Summertime Treats

It was an absolutely gorgeous day today and we took Carter out for frozen custard at our favorite place nearby. Let's just say...he loved it (if there was any doubt). He ate almost an entire baby cone and seriously freaked out when we took it from him to leave. Can't wait for him to try a fun treat or two at the beach!! :)

The New Camera!!!

On Sunday, Seth and I finally went to Best Buy to buy our new camera. A few months ago, a certain little towhead who shall remain nameless knocked our good camera off the exam table at the doctor's office and shattered it on the floor. I nearly died, mainly because I have a baby to be photographing everyday!!! We still have our point-and-shoot, but it just doesn't take the quality of pictures I am hoping to take.

So, I took all my birthday money and put it towards the purchase of my new Nikon D3100! I am SO PUMPED!!!!

Here she is in all of her beauty:

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I am so excited, mostly because I've always wanted to learn how to take cool pictures where I can control the depth of field (blurry in some areas, focused in others). This camera definitely has that (and so much more)! It is going to take me awhile to learn all of the features, but I am so pumped to have it for our beach vacation!!! Here are some photos I've taken in the last two days as I've played around.

2/3 of my Loves

Two Down. Two To Go.

I thought teething was bad before. HA. Not even close. Those little ones on the bottom are nothing compared to molars. We have been having a rough time around here for the past week. Last Sunday (Father's Day, no less) the grumpiness started and it has only escalated through the week. I feel bad for us (we're about to lose it), but I feel even worse for him. There is no worse of a feeling then when you can do nothing to ease your child's misery. And, oh did I mention he also has a nasty cough? Poor kid.

We took him to the doctor yesterday because I thought his cough sounded croupy but it isn't. Just a nasty cough which should be passing soon. Let's hope.

Today, he was positively miserable from 4:51 a.m. throughout most of the day. We've been giving him Tylenol and Ibuprofen, but we're also being cautious to not overdo it. I want him to have a healthy liver. I got him into bed early and was pretty pumped that he seemed to have fallen asleep quickly. Eh, but not so fast. The hysterics started shortly after and only after an hour and a half and 17 rounds of singing The Lord's Prayer did he fall asleep. Yes, 17. I counted. [And, for the record, I sing many songs to try to get him to go to sleep, but The Lord's Prayer literally works every time. That's no coincidence.]

Praying that the pain he's going through is over soon. We try to keep him busy with crafts, singing, walks, splash time, and anything else possible.

[Recipe] Slow-Cooker Chicken Enchilada Casserole

We have been in a major dinner rut lately. I absolutely dread the 3 p.m. "What's for dinner?" conversation, mainly because we just can't seem to think of anything fun and new lately. I'm sure this happens to a lot of people, but I just wish I had an hour when I get home to try new recipes and be creative. But, we have a hungry little boy hollering for dinner, so we move things along pretty quickly.

Last night, I was flipping through one of my new magazines and came across this recipe. Seth made it today in the crockpot and it was ready when I got home. It was DELICIOUS, so I'm posting it below. The recipe did not call for any meat, but I'm married to a meat-required husband, so we added shredded chicken. Carter loved it, too, so we consider this recipe a keeper!

Slow-Cooker Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Serves: 4

- 9 6-inch corn tortillas
- 1 15-oz. can enchilada sauce
- 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 cups frozen corn
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cooked and shredded
- 2 1/2 cups (or less, to taste) shredded Cheddar cheese

Toast the tortillas under the broiler for a few minutes until lightly spotted, 2-3 minutes total. Reserve 2 tbsp. enchilada sauce. Combine beans, shredded chicken, and the remaining sauce in a bowl. Mist slow-cooker insert with cooking spray. Place 3 tortillas in bottom, breaking into pieces if necessary to cover bottom. Spread half of bean/chicken mixture over tortillas. Sprinkle with 1 cup corn and 1/2 cup cheese. Repeat tortillas, bean/chicken mixture, 1 cup cheese 2 more times. Cover and cook on low until cheese has melted and is beginning to crisp on the edges, 2-3 hours.

ENJOY!

Let me know if you make this and what you think!!

Funny Video

Sort of fitting post Father's Day. I got a kick out of it. :)

Seems Fitting Right Now

Adam and Eve had many advantages,

but the principal one was that they escaped teething.

