Ryan & Rebecca

Happy birthday to Carson! I can’t believe that the year went by so fast! I love watching him grow and learn new things every day, but it makes me sad that my baby is now a boy…all mourning aside, we had a great day on Carson’s birthday. Actually, we had a great weekend, since his birthday was on a Thursday and we didn’t give him a party until Saturday night. Here’s the photo-documentation of it all. (And I mean “it ALL”)

Banana French Toast for breakfast. Yum!

Playing with the wrapping paper before his bath.

Presents! Please notice the homemade wrapping paper bows...I know...I'm amazing...

Opening presents...He loved the wrapping paper more than what was inside!

He loves his Mega Bloks Fire Engine!

The mess...

Daddy came home early and we went to Wheeler Farm to see the animals. Here's the goats...

Chickens! I was trying to get Carson to tell me what a chicken said while we were standing there, but he wouldn't. After we moved on, though, he just wouldn't stop saying "Bawk, bawk!"

Feeding the ducks after we were done looking at the animals.

More ducks...

After the ducks we went to Fazolis for dinner where we discovered Carson's love of PIZZA! We also discovered his love of pop music...that kid can dance!

Ha ha...Daddy didn't expect this picture...

Birthday treat of whipped cream and blueberries. Carson loves the feel of the whipped cream spraying into his mouth, and I love to watch his little smile when it does, so we were both happy. Oh, and I put that on his nose.

Searching for the blueberries under all that whipped cream...

This is the next day, Friday. Grandma and Grandpa Forbush, Uncle Blaine, and Uncle Derek came to celebrate with us, and Carson got to open more presents! It's Mickey Mouse (Ahhh...Carson snuggles with him at night)! We went swimming, too, but we didn't get any pictures of that.

Party time! This is Carson's birthday bash we had at Grandma and Grandpa Caspers house. Aunt Lisa came with Easton and Ty, and it was really fun to see them. Uncle Brad came, too, along with Grandma and Grandpa Forbush, Uncle Blaine, and Uncle Derek. We had a cook out and cake and ice cream to celebrate.

Opening even more presents...what a spoiled little boy, right?

Carson loves this little truck...and so do I! I mean, it talks!

The Cake. It's a car...for Carson....get it?

View number two of The Cake.

Carson's favorite part of the entire cake. The wheels. Somehow he knew they were edible, and that was all he cared about. I think I might have done better if I gave him a stack of chocolate donuts instead of a cake...

Daddy showed Carson how to smash the cake, so-o-o-o-o-o...that's what he did. I made a rainbow cake, so it would be really fun to DESTROY!

Carson decided that he had consumed enough sugar, and wanted to eat his corn on the cob instead. Too bad it was also covered in frosting.

It was a really great weekend for Carson.  He had so much fun with all the partying, and the people doting on him. I think he really felt special the entire time.  We were so happy that everyone could come and make his birthday one to remember!

Zoey is our new puppy. We bought her for Carson’s birthday, and because Mommy didn’t think she had enough to worry about during the day (for all you thinking that I am serious….) We had a rough couple of days with the potty training, but she’s getting better, and we love her more every day.

Okay, so for the first few days we had to pin Zoey in the entryway, using the couch as one "wall" and a chair, a piece of cardboard, and some styrofoam as another. Needless to say, it was a little bit of a stressful situation. But we did take the time to take a few low-quality pictures of it.

Squeaky hedgehog toy. Zoey's favorite. My LEAST favorite.

New playpen/cage thingy. Ahhh...this made us so happy!

Carson loves cruising. He uses anything and everything to use as support for his new-found love of assisted walking. His favorite cruise mobile…see for yourself.

Springs, rattles, twisty-thingies, spinners, shape sorter, and wheels---all bundled up into one big bundle of moving greatness.

It even moves from this side...

Did I mention it is also a storage unit? As you can see, Carson's favorite things go into the carry-on basket...my purse, daddy's tape measure, and, of course, Carson's diaper rash cream.

Somehow Mommy's purse always makes it in the storage unit...not sure why. And this time there's a Nintendo controller.

It’s finally getting warm enough to enjoy the swimming pool at our condominiums, so we’ve taken Carson swimming a few times already. Here are a few pictures of the fun…

Carson is super distracted by the little girl and her mom that were just getting in the pool. We tried everything to get him to look at the camera, but to no avail.

All wet, swimming with Daddy.

I don't even know what to say. Neither did Carson. Maybe "Ewww"... or "Gross"... or "Um, hello! did you know that's the side of the pool?!"

Tell me again exactly WHY these people are trying to get me to smile...

Now there is a happy boy swimming in the pool.

Flying....

Proof that I was actually there. Looking fabulous with wet hair I might add.

Carson and I were sitting on the sidelines, letting Daddy get a few more minutes of pool time. While we were waiting, Carson crawled over and started playing with someone's shoes. Another "gross" from me...

Soakin up some sun. No really. He was cold, and the sun was warming him up.

Our swimming time wasn’t very long, probably only 15 minutes each time,  because Carson gets cold pretty fast, but he LOVED it.  When we took him inside and put him in the bath, he stuck his face in the water and was splashing up a storm.  He’s definitely a water bug.

