October in a Nutshell

As seems to be the norm these days, October came and went in a flash.  "Busy yet fun," is our family theme!  Here are a few highlights...

 

The young Herrings and the young Knights decided to have a little family fun at Cagles Dairy Farm.  We took Griffin last year and had a great time so decided that Jackson and Carson needed to get in on the action too!  It was most age appropriate for Griffin - he had a blast in the "corn box," feeding the goats and other animals, and riding on the big tractor for the hay ride.  I think everyone else enjoyed themselves too.  It was a perfect fall day.  Mom and Cindy joined us as well and it sure was nice to have all hands on deck to help with the little ones.  Jenna and I think we'll make it an annual cousin tradition.

 

I love this look of concentration.

 

We I had fun carving our pumpkins this year. (Okay, Dada helped too - I have to give him some credit.)  I thought Griffin might really get into it, but he wasn't much of a fan of getting all the gook out of the pumpkin.  I think he really liked the finished product though.  When it got dark outside, he was excited about going to light the pumpkins.  I think the kid associates all things involving candles with birthday celebrations.  When we lit the candles inside the jack-o-lantern he started singing Happy Birthday then tried to blow out the candles.  Funny and cute!

 

Lucky for us, we got to make the most out of our "Percy the Train" Halloween costume this year.  We were invited to a friend's 8th birthday party and it was a costume contest!  Griffin didn't last too long in the costume because it was too hard to run around and play with it on...he kept tripping on it.  Chad and I, feeling the need to go along with the party theme, dressed up as train conductors.  We are not that into the whole dressing up thing, but I'll admit it was fun (though our costumes were about as minimal as they come).  I have a feeling we will have no choice but to dress up as the kids get older!

How cute is this kid?

 

Towards the end of the month we headed to Bluffton to visit with Boo and Papa Don.  It was time for the annual father/son golf tournament and Chad and Don were the reigning champions!  The big boys had fun playing golf (they led the first day and then fell behind the second day - no repeat win for the Herring men) and the little boys had fun playing with Boo at the house.  I enjoyed having extra hands to help and even got a little alone time at the outlet mall. 

Griffin has become quite the climber!

Sweet as ever.

Griffin and Boo made yummy pumpkin shaped Rice Crispy treats.

The boys had fun in the pool with Papa Don!

After a fun weekend with the grandparents we returned home just in time for Halloween!  Griffin was excited about Trick-or-Treating.  The Lohrs (Tate's family) were nice enough to invite us over to their house for pizza before we headed out with them to get some candy!  Unlike last year, Griffin did a great job realizing that Trick-or-Treating was not an invitation to go inside people's houses.  In fact, he did a great job running from house to house with the big kids.  He loved following Amelia (Tate's big sister) around the neighborhood and trying to keep up with her. 

The best picture I could get of the two boys together.

The first of MANY "candy breaks!"

The sweetest lion...ever!

Tate and Griffin - best buddies.



Carson slept most of the night but perked up towards the end and enjoyed being taunted with candy.  Poor kid.

 

Since I'm very behind in writing about October, I can assure you that November passed just as fast!  Stay tuned for a post about November and the start of the Holiday season.  I love this time of year!  Everything is fun and extra special this time around because it's Carson's "first" everything.  We are trying to soak it all up and make some happy memories.



Six Months of Smiles

As of a few days ago the Carson man is 6 months old.  Half a year.  Which means in this same amount of time he'll be celebrating his first birthday.  Excuse me while I clear the lump in my throat.

 

According to Dr. B, you're growing just beautifully.  She had to do the entire appointment while you were having a bottle.  She learned quickly that taking it away from you before you were through was not an option and she was happy to work around you.  She was impressed with your strength and called you a flirt!

 

Your 6 month stats:

Height - 26.57 inches {52%}

Weight - 17lbs. 2oz. {40%}  Shocker, I know!

Head Circumference - 43.5cm

 

I was surprised to see how similar your stats were to Griffin's at this age.  You seem to much chunkier than he was but when we look back at pictures we realize that G had a little meat on those bones before he really started movin' and a shakin'!  You've definitely got him beat in the hair department.  You've got little sprouts of brunette hair popping up all over your head.

 

So Carson, here's what you're up to at the ripe old age of 0.5....

 

 

We tried rice cereal for the first time.  You weren't a huge fan at first and, frankly, Mama is not a huge fan of the stuff either - so messy - so I only let you try it a few times.  We've moved on to other "real" food such as sweet potatoes, squash, green beans and puffs.  You don't quite have the hang of the whole spoon in mouth, get food off spoon then swallow routine yet.  I can take partial blame for this because I don't give you the opportunity to practice as much as I should.  We've still got this spit up problem going on so the addition of food makes the spit up, well...colorful.  Talk about a laundry nightmare!  I promise, we'll get the hang of it soon.  Until then, we'll keep enjoying puffs....you get so giddy every time you eat one!  (Can't grab it and get it in your mouth on your own yet but we will practice.)

