Catching up with The Carpenters...

Rainy Day = Aquarium Fun!

2011-09-22T11:59:00.003-04:00

I'm a Soccer Mom!

2011-09-22T11:41:00.007-04:00

I could totally be driving a min van with all the soccer equipment and one of those little soccer ball gas covers...but I'm going to stick with black beauty, because she has served me well and let's face it, I love my Sequoia! An upgrade would be nice, but for now, let's just get her paid off!

Back to soccer. B has been doing it for right at a month now and seems to love it. 5 year old soccer is supposed to be a fun learning tool for the kids to start working on what it's like to be part of a team. Real tough for this momma, because I am a little competitive. We don't keep score...but I know how many goals my boy made! 1st game was a little tough for all. Somebody was overly sensitive and even ran off the field crying because he wasn't being cheered on. Trust me. He was! He whined the entire game and wanted to know why no one passed the ball to him. There was alot of DRAMA! This past weekend we had one game on Saturday and one on Sunday and he scored in both. YEAH BRAXTON!!!!!! He was so proud of himself. After he scored and everyone cheered, did a few high 5's, he came running over to me with the biggest smile of pure pride for a kiss. Yep...he wanted a kiss. Sunday Pancake Papa and Mimi and Pops were there to see him make his 2nd goal. YEAH again! Still a little whining through out, still a little drama, but I see improvements and well, isn't that the point of this. Now if only the practices could go smoother. I feel for Coach Erik and his patience required for seven 5 year old boys, who have the attention span of ZERO!

Go Team Frogs!!!

Chappelle enjoys hanging out with her friends during practice too. Who doesn't like a little girl time!?!?

More Island Fun

2011-09-19T12:36:00.005-04:00

PICTURE POST..PICTURE POST

2011-09-19T12:20:00.003-04:00

Yes, I am 6 weeks late on posting pictures from Chappelle's birthday and yes, I only have 5 from our celebration. I need a professional photography to follow us around. It's hard to entertain, watch kids and yet, capture all the cute moments. So at this point, I will take what I get.

How stinking cute is she though????

I LOVE FALL!!!!

2011-09-16T12:07:00.003-04:00

There is no question about it. No denying it. I absolutely am in love with Fall. I woke up this morning and it was 60 degrees outside. One of the things that excites me about this weekend is the idea of a perfect cup of coffee, relaxing on the back porch in cool weather. Another thing that excites me about this weekend.....no real plans! We are known for our packed schedules and I am looking forward to chilling and I say "bring on the rain!" I loaded the crock pot with Chili before leaving for work this morning. Add some cheese, scallions and sour cream, along with cornbread and beer and that sounds like the perfect combo for a wonderful Friday night at home with the hubster and kido's. We may take a trip to the aquarium tomorrow. Try out a few new recipes: Banana bread, Saltine Cracker Toffee and a Orange Dreamsicle fruit dip to have to munch on. Will post pictures and comments on those next week.

If it weren't going to get back up in the mid 80's next week, you know I would be all over some pumpkins and mums!

Bittersweet!

2011-08-19T15:40:00.003-04:00

I haven't had the courage yet to write on this subject, but this time next week, I will be the momma, very proud mommy at that, of a kindergartner!

I can not believe my little goose is old enough to be in school next week. This is a weird spot to be in, because I love that he is finding his own independence and is becoming such a smart, sweet, inquisitive, caring, not to mention very handsome little guy. I love this little boy more than he will ever know. There are times he drives me down right insane and I don't know what to do, but I wouldn't change any of it for the world. No one could have prepped or warned you for the ups and downs, the roller coaster ride of parenting. At this point in our lives, the 3 areas we are really working on is whining, ungratefulness and repeatedly asking the same things over and over and over again. Based on conversations with other moms, it's not just us, but good lord is it a test!

I digress! We have done alot for Braxton to get him ready and amped up for this transition. We decided to re-do his bedroom. The monkey/giraffe mural that Bryan painted - gone! The jungle themed room - outta here. For the big boy, that's going to big boy school, needed a big boy room for sure. PIRATES! I found a great comforter, we painted his room, one wall red, the other three walls super light blue. Ordered a skull/cross bones/ pirate ship decal. Still looking for a few things to finish it up, but we are super pleased! We got him a new big boy book bag loaded with supplies. Bryan and I went for our first parent/teacher orientation last night and met Ms Colenda and Ms Hess.

Let me just tell you - it's going to be one of the hardest days of my life. I tear up every time I think about it. Bryan and I are going to drop him off together. Bryan said he will need to scoop me up off the floor. ugh! I plan to work until 1:00 and then I am going to spy on him in his new surroundings. Then when school gets out (still sounds weird to say) he and I will spend the afternoon together in a mommy and me day discussing his very first day at school. I see fuzzy peach in our future and maybe a little bowling or something amazing! Just something he and I can do together to celebrate!

Braxton Everett "Goose" Carpenter - your mommy is super proud of you and loves you to pieces!!!!

Let there be ..... poop?!?

2011-08-19T15:36:00.002-04:00

Chappelle pooped in the potty!!!! Waa Hoo! Totally think it was a fluke and if anyone is reading this, it may be TMI. But this is something we take serious in our house and we have poop! She "tries to potty" every night before her bath. Meaning she sits on the potty, says she pee pee's and fake flushes. She did this Monday night while I was getting jammies ready and I walked in to her sitting on the potty, leg up on the seat and then proceeds to stand up and said POOP! I walked over and sure enough my girl pooped. We clapped, we danced, we shrieked in excitement. I think she may have been a little scared at first, but boy did we make a huge deal about poop. It hasn't happened again. We aren't pushing it. It will come. But we know she can do it.....yeah Chappelle, we are so proud of poop!

Girl Time - Theraputic!

2011-08-10T09:57:00.010-04:00

You know how much I love my girl time....and the Rascal Flatts concert was no exception. Les came in town Friday night so we were able to have some good one on one qt. We leisurely got ready Saturday, hung out with the kids while Bryan fished. Midday, Kelly picked us up, we scooped up my girl Kimmie and hit the road.
Conversations without having to interrupt come few and far between, so that in itself was great. We got to Raleigh, checked in, picked up some Scoobie snacks and let the festivities begin. We tailgated in 103 degree weather, got settled on the lawn and had a blast. Opening for RF was Sara Evans, who I am normally not a big fan of - but put on an amazing show, Easton Corbin, Justin Moore and then Rascal Flatts. It was so much fun!!! I have been trying to see them for years now and will tell you after that show, I will be back. A storm came in the last 30 minutes with the whole works, thunder, lightning and rain. It was amazing! Traffic completely sucked..but Waffle House at the end made up for it. Beside the heat the only downfall for the night was my license and money getting lost. I had it in Kel's back pocket and on one of the trips to the porta johns, it didn't come back with her.
By the grace of God, some kind, sweet man found both the money and license, tracked me down and sent it back to me. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Thanks girls for yet another wonderful memory!!

Folly 2011

2011-07-28T10:39:00.021-04:00

One of my absolute favorite weekends of the year - Folly Beach SC!

It's absolute mayhem with alot of adults, alot of kids and alot of alcohol all in one house! We have been doing this for at least 30 years. Started off with my granddaddy and his brothers and sisters and now 4 generations later....!

We have stayed in the same beach house for the last 5 years. When I say we have stayed in the same house, that's 19 people in one house. 11 adults and 8 kids, 7 of them 7 and under! Hence all the alcohol. We usually all get in and settled Saturday night and then Sunday is Funday. We hang out on the beach ALL DAY LONG. Literally 9-9! Any and everyone is more than welcome, the more the merrier. The only reason we go inside is to either put a kid down, make lunch or refill a cooler! It's always a good time and usually ends up with fantastic pictures. I normally get to see everyone in my immediate family this day. We started the Folly pub/bar crawl last year too and always filled with good memories and laughs! We have an amazing time getting the cousins together both old and young. I wish we could see each other more than once a year. Guess it gives us time to re-coup for the next gathering:)

4th of July

2011-07-28T08:35:00.006-04:00

Annual tradition is for the Carpenter/Barrow family to get together at Bald Head over the 4th, which also happens to be Kevin's birthday.

Unfortunately this year Kevin and his crew kept passing a nasty virus back and forth. We got to see Sean just a little bit, but not enough. But thank goodness the rest of us didn't get it! It was great getting together with everyone and the kids had a blast. It's chaotic, but a good chaos!

Mimi entered the annual golf cart parade. The theme was "Let Freedom Ring." Anna, Braxton and Brynn (along with Marie for an extra set of eyes and hands) rode along and rang bells and then in front of the judges said the Pledge of Allegiance. That was the hook, line and sinker. They won 3rd place in the Patriotic division.

As always, a great time, never long enough and can't wait for the next visit!

Cousins!

2011-05-18T11:58:00.004-04:00

This past weekend we were lucky enough to meet a Carpenter cousin for the very first time. Long story short, Mary reached out to Bryan's parents a few years back. Through communication she got Bryan's email address along with Marie and Kevin. Over they years a few dates have been thrown out to meet, but with how busy everyone is, things just never panned out. About a month ago Mary emailed Bryan and said she was planning a girls weekend in our area and would love to meet. And so we did! She was wonderful. I can honestly say that it's like we had all been friends for years. She was so easy to talk to. We met downtown at Nicki's Sushi and talked for hours. Then we bar hopped a little and continued getting to know each other. Sunday she came by to meet Chappelle and Braxton, who absolutely fell in love with her. She wasn't a stranger for long. Within less than 5 minutes, little B climbed in her lap and was playing and naming lego's after her. You know it's love when he names his lego's after her! Mary stayed for a couple of hours before having to head back. As we walked her out Braxton said "she sure is pretty!" And as you can see by the pictures....he is right!
Till the next time......

Key West BABY!!!!

2011-05-11T14:56:00.000-04:00

So for Bryan's 40th birthday, my main present to him was a card that said "PACK YOUR BAGS!" and on the table I had little slips of paper with Costa Rica, Cabo and Key West turned over. We basically had a long weekend Thursday - Sunday to go away. I already had my mom lined up to watch the kids so now we needed to decide how to get the biggest bang for our buck. The cost to go to all three wasn't a big difference but what we had to keep in mind was the travel time. So the Keys it was!

