Photo Shootin'

With work and traveling this week, I didn't get around to posting up some shots from last weekend's photo shoot until now. Had a fun time at the place and the photographer was quite nice to us. Had a couple different backgrounds and a couple different outfits for Carter, so here's a little sampling from the photo shoot. These are the un-edited versions - so few are off-center, etc. - all were fixed up before they went to print. And we didn't pay to print all these (but did keep the electronic files), I just thought I'd share a sprinkling from the shoot. Here goes...

I love this one, looks like he's flipping us off (and grinning about it), eh?This one is called "Check out my sneaker!":Up on the bean bag (oh, and the Kansas City tee is from Aunt Katrina - thanks!):
"Deep Thoughts" from a 6-month old:
The Greenies (in blue):Daddy and Carter:
Another family shot (ok, that MIGHT be an arm-shelf...d'oh):Mommy and Carter:
Carter in the black (and this is his preppy shirt from Jeremy and Liz):
Greenies in the Autumn leaves:
Carter distracted by the big blocks:
Carter and the C:
And finally, one more of Carter and the block (before he yanked out the backdrop curtain):

As you can see, Carter was smiling, attentive, and cute as a button (yes, I'm biased). Can't wait to frame up a bunch of these and put them up on the walls. Hope you enjoyed the show!
~kerrie

Dr. Teeth and the Electric Peas

(yes, another Muppet Movie reference, I can't help it...)

Well, our little boy is becoming a world-class eater. He's been enjoying sweet potatoes, bananas, apples, carrots, and his most favorite, PEAS! Took a few days on the peas, but by day 4, he was digging 'em. [Later addition to this post - forgot Matt took this photo with his phone while I was out of town - look at our boy enjoying his peas!]
Been a little lax on the photo taking during meals, but shot this one last night (with a little help from Matt) to show off his new top 4 teeth (which do nothing during meal time, as everything is just pureed goo) and can't seem to get a shot of the bottom 2, as he just sticks out his tongue:
Anyway, we're being a little lazy on this Saturday afternoon, so I thought I'd put up a couple posts. Carter's been doing a little swing-time while I pay the bills and peck away at the keyboard:
Dinner tonight with some friends, so hopefully Carter will be on his best behavior! Hope you're having a lazy Saturday afternoon, too!
~kerrie

Photo Op...

Since Carter celebrated his half-birthday this past week, we decided to get some professional photos of the whole family. I did the intelligent thing and went and got my hair lopped off the day before (thankfully, nothing tragic happened), as well as ended up looking like Rudolph with my red, red nose (thank you, sinus infection!).

Anyway, pleased with the turn-outs and when I get a free minute this week, I'll post a few from the various shoots (promise, no "arm shelves" - awkwardfamilyphotos.com reference...). Also quite pleased that Carter was VERY happy with the photographer (maybe because she was a lady?) and made it VERY hard to choose just a handful of shots.

Decided against the 'ol matchy-matchy thing and went with "wearing blue." Tried a few different shirts on Carter and loved the way the royal blue brought out the color of his eyes. When getting him ready, it really dawned on me that Carter looks (and dresses) JUST like his dad. As proof, here's "Mini Matt" - pose 1:
Mini Matt - pose 2 (sort of a "it's all part of the plllaaannnn" look about it, too):
Anywho, some random Greenie news...our garden has really produced a bumper crop of tasty treats for us. While we don't grow anything outrageous, we have found much success with our little "salsa" patch (we pretty much only grow tomatoes and chile peppers). Picked tonight, our tomatoes:
Big basket of green chiles:
And then I roasted the green chiles on the barbie (the big poblanos - not from our garden - were roasted at the same time so I could make Chile Relleno Casserole for dinner...yum!):
Carter doesn't know what he's in for, eh? As soon as this kid can talk, he'll either say, "Enough chiles already!" or "Bring on the heat!" Only time will tell...

