Rardin Family

Carson's 3rd Birthday Party

2010-12-15T13:40:00.001-08:00

Carson turned 3. WHAT?!? Where did teh time go? We had a great time with his Diego cake, even though it turned his whole face blue. Oh, well. You only turn 3 once. :) My best friend and her family even came down from Iowa for the party. She's the best!

Hayride

2010-12-15T13:24:00.000-08:00

We went on a hayride with Grammy and our church. It got to be quite cold, but I was lucky enough to have Carson as a nice heating blanket on my lap. He had a great time! He liked getting to have s'mores afterwards, then we went out for pizza with Grammy. Yummy!

Carson's first s'more

Carson's Christmas program

2010-12-15T12:48:00.000-08:00

Okay, since it has been months, I'm going to do a few posts, starting with the most recent.

Carson had a Christmas program at school Monday night. He was fine walking to the stage, then got nervous and chewed on his hand the whole time... until "ho, ho, ho" was heard and Santa walked in. Carson's whole face lit up. It was so cute!!

Mother's Day

2010-06-11T11:11:00.000-07:00

Grammy, Grampy, Uncle Scott, Aunt Mary, and Ben came over for Mother's Day. It was so much fun to watch the boys play together!!

Carson "getting" Uncle Scott

Peek-a-boo, Carson!

Carson playing with Baby Ben

Silly Carson!

Not having much luck with pictures

Here's a good one!

My Mother's Day photo - Carson didn't want to pose.

Carson and Aunt Mary

Mommy and Silly Carson

Ben and Carson with their matching shirts. Thanks, Grammy!!

March of Dimes walk

2010-06-03T10:16:00.000-07:00

We participated in the March of Dimes walk with Heather and Cap Fed in honor of Princess Savannah.

Tanner riding in Carson's stroller

Carson and Mommy on the motorcycle

Heather, Savannah, Carson, Mommy

Mommy, Linda, and Heather

Daddy and his cousin Amy

Carson, Mommy, Daddy and Tanner

yellow vest

2010-06-03T10:12:00.000-07:00

LOVE my new YELLOW vest. not really, but my mommy does.

Jamaica

2010-06-03T09:22:00.000-07:00

okay, so the photos start at the end of the trip and end at the beginning. i don't have the time or the patience to rearrange - sorry.

our view down the beach

our fave tree

Cj's turn!

please don't touch my butt!

me and ray

josh, ray, me, cj on our last night

the sunset we went to rick's cafe for

the happy couples after the jump... and a bottle of absolut

the jump that broke my booty

at rick's cafe before the fateful jump

all dressed up for rick's

the ladies

beach bummin'

cj's fave pic of me - bikini and tennis shoes. doesn't get any hotter than that!

during the booze cruise, after the dunn's river falls and snorkeling

our new friends from canada. cheers!

silly honey - and the jamaican flag

on our way to snorkel then dunn's river falls

heading to town for some shopping

testing out the lounge chairs - yep, they work :)

the boys in the fountain - dorks

taking a walk on the beach on our first night there

cj and our large room with bob marley heads above the bed. hilarious!

Cj and I joined my best friend Rachel and her hubby Josh along with another couple in Jamaica for 6 days, 5 nights. It was a lot of fun, but it was 1 night too many, especially since we hadn't been away from our kids that long before. We tried to talk to Carson twice, and it was just too hard. It was so great to see him when we got home!! Even harder to take him to daycare the next day!

If you didn't know, the wives went cliff jumping the next to last night. It was a lot of fun... on the way down. Ray and I went twice due to a technical difficulty (a boat with a driver who couldn't steer) and we both got injured the 2nd time. She busted her lip and I busted my butt-- big time. I was black and purple from the backs of my knees to the top of my butt. I was the talk of the resort as I carried around a pillow to sit on. Made for a loooong trip back.

Easter

2010-04-09T08:42:00.001-07:00

Daddy and Tanner went with us to church on Easter to meet up with Grammy and Grampy. We headed back to our house to play and help the Easter bunny hide eggs until Grammy and Grampy came over. Tanner and Carson went to find the 65 eggs that Mommy and the Easter bunny hid in the backyard. It was a beautiful day out! The boys had a great time and Daddy did a wonderful job on the grill! Good day for a nap! Jesus sure was shining brightly on that day as we celebrated the gift of His life. Amen!

Grammy and Grampy with the boys
Family
Grammy, Grampy, and our family
Tanner and Carson hunting for 65 eggs
Carson hunting
Carson took out Tanner
Tanner trying to stop laughing
Family photo
Carson checking out his loot
Our Easter dessert (Mommy made Easter baskets out of the cupcakes)

Church Easter egg hunt

2010-04-09T08:34:00.000-07:00

We joined Linda, her daughters, and their kiddos for an Easter egg hunt at their Wed night church. There were over 10,000 Easter eggs. Holy cow!!! It was so much fun and a beautiful day! We had a good time and it was fun to spend time with them. Carson did a great job, and he only had to move about 3 feet to get a basket full of eggs!
Keelie and Carson
total cheese!
hunting for eggs
Mommy holding the basket
Mommy and Carson

Overalls

2010-04-09T08:30:00.000-07:00

Mommy loves her baby in overalls!!

March of Dimes Fundraiser

2010-04-09T08:23:00.000-07:00

Carson and I went to meet Heather at Cap Fed to join her at the March of Dimes fundraiser. Carson had a great time and it was fun to spend time with Heather and Savannah outside of daycare. We are going to walk with them on May 1st to help raise money and support March of Dimes. We can't wait!
Carson practicing his putting
Savannah
It was NOT easy trying to get a picture of Carson and Savannah together.
Heather, Savannah, Carson, and Mommy
Heather helping Carson on the cake walk

First day of spring?

2010-04-09T08:17:00.001-07:00

Here's Carson in 6+ inches of snow, on the first day of spring. What the heck? He had a great time right after church and couldn't understand why he coudln't play again after nap. Well, the temperature decided to rise and the sun came out, so the snow was melting almost as quickly as it had come. Oh, ya gotta love Kansas weather! (Well, not really, but wait about 10 minutes and it will change again.)

St. Patty's Day

2010-03-17T07:10:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patty's Day

Cupcakes with Daddy

2010-03-17T06:59:00.000-07:00

Daddy decided he wanted a turn making cupcakes with Carson. They had a good time and they were yummy in and on the tummy!

Big boy undies

2010-03-17T06:51:00.000-07:00

We attempted potty training quickly realized Carson was NOT ready yet. That's okay. Much easier that way, actually. But, we went ahead and got some big boy undies. Carson was very excited about his "spob-bob unwear."

What a boy!!!
Look at that little booty!

Sporting Mommy's jacket

2010-02-18T14:14:00.000-08:00

Carson decided that Mommy was done wearing her jacket and actually made me take it off. He even unzipped it to help me. Isn't he so sweet? When we put it on the first time, it was too far forward, so he wanted me to "zip it more." Since it wouldn't "zip more", he took it off. Then, he put it back on, and I adjusted it, so he felt like it was zipped all the way. What a crack up! He was very proud of his new jacket.

Helping with Lily

2010-02-18T14:12:00.000-08:00

Love this warm up suit. Thanks, Grampa and Gramma! Carson is such a helper - he wanted to help me take Lily out. He did a great job, until she started to run away and tried to take him with her!

MMs

2010-02-18T14:10:00.001-08:00

M&Ms

Enough said.

Microwave box

2010-02-18T13:59:00.000-08:00

Carson had more fun playing in this microwave box than almost any toy we've bought him so far. Now I'm thinking that I may keep buying myself more things and giving him the boxes rather than buying him toys. :)

Carson's boo boo

2010-01-28T07:35:00.000-08:00

Carson fell over my feet last night and hit his lip on my armoire. It was horrible! Poor baby was screaming and bleeding. He's okay, but Mommy is still having a hard time.
not a very good "cheese"
my big boy putting his own shoes on

Uncle Scott's birthday

2010-01-28T07:10:00.001-08:00

We travelled to Chillicothe with Grammy and Grampy on Sunday to see Uncle Scott for his birthday. Carson was more concerned with seeing Baby Ben, but that's okay. He was quite excited about Uncle Scott and Aunt Mary once we got there. The boys had a great time together, and Carson wanted to constantly hold and/or pick up Baby Ben. Oh, gracious!
Carson wearing Tanner's shades on the way to Chilli
Carson picking up Baby Ben
Carson and Baby Ben
Cj, Danie, Carson, and Baby Ben
Scott, Danie, and the boys
Scott and Grampy playing chicken with the boys

Carson's purse

2010-01-26T10:49:00.000-08:00

Carson is now carrying around this purse and saying it's his purse and he needs to take it everywhere. He "needs" it in order to leave the house, especially if we're going shopping somewhere. Cracks me up!

