The Party and the Cake

Sigh. . . . I tried and tried to think of the perfect cake for Carson. He is ABSOLUTELY obsessed with Cars and Balls. I couldn't decide between the two: balls would have been much easier, but in the end, I decided to go with cars. Here is his cake. Don't look too closely. . .


It took some people a while to realize that the "2" on the cake is actually the road. Ryan did the road (lines and vehicle placement--thanks, Ry) and decided that he'd never seen a road where there was a dotted line on such a tight curve--hence the double "no passing" zone. Leave it to him to notice a detail like that! I'm glad he helped because I was a tad bit neurotic at that point. You see, I'd read somewhere that you're supposed to freeze the cake to make it easier to frost. So I did, IN the pan. I could NOT get the cake out for the life of me. So I called my friend Heather (thanks for the help, your advice worked) who does amazing cakes, and she told me to set it in warm water for a minute. (this may be a "duh, Sarah" moment for many of you, but I am not good at this stuff). So, there it was. Carson LOVED the cake, although he saw it before it was cake time and had a very difficult time behaving during and concentrating on his bday dinner: mashed potatoes and gravy and black olives are among his favorites and all he cared about were the "CARS!!! CARS!! CARS!!!" that were in the other room. So, needless to say, he was pretty psyched by the cake. Good decision, mom!


Here he is with his cake (the CUTE picture of him actually blowing out the candles was very fuzzy, so this will have to do!)


All in all, I'd say he had a GREAT birthday. We gave him a rug with roads on it to use with his cars, and he received a motorcycle (a BIG hit) and additional cars from family members. As you can see, he was QUITE pleased:


And this is how he spent the rest of the afternoon. Cheapest birthday ever. Nice! Can't go wrong with a 99-cent Matchbox car!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Carson!

Okay, I realize this is not a current picture, but it is one of my favorites. I can't believe my little man will be TWO YEARS OLD on Sunday!! I wanted to take a few minutes and share some of my favorite pictures and tell what I love about this little boy!

I think that first picture is so perfect because it sums up the first two years of his life: happy happy happy. Carson is most always smiling and is quick to laugh. Believe me, he is learning to tantrum like a champ, but for the most part, he's been very easy going and chipper!

This is one of our first pictures together:


I would be lying if I said I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of getting that boy here, 'cause I didn't, but I will say that I immediately thought, "I could do that again." I am a fan of epidurals--especially when they work all the way. Anyway, Carson entered the world in his calm little way. He was a really good baby--slept through the night at 6 weeks and to this day, hasn't woken me up in the middle of the night yet. I'm not exaggerating. Now that's gotta be one thing to love about this little boy!



Okay, I promise, I'm not going to scrapbook/blog his entire life so far, but this one is a cute picture too. This is his first bite of food--sweet potatoes if I'm correct--served by one Aunt Gretchen. This is another thing to love about this little boy: he's not a messy eater. I either got really good at the face scrape with the spoon or he just plain ole' isn't messy. And he loves to feed himself. It didn't take him very long to insist on holding his own fork. "I do it!" And he's pretty good to eat whatever is offered him. Nice.



Pardon the invasion of their bath time privacy, but yep, you guessed it, this is another thing I love about the little man: He absolutely adores his big sister Annie. When he wakes up in the morning, after requesting to play with his cars, he starts calling out, "Annie! Annie? Annie!" And gets sooooo excited to go play with her. She's a patient and kind big sister for the most part, but sometimes his immediate and ever-present company proves too much for the girl! I love listening to them talk to each other. It's priceless! And they are a united front, let me tell you! One time I was getting after him for climbing on the coffee table or something, and Annie looked at me and said, "Mom, he's just a little boy and he doesn't understand!" Oh boy! And then another time, I told Annie it was time to brush her teeth and no sooner had I said it, then Carson had walked over to her bathroom stool and brought it over to the sink for her. Now, how chivalrous is THAT? What a cutie! Like I said, he just LOVES his sister. . .



I love this picture because it reminds me of his adventurous side and his independence. Why sit at the table when "on the table" will do? And what could be better, I ask you, than chocolate cake and ice cream in the middle of the summer wearing nothing but a tank top and your diaper? Now THAT is living, folks!

