Another fabulous photo session...

So for several years now, I've been wanting to do a big group family photo w/ my family! Since there are babies on both sides now, I figured what time would be better? WRONG! Trying to take a group photo w/ 2 babies is nearly impossible. About the time one would start smiling the other would start crying! Looking back, it really is kinda comical, but that day.....IT.WAS.NOT! lol We threw leaves in the air, brought Mickey himself to life, held fuzzy kittens.....we did it all! However, Andi was still able to get some good photos. My parents are going to use a group photo for their Christmas cards this year, so I was so glad at least a few turned out well! Here's a sneak peak of what's to come....My beautiful parents...Our sweet little family...My brother's sweet family...And of course, the girls....I don't know how life ever felt complete w/ out these two beauties!   Our life is so, so blessed in so many ways!  

The Lord has done great things for us and we are filled with joy. Psa. 126:3

xoxo, Kara C:

Harper's 1st trick-or-treating extravaganza!!

Wow!  I didn't realize what Halloween was all about, but I really racked up on my first Halloween!  We left around 11-ish that day and returned late, late that night!  We started off in our town and went to see daddy's family first!  Mommy thought it was so funny to see me riding in my car seat w/ my costume on...Our first stop was at Mimi, Grandad, and Aunt Randi's house...(sorry Gdad and Mimi, but the good pix with ya'll is on Auntie's camera!)Then we were off to see the grandmothers in McMinnville.  We also ran by Uncle A's house and he was so surprised that I was all dressed up!  He thought I was just going to have on a pumpkin hat! HA:)  He must not know my mommy too well! lol

After we left McMinnville, we headed toward Woodbury to pick up Granna.  Then we went to Lascassas to see NaNean and my Aunt Maxine, Uncle Ricky, Emily, and Nathan!  They were all getting dressed up to go to a Halloween party and I wasn't too sure what to think of them!NaNean thought I was the cutest little pumpkin she had ever seen!  We stayed and visited with her for a little while and I had so much fun laughing at her and rolling around in the floor!After that, we came back to Woodbury and caught my Aunt Kim, Maddie's granny, and my special Aunt Ang!They were all so excited to see me.....and I was Aunt Angela's first trick-or-treater of the night!  She had me a special bag of goodies made and momma was laughing because she said only teachers would give out pencils as Halloween treats!  Momma must have done that before too! ha:)  

After all my visiting, we headed back to Poppa and Granna's to relax!  They were so glad to finally get their hands on me....so much so that everyone forgot to take a picture of me and Maddie together in our costumes! :(Oh well....I guess we have many more years for that!  Since we got home so late that night, momma got me all dressed up again the next day and made my picture with all my goodies and my cute jack-o-latern!  

Momma and Daddy kept telling everyone that I am rotten...whatever that means!  I just know I got tons of fun things that I can't wait to get my hands on!  Hope everyone else had a wonderful Halloween too!  Love you! 

Harper :)

Harper's first Halloween party

So our good friends, Tommy and Erin, always throw a huge Halloween party for all of Annabella's friends.  And this year, we got to go!  I was so excited to dress Harper all up and take her to her 1st Halloween party!  She was so cute and had such a good time!I bought her costume last November when I was less than 2 months pregnant! ha:)  I was blog hopping and found where a lady bought her daughter's costume at a killer price and when I visited the website, I saw this pumpkin and fell head over hills!  It retailed for over $40 and I bought it for $6.99!!  Can't beat that...and I thought it'd be perfect for a boy or girl!  And, in my opinion, it turned out pretty darn cute....All the kiddos were dressed up so sweet, and everywhere you looked, you saw a princess of some kind! :)  Annabella was dressed up as her favorite person...ArielWasn't she gorgeous?  Halloween night she wore a big red wig w/ pigtails and it was about the cutest, funniest thing I've ever laid my eyes on!  I'm so glad her and Harper will get to grow up together and be best friends.  She is so sweet w/ Harper and we are so thankful to have such good friends!

Speaking of good, Erin throws the best parties!  She just goes all out and all the little details make it awesome!  Here are some of the other guests....
The sweets table...And these were some of my favorites!  She made cupcakes w/ ghosts on top and these owls....are they not to die for?  They are moon pies, the eyes are oreos!!!!  How cute is that?

We loved it all!  

We had an AWESOME Halloween!  I'm not usually a big fan of Halloween, but it was so fun this year!  We carved pumpkins, went trick-or-treating....it was so much fun!  I guess you get to be a little bit of kid yourself when you have kids!  Life is great!

