Maedgen Moments

February Frenzy

2012-02-06T12:22:00.010-06:00

Friday night, my friend Julie had extra tickets to the Rockets game so Brody and I got to tag along. It was so sweet of her to invite us and I always love spending time with Julie and Jane! We had great seats so my first Rockets experience will be tough to beat!
Friday morning (these are a little out of order) it was rainy and grey so we spent the morning at an indoor bounce and play center. we were the first ones there, so that was nice to have it all to our selves before it got super crowded!! The kids were both sweating because they were running around so much! You can bring your lunch here, so we took a break around 11, for some food. Then more playing!

This is our friend Andrew. We met up with the Kirklins this morning.

Carter is at the top in red

Charlotte loved the bounce pillow

And she is pretty good at balancing and she can jump with two feet multiple times.

Friday was also C-C's birthday! We called her that morning, but always a blog wish just adds too it! Happy Birthday C-C!

Saturday morning was a birthday party for a little friend in Carter's class. It themed PJs and Pancakes!! It was supposed to be partially outside, but due to the rain we spent the morning in the rec center. It was actually perfect and the kids were encouraged to bring a riding toy.

Carter is getting better at riding his bike! He still gets a little nervous when he gets going fast, but he's gaining confidence.

Do you think Graham wants Charlotte or the ball?!:)

To go with the pancakes, Candice made these adorable "bacon and egg" look alike with stick pretzels, melted white chocolate and a yellow M&M!! They were really yummy too!:)

Getting ready to hit the indestructible pinata!

Happy Birthday Lainey!

Classmates: Elizabeth, Lainey and Carter

Saturday was Seth's birthda as well! I think he had a good day/weekend. Happy Birthday Seth!!

Aunt Jemima

Charlotte just playing around with my face wash head band

For the Super Bowl we went to our church party. The Goolsbys were so nice, and brave, to host it at their house!! The big kids pretty much ran from room to room like a tornado. Each time we would hear booms or crashed we would run back to check and always there would be smiles and laughing...!:) Who knows what was going on???

Charlotte danced to Madonna at half time. She is quite the material girl!

Carter was so sad to leave and asked me if I would ask Will's mom if he and all the other kids could come over again soon. I told him I would ask, but that she might need some recovery time:)

Dadds in Houston

2012-02-01T20:55:00.003-06:00

Our good friends the Dadds were in town this past week. They came to visit family and to do follow up participation in a research study that Peyton was involved in. Apparently he did really well, which is such a miracle and just a wonderful blessing!! Carter remembered Lawson (and Peyton) from our summer trip to visit them and was excited to see them. Dinner was a little hectic, but it was fun to see them and afterwards Jaime and I got to sneak away to bible study! It was fun having her there this week.

Silly Boys
Can you believe we are all looking at the camera??!..... including the lady behind us:)

Can't wait to see them again!!!

Give 1, Save 1

2012-01-30T12:24:00.006-06:00

My sweet friends, the Elders, are being featured this week on Give1Save1. It's a neat organization that is dedicated to helping families trying to adopt from Africa. They are humbling asking for donations of $1!!! You can do it!! Check out is easy and fast with PayPal! It's only up for 1 week, so donate today!!:) Also, check out her blog for many more details on how God is using them as they excitedly await bringing their son home!

This Week in Pictures

2012-01-28T09:36:00.003-06:00

So the new favorite play space is under Brody's bathroom sink. The kids have taken it over with toys and they play in there while I am getting ready. After I removed the razor blades and sleeping aids, I felt it was safe enough:) In the mid mornings the light shines through the little window and the door and creates some rainbows on the floor. The kids were squealing and "dancing on the rainbows" the other morning. Even though this is a random picture I hope it will remind me of their happy voices and the simple pleasures of being a child!
We ate dinner last night with some friends at City Centre. Even though between the four kids we had multiple melt downs, children walking aimlessly/getting lost in the restaurant, the moms being scolding by the waiter about taking wine to the field and ended with poop up the back... we had a fun evening and the kids loved dancing to the music after dinner.

More Designs

2012-01-28T09:24:00.002-06:00

I've been stitching out some cute new designs lately and I wanted to showcase af ew here. I'm trying to find/make a better more professional and user friendly website for my "business", (and mainly b/c I'm 3/4 of the way full on my available space for pictures), but until then feel free to visit www.labeledwithlove-jordan.blogspot.com or see my pictures on facebook... search labeled with love.

Reality

2012-01-24T11:42:00.006-06:00

I can not get around to taking pictures with my regular camera these days and I feel like our life is on fast forward, so I am resorting to taking quick snap shots with my phone. Nothing super interesting has been going on, but I still think these cute faces should get some blog time!:)

Brody informed me that the background of this picture does not exactly scream "classy"! After church on Sunday Charlotte was whipped!! She normally wakes up when we move her from the car seat, but not today. She went on to take 3 hour nap in her crib.

And what do we have here???!!! Oh yes, that's Carter sleeping on the steps again....Seriously, this kid!?

Charlotte's Words

2012-01-19T10:28:00.003-06:00

Even though I'm writing it all down on paper, in case of a fire or other extremes.... such as a looney Mommy who misplaces things.... I figured I'd put Charlotte's vocabulary into the world wide web.

She understands everything (can identify multiple animals, colors and letters, walks to her closet when I say it's time to get dressed and rocks and feeds her babies etc) and will shake her head yes or no to any questions or point/take you to the answer she wants. Currently these are her understandable words:
Mama
Dada
Daddy
bow
shoooo (shoes)
Da (dog)
Bye Bye
Night Night
baby
mo (more)
*roars like a lion

and she signs for please and more

Conversations with Carter

2012-01-19T10:25:00.003-06:00

Yesterday I was getting ready in my bathroom while the kids were playing in my bedroom. They were getting along nicely and having fun.... then a few screams and squeals and Carter appears in my bathroom saying the following:

Me: What happened?

Carter: "Well, we were playing, but sadly Charlotte started acting mean. So..., we're done!"

And again... and again...

2012-01-17T21:24:00.003-06:00

1/14/2012

1/17/2012

Some one get this poor child a bed!!!:)

PS: That is a page marker/sticky that Carter some times chooses to use as a band-aid for his "boo boo". He no longer needs a real band-aid, but if he's feeling dramatic, he will go and get one of these to suffice.

life via phone pics

2012-01-12T19:40:00.004-06:00

Carter is in a habit of sneaking out of his room at least once a night, every night... Normally we hear a little stirring up stairs and one of us will go assist him back to bed. A few nights ago we did not hear him and I guess he got tired of waiting for us... It startled me to find him sleeping at the top of the stairs.

Charlotte and her bestie having some tea! Charlotte has fun playing with Mary Beth and actually goes through our stack of Christmas cards, pulls out their family's card and will walk around pointing to MB or pushing the card, yes... the card, in her stroller. It's rather bizarre that she does this multiple times a week, even after I put it in the middle of the stack each time, but I'm glad she recognizes her friend!:)

Play area at the galleria. We were supposed to meet up with some friends this morning, but the other mom and I never specified which mall and we ended up at different play areas. Oops

Carter's wound, 9 days out

Carter enjoying some yummy cupcakes

Charlotte face-planting... I mean, enjoying some yummy cupcakes

Charlie from the Block

2012-01-11T15:06:00.004-06:00

So the other day as I was putting away laundry, I noticed it was rather quiet. The last time I had seen her, she was wearing only a diaper. I went looking for Charlotte and this is what I found.

Straight up, ghetto girl!

What? You lookin' at me?!

Here is the full effect....

I guess the pearls make her a little more classy:)

Pictures with Santa x3

2012-01-11T14:36:00.004-06:00

After realizing we had seen Santa three times, I thought a comparison might be fun....

Carter with Santa at school

Carter would only sit with Santa after he read a book... not because he was scared, but because he said "you go to school to learn"

(this is what his teachers told me, because when I left, he had not been interested in sitting in his lap)

Bass Pro Shop

classic screaming child...

Hobby Airport on the way to CO
both kids look thrilled... right!?

I think I'm done with Christmas.... on to 2012!!