He loves to snuggle and get hugs from us, but is perfectly content to go find something to do and sit there for a half hour to an hour if the activity is interesting enough to him. One day, he sat down in Annie's room with her doll house for at least an hour (I kept checking) and had the doll baby in its high chair and was "feeding" it with the little spoon, and putting the baby to bed, talking it all out the entire time. Yet another thing to love about the little guy!


Well, this is from two days ago. He just looks so much older to me! The story behind this picture is once again, he'd snuck off to go do something all by himself and I called and called him but he wouldn't answer. Finally, I found him downstairs in his room, IN HIS CRIB (which he can't climb out of yet, by the way, but getting IN is apparently "no problemo") along with every clothing item from the bottom three dresser drawers:



. . . sigh. . . I guess he's growing up. All those things to love and NOW, there's even more. How creative and innovative is THAT? Oh, and in case you're wondering why his crib is in the middle of the room, this is why:



Apparently, he was really bored one night. Like I said before, he goes to bed without a problem and doesn't cry at night. He usually is awake for about an hour before going to sleep and I guess there's only so much one can do whilst laying there by oneself for an hour.

Well, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, little Carsie! We're so glad he's here with us. It hardly seems possible that he is already two, but alas, he is. And I'm sure time will continue to fly. I'm so glad I get to be his mom--I cannot imagine life without either of my kids. I had no idea how much joy there would be in being a Mom, and honestly, I had no idea how difficult it could be either.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: becoming a Mom has been one of the best things that has happened to me. Again, I'm very happy and blessed that there are so many things to love about Mr. Carson, and I guess it's time to press on into the "terrible twos." Looks like we're off to a GREAT start!

update

Sarah is on the mend. yes! I went to the doctor today and found out I had an ear infection and a really bad sinus infection. In fact, the doctor's words were (regarding the ear infection) that it was "the type you'd see in a 4 or 5 year old." I answered with, "well, I've been emoting at the age of a 4 or 5 year old lately, so that seems appropriate!" He gave me some prescriptions, so hopefully I'll be feeling better tomorrow. Woo hoo!

The great and terrible VENT of 2009

Okay. I apologize in advance for the negative tone of this post. I may take it down later tonite, tomorrow, or soon thereafter, but I'm going to write it nonetheless.

I am officially miserable. Capital M miserable. The pregnancy is okay, and for the record, I do recognize that I am really blessed to have been healthy and pretty comfortable so far. However, IT has begun. You know, the feeling like I'm being stabbed in the side every so often, feeling so stinkin' tired I can't even stand it, not being able to bend over and pick something up whilst seated without rocking forward and backward three or four times first, my back aching soooo badly I'd swear I was carrying a load of bricks in a backpack in front--oh, wait, I AM! I start out the day pretty okay (except for that first move in the morning, yep, the one where you take a deep breath and hope you don't swear out loud as your muscles and ligaments yell out in protest). I have good energy in the morning, I hang in there during the afternoon, and then 4 PM hits. My patience, positive attitude and kindness go runnin' out that back door. I will not mince words: I hate how I feel and act between 4 PM and when Ryan gets home from work. I am just nasty nasty nasty!!

Well, if that wasn't bad enough, I got the mother of all colds two days ago. I usually feel the worst on the first day (yesterday) and then get slowly better each day, feeling fine again by the fourth day or so. And I most always sound worse than I feel. But this is usually under "the best of circumstances" which to me means being calmly and happily under the influence of TheraFlu. But guess what? Can't take that! I'm pregnant. So here I sit, stuffy head, aching back, shoulders, chest, ribs, nose, face, left eye thinks it's Niagra Falls for heck's sake, my throat feels like the Badlands, lips are chapped, I'm being "that guy" that breathes through his (her) mouth--I HATE THAT--my TEETH hurt, I can't sleep, my head is throbbing and throbbing. Ughhhhhh. And, to top that off, I can't breathe deeply, and I seriously feel so out of breath I think I'm suffocating half the time.

Okay, I know I'm getting a little drastic and dramatic here. I did get the nickname Sarah Bernhardt from my parents for a good reason, I guess. . .

