Monte, Shelley, Lexie, and Carter

9/11

2011-09-11T19:18:00.003-05:00

I have started my post about our vacation to New York City, but I have not finished. I thought today would be an appropriate day to share a few pictures from one special spot though, the 9/11 Memorial.

I remember 9-11-01 like it was yesterday, and in many ways it seems like it has been a very short time since then. Before visiting the site, I expected to be able to see the debris and clean up process. Then when I got there and saw this huge building and the plans for the memorial, it hit me that it has been 10 years. 10 years.... wow!

Most of the area was fenced off due to construction, but we could peek through at some places, and it was pretty amazing and surreal. We did get to visit a 9/11 museum next to the site that was very cool. I can say that after being there and talking to people that lived through this tragedy, not just hearing their stories on TV but actually talking to them, I feel even more connected to this part of history. It became more real.

Here are a few pictures of the construction site. (The pictures don't do it justice.)

Fourth of July

2011-07-05T03:55:00.006-05:00

We had a wonderful (week of) 4th of July Celebration. My favorite holiday is Christmas, and I have finally figured out that Monte's must be July 4th. We did fireworks almost every night in the week leading up to the 4th. We did save the good stuff until our main celebration, but we had fun all week.

We invited my siblings up for a celebration on the 3rd. We decided that since nobody (except Monte) had to work the next day, it would be better to celebrate on the 3rd. I wish I had taken a picture of the amount of fireworks the boys (and Lexie) blew up. It was insane!

I bought a fun cookbook for kids at our school's book fair, and I found this delicious cookie recipe. Oh my goodness, it was wonderful!! (and very easy) --I'll put the recipe on the food blog if I can remember the password ;)

Carter loved this little firework train. We did them almost every night. This night he decided to play with it for a while before we shot it off. He would push it up the hill and let it roll back to him. (Don't worry, he was not this close to it when we shot it off.)

Okay, now that I look at this picture Lexie is in trouble. Where are her shoes?!

Lydia and Carter were so excited to see each other. They were more interested in playing with each other than in watching the fireworks. By the end of the night, Carter's toy room had been moved outside.

Ofelia, Lexie, Angie, and Zane

(Notice Lexie changed... and put shoes on.)

On the afternoon of the 4th, we went to my parents' house for a cookout. I was in such a rush that I forgot my camera, but we had so much fun. I love hanging out with my family. And of course the food was wonderful!! Later that night, we finished shooting off some small stuff we had left over from the night before and then just relaxed and watched all of the fireworks in our neighborhood. They were pretty amazing!

Carter woke up on the 4th ready to make cupcakes to take to Granny and Poppy's house. This boy LOVES to cook!!

His favorite part is cracking the eggs. He is getting very good at it, too. I only had to take out one teeny piece of shell.

Half way through making the cupcakes, he realized he didn't have his apron on. I didn't think it mattered since he was still in his jammies, but he INSISTED on wearing his apron.

Obviously he was satisfied with is results. Yep, he had a cupcake for breakfast :)

A Day Out With Thomas

2011-06-05T04:49:00.007-05:00

As you well know, if you know Carter, he LOVES Thomas the Train. I went online to get tickets for "A Day Out With Thomas", and I had just missed one that was about 1 1/2 hours from where we live. Luckily there was one coming up that was about 45 minutes west of Kansas City. That's not exactly close, but we like KC. We got to eat at The Cheesecake Factory, Fritz's Railroad Restaurant (a train delivers the food), and see Monte's aunt and uncle, so it made it worth the drive. Although, we would have made the drive without all of that stuff just to see Carter have the best day ever!! He was on Cloud 9!

He had the best day!!

Lexie thought this was a little better than than the Thomas play.

I was a little worried after I bought the tickets because I read some pretty bad reviews online. I guess the people that wrote those reviews didn't actually go to the same place we did because we had a great experience. There was so much to do while you were waiting on your time to ride. We loved it!!

Lexie decided to join in on the festivities.

Showing off their Diesel 10 and Thomas tattoos.

The train ride wasn't a sing-a-long, but Carter turned it into one. Most of the ride we heard Carter's sweet voice singing "Thomas the Tank Engine rolling along... Thomas we love you! Thomas we love you! Thomas. We. Love. Yoooouu!!"

So excited to be next to THOMAS!!

Carter and Sir Topham Hatt

It was a good day!

Thomas

2011-05-04T20:03:00.005-05:00

No, we are not talking about the name of our baby boy. As hard as it is for us to pick out a boy's name, I am thinking our baby will be Baby Boy Moore until he is old enough to name himself :) Actually, Thomas is a name I love, but Carter has a major Thomas the Train obsession so I don't think we will be using that name. I also love the name William. I really, really like that name, but I am afraid with the recent royal wedding there will be a huge number of babies named William and Kate.

Anyway, this post is nothing about name choices. It is all about Thomas the Train. As I have previously mentioned, Carter is OBSESSED with Thomas. Honestly, obsessed does not even begin to describe how Carter feels about Thomas. Last weekend we took him to see Thomas and Friends LIVE! He had so much fun!!

He's ready to see Thomas.

AAHHH! It's Thomas!!

Lexie was not quite as excited to see Thomas. (This is her payback for making me sit through "Barney, Live on Stage!")

Every night Carter tells me all about the play. He gets so into the story. His eyes get huge, his voice gets loud, and his arms go crazy when he tells me all about the rocks crumbling on Percy and how Thomas saved him. At Race for the Cure the next morning, Carter amazed the ladies with how well he could retell the story.

In June, we are going to get to ride on Thomas the Train. I can't wait!!

It's a ...

2011-04-19T13:04:00.004-05:00

I really had not been impatient about knowing if we were having a boy or girl. Most of my friends were dying to know what they were having, and I kind of wondered if something was wrong with me. (I honestly think that my two other bundles of joy kept me so busy, I really didn't have time to think about it. ) Well, last week almost everybody I saw gave me their opinions on what they thought it was, so I finally HAD to know. I called a local ultrasound place and made an appointment.

We invited the grandparents to come along to see their grand baby. Lexie's best friend Ciara came along, too. After all, she is family. (She was the only one that didn't have to hide her eyes when they looked closely for the gender. )

I have wanted to do a gender reveal cake since I saw it on TV. Ciara got to keep her eyes open so she could pick out the pink or blue cake. The rest of our family was waiting on us at my parents' house. I really wanted us to all find out at the same time what the newest member of the family is going to be.

Grandma and Carter playing while waiting on the big show.

Poppy, Granny, Lexie, and Ciara getting comfy.

It's a ...

BOY!!!!

Last Day of Spring Break

2011-03-30T15:30:00.009-05:00

On our last day of playing, we decided to go tubing again. This time we went to a fun place called Adventure Ridge. We went there on our trip five years ago, and it really is a fun place. The tubing hill is much bigger and than the one we went to earlier. In fact, Carter was not allowed to go down by himself this time. He had to have his own tube, but Monte had to hold on to him as they went down.

Carter woke up and put on these ski goggles. He came in the kitchen and said, "Hey, take a picture of me!" This kid loves to look at pictures of himself. (Lexie was the same way when she was little. Anytime she would start crying, I would pull out the camera and she would stop crying and smile.)

Getting on the gondola. Wee!!

See those trees? We were able to look down on them from the gondola. It really was a pretty view. We could see people skiing down the hill below us. We were happy, smiling, and enjoying the ride. THEN, the gondola stopped. It really wasn't bad until they would try to get it going again, and it would go maybe 1/2 inch and stop. The problem with this is it would cause the gondola to swing back and forth. I am not scared of heights or claustrophobic, but this really did freak me out. At first, we were afraid they had closed and didn't know we were on the gondola. The other cars around us were empty, and they waited a while before trying to start the thing. There was a sign hanging that said they would contact us over the speaker if there was a problem. Well, no announcement (for a while).

Lexie kept Carter entertained (and still) by playing games on her phone.

After a while with no announcement, Monte called to make sure they knew we were there. I am so glad we still had cell service. I felt a little less scared knowing I could still communicate with the outside world.

Lexie finally decided she would take a nap.

Carter trying out a snowmobile. I'm sure he'll be trying one of those next time.

They installed this nice little moving sidewalk since the last time we were there. Carter would yell at me through each window.

Family slide!

Lexie decided to go down Superman style. I think she enjoyed the long, steep hill. She was going nonstop.

Monte dragging his and Carter's tubes. Where's Carter?

There he is! This was how he stayed warm. He would duck down completely in the hole. I thought maybe he was scared, but Lexie and Monte said he laughed the entire way down the hill.

This is Frank. It was a big snow tractor that transported us from the lodge area to the tubing hill. It is not really called Frank, but that is what Carter called it. He was Lightning McQueen today, and there is a tractor named Frank in the movie 'Cars'.

Carter warming up by the fire.
Carter got cold before Lexie and Monte finished (because I brought the wrong gloves), so we went back to the lodge area and had hot chocolate while we waited on them.

He loves hot chocolate!

My babies!

I didn't want this week to end. We had so much fun! I love going on vacation and leaving the stress of the real world behind. We had so much fun playing together. I can't wait to do it again!!

Day 6- More Fun!

2011-03-27T11:44:00.059-05:00

Carter loves puzzles!! I took a few of his puzzles with us. After he saw Dan doing the puzzle on the table, Carter (who today is Toby/Astro Boy) decided that he HAD to do his puzzles on the table too. It is funny how much his and Dan's personalities are alike.

This is a gorgeous bridge that we go over to get to where we go skiing. It is really pretty when the ground is completely covered with snow, but I prefer the road when it is not snow covered. :)

Today we didn't sign Carter up for a ski lesson. When we got over to the bunny slope, Carter asked where his coach was. We told him that we were going to be his coaches today. He looked a little unsure about that idea. Monte and I took turns pushing him up the hill a little way. Then we would let him ski down to one of us. It was so much fun getting to watch his facial expressions up close. He LOVES skiing!!!!

Carter kept wanting to go to the top of the hill. We decided to buy a ski harness, so Monte could take Carter to the top of the hill and ski down with him without having to worry about Carter getting too far ahead. Monte said as soon as I walked away Carter said, "Where did the coach go?... Oh, there she is." (and he pointed at me) I came back with the harness, and we put it on Carter. Fortunately, we decided to do a trial run before taking him to the top because he was not a fan of the harness. Monte took Carter part way up and started down. Carter refused to stand; Monte had to hold him up by the harness straps. When they got closer to me, I realized Carter was panting like a dog. (The harness looked kind of like a dog leash.) Needless to say, Monte didn't take Carter all the way to the top.

Lexie took a self portrait on the ski lift. She texted it to me with the caption, "I'm alone on the ski lift." I was terrified. My baby is not supposed to be alone on the ski lift. (Carter and I had already left at this point.)

Lexie loves skiing, too. Monte said she did great. It is hard to believe it has been 5 years since she skied. We are definitely going to have to find a way to ski more often.

