Half a Year!

She even wakes up smiling!

Six months ago, Justin and I were sitting in our room at Women's Hospital watching our little girl sleep (of which she did for 14 hours straight!)  If we had known then what we know now, we would have been sleeping ourselves, but we just couldn't stop staring at her.  She was so beautiful!  They told us to try and rest while we were in the hospital, but how in the world can you rest with a nurse coming in every hour, on the hour wanting to check places that shouldn't be checked!
Our life has definitely changed during these last six months, but all in a good way.  For me, I think I have become a better person.  I think this comes from putting myself second, and Karsyn first.  Everything we do revolves around her.  The same goes for Justin.  I can attest that he too is a better person.  He is so crazy about Karsyn, and it totally melts my heart.  The bond they have is so special.  She just looks at him and giggles.  It's so sweet!
I don't know how it is possible, but Karsyn gets cuter everyday.  Her hair is turning blonde, and it has a slight curl at the bottom.  Her eyes are such a beautiful blue.  I'm sure I'm partial, but she is model-worthy!  We get comments all the time, so there must be some truth to it.
At six months old, Karsyn:
-Can roll over, both ways
-Can sit up on her own for a few seconds before leaning over
-Reaches for things, and EVERYTHING goes in her mouth
-Is very vocal.  She makes lots of noises, but nothing is pronounced yet
-Loves carrots, sweet potatoes, squash and applesauce
-Smiles ALL the time, and has the sweetest laugh
-Is very interested in the dogs, and reaches for them
-Stretches her arms out to be picked up
-Sleeps on her left side

I know I sound like a broken record when it comes to Karsyn, but she is such a joy in our lives.  I am so humbled that the Lord has blessed us with her. I can't imagine our life without her.  In fact, I can't remember what we did before we had her!
Below are a few shots from our mini photo shoot this afternoon...

She sat up on her own for this shot

We were worried that Pebbles wouldn't adjust well to a little one, but I guess we were wrong!

I told you she was beautful!

Eight is Great!

I started writing this blog last Sunday night, and I'm just now getting around to finishing it.  Karsyn is keeping me busy, but I'm loving every minute!
May is always a fun month for us.  There's May Day, Cinco de Mayo, Mother's Day, and our most importantly, our Anniversary.

We were married on May 15, 2004.  It was a beautiful ceremony and  the second best day of my life.  We were such babies.  I had just turned 23, and Justin was 22.  What can I say, I like 'em young.  (only by a few months, so calm it down with the cradle-robber thoughts)  The last eight years have been very memorable.  Some days it seems like only yesterday, and others it seems like an eternity, but overall it's been great.  Here are a few fun, useless facts about Justin and I and our eight years of marriage.
In the last 8 years, we have:
-Lived in 2 houses 1) on Greenbrook Rd. in Browns Summit  2) on High Rock Rd. in Gibsonville
-Changed jobs 8 times (me 5 times, and Justin 3)
Now I know that sounds like I'm not very career stable, but that's SO NOT THE CASE.  I'm not the kind of person that can stay in a dead-end job.  If for some reason I am unhappy at a job, and don't see it improving, I'll find something better.  And in each case I have.  I do what's best for Justin and I.
-Had 5 pets (4 dogs, 1 cat) ...and we've birthed a litter of 7 puppies, and successfully found homes for
all of them
-Had 9 different vehicles (still have 4)
-Bought our first home
-Had our first child, WHOM WE ADORE!
-Traveled out of the country twice, once to Jamaica and once to Mexico
-Each have been hospitalized once.  Justin for his eye accident, and me for childbirth
Like I said, these are useless, but may appear interesting to some.
Normally, we try to take a little trip on our anniversary, but the last two years we've been unable to go anywhere.  Last year, I was three months pregnant(and not feeling too swift), and this year I am the mother of an almost-6 month old. So taking a trip is not as easy as it used to be.  Even though we didn't go any place, it was still special.  The 15th was on a Tuesday, so we decided to celebrate the weekend before.  My Mom offered to keep Karsyn and allow us to go out and sleep in (which is a term that no longer exists in our home).  After much thought, we agreed, and let our baby spend the night away from us!  She did great though, as I knew she would.  She was in good hands with Meme and Papa.
After work on Friday, we dropped K off at my parents, and then proceeded to enjoy a nice dinner, and even a movie.  We went to one of our favorite restaurants, Red Lobster, and then went and saw The Avengers.  We did miss Karsyn, but we had a wonderful time.

