Zoo Hangover

On Sunday the boys had a zoo hangover I think. They were just tired and out of sorts all day. No one wanted to share and they all had their share of meltdowns. Uncle Todd and the gang came back over for the afternoon so Tyler was a little overwhelmed I think. They didn't take very good naps and then we also had to say goodbye Daddy. Uncle Todd's family was leaving right before I had to take Justin back to the airport. Tyler started crying saying he didn't want to leave, which just made it that much harder when they had to say good bye to daddy. Oma says once we left the house they were just fine. They then took a couple hours before they finally went to bed. I guess I should have expected one day of them out of sorts.

On Monday Uncle BJ and his gang left home in the morning. This made the house much more quiet as it was only the three of us, Oma, Opa, and Great Grandma. We had an easy day, as I was trying to get them back on schedule. We went to the mall, rode the carousel, got some new clothes, and then came home for a relaxing afternoon. The boys also behaved very well at Great Grandma's favorite restaurant. Overall a much better day.

Cousins and the Zoo

On Thursday everyone spent the night, so it was once a again a fun, full house when we woke up Friday morning. All the kids played and then Tyler and Carter took great naps. Justin went with Todd, BJ, and my dad to the Pentagon to see Todd's new office and the new memorials. They had a nice time and got home just as the naps were ending. After a nice pizza dinner Uncle Todd, Aunt Jessie, and their gang left, so Justin and I got some time to go out and see a movie by ourselves. My mom had to sit in our bedroom for an hour before the boys feel asleep, but she says she doesn't mind.

On Saturday Oma, Opa, Toby, and our family went to the National Zoo. They all had a great time and behaved so well! When we got there we got to see an elephant get a bath and watch the hippos play. Then we got to watch the Orangutans climb on the O ring around the zoo. After a lunch were all the kids ate very well, we saw the sea lions play King of the Rock (Tyler will tell you at the sea lion says "NO! not on the rock!"), the lions, and a bunch of other animals. The three boys then got to pick out on gift from the gift shop thanks to Oma and Opa. Carter picked an elephant and Tyler a hippo - they no longer can sleep without their animals. All three boys were fast asleep by the time we got home.

Christmas

The boys did very well on the four hour plane trip to Maryland. All thru the airport, security, getting to our gate they were pretty much perfect. On the place they also did well. They happily looked out the window, ate some snacks, and watched Finding Nemo. The only downside was no naps, but can't have everything. They were most excited when they saw Oma and Opa and waited again patiently for our bags.

We got to Oma and Opa's house and the boys found Toby and took off off like they had never been apart. They also got to see Great grandma, Uncle BJ, Aunt Abbi, and Norah again. We had a nice little dinner, watched Polar Express, talked a little about Santa and went to bed. When the boys woke up we read the Christmas story from their Bible and then went upstairs to check on the stockings. The boys were very excited to see new cars and books. After Uncle Todd, Aunt Jessie, Acacia, Shiloh, and Josiah came over and had a nice brunch, we set off to open the rest of the gifts.

Usually when we all get together with my side of the family, we take turns watching everyone open the gifts. We all thought this is how we would do it again this year - not a chance with 7 kids under 6. Tyler was so overwhelmed he actually left the room we were in and played by himself (which is quite the improvement from last year when he just cried the entire time). Carter wanted to open every single gift and is still working on the whole patience thing. The boys love their big Mack trucks and all the rest of their gifts. It was very noisy and chaotic at times, but a lot of fun. Having everyone there and watching all the cousins interact was very fun to watch. We then had a nice Christmas dinner, which all the kids behaved well for and then they played hard the rest of the day.

Leaving On a Jet Plane

Tomorrow morning we wake up very early and head to the airport. We are so excited to see everyone, but we still haven't even packed yet! I will try to blog from Maryland and update on all the fun times we are having. I hope everyone has a Wonderful Christmas and remember the blessings and hope the Lord gives us every day. I leave you with a picture of my boys - best friends like always - sharing lunch (I know the picture isn't that great, but it was very cute them feeding each other back and forth).

