The Carr Family

What we've been up to

2012-01-14T08:54:00.000-08:00

at the Library, just a short walk from our house:

at the grocery store, she loves driving!

how she ate a pancake when we gave her a whole one:peeled the top right off!

swinging at the park:

reading books, one of her favorite things:

She is also saying "uh oh" and usually at the right time. Cutest thing ever

Mt. Dew Chicken

2012-01-14T08:44:00.000-08:00

Josh had been wanting to try new ways of barbecuing, and had heard of beer can chicken. He read on this guys blog, that instead of beer he used Mt. Dew. It turned out SO good!Before:

The after math: We kinda just dove in

Date night

2012-01-14T08:19:00.000-08:00

Last night Josh and I enjoyed a date night. We went to the temple, and then tried a new resturant called Blue Ocean Sushi. Josh LOVES sushi, and hadn't had any since we lived in Sacramento so it was long overdue. Now I don't like sushi, so I get my trusty teryaki chicken, which was AMAZING. This place was pretty authentic, and had NO forks on the table, just chopsticks. I told Josh I was going to ask the waiter for a fork, when he forbade me and proceeded to teach me how to use the chopsticks. It actually went pretty well, and made us eat slower and enjoy the food!I had to document us using chopsticks:

Across from the resturant, was a Ben & Jerry's. With the snow on the ground and temperature in the teens, the last thing I wanted was something cold! But we saw a sign on the door about a hot milkshake, so we had to go in and see what this was all about. We ordered a mint chocolate one and took it to go because we had to go pick up Bridget. It was really good. Josh and I decided it tasted like a gourmet hot chocolate.Thanks for another great date night babe!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-25T18:38:00.000-08:00

This year Christmas was pretty low key with our little family, but it was perfect! We woke up and Bridget opened presents.

Favortie present by far

After playing with her new toys, Bridget took a nap, then we went to church. Then we headed to my sister's house for dinner.Bridget had fun seeing the boys new toys and she loves getting on the floor and rough housing with them! Overall, we had a great Christmas and really enjoyed our day as a family and remembering Christ on this special day.

4 years

2011-12-22T09:30:00.000-08:00

Josh and I had our 4 year anniversary on Sunday. A week before that we asked our friends if they could watch Bridget on Saturday so we could go out. She not only said yes, but offered to watch her over night. I told her I would think about it, but who was I kidding? We know them really well, and have been trading babysitting for the past few months now so I felt comfortable with them and I know Bridget does too. So I said yes, and it was so great!Josh and I enjoyed a nice dinner at Olive Garden and then went to a town just 15 mins away, where they decorate their downtown with lights and have people dressed up from like the 1800's singing. Even though it was really cold, we just enjoyed walking around and going in the little shops and drinking hot chocolate! Then we went hope and SLEPT IN!!! It was the best anniversary present I could have asked for. I of course didn't take any pictures, but lets reminisce back to that day four years ago!

Let's be realistic, this is how it really was: SO WINDY!!

Even though it was stormy on our wedding day, our life together has been anything but. I love you and look forward to many more anniversaries with you!

Grandma Marsh

2011-12-22T09:10:00.000-08:00

Last night my Grandma passed away. She and I were super close. My sisters and I were her only grandkids, so she spoiled us and was able to have a lot of one on one time with us.I will NEVER forget all the times she picked me up from Kindergarten and took me to get a happy meal. I would get in her car, and pick out a piece of candy that she kept in the center console. My sisters and I had a lot of sleepovers at her house and we usually ate Taco Bell or Carls Jr. for dinner. (This sounds like all we did was eat fast food with my grandma, but we were all so skinny so I guess it doesn't matter!) But that's not all we did, she took us to a lot of movies, and spent countless hours playing a card game called "Flinch!". When I got older my mom would let me ride my bike to her house. I would do anything she needed around the house, we would watch t.v. shows together and I would update her on my "Oh so busy life". She was so easy to talk to and always cared so much for me and everyone around her. She had a great sense of humor and a contagious smile. Usually death is a sad thing, but in my grandmas case, it is actually good. Her quality of life was not good. She was starting to forget a lot, and she wasn't the same person I had grown up with. The grandma I had known left her body about 2 years ago so I guess that made this all a little bit easier. I know she is in a better place and will be much happier. I can't wait for a year to pass and help do her temple work. She was not LDS, I know she will accept the gospel in a heartbeat!I love you Grandma and can't wait to see you again.At my bridal shower

She at I at my wedding reception

Me, my grandma, and mom

Chrismas morning, with my nephew Jack

She was great at knitting! So before she got bad, while I was still in high school I went and pick out yarn and she made me this baby blanket. Good thing I had a girl! It was hard for her to leave the house, so she wasn't able to make it to my baby shower.

This is after she moved into the nursing home, last Thanksgiving. We got a picture of all four generations. I'm so glad I have some pictures of her with Bridget. (thanks Amber!)

2011-12-22T06:54:00.000-08:00

I was just going through all of our pictures and wanted to share some recent ones of Bridget.She is now 15 months, and such a crazy little girl! She loves to play, run around and read books. She is communicating by pointing, and says "mama" and "dada". We love her so much, she is such a joy in our lives!

Roly Poly Santa Cookies

2011-12-20T13:10:00.000-08:00

I just have to tell you all about these cute cookies I made to give to friends.They were so fun to make, just time consuming. I would recommend doing it during nap time or when the kids are in bed.Here is the link to the recipe: http://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/roly-poly-santa-cookies-recipe/1/

Thanksgiving

2011-11-29T08:38:00.001-08:00

Okay, so I did a really bad job of documenting Thanksgiving. It was extra special because it was our first time just staying home and doing our own thing. We had our friends the Peck's over, they have a little girl that is 10 months. She and Bridget have so much fun together! Josh also invited a co-worker that had plans, but fell through.Josh and I had this ongoing "debate" of how we should cook the turkey. I wanted to roast it in the over, but Josh always wanting to be different, he wanted to smoke it. He had actually been wanting to get a smoker for a while, so this was just another excuse to get one. I was very nervous that it wasn't going to taste good, but after all the stress and time spent outside, it turned out GREAT!! Our friends lived in Texas for a little while so they have had their share of smoked meat, and he said it was some of the best he has ever had! I wish I would have gotten a picture of Matt devouring his turkey leg, he loved it!Here is Josh rubbing the turkey with some spices

Cutting the bird!

Here is Bridget(a.k.a. bottomless pit) with some mashed potatoes on her nose! She LOVED Thanksgiving dinner, and of course dessert too! I made homemade apple crisp and vanilla ice cream.

Josh was holding Annalynn, so then Bridget wanted in on the action too.

We had a great Thanksgiving and can't wait to make more traditions!

Drinking our veggies

2011-11-29T08:13:00.001-08:00

Lately Bridget has been really picky about what vegetables she will eat. Since she loves smoothies, I decided to add some spinach to our strawberry & banana smoothie. She loved it!

Straws

2011-11-14T06:19:00.001-08:00

Today I am thankful for straws!The past couple of weeks Bridget hasn't been letting me feed her anything. By this, I mean she wants to hold the spoon and do it herself! Yeah right, is what I say to that!On Friday I remembered how much she loves to use a straw, so I decided to have her try it with applesauce. She slurped up the whole cup through a straw! Then this morning I poured a yogurt into a cup, added a little milk to thin it down and she ate it all!! I was so happy, because it was getting kind of hard to find healthy snacks for her that she could do herself! Thank you straws!

Photo Shoot

2011-10-29T14:39:00.000-07:00

This is the first Saturday in a while that we haven't had anything going on, so I decided to take advantage of it. I have been wanting to take pictures of Bridget, but I wanted Josh to come with me so he could make her smile. All I have to say is taking pictures of a one year old is HARD! Josh probably did a thousand fake sneezes, and made every funny noise there is possible! We went to the temple where the landscape and scenery is always gorgeous!Here are some of the good ones we got:

I love this picture, but the lighting is bad.

Now for the bloopers:

We had this #1 that we wanted Bridget to hold....I don't know how my sister-in-law Amber does it. Bridget didn't do very well holding it. It would either be backwards or upside down, before just throwing it and wanting nothing to do with it!

Trunk-or-treat

2011-10-29T12:59:00.000-07:00

Last night was our ward trunk-or-treat, here is Bridget in her ladybug costume!I wanted to take pictures outside but I knew it would be impossible for her to sit still.

She loved the feel of her dress, and chewed on it on the way to the church!

I gave her this for bribery, and before I knew it, half of it was gone! So I took the wrapper off and she ate the rest!

