23 Months

Only 1 more month to go and Carsyn will be 2 years young!  Every time we go to day care the front office ladies stop us and proclaim "we can't believe how big she's getting, she's so grown up!"  Even her teachers have said she seems older and more independent.  She now weighs about 27 lbs, has BLONDE hair that's long enough to pull back into a ponytail or pigtails and sleeps in her own big girl bed.  Carsyn finally enjoys taking baths and she and Ry will play together quite nicely in the tub.  She also gives the best hugs and kisses.  In the pics below she's wearing our traditional German picture outfit, a dirndl.  It fits, so it's time to schedule those pictures!

my fierce face 9/16/2015

cheese

Some of Carsyn's favorite things are:  birds, swinging, Disney movies (Aladdin, Tangled, Tarzan, Wreck-It-Ralph, Beauty & the Beast), cheese, fruit, her baby doll and playing in the water.  She also loves to try and play games on our phone or the tablet, though that doesn't usually end well as she's still a bit too young to fully understand them.  Ry and Carsy do play with each other and Carsy always wants to copy her big brother.  It's so much fun to watch, but they also have their bad days where they steal each others toys, use that horrible word "mine" and cry...oh the crying!  It's especially draining when they both must have mommy at the same time.  It's good to be loved :)

climbing after big brother 9/19/2015

Carsyn is an excellent eater.  She has her favorites and is also very willing to try new things; mac n cheese, chicken pot pie, lollipops, Popsicles, lasagna, eggs and sausage links, cereal...pretty much any breakfast food.  Carsy has a mouth full of teeth and puts them to good use, we are foodies!  The kids also love to eat raw cookie dough and brownie mix (they get this from me).

we love brownie mix 9/6/2015

I found a great deal on Groupon for the Austin Aquarium, so one weekend we headed on over for some fishy fun.  They added a lot more stuff since the last time we were there (a year ago).  The kids loved feeding the stingrays and petting the iguana.  The place even had a playscape in the back that they spent a good 20 mins climbing on.  There were also birds, snakes and plenty of other attractions that are great for 2-6 yr olds. 

feeding stingrays 9/19/2015

September is also grandparents month, the kids were able to enjoy some quality time with Nana, Opa, Juju and Baba.  It's so nice to have family close by.

Nana time 9/25/2015

grandparents brunch at KRK 9/14

Baba with all the grandkids (except Evan who's at college)

22 Months

Growing leaps and bounds!  We really noticed that Carsyn has been talking a lot more this past month.  She's stringing together 3-4 words now.  The other day she said "Ry-Ry where are you?".  Some of her favorite words are 'paci', 'cereal' and of course 'mama'.  Her favorite movie is Wreck-It-Ralph and it must be watched at least 2x's a day on weekends, and every night during the week.  She loves her big brother Ry and must copy him in all things; such as climbing walls & fences, eating the same snacks and playing with dinosaurs.  I love that she's such a tom boy.  :)  This girl's got spunk, character, smarts and will bust a move to music at any time. My tiny dancer.

Hook em - ready for football! 8/13/2015

stacking extraordinaire 8/4/2015

earning her keep 8/26/2015

At the beginning of August we took the kids on their first airplane ride to Cincinnati to visit my brother's family (Uncle Steve & Aunt Lil C, Mason & Harper) and meet the newest addition to their family, baby Harper.  The kids had a blast and flying didn't phase them one bit.  It was great to visit with family and check out the local zoo and aquarium!

Visiting family in Ohio 8/7/2015

extended family! 8/8/2015

all the littles - cousins/2nd cousins

monkeying around at the zoo 8/7/2015

at the aquarium

under water tunnel

This month we upgraded Carsyn's room from a crib to a full sized bed!  It took a couple nights for her to adjust and sleep through the night in her new bed, but it was totally worth it to be done with that crib.  It still takes a while to put her down because she wants you to lay there with her until she falls asleep, which sometimes takes a good hour!  Poor daddy gets stuck with this routine the majority of the time as Ry-Ry now wants mommy to take him to bed.  All in all a successful transition.  Next up is potty training, we still haven't mustered up the energy to tackle that new adventure.

new bed for the little lady 8/25/2015

Lots of changes for the little lady (and family) this month.  The last of Carsy's teeth finally broke through, all 4 canines at once!  That made for a rough couple of nights and lots of Tylenol.  Then we took a trip to San Marcos to visit Bro-Bro's new college apartment and stock up his fridge.  The littles got a nice taste of college life.  And finally Ry-Ry started pre-K in a new school, so Carsy is on her own now at daycare and at Opa & Juju's.  They are growing up way too fast!