Christmas in Colorado

2012-01-09T19:02:00.023-06:00

We spent Christmas in Colorado this year! Both sides of the family went and we enjoyed a variety of snow activities as well as a white Christmas!! Here is our trip as told in pictures!:)

Carter really enjoyed the snow... playing in it, looking at it and eating it! I'm pretty sure he "sampled" 30+ "flavors" of snow.... it tastes different on each street corner and activity destination, ya know!!

Getting ready for the Christmas Eve Sleigh Ride....we stopped mid way for hot chocolate

Gold Rush Mountain Coaster

Brody, my dad and Seth before the first day of skiing

Sleigh Ride adventures

Yummy WARM Cocoa

Carter was so excited to get a cowboy hat!!! He asked Santa for it every time we saw Santa (which was 3 times I think... school, Bass Pro Shop and the airport...)

Guess who else wanted it!!!?!??!

Guess who got it!!??!?!!

Carter is such a nice big brother.... guess he couldn't resist this face either! He has worn it multiple times since then, so all is well...

Snowmobiling

Seth

Brody

Dad

me

Charlotte was too little to go tubing, so the grandparents played musical babysitter

Carter went down the tubing hill the first few times with one of the adults. We were always saying "Hold on Tight" and "Carter, make sure to NOT LET GO!" But without us prompting him he asked to go alone. We asked the people in charge and they said it was fine. He was kind of smirking on the way up the hill and said he had a "trick" planned for his solo run.... so we were all watching and waiting with cameras on GO and here he is doing his "trick"...

Look Mom! No Hands!!

Sledding at Carter Park and a mini sled hill by the tubes

Conversations with Carter

2012-01-04T15:06:00.003-06:00

So after reading the details of our emergency room visit I thought I'd also post the comic relief conversation... The visit included watching 2 movies while waiting for the doctor, playing I Spy with the CLS and nurses, playing with and naming a dinosaur and ended with a Popsicle and Gatorade. So we are driving home and Carter said:

"Thanks for taking me to the hospital mom! I really enjoyed it!"

So I am thinking oh geeezzz, that was fun for you...??? But quickly I thought this would be my glorious opportunity to encourage him to go into medicine. So I replied: "Wasn't that great how the doctors made you feel so much better and helped heal your head? Would you like to help people when you grow up?"

Carter: "I want to be a zoo keeper when I grow up!"

There you have it folks.... not even a veterinarian.... a zoo keeper!

Stitches

2012-01-04T13:16:00.005-06:00

Well..... we started 2012 off with a bang!!! Literally! Monday night(1/2/12), about 5 minutes before Carter should have been in bed, he was running around looking for me/possibly thinking we were playing hide and seek and he smashed/bumped/ran into/hit the corner edge of a wall that juts out within our closet. Neither Brody nor I saw him hit, but he has showed us how it happened since then. Immediately blood was everywhere and Brody is saying we need to go to the ER. I tried to call the pediatrician to see if we could wait until the morning, but since it was after hours it took to long for them to get back to me with an answer. We woke Charlotte up and all drove to Texas Children's Hospital in Katy. We were hoping since that hospital branch is new(er) and not in the heart of the medical center, that it might be cleaner and less crowded. It wasn't TOO bad, but still not an ideal place to have your kids hang out. Thankfully, since he had an open wound (I have that picture too, but will spare you the bloody details) we were able to see a nurse rather quickly and get a more appropriate gauze pad and tape instead of the bloody wash rag we had been using. But then she informed us that he would need stitches and they were currently running about a 3 hour wait. By the grace of God, my friend Julie had been at her parents' house, which was near by, celebrating her birthday with her family. Without my asking, she arrived in the waiting room just as we were coming back out from the nurse. After some deliberating, we decided to have Julie drive Brody and Charlotte home so they could go back to sleep/go to sleep for work and Carter and I stayed to endure the wait. Carter was fine at this point (and truthfully was fine tempermentally-wise before we even left the house) and was enjoying watching movies way past his bed time!!! We got into the doctor around 11:00pm. They put some numbing medication on his head (hence the Rambo picture) that had to sit for 30 minutes. Then they came in with shots of Litocain(sp?) to numb it really well. That was the most uncomfortable/little bit of crying part for Carter, but he did really well! The Child Life Specialist had prepped me that they might have to "swaddle" him to prevent his arms from flailing, but we did not have to do that. He was very still!! He was playing I Spy with one of those I Spy books and didn't even notice when the stitches started. He got 8 stitches total. He was asking the nurse all kinds of questions and telling her about the pictures. When she would step out, I could hear her telling the other nurses that she couldn't believe that her 3 year old patient was doing so well. They were giggling about some of the things he had said. So around 1am we got discharged and now we are just watching for infection and were given instructions for lots of sunscreen and protection in the future to prevent further scaring. Brody had promised him a sucker at the hospital (assuming they would have something as a treat) so as soon as the doctor shook my hand and we said good bye, Carter piped in, "do you have a sucker for me?" They did not, but they had a popsicle!! He was good to go!

Hopefully, we won't have too many more ER visits, but if it's only once every 3.5 years, I can handle that!

Happy New Year! Hope you're wasn't a BUST!

An Award!

2011-12-31T09:58:00.003-06:00

While I have been documenting the comings and goings of my "oh so normal" and "non celebrity" family, some friends of mine have been giving and receiving the Liebster award..... My cute mommy friend Brittany was so gracious to award our little "Maedgen Moments" blog with this award. Brittany was the "cool, yet nice" senior cheerleader my sophomore year in high school. We all wanted to be like her and I have to admit that not much has changed from my point of view! She has two precious girls and has been an inspiration for everything from home remodeling to fun kids activities! I"m pretty sure her home is where it's at in San Angelo!!:) Thanks so much for the award!!!

Here is where the term Liebster came from and how it is supposed to be passed on....
Liebster is a German word meaning 'dear, sweet, kind, nice, good, beloved, lovely, kindly, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing and welcome'. To keep this award going (by passing along to other new deserving blogs), the recipient must now recognize five other bloggers with less than 200 followers that have really stood out in the crowd.

So.... I have been thinking about how to spread the fun recognition and it was a tough decision. Thankfully, some of my "blog friends" have already been awarded the Liebster, so I had fewer to choose from....Here they are in alphabetical order....

A Beautiful Life

Joanie is a friend of mine I met through Brody and his friends. She is married to a fraternity brother of Brody's. Their first daughter, Ava, is only a week older than Carter. I remember running into them at Babies R Us when we were both about 18 weeks pregnant! Since then, the Esparza's have added sweet Lucy too! They have such a warm family and their girls are so beautiful! Joanie is getting more into photography, so maybe she'll be open for business soon!:) Check out her girls matching turkey shirts and Lucy's birthday shirt.... wonder who made those???:)

The Adler Family

I met this family through Carter's school. It was only a few weeks into the new school year and while at Chick Fil A, I noticed this little girl and I knew I knew her from somewhere. I felt kind of weird starring at her and not knowing how I recognized her. Finally, I asked her mom and we pieced together that the kids were in the same class at school. Since then Katelyn has switched to different days at school, but we have been able to see them from time to time. We hope to eventually move closer to where they live and continue having fun play dates with them. This momma is BUSY!!! She has two girls about 16 months apart and is due with her third precious girl, any day now! Can't wait to meet Alexis!

Eastland Life

Mary Liz is a friend I met one summer when she came Second Term to Camp Mystic. She primarily went First Term, but I think a boy might have been involved and enticed her to stay longer....:) We have multiple over lapping friends, so it has been so nice to keep up with her growing family, via the blog world. She is a wonderfully creative writer and a very real and honest mommy! I love seeing her adorable boys as they grow and discover new things! PS: she married that Mystic boy and now lives on grounds and is an active part in the camp!

The Dadd Family

I LOVE this family!! Again, a connection through Brody and his fraternity brother where I totally got the benefits of knowing the wife! Jaime and I met back when the boys were in college and we got along right from the start! She is such an inspiration in all that she does, from PT school, to Arbonne, to moving multiple times, to her Christian faith!!! They had a surprise delivery of their second son, at only 23 weeks and 6 days gestation. (I think....? Due late April, born December 28th) They have had a tough road, but he is healthy and thriving!!! We had the pleasure of meeting Peyton when he was just a tiny newborn in Houston and then got to visit them this past summer when they were back home in Colorado! This family is so dear to us and we have loved counting them as friends for over 10 years now!!!