We had an absolutely amazing time! Flew in around 2:00 Thursday, plenty of time to get checked in at our B&B - Tropical Inn and venture out. First stop Front Porch. Beer and wine...just our kind of spot. They were great and gave us some really good tips. We enjoyed the beverages and company there and then hit the walk...sidewalk that is! Our location was prime! We were directly in the middle of Duval St. We tried to hit as many local spots during our stay as possible too. Timing of the trip was perfect and coincided with the KeyWest Songwriters Festival. We were lucky enough to get seats for the show at The San Carlos Theater to see Jamey Johnson, Robert Earl Keen, Raul and a few other up and comers. It was totally MTV unplugged style. They would banter back and forth and just strike up a tune. Seriously amazing. We did everything possible to try and see Jerrod Neiman, but didn't luck out. It was super cool though because Jake Owen sat right next to us at the airport...Hello Handsome! Bryan and I had such an amazing time together and reconnected, which all couples need. We missed the kids terribly, but wouldn't you know it, jumped right back into the groove as soon as we got home. It was like we were never gone!

Mom/Grandmomma/Gaga did great. Thanks so much! She got some really good one on one time in with botj kido's. Can't wait for the next trip already!!!!

Random Cuteness

2011-04-12T13:42:00.004-04:00

Braxton Update

2011-04-12T11:48:00.014-04:00

My boy is 5! Where has the time gone? I can not believe I have a 5 year old!!!

This year we opted for a pizza party. It was great. I called to see if the Fire Department could stop by. We didn't know for sure until the day of, so I had not said anything to Braxton about it. I didn't want to disappoint my little buddy. We had a cake decorated with a dinosaur and I filled Easter Eggs with candy and we did a "dinosaur egg hunt" in the backyard along with a couple of borrowed bounce houses and a few of our favorite friends. The fire truck was ah-maz-ing!!! We ended up getting a ladder truck and they did not disappoint. The boys put the ladder...all...the...way...up....110 feet in the air and then climbed it! WHAT?!? Braxton and his buddies said "this was the best birthday ever!" Cool points scored for mom and dad! Braxton received all kinds of awesome gifts and uhm, dad got him a BB Gun. Seriously! I am not real keen on the idea, so Bryan has promised me, it gets locked in the gun safe and the only time he will get to shoot it is when dad is around and he will wear his safety glasses. My concern is "I like Chappelle's eyes!"

Happy Birthday to my sweetest boy ever! I love you more than you will ever know. You are head strong and can have a temper, but you have a genuine, sweet soul and love to snuggle and cuddle. Big things are in store for you my sweet goose!

In other big news: I registered B for kindergarten back in March and today we went for his assessment. They told us to be prepared with the staples: his name, birth date, address, phone number. So we made sure he was covered on those and in addition to that he needed to be able to trace, color, skip, use scissors. The process itself only took 30 minutes and basically they use it as a guideline to make sure they have a mixture in class. Of course I am a tad biased and think not only is he super stinkin' cute, but he's a smart boy too! I may have welled up as he walked back for his assessment. August is going to be brutal for me!

Crazy Busy!!

2011-04-12T11:20:00.005-04:00

April is by far one of our busiest months. It's right up there with December where we travel every single weekend. The first weekend of April we hit a milestone: Chappelle's 1st haircut! My girl's hair was trailer park mullet style before hand and completely out of control. So with it being the 1st haircut, I scheduled an appointment at Cuttin' Up. Kids salon geared completely towards children with cool riding toys to sit in while they pumped you full of fruit snacks. People - we were in there for 8 minutes, 3 snips, literally 3 snips later and $15! Won't do that again! I was like what about the hair on the sides, won't you cut that. Hair dresser said it would look like a mullet even more than it does now. HOW??? I don't know.

It is ladies night.....

2011-03-10T16:55:00.007-05:00

I love my girls! I have the absolute best group of girls in my life EVA!! We do several annuals and one of my favs is our Christmas party. It's girls only and rocks!
This year Kimmie hosted it and we were to buy something we would like. Normally we buy for a name drawn, this year...a little tougher! We have two momma's to be: Missy Miss is due April 11th with a sweet girl and Jilly Pie is having another boy June 11th. Tiff came down too. It was her first getaway since having Abbi in October. Momma needed a night out!
We tried a couple of different martini recipes (bonefish's infamous pomegranite martini and a couple of other ones) and they tasted like as*!

For real....it snowed again at the beach!

2011-03-10T15:10:00.008-05:00

2 years in a row it has snowed here, which also means that Braxton thinks it will snow here every year. Schools closed, work closed - the town SHUT DOWN! The awesome part about it was not only how pretty it was and the fun we had with the kids, but I got to "hunker down" in my new snuggy (thanks Mom) spread out between the kids bean bags (thank you Santa) with a book in front of the fireplace with hot chocolate and marshmellows.....That is what I am talking about!!

Holiday picture overload......

2011-03-10T10:41:00.018-05:00

Yep, I realize we are 1/3 of the way done with March, but I have yet to post from Thanksgiving and Christmas and before we get the Carpenter's together for Easter, I thought now was a good time to post our holidays pics!

I have posted newest to oldest. Christmas photos are all mixed up with Charleston Christmas, where only Braxton and I could go because Chappelle was sick, and Raleigh Carpenter/Barrow Christmas.

We had a blast at both. I love family time and getting everyone together. I am so lucky to have the best sister and brothers ever who I adore, to the best sister and brother in laws too. We are very blessed, regardless of how crazy they can be, with the family we have. And as chaotic as it is when we all get together, the time is precious with all the kids!

This year was Thanksgiving in Charleston - I love Thanksgiving! I love the family time and then the traditions we have in Wilmington. Every year we get our Christmas tree the Saturday following Thanksgiving and that Saturday night we do flotilla and Sunday we decorate. I am going to say it again.....I LOVE IT!!!

Last but not least we have our annual beach shots taken by Katie Mathews. These are the balance of family shots. I love the one where Braxton looks absolutely miserable! Individual ones of the kids are on posts below.

Chappelley Belly!!!!

2011-03-10T10:09:00.005-05:00

I HEART this little girl! She is now 19 months old. These pictures are from our family shoot back in September of last year, she was 13 months then. She has been so much fun! She absolutely adores her big brother. It's very entertaining, for the most part, to watch them play. Braxton is usually gentle with her and shows her how to do things. He loves chasing her around the house and she loves to be chased. It's not all fun and games, he also likes to take things away from her. Funny how he hasn't had an interest in some of these toys for months or even years, but let Chappelle play with it and all of a sudden, it's his new fav!

Here is a list of things coming out of her mouth:
MMMIIINNNEEE...it's very aggressive how she says it and almost with a ggrr to it!
Hi, bye bye, ball, Ba - Ba (for Braxton), Mommy, Daddy, uh-oh (with the sweetest little O shape mouth)and sucks in if she sees something bad or wrong. For instance the other morning, Bud Green had thrown up and she stood in the hallway, sucking in and pointing at it. It's really cute! She also has her own special language. It sounds like 3 languages in one. She signs "more" and can understand when you ask her things because she will shake her head yes or no.

Here is a list of things going in her mouth: EVERYTHING! She is still my eater and I love it. She doesn't hesitate trying new foods and will let you know whether she likes them or not!

I take her tomorrow for her 18 month check up - will update you on her stats then!

Where have I been?

2011-03-10T09:23:00.006-05:00

I pull up this blog almost daily to get my fix on the other blogs I read and don't even update my own. This is RIDICULOUS! I am using this as a tool to document raising these two beautiful children and need to fill you in:

Braxton:
I am in the process of planning his 5th birthday party. I still can't believe my baby is going to be 5! I watched him last night walk to his bedroom (after he got out when he shouldn't have:) and seriously, the kid has grown like a weed. My children have always been little and will always be little. I am only 5" 2' and Bryan's 5" 8' - we aren't big people. But Braxton has sky rocketed. Last summer even he was wearing some 2T (I swear they were mis-marked) but all of a sudden 4T is getting small.

We are going to celebrate his birthday with a pizza party at the house. We will do cupcakes at school to celebrate and then I am taking 1/2 day off like I do every year to play with him.

He still makes me laugh EVERY day! Apparently last week he asked Olivia Williams to marry him. He had gone to the dentist that morning and got a bracelet as a reward for being good and told rather than asked Olivia to marry him with it. John, Olivia's dad, called me to break the news to me. Ironically Braxton had a horrible day that day at school, to the point where the first go around Bryan had to go to school to talk to him and things continued to go down hill and I actually had to pick him up from school. Never in a million years did I think I would have to pick up my child at 4.5! I regress, so John tells me our kids are getting hitched. Due to the day Braxton had, I had to break it gently, Braxton was grounded and unfortunately will not be allowed to get married today:(

Speaking of rough days - 2 weeks prior to the above day, I received a phone call from Gateway saying that Braxton had been in an "altercation." Dude...my kid is 4.5, what kind of altercation? Apparently, one of his best buddies (hear me now - best friends) pushed him off the table outside at school. Braxton used his words, told the teacher and Andrew was told not to do it again. Well, it happened again. So Braxton tried to take Andrew to the teacher and A wasn't having it, so he started hitting B. This all happened in literally seconds while the teacher was handling another situation. Before she knew it Braxton was then on top of Andrew and punched him in the nose causing it to bleed. The teacher told me it was like a middle school fight. The director and assistant director said that Braxton followed the rules by using his words and telling the teachers (things he had gotten in trouble for not doing in the past), but when the situation wasn't handled, Braxton took it into his own hands, literally! Again, not what I expected at 4.5!

HUGE NEWS!!!! Last week I registered my sweet goose for school. I had to take a deep breath as I passed the enrollment packet over to them. I can not believe he will be in school this fall. We live in a really good district. I thought we might do after school there as well, but it sounds like Gateway will still be the better option for holidays and teacher workdays when after school is not offered.

Attached are a couple of pictures of him from our family shots we did last year - I might sound a little biased, but I have some really, REALLY cute kids!

Chappelle's Professional Photo Shoot

2010-11-05T12:32:00.003-04:00

Could she be any cuter?

Fall Fun!

2010-11-05T10:59:00.015-04:00

I absolutely love Fall. Check out some of what we have been up to:

The fair - Braxton loved it! We met up with his best buddies Andrew and Olivia and their parents and siblings. They went on every ride they could. We ended the night in true fair fashion - corn dog, elephant ear and heartburn!

I was fortunate enough to be able to go the Mike's Farms with Braxton and his class for their field trip. We carpooled with yet again, Andrew and Olivia which made the day even more special! They were so cute there. I can't wait to go back and do the Christmas tree farm and hayride this year.

Every year we make it a point to visit the pumpkin patch with the plywood cut outs. We went the day before Halloween, so the pumpkins were a little scarce. But we couldn't let a year go by without the annual shots!

