Messano

New little one on the way!

2011-11-26T18:19:00.000-08:00

Jason and I are expecting our second baby on June 2, 2012! We couldn't be more excited about it! I don't feel great, but I feel better than I did with Carson. My sense of smell is also extremely heightened, which I didn't notice with Carson at all.

Jason and I lost a baby earlier this year. I was 3 months along. It was devastating, to say the least. Because of that we had an early ultrasound this go around and everything looks great and healthy. We honestly couldn't be happier. Jason wants a boy....I'm good with either. I guess we will wait and see!

Happy Little Dinosaur

2011-10-31T15:51:00.001-07:00

Carson was a dinosaur for Halloween and he loved his costume!! He didn't want to take it off and he loved the stuffed tail that wags when he walks. He is so stinkin cute!

Candy Popcorn

2011-10-02T14:52:00.001-07:00

Last night while Jason was at the Priesthood session of General Conference, Carson and I went to the Draper's and made candy popcorn. I haven't let Carson have popcorn before, but he kept saying "mmmmmm" so I let him try some. He loved it!! He had a hand in each bowl. During conference today he sat there and ate more of it, giggling the entire time.

Fall Decorations

2011-10-01T10:13:00.001-07:00

Carson had fun helping mommy put out the Fall and Halloween decorations today. :)

Sick Day

2011-09-30T19:28:00.001-07:00

I took Carson back to the doctor today because I didn't think his ear infection was going away, and sure enough it didn't. We are going to meet with a specialist about getting tubes put in his ears. After his appointment I took him home and we spent the afternoon together. He was been pretty crabby all day, but he brought me my apron and wanted me to put it on him. He thought it was so funny!! Kenya and Lois came down and we put an apron on Kenya and the two of them played so great together. They have so much fun. :)

I scream, you scream...

2011-09-29T18:54:00.001-07:00

Lois and I thought it would be fun to take Carson and Kenya to coldstone on Tuesday for their free ice cream night. The kiddos loved it! Gotta love free ice cream!

Glow sticks

2011-09-29T18:51:00.001-07:00

Carson has another ear infection so he has been super crabby this week. We are thinking about getting tubes for the poor boy. :( He loves taking baths, so to cheer him up I thought we would try something new! I bought some glow sticks and put them in the tub with him while we turned out the lights. He loved it!!! He had to take them to bed with him that night.

Pumpkin Head

2011-09-29T14:02:00.001-07:00

Poor little Carson fell off the couch on Monday and went head first into his Halloween pumpkin! He then flipped over onto his bum with the pumpkin on his head. He cut his nose and above his eye. Poor little Pumpkin Head! Mommy bought him a pumpkin head peez dispenser to make him feel better.

State Fair

2011-09-16T19:19:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of September Jason and I took Carson to the State Fair in Blackfoot! Carly and Will came with us and we had a lot of fun. Jason and I ate sooooo much food. I don't know what it is about fair food, but it seems to taste better than buying somewhere else for a lot cheaper. If you don't believe that we ate a lot, let me tell you what we ate........

we each had a bullseye burger (a bacon cheeseburger on a donut) with fries, we had tortados, corn on the cob, funnel cake, a carmel apple, and a chocolate covered strawberry kabob. I probably could have eaten more, but we ran out of cash so I told myself we were done. :)

The fair has a free petting zoo for the little kids that has goats, chickens, and sheep running around. Carson though the animals were great! He could not get enough of them. After we were done with the petting zoo we walked through all of the animal barns. A very nice man let Carson pet his new baby calves! Carson wasn't sure what to think because they were so big and the mama cows kept "mooing" at him. It was really cute.

After we had spent the day with Carson, Carly and Will took him back to our house for us so that Jason and I could go on a date to the rodeo! We had a lot of fun. Jason wasn't so sure about the whole rodeo thing, but it was nice to get to be on a date by ourselves! I sure do love that husband of mine..... :)

Craft Day with Ashley

2011-08-13T19:35:00.000-07:00

Ashley and I made the cutest pumpkins all by ourselves. We are super proud of them. Plus, we had a ton of fun doing it. :)

Trip to Utah

2011-08-02T19:10:00.000-07:00

The weekend of the 24th of July we went down to Utah to see Jason's grandparents and parents. We had a lot of fun! Carson loves Grandma and Grandpa Hileman, and they love him right back. It was also good to visit with Jason's parents since we don't get to see them very often. We went to a copper mine and learned a lot, ate lots of yummy food, and got to spend time with family.

In front of the giant tire

Carson being a "cool dude" with his sunglasses

Grandpa Messano, Jason, and Grandpa Hileman looking at all of the trucks

Sweet Dreams..

2011-07-28T20:46:00.000-07:00

I find Carson sleeping in the most random positions. Most of the time I don't think to grab my camera, but I managed to catch a few...

I'm one cool dude....

2011-07-25T20:20:00.000-07:00

I'm so cool.... I can wear Papa's sunglasses and use Daddy's computer at work. I am growing up way too fast!

Melaleuca Picnic 2011

2011-07-23T20:16:00.000-07:00

In July we had the annual Melaleuca Picnic! We had a lot of fun as a family that day. Jason had to get there early so he could carve the pig, and Carson and I hung out with April, Noah, Carly, and Will.

Carson rode on the swings and loved them. He cried so hard when I made him get off. He would giggle and laugh and kick his little feet the whole time. So cute!

Carson on the swing ride

After the swings we went down the big blow up slide, which he also thought was great. He got to ride on Uncle Will's shoulders and bounced up and down the whole time. He liked to pull Will's hair and then laugh, which I'm sure Will didn't find so funny. We took Carson to pet a baby calf and he loved it. At first he wasn't sure what to think, but by the end he we really into it. He didn't want to leave so I had to bribe him with cotton candy. :)

Carson petting a baby calf. He thought it was so cool

For lunch we had Texas Roadhouse catered and the roasted pig that Jason was serving. It was all so yummy! Carson loved the baked beans and the watermelon. It was so cute to watch him eat it and then say, "Mmmmmm!" He is getting so big!