Christmas at Home

Last night our family of four opened up our Christmas gifts from each other. We went a lot less on the gifts this year, as we are trying to stress the importance of Christmas and also they really don't need anything. The boys didn't seem to notice at all. They were very excited and seemed to enjoy all their gifts. Tyler's favorite is - surprise,surprise, a match box fire station, and Carter seems to be his Elmo that you put together with Legos. Although he seems to enjoy just going from one thing to the next. The boys also got a big box of Lincoln Logs that I think Justin had more fun with than the boys. They made me read every book they and play with everything at least once before going to bed. The only thing boys want to do today is play with their toys. Tonight and tomorrow consist of cleaning and packing and then we our off!

Baking Away

Yesterday we kept up our tradition of baking goodies and bringing them to the firehouse. Since its only 3 days til we leave and we have a lot to do, Justin and I cheated and baked the cookies and fudge while the boys took their naps. When they woke up the helped us decorate the cookies.

The boys had a ball decorating their cookies. Carter thought it would be fun to dump out the whole container of sprinkles on one small cookie (you couldn't even see the cookie under the pile) and neither of the boys could resist taking bites. Once we were done we headed to the fire station. Like always the fireman were very generous and gave us a tour and let the boys climb on the trucks. They had a ball and the fireman told us we should keep bringing them back so they can watch the boys grow up. He also told us that the goodies they get from the community has dropped a lot this year, in fact we were the first to bring them something on their shift. I am glad that we kept this tradition and I hope the fire fighters know how much we appreciate what they do for our community - and for Tyler's imagination!

Soccer and Santa

Today the boys had their last soccer class of the semester. They had a blast so we signed them up for next semester. Tyler will be in an individual class, which right now he isn't so sure about. However since the majority of the class we stay off his field anyway I am sure he will do fine. Carter seems to like class more and more each time. He will stay in the same one as he is one of the youngest. Plus they do the parachute in his class - his favorite part!

After class we headed to Babies R Us to look at car seat bags before out big plane trip and we were surprised to see that Santa was there. I was relieved we wouldn't have to go to the mall to get the boys picture! Tyler once again said he wanted socks and Carter kept saying "Merry Christmas". The boys are getting more and more excited for Christmas. The next few days will be busy and then we are off!

Gift of Giving

Today the boys and I went out to get their presents for their Angel Tree kids. This is something we do every year since Tyler was born. The boys each pick a child from the Salvation Army tree (I try to help them pick a little boy about their age) and then we go pick out gifts for them. I am really trying to emphasis to Tyler and Carter why we give gifts and I think at least Tyler is starting to get the concept.



While we were at Toys R Us, he was more interested in playing with the Thomas the Train than helping me pick a Thomas toy out for Franky (his little boy). However Carter helped me pick something and we were off to find something for Timmy (Carter's child). Tyler was then more into it. As we were waiting in line I tried to explain one more time that the reason we give gifts is because we want to show others the love God showed us when we gave us the gift of Jesus. As we were leaving the store Tyler, in an excited little voice says "lets go give the kids their gifts!". I was happy to see he was excited to do it and not disappointed that he wasn't going to get to keep the gifts. We went to the mall dropped them off and had some lunch. As I was sitting there watching them eat and share food nicely, I was taken aback at what good boys I have. That we made it through another year with all the commercialism around us and they were more excited to give their gifts than to even ask for anything. Maybe they don't know yet they can ask for gifts, but I hope that's not the case. They have also had a blast making gifts for people and keep talking about wanting to give their gifts to everyone. Of course they ask to open their gifts up as well. I know it will get harder every year, but I pray that the boys will always have a heart of giving, like they do now.

Man I Miss This....

