Summer 2013 Recap

It was quite the memorable summer for the Noneman family with moments both big and small.  Here is a quick recap of our summer.

Arizona
Jesse and Carolyn headed out to Arizona to visit family for Memorial Day.  She absolutely loved the airplane ride.  In the words of Carolyn "airplanes go up high and come back down" and she thought it was so cool.  She got to spend lots of time with Grandpa Tom and Grandma Judy, her cousins, and great-grandma Anne.  Between reading lots of books with librarian Grandma Judy, going to grandma's work, playing with cousins, and traveling to the petting zoo it was a visit full of fun and adventure.
(Pictures to be added later- they are on Jesse's phone)

Chicago
While Jesse and Carolyn where in Arizona I ventured to Chicago for part of the weekend to visit my sister and good friend Becky.  Since I was quite pregnant and the weather was ridiculously cold for late May we spent the majority of the time eating but I was so glad to have the chance to visit with both of them before things got more hectic with the arrival of Calvin.

Beach Vacation
We ventured to Myrtle Beach, SC the beginning of June for a vacation with my family.  It was the first time that we had all been able to go on a vacation together in quite awhile so it was a wonderful time to reconnect and make new memories as a family.  The weather didn't always want to cooperate but luckily there was ample room in the house for people to spread out and for Carolyn to run around and burn some energy.  Carolyn had a great time at the ocean, playing in the sand, searching for alligators, and playing with family.  As a bonus she got to fly on another plane for the second time in two weeks and she was very excited to fly with my mom and Jesse enjoyed getting to sit by himself and relax for an hour or so each way.

Dinner out- We ate in the other nights but it was nice to have one night out as a family.

 Carolyn was not in her most cooperative mood... 

Beach time

Alligator!

Summer Camp
Carolyn went to summer camp for 8 days this summer from 9-1.  The topic for her age group was animals and each week had a theme.  She had a blast and with all of the focus on the new baby it was nice to have something that was just for her.  She also had to switch schools this fall so going to the camp helped ease the transition to the new school.  She loved that she got to take lunch each day in her lady bug lunchbox.  She also loved going over the speed bumps in the high school parking lot and seeing the big kids at camp on the way to her camp.  We feel so blessed that a student of mine told us about her mom's preschool camps this summer and we are so glad that Carolyn got so much out of it.

Fourth of July
We had a low key holiday weekend but were lucky to be able to spend it surrounded by family.  Carolyn had a blast hanging out with her cousins and we were blessed to have the Pierce crew provide us with two wonderful meals and company.  We are so blessed to have family close by.  Neither Jeffy nor Carolyn are big fans of fire works so we spent a lot of time inside during the evening/night hours.

The summer also included trips to the Farmer's Market, Conner Prairie, the pool, walks, and lots of good time with family and friends.  We are truly blessed!

 Park playing and concert in the park! 

 Conner Prairie!

Shopping buddy

 Farmer's Market (She stole that carrot from a farmer...)

She choose her outfit

Welcome to the world Calvin Thomas

 8 pounds 4 ounces

19.25 inches

8:16 am

We had eagerly been awaiting the arrival of Calvin for a while and since he was a scheduled c-section his arrival was not nearly as stressful or draining as his big sister's.  Typical of the second child syndrome, we were still putting the finishing touches of his room together, installing the car seat, etc. the day before the scheduled c-section.  In fact, we didn't even pack our hospital bags until 9:30 the night before the c-section.  My doctor assured me that I was not going into labor early and she was right.  We arrived at the hospital bright and early at 6 am and by 7:30 am I was getting prepped for the procedure.  It was quite a different chain of events from the 24 hour induction that we had with Carolyn.  Since it was planned I was lucky enough to be able to have my friend Camille request to be my nurse and I was also guaranteed my own doctor which with the size of medical practices anymore is not always guaranteed.  So anyway, after a few bags of IV fluids, some blood work, and paper signing I was off to the operating room.  (it was a little odd walking into the room all on my own)  The surgery went well with the only hiccup being that they had to use the vacuum on Calvin's head not once but three times to try and get him out.  Needless to say, he seemed to be in no hurry to enter the world. 

