Break Through!!

I know a lot of you are aware that Carson is pretty much terrified of swimming. And if you're not aware - then I'll fill you in. He took swimming lessons last summer and they basically just scared him. At the first lesson, he was happy and I couldn't keep him out of the water. By the last lesson, he was crying from the minute we drove there to the minute we were driving away. I felt like I had ruined swimming for him for life. I had signed him up for lessons to 1) learn water safety...i.e. Don't jump into a pool w/out an adult, and 2) to learn how much fun water is. We pretty much only accomplished #1. As a kid (and even now) swimming was always the best part of any vacation. It made me sad to see him terrified of something I've always loved.

Back on track, by the end of last summer, I couldn't even get him in a swimming pool. I was hoping he would forget about this little fear by this summer. So June rolled around and our occasional swimming days (at Aunt Vickie's house) started. The first time we went, it took Carson over an hour to even get on the first step of the pool. I could tell his "little" fear had definitely not been forgotten. I tried to force it (gently) a few times...you know "I'll hold you, it's okay, swimming is fun"...etc...etc.) He was not buying it. Once I had the thought that if I could just get him out there with me, he would see it wasn't scary. That was a mistake...I almost lost eye from all the kicking and screaming that occurred.

So I took the patient approach. I didn't want to make a bigger deal of it than he was already making it by himself. So every once in awhile I would ask if he would like to swim with me, and he would always answer no. He always just sat and played on the top 2 steps of the swimming pool. I knew he'd learn to swim sometime. I knew he wasn't going to be 15 and scared of the third step. So I just stayed relaxed. It was also nice that I could sit by the pool and read/relax and know that he was never leaving those first two steps.

Last weekend we had family in town and some of us were swimming in the pool. We were playing "Pirates" with Carson and his cousin (also age 3 also a boy). When the game moved to the middle of the pool, Carson was sitting on the steps all alone, trying to shoot us with his pretend cannons. I swam over and instead of saying "do you want to come swimming" I said "let's go get your cousin with the cannons." He hesitated for a second and then simply said "OK" and he held out his arms. It was a very magical moment for me. I was so happy he was able to overcome his fear.

By the end of the day, he was showing me all the things he could do. Climb out by himself, kick, move his arms, climb along the edge, and jump from the edge into my arms. All the while he just kept saying "I'm not scared Mom...Look, I'm not scared." I was so proud of him. I am also SOOOO excited that I can have fun with him in the pool now. Yay! And I will say, that the year he spent being terrified of pools did have a positive...he definitely still knows that it is not safe to just go into a pool without an adult.

Quick Story

I haven't touched a camera since my last post - but since Carson is always up to saying funny things, I thought I would blog a few.

A lot of times when we are playing "pretend" he calls me honey. He'll say "C'mon Honey" or "Let's go over here Honey." The other day I wasn't heeding his pretend play demands and he said "Be a nice honey, ok?" I could not help but laugh.

He is also very into doing everything that Karl and I do. It's like we have a little shadow. Carson and I were in the store the other day and there were lots of exciting things for him to see. He was wanting to share it all with me but I was busy trying to find the items on my list. He began by saying "Mom, come look at this." I didn't really respond - I figured I could find what I needed real quick and then we could spend some time looking at the items he had found. He then got a little louder and said "Mom....MOM.....MOM....KKKAAASSSEEYYY!" I could not stop laughing. Did he really just use my first name to get my attention? All I could think was "how old are you?" As I was laughing and still not doing what he wanted, he then said "I'm going to start counting. 1........2........3. Ok, c'mon honey. I'm going to leave. C'mon." Oh this kid is rich. Obviously he's picking up something when I am saying these exact things to him and he is magically not hearing me.

Time to Blog

This is a sampler blog post - instead of making them separate posts, I just lump them all together. Bon Appetit!

Quilt #2: I have been working on another quilt. This time I did a pinwheel sampler. The block tutorials all came from psiquilt.com. So this was a HUGE learning experience. I felt like I really got to know my seam ripper during this project, we are very close friends now. I think it turned out pretty good though. Keep reading for quilt #3.

