Funny Boy

David has a project in the driveway. Carter went down in the driveway where David was working inside the car. He went in the garage, grabbed this cardboard box, slid it under the car, then laid down on top of it. Carter wants to be just like Daddy.

Carter built a "temple" with Duplo Legos. I think it is pretty creative.

Carter and I go to a restaraunt that does a story/craft time once a month. They do an awesome job. This month I ordered Carter a fruit bowl to snack on. He took a bite into all of them and handed me the cantelopes. As he did, he says to me "I can't eat this." When I asked him why he responded "It is not gluten-free". I try really hard not to focus on what he cannot eat, but what he CAN eat. Apparently he is quite observant.

For Memorial Day, I thought it would be a good idea to go to the cemetery to clean the graves of David's family, many of whom served in the military. Unfortunately, David got called to help someone whose car had broken down and we didn't make it. Later in the week, after story time, we stopped by the cemetery to visit anyways. Carter helped me clean their gravestones. We didn't get to do a great job because Carter got bored and began to play baseball - using gravestones as bases, and a stick as a bat. I decided it would be more respectful to leave at that point than try to continue with my goal.



Another Day of Doctors

We went to have Carter's abdominal X-Ray. He was so excited to be there too. I brought all his special doctor only toys. The tech took one look at Carter and told me that it really wasn't going to work - there was no way he could hold still for this. I told him he needed to give Carter a chance. Little man held still for all three X-Rays. There was no need to take any again!

We went to the store to drop my camera off for servicing - so you know there won't be any pictures for the next couple weeks. Where Carter fell off a chair. We went home for Carter's nap and he fell down about 4 concrete stairs. He was trying to open the front door and fell backwards. It was a nasty fall. Off to the chiropractor we went. He had knocked his head off kilter pretty bad.

On the way back home to do our nap for real, Carter said to me:

I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living, my mommy you'll be.

It was so cute. We had been reading that book a while, but not recently.

After nap we went to a friend's track meet. Carter kept asking me what kind of ball there would be this time. I told him there would be no ball. He didn't believe me. How can you play a sport without a ball???? I was sure Carter would be bored. However, he has some sort of hero worship going on for this boy - who is in Junior High - and Carter was glued to the track. He gave me a play-by-play of what happened, and when we got home, he was running short races in the yard. So cute! I doubt we have our new favorite sport, but we have certainly diversified.

At bedtime we decided to read Love You Forever, I was surprised when I let him read it to me. He knew MOST of the words. He absorbs sooooo much!!!

8 Years!

8 years ago today, David and I were married in the Seattle temple.

Wow, how time flies. Some years have certainly dragged on, but others flew by - just being honest here.

We celebrated our anniversary with doctor's appointments.

We got up REALLY EARLY so we could stop by David's classroom and drop off something for his sub before our appointment at the children's hospital. We were there testing for an hour before they came out and told us that something was wrong, and they couldn't do the test. They did the pre-test twice to confirm, then they had to call our doctor before they felt comfortable giving us any news. David took the day off to help with this appointment, and it looks like we will be going back for some abdominal X-Rays in the next day or so. I think I can do those visits by myself. David took today off because most of the work is entertaining Carter in between tests. We are really excited that our doctor is acting quickly so we can figure out what is going on with Carter. He has really been a trooper this week.

We had another appointment scheduled for me, and found ourselves with time to kill since Carter's appointment was cut short. We went to the Children's Museum for a few hours. He really enjoyed himself, and we ran into a friend from one of our playgroups closer to home (Our friend climbed into the "river" area where the kids reach in and play with the current. He was soaked from head to toe, it was quite funny!)

Then it was off to my doctor's appointment. I went to check in at the desk, and discovered that I had come to the wrong office. David, Carter, & I ran back to the car - luckily not there long enough to be charged for parking - and drove to the other location. I remember now making it there because it was closer to home. Ha Ha Ha. Joke is on me.

