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Monday, August 31, 2009

2 posts in one day....wow!

People have asked me why I haven't done my normal monthly post about Harper at two months...well, she didn't exactly cooperate when I tried to take her picture! lol  I tried on several different occasions around her two month birth day and she was just having NO part of it...Then, one night as she was ready to go to bed, I finally got a half-way decent picture of her.  Oh, doesn't that just figure...lolOh well....I'll take it anyway I can get it! ha:)

Also, as I was looking back over past posts, I realized that there was a question I never answered.  Aunt Randi asked a hard question on my 100th post about how Harper has blessed our life the most....she would ask a hard question like that! :) lol  Well, I'll spare you the next 24 hours, because I could give you countless ways of how we are blessed.  Mainly, I would have to say that it's brought Brandon and I closer and made us fall in love with each other all over again.  It's made us realize how great the Lord is....even though we knew this before, we actually see his greatness everyday in her.  We are so happy and thrilled to know that we can have a healthy baby and I can carry them and have a healthy pregnancy.  This may sound trivial to some, but it's a luxury we weren't sure that we'd ever know!  Being a diabetic, my biggest fear was not being able to have children...and now I know I can!  Also, we went into this with totally open minds...we knew we'd probably want more children, but we took it one day at a time.  We didn't know how things were going to go, but they went great....so there will be more little Fustons running around one day, hopefully!  We are blessed way beyond what we deserve and we just thank the Lord for giving us the life we have!

xoxo, Kara C: 

In this whirlwind we call life....

...we realize more and more each day how blessed we really are.  Even though I hate going to work everyday, I am thankful to have a job to return to and that gives me the hours and opportunities I have to spend with my baby girl!  
I feel so overwhelmed at the moment...between school, church, other activities and trying to be the best wife, mother, daughter, friend, and teacher that I can be....I feel like I'm falling short!  I am such a perfectionist, and it's just taking a little longer than I'd hoped to get into a routine that I'm comfortable with.  On that note, I love, love, love blogging and reading other people's blogs...but I feel like I'm doing a terrible job at keeping up w/ that too!  However, I do love knowing that I can go back through all of my posts and look at how things have changed!  So, with that being said, please forgive me for neglecting my blog this week! :(  I've had great asperations of blogging, but I'm just now getting around to it!   
Now....onto the fun stuff....what we've been up to?  Well, we are one busy, busy little family.  There's always somewhere to go or something to be done...and I love it!  I am not complaining!  But, when Harper goes to bed around 7:30 every night....it keeps us on our toes and then we can unwind! ha:)  Well, we have box seats the the National Walking Horse Celebration in Shelbyville and we love to go every year.  It's so much fun to just sit around with family and the friends that sit around us every year and just enjoy the beautiful horses and all the festivities.  They have great food...especially sweets (lol)...and I'm just loving the weather this year.  Usually, we are sitting there wiping sweat from our foreheads, but this year we get to wear our jackets and be comfy!  I LOVE the fall!!!!  Does anyone else feel me on that? :)And Harper has been so, so good.  I joked with my family saying that I should just bring her in her pj's because it doesn't start until 7 and she usually eats around 7-7:30 and then goes straight to sleep.  So, whenever she begins to wiggle around 9 or 10, I take her and change her diaper and put her jammies on, then she's back to sleep.  Who could ask for a better baby than that?  Again...I am so, so blessed!  
Maddie is so cute with Harper....as soon as she sees her, she smiles from ear to ear and says, "Baby Bopper!"  It's the cutest thing you've ever seen!  But, have you ever tried to get a decent picture of a 2 1/2 month old and a 19 month old???  Not an easy task...On another note, we bought Miss Harper her first horsey this year at the Celebration, and she really loves it.  She just rubs on it and pulls it up near her face...so sweet!  She's really beginning to figure things out....like sucking her thumb.  I'm afraid it won't be long before her su-su (pacifier) is a thing of the past!  Oh well.......anyway.....meet Lolly...While Brandon was holding her the other day, I decided to snap a few shots of her just on a lazy Saturday!  She is soooooo stinkin' cute!!Other than that, we've had to adjust our eating as well.  Last week, Harper began the week by crying most of the day on Monday and Tuesday.  She would be fine when I left her in the mornings, grinning from ear to ear, but then they'd say she cried all day and just wasn't content.  I didn't know what was wrong with her, but of course I kind of panicked. lol  But, after a call to the dr., I figured out that maybe she was just hungry.  So, I had to up her formula to 6 oz. in each bottle and sure enough...that did the trick!  I felt so bad.....but at least she's all better now.  As a matter of fact,  after she ate one night, I began to give her a bath, and she fell asleep....(lol)....bless it!But, overall, we are still doing 'fabulous'!  We constantly ask ourselves what we did before she came into this world?  We thought we were busy then....lol  But, we wouldn't trade our lives now for anything in the world.  We both agreed that God meant for us to be parents.  I told my mama on the way to the horse show one night that for the first time in my life, I feel like I'm doing exactly what God meant for me to do at this exact moment in my life.  I couldn't be happier....
With that, I want to leave you with this poem that was on the front of our church bulletin yesterday!  I thought, "Wow!  That's exactly how I feel and I want to share it!"  So, enjoy...
Happiness is something we create in our mind,
It's not something we search for and so seldom find.
It's just waking up and beginning the day
By counting blessings and kneeling to pray.
It's giving up thoughts that create discontent
And accepting what comes as "heaven sent".
It's giving up wishing for things we have not
And making the best of whatever we've got.
It's knowing that the future is secure for us, 
And pursuing our tasks without fret or fuss.
For it's by completing what God gives us to do,
That we find contentment and happiness, too.
Have a great, blessed week!
xoxo, Kara C:
p.s. I'll try not to wait a week before updating ever again! lol :)