And of course we had Trick or Treating. Braxton mastered the art by house #2! He was so stinkin' cute how he went door to door. He always made sure to say Trick or Treat or Happy Halloween and followed up with thank you! He only face planted once with all the excitement. B scored so much loot!!! Chappelle had fun too - she just wasn't sold on the masked people at all. I had the absolute cutest lady bug and Bumblee (the transformer) of all times...and No, I am not biased!
This also is the start of our busy holiday season. Yes, you heard me - this is the start of our busy holiday season. We are usually booked, with one of us obligated for something every single weekend from November 1st until mid January. It's crazy - but we love it!

Our last "summer" trip to Bald Head for 2010

2010-10-05T09:14:00.005-04:00

and it rained almost the entire weekend. I am not talking a light sprinkle either. It monsooned! Miserable rain, thunder and lightning. We were stuck inside with 2 kids during vacation..uugghh! If there was anyway we could have come back early we would have, but we took the boat over and that's the last place you want to be is on the water during the storm. So we stuck it out. The only thing we could say was "at least we aren't at work!" By the time Tuesday came I was so happy to take the kids back to daycare and to get back to work...that's how bad it was!

I understand these pictures might be a tad deceiving, but we literally saw 2 hours of sunshine that Saturday we got there.

Can I get a refund on my vacation days???

Pumpkin Patch Round 1

2010-10-05T08:24:00.008-04:00

I absolutely love fall and am so ready for it! I even used my seat warmer on the way to work this morning - woo hoo!! Mom came in town this past weekend for a visit and it was really nice. The weather was perfect and we enjoyed some really good time together with a trip to the pumpkin patch and park too!

Chappelle's Party Pictures....8 weeks later!

2010-09-16T09:49:00.008-04:00

I forgot I had not posted pictures from sweet girl's party. Here they are!

BIG NEWS!!!!!

2010-09-15T12:25:00.010-04:00

Braxton is on his very first field trip as I type this. I was a complete loser and went to school to take pictures of him boarding the bus, in the bus and the bus driving away. And then I ..... cried! I have been so emotional lately and cry at everything. The director even hugged me. I found it bizarre (which also emphasized what a loser I am) that I was the only mom who came and took pictures. They were going across town to the park with a bagged lunch and all. This is big people. Not only is he on his first field trip, the teacher driving the bus is only the 4th person outside of me and Bryan who has driven my kids. Plus this means he is growing up:(

We have a WALKER! Chappelle will take 7-8 steps at a time and then plunk down. But my girl is steppin'! Not only is she walking, but she likes to squat and bounce/dance. I have absolutely got to get both of these events on video. We have both of these on video with Braxton and I want to do the same with Chappelle.

We had a major scare Monday night/Tuesday morning with Braxton. He woke up at 2:50am screaming of a headache. I laid down with him until he fell back asleep. 10 minutes later he was in our room crying of a headache again. I put a pallet on our floor and we tried again. He woke up again crying. And let me paint the picture "it's a hysterical cry where he is holding his head and trembling" so we put him in our bed and less than 5 minutes later he says his head hurts really bad and he has to throw up. We took him to the bathroom where he proceeds to dry heave, but nothing came out. This happened 3 more times through out the night. Around 5:30 he ended up laying on the floor with a cold washcloth over his forehead. As I was getting ready he woke up and said "mommy, I feel much better!" I told him good, because he sure did scare me and daddy. Poor little guy was exhausted so after he got dressed for school he fell back asleep, where he then proceeded to wake up again screaming. uuggh! So I gave him Motrin, we sent him to school and told the teachers what was going on. I called and checked on him around 10:30. Of course as soon as I got to work I googled headaches in little ones and let me forewarn you, you should never do that. Most websites said 1.tension/stress 2. migraine 3. meningitis 4. tumor. Of course the diagnosis in the tumor section said if they wake up in the middle of the night or first thing in the morning...are you kidding me?! Not what a mother wants to read at all!!

So, I knew that the Motrin would be wearing off around 1:00, which would also be nap time. I was dreading every time my phone rang. Sure enough at 3:10 I see Gateway on my phone...ugh! I answered and they told me he was screaming of a headache. I immediately left work. I cried the entire way to school. I tried calling the Dr. but they didn't have any openings, so I was taking him to the walk in clinic. I got to school and he was lying on his cot. I looked at him and started crying all over. There was nothing in his eyes, his was whiter than I have ever seen him and clammy. He looked pitiful. I picked him up and he was like a limp rag doll. He wouldn't even put his arms and legs around me. It broke my heart. Once we got to the dr. they checked him for strep - negative, his glands, ears and throat were fine, so they did a blood panel. His white blood cell count was elevated. Normal for his age is 13,000 and his were 17,000. So he was fighting an infection, they just couldn't localize it. They sent us home with a 10 day prescription of augmentin and said if things don't improve in 48 hours to bring him back. I am happy to say Tuesday night and Wednesday night have been filled with sleep and no shout outs or headaches. So fingers crossed we are on the road to recovery. I can honestly say I have never been so scared and at that time I decided, it's time to lighten up on the little guy.

I had my very first mammogram yesterday. A mammogram....but you are so young! Yes, you are right, I am young. But given the fact the my sister was diagnosed 1.5 years ago at age 35 with breast cancer...you are never to young to get tested. It was very emotional for me. I walked into the radiology office and cried (I already told you guys I have been a complete mess). The office was beautiful and tranquil. They had the prettiest furniture, color scheme and ambiance in there. I stopped, took a deep breath and took it all in. This is where people's lives change. My nurse was super sweet. After the process she asked why I was in so young and cried again explaining it to her. It wasn't painful at all and the ambiance and staff made it very comfortable.

So there you have it. Alot going on at the Carpenter house!

Smiles and gratefulness!

2010-09-09T16:23:00.003-04:00

5 Things I am grateful for today:

1. My health! We know way too many people who have been affected and I am just super grateful that we are as healthy as we are.

2. My Husband....we may not always get along, but he is my strongest supporter, looks like Scott Baio and helps to produce the cutest kids EVER!!!

3. My kido's! I knew I loved my sweet goose about as much as anyone could love a child and then my little girl came into my life and WOW...I love her like nobody's business! I love each child the same but in different ways. Braxton amazes me everyday and is super smart and funny. He's my cuddle bug! Chappelle melts my heart from the minute she wakes up and smiles her toothy 6 tooth smile!

4. My family! I don't get to see them as often as I would like - heck lately, I don't even get to talk to them as much as I like but they are the best! If you are reading this - you know who you are:)

5. My girl's!! These girl's are my extended family and I am absolutely so grateful to have them a part of my life. We have been through thick and thin and are as strong as ever...I love you!!!

5 Things that make me happy:

A good book!!! Right now I am reading "Between Sisters" by Kristin Hannah. Between my sister and one of my bf's we could open our own book store!

A good cup of coffee!!! It doesn't even have to be expensive coffee. Matter of fact "New England's Best" normally $3.65 a bag when it's on sale at Target is my absolute favorite brand. But let me tell you, I am a creamer girl.

Clean sheets - make momma ssssooo happy! I am really weird when it comes to my bed. I can't stand to feel anything on my sheets. Before I get in the bed, I do a clean sweep to wipe anything off and then have caught myself in the middle of the night doing the same thing...while sleeping!! Weird - I know!

Chilling with my girls! My girls are my core group of 7 and of course my bestie, my sis!

A good day at the beach..and you know what, it doesn't even have to be sunny. My all time favorite beach - Folly Beach in Charleston, SC!!

Be prepared - this blog's taking a turn!

2010-09-09T16:17:00.004-04:00

So in all the blog following I have been doing - I think I am going to make some changes to this one. My blog started off as a tribute to my child (at the time) and now children. An easy way for out of towners to see what we are up too. But I think I may put a little more into it.

Let me tell you for starters how FREAKING excited I was to see that I have not one but TWO followers (you gotta start somewhere right?!?!?) and one of my followers left me a comment. Whoop Whoop!

I see all these super cool things that people do on their blogs and I am going to attempt it. Who knows how it will work.

Hi my name is Lorie and I am a Blog Addict!!

2010-09-08T15:30:00.003-04:00

Yep - you read it right! I am a blog addict. As time goes on I get worse and worse. I will click on a complete stranger's blog and then will see the blogs she follows and the blogs she follows and so on. I will be 5 peeps deep and not know one of them. When did it get to the point in my life where I enjoyed reading about people's lives that I have never met? What's worse is that I do it daily. It's like my out to know that I am not the only one that has the daily issues that I have or the twisted sense of humor that I do. I thought I was the only smart alack around...I can tell you...not the case! So here's a heart felt thank you to all of you who blog all the time and don't make it private!

School Pics...

2010-08-13T10:33:00.011-04:00

I am going to go broke....matter of fact, I have figured out that I work to to support my picture buying. I can't help it that we have the two cutest kids in the world and they take fantastic pictures. I have the hardest time saying no to pics..but you know what happens, I get packages of pictures and give a handful out, then I am stuck with 50 extra pictures! Back in July, St John's came to Gateway and they usually do a really nice job. Matter of fact, Braxton has been the poster child twice for them. Well, the first attempt BLEW! It was horrible. I had it scheduled after work which is a rough time on any given day. Chappelle is tired, hungry and wants her mommy. SO when she saw me and I tried to put her down..well, she was not having it! We went round two the following day during school hours and the director would help them (didn't know that was an option). Apparently that wasn't too much better. The director even told me, that the photographer wasn't going to charge a sitting fee...yikes! Well....as soon as the proofs came in, school made a special call to let me know the code so I could preview. Holy Cow...there were some great shots in there. Out of 25, I narrowed it down to 17..which I then knew had to go down even further. What in the world was I going to do with 17 pics of my kids, when I knew Chappelle's one year shots were around the corner and soon enough we would be doing family pictures. So this is what I ended up with and am very happy! Can you guess which one is my favorite???

2010-08-09T12:19:00.002-04:00

One day last week I was going over the "basics" with Braxton like what's your address, mommy and daddy's name, so forth and so on. It came to me asking Braxton what his name was. He told me Braxton. I asked what's your middle name? And he told me .. Goose! I laughed! And then he tells me his whole name is Braxton Goose Carpenter. I said it's actually Braxton Everett Carpenter and he said ok, it's Braxton Goose Everett Carpenter! Too cute!

Happy Birthday Sweet Chappelle

2010-08-04T12:52:00.005-04:00

WOW!!! Happy Birthday to my absolute favorite girl. I can't believe you are one already. This year has flown by. I was so lucky and fortunate to have been able to spend 2/3rd's of it at home with you. It was tough while we were doing it, but I look back now and am so grateful. I wish I was able to do it now. These are the fun times. You are the cutest thing I have ever seen (well, your brother too)!

