Happy Thursday

Let's Go To Texarkana!

Friday afternoon we made a last minute decision to pack up and leave for Texarkana the next morning.  We had several reasons we had been wanting to go.  Momma Lou had just made it back home after knee replacement surgery and we had never made it up for Papa's 80th Birthday back in March.  Needless to say, we were glad we went.  It is always great to see everyone and the boys had such a good time!

Connor was one lucky little boy and got pancakes both mornings we were there.

 Carson was happy with his bottle, but it wont be too long before he starts asking for pancakes too.

On Sunday we went to church with Papa and Ginny.  It is the same church that my mom went to growing up. We came back and had a wonderful lunch afterwards.  Can you tell the boys are exhausted?

Jeff, Melanie, Callie, and Courtney also joined us so it was fun to see them and visit.

Connor thought Courtney and Callie were pretty cool.  He went and got his iPod Touch thinking he had his own cell phone too. :)

Thank you Papa and Ginny for letting us come stay with you.  We had a great time!

Also, thank you to all of the boys great-grandparents for all of their fun new surprises.  They have been busy playing since we got home!  Wish we would of had more time to stay and play, but we are looking forward to seeing you all again soon!

SonSurf Beach Bash

 Well, we had a long, but very fun week at VBS.  My class was SO well behaved I didn't know what to do with myself.  I heard "yes ma'am" and "thank you" all week long and never had any problems with my sweet 3rd graders.  They made my job super easy.

Connor thought he was BIG stuff going to "school."  I had his bag packed the night before, but was informed that he needed his backpack.

 Can you believe this picture was taken before 8:00 AM?  We were all ready and had time to spare before we had to leave.  This never happens!  It probably helped that Carson spent the night with Mimi so I was back to getting just the two of us ready.

 Carson had a great week at Mimi's house.  I'm sure he loved getting all of that one-on-one attention!

 Connor loved getting to wear his "dolphin shirt."  Several mornings as we walked out the door he said "Ok, let's go to Sea World and see the dolphins!"  Silly boy!

 I have to admit I was a little nervous when I found out he was going to be in the 3 year old class that attended all assemblies and participated in the musical on Friday.  All I could think about was his teachers having to keep him still for that long!  He proved me wrong and did great for the most part. (Minus the Monday incident were he ran down the middle isle, with youth worker chasing him, yelling "I have to go pee pee in the potty!")  Oh, Connor!  All my 3rd graders knew who he was after that day. :)

 God put a special worker in Connor's class that he immediately became attached too.  The fun part was that her brother was my youth helper so I got to hear many stories that were told at home about my sweet boy.  I think Connor gave her a run for her money!

 I have talked before about how much Connor loves music so it is no surprise that the music was his favorite part.  Next to having hundreds of people to talk to every day.  I think we had to stop and say hello to everyone passed by.  This boy loves to socialize!

 He even got pretty good with the motions.

Cole, my mom, and Carson came to watch him preform today.  Cole took some videos with his phone.  I can't figure out how to make them better quality so this will just have to do for now.  Just look for the bright blue shirt.

Chicken Dance

"Tell the World"  He is sitting on steps in blue shirt

"Tell the World" Part 2

"O Happy Day"

A Fresh Look

Well, after 3 years of having this blog I finally decided to let the professionals take care of the designing.  I have tried doing things myself in the past, but honestly don't have enough time to spend figuring out how to get it just right.  Thankfully, Penny Lane Designs had some great templates already made that I loved and she came to my rescue!  I love the new layout and having the option to post larger pictures.  We all know that the pictures are what you are coming for!

I spent a little time adding a few updates tonight that you will have to be sure and check out:

Happy Father's Day 2011

Happy 8 Months Carson!

Happy Fathers Day 2011

Happy Father's Day to the best daddy our boys could ask for.

Strawberry cupcakes...

 and a little art project were a few of the ways we should him how much we appreciate him!

 Connor helped me think of lots of reason why we are thankful for him to put on our fish.  He was so proud to show Cole what we made.

After church we picked up some Rudy's (with the rest of Austin) and headed home.  Later that evening we headed out to Dripping Springs to celebrate with Poppa.  We had a fun night!

Happy 8 Months Carson!

 Here is what you have been up to this month:

Eating more baby food (lunch & dinner) and have also started eating finger foods (cheerios, puffs, and a few goldfish)  You seem to  like everything we give you.  Still take 4 (8oz) bottles a day.

Squeal and yell when you get excited

Can move all over the floor by going backwards and pivoting on your stomach.

You like to shake your head back and forth.  It is especially fun for you when we join in.

Still have only 2 teeth, but I can tell some more are about to break through.

Starting to get a little separation anxiety.

Give away sweet smiles all day long.

Always moving!  The days of sitting still in our laps are over.