Now I already know that a lot of you are wondering if our "baby-free night" led to the creation of baby #2.
Well....
It didn't.
After we got home from our wonderful evening, we went straight to bed, and as soon as our heads hit the pillows we were both out.  I don't even think either of our sheets touched at all that night.  It's amazing how a little girl so small can wear two adults completely OUT.
We definitely want more children, but we're going to give Karsyn our sole attention for a little while longer! (plus we're still making payments on Karsyn!)
The Sunday after our date night was Mother's Day.  Karsyn woke up at 6am (just like any other day), and I fed her, and tried to get her to lay down a little longer before it was time to get ready for church. She drank her milk and then went back to sleep for about 30 minutes.  When she woke up again, Justin went and got her, and brought her in our bedroom, I looked up and there was my beautiful baby wearing a Pandora necklace!  He did so good.  Pandora is known for their charm bracelets, but since I'm on the computer all day, a bracelet isn't comfortable for me.  So Justin chose the necklace. (which was a good choice)  I love it and it's something that I can cherish and remember that I got it for my first Mother's Day.

Mother's Day and our Anniversary were both wonderful this year.  I'm so thankful to have such an awesome hubby.  He's so thoughtful, and is so good with Karsyn.  We are both lucky to have him.

Karsyn is growing like a weed.  Everyday, I love her more and more!  Here are some of her latest pics...

She's getting longer and is now able to touch the bottom of her exersaucer

Sleeping with her babies

Just as cute as ever!

                                          

                                                        All smiles when it's cereal time

Tastes good!

We like it when things taste good.  Obviously.  Since we've started introducing Karsyn to semi-solids, I've  gained a better appreciation of when things actually do taste good.  Having to feed her with a spoon takes a little more time than just giving her the bottle, which limits my time for cooking our own dinner.  I know all of you think that I go home at night, throw on my apron and "do the June Cleaver."  NOT!
Now don't get me wrong, I AM NOT COMPLAINING.
What I'm trying to say is that I can't put forth as much effort to our dinners.  We try to plan in advance what we're going to have for the week.  This helps us out in two ways.  First of all, it helps the pocketbook. We've found that if we make out a list, and stick to it, we don't spend as much at the grocery store.  Secondly, it helps us time-wise.  We can do some of the prep work ahead of time, and then just cook it the night of.
My last post was about Karsyn and her food, but this post is about our food.  Here's our most recent "fast favorite".  I call it Chicken Broccoli Casserole, and it is SO DELICIOUS!
Ingredients

3 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (Boiled, Seasoned & Shredded)
[Mama proclaims that boiling a chicken with a bone in it tastes better, but for time-sake, we use boneless-skinless]
3 C. Cooked Rice
2-3 Cans Cream of Chicken Soup (Justin likes it with extra soup so we use 3 cans) (Sometimes I used 2 cans Cream of Chicken, and 1 can Cream of Celery)
2 Tbs. Mayonnaise (Believe me, it's good, it adds a little ZING!)
1 Package Frozen Broccoli Florets, cooked.  (I use the "Steam in Bag" variety, it saves time)
2 C. Shredded Cheddar or Colby Jack Cheese
1/4 C. Seasoned Breadcrumbs (optional)
1 Tbs. Margarine (optional)

Basically, I combine the shredded chicken with 2 cans of soup & mayo, set aside.  I put the rice in the bottom of a 9" x 13" baking dish, and then top with the chicken/soup/mayo mixture.  I then sprinkle a little cheese on top of the chicken mixture, then top with the cooked broccoli.  I make sure to use only the floret of the broccoli, NO STEMS.  Next, I spread the remaining soup on top of the broccoli, and then top with the remaining cheese.  The breadcrumb step is an option, but adds a whole other layer of flavor.  I sprinkle about a 1/4 C. of seasoned breadcrumbs over the top, and then put a little margarine over the top (only about a Tbs.)
Cook on 375 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until bubbly.

