Busy October

Where has the time gone? So much for updating the blog every week... maybe every month is more realistic. Below is a recap of the first few weeks of October. We've discovered that Carson loves 'biter biscuits' - rather inappropriately named since he does not bite them but they dissolve in his mouth as he sucks on them. One of his favorite treats, he gets them only when Mom feels like cleaning up the mess they create.



A happy homecoming for John after he returned from a business trip. I don't know who is happier, him or the kids.


Rachel will be a dalmation for Halloween this year. She loves her costume and wanted to wear it every day for the first few days after we got it. Now she sleeps with it in her crib.

Grammy's Visit

Rachel and Carson got to see their Grammy in September. They thoroughly enjoyed her visit and Grammy loved being able to reconnect with her grandchildren. Carson had lots of fun getting his first piano lesson. Rachel loved running around outside with Grammy and playing in the sandbox. And Mom got a chance to get some winter clothes for the kids - its starting to get cold here!

Exersaucer

Last week we brought out Rachel's old exersaucer toy for Carson to play in. After getting used to it for a few days Carson has decided that he really likes this toy. He sits in a little seat in the center and can spin 360 degrees with colorful little toys in all directions. Rachel likes to climb into it too - she has a keen interest in any toy that Carson enjoys. When she is not toturing her little brother she occasionally will give him a hug, as seen in the third picture below. He even looks like he's hugging her back!

Mealtime Fun

Wow, two posts in one night! Trying to make up for the past two weeks which have been very busy. Carson has been eating solid foods for about two weeks now and is doing very well with them. He eats mainly rice cereal but has also tried bananas and applesauce, both of which he seems to enjoy. Mom and Dad have been feeding him in our laps which can get very messy as you can imagine. Tonight for the first time Carson tried out his high chair and it worked very well. You can see from the third picture below that he had lots of fun! And its nice for Mom, now I only have to change my shirt twice a day instead of three times. Rachel has transitioned to her booster seat and is doing very well with it. Sometimes she eats at the big table and sometimes she uses the tray that came with the booster seat. I was afraid there might be some jealousy seeing Carson in her old high chair, but she seemed to have no problem with it. Its fun to watch them interact at mealtime.

Unka Pete An Jen

Labor Day weekend we had a visit from "Unka Pete An Jen", as Rachel refers to them. Rachel was shy for about 3 minutes until Pete & Jen started playing with her toys and then Rachel resumed her usual state of perpetual motion. Pete showed off his Lego skills by helping Rachel build a castle for the Little People. And Jen demonstrated her amazing flexibility and strength by giving Rachel airplane rides on her feet! We are all very happy about their move west, it will be so nice to have them living closer to us.

Wheeler Farm

Yesterday we went to visit Wheeler Farm, a Salt Lake County park complete with pigs, sheep, cows, horses, chickens, turkeys, ducks and even tractor rides. Rachel loves to see the animals. We have many books about farm animals and a toy farm at home so it is a nice validation for her that these are in fact real animals and they really do make the noises that we teach her. She also just learned Old MacDonald, a fun song to sing on the car ride home.

Carson's New Teeth

Carson has teeth! Just today his two bottom teeth started to peek through the gums. Looks like he will be an early teether just like his sister. Rachel got her two bottom teeth at just about the same age (four and half months). Maybe this explains why he has been up several times during the night for the past week. Hopefully he can now get back to some good solid sleeping!

Brush with Fire

It has been a very hot and dry summer in Utah with wildfires running rampant. Most have been far away from us but today we saw one burning in the local mountains behind us. These pictures were taken in the little back yard we have at our townhome. Fortunately the response for this fire was quick and it was under control within a few hours. By late afternoon it was gone completely. Phew!

Toys Galore

Rachel loves to give Carson toys to play with but sometimes does not know when to stop. Today she decided to give him all his toys at once - poor little Carson was buried in a mound of toys. The second picture says it all. Rachel has a certain spark in her eye which says, "I know I'm tormenting my little brother but isn't this fun?!"

Carson the Cutie

Carson is over 4 months old now and seems to get cuter by the day. He has discovered his toes and takes every opportunity to get them into his mouth. He loves to practice rolling on his minky blanket, made for him by his Grandma. He can now roll from his back to his tummy, but has not mastered the roll from tummy to back yet. In the third picture below Carson is sitting in his Bumbo. This is a neat little chair made just for babies - it provides enough support so he can sit for a little while and get a new perspective on his surroundings. He seems to enjoy it.

