Walking through life with the Walkers

Belated family photo sharing

2012-02-05T19:15:00.000-08:00

So Uncle Brant took our annual family fall photos and they turned out great! I used two of my favorites for our Christmas card but here are a few that I wanted to share in addition to those.

A bit of randomness

2012-02-05T19:02:00.000-08:00

So potty training went really well...at least from my perspective. Would highly recommend the 3- day training method we decided to use (http://www.3daypottytraining.com/)! We are still having a few accidents (mostly #2) but overall, he is going most of the time dry. It was so fun to go to shopping this week and NOT have to buy diapers!!

"Poor baby" (as he kept saying tonight mimicking my earlier sentiment), now he has a really nasty upper respiratory infection...listened to him earlier and it doesn't sound like bronchitis and his PE tubes are draining so he's not suffering the pain of a typical ear infection. We will see if he wakes up without a fever tomorrow. I am praying so!

On to other topics...I am reading "Radical" by David Platt right now and reading through the book of Hebrews inductively (unashamed to admit this is my first attempt at an inductive study). Talk about some real challenges. Radical is not saying anything that the Word doesn't already tell us it just places it in the clear contrast that it is to our American Dream. It keeps hitting me right between the eyes and punching me in the gut all at the same time. There just doesn't seem to be a way to reconcile my comfortable cozy life with the life Jesus called his disciples to pursue. So I will continue to pray my way through and know that if my heart is truly willing to listen and see the Father will make it clear how my life is to look differently.

On that note, memory verse for the week is (will try to type for memory) Hebrews 1:3 "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being SUSTAINING ALL THINGS BY HIS POWERFUL WORD. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven." Forgot the all caps section- such an important section! Maybe it is a small reminder not to forget that part in my daily life!!!

We spent last weekend moving my sweet grandmother from her duplex at Parkway Village in Little Rock to the assisted living housing in the same community. This involved a ton of work on the part of my parents! Since my dad is an only child, the sole responsibility of caring for my aging grandma and grandpa (who is in the nursing home at the same community for the time being) has fallen on him. (Side note- this is one reason why no matter how much I toy with the idea of letting Carson remain an only child I know siblings are a great thing I hope to give him some day.) Anyways, she also had to down-size substantially and so I got to bring a few special things home with me. A few special dishes, plant stand, bird cage, porcelain doll, etc...thankfully my grandmother had good taste! It has been fun finding special places to either display or store these items (and it was really fun that we did this all while she can still tell us the significance behind each item). Here are a few pictures of our little adventure.

WEEEE!!!!

Elsy Kate wants to go to Grandma's new place!

Plant stand was my grandpa's mother's (my great-grandmother). Bird cage was my grandmother's. Now have a few more plants on display but this was the only pic I had.

To blog or not to blog...that is the question

2012-01-20T13:52:00.000-08:00

It has been over a year since my last blog post...I honestly never intended on it being my last post. I've thought and thought about whether or not to return to the blogging world. At this point, I am up for a trial. With a few ground rules I have laid for myself. First, no pressure. If I post, I post...if I don't, I don't. Second, no comparison games! This fall at a women's event at our church, the speaker said, "Comparison is the thief of joy." That has stuck with me! It is so easy to do! No offense to anyone who happens to read this, but I've decided to try at it again more for my own journaling of life's big events (or small ones) than anything else. For Carson's 2nd bday, I completed his "baby book." It basically was a compilation of all the wonderful milestones of his first year of life. All that to say, I was able to put that together largely due to the many posts I made during that time. And I cherish that fact that I have those memories in writing and in pictures. Another reason for my return is that my sweet husband surprised me with a MacBook Pro which means I don't have to sit in our study using our ancient (lol-2004) Dell!!! If I start getting frustrated with it all- you will know cause the post will stop- haha.

Not really sure where to begin since December 5, 2010 was my last post! A lot has happened since then...rather than playing catch up I think I will just start with what all Carson is doing right now. And since I just got this computer, I don't have a ton of recent pics but I will see what few I can add since that is the best part in my opinion :)

Carson is 2 years and 5 months old! Today is day #2 of the 3-day potty training method. So far I am pleasantly surprised at how well it is going. I have said to many that potty training has been the most intimidating thing of parenting for me to date. This may sound crazy but it is exactly how I have felt. He was probably ready around November but I knew I couldn't keep up with him after having knee surgery. Then December was the holidays. So I basically searched our calendar and found 3 days that I could keep completely (minus PT this morning) clear and focus on this huge developmental milestone. Yesterday he started out basically in denial. Every time we got near the potty he would say "no,no" but today he was delaying his nap by saying "carson go poop in potty"- lol! I will figure out how to share the link the the method I am using but suffice it to say the focus is on complete positive reinforcement, commitment, and focus for these three days. Not sure what to expect after that point but we will cross that bridge when we get there. Today he has only had one "accident" so far! AND he is currently napping for the third day in a row! Not sure if he is about to hit a growth spurt or what...

He is also a talking machine! I am just amazed at the things he can say and the thought processes he can follow now. As I hear is common at this age, he also gets stuck on repeat often. Basically he will say one word, phrase or request over and over and over and over (x100) just because....usually until you repeat it back to him a few times. I guess he just wants to make sure he is understood. He is still completely obsessed with Cars! Mainly the true pixar Cars characters but any mode of transportation captivates his attention more than balls. He has the whole set of the race cars from Cars 2 and knows them by name and I think may even talk to them on a regular basis! He is also very interested in puzzles...this is a newer thing but I am really impressed with how quickly he can figure it out and how much he can work on his own. I am realizing that unfortunately a lot of times I limit what he can do based on my assumptions of what he can't do...make sense? Basically, he can do, say and think more than I realize! Which is a good thing when I don't limit him!

Cautious Carson is still my common description of him...he is not much of a risk taker and hates loud noises. He is still; however, very social and loves playing with his friends and family! He is especially fond of sweet Elsy Kate, his precious 10-month old first cousin (and my DARLING niece!!) whom he lovingly refers to as "E." (Because he likes to...in fact he can say "Elsy Futterer" but that is just not as fun :) He also still really likes TV...which has raised concerns for me so January we have collectively decided as a family to partake in an odd type of fast...no tv! Yes, we did make two exceptions at the onset- we would watch a few important bowl games (namely national championship) and the marathon olympic trials. Otherwise, in Carson's mind it is "broke." Admittedly it has been harder for me than I thought it would be...but I am thankful that we have been able to see what can happen when we don't spend so much time in front of the tube- talk more, read more, go to bed on time, etc. I just have to be careful now that this awesome new computer doesn't replace the TV in my time sucker category!!

Okay...maybe this post has been more than long enough to get started again...let me see if I can figure out how to post a few pictures before I close.

Carson and Daddy at a Vintage cookout this summer

Carson going to see the movie Cars 2 on his 2nd Birthday

Carson, Bennett Oliver and Beckett Rogers at his 2nd Birthday Party (theme Cars of course)

Larry and I in Cancun for a great 8th anniversary get-away

Valley Fest 5K (family fun!)

my little artist

Carson and E!!!

