Symbolism in life...coincidence...I think not.

A couple of weeks ago I realized that our yard was FULL of leaves and I had just gotten a cute shirt made for Carter, so I decided to take some fall pictures.  I ended up getting some really good pictures made of him, and even a couple I could blow up to give to the grandparents to frame. 
Taking pictures of an almost 2 year old is a different experience than last year.  Our mobility status has changed quite a bit so it pretty much ends up being me chasing Carter around our yard with a camera.  I took about 80 shots and ended up with about 15 good ones and 3 framable ones.  Not too bad for a free sitting fee (I didn't charge myself), and $10 to print at Sam's.

On to the point of this post...as I was following Carter around the yard letting him do as he pleased (pretty much), I realized that this picture taking session was much like our walk with Christ.  We, being the child, and Christ being the parent.  I followed Carter all around the back yard, letting him run and walk as he pleased, jump up on rocks and play with sticks as I closely stayed behind.  I got such joy from watching him be who he is...

There were moments when he would come across a hole in our yard and stumble into it, unable to get out himself, he would reach up that little hand for some help. Warmed that he asked for my help, I would gladly reach out my hand to his.  I helped him down steps, over rocks, around the fence, and in the flowerbeds.
I followed close behind him as I saw him running for the ditch in our back yard, which is lined with huge rocks.  I scooped him up just before he got to them and pointed him in another direction.  Then it hit me...the symbolism in parenting, that is.  I realized that our backyard was much like life, filled with different paths, dangers, and uncertainty.  And my relationship with Carter was much like Christ's relationship with us.  Staying close behind us, guiding us in the right direction, keeping us close and saving us from danger.  I thought to myself about how this symbolism was no coincidence but an absolute intentional approach Christ took to show me just a tid bit of how much He really loves me.  It was like He was saying "Kim, you see how much you love Carter, long the best for him, strive to keep him safe and on the right path?  Well that is exactly what I do for you." 
A few days later, in my Bible study I came across this verse, which I love.



"The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:16-18

I love that two of the most important relationships we have on earth, marriage and children, are symbolism of Christ and his love for us.  What a wonderful God we serve, that He makes every effort to display his love for us.  How could we worship any other?

Plug...

It's my own blog so I can put a plug in for myself, right?  Well I am, ha! 
Since the end of summer I have been selling Avon and it has really been a fun thing, and something else to wrap my mind around besides laundry, diapers, dishes, and such.  When I started selling I was your typical Wal-mart makeup buyer.  I didn't even buy a specific brand at Wal-mart, just whatever looked good and was cheapest...and I know there are some of you out there doing the same thing!  Which is fine, I have done it forever!!  Well, obviously, since I was selling Avon I thought I might as well buy it and try what I am selling.  I have just recently replaced all of my Wal-mart makeup with Avon makeup.  The thing with Avon is, their makeup is just as inexpensive as Wal-Mart, and we run so many sales that most of the time you can find it EVEN cheaper, so I was automatically sold once I figured this out.  So, this blog I am going to run through a few items I have bought and loved and give you an idea on price.  So, if you are out there, and also a Wal-Mart makeup buyer, and see a deal you want, let me know!!  I would love to drop a book off in your mailbox if you are interested.

First and my absolute favorite is my foundation...Smooth Minerals by Avon

I used to use the Covergirl pressed powder, and oh my goodness this TRUMPS it!  It is a loose powder (but also comes in pressed).  It covers blemishes and redness amazingly, and smooths out your complextion and almost gives you an airbrushed look.  It is very light, so you hardly know it's there.  It will also give you a little bit of a glow to your face, I love it and can't say enough good things about it.  My mother n law used to use the Bare Minerals foundation from Saphora (sp?), and has now switched to this and she says it's pretty much identical but cheaper.  I can get you this for $7.99

Smooth Minerals Blush

I also used the Smooth Minerals Blush in Perfect Plum.  The color pictured above is Rose Radiance I believe.  This blush is also amazing and goes on smooth and the colors offered are amazing.  I can get you this right now for $5.99

Primer

Oh my goodenss, I have never owned anything like this.  It is called Primer and you put it on after your moisturizer but before your makeup.  It is super light and almost like a thin lotion.  You apply it all over your face (eyelids too), once it is dry (takes a few seconds), your face becomes the perfect canvas for your makeup.  It WILL make your makeup last all day and help it not to wear off.  I especially love that when you put it over your eyelids it keeps your eyemakeup from creasing and smudging.  Also, I use 4 colors on my eyes and it doesn't let all the colors run together, so they keep their definition.  Love it and I can get it for you right now at $10.00