My little snow bunny.

Monte and his ice beard. It started snowing after Carter and I left, and it was really coming down.

Lexie sent a text to me saying she had not fallen all day. Well this picture is a result of that text. I know Lexie and I am sure she was cracking up. I hope Monte asked her if she was okay before he took her picture.

I was so proud of Lexie for going down a black. I was glad she told me AFTER she went down the slope because I would have been so worried if she had told me before.

One of the highlights of the trip: Ofelia made guacamole. She makes the best guacamole I have ever had. It was sooooo good! I think I ate half of it all by myself.

Wyatt decided he wanted to do a little more sledding before he left. (They left the next morning.) He used the shovel to make a long track down the hill.

Wyatt made a "wall" at the end of the track to help him stop before he went over the cliff. To us it looked more like a ramp. So, being the caring and loving family we are, everyone decided to video the first run just in case something funny happened.

He survived! (These photos are a little fuzzy because I took them through the window. It was warm and cozy inside, and I didn't feel like putting on all of my snow clothes.)

Lexie decided to join in on the fun.

Lexie doing manual labor! (I had to get a picture to remember this.)

Day 5- Another (Eventful) Day of Skiing

2011-03-24T18:28:00.004-05:00

On Wednesday, Dan, Monte, and the big kids went skiing while Ofelia, Carter, and I stayed home. It was a perfect day for skiing, there was fresh powder and the temperature was perfect. They could tell it was going to be a great day of skiing.

Dan getting ready to snowboard.

Lexie on her first Blue of the day.

Lexie

Well, they were right. The skiing was great. They went down one time, caught the ski lift back up, and went straight to this place...

When Kalin and Katherine got off the ski lift, they both fell. Katherine landed the right way, and Kalin didn't.

Kalin getting her arm checked out.

They wrapped her arm and put her on a sled to take her down the hill.

After a short trip to the Vail Valley Medical Center, she got this nice pink souvenir.

I just had to include this pic of Carter "taking a nap". He has given up nap time since we have been here, but he does do a nice job of resting so mommy can get a short nap.

Day 4 (evening)- Bowling!

2011-03-24T15:30:00.000-05:00

Tuesday evening we went bowling. It was a really nice bowling alley. They had comfy couches and the food (at least what we had) was really good. The teens were on one lane, and the adults and Carter (Cubby) were on another. Lexie and I are amazing bowlers. We both came in last on our lanes. (Yep, Carter beat me.) Well, at least we have fun!

Katherine, Kalin, Wyatt, and Lexie

"I want this one."

This was Carter's first time to bowl. He had a blast! He kept saying, "I'm bowling... in my new shoes!" He loved his bowling shoes :) I was afraid he would have a meltdown when he had to return them, but he didn't.

Lexie

Ofelia, Carter, and Dan: At first, Carter was not a fan of waiting his turn. Then they brought him macaroni and cheese, and he didn't mind waiting anymore.

Monte

Dan

Katherine: This was early when she was still rolling the ball normally. Later, she sat on the floor and pushed it really hard down the lane.

Doing the happy dance. He did a little dance after every turn. He even had a fancy high five. He would spin around and then give you a high five on the way around. (Told you I could see him on Dancing With the Stars.) He loves to watch Lexie dance around the house and he imitates her. He's actually pretty good!

"Yes, I got a strike!"-- Good job Lexie!

Lexie was a tad bit hyper ;)

Gutter Ball!!

...and another one!

Ofelia kicked booty. She was good!

Kalin's typical bowling stance.

"I can hold it like the big kids."

The kids (and adults) had a great night! It was a lot of fun!! Wyatt gave it two goofy thumbs up.

(For the record- I think Dan and Monte won the games on our lane.)

Spring Break Day 4 (morning)- "Relaxing" Day

2011-03-23T13:30:00.007-05:00

Tuesday was our day to "relax". We didn't really plan anything so we could just hang out and relax. The morning started off relaxing, we just ate breakfast, drank coffee, and pretty much did nothing. Then we decided to go out and play in the snow. That was fun, but definitely NOT relaxing. Trudging around in the deep snow gave us all a workout.

The view from the dining room table. I love the huge windows in this house. The views are perfect and relaxing.

As soon as Carter woke up he went and sat in the window and said, "Mommy, take a picture of me and the snow!"

How could I resist?!

**Carter was Cubby from Jake and the Neverland Pirates when he woke up today. (I was Izzy, Monte was Jake, Dan was Captain Hook, and Wyatt was Mr. Smee. Wyatt was thrilled to be the fat old man-ha!)

Dan and his kids peacefully putting together a puzzle. Ha!- If you know Dan, you know he is majorly OCD. He had a method, and if you didn't follow his method... well, it was hilarious to watch!

Next to the drive way, we had a huge mound of snow that went to a drop off down to the front yard. It was awesome and made a great hiding spot during snowball fights. (As long as you were on top of the mound.)

Carter has turned into a pro at making and throwing snowballs.

Cubby :), Kalin, and Katherine at the top throwing snowballs at Wyatt.

Poor Wyatt, he was getting pounded with snowballs.

I was his favorite target today.

Where did Wyatt's lower half go?!

The snow was so deep! You would be walking along just fine managing to stay on top, and then without warning you would lose half your body.

Dan and Wyatt wrestling in the snow.

Lexie decided to make a track to sled down. She's crawling along trying desperately not to sink.

Oops! Daddy lost his legs. Luckily Cubby was light enough, he didn't sink very much.

Lexie made a track!

I love the house in the background here.

Whoops! Carter lost his arm; he didn't like that too much.

Kalin making a snow angel.

Wyatt made a track through the trees. The hill was pretty steep; they flew down!

Peek-a-boo! Lexie is at the top of the mound I was telling you about, and I am at the bottom.

Lexie heading down the super fast track.

One of the things I love most about being a parent is that my kids make me be a kid again. I am not a cold weather person. And, if I was home alone, I would spend my snow days curled up in bed with coffee. But, my kids wanted to play outside in the snow, so I played outside in the snow. I had so much fun!! It was fun watching them have fun and laugh, but it was also fun playing in the snow. I am so thankful that I am lucky enough to be a mom, and I have to be a kid sometimes.

Spring Break Day 3: Skiing

2011-03-22T19:33:00.000-05:00

We woke up yesterday to Ofelia making breakfast. It was a nice treat!

Carter has been talking about skiing for several weeks. He was so excited when he woke up because he was finally getting to go skiing.

My two babies waiting on skis.

We were a little nervous about if he really would ski or not. The lady at the counter told us that the hardest part for little kids is wearing the boots. She said normally if they will wear the boots, then they will do okay skiing. Well, we were so fortunate because Carter LOVED his boots. They were neon green and purple like Buzz Lightyear, and he was Buzz Lightyear when he woke up today :)

So excited!!

Getting his skis on.

Carter and his instructor waiting for the T-bar ski lift thing.

Carter checking out his awesome skis.

My future X-gamer.

I think the lift was his favorite part. He laughed all the way up the hill.

His second time down the hill. He LOVED it!!!
At first, the instructor kind of held him up as they went down the hill. After a few times, they stayed toward the bottom of the hill, and he had Carter ski to him.

"Hi Mom!"

"I'm Buzz Lightyear." That's what we could hear him tell the instructor when he accidentally called him "Carter."

My pretty girl watching the lesson. Since I can't ski this year, I didn't get to take any pics of her on the slopes :(

The beautiful view where we were skiing.

The instructor said Carter did great, but he just wanted to go fast. I think
he eventually gave up on teaching Carter to slow down and just taught him how to fall properly.

Monte and Lexie decided to go up the bunny slope and cut across to the lodge. They said it was easier; I think it was just an excuse to ski a little bit more.

My happy little skier.

**** I haven't mentioned much about his soccer games on here because, well frankly, it's a little embarrassing. Carter does great during the practice part, but when the game starts he cries and the coach has to carry him around the court.

After looking back at how much Carter liked boogie boarding at the beach and the waves hitting him in the face, and then seeing how much he enjoyed tubing and skiing this week: I have decided he is more of an X-games kind of kid and less of a traditional sports kind of kid. So instead of a little David Beckham, I have a little Louie Vito. (Because I can also see Carter on Dancing With the Stars.)-- Hey, whatever makes him happy.

Spring Break Days 1 and 2

2011-03-21T19:31:00.000-05:00

Warning: the next few posts will contain A LOT of photos. (I'm not a writer, so the pics will be more exciting than my words anyway.)

Monte's aunt and uncle have a gorgeous 2nd house in Vail, and they were very kind and let us use it during Spring Break. My brother and his family also joined us, so this is going to be a great week!

My iPhone addicts relaxing on the couch at the airport.

Funny story: I have very imaginative children. Carter is in a stage now where he is a different character every day when he wakes up, and that is what we have to call him. He will correct us if we call him "Carter". Well, when he handed his ticket to the TSA agent at the airport, the guy said, "Are you Carter Moore?"

Carter replied, "No. I'm Jimmy Neutron!"

Two thumbs up from Lexie. Carter did great on the flight. (I tried to get a pic with him looking at me, but he was obsessed with looking out the window.) Don't worry, he did actually sit with his seat belt on during the flight. He was actually quite adamant that he HAD to have his seat belt on.

Our beautiful morning view. (This picture doesn't do it justice.)

Uncle Dan and Carter playing with cars.

Katherine, Kalin, Wyatt, Lexie, and Carter at Beaver Creek.

Yay!! Carter is tall enough to go tubing.

This statue reminded Lexie of Canada. She has an obsession with "Canadia"(as she calls it). Don't worry, she does know it is pronounced "Canada". She just thinks "Canadia" sounds better. :)

Lexie and Carter had a great snowball fight.

Lexie and I on the gondola.

Carter and Monte getting ready to go tubing. This is when we found out that Carter had to go down the tubing hill by himself. We thought he would ride with Monte down the hill, but we were wrong. We were not sure how Carter would feel about tubing alone.

Lexie waiting patiently to tube.

The guy working there would spin you so you would be spinning about half way down the hill. It looked like a lot of fun. The kids said it was great!

Carter in his tube. I was hoping he wouldn't be scared and cry the whole way down. (We told the guy not to spin him.)

Well, Carter laughed and squealed the whole way down the hill. He loved it!!

Uncle Dan videoed his tubing his experience. I can't wait to watch those videos- I'm sure the commentary is hilarious!!

Katherine getting ready to go down.

Monte is ready.

The guy spun Kalin so fast her hat flew off.

"Spin me please!"- We did allow a little spin. He's Mr. Adventure. Actually, he was Buzz Lightyear this day because he yelled, "to infinity and beyond" as he went down the hill.

It was a good day. Carter fell asleep as soon as we got on the bus to our car.

Lexie had fun, too.

Tomorrow: skiing!!

Surprise!