Today during nap, Carter woke up crying. I think he fell out of Tyler's bed. Thinking he was up for the rest of the day I brought him downstairs with me. He happily cuddled with me and then fell asleep on me for well over an hour (this was after an hour already in Tyler's bed). I don't think one of the boys have fallen asleep on me since they were newborns. I so enjoyed it!

It seems every other day Carter ends up in Tyler's bed with him. He used to move him back to his own bed, but decided we would just let them stay together. Why fight something that is so cute. And yes they are in matching pajamas. It's the only time Justin is ok with them matching.

It's Here!

I have decided to make this blog into a baby book of sorts for the boys. I never want to forget this time in their lives and I hope they will want to look back on this time as well and see what adventures they got into and what they were like at this age. So I published the blog into a hardcover book, complete with pictures, and it arrived today! The boys love looking at it and remembering all the things they did last year. A few favorites are Sesame Place, Easter, swimming, and going to the baseball games. I am very happy how it turned out and am so glad to have these books forever.

We have been very busy, with all the things that seem to happen this time of year. The boys enjoyed making some presents for their aunts and uncles and they love getting to do the Advent calendar we have everyday. At least once a day Carter breaks out into sing singing "Happy Birthday" to sing to Jesus, and Tyler can tell you most of the story of His birth. I also got to see a friend, Luke, from high school yesterday, and the boys behaved relatively well at the restaurant considering it was right during nap time (you know a kid is tired when they say "I want to go home" - Tyler, and "take a nap now" - Carter). I can't believe its only a couple weeks til we are on a plane to Maryland - we can't wait!

Winter Wildland

Once again I am behind on the blog. On Sunday night the four of us and Heather went to the zoo to see all the Christmas lights. Its gorgeous seeing all their lights and then the city lights from Cheyenne Mountain. The boys of course just love going to the zoo any chance they can get.

We feed the giraffes inside, which made them so close to us. Carter even got a little nervous. Then we headed out to see the other animals. When we got to the Mountain Lions, Santa Claus had just left them with a treat so they were awake, running and climbing and eating their snack. After watching the lions for a little bit (Justin and Heather would have loved to watch more) we ran to catch up with Santa. A nice surprise was that we found out Santa is a Christian! He asked the boys why he only brings three gifts (of course they don't really even get that Santa brings gifts) and then told them because it represents the Three Wise Men and the gifts they gave Jesus. Any more than three gifts and they are from someone else. It was nice to tie in this experience to why we really celebrate the holiday.

We found out that Santa would be feeding the hippos at 8:15, and we knew the boys would love that, so we decided to stay a little longer, have some hot cocoa,ride the carousel (which Carter giggles the whole way thru and waved to everyone) and then go see the hippos. We got there early, but it was great because we got to see the hippos eat a bunch of hay and then get into the water and play. They were playing with a ball and would shoot it up high in the air. Tyler got scared at this point and wanted to leave. It turns out he was nervous from everyone around yelling in excitement about the hippos. He was fine again after a few minutes. While waiting the boys also got to pet a snake and see Santa's reindeer.

Then Santa finally came. They first gave the hippos some bread that was cut into the shapes of trees and stockings. Then Santa brought out two cantaloupes. He put a whole cantaloupe into the hippos mouth and they just ate it right up - very cool! After talking to Santa some more we then took a ride up the Mountaineer ride, which is a ski lift to the top of the mountain. We saw great views and then met Mrs Claus at the top and colored some pictures for the animals. We then rode back down, got in the car and the boys were asleep within two minutes. It was a great night and the boys are still talking about it.

Say Cheese!

I have been unsuccessfully trying to get a picture of the boys together for our annual Christmas photo card. What is it about being two years old that makes kids not want to smile? And then when the two year old decides to smile the three year old either thinks its a good idea to strangle the two year old or start having a meltdown. Below are some of our attempts.

