Incognito

"I wonder if the paparazzi (I mean my Mom) will recognize me?"

Opps...it's BROKEN

I'm not proud of this, but I must share the event with others. Carys fell off the sofa and broke, yes broke her little arm. Today we took her to have the splint removed and the cast applied. Carys just watched as the doctor applied the cast. She has a pink little cast on her right arm. Neither the split, nor the cast, seem to bother her. She goes about her daily routine as normal...except for bath time which is now sink time. We will go back in three weeks to see if it can be removed!!

Sweeping the Floor

After finishing breakfast I had asked Carys to get her broom to help me sweep the floor. She decided she'd ride around on it. When I asked if she would like her picture taken she said "yah". When I asked her to smile, this is how she smiled...such a little stinker.

1st Haircut &Hairstyle

Finally...today Carys received her very first haircut. She sat perfectly still through the sissor work and through the blowdrying. I must say her hair does look fuller. I thought her curls would be gone, but there not. Yeah!!!! Carys even gave Faith, our hair stylist, a tip. Carys hung onto the money through everything. I think Carys looks more and more grown up each day! WOW....being a parent is the greatest honor EVER!!Thanks for going with us mom and taking photos!!

Disney World

Our family just returned from a vacation to Orlando. We visited Disney World parks on five of our days and relaxed the remainder of the time at our resort. We spent three days at Magic Kingdom, one day at MGM, and one day at Animal Kingdom. The parades and shows were amazing and kept Carys interested!! Carys loved the "it's a small world" ride at Magic Kingdom so we rode it twice. She just pointed at everything and said "Look! Look! Look!". I must say I was very nervous about taking Carys on her first plane ride. I worried for nothing. She was perfect!! Tim, Carys and I can't wait to visit Disney World again in a few years!

While visiting the three different parks, we met different Disney characters. In the first picture we met Mickey at Animal Kingdom. As you can see, Carys was excited to see him again. We visited Toontown at Magic Kingdom and toured Minnie's house and Tim and Carys posed with Minnie. While at MGM we met two of the Little Einstein's. Carys played peek-a-boo with them. We also met several other characters from Donald Duck to Cinderella to Jo Jo, from Jo Jo's Circus cartoon. Carys kept kissing Donald Duck on the nose.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

We began our Halloween Evening with carving our family pumpkin.Carys had so much fun and loved scooping out the inside of the pumpkin with her hand. In between scooping out the goop, she would make sure the top would still fit in the hole.

"Mmmmmmm...candy...I hope mom and dad let me have some tonight".

Carys was such a great trick-or-treater!! She loved seeing all the kids in their costumes. We only went to a few houses for candy and then returned back to our home to pass out treats. Carys loved taking the candy to the kids. There were these 2 little girls around Carys' age and while we were talking with there parents, she kept putting candy in their bags. It was too cute to stop. She loved giving them candy and they loved taking it.

We missed you too this year Taylor. Maybe next year. I really liked your FiFi costume. We will talk to you when we get home from Disney World!! See you at the end of November.

Some of My Favoirte Things

Exploring things...

Hanging with the girls...

Baking with mom...

Drawing on my chalk board while making faces at my mom!

9/23/2006

Carys on September 23, 2006. One year ago to-the-day!!

Click, Click, Click

Pretty Purple Shoes

Please ignore my weird laughing...better yet...turn your volume off!!!!

Let's Go to Indy

Tim has been traveling a lot lately for work. We decided to travel along with him to Indianapolis the Thursday before Labor Day and make it a long weekend. After Tim was done working we went to the Children's Museum on one day and then to the Zoo on another day.

Carys was in seventh heaven at the Children's Museum. She walked for 2 hours straight and played and played and explored and touched everything! There was so much to do and to see. There was the beautiful glass exhibit that I was absolutely in love with. It was so beautiful and amazing to see. When it was time to pick her up to leave she was so mad at us. This was our first time at a Children's Museum and we all had a wonderful time. We we revisit this place for sure!!