We had such a good time at the picnic this year! Carson ate lots of cotton candy, watermelon, snow cone, and baked beans, and he loved riding in his little wagon! He wouldn't take a nap the entire time we were there, but at soon as we started heading back to the car he fell asleep. He pretty much face-planted into the pile of blankets in front of him. He was so worn out from such a great day!

Carson and Mommy getting our picture taken

Cleaning the Church

2011-07-23T09:30:00.000-07:00

Jason and I bought Carson a little Radio Flyer Wagon for his birthday and we took it for it's maiden trip to clean the church. Carson through it was so fun!! He giggled and laughed and danced the entire way to the church.

On the way back, however, the poor kid was so tired that he fell asleep in the wagon! Clean-up time cut right into his morning nap and he just couldn't make it home.

Carson's First Birthday

2011-07-17T21:31:00.001-07:00

I can't believe it has already been a year since my sweet baby brightened my life! Carson turned 1 on the 7th of July and we threw him a party. Man, that kid got spoiled!! He truly is loved by his family and friends. My parents came up for the big day, Carly and Will came, Ashley and Shaun and the two munchkins came, as did Lois, Robert, and Kenya Draper! Even Coya Reid stopped in and said hello. He loved all of his gifts and cried when we would take them away so he could open the next gift. He got TWO push cars (which he loves both of them) and has used them to walk everywhere. It is so cute. He tore into his cake and thought everyone singing to him was great. We love you little guy!

Big Boy Carseat

2011-07-11T21:06:00.000-07:00

We got Carson his big boy Carseat and the kid loves it! He was so happy to be facing forward and to be able to look out the window. I love it because I can watch him dance to the radio and talk to him. He makes our drives very entertaining.

I like a little cake in the face....

2011-07-03T09:44:00.000-07:00

Get ready for the longest post of pictures ever! My sweet little baby is growing up! We had his 1 year pictures taken and I'm still in denial. I can't believe he is really that big.

Carson a year ago.....

Carson now!

Farr's World Record

2011-06-27T18:57:00.000-07:00

Farr Candy Company has been at it since 1911 and to celebrate, city officials shut down Constitution Way in downtown Idaho Falls on Monday, June 20th and brought out music, antique ice cream trucks, and of course, ice cream..... They were trying to make it into the Guinness Book of World Records for the most scoops of ice cream in one hour, and they did it! They scooped a total of 6,284 scoops of ice cream that night.

Carson absolutely loved the ice cream! He ate off of ours for a few minutes and then grabbed his own cone! He had a hard time keeping the cone upright and soon his scoop fell off, but that didn't stop him. He ate the entire cone until there wasn't anything left. Silly boy!

We packed a picnic and sat next to the fiddlers to eat. Carson danced and laughed at the music the entire time. It was really cute! I'll post a video of that soon. :)

It was a great time and we really enjoyed doing it together as a family!

Zoo Day!

2011-06-20T13:45:00.000-07:00

Attempt at a family picture

Chasing the birds

Pointing at the Monkeys

Saturday was Zoo Day! Melaleuca gives their employees free tickets to the zoo for their families and we decided to take Carson! He didn't feel very good so we didn't get very many smiles out of him, but we had a lot of fun. We saw lots of animals and Carson liked the monkeys the best. They also have an area with birds that run around and Carson thought it was funny to chase the birds. :)

Happy little date night + 1

2011-06-18T20:32:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday night we decided to go on a date, but we wanted to bring Carson with us. We thought we would try the American classic - the drive in movie. I have to say, it was a lot of fun.

We took the explorer and lots of blankets and pillows, along with our own popcorn and candy galore. Carson thought it was the coolest thing he has ever done (and it probably is) to crawl all around the car. He would stick his head out the back window and laugh like it was the funniest thing ever. So cute.

We watched Kung Fu Panda 2 and ended up leaving before Pirates came on, but the little one needed to be in his crib. The car, in all of its glory, was not so fun for him to sleep in. All in all, it was a good night and lots of fun for our little family.

Swinging Good Time

2011-06-14T06:54:00.000-07:00

Saturday, Jason and I went to the park for a BBQ with some coworkers. Carson and I decided to swing and he LOVED it! He was laughing the entire time! By the time Jason came to video it he was ready to be done, but swinging will be something we do a lot this summer.

I love the wind in my face....

2011-06-13T06:49:00.000-07:00

We went to a friend's house for a BBQ and he took Carson on his first 4-wheeler ride! Carson wasn't exactly sure what to think about it all. One minute he was laughing and the next he looked terrified.

So excited!

Ready to go!

Still a little dazed and confused about what just happened.

A new place to play....

2011-06-12T11:33:00.000-07:00

I don't know if you knew this or not, but the trunk of the car is the coolest place to play. Just ask Carson....he didn't want to get out.

Mesa!

2011-06-07T19:18:00.000-07:00

Over Memorial Day weekend, Carson and I ditched the cold and flew to Mesa!! My grandparents moved there about 5 years ago and we went to visit my grandma. We had so much fun and it was WARM!!!

My mom met us there and we did, as my grandma so plainly put it, "whatever we wanted!" We ate yummy homemade food, wandered through Deseret Book, watched grandma drive an electric chair around Wal-Mart, went swimming, and just had fun being together! It was so nice to spend time with both my mom and my grandma. They are wonderful women and great examples to me of the kind of mother I want to be. They have such strong testimonies of the gospel and are dedicated to their families. I love them both very much.

Carson and my mom

My grandma was my best friend growing up. I grew up right next door and grandma and I loved to put together puzzles and talk after I got home from school. Grandma made the best homemade bread and I loved the smell of it. We would sit and eat a warm piece and just talk. When I moved away to college Grandma and Grandpa moved to Mesa. Going home always seems a bit strange without them there. I miss her so much and I wish we weren't this far apart....so this weekend together was much needed and long overdue.

Cheesy smile while Nana feeds him

9 month stats

2011-05-05T19:38:00.000-07:00

Carson will be 10 months in 2 days and I realized that I never posted his 9 month stats!!

