Short Swimming Video

Here is a super short video of Carter in the pool last Friday night. You will see how excited he is....this is pretty much how he acts the entire time he is swimming or in the tub. What can I say...we have a little water baby!

Pink Palace Adventures

Since we'd already had a super busy weekend, Derrick and I decided to do something fun with Carter and get out of the house again on Sunday. Here are our Pink Palace adventure pictures. Please note that even though Carter looks like he is either mad or could care less in most of these pictures, he really did enjoy it!


Carter....watch out for that big black bear!


Carter, Mommy, and the Bison


Oh no....a dinosaur is going to eat my baby!

Daddy, Carter, and a mean looking dino

Carter & Daddy by the train

He liked being able to stand up and watch the cars go around

the only picture of the 3 of us...not the greatest, but hey, memories, right?

Shelby & Justin's Wedding

Saturday, June 27 at 6:00 p.m., Shelby LouAnn Saldo became Mrs. Justin Wayne Pollard. Congratulations Shelby & Justin - we wish you a lifetime of happiness and love!

Sorry the pictures are in reverse order, but I hope you enjoy anyway!


Derrick and I making our exit...Shelby wanted us to strut...hence the crazy poses!

Nikki & Mikey (Justin's sister & brother-in-law)

Shannon (Shelby's sister) & Isaac (Justin's brother)

Amy & Garrett (Shelby's sister & brother) and Kirsten (Amy's daughter)

Love this picture....marital bliss already!

You may now kiss the bride...

Shelby & Pete walking down to meet Justin

Derrick & Kelley (his mom)

Carter all decked out in his tux...pre-hot pink bow tie

Derrick & I before the wedding

Shelby & I - isn't she just gorgeous!

Lisa & Nikki (Justin's mom & sister)

Shelby & Savannah

Kirsten, Amy, and Emma

Amy, Shelby, Kelley, Derrick, & Shannon...just missing Kristi & Garrett

Kirsten & Emma enjoying some pre-wedding McDonalds

Shelby getting beautified!

Shot of her hair

Hair - back view - at salon

Hair - front view - at salon

Rehearsal Dinner at the Pollards

As most of you know, Derrick's sister, Shelby, got married this weekend. We were very busy with wedding events, but had such a great time! Here are some pictures from Friday night, our rehearsal dinner (catered by Crepe Maker) at the Pollards house.


The gift table...these color coordinated with the wedding colors


Table centerpieces


Derrick feeding Carter his bottle

Carter...the camera is in front of you!

Crepe Maker setup

Carter swimming with Daddy

On the shoulders

In his own personal float...thanks Lisa!

He had such a blast in the pool and playing with the waterfall!

Carter....Crawling??

Here are a couple of videos showing you Carter...and his attempts at crawling. I never thought I'd have a 9.5 month old child who could not do this, but sure enough....he's just a rolly polly little thing. :) I guess babies really do have their own sense of timing!

Some 9 Month Pictures

Here are some random pictures from the last couple of days. I realized I didn't have more than 10 pictures from his 9th month so far, so I have to get on the ball! These are good depictions of what we do in the evenings after work.


Carter with milk all over his face after feeding himself a bottle. He doesn't let anyone hold it for him, so he gets pretty messy each time.


Carter riding his little car...love how he has his feet up :)


He was jumping up and down, laughing and squealing!

He LOVES to stand up these days. He isn't trying to take any steps, but he likes to stand up and hold onto things...Mommy's hands, the ottoman, etc.

GiGi is thinking...what has become of my life...sigh!

Carter & His Car

Here is a video of Carter riding his little car. We got him this for Christmas...when it was obviously way too big for him, but now, it is just the right size. He rides on it, sits beside it to push the buttons and play with it, and whenever he decides he might want to walk, he can push it from behind. When we stood him up to try this, he leaned forward, fell down, and cried. So pitiful...yet so cute!

9 Months & 4 Year Anniversary

Last week, Derrick and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary. We had dinner at Grisanti's, ice cream at Coldstone, and picked up Carter by 9:00. I guess this is what being a parent is all about!


At a red light in the car...we got some stares!


Carter saying, I'll smile in just 1 minute, mom


Yes, we still give him baths in a baby tub...can't bear to move him to the real thing yet

One of his many funny expressions...he has the best little personality and is always quick with a smile or laugh!

Shower Weekend

This weekend, we had a couple's shower for Shelby & Justin. They are getting married in 3 weeks, so it was nice to have a little celebration for them.


Mom & Katlin


Shelby with her gifts


Carter hanging out in his basketball "uniform" last week

Jumping Video

Carter still loves his jumpy, though he is getting too big for it. He will jump, scream, squeal, laugh, and talk for 30 minutes sometimes. Here you catch a tiny bit of him saying DaDa.

9 Months Today

Dear Carter,

From the moment we met you, our lives changed. We waited so long to hear you little cry, to see your sweet face, and to hold you in our arms...and we could never have imagined how much we could love you.

Today, you are 9 months old. In a way, you are still our baby, but you are also very much a big boy. You can sit up, stand supported, roll, and say a few words....mostly DaDa and GiGi, though you've said Bye-Bye and Mama a couple of times.

Thank you for the big smile you give us each time we walk in the room. Thank you for the squeals of joy when we tickle you. Thank you for your patience with us figuring out each new stage, but mostly, thank you for blessing us with the greatest gift either of us has ever received...you.

We love you Carter!

Mommy & Daddy

A recap of pictures - the beginning until now...

Less than 5 minutes old

2 weeks old - going to the doctor

2 months old - getting some hair

3 months old - first smiles

4 months old - baby dedication at church

5 months old - sitting up like a big boy

6 months old - Mommy's birthday & your half birthday

7 months old - Easter


8 months old - first trip to the beach

We can't wait for all the fun times ahead!