You are all over the place. You crawl and cruise everywhere. You have just started walking assisted with us. We got you a pretty cool walking/learning toy. So I imagine it won't be long and you will be running right along with your brother. Speaking of him, you adore him. You light up and laugh at him all the time. And you also laugh when he is getting in trouble too. I think this will be something that may continue for many years to come.

You are our eater no doubt. There may be two things that we have put in front of you that you don't like. I have learned to start introducing everything to you. Here are a few things you currently eat:
Breakfast: eggs, muffins, pancakes, yogurt
Lunch/Dinner: nuggets, lunch meat and cheese, grilled cheese, pizza, green beans, baked potato, peas, carrots, corn, spaghetti, ravioli and meatballs
Snacks: applesauce, diced fruit (pears, peaches, pineapples, watermelon, strawberries) cookies, fish, and of course anything sweet
Like I said, not much out there you won't eat. And you try everything!

You love playing with toys. You already don't like it when someone takes something away you are playing with. Apparently at school you don't like it when other friends come near you either. Speaking of school....they call you Chappoo!

You are not much into reading. I hope this is something that will come with age. I can't wait for the day when both you and your brother want to snuggle in the bed or on the couch and read books.

Chappelle, we are so blessed to have you in our lives. We were surprised, in a good way, when we find out we were having you and even more surprised when we found out on your birthday that you were a sweet girl. You have been an eye opener in so many different ways. I didn't know I could love someone the way I love you. Don't get me wrong, I love your brother just as much as I love you, but in different ways. I can't wait to see what else you have in store for us. Thanks you for blessing us and becoming apart of our lives. It is now perfectly complete with you in it.

I love you bunches sweet girl,
Mommy

I AM IN LOVE!!!!!!!

2010-07-30T07:57:00.004-04:00

Here are a few more shots from Chappelle's first photo shoot. WOW! I am going to be broke after this. I love every single picture! Not only do I think she is the cutest girl ever - but I have another new love: Katie Mathews for her phenomenal work! I am so glad she was able to capture my sweet girl.

A real conversation with Braxton:

2010-07-27T10:38:00.002-04:00

As you know, last week we were at Folly Beach with the fam. In the midst of everything I decided to give Braxton an actual bath as opposed to rinsing off and showering outside. After endless fun in the sun and sand in every crevice, I thought, maybe you need a good soak! So to the tub you go. I was multi tasking as usual when I heard him yell

Braxton: MOM!
Me: (looking around the door)"what's up Bud?"
Braxton: "I have balls in here. (holding his sac) Why do I have balls in here?"
Me: BRYAN......!!!! You're son is in the tub and wants to know why he has balls in there. How about you handle that one!

A family weekend!

2010-07-26T09:19:00.005-04:00

Here is a sneak peek of Chappelle's one year photo shoot. What got me interested in doing it with Katie Mathews' is I had seen some work she has done for several of my friends and they have turned out incredible. Then she offered a discount for the person who wanted to try out a particular outfit. The outfit was a very bright colored tutu and monkey hat to match. It's the cutest thing EVER, so I jumped all over it. The timing was perfect too...because I wanted to do one year shots. I also wanted to do some "naked" shots with Chappelle diving into cake. We ended up keeping the tutu on for a splash of color and added the hat back too. And of course I found a onsie/tutu outfit that has "princess" on it..and well that's so fitting too! It will be the perfect outfit for her "princess party" in a couple of weeks.

I can tell you if Gateway had been opened Sunday, both kids would have been there. My goodness they were taxing and HIGH MAINTENANCE!!!! There was more whining, crying and drama in the Carpenter house, I thought I was going to lose it. This weekend was one of those weekends where it emphasizes, I am not cut out to do stay at home full time (part time...now that's a different story)!

Back in time - well, a few weeks anyway. 4th of July pics

2010-07-23T08:49:00.004-04:00

Pure cuteness!

2010-07-23T08:44:00.003-04:00

I may be a tad biased but I swear I have the 2 cutest kids on the planet!!

Folly Time!

2010-07-23T08:16:00.005-04:00

We just came back from our annual Folly Beach trip. It is still my absolute favorite place! I hope that Braxton and Chappelle will grow to love it as much as I do. It was an absolute blast to see everyone. This trip everybody was able to get together for a couple of nights before we had to part ways due to work, trips, etc...
11 Adults and 8 kids in one house. Could have been complete chaos, but it wasn't bad at all. AND to top it off, 6 other couples came out to join us for beach time Sunday along with pancake papa and Uncle Ryan. We missed seeing Gigi and Uncle Blake. Hope to catch up with you guys soon. All the older cousins were able to sneak away for a bit Sunday night too. Who knew there was so much night life on Folly on a Sunday night! I was so busy chasing kids I didn't get many pictures at all...that just means we need to get together sooner rather than later!

All Dried Up...

2010-07-22T16:16:00.004-04:00

To be completely honest, I am surprised I went as long as I did. I do believe my body is telling me..no more milk momma, no more milk. Production has come to a close! Chappelle is less than 2 weeks away from turning 1 and I have in some form breastfed her up to this point. She was exclusively breast fed until 8 months when I returned to work. Then she was 1/2 breast milk and supplemented with formula. I have been doing more and more formula and took it to mornings and night feedings of breast milk and that was it. Over the last 2 weeks we have been decreasing formula and introducing whole milk and so far so good.

I recall way to well about 2 months ago pumping at work where my nipples were basically hanging on by tiny pieces of skin. My milk was the color of strawberry milk and I am not exaggerating! It was the worst pain I have ever felt! After 2 weeks of going through absolute hell every time I pumped I quit. I could barely breath while pumping. So not too shabby. I breast fed Braxton right up to the 9 month mark and 2 weeks shy of a year with Chappelle.

Sweet girl I have enjoyed our bonding more than you will ever know and am so fortunate to have been able to experience this.

So......do you think they are related?

2010-07-16T09:24:00.004-04:00

How funny is that? I knew I had pictures of Braxton wearing his food too. I think he is a little older than Chappelle, but not by much. oh and I promise we do teach our kids manners, but we also think learning to eat is fun too!

2010-07-15T14:20:00.001-04:00

Seriously.....we are still whining at 4! I am so over it!!!!!

2010-07-13T14:01:00.002-04:00

Braxton Update:

3 weeks ago we got the news that Braxton has 2 cavities. When we started going to the dentist 2 years ago, they told us that he will be prone to cavities unfortunately. And sure enough, not only did he get one, but he got two. So this morning we experienced our first filling and I have never been so proud of him. He got to wear an elephant's truck that gave him nitrous oxygen and then they did the same steps than an adult would get. There was no whining or crying. After the appointment I picked him up a milkshake and off to school. He chewed on his tongue a while and asked "mommy, when is my check going to get small like the other side?"

We have resorted back to pull ups at night. I just don't think he is quite ready. For now we will work on waking up to a dry pull up and then switch over to underwear.

Chappelle Update:
my girl climbed steps for the first time......holy cow!
We were grilling out Sunday afternoon and playing outside and the next thing I know, sweet princesses was moving on up. There is no turning back now!

Happy 4th of July

2010-07-07T10:47:00.007-04:00

We did our annual trip to Bald Head for 4th of July weekend. Usually the Carpenter/Barrow crew are all together, but we were the only ones that made it down. We missed everyone, but got some good one on one time with Mimi and Pops! We actually drove Aquaholic down. It was a great time. The weather was phenomenal! Chappelle slept off and on during the ride down, while Braxton helped daddy navigate. We were able to enjoy the beach (without all the traffic), the pool and of course all the 4th festivities. Mimi decided to enter the cart parade. She and Braxton had a really good time doing that together. There were some incredible entries!

Bryan and I have 2 little fish on our hands. They both had a great time at the beach. The pool took a little getting used to from Braxton, but he "warmed up" quickly. He had a blast splashing around and going down the slide.

Other happenings at the Carpenter house:

Chappelle is going through yet another milestone.....4 teeth coming in at one time on the top. I will try and take a picture. I am actually kind of sad, she won't ever look the same "gumming it" anymore. This means my sweet girl is growing up. Speaking of which, she is now 11 months! yikes!!

Chappelle and Braxton are too stinkin' cute around each other (for the most part). Every night after bath time we go in Chappelle's room and play either naked chase or hide and seek. It started off to air dry, but then became a great game. They take turns chasing each other and Chappelle will giggle so loud. She gets so excited and usually comes crawling to me to save her. It's really sweet.

We are working on a huge milestone for Braxton too. I have not put much effort at all in nighttime sleeping and pull ups. I looked at it as, I won't push it, he won't go to college wearing pull ups. It will happen when it happens. Well, we ran out this past Tuesday night. We told Braxton they just don't make pull ups in big boy sizes and it's time to "be done!" Well....I washed sheets Wednesday. I washed sheets Thursday (this time they weren't as wet, maybe to where he had just gone) but my big boy woke up this morning DRY!!!!! Yeah Braxton - mommy and daddy knew you could do it! We are so proud of you and really hope you keep this up. B and I like to do a "sleep over" in mommy's bed on the night's daddy is out of town. SO I used that as leverage - please say a little prayer that my boy continues to sleep dry!

Saturday's, Slip N' Slide's and Spaghetti!

2010-06-28T09:48:00.012-04:00

This weekend we decided was going to be low-key. Other than a play date and movie night, we weren't planning anything. The house has been a chaotic mess, which I am learning to live with. Before I had Chappelle I would have been stressed and I just don't care anymore. It is what it is! But it has gotten a little out of hand and there is crap everywhere! So this weekend we were going to work on tidying things up just a tad.
Friday night little B and I had a date to see Toy Story 3. He is such a good kid at the movies and thoroughly enjoys seeing them...the popcorn and treats are a plus too! We went with our usual movie date crew Kimmie and Rylan. We had a good time. Saturday I invested a whopping $5 into a slip and slide and let me tell you - we had the best time. The entire Carpenter crew did it and it was too funny! It took a while for Braxton to learn to slide on his tummy. He kept landing on his knees and then sliding. Bryan and I had to show him how it's done:) And then Bryan brought out the detergent/soap. Needless to say B and I are a little sore:) Sweet Chappelle had a good time too. She kept blowing raspberries on the "pool" section. Then she tried to touch, grab and drink the water that shoots out the side.
I also tried something new with Chappelle this weekend......the girl loves her momma's spaghetti! I have a picture just like this of Braxton and am searching high and low to do the comparison. Enjoy the pictures..I can't believe how fast they are growing up. Note the action shots of Braxton running...I LOVE THEM!

