Monday Carter Edition #75~Celebrate Good Times

Monday Carter would like to share one of her recent firsts. Last weekend we headed to Boerne for Carter's very first dance recital. Here is our little shining star as she took the stage (she was just a little nervous)...

But also very excited about her first performance...

And the fact that she got to wear a little make-up...

Which made her look just a little too grown up if you ask me...

We had so much fun watching her perform with the rest of her class...

After their routine we headed outside to enjoy the festivities. Horseback riding...

Emme even got to have a turn...

A Petting Zoo...

and Carter did some jumping...

We had a great afternoon watching our munchkin' and spending time together...

It's my favorite way to pass a Saturday!

Family

Today is all about being thankful. I could come up with hundreds of things I am blessed by but today the one thing on my mind is family. It is the logical choice to top my list. These three people mean more to me than anything in the world...





The love I feel for them is the most beautiful thing that has ever happened to me. And today that is something to truly be thankful for...that and my moms chocolate pie. Happy Thanksgiving!

Biscuits & Honey

Life can be busy. Even when it doesn't have to be I think I have a way of buzzing around and making it seem busy.

So this morning while Emerson was taking a nap, Carter and I had a rare moment. We sat down at the table together for biscuits and honey, just the two of us. We chatted about all the major things going on in her life. Like her recent dance recital and how much she loved performing. She told me about how they traveled as a class down the stairs and out onto the stage. When I asked her if she felt important she said, "No, I just felt prepared." Our conversation then moved on to how she wants to be a farmer when she grows up. I've known this for a while now, but this morning she shared her vision with me. She told me that she would start small and learn how to feed the animals and then move on to the hard stuff like milking a cow. But, the thing that I felt most enlightened by was when she shared with me that someday she would be 80, and she would not longer be my baby. Her exact words, "I won't be a baby anymore, I'll be a little grandmother." Precious.

As I sat and soaked up every little word that came out of her mouth I remembered that sometimes I need to buzz a little less and listen a little more. I remembered how absolutely nuts I am about her and everything that comes out of her mouth. And while I didn't have the heart to correct her I know that even when she's an eighty year old grandmother she'll still be my baby.

DIY~Hello, My name is Turkey Leg.

Okay, I ran across this idea on one of my favorite sites OhDeeDoh. I love the idea of a full blown kids table but at this point Carter is the only kid "eating" Thanksgiving so it's really not necessary. I was pretty smitten with the turkey-leg-place-cards so we decided to make them for our table on Thursday. I had to share because they are super simple and really cute! Carter and I had a lot of fun "crafting" together this afternoon. The cast of characters...

See, really not much to them. And all you do is tuck the corners of the sack, stuff it with newspaper, and glue the white "bone" heart to the end. Add some fun stickers for names...

And voila!

I think they would add a little whimsy to any meal and are bound to make everyone smile...

Just make sure your guests have an appetizer to snack on, you don't want them eating their name tag!

Beautiful People

There are a couple of new beautiful people hanging out over at my photography blog...

Check them out!

Monday Carter Edition #74~Fairy Dust

Monday Carter had a visit from someone very special this weekend. Let's just say we "lost" something Saturday morning...


We were all a little surprised, but as you all know, the best part about losing a tooth is looking forward to a visit from a certain fairy...


Carter placed her tooth in a tiny box (to make things a little easier for her fairy). And we are happy to report that not only did the Tooth Fairy pay her a visit...




She also left a little "fairy dust" behind...




Not quite enough to fly with (I know this only because Carter quickly tried to sprinkle as much as she could all over herself and attempted to take off)...




She's sporting a sweet little snaggle tooth grin...



I think we've got lots of fairy dust in our near future.

Workin' Maintenance

Have you ever had one of those "mommy days"? The days where you kinda' wanna' pull your hair out because you are wiping up something sticky off your floor for the 100th time? Sweeping every five minutes because cheerios just magically seem to appear out of nowhere? Loading the dishwasher...again? Fighting the mountain of laundry that could give Everest a run for its money? Yeah, me too.

Just keeping it real I've been know to do battle with myself over the day in and day outness (yes I know that's not a word) of being a "stay-at-home mom". I've wondered as I repeat the same tasks over and over, "How would one keep this job fresh and exciting??" And frankly I've drawn a blank. I was telling my bible study group this week how I sometimes think back to what I envisioned staying home with my kids looking like...ie: daily crafts, picnics at the park, playing with dolls, dressing up, games etc. And while yes, we do all of these things, we definitely do not do all of these things everyday. Because somewhere in my ethereal dream of motherhood I forgot about the part where my house would get messy. Or my five year old would drop a glass jar full of jelly. Or my 10 month old would get poop all over...oh never mind you get the point.

