One Quick Thing

There will eventually be a post about all of the pre-Christmas and Christmas fun we have been having lately, but in the meantime, you should head over to http://scwphotography.blogspot.com/ to see a few of Carson's one-year pictures :) 

Birthday Fun, Part Two

So the weekend after Carson's birthday, we had a shindig for her.  She won't remember it, and it was more our friends than hers, BUT everyone was there to celebrate her and she definitely had a great time.  I know Brandon and I won't forget it, and we really appreciate everyone who came, helped, and celebrated with us.

We have a ton of thank-you's to send out, and I'm sure I'll forget a few, but the party just wouldn't have happened without everybody chipping in, so here goes....

Thank you to....

...my mom for taking Friday off of work and spending the night here to help out with everything.  She was 'on call' from the moment she arrived until the party was over.  She stayed up late helping me make the candy favors (which we then forgot to put out the next day :)  ).  She got up early on Saturday to get started on more tasks.  And she kept an eye on the food throughout the party, so that I was able to enjoy every moment with my daughter, our family, and friends.  Thank you Mom!

...my dad for coming over after work on Friday, staying late, driving home to take care of the dog, and then coming right back on Saturday morning to continue taking orders from Brandon.  He vacuumed like a champ, hung lights like a pro, and knew enough to stay out of the way when I got a little "intense"  :)

...Brandon's mom for coming before the party on Saturday, despite her car issues.  Thank you most of all for the clean-up effort afterward.  I can't tell you how incredible it was not to have to clear dishes, clean pots & pans, load and unload the dishwasher, store leftovers, and trash the trash after everyone had left (or, let's be honest, it probably would have been Sunday morning). 

...my sister Anna for coming early on Saturday, despite work, projects, and being a college student in general (I know that can make rising before noon tricky on a Saturday).  Her steady hand was a huge help on the cake, and she helped out wherever it was needed all day long.

...Corey for taking the video of Carson's first cake experience.  We thought it was fitting, since he filmed our wedding that he videotape our daughter's first birthday.  We truly appreciate you capturing our most priceless moments and tolerating our last-minute requests!

...Meg for snapping all the pics of Carson eating (or more like poking and pinching and gently touching) her cake. I sprung it on her right before go-time, and she was able to get all of Carson's facial expressions--the confusion, the excitement, the realization that icing is full of sugar.....thank you for doing such a great job with such important memories :)
...all our friends who didn't follow directions and brought gifts anyway (please know thank-you notes are in the works).  Carson's head nearly explodes every morning when she sees all the fun stuff she gets to play with that day.  Thank you especially to those friends who got us noisy toys--we can't wait to return the favor with your own children!
...Carson's aunts, uncles, and cousins who stayed late to spend some quality time with the birthday girl--Brandon and I will always remember that evening.

...most importantly, EVERYONE who came to the party--we were amazed that so many people made time in their busy holiday schedules to come over and wish our girl a happy birthday. We are infinitely blessed by your generosity and love--and how much you care for our daughter.

Here's the birthday girl, playing with some toys before everyone arrived:

Lots of people, kids, toys, chaos!

Carson's smash cake (which was really banana bread made with soy ingredients and egg replacer.  Yumm, delicious....but the icing was real!) and the cake everyone else got to eat.  Until I made this, I never thought about how the icing had to be made, then dyed, then piped onto the cake using various decorating tips, bags, couplers, etc. I have a whole new appreciation for all confections now.

 

 Waiting for the cake

Enjoying the cake

And scene.

And here's a slideshow of pictures from the day

Birthday Fun, Part One

I'm a little late in posting about Carson's actual birth day and party, but she has been super-sick lately, so pretty much everything got put on hold.  We believe she is currently on the mend.