Halloween 2011

Christmas 2011

FINALLY

2010-12-05T13:00:00.000-08:00

Drum roll please...............this week Carson FINALLY took his first true steps! We have been waiting on this for quite a while now! He has been crusing and pushing things, etc for a long time but just crawls so fast that he has shown zero interest in walking. Last week (on 11/23/10) he took one step at my grandparents house. It seemed almost accidental. A few times throughout the week he would take a step (maybe two shuffles) in between items he was reaching for. Then on the night of 11/30/10 we were helping to decorate my mom's Christmas tree and he took 3 or 4 steps so we just kept cooercing him to do it over and over again. When we got home, we were determined to get it on video. (Of course we didn't have it on hand at my mom's house! ugh!) And we were rewarded with the most steps yet! Perfectly captured on film to cherish forever :) Now, he's been caught...the truth is out...Carson CAN walk...if he chooses to tomorrow will be another story- haha! Enjoy this precious glimpse of pure determination- love how he uses his little arms to balance :)

He is just so proud of himself!!! Here is an abridged version of his celebration.

Daddy's little helper

2010-12-05T12:50:00.000-08:00

Time for an update...as I was glancing through the pictures I've taken over the past month or so I found several precious ones of my guys! Carson loves to help daddy with projects around the house :) or just chill on the couch. The last one is leaving church a few weeks ago...so thankful I keep my camera in my purse at all times for random moments like these that just make your heart smile.

Roar!

2010-10-31T20:33:00.001-07:00

This year Carson was a tiger for Halloween! We started out the day with the Fall Festival 5K and ended it with the Kids Festival at the church. Truthfully, the outfit was perfect for the morning because it was 30 degrees. But by the time we made it to the church, he was burning up! He got to see several of his friends, but he was still a bit too little to enjoy the massive bump'n'jump inflatables...next year. He was so tired by the end of the day, he was in bed by 6:30pm and didn't wake up until 7:50am the next morning!

Fall Festival 5K 2009

Fall Festival 5K 2010

Pumpkin Baby 2009

Tiger Tot 2010

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-31T20:16:00.000-07:00

This weekend, Larry and I took Carson to the Mayflower Pumpkin Patch. It was great! I would definitely love for this to be an annual tradition. However, next year we will not pick a Friday afternoon (too many school groups!) This pumpkin patch has a petting zoo, huge playground area, a corn maze, hayride and the best part was picking pumpkins right out of the field off the vine. Carson really enjoyed it! We even ran into some friends at the pumpkin patch- Carson got to enjoy the hayride with his friend Levi!

As you can see, we had one tired little boy on our hands on the ride home!

fall family pics, part 3

2010-10-31T20:12:00.000-07:00

fall family pics, part 2

2010-10-31T20:10:00.000-07:00

Fall 2010 Family Pics

2010-10-31T20:07:00.000-07:00

It has been way too long since we had family pictures! Uncle Brant faithfully gets Carson's monthly update pics for us, but we haven't had family pictures in almost a year. We had to reschedule once and then the weather was perfect the day we took the pics but Carson was in a terrible mood! Thankfully, Uncle Brant was still able to get some great shots! Love how all the colors turned out!

No pants

2010-10-31T19:56:00.000-07:00

So I was about to post some cute fall pics...pumpkins, leaves, costumes, the works. But before I do I had to do this quick post. As I was looking through some pictures I've taken around the house this month, I realized we had a theme...Carson has no pants on in any of them!! I promise, I'm not one of those moms who takes her kid to wal-mart with nothing but a diaper on, but apparently I let him go around the house quite a lot without any pants on. I actually don't think I do that very often, but I seem to more often than I realize! ha!

caught! I had been taking a shower and didn't realize I left the door open to the toilet area...when I got out of the shower this is what I found! Of course, he is innocently reading a book as if Maddie (our poodle) did it!

supervising mom and dad as we work in the yard/flower garden

typical guy- mesmorized by the TV...he will stand like this for almost 15 minutes if the right cartoon is on!

2010-10-05T14:43:00.000-07:00

2010-10-05T14:39:00.000-07:00

India take 2

2010-10-05T14:37:00.000-07:00

"Only in India..."

2010-10-05T14:35:00.000-07:00

September 21 - October 3, 2010

Larry and I had the amazing opportunity to visit Amberley and Joe in India! This is something that I have dreamed of doing since they left, but until late August did not think it was going to be possible. That is until my sweet and selfless husband surprised me with plane tickets for us to go! It actually worked out perfect- I only had to wait 5 weeks from purchase date until departure. We told Joe right away to make sure the dates would work for them, but we waited until Amberley's birthday to reveal the big trip to her. Let's just say she was a little excited!

The trip was a milestone for many reasons. First, we decided it was best to not take Carson on this trip which meant leaving him with grandparents for 12 days. 12 days! Secondly, this was the first time I got to see my pregnant sister and "meet" our niece or nephew coming in March 2011! Third, we have never been to Asia! Lastly, we hoped to encourage/spur-on Ams and Joe as they finish the last leg of their journey in India.

We had such a wonderful time with them! I knew it would be fun, but my expectations were greatly exceeded! We laughed, stayed up way too late, played games, slept in...in addition to the obvious- see Delhi! Lots and lots of Delhi!!! With 20 million people there are a plethora of sights, sounds, and smells that I couldn't imagine without seeing in person. We saw a beautiful people group that desparately need the love, truth, and ancor of the Father's love in Jesus Christ.

I'm beyond thankful for the opportunity we had to go. Thankful for the grandparents (and aunts and uncles :) who made it possible for us to go with the peace of mind that our little munchkin was in good hands. Thankful for Ams and Joe to take so much time to show us everything and then some! Thankful for perfect weather, good health and safe travel. Thankful for a family that is so fun to be with!

I'll post several pics here...but can't begin to post all the 400 pics taken!!

Contentment

2010-08-20T19:49:00.001-07:00

Well as most of you know and as you can see from my blog, I usually do not update often or with many words. This blog's purpose for me has been more of a photo gallery for Carson for out-of-town family and friends to enjoy seeing him grow. Today, I just felt like I want to type a little blurp on contentment. This has been something God has been trying to teach me and my heart has been yearning for a while now. I read a verse this week that talked about having stillness and quietness in your soul and it has been in my mind all week. (Ps. 131:2- also about a weaned child which has been at the forefront of my mind and heart for the past 2 weeks.) Today, I wanted to just take a deep breath and enjoy my day...not frantic about what I needed to get done, in what order and by what time but just enjoy a day off from work at home with my boys! As Larry has pointed out before, I get stressed about being stressed and I simply DO NOT want that to be the character trait that come to mind when people think about me. Beyond that vain motivation, I hate the feeling of an anxious heart and know that it is unbiblical. Finally, as I was holding my sick but precious baby boy in my arms tonight I realized, he is watching me and the last thing I want is for his life to be lived in the wake of a frantic, anxious chaotic stressed out mom! I desparately want for him to have a still and quiet heart of calm, trusting, peaceful contentment. Sure, most 1 year olds are anything but calm...I'm not talking about his behavior as much as the state of his heart and mind. I desire for him to have a deep seeded knowing that his mom and dad love him and that he is safe, provided for, cared for and he can trust us. Hoping that it will then translate into knowing he can trust his heavenly Father for all the same reasons - as He can love and provide for him so much beyond what we can even do.