Musings on Hope

This next blogger momma is a friend I met in a bible study while in Dallas. I honestly don't know her extremely well, but I have been touched by her story and wanted to share it with you. It's a big world out there and you never know who might have helpful connections or advice. They too had a premature baby and their road to recovery is not over! This family has held it together through more trials and challenges than I'm sure they care to count. Both their girls are beautiful and this mommy has a heart of pure determination and selflessness!!! Please give them some blog love and lift them up in prayer!

I hope you enjoy checking out these new blogs and possibly finding more interesting reads. As a side note, I hope no feelings are hurt by my choices.... I love all the fun blogs I read, but picked based on those that had posted recently and often.... I keep a "blog roll" of all the blogs I follow on the left side of the page if anyone is interested! Happy New Year!

Conversatins with Carter

2011-12-22T21:31:00.002-06:00

Carter is a bit dramatic.... So here is a recent discussion I over heard.

Carter is lying on the ground doing a puzzle. Charlotte goes over to him and stands on his legs.

Carter: "Ouch Charlotte!! You're hurting my legs. Oooohhhh! Charlotte!!! You're breaking my leg bones!!!"

Tonight, he fell and really did hurt him self/his leg and he was grabbing it and crying about how his bones were broken. I tried to calm him down and convince him that they were not broken. I asked if he wanted an ice pack to put on his leg. He looked at me with the most bizarre "are you crazy" look and said,

"Mom, my bones are broken. What will ice on my skin help!?"

Santa and December Zoo Visit

2011-12-20T09:22:00.013-06:00

Last weekend we went out to Bass Pro Shop to have the kids' picture taken with Santa. We got there at an "off" time, so we had time to browse and shop and then eat lunch before meeting up with Santa. Carter did fine, Charlotte did not.... Pretty much what we expected. But you have to have the screaming Santa picture as part of your baby book right!? I have seen some REALLY funny Santa pictures this year! I think someone should start a website with hilarious snap shots during the holidays. Oh the Joys of Christmas!!!:) After Bass Pro Shop, it was pretty much nap time, but we had promised Carter we would make it to the zoo that day as well. We figured that since he only naps 50% of the time any way, that'd we'd just go to the zoo and let Charlotte sleep in the jogger. Apparently her love of animals has kicked in and she was much to interested in the animals to sleep. I could not believe that she stayed awake the entire visit and even on the way home! It was fun to see the animals so active with the cooler weather.

Pre Christmas Recap

2011-12-19T15:35:00.028-06:00

We have been really busy lately and I have not had the time to blog much. We are getting ready for Christmas and with that comes all the parties and events.

Thursday night Sarah and I hosted a Christmas Cookie/Dessert Exchange Party. The party was at Sarah's house and she did a fabulous job decorating and making her home such a fun atmosphere! It was so great to see all our fun girl friends and nibble on some yummy treats. Sarah had the great idea of having everyone bring their recipe, printed multiple times, so we all went home with bags full of goodies and the recipes to recreate them!!! What a memorable night!

Then this week we had Carter's school Christmas party. Each child had a parent or 2 there and they got to eat sugar cookies and decorate ornaments. There was an attempt to read a book, but once the gifts were spied, it was down hill from there trying to "organize" the kids. They did a book exchange and I think Carter had fun. I know Charlotte did, as she was found multiple times scrounging under the tables for the dropped marshmallows. Who needs a puppy, when you have a Charlotte!!:)

Keeping the party rolling, we had Supper Club on Friday night. The Meriwethers hosted a Feliz Navidad party and the fajitas were DE-LISH!!! Ummm makes me hungry thinking about them! We had fun living it up like we were in college and just acting silly. We are blessed with these great friends!Amanda would like to make it clear that she was being "festive" and does not normally wear clothes like these!:)

Sunday night we went to our church's "Really Really Big Christmas Show". It was AMAZING!!! They do this every year, but change it up a bit. Apparently this year it was totally revamped. Unfortunately, you are requested not to take pictures, but I tried to get a few during non life threatening acts. I am not kidding when I say parts of the show rival Cirqu du Soleil!!! There were drummers with neon lights, people coming down from ropes in the ceiling, "critters" on pogo leg things, girls that fly from long sheet type material and hoops!!, HUGE butterflies and caterpillars dancing through out the isles or being manipulated from the ceiling, plus fun costumes and dance routines. They recruit from the church body so there are kids as young as 5 involved all the way up to people my age! I would LOVE to do it next year, and even asked about the time commitment this year, but it is a HUGE commitment and I'm not sure our family would be able to make the scheduling happen. They practice multiple hours a week starting in October! But it shows! Great performance! We were nervous about taking Charlotte, but she actually liked it more than Carter. He would occasionally ask, "Mom, is the movie over?" but not Charlotte, she was dancing and clapping the whole time!

Our last pre Christmas events was this morning. I hosted a Happy Birthday Jesus party similar to last year. It was very simple and pretty much a play date with cake, but I hope the kids got something more out of it. I read a book called The Legend of the Candy Cane, which refers to the shape as a J for Jesus and a shepherd's staff. The red for the blood Jesus, shed for our sins and the white that is the purification he gives. It talks about sharing the story with others, so every child got a candy cane to eat and one to share. But.... to be honest, I'm not sure if that was what the kids viewed as the take home message. We had about 20 kids, so it was quite nutty here at the town home!!! I will tell you that having split levels does not give moms the upper hand! I'm glad we got together though as I probably won't see most of these girls until the new year. I missed my Dallas girls/kids and wish they could have come too!:)

I'm sure I'll have some fun Christmas stories coming soon!

Carter's School Pictures

2011-12-11T15:33:00.002-06:00

Carter is growing up!!! These were a few of his school pictures taken back in September. Last year we got the dear in headlights look that bordered on a picture of a forlorn child that had no parents or something.....so, this is a vast improvement! There were two good ones, so we asked Carter to choose which one to order. He did not chose either of these, so I wanted to post them to have a digital copy. I still keep giggling when I see this one!!! Such a cheese ball!!

(this is not his classroom)

Christmas Craft and Workin' It!

2011-12-09T13:06:00.006-06:00

I got this idea from a fun mom blog that I read/sometimes click on when I see the title look like a fun project. It was a really good thought, but I have some tips (in red) if anyone tries to recreate it. The kids enjoyed making the balls and as soon as the glue dries on Charlotte's top (she kept taking it off and dumping things out), I think the end result will also be a hit.

Do It Yourself, I Spy Ornaments

*Clear ball ornaments with removable tops

(preferably plastic as we had one ornament not withstand the craziness of Charlotte)

*Tiny trinkets to fill ornament

(even though items are little, make sure they can fit through narrow opening at top of ornament)

*Fake snow or Espon salt

*funnel and glue are optional

*Remove ornament top

*Fill with trinkets

*Fill with snow

(I used a funnel and had to poke it down some... less is better so you can actually find/see the trinkets)

*Replace top and play I Spy

glue top if you want

We used, bells, stocking shaped buttons, plastic crosses, mini Christmas lights, letter beads and attempted mini Christmas themed ornaments -as you can see in some pictures- but they were too wide. Each child did a Christmas version and then since we just had one left, we filled it with house hold stuff like crayons, beads, dice, plastic animals etc...

Wanted to give you a glimpse of Charlotte "Sweatin' to the Oldies" the other day

Charlotte, my sweet girl

2011-12-05T14:17:00.004-06:00

Oh how I love this girl! She can turn anything, into something girly! I'm not even that much of a "girly girl", but I love seeing how feminine she is!! Here she has taken our make shift Christmas card basket and is using it as a purse. Looking at friends/babies on the cardsAdditionally, I love that her Christmas shirt was last year's Christmas dress!!
And finally, look at this peaceful pout!

Conversations with Carter

2011-12-05T14:09:00.004-06:00

OK... Maybe I am not the world's greatest cook, but I do not serve my family microwave dinners or order pizza 5 nights a week, but from Carter's expressions, you would not know that....

Door bell rings while Carter is supposed to be resting/sleeping...

