Lucky Duck...

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...

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...

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...

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

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

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...

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?