Carris Family

Zoe's and Gage's first movie...

2009-07-19T15:00:00.004-04:00

This week we woke up to rain on Wednesday morning, and decided it would be the perfect day to experience a movie at the movie theater, so off we went. We had a blast! Included in our $1 admission was a small popcorn and drink (this is my kind of movie)! I was able to keep Gage in his infant car seat and stroller so he enjoyed the movie till he crashed (and he actually slept through most of it). This was the kids first time in a movie theater, Zoe thought it was pretty cool that it was "full of darkness" and that "Horton was silly". It was such a cute little movie, and fun since she loves Horton books. She even brought along her stuffed animal Horton (which all the little kids stopped and ewwwwwed and awwwwwed at) making her feel super cool. She sat in my lap the whole time and really enjoyed herself. I was a little worried the movie might somehow be scary for her. She is really sensitive about scary things since she has only been exposed to a few TV shows like Word World and Curious George, all of which don't have villanious characters, turns out the only part she thought was scary was the credits!! They were white letters on a totally black screen set to theatrical music. I thought it was too funny...the credits...leave it to Zoe to be scared of the credits! It was a fun morning and when we came out the sun was out!!

Sparkles...

2009-07-14T17:11:00.002-04:00

Zoe: Momma, what are those dots on your face?
Me: (after clarifying she wasn't referring to my many wrinkles) They are freckles
Zoe: What is that word?
Me: Freckles
Zoe: Farkles....Hmmmm well I think it's great God gave you so many Sparkles.
Me: Fre-ck-les
Zoe: Yup...they are like sparkles, you have lots and lots of Sparkles.

Spontaneous!

2009-07-12T22:42:00.002-04:00

My mom surprised us this weekend when she decided to head to Chicago for a spontaneous fun visit. After having a stressful week my mom decided nothing would make her happier then to spend the weekend loving on her grandkids - and that she did. Saturday Rob (who is training for a marathon - seriously - I AM NOT KIDDING - you read that right - Rob...R-O-B is training for a marathon!!) and I were able to run together without the kids which is always a special treat. Then my mom and I took Zoe out for a special breakfast date, and headed to a library book sale, after that we spent the day vegging out, shopping a bit, swimming in the pool, grilling out, and playing games. It was a great spontaneous day. The best part was hearing Zoe and her Mimi waking up together snuggling and reading books in bed, although seeing Zoe squeeling and running for my mom after bible class this morning was awfully cute and sweet too!

Warm weather + finally healthy children = A perfect extraordinary day

2009-07-09T16:31:00.006-04:00

Today was a normal day full of ordinary things that has been turned out to be anything but normal or ordinary!! My heart is SO full after the incredible day I had enjoying the amazing blessing of my two beautiful children and being a stay at home momma. We loaded up on our bikes, rode to the library, saw a magic show, checked out books on bees, stopped on our ride to the icecream place to watch the bee Zoe spotted in the flowers, had a picnic lunch, ate ice cream, and danced in the fountain. Today was an amazing day full of ordinary things that were truly extraordinary.

How her mind works...

2009-06-21T21:36:00.002-04:00

We have prayed with Zoe before bed since she was born. Once she became verbal she has prayed as well. In the beginning her prayers were pure gibberish, just noises. Then they became somewhat distinguishable words all slurred together. After that she went through a faze where she prayed for whatever she saw, ie her closet doors, pretzels, etc etc. Lately I have treasured this ritual with her (even more then I normally do) as her prayers have become her own. They are an expression of her thoughts, her love, and her feelings. She often surprises me with the cute things she prays for, tonight was one of those nights. Zoe mid prayer says, "and thank you God that you made me a girl, and not a boy or anything like that".

Gage...