Hope everyone had a nice, long, relaxing weekend!
~kerrie

Carter's New Ride

Been fighting a heck of a head cold (just in time for the 3-day weekend...ugh), so just now getting online to get a post up. Anyway, think I'm over the worst of it (just in time for work!), so here goes some weekend news from the Greenies...

Apparently at school, Carter's most favorite thing to do is go nuts in the walker. So, we broke down (pardon this early-in-the-story pun) and bought him a walker...in the form of a Jeep Renegade. Behold Carter and the hurrah (check out the concentration - 10 and 2!):
Funny pic, as I caught him between spinning the wheel and sitting back down...looks like he's ready to say, "What you lookin' at?"
And finally, a short video on Day 1 of Jeep ownership. The boy could only figure out how to turn the steering wheel to the right, so not sure what he's trying to tell us:



As for my punny opener, he can't figure out how to go all that far yet, so he's kinda got a broken down Jeep. Give it time, we know...

Beep! Beep!
~kerrie

Sock Champion

Carter's newest trick is "Sock Removal." We recently bought the tallest socks we could find, yet, within 3 minutes, they're off his feet...

Well, yesterday I had him in the crib while I was putting his laundry away. He was chatting up a storm and I paid no mind. I peeked over (we have these new mesh bumpers to look over, since he's rolling in the night and was sticking his feet between the rails...and promptly complaining about it...)...anyway, I peek over and he's got a sock held between both hands, up in the air, and going on like he just won the World Series. Quite proud of himself and advertising it for all to see.

Unfortunately the camera wasn't nearby, so I couldn't capture him in all his glory. Instead, I'll post one of my favorite photos of him from back in March. I called this one "Ate Too Much":
Hope everyone has a fun, long weekend!

~kerrie

Carter is 6 months old!

Yep, it's Happy 1/2-Birthday to our boy, Carter, today! And you know, they say that time flies, well, they ain't kiddin'! I can't believe he's already 6 months old! Before we know it he'll be walking, talking, running, and chasing Kitty-Kitty around the house! (And an aside, Kitty finally has the "cone" off her head and is doing much better!)

Here's Carter's "official" 6-month shot (tried to get one on his back, but he kept grabbing the sign and rolling over - note the chew marks in the corner...):Anyway, at Carter's 6-month check-up, he weighed in at 16.5 pounds and was 27.5 inches tall. That puts him right smack in the middle of the "tall and skinny kid" area on the charts. He's on to size-3 diapers (for 16+ pounders), just about out of his size 9-month clothes, and pushing the limits on his size 12-month footie-PJs.

Bottom 2 teeth are definitely in (and I'll vouch for that during feedings...nursing + teeth = bad evolutionary trend) and the top 4 should be poking through this weekend. Looks like we've cleared the hump of his crankiness with these 4, so maybe the rest can all poke through at once and get this all over with?!

He's eating well, sleeping well, and even got to try out some sweet potatoes for the first time tonight (we figured birthday cake might be a bit much...). Few photos from the experience below.

Pre-solids shot - "Starving Kid":
First bite:
Not so sure about the sweet potatoes:
And well, come to find out, he ate the whole bowl in record time and continued on with a little oat cereal. Full, satisfied, and happy about the whole experience (and would have probably eaten more...):
So next week at school he starts a "lunch" feeding of vegetables and hopefully he'll be just as eager to clean his plate! He's really got a great disposition and is well known as the "happy kid" at school. Such lucky parents are we!

Hope everyone has a nice, relaxing Labor Day weekend! Take care!
~kerrie

Up Close And....

Had a lazy weekend around the Greenie house, as Carter is cutting teeth...and not one, not two, but FOUR teeth are coming in!!! Been fun for the whole family, too! And since he had a bit of a, um, nasty temperament, we ended up canceling most of plans this weekend.