Anyway, the thing that has set me off tonite (other than the previous paragraphs) is that I got all cozy in my favorite pair of pants--they aren't maternity (which means they don't fall down), they stretch enough to accommodate two pregnant women, yet are elastic enough to stay up and feel great, they are fleece and cozy, and I just folded them and put them in my cozies drawer this morning. Wellllllll. . . . those of you who have birthed babies before understand the risks taken whilst laughing, coughing, and the like. . . I have been warning Ryan all night to NOT MAKE ME LAUGH because If I laugh, then I cough like crazy and either throw up or die. (well, not really, just feels that way). So, he makes up some parody to the tune "Sweet Child of Mine" about Carson's stinky pants smelling like death while he was changing him, and I started laughing and I PEED MY PANTS!!! A LOT! I could not help myself or stop myself. What the HECK?!?!?!? 2 year olds pee their pants, 3 year olds pee their pants! I don't like it, but my four year old has even peed HER pants. But a 34-year old? Seriously?! I can't believe it. Suffice it to say, I've HAD it today! I know I should count my blessings, be grateful for what I have. Fine. I will. Later. But, I just wanted to vent. I hope my cold is better tomorrow. And I hope I can try to have a more positive attitude.

I know it won't last forever. . . I know it won't last forever. . . I know it won't last forever. . .

A Funny Exchange

Maybe this stuff is only hilarious to the parents of the child(ren) in question, but I'll share it anyway. Carson is learning to put words together more and more. It is really funny sometimes. Not that he's a comedic genius or anything, it just sounds funny coming from a tot his size. He's so little, I just can't believe that he really understands what he is saying, but evidently he does.

Annie saw on the video monitor that he was awake and said, "let's go get Carson!" You see, she's been begging her dad for two days now to go up in the attic and get the Easter decorations. She is obsessed with Easter eggs--has been as long as I can remember. Anyway, her dad got the stuff down and we unloaded it onto the table and she picked out a bunch of plastic eggs and a basket and has been busy ever since. Well, she was excited to share the fun with Carson.

(see, here she is with her Easter eggs two years ago)

So we go downstairs and she goes right into his room and leans in and says excitedly, "CARSIE!!! Come upstairs, there is a surprise for you!" (surprise for whooooooo????) He does that audible open-mouthed inhalation/excited noise "ahhhhhhhhhhhh. . . . COOH!" (or "cool" in Carson-ese)

I thought it was sooo funny. He was over-the-moon excited, and for what? He didn't care. All he knew was that his sister was excited so what other explanation did he need! So funny.

Yes, kids say the darndest things. I love when other parents post them because they make me laugh so hard!

We are not without these such sayings here at the Droubays. One of my favorites I hear every night as I'm tucking Annie into bed is, "Mom? Is it gonna be tommorow today?"

I love thinking about how they arrive at those words -- you know, what's their train of thought?

Hilarious!

What's in a Name?

Annie and I were having the most interesting conversation as we snuggled in my bed this morning. Since we found out we're having a boy and her response was "NOOOOO!!!! I DON'T WANT A BOY, I WANT A GIRL. . . . .", I have been trying to get her excited for the boy. So, a few weeks ago, I asked her what she wanted to name the baby.

Annie: Orco.

Me: Orco? From He-Man? (She's been watching it with Dillon lately)

Annie: Yes. Orco.

This name was her first choice for a few weeks. She still likes it. Then, when Aunt Kelli had her baby, we went to the hospital to visit, and every time we went into either Labor and Delivery or Recovery, we had to announce who we were there to see: "Kelli Shelley." This was very neat for Annie, and to her credit, it does roll off the tongue quite nicely. Anyway, Annie not only insisted on calling her "Kelli Shelley" for the rest of the day, but also on being the voice in the intercom at least twice. I kinda chuckled to myself thinking, "I'm sure they are going to be thrilled to push the admit button when they hear a small child's (not the hospital's favorite visitor in the Women's center, I'm sure) voice requesting admittance!"

A few days later,

Me: So do you still like Orco for a name?

Annie: No, let's call the baby "Kelli Shelley"

Me: That's a girl's name. Is there a boy name you like?

Annie: Mike. Michael.

Me: Mike Shelley? (Thinking she was following a pattern here)

Annie: No. Michael Scott.