2009-06-21T16:48:00.002-04:00

Things I want to remember about Gage...
1. When he is tired, or is really excited to see me, he LOVES to grab my face between his two soft chubby hands and smash and smear his face all over mine.
2. He LOVES to hang upside down...especially if he has ear infections (which has been atleast once every month for the last 5 months!)
3. He thinks taking medicine is a treat, gets all excited to take it, and cries for more when it's gone.
4. He LOVES his stuffed monkey, and has a cute little "ha ha ha" noise he makes when I hand it to him.
5. We wave goodbye to Rob every morning, and Gage has just (last week) started waving too. Waving goodbye usually involves ramming himself into the screen door banging on it, while screaming DA DA, then flopping or "waving" his hands. When we are outside in the front yard, he will wave at cars when they go by.
6. He has started clapping when we sing at church or whenever he senses someone needs some encouragement. Yesterday several times he started clapping when I was giving Zoe a compliment.
7. He has been showing incredible comprehension about what is going on around him. When we are getting ready to leave he will look for shoes (although rarely do I make him wear them, the time commitment for getting them on versus how long they stay on his feet just still isn't worth it).
8. He LOVES to pretend talk on the "phone", anything and everything looks like a phone to Gage.
9. He has recently started saying, Momma and Daddy, and not just making the noises, he will call for us, and it melts my heart to hear it every time!
10. He is still not walking, but (this week) has started standing on his own without holding onto anything.
11. This week he sat at the table while we were doing a project together for Father's Day, and he actually contributed. He has started to have the hand control/desire/understanding to color and does so without eating the crayon/marker.

Yee Haw!

2009-06-21T16:36:00.003-04:00

So we all managed to survive the crazy yucky sickness that took over our house last week, although I feel a little disappointed for Zoe because it really put a damper on her week to celebrate. We managed to do small things during the rest of the week, like meeting Daddy for lunch or opening a present, but it was rather low key. We were all recovered though just in time for the Trek Corral. Rob puts together (and the youth group hosts) a restaurant style dinner each year the group heads to Trek to help offset the cost, and this year was a blast (southern-ish theme and all!). It was complete with Square dancing, horse races, shoot outs, wanted posters and Root Beers out of the bottle! We had so much fun! Rob amazes me with his love, devotion and passion for working with the teens. And just for the record, in case anyone was wondering...we are crazy full swing into our busy summer!

Birthweek Day Two, Three and Four...

2009-06-17T13:21:00.003-04:00

Day Two: Swimming in our friends big pool. She was super excited when she realized that with the help of her Ariel armfloaties she could do it all by herself!

Day Three: After giving Zoe several options, she decided we would spend the day riding bikes downtown, playing on the beach and getting ice cream at Navy Pier. It was a great day!

Day Four: No pictures, for your benefit. We all succumbed to the stomach flu. It was not quite the day I had in mind, but we managed to salvage it atleast a little bit. I had gotten Zoe a new movie, so that was her birthweek present for the day and we snuggled on the couch watching it. As unpleasant as the stomach flu is, cleaning up other people's puke while sick yourself adds a whole new fun dimension. Here's to a happier birthweek day five, six and seven!

My three year old princess...

2009-06-15T22:37:00.004-04:00

Saturday marked the kick off of the celebration of Zoe's birthweek with her birthday party. Her birthday was actually a few weeks ago, but Rob and I were out of town, so we just decided not to tell her, and let her think her birthday was just a little later. We had SO much fun at her party. I was a little disappointed when we had to move the party to the church building because it had been (earlier in the day) raining like crazy. Everything worked out great though, and the best part was seeing how excited Zoe was and how special she felt. She came up to me at one point during the party and said, "Momma, thank you for such a special birthday party. I love you!", it melted my heart and made all the work that went into the party worth it!
Zoe decided on a princess theme, so the entire party was based on princesses and princes. The girls decorated wands, while the boys made shields. Everyone had a chance to decorate a crown too.
Several of the girls brought little princess dresses to wear. They were adorable running around in their sweet little dresses!
I could not get her to stand still for any pictures she was so excited dancing around, giggling and shreaking, it was priceless! I had gone to a home improvement store earlier in the week and gotten cardboard and made a castle. It was designed to fit between the house and the garage, with the door cut out over the gate, but it worked propped up in at the church too!

Here is Zoe's special castle cake. She has been asking for her castle cake ever since she saw it at a friends party a few months ago. I was able to buy the pieces online super cheap (one was broken...not that you can tell) and made the cake myself. I love the tradition of making her cake, it is such a labor of love. I love to see her face when she sees it. Zoe actually stood patiently and watched the whole time I decorated her cake, she was so excited. She would say, "oooohhh, it is starting to look like a castle now... can I put the princesses on yet?"

