Summer Fun

Two years ago we went with my mom's side of the family to El Capitan State Beach in California, and ever since we have made it a tradition in our own family to go each summer. We love the ocean and the cool weather and the chance to experience camping while hearing the waves just a few steps away. We took Alisha my sister and Karen, her good friend, with us and we had such a blast! It was definitely colder this year then it has been...most likely because we went earlier in the year. The 7 hour drive was kind of tough for our little guy, but with a few breaks every now and then we made it though it! Here is little B-rax enjoying a break from the confines of the car on the way there. I love his mohawk!


Braxton's first look at the ocean!! It was C-O-L-D!!

Alisha running from the waves. It seriously made your feet tingle and start to go numb it was so cold!

Chillin' in the tent.


I love this picture of Braxton! What a nut!

Playin' cards while baby sleeps. I won, of course. :)

I had to improvise in giving Braxton his bath at night. Poor little guy. He was so cold! I later discovered that the oversized sinks used for washing out clothes just outside the bathrooms worked wonderful as a bathtubs. Too bad I didnt get a picture.

Even though the water was like ice and it was cloudy and overcast, Justin and the girls were determined to go swimming while we were there. Justin is fearless...he just wades right in and rolls right along with the waves without even a shiver. Just watching him makes me cold! The girls didn't last as long as he did, but heck they are more brave than I am! Thankfully I had the baby as an excuse. :) We got our legs wet, but that was as far as we both wanted to go!


Braxton decided he wanted Alisha's apple. Mmmm, mmm, good! He really went at that thing for awhile!

Just a happy boy!


So overall it went well, but we did have a few mishaps...like our air mattress getting a hole and having to sleep on the hard rocky ground since we forgot to rake the area before we put up our tent...or how about a fat bird pooping out his entire days meal all over me and Braxton. Seriously, those birds eat berries like no tomorrow and it was like someone opened a pie and dumped the contents into my lap. I about freaked. I swear they take aim. I chide myself for not taking a picture of it but at the time the only thing I could think about was getting that stuff OFF. And the stupid bird totally ruined my sweater and pants. Good thing for him I didn't have a BB gun...But other than that we had alot of fun and it was so nice spending the whole week with Justin and my baby. I just love vacations!

Family Memories

We finally had some family pictures taken!! It took us long enough to get here, but it was worth it. I am totally happy with how these turned out! These are some of my faves...

Days of Our Lives

Not too much to report on here in the Caruso household. Braxton turns 6 months next week. I can't believe how fast he is growing. He is looking more and more like a little boy every day rather than a baby. I just love him with all my heart and soul...he is the sun in my world and I coudn't ask for a greater calling than being a stay at home mother where I get to be his love and guidance and a building block for him in this crazy world. Thank you to my wonderful husband who works hard to provide for us and give us the things we want and need. He is so in love with Braxton as well and just can't wait to get home every day to see his son.

For those who know Cori Carpenter, she had her beautiful baby yesterday the 29th of May. I won't spoil all the fun by telling you all the details but she had one crazy delivery experience! Congratulations to her and her growing family. She is a wonderful mother and a wonderful friend.

Summer is here in full heat and we find every respite we can to try and stay cool. Braxton had his first popsicle today and just loved it! :) I think it feels good on his sore gums as well. Still waiting for that tooth to pop through.

For those who are looking for a good book, I am reading The Dark Elf Trilogy by R.A. Salvatore and I love it. Its a fantasy about a Drow, a dark elf, who knows there has to be something more to life than the evil world he was raised in and sets off on a journey to discover what else is out there. The next series is The Icewindale Trilogy and thats supposed to be even better. I am excited to finally have a book again that I enjoy reading!

And thats about it. Hope every one is happy and healthy and staying cool!

Fun in the Sun

We are fortunate enough to have friends (Larisa and Joe) just down the road who thankfully have pool. They invited us to come swimming "any time we want"...and I warned her that is she invites...we will come! It is SO STINKIN' HOT already and the pool was so refreshing and cool. They will probably regret ever inviting us once they realize just how ready we are to take them up on their offer. :) We had a blast though and Braxton did so good. He didn't even cry though the water was a bit on the cold side for him and loved splashing around and playing with the toy boat. Larisa is due tomorrow and Cori is due with her second in a few weeks, and I couldn't resist getting a picture of their pregnant bellies together. They are so cute! Thanks for letting us come enjoy your oasis!

Me and the babies...

Enjoying the cool water!

Baby Bellies. Aren't they cute pregnant ladies?

Braxton being a happy boy. He just loved the water!

