Saturday, December 27, 2008

Peeps

Carson had a chance to play with his cousin Jakobe today!
Jakobe is three months older than Carson.
They had a great time hanging out and giving each other Christmas presents.
Thanks for the fun day Jakobe! We can't wait to see you again!






Who's the main attraction here?

In Iowa....Carson surrounded by 20 of his favorite ladies...fawning over his every move!

Christmas adventures!

We have had a fun, adventurous Christmas here in the Midwest. It has actually been the best Christmas ever! Surrounded by family, Carson took in his first Christmas in stride....not into the presents as much as the wrapping paper...completely in love with his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins....and experiencing snow, sleet, freezing rain, rain, 2 degrees, and 50 degrees, all within a week. For the record, the decision to fly during Carson's bedtime on our way to Chicago.....no thanks! Not our best moment. Carson didn't sleep and decided to be obsessed with the armrest (trying to lick it.....Ewwwwwww) the whole time. Getting here was an adventure, but it was worth the wild ride....we are loving spending Christmas with our families. And to experience a "first Christmas" and all of its wonder....there's no present quite like that one.
Below....A little bit spoiled.



Some say I look like this guy....Grandpa Dennis.

Christmas smiles with Dad.


The fam



Deep conversations with Uncle Mike about all things Chicago



Sweet little Santa



Hangin' with Great Grandma Edna


With my Grandma Margie


He has a special bond with his Aunties Annon and Felecia.....



Utterly spoiled with love all week by his Grandma Caryn, who made his vacation to Chicago so nice....he had everything he could ever need and more!


We have a few days left here in the Midwest, leaving for Las Vegas on the 31st.
We hope all of our good friends and family who follow our blog had a wonderful Christmas this year!

Friday, December 19, 2008

Off to Chicago!



Carson is spending the day getting psyched up for his second ever plane trip tomorrow. We are off to Chicago and Iowa to spend the holidays with our beloved family. We can't wait to see everybody and to have Carson spend his first Christmas surrounded by all the people that love him so much. An airplane ride always promises to be an adventure with a baby. We will be bringing the Southwest airlines drink coupons to pass out to our fellow travelers that will be raspberried upon by our baby boy. We made the decision to fly during Carson's bedtime...a decision that will prove to be either extremely genius or completely stupid. Only time will tell us which it is!
In the above pics, Carson is modeling the outfit that his godbrother Isaiah got him for Christmas. Thanks Isaiah and Dean/Sarah!
I hope everyone has a fabulous holiday!

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

I can't put my arms down!

I couldn't resist putting on Carson's snowsuit (compliments of Grandma Caryn) and putting him out in the snow today. It is beautiful here in Vegas...We have about 3 inches on the ground and expect more through the night. In a place with no plows, no salt, and super idiot drivers...tonight should be an interesting commute for people here. Luckily, Jason is already home and we are hunkered down in our house with no TV...there is snow on our satellite dish and until it melts....we're Amish!
Step 1: Put on the snow pants.

Step 2: Enter coat, mittens, and hat. Carson is officially paralyzed because he can't move his arms nor his legs in this contraption.


Step 3: Lean baby against backyard brick wall for picture because he can't sit alone with the snowsuit on. Surprisingly, no crying occured during this event!


Not using our grill tonight!



Step 4: Remove all clothing and stare at mom like she's crazy.....because she is!!




Holy smokes!

It is snowing in Las Vegas today. A LOT.
A little ditty from the Weather Service from today....I like how they have to describe what a winter storm warning means.