Look what we did tonight...

Oooohhh...it makes my heart S-A-D!! My baby girl is getting so big!! And, of course I want her to grow...just not so quickly! :(

Goodnight! I'm going to go snuggle w/ my sweetie pie before she leaves for college! ha:)

xoxo, Kara

Making my heart melt...

All of you mommas out there know that it's the smallest things that make your heart melt. I have a hard time leaving my baby to go to work...e.v.e.r.y.d.a.y!!!!! Seriously!!!! But, it does make coming home that much better. However, I've also noticed that NOTHING gets done when I get home....no papers are graded, no bills are paid, no cleaning gets done...it's pitiful really! ha:) I do the laundry, but that's about it other than just picking up from time to time!

But, this is what I do instead......

Hadn't everyone rather do that than silly chores! ha:)

Please excuse the way I look...but I had to share the cuteness with everyone! And yes, she IS that happy all the time!

Hope everyone is having a fabulous week!

xoxo, Kara C:

Pure happiness, pure bliss....the blessings of being a parent!

I got this in an email from a friend and just had to share....enjoy! :)

Job Description of a Parent

POSITION: Mom, Mommy, Mama, Ma Dad, Daddy, Dada, Pa, Pop

JOB DESCRIPTION: Long term, team players needed, for challenging, permanent work in an often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24-hour shifts on-call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities! Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES : The rest of your life. Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, until someone needs $5. Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf.
Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets, and stuck zippers. Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars, and coordinate production of multiple homework projects. Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks. Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next. Must handle assembly and product-safety-testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices. Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.. Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product. Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work through out the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION: None. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE : None required, unfortunately. On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION: Get this: You pay them! Offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS: While no health or dental insurance , no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays, and no stock options are offered, this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth, unconditional love, and free hugs and kisses for life, if you play your cards right.
Forward this on to all the PARENTS you know,
in appreciation for everything they do on a daily basis, letting them know they are appreciated for the fabulous job they do... or forward with love to anyone thinking of applying for the job.

And as a Footnote:
THERE 's NO RETIREMENT ---- EVER!!

Mama's 50th surprise birthday party

Technically, my mom doesn't turn 50 until this Saturday....BUT we always do a fall family cookout at their house, but this year we (me and my SIL) were in charge because we wanted to use it as the opportunity to do a surprise party for her!  BUT she's like me and super nosey....so of course she caught on before we could completely pull it off....but we still kept her in the dark until almost time for the party!  Oh well...we were able to get some people there that she didn't expect, so at least that was a surprise.  It turned off to be very cool outside that weekend, but we still had a good crowd and a good time.  We had planned on doing a hayride, but then decided we probably wouldn't do it since it was so cold...but instead, we left out at 9:30 and just drove VERY slowly!  Don't worry....Harper and I (and several others) rode inside! lol  That's as much of a hayride as she needs right now!

She was really surprised at how much we went into decorating a fall cookout at a barn, but we had to go all out for a party!  There were many people who worked behind the scenes and helped me pull everything together....you know who you are...and THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU soooooooo much!!!  I could not have done it without you!  So, with that, here are some pics......

The overall look.....Close up of the awesome pumpkin centerpiece Brandon carved...Decor at the ends of the table....(check out those huge ferns from Mama and Daddy's house!  I wish I had a green thumb like that)....The sign in table w/ her card and all of her baby pix that Daddy snuck out to me....Her carrot spice cupcakes (carrot cake is her fave), vanilla, and chocolate cupcakes courtesy of Miss Paula...The A-W-E-S-O-M-E dessert table w/ lots of yummie goodies...A VERY special gift handmade by some great friends that go to church with them...Isn't it gorgeous??  I'm telling you...this guy can do anything!  He's going to build the playhouse and play set for our kiddos one day!  He's awesome!

And, last but not least, I'll leave you with one last photo of my husband's awesome carving skills!  The pumpkin looked so good lit up at night...Happy 50th Birthday Mama (aka Granna)!!  Thanks for everything you do for us and for always thinking about us!  We love you!

Brandon, Kara, and Harper Claire

Harper....how are you already 4 months old???

