had this tub is was cracked. Go figure. The contractor, being the nice guy that he is, managed to squeeze about $60 out of Lowe's for the tub :) Sooo Tuesday afternoon Carson and I set out to find another tub...A trip to Home Depot, and 213 more dollars later we found the perfect tub for our smiling, clapping baby to take a bath in! No worries this go around... I made them check twice for cracks :)

The whole tub debacle set us back just a wee little bit, so yesterday (Wednesday) the newest tub went in and the backer board all went up!

Today our contractor is in the bathroom, singing may I add, working on our tile :) I am most excited about this part of the whole project :)

In the mean time we'll just sit around and listen to the banging. It's really, really loud. Someone sure doesn't seem to mind...

You know you have the perfect baby when jigsawing, hammering, and nail gun shooting doesn't even wake him :) Have I told you lately how much I love this baby?

Let the Renovations Begin!

2011-01-03T20:11:00.005-06:00

Today was the official start to our hall bathroom renovation! When we bought the house the hall/kids bathroom only had a stall shower, which of course was not up to par. We knew right away this was a project we'd have to tackle right away :) Last week we picked out and bought all of our supplies, somehow managing to score a 10% off a Lowe's and find a nice, good quality bathtub for a measly $37. Yes, you read that right. It was originally around $120 and it was marked down to $88 because they were no longer going to to carrying that model. For some reason when the lady rang it up it was $37...Sweet!

Our contractor started banging around this morning at about 8:15 and continued until 2. I am happy to say that the bathroom is completely empty! Woo Hoo! Tomorrow the plumber comes to move some pipes then they will be able to start putting things back in :) I can't wait to see Carson in his new tub!

In case you don't remember what the old bathroom looked like here is a before pic followed by a current one... Can't wait to post the finish product!

Left side (Vanity and toilet)

Future home for our $37 tub :)

Left side now...

No more shower!

No more ugly floor!

More to come...
In the mean time...
Another cute Carson picture...

And yes, he's got a hammer. If Daddy can't be a carpenter why not make Carson one?

Football, Football, and more Football

2011-01-02T18:53:00.002-06:00

What did we do all weekend? We watched football of course! Isn't that what New Year's day is for? It was sooooo nice to spend time relaxing with the hubs and our main man! We watched so much football that by tonight Carson was doing this...

Hilarious!

New Year...New Tricks

2011-01-01T08:35:00.002-06:00

Carson is starting off the new year right! He woke up this morning ready for a year full of new tricks! James and I can not wait to see what this year has in store for us :) 2011 will bring us so many wonderful things!

For the past couple of weeks I've been trying to teach Carson how to clap his hands. We play patty-cakes and cheer, "Yayyyyy Carson!" He always cracks a big smile when we clap but he never would do it. This morning I tried something different, "If you're happy and you know it clap your hands..." Well, we know the kid is happy so it had to work right? Right.

We're so proud :)

Creepy Crawly...

2010-12-31T09:41:00.004-06:00

Carson is huge, and probably by next weekend I'm going to need to completely baby proof the house. Yikes, Yikes, and double yikes. I have a feeling my fairly quite days at home with Carson are about to be a thing of the past! Bring it on buddy... I can't wait :)Caught this video of my main man today. This was the first time I actually saw him be interested in crawling! So cute :)

We're back!

2010-12-29T07:43:00.012-06:00

I'm pretty sure Carson has turned into a whole new child since I've blogged last! It's amazing how much he's changed in just two weeks! I could blog for days about the past couple of weeks but instead I'll try to keep it short and sweet, hitting the high points :)

Carson and I went to Owensboro on the 16th for the arrival of our latest nephew, Easton William Fiorella! He was born on December 16th, weighed 6 lbs 3oz, and was 19 3/4 inches long. Easton and Liz are both doing great and they are all settling in quite nicely :) Parker of course loves his little brother!! So with the arrival of grand-baby number three Carson is no longer the "baby"... and after looking at this picture of him with his newest cousin I'd have to agree that he looks more like a little boy than a baby!