Weight: 18lbs - 10%
Height: 27.25 inches - 10%
Head: 17.75 inches - 25%

Our little boy is so full of energy! He crawls everywhere and says "ma-ma, ba-ba, and pa-pa". He loves balloons and his daddy's laptop. He likes Oreo cookies and any type of fruit. I have a hard time getting him to eat veggies sometimes.......

He is growing up way too fast. We love our little boy so much.

It was warm today....

2011-04-14T20:53:00.001-07:00

NOT!!!

happy ~~spring~~ winter.

I jumped.....

2011-04-09T09:38:00.000-07:00

Jason and I have been trying to think of different things that I could do to bring in a little extra income so I can stay at home with my sweet Carson. After thinking about lots of different ways, the one we kept coming back to was Gold Canyon Candles. My mom sells them and I grew up with them in my home, so I know them well. I constantly have a candle burning because I love the way they make the whole house smell in a matter of minutes!
After thinking about it for months, I finally decided to jump. My friend, April, and I signed up this week and now we are selling Gold Canyon Candles! It is a little scary for me because I really want to do well so I can stay home with my baby. It is going to take a lot of work and me coming out of my comfort zone, but I think it will be worth it in the long run. The candles really are amazing, so the hard part will really be getting the word out there. After that, they should sell themselves!
Wish me luck! If anyone would like to do a party (online, book, or home) to help me out, let me know! Until then, my house smells great! Does yours?

Spring Fever

2011-03-26T18:05:00.000-07:00

We have it. Spring Fever, that is. Is it Spring yet? Not in Idaho! It snowed again today. Did someone forget to tell Idaho that it is the end of March? Spring Break, to be exact? Apparently that message was never delivered.

Playing outside on the one nice day we had this month.....

March was a busy month for us! We are working on sticking to a new budget. It's been a challenge, but something that we feel good about and is actually liberating in a way. It is getting us a lot closer to our goal of me staying at home.....anything is worth that!

All ready for church....isn't he the cutest?!?!?

Carson is growing like a little weed! He still hasn't quite figured out how to crawl yet, but he is really close. He scoots around on his bum and crawls backwards, but he isn't quite catching on to the forward motion yet. He claps and laughs at everything and had to get another hair cut this month. We love him and think he is the cutest thing to ever happen.

My Aunt Cheryl passed away this month and we made the trek to Wyoming for her funeral. It was a very sad day for us. She was an amazing lady, and as always I learned a lot about her at her funeral. I am so grateful for the knowledge we have that families can be together forever. We love you, Aunt Cheryl! Thanks for all of your love and support throughout the years.

My mom came to spend Spring Break with us this week. As always, it went way too fast! She watched Carson while I was at work and he got attached to his Nana. Thanks, Mom, for watching Carson. Your visits are never long enough.

Jason and I are still plugging through work and Jason is still chipping away at school. I turned 24 this month (no old comments, please) and Jason made it a special day for me. He is the best husband in the world, in case I don't say that enough.

Playing in his ducky bathtub in the living room.

He loves to look in the mirror.

And now, a message from Carson: \[. v ,fxxxxxxxxxxxdffbn kl ulk 0ewe9re469 /

Comfort Food

2011-03-01T20:23:00.000-08:00

My sweet little Carson has been so sick! We found out he had pneumonia last week after a few visits with the doctor. As sad as it is to have a sick baby, I really enjoyed staying home with him for a week. Just like anyone else, Carson needed some comfort food. I know, I know, he is a baby.....which is why I enjoyed it for him. :)

A few gummy bears....

with some yummy ice cream.....

and sprinkles to top it off.

My favorite color is NOT green....

2011-02-17T19:35:00.000-08:00

Carson loves food, of all sorts....except green beans. He will eat them - he just doesn't like them.

Will you be my Valentine?

2011-02-15T20:17:00.000-08:00

My Sweet Valentine

I came home from work yesterday to find a dozen roses from my wonderful hubby. It was so sweet! How could I possibly tell him that I already promised to be someone else's Valentine.........

My Sweet Valentine

Carson is 7 months!

2011-02-13T09:40:00.000-08:00

Monday my baby turned 7 months old! I can't believe it! Time goes by so quickly. His hair has been getting long on the sides and on the top, so we decided to take him in for a trim. It was so much fun and he did so great! He sat on his daddy's lap and just watched the girl cutting his hair. He thought the clippers were cool and liked to feel them vibrate.
He is such a sweet baby. He is always happy and laughing, which makes his mommy happy. He learned how to clap and did it for the first time by himself on Monday! Now he claps at everything....including when he pooped in the bathtub. I turned around to find his surprise and he started laughing and clapping. It's hard not to laugh when he is so proud of himself!
Yesterday we took him to the mall and let him ride in one of the mall strollers that look like a car. He thought it was the coolest thing ever. He loved the mall....soooo much to look at. We have also started sitting him in the seat of the cart when we go grocery shopping, which he also loves. I can't believe my baby is big enough to sit in the seat of the cart!

My friend, Chelsey, took pictures of him last week. They are so cute! My favorite one so far is of him playing with drum sticks in his Beatles shirt. My little rock star..... I'm excited to see the rest and I'll post more when I get them. :)
Jason had a good week this week as well. He got an iPad from work! Yay for him! He loves it, and so do I because that means I don't have to buy him one. :) He worked really hard for it and I'm proud of him.

Well, that's our news from Idaho.... Love you all!

3 years down....eternity to come

2011-02-07T20:19:00.000-08:00

Jason and I have been married for 3 years today! I can't believe how fast time flies. I love every minute that I spend with him and I am so grateful that he picked me. I still don't know how I got so lucky.....
Love you, babe! I can't wait to see what eternity has to bring.

Month in Review

2011-02-06T19:52:00.000-08:00

Well, my goal of blogging often hasn't happened. I'll try and catch everyone up on the last month.....

