Carter's Coming Home Outfit

Today, I bought yet a third outfit for Carter to come home in. The first one I bought and loved, is super cute and soft navy overalls with striped lining that folds at the cuffs, with a cute onesie to match. When we got it in the mail, it just seemed to big, so I started looking again.

Then, I got these short winnie the pooh overalls at Target in newborn, and I think they will fit him right away. I was happy with the outfit, and got socks to match, and felt settled until I found....


THIS!!! The boys and I cruised the mall today for something to do, and I fell in love with this outfit right away. I'm so excited! :) Check out the accessories! :)

Crafting to pass the time

Since this is our third little, and since he is a boy, I don't have a whole lot of prep to do before Carter makes his first appearance. That being said, the nesting instincts have kicked in full force. I don't want to set up the pack n play that he'll spend his first 4-6 months in (depending on when Caden moves to his big boy bed) because then I will just have to dust it. I have however cleaned out our closet to make a nursery corner of sorts in there, so it's space is ready. I don't want to wash the baby clothes yet, because then I will just want to refold and reorganize everything so it doesn't become permanantly pressed from being folded for two months without use. I don't want to set up the swing and other baby toy paraphanalia because then I just have to keep Caden out of it all so he doesn't hurt himself, and they are all one more thing to dust for now. I am cleaning and organizing, but I can only handle so much of that before my body starts to tell me to sit down. 3 pregnancies in 4 years have really been a doozy on my body, I have to say. And I don't want to pack the hospital bag yet, because then I'll just start to get anxious for it to be "time." So I've resorted to what Cary says is so domestic. I'm making all new burp cloths for this little one. And I've made two identical lovey take-along blankets that are matching fabric to the large one my mom is making Carter. So fun, and I'm loving making this stuff! :) I wish I had thought to do this with my other boys. I did make burp cloths for Carson, but I was just reaquainting myself with a sewing machine, so they weren't so cute. And while I was pregnant with Caden, my sewing machine was in storage and we were renovating our house. That's okay though. Carter will have some things to call his own, which will be nice since he has so many hand-me-downs, toys, clothing and otherwise.

Here are some of the burp cloths I've made so far.

And here is one of the lovies. It's kind of hard to tell, but the soft side is a baby blue, and the backside is a lime green satin.


My next project is to decorate these fun dyed burp cloths that I just found. I found them in navy, baby blue and kelly green. So fun! :)

Check It Out

Right now, and for the rest of the week, Cary and many of our youth are on a missions trip to Iowa to help with the flooding and devastation that they have had there. Here is the link to the blog they are keeping about their adventure:

SLCC's Iowa Blog

Please keep them in prayer as you think of them all! Thanks so much!!

Family Reunion and 30 Weeks

Home again, home again. We had such a great time on the family reunion! So much fun. It was awesome to see everyone and get to spend some time catching up. All of Grammy's sisters and Uncle Bud came out for their reception. I haven't seen many of them in years. Then my cousins Daun and Leslyn came, and I haven't seen them since I was 15! It was an awesome time! The boys had so much fun, and were Papa's buddy's of course. They also had a great time playing with Daun's little boy Joshua who is a little older than Caden. Carson kept asking to play with the boys, my cousins Devin and Drew, and thought they (along with my brothers) were the coolest boys in the world. He kept saying, "I want to go play with the boys." And they would play too. It was funny watching them treat him as if he was as big as they all are and see them cracking up at everything he would say. It lit up his world! The reception for Grammy and Papa was SO nice, and turned out nicer than any of us had hoped, I think. I don't have all of the group shots that we took to remember the trip, but I have some candids that we took on our camera, so here are a few of those...

