Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!
What a wonderful day. It was a day for family and food. We are thankful for so many things - our health, our family, our country! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Here are a few pictures from our day. We woke up to a beautiful sunrise over Lake Barkley!

The Winn/Wilcox Family -

My cousin Mark's kids (Jake & Eli) with Carson and Hadley.

Fall is here...

Happy Halloween!

Disney, Day 3

Day 3 started out a little rough because Carson had a stomach bug. Luckily it was very short lived and he was ready to go to Animal Kingdom. We didn't get to the park until almost 2:00 so the lines were pretty short for most attractions. One of the most popular, Kilamanjaro Safari, only had a 10 minute wait so we jumped right in line. We were rewarded by seeing some animals up close. Here are a few of Carson's favorites. Notice 4 hippos in one picture.

It was neat to see Mickey and gang dressed in their Safari attire. Carson kept asking if this was the same Mickey from the restaurant a few nights before.


We ended the day with the Kali River Rapids. As you will see from this picture, it's only Jason that was initially brave enough to go down. The signed warned, "you WILL get WET, you MIGHT get SOAKED." Since Carson and I didn't want to get wet, we opted out...the first time. After we saw home much fun Jason had, we had to do it too. We did cheat and use our rain ponchos!

Disney, Day 2

Day 2 has come and gone. Whew, I never knew how tiring Disney could be with a 5 year old. We spent our morning at the hotel because Carson wasn't feeling his best. Last night he woke up with a fever and slept late today. After breakfast in the room, we headed out to the pool for a few hours. We didn't arrive at Hollywood Studios until after 1:00.

He doesn't look like he feels bad does he?

Carson, Jason, and two of his favorites - Lightening McQueen and 'Mater!

We saw Playhouse Disney Live today and it was great - Carson liked watching Leo sign autographs!

Thoughts on day 2 -

1. Your child will get sick - it will happen. Pack medicine from home. We didn't and when Carson woke up with a high fever in the middle of the night, we had to give him a portion of adult Motrin.

2. Definitely pack rain ponchos. Much cheaper to bring them from home than to purchase at the parks. Just like your child is going to get sick, it's going to rain. Today it rained off and on for a few hours but we just kept going in our ponchos.

3. Take advantage of the Rider Swap program on certain rides. We did this today on Tower of Terror and it was great. Jason got in line, the cast member gave me a Fast Pass ticket and Carson and I waited for Jason to ride. Once Jason got off, I went right on. Awesome program!

4. Go to Guest Services when you arrive at EACH park and get a birthday button (even if you've just celebrated a birthday), an anniversary button, etc. It get's you noticed by many cast members and you just feel special. If it's your first time in the parks, as for a 1st visit button. When we got to Hollywood Studios today and Carson got his button, the cast member gave us a fast pass for Star Wars. What a treat. We could now hold fast passes for two attractions instead of the usual one.

5. Use First Aid if you need to. Carson started feeling bad again as we were leaving and since we didn't have a thermometer in the room, we stopped in to have his temperature taken. They did this free and even provided a dose of children's Tylenol.

6. BRING a small stroller - it's a must do!

Disney, Day 1

Today was our first day at Walt Disney World and like most families, we went to Magic Kingdom. Carson was thrilled to be here but he didn't really "get it" until about 1/2 way through the day. It was a long day and very hot. We came back to our hotel for a much needed rest and had a hard time getting Carson to wake up for dinner. We finally made it to Chef Mickey's and it was so magical. As Jason said, "we just paid $100 to eat at a "nice" Shoney's but it was worth every penny." The look on Carson's face when all the characters came to our table was priceless! After all, you don't come to Disney for the food...

Thoughts on day 1 -

1. I'm enjoying time with my big boy. I can't imagine having Hadley here, or even another child close to his age. It's hard to focus on one child and the "magic" - one at a time is enough for me.

2. Although we have a bit of a bus ride every morning to the parks, I'm still glad we didn't get a car. The Hilton has transportation which is a must have no matter where you stay. We used Sunray Transportation to get from the airport to the hotel and they were great - even had a booster seat for Carson! Check them out if you are down this way.