Sunday, August 23, 2009

It's Football Time in Warren County!!

I have always kind of enjoyed going to some games...especially basketball....but since I've moved to Warren County, I've realized that sports are like another religion around here.  If you're not at the football games on Friday night, then you're nobody! ha:)  Maybe not that bad, but literally like everyone is there!  
Well, we started going some last year with our good friends to watch her brother play.  So, I was ready to gear up for football season this year...I just wasn't sure how Miss Harper would make it.  Well, she did fabulous!  Here she is on the way to the game....She was telling me how excited she was to be going to her first football game and show everyone her new Pioneers outfit! :)
She was soooo good and she just let us all pass her around and she didn't get fussy until it was feeding time.  Luckily, it wasn't just super hot outside, so she stayed pretty comfortable.
Not only was she good, but so was the game!!!  Our boys caught the ball on the kickoff and ran right for a touchdown!  What a great start to the game!  What made it even better was that Dekalb Co. beat us last year, so it was time to get them back!Coming from Woodbury, Dekalb was always our biggest rival, so I was glad to see Warren County beat them this year....it's funny how rivals carry on through adulthood! lol
We also got to see Harper's favorite little cheerleader during half-time...We also got a special visit from Pioneer Jake...The plans were to have the girls picture made with Pioneer Jake, but Annabella acted so scared of him this year.  I'll have to admit...he is a little scary looking at first...but last year she loved him...and she still does this year...but from a distance! lol  I felt so sorry for her and felt so bad because she just cried and cried like she was terrified.  Pioneer Jake is a former student of mine whom I LOVE and think the world of!  He is such a great, talented kid and he still comes to visit me from time to time.  He tells everyone that Harper is his God daughter! ha:)
The girls watching the action...
Then Miss Annabella had to get her some loving from Harper...She is so sweet with Harper and I think they are going to be great friends when they get older!  Aren't they the sweetest thing you've ever seen?
We ended up leaving around the end of the third quarter because it was already past Harper's bedtime and I don't want to get her schedule all messed up this week since the Celebration starts this week and I know we'll probably be having some late, late nights!  
Hope everyone has a wonderful week!  I'm sure it'll be a busy one for me...but at least I'll be off on Friday! Whoo hoo!!!
xoxo, Kara C:





