Maui Picturepalooza - Friday

We had so much fun on Cary's day off. We spent most of the day on a drive to Hana, which is a 2 hour gorgeous drive through the hawaiian mountains on a very curvy, very small road that at times is barely wide enough for one vehicle. Cary loved every minute, while I enjoyed a few views and felt like I was either going to hyperventalate or throw up. Carson did pretty well and slept for a bit both on the way there and on the way back. Once we made it to Hana, we picknicked, stopped at several roadside fruitstands, and visited several blacksand beaches - which were amazing! The coolest one by far was in the Hana National Park, and we have lots of pictures of that one. I couldn't believe how beautiful everything was. Then after freshening up, we had dinner at a little mexican place called Fred's that had the best Mahi Mahi tacos! Yum! Then we shopped a little and had really good white chocolate macadamia nut ice cream. It was such a fun day!!













And these are at the black sand beach at the national park in Hana:




Carson became quite the ham with all of our picture taking:










The waves were crashing up about 20+ feet where Cary and Carson were looking. I kept trying to get Carson's attention, but he couldn't take his eyes off of the waves...who can blame him :)














On the same beach, there were these caves that are called lava tubes because they were formed when the lava from the eruptions burned holes through the rocks all the way down to the ocean. They are huge and so cool!






Here is a picture we took of one of the waterfalls on the road to Hana:

Maui - the first 2 days

We are having such a great time here! Cary worked yesterday and today, but will get to join us for some excursions for the next couple of days. Our condo is nice, and more than I expected. Carson has done better with the time change than I expected, and although we are starting our mornings pretty early, it's been so neat to see the sun rise. We've enjoyed the beach outside of our condo, and I've had a nice time reading books on the lanai while Carson naps in the afternoons. He LOVES the ocean and gets so excited about the waves - be sure to watch the video below because it's very funny. There is also a farmers market down the road that we have gotten the best pineapple from. Tomorrow we are planning on going to Hana where there are black and red sand beaches and some fresh water pools. It's a bit of a drive, but it should be really fun. Anyway, here are some pictures from our time so far and a video of Carson playing in the waves. I'll have more to post from our trip for sure!

Carson and Daddy on the airplane:


Carson playing in the waves (He giggled every time the waves came up. It was hilarious!!):






the traditional self portrait of Carson and I when Cary is working:




The view of the sunset from our lanai:


and Carson and I playing in the ocean this evening:

Maui or Bust!!!

Couples Retreat was so much fun, and such a refreshing time for Cary and I. NOW...we're heading to Maui!!! I've never been to Hawaii and am so excited I can hardly stand it! I'll have tons of pictures to post, I'm sure! Oh, in case you were wondering, Cary has to go there on business, so Carson and I are joining him. We leave in the morning and will be back Monday. Be praying for our 8 hour flights...as well traveled as Carson is, the length of them is making me nervous! :) Can't wait to post beautiful pictures for you all to see!!! :) Oh, if anyone has ever been to Maui...is there anything that we should not miss?

Oh, here is a picture of Cary and I in Breckenridge during Couples Retreat.

Couples Retreat

I'm getting ready to put Carson down for the night, so this will be a quick post, but I figured a post was due... :) Cary flies in from New York tomorrow and then we are heading off to a resort in Breckenridge for our church's couple's retreat. It's the first one we've ever been to, and I am SO excited! My grandparents are coming up to stay with Carson, so he is bound to have fun. We get back on Saturday and then that night we have my sister's musical that she has a lead in - Anything Goes. It should be a fun weekend!

The house is coming along...I've painted Carson's and Caden's rooms and the kitchen and the bathroom ceiling (white, but all the ceilings will have to be painted, which is much harder than painting a wall I have learned...). Cary hopes to start hanging kitchen cabinets on Monday. So exciting! Now that we have paint on a few walls it feels like we're making progress, even if we have a ways to go. We still have to finish the kitchen, paint the rest of the house, Cary has to build a closet in Carson's room (I didn't paint that part), and we have to put all of the lights, sinks, mirrors and toilets and such in. We're getting there though...

Hope everyone has a fun weekend!! :)

Fun Pictures

Here are a few fun pictures that I just had to post. :)

This one is from nursery today at church. This is Carson's fish face that he does ALL the time, but I have yet to catch it on camera myself.


This is a picture of Carson and his buddy Conor from their play time the other night:


This is Carson playing peek-a-boo:


And these are a few from Halloween that our friend Cami took for us:

Happy Halloween From Our Little Monkey!

Halloween with a 1 year old is very entertaining! Carson had his first trick-or-treating experience, and had it down by the 3rd house or so. At the first house, he didn't understand why they were giving him candy but not letting him come inside, at the second house, he was pumped about the candy, but still confused about why we said hello just to say goodbye, and by the third house, he was asking for more. Very funny! We only went to about 6 houses, but he got tons of candy because all of my parents neighbors thought he was so cute. Then we headed off to our churches party at Chuck E. Cheese. Carson LOVES Chuck E. Cheese, and had so much fun. He won a ball with all of his tickets, so he was pretty excited. Needless to say, he crashed shortly after arriving home, and I feel as exhausted as he is! So, once I post these pictures for Cary (who is on a business trip in Orlando), I am off to bed! I hope your Halloween was a fun and safe one!!