Cupcakes

2010-01-26T10:24:00.000-08:00

Carson helped me bake cupcakes on Saturday. I asked if he wanted to make cookies or cupcakes, and he chose cupcakes. I even let him help with the beater!! He did a great job! He even helped decorate with chocolate frosting and colored sprinkles.These were the best cupcakes I've ever made - even Cj says so. They were still moist on Monday when I took them to work and Tuesday when I took some to daycare. I'm pretty proud of us. :) As you can tell by Carson's face, they tasted pretty good.

My little love bandit

2010-01-22T12:37:00.000-08:00

Tanner picked out this shirt for Carson - I love it!!

Playing in the snow

2010-01-22T12:13:00.000-08:00

Daddy and Carson
Mommy and Carson

I tuck!!
having fun
Carson got a snowsuit from one of my insureds (thank you, Michelle!!) and we decided to test it out. Cj had to come home instead of going to the gym, so he could play with Mommy and Baby. It was quite funny, especially when Carson would fall. He would lay there and say, "I tuck" (I stuck). Cracked us up. Reminded us of the little kid in "Christmas Story" that had his arms out and couldn't move with all the padding. Carson had a great time and was not happy about having to go inside. I will say the suit was wonderful and he stayed warm and dry. Success!!

Fingerpainting with pudding

2010-01-22T11:10:00.000-08:00

I had Carson home with me while I was off work between Christmas and New Year's. I got vanilla pudding and put food coloring in it as a fun art project. Plus, I figured it would be safer than regular finger paint AND it would be easier to clean up. It was a fun project that we may need to do again!!

Christmas with Uncle Scott, Aunt Mary, and Baby Ben

2010-01-08T14:52:00.001-08:00

Uncle Scott, Aunt Mary, and Baby Ben came over the day after Christmas. Carson was SO excited to see Baby Ben and asked immediately if he could hold the baby. I think he kept hoping that Ben would get up and start playing. No such luck. :(
Grampy and Ben
Carson's new boots
Grammy and the little boys
Aunt Mary helping Carson with presents
Cj, Ben, and Carson
Danie and Baby Ben
Tanner and Grammy
Carson and Ben pushing the alligators
boys reading
Ben's already driving?!?

Christmas 2009

2010-01-08T13:45:00.000-08:00

Santa brought Carson a kitchen that makes noise for Christmas and Mommy and Daddy gave him some kitchen accessories that actually work! The blender twists and makes noise and the coffee pot actually filters water. Carson's fave is the mixer and he carries it everywhere while "making noise." We couldn't get him to open any more presents after that! Tanner got a guitar from Dad and Danie and Santa brought him the Lebron James basketball shoes he was wanting. It was a great day! Grammy and Grampy had trouble coming over with the lovely snow and the horrible accumulation of snow that hadn't been plowed at the entry to our subdivision. Needless to say, Grampy watched the cars driving and the snow plows running like he watches the contruction in Cabo. Cracked me up! It was wonderful to have the family together.
Carson with his kitchen
Grammy with Carson
Tanner with his guitar
Tanner with his new Lebron James shoes
Grammy and Grampy with the boys
Family photo
Carson's Christmas booty

Christmas Eve 2009

2010-01-08T13:44:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since I've posted anything, so we'll have a few posts today!
Carson and Addalynn
Tanner and Carson
Carson opening a party
CJ and Danie (finally a good pic!)
Grandma Nancy with Carson and Addalynn

12 Days of Christmas Sale

2009-12-14T09:45:00.000-08:00

This sale only goes thru Dec 22nd, so be sure to order here today! If you don't have a Big Shot yet, be sure to contact me directly to get 20% off! What a great Christmas gift!! Make sure you place your order by Dec 15th to get your gifts by Christmas!

Dancing baby

2009-12-09T13:27:00.000-08:00

Carson LOVES to dance! I finally caught a couple good pics as he's running around the family room to the tune of Tigger.

What a helper!

2009-12-09T12:15:00.001-08:00

Carson "helped" me get out the door on Friday to run errands when we were home together.

Hot chocolate packet

2009-12-02T12:38:00.000-08:00

This is why you don't leave your kid alone for more than 10 seconds...

Notice how he said "cheese" even though he didn't want his picture taken?
He was so proud of himself and kept saying "yummy" as he tasted the powder. That's not exactly what I was thinking.

Thanksgiving Eve

2009-12-02T12:27:00.000-08:00

We went to Grammy and Grampy's to hang out with them, Uncle Scott, Aunt Mary, and Baby Ben. Carson was asking about seeing Baby Ben the ENTIRE way from our house to theirs. Got even worse when I had to turn around part way there to get his diaper bag - it had been a long day. Carson had a great time with Baby Ben!

Grammy fixed a Tigger chair she had found at a garage sale. Carson wasn't too sure about Baby Ben sitting in his chair.

Carson wanted to "stir" while Tanner and Grammy made pie.

Tanner's goofy pictures

Happy Day TO YOU

2009-12-02T11:41:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Carson's birthday on Thanksgiving, since the family was already there. Ever since he saw his Tigger cake and we sang Happy Birthday, Carson would say "happy day TO YOU" (really stressing the TO YOU) when he saw the cake again or someone wished him a happy birthday. It was quite entertaining. We used to keep saying it to him just to egg him on so we could all laugh. At one point, I was holding him and he started singing "happy day to you" but he never got the "dear Carson" part. I got a good giggle out of that one.
He helped "foof" (what he calls blowing out the candles or blowing on hot food) the birthday candles. Great job! Yeah, Carson! (at this point he would clapping for himself)

When Carson opened his presents, he called it "open party" - he was opening a party in a bag. Too cute! He definitely knew what he was doing.

Happy Turkey Day

2009-12-02T11:34:00.000-08:00

We went to Grammy and Grampy's on Thanksgiving Eve for Grammy and Tanner to make the pumpkin pies. Doesn't this look yummy?!? It was delicious - Tanner did a great job!

Carson posing with Grammy

Carson and Adalynn

Brittany and Landon reading to the kids - so cute!!

Online Extravaganza

2009-11-23T09:36:00.000-08:00

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Stampin' Up! Holiday Promotion

2009-11-18T07:30:00.000-08:00

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Be sure to share this special with others! In fact, contact me for information on a Holiday Gift Registry with me! I will wrap the gifts, deliver them and with a $50 order, include a FREE gift! Great idea to make sure hubby gets you exactly what you want this Christmas!

**ideas for this post from Marie Shaughnessy**

Halloween 2009

2009-11-16T14:42:00.000-08:00

Carson was Tigger for Halloween. We even got him to jump like Tigger and say "hoo hoo" like him, too. It was so cute!! Tanner had a fabulous Michael Jackson costume with the wig, mask, and sunglasses. We were so impressed! However, it scared poor Carson to tears, so Tanner got to wear the hat and sunglasses. :( Grammy and Grampy came to our house with pizza to see the boys and enjoy the holiday with us. It was a lot of fun, and I think they enjoyed it too.

Rock Chalk Jayhawk

2009-10-29T14:13:00.000-07:00

Carson can say "Rock Chalk Jayhawk. Go KU!" I worked with him on that last Saturday, and Cj gets so excited whenever Carson says it. It is really cute. You know Carson wants to say it when he says "walk walk" to you. So, I dressed him in his KU basketball uniform for the Halloween party at Linda's today. Her husband is a BIG OU fan, so we thought it was good that he was at work before we got there.

Jammies and diapers

2009-10-29T13:58:00.000-07:00

Carson has figured out how to unzip his jammies and take them off. Great! It is such a pain sometimes to keep his clothes on. The really bad part is that he is starting to figure out how to undo the diaper too. OH, NO!! If he wants to potty in the potty and/or we are changing his diaper, he will start to pull down the back for a baby plumber's crack. It is SO funny! Now, he has started to pull the tabs on the diaper to unfasten it. Not so funny.