Eye Quads

Avon offers these cute little compacts with 4 eye shadows in them that are meant to go together on your eyes.  The color above is called "Smoky Eyes", I used this quad and "Earth Tones" featured below:

When you receive your compact, the back of the box will give you a diagram of where to put each color  on your eyelid to give you the great look you're going for.  We offer 8 more quad shades other than these two above.  But these are the two that I have tried and I love them.  I can get you one of these right now for $4.99

Mascara

Just got this one with my last Avon order, it is Super Extend Mascara.  And it does exactly what it says, extends your lash length, I like it!  I can get you this right now for $4.99

I also have this one, it is Super Magnify Mascara and it is very new to Avon.  It has the smallest brush I have ever seen and you will have zero clumps on your brush and your lashes.  It works to help separate every lash so you will see more of your lashes instead of them clumping together into what looks like 5 fat lashes, ha!

I can get you this right now for $4.99

Eyeliner

Glimmersticks is Avon's #1 Eyeliner and Allure has awarded it the Best Eyeliner award.  It truly does not smudge or run and stays put all day...but it's not waterproof so you don't have a tough time getting it off at night.  I have the following colors:

Blackest Black

Cosmic Brown

I can get you this right now for $3.49 each or 4 for $10

Nail Polish

Nailwear Pro Nail Enamel is great.  It is non-chip for up to 10 days of wear.  They are offering some amazing Fall/Winter colors too.  I have the following two:

Deluxe Chocolate

Wicked

I can get you these right now for $3.49 each.  Lowest price of the season.

Healthy Makeup Lipstick

I love this lipstick!  It literally feels like I am wearing chapstick...I guess that's why it's part of the "Healthy Makeup" line of Avon.  It is so smooth and so even.  I use the lipstick color Naturally Perfect:

It is a great brown color. But along with the lipsticks, they also make sheer lip conditioners, which gives you a 115% moisture boost with a little bit of color.  I can get you this right now for $9.00 Buy one get one half off.

Bathtime Body Paints

These are Carter's favorite!  They are Bathtime Body Paints (which double as soap).  They come in different colors and flavors and are holiday themed, so they are perfect for Stocking Stuffers, Easter Baskets, etc.  Carter has Green Apple and Cherry.  Since he has sensitive skin, and we have to use Dove soap, we strictly use them as paints and not soap.  So he rolls them all over the tub!  But if your little one doesn't have sensitive skin then be sure to roll on and lather up.  They smell so good too.  I can get you these for $1.99 each.

This blog has been incredibly long, so thanks if you finished reading.  Let me know if you are interested in any of these deals, but also remember this doesn't even scratch the surface of what Avon has, these are just some of the favorites that I use.  Along with makeup Avon offers skincare, jewelry, and other fun things.  Let me know and I'll get a book to you!











New Habit

     Since we have started putting heavier restrictions on the pacifier Carter has developed a new little habit.  Finger sucking.  There are just a couple of things that really bother me about it. 
1.) Thinking about everything he has touched and then putting those little fingers in his mouth, yuck!
2.)  The massive amount of slobber it creates..which runs down his hand and onto his arm.
     When he does finally take his fingers out of his mouth, it's kind of funny because he won't do anything with that hand and leaves his fingers spread until I wipe it off or until it dries (blah!..as you can imagine, I try to wipe it off instead of let it dry).
Here are a few pictures that have captured him in action with his new habit...

Quickly, here are a few new things Carter is doing since I have slacked on blogging:

Says "there" after he does something.  He is copying me because whenever I do something for him I say "there!".  It is one of the most precious things I have heard him say.

Will now Roar.  He was going to be a dalmation for Halloween but all the cousins decided to do their own thing, so Carter is now going to be a Dragon.  Apparently, he thinks dragons are much cooler than dalmations, since he will keep the dragon costume on for up to an hour and in the dog costume all I got was kicking and screaming.  He will admire himself in the mirror for a good length of time and will roar when I tell him to.  He thinks he is hot stuff...which he is ; )

Will eat his chicken nuggets with a fork AND dip them in ketchup.  He doesn't use his hands because he doesn't like to get them dirty.

Says "NO" all the time and points that little finger at me.

Obsessed with stickers and magna doodles.

Says "WOW" and "Heys"...for some reason it is plural!

Can put his shoes on.

Sits on the potty before bath...but nothing else has come of it so far.  Just getting him used to it.

That's all I can think of for now, and Chad has gone to bed already so you know I am up late...he never beats me to bed!  Soon I will upload a video of C in the dragon costume.



Sorry!

