I give up at planning with a toddler.

We had a fun afternoon planned for yesterday that we had been anticipating for awhile. We were heading up to Boulder to get family pictures done, the weather was awesome and we were all set.

Apparently Carson had different plans.

We know that he loves to be outside and runs in circles non-stop. That's why we have so many pictures of his back and so few of him actually looking at the camera. I thought if we hired a photographer we could actually all 3 get in the pictures and maybe it would help that I could be on that side to help focus him. Pause...Not.

We literally spent 2 full hours chasing after him while he screamed and cried. We will be extremely lucky if we get even one of us all looking and smiling because he had the most intense pouty face for the whole time. And it sure wouldn't be for lack of effort from the photographer! Thanks again for your patience Kelsey!!! He wouldn't hold our hands, wouldn't just stand at our feet, refused to just let us hold him, turned the other way when we came to him and so on....... A random homeless-looking guy even stopped with a puppy and we couldn't get him to calm down for that. I mean, puppies usually always work!

The only thing that made him stop crying was if he had his snack cup, sippy and/or a cell phone. So our Christmas card this year may include some Goldfish or electronics. Please don't judge us. :) But on the positive side, we all looked adorable, if I do say so myself and we'll get some awesome pictures even if they aren't exactly what I wanted.

I can't wait to see them!
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On Thursday we got a box of stuff we ordered online, which included some shoes. Carson went to town and tore it all apart and he was having so much fun that I just let him make a mess. I went in the office since he was keeping himself busy for a minute when Carl called. I turned the corner as I answered the phone to find this:


I yelled at Carl, threw down the phone and grabbed the camera. It was too cute to pass up!


I've still been working on some crafts in my free time. I love to sew, but still need as much practice as I can get.
I made this blanket for my cousin Bonnie's baby shower last weekend:


And I tried out a stuffed taggie elephant to match. I thought they came out really cute!


I also made my first wreath. I had some double-sided chocolate ribbon that I wanted to use, but didn't want a traditional ribbon wreath. I bought a foam form and tied on a bunch of pieces to cover the entire thing. I bought a $1 hook at Walmart and spray painted it brown. The whole project was about $10 and I LOVE how it turned out!


I seriously love our red-orange front door and the chocolate brown looks so fall-like on it. We have our pumpkins from the pumpkin patch on the stairs too for the fall effect.


So pretty! :)

This week in Carson

On Thursday I was pretty busy with work, but we were playing while I was on the phone. We sat on the bench by the windows like we do all the time. Carson can scoot his butt forward and slide straight off all by himself, but not this time. As we are sitting there I think he is just sliding off and the next thing I know he supermans it straight off and onto his face. I scooped him right up to try to calm him down all while I'm still on the phone with my coworker.

I lean him back to wipe his tears and see he is drooling a large amount of blood. I scream that I'll call her back and throw the phone. We rushed over to the sink because his mouth was seriously full of blood and I couldn't tell where it was coming from. Turns out his top two teeth went right into his bottom lip and it was bad.

This picture was the next day. The two spots turned to HUGE canker sores and he had a fat(ter) lip for awhile. They got bigger and looked like big blisters even after this. It is now 7 days later and they still aren't gone.


We scooted back our couches for more play room and I am starting to cycle out the baby toys for big boy ones. We got these Mega Blocks last week and he is having a blast with them. He has started to treat everything like a car and drives the long blocks around on the carpet.


Look at those cheeeeeeks! He gets what I call "puffy face" when he is really concentrating.


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As far as talking goes, this last week has been so much fun. He had gone for about a month where he actually stopped saying a lot of the things that were his regulars and we were a little frustrated (only because we love hearing him talk). We know he understands what we say...he will get anything you ask him for and he can point out anything you say in a book. I have read a lot about when toddlers talk and I keep seeing that in boys especially it is totally normal for them to stop and then have a "word explosion".

I think we are about to be bombed!

For awhile he has said CHEESE, which he pronounces, "Sheeeesh!"
We were having ice cream the other night and he started saying ice adlfkjdskfj;afkj. Ice was no problem, cream was a jumbled mess. The next thing we know it turns to Ice Sheesh, which is so dang cute. For two days he was running around saying, "Ice Sheesh, Ice Sheesh!"