Grandpa and Grandma came for a quick visit with Aunt "Dawnie" on Saturday morning. Carter loved cuddling with Dawnie and Grandma. We eat out to breakfast to the Cracker Barrel and Tyler loved watching all the animated snowmen with Grandma and Grandpa . Both of the boys behaved very well during breakfast always love seeing them.

Lindsay and Randy were in town Saturday night and the boys once again did very well when we went out for dinner. They had a blast watching Randy draw them pictures and have Lindsay eat them up. The boys always seem to do their best when company is around and today was no different. I am glad other people think my kids are as well behaved as my bias eyes are. Life is good.

Gingerbread House

I can't believe there is only 3 weeks left til Christmas! The boys are getting so excited about everything. They love putting a new part of our Advent Calendar nativity scene on each day and seeing all the Christmas decorations around town. At church they have many trees, and a couple of them have presents under them. Today Tyler and Carter were walking back to my class and Carter saw the presents and started singing Happy Birthday. One of the other teachers told him that it is Jesus' birthday. When Tyler got to my room the first thing he told me was that he wanted to see Jesus. I think they may be getting what this holiday is actually about.

Tonight we built and decorated a Gingerbread house. Carter found out quickly that he could eat the decorations and then Tyler followed suit. They did a pretty good job of decorating it as well. Justin and I have no idea what to do with the house now however. There is no way we are going to let them eat that much sugar. The house is already falling apart a couple hours later. Oh well the boys had an absolute blast doing it, so the ten dollars for the kit makes it worth it.

More Snow

On Sunday morning it started snowing and didn't end til late Sunday night. By 4 in the afternoon we already had a good 9 inches! The boys had a blast helping us shovel the driveway. I am hoping Carter finally learned not to take his mittens off. He kept taking them off and then start crying because his hands were cold. When we went inside we was then screaming in pain because they hurt so much thawing out. We talked about why they hurt a lot so I am hoping he made the connection. To help everyone warm up they boys all got some hot cocoa - always a special treat.

Because of all the snow both Justin and I stayed home today. We took the opportunity to take the boys to the doctor. I wanted to make sure Tyler's strep was clearing up and they both have had some bad coughs for a few days. They only have colds, as their lungs and ears all sound good. Hopefully in a few days they will start feeling better. We are also going to put Carter on soy milk for a couple weeks to help his tummy feel better. We then went grocery shopping, took some naps (very short ones) and played games. All in all a very nice family day!

Oh Christmas Tree

Here it is - our new tree. The boys were a little more interested in helping put the ornaments up than last year, but the excitement only lasted a few minutes. Now that it is all decorated they can't stay away from it. First thing in the morning they want the lights on and they love pointing out all the different ornaments. They aren't taking the ornaments down as much this year either, but we still have to remind Carter a few times a day. At least the whole tree can be covered instead of only the top half.

Snow Fun

When I woke up this morning at 4 a.m. (I went shopping on Black Friday. Nuts I know, but I really wanted a pre-lit tree, and ended up with the very last one) I was welcomed to a couple of inches of snow. So once the boy had some breakfast and we played some (and of course watched Sesame Street) we got ready to head outside.

It's quite the production getting them ready. First the snow pants, then the coats, then the boots, then the hats, and finally the mittens. Once were outside I found that they would have been just fine in their coats. Oh well, its fun to get dressed for the snow. The boys had an absolute blast outside. Tyler remembered how to make snow angels and we also made a very tiny snowmen which they had fun knocking over. Tyler learned how fun it is to throw snow this time, as did Carter after watching Tyler a few times. Tyler's favorite part was pushing around his dump truck and making tracks in the snow. Carter enjoyed playing in the sandbox filled with snow and falling down over and over again. Its a good thing we went out when we did because the snow if already half melted at nap time.

Once we came inside the boys got to have some hot cocoa (Tyler corrects me if I call it hot chocolate). Once Justin gets home the goal is to set up my new tree (the first year ever that we have an artificial one, but we will be leaving the state for a week) and decorating the house. As I brought in the decorations today Tyler was so excited. Every year this time of year gets more and more fun thanks to seeing thru the boys. It is starting to look a lot like Christmas around here.

