Carson- 13/14 Months

I'm late! I missed Cargy's 13th month post, which I hate. But I'm catching up now and doing his 13th and 14th months together.

My sweet baby is already 14 months old! His first year passed quickly in a blurry of exhaustion and stress and my struggle to find a balance these two crazy boys. I'd like to say that I now have it all together and we have found a perfect rhythm together and that I am now a supermom.

But... not of that would be true. We are still trying to find a norm, I'm still trying to stay sane, and I'm still struggling-- but we are getting there.

News in Carson's world:

1) The boy loves to eat! I don't know how much he is weighing these days and I wish I did because he is constantly eating. He loves snacks best (don't we all). If he sees food he must have it. If I am eating, or Carver is eating he gestures and points and grunts until he gets some too. He is food motivated in a way that Carver never was so that has been interesting to watch. He is picky, however, and he avoids most veggies and meats.

He has to have a cracker in each hand.

OCD. I left an empty spot on his plate. He couldn't get past it.

2) Still not walking! Which is bizarre to me. Carver first walked at 11 months and Cargy doesn't seem too interested. He started pulling up around 7 months, and walking on his knees around 11 months, and he can certainly walk with help, but he will not walk on his own. He's set on keeping us waiting. If I ever figure out how to upload a video successfully on here I will let y'all see his preferred mode of transportation :)

3) He is SUPER needy and gets very jealous when Carver is being held-- even if he is sitting in my lap too. He loves to be held, especially carried around and he always has. He can be independent but would rather be right with someone. He consistently tries to shove Carver off of my lap-- or push him away if he gets too close to whomever is holding him. It's crazy.

4) He loves people. Loves. He is much-loved in the nursery at church because he will go to anybody willing to hold him. He especially likes to be passed from person to person. He seems to be very easy-going when in any sort of "child-care" setting.

5) He and Carver are starting to play really well together. They both get frustrated but there are moments where they do quite well together.

6) Bath time is probably his favorite time of day. Well, that and mealtimes. He likes playing in water in general, but baths are his favorite.

He gets candy when he's annoying. The luck of being a second child...

7) He sleeps consistently through the night though he cries out a lot. Which, to be honest, is annoying. Glad he's sleeping but he's still waking me up several times a night... He naps once or twice a day and lately they've been on the short side.

8) He LOVES to dance. To any music he hears. It is one of my favorite things.

Carson's Birthday Bash

Finally, after two (or more) months of planning Carson's first birthday party the day finally arrived! We celebrated his big day on June 29th so that the majority of our families could be here. It was stressful and a little chaotic at times-- hosting things always stresses me out, though I love it-- but I thought the party was a success!

I seriously love party planning. I love finding each item, picking and choosing what will work best, waiting for packages to arrive in the mail. Love. It's pretty exciting to me that I now have two birthday parties a year to plan :)

"Chalkboard" Sign of all of Cargy's firsts and favorites.

Highchair banner.

The menu for the party was, of course, centered around the foods featured in the Eric Carle's book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Ice cream cones, watermelon, strawberries, cheese, crackers...

pickles, salami, salad (i.e. "one nice green leaf"), hotdogs ("sausage"), cupcakes....

Sweet tea and lemonade.

Party favors!

My favorite item of the entire party.

The centerpiece.

Amazing cupcakes from Truelove Celebrations bakery in Gainesville. We had a variety of flavors: Key Lime, Red Velvet, Cookies & cream; yellow cake with white frosting and sprinkles, yellow cake with chocolate frosting.
Yes, I couldn't decide which I wanted. This should not be a surprise to anyone that knows me.

The key lime were my favorite. 

Cargy's favorite also.

Bailey and Riley.

Anna Kate.

We were super blessed to have our family here, as well as a handful of sweet friends to help us celebrate Cargy's big day. Lyle and my dad were especially missed. His favorite part was the food-- which is sort of favorite thing in life in general. It's hard to imagine that just over a year ago we were just welcoming him into our family. It's incredible how 12 months can change your entire world. I can't wait to see what this next year holds for this sweet boy.

June Family Visits

June brought a lot of visitors to our house. Fun for us and super nice not to be the ones traveling :)

Lyle and Holly's oldest two both went to Strong Rock for one week this year. It was the perfect opportunity for Holly and her two littlest ones to stay with me and the boys for a longer visit than normal.

It was a crazy, fun week! Four kids in the house (six kids over each weekend). Carver was in heaven. He adores his cousins-- almost to the point of obsession. Having so many playmates around was thrilling for him.

I so wish that we got to do this more often. I loved having Holly here-- we got to spend a lot of time hanging out and talking after kids were in bed. I am so thankful for a sister in law that I consider such a close friend. Lyle made a really good choice-- she is a perfect fit in our family :)

Good Uncle Daniel/Daddy.

Cargy, walking on his knees out at camp. His poor knees are getting a work out.

They are SO sweet to Cargy-- and Carver too.

Goodness, these two were so fun to watch. They instantly became great friends. I love it.

Of course, Carver is eating a a chocolate pop-tart. Anna Kate and Tommy are eating watermelon. 

Good times at Burger King on a rainy night. The kids were wild so we had to get OUT of the house.

Babyland General!

These two are SO much alike.

Two mornings were spent at the Laurel Park splash pad. We love it there.

Equally exciting was a visit from Courtney and her family! It was short but sweet. I love any moment, no matter how short, that my sis gets to visit and I get to love on her girls. Jules went to camp also and had a fabulous time. I love it that she is so happy there.

Lunch at the Dillard House.

Ahhh-- look at this sweet girl!

Meet Arya. The newest addition to Court's family. She was...challenging, and my plants are struggling a little from her short visit-- but she's such a sweet girl :)

Living far apart from my siblings is hard. But I am so blessed by them, and all their sweet kids.