Caden & Uncle Nathaniel (or Uncle Faniel as Carson calls him):


Carson and his buddy Papa at a Fort we toured:




the boys taking a walk with Uncle Nathaniel and Uncle Tina (Austin):




Kels and Dad:


the boys (Nathaniel, Cary, Dad and Tina):


My immediate fam minus the future bro in law, Scott (Kelsey, Natalie, Dad, Mom, Nathaniel, Me, Caden, Cary, Carson and Tina


Papa & Caden throwing rocks in the lake (Caden's arms crack me up):

Sisters, Kelsey, Natalie and I (mom, the one with you in it didn't turn out well....sorry....):


The boys and I before Grammy & Papa's reception:



I can't believe I only have 10 weeks until we meet Carter! Crazy. I'm not stressed so much, just can't believe how fast this pregnancy has gone! I'm sure our schedule has helped it go even faster, but seriously, it feels like I should only be about half way. I'm feeling pretty good for the most part, but I've reached that point in pregnancy when I start to doubt that my body will ever return to normal. I just keep reminding myself that it always has before. When I was reading stories to Carson tonight, he had to adjust himself in my lap because he said he was going to fall off, so evidently he is noticing that my lap is getting shorter as well. He's pretty excited about Carter's upcoming debut. Hopefully his excitement will help Caden adjust as well. I don't think he knows what he's in for, but that's okay. In the next few weeks, I have a short list of things I want to do for Carter. I need to wash all of the baby clothes, at least newborn to 3 months or so. I need to rearrange our walk in closet, since Carter will be using a portion of that as his nursery until we move Caden to his big boy bed. Carson and Caden will be sharing a room, and Carson is SOOO excited about that. I was really nervous about how that might work, but they shared a room for a few days at our reunion, and bedtime was a breeze. Nap time on the other hand did NOT work, so we'll have to figure something out for that. Or maybe since they'll be a bit older, they'll come around...time will tell. I also need to order the new crib bedding and car seat cover for our infant seat. We're keeping the same nursery theme that Caden has had, but changing up the bedding so that Carter has something that is his alone. The car seat cover is just worn out and needs replaced, so I think I'm going to change the pattern up. Oh, and I also want to get a sling carrier so I can leave the house with 3 littles in tow. Other than that, and getting some little diapers, there's not too much to do this time around, which is nice and is helping me not stress out. It's probably also adding to my shock that we can be this close to the end though, because I've done nothing but make some super cute burp cloths for fun. That's okay though. With three boys in a row, the baby could come tomorrow, and we would be just fine! That is definitely a nice thing.

What's In A Name?

Naming our 3rd boy has been quite a challenge. When we first thought of names for our children, we had 1 boy name, since we're now on our 3rd, we really had to think hard! We finally believe we've come up with one! Drumroll please.....

The name of our 3rd sweet boy will be:


Carter David


Carter traditionally means one who pulls a cart or transporter, but we have decided it should mean one who chooses the right path (to pull his cart). David means God's beloved. All of our boys' middle names are family names, and we have chosen them in hopes that their character will be like that of the person who's name they have been given. David is my Dad's name (my mom's current husband), and if Carter serves God and loves his family like my Dad does, we will be quite blessed! So there you have it ladies and gentlemen! Our third son has a name.


Right now we are at my family reunion in California in honor of my grandparents' 50th anniversary (my mom's parents). It's been so fun to see everyone again, and it's a great reason to be together. My Grammy brought a lot of things from their wedding that few of us have ever seen. She even brought her gown and my Papa's tux! Gorgeous. I'm sure I'll have lots of fun pictures from this week to post!

Summer Camp '08

We got back from our youth summer camp a few days ago, and I think it was the best one yet. At least that seemed to be the word among the people... I don't know where that came from... We went to Lake McConaughey, NE and stayed in cabins on the beach there. It was so nice! I believe it will be our new summer camp tradition for quite some time. We normally leave the boys with someone during camp, but because our summer is a little ridiculous with all of our happenings and Cary's travel schedule, we decided to take them along, and it worked pretty well. They just went along for the ride and LOVED being in the lake each day. Carson had so much fun playing in the sand and building forts and castles, and we couldn't keep Caden out of the water. We had a really great time and each of us has a nice tan to show for it! My sister and sister-in-law are just going to love seeing my tan lines in their wedding pictures! ;)



Don't worry...the red mark on Carson's forehead is marker...