Real Conversations with B:

2010-06-24T09:12:00.006-04:00

Braxton is quite the manipulator especially when it comes to bedtime. He usually gets out a handful of times and makes excuses as to why:
1. I want to hug and kiss you
2. My sleeping bag fell down (he sleeps with a sleeping bag on top of his comforter)
3. I can't find so and so book
You get the drift....well the other night he came out and was asking about mommies and whose mommy is whose, like with me and Bryan. Then he went through the list of his friends and he came across one of his longest and best buds Olivia. He clearly knows her mommy is Ms Karen, but then wanted to know about Ms Karen's mommy. I told him she was in heaven and then the questions about heaven started and he asked "do they have a beanstalk to get to heaven?" He is so inquisitive and such a sweet boy sometimes!

Last night we were all upstairs and I was going through totes of hand me downs for both kids, Bryan was on the computer and Braxton was playing trains talking to himself and me and says the following:

B: Mommy, do I make you happy? Is this being a good boy?
M: Yes Braxton this is being a good boy and yes, you make me happy (most of the time).

A few minutes of him talking to himself and then he says to me....
B: And just who do you think you are....Why are you being so dramatic?
I seriously wasn't saying a word. Don't know where he gets it, but apparently the boys listens (at times:)!

I was putting him to bed one night and he asked if Ms Katie (one of his past teachers from Gateway and is also one of his babysitters) could please come over. I asked him why and he said "because she is good to me!" That is exactly what a mom wants to hear - that someone she leaves her children with is good to them:)!!!

Christmas in June

2010-06-15T08:37:00.008-04:00

Well...call me slack, but I have finally scanned the pictures we took last year a little before Christmas. I know - horrible! Better late than never for you to see them....so here they are:

On the road again....

2010-06-10T08:54:00.011-04:00

The kids and I took our annual trip down south to Charleston the first weekend in June. This time it was to help celebrate Uncle Boots graduating high school as well as Cam's 6th birthday! It was so great to see everyone and made me really miss my family and "home."
Mimi and Granddaddy Crawford were able to be there and any chance I get to see them is wonderful. Grandmomma kept both kids Friday night which was a nice treat for all of us. After a wonderful graduation, and you don't hear that very often...the speaker was FAB, we went to Vickery's at Shem Creek for dinner and drinks and had a great time. Les, Gigi and I closed the restaurant down, with the exception of this super annoying couple who needed to get a room! Saturday after dropping Les off downtown, I took the kids to see Uncle Ryan and Uncle Blake who were working Spoletto, grabbed lunch at Groucho's Deli and took a slow stroll back to the car. It was a great trip with the exception of the heat....it sucked! Saturday night was Cam's birthday party. I was a picture taking machine but unfortunately didn't get any of the birthday boy. I am so glad we were able to make it and see all my family..Ashley, Steph and Margaret too! Can't wait for the next trip in July.

Braxtonisms...

2010-06-07T10:00:00.003-04:00

He has been my funny boy since day one and continues to make me laugh. Yesterday we got back from a trip to Charleston. Blake graduated from High School..CONGRATS BOOTS!!! And it was Cameron's birthday weekend too. It was just me and the kids so needless to say getting back home was nice. Both kids were glued to me. I was able to put Chappelle down for a nap and decided to get the sprinkler and pool out for B to play in. I was running around trying to get his suit, sunscreen, and everything ready and he was right behind me the entire time. I finally said, Braxton stay still I will be right back. He told me, "but I like you right now and want to give you a hug!"

He was getting ready for bed and for some reason had a dime in his mouth (which he completely knows better than to do) and then says "Mommy...my penny is in my belly!" WHAT?? Braxton did you sallow the money and he slowly shook his head yes. So I yelled to Bryan.....Braxton swallowed a coin. Based on what google told us, unless he is having difficulty breathing, the only thing that will happen is to ........ pass it! I think Braxton got super scared and started telling us his back and tummy hurts. Bryan told him to look every time he pooped. We were both thankful that it was only a dime...not a $.50 piece!

After the penny debacle he and Bryan were going back and forth butting heads and the next thing I heard was Braxton tell Bryan "Daddy, if you sass back to me one more time, you are going to my room!" WOW....what comes around really does go around!

We love long weekends!!

2010-06-01T13:02:00.009-04:00

I wish every weekend was at least 3 days! We had a great relaxing weekend and got in some really good family time. We took the boat to the beach both Saturday and Sunday. Braxton is a fish this year! The kid goes and goes and has such a great time. We have been very fortunate with the tidal pools so far this year. Saturday it was just the four of us. Sunday we met most of the crew, Braxton had a blast with Evan, Carver and Chase. Needless to say we had some pooped kids - both of them fell asleep in my arms on the boat ride home. It was one of the sweetest times I have had! Monday we re-couped and then Craig, Jill and Harrison came over for burgers and kiddie pool time. To be a kid again....

It's Official....

2010-06-01T12:48:00.002-04:00

I have a mover and a shaker. Chappelle has been pulling up and rocking back and forth for several weeks now....but we no longer stop at that..we are moving on! She loves to pull up on any/everything and actually lets go too....with all of these milestones, we have decided to lower the crib a notch.

She is too funny when it comes to her crawling. Sometimes she is gung ho and outta here and other times she does this little creep crawl where she drags a leg. It's super cute to watch.

Chappelle is still doing the head nod. Even at lunch/dinner when she blows raspberries and peas or sweet potatoes go everywhere and I tell her "no mam" she actually shakes her head no back to me! I can already tell I am going to have my hands full!

L & B

2010-05-18T15:55:00.001-04:00

Thought you guys might like to see that Bryan and I can clean up pretty nicely at times....thanks to Missy and Justin for an incredible time at their beach wedding!!

Braxton Update...

2010-05-18T15:44:00.007-04:00

Braxton just had his 4th birthday party. We did a cook out at the house with some of our favorite friends and had a great time. Braxton chose a pirate theme this year.The weather was perfect for the jump castle.!

Braxton continues to amaze me everyday with how he is growing into a little man. He walks, talk and acts so much older than 4! Yesterday for instance, Mother's Day, I watched him and Bryan playing soccer around the backyard. Both boys in their shorts and shirtless! It's priceless! Bryan definitely has a "mini-me!" 4 seems to be a tad easier than 3, but we still don't listen very well and can have a downright tantrum...which I thought would end at 2! Braxton can make me absolutely fuming and then the next minute tell me I am beautiful. How do you get mad at that?!

My goose and I soaking up the sun on Mother's Day!!

Booster Time!

2010-05-18T15:23:00.002-04:00

Braxton is hitting another milestone as well..it is time to move up to a booster seat!

Me: Hey Buddy, guess what, I ordered you a surprise yesterday!
B: What is it - tell me!
Me: I ordered you a Big Boy Carseat!!!
B: A booster seat?
Me: I sure did
B: But this one is perfect (as he point to his current seat)!!!
Me: You are outgrowing that one, so I got you a really cool one.
B: Is it going to have a white stripe like this one?

How cute is that! I sure do hope the transition to the new seat goes well. I also hope he can sleep in the new seat like he does his current one on road trips:) Stay tuned for pictures!

Piranha Update...

2010-05-17T09:04:00.001-04:00

We are now the proud owner of not one.....but two teeth! I noticed Chappelle had cut her first tooth on the bottom last Monday and over the weekend she has decided to cut another one! YEAH for teeth - and she loves when you make a piranha noise at her!

1st Beach Trip of the Season!!

2010-05-17T07:51:00.009-04:00

What a great weekend!! Saturday was our 6 year anniversary...WOW! 6 years and 2 kids later - I wouldn't have it any other way. We decided to take the kids to the beach. It was Chappelle's first time on the beach. I was able to entertain her for the first 45 minutes with puffs and O's (cheerio's). She had a great time and was really good!! Braxton had a BLAST! When I mentioned about going to the beach he went running around the house like a banshee, he was so excited! Last year he was a little leery with the waves and I think it was a little loud for him, so we weren't sure what we were in store for. For 2 solid hours he was in the water. There was a tidal pool that was perfect. I was so proud of him!

I heart Spring!

2010-05-10T11:19:00.020-04:00

Momma's sweet girl!!! This happened to be a meal where she tried avacado, sweet potato's and of course mastering how to blow "raspberries!" I forgot how much fun mealtime is!!

Spring is in the air and I LOVE it! This is one of my favorite seasons. Every year the Carpenter's and Barrow's try their hardest to get to Bald Head for Easter. It's a ton of fun and yes chaotic!!! In the Carpenter house alone it's Mimi and Pops, John, Marie Anna and Brynn and of course the 4 of us - so quiet time usually doesn't exist. Nighttime is always stressful and of course, Chappelle didn't cooperate at all! She was up every 1.5 - 2.0 hours and if we were at home, I would let her cry it out, but not an option when other people are around. We had a great time even as tired as we were. We also got to see Kevin, Meighan, Sean and baby Iain for the first time. The trip always goes by way too fast!

Chappelle has turned into one of the sweetest babies. I am so glad we are over the stomach issues and the "I constantly need to be held!" That was taxing for all parties! Chappelle lights up the minute she sees her daddy or her big brother. It's so sweet. She will completely turn her head to watch them. Just this weekend she has really started getting on her hands and knees rocking back and forth. She pulls up using our fingers. And the girls loves to DANCE!!!
I hope she continues to eat the way she does now...we have really started introducing more solids to her. She is currently eating bananas, peas, carrots, green beans, turkey lunch meat, yo baby yogurt, pancakes and noodles. I am still nursing as much as possible. During the weekend it is all me and during the week it's about half and half. I still can't believe my girl is 9 months now!!!

This one's for you Mimi.....

2010-03-18T14:32:00.006-04:00

I know, I know - it has been 7.5 months since I have posted anything. Ok, that's not true, I have attempted to post several times and never finished, but my goal by this weekend is to update completely and even finish the drafts I have started since August. Obviously alot has happened and anytime I have a free second, if I am not on facebook - I am looking for a job. Let's hope next weeks post will give some good news on that.

So here we are:
Chappelle is the stinkin' cutest baby girl EVER!!! Her smile lights up my world like no other. She is an eating machine and loves it all. There isn't a fruit she doesn't like and my girl even loves the greens! Squash, carrots and sweet potatoes too! This week we have started giving her cheerios, wagon wheels, puffs and biter biscuits. The biter biscuits are really funny to watch her eat. She does a great job with her "pincher" skills too. As you will see in the pictures below, she loves to meal not only on the food but her piggies too. She likes to nibble on her big toe and then is talented enough to put the other pigs in her nostrils! She is a funny girl!

