I'm a little behind in the world of blogging. (What's new, right?) I love to do it, but I have difficulty "keeping up." I know I'm about a month behind, but I'm trying to play catch-up.
We took our first beach trip, as a family of 3 the week after Labor Day. We has such a good time! We found out that Justin's cousin, Sherri (whom we LOVE) was going to be down the same time we were going, so we decided to stay at the same place they were. We went to Kure Beach and stayed at the Sand Dunes Motel. It was definitely not a 5-star accomodation, but it was clean, convenient, and nicely priced.
We just got a standard ocean front room with (2) beds and a little kitchenette. Justin and I slept in one bed, Karsyn slept in her pack-n-play, and the extra bed was a catch-all for all of Karsyn's toys. We were only gone for 4 days, but it seemed like we packed for a month! Seeing that it was a MOTEL, and not HOTEL, meant NO ELEVATOR! Poor Justin. He had to lug everything up and down the stairs everyday. He did it, with only minimal complaining. Anything for his girls, right? All kidding aside, Justin's a good one. I think I'll hold on to him.
Here's the back of our Tahoe, PACKED!
The May-Rig all ready to go
Being Karsyn's first beach trip, we wanted her to get the full beach experience. (How much of an experience can a 9 month old have??) We did a lot of things, that she probably won't remember, but hopefully our pictures and stories will mean something to her one day. For example, "Hey, do you remember that time you pooped on the beach and we didn't have an extra diaper??" At the time, we were in a panic, but now we can laugh about it.
Karsyn experienced many firsts on this trip. She experienced her first time in the ocean, first time in a pool (not just our blow-up backyard pool), she slept in a tent on the beach, she rode the ferry, ate late-night ice cream, she visited the aquarium, she took her first "aqua-dump", and most importantly(to Justin), she witnessed her Daddy devour 12 plates of crab legs!
Daddy feeding me oatmeal
Hanging out with Cousin Reese after breakfast
She's always been the perfect baby, but even on a roadtrip, away from her bed, she was still so well-mannered, and smiled the WHOLE time! Justin and I really are blessed to have such a wonderful child. Here are some pics from our trip...
Already asleep, in the driveway at home!
Killing time, reading, like a smart girl
My LIFE.
She LOVED the ocean. No Fear.
Late-night ice cream makes me silly!
K-O-ed (knocked out) on DA BEACH
Just happy to be here!
The only use this bed got, was for play
at the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher
After one of her several "Aqua-DUMPS"
Still just as happy as can be!
Sitting in the backseat at a Rest Stop, taking a milk break
Yep, you read it right, Therapeutic Pickles!
Having lived in the south all my life, I have always been around "homemade pickles." My paternal Grandmother (Maw-Maw) still makes pickles every year. Even though, they're sweet, and not really my favorite, they're still always a hit. Justin has never understood it, but my family always eats pickles with cake. I guess it's that whole salty/sweet thing. While I've been known to have a sweet pickle with my cake, I'm really more of a dill, garlicky kind of girl. I did a little Internet research and decided to try my hand at them.
So, right before we went to the beach (actually it was the night before), I started my pickle making process. I know you're probably thinking, "What moron decides to make pickles the night before they leave town???" uhh....that would be this girl!
First step was to get 15-20 pickling cucumbers...I did that. I also gathered my other ingredients (Vinegar, Sugar, Garlic, Dill Weed, Dill Seed, Whole Peppercorns). I decided to take a couple recipes, and alter them to one "kick-ass" pickle recipe. So that's what I did. I didn't use any alum or anything like that in my recipe like that.
After gathering my ingredients, I cut up the cucumbers (BY HAND) and placed them in a brine overnight. The Brine is what makes the pickles crispy. (so you don't have to use Alum)
I washed the cukes, and then sliced them...BY HAND
Next, I sliced them (BY HAND) and place them in a salty brine, overnight.
This was a 2-day
pickle process. Day 1, cut up cukes and placed them in brine
overnight. Then on Day 2, I added the liquid and other ingredients and
placed in the jars. So on the morning that we were supposed to be
leaving for the beach....I was making pickles! They turned out
fantastic! They were loaded with dill and garlic...so while they aren't
the best for your breath, they are quite tasty. I will definitely be
making more! (but maybe not the night before a beach trip!)
The hardest part about the whole thing was cutting up the cucumbers. My Mom asked me why I didn't use a mandolin. My response was that cutting them by hand makes them look more "homemade." In all honesty, I did find it Therapeutic! I know it sounds weird, but it was totally Therapeutic!