Zoe shreaking, "I am SO excited"

So included in the list of games was decorating homemade cookies in the shape of a tiara. I had icing, candies, and sprinkles. I think this was one of Zoe's favorites. Also we had a treasure hunt outside, played a cake walk type game, dug for rings (or ring pops) in a big box of rice (this was a real hit with the kids), and ate a delicious dinner (including Rob's famous burgers). It was overwhelming exhausting...I mean, It was an awesome day! I loved to see how much fun Zoe was having! She is such a sweet little thing, and an incredible blessing in our lives. We adore her! Stay tuned for updates on the rest of celebration as we party hardy the rest of the week (assuming I don't drop before then)!

Lovin' me some Florida...

2009-06-03T21:48:00.002-04:00

As I sit attempting to write this blog, I struggle to find words to adequately express just how full my happy heart is. Rob and I celebrated our nine year wedding anniversary in Florida...on the beach...by ourselves! We had an absolutely magical time! Our time could not have been more perfect! We actually went to Florida for the wedding of a former teen in the youth group (who was considerate enough to get married on our anniversary weekend). Everything about our 5 days together was perfect, everything from our flights (we were bumped to first class), to our four star beach side grand resort (thanks price line). It was amazing...we took late night walks on the beach under the moon, we were spontaneous, had uninterrupted meals, watched the sunset, went snorkeling and para-sailing, and overall had a heavenly time. I am so thankful for the man, husband, and father that Rob is. I am incredibly blessed to share my life with my best friend. Rob is an incredible husband who continues to make me feel special and makes our marriage a priority. A big shout out to my mom who was run ragged by our two sick kiddos, she is amazing!!!! And Congratulations to Jeremy and Maggie, it was such a blessing to be a part of their special day.

What's the difference...

2009-05-20T15:19:00.002-04:00

We have a robin in our back yard that has built a nest, and her eggs just hatched. Zoe and I decided to go to the library to learn about Robin's, so here is a bit of our conversation today as we were looking through books about birds...
Me: What differences do you see between the sparrow and the Robin?
Zoe: The sparrow looks fluffy
Me: Ok. What about their tummies?
Zoe: Well...um...the Robin's tummy is orange, the other one is like this (hands making circular motion) and your tummy is squeeshy.

Appreciate the added bonus answer

That's a what?!

2009-05-19T21:08:00.003-04:00

Rob and I have been pretty excited about the Blackhawks Redwings games. Rob and Zoe were looking something up online about the games when she pointed to the screen and said, "Look it's a flag". And this is the conversation that transpired:
Rob: (in a confused tone) No, that's not flag.
Zoe: Yeah, right there
Rob: No Zoe...
Molly: (trying to cushion the blow) Sure, I mean I can see how the Red Wings Swoosh looks like a flag.
Rob: But that's not what she was pointing to - it's not a flag
Zoe: Yeah, that right there is a flag
Rob: What? No Zoe that is an indian
Zoe: Yeah, with all the feathers, Daddy it's like a flag (points behind her)
AND THEN IT CLICKS
Rob: Oh my word, she is pointing to the blackhawks logo and she isn't saying it is a flag, she is saying it is on our neighbors flag. I am sorry Zoe you are right.
Zoe: I know Daddy. I knew what I was talking about after all.

(As a side note: You can see our new venture in landscaping in this picture too. We decided we would like additional privacy in the coming years so we planted and planted and planted arborvitae trees, now only for them to grow grow grow!)

Next time we will think more about what she wears...

2009-05-17T21:58:00.003-04:00

Last week Zoe was ADORABLE at her school graduation program. It was PRECIOUS to see her so excited and proud of herself. She stood up there the whole time with all the kiddos, sang songs, and was even able to recite the "bible words" she had memorized. This was one of my favorite parts, it was so sweet, she recited Psalms 147:5. She was presented with a certificate and was excited she got to shake her teachers hand. The kids worked so hard on their program and even made a sweet book to present to the Momma's which was so fun! It was a great night, the only mistake of the night was one made on our part. We should have given a little more thought to her clothing choice. I considered it a victory when she came out of her room in matching, presentable (to the worlds standards) clothes...and I shouldn't have gotten so excited, I was missing one small detail...the problem best described in the above picture.