So a couple of weeks ago I was chatting with Nate about my lack of motivation to do the same things over and over everyday and he said something that changed my life. Are you ready? He said, "You just have to think of it this way babe...it's like you're working maintenance."

And then I hit him.

Just kidding.

It actually really resonated with me. I suddenly looked at things in a whole new light. I think part of my problem had been that I somehow resented things for needing to be done over and over and over again. Instead of expecting them to need to be done over and over and over again. Realizing that it isn't the dishes (or any one's) fault that they are dirty again has been rather enlightening. This is just the way life works. A vicious cycle of routine and yes, it's my job to clean it up! I am after all MAINTENANCE MOM (que cheesy superhero music). And one other thing...I've decided if I'm going to take this whole maintenance thing seriously I really need a uniform. It would make me feel way more official....

'

With Christmas around the corner these bad boys are definitely at the top of my list!

DIY~"T-H-A-N-K-S" Banner

This idea is by no means an original, but I thought I would share our recent afternoon craft. With Thanksgiving upon us I knew I wanted to do some sort of activity that would encourage Carter to think about the things she is grateful for. We decided to make a "T-H-A-N-K-S" banner. We created the letters together and I then gave her one strip of paper for each letter to write something she was thankful for on. The first few were things I had expected would make the list like Emme (she loves her sweet baby sister)...

Daddy (there is no doubt he is her favorite guy in the whole world)...

Mom (thank goodness she didn't forget me :)...

and then one that surprised me a little but made my heart happy...

and just to keep me on my toes there was this (the one thing I really don't need anymore of around here is poop and pee so we are constantly debating on this subject)...

The finished product has been hanging in our dining room and I have really enjoyed being reminded to be thankful for so many of the wonderful things in our life...

I know a couple of little people that are at the top of my list...

To be together and to call each other family...

We are so very blessed.

Monday Carter Edition #73~My Trusty Assistant

Monday Carter is turning into quite the little helper. Yesterday I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to take a few photos of an adorable little 18 months old. Like most toddlers she was very busy exploring and taking in her environment. We were doing our best to get her to smile and that's when Carter began dragging her around on a blanket. Who knew but it just so happens that if you need an 18 month old to go into a fit of giggles dragging them around on a blanket is just what the Doctor ordered! If you want to see the products of our little photo shoot feel free to hop on over to my new blog. I had so much fun snapping away and couldn't have done it without my trusty little assistant!


I'll be posting photos from upcoming sessions there throughout the holidays so feel free to check back!

Hug a Veteran

Don't you just know that the men and women who serve or have served could use a nice big hug?! Nothing says "THANK YOU" like a squeeze around the neck. I think we should all band together and make sure those Vet's get a hug! I'll take care of this guy...

Now go find yours!! Leave a comment with who you hug and how they've served, should be fun right? Take it a step further and post about your Vet (and encourage others to hug one too), feel free to use the image below on your own blog...

A great BIG thank you to all the awesome people who have served and serve everyday. Freedom is a beautiful thing.

Just a thought...

With Christmas around the corner I know I've got what to give on my mind! One of the things that makes such a wonderful present (I know it's become a staple item for me, especially for grandparents) is a great framed photo of your family and kiddo's.

I have found that I really enjoy life on the other side of a camera lens. So for anyone out there who is local to me (San Antonio area, with a weekend or two in Abilene coming up) I would be more than happy to snap your family. I'm not thrilled at the thought of the printing process so you would receive a disc with all of your photos and they would be yours to print, email, and use in whatever way you see fit! The cost for a session and CD would be $100.

It's just a thought, but if anyone is interested please feel free to email me at beth@bethsaxton.com.

Happy Gift Hunting!

Monday Carter Edition #72~Run Forest Run

Monday Carter here with a little weekend re-cap. Saturday I woke up bright and early and headed to the hill country to run my very first 1K...

I was really excited and took some of my favorite people with me...

My dad is a runner like me and he took the 5K by storm...


While my mom made it more of a walking affair (but she got the job done)...


They wouldn't let Emme crawl the course so she opted to ride in the stroller...


I ran my hardest and was so proud and excited to finish, everyone was cheering and giving me a high fives...


And when it was all over I even got a medal, how cool is that?!


But the best part is that is was all for a really good cause and I'm so happy that some kids will have a new home thanks to all that running! I'm also pretty proud of my Aunt Kim for devoting her time and energy to making it all happen. She's one of my most favorite people in the whole world...

My mom was really proud of me and said maybe next year I'll be ready for the 5K...

The family that runs together stays together!!