Our zoo trip was different from any of our past ones in other states. She used to look at all the animals and squeal with excitement. Now her focus was "baby", "baby", "baaaaabeeeee". She is so IN LOVE with baby dolls, babies in books and real life babies. The zoo in Indianapolis just open a dolphin viewing dome. This was really neat as we got to see the dolphins swim over us and beside us. We were planning on watching the dolphin show, but Carys decided she didn't want to sit still. She and daddy went outside and I stayed to watch the 15 minute up-beat show. It was a lot of fun. I wish she could have stayed because she would have loved the music they played. The zoo also had beautiful gardens and a butterfly house. This zoo also had a lot of activities with the animals to observe or participate: elephant bathing, feeding the giraffes, feeding the penguins, etc.

Fun with Playdough

Yesterday Carys and I had company. Jarren and Reese, my nephew and niece, were here for the day. I was trying to plan some fun things for us to do inside since it has been so rainy lately. So...we made play dough. This was the first time I had made homemade play dough. It turned out great!! The kids chose their individual color and we even added orange sent to make it even a little more personal. Carys tasted a little but must have found it much too salty so just a little was enough.

Cooked Play dough

(flour and salt)
3 cups flour

1.5 cups salt

6 tsp cream of tarter

3 tbsp oil

3 cups water
Pour all ingredients into a large pot.

Stir constantly over medium heat until a ball forms by pulling away from the sides.

Knead the play dough until the texture matches play dough (1-2 minutes). Store in plastic container. Should last for at least 3 months.

Jarren didn't want to add food coloring to his play dough. He used a toothpick to draw on it. Reese put her play dough over a spoon to make a sculptor.

Paparazzi On the Loose

Today I came across one of my very old cameras and some 35mm film. I put in new batteries and the film, gave it to Carys and off she went. This camera will be great for her as it's just a point and click. I'll be anxious to see what she photos she takes!! I noticed that 3 photos have been taken so far. She's been carry this around on and off this morning and afternoon.

I'm coming to get you mommy!!

It's Potty Time

A few months ago I had seen this potty chair and thought it was so cute. Carys has been playing with it on and off since we got it. Now that she's walking, Tim and I thought we might see if she's interested in trying to use her potty. Last night before her bath she sat on it and pottied and again this morning. Tim and I cheered and cheered for her last night. She looked at us like, "what are you so excited about you crazy people". This morning was so neat because after breakfast I asked her if she wanted to go potty. I was carrying her and she pointed us right into the bathroom and was trying to get out of my arms to her potty chair. Once I put her down she was trying to get her pj's off. I helped, we took her diaper off and she sat on the potty. She looked around for a few minutes, played with the shower curtain and then.....she pottied. When she potties her chair sings to her. I made such a big deal of it that we woke Tim up. Carys was so proud of herself - she was smiling and clapped. We will take this whole potty training slow and let her take the lead. As long as she shows interest...we will too! She such a smarty!!

P.S. I did take a picture of her peepee in the potty, but we'll save that for Carys, Tim and I. I'm sure you appreciate that.

Eighteen Months

Carys turned 18-months-old on June 29. Today was her 18-month check-up. Dr. Noble was very pleased with how well she is growing and how well her skills are developing. Here's the stats:

Weight: 22 pounds 10 ounces

16 percentile

Height: 31 1/2 inches

35 percentile

Head Circum.: 17.91 inches

21 percentile

Body Mass Index: 15.9 kg/m2

Virginia Beach

This year our family celebrated the 4th of July in Virginia Beach. The Davis side of the family make an annual trek to Virginia Beach to enjoy the boardwalk, beach, fireworks and seafood. Tim and I haven't been there in years and thought this would be a perfect time to go back to experience the beach with Carys. Carys loved the ocean. She would crawl right in and would sit in the sand while the waves broke around her. She loved playing in the sand and people watching. It was really hard keeping her eating healthy on the trip. I guess that's what vacations are for...according to my sister-in-laws. One morning the only food Carys would eat for breakfast was chips. Now that is the sign we see the most. Right before we left for vacation, Carys started walking. We have been waiting for this milestone to happen. I had set a goal and prayed for her to start walking by vacation. God was listening and my prayers were answered! She walks everywhere and all the time. Her little legs have to be so tired. It's so amazing to see her develop from a 2 pound infant to a toddler that is walking.

