STEP by STEP

Our baby is growing up so fast, he's almost not a baby anymore. But rather a toddler. For on Thursday afternoon Jospeh took his first step. He was holding onto the couch and then took a step towards me and fell into my arms.

Later that night, while Ben and I were borrowing a movie from a neighbor, Jospeh took up to 3 steps going from Ben to me, me to Ben, and Ben to our neighbor Ranie, and from Ranie to me. It was so very COOL!!

Then on Friday Josph took more steps from furniture to me, and from me to Ben, and from Ben to me. He's so cute. He is so excited to walk, so he can be like the other little kids that he hangs out with.

Way COOL!!

Bath Time Fun

5 little ducks went swimming by, over the hill and far away. Mama Duck called "Quack, quack, quack" 4 little ducks came swimming back. 4 little ducks went swimming by, over the hill and far away. Mama Duck called "Quack, quack, quack" 3 little ducks came swimming back. 3 little ducks went swimming by, over the hill and far away. Mama Duck called "Quack, quack, quack" 2 little ducks came swimming back. 2 little ducks went swimming by, over the hill and far away. Mama Duck called "Quack, quack, quack" 1 little duck came swimming back. 1 little ducks went swimming by, over the hill and far away. Mama Duck called "Quack, quack, quack" 0 little ducks came swimming back. Daddy Duck called "Quack, quack, quack" and 5 little ducks came swimming back.



He loves to stand up in the tub to see what I'm doing, which is usually cleaning up the water he drips out of the tub. He loves to play with the drain plug, and has learned how to unplug and plug the plastic plug, and even the plug attached to our tub. He is a very smart little boy!
Now that Joseph is older he is now really enjoying bath time. He always liked the water, but with toys, time and...well the drain plug, bath time is his favorite play time.

Ribbit, rubbit, ribbit, rubbit. As the frogs play their bath time game, some go up, some go down. All turn round and round in that special bath time game. Ribbit, rubbit, ribbit, rubbit. Leap froggy jump, leap froggy jump. Up, over, down, splash, around again. Ribbit, rubbit, ribbit, rubbit. Baby frogs, kid frogs all join in the fun. Up, over, down, splash, around again and again. Mama frogs and Daddy frogs have no worries about slipping and slidding, no cuts or bruises either. For frogs play leap frog in the water. Ribbit, rubbit, ribbit, rubbit.

Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream. Merrily, merrily, merrily life is but a dream. Toot, toot, tug-a-bug, I'm a little tug boat, chugging up the stream. Toot, toot, tug-a-bug, I'm a little tug boat, chugging up the stream. Life is but a dream, a splash, a drip, and weee all the day long, its fun, fun fun!!!

Stalder Family Reunion 2

So every year we have a Stalder Family Reunion. This year was extra special, because Josh was leaving for his mission a few days after this reunion. We didn't have the whole family last year, and won't have the whole family there for a few more years to come, and Travis and Ben go on their missions. Here are some very funny and nice pictures from the get together. After looking over the pictures that we have, I realized that the neat ones are printed. So have fun with the few that we have here on our computer.

It has been so much fun to have Joseph growing up as he is. Now that he can sit up on his own, and is more mobile, he's so much more fun and enjoyable. He also is more challenging since we have to truly baby proof our home, and the Grandparent's, and other family homes as well. But that's such a minor detail that just enjoying having Joseph more receptive to what's going on around him.

6-9 months

9 Months Old

8 Months Old












7 Months Old










6 Months Old

Utah of 2007

After a very long seven months of life, work, church, work, friends, work, family, work, meetings, work, and well you get the picture. Ben and I had decided we had enough of it all. So we skipped out of town on the cheapest flight, and found our selves renting a car in Salt Lake City and driving up to Preston Idaho to visit family. Upon arriving at a very cute home in Whitney Idaho, we found ourselves in the comforts of my Grandparents, who also just happened to be hosting my younger brother Josh for a week.