3. Throw all your plans out the window. Let your child dictate where you are going. There is no way to do the Magic Kingdom in one day, likely not even two. We might not get to Animal Kingdom or Epcot this trip and that's OK.

4. Take snacks and a few bottles of water. We made it through day 1 only spending $2 and that was on the way out on a coke for me. (No Fruit Tea or Mountain Dew down here!)

5. Definitely eat at Chef Mickey's. Yes, it's expensive but worth it. I like the fact that we ate there early in the trip - thanks to Ashlea for the tip. It wouldn't have had as much impact late in the trip.

Carson turns 5!

Carson turned five today and he had one request - breakfast in bed. Of course I did what he asked and served him breakfast in bed, on a tray. He said he would like breakfast in bed every birthday from now until he's 13. He later changed the age to 9. Whew, only 4 more years!

The rest of the day - the week actually, was a whirlwind of activity. He has a few friends with birthdays very close to his (Beck and Luke being on the same day) so we've been partying for a while. Carson Adams had a bike party, Beck had a super hero party, and Luke had a party at Monkey Treehouse. Carson's party (Carson Winn that is) had a robot party. We are partied out for at least a week!

The Three Birthday Boys - Beck, Luke, and Carson - all 5 years old today!

Carson's robot cake

Carson Adams and Carson Winn

A ONEderful day!

Hadley turned ONE earlier this month and we celebrated her birthday with lots of pink and green. It was a day very fitting for our little princess! The inspiration for the party theme came from Jason's sister Jill (or Jiji as the kids call her). She had the great idea to monogram this tablecloth and the ideas just flowed from there. (Yes, I do realize it's a little wrinkled!)

My good friend and photographer, Paul Rinkes, captured the party so perfectly for us. We truly wouldn't have the memories we do if it wasn't for Paul. Thank you Paul for shooting Hadley's special day, you are a GREAT friend! If you are in the Nashville/Franklin area, check out Paul's website, Rinkes Photography here.

To see all Paul's photos from the big day, click here. Thank you to all our ONEderful friends and family for celebrating with us. We appreciate Big & Tine driving in from Louisiana and the Winns and Wilcoxes for driving in from Paducah. It made Hadley's day extra special.

August

August Recap:

NO MORE TRAINING WHEELS

One afternoon Carson just decided he didn't need training wheels anymore so off they came. He only tried a few times and he picked it right up. This video shows it all. What a big boy! Congratulations Carson, not even 5 and no more training wheels.

LAST CAN OF BABY FORMULA

Seriously, where does the time go? It truly seems like yesterday that little Hadley was born and now I'm posting about the last can of baby formula. Kinda sad. Milk, here we come...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM

We had a wonderful family dinner at Teddy & Tera's new house to celebrate my Mom's Birthday. Carson and Hadley love spending time with their BB, we love you Mom!

JEN'S 40th BIRTHDAY

Wow! I never knew planning a surprise birthday party could be so stressful. The lying alone will just about kill you. My bestie, Jennifer Beck (aka "the other Carson's Mom") turned 40 in late August so her husband Brad and I surprised her with a party almost a week before her birthday. The party was at her house so I think she really was surprised! It was a fun night celebrating with Jen and those she loves most including two good friends from Atlanta. I actually left the party super early because I was so tired from all the planning/organizing. Happy Birthday Jen, love ya! Can't wait until we turn 50!

Summer is over, time for a new post...

Summer is officially over, Carson is back in school, and the days are getting shorter so it's finally time that I sat down and updated the blog. So many of you have asked for pictures of this and that and I'm so sorry to disappoint for so long but it's just hard to find the time to sit down and write. I wish I was a better writer, I'd be updating all the time. Anyway, on to the fun stuff.

July Recap:

REDNECK REUNION

We had the first (annual?) Bichon family Redneck Reunion at Lake Barkley. Don't tell my Aunt Sally I called it the Redneck Reunion but I say with two trips to the Trigg County ER ( both in the same day), one case of alcohol poisoning, raccoons ransacking the garbage, glow necklace craziness (Big Daddy), and mice in your hotel room (not mine), it's considered Redneck.