- Mark Twain

Little man is grumpy. Like really grumpy. Those pesky teeth are at it again. Thankfully, one of the molars came in on Friday, so we're 25% through the misery. He was happy on Saturday, but then turned crabby Sunday. He was fine at daycare yesterday (in fact, they said he had a fabulous first day!), but then fussy again today. Seems to be an every other day thing. He doesn't seem to be interested in eating, and if he is going to, you better believe that strong-willed boy intends to feed himself or I can just forget about it.

Praying that this next phase of teeth hurries in. For now, I will recite this piece of advice my friend gave me: "The days may be long, but the years are short."

And then I'll recite the serenity prayer.

A Crazy Weekend!

Wow, things have been fairly nuts around here. The past few days have been jam-packed with all sorts of things.

One of my best friends, Elizabeth, got married on Saturday. On Friday night, we had the rehearsal and the dinner afterwards. Carter surprised us by being pretty well-behaved for a tired, hungry little boy. Bravo, little man! After the dinner, Seth went home with Carter (Oma and Opa were almost there for the weekend), and I went and stayed at Elizabeth's house to help keep her calm before the big day. :)

On Saturday, we got up and began the festivities - hair being done, make-up...all the normal "works" before a wedding. My friends and I were joking around that if she wasn't our best friend, we'd "hate" her (not really) because she looked THAT gorgeous. Like, out of a magazine gorgeous. The wedding was lovely and we had lots of fun at the reception. Aside from the migraine I was rocking by 11 p.m. from my hairstyle (and my gobs of hair), everything was perfect. You looked stunning, Liz, and your day was so "you!" :)

On Father's Day, we woke up fairly early and headed out to breakfast with Seth's parents. Carter was in a serious mood...and not a good one. Seems as though the teething is finally starting to take its toll. After some Tylenol, things calmed down a bit. We headed up to my parent's house for swimming, fishing, shooting, and lunch. We made mountain pies for lunch and they were sooo good. I haven't had one of those since the last time we went camping.

For Father's Day, Carter gave his daddy a crayon drawing and a card, and I got him two magazine subscriptions (for hunting and fishing magazines) and a date night to a place he's been talking about in Reading for a long time! We might even have a babysitter for the little guy. We'll see. :)

I'm thankful that, on Father's Day, I can show Seth how much I appreciate him and Carter can show him how much he loves him. He's a great dad and I can't imagine parenting with anyone but him. I love you, Seth!

Now, it's back to the grind today - Carter started his new daycare, so I've been watching the clock and wondering when it will be socially acceptable to call and see how he's doing. And my car made a lovely squeaking sound the whole way to work. Happy Monday, right?

Have a good week!! :)

These Are a Few of our Favorite Things!

It's been a long time since I've done a "favorite things" post, and the list is quite different now than it was when he was a little baby. He's hardly even a baby anymore - more like a miniature little boy.

For now, here are some of our (and his) favorite things!

Step 2 Water Table

Carter is absolutely obsessed with this toy, which was a gift from Aunt Michelle and Uncle Jason for his birthday. He will splash in there for a very, very long time. It is perfect for hot days and when he is getting fussy - he forgets his problems when the water table is present! :)

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Kiddie Pool and Ball Pit Balls

Instead of buying a ball pit, I instead bought a small baby splash pool for $4 or $5 from Target and filled that with the ball pit balls, which were purchased with birthday money from Aunt Erin and Uncle Matt! He LOVES this, and is giddy when he is playing in it. A good buy for sure. And cheap, which is always a plus!

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Flashcards

Though he may not speak yet, Carter loves these flashcards from One Step Ahead. He will take them out one-by-one and walk them over to Seth and I, waiting for the "thank you" before returning to get another. He will sit and play with them as content as can be. We tried to use them in church to keep him quiet but he got excited and things got a bit out of hand. ha!

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The Snack Trap

I've said it before and I will say it again. I want to hug the person who invented this contraption. No messes + happy baby = happy mommy. Mostly, we use this in the car, but I cannot say enough good things about a $4 purchase.

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Foaming Sunscreen
Oma and Opa got this for Carter in his Easter basket and I looove it. No mess at all, and it goes on quickly (an essential for an excited little boy) and covers well. All pluses in my book. I'm having a hard time finding it around here, but I'm determined to before our beach vacation. According to the web, it is available at Target, so I will check again!



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Radio Flyer Wagon

If there was going to be another person I was going to find and hug, it would be the inventor of this wagon. It is the instant fuss-stopper and all-around happy baby guarantee. He got this as a birthday gift from mommy and daddy, and little boy has loved it from the second he set his eyes on it. We love it because it is sturdy and easy to pull/steer AND it has a great storage bin in the back for a small bag, drinks, phones, etc. Can't beat it!