They are like an old married couple...in their rockers with their blankets at Opa & Juju's  8/11/2015

sleepy girl 8/22

Visiting bro bro's apartment at college 8/22/2015

college beanbag chair...big enough for 2 littles!

Towards the end of the month we bought the kids a new toy, a bike trailer!  I've been wanting a bike trailer for a while now to cart the kids around, I can also use it to take Ry to pre-K as its only 1 mile away from our house.  The kids LOVE it, especially when mommy goes fast.  They rode in it all weekend long, mommy took them out in the morning and we hit up all the parks in the neighborhood.  Tons of fun for the kids, lots of exercise for mommy.

2 peas in a pod, Wheeeee! 8/29/2015

Carsy & Ry, must climb all the things together 8/30/2015

tunnel adventures 8/30/2015

Next up is planning Carsy's bday.  I've already confirmed the location, found her birthday present and sent out invites.  Now I just need to figure out her cake!

20 Months

Carsyn is such a doll and so full of life!  She loves it when mommy gives her airplane rides and she constantly tries to copy her big brother Ryland.  Those two mimic each other constantly; drinking at the same time, eating the same foods, racing around the house together, sharing mommy's lap...sometimes it's hard to keep up with them!  Carsyn is also a cuddle bug and I adore her for it.  She loves to give hugs and kisses, sit in your lap and just be near you.  Some of her favorite things to say are: cheese, bubbles, hi, waves and says 'bye-bye', if something falls she says 'oh no' and tries to clean it up and of course 'ow!'.  She's also an avid lover of her stuffed animals.  Right now her favorite movie is Beauty and the Beast and she loves bunnies and birds and tries to catch them when she sees them.  We haven't started potty training yet but I think she's close, she doesn't like having a poopy diaper and will come tell us when she has a BM.  She'll pat her bottom and say 'poop'. When we ask her if she needs a diaper she will nod her head yes and start walking to the changing table.  :)

swinging fools 5/30/2015

We started swim lessons in June, the first 2 weeks we were signed up with the Pf rec center.  Then we went to a birthday party and saw how well my SIL's kids could swim (the same age as our kids) and asked what they were doing, ISR lessons (infant swim rescue).  So we signed the kids up right away and managed to start the following week.  In just 5 days they have made huge improvements in their swimming abilities.  Definitely worth it!

swim lessons in Pf 6/10/2015

play time after lessons

At the Y for more swim lessons, playing before putting in the work  6/25/2015

ISR swim lessons 6/25/2015

Video of Carsyn swimming

This month was full of fun things:  Playing on the patio at Sam's Boat, a Safari Champs outing, Father's day lunch, playing in the rain and at the neighborhood splash pad, and of course an awesome birthday party at Kiddie Acres.  Heck we even went to Sea World to round out the month!  This time I bought Ryland some fish to feed the sea lions...and I totally forgot to take a picture!  Bad mommy.  Anyways, the kids had a blast and especially loved the kiddie water park.  During our Sea World trip it rained on us, so my phone was put away to avoid water damage, hence some missing pictures.

copy cats 6/14/2015

The bro-bro swing is a lot of fun! 6/14/2015

no daycare, so mom takes us to Safari champs! 6/18/2015

climbing like the big kids

Happy Father's Day lunch 6/21/2015

playing in the rain 6/21/2015

splash pad fun 6/23/2015

Always scaling something, trying to escape Pluckers 6/26/2015

Kiddie Acres, they loved this airplane ride. 6/28/2015

Selfie - on the train

1st time for the ferris wheel

We love the merry go round

1st time riding a horse/pony

Cowgirl Carsyn

snow cones

6/30/2015

alligator alley

Shamu

dolphins