As sentimental as I have been over him turning one and the growing up (and weaning) that comes with that, I am realizing all the more to cherish every single solitary moment with him!!! Listening to so many sweet friends talk yesterday about taking there "babies" to their first day of school, I am reminded of how quickly the days and now years do and will go by...cherish the moments. Like today, I was trying to put away some laundry in Carson's room while he was supposed to be entertaining himself with his toys as he usually does quite well. Since he has not been feeling well the past few days, he has been much more whiny and clingy and was just at my feet the whole time fussing. Finally, I put it all down, picked him up, rocked him and played with his farm toy then proceeded to plop on the couch with him and turn on cartoons. It felt so foreign to me and that broke my heart! I thought to myself, this is the type of moment you have always dreamt of...having a child of your own, cuddling on the couch with cartoons on. I've been so caught up in wanting the "always picked up and clean house" and the "no TV til their 3" and "they need to be independent enough to entertain themselves" mentality that I often fail to fully embrace the moments that he just needs his mommy to stop everything and hold him. period. And tonight as I was feeding him his bottle before bed, he fell asleep in my arms...usually, I'm thinking about getting him down quickly so I can be productive during his sleeping hours, veg a little, or "gotta put them down before they are fully asleep or they will always expect to be rocked" thought...but tonight, I set there in that rocking chair with my baby boy and cherished hearing his breathing in my ear, feeling his exhausted head on my shoulder...knowing that these moments are fleeting...I wanted to take a mental picture and never forget it. Oh how good The Father is! So much better to me than I deserve- praise Him for grace- undeserved favor! Thank you Father for the blessings! May my heart and soul be quiet and still before You as I trust You and find contentment in You alone!

Say Cheese!

2010-08-08T19:51:00.000-07:00

I may be a little partial- but can he get any cuter? I mean really?! Thank you Uncle Brant once again for some incredibly cute pictures!!

Birthday pics with Uncle Brant

2010-08-08T19:48:00.000-07:00

So loving these!!! Cannot decide which one is my favorite!!!

It's party time

2010-08-08T19:33:00.000-07:00

His monthly "rocking chair/watch me grow" picture

Enjoying his birthday cake (he ate little small bites for about 30 minutes!)

Helping Poppa put together his wagon at his family birthday party

Cake covered "OH" face!

Carson and Friends!

From left to right: Jaxon Meredith, Beckett Rogers, Mallory Cloud, Madison Freyaldenhoven, Sarah Grace Larkin, Carson, Caroline Larkin, Jace Akin, Riley Davis, Macy Cloud, and Bennett Oliver (Owen and Olivia Hill were present but unfortunately not pictured).

ONE YEAR

2010-08-08T18:50:00.000-07:00

CARSON JACK WALKER

Born August 3, 2009 at 4:24am weighing 7 lbs and 1 oz. and 20.5in long

Carson so excited to celebrate his 1st Birthday!!!

It seems impossible to believe that our sweet baby boy has turned ONE! This year has been one of the most exhilarating and life changing years of our lives. It has presented a few challenges along the way but many, many, many joys and blessings! We have watched our precious baby boy grow from an infant totally overwhelmed by his bright new world to a curious happy boy who loves life and can put a smile on anyone's face. He greets us each morning with a smile, ready for another fun-filled day and goes to bed peacefully each night exhausted from everything he has learned that day. I simply cannot imagine my life without Carson...and even though he has only been with us for one year, it is hard to remember life before him. His smile, laugh and hugs melt my heart everytime! Thank you Lord for our precious son! Thank you for choosing Larry and I to be Carson's parents! May we raise Him in Your Ways and may he continually be full of Your joy, contentment, love, and peace.

Now for the milestones...at 12 months (the point at which we sort of switch to referencing his age by years instead of months...)

-He has a big smile

-Is full of hillariously animated expressions (especially the "OH" face)

-Sweet to give cuddles

-Quick to investigate how everything works

-Easily entertained by anything that makes noise/music (loves to "play the drums" on anything and bounces up and down to the music...especially his toy that plays the "ABC" song)

-Had his first major case of separation anxiety/mommyitis at the time of the move (big changes+Bebe being gone+ear infection=cranky/clingy Carson) Thankfully it only lasted 2 weeks and then he was back to his easy going, fun-loving self!

-Crawling quickly all over the house and finally up on all fours instead of the army crawl.

-No signs of walking yet, but pulling up to things much more!

-Wearing size 12-18 month clothes

-Has 6 teeth (top 4, bottom 2)

-Weight and length to be determined at his 12 month check-up this Friday (my guess is 22.5lbs)

-Enjoying a wide variety of foods...although he does not love his sippy cup yet (it is growing on him though)

-Tried whole milk for the first time yesterday (didn't bother him at all- didn't seem to notice or care the difference)

-Waving consistently, still loving to clap and make the "Indian sound"

-Loves sitting in his rocking chair (the one in the birthday pictures) and looking out his big window in his room...he sat there for a good 45 minutes watching the tractor out front dig while placing a gas line and then again when the sod was laid.

Thank you to all of our family and friends who love Carson and have invested his life over the past 12 months! I cannot adequately put in to words how much I appreciate your kindness, guidance, selflessness, and love! You all have played a major role in allowing Carson to grow and thrive in a secure, safe, fun and loving environment whether he is at home or not! For that, I am so appreciative!

Happy Birthday sweet baby boy!!! I love you!!!

Major updates...all in order

2010-08-08T14:46:00.000-07:00

As you can see from the posting dates...it has been over a month since my last post! And of course it has been one of the most important/busy months of updates...things that are definitely "blog-post worthy." So without further delay, I will try to capture the past month for all who are interested. On July 18th, we moved in to our new home!!!! The home building process took exactly 4 months to complete and although it was a bit stressful at times, it really went much smoother than I had prepared myself for. And in answer to our prayers, our marriage survived what we hear can be one of the biggest tests of your relationship (hahaha) and we even came in on budget! Praise the Lord! Now, 3 weeks later, we are still sorting through, cleaning out, unpacking, etc. but have settled in fairly quickly. Sorry I don't have a final picture of the outside...that will come...sod has been laid and fence is up...landscaping to come. And yes, the move happened while my parents and brother were in India visiting my sister! Good times!

Then, on July 26th, Larry and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary! Given the chaos surrounding it and the fact it was on a Monday, we didn't get to celebrate with a date until later in the week at which time we romantically included our daily trip to Lowes. Don't get too jealous! Ironically, it is the only picture we have from our anniversary!

The biggest celebration of all came on August 3rd!!! CARSON'S FIRST BDAY!!!! This will get a blog post or two all of its own, but suffice it to say, we had a fantastic day with two super fun birthday parties! Our baby is growing so fast.....anyways, before we break out the tissue box, I'll wrap up the summary. On August 6th was my 29th bday, enough said- haha! Today is August 8th and I'm left to ponder/rejoice over all the many blessings the Father has poured down on us! And I'm longing for a few days of rest! :)

Our kitchen at move in time

Furniture in- YAY

Happy 7th Anniversary!

Carson enjoying his new view from his room :)

11 months old

2010-07-03T14:03:00.000-07:00

Time for the monthly milestones! As usual, this month has gone by quickly and once again I am amazed at how Carson seems to be learning new things every day. He is such a happy and content little baby (intentionally saying "baby" instead of "boy" as I'm getting super sappy and emotional over the thought of his birthday party and how fast time flies...). It gives me such JOY being his mommy! What a blessing he is to our lives - we are basically head over heels in love with our son!

-As you can see from the previous posts, he loves his little swimming pool

-Two new teeth...we are no longer a vampire, his top to middle teeth have come in. That makes a grand total of 6 teeth now!

-Trying a variety of finger foods but still really likes his baby food. As you can tell from a few of these pictures, between the carrots, sweet potatoes, squash etc- his nose has taken on that token orange hue.