Cary took Carson out on the jet ski - very slowly - he was in Heaven! :)






Look how big the vest was on him! :)

Just in case...

anyone else thought the kid in the background of the 3rd pic below was Caden....


IT'S SO NOT!!! I would never let my boys sport a rat tail. Gross.





It would be kind of funny if it was though! ;) Poor kid.

An Afternoon At Belleview Park

We had a MOPS playdate at Belleview Park today. This is the park I posted about last summer that has the petting zoo and train. SO fun. It also has a creek that runs through it and is only a foot or less deep, so it's perfect for wading and cooling off, which was a very good thing for today because it was HOT. Anyway, it was so much fun!

Carson loved seeing the animals this year and was running around to see each one. Then he would walk up slowly to pet them. He was so sweet and gentle.


Caden was completely enamored by the animals and ran around to each animal but kept his distance.


The creek water was cold, but it felt SO good! The boys loved being able to wade around in it, and really loved that they could get in and out as they pleased.







Caden decided to test the quality of creekbed sand...








It was such a great way to spend a warm day!

All Is Well

I know I have been unusually absent lately, and not really for any reason except that we are just living. :) Things are good here. Our friends, Roy and Debbie are visiting this week from Waco, and it SO nice to get to spend time with them. The boys are busy as ever, and we are just loving summer. On any given day we can be found poolside, be that the backyard kiddie pool with Mama (me) lounging on a lawn chair and reading a book while the boys splash, play and giggle, or at the neighborhood pool with us all chest deep in the water and enjoying the sun. LOVE summer, and my tan for my sister's wedding in August is well under way. :) We are going to be very busy this summer it seems, through November really.... so in between large events, I feel like we just need to enjoy the free time. It helps with sanity and all. We have summer camp with our youth in a few weeks, and then my family has a reunion in the beginning of July. The day after we get back, Cary leaves for a 10 day missions trip to Mexico. My sister's wedding is in August. Our baby is due in September. We have a church staff thing in October. And Cary's sister, Emily, is getting married in November, and I suppose that leads us right into the holidays! Busy, busy! Such fun things though, really, and I'm so excited about all of them! But in between..... deep breaths!! :)

Caden is talking up a storm lately, and can be seen chasing the Carson or the dogs and saying "tickle, tickle, tickle" at any given moment. Carson has been making up SUPER elaborate, imaginitive games lately. It doesn't matter if he has someone to play with or is all by himself, he holds full conversations. Very funny. I really should record them when he isn't aware. He would crack up if I played them for him when he is 16. This baby seems to be doing just fine. I feel and see him all the time now. I've tried to let Carson feel this baby kick, but he doesn't sit still very often, and if the baby doesn't kick right away, Carson wiggles his fingers, looks at me wide eyed and full of wonder, and says "I FEEL him!!!!" Caden points to my tummy - or my boobs for that matter - and says baby, and if you ask him where his tummy is, he lifts his shirt, points to his tummy and says "baby." Poor child is so confused, I'm sure. Anyway, I don't have another OB appointment until the first week of July, and I get do the fun GD test. I really do like that orange drink, although I hear I'm in the minority... Cary's doing well too. He closed a couple of deals this last week for work, and I know that's always a stress reliever.... with everything on his plate, I think he's just trying to breathe as well. It really is mostly fun though, and I don't think we would know what to do with much free time!