We love Target. Who doesn't right? They basically have the same things as Walmart, but they are totally on "another level." The Target near our house (in Burlington) has recently had a grocery store added, so we shop there even more frequently. We've actually found some things are WAY cheaper than at Food Lion or even Walmart.
They also have an awesome Baby/Kid department. We buy diapers, baby food, clothes, toys and lots of misc. items at Target. At one of our recent trips, Karsyn found her a must-have.....A Pink Easy Chair!
The sign above it says "Under $10"...but believe me, it is not that price. I think it's like $65, which really isn't that bad. We may have to give Santa a call, and pass along a couple hints, because she is just TOO CUTE in this chair.
Of course, the pink dress she's wearing, as well as the Minnie Mouse doll add to the pink cuteness. After all, little girls are PRETTY in PINK!
Back towards the end of August, Fire Station 28 hosted a Rabies Clinic. We made it a point to take the 3 dogs.
Calm down! I know this is too much excitement to handle....but this is what our Saturdays consist of. Man, I'm getting old! I know that's not the norm for a fun saturday morning, but we try to have a good time at whatever we're doing.
I'm not against the vet by no means...but for a simple rabies shot, the clinic is the way to go. At the Vet, you pay $15 for the shot plus an office visit charge. Well... that adds up for 3 dogs. At the clinic, the cost is $5 per dog. So it's a huge savings. This was the second year that we have gone to this particular clinic. Station 28 has got it going on! They know how to make things work, and in an efficient way. They actually do a drive thru. The only time you have to get out of the car is when you have to sign the paperwork. I highly recommend it.
This year, we had Karsyn, so she got to experience it. She enjoyed herself very much. (Mostly because she got to ride in the car, not in her carseat, while we were in the line.) She sat in Justin's lap while we waited.
Last year, we (me, Justin and the 3 dogs) all piled in my Honda Accord and went to the clinic. This year, we drove the Tahoe, and put all the dogs in the "way back". Little Bit was the only one that could easily escape. She found her a cozy spot on top of the rear seat.
Now can you tell me that your Saturday morning was more fun than that??
We had a total of 3 baby showers in the months prior to Karsyn's arrival. We got LOTS and LOTS of good things, all of which we have gotten a lot of use out of. We were very blessed to be showered with such wonderful gifts. Clothes were a large chunk of what we received. The majority of the clothes were sizes NB (newborn), 3M and a few 6M. Karsyn wore size NB til she was 3 months, which was in March, and then wore 3M til the beginning of the summer. Now, at 9.5 months, she wears size 6M or 6-9M. A couple of the 6M outfits that we got for her shower were long sleeve, so of course its been too hot here lately to wear them. So a couple weeks ago, on a rainy, somewhat-cool Sunday, I dressed her in one of the outfits. It was a long sleeve shirt with a built in Tutu sewn on it. Oh my GOODNESS...She looked SO cute in it! Tutu Cute! I'm hoping that she'll be able to wear it a couple more times before she's grows out of it.
During my pregnancy, I had HORRIBLE heartburn. All I heard the whole 9 months was, "You're baby's going to have so much hair!" Well guess what? They were right! Karsyn was born with a head FULL of hair. We have always received comments on her "locks". She's got a pretty good head of hair. She has gone through several different "styles" in her 8.5 months post-womb. First there was the spike, then the fluff, then the comb-over & swoop, then the shaggy, and now she's rockin' a "Pebbles" hairdo. (Pebbles Flintstone that is) By no means am I judging her hair, cause Lord knows I've had my share of hairdos, most of them BAD. Let's see...I've had a boy-cut, a mushroom, a MULLET, yes I said MULLET. Then how could we forget the permed bangs. I swear it looked like I had a baked potato for bangs. I try to block out that image. How could I forget the full perm....might as well have been a poodle, it was HORRENDOUS. (however you spell it) I'll spare you from the details, but just trust me, I've had BAD hair. Enough about my mane...Let's get back to Karsyn.... She looks so cute with her little "spout" (as if I would ever say anything different).....It's totally necessary, and it also increases her height! Below are examples of my little princesses hairdos.
The "Spike"
The "Fluff"
The "Comb-Over"
The "Swoop"
The "Shaggy"
New Do
I told her to put her head down so I could see her hair!
Karsyn turned eight months old this week. I CANNOT believe it! I guess time really does fly when you're having fun. And we are having fun! There is nothing like being a parent. It's the greatest thing in the world, and we both feel VERY BLESSED. It saddens me that she is growing up, but on the other hand, I'm enjoying watching her grow and learn new things. She has already changed so much. I posted this on Facebook already, but it's still pretty neat. Here's a timeline of Karsyn from birth to 7 months....