David came with me to this appointment because we were pretty sure that I had contracted sperm poisoning again. David let me know that this was the last time he was going to let this happen. I willingly agreed. We have been trying for over a year and a half, and I know that the Lord knows better what I can handle than I do. He knows, just as well as I do, that I wouldn't not have survived two too close together. (Let alone the possibility of 3 boys, or being so sick again!) If I didn't know that it was an STD, I would say there is something in the water. I have seen a great deal of women I know who are also pregnant. Heck, there were two midwives pregnant at the office today.

We didn't hear a heartbeat - but didn't with Carter either, except in ultrasound. The midwife said that I would need to see an OB for my appointments. I guess I am relatively high risk. That means extra tests each month, and I can't see a midwife like I had with Carter. David pointed out that I would not have seen my midwife anyways, because she was definitely due before I am.

We stopped by Carter's doctor after my appointment and discussed our options. Then we went home and Carter took his nap.

After that, Carter and I saw the Chiropractor where they discussed taking some X-Rays there to see how they could help things flow a little better.

We could not get Carter to eat lunch or dinner. He fought it and cried. We were planning on going out for our anniversary anyways, so we brought him along and he ate beans and rice. He gobbled it up! I was just glad I got something in him semi-healthy for the day.

Whew, next year we will not be so busy. We will try to relax and enjoy it!

Family Home Evening

Every week we set aside time together as a family. We have been instructed at church that it is crucial to set aside time. We call it Family Home Evening. Everybody spends time together as a family, but as life gets busier, and schedules get more packed - you get little snippets here and there, yet none of it is meaningful.

Our Family Home Evening time is set aside for Sunday, as David works long hours during the week. We start and end with a prayer and a song, and have a lesson in the middle. At first I felt a little unsure of what to do for a lesson with Carter. I did a ton of research online to see what other people were doing. I came across a lady that purchased the Sunday School manual for the class her young child was in, and they taught from that. I did the same. We try to time it so we are having the same lesson Carter has that day. We have been holding Family Home Evening with Carter for about a year and a half, and many nights have been a struggle. He has trouble sitting still for even short periods of time some days.

But, I am so excited to report that this Sunday was the first time Carter actively participated in a lesson!! The lesson was titled I will say "I'm Sorry". He answered questions, he participated in the role playing and what-if games. It was fresh in his memory (well, 4 hours old), and he had great recall. I am very hopeful for next week.

Gardening and Updates

Planted my garden today - earlier than ever. Last year I planted near the end of June, and had an awesome crop. This year, I am not planting as much - you learn what your family will and won't eat.

Last year the broccoli and cauliflower were not a big hit. Neither was the celery or the cucumbers.

This year I have two types of peas, beans, acorn squash, more strawberries, bell peppers, carrots, grape tomatoes (for Carter to pick and eat), celery (that grew back from a stalk that apparently didn't get harvested completely), onions, & green onions.

Carter says some of the funniest stuff! I don't know where he gets this.

The other day he told me "When I was born, I was a baby and had to wake you and daddy up. I had to get you out of bed." Later that same day he told me "Before I was a two year old man, I had to grow up."

I had a pest control guy out yesterday to look at a weird bug I found in Carter's room. I wanted to make sure we didn't have a problem, and if we did that I got a head start on it. He looked around the room and saw the toddler bed. He said "With kids, you probably don't get a lot of quiet time to yourself do you?". He was asking me to come in Carter's room and listen quietly for humming, digging, or buzzing - since he didn't see any activity at all while he was there. I relayed this question to David, and Carter answered very quickly: "No".

A few Sundays ago, David was taking Carter back up to his Sunday School class after a potty break. Carter slipped and fell backwards. He rolled down a couple steps before David stopped him. He looks up at David and says: "Good save Daddy!"

Hair???

Carter's head fuzz has begun to stand up like peacock feathers. There is not much I can do about it. He looks ridiculous with gel on his "hair", and cutting it is not going to do anything. I think it is really cute. It won't be long before it gets too heavy to stand straight up.