Our work sent us to a Jazz game in January and we had a lot of fun! We went with our friends April and Mike Weed. Let's just say the car ride down was quite entertaining. :) Our tickets were amazing! We sat in Row B, right on the floor. We got to go to the dinner before the game (all you can eat crab, prime rib, you name it), got a sweet parking pass, got the half-time VIP room that was full of concession food, and sat down on the floor. It was a lot of fun! Jason got to go to last night's game with his boss as well, so that is two games for him this season! Thanks, Melaleuca!

Our sweet little Carson turned 6 months old on January 7th! It's crazy how fast time flies. Here are his stats from his appointment:
Weight- 16lbs, 14oz - 37%
Height- 26 1/2 inches - 52%
Head - 17 inches - 32%

I can't believe how much he has grown! He is so much fun. Right now he loves to squeal and still gives mom lots of kisses. He is the happiest baby ever! He is constantly laughing and smiling. He sits up so well right now and loves to look at himself in the mirror. He got some blocks for Christmas from my aunt and he loves to play with them. We just love our little man!

Last weekend we got to go to Utah and visit our family! We spent time with Jason's grandparents in Sandy, got to see my brother Zach, and got to visit with Jordan. It was a great weekend! Grandpa and Grandma made us lots of yummy food while we were there, like always. Steaks, King Crab legs, pie....I don't think we could have eaten any more food! Well, I will try and post more often! Sorry for the month of absence! Love you all!

Carriage Ride

2011-01-04T15:21:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Eve we went to Old Colorado City and took a horse drawn carriage ride. It was great! We also got to see Santa and Carson sat on his lap. He is such a good sport about everything! My cutie pie.... :) He is such a happy baby. Sure do love him! (I love Jason too). Oh, and don't worry. Santa's beard is completely real. I double checked before I sat Carson on his lap. I wouldn't give my baby to some impostor! After the picture we walked up and down main street and looked through all the neat little shops. I even found a store that carried the slippers I like! (hint, hint, Jason) Here are some pictures from our little outing....

Feeding Giraffes

2011-01-03T19:13:00.000-08:00

While we were in Colorado Springs for Christmas we went to Zoo Lights! It was amazing! The entire zoo was covered in Christmas lights and since the zoo is on the side of a mountain you can see the entire city below. We got to feed giraffes! It was awesome! They had long black tongues and one of them thought Carson tasted yummy. We feed them crackers and got to pet them. I love the family picture at the bottom that the giraffe thought he should be a part of..... :)

Christmas Favorites

2010-12-19T13:03:00.000-08:00

This year I have discovered some new Christmas favorites......

Candy Cane Cocoa = yummy. It has really pieces of candy cane in it. :)

The Glee Christmas Album. I love the "O Holy Night" on this CD.

My finally complete Willowtree Nativity. It took a few years, but I finally have all of the pieces. It is beautiful.

Some old favorites.....

The First Presidency Christmas Devotional. I love these men and their messages are both inspiring and inspired. Click here, here, and here to watch.

These two scents... Vanilla Bean Noel from Bath and Body Works, and Peppermint Bark Candle from Gold Canyon Candles. It just isn't Christmas without them.

Most important of all, The Christmas Story. The birth of our Savior is the reason for the whole Christmas season. Click here to read the Christmas story as told in Luke Chapter 2.

How can you not love this face?

2010-12-19T12:28:00.000-08:00

One of those weeks.....

2010-12-12T22:01:00.000-08:00

Does anyone else ever have those weeks? The ones that seem to fly by and leave you wondering what happened? That was this week for us. Carson turned 5 months old on the 7th. I can't believe it! My baby is getting so big! He is my little ray of sunshine in our cold corner of the world. I can't remember what we did before he came into our lives! Work has been crazy busy the closer it gets to Christmas. Everyday I leave my to-do list longer than it was when I came in. It is getting colder (is that even possible?) and I'm already sick of the snow. Jason spent the weekend studying for finals - everyone say your prayers for him - and I tried to catch up on the pile of laundry that has been glaring at me for the last week. I finally sat down to write out my Christmas cards, only to realize I didn't order enough! Bummer! Sunday morning came before we started preparing for our Sunday school lesson... dinner was prepared out of what I could find in the cupboard, and Christmas gifts still haven't been sent to our out-of-town relatives! Yikes! Maybe things will slow down once 2011 gets here? Maybe?....Please?

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-27T20:30:00.000-08:00

With Carson sick and the roads a mess, we decided to have a nice quiet Thanksgiving to ourselves. I still made a meal big enough to feed an army, but Jason and I don't have any problem eating so it won't go to waste.

Our Gigantic Turkey! You see, I am a couponer. Yep, one of those. Although you may laugh at me, I got this 21 pound (yes, that is 1.5 times the weight of my son) for a little over 6 dollars. Even though Jason and I only ate a tiny bit of that beast of a bird, we will have Turkey noodle soup and many other dishes creatively using Turkey for many meals to come.

Our Thanksgiving table - set and ready to eat!

It can't be Thanksgiving without Grandma's homemade Cheesecake....yummy!

And of course, the best part of the day.....this little face!

Some of the things that I am thankful for:

My sweet baby and amazing husband. They are my everything. Love them.

My Savior. He is my constant, my strength, my guide. It is through Him that all my blessing come.

Temples. I am so glad that Jason and I were sealed so that our family can be together forever.

Extended family. We have great families - wonderful parents and siblings who are always there for us.

Jobs, food, home, clothes, cars, etc. We don't ever realize how luck we are.

Good Friends!

Happy late Thankgiving! Love you all!

Poor Sick Little Baby....

2010-11-26T21:52:00.000-08:00

Our sweet little Carson has been so sick! After work on Monday we took him to the doctor because he was having a hard time breathing....defiantly not a normal cold. After looking him over, we were told he had pneumonia, given 3 different types of medication, and had they had someone bring us a nebulizer machine so that we could give him breathing treatments at our house. The poor little guy did not feel good at all. They told us to keep the humidifier on constantly and give him the breathing treatments every 4-6 hours and to watch him closely. He slept in our room that night and I don't think I slept at all! I was so afraid that he would stop breathing, and a couple of times he almost did.
Thank goodness for the nebulizer machine! During all of this, Eastern Idaho (the tundra that we live in) was in the middle of a blizzard. The roads were horrible, it was freezing cold, and a 10 minute drive turned into a 45 minute drive. We decided to call off our trip to Colorado for Thanksgiving and stay home. Wednesday morning, at about 3am, Carson was barely breathing even after a breathing treatment. So, we warmed up the car and braved the roads to take our little bundle of love into urgent care.

