Memorial Day Weekend 2011

We ended up having a relatively eventful and fun long weekend, even though we went into it without serious plans. Saturday morning we went to grab some breakfast and go grocery shopping. Since my husband is wonderful he has been coming with me for a few weeks for the big grocery trips to do all the heavy lifting. On the way home we could see it was a gorgeous day and he said he wished we had gone for a drive. I obviously asked why we still couldn't because it wasn't that late. And it wasn't like we had anything else to do! So we quickly got ready and our stuff together and took off for the mountains by 11:00. 

I hadn't been pushing a four-wheeling trip lately because I was scared of what my bladder would feel like. Sorry if that's a little too much info.....but I'm uber-pregnant now! Carl knew of a trail area we could go to that wouldn't be too rough above Idaho Springs. Let me tell you, the first ten minutes of the trail before we stopped to air down the tires were BRUTAL. The little guy woke up and was kicking out my sides as he was also shifted right on my bladder. Every bump was almost torturous. After the air-down I was 99% good though. We ended up in a completely different place than Carl thought we would and we still don't really know what summit we were on. It was so gorgeous though. Carson took about 2.4 seconds flat to jump in the biggest puddle he could find and he climbed every hill in the area.

Carl drove the Jeep up in every precarious position he could to make me as nervous as possible.

See a theme with the hills???

I begged Carson to stop and just look at the camera with a smile for one teeny tiny second. Instead I got this.

Carson only wants to be doing what his daddy is doing. I came back from a much needed potty break at the gas station when we were done and found this. Carl was putting air back in the tires and Carson was right there as his wingman.

On Sunday we had big plans for the morning. We have been anticipating the day we take Carson to his first movie for a long time because we love going so much. When we saw months ago that Kung Fu Panda 2 would be out this weekend we said that would be the first one. Believe me, our household could recite the first one in our sleep thanks to Carson! We went to the earliest showing and got there early enough to get the best seats. At first he was running up and down the aisles and we were a little worried. But he eventually sat in his seat for the previews and ended up doing really good! He had three of us to go between and sit on our laps, but he stayed in his seat for the most part. He didn't try to escape once and ate a little too much movie popcorn. He actually didn't seem to be overly impressed by the whole thing. At one point in the middle he asked to play with my phone. Go figure. 

And a lesson for everyone who keeps their camera on auto..........DON'T!!!!!!!! I am so disappointed everytime I hand over my camera and turn it to auto. Normally I could just pick the settings I'd want for them to use and it would be fine, but for a while I have used an alternate shooting method that doesn't make that possible. I don't use the typical shutter release and can't flip it over easily. Auto is my only option to get out of the other mode. Cameras are stupid. If you give them any control you'll be disappointed. I couldn't believe in this lighting situation it picked a shutter speed that wouldn't be acceptable in bright sun. I mean, could we be any blurrier?!?!!?!

On Monday we ended up with a good-sized gathering at our house. It always goes from a casual grilling to a party. We had a ton of fun though and really good food. Carson played and played and played. Once again he just wants to be one of the guys. He got his first experience with frisbee golf and doing "recon" to fetch them all over the fence. 

Another bug we had to hold and let crawl on him. Yucky yuck yuck. Luckily my mom doesn't mind them at all and is the designated bug-catcher.

After everyone left we all crashed on the couch. Carson hadn't even attempted a nap so we knew he was pooped. It was 5:30 and in about 3 minutes he went from wanting to play with my phone to being in a knocked out ball on my lap. Poor kid was DONE.

For Mother's Day my mom planted a new flower on my front porch. It had gotten cold just after so we haven't had any flowers. Three of them came to life yesterday though and they're so pretty!

35 Weeks.....35 Days?!?!

Well, technically this was yesterday's milestone, but it still counts. I looked at my app for the start of week 35 and it happened to say that I had 35 days left also. Yikes. This is starting to get much more real since we are barely pushing a month. 

I have been so so so tired lately. Sleeping is a pathetic attempt to get sort of comfortable for a few minutes until I have to pee again or my hips/groin feel like they'll explode. I am just SO thankful that I'm still not having any major issues with my lower back like I did with Carson. That was the main story in my third tri with him and then I had total back labor. I actually feel pretty good right now other than the exhaustion. And it helps to have Carl and my mom as such huge helps in my everyday life. I know once we have two boys I'll look back at life with only Carson and laugh at how easy it was. It's all relative at the end of the day.

It's been raining (and crazy hailing) all week long. We finally had a clear-ish day today so we have been playing outside. Apparently it was a little too dry for Carson so he dumped out his sandbox lid full of rain water all over the patio. Boys and their puddles....

I realized we haven't taken any belly pics for about two months. I set up the timer just to get a quick something and Carson came over to "love my belly". He's being very sweet about the baby coming. He always tries to look in my belly button and puts his ear up to it saying he can hear the baby crying.

