ROUND 'N ROUND AT THE FAIR

We were at the fair for hours tonight and had a great time. The big{ger} kids were ecstatic to be at the fair, and Carter was astonished at all of the lights, sounds and smells. He barely said a word the entire time. His eyes were as big as saucers and he was a perfect angel the whole time.

There were so many people there. Many times we were elbow-to-elbow with total strangers as we made our way through the crowd. I knew that it would be this way and I was nervous that I would lose him in the throngs of people. Before we left on our adventure, I created tags that were taped to the back of Carter's shirt and placed into one of his shoes. The tags stated his name and who to call if he should become lost.

We got to see the tiger and dog shows, as well as a glimpse of the pig races. We went into the Swine, Goat and Sheep barn. Carter called all of the goats "dog-dogs." So funny! He was in "dog-dog heaven." When we got to the cow barn, he slithered under the bar and out of his stroller. He landed on his bum onto the icky barn floor which was covered in dirty hay/manure. Eeewww!!!  At the animal petting barn, Carter was very brave. He wanted to feed and touch all of the animals. (Last year when we went to the Apple Festival, Carter cried when the animals got too close. He's grown up a lot in one year's time.)

Throughout our time at the fair, other families kept giving us their tickets as they were leaving and we got to ride a number of rides. Carter rode with me in the front seat in the Jalopy Race. We also rode the Ferris Wheel. I had his "dog leash/harness" on him with the "tail" wrapped around my wrist. I sat in the center of the Ferris Wheel cab and Carter was standing between my clenched knees. I was not going to lose my baby up there! I also rode the Twirl-A-Whirl, Cobra and the swings. Carter had his first taste of a Funnel Cake. As we were leaving the fair, the sky was illuminated with fireworks. It was the perfect ending to an amazing night.

Update: Last night Carter fell asleep before the car even pulled out of the parking lot. It is 12:00 p.m. on Sunday and he is still sleeping. He has NEVER slept this late. I can hear him making little noises on the baby monitor so I know he's still breathing, lol. He lost one shoe last night and he only had one pair to begin with. Now he has nothing to wear to church or daycare. I guess I'm going to have to his a kid's store today. He'll have to go shoeless until then. 

Second Update: Carter slept today (Sunday) until 3:00 p.m. He's never slept this late - NEVER!!! I had to finally go in there and wake him up because I was starting to freak out that maybe he had died in there or something, lol.

"RING AROUND THE ROSIE"

Carter’s little friends in school are so darling. Since the children are older one year olds/early twos, they still look so babyish, pudgy and cute. Some of them are better talkers then the others.

Anyway, this morning when we arrived, they were all spinning around in circles and collapsing on the area rug in laughter. There were three words that all of them could speak and were easily recognizable, “….ashes…ashes…down!” After they fell to the floor, they all got back up and repeated the process. Their legs are still so short that they don’t have very far to fall, lol.

Carter was so eager to join them he didn't have time for a goodbye hug or kiss from me. He loves being a "big boy."

IN THE STILL OF THE EVENING

I was rocking Carter tonight in his bedroom which had a little bit of light shining through. I was tickling him and both of us were laughing. Then things got really quiet, so I decided to pray out loud because I think it is good to live by example. He was being so unusually quiet and still that I decided to take a little peek to see what he was doing. To my astonishment, he had his head bowed and his chubby little hands clasped together. It was a solemn, sweet moment. I never want to forget these little moments between the two of us.

My simple prayer tonight went something like this:

"Heavenly Father, thank you for answering my prayers and giving Carter to me. He is the perfect baby for me. I pray that you would help me to be the mother and Christian that you would have me to be. Help me to serve you Lord. I want to become an example for Carter of what a Christian should be. Help me to be consistent, loving and kind to my little boy. Lord I pray that Carter would accept you as his personal Savior at an early age and that he will serve you all the days of his life. Thank you for answering my prayers and for blessing my life. In Jesus Christ's name I pray, Amen."

Wilson and I have been praying with Carter since he was a newborn. He is learning to be quiet and reverent - that is until we get to the end of our prayer when he loudly states, "Maymen!!!"(aka amen). This is his favorite part and the way he says it so matter-of-factly is just too adorable.