My Little He-man

That was "I HAVE THE POWER!" for those of you that don't speak two year old. Carson's Aunt Kim and Uncle HL babysat for us the other night. We came home and were pleased to find that, overall, it had been quite an educational night. They taught Carson all sorts of new phrases. My favorite was the He-man impression. When I did the He-man impression for Carson, he informed me that "No, you don't have the power mommy. I have the power." Apparently there is only room for one powerful person in this household.

Hey-O

Big news my friends...I just received news from a very reliable source (hint - the Arizona State Board of Accountancy) that I am officially a CPA!! I am very excited to have my license. It has been hard work to pass the exams, get my experience, and get my documents together. It feels really good to be done (let's not think about the 2 year renewals and peer reviews). The hardest part is definitely complete. Anyway, just thought I would share the good news.

Getting my Pre on

For those of you that aren't avid runners like I am, "Pre" is short for Prefontaine. Us runners just call him Pre these days. And if you don't know who Prefontaine is, well...then you shouldn't even be reading this blog.

In real life, I ran my first 5k Thanksgiving morning. And the only reason I know about Prefontaine is because I grew up in the Pacific Northwest (give it up for the PNW) and I knew a few people on the cross country team. But I decided I needed to start signing up for races to motivate myself to workout. So I signed up for a Turkey Trot and then forced a bunch of Karl's family to do it with me. I am really proud to say that I didn't miss a single work out in the two months leading up to the race. Also, I finished the race slightly faster than my goal and never walked - which really made me proud. I've decided to do another 5K in January and then who knows what I'll do next. Signing up for the race really helped my motivation. I've never run this much in my life. I've also never been able to run three miles straight in my life. Anyway, yeah for exercise. It was a great way to prep for the million calories I consumed over the rest of the weekend.


Here is an action shot of me before the race...ignore Karl's creepy face and just focus on the determination on my face. Also, a pic of everyone that did the race (the prego one and her husband did the 1 mile walk...I just didn't want comments on how I shouldn't have forced a pregnant woman to run a 5k).

Speaking of Thanksgiving, we had a great time at Karl's parent's house. The whole fam damily was there, which is always fun and crazy. There was great food and good times for all. My sisters-in-law and I headed up to Anthem at 10 pm Thanksgiving night to do some shopping. I never really do Black Friday shopping so I was surprised at the crazy crowds (and crazy drivers). We got some great deals though. If you can get someone to wait in line while the rest of you shop...I'd say it is worth it. Below is a pic of the family.

That's pretty much all we've been up to. Carson loves everything to do with Christmas so far - snowmen, santa, wrapping paper, bows, ribbon, Christmas trees, ornaments, lights, etc, etc. He also has a Fischer Price nativity set my parents bought him 2 years ago that he plays with all day.

Coming Soon

I have fun posts coming about Thanksgiving - but I'm too tired tonight. I just wanted to move my Halloween post down since I changed my background to Christmas. Yeah Christmas! I've already decorated the house (it took 5 minutes). Carson is very excited about "Chriscas."

Happy Ween

We had a great Halloween weekend. We headed out to Schnepf farms for train rides, pumpkin patches, carnival rides, chili, corn mazes, pig races, etc. Carson had a blast. I would recommend not eating dinner there though - way over priced for the quality of food. Re-admission is no problem so if we go again we'll just pack some sandwiches or something and go eat in our car. Carson loved the carnival rides and we ran around crazy in the corn maze for awhile. Unfortunately the pumpkin patch was all picked through and the ones left were starting to go bad. That's what we get for not going until the 30th. Overall, a really fun night. Below is a video of Carson at the pig races. All the other children had been called up to help cheer on their pig. We figured it wouldn't be the end of the world if we just let Carson hang out up there too. But then the guy gave Carson a prize - I felt a little guilty, but it was cute...so, oh well.

Halloween was great. Carson was the cutest little pirate. His "Arrrgh" and "Walk the Plank" were in rare form. He thought it was hilarious when I drew the mustache on his face. He kept smiling and then relaxing, so it was a little hard to draw it straight. He was very polite as we went trick or treating - always saying thank you. There were a few houses that scared him a little, but knowing there was candy through the fog always gave him courage. We trick or treated for over an hour. I was shocked Carson didn't poop out. Below is a video of Carson trick or treating at his great grandma's house.

Also - who is this cute big boy? How is my little baby this big?