A look back...

2009-05-06T16:22:00.001-04:00

One Month

Three Months

Six Months

Nine Months

A Year!!

12 month bear pictures....

2009-05-06T15:35:00.002-04:00

Our sweet little baby is already a year. This past year has been such an incredible adventure. Gage has added so much excitement and joy to our lives. He is an incredible little guy! He weighs 22 lbs 3 oz. (which is shockingly in the 40%ile - this surprised me since the boy eats like crazy!!), and is 31 inches long (85%ile). He is sweet, fun, and flexible. He has recently started playing really well with his sister and has always played excellent by himself. He is however an attention hog, and can be rather demanding of my attention when he wants it! His favorite song is, "If you are happy and you know it", and he loves to clap his hands! He loves to play outside, and his favorite book is "Peek a Who". He has started to communicate with different sounds, he says "Da" for Amen, and when he wants me, he will say "ha". He clicks his tongue when he wants more or for his milk, and he has a sound he uses to let us know he needs to use the bathroom, (unfortunetly it is incredibly similar to the sound he makes for all-done, so that can be kinda confusing). He responds well to us when we tell him no about something. He is into everything...emphasis on e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g!! He is amazing, sweet, busy, funny and keeps us on our toes. Our lives wouldn't be the same without him!!

Princess Curls...

2009-05-06T00:17:00.003-04:00

Zoe is so full of surprises! She decided she wanted "princess curly hair", so last Saturday night I set her hair in sponge rollers. As I rolled her hair I kept wondering what the chances were that she was actually going to sleep in her rollers. She was so excited, so I pressed on until she had a head full of rollers. Rob passed by in the hallway a couple of times and rolled his eyes at me. She was seriously so adorable in her rollers. She kept saying, "Tomorrow when I wake up Momma I will have princess curly hair" (And boy did she - next time I won't roll them so tight)!! When it came time to sleep I was SHOCKED that she didn't have any complaints, I could tell the rollers were bothering her a little bit, but she was not about to let anything get in her way.

Rob the Builder...

2009-05-03T22:37:00.003-04:00

Rob writes an article for the cover of our church bulletin and I thought I would share his article from this morning because I enjoyed it, and it describes all the work we've been up to this week! So here it is, enjoy!
My parents decided that this year for Zoe and Gage’s birthday presents they would give us some money to put towards one of those huge wooden play structures. Molly and I agreed and thought it was a great idea…until we got the boxes home. When I opened them up I nearly passed out. There were SO many parts and so much wood I thought I could probably build another house (which ironically enough is basically what I was building!). All these parts sat in front of me, they were totally useless as they sat there unassembled, and Zoe and Gage had little to no interest in all those bolts and wood that we had just purchased. I began work and though that pile of wood and bolts was nothing at the time, the image of what it would be when all those parts were assembled kept me dedicated as I worked. There are many parts that make up our “spiritual house” and James talks a lot about faith and deeds. He says that by themselves they are worth little (like all those bolt and boards), in fact he says that faith with out deeds is dead (James 2:17). But its when faith and deeds come together that we are built into the spiritual house that God desires. James uses the example of Abraham’s faith when God asked him to sacrifice his only son. Abraham’s faith then produced the action of taking his son to the mountain to sacrifice him (which God then stopped him from actually doing). Abraham was considered righteous because his faith and deeds worked hand in hand. Don’t be daunted by the huge task in front of you. God will give you the “tools” you need and will help you bring together faith and deeds in order to build you into a solid spiritual house.

Ride 'em, Cowgirl...

2009-05-02T21:53:00.002-04:00

I heard wild giggles coming from the living room. Both kids were laughing so hard that I grabbed the camera (unsure of what was going on, but sure that is was going to be good) and ran for the living. As I rounded the corner of the living room I heard Zoe say (in between wild giggles) "Giddy up Horsey". Gage is laughing too (although maybe it was just the oxygen being cut off from his brain) because his sister was RIDING him! He was literally crawling and dragging her along with him.