Thursday, August 20, 2009

2 Months

Oh my...I am soooooo behind!!! This going back to school thing is killing me! ha:) So far, so good though. It seems like we really have a great bunch of kids and I am really looking forward to this year. We moved all of my desks out today and moved in tables and chairs since we do so much group work, so I'm curious to see how that's going to work....but I am so excited! It makes my room look and seem a lot bigger....especially when we had 30 desks in there! Whoa! But, anyway, I absolutely HATE leaving every morning because Miss Priss is always in such a good mood! She's always grinning and cooing and trying to talk....I just love it! There's no better sound in the world! But, it does make coming home sooooo much better!
Harper had her 2 month appointment on Tuesday, so I took the day off and we ran around all day. We slept in a little bit, then got ready and headed out. We stopped by the mall for a second so I could try to find her a little outfit to wear to ballgames, and I found the cutest thing. Our school colors are red, white, and blue so I found the cutest outfit from the 4th of July at Gymboree....and the best part.....it was only $6!!! I was so excited! Then, I also found her some leggings and tights that I thought we might could use with her Halloween costume....but they didn't work so I'm going to take them back this weekend.

Anyway, we headed on over to the dr. and she did just great! She weighed 11 lbs. and 13 oz. and was 23 1/2 inches long. So, since birth, she has gained 2 lbs. and 10 oz. and grown 2 3/4 inches.....the girl is growing! She is in the 75th percentile for weight, 90th for height, and 80th for head circumference. So, I thought that was pretty good. Then, the dr. came in and checked her over from head to toe and said she was just perfect....(duh! We already knew that, right?) ha! :) But, then came the dreaded part...the SHOTS! She had to have 3 shots and one oral vaccine. So, I went ahead and dressed her and I got to hold her while they gave her the oral meds and she didn't love them too much. But, then when I laid her down for her shots, she threw a FIT!!!! Big time!!! She was screaming before they even gave her the shots and I don't know if she even knows she got shots. lol As soon as I could pick her up, she was fine. So, we gave her a bottle and she went out! So, we headed over to Target and used some super coupons and then made a quick stop by Hobby Lobby and headed home. Overall, we had a great day. She came home, ate, and went to bed! She hasn't been fussy at all really until a little bit tonight. But she also didn't sleep as long last night either so I don't know if she was just tired or a little sore, or a mixture of both! Who knows!

But, I do know one thing.....I feel soooo behind! And, we have a super busy weekend ahead, so I don't see any catching up in sight! grr..... So, I'm going to stop blogging and get back to work! I'm so glad tomorrow is Friday....TGIF! :) Hope you all have a great, blessed weekend!

xoxo, Kara C:

Sunday, August 16, 2009

WHEW!!!


I believe this picture speaks for itself...this week has been exhausting, overwhelming, emotional....lots of things!  I am so out of the groove of things, and I feel completely out of my element!  BUT, I do feel like I am kind of getting back into somewhat of a routine, which is nice.  I am pretty sure I always feel this way at the beginning of a new school year, but I guess this year is really throwing me for a loop with all of the new responsibilities at home.

However, I do find myself rushing home in the afternoons to sit and do nothing but this...Harper is getting so big and I just can't believe it's been 2 months already!  Where has the time gone?  (fyi....I'm going to do her 2 month post soon!)  But, she is just the sweetest thing EVER!  She has been so good lately.  She sleeps all night, and last night she slept for 11 hours!!!  She is so bright eyed and in such a good mood during the day, and then at night she is so sweet and cuddly.  But, you might as well just keep a look out at your watch, around 8-ish, she turns into a pumpkin! ha:)  She starts fussing, wants her bottles, and wants to go to bed!  I LOVE IT!  Most nights, after she goes to sleep, I just sit and hold her for a while.....I know it won't be long until she's running around everywhere and I just wanna get my snuggle time while I can! :(

We go for her 2 month check-up this Tuesday and I can't wait to see how much she weighs and how long she is.....I can wait for all the shots though!  UGH!  She has to get like 6 different immunizations on Tuesday and I'll probably be crying right along with her!