11/17 Carter (from the cracked door to his room): "Mommy? Is that the cheese pizza?"

12/5 Carter (from the cracked door to his bathroom... what was he doing in there?!): "Mommy? Was that the pizza man?"

I mean, seriously!? We have not had pizza delivered in weeks!!!???

(I think I have posted this before... but it happened again)

Microwave dinger goes off...

Carter: "Mommy, my dinner is ready. What are you going to eat?"

Conversations with Carter

2011-12-03T23:22:00.006-06:00

Oh goodness my friends... where to start!?!? Three years old is giving us a run for our money, but it also comes with some funny conversations/what I over hear him saying etc... Here are some recent ones.... remember my life revolves around all things kids... including bathroom humor, so beware.

Carter (while sitting on the potty): "Mommy, I went poo poo. Wipe my hiney."

Me: "Carter, it's time for you to start trying to wipe it yourself. Try one time first, then I'll finish."

Carter after he wipes: "Ok YOUR TURN!" (Like it's a special treat to do it)

I wipe...

Carter: "We're Sharing!!!"

Carter will ask for something, that he knows the answer is "No", but it will go something like this...

Carter: "Can I have chocolate milk/watch a movie/stay up later etc, mama?"

Me: "No, Carter. We don't drink chocolate milk/watch a movie/stay up late except for special occasions."

Before I even finish saying no...

Carter: "I mean for tomorrow.... I'm asking for tomorrow"

Saying our prayers:

Carter: "I'm thankful for zebras and antelope"

Trains in San Angelo

2011-12-03T23:08:00.005-06:00

The last night we were in San Angelo, we headed over to the train depot with my dad and the Maedgens. My dad heard that they were running miniature trains and doing tours of the real life train cars. We missed the train cars, since they closed while the kids were still napping, but it was pretty neat to see what they had set up, especially since it was in a real life old train depot. It may not quite be Trains at NorthPark, but it was a fun visit.
Carter waiting and watching the trains "vroom" around

Here it comes

There is goes

Getting the Pictures Uploaded!

2011-11-28T21:23:00.008-06:00

UPDATE: Added Pictures!

So sad, but I forgot my camera over our Thanksgiving visit!!!:( So here is just a compiling of pictures that everyone has sent me....We attempted to take a picture of the 5 cousins in matching shirts.... the following pictures will tell you how that went. James was smart/funny to get a picture of the crazy parents taking the pictures Sweet Little Longhorn!!! Carter the convert!:)

I'm not worried.... his impressionable years will be when A&M is starting off in the SEC! hehehe Maedgen/Pfluger Aggies (clearly the Koschaks got the brains of the family) Koschak/Pfluger Longhorns On Saturday, we went over to the Maedgens to have lunch with Brody's cousin and her family. Her kids are 9 and 6 and Carter and Charlotte enjoyed playing with them. Can never burn too much energy!Sweet Wellsly was so careful and gentle with Charlotte and Jo Boo (cat)

Shaving Cream Party

2011-11-08T20:02:00.004-06:00

Monday afternoon we spent the morning cleaning the tub.... my kids are so helpful!:) They thought it was so fun and Carter practiced writing some letters. It quickly went from fairly controlled "painting"

to full on body wars....

even Mr. Whale cup got attacked

Seriously... in my belly button?!?!

oh yea... I forgot you were even there

two can play at this game

Can we take a bath now.... and so we did... at 11 am...

PS: I added pictures to the ranch post

2011-11-08T11:11:00.001-06:00

I've added more pictures of designs, (and more to come this week) so make sure to check out my other blog...

www.labeledwithlove-jordan.blogspot.com

Maedgen Ranch Visit

2011-11-06T21:05:00.008-06:00

UPDATE: Added pictures that Cindy sent me.

We headed West for a weekend at the Maedgen's ranch. Other than Brody helping Carter shoot his first gun we had no real "plans" and that was great! It was nice weather, chilly in the morning, but nice by the afternoons. Brody shot a deer, so we have meat being processed for tamales and steaks.... overall, a good weekend.
chunking rocks in the creek

She thinks she can get away....:)

picking flowers

Carter getting some shooting practice

Brody was the only one that hit the pumpkins

Making yet another get away

Thanks to Cindy and James for a fridge full of food and new shoes for Charlotte!!! (and movie for Carter and closet full of diapers etc!) I think she loves them as much as I do. I'm excited to see some of the pictures y'all got.

Past Times

2011-11-06T20:52:00.003-06:00

Last weekend, my dad came in town to watch the kids while we were at Supper Club. We were able to sneak in a trip to the zoo (and hear the lion ROAR really loud while we were there!) and enjoyed playing with some new toys. Always fun to have him in town! Charlotte with her new necklaces... think she likes them:)After church we headed to the park to enjoy the last few days of late day sun.
Carter practicing his climbing skills

Sassy Classy Supper Club

2011-11-06T20:36:00.004-06:00

The Kirklins hosted a Sassy Classy October Supper Club and we were all informed that we'd be "takin' it up a level".... Food and friends were de-lish!!!

Good Times!

Pumpkin Patch Pictures

2011-10-23T22:03:00.006-05:00

We headed out to the much talked about Pumpkin Patch last weekend. I"m pretty sure there is something for everyone there! It was really busy and apparently they were expected over 1800 visitors that weekend, but it was still fun and felt very fall-ish. The Corn Crib.... a shed filled with corn about 6" deep
Horse tire swings... I love how you can see Carter in the back ground haha... wasn't planned

We rode a hay/trailer ride out to the pumpkin field and we lost a tire along the way! The driver mentioned before we left that the trail was pretty bumpy so to hold on to the little ones, but who knew it was THAT bumpy!!! Seriously! We got out and walked the rest of the way.

Good one of Carter

Decent one of Charlotte

Charlotte would find a big one and smile really big and try to pick it up

Driving the tractor

Spider Web climbing ropes and a HUGE wooden playscape/fort

Conversations with Carter

2011-10-23T19:41:00.003-05:00

I have not been at a lack of funny things to type recently, but rather have not been able to remember them/had paper handy, but tonight I got one!!!

Carter and Brody were working on a puzzle before bedtime and Carter successfully connected 3 or 4 pieces in a row. He states,

"Carter's makin' a move... Carter's makin' a move"!!!

Hilarious!

Fearless Kids and Kidney Update

2011-10-20T16:31:00.004-05:00

Today was a big day for Charlotte. She had to have her kidneys tested for reflux and most of you already know that it did turn out positive on both sides. We will talk further with our pediatrician tomorrow, but most likely she'll need medication for a length of time and then we'll retest at a later date. Anyway, I tried to put her down this morning for a nap since I knew her appointment was during her regular nap, but that didn't work out too well. So we took advantage of the beautiful weather and headed to the park. Charlotte is a daredevil! She has yet to meet a play ground she can't climb! She also loves to slide!
Then it was on to TCH. For the sonogram part, she did so well and I was very impressed with the "attention getter" to keep the kids still. On a break, she was checking out the bubbles.

You can see her reflection in the following two pictures.

Then the waiting got a little harder. She had to be catheterized and then due to an emergency procedure that bumped us, we waited over an hour (with the cath in) for the actual procedure to check the reflux. She did ok thanks to some toys and books and sweet hospital volunteers.

Even though you can see how tired she is from her red eyes, she still gave me the silly face!!:)

We're home. She's sleeping. It'll be ok!

I was laughing about one of the pictures I accidentally took of Charlotte on the slide and it reminded me of one from back when Carter was this age. Charlotte willingly (and surprisingly to me... hence my blurry hand trying to crab her) went head first down the slide. She loved it. Carter (on the left) clearly enjoying the slide as well. Based on the time/date stamps of these pictures, they were taken within a week of each other 2 years apart. This is Carter on the slide Oct 28, 2009 and Charlotte Oct 20, 2011...kind of funny.

Fall Pumpkins

2011-10-19T14:56:00.007-05:00

So back towards the beginning of the month, the kids had their annual check ups. Everything was great and it was just a routine visit. I didn't ever document it and figured I might as well. I'm keeping detailed baby books and have written down several funny sayings etc, but for some reason putting out on the Internet feels more "permanent" than paper... I guess you never know with either option really, but at least I'll have back ups.

