Carson talk

A few for the record (so I don't forget):



pocketbook = pocket purse

binoculars = oggereyes

telescope = pirate scope



Me: How did you get so big and smart?

Carson: cause God made me! or she often says, "cause Ijust learned that mommy!"



Sunday school teacher: Carson, What's the magic word? (wanting "please" for more snack)

Carson: abracadabra



OK - this one may gross some of you out but it's too funny not to post, and quite frankly, just completely realistic of life as a parent to a toddler....Warning: we use anatomically correct names!



Carson: mommy what's this (pointing to lower body parts)

Mommy: that's your vagina

Carson: boys have ginas too?

Me: No! Boys have a penis.

Carson: Daddy! You have peanuts?!!!

Oh the look on Daddy's face was priceless! And folks, that's life with an almost 3 yr. old!



Favorite color: purple or pink

Favorite food: roni and cheese

Favorite snack: grapes

Favorite cartoon: Dora

Favorite song: ABCs or any Taylor Swift song these days!



Napping: still naps about 2 hours + each day

Bedtime: about 7:30 on a school night.

Wears: size 3T or 4T depending on dress vs. shirt/pants

Shoe Size: 7 1/2

Catching Up!

First Day of "School!" 2010

It is time to play catch up! I haven't posted anything on this blog in almost 7 months and I miss it! We are doing so many fun things and Carson is changing like crazy, so it's about time I share our craziness with you again! Elizabeth and Brooke - don't fall out in shock that I finally posted - you may be my only readers :)

We had a fabulous summer with several beach trips, lots of pool and sprinkler time, and fun playdates. In addition to all of this fun, Carson had two really big changes over the summer: she is completely potty trained (day and night) and transitioned from her crib to a big girl bed - both occurring in mid July. We had no trouble with potty training -in fact, she sort of did it on her own. The Wednesday before we went to the beach with my mom, we went to a friend's house for a playdate. She saw Cate's little potty and came running into the other room to announce, "I have to go tee tee!" She never looked back and never wanted to put another diaper on after that one trip to the potty...I'm really not kidding! We anxiously made a 4 hour trip to the beach three days after this even, with a toddler who was insistent she travel in big girl panty style and made it the whole way with no accidents! Carson also requested a big girl bed after we returned from the beach so down went the crib :( She's getting so big and so independent!

It has been a fast start to the school year for us...Carson began "big girl" school after being in an in-home setting since she was 6 months old. She absolutely loves school and goes 3 days a week from 8:15-12:20. We love her school and she has made some new, very cute friends. We chose a Chistian school that focuses on bible verses as a means to learn. She is a little sponge and has learned so much already!

As for me, I am still working part time in the schools and see 2 kids through a contract company several afternoons a week. While I love my students at school, I also love working for the contract company, as there is little paperwork involved, and it's 1 on 1 therapy in their home or daycare.

Happy Fall Ya'll!

A blog I follow...

Check out this blog if you have time and are interested: www.mycharmingkids.net

I've been following this blog for a while. I'm totally addicted and this family has been through so much in the past year. They are battling another sad situation right now with their 4 month old son and I'm sure they could use many prayers!

Documenting, definitely not bragging!

Just wanted to document what my day consisted of today. I often wonder how in the world I'm so exhausted by the end of the day. This may be a good indication...

1. Awake at 5:45 a.m to get ready for work (remember from previous post Carson was up every 2 hours last night complaining her ear and stomach were hurting and my husband had to leave for a business trip at 3:00 a.m this morning).
2. Fed and clothed Carson and myself prior to leaving at 7:00 a.m.
3. Fed the dog and let him out.
4. Took Carson to Tabitha's.
5. Called doctor to schedule appt. for Carson for possible ear infection.
6. Worked for 5 hours at school.
7. Picked Carson up.
8. Took her to Doctor
9. Drove home and put Carson down for a nap.
10. Washed, dried, folded, put away 2 loads of laundry.
11. Filled dishwasher and ran it.
12. Dusted downstairs
13. Oh, ate lunch standing up while loading dishwasher at 2:30.
14. Emptied trash
15. sat in chair outside for 10 minutes reading a new magazine prior to Carson waking up
16. Made snack and took Carson outside for an hour to play
17. Made dinner
18. Bathed Carson, read a book with her, brushed her teeth, said prayers, and put her down for bed.
19. Unloaded dishwasher.
20. Made lunches for tomorrow.
21. Now collapsed on sofa with computer on lap.