As for me, I've joined a new club. The nerds. I've always prided myself on perfect vision, ever since I was 7 and my Grandma told me I had "sharp eyes" when I helped her find her medication pill that had dropped onto the carpet. I had an eye exam a few weeks ago and my vision was not perfect. I now have reading glasses. The doctor said staring at a computer screen and/or staring at tiny numbers on a piece of paper all day for work has started to ruin my eyes. The first time I wore my glasses at work, I felt so uncomfortable. I just knew everyone was staring at me. I thought I might take the Stephanie Tanner route...you know...from Full House. When she had to get glasses so she decided to make everyone laugh first by wearing lots of silly glasses. That way no one would make fun of her for wearing her real glasses later. I'm sure wearing eyeball glasses to work would have made the whole situation a lot better. Well, if I learned anything from that episode, it's that....mmmmm...nevermind.


Also - I have to report a travesty. I went to Target and Walmart to buy some Thanksgiving decorations. I literally found zero. All they had were some turkey paper plates and a pilgrim greeting card - both of which wouldn't look good on my shelf. I was shocked. But, they had a 15 person team setting up all the Christmas isles. What happened to Thanksgiving? I know the stores like to cash in on Christmas as much as possible, but at least give Thanksgiving one measly isle...or even a half. I guess I'll have to go to Michaels or something...but this situation is very upsetting.

Looking forward to Thanksgiving - this is the best time of year. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas...one right after the other!

Funny Monsters

Costco is like a wonderland. They have all their products out and displayed. They carry different yet awesome stuff all the time. But the last two trips to Costco (often a family event to cure boredom) have resulted in the “end of the world” for Carson. They have a big horse/pony that children can sit on. Each time, Karl and I try to run past that area in hopes that Carson won’t see it…and each time he does and then tells us he wants to ride it. Now, other children are sitting on the pony and laughing and being the happiest little children in the world. I can see the lure. But putting Carson on that pony, and then taking it away would result in an even bigger melt down. Anyway – thanks to Costco’s pony display we have had to do our Costco wandering with a crying little boy in our cart. He eventually gets distracted by something else – the snowman display, the Handy Manny toy, etc. But it’s put a definite kink in our Costco trips.

I love life's little mess ups...they usually make me laugh pretty hard. The other day, Karl worked really hard to make this chili. He was up cutting vegetables for a very long time (while I got Carson ready for bed, etc). He was really proud of himself for doing it the night before so dinner the next day would be easy. Unfortunately, he didn’t read how many servings the recipe made. So we have 24 servings of chili in our fridge. I went on all night making jokes about what we could do with it – I thought it was hilarious. Luckily Karl is a good sport. Karl filled eight Tupperware bowls and had them all lined up on the counter. So if you like chili…

We got Carson some spider gel clings for his bathroom mirror (for Halloween). Normally when Carson is learning a new word, we’ll say it and then he says it back to us in the form of a question. Then we’ll usually say it again and he feels more confident in his pronunciation. So when we put them up and he said “What’s that?” we told him they were spiders. But every time he repeats the word back to us, he says “Spidersaur?” It makes me laugh, so yes…we have several “spidersaurs” on his mirror. The little ones he calls baby spidersaurs.

I read on a website that when you’re taking professional pictures, you shouldn’t have your child say cheese because they usually end up not looking like they are smiling. Instead, it suggested you ask them to say their name as most children naturally smile when saying their own name. I did a test. The first picture below was Carson saying cheese and the second was him saying his own name. (Oh, and he likes to put on swim goggles and pretend he is swimming all over the house...which is also hillarious). The third I asked him to say hi (and yes, he looked very stylish in my necklace and sunglasses). Looks like cheese is not a good face for Carson (although still adorable).

I got Carson some Halloween jammies. With his fear of “scaries,” he saw them and started saying “Scary monsters.” I was not about to have wasted my money, so I told him they were funny monsters. That’s all it took. He wanted to wear his jammies immediately after dinner and was very upset when we had to take them off in the morning. He ran around, pointing at his pants, saying “funny monsters.” Here is a video of him demonstrating his jammies. He is too cute.

Note: my ringtone for Karl is the song “I Believe in Miracles” and so it is often stuck in my head. Carson copied me singing it one day and it made me laugh. Now I make him sing that line every once in awhile because I think it is funny. That’s why I ask him to sing it at the end.

Here is a pic of me choosing my battles. He was really excited about his new shoes and didn't want to take them off. So after he fell asleep, I went in, took this pic, and then took the shoes off. In the morning, the first thing he asked was "where's my shoes?" (He had just rolled over, hence the one very pink cheek)

Scaries

Karl and I went to Michaels the other day to get some Halloween decorations. While we were there, we came across the life size, red eyed, talking, moving skeletons. Carson was terrified. He kept saying "No scaries" and whimpering. Poor thing. As we quickly tried to find halloween decorations while avoiding the "scaries," I kept telling him it was okay. I was pretty sure we had traumatized him for life. As we left the store, Carson turned around and yelled "Bye Scaries!" He was very happy to be leaving the store. He said bye to the scaries again as we drove off in the car.