Treehouse

On John's birthday last Saturday the whole family went to the Treehouse Children's Museum in Ogden, Utah. We have been members of this museum since we discovered it about six months ago. It is a great place for children to explore and Rachel loves it. They recently added a firetruck display at the museum and since Rachel loves trucks this is a big hit with her. They also have a play hospital area complete with three baby dolls in newborn cribs. Rachel loves to take the babies out, wrap them in blankets and feed them with the play bottle. Her other favorites at the museum are the music room, the Oval Office, the doll house and the myriad of stuffed animals and books all around the museum.

Discovery Gateway

A couple weeks ago we decided to visit the Discovery Gateway children's museum in downtown Salt Lake City. Rachel absolutely loved it, there were so many new things to explore. She was a whirlwind of activity and did not stop moving the whole time we were there. She loved the child-size house, complete with kitchen, dishes and appliances. The farm was also a highlight for her, she loved the life-size stuffed animals. And the big water play area was fun too, she is fascinated with water.

Pioneer Day

Every July 24th Utah celebrates Pioneer Day. Our little town of Bountiful is celebrating with 'Hand Cart' days this weekend. Rachel took her first Pony ride! After that we cooled off with some ice cream since temperatures were over 100 degrees. Despite the heat, Mom pulled the whole family around for ten miles in a hand cart, just to relive the experience of our pioneer ancestors (OK, maybe it was ten feet).

Something About Mary

Now that Rachel sees Mom taking care of baby Carson, she wants to take care of a baby too. Along comes Mary, a doll she received from Paul & Amy for her first birthday. Mary gets the same love and care that Carson does, and Mary has gone through stages of development just like Carson. Just after Carson was born Rachel was breast feeding Mary, burping her, changing her diaper, and swaddling her. As Carson's care evolved, so did Mary's. When Carson started playing with the 'baby toy', so did Mary. As Carson started drinking from a bottle, so did Mary. And now that Carson is playing with toys, Mary get more than her fill of toys.

Smiley Little Guy

Carson's latest nickname is Smiley since he is full of smiles and has the cutest smile in the world (OK, maybe we are a little biased). Incidentally, his first nickname was 'Car Key' since that is what Rachel first called him.

Playtime With Rachel

At some point almost every day Rachel will reach for her basket of Little People characters. These are just the greatest little toys made by Fisher Price - I think Mom likes them as much as Rachel. We have the farm, the airplane, the schoolbus, and various other extras. Our collection seems to grow weekly since Mom cannot resist these little critters when we are out shopping.

Another of Rachel's favorite activities is 'cooking'. This involves going into the kitchen and taking all reachable bowls and tupperware out of the cabinets and onto the floor. Then she uses dried rotini pasta (which I gave her) and Play Doh as ingredients to mix, stir and pour. I think she's going to be a good cook because somehow she manages to get every dish dirty! When we ask her what she is making the answer is usually either "Mac and Cheese" or "Shephard's Pie", two of her favorite dishes.

Carson Reaching

One of Carson's favorite toys is the Gymini. Rachel refers to it as the 'baby toy'. Carson lies down in the toy and has a wonderful array of colorful toys to look up at. This is also where Carson gets his 'tummy time' since there is lots to see underneath too.

Just recently he started reaching for the objects hanging above his head. He seems to favor the monkey, probably because it has the most limbs to grab. Rachel loves to lie next to him and bug him while he's in the baby toy. She also loves to put her doll, Mary, in the baby toy, and even give Mary some tummy time.

Welcome

Welcome to our blog! The purpose of this blog is to share our family events and photos with our distant relatives and friends.

It is now July 2007 and we have been living in Utah for eight months now. Wow, how time flies. The most recent addition to our family, Carson, is now three months old and growing like a weed. Just this week Carson slept through the night for the first time - two nights in a row!! Let's hope this continues!

Rachel is 20 months old and is talking like crazy, she seems to learn new words and phrases every day. She is very interested in her little brother and loves to give him hugs and kisses. She also likes to read to him.

We're looking for comments from other Moms and Dads about two things. When to transition Rachel to a toddler bed, and when to transition her out of the high chair and into something else (booster seat?). We're debating whether we need to buy two cribs and two high chairs. Since Rachel and Carson are only 17 months apart, I'm thinking we will need two cribs but I'm not sure about the high chairs. Please submit your comments, we would love some input.