Happy Birthday Carter!

I know it sounds cliche, but I can't believe how fast the past year has gone, and now my brand new baby Carter is a very mobile, very active one-year-old. I took him to the Doctor yesterday for his one year checkup and the Doctor told me that he is officially not a baby any longer. I thought that was a very mean thing to say, he is still my baby and I suppose he will be for a long time yet.
It is amazing to me how much can happen to a little person in just one year, a lot of growing and developing. So here is a look at how Carter has changed in the past year...







I know he has a messy face, but I love this picture anyway...
Carter really enjoyed his birthday celebration! Because he is a HUGE fan of balls, we decided to make him a basketball cake...

I had to wonder what was going through his head during this whole process. The kids were really interested to see if he would actually blow out his own candle, they ended up helping him out in the end. I don't know what he was thinking, but I know he liked the attention...
And then he was presented with a big piece of sweet yumminess all to himself...
Hmmm... Yummy!
Oh yes, this is very good...
So is this what is means to be a One-year-old? I like it!!!
This little boy keeps us on our feet for sure, he is very busy and into everything! He is also full of personality and so much fun! How grateful we are for his addition to our family! We love you Carter, Happy Birthday!

Sledding!

We have a great hill by our house, and a few weeks ago we all went sledding, well, everyone except Carter who stayed home with Grandpa and Grandma. I usually have to be the one to stay home with the little ones so I was excited for a chance to brave the hill.
Many of you know about the sledding incident we had a few years ago with Tyler, if you want to see a picture you can go to the link above (view at your own risk). Notice that now Tyler wears a helmet sledding...
One of the best parts of sledding is simply playing in the snow...



Here is Sydney's preferred way of going down the hill, all the fun, no snow in your face...


Nothing like being 4 and getting a free ride up the hill. This was so fun, I am glad that I actually got to go this time! Still catching up, more to come!

Catch Up!

Here I am playing catch-up again, but there are a few events I don't want to miss. First was Steve's birthday. According to the candles on his cake, he turned 10 this year...

Carter enjoyed trying Steve's Carrot Cake...

For which he rewarded Steve with a kiss. Pretty good birthday gift, I'd say.
Next came Thanksgiving, which we loved, but didn't take a single picture of. Oops.
And, so it was on to Christmas and the decorating of the Christmas tree...


Carter is a big fan of balls, therefore Christmas tree ornaments were a big hit. Not only are they round and rolly, but shiny too. Needless to say, our tree was a little bare around the bottom this year.
One excited kid...


Another excited kid...

Another notable event was Carter's first haircut, much needed. Here is a before shot, notice the hair over his ears, little punk.
Sydney giving moral support.
Here is the after shot. Not only was this Carter's first haircut, but his first sucker too. He liked that part a lot.
Another important event was Spencer's 12th birthday. I can't believe I am now the mother of a deacon! Crazy!
Spencer had a great birthday party with a few great friends, a night out playing laser-tag, pizza and the Wii. It was a perfect night. Spencer also opted for carrot cake, kid has good taste!

Well, there are a few notables, we will be back again soon with more...

Forgiveness

On Sunday afternoon Steve and I were sitting at the kitchen table enjoying our lunch and a little conversation. The kids were in the basement playing and all seemed well and happy. It was, of course, too good to last. Sam came running upstairs complaining of something that Tyler had done to him. Being the wise parents that we are, we counseled him to go back downstairs and work it out with his brother. Sam left and Steve and I continued to enjoy our lunch. A few minutes later we could hear Sam downstairs yelling, "Get off of me, get off of me!" Steve called the boys up and had them each recount their own version of what was happening, starting with Sam. It went something like this:

Sam (tearfully): "Tyler was pinning me on the ground and he wouldn't get off of me."
Steve (with great wisdom and patience): "Tyler, were you pinning Sam to the ground?"
Tyler: "Yes."
Steve: "Why wouldn't you get off of him when he asked you to?"
Tyler: "I was trying to make him forgive me!"