Karl and I were playing Harry Potter Scene It the next night, and a few of the videos would seem scary to a child. Carson was sitting on my lap and said "Oh, scary" to one of the videos. When I asked him if it was scary he replied "no, not scary...it's okay."

So when we finally did get some Halloween decorations up, I was worried that Carson would just think they were all too scary. Luckily, he absolutely loved them. We put a whole bunch of gel clings up and Carson just sat on the ground staring at them for a few minutes. He ran around yelling Halloween and was very excited.

Carson has also been up to a little mischief lately. This was our first encounter with coloring on the walls. Carson and his purple crayon (just like Harold). After he did it he came and found me and was so excited to show me what he did. It was really hard to tell him it wasn't okay to color on the walls because his little face was so proud of his artwork. A few days later I came around the corner and he had grabbed a rag and was trying to rub it off. So sweet.

We always let him take a book to bed and Karl, for some unknown reason, thought a pop-up book would be okay. Carson is usually pretty good about not tearing books, but leave him alone with a pop-up when he is trying to procrastinate sleep...well - this is what happened. Every single page.

On a personal note, I hit my one year mark at work yesterday. It has gone by really fast. I'm getting all my docs together to apply for my CPA license now!!! Yeah!!

I am very excited it is cooling down a bit...let's hear it for the low 90's coming our way this week!

Sleep Procrastinator

Oh...I have issues. Sometimes I just don't want to go to bed. The house gets quiet at night and I can do whatever I want. (I get this trait 100% from my mother...thanks a lot mom). Then I get on a roll (doing something useless like looking at rental properties in Hawaii...very probable) and soon it is way too late. So tonight, I find myself...yet again, procrastinating sleep.

I haven't taken any pictures in the last two weeks - sorry. But the new things Carson does each day are just more and more adorable to me. Here are just a few things that make me laugh.

A few translations:
1. "Pillows" = Marshmallows
2. "Goggles" = Sunglasses
3. Random syllables yelled at the top of his lungs = He wants you to stop singing (this one is usually followed by a "Shhh" with his hands pressed to your mouth).

Yesterday he patted my chest and asked "Bra on?"

Every morning he greets me with the sweetest "Hi Mommy" ever.

His favorite game is hiding. Lately he has incorporated a new stealth technique. He hides under a blanket and then yells "No Carsons here."

His prayers are the most precious thing I've ever heard - even if he does just shout amen the minute he gets bored with what Karl and I are telling him to say.

He keeps Family Home Evenings interesting. He usually performs #3 above while Karl and I sing the opening song. Then he usually runs from the room saying "No Jesus, no, no Jesus". I think we have a long road ahead of us.

Karl also had his 31st birthday last week. We went out to dinner and then grabbed some FroYo. Very exciting. I can remember as a kid when birthdays seemed so far away and then the minute they were over I would feel disappointment because that meant I had to wait a whole 365 days till the next time everyone would focus on me and shower me with gifts. It's funny how it isn't as big of a deal as you get older. Don't get me wrong...attention and gifts are always welcome. But I don't look forward to my birthday with excited anticipation anymore and I usually feel just the same as the day leaves. Hmmm.

Well - to all a good night. I think I've procrastinated long enough. Time to sleep....Perhaps I'll read a chapter in my book.

Errgg...Blog Slacker

So I have been a bit of a slacker...but there was vacation and then a few really busy weeks at work (this one being one of them, but I needed a break).

We had our annual lake cabin trip up in Spokane a few weeks ago. We couldn't really afford the plane tickets so Karl and I decided to drive. Day 1: Drive to Orem, UT. Carson did surprisingly well. He got to watch a few movies (mostly for our sanity), but colored, sang songs, and slept for most of the trip. We got to Orem and stayed the night at my sister's house. Day 2: My sister, her little boy, and us three drive to Spokane. Carson was a little less pleasant on this day, but still bearable. I can't really blame him...I was even going crazy. We make it to the lake cabin pretty late at night, but we made it - that's all that matters, right? The next week was filled with sun, sea dooing, swimming, sand castles, reading, hammocking, charades, and commantors. A perfect week. Cordell and Carson loved the beach and wanted to be outside all the time.

Carson contemplating the meaning of life down at the end of the dock.

The boys developed a love for spicy commantors (chex mix) as seen in the two pics below.

The boys watching for squirrels. We would put peanuts out every morning and then the boys would watch as the squirrels (usually just one very industrious squirrel) would come and take all the nuts.

Unfortunately at the end of the week, Cordell got really sick. The poor thing had an ear infection, a really high fever, and an awful soar throat. This also meant poor Jackie - who had to spend the nights administering medicine and holding a sad little boy. Here is a picture of Cordell wanting more medicine.