6 weeks already and a few milestones!

2009-09-18T14:36:00.003-04:00

Time flies and my blogging stinks! I will do my best to update the last couple of weeks this weekend.

Sweet Chappelle turned 6 weeks this past Tuesday. We made our first adventure to Charleston to take Aunt Ses to chemo. As much as we hate the circumstances for us to be there, it sure was good to see everyone.

The other big milestone is Chappelle has slept in her crib since Wednesday night, I decided I was going to enlist her in BBC (baby boot camp).

3 weeks old.....

2009-09-03T13:44:00.005-04:00

So here are a few snaps of our little family when Chappelle was 3 weeks old. WOW...as I type this (b/c it's a saved draft) she is 7.5 months old. This seems like AGES ago! I love her age now so much. Braxton has been such a sweet boy to her. He loves to go in her room with me when she first wakes up and says "hey pretty girl" or "hey sweet girl!" When she has gas, which she must take after her daddy:) Braxton says "goodness pooty pants!" It really is sweet. He loves to hand her toys when she drops them and will be the first to ask if we can move the jumparoo into another room because he can't hear TV! Our sweet little Carpenter family!

It's A GIRL!!!!!!

2009-08-17T13:18:00.015-04:00

We welcomed Ann "Chappelle" Carpenter into our family on August 4 at 12:38am. We are so excited and completely beside ourselves that we have a sweet daughter!!! I knew this entire pregnancy, my world was going to revolve around rough and tough little boys, so you can imagine the surprise to hear it's a girl!! Not only did I think my life was going to be surrounded by little fella's, I also swore I knew from the beginning I would have this baby on 08/03, which is my sister's birthday as well as how far along I was when I had Braxton, 36weeks and 6 days.

Here's how it went down:

Monday August 3rd, I was talking to Bryan in the kitchen (at 5:45)when I felt a warm gush. I called our sitter Anna and said I think my water just broke and asked her to come over and sit with Braxton until Aunt Kelly could come over after the gym. I called Kelly and left her a message asking her to grab her bag and head to our house after the gym. I then called Jill and said, here's the deal, can you follow up to make sure Kell can come over. We have the best "family" ever here in town. Everything was taken care of. On the way to the hospital I called my SIL Marie (who is a labor and delivery nurse)to ask her if she did indeed think that was my water that broke. I was in minor disbelief and the fact that my contractions weren't too bad was throwing it all off. I then called my sister to give her a heads up. She really wanted to be here for this delivery, but had her own appts the next day to think about. So....we finally got to the hospital around 6:15, where they proceeded to tell us to wait in the lobby for what ended up being 45 minutes. Apparently they were a little busy and had to wait for a bed for me. So I was literally sitting in my own amniotic fluid in the waiting area of the hospital. By the time we got in our own room, it was after 7:00 and then it was still 1.5-2.0 hours before anyone came to see how far along I was. Once they checked me, I was 3cm's dilated and then 4, by the time I got to 5cm's it was close to 10pm and the contractions were getting pretty darn strong!! I said, I think it's time for that epidural! As the anesthesiologist is administering the epidural, he said, you will feel tingly feelings on your right said, sure enough I did. The problem is, that was the only side I ever felt it on. The first epidural didn't take all the way. As much as I loved getting the first one, I can tell you I wasn't really in the mood to get another one, but there was no way I was going to do it without. So after waiting over an hour to make sure it wasn't going to take on the left side as well, they administered another one. AAAhhhhh...relief! Contractions were still coming strong and faster....around 12:15am I said, I have to push and 20 minutes later - we have a baby. When the baby came out, the umbilical cord was covering the privates section. At that point Bryan thought he saw a penis and then he looked at me and was crying and said "it's a girl!" HOLY SMOKES!!!! Are you kidding me?!?!?! We have a girl? Woooo Hooo!

Ann Chappelle Carpenter was born at 12:30am on August 4th, 2009

She weighed 5 lbs and 15 ounces and was 17.5 inches long - our sweet little bundle of joy

I looked at Bryan and said "babe, we are in trouble! We are now forever poor and this little girl will have a monogrammed C on everything she owns!"

Fortunately Mimi was able to head down Tuesday to help us out with Braxton. Due to Chappelle being so little and having jaundice we stayed in the hospital until Thursday. Again, everything about this has been routine, so it came to no surprise to us when we went for our first check up to hear her jaundice levels had elevated and she would need the bilirubin blanket. Luckily after 24 hours with the blanket her levels decreased to a safe point and we were able to return the blanket.

August was a very exciting month for us. It was also very tiring, hence the reason it has taken me a month to update...sorry, I vow to get better. Mimi and Pops were able to spend a few days with us, then grandmomma came up for a few days. Uncle Kevin, Aunt Meighan and Sean came up Sunday afternoon, Aunt Leslie was able to sneak away for a few days for some baby love, Gigi came the following weekend, Pancake Papa came the next weekend and last but not least Aunt Marie, Uncle John, Anna and Brynn spent the night on their way to Bald Head. It was great to see everyone - thank you all for making the trip.

Braxton has been a wonderful big brother. He loves to hug Chappelle and kiss her. He is my little sanitizer Nazi - and I LOVE IT! Of course, it hasn't always been easy. He is 3, so that in itself is trying. Add in a new addition to the family and a ton of house guest and there have been some very trying times. Both Bryan and I are working on next expecting too much from Braxton. It's weird how all of a sudden a newborn is in the house and my expectations of my 3 year old have gone through the roof. So I am working on it! We are making a conscience effort to spend solo time with Braxton too. I keep emphasizing, he is my absolute favorite boy in the whole world!

I will end this post with some of my favorite pictures from the last month. And will be posting soon with all the fun we have had over the last couple of weeks...

All kidding aside!

2009-07-28T18:39:00.002-04:00

I was cleaning out the linen closet while getting Braxton's bath water ready and he came over to me (naked of course) and said:

B: Is this my uterus?

M: Nope buddy, you know what that is..it's your penis. Boys don't have a uterus, they have a penis.

B: What is this?

M: getting down a level and trying to figure out what he is talking about.....oohh..those are your testicles.

B: oh - they are smooth (pronounced sssmmmoootthhh)

M: ok! Time for that bath!!

aiy carumba!

Updates...Updates...Updates!!!

2009-07-27T08:37:00.007-04:00

Update 1:
I have finally posted some pictures and post from months ago. SORRY!! I will start them and either never finish or won't get around to adding the pictures. Some of them go back to Mother's day and Father's Day....so take a trip back if you have a minute or two! My goal this week is to finish posts from 4th of July as well as our Folly Trip

Update 2:
We had yet, another trip to the hospital this weekend. I woke up Saturday morning with a very dull pain in my right side. Through out the morning there were times that it got super intense. When I say intense, it was to the point I couldn't walk and could barely catch my breath. I was a little worried, but thought it would go away. We tried to do a family trip to the mall for shoes for the boys and an outfit home for Baby C and literally I couldn't walk. I noticed the baby wasn't moving around as much either. Needless to say....I was starting to get scared..even freaked out a bit. I called the Triage department at the hospital and they said I needed to come in for monitoring. I called our sitter who was already scheduled to come in later Saturday night for Bryan and I to enjoy a last date night before our family grew. She came over to stay with Braxton. The whole way to the hospital I was stressing out, I forgot to tell braxton good bye and I loved him (and that alone made me ball), I thought "could this be my appendix?" How would that work? Would they have to do a C-section and then take my appendix. uugghh!
Dr Vogel was on call. He was the one who delivered Braxton. I instantly thought, is this an omen, are we having this baby today? After an 1.5 hours of monitoring, we were told the baby looked beautiful...again! Dr Vogel said since I didn't have the symptoms, he would rule out that it was my appendix and that the pain I felt was more than likely my muscles and tendons stretching to allow room for the baby...pphheeww! As much as I hated to spend a few hours in the hospital Saturday, it was reassurance that things were still smooth! Plus, we got to meet a few more nurses...in prep for our big day!

Bryan and I were still fortunate enough to enjoy date night. We went to the movies and saw the Hangover - very funny! And then went to Fox and Hound for appetizers. It was so nice just the 2 of us going out, not having to entertain a 3 year old and enjoy adult conversation. My favorite part was holding hands back to the car...it's the little things that make me happy!

Update 3:
Not only is this an amazing time in our lives while we await the arrival of baby carpenter, but I am also going through a few things that I would rather not be going through. The company I work for will be shutting the doors sometime late fall. It's very sad for numerous reasons. I have been here for 9 years. These people have seen me get a degree, get engaged, married and have 2 children. It comes at a very scary time too considering I will be going out on maternity leave. I think it may all work out though. I think I may put the kids in daycare part time and stay home with them part time for a while....that's my goal anyway!

In addition to this, my sister was just diagnosed with breast cancer on June 1st. I haven't blogged about this yet...I just haven't been ready...I think this will have to be a blog to come in the near future. There is alot that I need to say and feel inside and want and need to get out, when the timing is right. (if there is such a thing).

Stay Tuned...

Not ready yet.....

2009-07-23T09:37:00.007-04:00

All of you know that I have a tendency to be routine, regimented, some may say even a control freak, but there is no way I would have predicted that even my pregnancies could be somewhat routine.

If you will recall, with Braxton, I was placed on "bedrest" March 30th. On the morning of April 2nd, I went to the hospital around 2am with very intense and frequent contractions. After being monitored for 8 hours, they sent me home with 2 ambien....the absolute best sleep ever!!! I sat at home on bedrest for 6 very long days and contracted fairly regularly and on the 6th day, my water broke and 3.5 hours later Baby Carpenter entered the world. At that time we still hadn't decided on a name and he literally was Baby Carpenter for 1.5 days.
Pretty much a "text book delivery!"

And the fun starts with baby #2 - at 35 weeks and 3 days! As I mentioned in the previous post, we left Folly Beach a little earlier than planned due to some different feelings I was having. While at work yesterday, I noticed I was contracting...ALOT...and OFTEN. I happened to time it within an hour and low and behold, I had 10. So I called the doctor's office to give them a heads up. They called back and said "honey - go ahead to the hospital so we can monitor you!" I was not expecting that at all. I figured they may want to check me out, but I was thinking maybe at the dr's office. Due to it being after 3:00pm, they said that they wouldn't get results back like they could at the hospital. I freaked! What about Braxton? My bags aren't packed (I knew I should have washed clothes when we got back Tuesday)! We have no food in the house for whoever helps with Braxton! The sheets aren't cleaned! These my friends are the thoughts going through my head!

