Sometimes When It's Really Hot Outside...

... and there's no school, girls just need to go to the mall and find some entertainment.  Today was one of those days.  We browsed in the bookstore and looked at all of the Halloween stuff that is already all over the shelves in the gift shops.  Sophie and Emma squashed any doubts that they are true girly girls by squealing with delight at all of the autumn-themed-fragranced lotions in Bath and Body Works.  They also had their first ever Dairy Queen Blizzard and had their picture drawn in one of those automated photo booths...

Pretty cute, actually.

I feel like such an American spending the afternoon at the mall.  It is funny to see the kinds of things my kids are excited about since they have been USA-deprived for the last five years.  Sophie, for example, is dying to go to Taco Bell since she has never been there.  Both girls are totally impressed with the fact that one can buy a ready-made pie crust in an American grocery store (which I did today).  Crazy, right?  Hopefully we will get out to the blueberry and apple farms later this week and put those pie crusts to good use.

Happy last week of summer vacation... it's the last week for us anyway.  We are savoring our last week without early morning wake-up calls and school obligations.

Eek...right now Emma and Sophie are taking turns holding Lili's hand and helping her walk around the office.  Ugh!  Say it ain't so!

Baby-Proofing the Third Time Around

Okay, so it is beyond time to baby-proof this house.  Above Lili is pictured helping herself to a raw potato from the cupboard.  Hey, a girl's gotta eat!   With so much going on, we are only just getting around to installing the annoying but necessary cabinet latches.  Lili, my favorite little curious and persistent imp, you  have scattered the contents of my cupboards all over the kitchen floor for the last time... I hope.

"Hey! Hey, Dad! What'cha Doin'??"

"Can I help??  This is so exciting!  I want to draw something too!"

"I'm really good with power tools.  Just leave me to it!"

"Hey! What the heck is this??  I know there are a lot of things in there that ought to be all over the floor!  Why can't I get in?"

My dear, you have been foiled by your clever Dad and Mom.  Now if only we could install child-safety latches on the teenage boys who come calling in a few years.

Baby's First Ear Infection

Today, in an attempt to be ironic, I dressed Lili in a cheerful yellow t-shirt which reads, "Make Every Day Happy."  The shirt looks especially fabulous when it is being worn by a moaning child with snot bubbling out of both nostrils.  After two unbearable nights with Lili thrashing about and yowling in our bed with us, I decided it was time to go and see our wonderful new pediatrician.  I just had one of those "Mama Feelings;"  I knew it was an ear infection before the otoscope even got involved.

Dr. G. says that waiting almost eleven months to have her first round of antibiotics as a third-born child is a pretty remarkable feat.  Nevertheless I am disappointed.  I am, of course, planning to follow doctor's orders and am looking forward to having my cheerful Lili-pie back on the scene again soon!!

On another note, there is absolutely no problem with her growth.  She weighs just over 20 pounds, which I believe to be fairly average, but she is completely busting the seams on many of the 12-18 month-sized clothes that I have just bought for her.  What's up with that?  She has been mainly wearing 9-12 month clothing from the UK this summer, so I'm wondering if the sizing is very different.  She's not that big, right?  Why is my last baby determined to NOT be a baby, zooming into toddler clothes before her first birthday? 

I am depressed about the brevity of babyhood.  I also saw a Krispy Kreme truck parked outside a local Kroger store today.  It could get ugly, y'all.  I haven't had a Krispy Kreme in far too long and didn't think they were available in Michigan.  I might need to introduce my depression to a box of a dozen glazed.  Just saying.

A sad goodbye to soft footie pajamas... and a fond farewell to this little sad sack...

Feel better li'l Lil!!

Sur-prise! Sur-prise!!

What a great weekend we had!  On Thursday we were joined by Pawpaw, Barbara and Uncle David, and we were all geared up to help George ring in his fourth glorious decade on this earth.  But, first things must come first... Lili enjoyed meeting her Pawpaw for the first time ever.  She agreed with the rest of us.  That Pawpaw is one funny guy.

On Friday, George had the day off, and the gang spent a sunny afternoon playing softball and croquet in our big old Michigan yard. 

 At some point I sneaked inside and decorated the house with giant posters that the kids and I had made earlier in the week.  They looked something like this...

...and here is one created by Sophie...

Somehow I managed to successfully deceive my husband, and he was completely caught by surprise when about 15 of his friends showed up to help with the celebrating.  Yay me!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GEORGE!!!

Uncle David and I did a little cuttin' up and attempted some salsa dancing in the kitchen.

And even Lili agreed it was a great night.  The party atmosphere inspired one of her famous "cheesy grins."