The darn little boy was so excited to see new faces that all he could do was smile and kick his feet while he was lying on the table. They took an x-ray of his chest, gave him some new medicine, and sent us home with the promise of a call first thing in the morning once someone could read the x-ray.

Turns out our sweet baby has asthma! Jason has asthma too, so it defiantly came from his daddy's side. They told us to keep doing what we were doing and he would be fine. We have had a few scares since then, but have found out that humidifiers are HORRIBLE for babies with asthma, Carson is happy even when he is sick, and Jason can wake up to Carson crying if mommy is out shopping for Black Friday.
Carson is on the up-and-up and we are grateful for priesthood blessings and the guidance of the Spirit.

10 Things I LOVE about Carson

2010-11-05T21:23:00.000-07:00

Inspired by my friend Miriam's blog, here are 10 things I love about my little man....
10. He loves to eat his hands!
9. The way he smells. Nothing beats the smell of a baby.
8. How much he loves bath time! He loves to kick and splash in the water.
7. Carson loves his cousins! The second he sees Kenzlee or Brock he lights up.
6. He babbles in the car like he is telling me about his day. So cute.
5. He has my blue eyes and my white skin. :)
4. From the first day he was born he would smile and laugh in his sleep. I loved to watch him sleep to catch those cute little laughs.
3. He is my little cuddle bug. He likes to cuddle with me and fall asleep in my arms. Sometimes I will bring him to bed with me when he wakes up early in the morning and we fall back asleep together.
2. His smile. He loves to smile and every time I see it I can't help but smile back.
1. He is mine, forever and ever.

Jason's Birthday

2010-11-05T21:03:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was Jason's 27th birthday! He had class that night after work, so we didn't get to have a party, but he opened presents when he got home. He got a lot of great stuff! My parents bought him some very nice dress shirts, my sister and her family got him a gift card to best buy, his parents got him a video about the Joseph Smith papers, and Carson got him "How to train your dragon", "Iron Man 2", a fireproof safe, 2 pictures for our theater room, his favorite drink, and some new garments. We love you, Daddy! Hope you had a great day!! XOXO!

Bathtime

2010-10-30T22:04:00.000-07:00

Bath time with Carson is one of my favorite times of the day with him! He loves his bath! He likes to kick his feet and splash the water. I tried putting his bumbo in the bath the other day so that he could sit up. He thought it was great. He is such a happy little baby. I love my little man.

Halloween

2010-10-30T21:54:00.000-07:00

Jason and I had to dress up for work at Melaleuca yesterday. Jason was a caveman and I was a 1920's flapper. Carson was a little monkey (very fitting). We got to take him trick-or-treating through our work, which was amazing! Our company defiantly goes all out with the decorating. He got a bucket full of candy - which mom and dad will just have to eat! haha! We sure do love our little monkey! :)

Family Pictures

2010-10-22T19:40:00.000-07:00

My sister, Carly, is starting a photography business and she took our pictures last weekend. She did a great job! Here are a few pics that she took.

Conference Weekend

2010-10-03T19:45:00.000-07:00

We love conference. What more can we say?

Last day of freedom....

2010-09-28T17:29:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I go back to work and my baby doesn't get to come with me!! If only I could keep him behind my desk......
Counting down the days until I can stay home, for good. I did tell Jason that I reserved the right to quit at any time I felt like it and he would just have to figure out what to do.
I'm just glad that Carson will be at the daycare at my work. Let's just say that I might be spending more time down in the daycare then I will at my desk! If you are looking for me and can't find me.....you know where to look!
Love you baby boy!

The Family Name You Bear

2010-09-22T20:34:00.000-07:00

When I look at my son I can’t help but think of everything I want for him. I want only the best things for him. I want him to have every opportunity that I had and those I never did, every possible chance for success and happiness, abundant love, and the sweetest joy. I want him to grow into a good man. By “good” I mean the type of man that anyone who knows him can’t find anything else to say except that he is a “good” man. That is why we gave him the middle name of Glen.

I had the great fortune of growing up next door to my grandparents. They were there everyday of my life growing up and they helped raise my siblings and I right along with my parents. My grandpa was a “good” man. Everyone in my hometown that knew him can attest to that. Grandpa was always there when you needed him and had a way of bringing out the best in people. He was a man of quiet wisdom and gentle strength. He didn’t normally say much, but when he did you listened. It was only Grandpa that could convince me to go to school at BYU-Idaho and it was Grandpa that asked me what I was waiting for when Jason wanted to marry me. Wise man. Good man.

Grandpa was always working. Always. He pulled weeds right along side us and then usually went back to pull the weeds we missed. He could and did fix anything and everything. He loved popsicles and homemade ice cream and Grandpa grew the best watermelons in the entire valley. He loved to scare us when we went to lock up the chickens at night and he always had a stack of the red wrapped firecrackers on his dresser to use when he saw an opportunity arise. Good man. Funny man. He taught me how to do a flip on the trampoline and loved a good game of chicken foot dominoes (teasing Grandma relentlessly the entire time). I could write forever about Grandpa and the memories I have of him, but I’ll sum it up by saying….Grandpa was a hero.

I miss my Grandpa. I think of him everyday and it still hurts just as bad today as it did the day he left us. Thankfully I know that we will see him again and that makes me smile. Until that day comes, I hope that my son will grow to be like my Grandpa. I hope that Carson will carry on the legacy of that great man and be another bright spot in a world that so desperately needs one. So, with only the greatest love, Carson was given the middle name of Glen. It is an honor, my sweet little one. Please be true to who you are and the family name you bear. Be a “good” man, a great man, a Glen.