Not sure who all I'm apologizing to out there...but, obviously, I have been a terrible blogger.  I have been kind of finicky with the computer lately.  If I get on, I only get on long enough to check email and maybe get on facebook for 5 minutes and that's it.  I don't know what it is, just in a mood where I am un-interested in the computer.  I started selling Avon back in August and that really has taken up some free time, so maybe that is why I've gotten off the blogging path.  I hope to do better...I also realized that I am not taking near as many pictures as I used to and that just has to stop because Carter is growing so big and I don't want to miss a minute.

We had our beach trip in September and I highly recommend going once school is back in session.  It was a nice, non-humid, un-crowded trip.  Not to mention the place we stayed at was pretty much as close as you can get to a pent house, but without the price...since we went after the rates dropped. 

We stayed on the 14th floor of the Pheonix West and we saw a shark from the balcony.  I felt so helpless!  The wind was blowing and no one could hear us yelling and that shark got within feet of swimmers and they never even knew it and all we could do was watch.  Luckily it was not looking for a snack so it headed back into deeper water, but I bet we have all been that close to a shark at some point in time and never knew it.  A mental note was made by myself to never get further than shin deep in the water ever again- check.

Let's see...since I have last blogged we (meaning Carter) have had the stomach bug, and the croup.  I love being covered in throw up at 3:45am.  It is the best.  Croup was short lived, the barking seal cough lasted one night, got a steroid the next day and it didn't happen again...but he has still been a little snotty.

I have purchased the Instyler and I am a fan.

We have attempted Carter's first spend the night away from home at Mom and Pop's (Chad's rents).  Note the word "attempt".  I know, I know, we (or I) have taken a while to try this one.  But I don't care what anyone says, I was not ready until now.  He is my first baby and I will do as I please : )  The next one will be different I'm sure...not like spend the night off when they are a tiny baby though... but before 21 months of age.  If anyone remembers my post from back in the summer about VBS and we started a little bit (or a lot) of separation anxiety?  Well, it has somewhat continued to a degree.  We went to a wedding (congrats Tyne Olkie if you are reading this!), and as soon as we left we get a call that we have to come and get him b/c he has woken up and is crying so hard he is gagging.  Pop took him outside and Carter refused to go back into their house until he was in our arms.  A bit opinionated, I know.  And I was JUST then getting excited about a night off too!  Figures.  We took the little stinker home and he also refused his crib since he has been so "traumatized".  Got him to sleep at about 10:30 and he woke up at 4am not happy.  I guess he wanted to make sure we were still there.  Oh well, we will try again in a few weeks.

If you made it through the post, you are rewarded with a few pictures that I have taken and havnen't gotten to share yet.

September Beach Trip

 Daddy, Carter and the slide

 My Family

Still sleepy.  Preciousness.

He will play golf like his Daddy.  And hopefully get a full paid golf scholarship to college like his Daddy...that would be great.

Inside these 4 walls...

The whole month of August we have pretty much tried to stay INSIDE.  Of course, if I would allow it Carter would stay outside all day.  Whenever a door is open he is flying towards is yelling BYE; the highlight of his day is walking to the car when we have to go run errands.  First sign of cooler weather and lower humidity we will be outside allll day...park, zoo, backyard...because I am sick of being inside too! 

I am bad about rushing the seasons...for example, by the end of the current season I am more than ready for the next.  So needless to say I am anxiously awaiting to see leaves on the ground, pumpkins, and warm clothing.  I am thankful that God gave us different seasons, He knew that we would want some variety in our lives! 
We do have one more beach trip planned with my family, and I am really looking forward to that!  I will get back in summer mode for that trip and then when we get back I will start transitioning back into Fall thinking : )

Here are some pictures of cute things that Carter is doing around the house...

Trying to fill Daddy's shoes

Kind of a weird picture, but funny!  Loves his Daddy and his monkey towel.

First bad boo boo

Loving Thomas

Runs around with my curling iron..with supervision of course ; )

My birthday present from Carter and Daddy...LOVED it

Will be best buds one day...right now they just tolerate each other

I Love You.

 Happy 18 Months Handsome

I love...

the way your face jiggles when you run because your cheeks are so chubby

the way you say "yeah!" and "yes!" to anything I say

the way you only want me when you are hurting or sick

that you snuggle with me and lay your head on my chest even though you are getting bigger

how excited you get when we pull up to the park

staying at home with you and teaching you new things

experiencing new things with you

that you get so excited when Daddy comes home

that you try so hard to jump, don't quite make it off the ground, but are proud of yourself anyways

looking in the back seat of my car and seeing you there

how much you love Daddy and how much Daddy loves you

that the Lord gave me a little boy

to hear you talk in your own language

checking on you 5 times before Daddy and I go to bed and covering you up

how you study things

the way you are startled and jump when I catch you with something you know you aren't supposed to have

that you love golf clubs

how you smack your lips right before I give you your sippy cup of milk

that you carry around 2 blankets

You.