Believe me, it's FANTASTIC!
It's totally okay to stray away from the ingredients.  This is a "To-Taste" recipe.  Make it up as you go.  That's what I did.  Leftovers are awesome too.

Did I mention that it tastes good?

Tastes like SH---tring beans!

We've been feeding Karsyn rice cereal for a little over a week now.  Her doctor gave us the green light to introduce solids at her last checkup on the 16th. (Not quite sure why they call it a solid, because clearly it is not, nor is it's aftermath) Luckily, she likes it!  She generally gets rice cereal for breakfast and then has milk the rest of the day.  At first she wasn't so sure about it, but now she gets excited when she sees the spoon coming towards her mouth!  Oddly enough, she really doesn't make that big of a mess with it, but I'm sure those days are coming soon.

This morning, Karsyn and I went to watch cousin Kenzie play softball in Apex, so we missed cereal time.  Instead of having cereal for dinner, I decided to introduce something new and let her try green beans.  I put a couple tablespoons in her little bowl and sat it in front of her.  She was thrilled.  NOT. It didn't look very appetizing, so I totally understood her demeanor.  It was almost a look of, "You really want me to eat that?"  I got a little on the spoon and moved it towards her mouth, and she opened it as usual.  She liked it!  She swallowed it and smiled.  So did it a couple more times, but then things changed.  Her sweet green bean smile turned to a look of disgust, followed by gagging.  I couldn't help but laugh to myself, because I used to be the same way!  It hasn't been until the last 10 years or so that I've been able to eat green beans.  I can remember growing up trying to eat them, and I could chew them up but could never swallow them, I would always gag.  That's exactly how Karsyn was tonight.  She kept opening her mouth though....I guess she thought it might would be something different.  I'm just hoping that she will be a better vegetable eater than I was.  So we're starting early!  I felt bad making her eat it, so I did my part and took a bite of them too! (and I almost made the same face she did!)

Now doesn't this look appetizing?

Green beans are yummy!

This tastes like SH--tring beans!

Isn't she just the cutest thing ever?

                                       

                                   

Squeaky Clean

Excuse me...what are you doing on my chest?

I've always loved to take a bath, and I still do.  It's so refreshing and relaxing and not to mention totally hygienic!  For some reason I feel cleaner after taking a bath, even though a bath consists of sitting in your own soiled water.  (at least it's my own water, right?)
Growing up, I was only allowed to shower on special occasions, but baths were the norm. Supposedly, I would waste more water taking a shower, vs. taking a bath. Who knows?  For what ever reason, it gave me the love of the bathtub.  Thanks Mom!  I can remember during middle and high school I would lay in the tub every night and talk on the phone, mostly to my best friend Brandy.  Now I realize how much of a "not-so-good" idea it was.  I'm sure whatever or whoever we were talking about was SO important it couldn't wait til after bath time.  At least it was a battery operated phone...  As I said earlier I still enjoy taking a bath, but for some reason I think my tub has shrunk!  I don't remember it being such a snug fit.


I'm happy to say that my child has also grown a love for a bath!  But this hasn't always been the case.  I will never forget Karsyn's first bath.  It was HORRIBLE.  I was so excited that her cord had fallen out and I couldn't wait to bathe my first born.  I guess I was imagining her first bath to be enjoyable for all three of us.  That was NOT the case.  Her first bath was in the bathroom sink at 2.5 weeks old.  You would've thought we were killing her.  She screamed bloody murder.  The pictures are pitiful now that we look back on them.  It's funny, I didn't realize how puny she was either!  The puniness didn't last long...now at almost 5 months, my little Karsyn is a sweet little CHUNK!  We now look forward to bath time.  Her latest bathtime fun includes splashing.  It's so cute.  Below are some pics of our bath time journey.  It's neat to see how much she's changed...Enjoy!