-Crawling well and now crawls from room to room to find me if I leave his sight. Also very good at going from belly to sitting position.

-CLAPPING- his new favorite game...after weeks of trying to get him to clap it was literally like the light bulb went off in his head one day and he started clapping out of the blue and hasn't stopped yet. He also does this really cute thing where he randomly throws his arms in the air...after which we shout "Praise the Lord" and he laughs:)

-loves his cheerios- never truly appreciated the entertainment factor they provide as well...he will sit content with handful of them long enough for me to shower and get ready

-cut back to nursing only 3 times a day...as hard as it is for me to admit it, he is weaning himself. I'm so thankful I have been able to continue breastfeeding him, and I really never dreamed it would be this hard for me to let that go...one more month...

-enjoys being read to at night and very good at helping me turn the pages...no, really- he sits very still and lets me read most of the page and as soon as I lift the corner of the page, he turns it for me.

Enjoy- his 11 month pictures in his rocker with Bundar! (I recruited some help from Larry to help take these- that's why he is sitting still compared to last month's attempt).

Carson's new favorite "toy"

2010-07-03T13:56:00.000-07:00

Poppa surprised Carson with a new "toy"- his first little swimming pool! He LOVES it! He has always liked his bath so I'm not too surprised by his taking to it...he splashes and wallows arounds in circles in it and has the best time. He also went swimming for the first time in Bebe and Poppa's real pool and liked it too...but not as much as his own!

Here is Poppa and Carson at the campgrounds swimming for the first time....warming up to the idea

Here he is in Bebe and Poppa's back yard after running in a road race with mommy- had to cool off you know

Here he is with Bebe in the middle of his soon-to-be new living room while mommy and daddy paint trim

In the background, you can make out his new room (the green wall!)

CJ and friends

2010-07-03T13:48:00.000-07:00

Just uploaded pics from the entire month and we have several new friends to introduce!

Carson, Madelyn, and Jacob (I work with their mommies- this was taken at our clinic picnic)

Carson with Payton and Parker Hicks

Carson and Beckett
(not a new friend, but a new activity together!) Beckett is 4 months older than Carson and lets us use all his awesome shoes when he outgrows them!

Carson also had a new friend born last week, Harper Miller...she just got home from the hospital so we don't have a picture with her yet but she is a cutie!

try again

2010-06-18T09:57:00.000-07:00

so sorry that the previous post did not get the pictures uploaded correctly- let's try again!

BNB 10 month pics

2010-06-13T18:41:00.000-07:00

Had to share the fantastic pics that Uncle Brant took of Carson for his 10 month "birthday." They are all fantastic but these 4 give the best representation of his expressions these days!! He makes me smile and laugh everyday and I'm so thankful for this little bundle of joy! Thank you Uncle Brant for capturing these priceless moments on camera! (As you can see from my previous post, I did not get the photography gene in the family and am not as skilled at catching these moments :)

10 month videos

2010-06-10T19:05:00.000-07:00

This was a little video clip taken while I was trying to get just one good "10 month" shot! The video better sums up my little active 10 month old! And he even did is precious little grunt/grrrr thing that he so loves to do these days- so happy to have caught a little bit of this on camera!

On this one- he is sitting in a little rocking chair that was actually my dad's when he was little. My grandparents had the seat redone so Carson could have it but until now he has not been big enough to sit in it on his own. So this is actually a video of him sitting in it for the first time and obviously he kind of likes it :) There is a little crash burn at the end- no worries, no one was hurt. I could have editted it out, but just keeping it real!

10 months

2010-06-10T19:04:00.000-07:00

Another month has passed, and our sweet little boy is now TEN months old!! This has been a very fun month watching him grow. A few highlights from this month...

- CRAWLING! As you saw from the video clips in a previous post, it is a bit more of a squirm, but he is definitely mobile now!

- TWO NEW TEETH! So funny, he got his "fang" teeth in before his top middle two so he looks a little like a vampire! Tried to get a pic but it didn't turn out very well...will try again before the others come in.

- Eating table foods more...will try (and like) about anything we put on his plate. Although, I'll admit I'm probably a little more conservative than I need to be with what I will let him try but the list includes LOTS OF CHEERIOS (his favorite!), turkey lunch meat, green beans, noodles, mashed potatoes, banana bits, rolls, and one french fry (I know, I know...probably shouldn't let him start this young). One thing I really thought he would go for is a corn cob but he could care less about it.

- Still nursing 4 times a day but it has gone from sweet rocking cuddly time to something that more resembles wrestling an alligator! He is just so squirmy and curious that the two middle feedings are a lot more challenging than they used to be.

- Taking one really good nap a day (usually about 2-3 hours and occasionally 4 hours) and rarely a shorter nap in the morning.

- Sleeping on average 11 hours each night and wakes up very happy! Likes to sleep with his pacifier more now...doesn't really care to have it any other time of the day unless he is playing with it.

-LOVES bath time...I'm now occassionally letting him play right behind me while I get ready (I can blow dry and straighten my hair and put on my make-up before he even becomes remotely bored...only a little pruney!)

Thought I would put a very REAL picture of what it typically looks like in Carson's room after playtime! This has become the norm....luckily it is easy clean-up.

Extremely difficult to get a good monthly shot it---got a video that is a better "snapshot" of what he is like right now :)

Carson making his mark on his new home! And yes, he did try to eat the concrete on his hands!

Coming soon

2010-06-05T21:13:00.000-07:00

10 month post coming soon....Need to upload a few pics and hoping to get to it tomorrow....truthfully Carson's 9th month of life went by the fastest yet!

This past week, well almost 2 weeks, has been pretty insane at the Walker household. Larry has been laying tile and I've been helping whenever I can so Carson has spent a lot of time with his Bebe (my mom). I'm so thankful for the help and the opportunity to be able to help Larry but it has been so hard to be away from Carson that much! I feel like I haven't been with him hardly any this whole week...I try to tell myself that doesn't make me a bad mom, but most of the time it doesn't work and I still feel like one. I know the house building is just a season of life and soon it will be complete and it will be worth it, and hopefully life can slow down a little, etc....but Carson will only be 10 months old once and this stage he is in will fly by as each has so far....so it is a horrible feeling to miss out! Thankfully, he will never remember how busy and absent his mom and dad have been right now...it's truly US that this is so hard on, not him!

So, all that to say, a summary of Carson's 9th month and his 10 month pic is coming soon!!!

crawling video 2

2010-06-02T18:07:00.001-07:00

Uncle Brant took this video of Carson crawling yesterday...he was going for his favorite toy- Brant's iPhone!

Painting (part 2)

2010-05-29T20:01:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-29T19:59:00.000-07:00

Crawling :)

2010-05-29T19:32:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-05-16T09:09:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-16T09:02:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-16T08:58:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-16T08:03:00.000-07:00

My first Mother's Day

2010-05-09T20:25:00.000-07:00

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 :)

2010-05-09T19:53:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-09T19:45:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-03T18:38:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-03T18:22:00.000-07:00

House Update

2010-05-02T20:09:00.000-07:00

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!

Master's Sunday

2010-04-11T19:41:00.000-07:00

I went for a run this morning while Larry and Carson were still sleeping. When I got back, they were both up and Larry had taken about 10 pictures of Carson and a few videos. You see, our little guy doesn't really love being on his tummy. However, for the past few weeks he has been rolling onto his tummy to sleep. Larry could here Carson was awake and playing in his crib and when he went in, this is what he saw! He was just happy and talking and peering over the edge to find his daddy :)

Carson's spot to play while Mommy gets ready for church

Carson and Daddy watching the Master's together. Please note the outfit!

