Enjoying Mother Nature

We really have been fortunate lately with some amazingly beautiful weather. I definitely enjoy living in the South during this time of the year. Carsyn and I usually eat lunch outside most days and I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to stay home when it is so pretty.

Recently we went to Percy Quinn with some of our bestest friends on a "nature walk." Carsyn is currently obsessed with water and she enjoyed it immensly. I can only imagine what she will think when we go to the beach in a couple of months! Here are some pictures both myself and "miss Tris (Chris)" captured.

We hope to return next week with our play group to have a picnic and play on the playground. It really is a fun spot to go. Im so thankful Miss Chris is around to show us some of these secret treasures!

Today it is raining but I am actually looking forward to the low key weekend and hope to get lots accomplised in doors. It is time to pack away/get rid of some of Carsyn's baby baby toys that I have allowed to continue to pile up! I can not take them anymore!!! When I was sorting them she told me she wanted to give them to her sister...um nope that is a negative for now!

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In our home search news- the debate still continues whether to build or find an existing home and perhaps renovate. It is a very big decision one that involves lots of moola! I want this next home to be somewhere we intend to stay for a lengthy time period so I don't want to rush it. Maybe we will get a sign somehow?! There is nothing wrong with our current home- we would just like some additonal space and newer amenities.

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Random Carsyn Ramblings

While watching our wedding video today
"Mommy you are a Princess!" and "Look Gracie was really tiny like me!" (Gracie now almost 7 then 2 1/2)

She LOVES to pray and it is her favorite thing to do at bedtime. Not sure if it is a stall tecnique but she only wants her Daddy to pray most of the time not me. On the way to school she told me she wanted to Pray instead of sing "Thank God for insert family members names here!"

When she wakes up in the morning she always says " I go to School today?" "I go to Miss Matties' today?" or "I go to Church today?" Much like her parents she is not content sitting at home she always wants to be on the GO GO GO!

And lately Miss Sassy Pants has repeatedly said "WAIT A MINUTE!" "I BUSY RIGHT NOW!" and "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Amanda-what's up with your Facebook statuses?

Well apparently my Facebook statuses have caused some concern among my peers and friends. I didn't mean to sound so mellow dramatic but I am definitely not the kind of person to hide emotion very well.

Since my last post the decision to build on our land was drastically changed on Friday when a buyer came in and offered close to asking price. My husband jumped on it and accepted. I know it may seem minuscule in the grand scheme of things but after much deliberation I thought this had been settled. Soo back to the drawing board it goes to find our Home Sweet Home or at least its location. Since this is such a huge investment I want it to be right and not rushed. Hopefully there is a reason for this and something more suited will arise. We all know I wasn't too excited to live among the pastures but I had found the positive and was actually looking forward to the country life.

So that is what that is all about. :)

In other Carsyn news she has developed some new obsessions. First, she loves to MATCH things. She is so proud of herself when she discovers that the blue crayon also matches her blue shorts and shouts "I MATCH I MATCH!" She even held up something beige to her skin and said look "I MATCH!" This age is too funny as they learn about their surroundings.

Also I thought we would bypass the Dora bandwagon but for some strange reason(we have only watched it once or twice) she has now jumped aboard. It started on Friday with her wanting to rent a video- then at the mall on Saturday she saw a Dora nightgown- then on Sunday mom brought her a Dora outfit. And so it goes. It seems the battle to want to keep the Dora nightgown on has ensued. Im not sure how long this will last- but I already have visions of a jungle themed Dora birthday party in 8 months! Yes I am the sad mommy who starts birthday planning as soon as the it previous one ends. Oh who am I kidding I have her birthday parties planned out for the next three years! Sort of ;)

Scared- up until now Carsyn has been quite fearless. But often I hear her say "Oh dat scared me"- loud noise, cat jumped, bee buzzing by, etc etc. She is very afraid of the bees that have taken over our front porch. They are not the stinging kind rather they want our wood, but still she has taken to not wanting to go on the porch. I know around age 3 is when nightmares usually escalate as children learn about more about their world so I am bracing myself for this stage.