 We had to move your crib down because you are getting really close to pulling up.

Taking 3 naps a day still (sometimes 4 if we have to wake you up to go somewhere.)  Sleep from 7:30PM to 7:30AM.  When you wake up you usually play in your crib for awhile before you start "calling" for me.  I don't even know what to do with myself having a child that likes to sleep.
  

Still such a happy baby who we love so much!

Time is flying by... can't believe it's already been 8 months!  

Friday

Can you believe the weekend is already here?  

It looks like Carson can't believe it!  Either that or the flash on my phone was just a little too bright. :)

Today I felt like getting out of the house for awhile and decided to take the boys on a few errands.  Last night we noticed that I had a nail in my tire so Cole and I switched cars for the day.  I forgot to get the stroller out before he left so I must have been feeling really adventurous!  We ran by church where we are getting ready for VBS next week.  I jokingly told Connor he needed to stick by me like a duckling does to a mother duck.  As we walk inside I hear a little "quack quack" coming from behind.  He even had me quack a few times.  We might have gotten some stares, but it worked!

 Connor loved checking out our room.  I think he is going to love getting to go this year.

By the end of the week I might be wishing this really was a beach!

They did so well at church I decided we would go a few more places.  After a few stops we ended up at Kohl's.  I put Carson in the cart and let Connor walk.  He LOVES being free (i.e.- no stroller or shopping cart) while shopping and I on the other hand find it almost impossible to shop.  Unlike his Momma, he will go up to anyone and everyone and strike up a conversation.  Our shopping trip quickly transitioned into social hour.  We stood at a jewelry display for about 5 minutes while he discussed with a lady which ring she should buy.  I listened as he told this lady "This one awesome!"    "Ooooh, it beautiful!"  "You wanna buy it?"  "Mommy have ring too!"  She was just as entertained with their talk as he was.  Then he got a little too comfortable in the store, stopped being my little duckling, and we headed home.  I took the long way home hoping he would fall asleep.  It worked, but lasted for only 5 minutes. As soon as he realized I was putting him in his bed nap time was over.  

I will leave you with a video that seems to be playing every day in my house.  As part of our potty training reward I let Connor play on Starfall or Sesame Street for 3 minutes.  I think "computer time" was the real reason why potty training has worked.  I finally found something that made it worth it to him.  Now he is doing so well he doesn't even care about the reward.  Anyways, here is C's favorite video.

Standing in the Need of Prayer

We have a children's praise CD in the car and it has quickly become Connor's favorite thing to listen to.  He loves the challenge of memorizing something and will want to listen to it over and over until he can recite it back to you.  He is constantly singing throughout the day.  This morning while playing with play dough he started singing a song that goes like this:

 "It's me, it's me oh Lord

Standing in the need of prayer"

But instead of "prayer" Connor kept saying "friends".

I know he didn't even realize what he was saying, but you would think this poor boy doesn't have anybody to play with. :)

I have been slow on blogging lately.  Partly because we have several things going on, but mainly because I think all my free time is being spent focusing on raising this precious strong willed child.  I am so thankful God made him just the way he is and he has qualities that are going to be great when he is older, but right now they can be a challenge.  He is so loving and sweet then with a flip of the switch that defiant temperament just rears through.  We aren't sure how long this will last, but we know that with prayer and a LOT of tough love we will make it through just fine.  If you think about it please pray for all of us. :)

All that to say, our Bible verse we have been working on goes perfectly with the current phase we are in.

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, this is the right thing to do." Ephesians 6:1

He had also learned a song that goes with the verse that he broke out singing after I had him recite the verse.

I love him!

Playing Catch Up

We have had a busy few weeks surrounding Connor's birthday. 

Connor made his first appearance at the denist.  My denist suggested that I bring him up there to see what happens before he actually has to go himself.  He thought he was such a big boy.  We dropped Carson off at Beth's house so it was even more special that he got to go by himself.  He helped push the buttons for Mimi's x-rays and got to check out all the cleaning tools.  He loved every minute of it, but we will see how it goes when he is the one in the chair. :)

On the Friday before his birthday we attended a Bunny Party for Max and Ruby (who happen to be some of Connor's favorite book/tv show characters)

 It was basically a kids musical with familiar story lines from the show.  Connor had a great time watching them.

 One of the highlights of the night was getting this light up wand!

 We laugh all the time because a lot of Connor's phrases that he uses come from Max and Ruby.  It was a fun night!

Monday after his birthday, we met Nana, Amy, Kate and Hannah at Sea World for the day.  There is a great deal right now for all certified Texas teachers where you can get a season pass for free!  So Mom and Connor were the only ones who had to buy a ticket.

 It was SO hot, but we all had a great time.

Connor's 3rd Birthday Party