Bathtime

2009-10-29T13:13:00.000-07:00

It had been a long time since I had taken pics of Carson in the tub, so I took the camera last week and took 20 photos. Yeah, I went a little nuts! No, I won't post all of them, even though they are all really cute. :) Carson LOVES to play in the water as it's running in the tub. Bubbles are a blast. Then, Carson lays on his belly "swimming" from end to end. Cracks me up! He's such a water baby and he loves to play in the tub. Whenever we mention the word "bath", he repeats it and heads for the stairs.
swimming
asking Mommy to turn the water on

yeah water!
playing in the water with his "red cup"
sweet boy
daring me by standing up in the tub
sitting down quickly when I threaten to take him out
laughing about the stand up/sit down game

Baylor tee

2009-10-07T10:01:00.000-07:00

Today was "pink" day at school, so Carson needed to wear pink. Needless to say, the boy doesn't own anything pink. So, I put my Baylor shirt on him so he could be manly and sport a little pink. It wasn't as big on him as I thought it would be. Worked out nicely. I was happy to see my little "bear" showing some Baylor pride.
brushing his teeth

running towards me

telling Lily no-no
eating his cookie
eating the frosting out of the cookie

trying to put the lens cap on the camera

Taking a picture is worth 1000 words

2009-10-05T14:47:00.000-07:00

I thought Carson looked super cute, not that I think otherwise any other morning, but I love overalls and wanted a picture. He was just standing and playing, then the camera came out. He kept running towards me too quickly for me to snap a photo. When I would back him up and/or tell him to back up, he would start laughing. Then, he would walk backwards and often times fall over in the process. He had us both cracking up.

Baby Ben

2009-10-05T14:32:00.000-07:00

Scott and Mary came over with Baby Ben to celebrate my birthday. Carson did really good at pointing and saying "baby" but it was a little to close at times when Carson tried to poke the baby. He hasn't quite mastered the art of being gentle yet. We're working on it!

29 and a day

2009-09-23T08:23:00.000-07:00

so, it was a big birthday this year. very memorable, but not necessarily in a good way. one bright shining moment: carson started to call me mommy, not just mama. it's so sweet!! i'm not crazy about rain, so that just made it all the more depressing. the day started with me taking a sick baby to the doctor. he has been having a really bad cough, so we thought it should get checked out. good thing we did!! he has an upper respiratory infection, just shy of pneumonia. poor baby!! he also got the flu shot, which went over like a lead balloon. we left there to get his medicine at the pharmacy. since they weren't ready for us, we rode the "ni" 5 times to pass the time. carson seemed to enjoy it, so i couldn't complain. we went home to play and wait for daddy. when daddy got home, i had lunch ready for carson, but he didn't eat much. i left for work where we had a nice lunch and cake - yummy!! thanks, shelley. :) too bad daddy called to report that carson had fallen and hit his head in the garage. rough day, little guy! i came home to sweet cards from carson and cj. carson and i ran an errand while daddy made me chicken florentine - it was great! too bad i didn't get to eat for 30 mins or so; carson was very upset. i gave him a bath and even jumped in to enjoy the bubbles with him. of course, he had to slip and bump his head on the tub as we were getting out. man oh man, kiddo!! we snuggled up to tigger as we fell asleep.
i was home until 12 on tuesday since i had a late appointment. good thing i was home! i was nauseous all morning and carson wanted his mommy. lily ran away (was sorry to have to find her) - good thing she was at the neighbor's house. carson fell asleep on the way to linda's then wailed when i left. it was horrible! i wanted to grab him and run home. he fell asleep on our walk/run then we played in the bath again. i just love to hear him giggle!!
he's doing much better than he was, and he's doing a great job with his breathing machine. he helps put the fish mask on, then he likes to turn the machine on to start and off when done. good thing he's helping - he has to do it 3 times a day for a week! he likes his medicine. he takes the dropper and sucks the medicine out. makes life a lot easier. hopefully he'll be all better soon. i hate having a sick baby!!
fyi - so far, being 30 sucks, and i'm only 2 days into it!!

Yellow cupcake

2009-09-16T10:50:00.000-07:00

Yellow is the theme this week at Linda's and "patty cake" is the song. So, they made cupcakes with yellow frosting yesterday. Carson had one at daycare then another one for dessert last night. Looks pretty yummy!! (It was pretty good too!)

Playing in the "wa-la"

2009-09-16T10:35:00.000-07:00

Cj was watering the yard, and Carson decided he needed to be watered, too. He would get tagged by the sprinkler, laugh, then run off. He turned around, shouted "wa-la" (water) then headed back to the water. Needless to say, he was soaked after 10 minutes and was a little cold from the chilly water.

Good looks

2009-09-04T12:37:00.000-07:00

Carson got this onesie from Brittany, and he's finally big enough to wear it. Cracks me up!! "Good looks courtesy of Mommy" -- exactly right!! Too bad he looks just like his daddy...

heading to the porch to jump
strutting down the sidewalk
running
mad little man
look at what I got in the mail

Overalls

2009-09-04T12:28:00.000-07:00

I LOVE little boys in overalls. Too darn cute!!!

Lake 2009- day 3

2009-09-04T12:17:00.000-07:00

Another beautiful day at the lake. We tried to run around and squeeze in all the fun, sun, and relaxing that we could before heading out. I made Carson stay awake until we hit the road, a little after 2. I wanted to make sure we got a good nap in, since he didn't sleep at all on the way to the lake. I was NOT going to go thru that again. Carson was asleep before we even got on the road outside the lake, not even a mile away. It was great!! He slept for a little over halfway when we needed a potty break. We had "l-ein" (Little Einsteins) and "manny" (Handy Manny) to keep us entertained almost the rest of the way. All in all, he did really well, with a couple of minor hiccups. Boy, were we ready for our own beds that night!!
sweeping the kitchen floor
posing with Grammy in his new Nebraska shirt
posing with Mama
Cruising in the golf cart
Getting chocolate gravy
smiling at Carly
driving the boat with Uncle Merlyn
Grammy and Grampy on the boat
Dr. Carson strikes again
Having a farkling good time

Lake 2009 - day 2

2009-09-04T12:07:00.000-07:00

So many pictures that I decided to break up the photos into days. Saturday was so much fun! Let the farkling begin!! Carson took a 3 1/2 hour nap, so Grammy taught us how to play Farkle. We had a great time in the sun, laughing and drinking. We had a fire in the fire pit that night. Carson became a football player that night (although he didn't realize it) as we took my nickname of "booty" and made that his name. He would sit on the step (bench) then jump up with his arms up as he took the field. Booty Rardin!! I took Carson in to get him ready for bed and he told me he was ready for bed as he pawed at the side of the bed. I layed down with him to get him to sleep, and he reached over and held my hand. I fell in love all over again. Needless to say, I fell asleep with him. So much for the fire.

Sweeping the patio - no more leaves, Uncle Merlyn!
Playing "ni" with Aunt Diane
Carson and Aunt Diane
with Mommy at the bonfire
Mama and baby at the fire pit

Lake 2009 - day 1

2009-09-04T10:35:00.000-07:00

Carson and I went to the lake with Grammy and Grampy this year while Cj and Tanner stayed home. The car rides were a little long, but we sure had a great time when we were there!! Carson is now obsessed with driving, after cruising in the golf cart. He also chased "mow" (meow for Louis the cat) around the house. Louis (lou-lou) wasn't quite sure what to think about this rowdy boy. Aunt Diane, Carly, and I learned how to farkle - thanks Grammy - and I can't remember the last time I laughed that hard. It was nice to get away and we are anxiously awaiting our next visit to the "compound."
Riding the "ni" (horse) when we first arrived
Swimming with Grammy
Napping with Grammy
Tired baby
Reading with Grammy
Glasses - Carson came walking out with these on to surprise everyone. We cracked up!!
Dr. Carson
Dr. Carson checking Mommy's ears
Chasing "mow"
Carson took over the bed!!

Growing older

2009-09-03T11:15:00.000-07:00

Since I will be (sadly) leaving my 20s this year, I thought this email I received from my mom seemed appropriate for this BIG occasion.
Personally, I think it can be hell getting older, but life sure is a fun ride.

Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It
is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step..
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone...
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time the time it needs.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41 Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

Drinks Reflect Personality

2009-08-26T14:19:00.001-07:00

Before you order a drink in public you should read this. Seven New York City bartenders were asked if they could nail a woman's personality based on what she drinks. Though interviewed separately, they concurred on almost all counts. The results:

WOMAN DRINKS AND WHO THEY ARE.

Drink: Beer
Personality: Causal, low-maintenance; down to earth.
Your Approach: Challenge her to a game of pool.

Drink: Blender Drinks
Personality: Flaky, whiny, annoying; a pain in the ass.
Your Approach: Avoid her, unless you want to be her cabana boy.

Drink: Mixed Drinks
Personality: Older, more refined, high maintenance, has very picky taste; knows EXACTLY what she wants.
Your Approach: You won't have to approach her. If she's interested, she'll send YOU a drink......

Drink: Wine (does not include White Zinfandel)
Personality: Conservative and classy; sophisticated yet giggles.
Your Approach: Tell her you love to travel and spend quiet evenings with my friends.

Drink: White Zinfandel
Personality: Easy; thinks she is classy and sophisticated, actually, she has NO clue.
Your Approach: Make her feel smarter than she is..this should be an easy target.

Drink: Shots
Personality: Likes to hang with pals and looking to get totally drunk... and naked.
Your Approach: Easiest hit in the joint. You have been blessed. Nothing to do but t wait, however, be careful not to make her mad!

Drink: Tequila
No explanations required - everyone just KNOWS what happens there.

MAN DRINKS & WHO THEY ARE

The deal with guys is, as always, very simple and clear cut:

Domestic Beer: He's poor and wants to get laid.
Imported Beer: He likes good beer and wants to get laid.
Wine: He is hoping that the wine will give him a sophisticated image to help him get laid.
Whiskey: He doesn't give a damn about anything but getting laid.
Tequila: He is thinking he has a chance with the toothless waitress.
White Zinfandel: He's gay.

Potty training

2009-08-12T06:43:00.000-07:00

So, I'm starting to get the BabyCenter emails (got them weekly during pregnancy and get them weekly now about Carson's age/progress) about potty training. Really? Already? They do have some good info, but I'm not sure we're ready for this stage yet. They say you can potty train in 10 steps. There is also a checklist to determine when the kiddo is ready to start. Then there are specific tips for boys vs girls. That's probably a good thing. I have read these articles many times, and each time Carson seems to get one more thing on the checklist.

The funniest part about this whole deal is that Carson is now obsessed with "poo poo." He likes to point it out when the dogs are going then go find it to point it out to me. Yes, Carson, I know there is stinky poo poo there. Yes, Carson, I know the doggie did it. Yes, Carson, I know it was Potter or Lily (he tells me which one did it). Cracks me up! Referring to a previous post, he likes to follow behind me and "help" with picking up poo poo - which is technically supposed to be Tanner's job.

The other day, I asked Carson if he was "poopy" and he will usually answer correctly. Believe me, it usually smells bad enough for you to know the right answer. He turned around and stuck his booty in my face for me to double check, and I was right. Made me laugh! He will sometimes pull at his diaper when he is poopy or he will let me know he needs a new diaper from being wet if I ask. Oh, the joys!

Peyton's 5th birthday/water party

2009-08-05T14:57:00.000-07:00

We had a BLAST at Peyton's 5th birthday party. It was so much fun to play in the blow up water park. I want one!! I told Cj we should do that for my birthday this year. Woo hoo! They had extra swimmies, so Carson had a grand old time. He's such a water baby. Then, I kept getting in to check on him. I decided by this point that I was wet enough, and I took Carson down the water slides in my clothes. It was great! I love being a fun mom!!
helping Carson go down the slide

baby buns playing on the waves

surfin in the USA

Carson using a water cannon

Carson crawling thru the tunnel

at the end of the tunnel

Carson wanted Mommy to crawl thru the tunnel too

Mommy taking Carson down the slide, fully clothed

Carson falling back down the slide as he tried to crawl up

**PS-- I want one of these for my birthday party!!

National Geographic pics

2009-08-04T09:07:00.000-07:00

I got these photos, and I love seeing mommies and babies in nature. It warms my heart to know these wild animals have motherly instincts. I think about my baby at home and how much I love him. What a blessing it is to be a mom and have a happy, healthy baby to love, hold, snuggle, kiss, laugh with... I could go on and on.

Big Boy is 20 months

2009-07-31T12:43:00.000-07:00

Carson is such a BIG boy!! He is walking, talking, running, into everything... It has all gone by so fast. It seems that he's adding new words all the time. He is learning that the binkie is for ni-ni time only - in fact, I put him in bed this morning to play while I put his clothes away (he wanted to be there). When I got him out of bed, I told him the binkie stays in bed. He took it out of his mouth and threw it in the crib. WOW!!

Carson says lots of words: mama, dada, Lily, pugkah (Potter), nano (Tanner), papa, mine, no, nee (neigh for horse), ooh ooh aah aah (for monkey), tank oo (thank you), more (with the sign), eeee (eat), juice (with the sign), mik (milk), duh (Linda, I think), beep (with a sign for me to sing Wheels on the Bus), row (with a sign for Row, Row, Row your boat), money (he loves to take the change out of my wallet and play with the credit cards - scary!), peas (please, with the sign), byie (bike), wah (walk), waher (water), baby (which he says plain as day and is his name for Savannah - don't know if he realizes she has a name), Tigguh (Tigger - love it!) along with many more and the signs for spider (itsy, bitsy spider), jesus (Jesus Loves Me) -- seems like we are adding a new word all the time!

He loves to dance whenever he hears music, which just cracks me up. The beat starts on the TV or radio, and the little booty starts bouncing and shaking.

Carson is now into opening and shutting the microwave door and putting his juice inside then taking it out. Oh, gracious. One of our next major purchases will be a microwave over the stove. I don't really care for those, but I don't want my little man playing in the microwave anymore. Not a good toy.

He also has a fascination with our digital picture frame. He will stand there watching it for a long time pointing out mama, dada, nano, pucott (Uncle Scott) in the photos and gets excited for each new one. He calls himself 'baby' as well, but he does answer to Carson, so he recognizes himself in the pictures. I guess baby is easier to say. The funny part, too, is that he will make faces at his reflection in the mirror (quite hilarious, especially when he laughs at the other baby) then stop to look for the other baby behind the armoire door.

Carson is learning to push buttons to see how much he can get away with. Some days the boy pushes me past my breaking point. Good thing he's cute and I love him. :)

**He was wearing one of Tanner's old shirts to bed and loved it! It fit kind of like a robe and it was big enough to make it easy to get on and off by himself. WOW!

**We are working on brushing our teeth. He has his own toothbrush with Tigger on it, and sometimes he really likes brushing and getting toothpaste and other times he's not such a fan.

De-pooping

2009-07-28T09:42:00.000-07:00

Carson and I decided to help Daddy de-poop the yard while he and Lily took a nap before having to mow. Carson carried around the scoop and the bag and got mad whenever I took it to actually clean up a mess. It wasn't so bad and actually kept him busy, until he decided he wanted to stick his hand into the bag. GROSS!! Needless to say, we were done pretty quickly and scrubbed our hands for a looong time when we got done. And to think that he points at the scoop hanging in the garage and wants to play with it... NO WAY!

Tanner's soccer camp

2009-07-28T08:59:00.000-07:00

Tanner had the opportunity to participate in the Rush Festival this past week/weekend. Rush teams from all across the country, including Hawaii, came in to play and attend classes. The boys and girls played games in the morning, then had lunch, followed by classroom sessions and practice. Camp started at 8 am and ended at 4:30. What a long day! Tanner had a blast and really enjoyed going. He learned a lot but got frustrated with how good the other teams were that they were playing against. We were very proud of Tanner and how well he played. He did really well about being on time and having everything he needed, until the last day which ended up being a fluke mistake. **He couldn't find his jersey, which ended up being in a side pocket of his bag beneath his notebook. No wonder he couldn't find it. :)** The parents were invited to watch the kiddos play their games, so we went out on Sat and Sun mornings to watch Tanner, which is something Cj and I love to do.
overlooking the fields to the trees
watching "nano" play

Tanner is the one in the grey jersey with his left arm in the air in the middle of the photo
bribing Carson with Starbursts

Home with Mommy

2009-07-28T08:16:00.000-07:00

Carson and I were home together on Wednesday since Daddy and I went to the Poison/Def Leppard concert on Tuesday night. I was missing my baby, so I thought I would stay home and enjoy the day. We had lots of running around to do - Lily to the doctor in the morning, followed by playtime, then doctor for Mommy in the afternoon. Even though we had to wait a LONG time at both doctor's offices, Carson was all smiles. :)

Carson was a BIG help - he mowed the mulch, the sidewalk, and the drain pipe. Wow! He even knows how and where to "park" his mower. He doesn't always do it when you ask, and typically not the first 4 times you tell him. Selective listening already?

