Blast from the Past

Yesterday we bought a brand new hinged prelit Christmas tree! It's wonderful; we just attached 3 sections, unfolded the branches, and plugged it in! Voila! Carter was so excited to help me decorate this year - he didn't remember from last year what our ornaments looked like. He opened up the box and inspected each one. Every few seconds he would let out a gasp and shout, "Look! Look!", holding up another ornament for me to see. Of course, we've had the same ornaments since Kevin & I were married 10 years ago, so it wasn't quite as exciting for me. ;-) Almost all of our ornaments are homemade, and one of them is a picture of Kevin at 4 years old. When we pulled it out, Kevin & I were both taken back at how much the picture looks like Bryson. People are always telling us that one boy or another looks like one of us or the other, but we had never seen the resemblance this strong! (P.S. Please excuse Bryson's very messy hair! We made our discovery during naptime and took the picture as soon as he woke up!)

Growing Up

My baby Carter is growing up! I'm looking forward to all the fun times we'll have at age 4. I know it's going to be a great age.

But first, here's a look back at age 3...
I love you, Carty!!!

Ice Cream Factory

Today our Mommy & Me group went to the ice cream factory! We had a tour to learn and watch how the ice cream is made, then we all got delicious free samples. The ice cream was so fresh and creamy, lots better than the stuff you buy in the store! Bryson took the tiniest little bites of his ice cream and sat at the table long after all the other kids were done. I finally had to pack him up and let him eat it in the car. It was a really fun trip - I'd be ready to do it again tomorrow!

Birthday Party

This is a hard post for me to write because it means my baby's not three anymore. Somehow four years old seems so big. It's so much fun to watch Carter grow up, but it hurts my heart, too because it's happening so fast. One day, he'll stop sitting in my lap and wrapping his tiny little arms around my neck. One day, he won't tell me 20 times in a single hour that he loves me. One day, he won't beg me to play arts & crafts and garbage trucks and watch Curious George with him. But for now, he's still my baby. Just one year older.

Yesterday, we had his birthday party at a great jump place. He had so much fun, and he grinned from ear to ear the entire time. All of our great new friends came to celebrate with us, and I felt so blessed to see how many people have already come to care about my sweet boy in the short time we've lived here. The party was fantastic from my standpoint; I didn't have to lift a finger. The party place took care of everything, down to the tiniest details. I loved just taking pictures, jumping with the boys, and watching Carter enjoy his birthday. He had a really great time, which meant I did, too.

P.S. Check out this picture of Nana sliding head first down the giant inflatable slide. She cracks me up!!!

Presents!

Carter has been looking forward to opening his birthday presents for months. Before his birthday party, he opened presents from Nana & PawPaw and from us. He got so excited and said of each one, "Oh! It's just what I always wanted!!!" We gave him a helicopter & Bryson picked out an army tank to give him. Nana & PawPaw brought him a tractor; they were even sweet enough to bring Bryson a new toy firetruck. Nana is always so good about making both boys feel special on one boy's special day. I remember I was so touched when she brought Carter a "big brother gift" when Bryson was born. Check out how excited Carter is in these pictures! He's so much fun!

Aquarium

Nana & PawPaw came to visit this week to help celebrate Carter's birthday. While they were here, we went to the aquarium. Everyone enjoyed seeing all the fascinating fish and other water animals. We even got to see the beaver (none of us had ever seen one before)! At feeding time, it waddled out of its den and gobbled up some fruits & veggies. The boys fed both the turtles and the sting-rays, and touched shark eggs and star fish in the touch tanks. After seeing the exhibits, Carter picked out a new "pet" from the gift shop for his birthday. He chose a racoon (pictured last in the alligator's mouth!), and named it "Racoony Nicey Brand-Newy". What a fun day!

Hot Chocolate

I haven't blogged this week because we've been so busy lately (the good kind of busy!). I'll try to write several posts over the next day or 2 to catch everyone up on all the fun stuff we've been doing!

Last week, Kevin made hot chocolate - not hot cocoa, but real hot chocolate. He made it from scratch with about a dozen different ingredients, and it was yummy. The boys had never tasted it before, and they definitely loved it! Bryson slurped it from a big boy cup, and after every taste he let out a satisfied, "Aaaahhh."