Denver Botanic Gardens

We finally had good enough weather to go play at the gardens with Erin and Ava. I told Carson we were going to go play in the dirt and he wasn't going to argue. Somehow both Carson and I got sunburns even though it didn't feel warm enough at all. The wind here ruins lots of nice days, but the sun did feel great. Of course the froggy boots had to come, but they did come in handy with all the dirt around.

 

 

 

They let the kids plant lettuce seeds and bring the home. We'll see how fast I can help him kill this plant too.

Nachos!

Maybe he was just getting ready for Cinco de Mayo? Nope. Carson can be a little obsessive over certain foods. He finds something he likes and locks onto it. One of his current favorites is nachos. Just plain chips with shredded cheese. He actually will swipe the cheese for a quick snack too. That has been a little messy more than a few times.

This morning (read, still in pajamas, so early) he was getting stuff out of the fridge. I told him to put it all back because he had just had breakfast. I then see that he has gotten a plate out of the dishwasher, gotten the cheese and the chips and has started to make nachos for breakfast #2. He was smiling and having a great time so who am I to stop him? The camera came out instead. 

He sat there and ate the cheese straight off the plate before he would let me actually heat them up.

April Photos: Day 30

I've come to the last daily photo. Somehow I kept it up a little better than I thought I could, even if it wasn't a perfect run. It really is a good exercise in making yourself pick up the camera and process at least one photo every single day. I need that push for my every day things sometimes. 

For the final photo I thought I would get a shot of Carson in bed. I haven't taken any photos in his room since he has had his new bed. He has done really well with the transition. The crib is in our room now and he thinks it's a play pen, but loves sleeping in his big boy bed now. We were tucking him in last night and he was being a ham. He has to have his Pillow Pet against the wall and three other stuffed animals tucked in next to him on the other pillow. Bunny was getting night-night loves here.

April Photos: Day 29

A whole lot more of the same today. It was supposed to be close to 70 degrees, but I thought it was cold! Carson played outside for quite a while still though. My mom got him the Nike outfit he is wearing here for his birthday. I put the shorts on him and he stood up and yelled, "I look just like Daddy!" Carl does wear basketball shorts around the house all the time so it was so cute that Carson noticed right away.

April Photos: Day 28

And.........................there is no day 28. Oops again. This was a much harder task than I thought it would be and somehow a photo didn't happen yesterday. I'm actually really glad I didn't decide to do a 365 project like a lot of people do. That's a huge commitment!

April Photos: Day 27

Nothing too exciting happened yesterday. We ran errands in the morning and played/worked in the afternoon. I was going to take a photo of Carson helping Carl mow the lawn, but my boss called just as they went out. We end up talking for a long time when we can focus! I decided to take the camera up for bath time. Carson is very particular about his baths. He has to have all the toys in the tub, dictates whether or not he'll have bubbles and barks at us if we forget any one little step. Last night Carl was shooting water at him and he thought it was hilarious. It made for pretty cute laughs!

April Photos: Day 26

It threatened to rain all day long, but that didn't stop Carson from playing outside. Actually, I'd go crazy if I didn't get a little break when he's out there too. He usually doesn't care how cold it is and just runs around like a little mad man. Today he found a feather and was pretty eager to show it off (not that you can even see it here...).

I love his get-up. The Easter Bunny brought his froggy boots and they are an instant hit. I know how much he loved his snow boots this winter so this summer version for $5 was well worth it.

Don't you go outside looking like this? 

April Photos: Day 25 & Carson's 3yr Check-Up

Yesterday afternoon we had Carson's 3 year check-up at the pediatrician. I was excited to get to go and meet the new doc in person since we had to switch them with the insurance change as well. Carson thinks the doctor is neat and told me he "won't be scared like Caillou" which I thought was so funny. 

We got in the room and the nurse told me to take off all his clothes and put a gown on him. You know, like the kind adults wear when we go for an annual. I thought that was super odd, but tried it out anyway. I put it on him and he immediately started tugging on it. I had to get a photo because he was so annoyed. He told me he couldn't wear it because it was "boring". He just started calling things boring in random situations so he obviously doesn't know what it means. It cracked me up though!

His height was 38 3/4 inches and still 75%.

His weight was 33lb 6oz and hit 70%! He's been 25% for most of his life on weight so he's starting to even out.

Other than that he was diagnosed as a naughty little 3-year-old! :)

He did have to get one updated vaccine and he was so mad about that. He cried for a long time and wanted to call Daddy in the car. He whimpered in the backseat the whole way home. Then at bedtime when the bandaid had to come off we relived the entire experience. He knows how to milk it when he thinks it works to his advantage.

April Photos: Day 24

After all the family took off mid-Sunday morning it was just time to relax. Carl had made breakfast for everyone and Carson tore through his Easter basket. We were so tired from the weekend and just wanted to sit around and do nothing but watch movies. Carson must have felt the same. It wasn't much past 11:00 and he crashed on Carl. This photo pretty much summed up the day!

April Photos: Day 23

On Saturday we all went up for a drive to Estes Park. We love it up there because it isn't too far of a drive, but is still beautiful. Plus, you get old school handmade ice cream on Main Street! It cleared up for most of the time we were there, but we did get snowed on some.