Thankful Turkeys

We are having a nice quiet Thanksgiving with our family of four here at home. Right now Justin is roasting a chicken (since there are only four of us) and the boys are playing nicely. We woke up this morning and watched some of the Macy's parade. The boys loved the floats and the balloons this year. We also made a hand turkeys and wrote what we are thankful for on each finger tip. Tyler is thankful for mommy, daddy, Carter and animals. Carter is thankful for mommy, daddy, Tyler, and Hana. Tonight after a delicious meal we will watch a Christmas movie and have a special treat of ice cream.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your loved ones remembering all the things that God has blessed you with. Happy Thanksgiving!

Little Angels

The boys have been so good lately. We have had our moments, and Carter for sure is in the middle of his independent stage, but for the most part that last couple of days have been great. Yesterday we needed to clean up the toy room. Tyler immediately came down and cleaned up every single toy without one complaint - he then asked what more he could clean. Carter also helped some.

Today was a day full of errands and the boys did great. They held my hands thru the stores, played nicely a the play area, and then didn't have a single complaint when it was time to go. They also did great at the supermarket. Helping me find the items we needed, having nice conversations back and forth, and didn't whine when I said we wouldn't ride the horse today (there was a wait). Once we got home Tyler helped me bring the bags in and then took all the groceries out of the bags and helped me out them away - without any prompting from me!

The boys are loving seeing all the Christmas tress and lights and listening to Christmas songs. I was singing Away in a Manger to them as we were getting in their p.j.s, A few minutes later I hear Tyler singing his own song to the same tune. It went something like this "Because Jesus loves us, because Jesus loves us, because, because Jesus loves us." He then sang Jesus Loves Me before going to bed. Life is very good lately!

Favorite Things

The boys say some of the funniest things...here are a few of our favorites lately:

• We got our pictures done at the mall on Sunday and as we were waiting for them to be printed out we went over to the Santa Village. Their wasn't a line at all, so we decided the boys could go in and say a quick hi. They didn't even take pictures, as we will go back another time when I have my own camera. Anyway Santa took his time talking to the boys and asked them what they wanted for Christmas. Tyler's answer "socks". Very glad my kids haven't reached the "I want stage"!
• I was trimming Carter's fingernails today and he wanted me to move on to his toes. He tells me "I need my toes off" and then "my fingers are off".
• Carter is just in a "I need" stage. He NEEDs everything. He needs his water, a cracker, his snuffy, his lunchbox, etc. Anything he wants is a need.
• Tonight at dinner Tyler prayed for our meal. His prayer went something like this "Thank you for dinner. Thank you for roosters that go cock-a-doodle-do. Thank you for turkeys that go gobble gobble. Amen"

Gotta love the funny sayings!

Simple Saturday

Today was a pretty simple day, which is nice considering how busy and sick everyone has been lately (we found out Monday Tyler has strep again). The first part of the day started with soccer class. Justin hurt his back, so I went to Carter's class again this week (much more parental involvement needed). Carter was in a mood and did not want to do anything but what he wanted to do. Needless to say it wasn't his best class. However Tyler did great and for the last 20 minutes or so Justin even stayed off the field and let Tyler just listen to the coaches.

Usually after soccer the boys take great naps. Today was not the case. Tyler never did fall asleep and then proceeded to wake Carter up after he had napped for 20 minutes. This is the second day in a row when Tyler has decided not to nap. I would be worried that he is giving them up, but he then falls asleep at 4:30 - not the best time at all, so we wake him up. Obviously not ready to drop the nap to my relief. Luckily today he wasn't to grumpy even tho he was exhausted.