2011-03-08T19:13:00.001-06:00

Carter's First Soccer Game

2011-02-12T16:22:00.001-06:00

Today was Carter's first soccer game. It was so much fun to watch him! He had a blast!! (Except he did have a minor-ha!- meltdown in the middle. He was quite upset that he couldn't kick the ball. He finally figured out that if he wanted to kick the ball, he had to actually run after it. Who would have thought?! He also wanted to use his ball and not the team ball.)

They start with a 30 minute practice. Every kid has a ball for this part, so I think he got a little confused when they took away all but one ball. They practice doing soccer moves, but they have adorable little names for everything. The ball is called "Bob" or "Bobcat". In the picture below Carter is "stopping Bob". They also do this cute penguin waddle to dribble the ball. He LOVED it! (He does the practice part at his school one day a week also.)

During the practice part, Carter would turn around and wave at us and yell "Hi!!" It was so cute.

He's wearing his soccer wrist band that Lexie got him.

This morning on the way to the game I asked Carter if he was going to run fast. He replied in a very serious tone, "NO, I am going to run slow so I don't get hurt. I will kick the ball fast, but I will run slow."

Well that might have been his plan, but he did actually run fast.

I can't wait until next Saturday!

Masquerade

2011-02-12T15:38:00.000-06:00

A couple of weekends ago Lexie was in the Masquerade Dance Competition. She did 4 routines with her competitive team (lyrical, hip hop, contemporary, and jazz) and 1 solo (hip hop). I love to watch her dance. She is definitely one of those artsy creative types. When she is singing, dancing, or acting, she is in her element. She does everything I always wanted to do but was too shy to try. I am so proud of her!!

Jazz outfit- I loved this routine. It was to a song from the movie "The Lost Boys." I love it when they dance to rock songs instead of the traditional jazzy type music.

The white fluff means she was one of the good guys-ha!

I was a total loser mom. They posted a sign that said you can't take any pictures or videos or else the dancer(s) will be disqualified. Well, silly me didn't take any pics of her outside of the auditorium in her other outfits until the last dance. I did cheat though and pulled the pics up online and did a screen shot with my phone. So ignore the border with the low battery symbol :)

The contemporary outfit.

Hip Hop Solo-- This is Lexie's genre! She loves hip hop and it's obvious when she dances. It is also my favorite genre to watch. Some people don't realize how hard it really is because it looks like street dancing, but it really is much harder and more technical than it looks.

Jazz

Hip Hop group

Wake Up Call

2010-08-09T09:50:00.000-05:00

When we were getting ready for church yesterday morning, we heard this over the monitor:

"MOM!! Listen!"

a few seconds later...

"MOM!!! I'm talking!!"

a few more seconds...

"HEY MOM!! IT'S ME, CARTER!!!"

Needless to say Monte, Lexie, and I were rolling on the floor laughing. (not literally)
That boy keeps us lauging; he comes up with some crazy stuff.

Cherry Pie

2010-07-20T16:55:00.001-05:00

Carter has had this obsession with cherry pie lately. (I'm not sure where it came from because he hasn't had cherry pie since Thanksgiving or Christmas.) He will randomly yell out, "Cherry pie!" I decided we should make a cherry pie. (completely not from scratch--We will try a homemade pie later.)

We had this adorable conversation in the car yesterday:

Me-Carter, do you want to make a cherry pie?

Carter- Yeah!! Make it, cherry pie! CHERRY PIE!!

Me- We have to go to the store to get the stuff to make the cherry pie.

Carter-(in the sweetest voice ever) Mommy, make it lishus?

Me-Yes Carter, we will make it delicious.

So we went to the store and got the ingredients to make a DELICIOUS cherry pie :)

Carter LOVES to help me cook! He is always pulling a chair up to the counter and wanting to help. I bought him this cute little apron at Willams-Sonoma for Christmas.

He was excited to make a cherry pie.

He had so much fun with the extra piece of pie crust.

Yummy, I mean delicious, cherry pie.

After dinner, I asked Carter if he wanted a piece of cherry pie. His response, "No, thanks."

I guess it's just fun to say "cherry pie". Lexie had the same fascination with the word "peanut butter". She always walked around saying "peanut butter, peanut butter" and she wouldn't/won't eat peanut butter to save her life.

Kennedy Space Center and Downtown Disney

2010-07-04T17:01:00.000-05:00

Our flight from Orlando was EARLY, so we decided to stay close to the airport the night before. Before we left Cocoa Beach we stopped by the Kennedy Space Center. Guess who liked the Space Center the most... Carter!! I couldn't believe how much he enjoyed it.

They had buses to take people to the different areas of the Space Center. The place was HUGE!One of Carter's favorite things to do was ride the "school bus." (He's watching the TV on the bus. It was showing all kinds of facts about the space program. It was very interesting.)

This is Launch Pad A.

Carter getting a better look at the launch pad.

A replica of the control room.

In one of the buildings they advertise that they have a moon rock that you can touch. There are HUGE signs everywhere pointing you toward this rock. We were prepared to see a pretty good sized rock...

Lexie touching the massive rock. ha!

Carter feeling the moon.

This building is where they build the shuttle. It's hard to tell in this picture, but this building is massive! When we got home, Apollo (I think) was on HBO. It was very interesting to watch the movie and see all of the things we saw at the space center. I highly recommend going here at least once. (Lex doesn't highly recommend it, but I do-ha!)

Cocoa Beach Day 5

2010-07-03T18:09:00.000-05:00

Day 5 at Cocoa Beach was our last beach day. We were very sad to be leaving, so we made the most of it. We spent almost every second of the day on the beach. Carter, Monte, and I went out as soon as we woke up (and had breakfast). The girls were very tired, so they slept in. Around 9:45 I sent Lexie and Ciara a text letting them know that there were a lot of surfer guys out, and a few minutes later they were dressed and on the beach with us :).

Lexie did not get enough surfing in the day before, so she rented a surf board for a couple of hours and went surfing on her own. I was so impressed. I am sure if we still lived in California she would be asking for a surf board for her birthday. I really wish we lived closer to the beach!!

I loved watching him lay down and play in the sand. He did it a lot!

Daddy and Carter playing catch on the beach.

"Throw it to me daddy, throw it!"

Carter loved getting splashed by the waves.

Surfer Lexie

If someone is heading for you on a surf board, move out of the way!

Luckily, for them, Lexie was able to maneuver around them.

She had so much fun surfing, and she was a natural.

Cocoa Beach Day 4

2010-07-02T16:04:00.001-05:00

The morning of Day 4, I went out on the balcony and there was a beach volleyball tournament going on. It was so fun! Each team had matching bikinis. There were around 8 games going on at one time. Our beach was covered with volley ball players for a couple of hours. (But it was early, so I don't think they took the beach away from any tourists.)

I love this picture because you can see all of the surfers out in the water. They get up early to surf! I guess they try to beat the tourists :) I was amazed watching them.

SURFING DAY
Lexie and Monte took surfing lessons when we went to Hawaii a few years ago. Lexie LOVED it!! She was so excited to get to do it again. Since it had been a few years since she surfed and Ciara had never surfed, I signed them up for surf lessons at Ron Jon's Surf School. Larry was their surf instructor, and he was the stereotypical surfer dude. (He said he was 9 months old the first time he was on a board, so I am assuming his parents were surfers also.) You could tell he loved his job, and the girls had a blast. If you ever go to Cocoa Beach and want to take a surf lesson, definitely go to Ron Jon's and ask for Larry!

Surfing for Lexie was like riding a bike; she was able to get up on the board very quickly. Ciara did great, too. Like I said, she had never surfed and she got up pretty quickly also. They had a blast, but they were ready for a nap when they finished. I have yet to surf, but I have been informed that is will wear you out! (And,I do plan on surfing the next time I am at the beach.)

Lexie carrying her board out. That's Larry to her right.

This looked so fun to me! When they were paddling out, they could hit a wave just right and it would bounce them up in the air. One time Lexie's board was almost completely vertical and the bottom of the board was a foot off the water. It was awesome!

Carter really wanted to surf. He kept pointing at the surf boards on the beach and telling me he wanted the yellow one. They told me that next year he would be old enough to surf because they will take them out when they are 3. I am sure Carter thinks he will be ready next summer, but I don't think I think he'll be ready next summer.

Ciara makes it up.

Lexie's getting ready...

She's up...

She rides it all the way in!

Having fun on the beach.

I have a ton of pictures of his hands and feet. I don't know what my obsession is with that.

Tired surfer girls.

Ciara, Larry, and Lexie

Cocoa Beach Day 3

2010-07-01T16:45:00.000-05:00

Day 3 in Cocoa Beach was our 4 year anniversary. Lexie and Ciara offered to babysit so Monte and I could go out, but we decided to make it a family event and go out when we got home from vacation. We found a really nice (kid friendly) restaurant. There were big aquariums everywhere, pirate statues, and a man that made balloon animals for kids. AND, the food was great!!

Carter LOVED his puppy. He kept hugging it. (He's a cuddler.)

Purple and pink bears for the girls.

Outside the restaurant there was a neat little bar area. I think it is probably just used on the weekends because nobody was out there. It was a very fun looking area though. Very "beachy".

Happy Anniversary, honey! It has been a wonderful 4 years!!

(Since we got married at the beach, I think we should start spending every anniversary at the beach.)

Cocoa Beach Days 1 and 2

2010-06-24T20:09:00.000-05:00

Carter has been very excited about going to the beach. (He saw an episode about the beach on The Backyardigans, and I guess that made him really want to go. ) I'd say, "Carter, let's go bye-bye." (Meaning, we are going to the store or something like that.)

Carter would often reply, "YA! Okay! Let's go to the beach!!" Then he would throw a fit when I would tell him we were not going to the beach yet. I don't think he actually knew what 'the beach' was, but he really wanted to go it. Although he did know that you go swimming at the beach.

We decided this year to let Lexie take a friend. I knew the beach would be much more fun if she had someone her age to hang out with. I think she has really enjoyed having a friend here with her. Fortunately I am so incredibly cool that they still want to spend time with me ;-) ha! Just kidding, but they have spent quite a bit of time with me. I'm glad because I want to spend our vacation together making memories.

I'm not going to waste space on my blog bashing Allegiant, but I will say the only good thing about it was the direct flight. Carter did great most of the flight. We did hit an air pocket and suddenly dropped. Lexie, Ciara, and I all yelled and threw our hands up (as did most of the passengers). It was scary for a second. Carter thought it was fun and wanted to do it again.

It was early evening when we finally made it to our condo, but we did get to go to the beach for a little while. Carter was very excited to finally get to go to the beach, and let me tell you he has NO FEAR what so ever of the ocean. (I wish he had some fear because he is wearing me out!)

Lexie and Ciara have been having a great time, too. They lay out and relax, and then they go play in the water like carefree kids. Lexie is also fearless. I have had to tell her many times to come in a little closer to shore. She is determined to make it out to the really blue part when I'm not watching. Geesh-with my two fearless children it's no wonder I have so much gray hair!

