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Deep and Wide

2012-02-17T08:17:00.001-06:00

Carsyn started singing Deep and Wide randomly. Tony and I had no idea she knew that song. How sweet is that to spontaneously start praising God for his great love. Nice to see that preschool choir paying off ;-)

Party Girl

2011-12-29T11:47:00.000-06:00

Carsyn had some buddies over for a birthday party. Poor baby with a December 30th birthday. It always going to be a challenge to have a party with her friends during the holidays. Tony felt it was really important for her to feel special and get recognized on her birthday. I was willing to wait one more year, but this turned out great. A simple, low key party at home. What did momma do to prep for the party? Put on her makeup.

My friend Catherine aka Cason’s mom made these amazing decorations for me. This was the perfect set up for a Carsyn’s party (it was actually a traveling road show with 3 stops). She does this as a business and you can have her custom make anything for you. Or you can call her last minute and say you need decorations and she’ll magically make them appear. Even if you don’t have a clue what you want.

This is how you party when you’re 2/3. Lay down on the steps. It’s big time.

Daddy got Carsyn a very special ice cream cake. It was her special request and he made it happen!

Carsyn wanted Cason and Jack to come over. That worked for us because we like their parents. Catherine, Michelle and I were all pregnant at the same time. Just a couple of months apart. And now we’re all gearing up for round 2 together as well.

Cason, Jack and Carsyn all played with the tent, balls, cars and whatever else they could find. The dads mostly referred them and the mom’s sat in another room and talked. It was the best birthday party ever!

Carsyn opened super cute gifts from her friends and then I tried getting a picture of the three of them. You can scan down and see the results. Too funny.

Snug as a Bug

2011-12-27T11:25:00.000-06:00

Carsyn got this great air up mattress/sleeping bag for Christmas. She loves it. It’s princess. She loves those right now too. Carsyn and Gage were testing it out on Christmas night. This will replace her pack and play when we go out of town. She is now too big for that baby bed now. She’s a big girl. At least that’s what she keeps telling me.

Daddy had to get in on the action the next day!

Happy Birthday Jesus!

2011-12-26T11:13:00.000-06:00

We started a tradition in our house that I hope will continue for a long time. Carsyn, Gage and I made a cake for Baby Jesus. Carsyn was very excited about it and was a great helper. Gage really like helping ice the cake (aka dig into the cake and eat a little).

While Christmas will always be a time of family gatherings and gift giving, I never want Carsyn to miss Jesus at Christmas time. Jesus, God’s perfect gift, will remain the most important part of this and every season to come. He is the ONLY reason we have Peace on Earth.

Santa Prep

2011-12-26T08:32:00.000-06:00

Carsyn and I made cookies for Santa. They were sugar cookies that we added cinnamon and sugar to the top for snicker doodles. That is one of Santa’s favorite cookies.

We even got excited when asked “Who loves Daddy?” Carsyn adores her daddy.

Post oven. Carsyn and momma are both a little tired as this point.

Finally, not to be left out, we put out a special treat for Santa’s reindeer on the drive way.

Christmas morning review of the Santa prep? Carsyn didn’t think about the cookies or reindeer food once. There’s always next year.

Pizza!

2011-12-15T10:06:00.000-06:00

We made pizza. I think Carsyn enjoyed the processes. I’ve had several people tell me that they make pizza at home instead of ordering out (of course they all live in the boonies and pizza can’t be delivered to the boonies).

I bought premade crust and then we added what we liked. Tony and Carsyn seemed to really enjoy theirs. Mine was not my favorite.

Carsyn was very skilled at spreading her sauce around and adder her cheese. Big girl!

North Pole Express

2011-12-04T16:00:00.000-06:00

Grapevine has this really cool downtown area and it celebrates Christmas like no other (at least no one else in Texas, per their propaganda). We headed out Friday night to experience the North Pole Express AKA the Polar Express.

Our first stop was Christmas ornament making. Carsyn had lots of help from Granny and Daddy.

PaPa T and I could barely stand the propane smell. We’re the ones with good sniffers in the family.

Carsyn got to wear her PJs are part of the Polar Express theme. How cute is she!

Of course supper was in order! Grilled Cheese Please.

Finally on the train. The wonder in her eyes was worth everything.

Santa even joined us on the train.

The night was perfect. Dare I say magical. Carsyn is so fun right now. She loved meeting Santa and all his helpers. It was a great family fun night!

Let the Little Children Sing

2011-12-02T10:19:00.000-06:00

Carsyn had a choir performance last night at church.

It was with the 2,3 and 4 year olds. So we had no idea what to expect.

They met in the children’s area and warmed up on the slide.

Carsyn was super fast.

Carsyn stood by her buddy Jack.

There was one song and lots of shinny maracas. That combination resulted in lots of shaking and little singing.

Simply adorable. Carsyn with her buddy Cason (10 weeks apart), and Jack ( 5 months apart).

Granny and PaPa T drove down for the concert and to spend a fun weekend with us. Thanks!

More Advice

2011-11-28T10:51:00.001-06:00

Carsyn is getting wise in her years. She offered Momma some sage advice as I was leaving for work today.

Watch out for the bumpy bumps and falling trees. Make sure your car goes over them (instead of hitting them?).

We’ve been in Oklahoma for a few days. Driving on some country roads…you put it together.

Baby Reveal

2011-11-23T15:41:00.000-06:00

I had an ultrasound on Monday to make sure this baby is growing healthy and strong. The bonus is we also found out the sex of the baby. Since it was so close to Thanksgiving we decided to reveal the sex in person to our family.Wednesday night at my parents house we had a little cake and made everyone guess (well…everyone except Jeff. The idea that he could be wrong and it would be written down for all to see was just too much and he didn’t participate. PaPa T voted twice. He didn’t want to be wrong either.)

Gage just really wanted some cake!

And the exciting news is…

Are

Having

BOY!!!

I’ll always be so thankful to have the experience of both. Tony is convinced his relationship with Carsyn will be stronger than ever and I can have the boy. But what I think he really means is that I can have surgery, the late night feedings, the sleepless nights for the next year and he’ll keep the potty trained, sleeps through the night 3 year old Daddy’s girl.

After telling my crew, we headed north to Tony’s parent’s house and did the baby reveal all over again. They were just as excited! (probably because we didn’t make them sign a paper with their guess)

How do you noodle?

2011-11-17T13:04:00.000-06:00

One of the blessing of joining another family is you learn new skills. Oh sure, these skills might have existed in your own family, but you personally had never seen them in action. You also learn to make these things loved by the people you love. Thus…homemade noodles. These noodles are a staple of the Massey girls and Tony’s mom has been gracious enough to share her knowledge with me. It’s getting colder and warm comfort food sounds good. Decided to make chicken noodle soup.

Carsyn decided to help. It’s so sweet and she takes it very seriously. Please note the knife, spoon and fork in the picture above. Those were her utensils of choice. I only used the fork.

She participated at every level of noodle making. She mixed her flour and eggs, rolled them out and then spread flour EVERYWHERE. Her chair, her jeans, her shoes (which should have been off in the first place), the floor in the kitchen, hallway, bathroom, little hand prints of flour on the ottoman. EVERYWHERE.

Happy Birthday Tony!

2011-11-15T10:34:00.000-06:00

Carsyn was a little excited about Tony’s birthday. She was even more excited about making him a cake. Her first idea for ingredients included eggs, milk, a banana and strawberries. Luckily Daddy was able to convince her the box kind was the best option! Carsyn was an excellent helper. She helped me count out the eggs, measure the water, and oil. She had her spoon ready to stir at a moments notice. She even dragged herself to the store when she realized momma didn’t have enough oil to get the job done. Trooper.

She even held the mixer while we blended all our ingredients together. Super job baby girl!!Carsyn helped ice the cake and put the Happy Birthday letters on for Daddy. We made a great team and Daddy loved his cake.

Tony’s birthday was Monday and we headed to RJ Gators for supper. See Carsyn trying alligator for the first time. It wasn’t a hit. She insisted on taking a bit instead of popping the whole thing in her mouth. Which is ironic since she’s willing to shove an entire piece of toast in her mouth without a bit.

Tony got some awesome OU gear for his birthday. Thank you for being born! So happy to have you as my husband and Carsyn’s Daddy.

Halloween

2011-10-31T23:30:00.000-05:00

We had a party at Mike and Catherine’s on Friday night. Trunk or Treat at church Sunday and then candy giving on Monday.

Carsyn played with the sand table for an hour. Who knew?

Carsyn and her buddy Cason. They like each other. Carsyn and momma riding the train at church. She had a good time!

We didn’t take Carsyn door to door. She has the BEST time handing out candy to the trick-or-treaters on Monday. She watched for them out the window and would jump up and down and run around when they came. She was very generous and spoke with the kids. Saying she liked their costume or asking what their costume was. After a little coaching from Dad she gave out handfuls of candy.

Church Park

2011-10-20T09:25:00.001-05:00

Saturday morning Carsyn and I headed out to meet our friends Catherine and Cason at the park. We ended up at the church’s play ground. Carsyn thought that was super cool.

The were both wearing green shirts. It’s hard to see Cason, but he’s up in the tower in the top left corner of the picture. Carsyn is telling him he is super tall!

I pretty much did a horrible job taking pictures. Catherine and needed to just hang out and talk and that was the BEST part about the church playground. It’s enclosed and there were no other kids. So we just let our do whatever.

This cracked me up. They both played with the tetherballs, but just not with each other. Which is probably good. Carsyn fell and hurt her knee on the blue base and Cason’s ball hit him in the head. Can you imagine if they were both trying to hit the same ball?!?

And the Rangers Win the Pennant!