Bridget & I-Josh was getting the truck ready to pass out candy.

Lucky girl talked me into letting her have a lollipop. Everyone thought she was so cute, I would have to agree!

2011-10-29T09:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we enjoyed the nice weather and did some more work in the yard. We laid a landscape fabric to block the weeds, and then put mulch over it. Here is Josh using his truck to it's fullest!

Bridget looks like a rag-muffin, but she LOVES playing outside and getting into whatever she can! And yes, that is dirt on her face!

Josh said it looked like she got into a box of oreos!

Pumpkin Carving

2011-10-23T08:40:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night we carved pumpkins and Bridget LOVED eating the pumkin. I put her on the table with us and I thought she was going to be a pill, but she just sat there playing with the pumpkin guts! She saw us putting our hands in the pumpkins, so she wanted to give it a try!

This was right as she was throwing some of the guts at Josh!

She would pick pieces of the pumpkin off and eat it!

It's good for you, right?Here she is with a mouth full of seeds! At first I didn't want her putting the seeds in her mouth because I was afraid of her swallowing them. Later, she snuck a couple, and when I put my hand in front of her mouth she would spit them right out. She just loved the pumpkin flavor I guess!

Our final products!

Yard work

2011-10-11T07:56:00.000-07:00

A couple weekends ago we were out in the yard raking leaves, and Josh put Bridget up in a tree! He got her positioned, she stayed still and we started snapping away!

Eckert's

2011-10-10T19:06:00.000-07:00

Today Josh had the day off for Colombus Day. We decided to go to Eckert's farm in Illinois. It's about 45 minutes away, it has apples and pumpkins in the fall, christmas trees in the winter and peaches in the summer. The farm also had little carnival rides, and there was no height limit! They let us ride all the rides with Bridget! But first, we played on the swings!They had these cute horse swings

They also had these huge tire swings

Haybells make for great photos!

Bridget loved the petting zoo!

Josh bought some food for them, he gave a piece to Bridget and she just ate it. hahaha

Feeding the camels carrots

I could not get this girl to crack a smile!!

Have you ever watched a pig race? We hadn't, but it was hilarious!

Lovin' some apple cider!

Getting every last drop!

On the big swings!

I thought this picture was cute that Josh snapped. Bridget started putting her hand out and showing some excitement. It was so cute.

Saw this view of the city from the parking lot

Rodeo

2011-10-09T18:07:00.000-07:00

Last night we took Bridget to her first rodeo! We wanted to go this summer, but with Josh being gone it didn't happen. So we found this one, about 40 minutes away and decided to go! We were nervous about how Bridget would do being up late, but she did great! We got there early to eat dinner, BBQ sandwiches and AWESOME garlic fries. We wanted the full experience! There was a playground right there so we let Bridget play before it started. Josh went to go get seats, and when Bridget and I got there he had this cute cowgirl hat for her

Don't worry, this was during an intermission

We sat next to this girl who had this cute little dog! Bridget loved it and would laugh so hard when it came near her! The girl's boyfriend rides in the rodeos and she travels all through Missouri with him. I don't know how she watches him get flopped around in every direction, she said it's very nerve racking!

This last picture is Bridget being her cute self. Momements after I took this picture, Josh went to go get her and a fireman walked by and said "Can you please teach your daughter to respect the fire line?" Josh came back to me, and was like "You will never believe what he just said to me!" We thought it was funny that he wanted us to "teach" our one-year old something like that.

Can't wait to go to more rodeos next summer!

Lead by example

2011-10-05T11:42:00.000-07:00

I don't have any pictures to go along with this post, but I just wanted to share something really cute that happend last night! As I was trying to get dinner ready, Bridget was being pretty winey. When it was done she saw me put it on the table, but I didn't want to put her in her highchair yet because I wanted to let it cool. She started freaking out and hanging onto her highchair (I guess someone was hungry?!). So I put her in it. She sat there patiently and watched me get her plate ready and cut it all up. She and I were talking and then Josh came to the table and sat down. As soon as she saw him sit down, she was silent and folded her arms! We hadn't even said "okay, let's pray now" or fold our arms, or anything! She just did it all on her own! It was the cutest thing ever! I tried not to laugh, but it was just too funny. So immediately Josh started to say a prayer, and she bowed her head and closed her eyes for a few seconds. We are quickly learning how much she is watching us, and it keeps us on our toes! I hope she keeps this up!

Caverns

2011-09-26T07:38:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we took a drive to get away from the city. We drove west and ended up in the Shenandoah National Forest. It was so green and lush, it was beautiful! Near the park, we saw billboards for Skyline Caverns so we decided to go see them!

Like her parents!

2011-09-26T05:30:00.000-07:00

She may not be into cupcakes, but this girl loves her ice cream!! If it had been more than 15 seconds since her last bite, she would scream at Josh and get another bite!

Just like her parents, we all love ice cream!

One

2011-09-25T17:46:00.000-07:00

This is me trying to take pictures of my one year old on her birthday, in the yard of the Hotel. She just wouldn't stay still...so here she is showing off her walking moves
{got this birthday shirt on clearance @ Target for $3!}

When Josh was done with class that night, we went to a nearby park to let her play. They had a rock wall there, so of course Josh had her climbing it!

Then we took the birthday girl to Outback! She loved my Salmon with rice and veggies. We do classy first birthdays...no, that's just how it is when you are the only child! haha

After that we put a cupcake on the kitchen floor and let her go at it. Except she did the oppposite and crawled away. I finally held it up to her, she took a bite, and didnt want anymore. And that was the end of that. Oh well...

Happy Birthday Bridget!!! We love you and are so glad we are your parents!

D.C.

2011-09-25T16:09:00.000-07:00

Kinda blurry, we're taking the metro to downtown.

At the White House

Bridget cranked her neck all the way when she heard the water from the fountain, and after that it was hard to get her to look away~

Washington Monument

Labor Day

2011-09-25T15:21:00.000-07:00

For Labor Day this year, we drove up to Iowa to visit my sister Maggie and her family and see our new neice, Lydia.. With all the time Josh has had off, we decided to take advantage of it. Last time I saw her she was about 4 lbs and in the NICU. Now she is home and a whoping 11 lbs. She is so cute, we loved her to pieces!

Sunday playtime:
{this picture cracked me up because she had been crying over something and as soon as I got the camera and said "Bridget, smile!" this is what she gave me!}

Monday we went to a park and enjoyed the beautiful weather. The swings were the most popular.

Trying to teach Bridget to be soft with Lydia

Mary Anne loves Bridget, but she wasn't too fond of her walking around and getting into her stuff. She kept saying "No baby, no baby!!" It was pretty funny!
Monday night we went to a drive-in and watched Kung Fu Panda 2. In the begining Bridget and I were sitting next to each other and I was eating some popcorn, she quickly began helping herself. I had to put an end to it a little while later or she would have eaten the whole bag!

Who? Not me?!

2011-09-20T05:32:00.000-07:00

Who thought that staying in a hotel for 12 days with a one year old would be a good idea?! Not me?! At home Bridget was sleeping like an angel--fell asleep with no problems, never waking up, and sleeping about 11 hours. Here, all the opposite! When she does wake up I quickly get her milk before we have people from the hotel knocking on our door!
While it's been fun seeing Josh when he gets off each night, and spending the weekend together, I can't wait to get home!! We have been doing lots of traveling since May and I can't wait to get our normal life and routine back!
I am writing this post on my phone so I can't upload any pics, but I promise I will when we get home on FRIDAY! More than likely it won't happen till Sunday!
Oh, Josh and I have decided that anytime a job opening comes up for DC, it's an automatic NO! It is waay too busy for us, with crazy amounts of traffic! And to live away from it all you would have at least an hours worth of commute, no thank you! Fun to visit (kinda), but we would never live here.
On a more happier note-- the General Women's Broadcast is Saturday night and that is just what I need! Plus dinner and a night out! ;)
Did I mention the breakfast here is awesome?! That's right, I came here for all the fee food. Now I remember...
Be back on Sunday, with pics of our downtown adventure, Briddgets birthday, caverns and more!

Lake Ozark

2011-08-27T17:59:00.000-07:00

I know it's been forever since I have blogged, but I will catch up later. Right now, I want to tell you about our fabulous weekend!
Back in May while Josh was away, we started talking about going away just the two of us to spend some time together. In the end, we decided to go to this resort at the Lake of the Ozarks here in Missouri. Josh found a couples package called "Rest, Relax and Rejuvinate". Sounded great to us! We dropped Bridget off at my sisters Thursday afternoon, and were on our way! That night we walked around the resort and ate a really nice resturant there!

