Zoodles of Fun!

First off- I enjoy coming up with cheesy post titles :) I hate to say that I find myself the least bit humorous...but when you're home with no one but a wee babe to amuse you...well never mind. This is a little story of a great adventure!!

One evening, Carter was thinking very hard.... he wasn't sure what could possibly be missing in his little life! He had parents, plenty of hugs and kisses, lots of creamy milk to drink at his leisure, a diaper to dispose in whenever he liked, soft blankies, and plenty of amusement from the faces and voices people use when talking to him. But it seemed that something was incomplete. There was something more. He tried telling Dad- but he didn't understand...

It was FRUSTRATING.

It was boring....

                                                                                                 And it was exhausting...

What could be the solution for this discontent! Of course. MOM!! She always knows. And I did of course. What Carter needed was a little excitement thrown into this daily routine. And this excitement could come from no one and no where, but the zoo. Yes. The zoo. 

Carter was thrilled! He'd never been to the zoo! So with Grandma Kelli, Aunt Erin & Rochelle, Uncle Dylan & Matthew, and cousin Maddox- we set off for a great adventure.

We walked around in earnest to see as many animals as we could..

Grandma Kelli had a hard time letting Mr. Moo ride in his stroller. He was just too cute.

Uncle Dylan does NOT use any illegal substances..

Mom probably looked like a crazy for bringing this little guy in public. To the zoo no less. But when your son wants to go and looks at you with THAT face- tell me how you could say no?

These guys are cute too. Except Aunt Erin- she's bee-ay-ute-aful!

Cousin Maddox teaches us all about how to be awesome. Obviously.

We loved the giraffes so much. 

Don't touch the giraffe Carter! Goodness....

Mommy wore her tiger shirt for the special occasion.

And the little elephant baby made carter pants feel more at home. 

What a trip! Now that Carter feels at ease knowing he made it there, he can eat, sleep, poop, and spit up in peace :)

Bath Time!!

Initially, Carter dreaded his little sponge baths. It was hard for the little guy to not be able to fully emerge in the water, and waiting till his cord fell off was just plain hard on him. But once it did fall off and real bath time began...he loooooves every minute! I have let him stay in as long as he likes because he is just so content. So here's a few darling snapshots of Carter in his blissful sink bath!

He's always modest!

This is the face of contentment!

Sometimes it's hard to refrain from kissing this little face right off!!! I love my little guy VERY much. 

Carter's Many Faces

Our little guy is stinkin' cute. Atleast we bias parents think so :) So since we are wrapped around his little fingers and smitten with his baby charm-I am posting a few pictures I've taken of his many faces.

  

 Carter has this crazy thing with his hands. He loves his hands by or on his face at all times. Even in ultrasound pictures we have, his hands are on or by his face! When he was being birthed instead of coming just head first he decided to sneak his arm out simultaneously-of course so he could keep it close to face. He also flails his little arms when he gets upset, and since they are on or by his face always, he tends to whack or scratch himself which generally doesn't make him too happy (aka mad as a hornet). And when he's eating or drinking a bottle he frequently confuses his hands for the milk source and shoves them in his mouth. Crazy boy. But an endearing trait for sure.

 

These are his crazy eyes :) We're still learning how to use and control them

His face that I like to call "Mr. Moo". That pouty look...Means he's hungry.

Getting Tired...

His "crazy for the camera" face.

He loves to stretch out and snooze!

"Look at me I'm cute!" face.

Complete Boredom...

One night while awaiting the arrival of our son... we were soooo bored. I walked in the kitchen to find my bored partner carving what he thought looked like a donut out of an apple. Doesn't really look like a donut......










So I decided to join the fun. Donut making became animal fruit art. I made the mice, and nathan made the pretty stinkin cool apple owl. But come on. Give me points for my scenery!

Come on, the poo-poo sprinkles!? Adorable right??

Tails of Ramen :) Way clever

Seriously way cool right!?

Of course Nate made an owl when i made mice. So his fruit animal would be dominant and intimidating. But my mice fear no one.

Thank you sweet boredom!!

Iron Chef Nathan!

Nate and I LOVE food. Let's be honest. We love to try new foods, we love to critique and discover foods, we love to create and experiment with foods, and we love finding new favorites. Whether it is going to a restaurant or whipping up culinary crafts in our own kitchen...we are all over it. But I have to say- Nate is seriously a brilliant chef! After being married to him for a year and a half, he still doesn't cease to surprise me with all of the creative and delicious things he can whip out of no where! He'll dazzle you with his fancy Bananas foster (a yummy dessert)! He'll wow you with his fillet of salmon beautifully plated! He'll astound you with his homemade chicken cordon bleu or fillet minion! And that is only the beginning! Each meal he designs begins with an appetizer, a beautiful salad, and if he's really going nuts- a dessert after the main course. After a long day yesterday, and Nate having been out of town, i was excited to see him that evening. And VERY excited to see this meal below awaiting my arrival.