Days 1 and 2 were strictly beach days. We either had on PJs or swimsuits. Our condo is right by the pier, so we didn't have to change into real clothes to eat lunch and dinner.

It looks like Carter is really enjoying a movie, but in actuality he is enjoying putting the ear phones in and out of his ears. He also was entertained for a really long time by plugging the ear phones into the computer and unplugging them... over and over and over.

Ciara and Lexie are all smiles!

Monkey see...

Monkey do.

This picture is cloudy because my camera lens is still adjusting to the insane humidity. It is crazy hot and humid here!

Carter RUNNING for the beach. He runs as fast as he can along the beach yelling, "AAAHHH!!!" I thought it was odd until I saw an older boy doing the same thing. I guess it's a boy thing.

This little boy loves the ocean!!

Carter didn't leave his analytical side at home for vacation. He spent a lot of time observing the sand. The way it felt, the way it fell, even the way it tasted :)

Lexie getting some sun.

"I can't see. I can't see!"

-- Their eyes were still adjusting to the salt water.

Dreams

2010-06-22T10:02:00.000-05:00

The past week Carter has been waking up at night (and once during nap time at school) screaming. Well, not actually fully waking up, but definitely screaming horribly. I knew he was having some sort of bad dream, so I told Monte we really need to watch what is on TV when he is awake. It's usually something like 'America's Got Talent', but there have been some pretty scary looking people on there =).

The first few times I got up with him, but then I just let him cry it out because I was afraid he might just be developing a habit of waking up to see me. We are on vacation right now. Carter's pack and play is our bedroom, so the cry it out method wouldn't really work last night when he woke up screaming. When he woke up last night, I picked him up and started trying to comfort him. Then he started talking in his sleep, so I finally figured out what his bad dreams have been about. "That's my ice cream! That's my ice cream!!" (Actually he pronounces 'my' as 'moy'.) Poor baby has been dreaming about someone taking his ice cream away from him.

**** Lexie also talks in her sleep. A few mornings ago when I went into wake her up, she told me, "It's okay! Go ahead and go to Zane's baseball game." She is always telling me crazy stories in her sleep.

Everybody Line Up: The Show Is About To Start...

2010-04-25T18:46:00.000-05:00

That's the first line of a mix of songs that I have listened to nonstop for almost a week. It's that time of year again...Dance Team tryouts. I am excited to say that Lexie made the high school dance team!!! It is going to be a very busy year. The spirit squad athletic director wants to show support for EVERY sport. So not only do the cheerleaders and dancers perform at the typical football and basketball games, but they also perform at volley ball, wrestling, etc. We are super excited for her. She worked very hard.

WAY TO GO LEXIE!!!

The tryout uniform.

No, she's not channeling her inner Snooki. There is a shadow that makes her hair poof look bigger than it is. (But don't get me wrong; they do have pretty big poofs at competitions.)

The tryouts were done very professionally. During the clinic days and tryouts, the girls had a dress code. They all looked alike. I tried to pick up several girls when practice was over thinking they were Lexie :) The AD did a great job of keeping the pre-tryout stress to a minimum. All phones were taken up when they arrived, so parents like me couldn't text every 5 minutes and ask for updates. Also, when the girls completed their tryout, they were taken to a different area so they wouldn't freak out the girls that hadn't gone yet. I was very impressed with the way tryouts were handled.

Good Luck Goodies

Carter is Two

2010-01-18T10:09:00.000-06:00

I started this post a few weeks ago, and I just remembered I didn't finish. Then I looked at all of the stuff (pictures) I was trying to pack in, so I decided to break it into two posts. Next up: the other parties.

We had planned on having the grandparents over for a small celebration on Carter's birthday. (His big party was going to be a week and a half later.) But... the first snow storm of 2010 hit, so it ended up just being Monte, Lexie, Carter,and I. We had a fun and relaxing evening.

Starting off the evening with a little birthday tickle.
(so much more fun than a birthday spanking!)

We had Carter's favorite food for dinner: cheese pizza. We ate pizza in the living room and watched The Letter Factory. (one of his favorite "movies")

I don't know why he eats his pizza like that. I guess it's easier to hold.

"That's good pizza!"

Lexie and I made cookies while Carter was taking a nap.

Look carefully at LeXIe's cookie.
(You had to load the letters and words into the cookie cutter backwards, so it was very easy to make a mistake.)

"CARS!"

"Mmmmm! That's heavenly."

He loves to help me blow out the candles around the house, so he is an expert.

He's just like me; we both prefer the icing.

Lexie showing him how to make a mess. Trust me, he really doesn't need anyone to teach him that.

Then he opened presents. Since Christmas was just 2 weeks before, he was practiced up and ready to go!

What Carter is doing now:

*He loves to help cook and bake cookies, but he wants to do it all by himself.

*He has a very good vocabulary (well over 100 words on his own) and he repeats EVERYTHING! He puts words together to make simple sentences: That's my color. Where's (whatever he is looking for)? There it is!

*Counts to 10 without skipping numbers.

*Knows a lot of his letters and sounds- T and O are his favorites!

*He loves to sing.

*He loves to watch sports, but his attention span isn't very long so we never make it through a whole game.

*He LOVES, LOVES, LOVES girls- mainly older ones wearing dance uniforms. He and the girls on Lexie's dance team adore each other.

*Every time we walk into the gym for Lexie's games, he starts waving and yelling, "LEXIE!!!! LEXIE!!!! HI LEXIE!!!" then he looks at me, points to Lexie, and tells me "There's Lexie." and then starts the whole thing over again. He loves Lexie.

*He tells me every morning that ,"Daddy go to work."

*He is fascinated with clocks.

*He likes to go to school and see his "frinz." At bedtime he tells me all about them.

*He really likes school and is learning so much. (At first, I used to call it a preschool just to make myself feel better about leaving him. But now I call it a preschool because it really is. I am amazed at how much he has learned! His teachers are wonderful. The main one is certified for PreK literacy, and the teacher in me notices the little things she does that make a huge difference.

*He is a very healthy eater. He loves carrots, and will willingly try new foods. I think one reason he stays so slim is because he does prefer healthy food. I have decided to keep him on whole milk because I think he still needs the fat. (That being said, he does have a big sweet tooth. He loves cookies and cakes, but I do limit what he gets in that department.)

*He is potty trained. His little booty looks so cute in big boy underwear. The lack of a diaper also makes it hard to find pants that fit. He wears boxer briefs :) --I am extremely thrilled that he is not in diapers anymore, but it also makes me sad. He is young to be a potty trained boy, so it's not like I struggled for a long time to get him out of diapers. (Actually, it was not a struggle at all. He knew what he needed to do and did it. I was VERY lucky.) I feel like him being in diapers still kept him a baby, and now that the diapers are gone (except at bedtime-- he wakes up dry, but I'm not that brave yet) I feel like he is all big boy. I know I am weird.

*He loves his sleep. When school doesn't effect his sleep schedule, he will sleep about 11-12 hours at night and take a 2 1/2- 3 hour nap.

*He loves chapstick! He is constantly putting it on. I swear this boy has the softest lips in town :)

BIRTH

ONE

TWO

Carter's growth chart:

birth- 7 lbs. 8 oz. 21 inches

2 weeks- 7 lbs. 13 oz. 20 1/8 inches (he had a cone head at birth)

2 months- 11 lbs. 6 1/2 oz (90th percentile) 22 in. (20 %)

4 months- 14 lbs. (40%) 23 in. (3%)

7 months- 17 lbs 26 in. (5%)

9 months- 18 lbs (10-25 %) 27 in. (10%)

12 months- 19 lbs (5%) 28 in. (5%)

15 months- 20 lbs 4 oz (3-5%) 30 in (10-25%)

18 months- 23 pounds 31 3/4 in

2 years- 25 pounds (25%) 33 in. (25%)

**I know it looks like his height and weight are pretty even, but I think most of his height is in his legs. It is very hard to find pants that fit him in the waist (he is lean) and are long enough for him. I know a lot of pants have the adjustable waist band, but they usually start at a size that is too big for him. Garanimals knit pants and Gap jeans are our best friends right now; most other pants (with a few random exceptions) make Carter look like he is getting ready to go wading in the water. ha!

Here is a picture of the growth chart I started in my closet right after we moved in.

BEING 2 ROCKS!

2010-01-07T07:44:00.000-06:00

I cannot believe Carter is 2 today! It seems like only yesterday that my sweet little boy came into this world.

I always took Lexie to have her pictures taken ON her birthday every year. I started that tradition with Carter last year also. Unfortunately the weather for today was predicted to be bad (it is), so I changed his appointment to yesterday. It bummed me out that we didn't get to have them made on his birthday, but at least they were made close to his birthday. (Who knows when we will actually be able to leave the house again!)

When we got to the photo studio, Carter was in a great mood. He was laughing and being funny. I thought, "Wow, this is going to be great!" Well he was looking out the window, and the store across the street is a place he loves to go to because they have a Thomas the Train table. I told him after his pictures we would go and play with Thomas. Well that did it! "Thomas. Thomas. Thomas," was all I heard for several minutes. I went to the car and got one of his Thomas toys, thinking that would be okay for now. Then all he wanted to do was play with his Thomas. The photographer did a good job of cropping the photos because Thomas was in most of them. Carter didn't smile much because he was too concerned with getting to play with Thomas. Most of the pictures turned out really cute, and I am pleased even though we didn't capture his "cheesy smile" in any of them.

In this pic and the one at the top, Carter looks very serious. In both of them I am holding Thomas, and I think he is concerned about getting him back.

** His well child checkup is tomorrow, weather permitting. I will post his stats and a little about what he's doing now after that appointment.

Snow Day

2010-01-04T13:17:00.000-06:00

We had an amazing time yesterday playing in the snow. We knew we were supposed to get snow, but we were surprised when we woke up and saw how much had accumulated. This was Carter's first time to play in the snow, and he LOVED it!

The back half of our neighborhood is very hilly, so it is perfect for sledding! Our driveway has a small slope to it, so it was great for Carter. Lexie enjoyed rolling down our front yard as fast as she could. This is something she LOVED doing when she was little.

Ready for the snow! (If his coat was red, he would be the kid in A Christmas Story.)

We didn't buy a sled before the stores around here sold out. We are trying to find some online, so hopefully we will have one if it snows again. We made our own sled out of a cookie sheet. It worked great!!

Lexie knee boarding

Lexie snowboarding

He was so happy walking around in the snow. (He had on several layers of clothes.)

Monte snowboarding

My snow babies!

Please ignore the trashcans in front of the house. We keep them on the side, but I moved them to the front just to make Christmas clean up easier.

Later we got brave and moved to the street. It made for good sledding because the snow was packed pretty good on the street,and the tire ruts made a perfect track for the "sled".