Charlotte:

Height: 30.25" (69% or 66%)

The pediatricians associated with TCH have switched to a new system, based on new research/evidence so until the new one become the standard, they give us both the percentiles...

Weight: 21 lbs 3 oz (39% or 60%)

Head: 17" (40% or 46%)

I have no idea why the weight percentile is so different, but that is what is written down. Our doctor said she was very proportional and that she is healthy! That's all that really matters.

At one years old, Charlotte is walking independently. Says mama, dada, "dat" ("that"...as in I want dat), all done, dog, makes mooing, roaring and ooh ooh ahh ahh (monkey) sounds, shakes her head yes and no and is 85% accurate in when she means yes or no and signs for more, all done, please and sometimes help. She points to everything and finds ways to reach or get things she wants. She will clap her hands or do "arms up" in response to the YBCR video.

Charlotte sleeps from 6:30/7pm to 7/7:30 am and naps from 1-4 pm each day. She sleeps in her sleep sack, with a paci and her bunny and bla bla doll. (both her "lovies" were literally an over night necessity after her first birthday....kind of strange because it seriously was nothing and then HAS TO HAVE THEM!)

Her favorite foods are most fruits, oatmeal, yogurt (has to be in the mood for it) green beans, broccoli with a little salt and cheese, kidney and black beans, turkey and chicken, popcorn shrimp and BREAD!!! She eats with a fork/spoon 50% of the time. If I stab the food for her, she can easily put it in her mouth and she attempts to get it herself.

Charlotte loves jewelry, shoes, purses and babies! She will drape anything (ear buds, cords, beads, string) over her neck and practices taking her necklaces on and off. It's so funny to see her be so girly. (seriously, I did not push this and actually since she's my second child, I probably provided her with less girly opportunities than if she had been my first) However, she can take a tumble and is fairly tough. Carter tackles her daily and unless she is really irritated or hurt, she doesn't seem to mind. She plays "where's Charlotte" by putting a towel or anything really over her face and then pulling it down. She thinks she's really funny! Right now her favorite thing is Little Gym and climbing and hanging on all the equipment.

This is what I get when I ask to see her "Silly Face" (noises included)

Carter:

Height: 39" (78% or 70%)

Weight: 34 lbs (70% or 66%)

BMI: 15.72 kg/m2

(I don't know how to read this number for Body Mass Index... but it's on his form...)

Blood Pressure: 86/54
Cholesterol: Good

(can't remember the exact number as they called me with the results afterwards, but below 150 was the target and he was)

At three years, Carter is a ball of energy and you can see his mind continuing to grow. He walks, runs, jumps, climbs, peddles etc. They have "gross motor" at school, in addition to playground, and he loves both of those activities.

He speaks in full sentences and often tells us stories and events of the day. He is using correct grammar for almost all situations (Mommy and I, we went to the park, knows when to add ED or change the word etc) Basically, language is not a trouble area.

Carter goes to school twice a week from 8-2:45 and loves every second of it. He will definitely be ready to go 3 days next year. He sleeps from 7:30/8-7 am (sharp!) and naps from 1-4 pm on non school days in a big boy (what was our guest/queen sized) bed. He said good-bye to his old lovies (totally his choice and caught us off gaurd) and now rotates between various stuffed animals that he wants to sleep with. He sometimes just has quiet time, but stays in his room

He generally eats all foods, but really likes salmon and fish, which I guess is a little different for a three year old.

He is a rule follower and responds well to set guild lines and routines. Of course, he's a toot sometimes and still has tantrums from time to time, but he understands and likes to follow set rules. (examples: he knows that after breakfast we do not get a dessert, so he'll ask if that meal was breakfast and if it is, then he is fine with no dessert... end of story. Same with bed time or nap. If the clock says it's time, he'll obey.)

He is becoming more animated in his pretend play and often sets up his animals and tells us he is watching a movie. He loves animals (live more so than, pretend, but loves them all a lot!), puzzles, books, word games (he asks to learn more site words/flash cards!... he can probably site read about 60 words...?) and interactive games like hide and seek or chase.

I hope these little pumpkins keep growing and learning for the rest of their lives!:)

Totally Random

2011-10-16T21:53:00.005-05:00

These first few pictures are from when I was in San Angelo a few weeks ago. The kids spent some time with the Maedgens and these are some of the cute pictures I got from Cindy. It is so hard to get a "real" smile picture of Carter, so this is so great!This picture cracks me up! I can totally see Carter wanting to sitting next to James and do exactly what he is doing. Charlotte making friends with their cat, Jo-Boo

We have been going to Tiny Tots at our church. Usually it's just for Charlotte and Carter stays in the gym nursery (which he loves and the ladies love him!), but this day he wanted to come with us. The class is for kids closer to Charlotte's age, but Carter did well and enteracted with the songs.

The bubbles get all the babies moving

And hanging again in Little Gym! This is her favorite thing to do! The teacher even took a picture of her and now the Little Gym of Memorial has Charlotte as their "cover girl" on their facebook page! (at least they did...)

Getting inspiration from Lindsay (and Pinterest) I made owl cupcakes for play group the other day. They were super easy. Just regular cupcakes with chocolate icing. Oreos and M&Ms. They are all supposed to have brown eyes and orange beaks, but I ran out of those colors in the small sized M&M bag....

And, just for fun, I took pictures of the pictures at my parents' house back when I was home. I wanted to see what you think as far as who my kids (and myself) look like. There are some bad glares on these pictures and I don't have Maedgen family pictures to compare, but I thought this was funny.

my dad, my mom, my mom

me, Seth and I, Seth

Costume Change

2011-10-11T16:52:00.004-05:00

Charlotte is still totally into necklaces and came out of her room all dresses in her pearls. We were playing in the game room and she was really interested in Brody's boots.

Little Bit Country, Little Bit City
My dad recently went to Washington DC and visited the Smithsonian museum. He picked up an astronaut costume for Carter that has been a big hit!

Charlotte even tried the hat on

Just Some Stuff

2011-10-09T18:50:00.004-05:00

I have recently created (with the help of Cecilie and Brody) a blog for my applique designs. Feel free to browse around and let me know if you want to order anything. Also, please let me know if any of the links are not working or if you see errors.

www.labeledwithlove-jordan.blogspot.com

We had play group the other day and my friend Lindsay is so cute and creative and made the kids little themed lunches!!! How cute are these!?

I'm not sure if the kids were as appreciative as they could have been, but I thought it was so cute and wanted to applaud her efforts!

Charlotte has been wearing her UT dress lately! Everyone always stops me and comments on how cute it is or asks where I got it. My friends from Dallas, Jen and Logan, gave it to me when she was born. We have waited a whole year to wear it! It's so cute!

After a make up swim lesson, we went to the zoo on Saturday. As always, Carter loved it. Charlotte was really interested too and she made multiple animals noises when viewing the animals.

We were game day ready, but unfortunately it didn't help...

These are blurry beacuse they were moving every time.

More Monograms and Applique Shirts

2011-10-03T22:10:00.002-05:00

I'm having lots of fun making and designing more little friends shirts. This tractor is one of my favorites! Let me know if you want me to make one for your kids or as a gift for someone else!Charlotte's monogram on a diaper cover

Life Recapped in Pictures

2011-10-01T21:30:00.012-05:00

I can't even begin to tell you what we have been up too lately, but I know I have my two kids accounted for and that's really all I need to worry about. I mean seriously, how is it October!?

Anyway, today we had two birthday parties. It was fun to let the kids run around so much and they had fun at both the parties. The first one was at Monkey Joe's and was a series of bounce houses. We have been once before and Charlotte was not that into it. Today they both had a blast!

Then we headed to our second party which was more farm animal themed. (there was a bounce house as well, but there were lots of other things to do too). Both kids fed the animals. Carter would give the llamas or horses one little grain at a time. When the llama kept trying to get more, he would say, "not now, Llama. Wait til I give you more."

Then they got to ride a little pony. Carter was actually a little timid, but rode just fine in the end. Charlotte... LOVED it! Giggled and grinned the whole time!

I take Charlotte to Little Gym once a week and this is another weekly favorite! There is only one other little boy in the class, so we get a semi private lesson each week. She will walk over to the rings or bars every week and want to be held up so she can hang!