After calling Bryan, I called "Aunt Kelly" to see if she would come stay with B....she said yes! phew! So I had Bryan arrange for a car and car seat to be left for her, and I called Gateway to let them know. I called Leslie on the way to the hospital, left her a message. I will forewarn all: the reception is horrible at the hospital....basically NONE AT ALL!!! I checked in and an IV drip administered. After my quick review, I was dehydrated, 1-2cm's and 80% effaced...OMG!!! That's a big change from where I was last Friday. After 3.5 hours and a shot of terbutaline I was discharged. What an eye opener and lessons learned. Bryan was amazing. not only did he grab my bag and camera, but he even laid out clothes for Braxton to wear the next day as well as jammies for the night and even found a soup from his toddler years. I was very impressed.

Needless to say I will be taking it extremely easy over the next couple of days and weeks. We would love for this baby to bake for at least another week or two. As much as we are looking forward to meeting you sweet baby - we just aren't ready yet!!

Folly Beach 2009

2009-07-22T12:16:00.006-04:00

Well..we got the "all clear" from the doctor this past Friday and made our way down south for the annual Folly Beach trip. This has been an annual trip for our family for 25+ years. It started with my granddaddy and his siblings and their kids, add in our generation and now we have our own generation to add in. I LOVE IT! It was so good to see everyone. Here's the skinny: 12 adults, 1 teenager and 6 kids 5 and under...needless to say, quiet is not something we experienced very often. It was great to get all the kids together. Funny how some of them only get to connect once a year, but it's like they see each other every day. We had a great beach day and played hard, enjoyed a nice walk hand in hand with Bryan while Braxton ran hard. Braxton and daddy raced and learned how to rock throw! We even got stopped on a few occasions to let us know how handsome our boy was!! We enjoyed one day downtown at the aquarium and lunch out. Papa, Gigi, Uncle Ryan and Uncle Blake came out too. It was awesome seeing everyone. I even connected with girlfriends that I have known for 22 and 26 years and haven't seen in years.

Unfortunately we had to cut the trip short a little due to not feeling too well. Actually I was having a tingly sharp sensation on the verge of cramping that just didn't feel right. At this point in the pregnancy it's the idea of the unknown that is very scary to me, especially in another state where my doctor's aren't. Don't get me wrong, my entire family would have been thrilled if we had the baby in Charleston, and I am sure there are very capable ob's that could deliver this bambino, but I would much rather have it here in Wilmington. My fear was that I was going to have to find a hospital in Georgetown or Myrtle Beach. Fortunately we made it home safe and sound. The disappointing part was I had family pictures set up for us at the beach yesterday am and we had to leave before the pics were taken. I was bummed! Hopefully we can get a few shots before baby C makes the big debut!

Here's to another fun trip at Folly!

REALITY CHECK!!!

2009-07-07T10:19:00.007-04:00

Wow - today was an eye opener for me. This kid is coming! YIKES!! I have been having contractions quite often lately and what I thought was the baby tightening (to where you could feel body parts) sounds like they were contractions too - so I am having twice the amount of contractions than I thought. Fortunately I had "one" in the doctor's office this am, and they confirmed sure enough they are contractions. So with that being said, I mentioned to the doctor that I get them alot when I am taking a class at the gym. For instance at last night's step classes, I contracted with every song - that's a contraction every 4-5 minutes. As much as I don't want to stop working out, I know that the important thing is to keep the baby and myself safe, so I think for the balance of the pregnancy (or 36 weeks per the doctor) I will limit it to walking. The doc said I could go back to classes at 36 weeks. Due to the amount of contractions the doctor decided to do a little check up. The baby is starting to drop and my cervix is weakening (HOLY COW)! I have not started dilating..phew! I mentioned our trip to Charleston starting 07/18 and he now wants to check me before going to make sure everything is a-ok. So I go back again next Friday.
All stats were great - weight gain..good, blood pressure..good, baby's heart rate..good! So all in all another good appointment - just a little alarming...this baby will be here before we know it.
Which then makes things very scary in preparation of our sweet Braxton. I need to figure out what we are going to do with him and what all that entails....his bag packed, car seats that are available to send with whomever. It would be ideal for a mom to be here to help and keep him in his own surroundings and routine - but that's the "perfect world scenario" - so we might be calling on our extended family here in Wilmington - we thank you in advance!!

Stay Tuned until next Friday!

uugghh...pregnancy woes! Welcome to my own little pity party!

2009-06-25T08:44:00.014-04:00

I have a sneaky feeling the remainder of this pregnancy is going to be a little tough from here on out. I feel GINORMOUS!!! I think to myself, really?? I have 7.5 more weeks, how much bigger will I actually get. I notice I no longer get off the couch, or off the bed with ease. I have to do the roll over or push up from the back - you folks know what I am talking about. I am still trying to workout/exercise 5-6 days a week with a couple of classes of step and combat and walk the other days, but my stamina and energy level are no longer there. When I walk, it's not at a fast pace anymore, but rather a leisurely stroll. What stinks, is that I am still hungry all the time, so therefore I have to do some type of exercise.

Let me first say, there is nothing like feeling a baby move inside of you. I loved it with Braxton and love it with this baby too. After being pregnant with Braxton, I missed the feeling so bad.....but holy moly...this child is SO active. Legs and arms flailing around in places I didn't know they could reach. This baby tightens all the time. At work, if I am sitting all the way up to my desk, every once in a while I get a push back!! And apparently this baby was blessed (or cursed) with my hiney. You can totally tell when the tush gets pushed out!

I can't decide on bedding - and yes, it would be much easier if we knew the sex of the baby, but what would be the fun in that? So I have several beddings to send back and of course the one I was super stoked to get, I just received a notice saying it is on back order until end of July...WHAT?!?!? I am not too worried about the whole set up though, knowing that the baby will be with us in our room for the first couple of weeks - so we have time..right?

This weekend will be busy with getting some things ready, such as I need to pick up a few unisex onesies for the hospital as well as take home outfits. I need to grab diapers and all the fun stuff I am going to need after the delivery (not looking forward to that part at all)! I will be pulling things out of the attic to sanitize..the car seat, bases and a whole bunch of other things that I am sure Braxton is going to love trying out again!

Speaking of my little goose - he is doing really well. We have our ups and downs and visit time out quite a bit. Right now he normally goes to time out for saying "poopie head!" He loves playing outside and bringing in all of his new friends, mr. worm, mr. frog and anyone else he can catch inside. The only problem is, he has a tendency to hold them justa little too tight and they normally don't end up making it:(

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-22T11:33:00.015-04:00

Happy Father's day to all the daddies, Papa's and Pops in our life! Hope you all had a wonderful day celebrating everything you do. Our's was wonderful. Bryan got to sleep in until 8:30, and yes, I classify if you get to lay in the bed until 8:30, it's your own fault if you are not catching a few extra zzz's! Braxton and I treated daddy to breakfast at Sweet and Savory - yummy, Bryan and I actually watched a movie, Slumdog Millionaire, in its entirety (I have the hardest time staying awake watching movies lately - lame, I know) and did an afternoon adventure to Wal-Mart. Typically not what I would want to do, much less on a Sunday afternoon, but Bryan suggested it and it was his day after all, so we sucked it up and went. We finished the day grilling out hamburgers on the grill and they were scrumptious!

Side Note: it really does pay to watch the food network all the time. We got a great tip from there to patty the meat like you normally would, but stuff it with something...so, we sauteed mushrooms, red onions, mixed with sweet banana peppers and shredded mild cheddar cheese and stuffed it in the burger and they were awesome, so good in fact, I thawed out more meat for round 2 tonight!

Here's my absolute newest favorite picture: look at how cute my boys are!

This weekend also included a trip to Lake Gaston to celebrate a surprise 40th Bday party for one of Bryan's fraternity brother's. These guys can go years without seeing each other, and put them together again and it's like they have never been apart! They cracked us up all day long. Grandmomma came in town to watch little bit for us so we could spend the day celebrating at the Lake. It was a scorcher! Hottest day of the year this far and was supposed to top off around 98 degrees - heat index was somewhere around the 107 mark! Needless to say we spend quite a bit of time floating around the lake. Here are a few shots from the weekend.

Here was Bryan's attempt at the pregnant belly look - still got him beat;)

I went to the doctor today and we continue to proceed smoothly. Heartbeat is 140bpm, head is down, hiney is up, and I am right on target, I won't bore you with the weight detail again;)!

I almost forgot about one of my favorite things from this Fathers' Day. Braxton made this amazing Father's Day card at school and honestly both Bryan and I cried when we read it. This is what it said:

Happy Father's Day to all, especially you Bryan! Thanks for being such a wonderful daddy, we love you!

A Pea in a Pod...no doubt!!

2009-06-08T15:21:00.011-04:00

Here I am in all my glory at almost 29 weeks pregnant. I feel HUGE!!!! The delivery is right around the corner and I am not nearly ready. We have had a ton going on the last couple of weeks. My sister was just diagnosed with breast cancer and I am unfortunately losing my job, add that to my hormonal pregnancy mood swings and raising a 3 year old and I can tell you the Carpenter household definitely has its ups and downs!! It is time to kick some things into gear and start prepping for the arrival of this sweet baby. It really hit me yesterday going home - this kid is on it's way and if it comes early like Braxton, I could have this child in like 6 weeks...yikes! I went to the doctor this morning for my Rhogam shot, heart beat is still around 140 and I am measuring right where I need to be. And finally..there is a God...my weight gain was only 2 pounds in 4.5 weeks where it has been higher - a lot higher in between visits. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought someone was sneaking weights in my shoes each time I got on the scales, but considering I take those off for each "weigh in" I know that's not the case. So needless to say, I was quite pleased with only 2 pounds!

I did order neutral bedding. Though I like it, not sure I love it. I totally think I could pull it off if the baby is a girl and would throw in some pink, but if it's a boy (and that's the way I am leaning) I just don't know that's what I want. So off to the drawing board again. And let me tell you, there's not a whole lot out there that I am in love with. I know - I know, it would make life easier if I knew what we were having - not much longer folks!

Braxton and I did make a much needed trip down south to spend time with Leslie as well as celebrate Cameron's 5th birthday. Les has had her world rocked and turned completely upside down in less than 2 weeks, but she is strong and will get through this. It was great to see her and spend some good time with her. It was good to see the rest of the family too.