The hill in the background was a very popular sledding place. We will go down there when we get our real sled.

Lexie helping be snowboard; I think I'll stick with skis.

(My legs really are not that big. I am wearing my ski pants.)

Carter "helping" me get snow for ice cream. He would scoop it out as I scooped it in.

Mmm... that's good hot chocolate!

I'm not tired. What would give you that idea?

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T08:31:00.000-06:00

We hope you all have a safe and happy day!

Enjoy your White Christmas.

Halloween (and I am done with October- yay me!)

2009-11-28T10:01:00.000-06:00

The night before Halloween Lexie had a school Halloween dance. I didn't get pictures because since she is on Student Council she had to stay at school to decorate for the dance, and she got ready at school. She wore her costume from 2 years ago to the dance. I must say that she looked much different in it this year.

She was with her dad Halloween weekend, so I don't have many pictures of her. His family was nice enough to stop by my parents' house while we were there, so I did get some pictures. Carter started off the evening tired and cranky, so we were not sure how long we would be able to stay out. Once he discovered candy (not that he had much), he was happy.

Lexie was Robin da Hood this year.

Carter started out very unhappy...

then he got CANDY!!

"Want me to take the wrapper off that sucker for you?"

"MMM. This tastes much better without the paper."

Lexie and her brothers and sister

A conversation from one puppy to another.

Carter LOVES to cuddle stuffed animals. My parents had just got back from the Smoky Mountains earlier in the day, and they brought him this stuffed bear.

Carter enjoyed passing out candy to the Trick-or-Treaters and then waved 'bye' to them the whole way back to the sidewalk.

My little daredevil.

Touching foreheads and screaming is all the rage in the toddler crowd.

Carter chased his tail forever. It was so funny!

I got it!

Carter's Halloween Party

2009-11-28T09:37:00.000-06:00

Carter had his first school Halloween party. It was soooooo cute!! I loved watching all the kids play in their costumes. I made a bean bag tossing game for them to play. They did really well with the game, but not so much with the waiting their turn and standing in line. They are all around 2, so I didn't expect them to be able to wait. They also had a special snack and paraded down the halls of the school to show off their costumes. I LOVE his preschool. He really is learning so much, and the teachers at the school are wonderful. He has so much fun.

He was a puppy this year.

He is also a book lover.

It's hard to see the necklace I'm wearing in this picture, but it's one Carter made for me. He beaded it all by himself! He has great fine motor skills. (The teacher in me is also very happy that he already holds a pencil the right way :) )

The Costume Parade

Party in the USA

2009-11-28T08:06:00.000-06:00

I know I am posting things from over a month ago, but this is how I keep track of things we have done. (I plan on printing my blog yearly since I am failing in the Scrapbooking department.) I was hoping to have Halloween up by Thanksgiving; that didn't happen. Maybe I can get Thanksgiving up by Christmas =)

Last month our family and my brother's family went to the Miley Cyrus and Metro Station concert. (Monte and Carter didn't brave the concert. They went swimming at the hotel instead.) Before the concert I would say that I was more excited than Lexie about the concert. (Yes, I love teen music. I was more excited about Metro Station than Miley. For some odd reason, I really like them.) I think Lexie, and the other kids and parents, were expecting the Hannah Montana kiddy bop concerts like we have seen from Miley before. Boy were we surprised! It was not a kiddy concert. For one thing, I give it a year before her brother (The lead singer for Metro Station) enters rehab. That boy has issues! We also saw more crotch grabbing in Miley's concert than we have seen in any major league baseball game. I think she is a Britney wannabe. (Not sure that's something to strive for.) But I digress... We really had a great time at the concert. It was fun, and we made a ton of memories.

Before the concert, we ate at Kobe. This was Carter's first experience at a teppanyaki grill, and he was very intrigued and excited about the whole thing. We had planned on going to the zoo, but I ended up getting really sick (not fun when you are not at your own house) so we didn't get to go. But... we did get to go to the Purple Cow!

Kalin, Katherine, and Lexie

We were also celebrating K&K's birthday; it was the day after the concert.

Ofelia and Dan

Monte, Me, and Carter

The girls on the bus.
We had to get bussed to the concert because there were several things going on at once, so parking was terrible.

Dan was SOOO excited about the concert! Can you tell? I was so disappointed that he didn't get out of his seat and dance like we were instructed to do. I'm sure he was secretly dying to get up and dance to Party in the USA :)

Lexie was obviously enjoying the concert-ha!

This was actually between Metro and Miley. Lexie loves to read. She seriously has a book with her everywhere we go.

The self-portrait.

Our eyes were watering because we had been laughing so hard. This was attempt 20 on the self-portrait. One of us was either bug-eyed, eyes closed, out of the picture, or just plain weird looking.

Miley

She flew over the audience during "Fly on the Wall."

I know it's hard to see, but her dancers are wearing 80's type costumes. When this song was over they teased us with a little bit of the "Thriller" dance. Lex and I got so excited, but then it was over before it really started :(

Waiting on her milkshake and cheese fries.

Yay! It's Uncle Dan!! Carter is a HUGE fan of Dan (and his Uncle Matt, but Matt wasn't here).

Happy Birthday girls!

"Here, I need that hat."

"Look, I'm Dan."

Dance Competitions

2009-11-10T13:23:00.001-06:00

Lexie's dance team competed in two competitions in October. They were really fun, and I wish there were going to be more. The girls did a great job. I am very impressed with how talented all of the teams were. I can definitely say that the drill teams have changed since I was on it. We were all about short skirts and shaking our booty, but these girls are serious about technique and perfection (and they have to wear leggings under their short skirts at school =).)

Lexie is the queen of facial expressions! It is hard to see it in most of these pictures, but she had a different one for almost every count. Their coach said,"It's not right unless you feel like you look stupid." Lexie has been practicing her facial expressions since birth :)

COMPETITION 1-- Lexie's school competed in the Jazz and Pom categories.

"Ladies, your music is on."- ha ha not really-- Who knew it was so hard to work a sound system?!

Let's try again.

Lexie is 5th from the left

Waiting on the Awards Ceremony to start. (I think there were 10-11 teams at this competition.)

They won 2nd in Pom...

and best technique in Jazz.

COMPETITION 2-- Lexie's team competed in Hip Hop (her favorite), Jazz, and Pom.

My camera battery died as soon as the girls stepped on the floor, so I had to steal these off Facebook. Some didn't transfer very well.

Lexie is first in line.

3rd from the right

3rd from the right--Oh yeah, my girl has attitude!

2nd from the left

"Why smile when you can show EXPRESSION?!?!"

Waiting on the Awards (7-8 teams competed in this competition.)

They won 2nd Place and Best Technique for Jazz, 3rd for Pom, and 2nd for Hip Hop.

WAY TO GO GIRLS!!!

Lexie and Maty enjoying some sugar after the competition.

CAKE!!

2009-11-10T12:45:00.000-06:00

Several weeks ago Carter helped me make a cake. It was his first time ever to get to help cook in the kitchen, and he was a very big helper. He did great and had so much fun! Who knows-- maybe he'll be the new "Cake Boss"!

Carter loves carrots, so we made a carrot cake. Yes we used a mix, but it did have real carrots and raisins in it. It was very good!

"Hey mom, we should use cream CHEEEEEESE frosting!"

I love those precious little hands! (Lex is a great photographer! She just came in, saw what we were doing, and grabbed the camera. It was great because I wouldn't have been able to get a lot of these shots.)

ENJOYING THE FRUITS (OR SHOULD I SAY VEGETABLES) OF HIS LABOR

Apology

2009-11-10T12:41:00.001-06:00

I know I have apologized on here more than once for being a slacker when it comes to blogging. Well I can assure you that this will not be the last slacker apology. (I know my blog is not very exciting, but I do have friends and family that only get to see the kids via the blog.) We have been so busy (and ill), and I have not had time to update. There are A LOT of posts coming (with the usual 50 million pictures), so hopefully I can catch you all up on our hectic life.

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

2009-10-18T02:01:00.000-05:00

As many of you know, Grandpa Jim passed away over the summer. Today is his birthday, so I wanted to share some of our memories of him. He was a wonderful husband, dad, and grandpa, and we all miss him very much.

*Jim loved his grandchildren!
*He was a Mr. Fix-It.
*My parents and Monte's parents get along very well. (I am very, very fortunate and thankful for that.)
*Grandpa Jim always had a blue eraser in his pocket, and the grandchildren (minus Lexie) were fascinated with it. For more on the Eraser Chronicles visit my sister-in-law's blog.

The day we officially became family.

Love at first sight! This is the instant Carter met his Grandpa Jim. (It was a long 2 1/2 month wait.)

Obviously Carter was very comfy in his grandpa's arms.

Three generations of Moore boys. I wonder if Carter will marry a first grade teacher, too?

Father's Day

Oh, to be a fly on the wall during that conversation!

Serious Men

Brian found Jim's high school yearbook.

Jim's birthday last year.

We love and miss you Grandpa Jim!

Pumpkin Patch Pictures (A lot of pictures)

2009-10-13T13:32:00.001-05:00

He's excited about his trip to the pumpkin patch with Lydia. (Lydia also joined us that morning at Gymboree, so Carter-and I- had a great day!)

I think he looks sooo big in this picture. Where did my baby go?

She looks just like my sister in this picture! There is a pic of my sister at Easter when she was this age, and you would swear it is the same child in both pics.

This year he not only walked in the grass, he rolled around in it!

My future Abercrombie & Fitch model.

It's okay; It's Arkansas.

I love how they look at everything and take it all in at this age. They don't hurry or feel rushed, they just enjoy the simple things.

Carter loved playing in the bird bath. Plus when he got thirsty he just licked the water off of his hands. I'm surprised he didn't come down with a serious tummy bug after that.

"Stick your whole hand in. It's fun I promise."

He was using the pumpkins as drums. (Actually he was doing the Freeze Dance.)

The Arrival Daddy

Carter is trying to get a pumpkin out of the bin.

I say, "Daddy's here," and Carter starts anxiously looking around.

He sees Monte's car in the parking lot, and starts calling, "Daddy? Daddy!"

He realizes Monte is standing behind me and starts running as fast as his little legs will carry him, and excitedly screaming, "Daddy! Daddy!" the whole way. (Check out his face- that's what unconditional love looks like.)

I LOVE this picture!

Lydia and Carter had a blast chasing each other through the maze of pumpkin boxes. It wasn't set up to be a maze, but they are creative =)

The owner's dog decided he wanted to be a part of our pictures.

I love the smirk on his face here. He was tired and definitely ready for a nap. He started fussing a little bit, and this older man walked by and said something to him. Carter just stared at him, smirking the whole time. I don't think he realized someone (other than me) was watching the beginning of his meltdown.

EXHAUSTED!!