While in Owensboro Carson mastered the art of sitting up! Woot Woot! We've been waiting for this day for quite a while. I'm sure Carson has too, he had to get tired of laying on his back looking at the ceiling.
Because Carson can now sit up, without the help of the Boppy pillow, he was able to take his first bath sitting up :) Cutest thing ever.

Of course while in KY Carson got to celebrate Christmas 5 more times! That meant for lots of opening gifts! By the time we got to Benton to celebrate Christmas with the Harper's Carson had somewhat figured out what to do with the gifts...

The three, well four including Chloe, of us had a WONDERFUL time celebrating Christmas with all of our families. We were reminded again just how lucky we are! Of course Carson had an awesome first Christmas! He racked up an overwhelming amount of presents...

Now if Mommy can just find a place to put them all. Thank goodness we aren't still in that tiny townhouse in Minnesota...

You all know that I take an exorbitant amount of pictures. Because I was at home for two weeks celebrating the arrival of a nephew, along with 5 Christmas', I took a little over 300 pictures (thank goodness for digital cameras)! Yes, I know some of you probably think that is quite ridiculous. haha But how could you not take pictures of this face...

Or this one...

And of course this one :)

There are SO many cute pictures from trip, I just wish I could post them all! I'll finish up with a few of my favs! An attempt at a family picture... Chloe totally ruined it showing off her belly.

James, Josh, Carson, and Jett :)

It doesn't get much sweeter than this...

Oh, and I forgot to mention that while I was on my blogging hiatus Carson turned 7 months old! Before I know it I will be planning his 1st birthday party... Crazy!

I'm also pretty sure his amount of hair has doubled since his 6 month photo shoot!! The second picture of him chewing on the blocks pretty much sums up Carson at 7 months. He is chewing on absolutely everything! And is really close to getting a tooth!

Gotta love this kid :)

Let's Start a Tradition...

2010-12-15T09:24:00.009-06:00

Yesterday I read my friend Melodye's blog post The Non-Crafter's Guide to Crafting Homemade Christmas Ornaments and I was inspired! She makes a good point... Every good stay at home mom should make homemade Christmas ornaments with their kiddos! Sooo yesterday Carson and I did our first craft project together. Sorry buddy, this wont be your last because of course you all know I love a good project. haha Again, if you know me you probably know I can't just do something simple... I have to make it complicated. So I took Melodye's idea of an ornament that will later become a reminder of just how small Carson's hands were on his first Christmas. Yesterday it was really cold out so I didn't want to make Carson get out in the weather just to buy craft supplies so I tried to come up with something I could make with what I already had.

When I put Carson in his highchair to start on the project he was ALL smiles...I'm pretty sure he thought he was about to eat. Sorry for the pump-fake little man! I started by putting a little paint onto a paper plate and stamping his hand into the paint, and then onto some watercolor paper (just a thick artist type paper, same paper I used for Carson's letters in his room). Note to self: Next time you do a paint project with a 6 1/2 month old take off his clothes, and have something to clean him up with handy...duh.

As you can see if took us a couple of tries to get the perfect little hand print! After I stamped his hand, and got him cleaned up and playing on the floor, I traced around his hand print with a pencil, and then cut it out. I pined the paper hand print onto some pieces of left over red felt (from Carson's stocking project) and then cut out two felt hands.

I then found some red floss, or string, in my sewing box and stitched the two hands together, filling them with a small amount of fiberfill. This was a little tedious but I knew the outcome would be worth it :) Once it was complete I went back and added the date into the palm of the hand. Of course I needed to add something so we could hang it on the tree. I snipped off a little piece of ribbon I had leftover from a super cute diaper wreath Pam made for us at a baby shower, and just sewed it to the back of the hand :) Wha-la...Our first homemade ornament!

I love, love, love the way it turned out and I plan making this a tradition! We'll make these every year with Carson, and eventually Harper # 4 :) I'm envisioning a kid friendly tree in the basement (which will be finished someday) covered in soft hand print ornaments. So cute, and so special!