2 Months Old!

2010-09-10T16:49:00.000-07:00

My baby turned 2 months old this week! I can't believe how fast time is flying! Here are some cute pictures of my sweet little boy. We love you Carson!!

Carson's Blessing

2010-09-06T20:40:00.000-07:00

This weekend we got to have all of our family come visit and we blessed Carson! It was such a great weekend! Carson's blessing was so sweet and he didn't even cry! Here are some pictures from the weekend!

Our sweet little boy

Jason's Grandma and Grandpa Hileman got to come!

Carson loves his grandma!!

Our little family

Hannah got to come. Love you!

Jason's parents

My parents

All of the men

The group!

Gratitude

2010-09-01T20:51:00.000-07:00

Today I have been overwhelmed with feelings of gratitude and couldn't help but share a few of them. Jason and I have been so blessed in so many ways. It seems that things always work out the way they should, even when we don't understand in the beginning why they are happening the way they are.....

Education: I was able to get my Bachelor degree in Math Education from BYU-Idaho in December and Jason is working on getting his Bachelor degree from ISU. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to get my education. I know so many people that weren't able to finish with their degree and I feel lucky to have mine. I am certified to teach in the state of Idaho with a degree in Math! It makes me feel more secure knowing that if anything was to ever happen to Jason I would be able to provide for my family.
When Jason first made the decision to go to ISU I was upset. I didn't understand why he would want to go to school in Pocatello when we lived in Rexburg. We went to the temple that day and were both given peace about the situation. Now I understand why. It was shortly after that BIG DOG gave Jason a job in the Idaho Falls call center as an assistant manager. This allowed Jason to still work while going to class at ISU's Idaho Falls campus. A few months later when BIG DOG moved their call center to Pocatello, Jason was set for school and work. It was the perfect situation that didn't make sense at the start.
Employment: Jason and I have always been blessed with jobs to provide for our needs since we have been married. From the prosecuting office to Showcase to BYUI to Melaleuca, we have always had enough to pay the bills. I have been with Melaleuca for almost 5 years now. There have been many times that I have wanted to quit, but for some reason never have. Either something would come up with school or at work that would stop me from turning in my two weeks notice. In the last few years I have been able to move up very quickly and now have a job I love! I am the incentives manager for the call centers. When I graduated and was considering teaching, Melaleuca stepped in and asked me to stay. Once again, I did. Jason, in the meantime, had gone from a flyer guy at Big Dog to the manager of their call center in Pocatello. He had gained a ton of experience in call center management. My boss at Melaleuca grew to know Jason through me and was very interested in his experience with call centers. In April, Melaleuca approached Jason and recruited him to come work for them. They gave him a great salary and we were able to switch our insurance to his name so that I can eventually stay home with our family. Looking back, if I wouldn't have stayed with Melaleuca and gotten to know the amazing people there, Jason wouldn't work for them today. It's just an added blessing that I work with great people that I love for a company that cares about it's employees. Again....I'm so grateful.

Family: Jason and I both have amazing families that are very supportive of us. I don't know what we would do without them! We have great siblings and amazing parents who mean the world to us. That, in and of itself, is a lot to be thankful for. I hope that I'm half the mother that my mom was to me.
I have an amazing husband who loves me as much as I love him... to the moon and back. Jason was a great friend who I fell in love with. When I think about the time we first met I never would have guessed he would be the man I would marry, but I am so glad I did! I am comforted to know that I we are sealed for time and all eternity. I couldn't have dreamed that I would ever marry such an amazing man. He is my constant, my strength, my every hope and dream.

In starting our own family, it seemed to take us FOREVER to get pregnant. At the time I really struggled with it. Now I know more then ever that the Lord's timing is the perfect timing. We found out that I was pregnant right at the end of my student teaching. I was able to finish my student teaching before I started getting sick....which I did....a lot! Jason and I were able to take a trip to Hawaii for my graduation ~ probably our last for a very long time. We had a blast!! I should do an entire post on just our Hawaii trip! We had Carson in July which meant my mom was able to come and stay with us since school was out. Such a blessing!!! It was amazing to have her with us and I'm so glad that she was willing to be here.
Of course our greatest blessing is our sweet little boy! Carson Glen was born on July 7th and has brought us more happiness then we could have imagined. I am so excited to be a mom! It is the greatest calling and gift and I'm humbled at the privilege of raising such a precious spirit. I only pray that I will be able to teach my son the things that he needs to know.
Gospel: Of all my blessings, the one I hold most dear is my testimony. I know that my Savior and Redeemer lives. I know that he loves me and knows me individually. I am grateful for scripture that brings comfort and peace in a world full of confusion. I know that all of my blessings come through Him. He is my Rock and my Salvation. "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." John 4:14

The last few crazy weeks....

2010-08-26T22:55:00.000-07:00

With all of my good intentions of updating our blog every few days it just doesn't seem to happen! The last few weeks have been very eventful and stressful for our family. It started a few days after Jason's family left. I started feeling really sick. I had gone to the doctor the week before because I thought I had mastitis, but they sent me home and told me it was nothing. By Thursday of that week Jason convinced me to call the doctor because I was feeling so awful and it wasn't getting any better. I took my temperature and it was 103! They called in antibiotic for me and told me I should feel better within 24 hours. Well, Sunday I felt even worse. I still had a 103 temperature so I called my doctor again. This time he sent me straight to the hospital. They had me on an IV antibiotic and gave me a new prescription antibiotic. They told me I had to come back the next two days for IVs and that should take care of the problem.
Well, I went on Monday and again on Tuesday, and things weren't looking any better. They told me to come back again on Wednesday for another round. I was supposed to go home to New Mexico that day with Ashley since Jason was in Salt Lake for Melaleuca's convention so we postponed our trip another day. Wednesday morning I went to the hospital at 8:30 am for my IV and felt horrible. Things still weren't getting any better and the pain was still really bad even after I had taken the percocet they had given me. They finally sent me to get an ultrasound taken and found that I had abscesses. Normally they just use a needle to drain them, but mine were so bad that I had to have surgery. None of the doctors there would do it because it was so bad so they called in a surgeon. By 11:30am I was in surgery. My boss was kind enough to send Jason back from Salt Lake the second we found out I was going to have surgery, but he got stuck in traffic and didn't make it back in time.
We found out that I didn't just have one abscess, I had five. It was the worst case of mastitis the surgeon that performed the surgery had ever seen. He seemed to think it was a great accomplishment - me: not so much. The infection was so bad that they left drains in for the next week and I was given another prescription antibiotic. They weren't sure if I was ever going to be able to breastfeed again because the damage was so bad, but at my appointment on Tuesday he said I had an 80% chance of being able to breast feed my next baby! Fingers crossed!

