Runaway Train

So I've been working my tushy off and have had very little time to blog (much less take any photos so I have something to blog about...). I've been working on a proposal at work that requires a preliminary (or 30% defined) design for some wastewater-related components. Being that I've been given VERY little information about the project, it's been QUITE a challenge to say the least. And well, they gave me all of just a handful of days to do it, so the hours are late and my brain power is spent... And I'm still not done. But I'm taking a night off to do a little blogging.

So a week or so ago, I came home late from work on a Friday night and took to the sewing machine to just get a little brain down-time. Sewing is one of the most relaxing activities, so it was indeed a good way to wind down from the busy week.

I've been wanting to try my hand at a fleece blanket for a while, so I picked up some Thomas the Train fabric so I could make one for Carter. Although they sell little kits (that require zero sewing - just some cutting and tying), I figured with a toddler, I should sew the two halves together so it wouldn't fall apart. So I asked my pal Sarah for a few tips and she told me to stitch it all together and leave a 4-inch edge, cut some strips, and tie it together. Since she's a sewing pro, I figured I should follow her directions.

So I did - ta da! Check out the finished project (the back is a darker blue):
Close-up of the "choo choo" - Thomas:
I also figured Carter would beat it up, so I free-hand stitched over the stars (or "shaas" as Carter says) - not my most super-straight sewing, but hey, it'll do:
I placed the blanket next to Carter's crib (not IN the crib - he still doesn't sleep with a blanket because he pulls it right over his face - every time...). So I put it within reaching distance for when he woke up and come Saturday morning, you could hear "choo choo" all through the house. Happy kid, that's for sure.

I think my next blanket will be a KU blanket of some kind... Because I NEED another one of those...

And to end this exciting post about sewing, I'll give you a random, yet scandalous picture of Carter running away from the bath. He usually LOVES to take a bath, but on this particular day, he was having more fun staying OUT of the bath. I've censored it to protect the innocent...

He thought he was simply hilarious. He raced up and down the hall like he was a racehorse. Let's just hope he didn't pee when I wasn't looking...

Hope you're staying warm out there! Bundle up with a blanket, that's my motto!
~kerrie

A Little Bit of Randomness...

As I continue on my blogging marathon for the night, I've come across a few photos that just don't, um, FIT anywhere... And since I'm a neurotically organized person, I'm going to hold that side of me back and give you a little bit of randomness for this post...

First up, my grinning boy reaching out with his immensely sticky hands after dinner. Those that know me, know that I'm completely averse to anything "sticky" and it's taking some serious work on my part to let Carter include me in his sticky, sticky world! But I'm happy to report that I'm, uh, trying...

Anyway, here's the photo of my sticky, banana smeared boy:
Next up, we're trying to add a little more water to the tub for Carter's bath nights. In the past, he really just wants to drink the water, so we've had to be a little, uh, strategic during bath time... Starting last week, he finally decided that it was more fun to SPLASH in the water and play with the toys than it was to drink it! So...success! Here's our little bather (and some strategically placed toys to keep this blog with a "G" rating):
Next...

We took Carter to his first performance at Popejoy Hall (one of the largest performance theaters in Albuquerque, located on the UNM campus). We saw Jungle Jack Hanna (and actually met him and got an autograph!) and Carter made it though the majority of the performance before he fell asleep. We saw some amazing animals (including a real baby kangaroo INSIDE the mamma's pouch - cameraman on stage was amazing and got some shots inside her pouch!) and heard/watched some amazing stories (including a video of an infant black bear cub in NM - with the CUTEST cry...awwww!).

Carter, of course, was more interested in banging on the seats in front of us (we were in the 2nd row) and watching the 5-minute video clips on the big screen than he was the animals. But eh, it was fun to take him nonetheless. Here's a quick photo of him in his monkey shirt before we hit the theater:
Moving on to some mealtime fun... Last week Carter was pigging out on everything and anything we put in front of him. The boy had stuffed peppers (sans green chiles), all sorts of fruits and veggies, and even a couple of those gnarly "chicken sticks" in a jar that come from Gerber (don't ask...I couldn't resist buying them to see what they were really like...surprisingly, they taste like chicken...).