Things I said or heard today...

1. Me: No, you can't have a popsicle for breakfast!
2. Carson: Mommy, my poopy okay! (Nice one!)
3. Carson to me: Oh no mommy. Elmo hurt. Me: What happened? Carson: Elmo poopy hurt (nice one again). Just keeping it real folks! Not sure what the fascination with poop is today?!
4. Carson: where Daddy? (asked multiple times) Me: Daddy's on an airplane flying home from work.
5. Me: Does your ear hurt again? (after waking up every 2 hours last night. Thank goodness no infection...teething?!)
6. Carson at dinner tonight: Ga is gate. Ga is good. Le us tank im fo owah foo. By his hands, we all aw bed. Gib us yord, owah dayee bed. TOO PRECIOUS!!!

Birthday Girl!

Blowing out my candle!

My best friend Mackenzie - we love playdoh!

Striking a pose - Hey Brooke, Check out my cute dress!!!

Yummy! (look closely for a little blunder in the cake -can't imagine what little 2 yr. old did that?)

We had a great day for Carson's "re-do" birthday party! Since she was sick last weekend, we postponed her party until today. She had a great time playing with her friends and enjoyed playdoh and making foam bead necklaces outside! Her birthday cake matched the polka dot ribbon on the invitation (which I need to scan & post later). The weather was awesome and we had a wonderful time! It's SO hard to believe she's already 2 - time flies! We have definitely seen some "2 yr. old attitude" lately but we're working on this! She was quite possessive of her new toys during the party and let her best friend, Mackenzie, know so a few times...sorry Mackenzie! Other than an occasional scream of "that my toy," she was a pure delight and had so much fun playing with her friends, running around, singing "Happy Birthday," and spending the day just being 2!!! We love you sweetie and had SO much fun with you today! Love, Mom and Dad

More snow pictures!

All bundled up!!!

Morgan and Mrs. Becky (our friends and neighbor)

Oh the little red boots...these were my brother's boots when he was little!

Our snow covered house!

March Snow?

IT'S SNOWING!!!!!! And it's already sticking! They're calling for 2-5 inches of snow here tonight and it has begun! You know all the school teachers are doing the snow dance and praying for a day off! Carson is taking a late nap after she fought going down for over an hour (I think she's teething)...boy will she be surprised when she wakes up! We hope to let her enjoy the snow outside for a little while as she's still not 100% healthy. I'm sure we'll have more pictures to follow!

Carson's Birthday!

HAPPY 2nd Birthday Carson!!!

Dear Carson, Happy 2nd Birthday! Even though you can't tell in this picture, you are sick today on your birthday :( Mommy and Daddy had to cancel your birthday festivities for the weekend which has been SO hard to do. But don't worry, we're going to celebrate next weekend with you! Mommy attempted to make you feel better today by letting you lick the brownie batter - you can tell it was really yummy in this picture!
We are so proud of you! You are such a delight to be around, have the best personality, and frequently make us laugh with your singing, dancing, belly laughs, funny faces, poses, and quick wit! You have the most wonderful manners and frequently say, "please," "no thank you," or "yes, ma'am." I just hope these continue! You are a wonderful sleeper and will eat most anything these days (except for mashed potatoes which you cannot stand)! We are amazed how quickly you change and how fast you are growing up! As for some of the "baby book" facts: you are wearing size 5 diapers during the day (as of this week) and size 5 nighttime diapers. You use 3-4 words in a sentence, can draw a circle, you jump everywhere you go and on anything. You have 16 teeth (we're waiting on those 2 year molars) and an adorable smile! Your favorite cartoon is most definitely Dora the Explorer - your face lights up when we let you watch this! Your favorite song is: the ABCs. Your favorite food: pasta/spaghetti. Your favorite color: pink or blue. Your best friend: Mackenzie. Your favorite toy: any baby dolls! You are definitley attached to your pink fleece blankie and the Minnie Mouse doll GiGi gave you for Christmas. You are a delight and we love you so much! Happy Birthday!!!

Happy 35th Birthday Chris!

HAPPY 35th BIRTHDAY CHRIS!!!!