4th of July: We headed out to the Mesa Festival of Freedom. Can I just say that I loathe crowds. It makes me really cranky and I'm not ever willing to wait in a huge line. Basically nothing is worth standing in a huge line (a minor line is ok...but if it's over 15 people deep or if I'm not seeing any progress...I'm out). So the event was crowded. Carson seems to be pretty sensitive to loud noises so he had his hands over his ears ALL night...not just during the fireworks. The bands were too loud for him, the classic car engine revving was too loud for him, the general crowd noise was too loud for him. Half way through the night I saw a kid with noise canceling head phones on...maybe I should invest. *Side Note - Carson covered his ears for half of Toy Story 3 when we took him to see it (he kept asking if we could go because it was too loud). Also, he hates the Rainforest Cafe due to the noise of the "rain" storms that sweep through the restaurant. K...back on track.

The fireworks were cool though. That's pretty much all I can say about it. Here are a progression of pictures I took of Carson through out the night...try to find the common theme.

Here is Carson on 4th of July morning eating pancakes with whipped cream, strawberries, and blueberries (a special red, white, and blue breakfast...plus I made them funny face pancakes which he adores).

Quilt #3: Another one of my sisters is having a baby in the very near future so I decided to play fair and make her a quilt too. I got this pattern off Moda Bake Shop. It's the Moda Make Life fabric. I absolutely love this quilt and LOVE this fabric line. I just want to hold it and squeeze it because I think it is so darn cute. Also, I have to toot my own horn for a second - this was my first time ever doing applique and ever doing free motion quilting. I think I did awesome! The applique was kind of hard and I ended up getting a different foot so I could actually see the letter lines. I was so nervous for the free motion quilting. I had read so many blogs (and the ladies at the sewing store) that made it seem impossible. One lady said if I practiced about 120 hours, I'd be good at it. What! Who has 120 hours to practice stipple quilting? I did use one tip I read online - it said consistent speed is important and suggested putting a book in your foot pedal so it only goes down half way. I did this and I think it really helped. So there was only one spot I crossed my line and it was because I was just so caught up in the amazingly cool loops I was making...and making beautifully. So, I don't think I'll need 120 hours of practice. There is room for a little improvement...but I can display my stipple quilting proudly! Oh - and I machine bound it (same as above). I'll probably just go back and forth between by machine and by hand depending on how I feel that day.

Hmmm...I feel like there was way more I needed to say...oh well. Count your lucky stars I don't go babbling on forever.

Disclaimer: I have waited in line for a few movies/book releases in my life. It is a little different though - you can sit, you're with friends, you can eat, etc. etc. I felt I needed to disclaim or else a certain sister-in-law would call me out due to the fact that we waited in line to see a certain movie containing vampires and werewolfs just a few weeks ago. This movie will remain nameless.

Cursed Dress

During church yesterday, the power went out suddenly during Sacrament meeting. It was a very weird experience. It all the sudden got pitch black (and all the kids got really quiet). They opened up the curtains and then it was light enough for us to at least finish the meeting. So the speaker finished his talk (w/out a microphone), we sang a closing hymn, etc. all in a very dimly lit room. The Bishop then got up and said that we could all go home. So that's twice in the last month that we've been sent home after our first meeting.

Now - as for the title of this post, I was wearing the same "new" cute dress as the last time church was canceled. Yes...I know the last time was only two weeks ago and I was wearing the dress again. I didn't get a full wear out of it last time, so i figured it wasn't awful to try it again. Anyway, it seems I have a cursed dress. I'll have to be careful when I wear it.

Funny Conversation

Last night, Carson and I had a conversation that I thought was funny. I was getting him ready for bed. He had his jammie shorts on and no shirt. He was standing in front of the closet mirror doors. As I went to put his jammie shirt on...

Carson: "No, mom. I want to look at my body."

Me: "Oh, OK. Where's your belly button?"

Carson: "Right here" (pointing to his belly button). He then pointed to his nipples and said "What are these?"

Me: "Those are your nipples. They are part of your body."

Carson: "Oh my...middles...my...dimples?" (Carson attempting to say nipples)

Me: "Yep"

Carson:...long pause..."Santa brought them?"