Happy 18 months beautiful baby

Thank you Lord for giving him to me.

Father's Day

Carter made Daddy a fun Father's Day gift. Since Chad doesn't drink coffee I had to come up with something different...and he loves drinking out of tall cups so I thought this would work :) I found this little kit at Michael's for $3, can't beat that!
Funny thing...I was reading a yahoo article of the worst Father's Day gifts and one was homemade crafts. C'MON! Well at least I didn't JUST give him this, he also got a gift card :) But he loved it and is taking it to work to drink out of, yay!

Last weekend we celebrated Father's Day for my Dad at the lake. We went straight from church, had lunch with Kev and Liz and the kiddos at Jacks and then were on our way for some fun in the sun. Mom and Dad recently built a large sun deck down by the lake with an iron fence around it for baby proofing :) Also, the deck is sturdy enough for us to have a pretty big pool on it (meaning, one that all the mamas and babies can sit in at once). And, of course we took a nice boat ride...hot, but nice. Here are some pictures below...

*Newer post below as well.

Avery helping Grandpa drive the boat

Avery and Carter on the sundeck "drinking" cokes

Carter in the pool

Cooling off

Me and little Leah :)

VBS Saddle Ridge Ranch

VBS was so much fun this year. Last year I worked in the big kid crafts, but this year I did pre-school crafts. We ended up doing one craft that was week long, and it turned out really cute, despite the messiness! The ultimate outcome was a hanging mobile that was made of clay. There was a top piece that said Saddle Ridge 2010 and then 3 clay cowboy shapes hanging from it. The kids got to cut out the shapes and paint them and then we strung them up for them. They were all SO proud of their creations, and rightfully so :) I cannot wait to see all the wonderful crafts Carter will proudly present to me over the next years!
Since I was working VBS, I of course had Carter in tow and he had his own VBS classroom. And this is just what he thought about it....

Yes, he hated it...well, let me come up with a stronger word than hate...despise...that's about right. He DESPISED every moment. Majority of the time he was crying, if he wasn't crying he was snubbing and being brought to me with red eyes. Every morning when I would drop him off at his door (my classroom was only down the hall...but of course he didn't know that) he would pitch an absolute fit and act as if I was feeding him to alligators. What's weird is he has been fine going in the nursery on Sunday mornings..but maybe he knew it was during the week and he was supposed to be at home with Mommy, or maybe it's just a phase, who knows. Either way he only made it Monday through Wednesday and then Chad's Mom kept him the remaining 2 days. I did end up with 3 sweet crafts he made while he was there though...did I mention I love crafts? One was the picture above that is actually a magnet to go on the fridge, another picture that is framed in foam and says "VBS", and the third is a canvas with his footprint on it (which could only cause a mother's heart to melt...what is it about footprints and hand prints, I could wallpaper my whole house in them and be fine).

Since VBS, at the beginning of June, I have apparently scarred my child. Every time Chad and I remotely even start to get ready to leave the house, he will catch on to the "getting ready" signs and cling for dear life to our legs saying bye bye and crying. He will continue to follow us around the house crying until we pick him up and assure him he is going with us. Bless the poor little thing! Maybe next year he will actually enjoy VBS!

Destin

We got back from Destin about a week ago. It was a really nice trip, long, but nice :)
We had a little bit of a rough start at the beginning though...we arrive on Saturday and our room is supposed to be ready no later than 2:00pm; the office tells us it will be 2:20 before we can get in. At 2:20 they still refuse to give us the key because it is still not ready...Chad said he was not coming back again and that they were to give us the key immediately (we had a toddler in the car that had been riding since 5:30AM and we were not interested in holding him off any longer...). They complied and gave us the key. As soon as we walk in the door, the cleaning lady is still there and only has 40% of the condo actually cleaned and she asks for one more hour. Nope sorry, you will have to clean around us, we're here to stay.
I noticed the condo was very hot, but I figured it had just been turned up since the last group left and the cleaning crew had all the doors open. By that evening it was still 77 degrees, so the realty company moves us to another condo at midnight.....that is on the bay, mind you, NOT across the street from the beach as we intended to be. Also, the condo we are moved to only has 2 bedrooms, not three, and that doesn't work well with 8 people. The next morning, they say that they have a unit big enough for us in Bay Town Village...still on the bay. We did not drive 5 1/2 hours to go to the pool, stare at the bay, and watch people play golf. We tell them no and ask for our money back, they comply.
Chad's parents knew a lady that they always rent from in Destin, so we hunt her down and she happens to have a townhouse unit across the street from the beach that we can have for the week. It was kind of in a neighborhood, so it was a little further than we like to walk to get to the beach, but they had a specific parking lot that we could drive to that was right across the street from the beach, and the pools there were really nice. After all we had been through I was just glad to be done packing and moving....3 times, yes, we packed and moved 3 times.
The rest of the trip went really well, Carter was a trooper, loved to sit on the beach (on a towel of course) and took naps on the beach and at the pool on the lounge chairs.
We did have one come-apart the last night at dinner and I had to do mommy duty and leave and take him back to the condo. I think he was just done.
We are supposed to go back to the beach in September with my family. Hopefully the oil won't spoil that trip because we will have all the babies, and it will be so fun...and probably a little wild.
I only have one picture posted at the top..I'm sure most of you who read my blog are also my friend on facebook so I figured I'd spare you the doubles...if you haven't seen them yet, I have about 100 posted and there is no way I could choose which ones to put on here!
I have tried my best to correct grammar and run-on sentences on this post, but there was just so much info I was trying to give, it may be a rough read...sorry!