Carson's new love...apples. He grabbed this one out of the fridge and started gnawing on it. Now I have to avoid the produce section, or he whines until I give him one.

Playing with the big bowl. Grandma just has so many things that are so fun to play with!

Mooning me. Okay, so not really, but I kept trying to get him to look at the camera, and all he would do is stick his bum in the air, so I decided to take a picture. That'll teach him...

And then when he does look at me, he sees the camera and decides to come get it.

I stuck an old peanut butter jar to his back. I also stuck it to my face, and Carson started to cry. I didn't take a picture of that.

 Ryan came up on Friday, and we went to visit Mandy and James and see their new baby. They were staying at their cabin in Island Park, so we were able to see the cabin and go to Big Springs for a while. It was fun to be in the mountains again!

Ryan and Carson at the Springs. There were mosquitos everywhere...

This is Carson's newest thing. We call it "finger friends". When he likes you, he will point at you and what he really wants is for you to touch his finger with your finger. So the fingers are friends. Cute, right?

The muskrat. We liked him as opposed to the seagulls who kept eating the fish food we were throwing to the FISH. Stupid seagulls. You might think the green stuff is a reflection of some sort of overhead foliage, but you would be wrong. It's in the water. Crazy, I know.

One tired little boy. We didn't drive for more than ten minutes to get back from the springs to the cabin and he was out.

I love donuts…any kind of donut. I don’t care if it is chocolate or plain, if it is glazed, has sprinkles, or talks to me…I love donuts! Anyways…so Ryan and I were trying to figure out what to do for the memorial day weekend, and we decided we would go on a hike! Fun! I looked up all the hiking trails in the area, and we decided on one called Lake Solitude. I had this vision of us relaxing in the shade beside a beautiful clear lake surrounded by bright green leafy birch trees eating trail mix while Carson napped on a blanket. Pretty picture in your head, right?

Ryan went to help Brad fix some stuff in his house, and we were planning on leaving around two, when Carson usually wakes up from his nap.  But two came and went, and Carson still wasn’t napping. He ended up falling asleep around three, and we woke him up at four so we wouldn’t be wandering around on the mountain after the sun set.  I was still optimistic, but on the way up the canyon, I was hit with reality….

Ryan driving. I was in the back feeding Carson a bottle, so Ryan couldn't do anything about me taking pictures of the back of his head. Take that!

Here is Carson. The reason I was hit with reality. I chose this picture because you can see his little tooth...and usually he tries to hide that from us.

We all know that Ryan is NOT a dainty driver…and that canyon has a lot of curves and hills and stuff. To make a long story short, Carson experienced his first bout of car sickness. It may have been the excessive g-force of the sharp turns, or maybe facing backwards so he didn’t have any warning of said turns, but he puked. I felt bad for the little guy. I get carsick when Ryan just changes lanes, so I totally know how he felt.  Before we made it to our destination (i.e. the trailhead for Lake Solitude), we saw a sign for Donut Falls. And we had to stop. Because, come on…who doesn’t love donuts?!

Carson, back to his normal self with an empty stomach and some fresh air. Plus he had a snuggly blanket and something to chew on....he's completely happy.

On our way to see donut falls!

I gave Carson a little pine branch and he kept tickling Ryan's neck with it.

Um, I just had to include this picture because of the freakishly wierd faces Ryan and I have on. Wow. It's almost like we have the same brain.

Loving the sunshine and looking at the trees.

This picture is to show two things. One-there is snow on the ground. All over. And two-It's a pretty little waterfall. Who doesn't take pictures of a pretty little waterfall?

Another picture of the pretty waterfall.

Water break!

We made it! And maybe we should come back when the snow has melted and you can actually see the donut...sheesh.

Proof that I was with the two boys on this excurtion...as their photo journalist mainly. I charge hourly.

All together with the donut in the background underneath the snow.

On the way back. I found Ryan a mammoth walking stick. I enjoyed the awkwardness of him carrying it.

Dinner at Wingers. Ryan thought I was trying to take a picture of him watching the game, but I swear I was just documenting our trip.

Carson and I at Winger's right before we left. I was trying to get him to look at the camera insted of the baby that was three booths down from us.

I was successful at getting Carson to look, but not so successful at looking GOOD.

Well, I still love donuts, even though we were seriously disappointed by the one that was supposed to have water flowing through it.  It turned out to be a really fun day even though we got a late start, Carson threw up, and there was snow on the ground. I’m just glad we didn’t go to the lake….that would have been b-o-r-i-n-g!

Lately Carson has been attatched to my hip. Okay, it’s more like he’s attatched to my ankle since all he does is crawl. But that’s beside the point.  It’s getting increasingly difficult to get anything done since I can’t leave the room without a little stumbling block following me.  We’ve seen what he does in the kitchen and the bedroom…on to the bathroom.  I’ve been slowly baby proofing the house ever since I found Carson playing in the laundry detergent. I finally made it to the bathroom. Previously, while in the bathroom, Carson would get into the cupboards and play with the hairspray, mouthwash, lotion, etc.  Since I’ve finally attatched cupboard latches, he’s moved on to greener pastures.