A night of wild partying can certainly wear a fella' out.  Be careful where you fall asleep at our house.  You may just wake up and find that you've been decorated in a festive manner.

As for me... I am now heaving a small sigh of relief.  I am glad I no longer have to tell my husband little white lies.  No more surprises for a while, gang.

Emma's Got a Brand New 'Do

Sophie and Emma went to the fancy hair salon this week to get haircuts before school starts so that they won't start the year being called "those scraggly Carson kids."  In Wales the girls had their hairs cut by our lovely friend, Rhian, who was a mobile hairdresser and would come to our home.  So having a haircut out at a salon and being offered a glass of Sprite while they waited was a hugely exciting novelty for those two.

Around 10 months or so ago, I "strongly encouraged" Emma to get her hair cut in a rather short bob.  With the new baby and all of my health issues, I decided that a shorter haircut for Emma would simplify things just a little, and every little bit was worth something.  Ever since then, she has bemoaned her short hair and has been growing it out.  It had finally gotten long enough to be pulled back in pony tails this summer, so I assumed Emma's haircut would be just a trim.

She's a big girl now, so I sent her back to the stylist's chair.  Emma discussed what she wanted with the hairstylist (who also happened to be our friend Kasey), and she came back to the waiting area about 20 minutes later with WHAT??  A rather short, and very cute bob.  She absolutely loves it now because it was her choice.

...More tomorrow about George's fantastic birthday weekend and surprise party.

Our (Much Needed) Day Out at Dow Gardens...

Jamie Oliver would be so pleased if he traveled up here to Midland and paid a visit to Dow Gardens.  I have found my self in a bit of a "cleaning and sorting" frenzy at home lately, and my very tolerant children have been caught up in it all.  Today when a friend called  and invited us out to have a picnic and enjoy the Children's Garden at Dow Gardens, I knew these kids (and their mom) needed a break.  So... after they finished painting the house and re-grouting the bathroom, we climbed in the mommy mobile and met our friends for a really nice afternoon out.

Having never been to Dow Gardens before, I was impressed with its sprawling beauty.  We bypassed the stream walk and the color and rose gardens (which will have to be explored on another day), and we spent most of our time in the children's garden.  Scads of happy children frolicked about, and there wasn't a swing set or a climbing frame... or a video game in sight.  What we did find were plenty of both familiar and uncommon fruits, vegetables and flowers growing in abundance.  All of our kids were eager to snap edamame, squash, tomatoes, ground cherries, eggplant and more right off the vine and sample them in their raw form.  Most of the fruit and veg got two thumbs up.  No one was particularly fond of the radish, however... although Lili really gave that radish a fair chance...

Yum?

All of the kids (and this mama) thought it was so cool to see how the food we enjoy grows.  Who knew peanuts grew under the dirt before they ended up in that jar of Skippy at the Piggly Wiggly?  (Of course, you knew since you totally paid attention that day your fourth grade teacher taught you all about George Washington Carver.)  I am constantly impressed by the fact that my kids are such adventurous tasters of produce.  I was equally impressed with our little buddy Riley after he ate three raw eggplants.  Hope your tummy's still doing okay tonight, bud...

Raw Eggplant?  Definite Yum, according to Riley.   I prefer mine covered in marinara and Parmesan cheese.  Perhaps I missing out?

No, it isn't your imagination... Lili and I were most certainly bathed in some sort of heavenly light.  Oh, happy day!

All of the kids also enjoyed pumping water from the well and watering the plants.  This was much more fun than playing Wii Sports... although, give Nintendo some time.  I bet they will come up with Wii Gardening game.  Why get your hands dirty and actually experience the earth, when you can pop in a CD and fling virtual dirt around with your Wii remote?

Cool beans.

This photo is for you, Sonia.  Are your UK pumpkins looking like Super Heroes yet?

Emma and Brennen discovered Snap Dragons and had lots of fun making the blossoms talk to each other.

Filled up with sunshine and goodness, I plan to sleep well tonight.

Sea beet wishes and chicory dreams!

Like No Time Has Passed...

The planets and the stars were aligned last week and when I was home in North Carolina for a quick, dizzying visit, so was my childhood friend Kirk "Twinkletoes" Sprinkles.  I don't have enough friends who randomly burst into song at the grocery store, and I didn't realize how much I missed the fun that he and I used to have.  It was as though no time had passed when we saw each other again after many years... except for the fact that I now have three children, lots of stretch marks and a few wrinkles.

This is what happened when I remembered that my digital camera has a video function.  I am only sorry that we ran out of memory space before the climactic conclusion of our song... for the children.