It was great timing...and no one would think that we had planned it...um...ok, so it was planned. With a baby you need a plan. Anyways, so we spent a few days with Grandma and Grandpa. They were great hosts, and enjoyed our company very well. Just as much as we all enjoyed their hospitality and love towards all of us. It was also a GREAT start to a wonderful vacation. We had a cook out, and actually got to sit on very nice soft grass. Out here in NC what grass you can find, is either brown, crawling with bugs, or not really grass at all. That was a very nice time.

We also happened to be with Josh and Grandma and Grandpa on a very special day. On September 10th, we celebrated Josh's birthday. We ate ice cream cake, and hung out at the Grandparents' place doing what Josh wanted to. We (some of us participated, some of us just watched the fun) had a ping pong tournament. Let me tell you what, watching Josh in action is very entertaining. I highly recommend it to anyone suffering from major boredom and any type of unhappiness. We also had a shoot off with the game of Pig. That was just between Ben and Josh. The other major entertainment were long brain straining games of Rummykube.

Our biggest adventure yet was going to Salt Lake City, so we could tour Temple Square. Grandma and Grandpa and Josh left early so they could go to the SLC temple. While Ben, Joseph and I slept in to catch up on missed sleep, from the time change and Joseph's middle of the night cries (which was new after many months of peaceful sleep at home). But we all caught up with each other and began our tour. We went to the Visitors center to see the Christis, to the Old Tabernackle to see the new renovations, to the Joseph Smith center to meet up with Josh's very VERY good friend Christina; and to watch the new Joseph Smith video on the BIG screen.

The very next day we all went to the Mission Training Center (MTC) to drop Josh off, so he can serve a 2 year mission in the Provo Utah area. It was a lot of fun. He was so very excited to be going, and helped other Elder's who were having a rough time, be excited to leave their families. While there, we just happened to bump into Christina once again, as she dropped off her Nephew, who also is serving a mission the same time Josh is. What a day, let me tell you.

With Josh behind us it was time to say good bye to our Grandparents, and head into phase 2 of our vacation. We stayed with one of (many) Ben's cousins, and enjoyed their company. We visited with Russ and Aimee, who moved away into a very remote area of the world (yep...its called Utah ha, ha). We went to Lagoon, to a few yummy restaurants. Lastly, but not least, we also hung out with Ben's boss Shane and his new bride Kandice. They were very gracious, and had the company pay for all our lunches.

Baby Kisses

Ben and I love to give Joseph our love and affection. Just recently when we kiss his cheeks or forhead or mouth, he'll open his mouth and lick us. Its so funny, because he's got this HUGE open mouth grin, and then that tongue shoots out and attacks us when we least expect it. But we love him all the same.

Hey, we're finally here!

Hi Ben, Liisi & Baby Joseph! Hey, I finally figured this thing out. At my age it takes a little longer! Pictures and comentary are fantastic. Love it. Hope I'm doing this right and this gets to you. God Bless you all. Love, Uncle Jim, Aunt Carrie, Grandma and especially " Your Dad"

4-6 Months

6 Months Old


5 Months Old


4 Months Old

Daddy and Baby Games

A newborn is cute, sweet, quiet and loud, fussy, and adorable; however, they do nothing but eat, sleep and mess diapers. In summery, newborns are not very fun, but still the best ever. To make up for the boringness of newborns, daddy came up with some fun games for him and Joseph to spend quality time together, and to have fun with each other. Or rather, daddy gets to have fun with Joseph while Joseph is in the hands of his dad.

Circus: “Look at us Mommy, we’re going to be in the circus!” is a common phrase that daddy will use when Joseph becomes a monkey balancing while sitting on daddy’s hand. Daddy balances Joseph as his bobble head swings this way and that. It is a very cute little act to see!!

Daddy Slide: Daddy lies on the floor on his back. Then places Joseph on his stomach with his body leaning up against Daddy’s legs. Then Daddy will gently pull Joseph by his legs down his stomach so he’s lying flat on his back on Daddy’s stomach. It’s very cute to watch, and Joseph just sits there and smiles.

Canon Ball: Daddy lies on the floor on his back. Then he’ll hold Joseph as he sits on Daddy’s stomach. Then very slowly, Daddy lets the weight of Joseph’s head pull him forwards down onto Daddy’s chest. Joseph will smile and laugh and turns his head sideways so he can still see and breathe.