Golfing is serious business in our house! Go Phil!

Easter, 8 months, and house update

2010-04-09T10:55:00.000-07:00

We had a great Easter celebration. Much to be thankful for in our lives, but nothing compares to the thankful hearts we have for our Risen Savior!!
Just a few Easter pics. Uncle Brant took a few with his camera but I haven't seen those yet. Bebe (my mom) gave Carson an Easter basket with golf clubs in it- Larry was very excited about that. Carson thought it was fun to play with and given I had him in a cute little argile sweater vest, he looked ready for the golf course!

Carson's 8 month picture with Bundar. As you can see, we had a monkey them going...maybe that's because Carson is my little "chunky monkey!"

Update (sort of) on the house...framing has been going on all week. It actually already looks different from this, but this is the most recent picture I have. We've picked out brick and siding and got some great deals on lighting fixtures, sink and tub at a local place that is going out of business.

laughing with daddy

2010-04-09T06:40:00.000-07:00

Carson is at such a fun age and his little laugh is melt-your heart and make-you-smile priceless. He gets cracked up by random things...once a balloon, another time it was a ball, a certain face, etc. In this video, Larry has him just belly laughing! It was so cute, I had to share. Hope it makes you smile :)

8 months old!!!

2010-04-03T18:42:00.001-07:00

Carson is now 8 months old!!! Here are some cute pictures by Uncle Brant! Easter pics to come. During his 7 month Carson has been busy....

-sitting alone very well

-saying "dada" "momma" (not necessarily intentionally but getting there :) and a lot of other babbling sounds

-rolling both ways and likes to sleep on his tummy now

-was eating very well until he got sick, but his appetite is coming back now

-8oz of breast milk every 4 hours

-TWO teeth (bottom middle)

-very curious about everything

-sitting in highchair at restaurants

-still loves playing in his exersaucer

-gets very excited to see a familiar face but still okay to be held by any and everyone (typical sunday school baby!)

What a week

2010-03-27T19:30:00.000-07:00

Warning- there are no cute pictures in this post so if you only enjoy the pictures (like I am often guilty of) then scroll on down to older posts. This week was Spring Break, so Larry was skiing in Colorado with the church group which also included my mom and brother. I had considered going and taking Carson, but had some hesitation and ended up not being able to get off work even if I wanted to. I was scheduled to work Mon, Tues and Wed of this week and since my mom was gone and Mother's Day Out was closed, I had to find alternative childcare. In my mind, I kind of thought this would be a good week to start spring cleaning...boy was I wrong.

Saturday night, I had made lasagna for my grandparents (my grandmother recently had a heart attack and is still recovering) and my dad (who was about to start working the night shift for the nuclear plant outage going on). Carson had fallen asleep in his carseat on the way over, so I simply left him in it and set him in the guest room to nap while I cooked and we ate. He woke up shortly after we ate which I thought was perfect timing. When I went to get him, he had vomited ALL over himself and the carseat. Now mind you- we've had spit up before as he is a baby, but this was our first experience with real puke!! (He had turkey before went over!) Well, he was so confused and scared and you could tell he didn't feel very well.

Thankfully, my dad was there and he graciously cleaned up the carseat while I took care of cleaning up Carson. He then proceeds to "you know what" (sorry just realized this may be a little too graphic for some...nothing gets my stomach...guess its part of being in the medical profession) two more times and is just pitiful looking at this point and just wants me to hold him. While he is laying there moaning, in the most sweet yet sad I-don't-feel-good voice say, "Momma" Oh, how my heart just melted into a complete puddle!!! Now, I feel pretty sure he probably didn't really know what he was saying but I'm going to let myself think he did because it was just too sweet.

I'm going to go ahead and make a LONG story as short as possible...the synopsis of the week is as follows: overall, he cut TWO teeth (the bottom middle)
Sunday: stay home all day, diarrhea, fever, no appetite and just wanting to be held
Monday: seemed to be a little better in morning, so I went to work and he stayed with my mother in law...fever, not eating, no nap, cranky, NO sleep
Tuesday: finally got the sense to check his ears and called in antibiotic for bilateral ear infection...missed work to stay home..still fever, more vomit and starting to get a little dehydrated because he still has no appetite...had to give tylenol suppository to keep fever down as he won't even take his medicine now.
Wednesday: woke up with no true fever and seemed a bit better so I went to work...mother in law kept him again and things seemed a LITTLE better.
Thursday: finally starting to play with toys again, nurse but not eat still, no fever, and better sleep.
Friday: yay- daddy's home and he is finally starting to resemble my sweet little Carson again.
However, he still will not eat his food! He went from trying and liking anything I put on a spoon to keeping that mouth as tightly closed as he can!

So, let's just say spring break 2010 was not exactly what I thought it would be like. I am just SO thankful we were not in Colorado and that I was able to have sweet help from my mother in law and dear friends! And that my sweet baby is starting to feel better!! I can only hope that as we cut more teeth, we don't go through all this again!

A time to build!

2010-03-20T13:16:00.000-07:00

When Larry and I moved back to Russellville in August 2008, we had hoped that we might be able to build our own home someday. His dad's day job is an area high school athletic director, but as a "side job" (which is really become more like a second job) he is a contractor and builds several custom homes each year. We just knew that would be the route we took when we moved back...what we didn't know was how the timing would eventually play out.
It ended up taking a few weeks shy of a year to sell our home in Houston and that was at a loss. We also have been working on living debt free (thanks to Dave Ramsey :) and between moving, changing jobs, selling our home at a loss, and having our first child we started to question whether or not building was the right thing to do. After a lot of time spent praying and paying off debt, we have come to a point where we feel peace from the Lord to move forward with building our first home in Russellville!
We have spent many months looking at/drawing up floor plans, considering lots, constructing a working budget, etc. Finally, on March 1, 2010 we submitted our application for the lot and closed on March 16. March 17 the footing was dug and by March 19, the foundation blocks were being laid! Crazy how it seemed like a long time coming and then started so fast! I hope to include updates periodically with pictures of the process. Please pray for us during this process that we can have fun, not get too stressed, be unified in our decisions, and remain within our budget!

March 16, 2010

The lot- as they say on HGTV, its all about LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION and this is a great location in the heart of Russellville. Easy access to just about anything (including great school for Carson, 2 min from the church and grandparents and plenty of running options :) and in a great family friendly neighborhood.

This sign is actually referring to Larry Walker Sr but I thought it was fun!

March 17, 2010

March 19,2010

Marathon weekend

2010-03-09T10:08:00.000-08:00

This weekend was the Little Rock Marathon and half marathon. About a year ago, Larry got a great idea to start a running group at our church modeled after the USA Fit program we were a part of in Houston. The group started running together in August on Saturday mornings with the focus on getting everyone ready to compete in the Little Rock marathon or half marathon. For most, this was their first race of this distance. It has been so fun watching everyone develop as runners and enjoy the sport that Larry and I have loved for over 10 years. Well, this past Sunday 34 runners from the group competed and finished their respective races!!!! The weather was perfect and it was just a total delight to hear everyones stories and see the sense of accomplishment on their faces!!! I hope they all enjoyed our Saturday mornings together as well as the race and will consider doing it again next year!

