MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

We had a good Christmas this year! As you can see Carter was super excited! He kept saying that he was so lucky as he opened his presents. We did learn that next year we need to get more for Bryan and I, even if it is things we already have and wrapping them up, so that Carter sees that he is not the only one getting presents! We are trying to save our money so that we can do more to the house, so we didn't get anything for each other. We also just got two presents for Hailey since she is so little, and we have so many toys from when Carter was a baby. When Carter got to the last gift under the tree he said "I hope this one is for Hailey because she only got two presents". We thought it was very sweet that he thought of her.

Because of the weather we were not able to make it to any of our families Christmas parties. We have to go through Sardine Canyon to get to them, and didn't want to drive in the snow storms. We really missed being around our families and it made us appreciate them that much more.

Daddy got this guitar for Carter so that they can play together. Too bad Carter has already broken a string huh? Maybe he needs to be a little older?


This bear is what Carter got for Hailey. I asked him a few days before Christmas what he would like to get for Hailey. He thought about it for quite awhile. He actually has a little bear exactly the same, but it is a camoflauge bear. Hailey is always trying to grab it from him. So he decided that she needed her very own pink bear. As we were going to the store I was telling Carter that we might not be able to find exactly what he wanted, and that he might have to settle for something else. What are the chances that we walked right to this and found Exactly what he wanted for her! She of course loves it.

9 Month Checkup

Hailey had her 9 month checkup today. All is well! She weighs 15 lb 7 oz, which is in the 8th%. She measures 27- 1/2" tall in the 50th%. I was surprised to see that she is only in the 8% for her weight. Our kids have always been smaller, but not that small! The doctor says no worries though, she's good and healthy!

I had to throw this picture in also. The other day I put these cute socks on Hailey with beads on the edges.(thanks Paul and Rachel!) Hailey was fascinated with them all day long.

You're Gettin Coal For Christmas!

So I cannot threaten Carter with the old "You're gettin coal for Christmas if you aren't good". This is the reply I get back from him: "Oh Cool!!! I can use it for a habitat for my animals!" He seriously really does want coal! He is into animals and dinosaurs big time right now. He will set up the coolest little habitats with trees, rocks, sticks, etc. He actually does a really good job thinking of everything they would need. I think its the cutest thing when he says "habitat"! He says when he grows up that he wants to be a "Pet Collector". I tell him as long as he is moved out of the house by then, that's cool with me!

HoLd On FoR DeaR LiFe!!

I don't know if this tells you what kind of a driver I am, but every time I put Hailey in her car seat, she grabs on with both of her hands, and doesn't let go until I pull her out. I guess she doesn't approve of my driving!

Thanksgiving

We had a good relaxing Thanksgiving. We stopped at my parents for a short visit and then went to Bryans parents for the rest of the day. Bryans mom makes the best apple pie ever, so we always look forward to that.

This is what happens when you eat too much! Notice how Bryan's arm looks. That is because he fell asleep holding Hailey, but Hailey wasn't ready for the nap like dad was!

Hailey is into eyes and noses lately. Carter was being very patient as Hailey inspected his face.
We put up our tree a couple days ago(yes we cheated and put it up before Thanksgiving). I was looking forward to putting it up because we haven't had a "big" tree up for years. Thanks mom and dad for the beautiful tree! Carter had a blast "helping" me decorate it. There have been several times that Carter has been talking to me, and in the middle of the sentence he stops, looks at the tree, and says "mom isn't the tree just beautiful?"

Hailey is enjoying the tree also. She has started rolling quite a bit more the last few days, just so she can get closer to it.

Family Pics

We got our family pictures taken a couple weeks ago. The kids did not feel like cooperating so they didn't turn out as well as I hoped, but we got a couple okay pics. The last picture shows how Carter was really feeling!

HALLOWEEN FUN!!

Maya, Hailey and Carter in the their costumes. Carter filled his bucket up all the way to the top this year! He kept saying " This is Spooky Fun", and " This day just gets better and better".

