Butterfly Garden

What a fun day we had with friends at the Butterfly Garden in Oviedo last Friday! Carson and I have been learning about God's creation the past few weeks, and the butterfly garden was a perfect place to visit to experience some of God's little creatures. The garden was so soothing and filled with fountains, plants, and butterflies! Carson and his sweet friend Kadyn were ready to look for butterflies. "You take these binoculars Kadyn, and I'll take the butterfly lookout map"... Carson and Kadyn both spot some butterflies! Beautiful butterfly... Carson couldn't wait to feed the butterflies in their butterfly feeding section. They have little cups of red powerade that you dip your finger in to feed the butterflies. Unfortunately, the butterflies were not too interested at that time. We moved on to the bird area where you can walk into a little screened room filled with finches. Carson was not scared one bit! They were flying all around us, and were fun to watch. Carson and Kadyn were really hoping one would land on their fingers. So sweet!! We headed to the park for lunch and playtime after our fun morning at the butterfly garden. We can't wait to go back!

All Aboard Carson's Birthday Train!

For Carson's birthday this year, we wanted to take him to do something that he would absolutely love, and that was to ride a real steam engine train at Disney! Upon arriving at the gates of the Magic Kingdom, Carson immediately recognized the train whistle in the background and couldn't wait to find the train. This way to the train! We had never paid too much attention to the Magic Kingdom's train station before, but it had some really neat things to look at! All aboard the Magic Kingdom railway! Waiting for the train with Grandma... It's here! When we were about to get on the train, I spoke with a Disney employee to let them know it was Carson's birthday, and asked if there was anything Carson could help the conductor with. Immediately they sent us to the back of the train to meet the conductor and wait for our instructions. Carson was so excited! We were so thrilled and overjoyed when the conductor came aboard and welcomed Carson to the train. He told Carson that he was going to get to be "Carson Conductor" of the train and help him tell the passengers "All Aboard!" when it was time! Not long after, the conductor introduced Carson to the passengers of the train and Carson got to yell "All Aboard!" over the loud speaker. So awesome!!! The train ride was so fun, and Carson yelled "All Aboard" at every stop. He was one happy little boy!! Afterwards we visited Mickey and Minnie Mouse. We were first in line as the next group to go in and visit the characters, and Carson and Tanner were both surprised when Mickey and Minnie flew open the doors, grabbed them by the hands, and whisked them away into their dressing room! It all happened so fast, and neither Carson or Tanner were a bit scared! We got some cute pictures of Mickey and Minnie having fun with our boys! Matt took Carson on the racecars, and they had so much fun! Carson and Tanner both had never been on the monorail before (we always take the ferry boat from the parking lot over to the Magic Kingdom) so that was fun for both of them! We had such a great time celebrating Carson's birthday! Matt took this video of Carson being the conductor, and saying "All Aboard!"! Unfortunately you will have to turn your head to the side to watch it! :) It was taken with my phone and there are no editing options! So proud and happy for our big 3 year old!

Carson turns THREE!

Our baby boy turned three today! When tucking him in the night before his birthday, I got a bit teary at the realization that time really is flying by! Carson is turning into an incredibly sweet, compassionate, energetic little boy! His birthday morning began with his favorite donut on the "It's your special day" plate I made for my kids back in March with Erica. It was always a tradition in my family growing up (most birthdays) that you got to open your presents first thing in the morning. Sometimes we were still in our pj's and in bed when getting them! We let Carson open his presents after breakfast, and he was really excited to see new trains and train tracks! His favorite train right now is Spencer from Thomas and Friends, so we made sure to get him the best Spencer out there, the talking Spencer! After playing and setting up all of his new trains and tracks, we took cupcakes to Carson's preschool for a birthday party with his class. Ms. Betsy had made Carson a special birthday hat, and even went as far to grab Hannah from her class next door so she could participate in the celebration. Carson's classmates were so sweet and sang him Happy Birthday...that was of course after their ADORABLE ABC prayer!! We continued Carson's birthday celebration with a family Thomas the Train party at Chuck E Cheese later that evening. Yummy Thomas the Train cupcakes... Carson had an absolute blast at Chuck E Cheese. He played ski ball... And a water shooting game... And even found his way around the play tunnels too... Tanner loved all of the games and wore Papa out by running all over the place! Looks like everyone found something fun to keep them busy!
We visited Chuck E Cheese the Mouse... Ate pizza... Sang Happy Birthday to our birthday boy!... And opened awesome gifts too... Thank you Aunt Erica, Uncle Scott, and Benson too for the fun Thomas gifts!! What a fun day we had celebrating our Carson James!

Blessed!

So thankful for these two and the close bond they are already developing as brothers. It's so much fun watching them interact and take care of each other. So blessed!

15 months

Our Tanner Matthew is growing like a weed! Tanner has so much personality and is such a fun loving little boy! He definitely has a silly side! Tanner is doing something new everyday it seems. Just this week he has mastered how to sit down and slide all by himself. He loves to play at the park and run around with Carson. It's so much fun to watch him discover new things. He loves water, and has really enjoyed all of our splash park fun this summer. In just the past few weeks, he has really started talking! He can say Mama, Dada, Papa, Nana, Bubba, Ball, Bye-Bye, Uh-Oh, Done, Milk. He still signs some, but would rather try to say the word. He can also quack like a duck (cutest thing ever!!) and lifts his arm up when you ask him what an elephant says. He has a mouth full of teeth too! We are so thankful for our healthy, happy little boy, and enjoy every moment watching him grow. He is all boy and loves life!

Labor Day

We spent Labor Day relaxing and having fun with family and friends! We started off the day at Uncle Steve and Aunt Lori's house. The boys were so excited to see Ginger the horse walking down the driveway when we pulled in. Of course we had to get out and visit Ginger.
We were quickly greeted by Brooke, Ali, and Michael on the buggy! They were having a blast! Our boys are so blessed to have such close cousins, and enjoy all the adventures of the river! Ali took us on a nature walk. Carson loved following Ali and pointed out all kinds of things he saw.
Time for some fun on the swing! Ali is just the bubbliest little girl! What a cutie! Carson's turn! Uncle Matt loving on Tyler! Such a sweet boy and Tanner's partner in crime! After some fun in the river and great food, we headed to our friends house for another cookout! Sarah and John just bought a new house, and we were excited to get to hang out with them for awhile. After dinner, we let the big boys ride their bikes, and went on a nice family walk. Eli was cracking us up! He is a serious bike rider!
What a fun day!