Last week I was moving toys and his psycho FP Puppy said, "Bye Bye!" He repeated it right away and has been saying it ever since. We were at Ross looking for toys and he screamed it after a toy I tried said it too.

Monday I asked him to say baby while we were reading a book and he said it twice. Since then he will repeat it all the time, but he says, "Bubby". Yesterday there was a diaper commercial with laughing babies and he ran around screaming Bubby.

Oh! And Monday night after his bath he said, "Love OOO!" after I said it! That was the best yet.

It has just been fun to go from very little to a new word almost everyday all of a sudden.
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Yesterday he spent 45 minutes at the gym daycare without getting upset!!! I told them he could go out in the big kid area if they keep an eye on him and he did great. He played basketball and parachutes in the court, played Pacman on the computer, colored and played with the other kids. It was so nice to drop him off without him clawing for me not to leave.
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He has been getting really crafty at his naughtiness now with all the baby-proofing. He keeps scooting different toys up to the entertainment center to get to all the electronics. Yesterday he flipped over the music stage, scooted it up to the shelf, stood on it and took out the Wii disc. He also takes the big plastic bowls from the kitchen, turns them upside down, stands on them and reaches up on the kitchen counters.
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I know that is all random. I will forget everything if I don't write it down though!!!

Fall Pumpkin Patch, 2009

We love taking Carson out to do new things, even if he doesn't really know what we're doing yet. I found this farm just east of us (since we live in Kansas...) and it had everything we were looking for. They had a huge pumpkin patch, gourd patch, fruit and veggie garden, large grass maze, farm animals, food and train rides.

You will notice that once again, Carson is rarely looking at the camera. He just runs in circles since he has so much energy and couldn't care less about paying attention to us. He just loves getting out to play.

**I'll warn you now that this will be long :) **

He sat here for 2.4 seconds...






He mostly walked up and down the aisles and didn't pay a whole lot of attention to the actual pumpkins.


How about these blue Colorado skies???
I haven't touched the color here at all. We don't take the blue sky here for granted after growing up with the inversion in Utah. My dad is always fascinated with how blue they are when he is here.


Here is a great example of how much he cares about what we have to say. See ya later Dad!


The boys going into the grass maze. Carson didn't last too long.




Next, we walked over to the farm animals. He was okay with the donkeys, at first.




This may be one of my favorite pictures I've ever taken!


He loved the kitten, not the goats.




The lamb/sheep? was my favorite! Listen to it's BAAA!




He was not having the donkeys. He gave them the one pet at the beginning and wouldn't go back after. Carl tried to set him there so I could snap a picture and he freaked out.


This was the train we took. This thing seriously went fast!




He doesn't look like me, even a little bit?! Can I get 25%?


It was so windy and dusty that Carl handed me his sunglasses. My eyes were pouring tears because of all the dust in my contacts. Carson just sat there and watched the scenery. I think he got bored! What?


And for fun, Vintage Fall Carson, almost exactly a year ago:


He was just sitting up at this time last year.


I told you that would be long!!!

A little bit of this and that

We don't have anything major going on so I thought I would just post some random pictures from the last week. I've been really busy with work and trying to squeeze in play time and cleaning whenever I can. I also made two trips to the craft store this weekend because for some reason Fall=Crafts in my head, and not even actual fall crafts. I made an awesome wreath Saturday for the front door, I have a few sewing projects going on and some art and Christmas presents for Carson. The problem is that I find so many things I want to do that I can't just start and finish one at a time! I'll post some of the stuff I make as I go...

So, here are some of the things we did in the last week: (I realize I end up with a lot of highchair pictures because that is the only time he sits still!)

Pasta night......See-food!


Carson loves playing on the bench in our foyer. He can't quite get up on it himself, but sits on it and looks out the front windows.






Quick break on the floor? Okay.


All of a sudden he has decided that lunch belongs IN his hair. And I'm not talking just dirty hands in the hair. He puts whole handfuls of food up on his head. Sigh. This was after the chunks were gone, but the grease was not. His hair smelled horrible this day.