We took the kids to a carnival at the elementary school before trick-or-treating. There was a game that you could win a goldfish. We were all over that one since Carter has been asking for a fish for quite some time now. We had to have Dad get in on the action to win us a goldfish. Carter was thrilled and the next day we went to Petsmart to get a "friend" for his goldfish.

Hailey and her dadda

Hailey just loves her daddy. Every time he walks in the room her eyes go to him. When he comes to say hello to her she grabs his face with both her hands, looks at him with those big brown eyes, and gives him her biggest smile.

CoRn MazE

Rouetta, Staci and I took the kids to the Heritage Center last night. They have all sorts of mazes and games set up for the kids. The kids liked the hay maze the best and played there for most of the time.

There was a bunch of fun lights set up, and a hayride.

As we were walking back to the car they were acting like the pumpkins were punching them and they kept falling to the ground. Needless to say, they got their wiggles out before bedtime! Afterward Carter and I came home and had hot cocoa to warm ourselves up!

5 Things Tag

Melissa tagged me...so, here it goes!

1. What I was doing 10 years ago.....
-college
-working
-doing silly things with Melissa!
-dating Bryan
-living at home

2. 5 things on my to-do list today......

-laundry
-grocery shopping
-wash the floors
-play with the two cutest kids ever!
-exercise

3. 5 of my favorite snacks......
-cheese and crackers
-granola bars
-smoothies
-anything with sugar!
-chex mix

4. 5 jobs I've had......
-Teleperformance USA
-Melissa's parents tanning salon
-Smiths
-my own business on ebay
-being a mama

5. 5 things I would do with a million dollars.....
-pay off debt
-build my dream home
-pay off my families bills
-donate to a good cause
-save for the future

6. 5 things that made me laugh this week.....
-Hailey panting like a dog when she gets excited
- Bryan
-The crazy, not all there checker at Maceys
-Playing Hide and Seek with Carter and having him tell me exactly where he is hiding
-Carters friend Hayden(he drew something really funny at Preschool)

7. 5 people I tag, to answer these same questions......
Amy
Deana
Audrey
Eryn
Anybody who wants to play

Fun Week

Last week the kids and I went to stay with my mom and dad to do some fun things with some friends and family. Saturday was my moms birthday and my niece Isabella's birthday. We also celebrated my nephew Nic's birthday. Mom and Dad took us to Chuckie Cheese. It was super busy, but the kids had fun playing all the games. Thanks mom and dad!

We visited with Grammy and Papa Thursday and Friday evening. Carter and Papa always have to have their usual "Tickle War".

We also met up with my good friend Kate at The Hill Air Force Base Museum. She has two cute boys; Jackson who is Carters age and Cooper who is two. It was fun playing with them for most the day since we don't get to see them as often as we would like!

So Lucky

I just have a post a little about my sweet Carter. He has been such a good boy lately. Everybody talks about the "terrible two's" but I would have to say it is definitely the terrible three's and four's! He has tested my patience many many times, but lately he has been so good.





He is such a thoughtful little guy and always watching out for his sister. He just makes her laugh and laugh.





Carter is finally, yes finally at 4-1/2 going potty in the toilet! It has been a LONG process! Bryan and I absolutely love the sound of the toilet flushing in the middle of the night, and every time it happens we just look at each other and smile. Yes that sounds strange, but when you have been working as long as we have to potty train, there's nothing better than finally seeing success! I hope everybody is right about saying that girls are easier than boys to potty train because I don't even want to think about potty training another one! He is so much more independent and wanting to do things on his own now.





He's trying new foods a lot now, which for Carter is GOOD! He has always been such a picky eater, but lately has added tons of new foods to the menu. Yeah for me!





He amazes me every day with the things that he can remember and learn so quickly. Carter is a little ball of energy and adds so much joy to our family and we love him so much.