We're getting ready to go on a walk with a VERY tired boy. He wanted to go a long way, and Lily got tired, so I put her in the basket of the stroller beneath the seat. She did pretty good about riding, but had to jump out and get Potter a couple of times. It was so funny! Of course, Carson wouldn't nap at all during the afternoon walk, so he crashed after my doctor's appointment and I let him sleep until about 6:45. Any later than that and I knew he wouldn't go to bed that night.

Days like this make me want to stay home and play!!

Sleeping in his own bed

2009-07-17T11:21:00.000-07:00

This week has been a challenge, sort of. We decided it was finally time for Carson to put himself to sleep and sleep in his own bed. So, bedtime came on Monday, and Carson ended up staying with me since Cj was going to sleep on the couch to help his shoulder. Tuesday night came round 1. Carson fell asleep on the walk, which was great, but he woke up as soon as we got home. Dang it! Cj snuggled him for a few minutes, then I snuggled for a few minutes. When I put him down to sleep, he got upset for about a minute. I thought, I can do this! Then it started. Cj went to check on Carson about an hour later and the stinker woke up screaming. I went upstairs to see the commotion and had Cj leave with me and we agreed that we couldn't go in there because he would wake up. About 2 am (after being up every 1-1.5 hours screaming for 5-10 minutes), Cj suggested I check on Carson (who was screaming at the time) and maybe change his diaper. I vetoed the diaper idea since we didn't to that when he was in our bed, but I wanted to make sure Carson has his binkie and his blankie. He had both. He stood up, and I just laid him back down both times. (I was very proud of myself.) I rubbed his back for about 10 minutes, but he still wasn't asleep. That's when I chose to leave the room. He cried for about a minute then went back to sleep. The garage door woke him up when I left Wed morning, so Cj decided it was late enough and brought him to our bed.

On Wed night, Carson cried for a minute then slept thru the night. He was in our bed Thurs morning when I got back from the gym, but Cj said he had just gotten there. The garage door woke Carson up, but Cj let Carson cry himself back to sleep.

Last night, Carson slept thru the walk, then woke up a little bit as he was being transported from the stroller to his bed. As I put him down, it looked like his eyes were open just a little bit. He didn't make a peep and slept thru the night again. I did have to go up once to put his binkie back in, and he was back out instantly.

Needless to say, I think Carson is getting a much better night's sleep in his own bed. I cannot say the same for me. Unfortunately, I am used to him being there, and I am half awake waiting to hear him cry at night, even though I'm not going in there to rescue him. I know it is better for all involved and it's nice to have my bed back, sort of, if you don't count Potter and Lily...

Grammy's birthday

2009-07-14T10:05:00.000-07:00

The family headed over to Grammy and Grampy's for a cookout to celebrate Grammy's birthday. We were also very excited to meet baby Benjamin! Grammy was excited to look out the door and see Carson coming up the stairs with flowers - it was so precious that we had to get a photo.

Carson has taken to sitting in "his" rocking chair. We haven't bothered to tell him that Mommy and Uncle Scott used to sit in that chair too.

Aunt Mary has perfected the art of holding Benjamin while doing squats to bounce him up and down. Uncle Scott does arm lifts with Benjamin to calm him down.

We tried to have Carson hold Benjamin, and he wasn't too sure about this baby. Then, Benjamin decided to punch Carson. Cracked me up.

And, of course, we had to get a picture of Grammy and Grampy with their two grandsons. Aww...

Playing outside

2009-07-14T09:45:00.001-07:00

Carson LOVES to play outside. He doesn't understand why he can't go out if it's cold, dark, or rainy. It can make for a VERY long day when we have to stay inside. When we get home from Linda's, he runs off to get his lawnmower or sidewalk chalk so we can stay out and play. These photos are from my mini-vacay when Cj had his shoulder surgery. I bought the chalk that week in hopes that Carson and I could play with it while I was home. He loved it! He grabs it by the box handle and looks like a little man with a briefcase when he carries the chalk out. It is so cute!
playing with chalk
Carson and his pretty coloring

This lawnmower was an accidental purchase. I bought it when we were supposed to be getting a play kitchen. Carson saw the mower and wouldn't let it go, so we got that instead of the kitchen. Oh, well. My driveway and sidewalk sure look nice!!
mowing the grass instead of the sidewalk
fixing the mower
trying to make it a riding mower-- in fact, Carson does like to sit on the mower and have me push him on it. He gets the biggest giggles out of it. The other nice part is that gets him where I want him to go a lot quicker.

Carly's wedding

2009-07-14T08:32:00.000-07:00

Carly and Dan - the happy couple
the wedding party

We headed up to the lake for Carly's wedding and reception. It was well worth the trip!! I was told to "start yelling at people" as soon as we walked in the door. :) Good to know I'm needed! The boys had a great time, but it was harder than usual since they had to watch the wedding and not just run around and/or go swimming. It was good to see my grandparents, and Tanner and Carson enjoyed visiting with Mimi and Pappaw, too. Carly made a beautiful bride, and I'm so happy to have Dan as part of our family. He got a great wife and even better in-laws. :)
Here's a link to her photos: www.abbottstudio.com
Carson and me

One of my fave photos!!

Grammy and me

Mimi and Pappaw
Just Married... Again on the gettaway boat
My two boys
Carly and me
Carson helping Grammy drive the golf cart

Playdate at Avery's

2009-07-10T14:36:00.000-07:00

Since I had the day off due to no daycare, so Carson and I headed over to Avery's house to meet up with her and Molly. Way too much fun! The girls included Carson right away, even though he played by himself for a while. He was really excited to jump on Avery's bed with the girls and now likes to jump in his own bed at home! Playing at Avery's was a lot of fun, then we all headed to Jason's Deli for lunch. All of the kids had "cheese" (grilled cheese) and fruit for lunch. The girls had good moms that cut up their strawberries, while I gave Carson a whole one. He's good about taking bites and not eating the green part, so I didn't worry too much about it. Naptime should great that afternoon, since Carson fell asleep on the way too lunch then on the way home. However, when I woke him up taking him out of the car, he didn't want to go back to sleep. Ugh! I really needed that rest time!
Carson playing with the piggy bank. The kids loves money already!
Carson, Avery, and Molly jumping on Avery's bed.
I love this picture of Avery with the flower headband.

Playing with Adalynn

2009-07-10T14:34:00.000-07:00

Story time!

We had Adalynn over while Shelly ran to the grocery store. We thought it would be good for the kids to play together. They were too cute! Carson didn't do too well with sharing. He always seemed to want the toys that Adalynn was playing with. We had to help him share. Snack time of Cheerios and apple juice went well, even when trying to share cups. The kiddos had a great time playing, and we can't wait until they can get together again!
Carson was helping Adalynn ride the horse
Adalynn loved throwing the ball
Carson showing off his belly
Adalynn riding the truck
Carson watching "Manny" (Handy Manny)

Lily

2009-07-10T14:23:00.000-07:00

Napping after playing
Lily is our newest addition. She joined our family on June 20th, and hasn't always been a blessing. The little stinker is so cute, but I don't really appreciate the litter box our house has become. She will even go potty outside, get her treat, then come inside and potty more. What the heck?!? Not cool. Anyways, we have all gotten adjusted to her, even Potter. He plays well with her, then lets her know when he is done. She likes to chase him then run after him with full force when pouncing. It can be quite entertaining. Here some pics of our new kiddo:
I'm going to get you Potter!
Kisses for Lily
Snuggle buddies
It's playtime, Potter!!

