What did we start...

A few months ago Carson was having really bad dreams at night. So needless to say, Jonathan and I took turns sleeping with him at night. That's right, now he will not go to sleep without one of us in his bed. Great! another habit we created and now have to break-

Christmas has come and gone

Christmas 2010 has come and gone in a flash. Wow, all the preparing and excitement is over... Carson had a wonderful Christmas. Of course he (we) were blessed this year. He received many great gifts which he has been playing with non-stop.
A recap of Christmas day.
We went to my parents home at 9:00am for presents and amazing breakfast.
We came back to our home around 1:30pm and Santa arrived with more presents.
At 4:30pm around 25 family members arrived for dinner and exchange of gifts at my home.
11:00pm the final clean up and time for bed.
photos to come.

Going private in 2011

Hello, after the first of the year I will be going private with Carson's blog. If you are a faithful reader or lurker and would like to continue reading about Carson and the up coming exciting news please leave a comment with your email address. Thanks!

One month

until we leave for Florida for 10 days. YEA! We are going to Amelia island to visit Jonathan's brother and family for a few days. Then off to Orlando for Disney and my all time favorite Islands of Adventure. My parents and brother are meeting us at Disney. We are not telling Carson as we want him to be surprised ;) We are praying for beautiful warm weather while we are there- Please bring on the sun and sunscreen (of-course).

girl lips- true conversation

This mornings conversation:
C: Mommy when I kiss you on the lips will I get girl lips?
M: No honey (with a smile) you will not get girl lips.
C: Then why do you put that stuff on my lips like girls?
M: That stuff is chap stick and it helps your lips from getting chapped.

C: Mommy do you think Santa will bring Kyndel (our dog) presents?
M: I think so
C: But Mommy she did not make a list

M: Carson its time to get dressed.
C: But Mommy today is my day off.

Tubes vs No Tubes

Well, we took Carson to CHOP on Tuesday for his on going ear infections. As we thought, they would like Carson to have tubes in his ears. I have mixed emotions about the procedure however I know its needed. But when? We are thinking about the beginning of February-

cold and dark

UGH! I can not stand how cold and dark it is in NJ this time of year. I dislike it! I was getting Carson ready for bed tonight and he said, Mommy can you turn up the sun. :)
We are looking forward to our Orlando,Fla. trip in January. Bring on the heat!!

The next year and quick prayer

Carson will be starting a new pre-k christian school in January. He is not aware of the change yet as he hearts his primary teacher. The school which he will be attending has 6 students in the pre-k class. He will have to wear a uniform along with being in class by 8:10am every morning. He will attend 2 full days and 3 1/2 days. The school offers pre-k thru 12th... It's a rather small private school however they have a solid foundation.

Tonight, Carson was playing with his Lego's and I heard him talking really loud..
Carson: Dear God PLEASE help Mommy rip her nose.
Me: What rip my nose, Carson?
Carson: Yea, when you have a tissue and your ripping your nose.
Me: wiping my nose, Carson?!
Carson: Dear God PLEASE help Mommy wipe her nose because she does not know how-

Am I alone

Carson is getting so rough with other boys. He wants to wrestle, hit and call them names for "no reason". I am truly hoping this is another phase of toddler-hood. Time outs do not work, taking away his Lego's works for the first few hours and taking away the t.v. is a joke...etc....
HELP!

New York

Last Saturday Jonathan, Shauna, Holly and I went to NYC for the day. We had a full day of taxi rides, subways, busy stores with long lines, trendy restruants and seeing the off broad way show Stomp. It was rather cold and crowded however there were many laughs and funny stories. All and all it was another wonderful trip to the big apple.

Best (my sister) watched Carson while we enjoyed our trip. Best and Carson also had a fun day as they went shopping and had dinner with Santa. Carson is still talking about his day with Best.

wordless wednesday

savoring moments

There are many days when I want to freeze time and savor moments with Carson. Carson can be such a love at times. However he can turn on a dime as well... Jonathan says, "like Mother like Son." Anyway, I listed just a few of the savoring moments from last week in no particular order.
Carson and I were laying in bed the other night and he said, "Mommy can I go back in your belly so I will not be scared of the dark?" How do you answer that one?
Yesterday he reached over and kissed the tip of my nose and said, "Mommy I had a great day with you."
Last Thursday was my birthday so when my family was singing Happy Birthday to GretaJo Carson looked at me and said "they said GretaJo but you're my Mommy."

