Want a free computer???

Then you must enter this awesome giveaway at www.kellyskornerreviews.blogspot.com - Kelly's blog at www.kellyskornerblog.com is one of my favorite blogs out there. Her little girl Harper is just about the cutest thing there is, and you'll freak out when you see all the cute clothes and hairbows she dresses Harper in. Kelly is a perfectionistic (is that a word?) mom like I am, and she's very down to earth and a Christian as well - love her!!!

Even though *I* really want to win, I had to share this awesome giveaway - go check it out!!!!

Elves on the Brain!

Can you tell I have elves on the brain? With three kids, we need several elves so everyone has their own. The Elf Magic elves (www.elf-magic.com) are absolutely precious! I just entered a great giveaway for one of the new elves over at Susan Heim's blog (link here: http://susanheim.blogspot.com/2009/11/celebrate-christmas-with-elf-magic.html) Click on over and enter to win!

Jingles the Elf - Great Giveaway!!!

Ho!Ho!Ho! Jingles the Elf is looking for a home, and he'd like that home to be yours! Christmas is almost here, and he needs a place to stay before it gets too cold. Angie at 5 Vinez Monkeys is hosting a special giveaway to help find Jingles a home. One lucky winner will receive a Jingles the Elf Hide and Seek Adventure Keepsake Kit. You won't want to miss this giveaway! Stop by before 11:59pm ET on November 20th and enter to win!

Portfolio Breakfasts

Lindsey and Emily both had portfolio breakfasts this week. I use the term "breakfast" loosely, because there was no actual breakfast there. Emily said it was "because of the economy" and sort of shook her head. I think she's been listening to Daddy and Bapop lately! I brought my camera to both girls' breakfasts, but was only able to take pictures at Emily's breakfast. I won't go into all the details about why I didn't take any at Lindsey's, but just know that it involved tears (hers), begging (mine) and me walking out of there without a single picture! Anyway, Lindsey showed me her work, which was mostly writing samples. I loved hearing her voice in her writing - she is very creative and very conscientious in all she does. What a joy that little girl is to me. She warms my heart.

Emily allowed a few pictures, only because Daddy wasn't there to see her work. She was so excited for me to be there, and to show me her journal. I can't believe how much her reading and writing has improved this year. It's astounding, truly. Here is her journal the first day of kindergarten (sorry for the dark picture - notice there is no writing, just a bunch of scribbling and a sticky note her teacher put on there telling what the picture was about):



And here is a recent entry - it continued on the next page, too. It was about Ballerina Bunnies - too cute! And take a look at the difference a year makes!!!



Here's my sweet girl showing off some of her work (notice a pattern here? She writes about bunnies alot!). I am so proud of her! She has come so far, and I love her enthusiasm for learning!

Two Months Old!!!

Carter is two months old today. Impossible. Here is what he is up to lately:

*Smiling alot more, and most importantly, smiling at MOMMY alot more! Yay!

*Still sleeping alot during the day, but having many more awake times in between naps.

*On the verge of moving to size THREE diapers! The boy is big - he's 14 lbs, 12 oz (95th%) and 23 inches long (50th%). What can I say, he still loves to nurse, and does so just about every two hours during the day.

*Sleeping 4-5 hour stretches at night - hallelujah! - but not going to bed until late - around 11:00 or later most nights. Gotta work on that.

*Cooing, and "talking" to us alot more - he has been saying "ah-goo" alot lately. Pure genius, I tell you!

*When he gets in his bouncy seat, he kicks like a crazy man to make his "babies" move - he loves when those babies move. He acts like the kicking is his job, he's so serious about it.

Here are his 2 month old pictures, taken by Mommy today:

Bathing Beauties

Nothing too exciting happening today - but seeing my girls come walking downstairs today looking like this - just made me smile. They are both so beautiful and becoming so grown up!

All Dolled Up!

Dear Daddy, Will, and Zach,

This is Carter writing you a little note to ask you to please never leave me alone with all the girls again. Don't get me wrong, I love those girls - they spoil me rotten, give me more attention than any baby really needs, and shower me with affection every waking moment, but this weekend they went a little too far. You see, I was minding my own business this weekend, when suddenly I found myself here:




I'm pretty sure this is not a "manly" thing to be doing.