Notice my ultrasound ornament behind the hand? I made that last year right after Carson's first ultra sound, at 10 weeks. This will forever be on our tree, for its the first picture of our sweet baby boy!

Our First Christmas Morning

2010-12-14T12:47:00.007-06:00

Growing up we always woke up EXTRA early on Christmas morning to see what Santa had brought for us, and this year Carson kept the tradition going :) haha He woke up at about 5:00am happy as a clam! James and I just love to lay in bed and listen to him, via the monitors. It's so funny to listen to all of the sounds he makes. Before we know he'll be yelling for us to come get him out of his crib!

Carson LOVED the toys Santa brought him, as well as the things we got for him! And of course, as expected, he loved the paper :) We can't wait to see him tear into more gifts at Granny & Pops' house, and then again at Mimi and Poppy's!

He just couldn't decide what to play with first!

Our happy guy :)

Carson was cracking us up chewing on this thing :)

Who needs breakfast when you can just eat paper?

Carson loved his car but he's not quite big enough yet!

Trying out the new car :) Probably the only time he will ever get a car for Christmas! haha

Priceless :)

Best Christmas EVER!

'Twas the Night Before Christmas...

2010-12-11T21:30:00.004-06:00

'Twas the night before Christmas (yes, I realize it's early) and all through the house not a creature was stirring not even a mouse (that is unless there are still some in our attic). The stockings were hung by the chimney with care in hopes that St. Nicolas would soon be there.

The child (that would be our main man, Carson) was nestled all snug in his bed, while visions of sugarplums (or maybe apples and sweet potatoes) danced in his head. And Daddy in his kerchief (let's call em' sweats) , and I in my cap had just settled down for a long winter's nap.

Ok, I know what your thinking...It's only December 11th?!?! Well, this Thursday my brother Andy will be welcoming a sweet little baby, Easton, into the world :) So, Carson and I are heading to Owensboro for his arrival Thursday morning and will be staying until James comes into town for Christmas on the following Wednesday. Therefore... That leaves tomorrow as our only day to have our Christmas morning! We are SOOOOOOO excited to share our first Christmas with Carson! We can't wait to see his face, and hear his squeals, when he tears into the wrapping paper. Yes, we are totally aware that's all he is going to care about! haha Although...the little guy does have several presents under the tree! Tonight James and I enjoyed being Santa and putting together a few toys :) Now I just hope I'm not too excited to sleep.

Carson + Chloe = Best Buds

2010-12-08T08:26:00.004-06:00

Carson loves his Chloe, and I'm pretty sure Carson is starting to grow on Chloe. haha I think she's figured out if she wants extra attention she's going to have to get it from Carson! Yesterday I captured this sweet little moment...

A little sniff
A little kiss
A little snuggle

I'm pretty sure Chloe is daydreaming of the days when Carson is big enough to chase her around the yard :)

Changes...They are a comin'

2010-12-07T08:06:00.008-06:00

Our little man is changing. Everyday he seems to to be doing something new! When we were at the doctor last week he went over all of the changes I could be seeing before his 9 month check-up. Waving, crawling, maybe saying mama or dada, pulling up, teeth, and maybe even finger foods! Oh how things will change when Carson is mobile. I have to admit, that scares the heck out of me!

We've been trying to get Carson to say mama and dada for a while of course. He LOVES it when we say it. He always grins, which of course just melts my heart! It's like he wants to say it but just can figure out how. He's been doing LOTS of squealing when he gets excited, and in the last couple days I've noticed him making some other new sounds like he's trying to put together some words or something! But, my favorite right now is the fake cough. Cracks me up. He's figured out that if he coughs we stop what we are doing and look at him (to make sure he's ok, and not choking of course) and when he sees us watching him he smiles. It's funny that at such a young age he already knows how to pull our strings. Yikes!