BUT...as for our weekend...we had so much fun!  We did our usual dinner out with my parents on Friday night and our family trip to Wal-Mart!  Then, Harper and I spent the night with my parents so they could spend some time with her and because Brandon had to get up early to go work on our fair booth!  We had such a good little day on Saturday.  Harper, my mom, and I just sat around in our pj's and did nothing!  Well, we did a lot of things, but it was just so nice to hang around the house.  Then, Saturday night, we went to eat dinner at our best little friendies house and then went to the Pioneer Pep-Rally in town!  Here are the girls ready to go cheer on WC!Annabella was so excited to see baby Harper and give her the present she bought her when she was on vacation!  She made her a Build-A-Bear and it was a little bunny rabbit with bows on her ears and little shorts and a tank!  SOOOOO precious.....but the cutest thing......she gave her a birth certification to go with it and she named it Hopper!!!!  How cute is that?  That's what it sounds like when she says Harper!  She is just adorable! 

After eating, we left to go to the pep-rally to kick off the football season.  They usually do this downtown and everyone tailgates, but this year, it was held at the middle school.  Since I had never been before, I didn't really know what to expect, but it was really good.  It didn't last very long, but the cheerleaders and pioneerettes all looked great and it just got me in the mood for games!  And, we got to see a lot of people we haven't seen since Harper was born, so it was nice!  Here's Harper with her favorite little cheerleader...It was so HOT Saturday, but luckily, it cooled off a little that night.  Harper was so good and she just looked around at everything!  I'm so blessed! :)

Well, I just wanted everyone to know that we were all still alive...just tired and busy! ha!  But, my baby has been in the bed for an hour, so I'm off to lay down beside her!  I'll try to do better this week and not wait sooo long to post!  I'll definitely let you all know her stats on Tuesday after we go to the dr.  Hope everyone has a great week! 

xoxo, Kara C:

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Drumroll Please....



Congrats Angela!! Harper can't wait to see you wearing your new necklace!! I'll get it ordered and we'll hand deliver it just for you! :)
Angela decided she wanted the new chocolate color and I can't wait to see it in person!  yay!  I'm so excited!  We actually did draw the winner on Friday afternoon, but you can tell from posting about it on Sunday, that our weekend has been kinda hectic. My plans for Friday were to clean the house, run some errands in town, and then go visit with some friends. WELL....I have learned that your plans sometimes change with a baby! ha:) I got 2 rooms cleaned and that was it! Harper was wanting her momma to hold her and that was okay with me! So, needless to say, I finally got to town around 5pm and we still haven't seen our friends. :( But, oh well....we had a good day anyway and we made plans to meet up with our friends later this week.

Then, on Saturday, my mom and I made plans to go shopping because I needed a few things. WELL, I have never been shopping on tax-free weekend and it was C-R-A-Z-I-N-E-S-S!! We started out at Lebanon outlets because I love their Gap....and I promise....there were more people there than I've ever seen before! Well, I didn't buy one thing!! So, next we decided to venture out to Mt. Juliet to Providence mall, and omg! I'm in love! I keep telling Brandon that we must go back! ha:) Has anyone ever been to Home Goods? Love, love, love it!!! If not, it's connected to TJMax and it's fabulous! They have the cutest stuff for your home and the best part...it's cheap! Santa made a stop for Harper while we were there ha:), and I bought a tub for drinks that says 'Party Time'....too, too cute! I told mama I couldn't wait until we bought/built a house so I could go there to decorate! lolSo, I ended up finding a few things and I guess I'm as ready to start school as I'm going to be. I really kinda feel unprepared for tomorrow, but I think I always feel this way no matter how many hours I've spent preparing!

Well, I'm off to bed with my baby girl. She has gotten on the best little schedule the past few days and I just pray she stays on it! lol And, if you don't mind, say a little prayer for us tomorrow as we start back at this work thing for real! ha:)

I'll keep you posted!

xoxo, Kara C:





Monday, August 3, 2009

WE MADE IT!

Well, we both made it through the day without crying! ha:)I kind of had a hard day on Saturday...I was just sad all day!  But, we got up and got dressed and went to my parents' house and visited with them and my grandmother and sweet Maddie and that made the day MUCH better.  Then, I dreaded today all day on Sunday, so as I went to bed, I really, really prayed about it.  I prayed for strength, peace, and patience.  I thanked Him for having such a wonderful job to go back to.  And, when I got up this morning, I was like, "I'm going to be okay...I'm not going to cry!"  And, I didn't...I didn't even feel like I needed to! ha:)  And, I'm soooo glad.  Brandon brought Harper to town and met me for lunch and that broke up the day a little bit....so I'm also thankful that my husband has a job with a flexible schedule!