So that is our household these past few days....jump on the rollercoaster ride you never know where you might end up!

Easter 2010

Every year in addition to the real reason of Easter I will always have another special meaning to Easter that I keep in my heart. Easter was when we found out that in a few short months we would have our precious little girl born. I was only about 3 weeks or so pregnant when I found out. Im sure I have told the story before so I won't go into the details again. While the pains of pregnancy and worries of having a newborn are mostly faded the moment I found out I was pregnant (the day I did my first every Easter Mini photo sessions) is still fresh in my mind.

So this Easter we headed over to my Aunt Jan's just as we have the past few Easters. It was alot of fun although we did miss Gracie during the Easter Hunt as she had her tonsils removed. :( It is so funny to realize that there are now Great-Grandchildren to hunt for eggs and next year when Landon and Aiden can walk it should be even more fun!

Of course Carsyn being the only grandchild in the Immediate family she got THREE Easter baskets! Believe me we have enough candy to last until next Easter.

Here are some snapshots of our day.

Over the camera already

checking out the prizes

hunting with daddy- she did not like having to "search" for her eggs if it involved her having to walk into the shrubs or briars. The "Diva"

Easter morning with her goods.

Easter basket left by Mr. Bunny himself.

When I asked if she wanted to dye easter eggs she thought we should color them with crayons too.

READY SET GO!

And this is a quick photo op I did with Carsyn a few weeks ago. She is so quickly turning into a big girl I wanted to capture the baby look before it vanished before my eyes. It just so happend that one of my fave photo processors had a Canvas sale so I got hooked up with a beautiful 16X20 Gallery Wrap of this image for my living room. Love it!

Changes

Time- where does it go? I know it sounds cliche' but really it does fly. I mean just a short while ago I was having a care-free life in college. And in all honesty high school is still pretty fresh in my mind as well. But now the teenagers call me Mam'! Yes. I am coming to terms with my new decade I will enter shortly.

Lately there have been a few instances that have made me step back and say "What- am I an adult?" I always wanted to be an adult for as long as I can remember. At twelve I thought I was one. God Bless my mama. Don't worry Carsyn is paying me back for all of my independent strong willed attitudes.

For the past months many have known that my Father in Law is sick with cancer but my own Father also has been sick as he has had Lupus for many years and it is becoming worse. It is quite surreal to see the men who are supposed to be the care givers needing so much care at such young ages. And I stand back and say " Wait a minute God- I am too young to be dealing with this. When did I become an adult? This isn't supposed to happen for 20 more years!" I know all circumstances are lessons to be had but I can't help but have my selfish human nature.

And don't even get me started on how my body is no longer that of a teenagers. I know I am still fairly young and many of my readers will scoff at my insecurities. I know it will only go downhill from here. Recently, I tried on a junior top and died out laughing in the dressing room at where my breasts went. Why don't they come up with a department in between juniors and misses?! It's okay I am gradually accepting the new body- atleast I have breasts now!

In positive news Danny and I have decided to build on our land we purchased on the lake several years ago. I am a subdivision/in town kinda girl so coming to terms with living 10 miles from town will be a bit of an adjustment. In all honesty it is not any farther than my house in Mobile was to my work but driving in town as opposed to driving past chicken houses and pastures is a tad different. I am excited at the possibilites that this land has and having the opportunity to customize my home but also completely overwhelmed with the idea. Do you know how many different types of flooring there are? And I certainly don't want to make a mistake and live with it forever. Carsyn is excited she keeps telling me every day "I wanna new house on da beach!" (lake) I do fear that we will be lonely with no other playmates around but I guess you guys just better get ready to have some play dates at our house! I had set myself up to expect the house not to be completed until next fall but the builder says we should be in by January at the latest! Holy Toledo! My husband hates to share and I tell everything so he probably will not be happy that intend to document this building process. But it's my blog and Ill write if I want to!

So this is what has been going on in my little mommy head of mine in between all of the photo editing, toy picking uping, laundry doing, dinner fixing, etc etc.

I keep thinking of that movie 13 going on 30- yep that is me right now.