That night we went into town and found a great little ice cream shop called Grandpas Ice Cream. It was this old man behind the counter, Josh asked him "So are you Grandpa?" He said "Yep!" It was really good! And the single scoops, were more like doubles!
The next day we got a couples massage, which was amazing!!! Then we went back into town for lunch. Then we spent the rest of the afternoon laying by the pool and swimming! It was great!

For dinner we went to Outback, then found some great Outlets and we enjoyed walking around!
As we were driving down the road I looked out the window and below there was a huge outdoor go-kart track. I told Josh about it, and at the next light he was flipping a U-turn. Oh great, I thought, I shouldn't have said anything! I had never done anything like this before, so I was pretty nervous! It was fun, it definately gets your adrenalin going!

Then we stopped at Grandpas one last time! He laughed when he saw us walk in, I ordered the exact same thing because I loved it so much! Josh tried something new, but regretted it and helped me finish mine!
Later on Saturday we went and picked up Bridget, he gave a big smile when she saw us.
It wasn't easy to leave her on Thursday, but it was very important for Josh and I to reconnect as a couple and to just focus on eachother. It was so nice to spend time together without also having to be a parent too. It's been awesome having Josh home again, I missed him waay too much! Thanks babe for such a great weekend!

Feather Falls

2011-07-22T19:40:00.000-07:00

Last week Pete, Trent, Amber and I went on a hike to the Feather Falls. It is just a little over an hour drive away, then a 4 mile hike there and back. It was a lot of fun, and great weather!
Amber & I in the beginning

A small waterfall we saw on the way

Amber risked her life for a cool picture. Just kidding, I wouldn't have done it though!

The Falls!

We had some people take a picture of all four of us in front of the falls, and now it's not on my camera! Bummer!
Here ya go Josh ;)

Sweet Girls

2011-06-25T06:45:00.000-07:00

I am so glad I was able to go to Iowa last month and see my twin nieces. Lydia was doing so well. She moved from the covered bed, out to an open crib, gained weight, and started drinking bottles all while I was there. Catherine on the other hand continued to have long seizures, wasn't gaining weight and just wasn't progressing or doing very well. The doctors and nurses would try to take her off the venilator, but she would only last about an hour, and then need to be put back on it. A couple weeks ago my sister and her husband made the hardest decision of their lives, to take her off the venilator for good. They knew her quality of life would not be what they wanted for her, and they had to think about their four other kids as well. It was really hard to hear, but I know it is what is best for her. She was in a lot of pain, and looked so uncomfortable that I know she will be much happier in Heaven with her Heavnly Father. It was her mission to simply come to Earth, gain and body and return to Him. I'm so thankful for the Plan of Salvation and to know that I will see her again, and that she will be with her parents and siblings again.
Love you Catherine!

Fun, fun, fun!

2011-06-14T16:17:00.001-07:00

My mother in law, Julie was here for the past week and we had so much fun! It was so nice having some company around the house and someone to do things with! Julie bought her a little swimming pool to use when it was really hot. She loved it as long as she wasn't trying to get out, then she would usually slip.
Getting ready to get in!

Lovin' the pool! This was a different day, we decided to forgo the swim suit, and she enjoyed a frozen gogurt!

We got a sitter for Bridget and had some mother daughter time getting pedicures and manicures!

Drying off with Grandma

We also went to a local city pool with some of my girlfriends and their kids from church!

I decided to take Bridget down the little kid slide, little did I know that would mean a MAJOR wedgie and bottoms almost coming off! My friend Katie warned Julie, but Julie decided to let me do it anyways and watch me struggle! Isn't she the greatest?! haha Thankfully it was a female lifegaurd manning the slide, I'm sure she saw some crack. :/ LOL

On the lazy river!

Full Bloom

2011-06-13T12:54:00.000-07:00

The flowers in the front yard are in full bloom now and so is Bridget. She is doing so much I can't believe it!
I just love this outfit on her with the yellow flowers!

Sewing

2011-06-12T14:49:00.000-07:00

About a month ago my mother in law bought a sewing machine and had it delivered to my house. I didn't know about it, so I thought the UPS guy had the wrong house! She's clever like that. She said she was going to teach me how to sew when she comes to visit in June. I was so excited, but too intimidated to even open the box!
So she's been here for almost a week and we've sewn a dress for Bridget and a matching skirt for me. It's so fun and I hope to get better so I can sew all kinds of things!

The finished products

Iowa part 3- Memorial Day

2011-06-12T08:58:00.000-07:00

In the morning we walked to the church for their ward's pancake breakfast. Along with the pancakes they also did a breakfast mix. I think it was the best church food I've ever had! I was so stuffed!
I didn't take any pics there, but this is Bridget in the stroller STANDING UP getting ready to leave.

Later that afternoon it got pretty warm so we put the sprinkler under the trampoline and the kids and Logan had a good time. I got tired of holding Bridget so I decided the put Bridget on the trampoline and she could watch them bounce. (They have a net around it so she couldn't fall off, don't worry ;) )
She had a blast

Static hair on the trampoline!

Thanks Stinger family for a great time!!

Iowa part 2

2011-06-12T07:47:00.000-07:00

Also while we were in Iowa we spent a lot of time playing outside. Bridget is at the age where she doesn't always like to be held, and just wants to get down and crawl. So that's what I did, and she would crawl on the cement! It didn't seem to bother her. I would put her on the grass to have a softer ground but she didn't like it! She wouldn't cry, but she would look down and it funny and crawl off it as fast as she could. She liked to chase Mary Anne on her tricycle

Trying to get off the grass!

A chair just her size!

Iowa part 1

2011-06-12T07:14:00.000-07:00

I spent three weeks in Iowa staying at my sisters house, playing mom of 3 during the day. The kids loved playing with Bridget, they had a lot of fun.
Mei Ling loved feeding her bottles

swimming at the pool for Parkers birthday

She loved the corn on the cob!

Mary Anne loved feeding her snacks

She also learned how to climb the stairs while we were there.

Love from Kandahar

2011-05-14T19:09:00.001-07:00

Last week when I went out to get the mail there was a package on the door step. It had Josh's name in the return address spot and said that it was to Bridget. I thought what on earth could he have gotten for a seven month old in Afghanistan??
At first she just wanted to play with the box, then when we opened it all she wanted was the bubble wrap! Inside was a little teddy bear wearing a t-shirt that said "Love from Kandahar Air Base". I'm not much of a stuffed animal person, but this is super cute and has a lot of sentimental value. Along with it was a hand written letter from Josh, to Bridget. It was so sweet, it made me start crying. Josh is a wonderful father, who is completely wrapped around that little girls finger. She really brings out his soft side.
He said how much he misses her and told her to behave well while I am on my own to take care of her. If only she could actually read and understand it, that would make life so much easier!

We miss you everyday Josh and can't wait for you to come home to us! Keep up the good work, Love you!!

2011-05-14T17:41:00.000-07:00

The past week my father-in-law came to town for a visit to keep me company and help out with things around the house. I of course didnt take one single picture so you'll just have to take my word for it! Pete is awesome, he mowed the yard, painted the kitchen window seals, refinished an old patio set (that was at our house when we moved in), and much more! He also babysat Bridget a few times so I could run an errand, go to the movies with my girlfriends, and enjoy some shopping by myslelf. Besides all the work he did it was
Nice to just have another adult around to hang out with and talk to! Thanks Pete for a great week!

On his last day he drove up to Iowa with me where I am spending some time with my sister and her family. It will be great to be with more family and entertain Bridget!
A month ago my sister delivered her identical twin girls via emergency c-section at 24 weeks gestation. They have both been in the NICU and probably will be the restofthe summer. The past few weeks they have been having three different women from their ward come to their house to be with the kids while she goes to
The hospital to stay with the babies. Yesterday was their last day so now I will be staying with the kids while she goes.
Yesterday when we got into town Pete and I stopped at the hospital to see them, they are so cute! Today my sister and I went to the hospital and I was able to hold Lydia. She only weighs 3 lbs. so she is very tiny!

While my sister and I were at the hospital, her husband had their three kids, plus Bridget. When we got home he said that Bridget was great, but that she colored with a crayon on the kitchen floor. I didn't believe him, and he said Yes, under the dining table. Sure, enough there was blue crayon scribbles all over! He said when she was under the table she seemed happy and was quiet so he let her stay there, until he noticed she had a crayon in her hand! Good job Logan, way to watch the kiddos! haha

Pictures for Dad

2011-04-26T15:22:00.001-07:00

Quota

2011-04-25T16:47:00.000-07:00

Bridget is definately a girl(not that I had any doubts),but she has been talking all day today!