We have a name!!

Drum roll please....


Our second sweet boy will be named...


Caden Gary


For those of you who don't know, Gary was my daddy's name (who died when I was 18), and it was Cary's idea to use his name as a middle name. I was very touched at this suggestion and am so excited about this name. It really feels like it fits when I call him by his name, and I love it already. I'm sure he'll also go by Cade as he gets older. So, there you have it! Thanks for all of your thoughts and suggestions girls! You were a great help! :)

I LOVE fall in Colorado

Cool weather, changing leaves, rich colors, sweaters, first snow, pumpkins, the smell of fires on a cool night...I just love it!!! For all of you who haven't visited Colorado in the fall, it's a definite must! :) Here are some pictures of Carson enjoying the fall leaves and pumpkins:

Raking leaves with his Great Great Uncle Billy and Uncle Tina (Austin):




Pumpkin fun:

The Weekend

This weekend was really nice for me! I met with one of our youth girls for lunch on Saturday. My mom and sister kept Carson for me because Cary was working on our house. By the time I was done, they had gone to run errands, and I accidently got a few hours all to myself! It was so nice!! I just ran errands and stuff, but it was really nice to not have to worry about anyone for a while. I didn't realize how much I needed some time like that! Then I helped Cary at the house for a little while Saturday and Sunday and that was fun too. We're nearing the painting stage, which is really exciting, because then it will really start to feel like it's coming together.

I had an OB appointment today, and all is well. We're measuring right on target for 23-24 weeks, and they also confirmed that everything was perfect in my ultrasound. We go back in about 5 weeks.

The Name Game

I know many of you are waiting for this little guys name...and so are we! We have an idea or two up our sleeves that we aren't quite ready to share yet, but we would love some input. Many of the boy names that we like have been used by close friends, so we can't use them. We want the name to start with a C or a K, but other than that, we've got nothing. SO....any ideas out there for us???

It's a BOY!!!!!!

hand


boy parts (ignore all the stuff on the left...the goods are on the right :))

Our second son is healthy and perfect in every way!! He is weighing 1 pound, 1 ounce, and his heartrate was 144 beats per minute. It was so fun to see him! He was very cooperative for the technician except when she was trying to get a good look at his face he kept putting his arms in front of his face. We're measuring just right for our due date.

We looked and looked for a coming home outfit, but weren't sold on anything, so we bought this cute outfit just for fun, and will be looking for the perfect outfit in the coming weeks:


And finally, here I am, pregnant as all get out (with far to go, I know :)) at 22 weeks:

Hang in there girls :)

Our appointment isn't until 6:15 p.m., and after that we're going to get the baby's coming home outfit. Hopefully I'll have fun coming home outfit pictures along with u/s pictures and a new belly pic to show off, but hang in there, because it may not happen until 8 or so... :) I feel so special though that you all are waiting on pins and needles just like I am! :) You all have made my day!!!!

Car Accident

Carson and I were in a car accident yesterday on the way home from Sunday lunch. It was very scary. I was driving towards home, and a girl was driving the opposite direction and made an unprotected left in front of me. She entered the intersection right before I got to the crosswalk, so it was inevitable. Lots of people saw the accident, and were kind enough to make sure that we were okay and wait to speak with the police about what happened. The police never even talked with me, because the EMT's were making sure the baby was okay, and then we ended up going to the hospital to be monitored. My car is for sure totalled, and her truck might be. She was very young - probably just got her licensed, and I could tell she was scared out of her mind, and then when she overheard that I am pregnant, she really became hysterical for a bit. I felt so bad for her. I spoke with her today though and she seems to be less upset. Since I'm pregnant, they took me to the ER by ambulance, which was an experience in and of itself, and then monitored the baby for 4 hours. I guess that's standard procedure after 20 weeks. It was nice to get to hear the baby's heartbeat so often in such a short period. Everything looks like it's okay with me and the babe, thank goodness, and Carson was checked out and seems to be doing fine too. He has a very minor abrasion on his neck from the carseat strap, and he bit his tongue or lip - we're not sure which, but that was pretty minor considering how our vehicle looked. He was happy and active as usual today. I'm so thankful for carseats!! (We already have a new one by the way-the very same model, since it did such a good job.) I'm a bit sore today, and plan on making an appointment to see a chiropractor. The girl was found at fault, and her insurance company called to let us know that they are taking responsibility for the accident. Since it was our only car, we are kind of stuck until we know what the company decides. We will at least have a rental for a little while. Please pray that there are no lasting reprocussions from the accident, and pray that we get a good settlement. Thankfully, we have our ultrasound on Thursday, and that one will be much greater in detail than the one they took at the hospital to check the placenta and the baby's heartbeat. It sets my mind at ease just a bit to know that we'll get to see all of the babe's parts in just a few days. Oh, and in case you were wondering, the baby is still as active as ever. Thanks for your prayers!!

