Hi Daddy

Tim was gone a ton this last week and on nights where he was home, Carson was already in bed. This is just a pic of Carson talking with his Daddy on the phone. He has this new thing where he likes to talk on the phone and tell anyone who will listen about his day. Whether it's about his strawberry milk or when he fell off the "tricky" ladder at the park. He loves to tell stories. This next week is finals for Tim, so we have another long week ahead of us. Thankfully he'll get two weeks of school off before summer semester begins. We've actually planned a last minute trip to California for the first week in May. We're so excited to take Carson to Disneyland, a Dodgers game, and of course the beach. It will also be fun to see Aunt Angie, Uncle Jeremy, Uncle Vic, and Great Aunt Deborah as well.

Recipe Tag

I'm always up for some new recipes. Thanks for the tag Hollie. I believe this recipe came from my Grandma and has been a family favorite for years. I still have a hard time calling it a "salad" over a dessert. What salad has cookies in it, seriously? :)


Cookie Cream Salad

1 large instant vanilla pudding
1 cup buttermilk
12 oz. Cool Whip
2 (15 oz.) cans pineapple tidbits
2 (11 oz.) cans mandarin oranges
1 pkg. Fudge striped shortbread cookies

Drain the pineapple and mandarin oranges well. Mix together the pudding and buttermilk and fold in the Cool Whip. Add drained fruits and then fold in the cookies, broken up.

I just realized that I didn't tag anyone. I will now tag anyone who feels like it.

Carson's Been Tagged

(Last summer at Lagoon)

10 Things About Carson:

1. Carson is your typical, energetic boy. He jumps off everything, his picnic table, the couch, his bed, the stairs, our big dirt piles behind our house, the list goes on.

2. Carson is obsessed with the washing machine. He loves laundry day. I think this all came about when we were living with Tim's Mom while our home was being built and her washing machine would stay open for the entire cycle. Ours will stop if the lid is open when it comes to the spin cycle. He'll talk about the agitator, the rinse cycle, the spin cycle, etc.

3. Carson is curious on how things work. ie. washing machine, rides at Lagoon You can just see his little mind really contemplating these marvelous wonders.

4. He loves to read. Every night before we go to bed we read about 5-10 books, more if I let him. He'll keep saying, "One more book or Last book!"

5. He loves to play with kids and will cry whenever someone's over and has to go home.

6. He loves to play with his Daddy. Every morning he asks, "Daddy coming home?" If it's a night where Tim has class and I say he's not coming home tonight, he'll cry. :( I'd get sick of being around me all the time too.

7. He loves the Temple. When we were living with Tim's Mom, we were only a few minutes away from the Bountiful Temple. Carson and I took many walks and drives by the temple during those 5 months.

8. He loves the songs, "I am a Child of God" and " I Love to See the Temple". If he's fussy in the car or at home, those songs seem to make him feel better. Just the other night I was singing "I am a Child of God" to him and he started singing along. It just melted my heart.

9. He's Mr. Independent these days. Whenever I try to help him with something, he'll yell, "Self!"

10. He loves to paint. I let him help me paint our half bath last week and he just loved it. Most of the time though, he'll paint with his little water colors. One of his favorite things to paint is...you guessed it, the washing machine.

Tim and I are so grateful for our little boy and the energy and joy he brings into our home. We look forward to the future kids that we will one day have as well. Carson will now tag Baby Zachary, Jackson & Lexi, and Ayda (Now I know you'll do this tag Nika because it's all about Ayda, right?!).

The Ultimate Cheezer

Carson busted out the mop the other day to "help" me clean the floors. He was being such a helper that he was sitting there, holding down the button to release the floor cleaner and wouldn't let up...lovely. Needless to say, I busted out the camera and this is the smile I got.

Landscaping in Progress

Our landscapers were here this week working on our yard. Carson just sat and watched the tractor for the longest time, he was just mesmerized. He kept saying, "HEY, Mama look at this!" We now have a leveled out backyard, a patio, and the sprinklers just went in today. Whoo hoo! We're so excited to get our yard in for the summer.