(pic isn't great because it was taken on the cell)
Sometimes it was just soft babbles, and other times it was full on screams!!
I guess she is still learning the different tones and sounds she can make.
She sure filled her talking quota today!
Either way I loved it all, at least I had to remind myself of that...

Easter

2011-04-25T08:36:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a great Easter!
Ours was good. Bridget and I went to church of course, and then we got together with our good friends for dinner! We ate a yummy dinner where we all brought things and I also made a dessert. I was looking at my favorite food blog (thegirlwhoateeverything.blogspot.com) and saw her Easter bunny cake! I thought it was so cute, but no way I could ever make that! Then I saw how she did it and it was super easy! It was tastey and the kids absolutely loved it!
This is how it turned out:

Definately going to be our new Easter tradition!

122 Days

2011-04-19T18:08:00.000-07:00

The past week went by waay too fast, but we made the most of it and had a lot of fun. Josh got home from D.C. Tuesday night and went into work on Wednesday. That day was normal as he came home from work, we ate dinner then he went to scouts. Thursday we did some chores around the house, we made a little (okay a long) list of things Josh wanted (needed) to do before he left such as install an attic fan, fix the runny toilet and mow the lawn one last time before that turns into my chore...
That afternoon we went out to lunch, got some frozen custard and decided to enjoy the nice weather and walk around the zoo! It didn't last very long because Bridget was so tired and was just crying most of the time. So we were only there for like 30 minutes. Good thing it's free! Friday we had planned on going to the temple but some sitters fell through. It was raining so we ended up going to the Mall and just hanging out. Saturday it wasn't good weather either so we decided to go bowling. We finally started taking pictures at this point!

That night our friends that we trade babysitting with watched Bridget while Josh and I enjoyed a dinner at Red Lobster and a Target run which is completely different without a baby. We enjoyed strolling and taking our time, I know we are dorks! But Josh also had some last minute things he wanted to get. Sunday night we had some close friends over and enjoyed some ice cream cake for one last get together with Josh. Monday we wanted to go shooting and have my sister babysit but the shooting ranges are closed on Mondays...
So we went out to lunch at T.G.I. Fridays (coupon!)

Tuesday Josh didn't have to be at the airport until 3:00 pm for his 5:50 flight. The day was long and full of much anticipation. The day had finally come and we both knew we only had hours left to spend together. The night before while Josh was trying to check-in for this flight online, he saw that family & friends of military personnel could get a pass to go through security and sit at the gate. So that's exactly what we did!

Standing in line at the check-in counter Josh said "No offense, but I'm fine until I look at Bridget".

Bridget and I got our passes and walked right up to the gate where Josh got to hold her and we got some good pictures.

Bridget had fun playing with Joshs pack and chewed on all the straps she could!

I was doing fine until I asked a lady to take a picture of us. The tears started as I said "can you take a picture of us, my husband is leaving for the summer" So that is why I look terrible in this picture. Dang you tears.

See you in 122 days sweetie.

2011-04-10T05:57:00.000-07:00

Bridget will be 7 months this week!! I cannot even believe it! She is getting so big and doing so many new things. Last week we met my sister and her kids at the mall to play, then later we got some lunch. I put Bridget back in her her carseat/stroller and she just kept trying to get out, she was not happy in it! So my sister suggested getting a highchair. She loved it! I put some puffs out on the table and she ate while we all ate. It's so nice now that she can somewhat feed herself! So Friday we went out to Babies R Us and got her a highchair that hooks onto the table, it's been really nice so far!

She loves standing and holding onto the arm of the couch

Just doing some pushups!

Also last week I babysat my two nephews, and they were being so cute with Bridget that I decided to get my camera out. I even got one of all three of them looking in the same direction!

Busy Weekend

2011-04-03T10:05:00.000-07:00

On Thursday morning Josh received an email at work saying that they want him to leave 11 days sooner than his original date. Which means that his dates to be in D.C. for training had to be moved up too. So also on Thursday, he found out that he will be leaving for Washington D.C. on Sunday, three days away! So all of these things that we had to get done that we thought we had a few weeks left to do, now had to be done over the weekend. Pretty much ALL on Saturday!! Everyone at work has told him to ship his stuff out there so he doesn't have to deal with big luggage traveling or worry about anything getting lost. While he is in D.C. this week he is receiving all of his clothing while he is deployed, so as he was packing for his eight days in D.C. he ALSO had to pack for four month in a foreign country!!! So while he is in D.C. he can ship this big tupperware like container and hopefully arrive by the time he gets there! Josh and Bridget went to an Army Surplus store while I was at the gym, then we all went to Walmart AND Target. The day was full of shopping and major packing!!

In the end everything worked out and got packed, it was just a bit stressful. Sometimes I would have to stop Josh and remind him to breathe. lol
So if any of you are thinking of what to do for your summer vaction, there is a free stay at the Carr's house!

2011-03-31T08:05:00.000-07:00

Do babies this young know when they aren't suppose to be doing something? Her two favorite things to play with/grab at are my cell phone and the T.V. remote. Even though I am constantly telling her "NO"(whether she understands or not) and moving them farther and farther away, she will try and get either any chance she gets!

I mean she acts as if she has no toys to play with! She has TONS! When I put her on the floor, I make sure all her toys are nearby, but she insists on scooting to the coffee table, couch or other items that aren't "toys".

Speaking of the coffee table, I think that may be moving to the basement in the near future. Now that she is doing this crawling thing she will go over to the table and she manages to hit her head on it! It's just another thing I have to worry about and I usually end up moving it to the side.
Josh is constantly trying to get Bridget to crawl on all fours (even though the pediatrician already told him that she shouldn't be at this age. He wants her to before he leaves in a month. I think he will be very suprised when he gets home to see how different she is. This girl is starting to get very mischievous. She smiles or laughs when she pulls my hair or bites, I'm starting to realize I'm going to have my hands quite full this summer!

all things six months

2011-03-14T07:11:00.000-07:00

So it's been a while since I blogged, mostly because nothing really has been going on.
Just been doing our routine, Josh works, comes home, I leave and go to the gym (bless his heart), make dinner, etc. This will be my third week back to the gym since having Bridget. I wasn't planning on coming back anytime soon, but back in July when I called to cancel my membership because I was having a baby the 24 Hour customer service person said "Well how about we just put your membership on hold for six months with no charges". I thought "Okay, I'm just going to cancel it in six months, but if it's free I'm not going to argue with you".
So a little over two weeks ago we got a charge on our credit card from the gym. I had comepletely forgotten about the whole thing! So I was telling Josh I was going to cancel it and get our money back. But Josh insisted that I keep it and that I can just go when he gets home from work and he'll stay home with Bridget. I know, I have the best husband. It has been so nice having some alone time and burning off some energy. I feel so great when I am done, I just love working out!!
Saturday was Josh's birthday, he's now a whopping 24!!!! That night we got a sitter and enjoyed going to the mall without a stroller! We ate dinner and Josh got a new pair of shoes that he had been wanting.
The weather was great that day so we decided to go work in the yard and throw out some grass seed and get it all ready for spring! We felt pretty confident we weren't going to get anymore snow...
...BOY WERE WE WRONG!!!!
This morning I woke up to SNOW!!!!
Words can't describe how bitter I am. Is mother nature aware that Sunday is the first day of SPRING? Apparently she is wanting to get in as much snow as possible before Winter ends.
Oh well, at least I don't have anywhere to go. But still, it is dang cold!
As for Bridget she will be six months on Wednesday. I can't even believe how big she is getting and how fast it went by! It's so funny whenever Josh and I see a little newborn baby we're like "Aww look at that tiny baby!" Then we realize, we still have a baby she's just so big now! She still cannot roll from her belly to back which is getting ever more frustrating. She is getting pretty good at sitting up by herself too. She is also a little daredevil baby! She loves when Josh throws her in the air and does 360's with her and Josh loves to make me nervous. My nerves are eased when I see the huge grin on her face!
Here are some pictures as of lately:
Her and dad before church, Josh likes to match.