SNOW REACHING THE LAS VEGAS VALLEY FLOOR BEGAN TO FALL EARLY THIS AFTERNOON AND SNOW IS NOW EXPECTED TO ACCUMULATE ON THE VALLEY FLOORS ACROSS CLARK AND SOUTHERN LINCOLN COUNTIES. SNOW WILL CONTINUE TO FALL THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT BEFORE TAPERING OFF THURSDAY MORNING. THIS RARE SNOW EVENT IS EXPECTED TO BRING BRING ACCUMULATIONS OF 3 TO 6 INCHES TO THE VALLEY FLOORS AND UP TO 10 INCHES TO THE FOOTHILLS ABOVE 2500 FEET. A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW ARE FORECAST FOR THE DESERT ROADS WHICH RARELY SEE ACCUMULATIONS. THIS WILL MAKE TRAVEL DANGEROUS. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL...KEEP WARM CLOTHING...AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT...FOOD...AND WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.

Monday, December 15, 2008

I didn't sign up for this...

Most of you know that Jason and I moved to Las Vegas because we hate snow and cold weather.

Looks like we're going to have to move to Cabo because it's snowing in Las Vegas today!

Here's a short video from our front doorstep this morning. Not that you all haven't seen snow before....but in Las Vegas, this is a major event!

Snuggle Buggle

We bundled Carson up and took him to the mall yesterday. We practiced for our trip to the midwest this coming weekend, where Carson will be wearing more clothes than he is used to! The temp is in the 40's here in Vegas right now - cold for here. Our practice run was a success...he didn't mind his hat, gloves, or his new Air Force One-like sneaks!



This look says it all.



Happy in my hat.


Daddy putting on my sneaks. Such a big boy!



Pic from before we left for Jason's work Christmas party this weekend at the Wynn...








Thursday, December 11, 2008

Boom

Carson's attempt to crawl turns into a face plant.

7 month wonder boy

Our little Stinky Fish is fascinated with anything and everything.

Every day that he wakes up, he is bigger, stronger, and more curious than the previous day.

I am amazed every day by his development and Jason and I are in love with the utter perfection and brilliance of this little boy. Being his mommy is the best job there is!

This love fest that I am having right now must have something to do with the fact that I have slept 8 HOURS... 3 DAYS IN A ROW. Carson is on a roll. He slept 10 hours last night, woke up at 5 and ate, and then went back to sleep for another 1.5 hours.

He is trying to crawl, and the fact that he hasn't yet has much to do with this errant left leg of his that gets stuck underneath him as he tries to move forward. If not for this left leg, we would have a little mover. I think in a few more weeks, we will have a creepy crawler in our house.

We have also found another food that Carson loves...yogurt! He eats it up like it's going out of style. One of his faves is yogurt, mixed with bananas and avocado. Sounds disgusting...I know....but he is lovin' it.

Below are some pics from our incredibly fun play time this morning.





Below....the errant left leg I was talking about is pictured.





One of his favorite toys is this Hawkeye Dinosaur that GB bought for him. It is the most incredibly random toy that you can imagine, mainly because when you turn it on, it roams the house aimlessly, playing techno music. He stares as it "oons oons oonses" all around the house.






Another favorite of Carson's is this literary wonder called "Moo, Baa, La La La". It is by his favorite author, Sandra Boynton, also the author of Carson's revered bathtime book that him and daddy read religiously every night. When the dog says "bow wow wow", he goes ballistic!

It's his favorite part.



Carson level of curiosity is waaayyy up from last month. He is curious about everything and wants to touch, taste, feel, lick, scratch, and pull most everything in our house. Including my hair. And his daddy's nose. And if he could just get to that Christmas tree......




The only constant is change, especially when it comes to Carson's hair.

His mullet has all but disappeared, leaving TONS of wispy, white blonde hair on his head that sticks straight up. Unless we put gel in it, it sticks up hopelessly. It reminds me of Carson's Aunt Annon, age 10, who was born with a full head of hair that nothing could tame....not gel....not Vaseline.....which remained for months and months until it was long enough to lay down.
Gel works on his....but untamed, it is pretty hilarious!









Friday, December 5, 2008

Ball handling skills

Carson can now "roll the ball". Check out his super fly skills!