In a nutshell

A blogger friend of mine sums up her weekends in a nutshell. So I am going to try it her way...here it goes

Thursday night my Dad was admitted to the hospital
Friday spent the day at the hospital with my dad
Saturday afternoon my dad was discharge from the hospital after pulling some strings (more to come later)
Saturday night spent the night at Bally's in Atlantic City and saw Boys II Men
After the concert we went to a crazy dance club and danced the night away
Sunday got up around 10:30am yea babe
Sunday afternoon did some last minute Christmas shopping at the walk in Atlantic city
Sunday evening went to Pat's steaks in Phila
Went to see the Eagles Vs Giants football game in Phila Sunday night (great game, very late night)
Forgot my camera and missed out on some great photos
Carson spent the weekend at Laura's home in Wildwood Crest
He had a great time

first time roller skating

Last Friday night, Jonathan and I took Carson rolling skating for the first time at the local recreation center. I will let the photos tell the story!

School pictures

A few weeks ago, I received Carson's school pictures. I can not believe how much my sweet little boy has changed in one year. The first picture is from 2009 and the second picture is from this year.

Jesus told me

Tonight Carson told me that:
Jesus told him he did not have to eat dinner.
Jesus told him he did not have to brush his teeth.
This boy...keeps me smiling.

For Sale

My home is for sale. It is listed on the MLS however I do not have a for sale sign out front. Please pray my home sales quickly. I know, I know the market is crap.... But, there has to be somone out there who needs (wants) a beautiful rancher.

Questions and Answers

I have received a few emails regarding questions about Carson's adoption. So, I thought I would create a question and answer post.

How old was Carson when he came home from Guatemala? Eight Months

Did I meet his Birth Mother? No, However I do have her address, profile and photos.

Where was he born? Guatemala City

Does he have siblings? Yes many.

Will I ever take Carson to meet his birth Mother? Sure, if he wants to...

Do I have any information on Carson's birth Father? Very limited

Was Carson in foster care? Yes.

more to come....

Going back to Guatemala and college

We are traveling back to Guatemala in August as a church group again to work with Chris and Donna Mooney. I had two earlier trips planned however life is going to be changing for us in the near future which will not allow us to travel that far away. I will post more about our changing life in a few weeks. With that being said, I really miss Guatemala. I miss Guatemala as a whole. Today as I was cleaning the horse stalls I was thinking how great it would be to live there for a few weeks. God has a plan for our life....
Well, as of December 6 I will once again be a post graduate college student. I am going to finish my professional counseling degree with a dual degree in Mental Health and School Counseling. If I continue with the class schedule it will take me 2 1/2 years and then I will have 1/2 of residency. I am very excited about this degree as it will open up many avenues for me. My long term goal is to earn my PhD in counseling. As we all know health care is ever changing and I am not the type of person to allow change to occur around me and not do anything about it. I am a very determined person. I am always looking for ways to improve myself. I do not want to be in the 'same' job for 15 plus years. I want to grow, learn and excel. There are many times I have heard people say, I should have gone back to school to be.... I am to0 old for school.... I have to get perfect grades so I can not go to school, raise a family and work...etc. To me they are all excuses. If you really want something nothing will stand in your way.
Sure the above is not going to be easy however neither was earning my MBA or taking the exam to be a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator or adopting as a single parent. However, I truly believe if its the Lords plan he will lead your path. He has led my path many of times. Amen!

He is not a picky eater.

The other day I was listening to a co-worker talk about her son and how picky he was about eating. She asked, is Carson a picky eater? I replied quickly, No he is not... She asked me what does he eat? As I ran down the list in my head I could not believe what a great eater I have.
I am not joking with this list:
yogurt
cottage cheese
All fruits
cheese
pasta
all types of seafood
chicken and turkey
loves lunch meat (I know its not healthy)
beans beans and more beans
pizza
veggies (not lettuce)
eggs
almond milk (his favorite)
pototoes

Halloween superman style

This year Carson was Superman for Halloween. I can not believe how much a mask can change a persons personality. Carson was playing nicely with his castle and trucks however as soon as I said lets put your mask on... Superman Carson was in the house. He was jumping, rolling all over and talking in a real deep voice. He was in complete character. Lol. Jonathan and I escorted Carson to a few houses but he was waiting for 'Best' my sister to take him around the neighborhood. For the past four years Best has taken Carson out trick or treating. Once again, he came back with a bag filled with candy and many funny stories. Thanks Best for making it another fun Halloween.


Wait what was he? not superman...silly, Carson was spiderman. Thanks to my blog buddies for correcting me. lol

I am a puppy dog

Tonight Carson crawled around the house for hours pretending he was a puppy dog. He told me he was kyndel's (my dog) brother. Carson was trying to convince me that he had to sleep in kyndels bed tonight because she was afraid of ghosts. Kyndel and Carson have a love hate relationship. Kyndel is extremely protected of Carson however extremely jealous of him as well. Carson loves kyndel as long as she is doing what he says.

what to get

a sweet little 4 year old boy for Christmas? Wait, he has everything...
What are you getting your children for Christmas this year?

It taste like

Tonight Carson had pumpkin ice cream for his night snack.
Me: carson what does your ice cream taste like?
Carson: Hmmm sugar!