Where the cabin is on the lake, the water is shallow for a really long time. The boys would go all the way out to that random stick sticking out of the water and it was still only at their chest. You can see the drop off line in the water. We always take a few walks out to the drop off.

Carson also got stung by a bee for the first time. He looked up at me with a confused face and started to whimper and rub the sting. By the time I made it over to him, he had rubbed out the stinger and had already moved on to his next activity. It swelled a little but that was all. At least now we know he isn't allergic.

Then we got two days back at the house in Spokane. There isn't too much to report...we did a lot of relaxing and it seemed to be over too quick. Then we had the long drive back home. We had a really great time and it was fun to be with all of my family. Now we're back to the heat...yeah! Priest Lake documentary below.

We have also started the idea of potty training. We are taking it slow though and just letting him have fun with it. He usually wants to sit on the potty at night because he sees it as a way to procrastinate going to bed. He has gone a couple of times for us so far. I'm sure this is going to be a long process though. In the mean time, Carson has assured me the money we spent on the potty will not be in vain...such a resourceful boy.

Durango Doug!

We just got back from a quick Woodard camping trip in Durango, CO. By the way, I was singing the Durango Doug theme song the whole way there and back...I assume very few people will know what I'm talking about.

So I was so excited to leave Arizona. I am not a huge fan of the AZ, as I'm sure I've mentioned several times. Then I looked at the weather report for Durango...rain...everyday. Boo Hoo - I don't want to go. I was dreading the monster Carson that occurred on our last rainy camping trip. So we got there Thursday night and it was dry...one day down. Half way through the night Carson started crying. He doesn't do this at home, probably because he knows we would just let him cry and calm himself down. But we can't do that in the middle of a camp ground, surrounded by blissfully sleeping campers. So Karl and I are running around the tent at 3 am trying to keep him quiet. Luckily, all it took was bringing him into my sleeping bag...unluckily, that means I slept not like a rock at all. Carson also got up with the sun at 5:30 am, so...fun. He was a little cranky through the day...but again, it was dry! We did a little hike and put our feet in the freezing cold stream.

Saturday we headed up to Durango Mountain for a day of funtivities. Karl's parents watched the kids so we could act like kids. We rode the ski lift to the top of the mountain and then mountain biked down. It was my first time EVER mountain biking. As we are getting on the lift, the worker looks at our grinning, innocent faces and says "There is no easy way down this mountain, you guys know what you're getting into, right?" Karl confidently answered yes, but the smile had faded from my face. Wait...what? I was picturing the Sound of Music when they are all on their bikes in their new curtain outfits. "You mean I won't pretend I'm Liesl?"

I had a very long ski lift ride to contemplate my life and conclude that I could die happy. Just kidding - I was actually singing The Hills Are Alive, Do Re Mi, and Edelweiss at the top of my lungs (thoroughly embarrassing Karl). What is a ski lift ride through beautiful mountains covered in grass, flowers, and trees without a few show tunes?

So we get to the top and ask to be pointed in the direction of the easiest trail. OK - easiest trail...this is a good start, right? Everyone hops on their bikes and gracefully descends the steepest, rootiest, rockiest trail I have ever seen. I walk my bike down. I am now so sure I won't make it off this mountain alive, I shed a few tears (secretly under the protection of my helmet). If you haven't deduced from my previous posts, I am a bit of a cryer. Everyone is trying to be helpful and I'm getting tips every two seconds...which is helpful but also makes me feel like an idiot. I walk my bike on all the scariest parts and whine the rest of the time. All the sudden I see every one standing in a group...right next to the beginning of the chair lift. Wait? That was it? Oh, I'm a lame-o. Let's do it again! So we did it two more times and I'm proud to say the third time I felt really comfortable and only walked my bike a few feet. YEAH! I can mountain bike.

We also did the Alpine slide. Very fun. Also a bunji/trampoline activity. I thought I had done this before when I was in college but I was wrong. This one went way higher!! I tried to do a front flip (unsuccessful). But I managed a back flip. The harness killed me though so it wasn't the funnest. It was fun though every time I would soar up in the air and then my stomach would drop...I love that feeling (roller coaster anyone?).

Then we drove home. Carson did really well on the car trips, which surprised me a little. The last little leg of the trip we put Kenzi in our car too so the kids could have fun together. The first ten minutes was ridiculous laughing. Kenzi would do a silly laugh and then Carson would do one and then they would both laugh for real because they thought they were so funny. I was laughing so hard I was crying in the front seat - they were too cute. Carson adores Kenzi and does everything she does. Luckily, Kenzi doesn't mind having a shadow. Every time they would part Carson would cry for "Kenzie, My Kenzie." And every time we pulled up somewhere, Carson would ask "Kenzie? Kenzie?" (times 25). Kenzie was too cute as well with her "Tum here, Tarson."