Harlem Globetrotters....be ready!

Thanks for the fun, Smiths!

Carson's Grandpa Dave, Grandma Barbie, and Auntie Jen have left Vegas and he is SAD.
It was such a wonderful visit with all of you. Thanks for the amazing holiday and all the time spent together enjoying this special little boy. We will see everyone again in a few weeks when we head to the Midwest for Christmas!












Yicky

Carson is drinking the "hatorade" when it comes to asparagus. My baby food book said that he can begin eating asparagus in the 7th month. I made some for him and we tried it today.....his disgust is pretty hilarious in the video. I have to say that Carson is a GREAT eater, though. He eats basically everything....even baby foods that smell nasty (like spinach with carrots...for instance). He isn't picky and pretty much mows down whatever is in front of him. He eats A LOT. At dinner, he ususally eats 4 tablespoons of cereal, a big jar of baby food, and then eats a full bottle before bed. Fatty!!

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

White Beard+Red Suit+Black Boots= Creepy!

Carson lasted 10 seconds on Santa's lap today. We got a few snapshots before the meltdown occured. But Carson felt that Santa was downright creepy.
I'm sure he'll change his mind once he learns what Santa can do for him....like bring him presents!!



The 10 seconds are up....


He stands with his feet close together.....kind of like a gymnast. Uh oh, Daddy! :)







This one's for you, Isaiah...

Carson does the Irish jig with his right foot while jumping!

Monday, December 1, 2008

Opinionated

Carson has taken his goooo-ing and gurgling to new heights!

Merry Christmas Hayden Fry!

Carson met up with his Iowa basketball peeps in the Red Rock lobby the other day. Jason's old team was in town for the Las Vegas Invitational and they stayed at Red Rock, right by our house. The highlight, besides seeing one of our favorite people, John Streif (pictured below) was that Carson got to meet legendary Hawk football coach Hayden Fry.



Four generations of Smith men


He loves to gaze at the Christmas tree....If it were up to him, he would rip off all the ornaments and eat them all whole!

Soooooooo interesting!







Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Precious!

Our friend Wendie Sanders was kind enough to take some 6 month pictures of Carson recently. She is so incredibly talented at photography and we are so lucky that we have her near us to photograph Carson as he grows up. She recently started her photography business and she is a sure success with her amazing eye for those precious little moments.
Check them out!













Da Bears

Carson's love affair with the bears on his changing table has ended.
Here is Carson, at eight weeks, gazing at his bears with adoration.


Carson, at six months, broke up with his bears by tearing them down from their post.
He makes his feeling clear....no breaking up with a text or a post-it note....this boy is over them!




Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

If you are anywhere near Las Vegas and you happen to hear the Hallelujah chorus from Handel's "Messiah" swelling from the southwest part of the valley.....make no mistake my friends....it is not because of the upcoming Christmas holiday.....it is coming from our house...because Carson
SLEEPS THROUGH THE NIGHT!
The last two nights, Carson has slept straight through the night, from about 6:45 PM to 6 or 6:30 AM. I was beginning to contemplate that this day may never come. But it has!
Coincidentally, the special first night of sleeping through came on the night we put up our Christmas tree. It's a Festivus Miracle!

Carson is getting funnier by the day. He is a busy, busy boy. We had our first "forward movement" where Carson pushed off my leg with his feet and grabbed a toy while on his belly. He sits up well enough that he can play by himself for awhile while seated and I don't worry about him toppling over. Papa Dave baby proofed our cabinets the other day and I am thinking it won't be long before we're glad we have that done!
Here are some recent pics of our little guy.......

The fam at Town Square



Carson and his two-weeks-older neighbor buddy, Chase.




Our tree....



Little Dickens, up to no good....




Here is a hair shot from this morning....Carson's hair has made big gains in the last couple of weeks....enough such that hair gel was purchased and is now used daily to give Carson a "spike". He's so hip and happenin'!