Happy Birthday Car-Baby!

I can't believe you are ONE! (you turned one on July 16th..Momma is just a little late on the post) You have been such a joy to us this past year. Your contagious laugh, your care free laid back attitude (most of the time), your love for your big brother, the way you snuggle, your love of books (mommy really loves that you like to sit in her lap and "read"), the way you light up when daddy walks in the room...I could go on and on about all the precious things we love about you. You are truly a little gift from God. I can't believe that you are almost walking and are even saying a few words. This past year has FLOWN by. We love you so much Carson Jace (Sharson Jace according to Brody!)

We celebrated your first birthday with a POOL PARTY! We joined in with Cousin Cole and had a joint family party for you both. Cole turned 2 5 days after you turned 1! How fun is that!! Trent and Andrea let us use their super nice apartment pool for the party and it was a hit! We all had so much fun relaxing in the pool, splashing and celebrating your life.

Our Party Pavilion

Carson swimming with Nina

You boys loaded up!

Leigh Ann and I worked hard on these cute pirate cupcakes!

Carson was a little unsure at first! Brody was ready to help you out.

Cole knew exactly what to do!

He finally got the hang of it

Opening gifts..a book of course!

Cole checking out his new puzzles!

Summer Rewind

We've had a great summer so far. Trips to the pool, trips to the lake house, a getaway for mom and dad and more. The boys beg to be outside everyday. No matter how much sun screen we put on, these little ones just get darker and darker by the day. Thank goodness they have their daddy's skin! Here's a photo recap of a couple of our summer adventures.

The New Family Lakehouse - June 18-20

Matt and Carson headed down to the boat house to see this...

Brody catching his first fish! 

He was so proud of this big catch..and the many more he caught!

Mom and Dad's Weekend Away in Arlington - June 25-28

For Father's Day, and just because I have a wonderful husband, I surprised Matt with a trip away to Arlington. We left the kids with our parents for 4 days and got some time away just for us. I had a few things on the itinerary, but mostly wanted a relaxing time for us to get away together. 

We saw this monstrosity of a football stadium.

Supporting the former Aggies who now play for the Cowboys. WHOOP!

The LARGEST tv/big screen/whatever in the world! It has to be right?

I was much more impressed with the Ballpark at Arlington. Beautiful :)

We saw Josh Hamilton hit the longest home run in park history at this game! We love him bc he loves Jesus and has a great testimony which he is not ashamed to share with anyone, even the media.

The rest of the trip was spent shopping, eating, more eating and just enjoying some time away without kiddos. Thank you Matty for going away with me!

And last but not least....

Carson took 5-6 steps one night. He hasn't done it since. But I think he'll take off any day now! 

Upcoming posts...Carson turned 1!

Kid Craft Ideas

Calling all crafty, creative moms out there. I already have a few of you in mind so I better get some response from you :)

Brody craves artistic, engaging playtime these days. He wants someone playing on the floor with him, coloring, doing puzzles, going over letters, etc. And I'm stuck in a rut. I feel like we do the same things everyday and he definitely gets bored. He's at an age where I think he would really enjoy doing crafts so I've been researching online. There are so many ideas its overwhelming.

So I'm coming to you for help. I need ideas for a 2 1/2 year old. Letter and number activities, animal activities, painting, glueing, coloring, everything. Anything you've tried that your child loves.

Are there certain links you use to get ideas?

Also, where have you found a good deal on craft supplies? I plan on hitting up Target, Michaels and Hobby Lobby but I don't want to spend a fortune.

Come through for me moms. I won't name names but I expect a comment from a few of you in particular :)

This is my Life

I saw this on Heather's blog and had to share. This is my life...with more swagger.

Its Summer..Its Summertime. ITS SUMMERTIME! (Thank you Yo Gabba Gabba)

This is just a few pictures of the fun we've been having this summer! Today is a rainy, nasty day so we're stuck indoors. The boys just stare out the storm door, watching the rain. Brody says "Its raining. Yuck" and Carson just looks up at me with those big eyes as if he's saying "Mommy, why can't we go out?" So here's what we wish we were doing!

Here's some fun rainy day activities. Building a big boat!
(See those cool underwear? We gave it a try. After 3 weeks and talking to some moms at church, we decided that we weren't ready. We're going to try again in a few months after we figure out what's going on with all of his medical stuff.)


Playing Peek-A-Boo when Mommy comes to get you up.

Kitchen Makeover and a Change

I know you've all been waiting anxiously, anticipating the reveal of our kitchen facelift. I know you have..don't lie. So, I'll get straight to it. Honestly, there's tons of photos. But for the sake of time, you get to see just a few. You'll get the full effect, no worries.

BEFORE

AFTER

Overall, the main changes (in order of completion) were new countertops, painted cabinets, new hardware and tile backsplash. We contemplated changing the floor tile but decided against it for many reasons. (it seemed like a lot of work.)

So, on to the bigger news. After all of the work we have done to our house in the last 2.5 years...kitchen makeover, landscaping, room addition, updating, etc...we have decided to sell it and move on to a new home. This home has seriously been such a blessing to our little family. Matt and I moved in here with just one baby on the way (I was pregnant with Brody). Over the last 2.5 years we have seen both of our boys brought home from the hospital into this living room, sleep in their cribs for the first time in these nurseries. We have loved our first house. And as of today, it is on the market! We are so excited to see what home the Lord is going to provide for us. We're praying its one that we can stay in for a long time and will be blessed with the quick footsteps of more little feet. 

So if you or anyone you know is looking for a great starter home, let us know and we'll put you in touch with our realtor! This post really wasn't a plug for buying our house. 

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Well, I figured it was about time for my once a month post. And its SUMMERTIME! Life has been non-stop around here. From weddings, to home projects, we seriously have not slowed down. In a good way though. We're doing some small things around our house to try to sell it. So if you or anyone you know wants to buy a cute house in Copperfield for a great price, we can HOOK YOU UP! (I'm sure there will be more info to come with photos fairly soon!)

Carson is 10 months old. I can't believe how fast this time has gone. In 2 months he will be 1 year old. Life goes much faster with 2 little guys to chase around! He is so mobile its crazy. I don't remember when I last updated on him and what he was doing at that point. He's walking around the entire house holding onto cabinets, walls, furniture, whatever he can find. He can stand for a few seconds if you let go of his hands. So I'm sure walking will be only a few months away. And in this household, we WELCOME walking! Bring it on buddy!

Brody is almost 2 1/2. He still as the same comedic personality and loves to make us laugh. Now that Carson is older, they play (and fight) so well together. Their favorite thing these days is taking "bubble in bath" (bubble baths). They would play in there for hours if we'd let them. Brody's vocabulary is expanding daily. I love to hear his versions of things and how he tries to put sentences together.

They both got haircuts shortly after this was taken.

Lately, we've had numerous doctor appointments to continue to try to find out what is causing Brody's walking difficulties. We're waiting to hear the results of some blood work and to see a neurologist to talk about some different possibilities. We're just praying continually for his little body and know that whatever it is, God is the great healer and can make him perfectly healthy.

Today was our first day to get out the baby pool and the boys LOVED it, of course. We had our lunch out there and probably spent a little too much time in the sun. I'm sure this will be an almost daily thing for us...either in the backyard or at the big pool with friends. So if you want to go to the pool, let us know! Although, I'm not sure how that works with 2 little ones..hmm. I took these pics BEFORE I put their swim shirts on. So don't panic, I didn't let them get burned up. They just needed a few minutes of sun, with sunscreen, to slowly get those white bodies accustomed to the sunlight. And yes, we really need to mow our grass.