Sleeping Beauty

2009-10-09T16:09:00.000-05:00

Carter is sick, so last night I slept in his room. He woke up several times last night. (Every 20 minutes-- I felt like the parent of a newborn again.) From about 5-7:30 we got some good uninterrupted sleep. When he woke up at 7:30, I thought I would try to milk a few extra minutes. I looked over and he was tossing and turning, so I closed my eyes in hopes that he would see me "sleeping" and decide to go back to sleep. A few seconds letter I felt his little lips on mine. He was waking me up with a kiss. How could I fake sleeping after that?!

Remember...

2009-10-02T14:26:00.000-05:00

Remember last year's trip to the pumpkin patch...

Carter enjoyed this year's trip was much better!

My sister and I took Lydia and Carter to the pumpkin patch this morning. I took a lot of pictures! Once I go through and edit them, I will post some more pictures. (Don't worry, I won't post them all. But you know me, there will be a lot =-). )

14!!

2009-09-30T14:42:00.001-05:00

I know this is a week late, but I wanted to wait until all of the celebrating was over to post about Lexie's 14th birthday. Yes, that's right my baby is 14! (For those of you with babies, enjoy every second because it really does fly by!)

Birthdays have always been very important to me, and I always wanted Lexie to feel like her birthday was special. When she was born I started several traditions for her birthday. Before she started school I would always take the day off and we would celebrate all day. (She would kill me now if I even tried to take her out of school on her birthday.) We have a special birthday dinner, and Lexie gets to pick where we eat. Until last year, we would always have a special photo session on her birthday. Now she is involved in so many activities that we just try to get it in around her birthday. My favorite tradition: at the end of the day we would go to the hospital to see all of the babies that were born on her birthday. (Unfortunately we had to stop this tradition when we moved to California because at the hospital there, there was no way to even get back to see the babies unless you were a family member or friend. Security was tight. We haven't even tried since we moved back, I'm not sure if the hospitals here still have the babies out where anyone can see them.)

For most of her life, Lexie has had 3 birthday parties: one at home on the day of her birthday, one for the whole family, and one for just friends. Luckily now, Lexie loves homemade cakes and doesn't care about a theme, so it's not too difficult. And, I only have to buy one cake!

Lexie always opens one gift before school. She opened this new hoody. It wasn't cold that day, but she decided to wear it any way. I love the color of it.

Before our birthday dinner we stopped by Granny and Poppy's house. They also gave her one of her presents early.

Carter fell asleep on the way home, so we got to blow out candles and have cake in the living room. A rare treat! For her actually birthday cake she chose pineapple upside down cake. YUM!

Showing off their stylish bowling shoes.

Funny story about the kid sitting on the far left. He just moved to our town over the summer. When he called to RSVP, the area code was the same as the one we had in California. Turns out he moved here from a city 20 minutes away from ours in Cali. It gets better. He moved to that city about the time we moved to Cali. Before that he lived in our town about 5 minutes from where we lived in Cali. Small world!

Getting ready for Lazer Tag.

Somehow the bowling hour turned into arm wrestling hour. I think the boys just wanted an excuse to hold Lexie's hand ;-)

"Um, some help here please. My feet don't quite reach the pedals."

It is cheap entertainment when Carter plays video games. He played games for an hour and spent $0. Nice!

Cake number 2. A Tiffany's box.

Sorry Lexie; there is only cake inside this one.

Our "Party Heroes" were awesome! They did a great job relating to teenagers. A couple of the boys decided that they wanted the tablecloths to be their capes, so the party hero wrote their names on there for them.

It's pronounced "Skyler."

He went out and showed off his cape. He had no idea it said"Prince(ss)." It was funny. Don't worry, he is a hilarious kid. He thought it was funny when he found out.

Lexie got the number 14 go kart on her 14th birthday!

Lexie is too cool to throw her hands in the air. =)

After go karts, they came back to the room and did the "Cupid's Shuffle" and a few other dances.

For the family party, Lexie had my mom make her favorite cake. It's a strawberry jello cake. (I think it might be on the recipe blog. If not, I will add it.)

We got our new puppy just in time to show her off at Lexie's party. This is Cali. (Guess where we got that name?)

We had so much fun celebrating Lexie's birthday. I really can't believe she is already 14. She has started reading her driving book, but she's not ready for the test yet. I can't picture her behind the wheel of a car. Bring on the gray hair! Oh wait, I already have plenty of that.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEXIE!! WE LOVE YOU!

MY SOUTHERN BELLE

2009-09-13T21:15:00.000-05:00

Yes, I know the words Lexie and Southern Belle really don't go together, but she did join the local Cotillion. She told me last year she wanted to do it; but when I checked about it, it was too late to sign up. The past two weekends she attended make-up sessions to attend the manners sessions and learn the dances her age group has already learned. Last night was her first real Cotillion. All of the girls have to wear white gloves. When we arrived, there was a group of boys standing there, and their job was to open the car door for the girl and help her out of the car. When she gets to the door, a boy will open the door for her. At break time, the boy partner escorts the girl to the snack table and gets the snack and drink for her. I am very pleased with what the cotillion teaches. I know there are probably some women's libbers out there that think this is setting women back hundreds of years, but oh well. I think it's wonderful that these girls are learning how to be treated with respect and how to carry themselves, and that the boys are learning to treat girls with respect.

Lexie had a great time last night. She learned the Rumba and Electric Slide last night. (Her cotillion leader likes to do a fun line dance each time also.) Now Lexie knows how to do the Electric Slide, Hustle, Burnin' Up (a Jonas Brothers line dance), Rumba, Fox Trot, and Waltz. Who knows, maybe we will watch her on Dancing With the Stars in a few years. :-)

A DIVA IS A FEMALE VERSION OF A HUSTLA

2009-09-13T14:02:00.000-05:00

No, I haven't turned ghetto. That is one of the songs Lexie performed to on Thursday night. It was a great game, as always. The dance team performed part of their Hip Hop routine that they will be doing at competition in a couple of weeks. It is a really fun routine to watch, and it is definitely Lexie's dance genre. They left out some of the really cool moves that they will be performing at competition. I can't wait to see the whole thing with all of the girls. I love this dance!

I really liked their costumes.

"Yay, Lexie!"-- He also starts yelling, "go, go, go" as soon as we enter the stadium; "Touchdown," even when we don't have the ball; and claps at the appropriate times. He is going to be a football fan, but I guess he really doesn't have a choice about that in this family.

This is what most of my pictures of Carter look like now. As soon as he sees the camera (even not pointed at him), he says, "CHEESE!!"

Just Dance

2009-08-22T19:23:00.001-05:00

The junior high and high school football teams had scrimmages tonight, and Lexie had her first dance team performance. This was the first year the junior high dance teams were asked to participate, so they were excited. Lexie's dance coach works them hard! They have literally spent a 3 hour practice perfecting two 8 counts, and it showed tonight. The girls were awesome!!

The few seconds right before the music comes on. I know it felt like their hearts were about to beat out of their chests. This is the point I always felt like I was going to throw up. (Luckily I never did.) The routine they did was really fun to watch. The music was 'Sweet Child Of Mine', 'I Can't Get Enough Of You Baby' (didn't know that song, but it has been stuck in my head for a couple of weeks now), 'Dude Looks Like A Lady', 'Walk This Way', and 'Paradise City'. Awesome songs from my day!

Lexie is on the far right.

The dance team also stands next to the cheerleaders on the sidelines. Lexie is second from the right on the front row.

Some of Lexie's fans

Poppy and Granny with Lexie

Way to go Lexie!! We are so proud of you!!!

First Day of 8th Grade

2009-08-19T11:00:00.000-05:00

Today was the day Lexie has been waiting for for 2 1/2 months...The first day of school! She absolutely loves going to school (socially, not academically). I cannot believe she is in 8th grade! At her school, they don't pass out schedules until the morning of the first day. I can't wait to find out what classes and teachers she has.

The annual walking in shot.

Since Lexie left elementary school I have not been allowed to take anymore of the 'posing in front of the school' pictures. Now I just snap one from the car, but I don't dare ask her to stand there and pose ;-)

A LOOK BACK...

(only as far back as I have on this computer)

7th grade

6th grade

5th grade

FIRST NATURALS GAME

2009-08-01T23:30:00.000-05:00

Three posts in one day; I'm on a roll!

Remember Carter's first baseball experience: Tonight's was much better. We have been wanting to go to a Naturals game, but have been too busy or the weather was too hot for Carter. Well tonight we finally made it, and we had so much fun. Monte, Carter, Matt (my little bro), and I all went. (Lexie is at her dad's.) We were also surprised to see the Zooperstars (sp?) there. We watched them on Season 2 of America's Got Talent. (We also met several other people from that season when we were in LA.) Carter really had a great time! Every time they played music he would start dancing like crazy. He also clapped when they called out the batter's name, sometimes before everyone else clapped. Everyone around us thought he was so cute, and he made sure he waved at everyone. I think his favorite part of the evening was getting to eat a bag of popcorn. Carter LOVES popcorn! We didn't venture over to the playground, but we will definitely try that out next time. Unfortunately Carter and I had to leave early because it was time for him to go to bed, but I was impressed that he lasted 2 hours. I'm pretty sure that he could have lasted for the entire game because he was so excited! I can't wait to go back and take Lexie with us.

We put Carter down, and let him walk in. He handed the lady his ticket (even though he really didn't have to have one to get in). First he stood about 25 feet away from the lady and tried to stretch his arm far enough to hand her his ticket. That obviously didn't work, so Monte held his hand and walked him to the gate. Unfortunately I was not able to get a shot of him handing his ticket to the lady, but there is always next time!

"Do you like see food?"

Carter loves his Uncle Matt. He spent quite a bit of the evening on Matt's lap.

"Cool! Uncle Matt is letting me wear his hat!!"

Giving Matt a kiss on the cheek. (Carter is very affectionate.)

Having a serious conversation.

"Oh, no! Mom says I have to go. Will you come to another game with me?"

A STEP BY STEP TUTORIAL ON BRUSHING YOUR TEETH

2009-08-01T13:11:00.000-05:00

"Oral hygiene is very important."

First, you wet your toothbrush and put a little tooth paste on it. (I prefer just water, but the dentist told my mom to use tooth gel so I can get used to the flavor.)

Then you put the toothbrush in your mouth and move it all around.

Keep going. It takes a few minutes to get your teeth really clean.

Then you rinse off your toothbrush.

Check your teeth and make sure they are sparkly clean.

"See, all clean!"

STUFF THE BUS

2009-08-01T12:54:00.000-05:00

Last week, a few members of Lexie's dance team participated in the "Stuff the Bus" school supply drive. They danced a few times in front of the local Wal-Mart and asked for school supply donations. The girls did a great job! They got a lot of donations during their time there. Lexie's dance coach commented to Lexie on how good she was at speaking to strangers. Yep, that's Lexie--bold and brave! I did see her giving her speech to a few shoppers, and I was quite impressed with how at ease she was. I was always terrified to speak to or in front of anyone, and she is very confident when she does it. She has always been an entertainer, so I guess it comes naturally to her.