2011-10-19T11:14:00.001-05:00

And we were there! It was an awesome game. The first two innings were a little intense, so I left. Found me a table and a chopped brisket sandwich. Preggers girl was happy.

Then the 3rd inning came and it was a party from there on out. A stranger high-fiving, towel waving, fans cheering, good time.

We won! We won!

OU-Texas

2011-10-19T11:07:00.001-05:00

Who doesn’t love OU-Texas Weekend?

It was a pleasure to go again this year. We took the TRE and it worked well this time.

Ah, the State Fair. We ate Cuba sandwiches for brunch. Around 9:30. Super yummy. While they weren’t fried bubble gum, they did the trick.

So glad Misty could come with us this year. She and I have been to several games together, but this is the first year Misty, Tony and I all sat together!

Speaking of sitting together. This is where not a lot of that happened ;-) We technically were on the 50, but got pushed down by some OU frat boys. Our sideline didn’t have the perfect line down the middle,but you definitely get the idea of the intense split.

This about sums it up. Texas was 4th and 49. Ouch.

Boomer Sooner! Beat Texas!

Hold Your Breath

2011-10-17T07:35:00.001-05:00

I’m saying this with fear and trepidation. Carsyn might actually be potty trained. Whew. There it is. Out there. In print.

After 4 months and some intense few days and then me practically ignoring the whole thing, I think we’re there.

It boils down to me being sick of the pull ups and believing they were a crutch for her. I told Brandy we were going to be intense and deliberate this weekend so she got on board early. Carsyn started wearing panties on Wednesday afternoon and hasn’t looked back.

She let’s us know when she has to go so we can provide moral support and assistance. If you ask her throughout the day if she needs to go (my attempt at gentle reminders) and if she doesn't, she’ll reply “no, thank you”. Which is admittedly better than her saying, “I got this. Back off lady.” Here a random not potty related pic. She’s cute and you should see her.

In full disclosure because I hate moms that say their kid is potty trained at 18 months and make me feel bad…she is wearing a pull up for naps and night time. I think we can drop it for naps after this week. She has woken up dry every time.

Hooray for big girls!!

Kick Ball

2011-10-13T11:05:00.001-05:00

MawMaw bought Carsyn a ball while we were at the OU game a few weeks ago. She really enjoyed kicking it around.

Excuse the fuzziness. I’m not great at action shots. Good job Carsyn!

Carsyn liked playing with Daddy best.

Daddy enjoyed kicking the ball around too. Carsyn bit it once.

Just gotta pick yourself up (or let your Daddy do it), dust yourself off and get back up.

Sweet girl!

Time to relax with MawMaw on the back porch.

Carsyn learned about the plague of frogs in Sunday School. How awesome is it that God put two baby frogs on MawMaw and PawPaw’s back porch for us to look at.

Carsyn’s Baby

2011-10-05T15:23:00.001-05:00

Piggy-backing on yesterday’s post, I’d also like to announce Carsyn’s Baby.

It should come as no surprise to you Early Childhood scholars or you parentsX2,3,etc. that Carsyn has found her own way to handle the news of a new baby at our house…she got her own.

She has started blaming her baby for everything. “my baby spilled my water”. “my baby needs her blankie”. “my baby hit me with her spoon”. “tell her no! she needs to go to timeout”.

At first I thought it was an imaginary friend that she calls baby (she doesn’t name anything. all her dolls are baby). But then she offered up all on her own that her baby’s name was Joma. It’s a made up name. We don’t actually know anyone called Joma. This isn’t the first time for the name Joma to pop up. Mom and Brandy both recognized it.

If you ask her where Joma is, she’ll pat her chest and say her tummy. Some times she says her baby’s name is Karla. Not sure if she’s a two name girl or if Carsyn is having twins.

This is quite the memory and I love Carsyn’s imagination.

Announcing

2011-10-04T10:02:00.001-05:00

Baby Reed!!! Coming to a hospital near you on April 6th (ish. around then. could be the week before. NOT on April 1st. Maybe we’ll wait until April 12th – after the Masters. I’ll just keep you posted)

I almost titled this post Try Try Again, but that seemed like TMI. Admittedly the March miscarriage had me a little apprehensive about another baby. Yes I wanted one, but the timing was the issue. I just didn’t want to be pregnant and risk it again. Finally Tony said it was time.

I’ll be 14 weeks on Friday and free and clear of the 1st trimester. I have been sick and very tired. Most of August consisted of me laying on the couch and Carsyn asking if my tummy felt better. Followed by her telling me I felt better and to get up momma! Sweet kid.

We have had two ultrasounds and feel confident there is a happy healthy baby growing.

Happy Anniversary!

2011-10-03T14:21:00.001-05:00

Tony and I have been married for 8 years. We started dating in January 2000 and have been together ever since. We met before that. Since this blog is a memory book … let’s walk down that lane.

Like most tales, there are two sides. We don’t even agree on when we first met. Of course I am right and he just doesn’t remember. I was in high school when we met for the very first time. It was at his house (a pink house across from an elementary school that my mom first taught at…small world). There were a bunch of BSU (Baptist Student Union) people going to play games and hang out and I tagged along with Misty. She’s nice like that. Misty and Tony were friends first and she introduced us that night. He has zero recall. Clearly I made an impression.

Fast forward several months to August 1999. My freshman year in college. Again, Misty was nice and we’d meet at the BSU and then drive to lunch almost every day. Tony happened to be there one day and Misty asked if he’d like to go with us. He declined claiming to have already eaten. This is the part that gets dicey. I’m ready to tell it. Because we’ve been married for 8 years and I feel secure in that. Also because if you want a story told right, you have to tell it yourself. Perhaps I was bold because Misty was there. Perhaps I was innocent, but I encouraged Tony by saying “You look like the kind of guy who could eat again.” Right there in front of a lot of people that I didn’t know. Did you hear it? The silence and then the laughter from all his friends. This little girl just told a fat joke.

No matter, it worked. Tony came with us. In fact he gave me his backpack that day.

This time I made an impression.

Advice

2011-08-22T14:46:00.001-05:00

Carsyn gave me some advice this morning as I was dropping her off at Brandy’s house.

“Don’t take your clothes off at work.”

Now that little nugget of truth is a keeper and quite frankly applicable to so many.

Rainy Day

2011-08-19T10:59:00.001-05:00

It rained! hooray. Carsyn and I spent about 45 minutes just hanging out on the porch watching.

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Carsynisms

2011-08-18T09:24:00.001-05:00

Carsyn is so funny. She’s smart, quick, contemplative, serious, silly, sassy, and creative.

Here are a few things that she’s said lately:

Carsyn is very independent. After locking my purse with my phone in the back of the callie car at Target and locking myself and baby out…we finally got OnStar to open the car. It’s only like 120 degrees on that pavement and Carsyn insists on putting herself into her big girl carseat (side note: She’s NOT a baby!) Of course that entails crawling in, checking the AC vents (which aren’t blowing because I’m still standing outside her door on the 125 degree pavement waiting for her to hop into her seat!), checking on her back pack, climbing up onto the seats so she can finally crawl into her carseat. At this point I am OVER independence. I may or may not have said something about you have 3 seconds to get in your seat or else. I may or may not have said something about it being 130 degrees outside. By now she’s feeling the heat and decides to tell me. She pulls her tiny little hands into fists and shakes them in front of her and says ‘You’re making me hot Momma!’ Really? Hot? I’m making YOU hot? Oh girl, you haven’t seen hot. Get in that seat!

First thing you have to understand about this story is, I’m not allowed to brush Carsyn’s hair. Not sure where this developed, but she freaks out when I try. Sunday morning…it’s simply the grace of God that she gets a pony tail. After her bath last night, Carsyn was standing in front of the TV looking at her reflection. (it was off in hopes of quick PJ dressing) Her hair was all matted together, stringy and Tony said it looked like a mullet. She was tossing it around as though it was long flowing over her shoulders and said ‘My hair so pretty’. Confidence. That right there is confidence! Love you baby girl.

Boomer and Sadie got out on Sunday afternoon. Carsyn and I had to drive around the neighborhood looking for them. She thought it was exciting. I thought it was hot and annoying. After we got the dogs back home, Carsyn yelled at Boomer. ‘Boomer, you listen to me! And you listen to ma momma!’ Amen sister!

In the mornings, Carsyn gets to watch Little Bear on Nick Jr. It consists of 3 little short stories in about 25 minutes. I really try to turn the TV off after the first two so we can get dressed and head out the door. One day I was running behind and the third story started. I needed to get the dogs food and Carsyn usually insists on helping with that. I explained I was going outside to give the dogs food and she held up her hand and said ‘5 minutes. I’ll come to you’ Thus the day Little Bear trumped the dogs.

Feel free to comment with your favorite Carsynism.

Gone Fishing

2011-08-10T08:55:00.000-05:00

Carsyn spent the weekend with Mawmaw and Pawpaw. If that wasn't exciting enough, she caught her very first fish!

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Fort Worth Zoo

2011-08-05T10:46:00.000-05:00

Warning: Picture Overload

I won’t do too much commentating. I wasn’t there. Carsyn got to hang out with Granny, Aunt Misty and Gage all week.

The wonder of the zoo. So sweet to see Carsyn mesmerized by the animals.

The Hat Club.

She really likes to KNOW about the animals, not just look at them. Are we potty trained? No. Can we read? Apparently.

sweet Gagers. He was a rock start and stayed at the zoo forever!

They both played hard!

Pack Pack, Pack Pack

2011-07-28T15:37:00.000-05:00

Carsyn got her very first backpack this weekend. Courtesy of some savvy garage sale-ing, picked this puppy up for a dollar.