I was also very tired and was planning on taking a nap. When the boys didn't it meant I didn't as well. However the boys played very well together and for the most part played together on their own. I am still amazed by Tyler's imagination. He makes up such stories (I will write an example of one of these soon - they are very detailed) and acts them out and makes whoever else is in the room act them out too. When I was once worried that he would always be behind in speech, I am now wishing he would be quiet for a couple minutes of the day. I will take the latter any day tho. What could have been a disastrous day (a tired mommy and kids and a hurt daddy) turned out to be a very simple, but nice day after all.

Go Away Peacock

On Tuesday we had record high heat (seriously 70's, in November, in Colorado???) so the boys and I head to where else, but the zoo. As always we had a great time seeing all the animals and like always there was a new adventure. We feed the giraffes some crackers (their favorite part) and then feed some other animals a different kind of cracker.

We were eating our lunch when Carter dropped his peanut butter cracker. Less than 30 seconds later a peacock was under our table eating away. It took him a couple minutes, but then the cracker was gone. The whole time Carter just watched the peacock and wouldn't touch another bite. Tyler didn't seem to concerned with the peacock unless it got to close to his shoes. After the peacock had finished the cracker it then tried to eat the cracker out of Carter's hand. Carter tells the peacock "peacock go away" and the peacock listened. The peacock finally went on to another tablet just so that a squirrel could come and finish off the crumbs the peacock left. Needless to say it was a lunch filled with more watching than eating.

More Singing

Tyler sang at church again on Sunday. This time his class sang two songs. Tyler did very well. He sang some and even did the hand motions. To think of him a year ago this wouldn't have been possible. It brought tears to Justin and my eyes.

Fun in The Car

Some of the best things that the boys say happen in the car. This afternoon we were driving back from the mall. Carter kept saying he had it. Tyler then said he had it. They were going back and forth saying each other had it (not really sure what it was). Tyler then tells Carter that he doesn't have it and Carter immediately bursts into tears. We had to console him by letting him know that he did have it, as did mommy and daddy. The tears stopped immediately. We still have no idea what it was.

Justin turned Johnny Cash on in the car again today., After one line was sung Tyler from the backseat told us "that's Johnny Cash!" Well done Tyler, well done.

We have decided that Carter is ready to be an NFL analysis. We points out every obvious thing. "look bench", "man running", "Quemess tee" (Christmas tree), "car driving". Look out Dan Dierdorf!

And something the melts my heart....Carter was having a tough night tonight. Not sure why but he just kept crying and crying as he was getting into his pajamas. Once he was dressed I rocked him and sang him songs. He calmed down but was still sniffling quite a bit. Tyler then came up with their pacifiers. They each get two every night. Tyler gave Carter three and only kept one for himself because Carter was sad. Life is good.

Favorite Things

On Monday the boys and I took Oma back to the airport. Tyler was having a bit of a hard day and fell asleep on the way to the airport. He woke up on the way home and immediately asked for Oma. He knows asks everyday if its Christmas time yet (which is when we will go to see them). The boys are doing so many great things right now. I love this stage.

Carter has started calling Tyler "brother". He will say "Thank you brother" or "I am sorry brother". Adorable. We were driving home last night and were listening to Johnny Cash. Carter was singing every word, right after Johnny sang it. Very cool to hear from the back seat "cry, cry, cry". Another Carter favorite thing - when he is in trouble, for hitting for example, I will ask "do we hit people". He will answer "yes", because, well, he did just hot someone. I then ask "are we suppose to hit people?" Then he will answer "noooo" and shake his head. It can be really hard to discipline this kid when he is so cute! Last one for Carter - we were out to eat with Oma and Carter had applesauce. The spoon was to big for him so he kept spilling it on himself. He would drop it, and then have to clean himself off, just to take another bite and drop some more. Needless to say it took a while for him to eat.

