Mother's Day Weekend 2012

My Mother's Day Weekend started out with Carter's Scout-A-Rama on Saturday.  We have never been to one of these so we weren't sure what to expect, but it was really cool!  There were tons of different activities and they were all free which was nice!

Hailey checking out the firetruck that was there...

There was a fun game set up with teams and you got to throw these darts at the other team while trying to protect yourself with these cool shields.  Carter loved this one!

Carter climbed up onto this rope bridge and realized his arms weren't quite long enough to hold on and get acrossed.  These nice guys were trying their best to help him reach, but it just wasn't happenin'!  Luckily there was a smaller one set up next to it that he was able to do!

Makin' an airplane and testing it flight skills...

Love these kiddos...

We went to Scott and Eryn's house to BBQ that evening and my friend Tia drove my car so that I could ride with Bryan.

Carter has such a sweet and sensitive spirit.  He made this planter and flower at scouts about 2-1/2 weeks before Mother's Day.  He kept it hidden in his room and everyday would ask how many days until Mother's Day.  Sunday morning I heard him sneak into my room really early, and I noticed him looking at me to see if I was awake.  He would come check every couple minutes, but was nice not to disturb me.  After a few minutes I got up and went into the bathroom.  He ran in as fast as he could and gave me this cute planter.  He was sooooo excited to give it to me!  What a sweetheart!  It's these moments that truly make parenting worth it!

On the way to church Bryan talked Carter into riding with him.  Carter was so nervous, but after he got there, he was excited!

After church, Bryans mom came up and we had BBQ'd chicken and went up Providence Canyon for a little bit.  Bryan also made us homemade Stawberry Rubarb Pie.....MMM good!

Spring Pics Of My Favorite Kiddos

 

I have been wanting to take pictures of the kids for a couple months now, since their birthday's in February and March.  I finally got around to it!  I liked a bunch of them, so your stuck with em all!

Hailey is always ready and willing to pose for the camera, but Carter not so much!  All I had to say was "Root Beer Floats" and he was good to let me get a few of him!

I have been eyeing this blue barn by my house for awhile now, and just love the fun color it brings into the photos.

 

Carter was insistent on taking a picture in the mess of boxes and ink cartridges behind a little store by our house!

Confessions of An Old Memory

So I was thinking of an old memory the other day, and thought I would write it down. It's one of those memories that I was grateful that my friend Kate was there with me, because she taught me a valuable lesson!

The picture above is not of the "incident" but it is a picture of Jackson and Carter at that age. I believe Carter was about 2 1/2 and Jackson about 2. They were such good little buddies!

So one day Kate brought Jackson over, and the boys went into Carters room to play. Kate and I talked for quite awhile. All of the sudden, we realized that it was really quite....too quite for two 2 year olds! Any parent knows that usually this means TROUBLE!!!
Kate and I snuck down the hall to see what they were up to. As we came into Carters room we quickly saw the culprit.........BABY POWDER. I had a giant economy size baby powder on Carters dresser, and they had managed to climb up onto the dresser to get it! I wish I had a picture to show this because there was baby powder EVERYWHERE! There were two little white ghosts grinning at us from ear to ear, and all that was not white was their eyeballs! Carters room was covered from floor to ceiling.....his toys, bed, carpet, everything!

So here's where the confession comes in.......my first reaction was to get angry for the mess they made. Luckily Kate chimed in with a giggle and lovingly asked the boys what they were doing. (This girl never gets mad I tell you! She is way more patient than I am!)
After she started giggling, I realized that you know what, it wasn't such a big deal after all!
We gave the kids baths, and vacuumed and wiped down Carters room. It cleaned up pretty well and the good thing is that Carters room smelled really good for quite awhile after that!

The lesson that I learned from Kate that day is this: if I would have gone in and gotten angry that day, the two cute little grins would have turned into frowns. I learned that I need to put the baby powder out of sight! They were just two curious little two year olds learning cause and effect! That's what they're supposed to do!

Honestly that memory comes up in my mind a lot. Whenever my kids are giving me a hard time, I try to remember that they are learning, and that I need to pick my battles. Harder said than done, but I'm trying! And anytime I think of that memory, it brings a big smile to my face! Thanks Kate for the lesson!

Bear River Bird Habitat-Earth Day

For scouts about a month ago, Carter went to the Bear River Bird Refuge in Brigham City. He had a ball, and found out that they were doing some special activities for Earth Day. I made sure to mark it on the calender because I knew if we missed it, I would be in BIG trouble! Carter literally asked EVERY SINGLE DAY how much longer until Earth Day! Anyone that knows him, know that this is right up his ally! We had Grandma and Grandpa meet us there too!

Carter holding a Salamander

and a frog

When we first got there, Hailey wouldn't even touch the turtle! By the time we left she was a lot more comfortable and was even touching the snakes!

Fun little craft project. Hailey was so proud that she cut it out all by herself!

After checking out the animals inside, we headed outside to their River Trail. They had some fun activities along there. The first stop was face painting.

Hailey checking out her butterfly...

Carter got camo on his face. No surprise, did you notice that he is head to toe in camo???
He insisted when he woke up that morning that he HAD to be in camo so that he could catch frogs and snakes.

Another stop was to use nets and syringes in the pond water to see what little bugs are in there. I never realized there were so many!

They had a model set up, showing what happens when you take away trees and bushes from rivers...
Not Good!

After we were done walking around, Carter wanted to go look at the snakes one more time. He held this one, that seemed to take a liking to him as well! It went up the inside of his sleeve and into his armpit. Then wrapped its tail around his jacket. Carter was giggling, and loving it of course!

Trying to figure out how to get the snake out without making him mad!

It was fun to watch Carter in his element and to get so excited about this! He's a hoot, and it will be fun to see what he decides to do for a career when he gets older. He still insists that he will be a "Pet Collector" and he is convinced that he will make lots of money doing this :)