One of my favorite things to do with Carson right now is feed him! I love to watch him eat his fruits and veggies. When I put him in his high chair you can see the excitement in his eyes as if he's saying, "Yay! Time to eat!" Then, the excitement builds as the bib goes on. Once the bib is on he usually looks, to the right, at the counter where his bowl of food sits until we get situated. It's like he's trying to figure out what he's about to eat. Then it's finally time to eat :) I love the face he makes when he takes that first bite. You can see him thinking...trying to determine what he's eating and if he likes it. What a priceless face.

As far as playtime goes Carson is still loving his Exersaucer, he's got it totally figured out. He also still loves the crinkly paper, and anything that can fit into his mouth. Heck, he even likes the things that wont fit! haha He's got a big ball thing that spins and sings the alphabet; it's about the size of a cantaloupe but he still tries to get it in his mouth! So funny! Do you see why I'm nervous about a mobile Carson? There is NO telling what all he will find to put in his mouth! Carson also loves books. I read him a new one last night night, "Peek-a-Boo, I Love You". It has flaps that lift up... Oh man he loved those. He was amazed that a book could do such crazy things! haha

And yes, Carson is still sucking his two fingers :)

Peas and Carrots

2010-12-06T19:13:00.004-06:00

According to Forest Gump "peas and carrots" are a good combo. But, if you ask Carson he'd disagree! Normally I serve Carson's veggies with a side of fruit. Tonight, we did peas and carrots, and Carson said no thanks. I tried to get him to eat it all but he just wasn't having it. We had to mix a few pears in. I have a feeling when it comes time to say, "Carson, you're not leaving the table until you eat your carrots." Carson is going to win the battle. I might be more like my mom than I think....

Long and Lean

2010-12-03T15:49:00.004-06:00

Yes, those two words describe our little Carson quite well. Actually, I should say long and lean, cute, smiley, happy, adorable, best kid ever, blondie, and lovable. Now those words describe Carson! Well, this post isn't about how cute and lovable our little guy is...It's about his 6 month check-up yesterday :) We got, yet another, great report from the doc! Eyes, ears, tummy, heart, lungs, and even his little pee pee were perfect :) He weighs 16lbs 11oz (32%tile) and is 27 1/2in. long (83%tile), and they said his head was 16 3/4in around (16%tile, but normal for his long and leaness). James and I have had some concerns about Carson's head. It appears to be a little flat in the back. Of course the child has spent about 75% of his life so far laying on his back...No wonder. When talking to the doctor about it yesterday he said it was just "mildly" flat and he didn't think it required a helmet, yes, they have those, sad I know. Hearing that a helmet wasn't necessary was good news, but had that been the route we needed to go I feel sure Carson would have "rocked" the helmet quite well :) haha I asked the doctor lots about his eating. As you know he's been eating cereal, fruits, and veggies twice a day, and I was curious as to when he needed to start protein (he suggested around 7 months) and when to feed him food 3 times a day (whenever we want to start). I am NOT looking forward to making homemade meat. The thought of pureeing chicken, pork, and beef makes me what to throw up. Yuck. Hopefully I can tough it out for the little guy :)

At this visit Carson also had to get more shots! Poor, poor guy. He screamed, oh how he screamed. The nurse that gave him the shots is SUPER nice and he loves her. But, after she poked him with two huge needles he was YELLING at her, not just crying, but yelling. I felt sorry for the guy but I have to admit his little 2 minute fit was a little comical considering I've never seen the guy get that mad. I hope I never make him that mad.

On a lighter note...Carson had a blast during his visit (until the shots). If you remember me saying before the kid LOVES the paper that lines the exam table. This time I captured a few pictures of him playing...

I wish we could get a roll of that stuff. haha

In other "development news" Carson is still working on sitting up. We discovered that he can do a pretty good job with the help of his Boppy pillow :) He LOVES being able to sit up and see whats going on (I think he's pretty much seen enough of the ceiling)! I took a little video of him playing this morning. He's playing with is little puppy and he is just dying to eat it. Funny.

Carson meets Santa!

2010-11-28T17:43:00.002-06:00

Today James and I took Carson to meet Santa at the mall... He loved him :) And we love this picture... Priceless!