Why I Love These Videos

For this first one, you might need to know what the book Carson's 'reading' is about.  So there's this llama who's going to bed, he says goodnight to his mama, and then he gets scared upstairs by himself.  He calls for his mama, waits and worries and finally he freaks out & his mom comes running, tells him it's okay, etc.  And the llama goes to sleep.
Okay, maybe you didn't need to know that.



What I love:
1. C's facial expressions. She really is as tortured as this little llama.
2. How she can't. stand. still. the whole time.
3. Carson's humming
4. How proud she is when she says, "Carson's reading."
5. The way she corrects me at the end as to when the story is actually over



Lila came over to play, and these two little girls were total crazies!  I caught a bit of it on video. I hope you enjoy it before you go into convulsions from all the noise.



What I love:
1. Lila is literally mid-air when the video starts.
2. Lila's bow is somehow defying gravity, seemingly staying on her head by the sheer power of fairy dust and leftover lunch.
3. They simultaneously yell, "Hooray!" at the wrong time at the beginning of the video.
4. Carson stomps with her entire body--what is that crouching thing she's doing???
5. Lila is SPAZZING OUT. I love this because she is often very subdued when she comes to play at our house. It tells me she's getting more comfortable here.
6. For all the singing, gyrating, stomping, and dancing...the storm quiets amazingly fast.
7. C just parks it and starts putting all 100 of those cards back into the box...one....by....one....which is what she'll do for about 20 minutes and then re-scatter them like they were when the video started.
8. Carson's only wearing one sock.
9. There is not one bit of grace in any portion of this videon
10. These two girls are really becoming friends.

The First Two Weeks of Summer

As the summer began, I got a little nervous that I wouldn't be able to keep an 18-month-old busy all day every day for 8 weeks straight.  I worried that she would get bored (and was certain that I would) if we didn't find some entertainment that wasn't the usual coloring books and sidewalk chalk.  So I asked around and got some great suggestions, and so far this summer has been a complete blast!  Here is what we've done so far.  Keep in mind that I blog so I can remember things as well--so sorry if this is a snooze.

WEEK ONE

Monday:

• went for a walk in the neighborhood. I'm hoping C enjoys this so much she continues to 'make' me go
• went to the public library, where the puzzles and not the books were the stars for Carson

• made some soup in the crockpot--C helped by dumping things in, a theme you'll notice in our cooking adventures
• finger paint--Carson is the most reserved and careful finger-painter I have ever seen! I think it was my mom who said, "Clearly, she realizes it's called finger painting, not fingers"--so she spent a lot of time just poking the paper with her index finger.  At one point, I shoved her whole hand into the paint & she turned it over and stared at it. I said, "Now, what do you want to do?"  She replied, "Wash!"

We kept painting though, and when it was over, we went to the bathroom sink to wash the paint off  We ended up staying there for almost an hour. She loved splashing around and putting her hand under the running water.  She'd ask me to put soap in so she'd have bubbles, etc.  Who knew something so simple could be so much fun?  Well, all you parents out there probably knew, but it was a revelation for us!

Tuesday:

• First pool trip of the summer!  We went to Jana's mother-in-law's house to play in her backyard pool.  Carson had a great time, although of course it took her awhile to warm up to it. It took her about 45 minutes to go from standing outside the baby pool to standing inside it to finally sitting in it. I was amazed when she wanted to get into the big pool! Here she is, ready to go

• play with a bowl of rice.  Again, so simple.  I just poured some rice & couscous that had been in our pantry forever into a tupperware container & it was instant fun!
• family trip to get ice cream after dinner (sorbet for our dairy-allergic one)

Wednesday

• lunch with Jana and Lila
• Petsmart--free entertainment! C loves to watch the birds fly, eat, and tweet
• grocery store--it has to be done, even on summer break

Thursday

• a mellow day at the house, full of cleaning & laundry
• visited Daddy at the office to bring him a cupcake
• went to Gram's house for dinner and a swim. I cannot describe how much fun C had at the pool this time. I think Daddy makes everything more fun.  She had the biggest grin you can imagine and was almost trembling with excitement the whole time we were there. She loved to 'jump' (actually, lean until gravity took over) off the side of the pool and giggled a thousand colors when Brandon and I would toss her back and forth.

Friday

• went to Barnes & Noble--the one by Perimeter Mall has a great kids section, and it's technically free. I can't say I've ever walked out empty handed, but they don't MAKE you pay to play there....
• finger painting with sponges cut into shapes
• more playing in the sink

WEEK TWO

Monday

• played with the bucket of rice again--this time, I hid things like paper clips and straws in it
• made zucchini bread--isn't she the cutest stinking chef ever?  I didn't even pose her like this.

Tuesday

• storytime at Little Shop of Stories in Decatur--Our neighbors recommended this place, and it's kind of heaven on earth for me. It's a cute little children's bookstore in downtown Decatur. I'm not sure what made me think I could drive to an area I know nothing about, park in a deck in one location, and then walk around the downtown area and find the store I had never been to but wanted to see.  My plan was to get there at least 30 mintues before story time started at 11, so C could have a chance to look around, play with a few things, and get over it before I asked her to sit still in a room full of stuff designed to entertain her while a stranger read a book she'd never heard before. I spent....let's just say "awhile" walking around downtown, carrying C and sweating more than a lady should, but we finally found the place, and literally the town clock was striking 11 as we walked through the door.  Carson did pretty well though, except that we sat right next to this train set. I told her she could play with it when storytime was over...so about every 2 minutes, she'd call out, "All done!" trying to convince everyone it was time to play with the trains. :)
• Giddy and Peggy came through town on their way to Mississippi, so they came over for dinner, along with Gram.  It was great to see them again, and we're looking forward to their return visit next week.