Even though Carter is still rear-facing in his car seat, he is very observant of what I do while driving! I have never put on my sunglasses in front of him. I keep them in the center console and don't ever put them on until he is already strapped in. Last night we watched Carter climb in the front seat, open up the center console, pull out my case like he knew EXACTLY what he was doing, put my glasses on, and began to "drive" my car. Then he grabbed my GPS out of its hiding place and  started moving his finger on the screen. Sometimes I forget where I put it!

A couple nights ago Carter got out of bed at 2 AM. Luckily it is a rarity. He was knocking at our door. I went to answer it and found that he had EVERY light in the house on, some lights I know he can't reach without a chair or a stool. He was knocking on the door asking if we could read scriptures. Really? You want me to pull out my Bible at 2 AM? Sorry kiddo. No go. He was begging to read scriptures. He cried all the way back to bed that he wanted me to read scriptures to him. I am just grateful that I keep my Seminary/Institute set (the set I used for my religious classes in high school and college, and have all my notes and references in) in my room by the nightstand. Thankfully, he didn't know that I keep my personal set that is at least 20 years old between the couch and the end table where I started keeping it so I could have it handy while I nursed him as a newborn. Otherwise, he would have taken matters into his own hands.

I caught him doing this. He laid down and pulled the car over his legs. He then began to beat on his with various tools he had brought out to the back deck! He said he was fixing the bumper "because it has dirty on it". Just like Daddy I guess.

Summer???

Summer is coming, and Carter is getting good use out of the lawn mower he got for his birthday last year.

He is starting to say some pretty funny stuff. He will describe something as "Super Hilarious" while laughing. He loves to read me the comics. He wants me to talk into a telescoping flashlight like it was the microphone at church.

He can sing EVERY WORD of this song:

He wants me to play it all the time. He thinks it is pretty cool that the guy in the song is growing a garden in the backyard by the fence just like we are.

I didn't know that they made a second:

And apparently a third!:

We haven't gotten to the second or third yet. We probably won't. They are pretty heavy for a 2 year old.

On a side note on summer, Vortex has decided that we are pals even if Carter is around. I guess he missed me while we were in Whistler.
Vortex tries to avoid Carter at all cost. Carter throws balls at him and LOVES to chase him. I am very strict when it comes to terrorizing the dogs - because one day they will bite back. We have been pretty lucky. Carter has even fallen on Vortex and Blu while they were safe in their beds, and they have not so much as growled at him.
But, lately Vortex doesn't care. If I leave the room, he leaves with me. If Carter comes in, so what. He follows me around and then plops down wherever he can. It is pretty tiring, so I don't blame him for trying to nap. Poor dog, I guess I don't give him enough love now that I have Carter to chase after.

Egg Hunt

Carter and I have been a part of a MOMS Club for over a year and a half. Recently I have found myself as president. Not sure how I got there, because I didn't run for the position. However, I am going to try to make the most of it, as we really enjoy being part of the club. 

There are a handful of kids who are right around Carter's age. These two boys are both 2 & 1/2 just like Carter. They have all known eachother since we first joined, and Carter can tell me whose Mommy is coming based on a car he sees pull up to an event. One of the moms in the club invited us over for an egg hunt in her back yard. She had roughly 300 eggs. She let the little ones go first.

Carter found a few eggs, but really gravitated to the Power Wheels Jeep. He opened the hood and said "There's dangerous in here Mommy, don't touch" (so glad he has started calling me Mommy again!). All he wanted to do was sit in the jeep and "work on it". Fine with me. This is about him, not about how much candy he can amass.

We did sit down and open our eggs. They wanted the eggs back so they could do this again next year.

He was so excited for everything he opened.

Even though he didn't know what it was, and couldn't eat it anyways.

So much fun! He even won a prize. It was a bag of "Police Men".