7 month chair pic

2010-03-09T09:47:00.000-08:00

Here are Carson's monthly pics in his rocker. My favorite is the middle one becuase that is what he is doing all the time now! Bucking!! In fact, he bucked right out of his carseat and on to the floor the other day- only funny now because he wasn't hurt but it scared me at the time it happened. He has Bundar in the picture with him, but he wouldn't leave him alone to have him sit beside him...again perfect because he is in to grabbing everything in sight! Loving this age- so fun!

more uncle brant pics

2010-03-05T19:44:00.000-08:00

This blog is starting to turn into a showcase website for BNBphotography- haha! Last Sunday, Carson was looking like his usual handsome self after church and it was a beautiful day outside so Uncle Brant decided to snap a few shots. These can basically serve as his 7 month pics. We decided he may just have to enter a cutest baby contest with one of these!

more 6 mos pix by uncle brant

2010-03-05T19:39:00.000-08:00

6 mos pix by uncle brant

2010-03-05T19:38:00.000-08:00

6 month milestones

2010-02-27T11:31:00.000-08:00

Here are a few things Carson has been up to during his 6th month!!! A few of which he has graciously demonstrated in some of the pictures below...

1. At 6 month check-up, Carson weighed 18 lbs and 1 oz and was 25 1/2 in long. 60th and 25th percentile on the growth curve respectively.

2. So long hands and hello feet!!! He loves them....and changing diapers are especially fun/challenging now because when his diaper's off is the only time he can get his toes in his mouth!

3. FOOD!!! As you can imagine based on his rather healthy cheeks and tummy, he has loved everything he has tried so far...green peas, sweet potatoes, apples, zucchini, pears, and squash.

4. Sitting...not great yet, but he is getting better at it...if his belly weren't so heavy....hmmm

5. Verbally, we are past the grunting and more in to growling and "dadadada"

6. Enjoyed his first snow at home

7. Doesn't like to sit when he's being held- wants to stand up almost all of the time (when he is not throwing his head back which has been emerging in the past week- pic to come).

8. Starting grow more hair!! Enough to have a nice baby sized fohawk- super stud.

9. Loves to be sung to...any song, but most of them are made up on the spot by mom and

dad...with a few originals that are now daily favs.

10. Other than his feet, favorite toy is the exersaucer!!

11. Prefers to nap in his lazyboy (AKA, his carseat)...although, we are working on breaking that little habit. True it is great for travel, but he is just too heavy to keep toting that thing in and out of the house and church.

12. Went from unintentionally rolling from belly to back to most definitely intentionally doing it- he will not stay on his tummy for longer than 3 seconds now!

Feet are obviously the most fun toy yet!
Working on sitting

Just a little shout out from my inner Texan to all my Texan peeps :) I've been making Carson's food and had read that using an ice cube tray was a great way to freeze and store the right portion. Since we have an icemaker on the fridge, I don't really have ice trays...but thanks to the great Texas send off we got- I had this tray!! Texas sized pureed peas - yum yum!

This was his first taste of food! Initially he made sour faces but by the end, we had grins and an open mouth :)

Contemplating..."To eat the green stuff or not, that is the question..."

1/2 birthday!!!

2010-02-27T11:28:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures I took of Carson on his 6-month birthday! (Look to a future post for the professional ones by Uncle Brant!! I had to get in a few from his rocker for comparison). The top two are from the beginning of the month and the bottom two are closer to the end of the month. He grows so fast!

Carson and Bundar

2010-02-27T10:50:00.000-08:00

For Christmas, Amberley and Joe gave Carson an adorable stuffed monkey for Christmas. His name is Bundar which is Hindi for "monkey." They are already become best buds! Here is Carson on his 1/2 birthday with Bundar and then some shots of them watching the snow fall together!

more snow day pics

2010-02-27T10:47:00.000-08:00

Snow Days

2010-02-27T10:27:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago we had a couple bouts of snow here in Russellville. It was so fun to enjoy a couple snow days at home! I was so thankful they came on days I was already off of work. We stayed in our pjs and drank hot chocolate, played monopoly, made snow angels, and went sledding! It was a ton of fun. Wanted a share a few pictures of Carson's first snow days! Uncle Brant submitte one of Carson to the local paper and of course he made the cut- so we have a little celebrity now- just let me know if you want his autograph! :)

5 months old

2010-01-27T19:45:00.000-08:00

Since our little guy is almost 6 months old, I figure I better put up his 5 month picture and post before it is too late!

At 5 months he has...
MET HIS AUNTIE AMS and CHA CHA JOE!!!!!!!
traveled to Houston to meet his Htown friends!!!
rolled from tummy to back (unintentionally and not very often, but it has happened!)
started sitting in his high chair
has tried rice cereal a few times and now seems to enjoy it
now enjoys his bumbo seat and exersaucer
loves his hands!
likes holding a toy and seems disappointed if he drops it
smiles all the time
laughs sometimes
wakes up super happy in the morning
naps better (usually 1 hour in morning and 2 in afternoon)
started Mother's Day Out
had his first and second ear infection :(
makes hillarious grunting noises and fake coughs
had his first real cough (yuck!)
takes 6 to 7 oz of breast milk every 3 1/2 to 4 hours
weighs 17 to 18 lbs!! (chunka monk!!)

Uncle Brant's 17th BDay

2010-01-27T19:35:00.000-08:00

For Brant's 17th birthday, we made a family trip to Devil's Den and stayed in an adorable log cabin for two nights. It had snowed earlier in the week and was beautiful! We enjoyed hiking, playing games, eating, and just spending quality time together!!

A Christmas family portrait

2010-01-27T19:32:00.000-08:00

I think this is the one and only picture we got of the four of us together at Christmas

Christmas with Walkers

2010-01-24T15:19:00.000-08:00

For Larry's mom, dad, and Nanny we had family pictures made- they turned out great! We picked out one for each of them and had it sized to 11x14 and framed. I think they all really loved them!

Pa and Carson with his new toys!

Pa with his boys- Chris, Larry, and Carson

Just a cute picture of my cute boy!

Christmas with the Haggars

2010-01-24T15:14:00.000-08:00

Abbey and Carson- Carson loves his cuz

Larry and Emily at Christmas breakfast

Uncle Chris and Carson

smiling with Ma

Bauman Christmas part 2

2010-01-24T15:11:00.000-08:00

Feetie PJ's are good for all ages!

Larry, Joe, and Brant with matching beanies from South Asia

How Carson spent the last hour of gift opening! It was WAY past his bedtime by this point...

Christmas morning gifts from Santa

Bauman Christmas

2010-01-24T15:08:00.000-08:00

Carson was a good boy this year! He got a LOT of presents!

With his awesome gifts from Auntie Ams and Cha Cha Joe- Bundar (Hindi for "monkey") and toy rickshaw (spelling??)

Carson and Bundar (best buds at first sight!)

Fun clothes from BeBe and Poppa

Christmas Eve 2009

2010-01-24T14:21:00.000-08:00

Christmas outfit #1 (Santa golfing!)

The whole fam at the Candlelight service...It's kind of hard to tell because the pic is dark, but we took up the entire row.

Auntie Ams held Carson for most of the service and he did great! Lots to look at and he loved the music!