Here she is at 8 months, on August 1st, in her birthday suit...
At 8 months old, Karsyn now has 2 teeth, and "scoots" alot. She isn't crawling, but she can definitely get to where she wants to go. She loves to stand and pull up. Both Justin and I walked before we crawled, so it wouldn't surprise us if she does the same. She is very vocal. She makes a lot of noise, most of which is foreign, but she does say "MA-MA", which melts my heart everytime. Her hair is getting thicker, and the new hair is coming in blonde. She still loves squash and sweet potatoes, but we are trying more and more solids. I found these things called "Mum-Mums" at Target, and she seems to like them. The box says they are rice rusks, whatever that means.... Here's a video of her eating them, followed by more cute 8 month pics. You'll have to turn your head for the video...sorry!
She loves her animals!
Loves to play...
Loves to sing and wave...
I created this and had it printed on canvas. It turned out really cute, and is hanging in our bedroom.
So stinkin' cute!
Here I go again....I know....broken record. But I have to make it known. I love this little girl! She is so cute and has the best personality. She already brings out the best in people. She's growing up! But I guess that's how it goes. I can always have another baby, right?
Last Saturday was a fun day for us. The morning was pretty routine. Justin worked outside in his shop while I stayed in the house and entertained Karsyn. She is quite the busy bee these days. Normally, she gets up (6:30am, even on the weekends!) and will entertain herself for about an hour before its time for breakfast. When I say entertain herself, she is either playing with her toys, or watching Disney Junior from her crib. Before Karsyn was born, I thought Justin was crazy for putting a flat screen tv in the baby's room. Now looking back, it was the best thing we did for the nursery!
Around lunchtime, we decided to go to BJ's Wholesale in Burlington. I needed to pick up a few things, such as diapers and dog food, and while there, we might as well pick up 45 rolls of toilet paper! We love BJ's. (maybe that doesn't sound right...but you get the point) It cheap, close to home, and has lots of neat things to play with!
Karsyn was fascinated with this illuminated vanity mirror.
After we left BJ's we stopped by Chick-Fil-A for a quick bite for lunch and then home. It was hot as hell on Saturday, so we decided to all get in Karsyn's swimming pool to cool off. She loves it. And of course we love it because she does! We could only swim for a little while because we had a birthday party to go to that night. Our good friend, my long time neighbor, and somehow distant cousin, Jeffrey Hopkins turned 30! His parents threw him a birthday party saturday evening at their house. Happy Birthday Jeff! As I wrote in your card, you're one of the nicest guys we know, and we love ya!
This picture was taken back in March, sorry Jeff, it's the only one I had on my phone! Look how little Karsyn is.
I'll tell you a funny story about Justin.... Before we went to Jeff's party, I was going to take a shower, and Justin was going to dry Karsyn off (from the pool) and feed her. So I took my shower, and dried my hair. As I was putting my hair dryer away, I heard something fall in the kitchen, followed by an "Aw, shit!" So I wrapped myself in a towel and went into the kitchen to see what was the matter. When I get there, Justin was on his hands and knees wiping baby food off of the floor. Apparently, Karsyn had thrown her spoon, which was full of Pureed Chicken and Sweet Potatoes! I immediately said, "What are you doing??". He said, "I'm cleaning up where she threw her spoon, what does it look like?" I said, "uhhh....I think you better look at your daughter."
Justin failed to remove the baby food jar from Karsyn's tray when he was cleaning up the mess. So as soon as he got in the floor, she grabbed the jar (as most 7 month olds would do) and proceeded to try and drink from the jar! She had dumped the whole jar of baby food down her front.....and Justin had no clue! Of course, Karsyn was all smiles as always!
I know, I know.....I'm a slacker. It's been over a month since my last blog post, and I do apologize. I have been busy people! June and July have had a full schedule. Let's see....we had Father's Day, Teething, Trip to Arizona, and Fourth of July, and did I mention that I am the mother of a TEETHING baby. I told you it was busy!
Where do we start....let's see. How about Father's Day... This being Justin's first year as a Father, I wanted to make it special. As an early gift, I secretly upgraded our Direct TV package to include DVR (I know, we've been a little behind). For those you that know Justin (or any man with the last name MAY) knows how much he enjoys TV. So it was the perfect gift. He has enjoyed it so far, however most of our recordings have been of Bubble Guppies and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. The Bubble Guppies are Karsyn's favorite. Every time she hears the song, she stops what she is doing and stares intensely at the TV and shakes her hands. It's so cute. I don't have a video of her watching it, but here's the catchy theme song. Believe me, it WILL get stuck in your head!