This was my dinner. Fillet Minion topped with a tomato and yellow pepper all broiled with onion in a white cooking wine. Carefully placed atop wild rice and decorated with fluffily mashed potato-just enough to mix with the rice and be completely satisfied. Can you say beautiful??? Goodness...

We started with a poppyseed salad with strawberries and pineapple pieces. Delicious!! My honey even set the table with a candle :) Does he spoil me or what?

So he's brilliant. Seriously. And I love cooking with him and watching him get excited about it! We have such a good time. Here are a few other delights he's made me in the past.

I took these on my phone...forgive the crumby quality-just admire the art!

Folks this only GRAZES the surface of Nate's amazing skills. He spoils me rotten. In every aspect of our marriage and life. This is only highlighting one of the ways he does. But while I'm talking about my darling husband spoiling me, I want to throw in a random tidbit. Lately I have taken a liking to the wal-mart classic grandma style PJ's. Night gowns or the button ups...I love them! So along with my dinner last night,  Nate kindly went to grab some diapers from the store. I was pleasantly surprised when he came home with a gift of a new pair of PJ's. What a dear!! 

So there you have it. My husband is the sweetest and most amazing man alive. I'm COMPLETELY in love. And I'm so glad that he is all mine!!

Carter's Big Debut

Being pregnant was a hoot. Having your water break is still very unexpected. This happened to me on Sunday, June 12th at 1:00 pm. I was doing our household a favor and plunging a clogged toilet, when suddenly I was bewildered by the thought that I was in fact wetting my pants! Not in all of my pregnancy had I ever had problems with incontinence, so needless to say I was a little bit shocked. I sat down quickly and thought for a moment, then stood back up again-only to find that it was happening again! I couldn't possibly believe that my water had actually broken, so I told Nate we should load up the car with the baby's things just for future convenience, and we headed to my parents for dinner. My contractions grew pretty hefty on the car ride down, and upon arrival at my mom's we were sent away to be checked at the hospital. Of course, it was true- water broken, and admittance to the hospital....we were having a baby. I was nervous and excited and shell-shocked. At 5:30 I was started on Pitosin, and as contractions grew unbearable I decided around 8:00 that an epidural didn't sound half bad. Carter decided to grace us with his presence at 9:52 pm. Getting him here was the hardest work my body has ever been required to do....but the most rewarding to be sure. Here is a brief recap of the hospital.

Here we go...no turning back now!!

My sweet husband was at my side for every moment. Every contraction he was breathing with me and holding my hand, letting me know that all would be just fine. I couldn't have asked for a better partner to share this whole experience with. I love that man!!!

A couple sweet friends came to visit. Thankfully after the epidural was in place :)

This is my happy nurse, husband, and the nice man in the back who gave me the epidural. I don't remember his name....but bless him.

Finally!! Out he came. Swollen, goopy, and the sweetest thing alive.

Mommy, Daddy, and Carter for the first time! We're going to go ahead and excuse mommy for looking like she does in all of these pictures though. It's only fair.

Carter had an 8 on APGAR test one, and a 9 on test two. Good job son!

Papa loooooves his baby boy

Sometimes I sleep like this too now.

My baby 

So pregnancy is over. Done and gone for now! No more cravings, swollen feet and hands that become so huge and water filled they look like you have elephantiasis...no more sleeping vertically so you can breathe, no more pushing feet from your rib cage...all of this is over. I can hardly believe it. Now onward ho with the sleepless nights, the screaming, the poops, and the whirlwind of emotion. :) My husband deserves a blue ribbon and a gold trophy!! Welcome home Carter pants!!!

Bountiful Baskets!

So our pals Dan and Anna got us really into this great thing called bountiful baskets. You pay 16.00 a week for these plentifully filled baskets of fruits, veggies, and all sorts of wonderful healthy fresh produce! These baskets are pretty heaping...which is amazing, but a lot for a household of 2 to take on and finish in a week. Thus, Danna and ourselves have been tag teaming. We switch off buying each week, and split the contents of the baskets. It is BRILLIANT. We eat healthier, more creatively, and we enjoy making meals together. You order your basket on Monday, and pick it up Saturdays, so you start each new week with fresh produce and a chuck full fridge. Nate loves picking up the basket with me, even though pick-up time is at 7am on Saturday mornings (the sleep in morning of course!) But he gets soooo excited, there's no leaving him home. Here is documentation from our last trip.

First, you check in and they look up your order.

Then you find your baskets amid the slew of people and greens!

Each order comes with two of these white baskets. One with fruits and one with veggies!

You move all of the produce into a basket of your own...

Feel the overwhelming joy of bringing' home the bacon :)

(This is only a piece of the warehouse that they put this big event on in! A piece!)

Lovin' the steal of a deal

Pack up, and go home!!

Every basket we have gotten is a success! With fruits varying from blackberries, mangos, apples, oranges, cantelope, bananas, pineapples, etc. to vegetables like lettuce, potatoes, corn on the cob, tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, gosh just everything imaginable! There is always so much to eat and for only a small price. We are so pleased with our weekly trip to bountiful baskets, and this is again, just the joy we find in one of the little things in life!!