I have to admit that I did sort of like it, though - who knew that American Girl doll beds were so comfy??? And those beads hanging down made a really cool noise when I kicked them.

I also had to watch Hannah Montana with Emily, and then be kissed more times than I wanted to be kissed. Apparently, even when I closed my eyes, she could still see me.

So, if you could please take me somewhere manly - like Home Depot, a baseball game, or maybe even the driving range, I would appreciate it. I need to do some "man stuff" soon!
Love,
Carter

Friends - and Smiles =)

I am so blessed to have some wonderful friends. I feel so lucky and have to share a couple of things that happened today.

First, my good friend Maureen brought dinner over for us tonight. I am pretty sure that this is the only homecooked meal my family has had in several days. I am guessing that Rodney has sent out a message to my friends letting them know that he is wasting away to nothing, and to please send food. Maureen was so sweet to make some yummy Poppyseed Chicken, salad and delicious chocolate chip cookies. Lindsey says she LOVES Maureen's cookies! This was the first time Maureen had met Carter, and she seemed to really enjoy snuggling him. Thank you so much, Maureen! You're the best!

Right after Maureen left, my friend Cindy came by with her sweet daughter Grace. We haven't seen them much lately, so it was so good to have them stop by. They couldn't stay long, but Cindy dropped off the most AMAZING gift that she made for Carter - an afgan with his name on it! It matches his room PERFECTLY! I love it and can't believe all the time she must have spent making this for us. I am so thankful for such a wonderful heirloom that we will cherish forever. Here are a couple of pictures:

In other news, we are seeing more and more smiles from the little Mister - and I will officially try anything to make him smile. He has the sweetest little face, and I just love to see that gummy little smile - I was able to capture a few in pictures - enjoy!

An Open Letter.....

To Any Girl Who Might Want To Marry My Son Someday,

First off, I have to commend you on your excellent choice! My Carter is the best thing since sliced bread!

Secondly, I have to apologize ahead of time. He's only one month old now, but I am guessing that he will be pretty darn spoiled by the time he is an adult. You see, I want to be one of those moms who adequately prepares her son for life on his own - how to wash dishes, how to cook a meal, how to launder his own clothes - but in all probability, I will be doing those things for him until he leaves the nest (and maybe after as well!). You see, if Carter calls, I come running. If he needs something, I give it to him. I can't help myself - look at him!

Also, you might want to know this - he is used to ALOT of attention from women. His sisters adore him and spend most of their time like this:

So, you might want to make sure you give him the same kind of attention. I'm just sayin'.

Finally, I am sorry to have to tell you this, but there's no way I'm letting any woman steal my little man away from me. So, you won't actually get to marry him. He's going to live with me forever. Sorry about that, but it's just the way it is. I mean, just look at these blue eyes - can you blame me?

Sincerely,

Carter's Mom

Character Stamp

At Emily’s school the other day, a comic book artist came to speak to them. She’s been very interested in superheroes ever since. As I was nursing Carter yesterday, Emily and I had this conversation:

E: Mommy, guess what?
H: What?
E: Did you know that every superhero has a character stamp?
H: Hmmm…really?
E: Yes – it’s something that you have so that everyone knows it’s you.
H: Oh, like what?
E: Yes, like Batman has the bat ears on top. Superman has his cape.
H: Yes, you’re right.
E: Mine is my blue eyes. Carter’s is that scratch on his nose.
H: Oh, interesting! What would mine be?
E: Yours would be that dark brown stripe in the middle of your hair.

Ummm…guess it’s time for a hair appointment.

Big Sister Emily

Emily is my back seat helper with Carter. Lindsey now sits in the front with me, and Emily sits next to Carter. Since he is rear facing, I can't see him that well from the front, so I frequently ask Emily for updates on how he is doing - is he crying? Is he awake? Is he still breathing (don't judge me - yes, I am paranoid!)?

