Beach Trip - Family of 3!

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

Therapeutic Pickles

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!

Pretty In Pink

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!

Rabies & Babies

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??

Tu Tu Cute

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.

                                                        She is just so squeezably CUTE!!

New Do

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!

My new hair makes playing so much easier!

Aint it great, Karsyn's 8! (months that is)

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?