When we got home it was time to color Easter eggs. I knew it would be potentially disastrous, but it was still fun. I took just a quick second to snap a photo....I didn't dare step away from all that dye and Carson!

April Photos: Day 22

We ended up having a pretty busy weekend with family here. Dave and Jordan were here from Wednesday night to Sunday morning. Friday was my mom's birthday too. Carl had the day off so all the boys went out for the day and I got the house to myself! They ended up going to Boondocks because Carl wanted to take Carson on some go-carts. They were gone from early morning until dinner time so I never even thought about taking a photo that night. Carl sent me this picture while they were out though:

Carson's 3rd Birthday

I know I posted a little yesterday about our day, but I have more to share!

I took this at the museum in the construction room. This was the first time I actually let him play in there because they have all real tools, sharp screws, real saws etc. He kept running in there so I carefully obliged. The safety glasses wouldn't stay on his face and he was cracking me up!

After we left the museum he slept in the car for the 15 minute ride to meet Carl. In Carson's world he thinks that means he has had his nap for the day. He wouldn't sleep at all when we got home, even though I sure wanted to! He played and played until about 4:30 when he sat down and wanted to watch a cartoon. After a minute he jumped up in the chair with Grandpa Dave and the next thing we knew he was out. It was adorable.

We had the family over for dinner and cake. A few weeks ago we were at Target and I let him look through their cake book. He saw the tractor cake and from that day on he said he wanted a "front-end loader cake!" anytime you asked him about it. He's pretty easy so a tractor cake was what he got. And he LOVED it! One of the books we read is called I'm Dirty. It's about a tractor (duh). He reads it along with me so he knows all the words. When he saw his cake he started reciting the page that says, "a mud cake with dirt sprinkles and a scoop of rocky road." The cake actually had dirt sprinkles and I hadn't made the connection. He's sure a quick little boy. :)

 

 

He couldn't keep his fingers out of the frosting.

 

Grandma brought him home a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse banner and four balloons. Only two are alive right now. He thinks they are made to wrestle with...

 

And then there's this. I asked my mom to get a quick photo of the three of us. When I saw us in the camera I could not believe how big I was! Granted I am 7 months pregnant, but I have bloomed a little more than I expected!

April Photos: Day 21

Happy Birthday to our little dude!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I went to get Carson out of bed this morning and told him happy birthday. His response was, "did the Easter Bunny come?!" I told him he really needs to not waste a holiday! 

We were going to go play at the botanical gardens this morning because last night it said that the weather would be great. But we woke up to rain and some snow. I decided we would just go to the museum because he's been asking to go back and it had been a while. We played there for a really long time and then got to meet Carl for lunch. We've been playing at home this afternoon with Grandpa Dave and Uncle Jordan who came into town late last night. Now we're going to have dinner and birthday cake, even though Carson is currently passed out on Dave's lap in the living room. It's adorable!

He was so excited for his own garbage truck:

April Photos: Day 20

I spent most of today trying to get my computer and desk set up and cleaning the house. The computer has been so frustrating because I seriously have SO many cords coming in and out in a maze of equipment. At least it can all be hidden in a cupboard now, but I hate how jumbled it all is! Once again Carson thought he had to help me work on the main computer. We had to have our chairs touching and he kept jumping in to push a button or click the mouse. He is also obsessed with stealing paper out of the printer. Rawr.

Did I mention we didn't put the office gates back up? This is a trial...... we'll see how it ends up. We're hoping he can eventually stop touching everything he's not supposed to, but I don't have high hopes. We kept the two small desks that made up my old desk so we want to set him up his own little work station in here. I have a really really old laptop that I'm going to try to clear off and maybe get some games for him to play. I guess I just need some way to make him feel included when I have to be in here, but still interacting. It would be a good place to keep his crayons and crafts too. He's just so genuinely curious and inquisitive that he can't stand to not check everything out and ask what each and every thing is for.

I also got to put all the toys back in the living room since the carpet was dry this morning. A few of them came into the office for fun, and because we can now. He loves to hide in his Toy Story tent......you'll never find him! :)

 

And don't forget tomorrow is the BIG 3!!!!!!!!!!

April Photos: Day 19

Yesterday was dominated by some deadlines. I had our big proposal extended to yesterday afternoon so of course that equaled a bunch of other work to get done in a crunch. Plus our new desk was coming sometime in the afternoon so I was trying to loosely time it all along with nap time so nothing got screwed up. Somehow everything fell into place even if it was sort of a stressful day. 

Since the office has been cleared out I've had my laptop set up on the kitchen counter. Carson of course "just has to work" over and over and over during the day. He hasn't done any real damage, but enough to annoy me. The real problem is the header he took off of the rolling, spinning office chair on the wood floor. I have warned him so many times to be careful since the chairs are so unstable on the wood, but it is too fun to get "stirred". That's equivalent to being spun in Carson language. The time he really went over the edge head-first I had something in one hand and luckily caught his forehead mid-air with my other hand. He banged his knees, but I at least saved him from a nice bump on the head.