We have been going swimming one or two days every weekend at our fitness center. Carson loves the pool now. He is still not liking the daycare, but we started their anxiety program yesterday. You start with 15 minutes the first day and add 5 each day after that. You are supposed to go everyday until you work up to where you want so I need to make sure to go every day I can this week. I am going to after lunch today and then we have to run to the grocery store. I think this week will be a little less busy with work which is great. Luckily he woke up late because he was up during the night so his nap ran late.

Daddy ALWAYS gives him a pool mohawk.


These little fountains are his favorite. He smacks them and laughs while he splashes his own face.


Carl was ecstatic that his Bengals won again yesterday. Here are the two guys in their gear for football season this year.


Wow, that is really cute. :)


He's such a ham when he runs around with Mr. Lion.
And that's a pretty good Mr. Bengal impression!

Estes Park & RMNP

On Saturday we went up to Estes Park and Rocky Mtn. National Park for the day. Carl's little sister Christy and her fiance Andy came out to spend the long weekend with us. They wanted to go see some of the Colorado mountains during their visit.

Anytime you make the trip up to Estes Park you have to go to the Stanley Hotel. The Stanley is known for being the inspiration for Stephen King's story The Shining. It is 100 years old, has a long history of ghost sightings and just a really cool atmosphere. The original movie wasn't filmed there, but King bought back the rights to the story and made a mini-series in the late 90s which was filmed at the Stanley.


The day before we went I spotted a monkey harness for Carson at Walmart for $9. I thought it was totally worth trying out for that price.
The problem was the leash hooked at the bottom and the straps couldn't go any tighter.
It kept tipping him over anytime he tried to run:


It sure looked cute though!


The newly engaged couple at the Stanley.


Then we headed up to RMNP to go to Bear Lake. They have a really nice trail set up around the perimeter to walk around. Luckily we had been here before so we knew the stroller wouldn't really work.

We figured out that we could just put the monkey on upside down so the leash hooked at the top. It worked out great. Carson walked the entire lake all by himself and loved every minute.


Beautiful photo backdrop, right?!




This is Carson doing TOUCHDOWN! Anytime we say touchdown he throws both hands up above his head. Grandpa Rick taught him this one over the webcam :)


And a funny reminder of the new monster in our life.
"Hey Dad, since you're not busy, can I have those???"


Just as we were getting off the trail it started pouring rain. We waited under an awning for awhile and then made a run for the car. By the time we took off it had started pouring again. We already know that Carson HATES carwashes. He must have thought this was the same thing because he panicked and started crying.
I just love this pouty, whiny face he makes!

Monkey turned Houdini

From the beginning of our relationship I have been told many stories about what a handful Carl was as a child. He always escaped their house, ran to stores naked, terrorized who knows what, etc etc etc. His grandma still calls him Houdini and Dennis the Menace. I was always threatened that I would have to deal with Carl 2.0 when the day came along that we had a son. Well, I guess the day is here.

Last night Carson escaped from his crib and then from his bedroom.

On Sunday night he refused to sleep at Nick & Erin's house and it has been just as bad ever since. I honestly think we have hit some kind of a new round of separation anxiety. He absolutely refuses to sit in his crib or PnP alone and throws a fit if I leave. He keeps trying to claw his way out and grabs onto any part of me so I don't leave him. This is a totally new thing.

Monday night he was horrible and ended up in bed with me for the first time in 6 months. Last night he slept until midnight in his crib and then woke up hysterical. I got him calmed down eventually, but he flipped out when he hit the mattress. I have been telling Carl we need to drop the crib to the lowest level for awhile because even though he hadn't tried, I knew Carson could probably get out if he wanted. He can get down from our huge bed with no problem at all.