In her bumbo:

Playing at Jacks birthday party:

Tooth #1

2011-02-14T08:40:00.000-08:00

So last week Bridget started this wonderful night time routine of only waking up twice at night. I was feeling so well rested, and didn't feel like a walking zombie anymore...until Friday night...She was up from 1:00-2:30 am and we had no idea what was going on?! Saturday morning she had a runny nose and a bit of a cough, so I was thinking okay, she's just sick. I felt for a tooth, but nothing stuck out, it was just bumpy. All day she was so whiney and just wanted to be held. We were loosing patience and were so tired from the night before. Later that night Josh put his finger in her mouth and felt something sharp! I felt it as well and we could both see a little white poking through her gums! We immediately felt so bad for not wanting to hold her all day, and now we just wanted to cuddle her!
But I am tired, because she is back to her waking up 4-5 times a night mostly because she is probably in pain. But every now and then I have to look at these cute pictures just to remind myself of... well when she's being not so cute. haha I love this little girl.
Especially when she is doing this

This is how I found her one day after her nap

This is how she spends most of her days. She hasn't learned how to roll back onto her back yet.

She also loves her excersaucer

2011-02-05T09:25:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning at 2:30 while I was feeding Bridget, I heard the snow plow drive by. I thought "that's weird, it's not suppose to snow till Sunday". Sure enough I looked out the window to SNOW!!! NOOO, more snow!!

So while Bridget took her morning nap, Josh went out to shovel the driveway and for the first time I joined him to burn off some cabin fever energy I had built up.

During Bridgets early afternoon nap, we finally got the whole driveway cleared and we could safely drive our car out!!

I wish

2011-02-03T09:41:00.000-08:00

that I was here

I'm so tired of the snow and being cold!! And it takes like 15 minutes to put all our layers on and get out the door!!

Bridget at 4 months

2011-01-20T14:22:00.000-08:00

Bridget had her 4 month check up yesterday and she is doing so well!
She was 13.6 lbs and 24.5 inches long. Both in the 50% percentile.
She is so much fun during the day and loves to laugh & smile!
We also like to look at books

While at Maggies, Bridget rolled over!! Josh was out skiing and I was in the other room, so we both missed it. But she hasn't done it since!
Her little laughs make us laugh everyday and her personality is really starting to show!

Iowa

2011-01-20T11:41:00.000-08:00

Last weekend Josh and I decided to take a trip up to Waukee, Iowa to see my sister and her family! Josh got off work a little early Thursday afternoon and we began the 6 hour drive.
My sister hadn't told the kids we were coming, but they knew someone was coming to visit. When they opened the door they were so suprised to see us there! They said "Mom, it's Aunt Chloe and Uncle Josh...and Baby Bridget!!" We had a great time just hanging out and playing lots! Friday night the boys went night skiing while the girls went to the mall for the kids to play, then went out to dinner to Applebees.
Here's Parker in his snow get up just to go to school! He has to have all this snow clothes for recess!

Here's Mei Ling & Mary Anne at our pretend picnic in the basement

This is Mei Ling & Josh trying to get Bridget to roll over

Mei Ling, being the little 4 year old girl that she is, adored Bridget! She was always playing with her and keeping her entertained! And she is such a good helper!!

Saturday the kids went out to play in the snow, they all looked so cute bundled up!

Logan showing off his cool hat :)

All the kids together

We had such a fun time, we wish we lived closer!

Bridgets First Christmas

2010-12-30T17:09:00.001-08:00

...was in a car.
But besides that it all was great!
Pete, Julie and Dustin flew into St. Louis on the 23rd and hung out at our house till Christmas morning. We of course had to go to the famous Mills Mall where we played glow in the dark mini golf, and Josh & Dustin did this trampoline thing. It was pretty fun to watch them do it, although they both felt sick and had headaches afterwards.

Christmas morning we left at 7:20 and arrived in Fort Walton Beach, FL at 9:20 p.m.
It was long, but Bridget did great! I think the hardest part was that being Christmas, NOTHING was open! So when we stopped for lunch, the only thing open was IHOP. It took 20 minutes to get seated and even longer to get our food!
This was my first time to Florida and it was so beautiful! We stayed in a nice condo right on the beach. We got to wake up in the morning and look right out the balcony window to the ocean! It was great to look out the window, but as soon as you stepped out the door it was COLD and WINDY!! Monday was the best day because it was nice and sunny, that made it a little warmer so we took advantage of it and went for a walk on the beach!
Our family (it was so bright!)

Bridget and I

The reason for going to Florida was for Joshs cousins wedding. It was fun to see his Aunt and cousins that we hadn't seen in 3 years, when we got married.
They got married on the beach and I'm pretty sure everyone was freezing!

The reception was fun and filled with lots of dancing!

Sleeping on the way home

Stretching before having to get back in the car seat!

It was great to be with family during the Holiday, and we will miss them lots!

California trip

2010-12-06T12:33:00.000-08:00

In November Bridget and I flew to California to visit all our family! She did really well for her first flight and everyone around us ooooed and awwwed over her. She was the talk of the plane. I really wanted to take pictures and document her first airplane ride, but my hands were kinda full. We had a week full of visiting family, long walks in the park and catching up with friends. When Josh came a week later, we had lots of fun hanging out with family and enjoying the Thanksgiving holiday. We took traditional Pilgrim & Indian pictures and family pictures too. I loved finally having my own little family for portraits. I think they turned out great!

Also while we were there we got to visit my Grandma almost everyday. We took advantage of our time with her and decided to take a 4 generation picture. (Thanks Amber!) My grandma, my mom, me and Bridget. My Grandma has muscular distrophy and as it has gotten worse and worse she had to move into an assisted living home because she can no longer walk, and barely use her hands or hold up her head. It was really hard to see her like that but I'm so glad that she got to meet Bridget. She just lit up everytime we came and she held Bridget in her lap.

Also while we were there we got some new dresses for church! (Thanks Grandma Atkin!)

It was great being with family and being back in California but it's good to be home!

Mermet Springs, IL

2010-11-01T18:19:00.000-07:00

My family has a tradition where our Dad takes each of the kids on a trip anywhere in the U.S. they choose to go at age 15 (I know, dangerous right?). It's been a great opportunity for each kid to really show what they're interested in and get some one on one time with their old man, Chloe and I are already making plans to continue this tradition with our own kids. While my honor student sibilngs chose to go see the capital, the statue of liberty and the smithsonian, I chose to stay within the confines of California dragging my dad up and down the state searching for any possible way to utilize our health and/or life insurance (rock climbing, ATV riding, surfing, spelunking, rappeling, etc.) While on my trip, my dad and I got a chance to go SCUBA diving in Monterey Bay. I fell in love with the concept of spending an hour underwater without ever having to surface for air. Since that time I've always wanted to become a certified SCUBA diver, but it isn't neccessarily easy on the pocket book.

And so, about a month ago I went over to a friends' house one evening and helped him remove a couple pesky trees around his house, in return he offered to get me certified to SCUBA dive as he just so happens to be a SCUBA instructor. I spent the next four weekends in a heavily chlorinated pool at the community college learning all the skills neccessary to successfully give Chloe a heart attack (she thinks it's dangerous). Finally all my hard work in the pool paid off and we took a trip last weekend to Mermet Springs in Illinois www.mermetsprings.com and it was awesome! It's an old rock quarry that has since been allowed to flood over creating a man made lake. In the water the owners have sunk a: school bus, ambulance, motorcycle, three cesna airplanes, helicopter, semi-truck, and the Boeing 727 from the movie "US Marshals". It was really neat to be able to swing inside a school bus and sit down on the old benches 30 feet underwater.

After spending the night in Metropolis, IL (Famous for their superman museum) we headed back home just in time for a halloween themed suprise birthday party. We dressed up and had a great time but were quite ready for bed later that night.

Getting all my gear ready for the first dive.

Yes the hood was neccessary, water is quite cold in October.

Chloe killed time holding Bridget and reading books.

Bridget getting ready early in the morning for her first road trip.

We knew we we're back home when it became cheaper to kill construction workers again.

We dressed as Pumpkin Farmers!

This years crop, the squash that gives our lives meaning.

Carr visit

2010-10-24T12:34:00.001-07:00

After my family left, Josh's parents, sister and her daughter came to meet Bridget!
They were only here for a few days, but we had so much fun! While they were here we went to the zoo. We had never been to the one here, but it's free and really nice!
The next day we left the babies with Josh and his dad and the girls went and got pedicures! That was a nice treat!
We also had fun just hanging out at home, playing games and watching movies! And Josh finally got his homemade ice cream! (thanks to Julie)
Sunday we blessed Bridget and it was so great. Josh gave a beautiful blessing and it was good to have our family there.

Thanks Pete, Julie and Amber for a great time!

