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.

A WACKY TACKY FALL FESTIVAL

Our church had their annual Fall Festival today and the theme was “Wacky Tacky.” There were lots of outdoor games for the little kids to play, a face painting booth and a jumpolene. Carter went on his first hayride and managed to sneak a few handfuls of hay into his mouth before I could stop him. Everyone thought Carter was cute in his mismatched wacky-tacky outfit and they particularly loved his giraffe hat. Carter also had his face painted for the first time. This was done at the request of Hannah who begged me several times to let him get it done. Together we decided to get balloons painted on his cheek. Carter fussed a few times about being held down, but mostly he sat still while Mrs. April painted his face. For supper we had a hot dog cookout and steamy chicken stew. Late in the evening there was a bonfire; however, we didn’t spend much time outside because it was so chilly.

STROLLING DOWN MAIN

Mom, Carter and I went to the pumpkin patch this morning and afterward we went for a stroll down Main Street. Mom and I were interested in window shopping and we had been discussing taking a trip downtown for several weeks. We had a great time strolling down the sidewalk looking at the window displays and stepping inside the various stores for a closer look. 

I think that my favorite store was the candy store.  I had never been in there before and I was really impressed with how nice it was.  It was a lot like an old-timey general store complete with creaky wooden floors, old fashioned toys and handmade candy.  Yum!  Actually, I'm assuming that the candy tasted good because I didn't actually buy any.  I sure did want to though!  Carter also really liked the candy store and he flirted the whole time with the store clerk.  He thought she was so nice and I believe that she thought he was adorable in his giraffe hat and outfit. 

We had lunch in town at a little cafe called Noah's Kitchen and the food was very delicious. Mom had been wanting to eat there for some time and I'm glad that we did.  It was nice to eat in a different restaurant than we normally do and I look forward to going back there again someday.

Later on in the day we walked past the Police Department and a nice officer enthusiastically invited us to come in. He was in charge of the local DARE group and he was very excited to see us (mainly Carter who he thought was very cute). He noticed that I had a camera and he wanted me to take a picture of Carter and the pig statute. (Funny!) The officer was very nice to us and he gave Carter a Junior Police badge before we left. 

THE PUMPK'N PATCH

Mom and I got up early this morning to take Carter to the pumpkin patch at a local farm. He was very cranky throughout the whole trip, but I still managed to get some cute pictures. Farmer Bodenheimer even gave Carter a little pumpkin "just his size." I tried to dress Carter appropriately for these pictures and even put the newsboy hat on him that I just purchased at The Children's Place. After we left the pumpkin patch, we had breakfast at Biscuitville wherein Carter caked himself with a jelly biscuit courtesy of my mother. (Ha! Ha! Thanks Mom! LOL...) Once we finished eating, we went home and cleaned Carter up. Then, we went for a stroll down Main Street for the rest of the afternoon.

APPLE FESTIVAL

This afternoon Carter and I went with our family to the Apple Festival. It took us about 1.5 hours to get there. There were a lot of people at the Festival, so we parked our automobiles at the courthouse and rode in by tram. Carter liked this because he got to sit on my lap for the drive over which is something he's never done before. Our group got separated into two parts for several minutes, but it wasn't long before we were reunited. One of the first things we did was eat lunch which consisted of the typical greasy spread... homemade potato chips and gigantic sandwiches topped with cheesy fries, onions, steak, fried shrimp and the kitchen sink. It sounds gross, but the sandwiches were actually pretty good. A cold jug of lemonade helped us pack it all down. A sweet older man (aka "Grandpa") gave us a funnel cake and we devoured it. I packed Carter a peanut butter sandwich with a handful of Cheerios and he was very content to eat that. There was a petting zoo on location which had the sweetest goats, sheep, baby rabbits, duck, pig and baby cow. I was excited to bring Carter in the pen to touch them, but he howled when the animals brushed up against his arms, hands and chubby cheeks with their long tongues to get a good lick of his peanut butter remnant. Yummm....they thought he tasted so good! The animals were so gentle, but Carter didn't care - he wanted me to GET HIM OUT OF THERE!!! It was a beautiful autumn day to be outside - very sunny with beautiful blue skies and a pleasant breeze. The only time I felt hot was when I stopped to think about it. A lot of craft booths had been set up to buy homemade goods so there was a lot to see and do. Matthew paid $5.00 for each of my nieces and nephews to go on horse rides. I would have paid to let Carter ride a little pony, but since he cried so hard at the petting zoo, I figured I'd better save my money. Mom, Rachel and I got angry because the "horse" people told us we couldn't take pictures of our kids. They wanted us to pay an additional $3.00 for one photo taken on their cheap cameras of each kid. What a scam! We took our own pictures anyway by trying to hide behind the trees. Now that I think about it, this was not a very good lesson to teach the kids. Oh well! At least we got some pictures. My favorite pictures are the ones taken of the kids climbing in the trees while we were hiding out. After we left the Apple Festival, we stopped for supper at a little pizzeria which had the best food - including the best homemade bread warm from the oven. It was sooo good. Carter and I ate manicotti and a salad. After supper the two of us conked out in Mom's car for the 1.5 hour drive back home.