WE LOVE YOU!!!

You know you're getting old when you ask for a navy blue blazer!!!

It does look good on him!

Our one attempt at a family photo..good try!

Helping Daddy blow out the candle before going to bed! (Good practice for her big day this Friday!)

Chris- we hope you had a great birthday today! Thanks for being such a good daddy, husband, and friend! We love you and had fun celebrating as a family tonight!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day from our kitchen to yours!

A change of pace...

We needed a change of scenery last weekend for lunch. Carson LOVES this wagon a family member made for her and decided this was where she was going to "dine!" It was a beautiful afternoon and perfect for watching all the animals outside with her best bud beside her!

Sick and playing catch up

Whew! I'm finally playing catch up after not feeling well all weekend/week. Carson and I both have endured a yucky sore throat, cold/cough and are slowly becoming ourselves again. Mommy's been pretty tired by the end of the day and the energy to blog has not been there!
We were able to enjoy a quick trip to Columbia for my brother, "Uncle George's," birthday last Saturday! Carson is really "into" birthdays and frequently told George "hap buhday!" She even got some practice blowing out candles for her upcoming birthday. So, Happy Birthday Uncle George! We loved being there and celebrating with you!

All dressed up...

and nowhere to go! Couldn't resist sharing this hilarious picture from yesterday. Carson's really beginning to show interest in playing dress up! She loves her Fancy Nancy accessories from Christmas and Santa left this silly hat in her stocking. What you can't see is her pink tutu she's also wearing and a feathery purse in hand - too cute!

Fort Fun!

Admittedly we played hookie from church this Sunday and had a relaxing pajama morning at home. What's better than some creative fort building and lots of static?!

Bath Talk

Recording before I forget...Carson was in a funny mood tonight in the bathtub while playing with the Pooh Treehouse. Piglet was apparently "talking" to Pooh and Tigger and this is how their conversation went...

Piglet: Pooh..are you? Are you Pooh?
Carson: Mommy, Pooh no here.
Piglet: Play wif Carken?
Carson: YES!!!
Mommy: What are you and piglet going to do?
Carson: MAKE COOKIES!!!

What a ham!

Applique dresses!

I must say I am blessed with wonderful and thoughtful friends! Brooke-Thank you SO much for the adorable dress you made Carson for her birthday! You have put so much time into the dress and it is too cute! We can't wait to see her in it and celebrate her 2 wonderful years -so hard to believe! I also appreciate your unending patience with me as you've taught me how to cut the pattern, pin it, sew it, etc!

Not only do I appreciate the cake dress, but I also appreciate you making the bulldog dress for Carson's friend, Mackenzie! I know it was a difficult applique and once again, you did it effortlessly! Go Citadel Bulldogs!

Got milk?

In a big girl cup? We are slowly beginning the transition to cup drinking. We've practiced a few times with water and she's done very well minus a few splash surprises to the face! I decided to go for it with a meal tonight and it was a huge success! I must brag: no spills, no splashes, a proud little girl, and a large milk mustache! Now if I could only freeze time...she's getting too big!

Never boring...

Jack - completely worn out!

Folks, it's never boring with a toddler! What do YOU do in 3 hours?


We:


have a "book party" in our pop-up tent


turn a laundry basket into a wagon and drive it through the house with baby dolls in tow


have 3 tea parties -one with marshmallows


put away a load of laundry


play with Jack and finally...


make supper for one hungry family!

We hope your house is as crazy and fun as ours!

Jump Zone/PlayNation

Carson and I had a great time playing with mommy's friend, Mrs. Lauren, and her little girl, Mackenzie, on Monday. Carson and Mackenzie are best friends and stay together 3 days a week while their mom's teach. We took the girls to Jump Zone/PlayNation and they had a blast! It was a perfect place for a cold day and a great way to release some energy. The pictures aren't great -sorry! It's difficult to catch an excited, energized little one! We took our hungry girls to Chik-fil-A for lunch afterwards and they ate everything!!! It was a nice treat and change of pace for a Monday which we hope to do again soon!

