10 Years Already?

Can you believe it?  It has already been 10 years since I graduated from high school.  I remember my senior year writing about where I saw myself 10 years from then.  I wanted to graduate college, get married, teach 1st grade in Austin, and have children.  Sound familiar? :)  Looking back now I am so thankful to be doing exactly what I always wanted to be doing.  God has truly blessed me in more ways than I can count.  One of those blessings is that cute little man that was determined to get in the picture with us. :)

So our evening consisted of a BBQ dinner, slide show, and lots of stories about our high school days.  I wasn't all that excited about the whole thing at first, but I am so glad that I went.  It was great getting to catch up with some friends that I haven't seen in awhile.  Lots of fun times were had with these girls!

The Dragons are Back!

Soccer season has officially been underway for the past few weeks.  We had our 3rd game of the season this past Saturday.  Cole is now the assistant coach and Connor has loved having Daddy out on the field with him.  This past week Connor scored 2 goals!  He definitely understands more about the game this year, but he still gets more excited about who is cheering for him on the sidelines than actually going to kick the ball. :)  During this last game he even yelled out to me as he ran by "Take a picture, Mommy!" 

While Connor rotates out you can usually find him taking pictures of his teammates with my phone.

One of Connor's #1 fans ready to cheer him on.  Carson actually tries to make his way out on the field several times during the game.  I think he is ready for his turn.

 After the game, we grabbed some pizza for lunch with the Ela's and then headed to a Fall Fest.  This event was held at the Pound House in Dripping Springs where one of the founding families had lived.  There were tons of kids activities and the kids got to learn a little history along the way.

 Connor loved this corn cob toss.

 Connor, Harper, and Hudson feeding the chickens.

 Carson squealed with excitement every time this pony came to eat some hay. 

After a quick stop at the snow cone stand we headed home.  It was a fun day spent with great friends!    

Happy 23 Months, Carson!

 We have made it to our last monthly post before this boy is 2 years old!  It was getting harder each month to keep him still, but I finally found a trick that worked.  Putting him in the chair a playing ball seemed to keep him still and smiling. :)  If only I had thought of this a few months back.

 Here is what Carson has been up to this past month:

-Trying out new words every day.  He is still my quiet little guy, but once he is comfortable in his surroundings he will talk up a storm.  Some of the things I hear almost daily are "See bruder (brother)?"  "See da birds?" (He loves looking outside for birds)  "Eat...more...pease (please)"  "Mama help"  "Dink (drink)"

He loves to be on the go.  If he notices someone is getting ready to leave he will go put his shoes on and say "Go go go!"  Then grab a bag, throw it on his shoulder and say "Bye Momma!"

Loves reading books.  He still has a few favorites, but will happily listen to any book you will read him.

Loves to color, paint, and use stamps.

Enjoys listening to music and dancing.  He has a "happy dance" where he stomps his feet and throws his knees up really high.

 Continually tries to use the potty like a big boy.  He frequently rips of his diapers and starts running toward the bathroom yelling "pee pee pee pee"  There have only been a few times that he was successful.  He may think he is ready to be potty trained, but I'm not up for the challenge yet.  :)  Whenever we do though, I think having a big brother to learn from is going to make it a lot easier.

Loves to snuggle and I'm treasuring the time that he still wants to sit in my lap.

We have been enjoying our one on one time together while Connor is in school.  He is the perfect little shopper (most of the time) :) and pretty content to run all my errands with me.

Goes to bed easily and sleeps from about 7:00PM-8:00AM.  Still takes one good nap a day.

Just an overall sweet and happy kid!

One more month!  

Ten on Tuesday

We have had quite the week here at our house.  I don't know about you, but my kids are constantly going through cycles of testing the limits and last week was one of those weeks.  That on top of Carson catching a stomach bug made for lots of fun. :)   

So many times I can get caught up in the daily trials of my life, but when I really stop to think about all that God has done for me and blessed me with it makes everything else not quite so important.  It is so true when they say that the days are long, but the years are short.  The next thing you know you will blink and another year has passed.

So in no particular order, here are a few things that have filled our days and brought us joy (well, maybe not #9). :)

1. Connor finished his first month at speech and is doing so well!  It is amazing how fast we are seeing changes in his articulation.  We love his therapist, especially when she tells us that it wont be too much longer and he will be good to go!

2.  Preschool is "totally awesome and fun" according to Connor.  It is even better when you get to end the day with happy hour at Sonic.

3.  September Birthday Girls-  Aunt Rachel and Nana both had a birthday on the 7th!  The boys made a trip up to Nana's school to wish her a Happy Birthday.  

4.  Elmo is #1 around here.  We love Elmo stuffed animals, Elmo games, Elmo books, Elmo movies...you get the picture. :)    

5. Proud of my man who was ordained as a deacon at our church this past Sunday.  It was a very special night.  

6. Morning walks usually end in trips to the park.  Love getting some time with Carson by himself while Connor is at school.  It is amazing how much he has to say when "brother" is not around.

7.  Soccer has officially started back up.  There is my little Dragon in the bright orange jersey.  That may have been the closest to the ball he was all game, but boy did he have fun out there!  As far as Connor is concerned, soccer is about running around on a field with all your friends while flashing big smiles and waving to all your admirers on the sidelines.  

8. Look who is the proud new owner of a library card!  Much to his disappointment it does not double as a debit card to "buy all the games I want at the App store."

9. Cole and I have just finished our first week of Insanity.  It is a 60 day work out program and after the first few sessions I quickly realized that the title is very fitting. :)  

10. MOPS started up this past week and we had the best time.  I love this group of ladies! What a blessing they have been to me.  For all you moms of preschoolers out there you should definitely find a local group near you and get plugged in.  You wont regret it! 

Little Builder

At the end of July, the boys were given a "new to us" playscape complete with a fort, picnic table, cool slide, rope ladder, monkey bars and plenty of swings.  Everything a little boy would need to burn off that never ending energy.  We were all thrilled to receive something that we would probably never buy for ourselves.  It needed a few updates and we also decided to sand it and re-stain it.  Needless to say it became a BIG project!  

 After several days of working on it we finally have it back together and all the pieces in place.  The only thing we have left to do is finish staining it.  Connor has loved helping during this process.  Cole gave him small jobs along the way that made him feel like such a big boy!   

 If you ever need any help finding the right size bolts at Lowe's, Connor is your person to call!  He has become quite the expert.

I'll post some more pics once we have it all completed!