Being on time

2009-07-10T14:14:00.000-07:00

I was about to make a post about Carson's 18 month check up to give his stats. Yes, I realize he's 19 months now, closing in on 20. I know I am late, but I am not one to be on time. Don't believe me - ask Mom, Cj, Rachel, or Heather - they can all vouch for me. This is one of Cj's BIGGEST annoyances (among the many) with me. I can't help it! I just don't think it's physically capable for me to be on time. I try my best. Even when I leave early for work, I manage to spend too much time talking to Linda and/or traffic ends up being really bad. I'm just doomed. My family has even started telling me to be somewhere 15 minutes early in the hopes that I will be on time. Wow... Am I really that bad? Often times, yes. I just get so busy and try to do too many things in a short amount of time (again - pet peeve of Cj's). I promise that I am working on this, but I guess being punctual is a virtue I was not born with, along with that whole patience thing. Maybe in my next life...

Shoulder surgery

2009-07-07T08:17:00.000-07:00

Cj had shoulder surgery last Wed, July 1. He told me I needed to baby him, or else he would be a pain in my ass. Hmm... and that would be different than usual? :) I took Wed, Thurs, Fri off work to be home with him and Carson to enjoy a long weekend together. Cj and I had a great time and got along all weekend. Uh oh - I hope that doesn't mean bad news for later! It was great being home with my boys. We ran some errands and spent quality time together and didn't feel rushed like normal. It was a nice break from work and the stress of everyday life.
Returning to work on Monday and leaving Carson at Linda's was a little rough. I had so much fun with my little man! Carson jumped into Linda's arms and hugged her tight, so I knew everything would be okay. However, I was still super excited when 5o'clock came and I got to hold my baby. I just love when he runs to the door with a big grin shouting "mama". It's the best!!

Little trucker

2009-06-22T14:26:00.000-07:00

Carson has finally figured out that it's better to have the seat on the truck that Grammy and Grampy gave him for Christmas rather than sitting in the bottom of the truck. The part that I loved on Sunday was that he had to have his hat on in order to ride the truck. Ha ha!!

Pretty shoes

2009-06-22T14:06:00.000-07:00

Carson has a thing for shoes, just like his mom. He likes to wear them around and it can be quite entertaining as he plods along. He does the best in my slides, as they are the easiest for him to put on and keep his feet in. I totally cracked up when he was wearing my "bejeweled" shoes while sweeping. Cj was just excited that Carson is a cleaner. Hmm... depends on the day.

Driving already?

2009-06-19T12:05:00.000-07:00

Carson was getting ready to drive us to his 18 month checkup. Is 18 months too soon to be driving? He surely doesn't think so. It's one of his favorite things to do. In fact, he will go up to other cars on our block that are parked in the driveways and try to open the door. NO!! I have to remind him that those are NOT his cars and he shouldn't touch them. The scariest part of the whole thing is that I heard the car ding when I opened the driver's door to get him out - the key was actually in the ignition. OHMIGOSH!! Are you kidding me?!?
Carson trying to put on his sunglasses
Turning the wheel
Reaching for the buttons
Looking for something

Carson's baptism

2009-06-19T11:16:00.000-07:00

Pastor Jan's last day was June 14th and he was gracious enough to baptise Carson as part of his final service. Carson did really well thru the entire service and ceremony afterwards, which greatly impressed me. (He has been going to the nursery the past few services since he can't sit still anymore.) He even let Pastor Jan hold him!! I guess they were friends on Sunday...
Carson wanted Tanner to hold him for part of the ceremony

The whole family as part of the celebration: Grampa, Grammy, Grampy, Daddy, Tanner, Carson, and Mommy
Carson with Pastor Jan. So glad they were friends!
Pastor Lane putting the baptismal water on Carson's head
Mommy holding Carson while Pastor Jan presented him to the church

Carson heard Pastor Jan talking and began to pat his head where the water was.

Prayer for Carson and our family

Pastor Jan giving us Carson's baptismal certificate, the seashell for symbolism, and the white rose from the children's ministry

Our proud family

Our family with Pastor Jan

Rardin Family Gathering

2009-06-19T10:32:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Jackie's birthday, Brittany's birthday, Tanner's birthday, Ron's birthday, and Father's Day all in one since Ron and Nancy (Grampa - Pa Pa and Gramma) are going to Europe for 2 weeks during the actual days. No, they didn't offer to take me along. :(
Carson loved sitting in this "big boy" chair.
The swingset was a big hit. Grampa (Pa-Pa) and Tanner had fun playing with Carson, too!
Even almost-12 year olds aren't too big for swing sets!!
Carson loved to peek out the windows and yell, just to hear himself. Not so bad when it's outside, but when it's inside...
You can tell by his blue face that Carson is enjoying Tanner's cookie cake.
I asked Adalynn and Carson to pose on the steps for me. Adalynn is almost as big as Carson!!
Carson was trying to give Adalynn a kiss. :)
Just the 4 of us
Boys only
Grampa and my 2 boys

Nemo pool

2009-06-11T19:22:00.000-07:00

We attempted to go to the neighborhood pool, but it was WAY TOO COLD. Carson started screaming to get out as soon as I put his feet in. Apparently, that wasn't such a bright idea. So, we came home to play in the Nemo pool. Not near as much water, so it was warm enough for Carson to jump in and play. He is quite the water baby. He loves bath time and anything to do with water and getting wet. Yes, I do get to be as wet as him during bathtime. :)

Heading to the pool!

Splish Splash

Carson discovered the hose and thought it was a great toy. He played with it for a little while before discovering he could sit in the pool and still hold onto the hose. The boy is a genius! He must take after his mom. :)

Filling up the pool

Independent and fearless

2009-06-11T19:13:00.000-07:00

Carson has decided he needs to go up and down the stairs by himself. He rests in the comfort of you being close, but he's not afraid to take off without you.

Even better, he has become somewhat fearless. He figured out that he could climb on the back of the couch, then onto the outside of the stairs and hold the railing. Lovely. That next morning, he was playing downstairs while I ate breakfast and checked on him every minute or so. Next thing I knew, he had climbed all the way up the outside of the stairs and was sitting on the ledge from the kitchen. I flew down the stairs while trying not to have a heart attack. He just looked at me and grinned, since he was so proud of himself. Little stinker!!

Memorial Day

2009-05-28T10:26:00.000-07:00

Carson has a new fascination with stealing the money out of my wallet. From dumping the change out all over the floor to taking my license and credit cards. It's such a joy when the coins clink on the floor during church... Then again, he does try to put the cards and coins away. Also, he is now saying "money." Not sure if that's what he means to say. Either way, it's pretty scary.

Of course, no day would be complete without a silly face or 2 (or 7)...

This is the cutest! Carson HAD to have his blankie and this puppy to snuggle with while watching TV.

Carson also decided to dress himself. Hmm...

Morning routine

2009-05-19T14:16:00.000-07:00

Oh, the mornings are ever so interesting with Carson... He lives the rough life laying in bed with his bottle while I turn on Mickey Mouse or whoever is on Disney when he gets up.

I try to feed him a little something before going to Linda's since he seems to be hungry and needing/wanting a snack. (He gets a real breakfast at her house.) However, his snack has been pretzels lately, since he sees them going into my lunch bag and thinks that's what he needs, rather than cereal or toast. Hmm... The best is that he has gotten an Oreo a couple of times, too. Oops! I figure it can't hurt him and I'd rather not fight about it. Now Carson has learned how to stand up in his highchair and is even trying to throw a leg over to get out. I don't think so, kid!

Carson will eat things better if you put them in a cup that he can carry around and/or dump out somewhere. Beware of Potter! He yells at Potter if Potter comes too close and/or if Potter eats the food Carson dumped on the ground. I know a fight is coming when I hear a yell followed by "MINE!"

These photos of climbing on the laundry basket are a new thing as of this morning. He decided to climb up and bang on the hamper. I'm not sure if he was trying to get on the hamper or not, but it wouldn't surprise me anymore. Oh, gracious. He's definitely all boy!! No wonder we keep getting so many bumps and bruises!