Back to about 1am last night when I put him back in the crib. I could tell he was pretty frantic, but I wanted to leave him alone for a minute to see if he'd calm down. I really had a feeling he would get out in the very back of my mind though. In the <30 seconds it took me to get in my room and back into bed I realized the yelling stopped and I heard the door handle bounce. In a split second I knew exactly what happened, threw on my glasses and RAN out of my room. Sure enough, his door is wide open and he is missing. It wouldn't be a big deal other than we don't have a gate on the top of our stairs. I yelled his name, did a quick check of his room and ran out to keep looking. Next thing I know he is running back to me from down the hall. My mom said her door was open this morning so he must have busted into there, thankfully.

I was so shaken up since, being 1am, I was also half asleep. After this he went in the PnP right next to my side of the bed. He would only stand up and had to have my arm right by him. He kept lying his head against our mattress, rubbing his hair and face and dozed off standing like this a few times. He would bound up as soon as I touched him though.

He eventually got down on his knees with his face buried in the sheet and fell asleep at 3:22am. I can't even believe we were up that long. He woke up at 5:45 with Carl, slept on me until 6:30 and luckily let me put him back in the PnP where he slept until 8am. After the two nights before this being a total disaster, let's just say I'm a little tired today!

Tonight his crib is going all the way to the bottom and I will be getting another door handle cover for his room.

My thighs beg you, Child...

Today was a very new and interesting experience for both me and Carson. I went back to the gym for the first time in 3 years and he went to his first daycare. I had a blast. Carson, not so much.

I still have high hopes for this all working out, don't get me wrong. Carl has been going to the gym everyday for almost a year now, but I couldn't find one that had an okay (or affordable) daycare option. I had been toying with the idea of a preschool once or twice a week for a few hours so Carson can get some good playtime in with other monkeys. Then we found a great fitness resort and signed up two days ago since there were no contracts. I figured it was still a cheaper option and we all get something out of it. I wasn't going to do something long term in case Carson didn't cooperate.

Back to today. I made sure he had a good nap and a full belly before I even thought about leaving the house. When we got there I dropped him off, stood in the corner watching for a few minutes and he didn't even know I existed at the time. I was excited that he was off to a great start. They have a paging system so they can call you if they cry for more than 10-15 mintues which I fully expected to hear my name on. After 40 minutes away, I was cautiously optimistic. I figured that was plenty for the first day so I would go get him regardless.

As soon as I walked in I spotted his orange shirt in the arms of one of the women who work there. I flew over to him and saw his face was red and his eyelashes were all wet. I grabbed him, and sort of panicked as I asked if I had missed a page. She said no, but she had been holding him for about 20 minutes because he would start crying if she even thought about putting him down. It was obvious he was pretty upset. She was super nice though and said he actually did better than most for his first day. It took me a few more minutes to get him all the way calm and then he was a zombie on the ride home.

Half of me feels really bad and the other half is excited to try again. Whether we like it or not, there will come a day where he and I are not 2 halves that make one and we will have to suck it up. My only hope now is that he isn't traumatized the next time I try to drop him off!

Other than that, we have been playing in between work all week. The other morning he got a hold of the ziplocks and thought the box was a great toy.


You'll find Carson at the front window waiting for Daddy after work like this everyday.




While we were waiting that day it started raining. I had been watching this yellow bird land on my big flower stem over and over again, but I wasn't fast enough to get a picture. Then from the corner of my eye I noticed this baby bird sitting in a different pot on my porch. I got out my telephoto lens and started snapping shots from inside the window. It seemed to be pretty content and dry so I walked out on the porch to see what it would do. I got right up by it and it didn't even flinch. It is so cool to see animals, even if they are plain brown birds, up this close at home.
Doesn't it look like a little old man with those "eyebrows"?!?!


What else........We have been playing in a big cardboard box with a hole cut out a lot this week (random, I know). Yesterday we sweated at the zoo with Jenn and Katelyn (and baby no-name). Tomorrow we are just going grocery shopping for the weekend and maybe to get some gym clothes at Old Navy. I scored a $45 off $100 coupon tonight so that is a good shopping incentive! Christy and her new fiance, Andy, are flying into town tomorrow night for the long weekend so we are planning a fun time.


I guess that's all for now! Oh wait, Carson also said cheese today for the first time. It actually comes out as "sheesh", but we knew what he meant!