I think I’ve mentioned Carsyn’s love for Dora that borders on obsession. We have Dora pull-ups, Dora toothbrush, Dora bath toys, Dora band aides, Dora on the iPad, Dora, Dora microphone… Yup I recognize this child has no money of her own and even if she did, couldn’t actually buy any of this stuff. We’re enablers.

So Dora has this backpack. It’s amazing. It has EVERYTHING you’d EVER need. Seriously. I watched the episode where Dora’s parents gifted her the magical backpack and they stressed how awesome it was and that it had everything she could ever need.

Here’s the little ditty that will get stuck in your head. It comes on very time Dora needs something form her backpack. What’s so cute about it? Carsyn hears Pack Pack instead of Backpack. Love that sweetness.

So… back to Carsyn and her very first backpack. I’d been thinking that she needed a backpack like Dora for a while. Low and behold…she found it all by herself while I was checking out a cute table and chair set at a garage sale in Fort Worth. Bonus…it has a little monkey on it that looks like Dora’s BFF – Boots. She loves to wear it around the house and usually ends up with a baby doll inside. She wore it to church on Sunday. Momma is pretty pumped about that! She can now carry her own stuff. Score.

What’s Carsyn doing in the laundry room? With her new pick chair against the door? Securing it. Keeping the dogs in the garage. Never can be too safe ;-) Love this girl!

How cute is her dress? That’s her Easter outfit that ripped. Remember? It’s Friday, but Sunday is coming!

Camera Phone

2011-07-27T12:14:00.000-05:00

Carsyn is all about taking pictures. She even pretended the house phone was a camera. Here she is telling me to say Cheese while she snapped my photo.

Going a little old school and holding the camera up close to your face to get a good shot.

Finally letting momma take her picture. Maybe not as excited about that as taking them herself.

Last but not least, self portraits.

Carsyn has been very imaginative here lately. It’s a joy to watch her dream up stories and engage is some creative play!

Take Your Grandparents to the Splash Park Day

2011-07-23T20:27:00.000-05:00

Fun was had by all!

Daddy’s Home

2011-07-18T15:16:00.000-05:00

Hooray!!! Carsyn and I both get very excited when Tony comes home from DC. He was able to catch a flight late on Thursday night and walked through the door about 10:45. So happy to have our family whole! So what did we do? I went to work on Friday. Boo. But Saturday morning we played outside in the backyard. Carsyn picked out her shoes and adjusted her PJs herself. She’s got style.

She really enjoyed playing with the puppies and threw the ball for them to chase. This was early. Before 8. So it was only 90 degrees out instead of 105.

There was so good snuggle time.

Saturday date night.

And finally the Splash Park. What else would we do?!?

Baby girl LOVES her Daddy!

Yummy!

2011-07-16T09:52:00.001-05:00

Chick-a-la. Frozen yogurt. Friends. Doesn't get much better than this.

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CARSYN

2011-07-14T16:02:00.000-05:00

While I’m sure it’s totally acceptable to say your baby is the cutest, prettiest, smartest one that ever walked the face of the earth (even though my recent Parenting mag contradicts the genius part), I just can’t help but think people only agree out of politeness. They think THEIR baby is all of those things.

I’d like to present evidence proving my case.

1. Look at her.

2. She wakes up really happy. ‘Good morning Momma! The light’s on.’ Pointing to the dinning room window…at 6:05 AM. (I think I’ve veered off course. We’re talking cute right?)

3. She yells ‘Go Rangers’ at every sport on TV. She actually calls it TB.

4. She’s really been missing her daddy lately. Every time she sees an airplane it goes like this: “My daddy is too far. He’s in Washington DC. I can not reach him. I so sad. He’s too far.”

5. She has an wonderful imagination. Ask her about the alligator eating her sunglasses at her house. AKA as ‘ma house’

6. The love for Dora grows. She has a Dora toothbrush. Dora band aids and watches Dora on the iPad. She knows how to get to Netflix and stream Dora live on our iPad. Yup. She’s that cool.

7. I’m so proud of her. She’s really staying on top of the dog situation. She tells them to stop barking. Be quiet. No runaway. Go outside! No lick me. Really staying on the top the dog situation.

8. Ask her if her day care buddy Callen is her best friend and she’ll tell you no. B is her best friend. She loves Brandy!

9. She loves to sing Jesus Loves Me and Oh How I Love Jesus every night before bed.

10. She is a reader. Give that girl a book and she is happy. That makes this momma very happy.

Feel free to add your favorite Carsyn moment in the comments section!

They Quack Me Up

2011-07-12T08:52:00.000-05:00

Corny I know. After a morning at the splash park and a nap, Emily and Cayden discovered some baby ducks down by the pond. So the whole crew headed out with a loaf of bread in hand to enjoy nature.

We found some baby ducks.

Then some more ducks.

There were a lot. I started throwing the bread pieces the opposite direction so they wouldn’t eat our children.

Gagers just ate the bread.

A good time was had by all. This might be a great activity for Carsyn and I to try with her wagon. To offer a little protection from all those hungry hungry ducks.

Next morning we loaded up and headed to church.

Love this sweet girl!

Carsyn and Gage enjoyed a little ride as we waited in line to check in at the Jungle. Doesn’t Gage look like such a big boy!

From what I understand, everyone had a great time at church. The worship music was great as always and the sermon reminded us to have compassion for people. I’ve been aware for a long time that I’m very blessed to live where I do and have what I have. Actually. To steward what the LORD has. There are a ton of ministries out there. Here is just one that I’ve found to be doing good things. World Concern. Check it out.

Back to 100 degrees and back to the splash park. We spent at least 2 hours there on Sunday afternoon. Maybe 2 1/2. We owned that place. Here is Carsyn manning the button. The splash park is designed to conserve water if no one is there. The system cycles through and then turns off unless you push the red button on the bright yellow pedestal. Caryn was all over it. Cayden found great joy and rushing over to help too!

Carsyn and I had a great time with our friends! So happy they could come play.

100 degrees

2011-07-11T10:26:00.000-05:00

What do you do with 4 kids when it’s 100 million degrees outside and you have nothing to play with in your backyard? Load ‘em up and head to the splash park!

4 kids + 3 momma = 2 cars. Cayden was sweet enough to ride separate from his momma and hang with Carsyn and me. Don’t worry. He brought protection. His pistols.

These two were hilarious in the backseat. Both love to tell a story and both love to sing. We had dueling songs at one time with Jesus Loves Me and a Gene Autry favorite, Oklahoma Hills. There were several tall tales and requests to be quiet so their own story could be told.

First stop for mommas.

Caffeine. These kids get up with the sun!

Here is the other car in our caravan. Don’t stress, I was stopped at a red light. Safety fist!

So, turns out the splash park doesn’t open until 10. We’d been up since 6:30(or earlier) and showed up at 9:30. Fortunately there is a little park close by and we just did a little pregame there.

Carsyn is working on her bend-kick-bend-kick routine. I was a little nervous about the big girl swing, but she was only on it for about 2.5 seconds.

I love this one. Carsyn climbed up to the top all by herself. I stood there to spot her and showed her where to put her hands and feet, but she did all the work. Little rock climber.

Seriously?!!? with the sunglasses. Sass. That girl’s got sass.

Gage man and Quinn were hanging out in the swings while the others played on the big playground toys. (I say others because I’m not going to single out just the 4 and under crowd)

Finally the water came on!! Hoorary. IT’s only about 95 degrees at 10 am.

We had a great day at the splash park!!! It was so nice for Carsyn to play with her friends.

Friends!

2011-07-09T11:40:00.000-05:00

When your husband leaves town for the summer and your friends in Oklahoma are school teachers…you get visitors! Hooray for them and me!

Misty, Gage, Emily, Cayden, and Quinn all drove down for a visit.

4 kids, 4 and under. 3 moms. We were on the loosing side. Considering I think things went pretty well. We had nice family meal time. Random nap time. And lots of splash pad time.

Big Girl Cart

2011-07-06T12:31:00.000-05:00

We’re all about being a big girl lately. If I tell Carsyn she is my favorite baby ever she tells me she is a big girl and that Gagers is a baby. That’s our favorite baby ever. We hit up Target for a few essentials and she refused to sit in the front of the cart. Then she saw this special seat in a cart clear across the store and it was a MUST HAVE! No doubt about it. She is a big girl.

Check out that pony tail. So sweet.

And she’s over it. The paparazzi must go away.

4th of July

2011-07-04T19:22:00.000-05:00

Tony’s extended family gathered at the lake over the weekend.

There was homemade ice cream. Indian tacos. BBQ. Steak and baked potato. Cake.

Cousins. Grandparents. Aunts and Uncles. Brothers. Sisters. Babies.

Bubbles. Boats. Pools. Fireworks. Golf carts. Parades.

Carsyn tried pickled okra for the first time. I think. Maybe she’s had it before. Either way she liked it. Not really surprised by that. She seems like everything.

Here is Carsyn trying to put on Barbie’s bathing suit. I could really go so many directions with this. I’ll just leave it at funny.

Carsyn and DJ chillaxing in the pool. It’s only a 106 degrees outside. Doesn’t get much better than this.

Pretty sure this is the only family picture from the entire 4 days at the lake house. See my feet.

Finally Carsyn cleaned up at the golf cart parade. We sat on the porch last year. Didn’t know they threw candies. Score!

Dora on Board

2011-07-02T12:25:00.000-05:00

I took off on July 1st because Tony was home and we were lake bound. I really just need a job where I get paid but don’t actually have to show up. Maybe a seat on the Board of Directors of some lucrative company. (note to self…look into that)

Carsyn got a special treat. Dora on Daddy’s iPad 2. We now subscribe to Netflix and downloading Dora onto the iPad for travel is a BONUS!!!