Daddy, this is so fun!

I don't have this much sand at home.

The water isn't that cold, mommy.

Mmmmm...crab legs...can't wait 'til 3.

I love chips.

Father's Day

Tim was given the choice of what he wanted to do on his father's day. I guess this is only fair since, after all, this is the day to honor father's. He didn't want any special breakfast, lunch or dinner. How easy is this for me! Tim decided that he wanted to spend his day outside working on building our new barn. Carys and I have been outside with him watching, swinging, playing in the pool and playing in the sand. We are planning on wrapping up the day by making a stepping stone with molding Tim's hand and then placing Carys' on top of his. Once the stone is dry we are actually going to put it on a stand with a piece of glass on top for a table between the rocking chairs on our front porch.

"Nope. Not me. I don't eat sand."

To Grandpa & Grandma's We Go

Last week Tim had to go out to Chicago for work, so Carys and I tagged along. It made for a perfect mini-vacation and a birthday celebration for me. On the first day Carys and I took a walk through the neighborhood across the street from our hotel. We could hear this very loud noise that kind of sounded like crickets, but much louder!! It turns out that this was the year for the 17 year cicadas to reemerge. The cicadas were everywhere. They were huge and disgusting. I don't do well with any type of bugs, especially when there are millions above my head and below my feet. I was educated about these bugs by some of the people living in the neighborhood. I also had to do some research about these cicadas online when we got back to the hotel. Michigan had the reemergence of the 17 year cicadas in 2004. Thank God they weren't around me!! On our second day we took Carys to The Rain Forest Cafe for dinner. Carys loved the place. Every word out of her mouth was "Look! Look! Look!" Tim and I took turns showing her around the restaurant. She was amazed by all the fish tanks, moving animals and sounds!! Having a child sure makes me "stop and smell the roses".

After our stay in Chicago, we headed up to Fond du lac, WI to see Tim's parents. It was a great time. We attended the local Walleye Festival. This festival was hug and family-oriented. Carys got her face painted, her first animal balloon (which was a pink ladybug she could wear on her wrist), touch Scooby Doo and had her very first carousel ride.

The festival was a blast. Even though Grandpa Davis and Tim tried ditching Grandma Davis, Carys and myself. Just kidding. We were separated for over an hour because they wanted to look at some of the boats and us girls wanted to go to the kids area. Saturday, Grandma Davis took us to Oshkosh shopping in the morning and then Grandpa Davis took us for a boat ride in his new speed boat in the afternoon. This was a nice getaway...but I must say, it's nice to be home too!!

TROUBLE

See what happens when I turn my back for one second, literally!!

90 degrees and rising

We had a very family-oriented Memorial weekend. On the home front we did a huge home improvement project. Tim, along with our friend Tim, laid hardwood floors throughout the upstairs. It looks and feels so nice!! There is a little area left to be finished this coming weekend. Guess what daddy will be working on. Saturday we purchased...get this...a.......minivan. YEP...I'm now a minivan driver. Go ahead and laugh. When I'm in the inside I still feel like I'm driving a SUV...that is until I'm backing up. At that time I feel like I'm driving a bus. Thank the Lord this vehicle has back-up sensors.

Sunday Carys and I attended a cousins graduation party while Tim stayed home working on the floor. Amy graduated from MSU. Congrats to her!! Monday we celebrated cousin Kaidyn's 8th birthday. At the party Carys could not get enough of playing basketball with her cousin Holden. They were too cute! We also grilled burgers with our friends that helped out with laying the new floor.

Carys just loves to be outside...but why on a 90 degree day. I complain, but I always give in. So, today Carys and I went to a local deli and picked up some lunch to have a picnic at a local park. She loved looking at the flowers and the birds. Every time she would see a bird she would say "bird"; I would say and sign bird and; I would hope that she too would do the sign too but she would just keep saying "bird, bird, bird" or "dog, dog, dog". Most animals are "dog". After waking from her nap we were right back outside. She played with one of her little pals that I kept filling with water, just for her to dump it out. After about an hour of that I decided to I bring out what is really supposed to be a sandbox and put some water in it to make a pool for Carys to play in. The water was freezing, but she loved it!