Me: (You have GOT to be kidding me! Mommy watches too much Office, me thinks!) Michael Scott?

Annie: Yes, he's funny.

Then, this morning. We were talking about how my tummy was hurting and she was telling her baby brother in my tummy (with her lips approximately 1 mm away from my belly), "you cannot hurt my mommy's tummy. We have to be nice to mommy!" And we started discussing names again.

Me: So what should we name the baby?

Annie: Mike

Me: Michael Scott? (Thinking she was on THIS again.)

Annie: No. Mike Wazowski.

Me: From Monsters, Inc.? (for those of you who don't have this film memorized, he's the little green ball monster--good guy)

Annie: Yes. Mike Wazowski.

Me: (stunned into silence)

Annie: Actually, what do you think we could name him "Joe Mama?"

I didn't know how to respond. She gets this from her dad. All I could do was laugh. What a silly girl!

8 Things About Me -- TAG AGAIN!!!

Here are the Rules:
1) Post rules on your blog
2) Answer the six '8' items
3) Let each person know by leaving them a comment

8 Favorite TV shows
1. The Office (it's the only one I watch)
2. 24 (but not till the season is over--I can't stand the suspense)
3. Prison Break (same as above)
4. American Idol Tryouts (I seriously CANNOT get into it week after week, but I love the tryouts)
5. The News (go ahead and laugh)

Okay, so I had to REALLY stretch it to get to 5. I can list three more I used to watch and enjoy:
6. Supernanny
7. Clean Sweep -- inspired me to toss things I really don't need
8. Antiques Roadshow. I don't know why I like it, since I am not a fan of old stuff.

8 Things I did Yesterday
1. Attended Draper Temple Open House
2. Died of embarrassment at the totally inappropriate comment Annie made in the bathroom stall after the Open House. I can't even repeat it.
3. Had a J Dawg for lunch. It SERIOUSLY doesn't get better than that. I don't mind the hour drive either.
4. Bought a new church bag. I know it's sad that's what stands out, but I really wanted a new one.
5. Spent the day with Tim and Beth-- so fun!
6. Stood by in awe as Tim totally fixed my computers and then networked them. Why can't I learn these things?
7. Made a very tasty roast with sour cream dill gravy. Thanks Oma for that amazing recipe!
8. Read old Balderdash clues with Tim and laughed so hard my sides ached. Such fun!

8 Things I'm looking forward to
1. My taxes doing themselves--okay, so it's not going to get done without my help. Fine.
2. My next family visit--missing them already!
3. Organizing the piles of stuff in my house. Nesting ROCKS!
4. That first day that feels like Spring--you know, where the birds are singing and the air FINALLY feels warmer.
5. Green grass
6. The hot date I just KNOW Ryan is planning for our 11th anniversary next month.
7. Laughing really hard again soon--it was soooo fun. I LOVE to laugh.
8. I'm fine with pregnancy for now, but I'm excited to meet baby boy Droubay in June!

8 Favorite Restaurants
1. Old Spaghetti Factory--still a fave of mine. After all these years. Mizithra cheese, mmmmm
2. NYPD in Park City--really good pizza. The closest to East Coast Pizza I've found in Utah.
3. Benihana and / or Tepanyaki
4. Famous Dave's
5. I'm with Kimber, McGrath's is pretty dang yummy.
6. Bombay House
7. J Dawgs
8. Any REALLY good Mexican, but I don't have a fave yet. Any suggestions on places to try?

8 Things on my wish list
1. Less than a half hour of pushing, with a fully functioning Epidural and no follow-up stitches. Sorry for the TMI.
2. A new TV that is digitally compatible so I don't have to figure out the converter box.
3. I agree again with Kimber -- a better economy -- it's really frightening!
4. A piano to own and not just borrow.
5. The ability to pause time every now and then to take a break.
6. A deeper bathtub.
7. The solution to whining-- for me and for Annie. I don't know that I'll survive unless I find one.
8. A garden that weeds itself.

8 People I tag
1. Kelli "new mommy"
2. Stephanie
3. Miriam (again, since you didn't do the last one, you naughty girl!) :) just kidding
4. Kacee
5. Marcie
6. Heather
7. Courtney
8. Jessica