 

You are still just the happiest in the world.  I'm hopeful that you will be a little cuddle bear forever!  You enjoy spending time in the swing, mostly in the kitchen while I'm getting dinner ready.  I love the company!  You've also started enjoying the swing at the playground.  Such a big boy!  Griffin likes to swing beside you and always wants me to push you higher.  Not yet mister.

 

On your actual 6 month birthday we were in Bluffton at Papa Don and Boo's house.  You got to play in the pool and show off your almost-crawling skills!  For the last week or so you've been pushing up on all fours and rocking back and forth.  Sometimes you catapult yourself forwards and do a face plant, but mostly you're scooting backwards.  I just know that in a few weeks you'll be crawling around everywhere.  This means we need to re-baby-proof the house.  Yikes!



Blurry because you're rocking back and forth so fast!

You scooted yourself underneath the chair.  Haha

You also experienced your first Halloween as a sweet, cuddly lion.  You were perfectly content to sit in the stroller while we chased your brother around the neighborhood.  Actually, you slept through most of it.

 

 

Other things you're up to - you've discovered, or maybe rediscovered, your hands!  You stick your hand out in front of you and just stare at it while you twist it all around, wave and wiggle those fingers.  You're also having fun sticking out your tongue and making cute noises with your mouth.  It's so neat to see you taking everything in.  You are VERY observant and I can tell you're going to be like your dad and want to know how everything works and the logic behind it. 

 

Well Carson man, I can't think of enough good things to say about you.  I thank God every day for giving Chad and I such an awesome son and pray for wisdom in knowing how to raise you and best take care of you.  This love that a parent has for a child is just a CRAZY thing - scary and awesome at the same time.  Your dad and I love you sooo much, and even though we had to send Griffin to time out TWICE today for throwing a ball at your head, your big brother loves you too.  I just can't wait to see the relationship between the two of you develop.  I have a feeling G will have a rude awakening to this whole "little brother" thing once you start crawling around and attempting to play with his toys.  May the lessons in sharing begin....!



Go Jackets!

Football season is in full swing around here!  The past two weekends have been filled with tailgating, eating, playing and even SOME game-watching.  We took Griffin to the first home game this year.  With a 7:00pm kick off it was risky, but we figured G would do pretty well staying up late if he got in a good nap.  Thankfully he did that day - naps are pretty hit or miss around here these days.  I think Chad and I would both call the day a success.  Griffin had a blast tailgating with his friends Jack and Leah, and we've even got some new kids to the mix this year with the addition of the Harper's adorable boys.  All the kids had fun playing together!  Griffin even did a good job at the game.  He didn't watch much of the game, but he and Jack entertained themselves by eating popcorn and looking for Buzz.  We actually chased Buzz down and got a high five - very fun!

Jack, Chad and Griffin - cheering on the Jackets!

 The next weekend it was Carson's turn to go to a game - his FIRST game!  True to form, this little man did a great job.   

Dada fed Carson his bottle as soon as we arrived at the tailgate...

...and after that he was happy and ready to flirt with the ladies!  I think he won everyone over with that smile and those rolly-polly thighs. 

He even stayed on schedule and took a great nap in the stroller, giving Mama and Dada time to eat and socialize.

Then we strapped him up and headed towards the stadium.  It was a 3:30 game and we were a little worried about the heat and the sun beating down on us, but we got very lucky with a nice cloud cover for the entire game.  So great!

Chad, Carson and the new Bobby Dodd statue.

Add caption

We've got a picture of Elizabeth holding Griffin at HIS first GT game so we had to get a picture of Carson with her as well.  We are so lucky to have friends who don't mind us bringing our kiddos along to the games and who are even willing to help us out when we get tired of holding them! 

This sweet boy stayed awake for the entire game.  When we FIRST arrived in the stadium Tech scored a 70 yard touchdown - to say the crowd went wild is an understatement.  Poor Carson was so shocked he just lost it and started crying.  I was afraid that he wasn't going to be able to handle the noise in the stadium.  Luckily, after a bottle and some quiet time out near the concession stands, he was ready to go back in and had no problem as all of our friends cheered on the Jackets - loudly.

 Chad and I have decided that a 2:1 parent/child ratio is the best way to enjoy a game.  We are lucky to have parents in town to help us out in the babysitting department.  As I mentioned earlier, we're also lucky to have such a fun group of friends at the games with us.  We look forward to our football weekends so much and it's great to see our group evolving from a few college buddies to wives and children.  The group keeps growing and it is oh so fun!