We generally always have lunch for my Dad (Deddy) on Father's Day. This year was no different, but this time it was at Kim and Scott's new house in Apex (which is beautiful by the way). We had already planned on having dinner with Justin's Dad on Sunday night, so driving to Apex for lunch and then back to Greensboro was going to be a chore. Justin really didn't want to drive that far, but he did. So after church, we quickly went home, changed clothes, and hopped back in the car and drove an 1hr 20 minutes to Apex. Luckily, Karsyn fell asleep as we were leaving church and slept the whole way. We enjoyed lunch and were able to spend a few quality moments with my family before heading back to Greensboro. We left Apex at around 3:30 and arrived at LongHorn in Greensboro at 5. I thought we did good! That even included an emergency stop at Walmart for a necessary bathroom break (for me), and we also ran out of diapers! Our dinner with Justin's Dad was good, and better yet, no dishes to clean up! We always enjoy spending time with Justin's brothers, we just need to do it more often!
Justin had already enjoyed his DVR for a week before Father's Day, so he thought that was his gift. But being the AMAZING Father that he is, I thought he deserved more. So I scored him a new pair of Under Armour POLARIZED sunglasses, which he loves! Although it was busy, I think Father's Day ranks pretty high. Here are some pics of our lunch that day.
Papa & Karsyn
Daddy & Karsyn
Mama & Pops
Hanging Out
The week after Father's Day was one of the hardest weeks of my life! I had to fly to Arizona for work and was away from my precious baby! I knew she would be in good hands but it was just the fact of me being away from her. I did better than I thought, but I still missed her. Arizona was beautiful, but H-O-T! We flew into Phoenix, and when we arrived it was a blazing 113 (and this was at 6pm!) Ever stick your head in an oven? Our other office is actually in Prescott (2 hours North of Phoenix) and it's not quite as hot, but it was still hot. Prescott is a neat little town. (Reminds me of downtown Boone)
It's the home of the World's Oldest Rodeo! So every Summer they have Frontier Days and a week long Rodeo. We missed the Rodeo by one week, but the town was still decked out with banners and such. Here are a couple area pics of AZ.
View from the parking lot at Davidson's. You could see for miles!
While I was out of town, Justin took off work to keep Karsyn. He's such a good Daddy! He stepped up and took her (solo) to her 6 month check-up, which included shots. He sent me this picture, as I was boarding the plane... and of course it brightened my day.
After weigh-in, before shots
She's growing like a weed. At her appointment, she weighed 16.5 lbs and was 25 inches tall. She cried for about 30 seconds after the shots, but calmed down with a little milk, and a hug from Daddy!
While I was enduring the blazing UV rays 'outwest', Justin and Karsyn were relaxing by the pool!
Karsyn LOVES the water!
July 1 marked Karsyn's 7th month of "post-womb" life, and also marked the first "teething-moment". She's been slobbering and drooling for a while now, but lately it's been really "thick." She's also been very irritable and moody. (Justin would say, like her Mother) On July 1, she had a total MELTDOWN. She was fussy all day, but later that night we were in the living room playing, and I had to blow my nose, so I did, and she went NUTS! I wasn't sure what is was, but a couple days later, I noticed a tooth trying to poke through on her bottom leftside. So we've been going through this process for the last couple of weeks.
No Kleenex!!!! My favorite part of this picture is Cabela in the background, just hanging out.
All better now.
July 4th was pretty quiet for us this year. We both had the day off, so of course we spent time together as a family. I think we went to BJ's and bought diapers and baby food. Doesn't that sound exciting?? Karsyn is not a fan of loud noises, so pretty much fireworks are out of the question. Our house is between Gibsonville and Reidsville, so we heard fireworks from both directions. Cabela found her normal "safe-place" during the show.
Here's a pic of our little firecracker! You'll notice her tongue - she's feeling her new teeth!
I heart the Red, White & Blue!
I know I've written about bath time a few times before, but I'm going to do it again. She still LOVES it. She's getting a little big for her baby tub, so over the last 2 weeks, we've experimented in the kitchen sink, and then last night she took a "big girl" bath. It was no surprise, she loved it too. She loves to splash and play with bath toys. At least she's not going to be the dirty kid in class!
Reaching into the other side...not scared at all.
I even tried to crawl!
Happy Girl!
What's not to love about a baby in the sink?
I'm going to close with 2 of my favorite 'recent' pics of Karsyn. These were taken on Meme and Papa's deck. She's such a cutie! Hopefully, it won't be so much time between posts next time!