4 generations: Grandpa, Poppa, Bethany and Carson

Celebrating Joe's 25th Bday at Cracker Barrell

2010-01-24T14:16:00.000-08:00

It's been a while

2010-01-24T13:56:00.000-08:00

The past month has been a whirlwind of fun, celebrations, and memory-making excitement. Between Christmas, Amberley and Joe's surprise visit, New Year's, and a trip to Houston...we have been busy. Hence, it has been a month since my last post! Before I get to all the pictures, I just want to express how truly grateful I am for the time we have shared with family this past month. The Father has blessed our time together so richly that I can honestly say we soaked up every minute together and then even got a bonus of two extra weeks! Transitioning back to "everyday life" has been a bit blue at times, but then I am just reminded of how much I have to be thankful for! Hope you enjoy a few of the moment's captured on camera.

more pics of the Futterers with their nephew!

2009-12-21T21:18:00.000-08:00

THE BEST CHRISTMAS SURPRISE EVER!!!

2009-12-21T21:14:00.000-08:00

I don't normally journal very much on our blog...I'm a picture kind of gal. But the following Christmas present is one that needs a bit of background information and is just too good to not share with anyone who will read!! Pretty much anyone that knows me well knows how close my family is and how much I have missed my sister and brother-in-law while they are spending some time overseas! They left the country in April with the plans of returning in January 2011. God has been so good to us during this time away...providing ample resources to stay in touch (including skype at the hospital when Carson was born). By far, the hardest part of them being gone was that Carson would be 18 months old when he first gets to meet his Auntie Ams and Cha Cha Joe face to face. That has been a difficult concept for me to wrap my mind around, but I knew that was just the way it was and the Father would provide a special relationship for them with Carson...even being oceans apart. Our heavenly Father is so good!! And my earthly father is one amazing man! A living example of my heavenly Father! Back in August when Carson was born, my dad started talking with Amberley and Joe about the possiblity of them coming home for the holidays. Thankfully the Lord had favor on them and their company agreed to let them come home. So they started planning but only revealed this plan to those on a need-to-know basis. I was not included on that roster!

Fast forward to December...again the Lord has been gracious to help me find joy in the true meaning of Christmas regardless of the circumstances...enjoying the time even if my sister and best friend is on the other side of the world! I have been trying so hard to be content with the many blessings we have been given and not dwell on the things I think are missing from the holiday...but occasionally I would slip...like when Larry asked what I wanted for Christmas and I said the only thing I wanted I couldn't have and that was to see my sister - really SEE her and HUG her- not just skype "see" her. Little did I know...

So Friday December 18, my dad calls and says he is at our house and has Carson's Christmas present...he wanted us to come outside and see. I couldn't imagine what my dad had found for Carson...he has everything he needs and then some! So I headed outside and Larry was right behind me holding Carson. My mom and brother are there with the video camera and my dad is at the back of their vehicle like he is getting something out of the trunk...then the back seat doors open and out jumps Amberley from one side and Joe from the other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I could not believe what I was seeing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There were about 50 million thoughts going through my mind and yet utter speechlessness all at the same time!!!!!!!!!!! Then came to overwhelming happy sobs of joy and gratitude!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was the best thing ever to hug my sister's neck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Even better was getting to watch her meet her nephew for the first time and kiss his little cheek!!!!!!!!!!

Words can't express how truly grateful I am for my dad's most precious gift and it can't come close to comparing to my Heavenly Father's most awesome Christmas gift of Jesus Christ. It is incredible to me how we can experience such love and joy and excitement here on this earth...and yet those emotions pale in comparison to the love our Father has for us and the excitement we will experience when we are re-united with Him in glory for eternity!

So my little heart couldn't be happier this Christmas....

enjoy a few glimpses of this wonderful surprise!

Auntie Ams and Carson enjoying some precious bonding time!!! He already loves her so much!

The three sibs together for Christmas!

Just precious pictures that I never dreamed I would get to take!

The Hestons come to visit

2009-12-21T20:33:00.000-08:00

This weekend our dear sweet friends, the Hestons came to visit us in Russellville and meet Carson!! We had such a fun weekend together! The only thing we don't have pictures of is mad bowling skills! Good times....

This is Payton wanting to "hold" Carson. She is going to make such a great big sister!

Holly and Carson

Payton and Carson just "chillin" together...

We took Carson and Payton to see Santa....

And even got to celebrate Payton's 2nd birthday and Holly's 29th birthday!

Lancaster Christmas

2009-12-21T20:26:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we celebrated Christmas with my mom's side of the family. Here are a few of the highlights.

My mom keeps Carson 3 days a week while I work. Each day, she writes down on a scratch sheet of paper the events of the day...what time he ate, when he napped, who came to visit, dirty diapers, etc. So for Christmas, Carson got Bebe a journal to keep all this memorable information in :) She loved it!!

Carson got a great gift from Uncle Doug, Aunt Denise, Rachel and Stephen...a red car walker! It is the cutest thing ever! He is still just a little bit small/young for it, but VERY soon it will be perfect. And it was a very fitting gift since my uncle is a car dealer!

An announcement

2009-12-15T19:10:00.000-08:00

Also at the Christmas party, my friend Lydia announced that she is pregnant! We are thanking God for our miracle baby Miller who is due to arrive in June!!

Mommy and Carson :)

This picture was taken last year at Amberley and Joe's going away party...the pregnant girls were lining up in order of due date for a preggo pic and that is when I made the announcement that I was pregnant! It was a very fun moment!

Here is a picture this year with babies! And another announcement is made!! Yay Lydia! (We're missing Megon Oliver and Madison Freyaldenhoven in this picture...but we picked up Breanne and Riley! :)

Bridge Class Christmas party

2009-12-15T19:09:00.000-08:00

A few pics from our Sunday School Class Christmas party. Melissa, Beckett, Lacy, and Mel. And if you look closely in the bottom left corner you'll see Carson! He decided he would take a nap for the first hour of the party! Choas all around but sweet slumber in the carseat!

Jax, Meg, Lydia, and Kristen

We had a white elephant gift exchange and by far the funniest gift was the "Burke Larkin wig" and shirt brought by Kristen Hare. Here is Kyle sporting the wig as well as the sweater vest shirt with the top 12 things you may here Burke say on any given Sunday!

Am and Joe- thought you would want to see this! Meg- need to email you a copy! Jax in his super stunt!

decorating tree

2009-12-15T19:02:00.000-08:00

We are working on developing Carson's neck and back muscles...unfortunately he is not a fan of our methods. This is him doing two of his least favorite things at the moment....sitting in his bumbo seat and tummy time. This content expression only lasts for about 30 sec to 1 minute before he is screaming!

Mom and Carson cuddling while dad puts up the Christmas tree

santa hat

2009-12-15T18:59:00.000-08:00

I had been looking everywhere for a santa hat for Carson and was totally unsuccessful in finding one. Then at church Sunday, they gave all the babies in the bed babies class these santa hats! Super cute! So of course we needed some pictures in the hat. Also please note the onesie he is sporting...unfortunately it is true for the last week or two!

just a funny picture

2009-12-15T18:56:00.000-08:00

Just thought this was cute...dad and carson watching football together! just chillin...

a new friend

2009-12-15T18:54:00.000-08:00

Carson has a new friend! Baby Jace Brexton Aiken was born on December 1st! Here is Carson with his buddies- Beckett Rogers (7 months old) and Jace (less than one week).

Larry holding baby Jace....I so remember the day when he would never hold a baby! My how things change when you have one of your own! He was waiting in line to hold him :)

4 months old

2009-12-15T18:50:00.000-08:00

We attempted to go to the annual Christmas parade...but little buddy got very hungry and sleepy. Given that it was very cold outside this was obviously a bad combination...so we decided to head on home for the evening and will attempt the parade next year instead. On the way home, he fell asleep and this is how he slept in his carseat in his bedroom for the next 3+hours!