I thought I would have to address the issue of guns. We haven't introduced the concept to him, and although I am not opposed to them, we would like to be the ones to explain it to him. I know guns are a fact of life, and it is better for him to be educated about them than to be ignorant. I just hadn't formulated a plan yet. Back to my story:

He opens his bag and picks them all up individually. He is telling me what they are doing. He shows me one holding an AK-47 in a relaxed stance. He tells me this man is playing a guitar, while standing on a skateboard - you know the base that holds them upright. It was hilarious. They are all playing an instrument of some sort and they make up a band of police men riding skateboards. Imagination at work.

Easter in Whistler

David and I have almost always spent Easter together - just us - as a family. This year we went to Whistler, B.C..

We found a local congregation through our church and tried to keep the Sabbath Day as best we could. We usually make it a point to attend church while we are on vacation. Sometimes I think it would be more fun if our church wasn't the same everywhere - it would make it a little more memorable. I remember the struggle it is to find some of these buildings - like when we went to Tennessee and there was only one building for MILES, or our trips to Ocean Shores and Lincoln City where the buildings were not as close to the water as we thought - but not really the service because  it was like every other service with a different message. However, the feeling is the same. And, there is quite a bit of comfort when we walk into a building we have never been in before and can immediately find the bathroom or the drinking fountain. I am especially grateful that the church is the same everywhere because our 2 year old knew exactly what to do. He was calm and reverent, and after the main service he ran off to find his class. He wasn't afraid of anybody there, even the ones who tried to shake his hand. It was just like any other Sunday to him. We dressed down a little more than normal. David wore a nice shirt, but no tie. Carter did not like that. He was upset at Daddy because he wasn't wearing a tie in the church, and he was resistant to me putting his khaki pants on instead of the polyester suit pants he usually wears.

We got to our resort/hotel and were too early to check in. So we went to the park. I did some research ahead of time and had our week all planned out, including where the playground was. We spent more time there than any other place!

Carter conquered his fear of climbing the rope ladders:

He mastered the art of driving a ferry, with Daddy as his co-pilot:

He even went up this really cool stair thing that was just logs sticking up. They were all different heights, and the only thing to hold onto was this orange rail. He was really hesitant, but with enough prodding and lots of watching the other kids, he gained the confidence to do it by himself.

We found some snowmobiles to play on. Then we went up the gondola as far as they went before they kicked all the skiers off. Carter was not real fond of the snow, or the gondola ride. But, David and I sure enjoyed it. Carter thought all the guys on snowboards were skateboarding down the hill! 

We had our Easter Egg hunt on Monday. David bought eggs at the dollar store that were colored like balls. He really liked that.

Finding the eggs that were REALLY hidden, was still tough for him. As you can tell:

We had so much fun. Carter did so well with his pottying!! He went the entire time with not one single accident!! He took naps in the car and stayed dry. He was so good about it. We got home, and about 2 hours later, he wet himself. I have no idea what happened. He is very good about holding it when we are out. He has NEVER had an accident at church.

No more bouncy house fear!!

You may remember our horrible fear of the Bouncy House. He cried for MONTHS every time we asked him if he wanted to try it again. NO GO. Last month we went to a birthday party for one of his friends. He is the same age as her little sister, but I would consider her his friend. She had it at the place where she takes gymnastics classes.

I saw it when we walked in - not inflated yet - and dreaded the time when they did - thinking that I would have to sit out with a crying child while the other kids played. This was bigger and more ominous than anything they had at the bouncy house warehouse! It had an obstacle course and two large slides. You had to crawl through tunnels and wiggle through a mini maze. I thought up all the ways that I could explain how fun it was.

They inflated it and I encouraged him to sit with all the other kids to hear the rules. Nope. He wouldn't sit, he had to run right to it and jump in before it was time. I couldn't get him out when it was time for presents!!!

He couldn't quite do it himself and the birthday girl personally walked him through it - hoisting him up the climbing parts.

 But once with her was all it took and he was doing it himself. He knew right where to put his feet and grab with his hands! So proud of him overcoming his fear of the bouncy house!

He even jumped on the trampoline and went down the slide into the foam pit!

Sorry for the catch-up. David got all my pictures back on the computer and I am making up for lost time.