BECOMING DOMESTICATED

These pictures were taken at my mother's house. Carter is learning to feed himself with a spoon.  He's only been practicing for about 1 1/2 weeks now, but I think that he's doing well.  He is required to feed himself at daycare and I've been letting him practice at home too. Carter is also doing a great job of drinking out of a sippy cup.  He is still getting a bottle when he wakes in the morning, at nap time and sometimes in the evening. I would like to have him completely weaned from his bottles by Christmas.

CARTER'S 1ST BEE DAY

COUSIN SETH'S HOMECOMING PARTY

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M. DILLON'S PRESCHOOL GRADUATION

Today Carter and I went to my nephew's preschool graduation. The graduates were dressed in either blue, red or white caps and gowns. They all looked so cute. Carter sat on Mom's lap while I took pictures. He kept himself busy by chewing on everyone's handouts - just like a goat! As you can see in the pictures, Dillon loves his teacher and is really going to miss being in her class at daycare/preschool.

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PLAYGROUND

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When Wilson came over for his visitation tonight, we took Carter to the neighborhood playground. Wilson helped him to swing like a "big boy."  While they played, I practiced "panning" with my camera. I also used the sun to incorporate some lens flair into some of the photos. The purpose of all this was just to practice different photography techniques.

M. DILLON'S 6TH BIRTHDAY

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ALYSSA'S BABY SHOWER

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My cousin Alyssa is pregnant with her first baby.  My aunt asked me to bring my camera to capture Alyssa's baby shower.  Alyssa looks so cute with her little round belly.

LIONS & TIGERS & BEARS - OH MY!

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Today Wilson & I took Carter to the zoo.  It was soo hot, but Carter was cute.  I'm not sure that he really noticed the animals all that much. Wilson bought him a giraffe in the gift store before we left. His name is Giraffie.  When Carter and I got home, we collapsed into our beds in our nicely air conditioned home.  Poor Wilson had to go to work after being out in the heat all day.

SPRING IS GETTING READY TO SPRUNG

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Wilson had his visitation today with Carter and went to Concord Mills for several hours.  It was beautiful and sunny outside. The first signs of spring are just starting to make their appearances...green grass, flower petals and new buds on the trees. The air is fresh, clean and pleasantly cool. I feel re-energized after spending a little bit of time out and about.  I find it interesting how we all wore blue today.

SAM & ALYSSA'S WEDDING

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SNOW, SNOW and more SNOW!!! We've had a lot of snow this winter. Today is Alyssa and Sam's wedding day and Aunt Lori asked me to take some pictures because Aunt Vera couldn't be at their wedding. Carter and I just kind of laid around the house until it was time to get ready to go to the wedding. He was doing his tummy time this morning when he rolled over again. This is the second time I've seen him roll over. It happened while I was wiping his nose. He was already unhappy that I'd put him on his belly to play and it made him even angrier when I leaned over to clean him up. Carter has a temper. This is why I call him my "bear cub" or "tiger kitty cat." Sometimes he really snarls and growls like a wild animal too - LOL!!! Anyway, I do wish that I could help him enjoy his "tummy time" more. I'm also hoping that he will learn to roll over more often. At the same time I keep telling myself to enjoy this time while he is so little and not to pressure him to mature and grow up too fast. Because it snowed so much last night, it made traveling the roads difficult for my little Honda. I bundled Carter up and packed up all my gear for the journey over to the church which wasn't too far away. It took a little while to get there though because my car kept getting stuck in the snow. It did make me a little nervous to tires squealing while they tried to find some traction. It was so cold outside that nobody else was on the road except for one ambulance who passed by me. When Carter and I arrived at the church there was nobody there. We had to wait outside for several minutes before somebody from the church let us in. I had everything set up and ready to go by the time everyone started to arrive. Different members of my family held Carter while I took pictures before the ceremony and my cousin Seth held Carter during the ceremony. Sam's dad was the officiant and the ceremony didn't last very long. Alyssa was so beautiful today and I felt a little teary-eyed watching the two of them say their vows. I hope Sam realizes what a great wife he's getting. I remember when Alyssa was just a baby. I think that I was 11 or 12 when she was born. When her family moved to North Carolina, I was so excited. She was an adorable baby and much loved by everyone who knows her. I wish Alyssa and her new groom a wonderful and happy life together. They are expecting their first little one this June. Sometimes I really like my camera and other times I don't. Today was one of those "don't" days. I did the best I could, but my camera's incapability and my inexperience really put a damper on things for me today. I would have liked to have done more creative photography of today's events. Oh well! Perhaps Sam's brother got better pictures since I think his camera was nicer than mine. Hopefully he's a better photographer than me.

WRAPPED AROUND MY FINGER

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AT GRANDMA'S HOUSE

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OLD FASHIONED SUNDAY

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THE LADIES TEA

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2nd MEETING WITH DADDY

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