Do you ever have days

where you think-
If I only....
Why did I....
Only if....
what if....
Why....
how do I make it right....
Does he or she ever think of...
now what...

It's that time again...

Carson has an ear infection. He was prescribed an antibiotic for the next seven days. I stayed home today with Carson and I have to say...I think I would make a great stay at home Mom!

Carving contest and help needed

Almost everything we did this weekend involved something with pumpkins. Saturday we went to Cold Spring Village in Cape May for their 19th annual harvest fest. We all had a good time walking around the festival, going on hay ride, and coloring pumpkins. After the harvest fest we went to pick out pumpkins for our annual pumpkin carving contest at my Aunt Sandy's. We enjoyed a very good dinner at my Aunt Sandy's with our cousins. After dinner the contest began... Everyone picks out a different pattern from the pumpkin carving art set. The patterns range from very simple (which I usually do) to extremely hard. The judge (my cousin Bobby) looks inside of your pumpkin. It must be smooth, no seeds, pumpkin strings, etc. So after we are done carving the pumpkins we sit them outside on the porch with a candle inside and the judging begins. I usually go outside for a few minutes however it makes me too nervous while Bobby is judging so I normally go back inside. This years winner was Shauna..... My cousin Joanne is going to forward me a few photos as my camera died Saturday morning. UH!!!
Sunday after church we went to watch Matthew (Carson calls him Mac) our cousin play hockey. I was highly impressed! After the hockey game I took a well needed afternoon nap.
Needing some serious help.... Carson is potty trained with number 1. However he still does number 2 in his underwear. Its a serious problem not just at home in school too. Carson is a very gifted boy (testing has shown)
-Sitting on the potty is a struggle. We read on the potty, sing, etc. He cries and screams.
-We watch Elmo potty training (all the time).
-We have brand new lego sets sitting on the table. If he goes number 2 on the potty he can have a new lego set.
-We have the reward chart on the refrig.
-He sits on he potty at least every 2 hours.
-We talk about pooping all the time. (yuck)
-We have talked about putting diapers back on him like babies. He screams so loud and cries.
- We give him stool softeners in his juice. He will take one sip of the juice and says this is gross. You try it.
Any ideas..... We need prayer!!

40th anniversary and sesame place

Saturday we traveled to Sesame Place for the day. Carson loved every single part of the theme park. He watched all the short shows, loved the rides and his favorite part was the rope climbing play area (wait- I think Jonathan loved the rope climbing play area more). Well, due to the great offer we became season ticket holders for 2010-2011 to sesame place. I am sure we will be making the trip again in the very near future.
Sunday was a busy but beautiful day. On 10/10/10 my parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. Tracey, Joey and I got them a 42 inch LG flat screen TV for their living room. The celebration continued Monday night as we took them out to Ruth Chris Steak House for dinner in Atlantic City. We all had a great time laughing and telling funny stories. The food and serve at Ruth Chris was great! I am sure we will visit again.

On the way home from the barn the other night Carson was talking about the cows and their butters. Jonathan and I just looked at each other and said, butters. What the heck is he talking about? Then Shauna says, Carson do you mean utters? Carson replied, Yea, utters you know the things that milk comes from. HAHA!

melting pot and monster trucks

Well, this is the weekend Carson has been waiting for. Best (My sister Tracey) and Carson went to see the monster truck show on the beach in Wildwood on Saturday night. They left our home around 4pm and Best said they did not arrive back to her home until 11:00pm. Wow, that is a long evening with a four year old however Best said Carson was great and loved it. He must have as he talked about it all day. Thanks Best for spending a special day with Carson.
Anyway, with Carson out for the evening Jonathan and I decided to drive into Atlantic City for dinner. We both have wanted to try the Melting Pot for dinner put could never find the right time. So needless to say, Saturday night was it... The atmosphere was nice the service was good however I was not a fan of the food nor the procedure of cooking (marinating) the food in the pot. I am pretty sure that will be the last time I visit the melting pot.

How inhumane

1 October 2010 Last updated at 22:13 ET Help The president of Guatemala has said the US committed a serious crime when it deliberately infected hundreds of Guatemalans with gonorrhoea and syphilis.
Speaking through a translator, Alvaro Colom told the BBC that he and his country were ''very angry''.
US President Barack Obama has apologised for the medical tests, in which mentally ill patients and prisoners were infected without their consent.

October 1, 2010 Robert Siegel talks with Susan Reverby, professor of women's studies at Wellesley College, about her discovery of a medical experiment conducted by U.S. government scientists in Guatemala in the 1940s. Reverby found that public health officials infected close to 700 Guatemalans with syphilis to see whether the disease could be prevented by penicillin. Reverby came across evidence of the experiment while researching the Tuskegee study.