20 Weeks and Closing

I have been a horrible blogger lately! I don't know what the deal is. That being said, Friday marked 20 weeks in this pregnancy, so we are half way. I CANNOT believe it! I'm really looking pregnant now and not just thick around the middle, which is always a nice milestone. I felt the baby move for the first time aroudn 14 weeks, but the feelings were few and far between. The baby is moving like crazy now, Cary has felt it, and we've even seen it already! I don't think all of those things happened so early with Carson, so I was a little surprised when my belly jerked in my view a week or so ago. I know... I need to get a new belly picture posted on here. I'll do my best! :) We get to have our u/s, which will hopefully reveal our baby's gender on October 12th (I just realized that is a week from Thursday!!!!!). This u/s is 4 weeks later than we had it with Carson, so it should be neat to see how developed the baby is. I just hope it isn't shy!

This pregnancy has gone by so fast!! As excited as I am, it scares me to death to think that the remainder might fly by as well... If you think about it, be praying for my nerves. I try not to think about it too much, but when I do, I really wonder what I will do in the first few months with 2 under 2. I know that things will get a routine eventually, I just hope it's earlier rather than later and that Carson feels excited about his new baby rather than totally displaced.

Speaking of Carson, he seems so big lately! He talks all the time, and has started to make words up when he wants to communicate things to us. It's really funny. He's also running now. He loves to play tag and shrieks and giggles when he thinks someone is coming after him (even the dogs). He'll sit and read his books for 30 minutes easy, and he turns the pages and talks to himself like he really knows the story. He has also taken to playing the piano and singing along, which is the funniest thing EVER!! If there is an instrument in the room, he will not be interested in anything else...even if the room is the size of a basketball gym. I need to get videos up here of this stuff! :) He's also figured out how to ride his little train around my parent's house. Up until a few weeks ago, he would push it, but wasn't big enough to sit on it and make it go. Last week he cut his 13th tooth, and his favorite new food is chicken quesadillas. I guess that's the latest on him in a nutshell...

Friday was also the day that we closed on our first home. Yay!!! The work has begun! The heater and compressor for the a/c has been put in, we've gotten all of the locks changed, and Cary has started to scrape the popcorn off the ceilings in a few rooms that haven't had it removed already. What a gross job, but I'm so glad he's doing it! We hope to have everything move in ready around the beginning of November! Isn't that fantastic!!! We've already started planning youth activities at "our house." :)

Austin's Knee

Good news!! Austin tore his MCL, not his ACL. This means that he won't have to have surgery!! He will have to wear a knee brace for 6 weeks and go through lots of physical therapy, but he will be good as new by the spring lacrosse season! Praise the Lord!!!

And on a side note.... I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE GREY'S!!!!!! That is all.

Fun Night

Cary is in New York for a few days this week, and a fun friend in our church had given he and my brother (who ended up having a football game) tickets to the John Mayer and Sheryl Crow concert at Red Rocks - which is the COOLEST ampitheater EVER. It's set in the center of these huge red rocks that are as big as mountains, and it's just gorgeous! Anyway, since they couldn't go, they gave the tickets to me and my sister, Kelsey, and we had SO much fun! The concert was incredible!! We were in the 16th row!!! What a fun night for the two of us!

On a sadder note...my brother, Austin, got hurt at his game, and the orthopedic surgeon thinks he has torn his ACL. He's pretty devastated and worried that this will keep him from playing lacrosse this year (his first love and hopeful career), so be praying for him and a quick recovery. He'll find out for sure on Thursday.

Backyard Fun

Playing in the backyard is one of Carson's favorite pass times, so here are some pictures from out fun today.

17 weeks

Our doctors appointment was short and sweet. I've gained 2 lbs so far, which isn't bad, I suppose. Everything was measuring well, and the baby's heartbeat was at 145. Our ultrasound will be in the evening on Oct. 12th, so 5 more weeks of waiting. That was the jist of it. )

1st year pictures

Things are going well... We close on our house around the 18th, which is so exciting!! We're starting a new series for our youth group, which is sure to draw some new faces. Carson's learning new words everyday, and is talking a lot lately. We have a prenatal appointment tomorrow, FINALLY!!! It's been more than 2 months since I last had an appointment. Our insurance is so weird... And they'll set my appointment for our ultrasound at this appointment. I can't wait to find out what we're having. Maybe it will make this seem a little more real.

Last, but not least :) We finally got Carson's 1st year pictures done and picked them up, so here they are for your viewing pleasure! I scanned them in, so sorry they aren't the best quality.