Me: (laughter) "No, Santa didn't bring them."

Carson:...another long pause..."Jesus brought them?"

Me: "Yes, Jesus brought them."

Carson: (big smile on his face) "Oooohhhh. Look Mom, my body's happy. It's perfect."

Me: (smiling so big it hurts) "Yes, your body's perfect."

Carson: "Look Mom, my back...it's got shoulders. Just like Daddy."

Me: "Yep, just like Daddy."

Carson then gave me a big hug and kiss and said "I love you too Mommy." (even though he said it first).

How can you have a kid this sweet and not love your life. Oh, and I can't help but laugh at how a three year old puts Santa and Jesus in the same boat. In his mind they are both unseen figures who love him. I'm sure the difference will begin to clear up as he grows.

When I was teaching dance, I had one five year old student who was just precious. She had a Velma haircut and big thick glasses and I loved her to death. Five year olds love to spout off random facts about themselves during a dance class. One day she said "Sometimes, my mom loves me so much she cries." It was so sweet. Being a mother now I can totally relate. Sometimes I just love my little guy so much, it makes me quite teary. It's sweet moments like last night that help me build up patience for the next not so sweet night. There are a billion funny conversations lately, but I have a feeling my blogging wouldn't do them justice.

Carson is 3!

How did this happen? How is my little baby 3 and walking and talking (and sometimes talking back)? I'll look at his little baby pictures and I can't believe how big he is. I know most moms say this - but it's true.

He got donuts in the morning, as tradition. Then we threw Carson a pirate themed party. We had it up at Karl's parents house and invited a bunch of family. I made an awesome pirate cake. We got bandanas, eye patches, and mustaches and made everyone look the part for the scavenger hunt (that picture will be coming later). It was a pretty dang good bash. I also thoroughly enjoyed talking like a pirate all night long - scallywag, scurvy dog, land lubber, etc.

Oh - and I also made awesome invitations. I can't find it at the moment - but they were full of pirate lingo. I burnt the edges and crinkled them up to make them look old.

Carson is becoming quite the bed time procrastinator. He comes up with all sorts of excuses and knows how to butter me up with his little grin and saying "I love you mommy" and "Stay with me...just a little bit". Last night he came to find me and told me there was a monster ghost lion in his room.

He is also extremely sweet. The day after his birthday I woke up to him scratching my head and rubbing my hair gently. When I looked up at him he just said "You're welcome." Oh, I was thinking - my son is so sweet. Then I looked at the clock...5:30 am on a Saturday. No, you're welcome was not the appropriate thing to say.

Jessie's Wedding

So I think I'm starting to lose my blog juice...mojo...motivation. I just don't ever really feel like doing it. But - I feel it important since I keep no other kind of journal.

We went up to Utah to see my little sister Jessie get married. I had planned on going up and tying bows or something till 2 am - but she pretty much had it all under control. I think the day before my wedding I was running around town in crazy mode trying to get everything done. I don't think I even remembered the tables would need centerpieces till the day before my wedding. So us girls got to relax a bit (pedicure, shopping) while the boys went to play paintball.

The wedding went great and the reception was beautiful. Jessie had her three sisters and a friend as bridesmaids. Both my older sisters are pregnant right now (obviously pregnant). It was a little depressing when people would say "Now, which two of you are pregnant." C'mon...really? I know people were probably trying to not offend by guessing, but each time I'd have to suck it in a little bit more. In my defense, the dress was an empire waist and pretty loose around the stomach...so maybe they couldn't quite tell at first glance. My poor sisters had the unfortunate event of having their bellies rubbed by the majority of people that came through the line.


My friend Erica came down to the reception so we could catch up for a few minutes. She brought her new little chunky baby boy - so cute. She also got to see Carson being a crazy (he was a little stir crazy after sitting through wedding events). Erica - I know you are reading this. I promise he is a very sweet boy and not always out of control.


Anyway, the wedding was great and we all had a lot of fun. It was beautiful weather in Utah - hot to some but to us AZ'ers it was a nice reprieve. I am glad Jessie is so happy and we are excited to have Tyson in our family! Here are a few pictures.