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Golf Clubs

I can't find a picture of these anywhere online, but in his Easter basket, Gramma and Pa got him a set of kids golf clubs with 3 plastic golf clubs, 3 balls, and a wheeling bag for it all. He carries around the golf clubs all the time, and occasionally chases Bentley with them. We've even resorted to taking them in the car so he can hold them while we drive (when he's fussy). I like to say that maybe he'll be like Tiger Woods (minus the infidelity part).

Well, I think that's good for now. But those are, hands down, the little guy's all-time favorite things right now. I'm sure we'll have lots more as he grows!!!

 

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Yesterday afternoon, we took Carter to his very first baseball game at City Island. It is our local minor league baseball team. I had gotten free tickets and we had great seats. We loaded up our daily necessities and started the trekk from the parking garage to our seats, which were conveniently as far apart as humanly possible.

We literally no sooner sat down and the announcer came on and said that there was a fast-moving storm approaching and, to be safe, they were going to delay the start of the game. They covered the field and we sat there for a few minutes in the bright sun. Carter began to get antsy so Seth got up to let him walk in the concourse. Well, a few minutes later, I saw a huge dark cloud come over the stadium and I high-tailed it to the concourse as well...

....where we spent the next NINETY MINUTES. [Fast moving, huh? Not so much.]

We, of course, walked around to keep the little guy busy. We went to the lower level, back up to our level, got a snack. By this time, Carter was really getting antsy (over his nap time too, no less) so we decided to head out and brave the downpour all the way to the parking garage. Clearly, the storm was not over and even when it stopped, they would still have to uncover the field, have batting practice, warm up, etc. so we couldn't estimate how long it would take.

When we got to the car, we were literally soaking wet. We got Carter all dried and changed, and headed home. And, in true "of-course-that-would-happen" fashion, we exited the garage to complete sunshine. Oh well.

So, not so much baseball at Carter's first baseball game, but an experience nonetheless. :)

Walking

Carter took his official first steps on Mother's Day. He's taken many groupings of steps since, but we weren't considering that walking by any means. Well, at the twins party on June 5, he suddenly started surprising us and taking 12-15 steps at a time, standing up on his own in the middle of a room and going again, etc.

Now, the little boy is everywhere. I think we can officially call him a walker now. He does still crawl occasionally, but he's obviously more secure in that yet. I'm sure that'll change this week. For now, we'll get ready for the fun that is about to commence.

Hopefully, I'll get a video of him soon. It never crosses my mind at the time, but I should try and do that soon!

Best Friends

twenty-some years of friendship.

husbands and fiances.

babies.

new houses, new jobs.

and, though we don't always see each other as much as we want,

still best friends.

Carter Goes to the Dentist

Weird, I know, especially considering he's only one. But baby books recommend their first visit by around one year old, so I thought ah, what the heck? So, he had his first appointment on May 31, and trust me, it went exactly as I anticipated.

Which is why, when asked on the new patient paperwork how I thought he might react to such nonsense as the dentist, I checked the box that said "poorly." I was just being real.

All went swimmingly well in the waiting room. It was a pediatric dentist, so there were bright colors and fish tanks to distract. But things started to get dicey about the time they said "Carter."

Exhibit A:

The one year visit consists of some mouth checking, some tartar/plaque scraping (YEAH RIGHT), and flouride. They had him sit on my lap facing me, and recline back into the hygentist's lap. He did really, really well for a few seconds and then as soon as she put that metal pick thing in his mouth, he started to cry. Fortunately, all the crying left the mouth wide open, which was perfect for quick flouride application. They told me he was about to break all 4 canine teeth and all 4 molars. Super. :) But then the appointment was already over. Not much to it. Because he was a good boy, he got to pick a small prize out of the treasure chest.

Heaven help me. (Though it is hilarious when you think of the whole scenario and the absurdity of it all).

He quickly chose a toy (in his hand in the photo above), but when I put the chest back up on the counter, little man FREAKED out, and threw a major temper tantrum complete with back arching, teeth clenching, and shrill screams. Seems as though he wanted two trinkets. I brought the treasure chest back down and he picked out an alien-faced bright green ball, and the world was all okay again.

Long story short (or not really, since this is pretty long): those crazy people reminded me that we should be brushing his teeth two times a day by this age and occasionally flossing. I smiled and nodded to affirm that I heard him correctly.

And then promptly discarded that information from my head.