I’m a fan of Dora. When Carsyn was younger, I really limited the amount of expose she had with TV. Fortunately she really could care less way back then. Now that she’s 2 – movies for travel are fantastic! She watches something every day now. Probably more than I like, but she’s extremely social, busy busy, very talkative with a great vocabulary – I don’t think her brain is mush yet.

Playdate

2011-06-30T12:53:00.000-05:00

Cason got to come over and play with us tonight. He is just the sweetest boy and Carsyn and he get along so well together. Very minimal fussing.

Here they are having a chat over some yogurt. He has Cars and she has Cinderella.

Cason’s momma has emergency gallbladder surgery and needed a baby break. So happy I could help out. Catherine is usually always the one helping me out with Carsyn. His Dad, Mike, was at church camp.

They played a little b-ball. See Cason clapping. They were both so encouraging and excited for the other. There was a little time in the tunnel and they even took turns driving the car. Lots of playing, little eating. It’s how they keep their figures looking so good.

Night on the Town

2011-06-27T10:16:00.000-05:00

Tony took me out to a really nice steakhouse, Charlie Palmer, in The District on Saturday night. We took the metro in and walked passed the Capitol and even watched a little of a kickball game. That the great thing about the Mall that spans the Capitol to the Washington Monument, plenty of grass for kickball.

What’s this picture? you ask. It’s two valet guys, one cabbie and one bartender trying to get Tony’s wedding ring out of the sewer.

Yup. That shinny round thing is his wedding ring. The symbol of our union. The representation of our love.

OK. That’s a little dramatic, but you get the idea. Tony was fiddling with it, dropped it, it bounced and then rolled into the underground tunnel. – come to find out later it was a high voltage something.

High voltage – which brings me to our next action shot. Metal sticks. Good idea if you’re trying to fish out a ring in a dark whole. Bad idea if there is high voltage surrounding the ring. Fortunately no valets or restaurant managers were injured in the making of this debacle.

How did I feel about the whole thing? Shocked. A little irritated. Both of those combined with no less than 7 people trying to get this ring out and a dozen nosey pedestrians = hysterical laughing. What else can you do? It was funny at this point.

But who has time to sit in front of the restaurant and laugh when you have a play to see.

Tony and I left the ring and took a cab to the Kennedy Center. We saw the play Sheer Madness. It’s a comedy Whodunit and the audience helps solve the crime. Recommended.

(ps. I did not take the picture. I stole it off google images.)

I did take this picture. So pretty. Sunset on the Potomac.

Tony and I had the best weekend.

A little mini vacation. Time alone. We didn’t have to pay a babysitter. We got to sleep in the next morning. Perfection.

Thanks for planning a wonderful evening Tony!!!

PS…the city workers came out Monday and recovered the ring. After the power was turned off.

A Day in DC

2011-06-25T23:04:00.000-05:00

Hooray! I got to go see Tony in DC. Thanks MawMaw and PawPaw for watching Carsyn! I flew in on Thursday night and Tony still had to work on Friday. No worries. I really enjoy The District (as Tony and the locals like to call it) so I was thrilled to have a day by myself to explore.

My first stop was Tony’s temporary office in L’Enfant Plaza.

Tony working hard, not facing the window.

View out the window – Yes that’s the Washington Monument. I guess if you’ve been in The District long enough, you don’t have to turn your desk around to check out the view.

What’d I do while Tony was at work? I walked to the Mall. Cut through the Smithsonian Castle.

Taking a few solo shots.

Capitol.

There that pesky monument again. It’s every where you look.

Up next the National Archives. A little Genealogy research. I’m a geek like that. I fully intended to eat lunch downstairs, but ended up leaving and going to Potbelly. Good choice.

After lunch I headed to the Museum of Natural History. Got to check out the Hope diamond.

Me and 25 of my closest friends. Crowded!

That thing was huge!

Up next the Old Post Office Pavilion. Seemed fitting. Tony works for the Post Office. This building is where the first Post Office was in DC. See where I’m going with that.

It’s a good place to get a 360 view of The District. Little hard to tell, but that’s the Capitol behind me. Pennsylvania Ave. The road from the White House to the Capitol. The bottom left hand corner is the FBI building.

Seriously. That monument won’t go away. ;-)

I was done after this. Tired feet needed to head back to the Metro before it got crowded with all those government workers.

Why I heart Chick-fil-a

2011-06-24T18:27:00.001-05:00

Seriously, what's not to love about this place? Great food. Obviously. But it's the little perks that really set it apart. Christian company that's not trying to hide it.
But let's get down to it. Where the rubber meets the road. The bathroom. There is lotion. Mouthwash. Soap OR antibacterial gel. Your choice. And now...now that we tried potty training...a step stool for my short legged baby. If I wasn't sold on a playground, fresh flowers on the table, chick-fil-a sauce and free kids meals on Tuesday nights, this step stool sealed the deal.

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Water Park

2011-06-21T21:30:00.000-05:00

Lawton has a water park that is perfect for little kids. Carsyn LOVES it. There are special slides for the younger kids. Carsyn has no fear. (And no time to stop and take pictures.) I remember coming here in junior high and not feeling sure about going down the big slides. I’m glad she is so confident and doesn’t have that hesitation. I’m also thankful that she wears her puddle jumpers the whole time too. Takes a lot of pressure off this momma.

Party Prep

2011-06-20T21:25:00.000-05:00

Gagers had his first birthday this weekend. One years old!! It was a pool party in Granny and Papa T’s backyard. Good news is Carsyn was up bright and early to get the prep work started. First was the pool. Carsyn dug right in and started supervising the filling of the pool

What a pretty little worker bee. She owned that water hose.

A good supervisor knows when the situation is under control and it’s time to move on. As you can see she wasn’t afraid to really see the job through, even if that meant she got a little wet.

Finally. Enjoying the fruits of her labor. A small diaper change and drink later, Carsyn was ready to relax. For about 5 seconds. Then momma had to relax, then Carsyn, then momma, then Carsyn…

It’s a Party

2011-06-19T21:02:00.000-05:00

Gage is ONE and we’re excited! Carsyn was so excited that as soon as we walked in the door from the water park she was looking for his presents. She really needed him to open them up.

Carsyn was even kind enough to help break the toys in for Gagers. Some bubbles, cool building blocks and some fun letters for the bathtub.

Gage, the Birthday Boy! Gagers loves him some balloons.

Everyone loved the balloons. Quite the hit will all the kiddos.

We moved the party outside to let the kids play in the water. Watch out for that Shark! No worries. It’s just Gage. How cute is his little swim outfit.

Gage is attacking the wrapping with his mouth. His plan was to eat the paper away.

The Happy Jung Family.

Somebody loves his momma and daddy! Gage got a little guitar so he can rock out with his dad and uncle Brent.

Carsyn is trying to give Roslynn a high five. We’re working on how to treat our friends. Give hugs, kisses and high fives are all good options. Way to be a good friend Carsyn.

What’s a party without cake, cupcakes that is. Yummy!

Way to go Misty. The party was great and everyone had a great time!!

Kennel

2011-06-15T21:15:00.001-05:00

Momma, come in the kennel with me.

How could I resist? We read a book in the ‘kennel’ or tunnel. You know. Whatever works.

Sweet girl’s imagination is starting to come alive!

Potty Training

2011-06-12T20:46:00.001-05:00

So, we’re on the potty training train. It’s not my favorite. It’s time. Carsyn is ready. But she is also stubbornly independent and in a ME DO IT stage. Clearly that lines right up with potty training. IF she wants to do it. And for the most part she’s on board the potty train. But when the mood changes to ‘I na like it’, then I’m riding the train by myself.

We’re using a chart and sticker method. Considering switching to an M&M reward method. At least I’d get excited about that.

Shorts are no longer necessary. Boots on the other hand are still fashionable. In Texas. In June. In 100 degree weather. Some people are just slaves to fashion.

A Horse is a Horse of course of course

2011-06-07T17:11:00.000-05:00

So. Here’s the deal. Carsyn likes animals. In the ‘I want to kiss you puppy’ kind of way.

Jerrye has a dog. But he chases Carsyn so Dexter is not her favorite. Sunday evening as we were packing up to leave, she spotted the horse.

Leaves me standing by the Callie car, scrambling for my camera, walks over to the corral to have a chat.

They had their moment and she walked away saying bye horse and waved. So polite.

Jerrye came and lifted her up to pet the horse. Not scared. Very friendly.

Whoa buddy. Getting a little close now. Carsyn likes to be the one that makes the moves. She’s bossy that way.

Bye Bye Daddy

2011-06-06T20:54:00.001-05:00

Tony is gone for the summer. He’s on a work detail in DC. It’s a good thing for Tony. He gets to try on a promotion for size and see if it fits. That’s kind of cool. He’ll be gone for what seems like forever, but it will go by fast. Ask every teacher or student how fast summer break goes. Carsyn and I took him to the airport on Sunday afternoon. It was a little sad. Tony will get to come home 1 weekend a month. I’ve already got a trip to DC planned and hopefully Carsyn and I will go out together sometime later.

Down on the Farm

2011-06-06T19:56:00.000-05:00

Growing up Uncle Jerrye was the best uncle. In just one afternoon we broke into our own house and almost caught the kitchen on fire. Great memories. He doesn’t disappoint now either.

Carsyn and I dropped Tony off at the airport and then headed north. The drive to Wichita Falls had a dull purpose. 1. Get Carsyn to my parents. 2. Highlights for momma. Carsyn is spending the week at my parent’s house. I still have a few late nights ahead of me for work and it was VBS at my parents church. Good timing.