Well - we had a great trip and I recommend Durango, CO to anyone outdoorsy. It would be beautiful in the winter as well - covered in snow. Back to life now...for a little bit (then I'm off to Spokane!)

2 Year Stats

Real Quick - Carson had his 2 year doctor's appointment and I thought I would update the fam on his stats (not that it is as interesting as when he was real little, but still fun for me).

Weight: 32 lbs - just under 90th percentile
Height: 36 inches - just barely off the charts

Carson has followed the same line on the curve so perfectly that it is a little crazy. He is always around 90% for weight and 95 - to off the charts on height. I think we are going to have one tall boy on our hands...and with a healthy appetite. We will probably go bankrupt in his teenage years from buying food and clothes...and milk if he is anything like his Dad (and me in my younger years). Maybe I will just invest in a cow now. Then if he wants to drink milk, he'll have to get it himself.

It was the first time they measured him on the regular big kid scale and not on the baby scale. It was also his first shot in the arm instead of the thigh. The arm shot made it a little more personal for me - I could relate to the pain because I hate shots with a passion. He screamed and bucked but then he got a cool band aid and said "Down, Shoes, Bye-bye." I think he wanted to get out of there. I love that he is communicating more. There has even been a few times where he started to throw a tantrum and then stopped and decided to talk to us about what he wanted instead.

Seattle, Birthday, Etc.

So I finally made it to Seattle. It was 2 am once I finally laid down in bed. But training was really good and it was fun when Karl, Carson, my Mom and Dad, and (surprise) my sister Jessie came on Wednesday. Jessie just got back from Jordan so it was fun to see her.

I had a lot of fun taking Karl around to all the tourist Seattle places he'd never seen. We did Pike's Place, Ivar's, Space Needle, Seattle Center, the Locks, Gas Works Park, Underground Tour, the temple, etc, etc. Unfortunately, our camera broke a day into the trip. I've pulled some we took off my parents' camera and I'll see if Jessie has any need-to-post pictures later.

Ivar's is a fish fast food restaurant right on the water. It's good, but mostly it is just tradition (oh, but really good chowder). You can sit inside or outside. Beware - outside means attacks by the seagulls. But in someways, that only makes it more fun. We chose inside, but then went outside after to feed the birds a few french fries. Here is a pic of the sign outside and then a pic of Karl, Carson, Ivar, and Me.

Here is a video of Carson feeding the birds, until I get attacked. And another of him yelling "hey" at all the birds.

The locks are cool - watching the boats go to and from the lake/ocean. Carson just loved when we went below and he could see all the fish swimming (although sometimes he would point at algae and yell fishy).

I love the musical street performers at Pike's. I could watch them for hours. The market was really crowded though and Carson was being a pill so we didn't stay long. No pics - but a must if you are going to Seattle. The flowers they sell are huge and gorgeous and cheap. You can get really cool spices and nuts too. Also - you can get a lot of junk, skip those vendors.

The underground tour is cool - you walk around under the city and they tell you the history of Seattle and why you are able to walk around under the city. Karl felt the tour was a little long. Here is a picture taken from under the sidewalk. You can literally see people walking above you.

For the flight home, Karl and I were on different airlines because the one I was flying for work wasn't the cheapest when we bought Karl's ticket. So I took Carson with me since Karl had done the flight up. It wasn't awful, but it is still not my idea of a good time. Carson did pretty good. By the end of it, I'd lost some of my patience and I was trying to juggle two huge, overloaded fun bags and a 2 year old. As we were walking to baggage claim, every time the ground would have a slight decline, Carson would get down on the ground and log roll all the way down. I just kept telling myself to pick my battles as I tried not to think of the germs and grossness. All that mattered was that we were moving forward. Every one that passed us thought it was pretty hilarious though. It was actually pretty funny, I just had to ignore all the thoughts of germs.

We got home and a few days later we celebrated Carson's 2nd birthday. The morning of he got donuts for breakfast as is Karl's family's tradition. They usually write Happy Birthday on the donuts, but I figured we would do that once he can read. We forgot to buy candles though, so we just used the one from last year...hence the "one" candle. In twenty years we'll look at the pictures and think he was the biggest one year old ever. When we lit his candle, he just kept saying "Hot" and leaning back as far as possible from the flame. He enjoyed dipping the candle in the chocolate and then licking it off though.

We also had a little party with Karl's family. I made a train cake (not as good as my snake last year) but pretty good...good enough for a two year old. It kind of looked like an alligator though. Carson kept calling it a truck...oh well. He loved all his new toys and would want to play with each one immediately. He got pretty good at unwrapping the gifts. It was a pretty fun night.