Fun at Swim School

The boys had swim class today, and it was so much fun. Carter's class was having safety week; they had to "fall" into the pool with all their clothes on, swim to the side, and get out by themselves. Carter did great and had lots of fun. He even earned a safety ribbon!

Bryson's class started submersion today. He went under for about 2 seconds, and although he didn't love it, he still did great. He was very happy and enjoyed class so much today. I'm so excited that he got the go-ahead for submersion from his otolaryngologist and can finally do what the other little baby swimmers can do!

Last month, the swim school had a pumpkin coloring contest and promised a free cookie to the winner in each age group. Today the winners were announced, and Bryson won! Competition wasn't steep in the 2 year old category, but still... I was so proud, and he was thrilled! He kept flapping his arms like a baby bird trying to fly and squealing, "I a winner! I a WINNER!!!" The victory was made even sweeter with a free peanut butter cookie. :-) (Certainly, today's highlight!)

First Fireplace Fire

Kevin & I have never lit a fire in a fireplace in any of our homes before. His dad is a retired firefighter, and my dad used to be a fireplace salesman. Between the 2 of them, they always scared us out of using our fireplaces. His dad would talk about homes that burned down from fireplace fires, and my dad's expert eye would always find some small fault with each fireplace in every house we ever lived in. Finally, that all changed tonight! This is not actually firewood at all; they are gas logs! I like them because you can just flip a switch to turn the fire on and off. Kevin researched them, and after getting the green-light on our fireplace inspection, we finally lit our first fire tonight! It's so wonderful, so homey, and so Christmasy! (Is that a word???) Kevin spent a long time setting up and arranging the logs just so, and it looks and feels so cozy. I love it! -- Definitely today's highlight!

Kid Talk

Ages ago, there used to be a television show called, "Kids Say the Darndest Things!". I feel like the writers could make new episodes at my house every day. Here are some sweet, funny, and smart things they've said recently.

Today it was raining out, and I put the boys in hoodies (since I never carry an umbrella!). Bryson grabbed his extra hoodie and wrapped it around his froggy. "Don't worry, Froggy," he said. "I'll take care of you." Awww!

Carter asked, "Daddy, do you know how long a opposum sleeps?" "How long?", asked Daddy. "16 hours!" Carter informed him. He's full of trivia like this!

Tonight at dinner, Carter told us what he learned at school. "Some animals migrate. That means they travel to warmer places in the winter." Too, too smart!!!

When Carter was gone to school today, Bryson said, "Mommy, let's go get Carter. I want to play with my Carter. He's the best, best Carter EVER!" I love that they love each other!

Last week when Carter saw the garbage truck driver, he said excitedly, "Wow! I LIKE his outfit!" (Jeans & a white t-shirt) Carter must get his fashion sense from me!

Tonight after bath, the kids both sounded like broken records. Bryson was looking at a book with a mouse on every page. He kept turning the pages and saying EVERY time, "Mouse is scared!" (He didn't look scared to me!) Carter was popping bubble wrap and saying before EVERY pop, "Listen to how loud THIS will be!"

I feel like I could go on all night, but I won't. Carter & Bryson entertain me all day every day. They keep my life interesting!

Happy Fall

Today was another beautiful fall day. The boys played in the yard while I raked the leaves this afternoon, and Carter couldn't resist having a little roll in the pile!

High Point: Being home! It's always so good to be home after a trip. We had a GREAT time, and I'm so glad we went, but it's still good to be home. We did things at a slower pace today - just a little Christmas shopping and lunch with Daddy.

Low Point: Getting up too early! The time change was nearly an entire week ago, and my kids are still not sleeping in one extra minute! They eat at the new time, stay up till the new time, and seem to be totally adjusted other than that one small detail...

Cousins

On Wednesday, we spent the whole day visiting Nana & PawPaw. The boys' cousins, Kaelin & Logan, came to play with us, too - what fun! The kids love getting together, and always have such a blast together. They rode the tractors, decorated cookies, and played, played, & played!

Road Trip

We had such a fun trip this week visiting the grandparents! Every week Carter asks me if we can visit them, but it's a bit of a drive, so we go just once every couple of months. The weather was perfect this week, so we spent lots of time outdoors on Nana & PawPaw's farm. The boys love riding the tractors and seeing all the animals, and it was a special treat to spend time with family!