EdVenture

OK - I know you'd rather see pictures than read my boring post...there will be pictures to come I promise -too many to load at once!
Chris, Carson and I met my mom at EdVenture in Columbia on Saturday and had a blast playing! This was our first visit and we had no idea what to expect. Carson LOVED it and was exhausted at the end of our 3 1/2 hours there! Some of her favorite attractions: african drums (she could watch herself on TV while playing them), climbing on Eddie the giant, the firetruck, pretend grocery store, and Snowville village. We had a great time with GiGi and will definitely be back soon!

Crayola Wonder...Not!!!

It's been a Crayola Wonder kind of afternoon! The past 2 days Carson has had a difficult time going down for nap. We ended yesterday with no nap, lots of frustration, and a tired little girl. Hoping things would go better today, I put her down at normal time and it began again...more "MAAMAAs!" and screaming (happy screaming)...oh dear. 45 minutes later I decided I better check on things. This is what I saw...at least she was being creative and no, I did not know she had a crayon hidden in the pocket of her shirt! After changing the sheet, she's now quiet and asleep...I think!

Go Away Dark

A few funnies from the past few days so I don't forget!

Situation: Walking out of Target
Mom: Brrr..It's cold!
Carson: no! It dark mommy
Mommy: That's right, it's nighttime now.
Carson: GO AWAY DARK! Sun, are you?

Carson is quite the sweetie around here - always kissing boo boos and making everyone smile and feel better. Even straws! She dropped her straw from her cup the other day and yelled, "Oh no! Yarry(sorry) straw. Feel bedder?" (after kissing the straw's boo boo)!

On pretend phone....
Carson: "Good monin' Uncle George!" paused as if he was talking back to her...laughed and said, "good, good!"

Carson you are a constant source of fun and laughter for us! You are so sweet, kind, polite (most of the time) and full of energy -we love you!

Playground fun!

Rainy Day Cupcakes!

No explanation needed...it was a yucky, rainy day and we wanted something fun to do! A perfect day to stay inside and make cupcakes with a TON of sprinkles!

Pinkalicious and yummy!!!!

Christmas 2008

Christmas 2008

Carson enjoyed some time with her cousins, Ally and Caleb, while visiting Mema and Grandaddy over the holidays. We all ate lots of yummy goodies on Christmas Eve and then opened gifts. One of Carson's favorites, a baby doll she can finally put in the bathtub!

This is one of my favorite pictures from all the ones we took!

Christmas in Cameron with my family:

She LOVES her new Fancy Nancy doll that GiGi gave her!

Helping Uncle George open his gift

Packed and ready to go home!

Christmas with my dad:

I apparently had my camera on the wrong setting, sorry for the dark picture!

We had a wonderful Christmas this year with lots of family around! Carson did very well with all the traveling and enjoyed spending time with cousins, grandparents, and friends. It was so much fun to watch her and see just how much she has changed since Christmas 2007! On Friday I was able to join some high school friends for dinner/drinks in Columbia - we had a great time reminiscing and catching up! So much that nobody took a picture-oops! It was back to Greenville on Saturday and then more Christmas fun on Tuesday with my dad. Carson enjoyed her visit from "poppy" and had fun with another round of opening gifts. We had a great time visiting with everyone this year and can't wait for Christmas 2009!

Visit from Friends

Lindsay and Garrick -Thank you SO much for coming out of your way to see us. I hate the morning was a bit crazy after having to take Carson to the doctor. We were so excited to see ya'll and briefly catch up - just wish it could have been longer!!! You both look great! Carson is really enjoying the puzzle book you brought and mom/dad were even able to enjoy the wine!
We hope to see you again soon!

Christmas Morning!

Jack even had to check out the Dora and Boots bathtime toy!
New books!

Christmas morning was a blast despite a trip to the pediatrician's office. Remember our Christmas morning came a little early since we were headed out of town. Carson was battling a nasty cold at the end of the week and it ended up moving to her chest. She woke up with a hoarse voice and "barky seal" kind of sound when she was breathing but it didn't stop her from pure excitement as she came downstairs. We made it through Santa gifts and then headed to the doctor (unfortunately we weren't able to see our regular doctor) - she got an OK report and we were told to hang tight and use SMALL amounts of plain Robitussin every 6 hours for the congestion. 9 days later we still have the runny nose but the congestion is gone!

Some of her favorites from Santa: the kitchen, Pooh/Tigger playhouse for the bathtub, 120 piece food set to go with her kitchen (what was Santa thinking?), and a set of Miss Spider books!