Tricia Cartner, LEED AP, CDT

I think I'll brag on myself a little bit :). I passed my LEED exam this morning and am officially a LEED AP (the AP stands for Awesome Person...ok really it stands for accredited professional). It's a little tough finding the motivation to study for an exam that isn't quite mandatory, yet sort of is...especially when you have a cute kid running around and another one kicking you in the side while you're trying to study. I'm thankful that God gave me motivation and concentration and the ability to absorb all of the information that I have read over the past 3 months. The glory be to Him.

So what is LEED? Jacob informed me that nobody he talks to has even heard of it. Well, I don't feel like writing about it so if you are interested... you can go to the USGBC website and read all about it :). I will say that it is a very big deal in the architecture, construction and engineering industry and within a few years...it will probably become the standard for new construction. For example, Clemson University already requires that ALL new buildings be at least a LEED Silver certified building. This goes for many universities, cities and a lot of government buildings.

Anyway, thanks for your thoughts and for putting up with my complaints over the past several weeks. Now onto the ARE (architecture registration exam)!

Better Late than Never!

May 29-June 1 we traveled to Greenville to celebrate our sweet nephew's 1st birthday! As always, the visit was too short but we did enjoy our time with family. Saturday was the birthday party...Sunday was a relaxing trip to dad & Martha's lake property...Monday was lounging and returning. Enjoy our photos...

(and for those who are thinking I should be studying for my test that is tomorrow instead of updating my blog...all I have to say is, "I NEED A BREAK". Your prayers will be much appreciated tomorroow at noon central as I attempt to become a LEED AP.)

Happy Birthday sweet Oliver!
Lots of Presents!

Don't mess with Dakota and her cupcake!

Gigi with her 2 babies

Playing Together...so Sweet!

Dakota playing on the beach at dad's lake property. He says he bought this piece of property just for his grandkids to enjoy the beach on it.

Pregnant girl trying to Kayak. I love lake Keowee.

What a Hottie :).

My great friends Michelle and Ken came with us. Dakota loved being dipped in the water.

Poppy thought Dakota needed some CoCo Wheats. They are a personal childhood favorite. Dakota loved them. What's not to love about chocolate cream of wheat??

Taking a stroll along the Reedy River towards the Children's Garden.

Hey...it's Pooh!

Peek a boo!

Mommy & Dakota

Big Girl Bed

About a week ago Dakota and I were out and about and she fell asleep for her nap on the way home. The transition from carseat to crib never works for me since I'm so short. I practically have to drop her in and it always wakes her up. I decided to lay her on the day bed which was going to become hers once Cricket arrives. She slept great and when she woke up I asked her if she liked sleeping in the big girl bed. She said yes. That night when it was time to go to bed I said, "Time for Night Night." She pointed to the other room and said, "Big Gull Bed." I asked if she wanted to sleep in the big girl bed and she said yes. So I let her. I put pillows all around so she wouldn't fall out. The next day I bought a rail for the one side and she has been sleeping in it ever since. Every night and every morning she talks about her new bed and is obviously quite proud of this new milestone in her life. A major plus is that I can lay in the bed with her and read her a story (the rail easily folds up and down) and then tuck her in. It really doesn't get much sweeter. I'm so thankful that God has allowed so many of our transitions to go smoothly and am so thankful for a fun little gal who approaches every stage with enthusiasm. I did get a little teary eyed a few nights into this new adventure realizing that my little girl has gotten rid of one more "baby" item. Now...onto the nighttime passy and diapers (which we had 1 successful pee in the potty this week!).

The Calm after the Storm

God always gives us Rainbows after a Storm.

Big storm in Memphis on Friday. I'm thankful we didn't lose power or trees. We still need to go check on our property but I'm sure everything is fine. As I was reading Dakota her bed time story Jacob said, "You've gotta come check this out." Most beautiful rainbow out our front door...and the pictures just can't do it justice.

It's a....

SURPRISE! In a moment of vulnerability and excitement, we almost gave in and found out what we were having but I held firm (much firmer than Jacob) and said we would wait. I still remember the excitement of Jacob announcing "It's a Girl!" when Dakota was born and I look forward to that same excitement again. The good news is...Cricket is healthy and perfect...exactly the way he/she should be. The bad news is...I gained 6 lbs this month. Guess I better lay off the chick-fil-a. Mmm...just the mentioning of that makes me wanna run out and buy one. Enjoy some ultrasound photos from our appointment.

I'm pretty sure he/she is praying. We've got another saint on our hands. :) Cricket's face/chin in much pointier than Dakota's (more like Jacob maybe??) but it could just be that he/she still has some meat to put on the bones.
Cricket doesn't look anything like Dakota here.

Here is a comparison of our two little buddies. I think the mouth area looks really similar but Dakota's nose looks rounder. We'll see in 4 months! (Gosh...that sounds like no time at all!)