Now that looks like a happy boy! I can't believe my little guy is two. He is such a joy and I am amazed at how much I love him. Also, he has great fashion sense - as seen with the goggles he wouldn't take off. The green outfit was the first outfit he's picked out by himself and insisted on wearing...green pajama bottoms and a green top.

Our sweet Carson.

My Romantic Anniversary

For those of you looking for a romantic comedy post...please insert sarcasm into my title and read it again. Note: the lack of a romantic anniversary is not at the fault of my husband. In other words, this is not a bash on the husband post. This is a "Kasey, sometimes your elevator doesn't go all the way to the top floor" post.

So for my sixth wedding anniversary, which is today June 7th, I had/got to fly to Seattle for audit training. I'm excited about my training, so besides the fact that it required me to leave on my anniversary, nothing negative to say about that.

And let the story begin...

I procrastinated getting ready to go till the morning of. My flight left at 1:30, so I figured I would have enough time in the morning to do two loads of laundry, pack, and get out the door. Because I'm amazing, I did the above three things and I was 5 minutes ahead of the schedule I had set for myself. I did not put on my checklist anything like check the flight, check in, etc. So after waiting in the check-in line at US Airways for 25 minutes, I was a little surprised when they said they didn't have a reservation for me. Hmmmm...I pulled out my lap top real quick and checked my confirmation. Oh, I fly out on Alaska, not US Airways. Perfect. So I catch the shuttle to terminal 2 and run to Alaska check in. Well, the flight had already started boarding so they wouldn't take my bag. If I hadn't had anything to check I would have been fine. Being my emotional self, I started crying - which only makes me want to cry more because then I'm embarrassed I'm crying over missing a flight. So they booked my for a 6:30 pm flight. The funniest part is that the girls behind the counter felt really bad as I started blubbering that it was my anniversary and I had no way of contacting my husband. They told me my hair looked cute, that I was too pretty to be sad, and then they brought me tissues. That was nice...but we're still not friends. To make my anniversary an even better day, I had forgot my cell phone at the in-laws so Karl had given me his. So I couldn't call him. I called my mother-in-law and she was sweet enough to come get me and drop me off at home. So Karl was quite surprised to see me on the door step, but on the bright side I got 3 more hours with my hubby on our anniversary.

Fast forward 3 hours. I get all checked in and I'm headed to security. Some strange German guys stop me and ask if they can give me a hug and all they ask is that I pass it along. Too weird, I say no...I'm not comfortable with that. I was so sure they were going to slip some weapon into my pocket. As I'm leaving one of them says "Let us explain so you don't leave thinking you're a bad person." I reply "Oh, I don't think that...bye." Did that really just happen?

I get through security, stop for a water and some magazines as is tradition, and make it to my gate. Oh...my flight has been delayed till 8:50 pm. So I get to hang out in the airport for two more hours...and I don't get into Seattle till 11:45 pm. I have training the next morning at 8 am.

So I am blogging my wonderful anniversary experience as I sit, uncomfortably, in the airport...wondering if anyone on my flight hugged the weirdos and now has a bomb in their pocket. Hopefully, I am blogging about my fun Seattle trip in a weeks time.

Our Busy Week

I have my husband back! After a long semester, Karl has graduated and is actually at home every night. It's been so weird to have someone else here. I'm so proud of him for staying motivated and getting his masters. To review - here is the last week and a half.

Last week: My parents came into town so I took the week off. Saturday we went to a Diamondbacks game…and took Carson. It was interesting, but surprisingly not horrible thanks to the friendly people in the row behind us. They entertained Carson and thought he was cute. All I could think about was making sure he didn’t kick the people in front of us (I counted 3 times). Needless to say, I didn’t see a whole lot of the “game” but the atmosphere was still fun. My parents thoroughly enjoyed it. We all thought it was pretty neat when half way through the game they opened the stadium ceiling.

Wednesday was Barack Obama night (as I mentioned in my phone post). Here are the details on that night. The drama of the events listed below is greatly increased by the fact that it was well over 100 degrees outside and we were standing in sweaty crowds on top of black asphalt.
3:00 PM – 3:30 PM Leave the house and drive to a park and ride for the light rail.
3:30 PM – 3:45 PM Wait in line at the park and ride as there are more people there/already on the car than can fit into the light rail.
3:45 PM – 4:00 PM Ride the light rail to the stadium (standing room only), and not really “to the stadium” – more like closeish to the stadium.
4:00 PM – 4:20 PM Get off the light rail and walk 20 minutes to the stadium.
4:20 PM – 5:26 PM Wait in line outside the stadium, sweat (that is all I did that hour)
5:26 PM We’ve made it through!!! Now we’ll go relax
5:28 PM Oh…we have a lot more walking to do…and lines to wait in. Yeah.
5:28 PM – 5:50 PM Walk up a small hill (which is a huge hill in my boiling brain), push our way through lame crowds who think it is a good idea to stand and talk in the middle of the walk way.
5:50 PM – 6:30 PM Make it to our seat section…realize our seats are still in the sun…sit on the dirty ground, in the shade, in the walk way outside our seating section. Hear Alice Cooper playing faintly in the background.
6:30 PM Take our seats and then wait another hour and a half for Obama. At least I’m in the shade! No complaints.