Some days...

2009-05-01T13:16:00.003-04:00

Some days...correction...Most Days I seriously question my decision regarding allowing her to make her own clothing choices, but it is too late to go back on now!

I guess the one small upside is at least this way when she is scarred for life it isn't because I forced her to wear homemade clothes until high school, or bright red pants in junior high.

Sickly Easter...

2009-04-30T22:43:00.003-04:00

While Rob was off in Honduras, we "celebrated" Easter in Michigan. I was so looking forward to Easter, and we had lots of fun leading up to Easter making cookies, doing paper mache, and all sorts of Easter crafts, however actual
celebration of Easter was disappointing. Zoe woke up with 102.7 fever. I was totally in denial thinking she was just having a hard time waking up after way too much sugar, a late night, and a time change, so I

got her dressed and everything, poor thing. It was while I tried taking this picture that it occurred to me that perhaps Zoe was really sick. She perked up later in the afternoon and was able to hunt eggs, but it was still such a bummer. It seems like the only times our kids get sick is when we are outta town. Perhaps I will take my friends advice next time I travel and remember to pack their immune systems!

Happy Birthday Our Sweet Gage!

2009-04-29T23:41:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, our sweet "little" Gage celebrated his birthday! We celebrated as a family, Zoe made green cupcakes with lots of sprinkles. We plan on having a party, but just haven't worked out all the details yet, so here are the pictures from the celebration we had in Michigan a few weeks
back. He is growing so quickly! He had so much fun at his party, and thoroughly enjoyed his cake! He was amazing with the excitement that he tore into his cake, he totally demolished it!! He wore his special birthday shirt for his party and yesterday! This last has been an incredible blessing having Gage part of our family. Man do we love this guy!

Gage's First Haircut...

2009-04-24T16:11:00.002-04:00

My sweet Gage is the cutest thing ever, and looks even more like a big boy these days after his first big boy haircut. He sat perfectly still...it helped he was sucking on a sucker. Rob wasn't convinced he needed a haircut, but I think it was time!

After ten days of antibotics....

2009-04-23T15:33:00.002-04:00

After ten days of antibiotics, Zoe appears markedly improved, so I ask her, "Hey sweet girl, are you feeling better" to which she responds, "N-O. I am just standing here!"

Serious Trouble, Faster than Light-ning!

2009-04-18T20:55:00.002-04:00

While I humbly admit it is not unusual for Gage's sweet clothes to never see the light of the sun because he wears his jammies all day, I want you to know this was not one of those days. These pictures represent the first few minutes of my trouble making son's day!

The order of events:

Gage pulls everything out of a cupboard which had been left slightly open while I help Zoe put her socks on.

I attempt to pick up the coffee filters (now all over the kitchen floor) while he heads for the doggie bowl and dumps the enormous super heavy water jug EVERYWHERE.
I run for towels while Gage runs for the gorgeous view while standing on the very tippy top of his sisters art desk.
I move the art desk, comfort my heartbroken and now wailing son, and sit on the couch for a break from my exhausting day...I mean...normal start to a day when Lightening fast Trouble Making Gage is around.

Gage's 11 month bear pictures....

2009-04-05T15:20:00.003-04:00

Sweet little trouble making Gage is 11 months old. Each day is a fun new adventure with him in our lives. He no longer is eating any baby food at all and I am beginning to wean him so that hopefully he will be on whole milk out of a sippy cup by his birthday next month. He has been "crawling" for a couple months now, but only recently did he realize he could move faster if he picked his huge belly off the floor. He now crawls in the typical crawling motion, and is fast fast fast! He can say Mama, although I am not convinced he is really using it as a word just yet. He loves to yell, "ha" when I walk in the room and I am convinced he is saying "hi" to me. He is curious, but obediant. He wears size 12 -18 months clothes, and is about to get his first hair cut. He is not a big fan of wearing shoes - although we are working on it cause I think it would help him in learning to walk. He is pulling up on furniture and cruises around while holding on to something, but seems a long way off from truly walking. He is a blast, and such a sweet guy!