Library

We went to the library this afternoon for a couple hours, Carson spent a majority of the time playing with the train table, but also stopped for a minute to work on a couple puzzles, read a couple books, and play with a few other toys.



I haven't posted a video in awhile...
It had been pretty busy, but for a short while he was the only child in the area, so I got him on video. Chugga, chugga, chugga...

Christmas Weekend

We got a few inches of snow during the day on Christmas Eve, so we went outside to play. Carson had fun walking through the snow, and kicking the snow banks, then would point out that he made a tunnel... He's a little tunnel obsessed since his birthday. :)

I pulled him on the sled, and he asked to go fast...he was laughing so hard! The rest of our Christmas plans changed as we got pounded by a blizzard. It started snowing quite a bit in the evening, and didn't stop for 2 days. We got a little over 2 feet of snow! Apparently, the 5th largest snowstorm in the area on record. We were not able to leave the house, and unfortunately the rest of the family wasn't able to come visit us either. So, this year Christmas turned into a "weekend", which overall turned out to be great when they eventually made it toward the end of the weekend...more celebrating.

He got a Mr. Potato head from Santa, and he's had lots of fun with it. Every toddler needs one, right?

Playdoh has been a HUGE hit! After this weekend, I'll have to take back my comment about not asking him to help me make sugar cookies again for many years to come. He has become a pro at rolling it out and cutting out shapes.

Between opening his own presents, he was the official present deliverer. This one was especially comical...it took so much effort!

I asked him to look at me so I could take a picture, and he looked at me like, "Are you kidding? I have a new tractor, don't interrupt me!"

I was so excited to be able to take a couple pictures of Carson and his baby cousin Brigid together. He had no interest in being anywhere near her the last time we were together.

He even gave her a kiss on the cheek...he's such a sweetie!

2nd Birthday

Carson turned 2 years old today, which is incredible in itself! He had so much fun opening his presents. His favorite was his tent, but he also got some other fun stuff, like books, a train, a backpack, a new potty chair (hint, hint Carson).

I made him an Elmo cake, which he loved! He blew out the candles, and then asked to do it again, and again, and again...

As he was eating, he was saying, "Mmmm, Elmo cake!"

We spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out and playing with the new toys.

When it got dark out, we bundled up in our warm clothes, and headed down to the Bentleyville City of Lights display. It was a huge Christmas light display like nothing I had ever seen before. We got out and walked around, drank hot chocolate, and listened to Christmas music. Santa was there, but it was a little too chilly to stand in a line outside, and Carson probably would have not had a positive reaction anyway.

2 Year Photos

I took Carson in to get his 2 year old pictures taken, and these were my final choices. He was being a little pill during the photoshoot, so it's amazing we actually had any turn out. He's such a handsome little boy!

Bath Time

One can never have enough bathtub pictures! Carson LOVES his bath, and has so much fun splashing in the tub.

Can you believe him? He sure loves water!!!

He requests bubbles when I tell him it's time for his bath...bathtime isn't the same without them!

Christmas Cookies

I made my first batch of Christmas cookies today, and it made this quickly approaching holiday seem more real. I had the help of Carson, and I'm not going to lie and say it was a pleasant bonding experience...haha! I have never had a batch of cookies stress me out as much as these, and don't see myself making cut-out sugar cookies together again until he is at least 10 years old. He is a great helper when it comes to simple tasks, but he took the initiative to dig a spatula and a cookie cutter into my freshly rolled out dough when I turned my back to take a batch out of the oven...ahhhhhh!

After we mixed up the frosting, I asked him to count the cookies. He started with one, two, two, two, two, two, nine... :)

He was really excited to finally be able to try the first cookie. I gave it to him before the frosting had dried, but he wasn't about to complain.

I'd say he approved! Overall, a successful day...the cookies are made, and my little boy feels great satisfaction in knowing that he helped.

Decorating the Tree

Yes, I do realize that it's been quite a while since my last post! This time of year is usually a busy time for most, but has been especially busy for me. I finished school, have been getting ready for Christmas, looking for a new job, preparing for a birthday party, and trying to figure out how to upload pictures to my computer with a malfunctioning camera...