Warning: Long post!

2010-10-19T08:29:00.000-07:00

So much has happened since Bridget was born, I don't even know where to begin!
The Monday after she was born, my parents came into town and stayed for 10 days. They were such a huge help, making meals and cleaning the house! My sister Maggie also came down from Iowa the second week they were here to meet Bridget. She loved her so much so joked about packing Bridget in her suitcase!

Mary Jo, Jack and Hudson also came over to visit and play with Bridget!

Her first bath

Her first walk

Bridgets frist Sunday at church. We only stayed for sacrament meeting, but she was the most popular person there!

Having a baby has definately changed our lives, but for the better! She is such a joy!

Bridget Leta Carr

2010-09-24T07:04:00.000-07:00

Thursday, September 16 I was scheduled to be induced at 7:00 a.m. I had been 2 cm for 2 weeks and my Dr. felt confident that it would move things along, and she knew how much I wanted this baby out of me!! Before even starting the pitocin, I was already a 4! So my body had pretty much already started on it's own, and I think I would have been going to the hospital that day anyways. After they started the pitocin I didn't move very fast, I stayed a 4 till the late afternoon. They uped the pitocin more and more and I finally was a 7 around 3:00. At 5:00 they gave me an epidural which didn't hurt that bad, but they had to do it 3 times!! It was not a good experience! But once I couldn't feel anything, it was so much more relaxing!! I started pushing at 6:55 and she was born at 7:09 p.m. It was so easy, they just told me when to start and stop pushing and before I knew it they were putting my baby on my chest. It was the best feeling ever! She was 6 lbs. 5 oz. 20 inches long. She cried and cried, it was music to my ears!
She's now a week old and doing so well!! First couple nights home were pretty rough, but since then she has slept pretty good! I'll put her down around 7:30-8 and she doesn't wake up till 2-2:30. She only cries when she's hungry or has a dirty diaper, pretty much the best baby! We couldn't be happier or more in love with this little girl.

Still...

2010-09-13T08:17:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm still pregnant. My due date is tomorrow, and I have my Dr. appointment at 10 am and we will see what progress I have made. All this pineapple eating, walking, and squating had better pay off! Anyways we will decide what to do from there and if/when I want to get induced. Josh and I are so anxious, we can't wait to meet her and hold her!

38 weeks

2010-08-31T11:12:00.001-07:00

Here I am at 38 weeks.
A week and a half ago I developed a rash that pregnant women can get called PUPPP(Pruritic Urticarial Papules and Plaques of Pregnancy). It doesn't affect the baby or anything and it's not serious, just uncomfortable. My stomach pretty much has the chicken pox!! It itches sooo incredibly bad! There is also a little on the corner of my right eye and chest. My Dr. said to start with some over the counter things like Benadryl and Claritin. So I started with those and they did nothing, then she told me about an anti-itch lotion to try and that of course only helps for so long and the itch is back.
Today I had my 38 week appointment and she prescribed me a pill, that does make you sleepy so I will just take it before bed and it will help me sleep. She said it won't go away till I have the baby so if I haven't gone into labor by next week that they can induce me. So if I decide to go that route, we could definately have the baby by next week!
So up until this whole PUPPP thing, I was doing pretty okay, now I just want this baby out and the itching to go away! Josh and I just can't wait to hold her and play with her. Like everyday Josh says "Can you please just have the baby?!" If only it was that easy....

Nursery

2010-08-25T08:26:00.000-07:00

We finally got the baby's room all put together this past week and I'm really happy with the way it all turned out! A big thanks to my sister Maggie for getting us our crib and Julie for all the crib bedding, curtains and wall hangings! We got the glider from an older couple in our ward for FREE! It's a little out-dated, but it's comfortable and works! We got the changing table/dresser off craigslist for $30 and I just repainted it white. Here are some pics:

Ultrasound

2010-08-11T09:41:00.000-07:00

Today I had an appointment for an ultrasound because at my last Dr. appointment I was measuring a little small so my Dr. wanted to check her size and make she is growing and everything. And she is! Everything looks great! Strong heartbeat, head is good size and her estimated weight is 5 lbs. 5 oz. The ultrasound tech said she didn't think she would be more than 7 lbs. Thank goodness!
I love my lady that does ultrasounds, shes so thorough and shows me everything that's going on. It was so cool! Some of the ultrasound was 3-D, she would switch back and forth.
So she gave me a 3-D picture of her face:

When I saw those cheeks I said "Are you sure she's only 5 lbs?! Those cheeks look so chubby!!" haha She was like "Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. The weight is just an estimate" I don't know I guess everything being smooshed together would maybe make it looked bigger than it really is? Isn't she so stinkin cute though?!
Here is the hair on her head:

And this one is a view straight on of her face, showing her eyelashes:

Also she is head down, so that is very good news!

Feelin it...

2010-08-08T16:30:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of my pregnancy that I felt close to miserable! I'm really starting to feel the negatives of being pregnany and it's getting to me! Today at church I felt like I could barely sit through sacrament meeting, my back was hurting so bad and of course had to pee! She has found my bladder as her new toy!! Also I'm starting to get the hint that she is no longer as comfortable as she used to be. Everytime she moves it's sooo uncomfortable and no room for her to move! This afternoon I was having really bad abdominal cramps and my stomach was getting so tight. Braxton Hicks...I think so? Uggh, I'm so uncomfortable!
I so hope I don't go to or past 40 weeks!

So far, so good!

2010-08-04T03:21:00.000-07:00

I'm now 34 weeks along and feeling pretty good. It's very hot here in St. Louis so the extra weight is not very fun, but I'm just glad I don't have a mini heater I have to hold and breastfeed.
I had a Dr. appointment yesterday and everything looks great. Next week I go back for an ultrasound to check her size and make sure she is growing. This time they told me my belly was a little smaller. I'm not too worried, one week I'm big, the next I'm right on track and now I'm small!
While Pete and Julie were here, Julie and I had some fun taking pictures! Here are a few:

Family

2010-08-03T06:26:00.000-07:00

Last week Joshs parents and brother came out for a visit, and we had so much fun with them!
The first day we went downtown and the boys went up in the arch.

That night we went to the mall and the boys found a hurrican simulator, that shows you how windy it gets. They wasted, I mean spent $2 on this weird activity. Brothers!

The next day we all went to a water park up in Illinois. I didn't take any pictures but Julie and I enjoyed the Lazy River & Wave pool while the boys hit up all the slides. It was so nice to take a break from the heat and baby weight!
Friday morning we left for Nauvoo and stayed till Saturday afternoon. We did the wagon ride, watched the pageant (which was amazing!), walked down the Trail of Hope, and walked around the temple. And this is the only picture I took the whole time we were there! Josh doing stilt walking at the pioneer fair before the pageant. On our way out of town we stopped at Carthage, it was really neat to see the jail and all the history!

Thanks Pete & Julie for a great week!

32 Weeks

2010-07-21T12:17:00.001-07:00

This picture was actually taken at 31 weeks, but I just had my 32 week Dr. appointment today.
I haven't gained any weight, still at 121, but she said thats okay. What is more important to her is that my belly is measuring right on track!
I've just been trying to stay out of the heat so I don't swell and also get in the pool whenever I can! I'm still going to the gym with Josh, but it's not as comfortable. Walking is getting harder. Anytime Josh and I are out, I used to be the one waiting for him and telling him to walk faster, now he is the one waiting for me!
Last night while Josh and I were laying in bed, I was complaining how hard she was kicking me and Josh's reply was "well would you rather have her kicking you in your side, or out of your stomach, crying and waking you up?" Suddenly reality set in, and I thought about how tired I would be once she came. But it wasn't enough to scare me or anything, I'm still so excited to be a mom!! I can't wait to meet my little girl!

Crazy weather

2010-06-27T17:46:00.000-07:00

Tonight after dinner we decided to take Shasta for a walk. As we were walking out the backyard and I saw the dark grey clouds, I knew it was going to rain. Living here for almost 2 months now I've learned that if it looks like it going to rain, it will! We walked down the street and around the corner to a field of grass that we take Shasta to play fetch, which is about a 5 minute walk. We were there for like 10 minutes before it started just pouring down rain and we had to walk back! So we are trying to get back to the house as fast as possible, me, 7 months prego trying to walk/slow jog. I'm sure people driving by got a good laugh!
This is a horrible picture of me, but this was us after getting home...drenched!