Braxton did a fabulous job on his first trip with big boy underwear. We only stopped once on the way down - false alarm - and coming back he did even better! I am so proud of him. We ask him if he wants a baby brother or sister, and he will tell you "just a baby." When we ask about a name for the baby - he still puts in his request for Bingo...so for some reason this kido's nickname could very well be Bingo!

I am sure the next couple of weeks will be very busy getting everything lined up for the baby. We look forward to seeing the Carpenter/Barrow crew at Bald Head for 4th of July and Uncle Kevin's birthday. Where has this year gone - it's already the 4th of July!! And then a few weeks after that we will head to Folly Beach (one of the best places on earth) for some good quality time with my family at beach week too. can't wait!!!!

Go Braxton..Go Braxton..Go Braxton!!!

2009-05-26T12:04:00.005-04:00

Hopefully I am not jinxing myself, but I am so proud of my boy. We have gone 8 days with no accidents....YEAH BRAXTON!!! He goes at home, school and even this past weekend we were running errands and he told us at Costco and Target he had to go and sure enough he did. Saturday we were at the beach and he had to pee and poop, that was a little difficult to find somewhere for him to go, but we did and so did he. Sunday we went to a neighborhood pool and of course, he had to pee (several times) and poop and he did there too. This is such a monumental moment that I am VERY thankful for!!! Next up - overnight. But, I am ok if that one is a little down the road.

With Braxton going potty like a big boy now, he is very curious how it works for all. Yesterday he and I were discussing different parts that we have. And here is how the conversation went:

Braxton: I have a penis (pronounced penas), daddy has a penas, bud green has a tail and a hidden penas. What do you have mommy?
Me: well buddy, mommy has a vagina
Braxton: a gina
Me: a vagina
Braxton: oh, a vagina

and then later that night we were all relaxing in the den, winding down and reading stories and he turns to Bryan and says

Braxton: I have a penas, daddy - you have a penas, and Bud Green has a tail and hidden penas.
Me: Good job Braxton. What does mommy have?
Braxton: a volcano!!

After we stopped laughing we of course corrected him and told him it was a vagina and not volcano (even though at times, it does in fact feel like a volcano) Funny little guy!

Play date!

2009-05-18T21:14:00.006-04:00

Our good friends Karen and John (who I work with) welcomed sweet baby Evan into the world on Cinco de Mayo..can't wait to celebrate with a margarita next year! While mom and dad were busy at the hospital we helped out with big sister Olivia - who is also one of Braxton's best buddies. Here are a few pics of the play date fun!

And of course this was Bryan's idea - let them "test drive" the camaro!! Are we going to be able to fit 2 car seats in the camaro???

Scooter Rides for all!

A trip to feed the ducks

Pickin' berries...

2009-05-18T20:55:00.006-04:00

We have started an annual tradition of strawberry picking. There is a place right down the road from our house where you get to pick your own berries. They have strawberries, blueberries and even blackberries. You can fill up as many buckets as you want to pay for. AND they have homemade ice cream - yum!!! This year with the strawberries I ventured out and made a strawberry cake. Let's just say, it won't win prize for the prettiest cake, but it sure was good.

A Mother's Day to Remember

2009-05-18T20:51:00.009-04:00

Happy Mother's Day to all you special mom's out there. Hope you had a great day to celebrate everything you do!!

Our Mother's Day weekend was definitely one I will remember. The Carpenter/Barrow Clan got together in Raleigh for the weekend at Kevin and Meighan's. It was great to see everyone. We hadn't all gotten together since Christmas - so it was time. The kids had a blast...UNTIL...Braxton and Sean were playing chase inside. They were running through the den, to the dining room, through the swaying door into the kitchen, when one unlucky run around cost Braxton a good size chunk out of his eye brow! It looked really bad. We decided it would be best to have someone look at it. So we went to urgent care down the road - closed, then we went to Nexcare - Dr. had an emergency so they were sending all patients to their other facility 5 miles away, we went to the next closest Urgent care - closed, found the other Nexcare and the Dr basically said, if it were on his leg, he would stitch it up, but being on his face, he referred us to Wake Med pediatric ER. The dr said that's where he would take his son. So off to the ER we went. Let me tell you how HUGE Wake Med is. It took us literally 4 times around, because of course, you have to go to

Braxton's Big Day!!!!

2009-05-18T20:48:00.002-04:00

This post may seem a little bizarre to some- but it's a huge deal for us! Braxton didn't have any accidents today at school, he pee pee'd in the potty all day and even pee pee'd when he got home. Both Bryan and I asked him several times after getting home, but it was he who told us that he had to go!!! AND...right before bed, he told us he had to poop and sure enough - he pooped on the potty....YEAH BRAXTON!!! Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you!!
Keep your fingers crossed we do this well tomorrow and the day after and the day after!
UPDATE - while I am typing this, he even just got out of bed to let us know he had to pee pee again. PLEASE let us be on to something!!

Update on Baby # 2

2009-05-12T11:21:00.006-04:00

We had our 26 week appt this morning. We were lucky enough to have another ultrasound as well as the glucose testing. The ultrasound amazes me each and every time - and NO...we still don't know. But what we did get to see was the baby opening his/her mouth and eating as well as we caught a wink;)! That was crazy! Everything looks really good as far as placement goes. I go back again in 2 weeks for a Rhogam shot and then we start going every 2 weeks - which is a little scary to me at this point!!! All readings from the glucose were great too. So all in all a really good visit and I met a new doctor that I liked alot.

Continues to make me laugh!

2009-05-07T14:44:00.003-04:00

Yesterday morning I was backing out of the driveway taking him to school and this was our conversation:

Braxton: Mommy, I am the man of the house!
Me: What? (laughing unsure of what I just heard)
Braxton: I am the man of the house!
Me: Well, yes you are
Braxton: I am to watch over you and make sure you stay safe...and Bud Green too (that's our cat for those of you who may not know) because he is old!

I am laughing because this caught me completely off guard - which lead too:

Braxton: why is that so silly (pronounced siyyie - we are working on our "L's")
Me: It's not silly Braxton, it's very cute!!

Bryan went out of town the other night and apparently told Braxton that while he was gone, he was the man of the house and in charge. He continued to tell everyone we saw - he was the man of the house!

Here's another one for you too:
I picked him up for school one day last week and he came running up to me with a wood piece tucked behind his ear. I asked him what was he doing and he said he, Andrew and Olivia were all doing it and that he looked like Handy Manny! I had to chuckle and said, of course you do buddy - it's amazing to me what they pick up!!

Backyard Fun

2009-04-27T20:19:00.009-04:00

Check out the cool pool. This was a birthday gift from Mimi and Pops and as you can tell - we love it!! It doesn't phase Braxton one bit that it was mid 70's and the water was freezing!!!
I can tell there are going to be many fun times had with this pool. Thanks Mimi and Pops...
PS - I think I will enjoy laying around it in just as much:)

Easy does it - easy does it.....apparently it's a tad chilly, check out how much he is sucked in and his little rib cage is showing!! Funny boy!

Who cares that the water is cold - head first!!

Airlie Gardens

2009-04-27T19:59:00.007-04:00

Last weekend Grandmomma came in town for a visit and the weather was perfect! After our buddy Olivia's birthday bash at Chickalay (known to most as Chick-Fil-A) we took Braxton to Airlie Garden for a picnic and to run around. It is absolutely beautiful there this time of year. The flowers are in full bloom and it really is one of the prettiest places around. As you can see our little monkey man had a great time playing.

Look closely at this one and you can see someone is playing hide and seek!

We got to see some momma geese and their little offspring. Of course, Braxton wanted to chase them..run geese run!

Looks like we have a natural at climbing trees already too..

Break time mom....got a cold drink?

Cheese Mommy - this is a great pier that is actually directly across from our marina. It was awesome to sit out there and enjoy a picnic! One of the many reasons we love Wilmington.

My absolute favorite picture from the entire weekend! I love this Goose so much!

Updated...told you I would!

2009-04-16T19:13:00.011-04:00

How awesome is this shirt??? This was a shirt that Bryan's dad gave him when he was little. If you look closely you can read where Pops signed it "To Bryan: Have a wonderful day..Dad"
This one is for you Aunt Sessie. Braxton found this red purse somewhere at the bottom of my closet and drapes it carefully over his shoulder and says "I wear a purse just like mommy!" Of course there was stuff in it and the next thing I knew he was pulling out an eye shadow brush and applying "lipstick." That's my boy!!! Bryan's going to kill me for posting these:)!

Ok - this one is kinda creepy.....He is sleeping!!!

Isn't it weird - he sleeps with his eyes open sometimes...eek!

A fun Sunday afternoon trip to the creek to feed the ducks - I think by now we have them trained. They will eat directly out of your hand!

And this is how we entertain ourselves on a rainy weekend afternoon - we pull EVERYTHING out of the toybox and climb in!

OK..so I got slack on downloading pictures and I am sorry! It's very easy to do. BUT..if you will check back over a couple of the blogs, I have posted pictures to the appropriate blogs. My goal to myself is to try and stay updated, if I can't do it with one - how in the world will I do it with 2??

Here are just a few random shots of our life - enjoy!

Half way there.....

2009-04-13T14:14:00.006-04:00

We went for our ultrasound appointment this morning and stuck it out...it's still a SURPRISE!!! That was one of the toughest things we have done looking away. Here are a few of the ultrasound pictures we were able to view. I am right on target measuring 21 weeks, and the peanut is measuring a little small. Heart rate was 143 bpm....! Apparently I was having a few contractions while in there, so I will get to do another ultrasound when I go back mid May for the gestational diabetes testing.

Not sure why it is posting the way it is - click on the picture to get a better view!

2009-04-08T08:19:00.009-04:00

Happy Birthday Sweet Braxton!!!

I can't believe my sweet baby boy is 3 years old today. Where has the time gone?

This morning we gave you one of your presents...a Big Boy Bike! You wanted to know who brought it to you in the middle of the night..my little curious monkey you are! At first you didn't like it and wanted us to take it back, but 2 seconds later you were riding around the kitchen to the den and of course didn't want to get off to go to school. I am taking a 1/2 day today so we can spend the afternoon together. If the weather is warm enough we will go to the beach and take your new bike to the park, if not Jungle Rapids here we come. Dinner is your choice and right now you can't decide between 2 Guys Grille or Red Robin!

Braxton you are the sunshine of my life. You make me laugh (and yes cry)! At this point you are obsessed with babies and everyone you meet, whether at the park or the grocery store you want to know if they have a baby in their uterus like your mommy! Apparently you even tell all the women at school they have a uterus...do I see a gynecologist in the family?!?!

Happy Birthday Goose...I love you with all my heart!

PS...pics to follow soon..promise!