Mother's Day Misery

So my little baby boy had his first big accident this last Sunday. And on Mother's Day, of all days. I felt like a freakin' horrible mother. I was doing the dishes and preparing for my family to come down and have a nice lunch with us, and as we usually do I set Braxton in his carseat on top of the table. (Can you see where this is heading? Yea, I should have seen it too.) Well he was just sitting there talking to himself and playing with his feet and I turned my back for a second to wash something, when I heard a sick thud. I turned and the image I saw will be forever burned into my memory. My little boy was lying face down on the hard tile floor, and he wasn't moving. My stomach dropped into my toes and horror raced through my veins like a river. Did he crack his head? Did he break his nose or his ribs? WAS HE ALIVE?!?! Thankfully, (if you can be thankful in this circumstance) he took the full force of the blow to his bottom left side of his lip (and thankfully he has no teeth yet!) so there was no serious damage done. He poor gums were so swollen and under his tounge was black and red, and of course he had a fat lip, so he had a hard time eating the rest of the day. I had to feed him formula through a siringe, and every cry and every whimper just tore through me like a knife. I know these things happen, but when it happens to YOU it just is one of the worst feelings in the entire world. I bawled the entire day and into the next. I can't believe I had let this happen! Thank goodness for the power of the priesthood. Justin gave him one initially to calm him down and to go to sleep, then my father and Justin gave him a specific healing blessing later when my family arrived. He has healed quickly and even though it was horrible and I never ever want something like this to happen again, I'm grateful that it could also be a learning experience for me as a mother (NEVER PUT YOUR CHILD ON TOP OF A TABLE, just like the carseat pamphlet says...) and a faith builder through the priesthood blessings.

A Wet Mess!

So Braxton and I took a little trip to Walgreens last week to pass some time, and we were only gone about 20 minutes when I came home to find THIS:

My downstairs bathroom was completely flooded and there was about an inch of water just covering the entire hallway and into the livingroom and laundry room. It was EVERYWHERE! My first thought was, "Oh boy, what have those DARN dogs done NOW..." but then I remembered that unless they have thumbs to flush the toilet or pull a water hose out, it couldn't have been them. Somehow, one of the pipes had gotten clogged and when my washer tried to drain from the rinse cycle, it had nowhere to go except my floor. Thank goodness it missed my carpet! It was quite a mess to clean up though...no fun!

Beautiful Victoria

Well, our wonderful trip has come and gone, and home we are again. Vacations always go by way too fast! Victoria was absolutely beautiful though and we loved every minute spent there. The weather was perfect...in the high 50s to low 60s and the air was so clean and crisp you just wanted to drink it all up! There are way too many pictures to post, but here are some of my favorites from our excursion.

On the ferry ride from the port in Canada to Victoria Island. It was COLD and WINDY!

THIS IS A TREE!!! How odd is that? Do they shape them like that or is that how is just grows? I don't know, but it was way cool. I loved how the vines grew all over this Grand Hotel we saw by the horbor. I'm sure its so gorgeous when all the flowers are in bloom.

This is the first Bed and Breakfast we stayed in in Victoria. The grounds were absolutely gorgeous and the view of the ocean was so beautiful! I would totally recommend a B&B to anyone who is tired of the traditional hotel experience and is looking for something more personal and a "home away from home" feel. It was so fun!

Little Braxton did pretty good from the most part, but he definitely had a few rough times. I think all the traveling and new surroundings just tuckered him out. My sweet boy.

There was this awesome authentic castle right next to where we were staying, but unfortunately we didn't have time to tour it. We sat outside of it though for awhile and just enjoyed the weather and the beautiful field of flowers that sat at its doorstep. Hopefully next time we'll get to go inside.

The Buchart Gardens were spectacular in all their beauty and splendor. I seriously felt at times that this could have been what the Garden of Eden looked like. I loved being there! My pictures don't do it justice, but when my photographer sister gets her pics on a CD I will post some and then you can REALLY see what it looked like. :)

This was the ferry ride back to Seattle. My mom and baby and aunts were pooped, so my and my sis decided to enjoy the scenery for a little by ourselves and get some good sister-bonding time.

This place is called Cottage Creek Inn, and it definitely lived up to its name. Its the B&B that we stayed in in Seattle, and I just fell in love the moment we drove up its cute little windy path! It was in the middle of Seattle, but it was set back from the road aways and their quaint little (well it wasn't really little) cottage home sat on acres and acres on gorgeous green forest land. The man who runs this place with his wife is an artist, and he puts his talents to use on his landscaping. Again, my pictures don't nearly do the place justice, but they were just breathtaking. A real creek wound through and around the property, and there were blooming flower gardens everywhere. It was simply rejuvinating to the soul to be in the midst of this paradise.

(Last picture: Braxton asleep again...little angel had to catch a nap wherever he could.)

This was a magical trip that won't soon be forgotten. It was lovely to get away from the Arizona sun and dry desert for a weekend and enjoy nature like God intended. :) Ok ok...Arizona DOES have its beauty, but it seems so simple compared to the lush green I basked in all weekend. Looking for an enchanting getaway? Go to Victoria!!