Wednesday

• groceries. Boo.
• made homemade ice cream (soy, of course)--again, C dumped in the ingredients as I measured them and even helped with the stirring a bit.

Thursday

Best. Day. Ever.

• We started our morning with a Gymboree Play & Learn class--so cute.  It was a combination of free play and organized activities, with some songs and games thrown in.  There was clapping. There were bubbles. There were slides.  Carson was thrilled.  She loved climbing all over the obstacles and always wanted 58 turns on whatever group activity the leader had set up, but when the whole group was singing or clapping, she zoned out and just took it in.  I'm curious to see if she'll participate in that part more after we've gone a few times or if she'll remain an observer. 

• play with Patrick--cousin Madelyn had a doctor appointment Thursday afternoon, so Carson and I got to go hang out with Patrick while Toby & Angie took Maddy to FINALLY get her cast off!  Congratulations, Maddy!  Carson looks up to Patrick so much and wants to do pretty much anything he does. They colored, they vaccuumed, they ran in infinite circles.  We had a great time.  In this pic, Carson's a little over-dressed for coloring, in her bib, while Patrick is slightly under-dressed in his diaper. Whatever.

• monthly girls dinner at Patty's house--I wasn't sure if Carson would be up for a girls night after having such a big day, but she slept all the way from Woodstock to Decatur (during rush hour) so she was pretty good to go.  We got there toward the beginning, so Carson had a chance to get used to people as they arrived.  She cracked me up, being more outgoing than usual with such a large group, and I was proud to call her mine for sure.  This was one of those days that my heart was SO FULL at the end of it, I didn't know what to do. I feel so blessed to get to spend so much time with such a precious little thing who is an enormous gift in our lives.  And I'm so glad that she enjoys spending time with me (*for now, I know. I'm not an idiot).  Throughout our days, she'll stop in the middle of something and say, "Carson, Mommy. Eating together!" and be so happy about it. Like it's just so wonderful that we are eating some turkey and cheese with one another. And really, it is.

Friday

• a mellow day, after such a busy one the day before. Lila came to play in the morning while Jana got food for Lila's 2nd birthday party.
• met Jana, Lila, Evie, and Grammy (Seth's mom) for dinner--delicious and an easy break from being in the house all day!

And here's the slideshow of randomness.

General Springtime Fun

We have been able to do some fun stuff this spring & as I get caught up on blogging, I decided to list several of our adventures at once.

1. Visit to Hartsville, SC
Before Brandon's busy season kicked into high gear and while I was on Spring Break, we loaded up with the dogs and headed to visit Giddy, Grandad, and Aunt Peggy in South Carolina.  As always, it was a fun trip and we laughed, danced, and played a lot! Here's C next to Giddy's azaleas. Most of our other pictures of people have them in their pajamas. And I'm not sure they want me posting those online...

2. Kace & Judah
Because Jana was about to have her baby, Carson spent the last few months of the school year with another good friend of ours, Kace.  We're so blessed to have friends & family willing to help out and care for our little girl!  You'll remember their family from previous posts--C and Judah are only days apart in age.  Carson had such a great time playing over there and getting used to a new environment.  Toward the end, she got truly comfortable with Kace--we know this because she flat-out told her NO on one of her last days there (this is not uncommon with Brandon & I but is very rare for others).  Kace and Judah welcomed Carson in every way and made it so much fun for her to be there.  Crafts, trips to the park, and a whole new set of toys kept Carson very entertained in her adventures with the Gunters.  You can check out the Gunters' blog HERE for more stories.  We're looking forward to summer play dates!

3. Baby Evie
Jana, Seth, and Lila welcomed their second beautiful baby girl into their family on May 5.  C and I steered clear for awhile because we were sick, but Carson finally got to meet Evie (pronounced eh-vee) last week.  She was so excited to see Jana and Lila, she actually cried.  As we were loading up the car, she kept saying, "Jana. Lila. Jana. Lila...." over and over again, getting more and more worked up until she just burst into tears.  And then she was sort of scared because she didn't understand why she was crying.  It was sweet and hearbreaking at the same time.  Apparently, we need to visit more!
Anyway, Evie is gorgeous, Lila is a great big sister, and Jana & Seth are amazing parents to both!  We're so glad to have such dear friends.  Congratulations, Burrows!

4. Lake Trip to See Kristin
Kristin, one of my very best friends in the world, lives in Boston (for now ; ) ), but her awesome mom lives in South Carolina. 

Kristin, Marc, and their son Lucas came down to visit her mom for Memorial Day weekend, and I took Carson to go see them. It's one of Brandon's biggest weekends for work, so we figured we'd keep ourselves busy--and why miss the chance to see our good friends when they were so much closer than usual?  We arrived Sunday around lunch and headed straight out on the boat. 

Carson loved her first boat ride and was very excited to get in the water.  Until she got in the water.  That's when she realized it feels nothing like her bathtub.  So we hung on the boat, which was perfectly fine with C.

The rest of our too-short visit was filled with tons of great food and endless amounts of laughter.  

Cutie pie Lucas chowing down!

Kristin's brother Tripp & his wife Lindsay, as well as our friends Patty and Vince, also came for the weekend.  After C went to bed, we hung out on the deck with music and drinks and had so much fun just talking.  It feels so good to be with people who make you feel more like yourself than you do in your day to day life.  Does that make sense?  People who can tell stories about you from 15 years ago. People who know you well, who have seen every stage of your adulthood, career, and family.  People who love your child, who will laugh at, feed, hug, entertain, and teach her.  People who make you literally laugh so much it hurts.  I was exhausted the next day, but I would have paid almost any price for those few refreshing hours with true friends.

Here are more pictures:

And now it's officially my summer!  I'll keep you posted on how C and I keep busy these next few weeks :)