I just wanted to give everyone a little update and let you all know that I made it through the day just fine and Mimi said that Harper was perfect....didn't whimper once!  So, we all had a great day!  yay:)  

On another note, I just went last Thursday and had my hair done and I still can't decide if I love it.  I wanted a change, but didn't want to cut it all off again since I've been trying to let it grow out.  So, she changed the color up just a little doing it a little darker and adding chunkier caramel streaks and more red as well.  BUT, we also cut bangs and that's the part I'm unsure of.  I think I like them.....do you like it better with or without the bangs? (without is easier! lol)

xoxo, Kara C:

Pure cuteness!

Well, she did it again.....Andi just made Madelyn's 18=month photos, and as usual, they are FABULOUS!But, she had a beautiful model of course! :)  Just wanted to share a cute baby with you to start off your Monday!
xoxo, Kara C:

Saturday, August 1, 2009

A day in the life of a teacher...

Well I have been a busy bee this week trying to get my classroom ready for school to start! It's a dreaded subject this weekend at the Fuston home, but I've put it off this long so I figured I better do it little by little to get it the way I wanted it. So, I went a few hours each day and worked and I feel a little bit better about it now. I thought I'd take a few pics so I could show everyone what I look at everyday at my job.....and I have to admit, it's not too bad! ha:)
Here's looking in my door from the hallway! I love how bright and colorful everything looks. Even though I teach 8th grade, I think they still enjoy having a bright and cheery classroom to come in to.This is the podium at the very front of my room (ignore all the cleaning supplies laying on top!) lol  The small board is where I write their topics for their daily journal writing and the word and quote of the week.This is looking at the front of the classroom.  I am adding our word wall underneath the larger board with all of the state vocabulary words.  The pink board to the right is where the students pick up their make-up work when they are absent and the computer is hooked up to our flat screen TV and is where we show power points, Brain Pop, etc.  I'm in LOVE with our new TV's!This is the side of the room you see when you walk in.  This is where they store their journals and turn in their assignments.  The class collages are something that I started my first year teaching and they're something the students really enjoy.  I take lots of magazines (hence the big gray tub) and they go through them and pick out things that they like.  I then make all of their photos and attach them to the middle and then they hang up all year and I send them home at the end of the year.Here's an example of what their collages may look like!  This is something that I always enjoyed doing, so I make one as an example for them to look at.  Now all I need is a picture...This is the other side of the room.  It's where the calendar , rules, and table of contents are located.  It's also the motivational side of my room.  I also have a place to put newspaper clippings for when they are in the paper for something.  Also, the far right side is my "All About Me" board.  This is something that our principal requires us to do.  It's a place for us to put up anything that is about us and our interests.  The kids really enjoy looking at these throughout the year....and I had to do a lot of updating to mine this year! I had to add all the new pics of my baby girl up there.....Then this is the back of the classroom.  It's my reading area and this year, I moved the desks under the bulletin board as a place for students to do make-up assignments or tests.  (Also, where the zebra pillow is laying is where my other hot pink chair goes!)Then, this is my desk area and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!  I have my own little space and I love how it's kinda closed off from the rest of the classroom.Here's behind the desk....I still have to put up some new pics on my fridge and hang my other little bulletin board and add pics to it as well.Overall, I love the way my classroom looks.  I try to make it a place where I enjoy spending time and where my kids won't hate to come! ha:)  If you're a teacher (Sunday school, preschool....whatever), I'd love to see your classrooms too!  It may give me some ideas for next year!  Link up to this post and let's share!
Also, don't forget to enter the giveaway if you haven't already!  I just love seeing all the comments on that post so I may have to do giveaways more often! ha:)  Remember it's over Thursday and Harper will draw a winner on Friday!  
Hope everyone is having a great weekend!
xoxo, Kara C: