Rained out

Saturday, we tried to go to the playground at Granny and Big Daddy's church to play.  But we could only stay about 15 minutes before a black cloud rolled up and a storm was coming.  Claire had fun while we were there, except she doesn't like the sand.  

I knew she needed to get more energy out so we headed to the mall.  Our mall never has people in it so I knew she could run free!  She ran up and down the mall about 45 minutes until I was sweating and she kept falling because she was tired.  She even ran along some of the mall walkers.  I think she provided some entertainment for them!



The only time she stopped was when she ran infront of TJ Maxx.  She would just stop and stare into the store.  She wouldn't go in.  But it was like it amazed her with all the stuff in there. 

So atleast she got to "play" a little bit.  New Bern really needs some indoor play places for small kids. 

Love,

The Scott Family

Rainy day fun

Love,
The Scott Family

Pool party and birthday thoughts

This weekend we celebrated my birthday and Uncle James' birthday with a pool party and cookout with family and friends at our house.  The weather was perfect and so was the day! 

Me, Claire, Becky, and Ava.  Two years ago at my birthday party we were both pregnant with these girls!

Connor, Aunt Sarah, and Anna

Pool fun!

Uncle Colby, Aunt Amanda (Ah-Mee-Nah as Claire calls her now), Aunt Julie, and Uncle James

Aunt Sarah and Anna

Playing with my water table

Curls and cuteness

Me, Claire, Beth, Izzie, Becky, and Ava.  BFFs all the way around!

Trent getting the grill ready for hamburgers and hotdogs!

My favorite family picture to date (well I have lots of favorites)!  We are all smiling! 

Enjoying the shade

Waiting for supper

Aunt Julie figured out how to bribe Claire into letting her hold her.  Diet Mountain Dew!

Three Amigos

"How many more pictures do we have to take???"

I love this!  Claire was having a blast playing in the yard with her cousins!

"Look at me mom!!!"

Connor and Claire

The infamous birthday cake for me and James (Jams....).  hahaha

Carpenter Girls:  Aunt Julie, Me, Claire (1/2 Carpenter girl), Aunt Amanda, and Aunt Brandy (soon-to-be Carpenter girl)

Candice, Jacob, and Trent playing pool volleyball

Aunt Brandy and Claire

We had a blast!  I just wish that Claire had not gotten sick.  And that she had not exposed the other kids unknowingly at the party.  I guess it's a part of life that I have to get used to sooner or later. 

I have never really thought of birthdays the way I do now. I have always thought of birthdays as an exciting time to get together with family and friends and have fun. Sometimes you get gifts, sometimes you don’t. The older I get, the more I see birthdays in a different light.

Let’s back up several years. Our parents always made a big deal out of our birthdays. We were always made to feel special. I remember after most of my birthday parties as a child, I would usually cry. I know it sounds really odd, right? It should be a fun time and I should be enjoying my new gifts. But I would feel so bad that people spent their money on me to buy me something. Weird, I know. I remember crying in bed one night after my party and my mom came back to see what was wrong (I specifically remember getting a new boom box radio - tells my age right?). I told her I was just sad because I didn’t want anyone to spend money on me or buy me things. I felt bad about it. I remember her telling me that they wouldn’t have come to the party or bought me a gift if they really didn’t want to. So I tried to accept it. I still to this day do not like a big deal made of my birthday. And still to this day, I cried as we laid in bed after the pool party. Trent had to deal with me this time and tell me that I deserved to have a party. I think I cried myself to sleep - and yes, I am 33 years old.

As I started thinking about it this year and realizing how old I was going to be, it just hit me. Birthdays are so much more. I guess last year, I was in such a daze and glaze when we celebrated Claire’s first birthday, that it still didn’t sink in then. I was just so excited that we had actually made it one whole year.  But as I think about my birthday and planning Claire’s 2^nd birthday, I realize that birthdays are super special and just how my parents must have felt when celebrating our birthdays as children.

What a day to celebrate and remember!? It’s not just a fun day to have cake and ice cream and gifts. It’s a day that celebrates the birth of that child or person. The world would not be the same without them being born and so it makes it such a great day to celebrate them and remember back to that special day. I see now why our parents always made our birthdays special. Not only were they trying to make us enjoy our special day, it’s also a celebration for parents to remember that awesome day when their child was born.

So instead of looking at my birthday this year as a day that I turn older, I am looking at it from a mother’s perspective this year. And so I celebrated.

I appreciate everyone making the birthday celebration special!  I look forward to many, many more birthdays!

Love,

The Scott Family

Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease

Does this look like a little girl with hand-foot-mouth disease??

Well it is!  Along with the ear infection, the high fever she had Thursday was also associated with HFM.  She has lesions on her feet and in her mouth, but haven't seen any on her hands yet. They just popped up Saturday night after we had fun at our pool party.  She didn't act like anything was bothering her.  Then we found all the blisters on her feet and between her toes.  Of course she wouldn't let me see inside her mouth.  But when we went back to the pediatrician Sunday, they looked and saw lots of lesions in her mouth. 

She even has a rash all over her body.  You can kind of see the little red bumpy rash all over her legs. 

Blisters on the bottom of her feet.

Hopefully she will be better soon!  I had to cancel all of her play dates this week!  :(

Love,
The Scott Family

Vacation Bible School

Claire REALLY enjoyed her very first Vacation Bible School at Centenary UMC!  She stayed in the nursery room and got to play with friends.  She started to learn how to sit at the table for snack and to share toys with other kids. 

Thanks to Granny Mary, Aunt Amanda, and Marisa, we have these pictures from the first 4 days.  Unfortunately, Claire came down with a 103 fever Thursday night due to an ear infection so she stayed home Friday.  But I think this was a good practice for preschool that starts in just ONE month!!! 




Day One:

I love this picture! 

She likes opening and closing the cabinets on the play kitchen just like at home in the real kitchen.

Day Two:

Kitchen time again!

Outside on playground making music

Day Three:

Granny said Claire liked crawling through this tunnel a lot.

So much so that it wore her out and she fell asleep at VBS!



Day Four:

Running through the sanctuary during music time!

Checking out the organ in the sanctuary.  Waiting for Uncle Colby to come play a song.

Where's Waldo/Claire?

Artwork - Goldfish and Lobster.  VBS theme was something to do with oceans.

A real live sea turtle from NC Aquarium.  As you can see, Claire did not like him. 

"Giiiiirrrll, did you see what she was wearing????......................."   (snack time!  This picture cracks me up!)

More snack time.  Practicing sitting at the kid table like everyone else. 

I am so glad Granny and Aunt Amanda were able to take Claire to VBS this year.  She really enjoyed herself and I really enjoyed seeing the pictures of her having fun!  We are really working at getting Claire around more kids so she can learn to interact and play with them.  If you are interested in a play date, let me know and I will put you on Claire's Play Calendar!! 

Love,
The Scott Family

Miracle Treat Day at Dairy Queen

Thursday, July 26th was Miracle Treat Day at Dairy Queen.  This was the same day as Claire's eye appointment in Cary.  Basically for every Blizzard bought that day, $1 would go to a Children's Miracle Network hospital.  So naturally we had to find a DQ participating.  Amanda looked on her phone and noticed New Bern was not participating (shame on you!) but saw that Clayton was.  We were right at that exit so we pulled off and got us a Blizzard!  Yummy!!!  It was for a good cause!!

Love,
The Scott Family