I know I have said it time and time again...but where on Earth does time go? This is miserable!! Brandon and I find ourselves asking where the past 4 months of our lives have gone? It has truly been the most rewarding and best 4 months of our lives, but it's bittersweet in that it is passing by WAY too quickly! With that being said, we feel so blessed and so, so fortunate to have the sweetest, cutest, good-natured four month old we've ever seen! ha:) (We're not biased AT ALL!) Harper is such a good baby....so much that I told Brandon I'm almost afraid to have anymore because I know they'll probably be completely different than her! She is just so precious!

So, what is Harper up to these days......

1. She still wears a size 1 diaper (same as when she came home from the hospital).

2. She wears 3-6 month clothes...and most 6 mons. are too big.

3. She weighs 14 lbs. 10 oz. and is 25 1/4 in. long.

4. She smiles, coos, and tries to talk ALL the time.

5. She is getting her own little personality and can squeal at the top of her lungs....it makes me laugh histerically!

6. She is rolling e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e!!!

7. She now sleeps on her tummy, with her hands underneath her body, and her little booty straight up in the air...it really is the cutest thing I've ever seen!

8. She is really starting to take to her pacis, or su su as we call it, and she loves it when she naps or sleeps...but the rest of the time she couldn't care less!

9. She is such a good cuddler and loves sleeping w/ mommy....Momma loves it too! :)

10. She takes anywhere from 3-5 bottles a day. Her morning bottle is 7oz. and the rest of them are 6oz. We haven't started any cereal, juice, or baby food yet....don't know when I will....but it probably won't be too far in the future! We'll just wait and see! She's happy and healthy and I just hate to mess w/ anything right now!

11. She loves to be talked to and played with.

12. She loves to lay down and she loves TV!

13. She loves music and loves to be sang to...when we're at church singing, she just stares and smiles at the song leader! It's so sweet!

14. She's a good traveler and shopper....she just sleeps and lets mommy do what she needs to do! What more could you ask for?


We are soooooo blessed and thank God everyday for such a wonderful blessing from above. We don't know what we did to deserve to be this sweet baby's parents, but we sure are thankful he chose us to raise her and we can just hope and pray that we can raise her in a healthy, Christian household that God sees fit for her!

Hope you're all having a great week! Aren't you loving this weather?

xoxo, Kara C:

Blogging hiatus and LOTS of firsts...

WOW!! WHERE HAVE I BEEN FOR ALMOST A MONTH???? I can't believe it's been so long since I blogged...I feel terrible. People have been texting, emailing, and coming up to me asking why I haven't been blogging. Well friends, let me just tell you, I have been one B-U-S-Y little girl since I last posted! For starters, we didn't have the internet for over a week because our router went out, then we were out of town for 4 days, then one week was completely consumed w/ dinners and meetings every.single.night.....then, I planned a surprise party for my mama's 50th birthday, had student-led conferences until 9pm one night, and had to be back at work at 8am for inservice the next day....oh yeah, and Fall Break fell in to all of that too! WHEW! It's definitely been a complete whirlwind around here the last few weeks.....but it's been fun! So, sorry for the lack of blogging...but as you can see....I've been completely consumed!

First off, I want to start by sharing something special that happened at our house on Wednesday, October 7th.....it actually happened in the morning and I wasn't able to document it the first time it happened, but I caught her later that week! I left Harper playing in the floor like this...And when I returned, I found this....YES, SHE IS ROLLING OVER! And over, and over, and over!!! She's a rolling machine now! And, on Saturday, she even rolled on over to return to her back! WOW! When did she get old enough to do all this stuff? lol And now, she's sleeping on her stomach! AHHH....I know....step back moms....it's okay! I panicked too at first, but I just wake up every hour or two and feel of her to make sure she's breathing! As a matter of fact, now she lays on her belly with her hands underneath her, and puts her little booty up in the air! SO presh! :)

While we were on our mini-vacation, I laid her down the correct way at night, and when I woke up the next morning, this is how I found her....

.....hahaha...she definitely can get herself into some positions now. Sometimes she even wakes herself up because she roots herself to the top of her pack and play and hits her head! lol She cracks me up!

Also, during our Fall Break, we went on our first little family vacation to Gatlinburg w/ our great friends Tommy, Erin, and Annabella and we had a blast!!!  Harper is such a good traveler and I think she even had a great time!  Her and Annabella get along so well and Annabella is so good w/ her!  She is such a little mother hen and it's the cutest thing you've ever seen!  She'll say, "Kara, Harper is spitting out milk!" or "Kara, Harper has a poopy diaper! LOL  It's so sweet!  

