Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Gingerbread House

Here is my "little" project I did with Colin. Making a gingerbread house with a 2 year old is no easy task! Colin wanted to eat the icing and the candy rather than decorating... I couldn't resist the temptation myself. So, after about 2 weeks of working on it, I finally gave up. The sides didn't get done or the back of the house.

Christmas pictures to come...

Maternity Leave

Well, my 12 weeks of maternity leave is over:-( I headed back to work yesterday and I was so sad. I REALLY enjoyed my 12 weeks with Carson and will miss our days together. He is such a happy baby and I feel blessed to have two wonderful boys. Carson is getting so big.. He's already in size 3 diapers and weighs about 15 pounds 8 ounces. His personality is starting to come out and he is always smiling. He's only sleeping 3-5 hours at night, which makes for a long day at work for me, but it's all worth it!!

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

O Christmas Tree

We finally went to get our Christmas tree this week. It's up in the house, but the lights and ornaments still aren't on it. We decided to cut down a tree this year. John has never done that before, so it was a new experience for all the boys! We had a great time and Colin enjoyed carrying the saw.




Thursday, December 4, 2008

Thanksgiving

I hope everybody had a Happy Thanksgiving! The girls got together at Fridays (a past tradition) and had a chance to catch up. We then went to Joseph's 2nd birthday party and all the kids got to play together. It was great seeing everybody!!

Monday, November 24, 2008

First Smile

Carson gave us his first smile yesterday! You can kind of tell in the picture below. He's too cute! It makes all the sleepless nights worth it!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Big & Small

What a difference 2 1/2 years makes. It's amazing how fast they grow. Carson is now 6 weeks old and growing like a weed. Colin is enjoying his brother more and more everyday.



Monday, November 10, 2008

Parent/Teacher Conference

We had a parent/teacher conference today at Colin's school and had a chance to sit down with his teachers. They graded him on Language Arts, Cognitive Development, Creative Art, Music/Movement, Motor Skills, Social Science, Nature Studies/Science and Special Enrichment. Overall, they were pleased with Colin and his development. John and I are very happy with his school. Below is an exert from his assessment.

"Colin has been a joy to have in Old Ducks. As the newest member of the class, he was able to fit right in with the other kids. His vocabulary is so large and speech is very clear, and we have been working on using appropriate words with peers and teachers. Colin is sometimes reluctant to follow direction, but not giving him a choice helps to make things more clear. He is always making us laugh and we cannot wait to see him grown even more in our class."

Old Man Sleeping

Carson is 5 weeks old today. I can't believe it. He's getting so big. He weighs about 10 pounds and is a pretty laid back baby. You can tell from the picture that he is losing his hair and looks like an old man! He still sleeps a lot during the day and is up most of the night. Unlike his brother at this age, his sleeping habits are not ideal! He is up every 1-2 hours and not a minute over. I don't think he likes his bassinet and will probably try to move him to his crib in the next few weeks.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Halloween

Who knew Halloween was such a big event!?!? We really got into it this year with decorating the house, carving the pumpkins and getting Colin excited for it. He had a parade and dance party at his school and all the kids dressed up. It was too cute! Later that night we went around the neighborhood for trick or treating. Can't wait for next year.










Sandra Visits

My stepmother from Bermuda came to visit last week during my 4th week of maternity leave. She was a great help and we can't thank her enough for everything she did. Not only did she help with Carson (bathing, feeding, rocking, changing diapers, etc), she cleaned my pantry, refrigerator, cabinets, did laundry, re-arranged furniture, motivated me to go shopping - the list is endless. I wish she didn't have to go back...





Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Congrats Deanna!

Deaana and Paul were in town this weekend for the Marine Marathon in DC. Congratulations to Deanna for such a huge accomplishment. It was great seeing ya'll!

Pumpkin Patch


Our first family pumpkin before and after the squirrel got to it. John reminds me that he is a CPA and not an artist!
















We went to the pumpkin patch and petting zoo on Sunday and had a great time. The weather was beautiful. Colin enjoyed the hayride(s) and Carson enjoyed sleeping!







Saturday, October 18, 2008

Happy Birthday John

We celebrated John's birthday yesterday and Colin and I made him an ice cream cake. Grandma and Rod came over to watch the boys and John and I went out for a quick bite to eat.

Eyes Open

It's very rare that Carson's eyes are open (especially during the day). He's been sleeping a lot, but is doing a good job at keeping me up in the middle of the night. I'm already looking forward to the day he sleeps through the night. Colin, on the other hand, has always been our little sleeper, but recently he has been up during the middle of the night with bad dreams. Thank goodness for naps!

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Shark Attack!

Uncle Cameron bought this cute little shark towel for Carson, but Colin wanted to try it out first!


Wednesday, October 8, 2008

New Addition!!

CARSON ALLEN HAMILTON

10/6/08 @ 10:57AM
6 pounds & 6.8 ounces
20.5 inches long

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Long Island, NY

One of my co-workers got married last week in Long Island, NY and with my doctors permission John and I made the 5 hour trip to NY. Once we got there, I got kind of nervous being so far away and so close to my due date, but it was worth it. The bride was beautiful and the wedding was a lot of fun. On the way home, one wrong turn had us lost in the middle of NY City. Luckily I didn't go into labor!