Carson helped decorate the Christmas tree with ornaments. He was very cautious, and for the most part did a pretty good job.

Some of the hooks were a little tricky, so he'd ask for help...but he quickly figured out the task at hand. I think my favorite part of the tree this year is the bottom two feet, with clumps of ornaments grouped onto the same branch. ;)

Playing at the Library

Looking at Carson's expression when he realized that he was going to play with the Thomas the Train set when we arrived at the library was the greatest.

He plays so seriously...but has SO much fun!

Indoor sliding is always fun too!

New Cousin

We went down to visit my sister and brother-in-law, and new baby Brigid Ann...she is so adorable! She was born early in the morning on November 9th, 2009, and was 8lbs 6oz...big, healthy girl! It's so exciting to have a new baby in the family!

I asked Carson to sit down, and tried putting her on his lap so I could take a picture...he pushed her away... :0! We dealt with jealousy issues throughout the entire afternoon. He eventually got used to her, but wasn't willing to go out of his way to show her any affection.

I'm so glad Carson has a cousin close to him in age..it will be fun seeing them grow up together!

Unexpected Photoshoot

So, I still have a ton of catching up to do...but am still having camera cord trouble... :(

We went to Babies R Us today, and happened to be walking by the Kiddie Kandids portrait studio, when a girl approached us and offered to photograph Carson for free as practice because she was being trained in. I thought she did a great job! I was planning on bringing Carson in to have his 2 year old pictures taken shortly, so this was good practice for him too. They gave me a free 8 "x 11" for participating. They tried to get me to purchase a package to go along with it, but I declined since I was completely caught off guard by this offer, and didn't feel he was dressed appropriately for a professional photoshoot.

Update

Thanks to the help of my little friend, I no longer have a functioning camera cord. I'm hoping to make a trip to Best Buy to buy one this weekend. I have lots of new pictures to load...so check back!

Coloring

Carson attended toddler story hour at the library. The books were about apples and pumpkins, so he was given apple & pumpkin coloring papers to take home as he was leaving. We dug out the crayons, and he worked on the apple first. I love refrigerator art!

He kept giving me the crayons so I could help...he's so good at sharing!

Trick or Treat

We went trick or treating around the neighborhood, and Carson had a blast. It was cold, so we didn't stay out long...but overall it was a good experience. He had been practicing saying "trick or treat" for a few days leading up to Halloween, but when his opportunity came to say it...he was speechless. He did understand that if he held up his bucket, he would be told how cute he was, and candy would be dropped inside. ;) We went to visit the neighbor lady across the street first, and she gave him a sucker.

Forget the sucker...he discovered chocolate!

When we got home, he dug through his candy bucket and picked out some mini M&M's. He doesn't normally eat many sweets, so tonight was a real treat.

Did I mention that he REALLY enjoyed his treat?

Pumpkin Carving

I told Carson that we were going to play with pumpkins at the table. He climbed up on the chair, and was so surprised when the top of the pumpkin came off! He dug right in, removing seeds and guts...no fear from this boy!

He did a great job scooping with the spoon...

Success, a Mama pumpkin and a Carson pumpkin!

Camouflage Carson

Thank goodness for a beautiful, sunny day! We spent the afternoon exploring outside, and Carson discovered this tricky hiding spot. He was calling me, "Mama.......Mama", because I was out of site. ;)

The wheels are always turning in his little mind, and he has a great imagination. So unbelievable that he'll be turning 2 shortly!

Playing Outside

We spent the afternoon outside enjoying the nice fall weather. There is a small hill in the back yard, and Carson would start at the top and run all the way down, then back up. Repeat x 10!

He found a really big rock to stand on, struggled to climb up, then told me he wanted to jump. He is such a daredevil!

As always, the swing is a favorite. Without a doubt, every day spent playing outside requires pushes on the swing. He likes REALLY big pushes too...and he laughs so hard!