Daddy Swing: Daddy will hold Joseph on his hands, with his arms keeping Joseph in an upright position. Then Daddy will swing Joseph back and forth in front of Daddy’s body.

Funny Face: Daddy is great at making all sorts of faces: good, happy, sad, funny, scary, crazy, and sweet. To get Joseph to react to him, Daddy would make a face. Joseph would either copy (to his best ability) or make a different face. This would go back and forth until one or the other couldn’t make a face.

Eye Catch: This game Joseph is the one in charge. Whenever Daddy picks him up, or even just looks at Joseph, Joseph turns his eyes away (sometimes his whole head too). Then Daddy will follow his eyes, trying to get Joseph to look at him. Whenever Daddy catches Joseph’s eyes, he’ll smile.

Reaction: This is another game where Joseph is in charge. He will do something, whether it is smile, laugh, blow bubbles, slobber, pass gas, or explode in his diaper just to get a reaction from Daddy. The reactions that Joseph likes best are when Daddy jumps, yells in surprise, or laughs and talks back to Joseph. He also likes to play this with his Uncles as well.

Daddy's "Little Sport"

Right from the start Joseph was Daddy's Little Sport. For it was Daddy who first learned how to hold Joseph. It was Daddy who was the first to change his diapers. It was Daddy who showed him off to the family, since Mommy was to scared of dropping him, because she was worn out.

Joseph followed the pattern set by all the Stalder Uncles and his Dad and was born on a Thursday. Mom went into labor about 12:15pm on Wednesday afternoon after going to the doctors and finding out that her ambionic fluids were lower than the doctors thought safe for a late baby. Mommy’s labor was induced so that Joseph could be born soon and safe. The next 17 hours or so were very interesting for Daddy and Mommy. They were very tired, but couldn’t really sleep because they were excited, and Mommy was in pain for a little bit of it.

Joseph came at 5:50 am, after a grueling 15-20 minute bought of serious pain. Mommy was determined to have Joseph born by 6 am. Once he was born, Mommy and Daddy were able to actually get some sleep, while the nurses and doctors had Joseph for the first couple of hours. Mommy’s most exciting thought after giving birth was that she could not eat, after being forced not to for 24 hours. Daddy’s most exciting thought was that he could actually get some sleep…and that he is now a Daddy.

The first 3 Months

3 Months Old

2 Months Old

1 Month Old

2 Weeks Old

A Week Old

Hours old

Minutes old

Isn't our boy, just the cutest? He brings Ben and me loads of joy, fun, entertainment, memories and love!!!

Back to the Beginning of mini Carr

Birthday: February 8, 2007
Time born: 5:50am
Weight: 7 lbs 6 oz
Length: 20 ½ inches
Hair color: dark brown
Eye color: deep blue

History of name: Joseph comes from Joseph Smith Jr., Dad’s favorite prophet.
Samuel comes from the Boy prophet in the Bible, Mom’s favorite prophet.

Meaning of Your Name:

JOSEPH
From the Latin Iosephus, which was from the Greek Ιωσηφος (Iosephos), which was from the Hebrew name יוֹסֵף (Yosef) meaning "he will add". In the Old Testament Joseph is the eleventh son of Jacob. Because he was the favorite of his father, his older brothers sent him to Egypt and told their father that he had died. In Egypt, Joseph became an advisor to the pharaoh, and was eventually reconciled with his brothers when they came to Egypt during a famine. This is the name of two characters in the New Testament: Joseph the husband of Mary and Joseph of Arimathea. Also, rulers of the Holy Roman Empire have had this name.

SAMUEL
From the Hebrew name שְׁמוּאֵל (Shemu'el) which could mean either "name of God" or "God has heard". Samuel was the last of the ruling judges in the Old Testament. He anointed Saul to be the first king of Israel, and later anointed David. A famous bearer was the American author Samuel Clemens, who wrote under the pen name Mark Twain.

The Start Up

Hey all,

So this is where you can find updated pictures of our family, and updated news too. Right now there's nothing really to look at yet, but soon. So be patient, and if you have people who you want to view and make comments on our blog, please send me their emails, so they can be added to our list of authorized authors.

Thanks
Mama Carr