Painting (part 2)

Here is an update on the house....stucco is done (see below), primer and first coat of paint done, interior doors hung, back patio poured, tiling in progress, counter tops picked out....productive few weeks! We have been so blessed to have so much help from family during this stage of "sweat equity" (as Larry likes to call it) and their willingness to roll up their sleeves and get a little dirty has really made the job much easier!

Carson was at the house for about 45 minutes....too hot and the fumes were too strong so he spent most of the days at Bebe and Poppa's house.

Painting the house

Crawling :)

Well, it is not an all out sprint of a crawl yet....more like a squirm but Mr. Carson is definitely making some ground in getting from point A to point B (AKA: from where he is to what he wants to chew on!) Wanted to share this video of his cute little crawl.

Happy Birthday Larry!

Yesterday was Larry's 29th birthday. We celebrated by cleaning at the new house all afternoon ;) funny how bdays change as we get older! It was great to be productive though and then we cleaned up and went to Marketplace for dinner. Sweet potato fries and chocolate mess- yum yum! To top off the night, we purchased two ceiling fans at Home Depot! I love my husband so much and I pray he has many, many more birthdays!!!!!!

Carson had to get his picture made with his daddy for his birthday. He stayed with my parents while we cleaned and went to eat. He is in his pj's because he wasn't feeling to great yesterday and we didn't leave for dinner until 7pm! (He was in bed for the night by 7:45 :)

a few more house pics

Dad helping haul off all the brick scraps.



Larry so proud of his fire! (He had one going in the back too :)

Sheetrock complete 5/15/10. Next they apply the mud and sand it down. Then we will start a primer coat of paint by the end of next week! It is amazing how much different it is with the walls! This is a view from the front door.

This is a view from the fire place. On the left is the dining room and to the right is the breakfast area.

House update, brick complete

These were taken May 15, 2010. Brick and siding are complete. Last thing for the exterior to be complete is the stucco around the windows which should be done this week. As you can see, the lot can get quite messy with so many crews coming through working on various projects. We spent most of Saturday afternoon cleaning around the site. Thankfully, dad and Brant came to lend a hand! It may be hard to appreciate in these pics, but we made some serious progress.

House video walk through

My first Mother's Day

This was my first Mother's Day and I have been so overwhelmed with how happy I am to be Carson's mom!
Today I got beautiful tulips, a funny/cute card from my son, a sweet card from my man, extra time with Carson (my week to work nursery at church :) and time with family.

It has been fun to look back over prayer journal entries I made when I was pregnant and now see how Jesus has answered so many of my prayers! I know every mom must feel this way, but I truly feel with all my heart that Carson is the sweetest, most precious baby boy in the whole world. I'm filled with gratitude to the Father for allowing me the privilege of being Carson's mother! I pray that I will be the best mother for him that I need to be- to love him as his Creator has loved him, to teach him so he can grow in like Jesus "in wisdom, in stature and in favor with God and man," to protect him as our Refuge protects us, and to guide him in gentleness as our Shephard guides His beloved sheep. At times I get so intimidated by the task before me...the sheer responsibility of it all. I'm not talking about the late night, diapers, etc. I'm referring to the gift of molding and guiding this precious person toward all the best that God has for his life! Something I must continually seek Him and trust Him for!

Grandmother's Day :)

This Mother's Day was extra special for the grandmothers and great-grandmothers! They are each so special to Larry, Carson and I. Words can't adequately express our overwhelming gratitude for who they are in our lives- our cheerleaders, encouragers, teachers, and supporters. I think this year more than ever, I am beginning to get a glimpse of just how much they have done over the years just because they love us...all in the name of "mom." And now, I also can see how important it is to be affirmed that your work as a mom is good, right and appreciated. So mom- I love you and appreciate EVERYTHING you have done and continue to do!!!! Your love is always so selfless and giving- thank you for modeling that to me! I truly pray I can become a mom to Carson like you have been to me! Thank you and I love you!!!

Bebe (my mom), me and Carson
Larry, Carson and Ma (Larry's mom)


Nanny (Larry's grandmother)


Bebe and NeeNaw (my grandmother)

If you look back a few blog posts back, you will see our celebration with my Grandma from last weekend. :)

Brick and Floating

Here is the latest on the house. Sorry, don't have an up close of the brick but I really like the way it is turning out so far. It is called Mountain Valley and is a gray/tan color. We picked it because we liked it but also because it was a very new shade of brick to our street. Around the windows where you see the white is the foam that goes before the stucco trim. I'm super excited about getting to do this but a little nervous about how the shade will turn out. Basically, it needs to match the windows and siding- we'll see!

This Saturday, our Sunday School class went canoeing. We had a great time! It was a beautiful day- started out a little cool but of course I still ended up sun burned. The water was a low, so Larry ended up having to get us "unstuck" several times. This was a fun little outing and I'm hopeful we'll do it again sometime!

Front row (left to right): Megon Oliver, Melissa Cutler, Amy Bruce, Meg Meredith, me
Back row: Staci Floyd, Lacey Mayer, Kristen Hare, Sheri Larkin, Megan Whitehead

9 months

Well, as always, another month has flown by! And in case you were curious, I am giving myself a pat on the back for posting this on his actual 9 month bday instead of 3 weeks late! I can't believe my little man is now 9 months! As it was pointed out to me, he has now been outside of my belly as long as he was inside my belly :) It has been a fun month...

-- Sitting very well alone

-- super wiggly and reaching for everything

-- just starting to think about crawling...doing some weird sideways rolls trying to get to what he wants

--outgrowing 9 month clothes and starting to wear a lot of 12 month stuff

-- started "waving" (a really cute whole arm up and down kind of wave)

-- now the oldest one in his nursery class on Sunday mornings!

-- sleeping through the night (again :) and actually for the past 6 nights, he has slept 11-12 hours straight!!!

-- eating a variety of baby foods

-- tried a few things off mommy's plate (noodles and mashed potatoes)

-- still nursing every 4 hours during day

-- sleeping on belly (immediately after laying him down, he rolls onto belly every time now) -- very ticklish

-- reaches for me when he wants me to hold him (still very good going to just about anybody though)

-- spent his first night (actually 2 nights) away from me...much harder on me than him. Carson and daddy had a great time!

-- chews on everything, but no more teeth yet

-- bathing exclusively in the big tub at home (so long baby tube...in sink at Bebe's house)

As you may have noticed, each month this picture gets a little less posed as it gets a litte more difficult to take - he is much more curious and mobile than he used to be...so here are my attempts at our monthly "watch-me-grow" pic! Sorry, they appear to be a bit blurry too. But no need to fear, Uncle Brant to the rescue- he took some at the park today that I am sure turned out much better. Those will be posted soon! (Haven't seen them yet.)

The sign stayed beside him for all of 2 seconds...not long enough to get a shot

His legs look disproportionately small in the above pic...I'm pretty sure they are the right length though!

Seeing grandma and grandpa

House Update

Just a quick update on the house. Framing, roofing and electrical wiring complete. Starting brick tomorrow! We have been blessed to have efficient work crews and good weather (other than this weekend) so it is going up pretty fast. Still a lot of decisions to make but so far we are really excited about the way it is coming along!