While I was getting my hair done, Uncle Jerrye inflated a 9 foot water slide. Of course he did. Because that’s a fun toy and he just happens to have fun toys on hand. I think Carsyn was a little too tired to fully enjoy it. She was concerned about all the grass in the water. She kept calling them bugs. We’ll have to come back and try again.

Next up…watering.

Totally makes me think of summers at my MamMaw and Granddaddy’s house. I’m so happy for Carsyn to be making the same memories.

Done with the 9 foot water slide? Over watering the plants? Let’s see what else Uncle Jerrye has. A Mickey Mouse sprinker. Sweet.

Mickey looked sweet. Now he’s just spraying me with water. I’m outta here.

Finally. The best water experience. A water gun. Now she controls where the water goes and who gets wet.

Thanks for such a fantastic time Barby and Jerrye!

Carsyn’s World

2011-06-05T19:20:00.000-05:00

Just a few fun pictures that Carsyn took.

Splish Splash

2011-06-05T19:16:00.000-05:00

Carsyn and I headed out to the splash park in Colleyville on Saturday morning and joined our friends the Harvey’s.

It took her a little while to warm up. There was a large birthday party there, so lots of kids. Now that I think back on it, I’m not sure if she realized she was supposed to get wet.

Carsyn ran around and around in circles. Laughing and having so much fun.

Little umbrellas just their size.

Here’s cutie Cason. He was kind enough to share his toys and snacks with Carsyn. True friend right there.

Carsyn turning the water back on.

She really didn’t want to leave, but it was time. Momma was hot and forgot to bring water for herself. I drank most of Carsyn’s. It was time to go. But we’ll be back.

Cousins

2011-05-29T17:35:00.000-05:00

Hooray! Gage came for a visit. He brought Granny and Misty too. Carsyn was so excited to share her highchair with Gagers. She just adores him and prays for him every night.

Gage is such a sweet boy and tried yogurt for the first time over the weekend. Success. We have a new yogurt fan.

Carsyn really wanted to hold Gage. She tries to pick him up and this was our compromised. Hold him while he’s eating. That worked long enough for us to snap a picture and then Gage was over it.

Is this what your face looks like when you eat a lemon? Pretty sure mine doesn’t look nearly as cute as Gage man’s.

Sick

2011-05-24T11:01:00.001-05:00

Carsyn is being so sweet and patient as we wait for the doctor. Last week she had a double ear infection and sore throat. She's not better. Baby girl needs some medicine!

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Hoop It Up!

2011-05-21T20:34:00.000-05:00

Somebody got a new toy this weekend.

And she’s getting pretty good at it.

She prefers to slam dunk.

Band aids

2011-05-19T11:49:00.001-05:00

Somebody's in love!

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To be remembered

2011-05-09T21:00:00.001-05:00

Carsyn is saying the best things right now. I hate to forget them.

Here is a typical bath tub conversation. Carsyn has a plastic cup and spoon that she uses to ‘cook’ her water.

Carsyn: I’m cooking supper.

Me:What are making?

Carsyn: Lunch.

Me: What’s lunch taste like?

Carsyn: pizza

I’m concerned by the example Tony and I are setting. Please don’t judge.

During supper one night Carsyn asked for chips and salsa.

What can I say, we all like our Mexican food.

I was standing in the bathroom and could hear Carsyn calling out “Where’s Momma? Where Momma go?”. I hollered back that I was right here. She kept repeating “Where’s Momma?” So I walked out of the bedroom to find her standing in front of the full length mirror looking at herself. Talking. Repeating her “Where Momma go?” Too cute.

I couldn’t blamer her, I mean who doesn’t like to see how they look in the mirror saying their favorite thing. At least I assume it’s her favorite thing. She says it more than anything else. Momma. Momma. Momma. It’s her 7th grade version of ‘like’ or the unsure speaker’s ‘um’. She just says it to talk.

Mother’s Day weekend

2011-05-09T20:05:00.000-05:00

We spent Mother’s Day weekend at the lake with Tony’s parents.

The lake is always relaxing. This time we even headed further north to see Carl and Donna’s new house. Very exciting that they’ve found a wonderful home in Tuttle. They have room to roam now.

Look at that sweet baby girl enjoying the space at MawMaw and PawPaw’s house.

They even have deer. Carsyn loves animals. She doesn’t discriminate.

I love this picture. It reminds me of summers Misty and I spent at MamMaw and Granddaddy’s house. You know, back when gas was cheap and we could do no wrong in our Granddaddy’s eyes. Misty and I would drive all around on Granddaddy’s lawnmower. I’m fairly sure Misty drove most of the time…not much different than when we were 15 and 16.

Beautiful home Reed’s! We look forward to visiting for years to come. Congratulations!

Easter Day!

2011-04-26T20:47:00.000-05:00

Easter Day was hectic. Not calm. The devil was working hard. I needed to make mashed potatoes and deviled eggs for lunch at friends house after church. We were going to the 9:30 service and that would give us plenty of time to get things ready after church and before lunch. Tony was on call, but that usually never interferes with church. I got the potatoes going, eggs boiling, Carsyn in the bath, me in the shower, everything was clicking right along. Then Tony got a call. He needed to leave and head towards Huntsville because of a robbery. Seriously. OK. Easter alone. That’s fine. While I was finishing up, Tony was getting Carsyn all ready. Then…she spilled milk all over her Easter dress. Ugh! Looks like the 11:00 service was calling our name. I threw the dress in the washer and got started on the potatoes. They were paste. Apparently if you leave the potatoes in water and let them cool, the starch does something and they become paste when you start to mash them. Scratch the potatoes, I’ll go by the store and buy potato salad. Next the eggs. I hate peeling the shell off. Such a pain. Got Carsyn’s dress out of the dryer. Had all her clothes on and realized that a seem had ripped. In her brand.new.dress. OK, you get the idea. Is was a bad morning. It was like Friday. But don’t fear, Sunday’s coming.

They played this video at church. I wanted to stand up and shout. Amen! Sunday is coming!

(for those of you that go to my church, I don’t think this is the actual video they showed, but it’s not about the video. It’s the words. God’s WORD)

Praise God that Sunday is here. That we live because Sunday is here.

Church was wonderful. A great time of praise and worship.

There was Easter egg hunting too.

Carsyn made out like a bandit! Thanks for having us Mike and Catherine!

Easter at the Club

2011-04-25T15:08:00.001-05:00

So people laugh at us because we’re members of a country club. But it’s truthfully the most economical way for our family, consider how much golf Tony plays. This past month we joined a new club. First of all, it has two course and that offers variety for Tony. Secondly, they actually hold events for families.

There was an Easter Bunny. Carsyn told me that she was going to hug and kiss the bunny. That was before she way him. The second Daddy walked away, she was done with that giant of a bunny.

There was an egg hunt. See all the people? A little overwhelming for Tony and me; I can only imagine how Carsyn felt.

Daddy and Carsyn patiently waiting for the go signal.

Carsyn was super sweet and didn’t steal anyone’s egg. She was actually very calm the whole time. We think she had fun. But it’s not like she squealed and giggled. This was her first real hunt. It’s a lot to take in.

Daddy showing her the loot.

The Eater Bunny, and egg hunt and a petting zoo. Good times for a 2 year old.

Carsyn really likes animals. She isn’t afraid and wants to talk with them. She said “I love you baby goat”.

Getting right in there and brushing the goat.

Big stretch for the bunny. She liked this one much better than the oversized bunny.

We had a wonderful family day on Saturday. Proof that the club isn’t just for golf.

A Case of Make-Up Gone Bad

2011-04-25T10:49:00.001-05:00

Pretty classic story. Mom left her make-up out. Baby girl found it. Was very quite while mom was in another room.

The end results above.

Good news…it all came off very easily with eye make-up remover! Another product she’s always wanted to use.

Outside

2011-04-18T09:13:00.001-05:00

Carsyn loves to play outside. Age also loves that dumb dog. She's playing at Brandy's house. Every morning she need to find Tucker and give him sugars. Gross!
What a sweet smile on my baby. I'm sure she is running all the other little kids over with her car. Also pretty sure she thinks she owns it.

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Recycling!

2011-04-15T09:23:00.001-05:00

Carsyn is such a great helper. She even recycles!

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Play Date

2011-04-08T21:18:00.001-05:00

I’ve decided to make some changes. I need to get out of the house more. I go to work, come home, go to bed. Repeat. On the weekend I go to church. That’s about as exciting as my life gets. That’s not really ok. I rarely shop. For clothes or groceries. I’m not good at being out with Carsyn. So I avoid it. But that needs to change. Two summers ago, Carsyn was 6 months old. High maintenance on the outing scale. I was still nursing. Last year she was 18 months. Again high maintenance. She couldn’t talk, but wanted to be out toddling around and didn’t understand why she couldn’t. Now she’s 2. Really, there is no excuse.

All of that leads me to…I invited Cason out on a play date.

We headed to a great park in Colleyville. There was swinging.

Slides.

Snacks.

Bug watching.

Big kid watching.

How cute are they! Cason is only 10 weeks younger than Carsyn. They’re pretty sweet together. The play date was a success. I got to get out of the house, talk to Cason’s momma and everyone was happy. Carsyn even had a tumble down the slide steps. She fell about 4 feet. Seriously hurt her feelings, but she was ok. I’m ok now too. Carsyn also scrapped her bottom when she tripped (that happens when you wear shorty shorts) and she pulled her pants down to her ankles. She insisted on taking them off. Yup. We’re making memories at the park.