First bath December 17, 2011

Calming down after bath #1

1 month old

Two months old


Four months old

                     

She's Country

A couple months before Karsyn was born, Justin had a "honey-do" list.  His list consisted of replacing the bathroom vanity, putting shelves in Karsyn's closet, painting the bathroom and building a front porch on the house.  He did a great job on all his honey-do's. I'm very proud of him.
 The largest project he tackled was the front porch.  When we bought our house (which is a log cabin), it had hideous metal awnings on it.  They were over all the windows on the front, and there was a large awning over the front door, covering the stoop.  Who does that???  A log cabin can't have awnings!  Needless to say, we quickly removed the window awnings.

Adding the new porch to the house really changed the look of it.  It looks so much better!
We had a set budget for the project and we used every penny of it.  There was no money left at the end to "accessorize" it.  Ideally, we'd like to have rocking chairs and a swing, but we didn't want to go overboard.  So, we are presently saving up for those items.
 Meanwhile, we are using hunting chairs for our front porch seating!  I know, I know....we're rednecks, but hey, you do what you have to do.  However, they are pretty comfy, and they even have built-in cup holders!
Last Saturday, I was feeding Karsyn on the front porch and decided to take a few cute pics.  She just happened to be wearing a John Deere onesie.  I guess maybe she is a little bit country.
Nothing says country more than John Deere and camoflauge, right?

Sleepy Sundays

Sundays are probably my favorite day of the week.  Generally, it is a day dedicated to family.  Most of the time we go to church and then out to eat with my 90 year old Grandparents. (which lately, it's been at the H&F Cafeteria, home of the famous Carrot & Raisin Salad)  Then we normally go back home and be lazy.  Justin will sometimes be productive, but me, I'm pretty much worthless.  Before we had Karsyn, it was almost a sure bet that I would be curled up on the couch in a Sunday slumber.  Now a days, it's a toss up as to whether or not I'll get my nap in.

This past Sunday was pretty normal for us.  We started out by going to church.  Church starts at 9:55am and is only about a 7 minute drive from our house.  On Sunday mornings, Justin and I put forth a tag team effort when it comes to getting ready.  I get up first with Karsyn, feed her, bathe her (if necessary) and then he gets up.  Once he's up, I hop in the shower and get ready.  Once I'm done, he has the last 20 minutes or so to get ready.  We generally walk in the door as soon as the piano starts playing, just in the nick of time.  Yesterday, we were running about 5 minutes late.  Once we got everyone in the Tahoe, the clock said 9:51...we were definitely late.  We always sit on the second row, on the right hand side of the church with my Pops.  Since we were late, we had already planned to sneak in the back and sit down in one of the back pews, until it was time to share the peace with one another, then we were going to make our way down to the front.  That was it....our plan.  Well...we pulled into the church parking lot at 10am, and low and behold the WHOLE CONGREGATION was outside in the prayer garden!  There went our plan!  There was no sneaking in now. We had been HAD.  It all turned out okay though, we were able to fold in amongst the crowd as they walked in.

Karsyn was an absolute angel at church.  She was giggly and smiley the whole time.  It used to be that she would sleep the whole time, BUT NOT ANYMORE!  Now she wants to sit up and look around.  This is okay, because she is incredibly adorable these days!

My Mom actually cooked lunch yesterday, so no cafeteria, but somehow, we did manage to have carrot and raisin salad!  My sister, Kim had come up from Apex to pick up my nephew Grayson, so she and Kenzie joined us for lunch, along with my parents, grandparents, Jill, Justin and Grayson.  

Karsyn was wide open yesterday afternoon.  She was surrounded by her Aunties, Kim and Jill, who were giving her lots of attention!  I tried to put her down for a nap, but that wasn't happening.  She insisted on sharing her sweet coos  and smiles with everyone.  Luckily, while she was entertaining everyone, I snuck in a quick, well deserved nap!  She did however take a small nap during part of my slumber.  

When we got home, I could tell she was pooped.  Her eyes were so heavy, so we sat down on the couch and within minutes, she was out... 

(turn up your volume)

Ahhhh.....Sleepy Sundays.