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?

One FULL Weekend!

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

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

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...

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

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