Summer Lovin'...Happened So Fast

Well fall is in the air (thank goodness) and the summer is over.  I really can't believe how quickly it flew by and how big our "Carson Man"- as Griffin likes to call him - is getting. I think it's safe to say that Chad, Griffin and I all fell in love this summer...with a little, squishy, rolly-polly sweet heart. 

 

 I had all intentions of doing this post after his 4 month doctor visit...just not THIS long after.  By now C is a good 4.5 months, but here are his stats anyways:

 

Height = 25 1/2 inches (71%)

Weight = 16lbs. 3oz. (74%)

Head Circumference = 42cm (42%)  

 

Yes, he's a pretty big boy.  I was worried Dr. B was going to put him on a diet or something but she said he was growing beautifully!  She said she'll look to see that the height % goes above the weight % in the next few visits.  We, of course, brought up Carson's excessive spit up issue.  She said she's not too worried but that if it doesn't start getting better she'll look into it a little more with a barium swallow to make sure his little intestines are where they need to be.  In the mean time she switched us to soy/lactose free formula to see if that helps at all.  Well, 2+ weeks in and it ain't helping!  This boy is a spit up machine.  And to make matters worse, this soy formula smells terrible.  Like dog food.  Now our house smells like dog food.  YUCK.  We are never getting a dog.

 

Here are a few pictures from the last month or so:

 

I love this.  We did this so much with Griffin but really haven't had the luxury of napping with Carson very much. Having a baby sleep on your chest is the best feeling in the world and Chad and I both wanted to make a point to do this before we outgrow this stage.

Sweet Carson all dressed up for church in an outfit from Grandma Purvis.  Doesn't he pull off the bonnet nicely?

This picture makes me smile from ear to ear.  Love those shades and those chins.

Our "cool dude" photo shoot quickly went awry.

Knock on wood, but Carson is SUCH a good passenger in the car.  I'm hoping this continues as he gets older because Griffin was NOT a fan of the car.

Carson's first meeting with Great Grandma Jenny.

I hope I NEVER forget how good it feels to kiss those squishy cheeks.  Probably my most favorite thing in the world right now.

I know this isn't a great picture but I just love how C is looking over at G.  It just melts my heart how much Carson LOVES his big brother.

 

For the sake of my memory, here's what Carson is up to these days...

• He is rolling over from back to stomach (both ways) and every now and then can get from stomach to back.  He loves sleeping on his stomach.
• It appears we officially have a thumb sucker.  He has no interest in pacifiers.  Fine with me now, but will be tricky to "get rid of" the thumb.  Lord, I know all too well (from my own experience).
• He smiles at just about anyone who looks at him.  He just loves face to face contact and seems to have such a sweet little personality. 
• I'm sure this means that we're in for it when he gets older, but right now he is the BEST, most WELL BEHAVED baby I know.  He seriously only cries when he is tired or hungry - or sometimes if he just needs a change of scenery.  He is so easy going and is making this "mom of two" thing so easy on me.  Thank you Carson!
• He is grabbing at things and really likes holding/chewing those little plastic rings.  I'm not sure that he's teething but EVERYTHING goes straight to the mouth.
• Carson loves to read.  If he's upset we just lay down and read a book and he is so content to sit and listen to us read or just look at the pages.  One of my favorite parts of the day is before bedtime when Chad lays down on the floor with Griffin and Carson and reads a book.  Carson is either very into the book or very into watching to see what Griffin is doing.  It's just so neat to sit back and watch Carson take everything in.  He seems to be so observant!  I'd love to know what's going on in that little head of his.

I often find myself thinking Carson is older than he really is - I'm not sure why.  I also find myself wishing he was older - how things will be better when he stops spitting up so much, and when he can crawl, and when he can "play" with Griffin.  Chad is great about reminding me to try to live in the moment and cherish what's going on RIGHT NOW.  He's so right and it's something that we try to remind ourselves of daily.  Last Sunday, the topic at church just happened to be parenting and our preacher, Andy and his wife Sandra just sat on stage and gave parenting advice.  It was awesome to hear what they had to say.  Something that struck a chord with me was Sandra saying that" the days are long but the years are short and before we know it our kids will be grown ups." 

 

I started bawling.  Like, ugly crying.

 

DON'T TELL ME THAT MY BOYS WILL BE ADULTS SOON!  

 

Then someone got on stage and sang the Trace Atkins song "You're Gonna Miss This."  Now, I've heard that song on the radio a million times and have always liked it, but on this particular day I just couldn't quit crying.  Tears were rolling down my neck.  Hahaha!

 

So, while it's not always smiles, laughs and giggles around here and we do get frustrated with the little things {spit up everywhere, smelly soy formula, pee on the wall, changing diapers, tons of laundry} Chad and I are really trying to remind ourselves that one day we are going to look back and we ARE going to miss this stage of life.  We wouldn't trade our life for anything in the world right now.  Nothing.