Amazing Night

2011-04-02T19:58:00.000-05:00

My 30th Birthday was Wednesday. Tony was out of town. Kind of a bummer. But we had a fun night planned on Friday to help make up for it.

The plan was for my parents and Misty and Jeff to eat dinner at Trophy Club and then the ‘kids’ to head down to Fort Worth to hear Gary Allen at Billy Bob’s.

Great plan and I was very excited about it.

But wait…the night was full of surprises. We had a special room at the country club with a beautiful table.

And SPRINKLES cupcakes. How amazing do those look? ‘Happy Birthday Crystal’ So good!! Tony was so sweet to drive all the way to North Dallas to get them special for me. Red velvet was my choice and it did not disappoint.

The happy couple.

Misty and Jeff.

My parents, Mike and Catherine and Josh and Michelle were all there too. (Surprise again! My friends came!)

I guess I was so surprised that I didn’t get one good picture of anyone else.

Another surprise…a limo!!! Sweet riding to the concert.

This is how we roll. In style.

Us at Billy Bob’s in downtown Fort Worth.

Gary Allen. He’s so cool. We had so much fun at the concert. Gary was a great entertainer and the people with backstage passes were really funny to watch. Remember if you ever spring for a backstage pass…people in the front row can see you!

Me and Billy Bob’s celebrating 30 great years together.

Tony was so sweet. He wanted me to look and feel my best on my special night. I got new clothes – Miss Me capri jeans and a super cute top. Didn’t he do an awesome job! Then it was suggested that I take some time off and enjoy a me day with a mani/pedi followed by a spray tan. I’m a huge fan of the spray tan. Looks good and no skin cancer. Double plus in my book.

Tony, thank you so much for a wonderful night. I had a blast and felt very loved and special!

The Bug

2011-03-25T22:05:00.001-05:00

How much can you fit into a VW Bug?

TuTu Skirt

Zip Lock Bag

OU Bag

Miniature Vacuum

Carsyn sure can pack it in there. If she had a mattress, she could have strapped that on the hood.

NYC Day 2

2011-03-24T19:47:00.000-05:00

As previously mentioned, Day 1 and Day 2 were cram packed with activity.

After losing an hour of sleep to Daylight Savings Time, we were up very early for the Statue of Liberty.

Here were are waiting in the security line. Gotta keep that Lady safe.

Lucky us. We made it through security. Here is our crew of 5 on the ferry to Liberty Island.

Big Foot. I’m a little unsettled by it.

Here’s Emily being super classy ;-)

We all got to walk up inside the pedestal and see a really neat museum about the building of the statue and see examples of life size features.

Jenni looking as lovely as Lady Liberty.

After the Statue of Liberty, we ferried over to Ellis Island. Smashed on a boat like so many millions of people over the last several hundred years. Thankfully our passage was cheap and short in comparison. Bonus…No Medical Exam when I entered the great all above.

Here’s Misty being super teacher. Misty and Jenni were working on a documentary to take back to their students. Way dedicated.

Once we got back on the ‘main island’ AKA Manhattan, we grabbed lunch, walked by several churches and wandered are way to the World Trade Center site. Ground Zero.

Misty and I were there 4 years ago and they’ve made amazing progress. It was literally just a hole in the ground. Now there is the start of an amazing building.

After Ground Zero we crossed the river to Jersey. Hoboken. the Cake Boss’s bakery. The Cake Boss is a show on TLC about this crazy Italian family running a bakery.

What are these pictures you might ask? No cupcakes? No canolis? Why? Because all those people in line got there before us. A line that was over an hour and a half long.

An hour and a half for some bakes goods.

Here is the end of the line.

Here I am at the end of the line. This is how I feel about waiting in line for almost 2 hours.

Our group decided to pass on Carlos’s Bakery and head over to Greenwich Village to Sweet Revenge. I heard about it on a Chase small business credit card commercial. I’m a geek like that. I hear about things on a commercial and I google them.

Sweet Revenge was AWESOME. Loved the neighborhood and the little shop. It felt very NYC. Like we were locals. The place was super tiny.

It’s specialty is paring homemade fantabulous cupcakes with wine or beer. I know. I don’t drink wine or beer, but I was all on board for the experience.

Please take note of the pink cell phone next to super duper yummy peanut butter cupcake. That cell phone was superwoman all week long. Loved the internet, the Google maps, the subway maps, the trip it. Pink Cell phone Power!

After we all go a little pick me up from the Sweet Revenge stop, we headed to SoHo. Found some fancy boutiques (aka DASH), cool sidewalk vendors, and lots of locals. Loved SoHo and Greenwich Village. They were a nice contrast to the history and tourism of the Statue of Liberty.

Cupcakes for dinner wasn’t going to cut it for these girls. Nope. The three of us headed out to a local Irish Pub near the hotel. Tried about 6 different beers. Still don’t really like them. Nice memory though.

Holy Moly, that was a long day. You’re probably exhausted just reading this post. We were sure tired too, but New York City is an experience and we didn’t want to waste any minute.

NYC DAY 1

2011-03-23T19:26:00.001-05:00

It’s time for a Girls Getaway!!

Misty and I along with our friends from high school headed out for New York City. No babies. No husbands. Just some good girlfriend time.

We found an awesome hotel, AKA Sutton Place. We shared a two bedroom suite. Shame on me for not snapping any pics, but I hit the ground running when I landed in NYC. I stole a few off their website.

There was a full kitchen and two full baths.

This bedroom is actually smaller than either one we had.

I highly recommend this hotel if your planning a visit with your family or a group of people!

We started in Central Park. Only covered 1/3 of it.

We saw a cool castle built between 1869-1874. This is the meteorological station for NYC. When you hear that it’s 74 and rainy, this is where that data comes from.

We took pictures. Felt skinny.

Here is our group(front:Misty, Emily, me. Back: Jenni and Ashley) with Lois. She was an amazing tour guide. Lois participates in the Big Apple Greeter program. A local volunteer shows tourist around one of their favorite neighborhoods. In our case it was Central Park. Lois is a rock star. She is 80 years old. Has been to 148 countries and walked around Central Park for 2 hours.

Here I am with Misty and Lois. Stuffing my face with a lunch on the go while walking through Central Park. So New York of me ;-)

After Central Park, we spent a little time getting lost on the subway. Seriously frustrated with the weekend schedule!

Our evening started in Times Square. Crossroads of the world.

This picture is in front of the Marriott Marque hotel. There is an awesome restaurant on top of the hotel. The restaurant rotates 360 degrees and gives you view of the entire city.

This was our very fancy dinner for the trip. Totally worth it. I had duck legs as an appetizer. Filet mignon for the main course and followed up with traditional New York style cheese cake. Loved the experience.

So fortunate to be there at sunset.

Then we wrapped up the night with a Broadway show!

It’s Broadway, translation: Fantastic

I know I know. You’re just tired reading about all of it. I had been up since 4:45 EST. By the time we got back to the hotel at 11:30, I was passed tired. We packed ALOT into the first couple of days.

Happy Birthday Cason!

2011-03-21T20:59:00.001-05:00

Sunday evening we went to Carsyn’s buddy, Cason’s birthday party. They will be able to say they knew each other in the womb. His parent’s Mike and Catherine are our friends. Catherine always puts together a great party. How fun are these treats?!?

Carsyn coloring with the birthday boy.

Carsyn was chilling out in the pool of balls. She had a great time. I was really worried. Mike is a student pastor at our church and there were a dozen youth there. Big kids. Carsyn is never around big kids. But it all worked fine. She was pretty much oblivious to them.

How sweet is her little hand?? The sun was too bright.

Carsyn with Cason and Jack.

This was a milestone moment for Carsyn. How is it that she is 2 an never attended a birthday party? It’s true though. This was her first. She was awesome. Didn’t snatch any presents or anything. That’s a good day.

Oklahoma

2011-03-20T19:55:00.000-05:00

Carsyn spent part of Spring Break in Oklahoma with Granny and PaPa T because our babysitter, Brandy, took a few days off. So that means I drove up there to get her and spend some time with the fam during March Madness.

I’m trying to get a cut pic of Gage and me because we were matching. I had on white and grey stripes and he had on white and grey koala bears.

His little old man face.

Finally got a good picture of me and I his eyes look great, but I think he was so over it.

Carsyn loves playing at Granny and Papa T’s house.

There is sidewalk chalk.

Checking the mail with PaPa T.

Sorting the rocks in the flower bed.

Then there is the park.

Carsyn and Toby (my cousin Katie’s little boy) had a blast going up and down the slides.

Gage and me again. Now were just like twinkies. Both wearing grey and white stripes. Again, Gage has no interest in posing in a picture with me.

Hi sweet Stormie Mae. This is my cousin Katie’s little girl.

Looks like Gage picked up the rock sorting skills from Carsyn.

Here is Carsyn on a big kid swing. She’s not a fan yet. She was on the verge of crying at this point. Don’t worry. I took a super quick pic and then picked her up.

Thanks for such a great time Granny and PaPa T.

Happy St. Patty's Day

2011-03-18T12:12:00.001-05:00

You better be wearing green our I'll pinch you!

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Raisenberry Lipstick

2011-03-17T09:01:00.001-05:00

Raisenberry lipstick. She found it when Granny was getting ready. She was in the laundry room applying it. Sneaky!

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How Do I Feel?

2011-03-13T20:40:00.000-05:00

How are you? How do you feel? These questions come from the people brave enough to ask. Most people don’t ask. They are unsure of what to say. How to react.