However, we did get a brief outing to the zoo. Saw some lions, crocodiles, monkeys, and briefly caught the polar bears before we took Mr. Cranky Pants home for a nap.

Here are a few family shots: 1) Matt, Carter & the Monkeys; 2) Kerrie, Carter & the Polar Bear; 3) Kerrie & Carter; 4) Polar Bear; and 5) Matt, Carter & Crocodile.

Ended up on Sunday being REALLY lazy (except we had a fun outing to CostCo...weee!) and then Mr. Chatterbox demonstrated his much, much happier self. While trying to catch him on video chatting up a storm (which is hilarious because he has one volume...LOUD!), he got pretty close to the camera:



And part 2 (and stay through all 15 seconds for the surprise ending...hehe!)


Ok, we were just being silly with that one :)

Hope everyone had a great weekend and I'll post again this week for the "official" 6 month post...and I'll try to get a close-up of those choppers!
~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

A Travelin' Fool

I've been east this week (Clovis, NM), west (Phoenix, AZ), and now I'm up north (Whidbey Island, WA)...I'm already a weary traveler and missin' my boys...

But, I won't lie, the scenery up here in Washington is gor-gor-gorgeous! After a mega flight delay (at 6AM, no less), my pal Jennifer and I made it to Whidbey Island (about 2.5 hours from Seattle) around 5PM local time. Just before we reached our destination, we passed over "Deception Pass" which is a beautiful bridge across a large expanse. The sign said it was originally built in the early 1930's and was built for less than $500,000...it took more money than that to just PAINT the bridge in the 1990's. Crazy beautiful, eh? Picture (from my phone) doesn't quite do it justice.

Whidbey Island is home to a US Naval base, so we're staying on the base in the Navy's hotel right off the ocean. It has sort of a hotel-meets-barracks-meets-dorm feeling... And with this view of tonight's sunset, no complaints here (you can't really see it, but way in the back ground was a submarine that had surfaced)!

Well I have a long day of meetings tomorrow for my conference (for the Society of Women Engineers, of which I'm a region officer), so I'll sign off here with a couple cheesy pictures of me. It's fun seeing my SWE-pals and catching up. Seems to bring out the immaturity of us all :)

Have a great night!

~kerrie

Roll, Roll, Roll Your Boat...

Looks like I'm going to have to get a subfloor camera, or pretty much every shot from here on out is going to look like this:
I kid, I kid! Mr. Rolly Pants has really perfected the back-to-front roll and just gets such as kick out of himself! He can't quite figure out how to get back to his backside, but it's sure adorable watching him try. Here's an up-close shot from this afternoon:
Tried to get a short video of the whole process and here's what I captured (and sorry, it's a little Blair-Witch-Project-ish):



It'll only be a matter of time before we're chasing him around the house...oh boy! Have a great night!
~kerrie

PS I've posted a few extra blogs tonight since I'll be all over the map this week and I like to look at my boy when I'm on the road. I'll capture a few pictures this coming weekend when I'm out in Washington. Maybe I'll even take a picture when I'm over in Phoenix mid-week (that is if my camera doesn't melt....). If you're traveling too, be safe!

Watch Out, Michael Phelps!

Today was a beautiful day in Albuquerque...not too hot, not too windy, just perfect! While Matt finished up the backyard (and his rock-sifting extravaganza), Carter and I chilled out in the pool. I mentioned previously that that baby pool just wasn't cutting it...so we got a bigger one so I could sit in with him.
It was just about impossible to catch Carter with a smile on his face with the camera, so we got a lot of deep-in-concentration shots:
The most fun part of the "swim," was laying Carter out in the water on his belly (holding him securely, don't worry...). He LOVED it and tried really hard to swim over to Daddy (who was sitting outside the pool, trying to keep the camera dry from all of Carter's splashing, kicking, etc...):
Few more shots of the belly time with that deep concentration across his face:
Hope you got a little R&R in the sunshine too!
~kerrie