"Cheeee!"

It was so nice today, so we played in the water on the back porch. Whenever a camera is in sight C will say "Cheeee"! The first video is of Carter saying cheese and the second is of him saying ball ("ba") and bye bye. I love hearing him talk, it is my favorite thing right now.

16 Months

Carter is 16 months old and it has been a while since I updated on all his new tricks. First off, he is such a joy to watch and he is a very happy baby. He babbles constantly in his own language but we are beginning to pin-point actual words here and there. So far, here is a list of his words: Mama, Dada/daddy, yay, bye-bye, ball, cheese, bubbles, and I'm pretty sure he tries to say thank you but it sounds nothing like it just yet.

He has been walking since about 13 months and he is now starting to run pretty well. He claps all the time and says "yay", especially when he knows he has done something good. He can kick a ball around the house like he's playing soccer. He got a set of play golf clubs from Mom and Pop and he LOVES them...Chad teaches him how to hit and then caddies for him and tells him what clubs to use next, it's really cute!

He loves books, he looks at them all day long. I have most of his favorite books in a little plastic wheel barrow by his bed and he drags all of them out. The majority of the day he prefers his books to toys. We also have bathtub books that he looks at in the bathtub. He is learning to get off the couch feet first although sometimes he goes head first, but we're getting there! Anytime he gets a hold of his comb or brush he brushes his hair and then puts it in his mouth.

He has 4 bottom teeth and is about to have 4 (or more) top teeth, we are fighting the teething battle currently.

He loves playing outside and has a meltdown when someone goes out and won't take him along. When he gets excited about anything he turns into an absolute chatter box and when he wakes up from a nap he wants to be cuddled for a few minutes. I could go on and on :) He is getting to be a big boy and we are enjoying every minute of him.

*Newer post below

Mother's Day

I had a great second Mother's Day. I am more thankful for Carter everyday, he is such a joy. I am blessed that the Lord has chosen us to raise this beautiful child.
We spent Friday and Saturday at the lake to celebrate my Mom's Mother's Day, and then we spent Sunday with Chad's Mom. Below is the picture Carter made me in Sunday School, I love hand print pictures!!
Earlier in the week, Carter and I also made Mother's Day cards for his Grandmothers. They also had his hand prints on them...and let's just say that it didn't go quite as I expected. You know, as a Mom, you picture in your head how a "special" moment is going to go and then it usually turns out a disaster...you'd think I'd learn by now that a 15 month old is unpredictable! So we get out all the supplies to do the cards and I first have him color a "picture" inside the card with crayons; well, he scribbles for a moment and then wants to take off around the house with the crayons in hand. We all know this is a recipe for disaster, so I run after him (this happens several times) and he becomes a noodle and lays on the ground crying. Somehow we finish coloring both cards and I strap him in his high chair to do the hand prints. Every kid likes getting their hands in paint, right? Nope. Not mine. Screamed the entire time, fists clinched; and I'm not really sure how I got the hand prints but I did and they looked pretty decent, I wish I had a picture! Our mother's loved them, and that's all that matters, even if the experience of making them wasn't quite as wonderful as I pictured it, ha!
When we got Carter from the nursery on Sunday, they said he also hated making this picture below, oh well, at least it wasn't just me!

Here are some lake pictures from the weekend:

Carter in Owen's bouncy

Boat ride

Grandma and Owen

Avery and Carter on their new seesaw

Avery and Carter and their new watches, Hello Kitty and Spiderman. They think they are big stuff ;)