Mother's Day

2009-05-19T14:01:00.000-07:00

Cj started the day by making me waffles with a blended fresh strawberry topping and serving them while I was still in bed. Yummy! Carson and I then went to church with Grampy. Carson actually went into the nursery and stayed - for the last 10 minutes of the service. They said he did fine until people started to walk by and I wasn't there. :( Carson and I then headed to Kohl's to visit Grammy and take her tulips and tuna casserole. She was very excited. After eating lunch at home, we all went to the Legends for some shopping. Yeah! Carson got some very cute sunglasses while Mommy and Daddy got a few new clothes. We rested a little after we got home by watching "Bridewars" then Daddy made homemade guacamole for Mommy, followed by a yummy dinner. What a great day!
This is the card I made for Grammy, which I learned how to do at Stamp Club.

Mothering

2009-05-08T07:50:00.000-07:00

I found this video to be extra, super sweet. It's amazing the instinct and love that kicks in when you become a mom. Wow! I wish everyone a fantabulous Mother's Day!!

My friend Heather

2009-05-01T14:19:00.000-07:00

This week has been a rough one for me. My friend Heather had a brain tumor removed on Tuesday. She is doing really well, and I couldn't ask for anything more. God has surely played a VERY active part in this process, and I am reminded how awesome He is whenever I think about it all. The surgeon thinks he removed all of the tumor and anything left had the blood supply cut off, so the tumor shouldn't come back or grow again. Yeah! Heather has lost all hearing in her right ear, which she is having a hard time getting used to. Her balance is way off, which makes it difficult to walk. A medication she is on is making her blood sugar high, so she has to take insulin to combat that side effect. All in all, things are great! She is doing physical therapy which is hard. She has moved out of ICU and is in her own room. I was supposed to go see her tonight, but I can't due to Cj having 2 soccer games. I was going to try to go today, but I had to take Carson to the doctor for his ear infections. Heather will just have to put up with me for a LONG time tomorrow. :)
Her oldest son Travis came over to play with Tanner on Wed night. He got emotional when I asked him how he was doing. I gave him a sideways hug as he talked about his mom. I told him those things were small and to be thankful that Heather is still here. Again- praises to God! He was laughing shortly there after, which was great to see.
These photos are from the BBQ at Heather's house on Sunday afternoon. She wanted to have everyone together since she wasn't sure how long it would be before she would be able to have everyone over again. It was a lot of fun and there were a TON of people there. Heather is very loved. Totally understandable - she is a great wife, mother, and friend, and we are all very blessed to have her in our lives.

Why husbands die first

2009-05-01T14:05:00.000-07:00

I watched this video at work, and I thank God that Cj is smarter than this complete dumba**. It would take me a while to calm down after this one. Why do men think things like this are so funny?

Chillicothe

2009-04-30T12:03:00.000-07:00

Carson and I ventured to Chilli on Saturday for Aunt Mary's baby shower. Things were great as he slept for the first hour then screamed/cried with no end for the rest of the drive. Needless to say, I was crying with him by the end. I just couldn't take it anymore. Once we got to Lou's (Mary's mom) house, things got better. Carson got some dry pants and new clothes in preparation for the shower. He was a total ham at the shower. He shared cake with Grammy, and he even posed with Aunt Mary. Too cute!

Robert and Lou (Mary's parents) were gracious enough to let us stay that night. Thank goodness! I don't think I could have handled another drive and the storms were really bad. It was uneventful, but a little disturbing since the house isn't baby-proofed and Carson is used to having the run of the house. I was so worried about him breaking something! His greatest enjoyment was saying "bye-eee" while opening and closing the door to the sunroom. Whatever keeps him happy!

Carson did well during church, where he wanted to be held by Uncle Sott the whole time, then started to get fussy and tired as we dropped off the swing at Uncle Scott and Aunt Mary's. Here goes the car again... Carson was asleep before we left town then woke up to eat lunch at McD's downtown then cried after that. Ugh! We got home 30 minutes later and he laid down with Cj. Carson ended up sleeping 2 hours! He really was a tired baby!

Periodontist

2009-04-22T08:24:00.000-07:00

Okay - so I was a little freaked out to be seeing Dr. Oliver yesterday. I was told by my dentist that I have receeding gum lines that are becoming a little too far gone to just watch and get treated later. Great! After meeting with Dr. Oliver and fearing the worst, he told me that I have great teeth and will never need dentures. That made me feel really good!! However, I have to have gum graft surgery to rebuild part of my gums on the lower left side. My mouth is too small for my teeth, so the teeth are no longer centered in the bone-- they have been pushed out, which leaves a thinner bone and gum on the outside (by the cheek) and thicker on the inside (by the tongue). This was due to 4 permanent teeth being pulled for my braces. Isn't that nice? Anyways, this surgery shouldn't be too painful, but it is expensive and I may look like I have been punched in the face for up to 6 weeks. Gee, I can't wait for all of that!! Dr. Oliver doesn't seem to be too concerned and he thinks everything looks positive for the circumstances. The things we have to do for our teeth...

yucky snotties

2009-04-22T08:20:00.000-07:00

Carson has had yucky snotties and a cough since Friday. They have not gotten better and seemed even worse over the weekend. I wasn't sure that was possible... In fact, he sneezed hard enough yesterday when in his highchair, that the snot trail went all the way from his nose to the tray. Gross!! I took him to the doctor on Monday, and I was told that he looks great but sounds bad. Lovely. We just have to wait it out and hope that it goes away soon. The drainage is making Carson's throat red and sore, which is causing the coughing, which is making his throat worse. Poor baby!! I think he likes taking over my bed, which makes Cj have to sleep somewhere else. For a little guy, he's quite the bed hog!! His bottom 2 eye-teeth just popped thru, so I'm hoping that will signal the beginning of the end. FYI - whoever said that teething and snotties aren't associated is completely wrong!! He/she never met my kid!!

Growing up too fast

2009-04-15T07:58:00.000-07:00

Carson is growing up WAY TOO FAST!!! He has been showing his independence, which is supposed to happen, I know. However, this morning it really hit me. Normally when we get to Linda's house, I carry Carson to the door, and he will sometimes help me knock. That didn't happen today. He wanted down as soon as I got him out of the car. He ran up the driveway and down the front walk. I helped him up the stairs, then he knocked on the door. When we got inside, he gave Keeley (Linda's 19-month-old granddaughter) a hug. It was too sweet! Then, I asked for a kiss goodbye. He ran over, gave me a quick smooch, and ran off to the kitchen for breakfast. Man-- it's all just flying by...
P.S. At least he snuggled me for a LONG time in the shower this morning. No, I didn't have time, and yes, I needed to get ready. I decided it was more important to snuggle a few extra minutes and cherish that time before it is all gone. Awww...

Easter

2009-04-15T07:44:00.000-07:00

Easter Sunday was a lot of fun. Carson and I went to church with Grammy and Grampy to start the day. Yes, Mommy had to bribe him with an Easter egg with jellybeans during church! :)
I put together a kitchen set for Carson while he napped, hoping that he would play with that instead of my pots and pans. Not so much, but he did make some great meals and had fun playing. Too bad he can't make real food...

After playing with the kitchen for a little while, I thought it would be fun for Carson to go on an Easter egg hunt. Okay, so he didn't really get it. I videoed him playing with the first egg he found for over a minute. He shook the egg, dumped out the quarters, put them back in the egg, and started over. When I asked him to find another egg, he looked at me like I was nuts. Cj rattled an egg with jellybeans, and Carson ran over. He sat down to eat the "beans" and he was done. I put the rest of the eggs in the basket, and he couldn't understand why I wouldn't open all of the eggs with "beans" in them.

Bad thing about the "beans" -- Carson thinks they should come with every meal!! It wouldn't be too terrible, but the colored slobber goes everywhere. Ugh!!

Saturday mornings

2009-04-06T12:24:00.000-07:00

Saturdays start earlier than they should, thanks to Carson's internal alarm clock. It tends to go off between 5:30 and 6. Are you kidding me?!? I need to find a way to reset that alarm...
Carson usually goes downstairs to play with a cup of cereal while watching Disney channel. Mommy or Daddy is chugging coffee hoping to wake up in order to keep up with the kid when he's done eating. I do enjoy that time with Carson, but I just wish it started a little later...