Since Jason was home from convention we decided to go to New Mexico anyway. My dad hadn't seen Carson yet and my parents were really anxious for us to come. It was really nice to see my family and friends at home. We even got to see my great grandma and take a 5 generation picture with her.
When we got home it was time for us to move! We moved across town to a new apartment. It is a 3 bedroom apartment with a garage and air conditioning for the same price. We really miss our house in Rexburg and wish we could move it down to Shelley, but this apartment is still nice. My sister, Ashley, was so good to pack us up and move us since I was still sore from surgery and had Carson to try and take care of. We wouldn't have been able to do it without her! Thanks Ash!
This week, Jason got bit by a spider on his forehead and we had to go to community care to get it looked at. They have him an antibiotic, but it didn't help. He ended up going back in a few days later and they had to drain it. Poor guy! Plus, to top it off, Carson got sick! He has been throwing up all week long. I guess when it rains it pours at the the Messano house! We are just happy to be alive. :)
In the meantime my sweet little boy it getting so big! I can't believe he was 7 weeks yesterday. It makes me sad to see how fast time is flying. We sure do love that little guy. Everyday we see more and more of his personality coming out. Jason told me he wouldn't me a mamma's boy, but he sure does love his mommy. I'm pretty fond of him too...

Carly's Birthday!

2010-08-05T09:44:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday!!

Today my younger sister turns 19!! Happy Birthday, Carly! I guess you aren't so little any more. I still think of you as the little red-head that we teased so relentlessly during Sunday dinner. I'll let you in on a little secret, you never really went to "kid jail" for stealing a candy bar. We made that whole story up. :) I hope you have a great day and know how much your family loves you! I know that I've made mistakes along the way, but I hope that I've been a good example to you and someone that you feel you can come to when you need.
The good thing about being the youngest is that you get to see everyone else make their mistakes and learn from them. I hope that you will do just that! Make good choices, especially now that you are going out on your own. I know that you are trying to find your own place in the world, but know that we are always here for you and want only the very best things for you. Work hard and it will pay off in the end. I promise. Always remember who you are and what you stand for! Don't lower your standards for any one or for any thing. I can't wait for you to be back in Idaho so we can spend some time together. Love you, Carly-Sue!

Family Visit

2010-08-05T08:41:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we got to spend time with Jason's family! Jay, Leslie, Daniel, and Amanda made the trek to Idaho to see Carson for the first time. Carson had his first long day out on Saturday. We went to the army surplus store and let Jason and Jay explore and then went to Deseret Book. That night for dinner we went to Famous Daves. Carson did so well! It was really loud in there and he slept right through the whole thing!
Sunday we went to church and Carson experienced his first Sacrament meeting. He looked so cute with his little tie! It was nice to spend time with family and we look forward to their visit in September.

Carson is Here!

2010-08-04T12:10:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I haven't been as great as I hoped I would be about updating my blog. But, here we go again!

Our sweet little baby arrived on July 7th! Carson Glen Messano was born at 11:26pm and weighed in at 7 lbs, 14 oz. He was 21 1/2 inches long and perfect in every way. Jason and I are so excited to finally have him! Its amazing how much you love someone instantly. Today he is already 4 weeks old! Man, how the time flies! I am lucky enough to get to be home from work until October to be with him and Carson and I are still trying to work out a routine. He is such a sweet baby and we couldn't have asked for anything more. :)

We took Carson to Caralee Case Photography when he was 5 days old and she got some amazing pictures of him!

It's been a while....

2010-03-28T18:25:00.000-07:00

Okay, yes I know... it has ben well over a year since my last post. Now that I am done with school I decided to start again! Yay! So, I guess I should update everyone on our lives since so much has changed....

I graduated from BYUI in December with a degree in Math Education. I am so glad to finally be done! Working fulltime and going to school fulltime was a challenge, but one that paid off in the end. Jason transferred to ISU last fall and is still working towards his Mechanical Engineering degree. He still works for Big Dog Satellite, but is now their call center manager. I still work for Melaleuca and am now a manager over their rewards program and scheduling. It keeps me busy and I love the company.

After graduation, I was driving to Idaho Falls everyday and Jason was driving to Pocatello, so we decided that is was time for us to move. We weren't quite ready to sell out townhome so we are renting it out to a wonderful family. We packed up our stuff and moved to an apartment in Shelley. Although going from a 3 bedroom home to a 2 bedroom apartment has left us longing for more space, we love it. Jason is still trying to get used to the small town feel, but as for me.....it feels like home.

Big Dog Satellite

2008-09-05T11:37:00.000-07:00

As soon as we got home from Colorado Springs, Jason got a phone call asking him to go to California to work at the California State Fair. He was so excited! I was so not excited! He was going to be gone for 3 weeks, and I did not want him to be gone! We got home late on Tuesday night and Jason left at 5am on Thursday. He worked long days and it was hard to be apart for that long. I was so happy when he came home!

