Anniversary Date

Our dear neighbor watched Carter tonight (and also last night for about an hour just because) while Theo and I went on our anniversary date tonight. It was the perfect date. We went down to the boardwalk and had dinner at the Copeland's Cheesecake Bistro. We got there right at 7:00 and were told the wait was 30 minutes. But then I asked if we could sit outside and we were able to be seated right away! The weather was nice and breezy, compared to all the mugginess that's been looming for the past few days. They even had a guy there singing outside and playing his guitar. It was fabulous!

Theo had this for dinner.



I had this.



And this for dessert. You can't go to the Cheesecake Bistro and not eat cheesecake!


Afterwards, we walked around for a little while and visited shops we can't normally go in because of Carter (i.e. stores with lots of bright colorful jewelery b/c he pulls things off the shelves/walls). Then we headed home. It was so nice to celebrate our anniversary with such a great date.

Five Years Ago Today....

I married my best friend and the man I had prayed for my entire life. I always knew I wanted to be a wife and a mom and Theo made both of those things possible for me. I truly can not imagine my life any differently. Don't get me wrong, being married is not always easy. Lord knows we have had our share of trials and fights but at the end of the day, I can't imagine being married to anyone else. Our love for each other is unconditional and I know our marriage was a gift from God.

We had a wonderful wedding ceremony and our close friends and family were there to celebrate that day with us. We were married by our favorite priest in the most beautiful church in town. That night, we hung out with Theo's out of town family and friends for a while. Then the next morning, we were on our way to Jamaica. We were blessed enough to stay at this tropical place and it was the most fabulous honeymoon in the world! It's been my favorite trip we've been on so far (Europe and Hawaii were definitely close seconds but our honeymoon was soooooo much fun!)

So on our fifth anniversary, I am grateful that we have made it this far. Theo's parents have been married for almost 40 years and are an inspiration to both of us. I'm especially grateful this year to be pregnant again and bringing a new miracle into this world. Happy Anniversary Theo! I love you more today than the day we got married.

Out and About

After being cooped up in the house most of the day yesterday (although we did venture out to Chick-fil-A last night for dinner and then to Wal-mart), Carter and I had a busy morning. We headed downtown to the public library. Carter hadn't been there since he was a baby. We could only stay 30 minutes because that was the parking meter limit and I was parked too far to keep walking outside to feed the meter. Then we went to Barnwell Art Center and Carter walked around in the conservatory, which he called a rainforest. Then we walked a little farther and Carter played in the water fountains. I did not have my camera this time because I was afraid it would get wet. But Carter still managed to have a blast. He kept saying "Mommy, take my picsa (picture)!" It was so cute.

Tomorrow, my amazing husband and I will be celebrating our five year wedding anniversary. I will post more on that tomorrow.

For now, I'm off to play with Carter and google a tilapia recipe for dinner tonight!

Bubble Boy

What can I say? Carter LOVES bubbles. I love bubbles too except the sticky mess that is often left behind. But that doesn't stop us from bringing out the bubbly at least a couple of times a week. Yesterday was a beautiful day so we went outside after naptime, blew bubbles and then went for a walk. I, of course, had my camera in tow and snapped these pictures. Also, this afternoon, I discovered Picassa, a free online photo editing program. Wow, this stuff is cool. Anyway, so I decided to repost the same pictures.....before and after, so you can see the difference a little touching up can make!

























Today, it's storming outside so we are already suffering from cabin fever and it's not even lunch. I may venture out into the storm and take him to Sci Port but that would mean I have to get clothes/make-up on and actually go out in the rain. So we'll see. Hopefully tomorrow will be prettier.

New Meaning

Carter gives a new meaning to the phrase "Seeing stars"!

Fun with beans and daddy's little helper

As I have been a stay at home mom now for 3 months, I am constantly trying to think of fun/creative/inexpensive things to do at home with Carter. This past week, I used an idea courtesy of Meredith and Mckmama to let Carter play with beans. So after spending $2.50 on two bags of white/dark red beans, and gathering various household items, Carter set out to have literally hours of fun playing with the beans. He literally sat there on Friday for over an hour just scooping, dumping, raking, and burying his Little Einstein figures in the beans. Who would have thought this could be so fun. Thanks ladies for the idea. We are sure to use the beans more often!









Saturday we had originally planned on going to the Tyler Zoo. But Carter wasn't acting quite right so we decided not to make the trip. So my dear husband literally spent 7 hours outside doing yardwork, mowing, edging, and chopping down tree limbs. We don't need no stinkin lawn or tree service! By lunchtime, Carter was feeling like his old self and wanted to go outside with daddy. He is trying to be such a big helper these days. Then he went a couple of doors down and played with his buddy Junior. It was such a beautiful day. I'm glad we got outside yesterday because now it is pouring down rain. Our newly cut grass needs it though I'm sure!

Water Fun

Today, Carter and I had a playdate with his friend Harvey and my friend, his mom Katie. We went to our favorite park. They have a newly built water area which is normally not turned on until after school is out. But while we were there, I guess the city park people were testing out the water. At first, I was dreading it. I hadn't come prepared for Carter to run through the water so I took his shirt off and let him run around in his big boy underwear and shorts. He didn't venture too far into the water but he had a great time nevertheless. Thankfully I had an extra pair of clothes (now that Carter is no longer wearing diapers in public) and Katie had a towel. The boys had so much fun and Katie and I got to catch up on the happenings in our lives. Thanks Katie for a great morning and the lunch :)







Did you notice Carter's belly hanging over his shorts? He's got a dunlap! I guess he's taking after his mom :)