Precious

A friend of ours is writing a children's book and asked if she could use Hailey for some of the illustrations in the book. Last month we met with a photographer who took some photos of her. It was a really fun experience. Hailey actually is technically a boy in the book so hopefully she won't be scarred for life! I can't wait to see how the book turns out. Once the book does come out, I will let everyone know so they can get a copy of my famous daughter! Ha Ha! Anyways, the photographer took a few photos of Hailey and I after the photo shoot just for fun. This is how they turned out. I think they turned out pretty cool. I just love Hailey so much. She is the sweetest most precious little baby.

Our Sweetie Is 6 Months!

Hailey had her 6 month checkup today. She is doing great! She weighs 13lb. 14 oz, which is 20% for weight, and 25-3/4 inches long, which is 55% for height. She is at such a fun age right now! She just started rolling from her belly to her back, and jibber jabbers all the time. She loves her hands and feet right now. She has this thing with her hand that she does. She will hold her hand in front of her face, and have a conversation with it like it is a person. It is the funniest thing!Now if we can just get her to sleep through the night we'd be great!

PiZza ParTy!

So any of you who know Carter, know he is a very picky eater. For the longest time we have tried to get him to eat pizza, and he would not try it. Well, much to my surprise, I went to pick him up from Preschool on Wednesday, and guess what he was doing? Eating pizza! This is the first time he has tried it, and of course, he liked it! He was so excited to tell me about how he made "mini pizza faces". So every day since then, he has wanted to make mini pizzas. We stayed with my parents for a few days last week, and he was very excited to go the store to pick out the ingredients and make us dinner. He kept saying "Aren't I the greatest chef?" and "Do you want me to make pizza every night?" It was pretty cute!

Bryan Junior!!!

Just wondering who you think Hailey looks like. I can't seem to figure it out. Ha Ha! I thought this was a cute picture of Hailey and her daddy. I just love these guys, aren't they cute! Don't mind the messy backyard full of boxes!

Peach Days

Rouetta and I took the kids to the Brigham City Peach Days on Saturday. Maya decided that she wanted to go on this ride. Since Maya was going on the ride, of course Carter wanted to go on it too! We tried to talk him out of it, afraid he would be scared to death, but he insisted that he could do it. He actually did really well, and loved it! My little Carter is growin up!

It takes a lot of concentration to eat those snow cones without spilling them all over yourself!
Carter got his face painted like a puppy and Maya did her face as a Cheetah

Eat Those Feetsies!

This is what Hailey does every time I take off her diaper. It's so cute when she tries to eat those little toes!

Name Recognition!

Yesterday morning I was cutting off all the tags on Hailey's clothes so that I could wash them. Carter woke up and wanted to help. He was admiring all of her "beautiful" clothes, when he paused for a minute and said "mom, why is my name on Hailey's clothes?" He thought that was pretty cool! Now he has decided that he needs to keep all of the "Carter's" tags!

First Day of Preschool

Carter had his first day of Preschool today. He did pretty well. He was excited to meet some new friends. After I picked him up, he had a little bit of a melt down because he said that he didn't get a snack. He said he told Miss Chelsea that he wanted one, but she didn't give him one. I'm sure that she just didn't hear him, but the poor guy was traumatized! Hopefully tomorrow will go better! He is just going Tuesdays and Wednesdays for 2 hours a day. I can't believe how much he has grown the past few months. Clothes that fit him a couple months ago don't even come close now! He's getting to be such an independent boy! I'm excited for him to have new experiences and meet new people. He's probably getting a little bored with just mom all the time!

The Fair

On Saturday we went to the Cache County Fair with Bryans parents and our friends Tim, Rouetta, and Maya. Carter and Maya had fun going on all the rides, and Hailey was happy being outside, heat and all!Carter riding a pony. He was much more comfortable on the pony this year, unlike last year.
Carter and Dad on the climbing wall. Carter didn't go too far up, but at least he tried it!
Maya and Carter on the Carousel. Carter said this was his favorite ride.
Hailey chillin in the shade with dad. I can't wait until she's old enough to tag along with Carter! Okay, so maybe I can, I am enjoying her in the baby stage!
After the fair we came back to the house to BBQ and make Homemade Raspberry Ice Cream. Carter and Maya had fun helping. They didn't understand why it took so long though!