I’m not exactly sure. Miscarriages aren’t often talk about. They happen, but there is no gathering like a wake or a funeral. There is no bereavement leave. There is no public acknowledgement of a loss. So…it makes you wonder if you’ve really lost something. Should I be grieving for someone I never held? My friend Catherine reminded me that we make plans and have hopes and dreams so early. It’s ok to grieve the loss of those. It takes time to readjust. My Sunday School teacher explained that grief takes a large amount of brain energy. That my spaciness isn’t the medicine as much as my brain in overload to process a miscarriage.

I usually answer with, I’m OK or I’m good. Which are true. I don’t know how to lay in bed for 3 days feeling depressed. Things happen and you move on. This is life.

I’ve grieved. That includes tears. sobs. shock. avoidance. busy busy busy as to not think. going through the motions. do what you have to do because life goes on. swinging back and forth from detachment to heartache. I’m not sure what stage of grieving that puts me in, but I know I’m there.

I read a book. Heaven is for Real. Good book. Fast read. It was probably too early to read it. Certainly to early to read it while on a plane to NYC. I’m pretty sure the young guy sitting in the middle seat next to me would have preferred this complete stranger to not be sobbing next to him on a 2 hour flight. Don’t worry. I didn’t cry the whole time. Just a few seconds behind my book. Point is…it reminded me that this world isn’t it. There is more. Heaven is yet to come.

This is what I believe. God is good. He loves me. While my circumstances in life have changed, He hasn’t. I don’t understand it, but I believe I don’t have to understand.

Carsyn Play

2011-03-11T16:09:00.001-06:00

Baby girl spent the week playing with Granny. How fun is that!?! She loves that slide.

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First Class

2011-03-11T16:07:00.001-06:00

I'm NYC bound. My original flight was canceled. Irritating. 2 hours delayed. Silver lining...I now get to fly first class all the way to New York. Less irritated.

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Miscarriage

2011-03-03T21:32:00.002-06:00

I realize that my pregnancy will be news to some. The reality is we just weren't pregnant long enough to share our news with everyone. I would have been 7 weeks today. I called the doctor Monday because I was bleeding. Went in for blood work to check my HCG levels. Felt hopeful at that point. Tuesday brought more bleeding, but lab results came back positive. Despite the results, I'm beginning to doubt. That night I was in pain. Woke up about 3:30 and knew I was bleeding heavily. Up for about 30 minutes. Called the doctor's office the next morning and had an appointment that afternoon.

Thoughts on miscarriages:
They are painful.
They are more common than you'd think. About 20-25% of pregnancies end in miscarriages. That fact is not comforting. Frankly right now I wish it was the most unique oddity know to man. That my very personal pain would not be so easily equated to your cousin, friend from high school or you. That my situation would be special and my trauma
They are not quick. It's a process. What happens at home may not be it. You think it was bad enough, but it's not always over. I spent almost 3 hours at the doctor's office waiting for confirmation of what my heart already knew. Then they tell my body didn't take care of everything.
They are expensive. It costs more to not have a baby than to have one. Insult to injury.
They don't stop the world. I went to work Wednesday and today. (blogging break. Carsyn is naked in her bed. World doesn't stop.)

Tony has been so sweet. He is being strong for me and I need it. I've pretty much have been teetering on the edge for 3 days and he's holding on so I don't crash.

More reality. I'm not done. Technically I'm in the middle of a miscarriage. I go to the hospital in the morning for an out patient procedure. So I reserve the right to add or change my thought on miscarriages tomorrow. After my miscarriage is over.

Happy note...getting highlights in my hair on Sunday night.

Stickers

2011-03-01T20:04:00.000-06:00

Who loves stickers??? Carsyn does. Only Carsyn can’t get the stickers off the sheet by herself. Therefore sticker time is a group activity. yay.

What Cha Wearing?

2011-02-24T20:03:00.000-06:00

Nothing. Nothing really. Just this tank in the floor and thought I’d throw it on.

Carsyn found one of my tanks and thought she’d look good in it. Then she had to go play with her bear.

Very funny little girl!

What’s for Dinner?

2011-02-23T20:00:00.000-06:00

A whole Sonic burger. A big burger. A manly burger. She ate it. All. Except for a pickle and the bottom bun.

And Frosted Flakes. I really have nothing else to say about that.

Family Play Day

2011-02-22T18:18:00.000-06:00

The weather has been beautiful and we’ve tried to get out and enjoy it.

LOVE that smile! Carsyn really had a great day at the park on Saturday.

Then on Monday, President’s Day, Carsyn and Daddy had a date. Lunch at Chick-fil-a and then more playing at the park. How great is that? So happy that Tony loves to play with his baby girl.

Did I Do It?

2011-02-20T22:05:00.001-06:00

Yes I did!

It had to be done. I bought zebra print and hot pink rolls of duct tape. Carsyn was all about that zebra print. She how happy she is? Admittedly Carsyn was a little nervous when it came time to wrap the duct tape around her diaper. I’m sure most of you are thinking, “You’d be scared too”. My response, He who does not clean up poopy sheets, should not throw stones.

See the hot pink tape? Completely ON the diaper and no skin.

And most importantly…the ‘biaper on’ is the best result. Carsyn has even left her PJ’s on at night too.

Leggings

2011-02-20T20:02:00.000-06:00

Carsyn looked so cute at church in her dress and pink leggings. I really wanted to get a picture of her standing up so you could see the whole ensemble.

This is what I got. A baby girl NOT interested in posing for a picture. There are toys to play with and cars to drive.

Lost in Translation

2011-02-19T18:24:00.000-06:00

Carsyn had taken some of her swimmer diapers out of the dresser. They were spread all over the house. I was encouraging her to pick up her swim diapers and I think she misunderstood. Swim diapers = floaties.

Just a side note…we’ve entered the ‘don’t take my picture’ phase. fun!

Duct Tape

2011-02-18T07:47:00.001-06:00

This isn't a picture of ribbon. Did you know duct tape comes in so many awesome colors? Pretty cool. I took this pic with my phone at Walmart last night. Story to follow later. Stay tuned.

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Milestones: Breakfast

2011-02-17T21:10:00.001-06:00

Brandy asked if we gave Carsyn milk and cereal. No. Still eating mac and cheese with our hands. Liquid with mushy Cheerios hasn't been on the top of our to try next list.
Brandy thought she'd give it a try. My suggestion was to take her shirt off first. Cereal and milk is a go. Big girl had no problems. What do I know.

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Milestones: Cot

2011-02-17T21:04:00.001-06:00

Big happenings around here. Carsyn is now taking her naps on a cot at daycare. Until now she's been in a pack and play. She likes to stretch out, flip over, and put her feet up. I was concerned those activities would continue on the cot, but no. she's a big girl. There have been no cot related problems...

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Things to Remember

2011-02-10T19:50:00.001-06:00

I’m just throwing in some random pictures so I can remember so things Carsyn has been up to the last few months.

The words are a plenty. She learns 1 or 2 new words everyday. Her favorite question is ‘What dis'?’ Then she’ll repeat back whatever you said. Could be one word or 3-4 word sentence.

She loves to take pictures of herself and others. She’ll say “Cheese Momma” “Cheese Daddy” She rarely turns the camera to right way to actually capture anyone else in her pictures, but she loves being in charge of the camera.

One of the challenges we are facing is at night time. Carsyn likes to strip down. No PJ’s. No diaper. Some times we catch it before we go to bed. Some times we don’t. It was annoying and potential gross, but we were hopeful. Not a chance were we going to escape this parental right of passage. Poop and Pee Pee in the bed. It’s happened. More than one.

She’s developed a love of Barney and Elmo.

She calls Daddy’s Tahoe the Taco.

She loves to call Aunt Missy and ask about Jeff and Gage.

She thinks Granny and PaPa T live upstairs.

Carsyn is starting to play pretend. This bottle of lotion is bubbles.

There are about a million other random things I could add, but I’ll stop now. Carsyn is asleep and I can finally eat supper!

Ice Age

2011-02-06T20:41:00.000-06:00

I’m beginning to wonder about this weather. North Texas had the coldest temperatures in the last 15 years. Schools were closed for 4 days. That is unheard of. I was home Tuesday – Friday, with Carsyn and my work. People asked if I was getting stir crazy. Um…no. Didn’t have a chance to be bored and I don’t like to be cold. So it’s not like I was tempted to go outside. I got my best work done when Carsyn went to bed. Wednesday night I was up until 1:30 and then 3:30 the next night. Tony stayed home with us Tuesday and Wednesday, but had to go to work the rest of the week.

So what did we do all week?

ate ice cream

took naps (Carsyn did at least)

Ate food

Enjoyed looking at the snow

soaked up water that was spilled

dug our car out of the snow and inch of ice

took pictures of the unique phenomenon

decorated

Over the Weather

2011-02-02T12:33:00.001-06:00

OK. I feel the need to point out my creativity. My last post was entitled ‘Under the Weather’, this one "’Over the Weather’. Picture a pat on the back.

Carsyn is still sick. And clingy.

There is ice every where in North Texas. (Yes in Oklahoma too. I get it, a foot of snow. OVER ice)

Our office is closed. Tuesday is was really closed. I got on my laptop and check so email, but that’s about it. Tuesday was Workday 1 of the monthly close process. Not a day to be missed. Wednesday the building is closed, but the people are working. It’s Workday 2 – really not a day to be missed. So here is my little home office. My laptop on a TV tray by the kitchen.

Here is the street by the back of our house. Not wet. Sheet of ice.

Here I am. On my back. In the driveway. I slipped. Hurt a little. Hurts more now than when it happened. Don’t worry. I put on that huge down jacket and had my cell phone in my pocket. The camera was in my hand. ‘All the better to document you with my dear.’

Me. Flat on my back. That whole ‘pat on the back’ thing from above doesn’t sound so bad now huh? I need a massage on the back now!