Most people were very friendly and polite to the girls, but I was surprised at some people's reaction. "I buy my kids' school supplies. Other people can by their own." and "I pay taxes." were a few of the rude comments they got. My thoughts go back to the little rule we all learned when we were little: "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." I understand that a lot of people don't have the extra money to buy school supplies for other people. I also know that this time of year can be quite a burden for many families. I have had children in my classroom that honestly could not afford pencils. "Stuff the Bus" and other similar fundraisers are a wonderful help to many kids, so they can start the school year with shiny new school supplies just like everyone else.

Way to go Wildcats! Thanks for helping out.

(The sky wasn't really pink. I think my little camera is dying.)

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

2009-07-30T13:26:00.000-05:00

Today was Carter's first day of school. He technically starts on Monday, but he visits today and tomorrow for two hours each day. I had to wake him up this morning, so he started the day off a little cranky. Like the rest of us, he is much happier if he wakes up on his own. We had breakfast, got dressed, and played a little before heading out the door. I took pictures of him before we left the house because I didn't want to torture him at school anymore than I already had to.

I made the drop off short and sweet. (Based on my teaching experience and the separation anxiety articles I have been reading, that was what I was supposed to do.) Of course he cried as I left the room, and I cried when I got to the car. I had a few errands to run, so I took care of that while he was at school. I must say it was much easier getting things done when I was by myself.

Two hours later (a very long two hours), I picked him up. There is a huge window in the classroom that allows parents to watch from the hall. I stood there for a second to see what he was doing. He had a truck in one hand (surprise, surprise) and a teddy bear in the other. He was making the truck do laps around the table top. He looked so cute and big. I was very happy to see that he was having fun. When he saw me he didn't cry, and he yelled, "mommy!" and ran over to me. I squatted down, and he gave me a big hug. The lady told me that he only cried for a few seconds after I left, and I believe her because that is what happens at church. He waved and yelled, "bye!" to the teachers. He was very happy. Hopefully tomorrow will be easier.

I know that he really needs to interact with kids his age. He has started getting really clingy to me lately, and even at Gymboree he wants me right by him when he is playing. I think he is at a really good age to start preschool, but it is just so hard for me. I researched and visited MANY facilities in the area, so I am very confident in my choice. The teachers are all very friendly, and the children are all happy. They also have events for the family similar to what they have at elementary schools. Next week he will be there during nap time, so we will see how that goes. I don't plan on taking him all day every day until I start working, but I want him to go enough to stay in the routine. Plus, hopefully I can finally get completely unpacked since I'll be home alone. (Lexie is at her dad's house, so it was an extra sad morning.)

"I'm going to school!!"

This is my favorite. He looks so big showing off his toothless smile and holding his backpack. (He has to wear tennis shoes to school. He normally wears a really cute, I mean handsome, brown sandal with this outfit.)

"What do you mean you're not going with me?"

Showing off his new back pack. It has a cow on the zipper, and he loves to show it to me and say, "cow, cow, cow..."

Playing with the new car mommy got him for being such a big boy at school.

BRANSON (with the family)

2009-07-26T13:18:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago Monte and I took the kids to Branson for some shopping and fun at Silver Dollar City. The weather was great! It was definitely hot, but not unbearable. The best part was that it was not crowded, so we didn't have to wait in line for anything! We saw the Veggie Tales show, and both kids loved it!! Lexie still likes Veggie Tales-- she has their songs on her iPod. "You just can't help but smile when you listen to 'I Can Be Your Friend'," says Lexie. Carter danced and clapped through the entire show. We had a great time!

This was Carter's first time to play in the ball area. He had so much fun putting balls in the vacuum hose.

Lexie and Monte enjoyed it, too!

Don't let her face fool you, she loved it!

Carter loved the bouncing frog ride and the butterflies. He cried when he had to leave that area.

I don't know which one enjoyed it more. Lexie also loved the butterflies. I know I say it all the time, but she is so good with Carter. She loves to watch him have fun, so she is always willing to do kiddie stuff just so he can laugh.

Daddy's turn to ride! (Carter is pushing the up/down button. He pushes it most of the time. The problem is he doesn't know to hold it in and he repeatedly pushes it, so they spend most of the time bouncing up and down around the bottom.)

I know this is a blurry picture, but I had to put it on here. If you can see, Carter is pointing at me. It was so cute... He was riding around, and all of a sudden he noticed me. He pointed at me and yelled, "mama!"

Carter was just sitting back and enjoying the ride.

Lexie going solo on the frogs. Don't worry, she did get to ride the roller coasters several times. We didn't spend the whole time in the kiddie area.

WEE!!

Lexie kept talking about having a water balloon fight. I thought she meant we would stand there and throw balloons at each other. When we got over to the barn area we saw these house things. It was so much fun. You would sling shot the balloons at each other. If you hit the bulls eye then a big tub of water would spray the other person. We would love to have one of these in our backyard. Maybe Jared will build us one ;-)

They got soaked!

It was a hot day, so I decided to play, too. I wasn't very good. In this picture I just launched the balloon and it landed halfway between us. She was thinking, "Hello, I want to get hit!"

Day Two: Carter on the frogs... AGAIN!

The flooded mine. Monte won...by a landslide.

TIME FLIES

2009-07-20T15:33:00.000-05:00

It seems like just yesterday that I found out I was going to have a sweet, precious little baby, and now he is 18 months old!! He is no longer a baby and is officially ALL BOY (as if the missing front teeth didn't already let you in on that bit of information)!

I am happy to report that our little buddy is in the middle of a growth spurt. When we went in for his check up, he weighed 23 pounds and was 31 3/4 inches tall. Yes, I know he is still on the small side, but we are getting much closer to the 50th percentile. When he got the tubes put in his ears he weighed exactly 22 pounds with a diaper, clothes, and shoes. His check up was 3 weeks later and he weighed in at 23 pounds completely naked. They also remeasured him a couple of times because he had grown so much since the last visit. His feet have also had a growth spurt. In April he wore a size 5 extra wide, and now he is in a 6-6 1/2 XW. I said in the middle of a growth spurt because based on the way he is sleeping, I don't think it's over. He usually sleeps 11-12 hours every night, and takes a 3 hour nap during the day. (I know that should leave me plenty of time to blog, but I have discovered that I am lazy.)

Here is a little about what he is doing now:

- He loves to dip carrots in ranch dressing, and french fries in ketchup. Actually he will pretty much eat anything he can dip in something.

-He loves to play/sing:

*Row, Row, Row Your Boat- He repeats "row, row" the entire time. I also guess he has finally learned that I can't sing because often times he will tell me "no" half way through because he wants to sing by himself.

*Ring Around the Rosy- He loves to fall down.

*Itsy,Bitsy, Spider- He has got the climbing up the water spout and washing the spider out movements down pat.

* Old MacDonald

* BINGO

*If You're Happy and You Know It- He does all of the motions and shouts "Hooray!" He also pinches his cheeks when I say "and your face will surely show it".

*To say he loves to play with cars and trucks is an understatement. He almost always has a truck or car in his hand. In the car he will push them up and down his legs and make the "vroom " sound. He also like to push them down the slide.

*Anything that has buttons on it he can push will keep him entertained for a while. We just got him some trucks at Sam's that have buttons he can push that make noise. Needless to say those are his favorites.

*He still likes to push around a doll (or real) stroller. He will gently put anything in it and push it around. Right now his stroller has a truck in it :) When he puts a baby doll in the stroller, he will say 'baby', give it a kiss, and put it in the stroller. (I always give him a kiss before I put him in the stroller or car seat.)

-He is developing quite the personality! He is very strong-willed. I think I am going to have to pull out my Dr. Dobson book on raising a strong willed child. He is also reaching that independent stage. He pretty much wants to do everything himself, and it has to be his idea. Although he is strong-willed, he is very affectionate and loving. He loves to give and receive hugs and kisses. Sometimes he will be playing on one side of the room, and I will be sitting on the other. He will stop what he's doing, come over and give me a hug and a kiss, and then go back to playing. He really is very sweet.

-"Monkey See, Monkey Do" is his mantra right now. Last week Lexie was practicing dance moves in the living room, and he stood next to her and started doing everything she did. We were all laughing. He has the turn, kick, bow combination down pretty good now. He will even walk around the house saying, "kick" and then kick his leg. And of course Lexie LOVES teaching him things! She has always been an entertainer, and now he is her little apprentice.

-He is already practicing for his career as a Wal-Mart door greeter. When we go anywhere, he greets EVERYONE! I'll be on an aisle at the store, and as soon as another person comes on the aisle he yells, "hi!" (and will usually repeat it until he gets a response). Of course everyone thinks he is cute, so they stop and talk to him. (Which means I never can make a quick trip to the store.) Then as soon as one of us leaves the aisle, he yells, "bye!" He definitely is a friendly child.

-He can pretty much say/repeat anything except "Lexie". I think he refuses to say her name just to irritate her. A few of the words he says on a regular basis are: hi, bye, baby (referring to anyone under 3 feet tall), buddy (what we call him), eyes, ears, mouth, nose, cat (he is constantly reminding Tinkerbell what she is just in case she forgets she's a cat), all done, boppy (Poppy- my dad), ninny (Granny- my mom), shoes, cheese, freeze, ball, bubbles, pop, please, mommy/mama, daddy/dada, cow/moo, duck/quack quack, no, boo boo (he usually has one), botty (potty), cookie, thank you (sounds like day do), uh oh, bath, see you later, I love you (more like I lu ooh),and cracker. I am so happy that he finally calls me "mommy". For the longest time I was "mom". And I don't just mean mom, I mean a cross between an angry teenager and an Italian mob boss yelling mom.

-I know I am going to jinx myself by posting this, but ever since we moved into our new house Carter goes potty in the potty 2 or 3 times a day. He was waking up from nap dry, so we tried it and he did it. He actually acts like he thinks it's fun. His favorite part is getting to flush the toilet and washing his hands afterwards. I am sure we are far from the point of him telling me when he needs to go, but at this point I am very excited that he pees on command. He has also pooped in the potty three or four times. This was a total accident: he was trying too hard to potty. Sometimes he makes a fist and holds up his arms and grunts really hard; I'm pretty sure it doesn't take that much effort to pee, but whatever makes him happy. Don't worry, I am not pushing him. As long as he is interested we try it. Occasionally when he wakes up he is clingy and doesn't want to sit on the potty, and I don't make him. It is completely up to him. I always clap and cheer when he goes potty, and he does too. Now if he follows me into the bathroom, he will clap for me when I go potty.