Obama gave a really good speech. He talked a lot about how success is not measured by material items, how our body of work is never complete, and challenged the students to contribute to society. Some of you probably watched it on TV. I agreed with pretty much everything he said. Putting our political difference aside, I can’t help but celebrate the progress of America. I gain such joy from observing human triumph. How amazing it must be to be the first African American president. The stadium was packed. The flashes going from cameras when Obama took the stage was a show in and of itself. We saw his limo pull up (pictured below) and I loved seeing all the security on the top of the stadium.

Thursday was Karl’s graduation. We got there early and had great seats. It was so cool to see him “hooded.” After graduation we all went to RA, Karl’s favorite sushi place. We had a great time and enjoyed being with all the family…and got great sushi. Below are two pics after the ceremony. FAMILY - I know you got better/more pictures than I did and I want them. Most of mine turned out awful.

Friday, my sister Jackie and her family came in. We had a party at Karl’s parents’ house that night. We had great food and fun outside games. Once it got dark the boys set up white sheets and projectors outside and we had a Guitar Hero jam session. I kept waiting for the cops to show up – but apparently the neighbors like hearing amateurs sing “Jessie’s Girl” at 10 pm. Carson got to stay up way too late, but he was so happy to be running around outside. The video below is Carson and Cordell (his cousin) dancing to the Guitar Hero music. Cordell is so cute at the end. I know the video is kind of bad, but it's still cute.

Saturday night we went to Pizzeria Bianco. I had heard about this restaurant on Martha Stewart and on top 10 US pizza places on the Food Network. Warning - if you want to go, read the story below. Also, Martha Stewart just ran an 8 page spread on this restaurant in her May 2009 magazine, so I bet the crowd is even worse.

I had to go to extreme lengths to get the reservation (the other option is waiting in line for two hours or showing up 3 hours before opening to get in first round). They only take 3 reservations a day and start taking phone calls at 4 pm. You have to have a party of at least 6 to make a reservation. The first time I tried (on April 15th) I called at 4:15 and they had already taken their 3 reservations and were full through May 15th. They told me to try again the next day. So the next day I just hit call/end over and over, starting at 3:55, until they answered. Since our party was 9, the only reservation slot allowed is the 5 pm. They don’t sit incomplete parties and we couldn’t be late. They also called me a week before the reservation to confirm I still wanted it. It was ridiculous. But it was really nice when they opened the doors at 5 pm and called my name. We were able to walk right past the huge line that was outside their door and go right in. Very VIP. So…the food – it was pretty good pizza. Unlike anything I’d had before. The owner makes homemade mozzarella cheese (it was good) and grows his own herbs out front. I really loved the salads/appetizers we ordered. That was actually my favorite part. Prices aren’t too bad, but it isn’t Dominoes cheap.

While the family was here, we were also able to celebrate Cordell’s second birthday (my sister’s son). He and Carson loved playing together. Well, at least Carson liked following him around and copying everything he did. Here are them having some fun.

Carson developments – he now knows when he has gone poop…I know gross. But I’m excited because that means we're one step closer to potty training. I think awareness is probably the first step. He’ll be playing and then look up at me and just say “poop” very mater-of-factly.

His new favorite thing to say though is “help me.” If I give him a time out or make him sit in his crib to get control, he’ll just sit in there saying help me over and over. It is so hard to keep a straight face.

We went camping over Memorial Day weekend. It rained pretty much the whole time which meant it wasn’t the greatest trip. Carson loves being outside, but we were constantly having to bring him in to dry off/warm up. He got really frustrated with all the “no’s” (I don’t blame him). He also didn’t sleep well because it was cold. I spent several hours each night trying to get him to go back to sleep – as he is screaming “no” at 2 am. Sorry other campers. So he was really cranky the whole trip, throwing tantrums every 10 minutes (not literally, but it felt like it). Lesson learned – to take Carson camping it has to be nice weather or we have to wait till he is a little older. He loved the outdoors so much though I can tell that someday we’ll have a happy little camper. He also loved riding Kari and Garret’s 4-wheeler. All he wanted to do was either go “outside” or go for a “ride”. He was a big helper building the fire. Whenever the boys would be working on the fire, Carson would find little sticks or bark and throw them in. He would try to help stack the logs too. It made me a little nervous but he was really good at staying back from the fire. He would point to it and say “hot” and then try to blow on it (like we do his dinner when it is too hot). We left the night before we had planned because Karl and I couldn’t do another night of 2 am parties with Carson. He slept 12 hours that night at home. He was so tired.