After bath peek a boo
Where is Carter?!

Just some shots from my phone lately

Carter with Danielle's dad. Carter thought his small car was "so silly"

Tonight we had dinner at Yard House in City Center. I am loving this new development and have mentioned the great open play area for kids. It does get somewhat crowded (and gives Brody minor heart attacks), but I think it is great to let them run around and a tackle every now and then or a nerf ball to the head never hurt anyone...:)

I had to throw in the bear rug picture from when we were in San Angelo. Pretty sure we have one from each visit.

Hook 'Em Horns!!!

10 Years.... Where did the time go?

2011-09-28T17:11:00.003-05:00

This past weekend was my 10 year high school reunion. 10 Years!!! WOW! It was a great weekend to catch up with friends and enjoy being in San Angelo. I think the events ran smoothly and everyone had a good time. We took a survey and it looks like 2021 will be our next gathering. Until then...

me, Shannon, Katie and DanielleMindy, me, Erin, Tara, Dollie, Danielle and Phillip
Andrew, Clay, Robin, Chris and Shannon

CHS babies!!!

Megan and Julie with two more on the way (they are drinking O'Dules)

Chelsea, Mindy, Danielle, Dollie, Katie

me, Wynne, Lindsay and Anne

Courtney, Jean and myself

Jessica, Shannon and me

Shirts I've Made

2011-09-28T17:03:00.003-05:00

I recently bought a monogramming/embroidery machine and I have had fun creating some little shirts for my family and friends. I learn something new each time and I think I am getting better as I go. Here are a few previews of what I have made so far.

Caroline and Vivian have birthdays coming up... A friend, Caroline just started ballet and is loving it
More friends, Carson and Claire, got to have some of my trials

Done in maroon outline to please his Aggie dad

All these C names....I need some variety in my names

Baby It's Cold Outside.... oh wait

2011-09-07T16:38:00.002-05:00

With the temps dropping to the low 90s we had to bust out a scarf... hahaha just kidding!

Charlotte got into the toilet paper and made her self an accessory.

First Aggie Game

2011-09-07T16:29:00.002-05:00

Brody took Carter to his first Aggie football game this past weekend. Carter had a trial run at the Memorial vs Stratford game so Brody was ready for the big leagues. Carter napped in the car on the way down to College Station and then they walked around the field/stadium a little. Apparently Carter did really well and seemed to enjoy the game, but as soon as it started getting dark, Carter was ready to go. He never acted badly or fussy, he was just adamant that darkness equaled bed time so they needed to leave. Brody tried to convince him that this one time it was ok to stay up later, but Carter would have nothing of it. "Time to go Daddy!"
Maybe Charlotte and I can go to some UT games soon!:)

William's Birthday

2011-09-02T22:36:00.005-05:00

We recently went to William Sovany's 1st birthday. William's dad, Herrick, was Brody's big brother within Sig Ep at A&M. It was so fun b/c Allison and I (William's mom/Herrick's wife) had both had boys about the same age about 2 years before. Carter and Henry are about 3 months apart. I remember sitting on my couch, feeling TERRIBLE, and texting with Allison. I asked if anything was "new" with their family and she responded, "YES, GIRL! We are pregnant!" I had only shared our exciting news with a few select people (not even family yet), but knew I had to spill.... Turns out we were due August 31st and September 1st! WHAT!?!

SOOOO We were thrilled to celebrate the youngest Sovany birthday with William! It was a fun party at Fundamentally Music. I think both kids loved the program!

(my camera died after 1 pictures so these are borrowed!)

The Party Never Ends

2011-09-01T09:45:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday Day to You! Happy Birthday to You!
Happy Birthday Dear Carter!

Happy Birthday to You!

Carter's school friends helped him celebrate on Tuesday with ice cream and sprinkles! Yummy in my Tummy!

Happy Birthday Carter and Charlotte

2011-08-29T20:27:00.016-05:00

Our kids turned 1 and 3 over the weekend and we celebrated with a fun party. Carter is really into bugs and lizards and all things "boy" so it fit perfectly with the "What are boys/girls made out of?" poem. Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails... for Carter and Sugar and Spice and All Things Nice....for Charlotte.I ordered their invitations of of Etsy. The decorations were just that... bugs and sugar!Mason jar cups, dirt pudding and worms and Carter's plastic bug collection!Pink and Sweet were the only requirements here. Jelly Beans, cupcakes, cake pops, peppermint sticks and hydrangeas.

Happy Birthday Girl on the way to the party

Charlotte and C-C Doc and Charlotte

The bug show, "Insect Club" was about to begin...

the woman had various insect/bugs and talked about the number of legs and body parts and what qualified for an insect. She had a live tarantula and hissing roaches... YUCK! (but the kids loved it)Charlotte took her first steps on her birthday, at her party! Three steps to daddy andthree steps to mommy!!!Cupcake and singing timeDaddy's girl!

How are you 1!?!?!?! I love this sweet face!

Allison with her boys checking out the bird

My new friend, Katie (from Kentucky... that's what we call you, Katie):) and her daughter Sidney (better pictures on facebook) College Friends, Kara with Mason (and baby Muecke cooking) and Emily with Willa

Daddy Duty, Josh with Graham and Wade with Claire

So glad they could come!!! (visiting from Austin)

Clayton, Brooke and Abigail

Peyton, Jerrod and Ashley (and baby Core cooking)

We have over a 1000 pictures from the weekend, so I tried my best to edit it down. I may have to do random "Party Pics" over the next few weeks as I come across more cute ones! We had such a fun weekend and are so blessed to have 2 wonderful kiddos! Thank you to everyone who came to help us celebrate and for donating books!!! The kids had a blast!

Great Gift Idea!

2011-08-25T20:46:00.006-05:00

My friend at Keeping it Simple had a great posting about personalized gifts from RL Polo.

I had no idea about this feature, but it kind of makes me want to order something "custom made". Basically, this site lets you pick the item (shirt, onesie, long sleeved, dress etc), and then choose either a monogram or a Polo horse in a variety of colors. The monograms have different fonts too. Hope you enjoy playing designer as well! FYI, Polo runs small... I always ordered a size up for Carter. Click on this link to get started!

Little Gym

2011-08-25T20:06:00.002-05:00

Today was Charlotte's first day of Little Gym! She Had a blast and was so entertaining the entire time! Since it's almost her birthday, she is sporting her cupcakes dress. Also, notice her little clip/bow. Her hair is long enough to hold a tiny little bow! I can't wait until next week!

First Day at Grace

2011-08-23T10:36:00.003-05:00

Today was Carter's first day at his new school. We went yesterday to meet his teachers and he has been pretty excited about going. Drop off is between 7:45-8am, (and unfortunately I can't walk to school like I could last year) so we were up and at 'em this morning. Carter did great and walked right up to the animals in the sand pit. Following drop off today, the school hosted a parent prayer time to pray over the students, teachers, staff and school. I am anticipating a great school year in the Circus Class!
Carter asked if Charlotte was coming too

Look at this thing!!! Geeez Louise, it was definitely bigger than Carter! Nap mat: check, lunch: check, snack: check, lovey: check, extra set of clothes: check.... did I miss anything?!

He asked to take a picture in the building... he said cheese for exactly half a second and then was off to his class room.

Little Poopster

2011-08-21T21:16:00.003-05:00

Happier pictures of Charlotte! This is the baby I am used to:) I hope this is not TMI for anyone out there....but we had a successful poop in the potty! It was not planned and we are not attempting to start potty training Charlotte, but tonight after baths, we got a little heads up that she might be "trying" to go. We rushed her to the potty mainly to avoid a mess on the floor. She was so comfortable and at ease on the potty that she just finished her business there. She was so happy and proud of herself! She'd clap and tap/rub her chest/tummy. I was cracking up and trying to get Brody to hurry and get the camera. I can't get over how little she looks on the big potty! We took several pictures, but these are the least revealing and give a glimpse of her expressions!

Care Bears

2011-08-19T17:26:00.002-05:00

My dad's dental assistant crochets as a hobby and has made my kids the cutest bears!!! Carter's has a tooth on it and Charlotte's has some sweet flowers. I used to love the Care Bears and have not seen them around recently, so I'm glad the kids can have their own personalized bear!