Anyway, during one night's dinner he was coated head-to-toe in food bits and was having a blast smearing the food (some bell peppers, broccoli, couscous, and chicken all whirled together) - photo 1:
Looks pretty pleased with himself, eh? - photo 2:
"See Mommy? I ate ALL of it!"
Ready for the wash up - photo 4:
"How's about a big 'ol hug, Mommy?"
And finally, Carter has more toys than any almost-one-year-old should have... And what are the highlights from the toy box in his mind? Some ice cube trays, a plastic cup, an empty Tupperware container, and yes, the Fisher Price telephone (thanks Jacque!)... Sheesh.
Ok, that's it. Hope you enjoyed the little bit of randomness for this post. Think I'll get back to my nice, orderly ways for my remaining posts of the night! :)
~kerrie

Bath Time...with a Sippy Cup (?!)

One more post for the night (yes, I'm procrastinating and not cleaning house...plus, it's fun to listen to Carter snore while he's sleeping in the next room...).

We've been working with Carter on using a sippy cup so we can transition from the bottle. Also, it's a requirement to move "up" at school, so we're giving it a go at meal times. Must have not put the valve in correctly the other night, because Carter was pretty much soaked from all the water shooting out.

But, I thought it was pretty cute, so I snapped a few photos before I cleaned him up. If you click on the pics, you can see the pool of water that's left on his tray, plus his hair and jammies are soaked...but he was having a grand 'ol time getting a "bath" in at the dinner table:Having to do a little cup re-positioning here (mainly because he kicks his feet the entire time he's eating and drinking and occasionally he bounces his food/cup/etc. loose):
And finally, showing off the cup for Daddy:
And if you'd like to see the excitement in real-time, here ya go - 20 seconds of sippy cup fun (and, as usual, chatting up a storm while eating, drinking, and kicking - gets that from his mom...)!


What a goofball, eh?

Ok, I think I should go help Matt with some cleaning up... Why he puts up with me and my crazy whims, I'll never know. He should really get some sort of medal for just being married to me! :)

Have a great night!
~kerrie

Cleaning Behind Those Ears

As I wait this morning for my bi-annual dentist visit, thought I'd put up a post about bath time fun!

Again, we're lucky, as Carter LOVES the bath. Matt is his primary bath-giver and I'm usually on dish-duty when he's getting our boy clean. Even though we have a 2-story house, you can hear the fun all the way down in the kitchen. Carter kicks all around and Matt can often be heard singing goofy songs while he's scrubbing (Carter tries to sing along...but it's more of a delightful squeal than actual singing...).

Few pics of the fun from last night:

In other news, I put on my bossy-pants and made a few more phone calls to the pediatric ear-nose-and-throat docs to see if we could get Carter in sooner. Guess I said the right thing, as we'll be seeing a reputable doc on MONDAY for a consultation!!!

Hopefully things will go well and we can get all of this ear tube stuff done before the year is up. Worst case, we'll be driving to KC for the surgery (thanks to a family friend who would work him in no matter what) and I sure as heck don't want to make the trip under these circumstances! But, we'd go to the moon and back for our lil' guy, so if that's what it takes, that's what it takes...

Hope you're having a fantastic week!
~kerrie

An August of Adventures

Been a while since I posted, so this one will contain some randomness from the month of August...

Already posted about some travels, but the good news is, I think my jet-setter days are over (until October...)! August was exciting around the Greenie house, so let's get to it!

Up first, the Greenfelder Luau...Had a great time with our friends, co-workers, and neighbors! Biggest turn-out yet for a Greenfelder party! Quick snap-shot from the "Ugliest Hawaiian Shirt Contest" (and no, my KU shirt doesn't qualify - but that KSU one sure does!!):
Congrats to our winners, especially for the hideous "tacky tourist" ensemble!
Then there was the "Limbo Contest"...Matt tried his best, but not quite as flexible as the under-12 crowd... Moving right along... Carter has really perfected the "look at me roll to my belly" maneuver and thinks he's just hilarious when he's peeking out over the playpen:
It's also quite hilarious to him when he rolls over when you're changing up his diaper (this one just after bath time):
And finally, we've moved on to the size 12-month jammies, and here's a quick pic in the "spaceship" set:

Hope everyone is doing well and I'll write more when we pass the 6-month mark (next week! ahhhh!).
~kerrie

Little Elvis?

So Carter has these striped pajamas...and if you don't zip them up all the way, it looks as though he's wearing an "Elvis" costume (either skinny OR fat Elvis will do for this analogy).

After bath time last night, we had him up on the counter and before he would let us zip them up all the way, he was shaking that pelvis, just like the King!

Tried to capture a couple videos of the excitement....so here goes (turn the sound on for the REAL enjoyment!):

Little Elvis - Part 1


And for the REAL pelvis shaking...

Little Elvis - Part 2


Hope everyone is having a great week!
~kerrie