Does any body else remember that I was snorkeling in the Caymans two weeks ago!?!? I sure do!

Under the Weather

2011-01-31T21:09:00.001-06:00

How do you know when you don’t feel your best? Mom let’s you eat ‘supper’ AKA-pizza, apple, chips and a grape slush- with your blanket in your PJs.

Carsyn has been battling some sinus drainage and a cough. It’s annoying and uncomfortable. She’s irritated too. ;-) Just kidding. Sort of.

Then she was cranky at daycare all day. Some Tylenol finally provided relief around 4:30. Then I found out a little boy that goes to her daycare was diagnosed with the flu this morning. Then another little boy was diagnosed with RSV and an ear infection this afternoon. WHAT?!?!? Are you kidding me? Why? Why do people want to infect my child. Called the doctors office. Basically there is nothing we can do but hydrate and wait. Contain the fever, but that might get higher too. It’s just a bad cold. Frustrating!

Blog Editor

2011-01-30T20:56:00.000-06:00

Carsyn is two. She is independent. Defiant. Fiery. Feisty. Bossy. Sassy. Busy. Persistent. Vocal.

Sunday afternoon she needed to be between me and the computer. She was missing out and had to get closer. I finally caved and let her have at it.

She offered some insights and critics of the most recent blog posts. You can now add Blog Editor to her list of accomplishments.

She wanted her dress off after church, but wasn’t concerned about her bloomers or tights. Then she saw her cruise flip flops and wanted to add those to the mix.

We’re still trying to determine our office dress code. If you subscribe to the theory that the boss sets the example, you could make some assumptions about my wardrobe choices, but i assure you I was dressed more professionally.

Saturday

2011-01-29T20:46:00.000-06:00

Some thing about Saturday morning at home feels so good. No plans. Stay in your PJ’s kind of good. We’ve been gone SO MUCH lately. I’m pretty sure it started the first of November and ended with the cruise. Home is what the doctor ordered. Carsyn is such a good momma to her babies. She wanted them to be covered up during their nap on the floor.

Grand Cayman

2011-01-21T21:45:00.000-06:00

I’m going to let you in on a little secret right here. Or maybe I’m ruing the surprise. Either way…I’m in love with the Caymans. Best day of the cruise. The Caymans were so nice. Clean, pretty, friendly. Such a contrast to Jamaica. Is it poor form to bad mouth another country on a different blog post? Jamaica was dirty, rude, sketchy and stinky. Pretty much the opposite of Grand Cayman.

Teresa and I waiting on our shuttle for the excursion. Can you see the big boat in the back ground? Noah took this pic. He’s 11. Thanks!

Me documenting the pre-excursion time. I took this picture. I’m 29. You’re welcome.

Do you see it? The sandbar. The sandbar where the stingray’s come. This is the only place in the world (according to some website I read.) where you can feed stingrays in their natural habitat instead of a tank.

We road a jet ski out to the sandbar. Here is Tony’s boss, Sam, and his daughter Amanda.

Tone Bones chilling in the water. Before the stingrays came.

Me about to jump in.

See the darker parts of the water? Close to Sam and Amanda? Stingrays. Big stingrays.

Teresa was brave enough to go first. She held and kissed that huge stingray.

Tony’s turn. He was ready. I needed a few minutes to think about it.

The thing even gave us a back massage. They were every where. See the two in the background.

I held and kissed one too. Fed one squid. Do you catch that? I held a raw squid and fed a stingray with my bare hand. Be impressed.

The water was beautiful. Crystal clear. Amazing white sand. We were with a small tour group. Only 10 of us and 2 guide. See the boats. They were like a mob. So thankful that we didn’t cram on one of those.

Here I am. We went snorkeling along a small reef. The guide brought of some more food and the fish came a runnin’

The Three Amigos.

This was the best excursion. Everyone had a blast.

Grand Cayman II

2011-01-21T20:58:00.000-06:00

After the amazing jet ski adventure, we lunched at the Hard Rock Cafe. There was a constant battle between ship time, CST and island time, EST. Short story is we ate fast and hightailed it back to the boat. I can’t confirm 100% if we were the last tender back to the ship, but we were one of the last 100 or so back on board.Because of our short time, I didn’t get to see much of the town. I took most of these pictures while walking really fast back to the ship.

Even with the few pictures you can see how the Caymans are so much nicer than Jamaica.

What is a tender? It’s a shuttle ship that moves the people from the big boat to the dock. This is the option when the ships can’t pull right up to the dock.

Us on the tender back to the ship.

Home Sweet Home. Our arrival back was so late that we got to see them raise the anchor up.

Look at that beautiful water! LOVED IT! This picture was taken from my balcony.

Tony and I giving the Grand Cayman’s one last look.

Jamaica

2011-01-20T21:10:00.000-06:00

The wedding wasn’t over but a minute and Carsyn was into the sand. She dug in.

That sand is some exciting stuff and baby girl needed a break. Vacation. A hammock in the tropical breeze with a nice cool drink. Doesn’t get much better than this.

Wait. The beach. This could be better than the hammock.

I’m still amazed that Carsyn just turned two and is playing in the clear waters of Jamaica. I was 22 before I got to go.

Wait. Jet Ski. This beats the hammock and the beach. For Tony at least.

Bye Bye Jamaica.

The Wedding

2011-01-19T20:53:00.000-06:00

Why’d you go on a cruise?

1. Sean, Tony’s best buddy was getting married. Couldn’t miss it. Tony was the best man.

2. It’s January and we need a vacation!

Wednesday was Wedding Day.

Here is our little family of 3 in the lobby of the boat waiting for instructions on debarking the ship to get to transferred to the resort for the wedding.

Wedding Day was a struggle for Carsyn. She was all out of sorts. Probably sleepy. Probably cranky. Probably just 2. I could expand on this. I won’t. I want to remember this sweet face on that day.

Tony signing that he witnessed the wedding.

Best man giving his toast.

Daddy dancing with his girl.

Can you see how red her face is? She was hot and tired.

Completely not purposeful, but Mom and Teresa were at the wedding too and I didn’t get any pictures. Sean and Lisa had a beautiful wedding. Congratulations! Thanks for sharing your day with us.

Cruisin’

2011-01-18T21:02:00.000-06:00

You’re trapped on a big boat. Haven’t seen land in 24 hours. A couple of oil platforms. Another cruise ship. Basically nothing.

Carnival calls it ‘Fun Day at Sea’.

What do you do?

Go swimming!

Eat mint chocolate early in the morning with Daddy on the balcony.

Hang out by the pool with Momma and Granny.

Dance by the pool with Momma and Daddy.

Big Boat

2011-01-18T08:43:00.000-06:00

We’ve been talking to Carsyn for over a week about the big boat. Trying to prep her for the experience. We walked through airport like security and waited over an hour to board. We get on looking for some food and learning about ‘aft’, ‘lido' deck’ and ‘upper deck’. It felt like a foreign language at first.

Tony sang two songs at Karaoke on Monday night. He’s really great at ‘his song’. Every Rose Has a Thorn. Yes it does. And then a special little number. I love college. Lots of fun with our friends.

Got the socks beat off us by our friends at a game of bean bag toss. There were over 20 teams and Emily and Dawn won! Woo Hoo. Check out those trophies. Carnival brings the goods.

Didn’t take long to get use to beautiful sunsets on the balcony

Of course there is the obligatory towel animal. They really are impressive. They offer a special class at the end of the week to learn this skill. You can even buy a book if you want to be the hostess with the mostess and make towel animals at home.

The reason for the cruise. The happy couple. Sean and Lisa dancing at dinner.

Us after the formal dinner.

I really enjoy getting together with our friends at the end of the day and share our stories over a good meal.

Galveston

2011-01-16T20:30:00.000-06:00

Saturday morning we loaded up the Tahoe and headed south.

Tony is pretending to be mad. He’s actually very excited. We all are.

Baby girl is happy. Granny is sitting next to her, Barney is in the DVD player and she has snacks. Ready for a road trip!

We stayed at the Hilton in Galveston. It was great. Very nice rooms and staff was helpful. They offer a free shuttle to the cruise and free parking. Great deal and helped break up the process of getting on the ship.

Here is Carsyn chilling in the hotel lobby. She heard there was free WiFi and wanted to check her facebook before she went to bed.

Vacation began on Saturday night for Crystal and Tony. Granny kept Carsyn at the hotel while we went to a pseudo-rehearsal dinner. It was a real dinner, but a fake rehearsal.

Boarding day.

Even though we were going to the tropics, it was still cold in Galveston. It was yucky drizzling rain. Don’t Tony’s eyes look so blue with his tan!

Waiting. There are a lot of people and a lot of waiting on the big boat. Carsyn was really good and everyone thought she was super cute. She did a little dance to the Macarena. Won their hearts right there.

And so it begins. 8 days, 7 nights of fun!

Cruise Prep

2011-01-11T21:53:00.001-06:00

We’re leaving Saturday to drive down to Galveston to start our Cruise 2011 Extravaganza Week. The packing has begun. It must. There is wedding clothes, formal dinner, excursions, pool parties, midnight buffets and what not to plan for.

Tony’s purchased almost a whole new wardrobe. He’s had too. He’s lost over 20lbs!!

Carsyn got 5 new bathing suits and 2 cover ups and 2 flip flops and a pair of crocs. I’m also digging out summer clothes that were backed away upstairs.

This pile represents my packing as well as my mind. It’s all a jumble. I don’t know what to bring. What fits. What will fit by the end of the 7 day food fest.

Then there is this sweet baby girl.

Some people can get into the cruisin’ state of mind faster than others.