Shredding toilet paper. The latest fad in the baby community.

I was doing my hair and Carson pulled himself up on the toilet. It didn’t take him long to figure out that if he hit the roll of toilet paper, it would unravel to the floor. After depositing a pile on the floor, he sat down and proceeded to pull it apart…just for a little bit of fun.

Oh, hey mom.

This is fun!

He really wanted to put it in his mouth, but he knew I would take it away if he did. He kept looking at me, just to check if I was still watching....

Okay, that title may have been a stretch. Some day I will come off my alliteration attraction (sorry, couldn’t help it!), but until then…you will have to suffer through the poorly worded titles to my blog entries. The fabric Carson has a said fascination with is his clothing. Just like I can’t leave the dishwasher door open, I can’t leave his drawers open either.

Caught in the act! I'm not even sure he likes the clothes at all. I think he just likes taking them out of the drawer.

He saw the flash and turned around to see what it was. He made an instant decision...

Wait for it...

Wait for it...

He's closing the door. What a punk. This was later on the same day he kept taking his pants off...he was just really in the mood to get into trouble, I guess!

Lately Carson has been obsessed with the dishwasher and the fridge. Any time he hears someone open one of the two, he comes crawling with a fury to try to get his hands on whatever is inside.  The fridge is pretty harmless…all he does is play with the plastic barbecue sauce bottle on the bottom shelf. When it comes to the dishwasher, however…well, I’ll let you see for yourself.

Here is Carson, safely on the floor without any socks on to prevent slipping. I was trying to load the thing so we would have some silverware for dinner. Carson wanted to take things OUT.

Here is the spoon he flung to the floor. You can see he is trying to retrieve it for me...what a good kid!

And he got it! Also notice the rolls on his right arm...wow.

Taking the spoon back to the dishwasher.

And it's in! Almost...it's in his right hand. I will also point out that he is reaching for another shiny object. This is only one reason we have to keep the dishwasher closed while Carson is around.

This is just one day of many where Carson has been playing in the dishwasher.  When I don’t really want him to play with the dishes (such as when they are clean and would not benefit by a slober kiss) I usually push the bottom drawer in, and unload the top. He still pulls himself up to stand on the door, but usually entertains himself by hitting the plastic with his open hand and making lots of noise. I don’t think I can count on that anymore. The latest…

Yes, he is standing on the dishwasher door which is about six inches off the floor. (I sure hope the weight limit on those hinges is higher than twenty pounds!)

He decided he wanted his fresh food feeder that was on the top rack, which is what you see him chewing on. Somehow he latched onto the top rack while I had my back turned and I turned around to see him pull himself up on top of the door. Ryan thought that Carson had died or something by my reaction (“Oh my gosh, Ryan! Come here!”). All I wanted was for him to take a picture. I was understandably nervous since when Carson gets sick of standing, he just plops down on his butt which, in this case, would have been on air and he would crack his head open. Ryan had a hard time getting a picture of him without me hovering.

Carson doesn't know whether he's in trouble or not. But he got what he wanted! And yes, those are my man hands. If the drawer had pushed in, he would have fallen on his face. You would have held it too.

Here he is trying to shake the drawer. And yes, I still have an iron grip on the drawer while stretching so my body isn't in the picture.

I can no longer do the dishes while Carson is awake. Or maybe thats the excuse I’m using to sit here writing this post while the sink remains full of last night’s silverware. You decide.

So Carson’s nap times have been struggling a little bit. Okay, a lot. He’s learning that if he cries for long enough mommy will come check on him. And usually he is standing, so he can definitely see when I come in…problem. Today, he went down pretty easy for his morning nap. I went in about twenty minutes after I figured he fell asleep and covered him with his blanket again since it was raining and cold and I hadn’t put any socks on him. I know…I’m a horrible mother. So sue me. Anyways, so when he woke up at around 11:30, I waited a minute and finished putting the dishes away before I went to get him. I think he must have been up for a while before I heard him because there stood Carson with his pants on the ground. I have no idea how he got them off of his little bottom, but there they were. I had to get a picture of that. So I left to get a camera, and Carson thought I left him to die in his crib…at least that’s what his cry sounded like. So excuse the distorted facial images from Carson…I’m cruel. I know that.

Notice said pants in upper-left hand corner of the crib. Also notice said distorted face. If a picture can possibly say a thousand words, this one only says three. I'm being TORTURED!

After the drama of picture taking was over, I fed Carson an awesome lunch of homemade meatballs (cruel mother label removed) and we played, and then it was time for his second nap. Which, as of this moment, still has not happened. We had a dramatic crying episode which ended in Carson getting what he wanted (bad parenting? Don’t you dare judge until you have to listen to him gasping for air between sobs). So he’s right here, pushing all the wrong buttons on the keyboard to make writing this a difficult as possible. Anyways, so when I went in to get him from his crib, the pants were down again! How this boy does it, I don’t think we will ever know.

No, I don’t put him to sleep like that. Although, that is a tempting option at the moment.