Too Hot

2010-06-27T16:23:00.001-07:00

The past week here in St. Louis it's been in the 90's and some days 100 degrees!! That along with the humidity, it's been pretty miserable! We had been feeling bad for Shasta sitting in the heat all day, so we decided to get a cheap little baby pool at Target and she loves it! We throw her toys in there and she splashes around. We felt pretty funny walking around Target with a baby pool thinking "this is for our dog...does that make us weird dog people?" Well good thing we have a baby on the way.

7 months

2010-06-23T10:27:00.000-07:00

Today I had my 28 week check up and she said everything looks good! Today I also met the actual Dr. and she was really nice. I think I will like her. She was asking me some questions that I needed to start thinking about like what hospital I want to deliever at and if I want to do natural labor vs. epidural. I stopped her half way through and said "I want an epidural ASAP!!" She just laughed and said okay. Thankfully she had the same view that I should not have to be in pain if I am in labor. Glad we got that all cleared up!
She said I'm measuring right on track and she found her heartbeat right away and it sounded great! Now I will be going in every two weeks.
I have been feeling really good. Josh and I go to the gym about 4-5 times a week which I am going to do as long as I can! People look at me like they've never seen a pregnant woman work out or lift weights! haha. I'll show them!
She also kicks so much, sometimes it's hard to fall asleep at night. Or she will start kicking me after eating a big meal when I am so full, and that does not help me feel any better! But I love feeling my little girl and Josh likes seeing and feel her move too.
I can't wait till September but I also do love being pregnant.

Summer Election 2010

2010-06-19T18:21:00.000-07:00

Josh and I have a few names we like but can't decide. We want to hear what you guys think!

Cardinals game

2010-06-09T06:47:00.000-07:00

Last week I temped for a dentist and on my last day they gave us a pair of tickets to the cardinals gme that weekend! We had been wanting to go to a game, but didn't want to spend the money on tickets so this was perfect! And if you know Josh & I, you know we're not big sports peoples but we wanted to go for the experience and say we went. (And the food of course!) Our seats were pretty high up, but had an amazing view of the city and the Arch! We had a really fun time!

6 months

2010-05-24T05:52:00.000-07:00

So I'm now 6 months pregnant! So weird to think, but I also can't believe that I have to wait 3 more months to meet our little girl!

Here I am at 22 weeks:
Last week I was finally able to go to the Dr. after waiting for our insurance to kick in. I loved the office, it was so great! Very nice and friendly! They did my 20 week ultrasound since I didn't have one before moving. I was a little nervous, but everything looked good and is all developed. She is just the right size, keeping my due date the same. (Sept. 14th) I feel so thankful that everything has gone so well with this pregnancy and I have been feeling so good! Except for the pain in my back I feel lucky. It is getting hard to sit up from laying down and twist and turn, but most of the time I barely feel pregnant! I just eat, eat, eat!

This was yesterday (almost 24 weeks) after church I tried on a pair of shorts from high school and they fit! I was so happy to add something to my wardrobe and to be able to button them!

So far I have gained about 8 lbs and Josh is down 17 lbs. So he's still in the lead and doing awesome!

Baby Showers

2010-05-14T07:20:00.000-07:00

Before Josh and I moved my friends and family threw me a baby shower! I had one in Chico with mostly family, and some close friends and leaders from church. This is a baby blanket that my grandma made for me in high school. She is an incredible knitter, but suffers from Psoriasis and Muscular Dystrophy. She has been able to make my sisters one when they had a baby but she knew she probably wouldn't be able to by the time I had kids so she got a head start. Being as I was in high school, I wanted a pink blanket and I told my grandma even if I had a boy I would still use the blanket at home. As luck would have it, I'm having a girl and she will look so precious wrapped in this blanket. Thanks grandma!Here is Mikayla and I with a doll that she picked out for the baby! I love it, it's so soft!

The next weekend a few of my girlfriends had a shower for me in Sacramento! I had so much fun and am so thankful for everyone that came and for all the nice gifts! Our little girl will be well dressed and accessorized! (is that a word?) Here is the cute cake Amber made! She's so talented!

Thanks everyone!

Butterfly House

2010-05-12T06:24:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday Josh and I were looking for something to do, we actually didn't have anything to work on around the house. At least nothing that was pressing, we wanted to get out and see something new. So we talked to my sister and they weren't doing anything either and asked if we wanted to go to the Butterfly House. As you guessed, its a butterfly exhibit. The also have a bunch of different bugs behind glass, and we watched a short movie on the "life and behaivor of butterflies". My favorite part was when they showed 2 butterflies mating, and my nephew Jack, who is 3 said "He's on his buddy!" LOL we were cracking up!
Then we went to the actual butterfly exhibit. It was this huge room, kind of like a greenhouse that was really hot with all these green, tropical plants and butterflies flying around everywhere! It was really cool! I do like butterflies, but I'm not a fan of anything flying around me. I know, I'm weird. Anyways, Josh was like the butterfly whisperer. You weren't allowed to catch them, but you could hold your finger out and let them land on you and Josh always had one on his finger!

Josh and I, with no butterflies!

Hallelujah!

2010-05-07T10:18:00.000-07:00

I found my camera this morning!!!
I don't care that it was in a place I had already looked or that it had been right in our bedroom the whole time, I'm just glad we have it and don't have to go buy a new one!
So I will post some pictures of the house, of whats put together and some new pics of the belly!

Of all times...

2010-05-03T14:32:00.000-07:00

Of all the times in our life that we have wanted to take so many pictures, our camera is no where to be found!!!
Josh had his first day of work at a real career, and wore a suit the first day and looked so sharp...no camera
We signed the papers to our very first home, got the keys and moved in...no camera
I'm 5 months pregnant and of course wanting to take pictures for my scrapbook and to send home to family...no camera
So sorry for the lame, pictureless posts.
Hopefully it turns up soon...

And we're off....

2010-04-21T06:51:00.000-07:00

So we haven't posted in a while, we've been a little busy as most of you know...
Friday morning we left Sacramento and stayed a couple days in Pocatello, Idaho with Josh's brother. Then Sunday morning we left and drove till it got dark, and ended in Kearney, Nebraska. Monday we only had a 5 hour drive to Waukee, Iowa where my sister lives and we will be staying with her till Saturday. We're enjoying the nice break off, hanging out with family and not being in a car!!
We're scheduled to close on the house Monday at 3:30!! We hope everything goes as planned.
Also this morning I felt the baby kick and even Josh can feel it! It's so crazy how first I only felt her every now and then and it was just a flutter and now it's a full on kick!
We'll keep you all updated on when we move into the house!

Carr Family Score: Boys 1, Girls 2

2010-04-05T06:28:00.000-07:00

On Friday, Chloe and I finally reached a long-awaited deadline. The day seemed to crawl, we were both looking at the clock constantly waiting for our 2:30 ultrasound appointment. Chloe ended up getting home late from work and we drove like the devil was at our heels all the way to Roseville only to find that Google Maps has some improvements to be made to their directions software. Finally arriving at 3:00 we had to wait for what seemed like forever (actually it was 10 minutes) and I was fine, I passed the time making jokes about other people and Chloe sat there growing ever impatient with the world and me especially, love ya hun ;). What are husbands good for? If not to lighten the mood and annoy their spouses, but I digress. We were finally called in by the doctor, who apparently wishes he wrote screenplays for Hollywood, I swear he built up the most suspenseful gender determination ultrasound I could imagine! Talking about the baby, how healthy "it" was, listening to the heartbeat, yada, yada, yada... I'm just sitting there screaming in my mind "C'mon already! What is it?!?!?" And finally he rotated around to our little babys rump to say "See those two lines?" Which from what I understand is highly technical medical terminology for letting someone know they're having a GIRL. (For those of you who don't understand, ask your parents or google). To my surprise I took this news quite well, Chloe on the other hand began crying. Afterwards I was able to talk to her and cheer her up with a few "it's not that bad" and a couple "well there's always next time" (I'm such a comforting husband).

Time

2010-03-03T09:33:00.000-08:00

Events tend to be measured in time. Our life seems to revolve around events and the time since the last event or the time until the next.

3 Months ago I graduated from college (Whew)
2 Months ago I learned I would be having a baby
1 Month ago the DOD began scrutinizing every detail of my life
1 Week ago I received my start date with the NGA, 26 April 2010
Today we put an offer on a home
1 Month from now I'll learn the gender of our child
2 Months from now I'll begin a new career
6 Months from now I'll hold our baby for the first time.
2 years from now that little baby will begin to walk and talk
18 years from now that little baby will be grown up and graduating High School (hopefully)

It's all just a matter of time...