4 month old pictures (and one day but who's counting?!)

Christmas Pix!

2009-12-02T19:31:00.000-08:00

Another fun photo shoot with Uncle Brant!!

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-12-02T18:46:00.000-08:00

We had a great thanksgiving this year! So much to be thankful for!! We stuffed our faces at two lunches and one dinner. Had a great holiday weekend, but I realized we never really got a picture of just the three of us. These are a few of the shots I did get from the day.

NeeNaw and Carson

Me and Grandma

Abbey and Carson

Emily and Carson

Thanksgiving dinner with Larry's mom

WOOOOO PIG SOOOIE!!!!

2009-11-23T19:13:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday, we got great tickets to see the Razorbacks defeat Troy! Front row seats! We had been wanting to go to a game, but leaving our little guy behind...well, it always makes me sad/nervous. BUT these tickets were too good to pass up and my family was going. So Carson stayed with his great NeeNaw and PaPa while mom and dad went to the game. They said he did great!

From left to right- Brant, Kara, Rachel (cousin), me, Lar, Uncle Doug, mom, dad, Clarissa (cousin's cousin :), and Aunt Denise

Brant State Cross Country Meet

2009-11-23T19:08:00.000-08:00

We decided to surprise my brother, Brant, by showing up at his State cross country meet. We were a little apprehensive about the 3 hour drive with Carson, but he did great! Plus it was a beautiful fall day and the drive was through the mountains so we got to see all the leaves changing colors- LOVE the colors of an Arkansas fall!

This is Carson saying, "Run fast Uncle Brant!!!"

Notice the shirt...this is a shirt that Brant and Amberley made and wore to cheer for me when I ran in the Oklahoma City Marathon in 2004- so I decided to "recycle" it for Brant's race!

Carson 3 months old

2009-11-23T19:04:00.000-08:00

Here is Carson with Ma

Carson's great Grandma and great Grandpa decided it had been too long since they had seen him, so they came to visit! (Yes, that is a pink flamingo towel he is laying on...my mom likes to protect her couch from spit up and it always seems to be with this beach towel :)

Grandpa and Carson

2009-11-23T18:32:00.000-08:00

This video captures a very sweet and precious conversation between Carson and his great Grandpa! One of those moments that I was very glad I had a camera available. Amberley, I knew you would want to see this!

playtime video

2009-11-23T08:04:00.000-08:00

Carson has had so much fun with his playmat- it is his favorite thing right now! He loves the little mirror and this is a video of him smiling at himself. He already knows he's handsome!

Happy Halloween

2009-11-02T19:38:00.000-08:00

We started out our Halloween with the annual Russellville Dowtown Fall Festival 5K. This was Carson's first race with mom and dad (other than those he "ran" while still in the womb :) He did great- it was pretty chilly but he fell asleep after the first mile. I pushed the stroller so Larry could run a little faster. We had a great time and even won our age divisions!

Before the race

After the race

We later came back to the Downtown Fall Festival and walked around enjoying the beautiful day. Then we went to visit NeeNaw and PaPa (my grandparents) so Carson could "trick or treat." The pumpkin outfit he wore was made by one of the physicians I work with and given as a baby gift. He was the cutest pumpkin I've seen this year!

Too long of a pause

2009-10-30T20:20:00.000-07:00

For those following our blog- I apologize for not having an update in so long! I have been back at work now for 4 weeks and I think that has played a large part in my lack of time devoted to blogging, email, facebook, etc. Going back to work was tough (I cried the whole way there my first day back!), but I have to say how thankful I have been through the transition. First of all, incredibly thankful that my mom is Carson's babysitter! Who could I trust more with my baby??? (no one! I mean she raised me, so she obviously knows what she is doing - haha ;) Secondly, I'm only working three days a week (Tues, Wed, and Thurs)...so 4 day weekend every weekend! LOVE the part-time! Third, being back at work really has not been that bad...I am reminded that I enjoy what I do - so I'm thankful for a career that is fulfilling and a job that has been so understanding and respectful of my desire to be mommy too! And finally, I am thankful for an absolutely prescious baby that is SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT! (most nights :) After my first week back to work (at 10 weeks old), he slept through his first night! Of course, I woke up several times to check on him and make sure everything was okay. Wasn't sure if it would happen again, but now he is sleeping through the night majority of the time. When he does wake up, it is to eat and go right back to sleep. So, THANK YOU LORD for your many, many blessings!!! I'm reminded we have SO much to be thankful for as thanksgiving approaches!!

Since our last update, we have also been to the pumpkin patch...watched uncle brant run in this conference cross country meet (pics especially for ams!), celebrated Russellville High School homecoming (Carson's first parade) along with my 10-year high school reunion...and even celebrated Ma's (Larry's mom's) 60th bday....

baby dedication

2009-10-11T14:08:00.000-07:00

Today was baby dedication at our church. This basically means we committed to raising Carson in a Christ-centered home and dedicated to loving him like Jesus so that one day he will choose to follow Christ and have a personal relationship with Him!

a picture of the program

waking up happy

2009-10-11T13:49:00.000-07:00

As you will hear in my lovely commentary- this was a great night for Carson and therefore a great morning! He has been sleeping so much better lately for which we truly thank God for! Last night he went to sleep after his dinner at 8pm, woke up at 1am to eat and went right back to sleep until 6:30am!! It was just wonderful! Well, he was still sleepy, so I put him back down and then around 8am I could hear him in his crib and this is what I found...my happy little boy eating his hand! :) (FYI: For any mom reading this who thinks sarcastically, "must be nice?!" please no this has in no way been our norm or a reflection of my mothering skills....it is simply what it is- a good night...and for that we can be very thankful and enjoy it for what it is whether it happens again tonight or not :)

my little monkey

2009-10-11T13:48:00.000-07:00

just some super cute pics of my handsome little dude that I had to share!!! that little grin just melts mommy's heart everytime!!

Carson look alike :)

2009-10-03T13:20:00.000-07:00

After you have a baby of course everyone wants to know, "Who does he look like??!!" Well, it has been difficult for us to decide...he just looks like a super cute baby to us! :) But my mom brought out a few baby pics of me that we can definitely see some "Carson" in! Here are a few pictures of me around 4 and 6 weeks old. We'll have a to get a few of Larry on here and let our viewers take a vote.

Carson bath time

2009-10-03T13:19:00.000-07:00

Here are some "G" rated bath time pics for comparison!

Carson in Carseat

2009-10-03T13:17:00.000-07:00

Now, here is Carson in some similar "poses."

Carson Fall Pix by Brant

2009-10-01T08:16:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Uncle Brant decided it was time for a few fall photos of his favorite nephew! Check out this handsome little guy celebrating the beginning of fall!

nursery finished

2009-09-10T19:37:00.000-07:00

Realized I never posted pics of his nursery finally finished!

play time with dad

2009-09-10T19:35:00.000-07:00

Too cute! :) Carson loves his daddy!

wide eyed

2009-09-10T19:34:00.000-07:00

Over the past few days Carson has definitely had more time spent alert and taking in everything around him. It is fun to see how much he changes daily.

happy time

2009-09-10T11:08:00.000-07:00

Carson was very intrigued by a pillow case today and had a lot of fun just kicking and cooing- thought I would share the moment! We love these times when he is content and are praying that as his reflux improves, they will come more frequently! :) He is such a cutie!!