Yesterday, I asked her for a Carter update - she looked over him and said in all seriousness - "He's fine, but he looks discouraged." What a lucky little guy - he's got his very own shrink in the back seat with him =)

Carter at one month.....

I can't believe that my baby boy is one month old! It's crazy to me how fast time is flying by. I feel like I just brought him home yesterday. I want to document a few things that he is doing right now, so here goes.

At one month, Carter is:

*nursing - alot! He eats at least every three hours, but most times it's more like every two hours. He is a very good eater.

*growing - alot! We have already switched him to size 2 diapers. At his one month checkup, he was over 12 pounds! What a sweet little chunky man!

*starting to grace us with a few of his beautiful little smiles. They are few and far between, but when he smiles at us we are just thrilled. We will do anything for a smile! His whole face lights up when he smiles - it's pure heaven!

*making good eye contact. He will stare at us or at various things around the house (his favorites - pictures on the walls - go figure!). When Daddy comes home, or when I talk while someone else is holding him, he will turn his head to try to find us.

*sleeping for 3-4 hour stretches early in the night, then for another 2 hours or so before he wakes up. He is still pretty sleepy during the day but has started taking shorter naps and is alot more alert than he was a few weeks ago.

*still pooping alot! (Sorry Carter, but it's true, and I need to remember EVERYTHING).

*holding his head up very well - he's very strong and can hold his head up for several minutes at a time. He also wants to sit up rather than lie down - he doesn't want to miss anything.

*making all kinds of crazy noises - grunts, groans, and noises that no baby should make. Rodney and I laugh about his noises every night - he sounds like an old man or an animal, we aren't sure which.

And last of all - at one month old, Carter has totally captured all of our hearts. We are madly in love with him, and we can't stop kissing his little cheeks. Being his mom is a little slice of heaven, and I can't believe he is mine!

Happy Easter!!!

We have had a fun day! The girls colored eggs, Daddy took them to see the Hannah Montana movie, and we made Easter brownies - we're all ready for tomorrow!

Here are our brownies - yum!



And here are the girls with their eggs:



Carter couldn't color eggs, but he got in on the Easter fun. Well, fun for Mommy, for Carter - notsomuch! But boy did he look cute! Ignore the worried look on his face, he was not thrilled with this cute hat! Ha!



Hope everyone has a great Easter! What a day to celebrate!

A "compliment" from Emily......

She just said, "You are the best mom. If I had to have another mom, I'd beat her down so I could have you."

I don't know whether to laugh or be concerned!

Must have baby items this time around.....

Carter is now a month old - I can't believe it! Time is flying by. I am having so much fun with him. I could literally just eat him up he is so sweet and cute! I'll have some pictures coming soon =)

I have quite a few things that are simply "must haves" for me this time around. Having my third baby, I have figured out a few of my very favorite baby items. Many of these were not around when my oldest daughter was born, so I am enjoying them now! Here is a list of what I am loving these days:


Gripe water - love this stuff!!!! It helps Carter alot.



A GOOD swing - this is the one we have, and it is so cozy and snuggly. Carter loves this thing:



Bath Luve - we have the frog - it helps them feel more safe in the water, and prevents pee accidents for boys. Plus it is so dang cute! Thanks to my friend Angie for showing these to me!



My Kalencom diaper bag - love it!!!



A video monitor - this thing is awesome and I wish I'd had this for the girls. It helps so much when you want to peek in on your baby but don't want to wake them up by opening the door. I can't say enough about this thing!



Infant gowns like these - I love how quick diaper changes are in these! Plus they look so cute in them:



Halo sleep sacks. These things seriously rock! I love that I don't have to worry about loose blankets on Carter. They keep him warm and snuggy!



Flannel backed changing table pads - we go through tons of these every day - my little man has alot of poop "incidents" and these are great to throw on top of the changing table or floor while changing him. If they get dirty, I just throw them in the wash and get a clean one. I wish I had like a hundred of these - but they are sort of hard to find!



If you have a favorite baby or toddler item, please share with me! I am loving buying baby things again =)