Playing in the shower

2009-04-02T08:17:00.001-07:00

Carson LOVES to play in the shower. In fact, it has been the cause for a few time outs when he keeps opening the doors and trying to climb in. He's not allowed to be in there unless Mommy or Daddy are in there with him.
On Monday morning, Carson tried to open the shower door and climb in as I was in the shower, so I opened the door and undressed him to let him come in. I got a nice surprise when I undid his diaper to find out he was poopy. Lovely. So, I brought him in the shower and put his little buns under the water. He had a grand ole time playing, then Daddy got in the shower with him so I could get out. They even sat under the water together. It was actually kinda cute.
Tuesday was another fun day. Carson came and got in the shower with me again. Daddy walked in right after we got in and asked if Carson had pottied yet. As soon as he said that, a tiny little fountain started going for about 10 seconds. Crack me up!! Carson had fun playing in the water again and wasn't afraid for the water to touch him, like he was before playing with Daddy on Monday. I got out and let him stay in and play until I got my lotion on. Before I could get him out, Daddy and I both looked over to see someone pooping in the shower. Ew! Gross! Daddy took care of it and all was well. Needless to say, we got Baby Buns out of the shower to clean him up and get a diaper on. I had to chase Carson thru the bedroom and get him out of my closet. (He had run over there and shut the door to hide from me as I ran after him with a baby wipe. Would have been a great video.) I got him out, cleaned him up-- much to his dismay, and got lotion and a diaper on him.
I came home from the gym today to Carson shouting "Mama, Mama" as I walked in the door. It was the best!! So, he helped me potty so we could take a shower. He was more than ready to get in before he was undressed or the water was on! So, I turned the shower on so the water could get warm. I got him undressed then started to get myself ready to go. Before I could get Carson in the shower, he peed on the floor mat. Lovely. This should have been an indication to me. Once in the shower, Carson played then stopped and squatted. Are you freaking kidding me?!? He stood up and there was the green corn poop. YUCK-OLA!! I moved him underneath the water away from the poop and cleaned it up with Kleenex - thank goodness the toilet is right next to the shower. I had to move Carson back under the water while I finished cleaning since I really didn't need any more help at this point. Gross!! After it was done, he was back playing as if nothing had happened. I let him play again once I got out, but not for too long before getting a diaper on that little bottom. I wasn't about to clean up again!!
Hopefully tomorrow will go a little bit smoother! :)

New tricks

2009-03-27T14:22:00.000-07:00

So, Mommy has taught Carson some new tricks. :) They are so darn cute I can't stand it!!
First: he was playing with the lotion on Wed night. So, I opened it and put a little in his hands. He wasn't sure what to do with it. I put a little in my hand and rubbed my hands together to show him what to do. I put a little back in his hand and rubbed his hands together. Then Carson tapped the lotion on his hand (nothing came out - he hasn't figured out to squeeze the bottle to make it come out, thank goodness), put the bottle down, and rubbed his hands together. It was so precious!! Now he does it all the time and wants to put lotion on your hands too.
Second: Animal sounds. He said "moe" this morning for "moo" -- close enough for me. (Background info-- I don't really read his books anymore. I point to an animal, name it, and make the appropriate noise. Yes, I look like a total a**, but he finds it entertaining.) Well, I raise my arm like a trunk while trumpeting like an elephant. He raised his arm with me last night when we were on the elephant page. Next time, he made a noise while he did it. Yeah!! Of course he wouldn't do it when I called Cj to watch. But, Cj called this afternoon to let me know that Carson showed him how to be an elephant. Adorable.

Slam dunk

2009-03-26T14:54:00.000-07:00

"Bah" is Carson's latest word = ball. He was playing basketball with Tanner on Saturday when Daddy lifted him up to dunk. That was just the best until Daddy went inside and Carson expected Mommy to lift him up. Okay, well, I'm just not that tall, and Carson couldn't quite lift the ball high enough to put it over the rim and into the hoop. He got quite frustrated that I couldn't grow a few inches to make this happen. Needless to say, I did try about 5 times to make him him happy before I said no more. What a clown! He now loves to bounce the "bah" around the basement and has found that golfballs bounce really well in the house and they are small enough for him to carry 1 in each hand. Oh, joy.

Sign language

2009-03-26T14:27:00.000-07:00

Carson's sign language is getting so much better! He signed "thank you" to Daddy when Daddy did something for him. A little while later, I asked him to sign
"please" before I gave him what he wanted. WOW! THEN, he signed more, when he wanted more food that night at dinner. This is great!
So, that was Friday and Saturday. Signing hasn't gone so well since then, but I try to remember to do the sign as I am saying the word, so Carson will pick up the sign and associate it with the word.
There are Kindermusik classes that do baby sign language to music, but they are during the week. That just doesn't work! We will have to figure out something else and maybe try another class with music. Carson loves to dance!

Hiding under the sink

2009-03-20T07:29:00.000-07:00

Always an adventure...
Carson was in the bathroom with me this morning as I finished getting ready for work when Potter started barking to come in. I left Carson digging under the sink, like he usually does, to get the dog. After getting Potter and treat and coming back to my room, Carson wasn't there. He loves to hide, so I asked, "Where is Carson?" The cabinet door opened and out popped Carson. Too funny! Once he saw my smile, he backed in again and shut the door. He popped out when Grampa Ron showed up, and it took both of us to convince Carson to come out and stay out. What a little turkey!

Happy St Patty's Day

2009-03-19T09:22:00.000-07:00

Of course I made Carson wear green to celebrate his 2nd St Patty's Day. If you can't read it, his shirt says "Born to be Wild" - and he lived up to it, as usual.

Carson rang the doorbell after our walk and waited for someone to answer. Tanner opened the door and Carson went in with arms raised, waiting for Tanner to pick him up. It was so cute!! Cj laughed as I immediately grabbed the camera. I can't miss cute moments like that with my boys!
After dinner, Tanner went back out to play basketball with the neighbor boys. Carson had to follow. He did really good at playing and skateboarding, with a little help from Tanner. Bathtime brought a fit and tears, since Carson was not ready to come inside yet. Life is so rough at 15 months...

Hope y'all had a great day!

Knocking on the door

2009-03-19T08:05:00.000-07:00

Carson has a new game - take off when getting out of the car for the front door. He will stand and knock on the door while I am knocking back from the inside. He goes towards the opening then laughs and shuts the door in my face. Wow... Wouldn't be so bad if he didn't scream and yell and throw a fit when I bring him inside. Hello, kid - I'm not going to squat at this door all day. I have other things to do AND he doesn't need to be out there all day. Plus, he will start to turn and go down the step and want to take off down the driveway. We haven't quite learned street safety yet...

Terrible twos already?

2009-03-16T11:06:00.001-07:00

Carson has had quite the attitude the past few days. It is getting nuts! Linda has had to put him in timeout and we have at home, too. I know he is working on his 4 eye-teeth, but still. He was running around church yesterday and started to play with the doors to go in and out. Grampy played that game for a little while. He ran around Kohl's when we went to see Grammy after church. He even looked at Cj this morning and said, "Dad, no!" Oh goodness! Cj shot him a nice glare, and it was all I could do not to laugh. I'm not ready for this yet!
On a cute note, Carson is saying "u-o" for "uh-oh" when he drops something. He is also saying "whoa" and "wow." He is still saying "boppy" which I cannot figure out!
I could swear he said "bampy" for Grampy this morning, but I'm not sure Grampy believed me when I told him. We'll wait and see if he says it again...

Taking a shower

2009-03-13T10:50:00.000-07:00

Mornings are busy enough as it is. Cj usually leaves by 7, and Carson and I run around the last hour eating breakfast, making my lunch, getting Potter outside, changing Carson's clothes, and finishing whatever else needs to be done before we walk out the door.

I guess Carson's bath the night before wasn't enough, since he felt the need to get in the shower while I was getting dressed. Thank goodness he didn't play with my razor! He was still in his jammies, so I only had to change his clothes once. That would have been an ordeal because the world about ends every time he puts his clothes on. He takes after his mom...

Dishwasher

2009-03-12T13:40:00.000-07:00

So, Carson decided that he would "help" me reload the dishwasher. Not so much. He set his bottle on the door then climbed on up! Needless to say, the door was still wet from the newly washed dishes... Oh, well. He had a great time. And, according to my mom, that was one of my favorite places to sit as a kid. I wonder where he gets it...