For the last week I've been sick with an awful cold. I feel like with every cough, I'm pushing the baby further down. I'm hoping to at least make it through this next week with out having the baby so I can get better and I'm trying to time it so my 12 weeks of maternity leave carries over to the new year. Otherwise, I will have to go back the week of Christmas if I have Carson this week. Although my due date is Oct 18Th, my doctor thinks it might happen before then.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Happy Birthday Bowman

Bowman turned 6 this week. He's such a great dog and we are so happy we have him. The neighborhood kids adore him and he's so good with them. Below is a card some of the kids made him for his birthday. Colin and Bowman have a love/hate relationship. Bowman may not like him pulling his tail or trying to ride him, but he loves the table scraps Colin drops on the floor!


Haircut Please!

Colin absolutely LOVES getting his haircut. You can't beat an 8 dollar haircut at the local barber shop. We go about every 3 weeks even though he doesn't always "need" one. He's had a few bad haircuts, but luckily his hair grows pretty fast.


Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Colin / Carson

I don't usually do these things, but I saw this one on a friends blog and thought it would be a good post as my due date is now only 4 weeks away. I put the answer to Colin and Carson

1. Were you married at the time? Yes.
2. What were your reactions when you found out you were pregnant?
Colin - John and I were VERY excited b/c it took almost a year
Carson - Shocked b/c it didn't take long at all
3. How old were you?
Colin - 28
Carson - 30
4. How did you find out you were pregnant?
Colin - I had that gut feeling and took a pregnancy test
Carson - Took a pregnancy test for giggles and it was positive
5. Who did you tell first?
John of course and then our parents about 8 weeks later
6. Did you want to find out the sex?
Colin - Indeed! I thought for sure it was a girl, but it was a boy!
Carson - I couldn't wait to find out the sex of the baby and I was sure it was a boy
7. Due due:
Colin - May 4, 2006
Carson - October 18, 2008
8. Did you deliver early or late?
Colin - A few days early (April 30).
Carson - I hope not too early... I still have a lot to do
9. Did you have morning sickness?
Colin - Only for the first trimester
Carson - First trimester again
10. What did you crave?
Colin - Lemons and Juice
Carson - Iced coffee (decaf of course) and lots of ice cream
11. Who irritated you the most?
I think the questions should be who did I irritate!!
12. What was your first child’s sex? Male times 2
13. How many pounds did you gain throughout the pregnancy?
Colin - 28
Carson - To be determined. I think about 15 so far
14. Did you have any complications during your pregnancy? Luckily No, but I had the flu with my second pregnancy during the first trimester which was not fun
15. Where did you give birth? Howard County General Hospital
16. How many hours were you in labor?
Colin - Less than 2 hours
Carson - To be determined
17. Who drove you to the hospital?
Colin - John
Carson - To be determined. I have a co-worker on stand-by. I hope John is not in DC that day.
18. Who watched?
Colin - John was a trooper
Carson - Hopefully John can make it through again
19. Did you take medicine to ease the pain?
Colin - Too late for an epidural
Carson - We'll see...
20. How much did your child weigh?
Colin - 7lbs 2oz
Carson - Hopefully not too much bigger
21. What did you name him/her?
Colin John Brayden
Carson Allen Hamilton
22. How old is your first born today?
Colin - 2 1/2 - although he likes to say he's six.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

OBX 2008

Our 2nd annual OBX trip... 10 adults and 6 kids under one roof! Unfortunately, the great grandparents weren't able to make the trip, but we thought of them often and missed them. Colin enjoyed what he called the "swimming house" and would wake up every morning with a huge grin on his face. He was a BIG fan of the pool and liked the beach and his shovel. Tropical Storm Hannah had us leave one night early, but otherwise we had perfect weather. Already looking forward to next year. Carson will make kid #7 and maybe somebody else will be the pregnant one.






First Day of School

Colin started his first day of The Goddard School two weeks ago. He was in an in-home day care on our street from 12 weeks to 2 years, so it was a hard transition for all of us. He adores his day care provider, but he still gets to see her which makes it somewhat easier. I get the privilege of dropping Colin off everyday at his new school and it's nothing but tears and then when John picks him up in the afternoon he is as happy as can be. I think with time he'll get used to it. He talks about his school all the time and is so proud of all his art work hanging on the refrigerator.

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Great Falls, VA

We spent the day with our neighbors, Justin, Holly & Jada in Great Falls, VA. It was a beautiful day and Colin enjoyed the waterfalls and hiking. I don't think my doctor would approve of me being 7 months pregnant and hiking through the rocks. Holly is also pregnant and due 4 weeks after me.





Saturday, August 9, 2008

The Zoo

We decided to brave the Zoo today even after Colin woke us up at 6am because "the sun is up". We really need to make an effort to do more activities like this with Colin because everything is so close. The monkey exhibit was my favorite and I think Colin enjoyed feeding the Giraffe the best. He's now fast asleep..!!