18 months

25 lbs 1 oz (40th %)
32 in (34th %)

My little bean is 1 1/2 old! Crazy to think of how time has flown by and our little one has grown. Carter is a bundle of fun right now. His little personality is exploding and he has turned into such a little ham. He loves to dance, walk, run, wave, throw the ball...anything active! Some of his new words include key, shoes, baby, fish, keith, cookie and mickey (ki-kee). He pronounces a lot of his words with the "k" sound out the beginning. He also has repeated us when saying "thank you" and said the word, "no" for the first time this month! Thats a new one to get used to :) He likes to make the animal noises when reading his books and his newest favorite animal (besides ducks and doggies) are fish. He still loves anything ball. Everytime he sees basketball on tv or we go to watch daddy play basketball he says butball (football), so now we are learning to say basketball (baball). Carter also got 2 more teeth, both molars, one on the top and one on the bottom. Slowly but surely they are coming in. We are looking forward to the warmer weather and playing outside more and more as it is becoming a favorite thing to do!

Multitude Monday

39. God's grace
40. teaching my little one new words
41. meeting new friends
42. the filling of the Holy Spirit
43. a safe, warm, dry home
44. God's comfort
45. people that have been there and understand
46. glimpses of heaven
47. monday lunchtime with my son
48. birthday presents 2 months early
49. receiving the book "One Thousand Gifts"
50. hearing/seeing my niece sing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" over webchat
51. 5 years of marriage to the man of my dreams
52. bittersweet memories

17 months

Another month has passed! I realized that I either 1) never took any pictures or 2) can't find any pictures from the past month...so I apologize, this one was taken a few days before his 17th month :) And he absolutely loved playing in the snow.

First off, I have been waiting to post this one, but Carter got his first kiss! Yep, little Berkeley planted one right on his cheek at her 1st Birthday party. Carter seemed a little stunned! Already getting kisses from the girls...what will I do? He also got his first molar this month. I was completely surprised because I wasn't expecting it or looking for it. I assumed some more bottom teeth would come in first (he only has 2), but one day I was feeling around those little gums and his molar had already come most of the way through! Good job buddy. Carter is great at pointing out all his facial features and other body parts such as belly, hands, toes, head and hair. He also started saying "Bye, Bye" and "Night, Night". When he is ready to go somewhere he says "bye, bye" and heads for the door and when its time for bed we say "night, night" and he heads for his room. Other new words in his vocabulary are car and truck. We have learnded just how much he knows and can understand, its awesome!

Encouragement for Today

As I opened my email at work today I had a nice forwarded "Encouragement for Today" devotional from a friend. I couldn't help but share it here. It really hit home with me and it was a great thought to start the morning. Go to http://proverbs31.org/ click on their "Encouragement for Today" devotions. It is the Room for Cream devotional. Read and be encouraged! And thank you Proverbs 31 ministries.

Little Changes

I think that I have been doing a pretty good job with one of the personal goals I set at the beginning of the year. The Lord has really been helping me slow down, evaluate things/situations and really make people a priority, whether it be family or friends. I think a lot of this had to do with the fact that I participated in Awkening (awake21.org), a 21 Day fast. I fasted a few things, one of them being facebook. During this time it really helped me focus on my family and ultinately on the Lord. It is so true that getting away from the media and things that distract can really help put your focus on what it should be on.

I have been doing great at not getting stressed out. This is huge for me. If I'm running late I try to take it with stride. If I am frustrated with my fussy toddler, I remind myself the gift he is to me. If its crazy at work, I take a second a say a little prayer. I also take moments to really enjoy time with my son and not rush through the days I get to spend with him, or my husband for that matter. I have been making sure not to overcrowd my schedule and learning its okay to say no to things and events and not try to do everything, esp if I am doing it out of obligation. I know these things may sound simple and silly but its awesome how making these little changes are changing my life. Sorry this post was a lot about me, I'm just really excited about how the Lord is helping me and changing me.