Trip to Colorado Springs

2008-08-17T10:13:00.000-07:00

Jason and I found really cheap tickets to Denver so we decided to take a spontaneous trip to see his family! I hadn't been to his house so we thought this would be the perfect opportunity! Jason's brother, Daniel, and his family also went home that same weekend. It was really fun to see everyone! Jason's family took me to the army base where we went shopping at the commissary (the base's grocery store), went to the mini mall, and a few other stores. It was very interesting! It was raining the day we went and a huge loud speaker announced over the entire base a "thunderstorm warning". Jason took me for a tour of his town and showed me places he used to work and where he used to go when he lived there. It was so much fun! Of course we had to take a picture of the "1-800 Got Junk" truck. We also went to WaterWorld with Dan and Amanda and their two little boys. We loved the waterslides! Jason and I decided to go on a really HUGE waterslide. It was five stories high and dropped straight down. I was excited, but Jason was a little scared. We waited in line for about 30 minutes as we kept climbing higher and higher. By the time we got to the top, Jason starting asking me if I was sure that we wanted to do this. I told him that I was all for it, but if he wanted to go down we could. He said he was fine, but when it was our turn, he was pretty scared. He asked if we wanted to go. I thought he was asking if we wanted to go down the slide so I said yes! He was actually asking if we wanted to go back down instead of going down the slide. When I said yes he started heading for the stairs! haha! When he realized I still wanted to go, he said he would go first. He screamed the whole way down, but he loved it. When I met him at the bottom he had a huge smile on his face.

Jason also took me to SuperTarget because I love Target! We didn't have much time, but it was a lot of fun to just walk around the store. I wish we had one in Idaho Falls! It's probably good that we don't though. :)

I was also able to spend a lot of time with Jason's dad while we were there. We sat down on Sunday afternoon and went through a few picture albums while his dad explained each pi

cture to me. It was neat to see his army days when he served in Germany and Korea. He is such a neat man and I'm very grateful that he served his country.

When it was time for us to go home, we got a late start to the airport. We barely made our plane! We had to run down the terminal and we had it just as they were closing the door to the plane. I think they must have felt sorry for us because they let us on! Thank goodness! We were so happy that we made it that we took a picture to document it!

Fishing with the Fam

2008-08-07T21:11:00.000-07:00

We went fishing and had a picnic with some of our family this weekend! Ashley, Shaun, Kenzlee, Brock, Ralph, and Norma were able to go with us for the day. We had so much fun! We drove to a nearby lake and ate fried chicken, and then the boys headed out to fish! Kenzlee liked to stay next to the brook and throw rocks in. She liked the sound it made. She got to see a lot of butterflies, which she thought was pretty cool. Brock was in a happy mood (like always) and giggled at everything. The boys didn't catch any fish, but they sure had fun trying! On our way home we stopped for some square ice cream at a gas station (yum.....huckleberry). All in all it was a great day!

2008-08-07T14:32:00.000-07:00

This was the closest we could get to Kenzlee smiling for the camera. She was ignoring everyone that day. It's cute now...... probably won't be so cute in a few years.

Brock had a great time fishing with us! He loved looking at the camera.

This is his "cool dude" look.

2008-07-22T19:43:00.000-07:00

Jason's parents were able to come and visit us this summer. It's the first time they have come to see us since we've been married. We had fun showing them the sights and we even went shooting. Jason really enjoyed showing them our new house and he even introduced them to the wii!

Independence Day!

2008-07-05T20:21:00.000-07:00

We had a blast this year on the 4th of July. It started with going to the Rexburg Parade with Ashley, Kenzlee, and Brock. Kenzlee loves her Uncle Jason and she was so excited when she realized that she was going to get to hang out with him! She liked the parade, especially when she realized that they were throwing candy. After the parade we went to Porter Park and played. In the afternoon we went down to Idaho Falls and met our friends Jeff and Julia Hildebrandt. We met our co-workers at the Green Belt for a "Melaleuca Style" party! We had everything from couches and canopies to a BBQ grill right next to the Shilo. We had a blast with our friends and got to watch the amazing fireworks.

2008-04-20T21:03:00.000-07:00

We went on a cruise to Mexico for our honeymoon, a few months late. We had to wait for me to be done with school and it was worth it. It was sooooo nice to be away for a while. We went to Catalina Island, Ensenada Mexico, and sailed the Pacific Ocean. We had so much fun and ate tons of food! We tried snails, fish eggs, octupus, and tons of other discusting things. We ate Mexican tacos from a vendor in Mexico and didn't even get sick! :) I've never seen so many little kids try and sell you something in my life! On board they even sang a honeymoon song to us at dinner and made us kiss through the entire song (if we stopped they started started the song over again). We met lots of great people and even saw dolphins! Let's just say...we had a blast. I didn't know it could happen, but I love him even more after getting seasick with him. (There were only a few times the boat was rocking really bad)

2008-04-20T20:16:00.001-07:00

Each night we were on the cruise our steward made us animals out of towels! They were so cute! Jason took these lovely pictures each night. On the last night I "accidentaly" killed our ducks and I think Jason had a heart attack!

2008-04-20T20:16:00.000-07:00

Jason danced for us on our cruise! It was so much fun! He was so cute! He was singing to me of course! :)

Our Wedding

2008-02-14T20:57:00.000-08:00

We were supposed to get married February 8th in the Rexburg Temple, but when President Hinckley passed away they moved the dedication of the temple back a week. We had to rearrange our entire wedding the week before. Man, that was hectic! We moved our wedding up a day and were married February 7th in the Bountiful Utah Temple. It was a beautiful day, but it was really cold! We were so blessed to be able to have our families there with us as we were sealed for time and all eternity.

2007-11-04T21:36:00.000-08:00

Jason and I met the fall of 2005 in Rexburg, Idaho where we are both attending school. Jason had just returned from his mission to Chicago, and I had just graduated high school. We met through a mutual friend and soon became buddies. After 2 1/2 years, Jason and I were engaged. The poor boy worked really hard to get there! I don't think he thought I would ever come around. I'm so glad he was patient with me!

Skydiving!

2007-10-20T09:10:00.000-07:00

When Jason come back to school in the fall we went skydiving! That was quite the rush! We went down with a group of our friends, spent the day shopping in Utah, and then headed to our deaths..... :) We jumped right at sunset and had the most amazing view! At 13,o00 feet everything looks amazing. When the light in the plane turned green there was no turning back. They counted to three and off we were......