Of course I also spent lots of time visiting with family and introducing everyone to the newest little Carson...

Mimi and her grand-girls

In my grandparents' front yard in Jamestown

In bed, eating cookies... just like old times.  Thank You for Being a Friend!

As much as I enjoyed seeing the few friends and family members that we had time to squeeze in, I am glad to be back home.  Home IS where the heart is, you know.  We were so busy, I didn't even get a chance to stop by Krispy Kreme or Bill's Pizza Pub!  Something is seriously wrong with that scenario!  I also don't think I fancy travelling solo with my three children again in the very near future.  Mama needs a massage and a nap... and maybe even a drink!

"I have an answering machine in my car. It says, I'm home now. But leave a message and I'll call when I'm out." --Steven Wright :)

Just in Time For Our Travels....

I have a new backpack!!  It is so comfortable and allows me to carry a heavy load with ease.  Made by American mountaineers in Boulder, Colorado at Nap Inc., it is ergonimically fantastic and worth every penny.  I cannot wait to try out my new backpack when we all head down to North Carolina this weekend.  The best thing about it is that I am extremely confident carrying my most precious valuables inside...

Did I fool ya? 

In all seriousness, this Boba baby carrier is great.  It is made for older babies weighing 15-40 pounds, and since, sadly, the Baby Bjorn is no longer comfy on my aching shoulders with a 20 pound Lili, it was time to find a new carrier.  (Y'all know putting that mumsy little punkin in a stroller reguarly wasn't going to happen.)   I scoured the Internet for reviews on baby backpacks and was seriously impressed with Boba.  It can be worn as a backpack or front carrier.  I have worn it for long periods of time with no aches or strains (which is impressive).  Getting it off and on takes a bit of practice, but once it's on and the baby is properly in place, the comfort makes that initial awkwardness totally worthwhile.  So this one gets my vote.  Any of you mommies out there with bigger babies who still like being carried should certianly consider Boba (named such since it is made in BOulder for BAbies).

So there's my product endorsement for the month.  We are all looking forward to visiting our family and friends down South tomorrow.  I doubt the baby will be on my back the entire time since most of y'all will want to have her in your arms!!  Get the North Carolina barbeque ready for me, Momma!!

War Wounds and a Good Dose of Flouride

A couple of days ago, Sophie's glass of milk slipped out of my fingers when I tried to sweep it off the counter.  It shattered everywhere, and we did our best to sweep up all of the pieces.  Apparently we missed a few.  Sophie found one with her knee at bedtime last night.  When she stood up and screamed, I very calmly pulled the glass out of her knee (y'all would have been so proud) and called for George as I calmly mopped up the blood and applied pressure with a wet towel. 

It was a nice, small but deep, cut.  Eagle Scout George took a look at it and decided that it might need a stitch or two, so he and Sophie (in her pink doggie night gown) headed over the the emergency room.  After waiting an hour and being told that it might be another five hours before they'd even see a doctor, they decided that the stitches could wait until morning, but sleep couldn't.

So... all four of us girls got to take a little field trip to the Urgent Care clinic this morning.  The above photo shows Sophie pretending to be very nervous.  This was taken several minutes before she became ACTUALLY very nervous.  She didn't know there was going to be an injection involved to numb the area!!  Never mind, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, and she held it together pretty well.  In the end she felt like a war hero.

Here she is all bandaged up and almost ready to smile again.

Three stitches were required to close up that little wound.  Wanna see?  You kow Sophie is happy to oblige...

Later today Sophie, Emma and I all had dental appointments.  I'm sure you don't normally get all that excited about going to the dentist, but after five years in the UK, we are thrilled to have a real live American dentist again.  While I had my teeth examined and cleaned, Lili sat on my lap screeching and playing peek-a-boo with my paper "dentist bib," Sophie used the dentist's water squirter and mouth vacuum on my hair and ear, and Emma stood over me and made helpful comments like, "Ew, Mom, your gums are all bloody."  Can't wait to do that again in six months!

Here's hoping tomorrow is just slightly less full of fun!

Relax. It's the Weekend, Baby!

Relax, baby!  Take a luxurious bath.  If someone is already in the tub, convince him to let you join in the fun...

"Hey Dad, do you think I could get in on this??"

If he seems unaccomodating, just climb right on in anyway...

"Alley-oop!  Here I come!!"

Once you're in there, let the good times commence...

"Would you mind scrubbing my back with that loofa, please?"

Splash about for good measure...

"Don't get too close unless you want a shower."

Finally just let yourself go, and enjoy the moment...

"I swear those bubbles are coming from the jacuzzi jets."