All told, we had a great time being together. There were 6 little kid cousins under 5 years old and they had so much fun playing together. We tried our best to get a shot of all of them but it's was very difficult. Here's the best of what we got. Until next year...

SANDESTIN

In July the kids and I went to Sandestin to see our good friends the Jungs and Binkleys who just purchased a new home. It's a beautiful place, soooo relaxing! Check it out here. Carson had a great time hanging out, playing with the dogs, going crabbing, going to the beach, etc. What a way to spend a week!

15 YEARS

Jason and I celebrated 15 years together on July 30th. He's the best husband and even better father. Thank you J for 15 wonderful years!

40 is the new 30...

As I sit here on Grand Cayman Island on the eve of my 40th birthday, I'm a bit melancholy about what tomorrow holds. For some reason I feel like it's a new stage of my life. Maybe because so much happened to me in my 30s. I can remember not too long ago when I thought 40 was so old. Of course now, I'm thinking not so much. All my friends over 40 tell me 40 is the new 30 so I guess tomorrow I'll really only be 30!

This has been a really special week, just me and Jason, relaxing and doing nothing. We are having a blast! Thanks to all our friends and family who made this all happen - those of you who kept the kids (and Zoe), had Carson over for play dates, drove him to tennis, swimming, etc. I love you all!

Upates, updates, updates.

There are so many things I need to update, so many things that have been "firsts" recently, especially for Hadley, I'm just not sure where to start. Here goes...short and sweet.

First Soccer Game
Carson has started playing soccer, our first of what I'm sure will be many, team sports. So far so good. We've had a lot of rain this spring so a few games have been rained out. Carson Beck and a few other friends, Luke and John, are on his team so he really enjoys seeing his friends when we go to the practices and games. Carson Beck's Dad, Brad, is the coach and a great one at that!

First Baby Food
March 4th, Hadley's first taste of baby food was peas, and as you can see from her reaction, she wasn't sure about the taste or texture. (I'm with you, Hadley!)

By April 4th, she was all about her baby food, she just couldn't get enough. Yep, even of the peas!

Trip to Louisiana
For spring break in early April, I loaded up the car, and took the two kids and Zoe to Louisiana to visit Big and Tine. I don't know who had more fun, Carson or Zoe. We spent all our time just hanging out at the house, their yard is beautiful and it's so relaxing! Zoe loved running in the fenced yard and tormenting the turtles. Carson loved helping Big make fires at night.

One of the highlights of the trip was seeing Big Daddy's Limo. Carson loved sitting in the back and talking on the phone. Jason surprised us by flying down for a quick visit so Big Daddy drove the limo to pick him up. He even had a customized sign. Classic!

Another great adventure for Carson was the Barksdale Air Force Museum. He loved watching the B52s take off and land.

Mother's Day & Hadley's Church Dedication
On May 10th, Mother's Day, we celebrated Hadley's church dedication. It was very special and we were blessed to have BB & Mac, and Meme & Poppy join us at the church. After the dedication, we met Teddy, Tera, and Jay at the house for a nice dinner. Hadley was 8 months old the day of her dedication.

"Mom, that Cat in the Hat looked just like you..."

As most of you know, I have a Cat in the Hat costume that I've had for years. Every year around March 2, Dr. Seuss' birthday, I dress up as the Cat and go to a few local schools and read for Read Across America Day. This year was no different. I had 5 "appearances" with 2 being at Carson's schools. During the first one, he looked at me very funny and I was sure he knew who I was but later that afternoon, he just said the Cat came to visit but no mention of me. After the second appearance, I was sure he was on to me because he really studied me while I was reading. Carson Beck was on to me too! Later at dinner, Carson said "Mom, that Cat in the Hat looked just like you..." Hmm, wonder why?

Happy Valentine's Day

A little late, but Happy Valentine's Day. Hadley was all smiles and rosy cheeks for her first Valentine's Day. Carson was thrilled with the BEST gift ever from T & Tera...I mean really, the kid loves donuts so he was in heaven.