Like any good Smith family member I deal with big events by cooking a big meal.  So for the last supper I prepared chicken, sliced potatoes, fruit salad, and tomatoes and mozzarella. 

Bright and early and ready to meet lil' man.

 I have been so lucky to have both Camille and Dr. Hughes there for both of my delivery days. 

 

 

 Finding out what a big boy he was! 

 Proud parents! (Looks like I was getting some more of the good stuff in my iv in the background)

 Laying in the warmer

First bath- He had quite the audience for his first bath. Nursing students, residents, and lots of family!

Proud grandparents and big sis

Getting to know big sister and Grandma Judy

His upset face is so pathetic!

Proud papa and his mini me

This guy loves to cuddle on mommy.

Car ride home!  He was about 7.11 at discharge time and on his first car ride home we made a detour to get food for mom and dad at Moe's and to pick up big sis from her last day of camp!

 

We are totally in love with this little guy and think that he makes the perfect Calvin Thomas and the perfect addition to our family!  Even though it's only been 7 weeks we feel as if he has always been a member of our family. 

A little landscaping

* I will try to post some more updated pictures of the landscaping now that it's had some time to settle and grow but here is a short before and after. 

When we moved into our house there was this row of 7 pine trees that had been planted by the previous owners to try and create "privacy" in our side yard.  Needless to say, it just didn't look right and we didn't want a huge mess in a few years with a bunch of pine trees all fighting for room.  We hired Doug Bolin to take out some of the trees and add in some landscaping.  It was a cold spring day but they got it done and we are very pleased with the result.   There are now bushes and knock-out roses as well as two adirondack chairs that provide a nice place to sit in the yard.

Atlantis

Jesse and I traveled to Atlantis this spring (end of April) for a trip with his work.  It was a nice getaway and C enjoyed the time in Ft. Wayne with her Noni and Elpa.  Luckily I wasn't far enough in my pregnancy to be restricted in travel and was able to go.  So while I sipped my virgin daiquiris everyone else was able to enjoy the water slides but everyone got some much needed rest and relaxation.   After visiting, we can totally see why the Atlantis is talked about so positively, it really is an amazing resort.

 The yachts by the resort were unbelievable!

 Enjoying dinner at Mesa (Bobby Flay's restaurant)

Beach time

All dressed up

 Watching the sunrise

View from our hotel room

Fish and the large Manta Ray - part of the amazingly large sea life collection at Atlantis.

Carolyn Two ~ Two.5

Here's the latest on our little fire cracker!

C's 2nd Birthday brunch

• Personality 101- C is as sweet and stubborn as they come.  We are continuously amazed at how she can be so frustrating one moment and melting our hearts the next.  She is definitely into testing the boundaries and seeing what she can get away with (especially with mom and dad) but we wouldn't trade her for the world.  (We do hope that baby brother is a little more go with the flow though- just for the sake of comparison, obviously)
• Food Habits- C is a typical toddler and eats better some days than others but we are really lucky that she really does love to eat healthy foods overall.  Some of her favorites include: strawberries, carrots, peas, broccoli (she literally steals broccoli from the grocery store), yogurt, green beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, black beans, cheese, blueberries, oranges, greek yogurt, and hummus.  She also LOVES milk and chocolate.  She has also taken a liking to chocolate glazed doughnuts, iced tea, and ice cream cones- probably somewhat correlated to her mom's cravings this pregnancy.  She also cannot go to bed without a fresh glass of water with her in bed.  