Update on our prenatal competition:

Chloe's 12 weeks along, which means we've known of her pregnancy for 8 weeks now. In that time, Chloe has failed to gain even one pound and I have managed to somehow sweat off 12 pounds. I've put my size 33 jeans into storage and blew the dust off my 32's (which I now have to wear a belt). I'm glad to see the hard work finally paying off, and hope that Chloe will soon begin to catch up to me. She sure tries though, and it's been awesome to see her finally eating a whole subway footlong (I never thought I'd see the day).

BIG year

2010-02-26T18:17:00.000-08:00

This week we heard from the NGA...Josh got his start date. He got two and was able to choose which one he wanted. March 15th or April 26th? Well let's see, March 15th is in about 2 weeks so we chose April 26th. We are excited to move, but I don't think we could do it in 2 weeks!
About a week and a half ago Josh was looking at airline tickets to Saint Louis and found a great deal for a weekend trip, Feb 27-Mar 1. We decided to go and look at houses and get to know the area, knowing that we wouldn't be able to actually buy any house until we knew our start date, that we would just go and look. Little did we know a week later that we would get our start date! Josh was totally inspired to just randomly say, "Lets go to Missouri!". I'm so glad that I agreed, otherwise we would be looking for tickets now and may not have found the deal that we did!
So we leave tomorrow morning...early...way too early...and we hope to find one we like enough to put an off on! We are so excited!!
This is a BIG year for us: career, house, baby!
We've decided that when we get there that I will stay at home with the baby. Since we are moving there in April and I'm not due till September, I will have plenty of time to get the house ready and all the baby stuff together! Depending on how much I have to do I may look at a temp job or something for extra money, we'll see.
That's all for now, we'll post when we get back!

Update

2010-02-02T19:15:00.001-08:00

So last Thursday I had my first doctor appointment, it was 2 hours! They did the full physical exam and everything and she answered any questions we had and also gave us a lot of information. She said everything looked good, except that she expects me to gain a lot more weight! I was 106 lbs. that morning! I was surprised myself because I haven't been that low in a while but also wasn't because that week was really bad. I definitely wasn't eating as much as I normally do. So sick! I'm back up to my 108 and not feeling too much better but making myself eat. Yesterday I had to get blood drawn for all the tests & screenings. Thank goodness Josh was there. I guess I better get used to pain and needles seeing as I'm having a baby in 7 1/2 months. (crazy!) I go back to my doctor next Wednesday for an ultrasound! I'm so excited!

Changes over the next 9 months....

2010-01-25T07:47:00.000-08:00

So Chloe's Pregnant! And while most husbands gain weight alongside their wives, I already enjoyed the past few years putting on more than just a few pounds...

Which is why I've made it my personal goal to match Chloe pound for pound in a weight gain/loss contest. That's right, for every pound Chloe gains, I'm going to lose a pound. Now I know this won't be an easy task, but then again neither is childbirth, so I think we're even now. I've got myself prepared with a healthy diet and a new gym membership which so far I have surpassed my goal of attending 4 days a week. Don't get to thinking I'm going to restrict Chloe from eating just to make it easier on myself, no, I'm fully suportive of a healthy pregnancy and a fat baby, I'm also fully prepared to see myself 30 lbs lighter...

When we first found out Chloe was pregnant she weighed in at a whopping 108 lbs! I barely tipped the scales with my petite (post-Christmas) 172 lbs... So far she's gained 1 pound and I've lost 3 (which puts me in the lead for anyone placing bets).

Wish me luck! I'm sure gonna need it...

Blah!

2010-01-20T16:37:00.000-08:00

I think I am starting to feel the morning sickness part of being pregnant. For the past couple days when I wake up I feel nauseous until I eat something which is hard because nothing sounds good! And it lasts ALL day! I have to force myself to eat so I don't feel more sick! I have a feeling Josh is going to be eating a lot of frozen meals over the next few months if what I would normally make us for dinner doesn't sound good to me! Oh well. I also have to motivate myself to go the gym! All I want to do after work is sleep, which is what I did today. So hard to go out in all this rain! But good thing I have Josh, he gets me to the gym. Oh the joys of being pregnant, I'm sure there are more the come!

Lentil bean

2010-01-18T15:56:00.000-08:00

I can't hold it in any longer... I'm pregnant!!!! I know most people wait till after the first trimester when it's "safe", but I'm just so excited! We found out January 4th. Three dollar tree tests and one clear blue digital test later we were finally convinced! They were all positive!

I'm only 6 weeks along, so we hope & pray everything goes well and stays healthy! Right now the baby is the size of a lentil bean. My due date is September, 13th. We can't wait!

Christmas

2010-01-10T08:27:00.000-08:00

I know I'm a little late on my Christmas blog, I've been pretty lazy. Every time I think about it I just want to sit! Anyways, our Christmas was great!! We went to Chico of course and really didn't do much but hangout with our families, lots of back and forth! Here's Christmas morning: us just waking up, then opening presents with the nieces. (We had to help Kendra)

Later in the week, Josh went to snow with his family while I met up with some girlfriends from high school. He of course took Shasta, and he said she loved it! A boy and his dog:

I'm married to a college graduate!

2009-12-20T17:47:00.000-08:00

I've been waiting to say that! Yesterday morning Josh graduated from California State University Sacramento. Both of our parents came down from Chico for the ceremony along with his brother and cousin. It was really nice and the best part was that it was only 1 hour! I had my waterproof mascara on and was prepared to get emotional, and I made it till the very end until the speaker had all the graduates stand up and said, "Congratulations to the class of 2009!!" Everyone was standing up, cheering and they have that dang song, and I lost it! Afterwards we took more pictures then had a little get together at his aunt & uncles' house. It was lots of fun, and I am so proud of him!

2 years

2009-12-19T21:29:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was our 2 year anniversary and it was a wonderful day! It started off with a little sleeping in and a yummy breakfast. Then it was off to work for me and Josh had his last day of class from 10-12. We had originally planned to go out to dinner just the 2 of us, but since Josh was graduating the next day his parents wanted to take us all out to celebrate. So when I got home from work Josh was all ready so I did some touching up and we met his family at Outback. When we got there, they were already there with our 2 seats waiting for us. I saw 2 red roses laying on the table, I thought "hmm, that's weird that his parents got him flowers for his gradution? And only 2?" I didn't forget that it was our anniversary, but we were out with the family to celebrate his graduation so it wasn't really on my mind at the momement. But when I got closer to the table there were 2 cards with my name on them, and I had no idea why there were 2 roses and 2 cards. (I'm a little slow) After reading the second card, he pulled out a white jewlery box, and said "happy anniversary". It was a pair (2) of REAL diamond earings!! I felt like the luckiest girl in the world! I'm so glad I have the rest of eternity to spend with him.

Josh also got a video camera from his parents for graduation! It's awesome!

Here are a few pictures from the night:

Thanksgiving

2009-11-29T20:49:00.000-08:00

For Thanksgiving this year Josh & I went to Chico to be with our family. We had a great time hanging out with our siblings and doing fun things. We went on a hike, played games, had hot tub nights, and had a crazy karaoke night! Josh & his brothers are quite the entertainers!

We took our annual family pics with the Carr family and I realized how much the family had grown!

And as tradition would have it we dressed up as pilgrims & indians and at our yummy dinner!

National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency

2009-11-29T19:36:00.000-08:00

Around Spring time Josh started applying for jobs to begin after college graduation. Summer came and we were getting more & more nervous because we hadn't heard back from anyone. In June Josh had applied with the NGA but not really thinking of it, just assuming that we wouldn't hear anything back like the others. I remember him telling me about the position and that he would really love it! The end of October Josh got a call from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (one of the jobs he applied for back in June) They said they would like him to come out for an interview. Two weeks later he was on a plane to Washington D.C. where the agency is headquartered. He flew across the country, was there less than 24 hours, for a 10 minute interview!!! We were so nervous and anxious to hear back from them! They said that we would hear back in 2-4 weeks by letter or phone. Almost 3 weeks later Josh went in to work and he had an e-mail from the company asking him to call them as soon as possible. Josh called the recruiter and she congratulated him as she offered him the position of Nautical Cartographic Analyst. The position is located in St. Louis, Missouri and we are soooo excited! I have a sister that lives there and another one that lives in Iowa which is only about 6 hours away! So we are really happy that we will have them to be close to. The only down side is that because this agency is a branch of the CIA the job requires a top security clearance it will probably take about 6 months to process that. We will hopefully hear from them soon to find out when we can move out and start our new lives!!