On Carson's actual birthday, Brandon and I took her to the Atlanta Zoo.  Like many one-year-olds (it still feels weird to say that), Carson loves animals, the sounds they make, and anything new she can learn about them.  We wanted to take her to do or see something she hadn't before, so the zoo seemed like a perfect fit.  It was quite cold on December 1, but we bundled her up and gave it a shot and were so glad we did.  The zoo was practically abandoned.  I think there was only one time we were at an exhibit at the same time as someone else, so Carson got to see lots of close-up, undisturbed views of the animals, and we didn't feel rushed to get out of the way.

Unfortunately, the train and carousel weren't running, due to the cold weather--and none of the monkeys were out, which was disappointing since they are her absolute favorite animals.  However, we had a GREAT time watching Carson get excited about everything else and seeing her make connections between the live animals and what she had seen in pictures. 

Here are her top 5 animals she got to see, judging by wiggling, pointing, and leaning out of the stroller upon seeing them:

1. Lion--Carson has roared since she realized she had a voice, and granted, she roared at pretty much every animal we saw, but she got super-excited about seeing an actual lion.

2. Goats--because they let her touch them.  Do you think they drug those animals in the petting zoo???

3. Meerkats/otters--tied for 3rd place.  They were both quick-moving and entertaining.  Here's my favorite meerkat:

4. Panda

5. Elephant

We're so excited about the memories we got to make together as a family on Carson's first birthday.  We couldn't have asked for better company!
Here's a slideshow of the afternoon:

Happy First Birthday Carson!

To me, birthdays are a chance to celebrate the person whose special day it is.  While presents and parties are often involved, I also try to reflect on the gift that that person actually is in my life and in our world.  Today is my first chance to celebrate my daughter on her birthday, and I am overwhelmed by all the ways I am grateful for her, affected by her, and proud to call her my child.

In fact, I'm not really going to try to put it into words, because I feel certain I could not find enough to do her justice--or the correct ones to accurately express the emotions I feel about her.

Instead, here are a few of Brandon's and my favorite moments from the past 12 months, followed by a video of her entire first year. 
Well, not really all of it.  But I was hoping, maybe if you thought it was an entire year long, you wouldn't be as upset when you found out it lasted 9 minutes.

Okay, some of our favorite things about Carson and her life so far:

1. A year ago, Brandon and I woke up at God-knows-what-hour in the morning to get to the hospital for my c-section, only to realize our parents and my sister Anna had arrived before us.  I chuckle a little every time I think about a waiting room full of people--waiting for someone who hasn't even arrived at the hospital yet :)  We're incredibly blessed to have family so supportive and excited for us!

2. We'll always remember the first time Carson smiled at us--it was Brandon's birthday, and she was lying on her changing table...which would soon become one of her favorite spots in the world, where she would always smile and laugh.

3. From the beginning, Carson has made all kinds of grunts, squeaks, and toots A LOT.  She still does quite often, and her repertoire now includes roaring, sniffing, and chuckling (huh-huh).  We love them all.  Except whining.

4. One of my favorite memories is of Carson learning the sign for "more".  I'm not sure if she or I was more proud, as she realized she had the ability to communicate.  What an amazing power, to be able to share something from inside her head with another person!

5. Her first steps. Enough said.

6. One of Brandon's favorites is when we tickle her and she laughs that uncontrollable, full-body giggle of pure joy.

7. We love that she loves being outside.  Naming new objects, chasing squirrels around the cul-de-sac, stepping up and down curbs--as long as we're outdoors, she's entertained.

8. She has certain parts of her books that she loves.  Lately, as soon as we begin reading a book, she rushes through the pages, flipping as fast as she can, to get to her favorite parts--and then keeps turning back to them as we continue reading.  Watching her develop preferences and her own desires has been fascinating.

9. Carson always tries to make us laugh.  She "tickles" us every chance she gets and is keenly aware of when something she has done amuses us--and then she does it again and again.

And here is the video. Nine minutes of your life you can never get back, but if you're reading this blog, the subject matter should hopefully keep you entertained.

I can't believe the peanut-looking mass of cells we first saw her as became the precious little girl we get to play with and learn from each day.  Happy birthday, Carson.  You are an infinite blessing!