 The Broccoli thief

 Chocolate doughnut

• "I wanna do it myself" is a common phrase that we hear in our household.  She is an ironic mix of independence and wanting to still be treated "like a baby".  This is especially true the closer we get to baby brother arriving. 
• "The little helper"-  Carolyn tends to thrive best when she is engaged and feeling like she is contributing to whatever is going on.  Obviously this has its benefits and drawbacks but we are trying to really capitalize on this desire to help and teach her some good habits for the future.  Some of the things she likes to do most are: help with laundry, put things in the trash, watch food be prepared and taste test it, wipe up things (helping with dusting and wiping the floor after dog-dog gets water all over it), putting lotion on after bath time, helping mom get ready, and getting herself in the car.  We are not always as successful with things like picking up toys, putting clothes in the hamper, etc. but hopefully that will come.  I am sure that we will find that she is very interested in helping with little brother once he arrives.
• Paci Fairy-  The paci fairy came a few weeks ago and we were shocked with how well she took giving up her pacis.  She had only used them for sleeping for awhile but we were really anxious that getting rid of them would mean weeks of sleeplessness.  We explained that she needed to give her paci to other babies and that she would get a gift in return for being such a big girl.  So we went to Target and bought an envelope and on the designated day the paci fairy enticed her with a little gift at the front door.  She got a note from the paci fairy saying that if she gave up one paci now she could keep the Daisy stuffed animal.  She took the bait and was happy as a clam until nap time.  I will be honest, I thought she would have fought longer and harder but after 15 minutes of crying for paci she took a nap and never really cried for it again.  She was awarded after nap with a bigger gift and she was extremely excited about it. 

• School and Camp- C loves school and was very sad when it ended.  She still asks when she can go to school and about her friends and Ms. Megan and Ms. Debbi on a regular, if not daily, basis.  Luckily we enrolled her in a camp this summer that she is having a great time at that is helping her with being away from school.  It is an 8 session camp for two days a week and each week they learn about different types of animals.  She is having a great time and we are really glad that we could do something special for her this summer since we will be devoting a lot of attention to baby brother here shortly.  She also is going to be switching day care locations when school resumes in the fall and many of her friends will not be joining her so we are glad to have the opportunity to have her experience something new and different before having to make that transition this fall.   We are lucky that Carolyn's teachers have all said what a joy she is and also how confident and happy she is while at school.  She is a curious little girl so we are glad that we can offer her those opportunities to be engaged and learning with others her age.

 Little 500 at school

 First day of camp (she loves getting to use her new lady bug lunch box she picked out) & camp crafts and report sheet!

• Other big girl accomplishments and experiences from the past few months for C include: 
• Flying- she loves it - Just ask her about it! She will tell you how the planes go up in the sky and come back down.
• Traveling solo with daddy to Arizona to visit family
• Swimming lessons- she loves to swim with her puddle jumper now
• Big girl bed-  she now sleeps in the toddler bed
• Pretend playing
• Running like crazy, jumping, kicking and throwing balls, etc.  we know these are normal but a lot of people have commented on how good she is at these skills so we think she must be pretty good at them. 
• Puzzles and navigating other apps on the iPad or iPhone
• Vocabulary and concepts
• She repeats everything and is really getting good at piecing together concepts and applying them in different situations or days later

• Current Likes and Interests
• Minnie and Mickey
• Reading
• Conner Prairie
• Planes
• Swimming
• Arts and Crafts
• Preparing food in the kitchen
• Going to Target (she literally asks to go to Target every few days- obviously mom is buying her too many things when we go)
• Dog-dog
• Doing the "hot dog" dance at the end of Mickey's club house
• Her water table
• Playing baby dolls- relatively new interest but hoping that it will help when brother arrives
• Taking clothes out of her dresser
• Bubbles
• Farmers Market (C especially likes her new job of picking doggy out a treat to give him at home and helping select the vegetables) 
• Kitty cats

 Helping with the garden

 Obsessed with the water table 

 Practicing being a big sister

Blogging Hiatus

Hello blogging world! Yes, I know.  It's been a really long time since I have blogged.  I will be honest as much as I enjoy being able to look back and read the details about our life (Carolyn's especially) at specific points in time, especially since I am not a journaler (yes, I made that word up) or good with scrap booking and all of that, I have just been too tired and unmotivated the past few months to do it.  As all of you know, there are certain things on your to do list you must do: take care of kid, work, do laundry, feed dog, etc.  and this just didn't make the cut.  So in my last few "quiet" days before baby #2 arrives I am going to try and do some updating with the blog before real exhaustion and forgetfulness sets in!