22 Weeks, 2 Days

Things are going good with the babe #3 and I. I had an appointment today, and everything is going well. I'm measuring 23 weeks, which is good because my external measurements had been running 3 weeks ahead, and I was feeling panicked about how big I might get. The baby's heartbeat was 150, has been at each appointment, so at least he's consistent. :) My weight gain is right on track too, which is never a fun thing, but at least it's normal... I was also glad to find out that all of the results from the ultrasound were perfect. I'm feeling this little guy move all the time now, and have even seen my belly jerk a time or two. I first felt him really early, like right at the end of my first trimester, but it's been random until 3 or 4 weeks ago. Now I can lay down and feel him dance all around. This pregnancy has flown, and I know D day will be here before I know it. Crazy.

Carson and Caden are doing well. Carson is so excited about the next arrival, and every time he sees a baby, whether in person or on TV, he says "Hey! We're going to have one of those!!" So funny to see his excitement. Caden will point to my belly and say baby, and then go get a stuffed animal, but I'm sure he doesn't grasp it. He may be a bit more jealous than Carson was his first time around, but he's such a Mama's boy, I'll take all of the loving I can get. :) Carson asked me what the baby's name is the other day, and I told him I didn't know. Then I asked him what he thought we should name him and he said, "Kiley." I told him that was a girl name and someday if we had a girl we could use that name. Then he said we should name the baby "Caden," and I said we already have one of those. He responded with ".... yeah... Hmmm...." and seemed a little troubled over it. I have to admit, that's about where I am too. We'll come up with something that we love because I have to love the name to decide it's okay, but it might not be until we are checking out of the hospital... I've always worked well under pressure... :)

On a totally different note, and just for my records... Caden got his right top and bottom molars a few weeks ago, and his left top one this weekend. If the swelling would go down on his bottom left that one would be in too, so I'm sure it will cut the surface soon. I'm so glad we get molars when we are babies so we don't have to remember the discomfort. But aside from a random fever here and there, he's handling the eruptions quite well. Such a trooper.

Carson hasn't had any accidents in a few weeks - even while we were out of the house! I don't know what my folks did while we were in NYC, but they totally conquered his aversion to going #2 on the toilet. I still get nervous leaving the house without pull-ups, and always have a change of clothes or two for him, but he has done so well! Super proud of him, just so you know... I think I might loan each of our kids to my folks for a week or so when we are potty training since this has been so successful! ;)

Happy 3rd Birthday, Carson!!

I can hardly believe 3 years has passed since we welcomed our first son into this world. He is so smart and so funny, and I feel so blessed to call him mine. I am honored to be his Mommy. I am overwhelmed that God has seen fit to allow us to shape his sweet heart. He is such a big boy. There is so little toddler left in him, and I am amazed every day at the things he knows. He is so funny and has such a huge imagination and large personality. He keeps us guessing and giggling all the time.

We celebrated Carson's birthday this past Saturday at Chuck E. Cheese, which was quite a hit with him. Chuck E. came and sang to him and he got to play all of the games. It was tons of fun. DeAnne (Grandma DeeDee) and Stephanie (Auntie Stephanie) got to come to enjoy the day as well as Mother's Day, which was such a nice surprise and we also had lots of our other friends and family with us at the party. After having several parties at home, I have to say that this one was much easier on Cary and I as parents. We got there, and everything was ready and we just enjoyed the time. Then when we decided we were done, someone else cleaned up for us! Yay for that! :) It really was such a fun time!



He was quite intense with his game concentration...


Loving on Auntie Stephanie:










Miss Brittany (one of our very sweet youth girls) was our hostess. YAY!! :)







Mother's Day
Our Mother's Day was relaxed and so nice as Sunday's go! We all headed to my parents' home after lunch and Dad and Cary and the rest of the non-mom's cooked dinner - so yummy! And then we basked in the sun while the boys (my boys) played in the yard. Just a few pictures from the day...



Carson decided he wanted to climb Poppi's (my dad's) trees, and Caden followed suit...





Note: I know I've been behind on blogging about major things for a while now, so I just wanted to say that if you have time, see the post below... I finally updated on our DC/NYC trip. :)