So we have had a busy week and a half and I'm really looking forward to doing absolutely nothing this weekend! And in closing - sometimes he has so much energy it is exhausting to watch.

I meant Obama.

Well...we just heard Barack Ooma speak at the ASU commencement. Very inspiring. More to come later. This is my first blog post by phone...fancy.

It was Carson, in the dining room, with the ink pen

As I walked down the stairs, I listened for the comforting sounds of my child playing. It was quiet…too quiet. I turned the corner, expecting to catch the culprit red handed. To my surprise, the assumed criminal was quietly reading a book. It all seemed a little suspicious. Perhaps I had been too quick to judge his character. I decided to throw away my assumptions and start anew, trusting in the honesty and nonmischieviousness of the boy. It would be hours later when I discovered the true meaning of his innocent reading.

Hours later: After I put him to bed, I sat down at the table to finish my to do list. Oh what joy! Carson had left me a present…and added to my “to dos”. New things to do: 1) wash place mats since they are now covered in Carson’s artistic interpretations (done with ink that probably won’t wash out), 2) wash my cup as Carson interpreted onto that as well (FYI – I’ve already checked this one off my to do list…and no, it didn’t come off), 3) start a new to do list as I can’t even read my list…due to Carson’s artistic interpretations. I can only blame myself…I had gone upstairs to put on my PJ’s and had left my chair pushed out with an open pen on the table. Carson had to be pretty quick to climb up the chair, practically empty the pen’s ink on all viable surfaces, then go into the living room, put a book in his lap, and look innocently up at me as I came back down the stairs. I’m onto to you now little boy…game on.



We had my company picnic this weekend. It was pretty fun and luckily not too hot. Carson loved all the fun bouncy castles, cookies, squirt guns, etc. Here he is with his cookie.

He was obsessed with the water gun below (even though his face doesn't show it).

He was totally tuckered out when we left. He was resting his head on Karl's arm as we walked to the car. Too cute.

I know you’ve all been dying to hear how I was “honored” for getting the 9th highest score on my CPA exam, in Arizona, in 2008. The ASCPA invited the top ten to a luncheon. We chatted, ate lunch, and all received plaques. It was actually pretty fun. The only downer was that they had each of us introduce ourselves and then say our four test scores. I had been so proud of my scores but when I’m in a room with 9 other people, 8 of which scored higher than me, my scores did’t sound so great anymore. I just had to keep telling myself my feelings of embarrassment for not getting 99’s was ridiculous. So besides that, it was fun.

Carson just finished up his two weeks of swimming lessons. He hated the first three days and whined the whole time. The teacher had her 5 year old son get in with Carson for the rest of the lessons and then he loved them. He would copy everything her son would do. Carson floated on his back all by himself (for a few seconds) and could “monkey walk” all along the edge of the pool – the whole time making monkey sounds. He would even hold his breath and go under water to get toys. So overall, it was really great. I wish he hadn’t been so whiny at first, but like a normal 2 year old he wanted to play, not float on his back.

I’ve been a single mom pretty much the last month. Karl has been spending every night on campus in order to stay on top of his assignments. I can’t even count the number of ten page papers he’s had to write. Like 8 probably…no fun. But I’m so proud of him for staying motivated and getting it done. His last day of classes was yesterday. Now he’s just working on some final projects. He’ll be pretty much done on Friday! Then next week we go see Obama and he’ll walk and get his diploma. So exciting. He’ll finally be done with his masters.

We have definitely hit the terrible twos. I’ve had a few embarrassing grocery store moments…no more details will be provided on those. It is a growing period for me as a parent. I’m learning to be even more patient and am having to do a lot of reading to figure out the best methods for dealing with things like tantrums and hitting. Oh how Carson loves the “go limp” method. He uses this the most often and we end up dragging him around or just leaving him till he decides to get up. Problem is, I would expect a child to go “Oh no, my mom is leaving me.” Carson goes “Yes, my mom is leaving me, now I am FREEEE!” We’re still working out the kinks. Luckily, the year of 2 is also wonderful and sweet as communication increases and Carson likes to show more affection. Without that balance, I think I would go crazy.

IMPORTANT NEWS FLASH: SYTYCD premieres Thursday, May 21st. That is "So You Think You Can Dance" for non diehards. I look forward to the summer every year just for this show. I love it so much. I tried to find a clip to give everyone a taste of the goodness...but it took too long. So search it and enjoy.