- One final thing before the pictures. Carter LOVES shoes. He is definitely my child. When we walk in his closet he will point to his shoe rack and say "shoes". He will keep saying it until I hand him the pair he wants. He also likes to bring us our shoes and tell us they're shoes. He is really smart too. He brings Monte his shoes, and brings me mine. He also likes to walk around in daddy's house shoes.

He usually hangs out with me in the kitchen when I fix dinner or clean the kitchen. We made a playroom for him in there, but on this day he found joy in my mixing bowl. It is also a great shot of his missing teeth!

This is an old picture. (The Survivor finale is on the TV.)

On his 18 month birthday at the doctor's office. I know he looks angry in this picture, but he was actually having fun. It was nice having Lexie with me at the doctor appointment. He wears me out!

He loves to sit in chairs and kick his feet.

He likes to watch Monte mow the lawn. He will stand there and watch him the whole time. He also yells, "Daddy....Daddy....Daddy" the entire time. I think he is trying to get Monte's attention. Monte will come over and wave at him when has to empty the grass catcher thing. Then Carter gets really excited like he's just seen a rock star. I guess daddy is his rock star.

Monte is teaching Carter how to mow the lawn.

GYMBOREE--

I know I mention Gymboree a lot (or maybe on Facebook), but it is Carter's favorite place (next to the great outdoors). It is the highlight of his day. And now that it is summer, Lexie gets to go with us. It is so much fun to watch them play together. She is so good with him, and he adores her!

"The Noble Duke of York" lap ride. This is fun!! Lexie had so much fun doing this with Carter that she now plays it with every little kid she knows. Carter really likes it too, but it's hard to tell in this picture.

"I've seen this done at football games, but it didn't look this hard."

Lexie enjoying parachute time. Carter hates it for some reason. The only thing he likes about it is he knows he gets bubbles when they drag it out.

Girls' Nights

2009-07-15T15:45:00.000-05:00

One of the things Lexie and I used to enjoy doing in California was going to concerts. We had three major venues within 45 minutes of our house, so needless to say we were able to go to a lot of concerts. We have not been to a single concert since we moved back to Arkansas. Over the next couple of months we will be making up for that. The first concert on our list was David Archuleta and Demi Lovato. (For those of you that don't have tween/teen children, she is a Disney star.)

The season David Archuleta was on American Idol was the first time we had watched the entire season from beginning to end. (I usually watched the really bad people trying out and then the finale.) It was really neat to see how much he had changed. I remember how shy and insecure he seemed on AI. Now he seems much more confident, and he was even dancing a little bit! We didn't know many of Demi Lovato's songs, but we had heard of her and David, so we decided it would be fun to go. And my wonderful husband got us great seats! We were on the first row of the non-floor seats, at the front. There were only two floor seats between us and the stage that goes out into the audience. It was great! We could actually see the sweat dripping off of the performers faces.

We had a blast! We laughed the entire car trip. I am happy to report that I didn't get lost (on the way there).

Waiting for the fun to start.

Using the lighter app on my phone.

Why am I holding her snow cone?

KSM-

They were the opening band. Don't worry, we had never heard of them either. Turns out we did know a couple of their songs. If you watch or have seen a preview for the ABC Family show "10 Things I Hate About You", they sing the theme song. They did hang around after the concert to meet anyone willing to stand in line for a long time, and they gave out a free CD single of the theme song. We actually really liked them. They are kind of a girly punk rock band.

David Archuleta-

Demi Lovato-

Lexie up close and personal with KSM. (The girl to her right looks a little strange.) They loved Lexie's shoes. They kept commenting on how cute they were.

Lexie's adorable shoes.

LEGALLY BLONDE
Legally Blonde:The Musical came out to San Francisco for a few weeks to practice before they opened on Broadway. Lexie and I were fortunate enough see it. The comment we made when we left the theatre was that we had to meet my sister in NYC for a girls' weekend and go see Legally Blonde. Well that never happened. Around Christmas Monte noticed that it would be here this summer. (Did I mention that I have a wonderful hubby?) So he called Jared, and they got the three of us girls tickets to go see it. It wasn't quite NYC, but it was great (and we didn't get mugged-haha)! Lexie and I sang loudly the whole way home. These two days of girl fun gave me many more wrinkles, but since they are laugh lines I can live with them. Next week we are having girls' days in Branson with Angie, Lydia, my mom, Lexie, Carter (I know he's not a girl, but he goes where I go), and myself. I cant' wait!!

Fun Times

2009-06-25T16:27:00.001-05:00

I took a break from unpacking this week to spend some time having fun. (Yes, I am STILL unpacking. It takes a lot longer when you have a toddler.- At least is does for me.) Lexie left on Monday to go to church camp. She gets back on Friday, and I am looking forward to finally getting to have some fun with her. I have really missed her. She has been gone most of the summer break so far.

Carter loves to play in the water. It has been really hot, so I got over my fear of germs and we headed to the city pool a few times this week. It really is a very nice public pool. It has a little area for the kids, and they are allowed to bring toys (which is something I wish I had known the first day we went).

He doesn't really have a ghetto booty; there is an air bubble in his swim trunks.

It took me a little while to figure out why he kept getting out of the pool, walking to the fence, walking back to the pool, stopping, and holding out his hands to me. Then I finally saw that a bigger kid on the other side of the pool was starting at the fence, running (not smart on wet cement), and jumping into the pool. Once I figured it out, Carter had a blast "jumping" into the pool. (He didn't really jump, and he never ran.)

Telling me there was a bug in the pool. 'Bug" is one of his new words. He has learned a new word every day since he got his tubes. The ENT doctor did tests, and his hearing was not damaged. I don't know if it was the tubes or just an intellectual growth spurt.

Tuesday we decided to stay indoors to play, so we went to an extra day at Gymboree. Carter loves Gymboree! It's funny though. A lot of the group songs/dances he won't participate in at Gymboree, but he does them at home without prompting from me. If any of you go there then this might make sense to you: When they do the 'freeze dance', he will not go near the air log. When he is in the bath tub every night, he does the 'freeze dance'.

Any of you that know Carter very well know that he will tell you a serious story. Sometime you almost feel like you are in trouble. Well in this picture, he is telling someone something pretty serious.

After Gymboree, we met daddy for lunch. This was the first time Carter noticed the gumball machines. They kept him very entertained until daddy got there. Don't worry; I washed his hands really good before he ate.

Carter got a couple of new toys last week, and he is really enjoying them. The 2009 model of the Cozy Coupe says it has a cut out handle and removable floor board, so it can be used as a 'stroller'. I was so excited. I could see myself pushing Carter around the neighborhood in his car. Well, it does have a handle, but I have to bend over to push the car. I'm not a tall person, so any normal sized adult will certainly have to walk on their knees to push this thing. They must have done some serious photo shopping on the picture on the box.

Today I went to my mom's, so Carter could play with Lyddie. (Angie and Jared are in Florida--lucky!!) They were so cute. I didn't get a picture, but Carter is practicing being a daddy. There is a toy umbrella stroller at my mom's house, and he pushed a baby doll all over the house. Lydia wanted to push it too, so she chased Carter a few times. I was standing in the living room, and all of a sudden Carter came flying around the corner pushing the stroller. I'm pretty sure he was on two wheels. Maybe he's not ready to push a real baby just yet. My mom and I didn't want to swim, so we put the kids in this little pool. They had so much fun pouring the water back and forth between cups.

"Look Carter, no hands."

"Come swim mommy."

"Fine if mom won't swim, I'm outta here."

Here are a couple of pictures of the dance team from last week's camp. They performed their newly learned dances on Friday. I drove down to watch. My trip down was not so fun. I made a couple of mistakes, so my 3 1/2 hour trip turned into a 5 hour trip. (I've driven in LA, San Francisco, a few other big cities, and I get lost in freakin' Van Buren! Then, the GPS was on the wrong setting, so it took me the long way.) I got there in time to see the last dance. At least Lexie rode home with me, so I got to spend some time with her.

EVENTFUL DAY

2009-06-16T17:36:00.001-05:00

Our day started at 4:45 this morning when we had to get up to take Carter to the hospital to get tubes put in his ears. Carter did great! He got a little impatient waiting around to be taken back to the OR, but that is understandable especially since he had no idea why he was up so early and couldn't eat. He was fortunate enough to have a cute nurse carry him back to the OR, so he didn't cry one bit when she took him from us. When they came in to update us on what he was doing (before the procedure), they said he was being very cute, talking, and looking around. A few minutes later the doctor came in and told us the procedure went well. Everyone told us it was quick, but we didn't expect it to be that quick. When they brought him back to us, he was not happy! They said he wasn't in pain, but he was disoriented because of the anesthesia. About 20 minutes later we got him calmed down. He kept pointing to the door of the hospital room, so we finally took him out to the hall. That is what made him stop crying. He was fine as long as we didn't try to walk back in the room with him. He fell asleep on the way home and slept about 4 hours. When he woke up, he was back to normal and very happy.

Sitting on daddy's lap while mommy took care of the paperwork.

Waiting to be called back to his hospital room.

Looking out the window, and pointing at the cars that are going by. He saw my mom pull in to the parking lot, and was talking to her. Once she got out of sight, he started crying. When she made it into the hospital room, he immediately wanted her to hold him and stopped crying.

He was not a fan of the bracelet they put on his ankle. He kept ripping the sticker off of it. Finally they put one on his monkey, so he could take the sticker of that instead.

He looked so cute in his little gown.

Carter was happy to see Granny.

Waiting patiently on the nurse. This didn't last long.

After his nap, he was back to normal and terrorizing Tinkerbell.

This afternoon, Lexie left for Drill Team Camp 4 hours away. This really was too much for me to handle in one day. Lexie has been to church camp before, but her aunt was one of the counselors so I wasn't nervous. I know she is having fun, and it is a great bonding experience for the girls. Plus they get to go to an amusement park and do another fun surprise activity. I know Lexie is LOVING it already. I get to go down on Friday and watch them perform. I am so excited.

"Yay, the bus made it!" The driver had seat trouble, so it was late. The girls were expecting a charter bus, so they were a little disappointed to see a school bus pull up.

Lexie and her tryout partner.

Trying to figure out where they are going to put all of the suitcases. Each girl was only allowed to bring one suitcase, but that still was a lot of luggage!

Group photo

This is the 8th and 9th grade dance teams and cheerleaders.

There goes the bus. Taking away my baby girl!

After the traumatic events of the day, Carter and I decided we needed some ice cream so we went to Dairy Queen.

The Reason for Lack of Blogging

2009-06-04T18:00:00.000-05:00

WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!!

We closed on it last Friday, and the movers are coming tomorrow. Fortunately it is close to where we currently live, so I have been able to take things over during the day. My kitchen at the new house is almost completely unpacked and ready to go. I always feel like once I have the kitchen ready, everything is okay. Between doing all of the necessary things for buying the house and all of Lexie's end of the year events, I have not had time to blog. The above picture is actually a copy of some postcards the bank gave us. Once we get moved in I will post a tour of our house.