During our trip, we did a lot of fun things and had MANY eventful moments....many to say the least.  For starters, after we got in our cabin on Sunday night, we decided to go eat in Gatlinburg and walk the streets for a while.  So, Brandon and I found a good little hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant up there during our last trip, so we decided to take them there.  It was so yummy too!  Then we just loaded the girls up in their strollers and headed out.  We walked in and out of many little shops and just had a great time!  Want to hear something crazy....while we were in one little baby shop, I met a little boy named Knox!!!  How weird is that?  I've never known of another baby w/ that name until I chose it several years ago, then Angelina Jolie named her son that!  Oh well....he was a doll baby!  And, I can't wait to see what our little Knox will look like one day!  So anyway...back to our story, after a little shopping, we decided it was time to head back to the cabin.  So as we got back to our car, parked right in the middle of downtown Gatlinburg by the way, the boys were loading up, and  Erin and I were packing up the strollers and she started  saying, "Get in the car!"  I was like well what is it? LOL  I looked up toward the street and saw nothing.....then she was like, "There's a bear!!!"  And, boy was there ever.....right there in the middle of the parking lot walking right toward us!  I believe that's the quickest I have ever folded up that big stroller and thrown it in a vehicle.  Then, her and B decided to stand outside and see who could get better pics of it....here's a sample of what we saw! (Sorry for the quality but it's a cell pic!)This was no small bear!  It was just hungry and went right up to the dumpsters behind the restaurant to look for food....but oh goodness....it was so scary!  We can all laugh about it now, but at the time it was NOT funny! lol

So, after all that excitement, we had a fun-filled, packed day on Monday.  We got up and ate breakfast and then headed to Dollywood and it was the first time for both of the girls to go!  Annabella loved everything and Harper got to ride the carousel for the first time...We had so much fun and saw some wonderful shows!  It kinda drizzled all day, so we looked a little rough before we left, but we still had to stop for a group photo for the memory books...Then after leaving Dollywood, we had tickets, thanks to my in-laws and their buddies, to the Dixie Stampede that night!  We've been once before and I didn't love it, but I truly enjoyed it this time.  However, I did take my own spoon so that I didn't have to eat w/ my hands and I think that helped the situation a lot! ha:)  The girls had a ball!!!!  Annabella and Harper could not take their eyes off of everything going on...it was so cute!

Before the show started, we went out front and, of course, had to have a little photo session...and I'm so glad we did!  I think they turned out so cute!  I love this group photo of us all........and a little family photo........one of the little one (sitting up like a big girl).......and one of the girls sitting on one of the displays....There is such a funny story behind this picture....Annabella was NOT so sure about the whole straw horse or fake cowboy and she just screamed at the top of her lungs....I was afraid she was about to throw Harper off and jump off herself!  I was there trying to convince her it was okay...but this was the best we could do....oh well!  It's still super cute and still a great memory!

Overall, we had a great time and we spent the next whole day shopping, shopping, shopping...which equals fun, fun, fun for Erin and I!  Whoo hoo....we had a ball and did lots of Christmas shopping!

So, sorry for the long delay...I promise to never go that long again without blogging!  Thanks for sticking around to see what we've been up to!

And, I'll leave you with an adorable picture that I hope brightens your day as much as it can brighten mine! :)More to come.....

xoxo, Kara C:

I am on a winning streak....

Seriously, I NEVER win anything.  There could be 3 people enter for 2 prizes and I wouldn't win!  lol  And then a friend of mine wins everything!  She's won concert tickets on the radio and she even won my giveaway w/ 40+ entries....I wish I had an ounce of that luck some days! ha:)

Anyway, recently I have won 2 blog giveaways.  First I won Bethany's giveaway for an awesome birthday banner....I can NOT wait to hang this up at Harper's birthday party....well actually I can...I'm not anywhere ready for her to be one, but I do love the cute decor I'm going to have! lol  It is so, so cute in person and it's something that can be used for many birthdays so I was super duper excited.  Bethany makes awesome, unique jewelry, appliques, and super cute things that are so trendy right now!  She's just added this line, and I think she's going to do awesome w/ it as well.

Then, last week, I won Jenna's giveaway for a necklace from Elegant Designs.....I am soooooooo excited!  I haven't decided yet what I'm going to put on it, but I can't wait to see how it turns out.  Natasha makes beautiful jewelry and awesome, I mean super gorgeous cakes!  You should check her out!  So, I know my necklace will be extraordinary!

Just thought I'd share a little luck I was having......

xoxo, Kara