Thank you Lydia for the hard work and love you put into these bears!!!

Maedgens and Moffitts

2011-08-16T15:00:00.002-05:00

We have gotten to spend much more time with the Moffitts recently and we are so thrilled! Crawford and Carter play so well together and the tend to run and run until the pass out! MaryBeth and Charlotte are sweet together too. We love getting together with them and have found SO many similarities. Austin and Brody sometimes think that Sarah and I are clones of each other, because we have the same ideas and thoughts on so many topics. It seems that most of the recent pictures of Charlotte are somewhat pouty... She really is so happy, but I think her two teeth are giving her trouble. Plus, it's 100+ degrees so who can blame her for just wanting to sit and chill.

Great place for dinning and to take kids. City Center was being build when we left and now it is so nice and complete! A band was playing and there are little merchants with their goods set up. Plus, the water garden set up around it is supported by a Christian group. It says Living Water and has a cross for the T. I need to do more research and get the details, but it's nice to walk up to a public place and see To God Be The Glory etched in the stones! I think once we have temperatures in the 80s, we'll visit here more often.

Shoes make great toys

Then just to highlight how much Sarah and I think alike, see our twin boys at church on Sunday! Seriously no advanced planning! Same color and brand! Please note Carter is wearing a "self control" sticker.... they are continuing to learn about the fruits of the spirit, but I wonder if this specific sticker was supposed to give me a gentle hint.... :)

Birthday Birthday Birthday

2011-08-16T14:08:00.006-05:00

Brody's birthday was in early August so even though the kids and I were coming off a nasty stomach bug, we managed some modest decorations and a cake. Brody is such a guy about his birthday and never wants any celebration, but we had to do something. Carter made his card and drew "long snakes" around the border. Charlotte attempted to scribble.Popsicles make birthdays better
Blackberries too

Play date with fun friends... it wasn't a birthday party, but we gave Andrew his gift since we missed his party

Lunch time was the quietest time of the day! Mama Kara and I at Mason's train party. She's pregnant with number 2, due in December.Birthday ShirtsEnjoying dinnerCarter with the birthday boy, Mason

With all the birthday celebrations (2 more before our kids' birthday) Carter has been sporting his "Fun to be One" hat often. Here are some random shots I have gotten

What Have We Been Doing?

2011-08-11T20:32:00.003-05:00

I was thinking back over the past few weeks and thinking how I haven't had much time to blog.... Although blogging has taken a back seat, I have not been "sitting around". Just for my own memory, here is a quick recap of what I HAVE been doing.... moved twice, headed back to Dallas for a wedding the weekend after I moved away, went to Horseshoe Bay for the 4th, taught/participated in VBS for a week, went to Colorado for a friend's wedding and to visit some family friends, made a 24 hour trip to San Antonio to visit Sea World, continued with planning our 10 year reunion and have attended a handful of playdates, junior league meetings and birthday parties!!!! Whew, I don't think I have ever been this busy, and I am usually a pretty busy person. I feel like I understand those moms that say they are ready for summer to be over/kids to go back to school. I love spending time with the kids, but I think a regular schedule will be good for all of us. So here are just some pictures of the play time and little outings we've done recently.

Ball Pit Fun!YAY!!! Happy Baby!
Trying to teach Charlotte to walk

Met some friends at the children's museum

Not a great picture, but this is Charlotte looking and patting Carter as he crawled through the tunnel under the playscape

Charlotte and Sidney climbing together

Carter and Mason laughing together and driving more trucks

That's all for now!

Coming Together in Colorado

2011-08-06T09:25:00.014-05:00

In July we had a wedding for a good friend in Colorado. In addition to attending Megan's beautiful wedding at the Broadmoor, we got to stay with our friends, the Dadds and catch lunch with the Sniders, who just happened to be staying in CO Springs at the same time. This was our first plane ride with both kids. It went as good as can be expected getting there... coming home was a little rough, due to SouthWest over booking and broken kiosks. But it was a great trip overall and we had such a fun time in Colorado.

Our first day with the Dadds, we went to the Colorado Springs zoo. We were laughing that Carter and Charlotte have become quit the zoo connoisseurs... they have been to 5 zoos in various cities. Of course, feeding the giraffes is always a treat.

Lawson and Carter examining the "Big Bear"

Family pic with CO Springs in the back ground.

After the zoo we met the Sniders at the Broadmoor for lunch. It was so great to see this family. I used to babysit Ainsley and Oliver while I was in college and we have kept up with them over the years. Ainsley was so sweet with Charlotte and Carter. Such a little mamma! I love these kids!

The next morning Carter got to go with Lawson to a little soccer camp. Brody and Steve went to play golf at the Academy, while Jaime and I had the kids for the day. Little Kickers was a fun way to start theday and then we went to lunch. After lunch we went to a chocolate facory to somewhat fullfill the story from Curious George where he learns about making little chocolates. I think we faired pretty well with all four kids. After the soccer practice, I asked Carter if he wanted to play in Houston. He said no, even though he said he had a lot of fun. Maybe next year.

They played a little game where they tucked in flags to their shorts and would run around trying to pull them out... like flag football. They sang a little song that was something like "foxes are your ready....? Shake those tails foxes" and the kids would shake their little "tails". It was so cute and I couldn't help from laughing out loud each time. Carter was one of the last ones to have his tail pulled. Maybe track is his calling.

Saturday morning we went hiking at Garden of the Gods. It is so pretty in Colorado and there are so many neat things to go do and see. We stayed on the "blazed" trail, but still felt out doorsy and Carter said he went hiking.

After our hike we went to a park for a picnic lunch and ice cream. We attempted a group picture, but none turned out all that great.

Peyton was really interested in Charlotte!:) He kept wanting to kiss her! In almost every picture he is leaning in to kiss her! What a charmer!

Megan's wedding! The ceremony was outside with the mountains as the back drop and then we headed inside for a cocktail hour, dinner and dancing. It was really fun and so great to see so many friends.

I missed the "blue" memo....

Emily, me, Jessica, Jen, MK, Jenny

What a fun vacation! Thank you so much Steve and Jaime for hosting us! We loved spending time with y'all and the kids had a blast. Hope to see you again soon. Congrats to the newlyweds, Megan and Thad!!

Sea World/San Antonio

2011-08-05T13:57:00.005-05:00

A few weeks ago my dad asked to take Carter to Sea World for a little day trip. Vivian was staying with my aunt and uncle, so they thought it would be great to take them together. I drove the kids to San Antonio to meet my dad for a fun filled 24 hours! We met up at the San Antonio Zoo and took a little train ride around the zoo/park. They had a special exhibit at the zoo to feed the birds, so Carter jumped right in. He is such an animal lover!Back at the hotel Carter and my dad swam while I got Charlotte ready for bed. Then we all went to bed early in preparation for a BIG day. The boys headed off to Sea World with the Pflugers and Vivian and I took Miss Priss to the children's museum.Although I think Carter is a little young, I remember going to Sea World as a child and falling in love with dolphins. During the dolphin show, I was chosen out of the entire crowd to come down into the water (just the first little steps) and feed and pet the dolphins. I got to give them some commands to make them do tricks and I remember thinking it was so neat! I really went on a marine kick for a while and like most kids, thought I wanted to be a marine biologist! Then I figured out that is mostly research and not swimming with the dolphins/whales/sharks all day. Maybe Carter will be interested in marine biology after all.....I warned and begged for Carter to keep sunscreen on and was so thankfully surprised that he did not get sunburned!! It was a HOT HOT day, but everyone seemed to come out all smiles! (maybe some yawns too)

Charlotte is such a monkey! I swear she climbs on everything and is not scared to try anything! This little bubble thing would change colors based on the button you pushed. She was pushing them with her feet.

Thank you so much for taking Carter to Sea World Dad! He had a blast!

Vacation Bible School

2011-08-03T15:02:00.007-05:00

In July my friend Sarah and I taught VBS at our church for one week. We had about 22 kids going into 3rd grade. It was a exhausting week, but we had so much fun and I think the kids really learned about Jesus and got to understand more about why we were there that week. We had a few students accept Christ and I think they all had a blast too!

Our crazy class with their mustaches which were supposed to be worn over their mouth during transition times to keep the chatter to a dull roar! Our Rodeo classroom... I have to admit that I was gone the 5 days leading up to VBS so although I put in some long hours Monday and Tuesday, Sarah and Laurie really pulled it together towards the end of the week.

Pastor Young was our cowboy... and we had a photo booth to be your own cowboy

The JUMP team did a fabulous job with each performance! It's truly a gift that our church has such a AWESOME children's program! The kids were singing the songs all week.

The Crusty Gang and Sheriff Shepherd and his group

Carter had fun too and came to a few of the "BIG SHOWS" with me. But, every day he was worn out and took LONG naps!!

Friends

2011-07-12T16:38:00.004-05:00

I met up with one of my college friends and her son at the park. We let the boys run wild and play for a while and then had a picnic lunch. We met around 10 am, but it was still so hot! Carter was sweating (and covered in dirt, which became mud with the sweat) and was beat red, but thankfully with massive amounts of sunscreen, he did not get sunburned! They were so cute and sweet together.
Mason and Carter are almost exactly 1 year apart

(if you click on the links above you can see Mason and Carter over the years at various visits... migh thave to scroll some)

Then we headed over to another college (and Houston) friend's house to put the kids (all four total) down for a nap while we went to start decorating our room for VBS. (of course we had someone with the children). Carter and Crawford enjoyed playing before their naps and then got to spend the day together today "helping" decorate with the moms. Isn't this tent so cute!?! These two buddies may have some "stories" if they spend much time together.... let's just say there was an elevator incident yesterday at church...:) Good sweet boys, but total BOYS!!

(same here.... see Carter and Crawford in different stages of life by clicking on the highlighted links)

2011-07-12T16:24:00.004-05:00

After a day at wonderwild, we met up with some friends at Monkey Joe's... Similar, but different. Brooke has some better pictures, but here is a glimpse. Get that energy out!:)
On Friday we went to the Museum of Natural Science. They have a portion of the museum dedicated to butterflies. It's a man made rain forest and it houses multiple species of butterflies and insects. We walked through there and saw various stages of butterflies, including active cocoons.

The IMAX was showing Born to be Wild 3D so we decided to try that. Carter did great with wearing the glasses and I truly enjoyed the movie. It followed the lives of 2 women who have dedicated their lives to rescuing and caring for elephants and chimpanzee, respectively. Their goal is to release them back into the wild and I was just amazed at some of the stories. Animals are so interesting.

Wonderwild

2011-07-12T16:15:00.003-05:00

We went to a fun mom's group play date the other week and the kids got to run free. I liked this place due to the safety and confined areas to play in, but I think they were a little young to really enjoy the equipment (and price of admissions) to the fullest. Blurry, but this was a big bounce pillow, much like a river/lake blob

America the Beautiful!!

2011-07-06T14:13:00.012-05:00

We arrive in Horseshoe Bay for our annual family 4th of July get together to be greeted with new life jackets!!! Yay! Of course, Carter and Vivian had to put them on immediately.... even though we weren't getting in the water yet...Carter had been talking about wanting to catch a fish for a long time! He actually wants to go "camping with Daddy" and catch a fish, but this was close enoughAnd although Brody and Seth did a good job helping Carter "fish", I will let it be known that I am the one who had the luck!!!:) Yes, Ma'am "Carter's first fish" by yours truly! Carter reeled it in and was literally jumping and squealing about the fish. He wanted to eat it! Thankfully that night we were having grilled fish so we were able to play it off. Also, the boys encouraged him to hold up his hands to show the size of the fish and each time it got a little bigger and a littler bigger. They told him he was a true fisherman with those kinds of stories!

Annual family picture

Cecilie, Karl and Johnnyme, Cecilie, Courtney and Camille

Sweet cousins excited for the fireworks

4th of July Parade

I think the exhaustion from the weekend is setting in

All of the following pictures make me laugh so hard!!!

We had a great weekend and from what I have heard all the kids (and parents) slept GREAT on Tuesday back at home!!!!

Guppy to Goldfish

2011-07-06T13:45:00.005-05:00

Carter completed swim lessons last week. He went for 2 straight weeks and accomplished his two week goals. Their were 4 kids in his class and it was fun to watch (through the double sided mirror) each of them progress and learn. They learned to jump in the water and roll over to float unassisted. Although he did it great during class, his skills have not been performed in the lake or pool. I think we'll continue with weekly sessions until he passes the "float test" witch is a 1 minute long test while the child is wearing his/her clothes. It's supposed to represent the horrible situation of if your child fell in a pool. But these two weeks were valuable and Carter had fun!

(he looks so wide to me, but they have a "double diaper" rule until age 3... one is a normal swim diaper and one is like a cloth swim diaper and it is very puffy!) Floating independently

Promoted from a Guppy to a Goldfish

I have some videos, but we'll see if I ever get them loaded...:)

Weekend Rewind

2011-06-26T20:42:00.007-05:00

OK sit back and enjoy our crazy weekend! So much going 0n, but all really fun (most of it at least...)

Thursday (yes, starting the weekend on Thursday like in college) night Julie and I went to see Margaret and meet her new daughter (I guess she is Josh's daughter too). Her name is Charlotte as well! She was so cute and tiny and we loved holding her and hearing new mommy stories from Margaret. We also got a tour of their precious new home. Back when Brody and I thought our house would sell easily and we could buy a new home in Houston, we looked (online) at this house. It is so cute and they have already done so much to it. Can't wait for more visits.

Julie and baby CharlotteJulie, me and Charlotte and Mama Margaret
Friday morning, Carter with his "milk mustache" which is really yogurt

Little Miss was apparently still hungry and took matters into her own hands!

Geeeez Mom, feed me!

Saturday morning was Miles' 4th birthday party. For his party they went to the movie! This was Carter's first movie, Cars 2!!! He did really well, according to Brody (I drove around and had lunch with Charlotte), but Cars 2 is apparently a little "old" for Carter. Brody said it was a little violent and maybe suited for 7-12 year olds. Maybe it was targeted for the kids that were 5 when the first one came out and have now grown up a bit. Anyway, I'm glad Carter was behaved (a little squirmy, I'm told) and enjoyed his first movie!!!

Then we went to a little pool club house for pizza and cake. Charlotte was entertained by the balloons and the boys had fun runing around and hitting them.

Birthday Boy, Miles!

The kids in their "Party Clothes":)

We planned to come home for naps, but by the time we got back near our house it was almost 3pm and Charlotte had fallen asleep in the car, which equals no nap at home. So we threw on our bathing suits and headed to Discovery Green. This is an awesome park in down town. This weekend Target was sponsoring an event that claimed to be the "world's largest sprinkler". I guess I was thinking since it's a big park and they actually already have some splash pads (that are actually more for esthetics, but kids are allowed in them) that this would be added spray areas that covered the grassy fields.... I was wrong. It was actually just a giant (but not really that big) old school sprinkler. Like the kind you'd use if you did not have a sprinkler system embedded in your yard. The kind that waves back and forth. There was a long line to get into that enclosed area and it did not even look that fun. So instead we just went over to the regular water areas. It was fine except for the hundreds (literally) of kids. When the water/sprayers would come on fairly high, we could not keep an eye on Carter. We told him to stay within the water/spray area, but after 2 attempts of losing sight of him we said, "that's it".(He did as he was told and stayed within the boundaries, we just didn't feel good about it)

Charlotte enjoyed the low spraying fountains

They have a really neat play ground at the park. However, it was also extremely crowded. Even though we felt like our big exciting water outing was a bust, I did get some perspective on what it is like on the weekends in the summer. I had it in my head that we'd do the kids' birthdays here in August, but I'm thinking I need to make other plans.

Today was Family Field Day at our church. Water slides/bounce houses, snow cones and hot, hot sun!:)

Whew.... in pictures, it doesn't seem like that much, but we were busy!!! We will continue with swim lessons this week and then get ready to celebrate the 4th of July!

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-20T14:16:00.002-05:00

We love Daddy and are so thankful for all he does for our family! Check him out sporting his fancy tie!I tried to catch this precious moment on camera, but Carter caught me. I really thought they were both asleep!!!