Like I have mentioned before its very fun to have real conversations with Tyler now. I love hearing what is going thru his mind. We hadn't been to church in a while with being sick. Yesterday Tyler informed me that he wanted to go to church. We got to church this morning and after 5 minutes he told me he was ready to go home. Luckily he didn't mind to much when I told him we had to stay a while longer. Tyler has been such a great listener lately. He still has his moments, but for the most part he is being a great helper. He has also been awesome at staying in bed during naps and bedtime. I guess it clicked one night and we haven't had any more problems. I love this age! And my most favorite thing from Tyler lately - he all of a sudden loves to sing! From his abc's, to twinkle twinkle, to Go Tell About Jesus (the song he sang during church service) he is always singing. The boys love to sing together - which is even more beautiful to the ears!

Well We Did It

We finally cut Carter's hair. Oma, Carter, Tyler and I went to Sports Clips to get his haircut. Carter did very well as usual and he actually sat quite still. The lady cut it a lot shorter than I wanted it, but it will grow back and it just means that much longer til the next haircut. Of course Carter looks adorable and much older. Enjoy the before and after pictures!

Soccer

On Saturday we took the boys to their soccer class. Tyler was in soccer a year ago and Carter was to young so he always got to watch. Now they are both in class and they love it! They are in different classes and Justin and I switch off each week with who we are with.

In Carter's class they play a game called "Sharks". Its actually quite a fun game, but it seems that Carter is afraid of sharks because he wants to be done with soccer once they start playing that game. Once its over he is fine to be back in his class. Tyler never wants to get rid of his ball. They ask them to kick their balls into the goal many times and Tyler never wants to give it up. Justin found if you tell them that they will clap if he gets a goal then he is more willing to do it. Tyler may be moving up to the next class, which is without parents on the field with him. I think we will give him a couple more weeks and see how he does. The best part of soccer (besides the long naps) the uniforms are sooo cute!

Behind on the Blog

Once again I am behind on the blog. First I was sick and then Oma came into town! The boys have been having a great time with Oma. On Thursday afternoon we went to pick her up at the airport. Nothing can be more exciting for than that! On Friday she watched the boys while I went into work. They played all morning, went on a walk, and played some more. When I got home they were asking for naps! We have been running a lot of errands and eating out a lot and the boys couldn't have been better behaved.

Oma keeps saying how much they have grown in the past few months since she saw them last. She is amazed at how well they are talking. I guess some things I just don't notice as much. Like Carter is using pronouns quite well for his age. He uses me, I, my, his, and her. Tyler was much older when he started using pronouns. Tyler is also a lot more engaging now. He has a big imagination and will bring you into it on his own. He is always pretending that we are firefighters, and when he isn't pretending about that, he is pretending to be a waiter and loves to bring you all types of food. These are all the little things that I guess I am so used to I don't notice how big they are. Glad Oma pointed them all out to me.

Another Reason for Raincoats

On Saturday night we were doing our family shopping trip at Walmart. We were in the Mexican food aisle when Carter decided to get sick. However because he had his raincoat on it all slipped right to the floor and made clean up much easier. I love raincoats.

Carter got sick a couple more times Saturday night, but was fine by breakfast time Sunday. Last night I got it. I am hoping that I will be feeling better soon. But for all of you without children yet..invest in raincoats.

Happy Halloween!

For Halloween this year we decided that we would go to New Life's Fall Fest. They have bounce houses, carnival games, face painting, a petting zoo, etc. all for two dollars! We almost didn't make it because of Tyler's attitude today. But he got it together so away we went.

The boys switched costumes tonight - Tyler was the monkey and Carter was the giraffe. They both kept their costumes on tonight at least. The boys had a blast going from bounce house to bounce house. They also loves the little games they had - throwing blocks into Noah's ark and fishing for candy. Their favorite part was the big bounce slide they got to ride down. Justin had to work tonight so we didn't stay to long. Tyler had a nice tantrum since he din;t want to leave, but he got over it fairly quickly. We made a stop by the Stillman's to trick or treat at their house. I think the lack of sleep is finally catching up with Tyler, as he wasn't even all that excited to see them - which never happens. On our way home he had another tantrum because he wanted to see the fire fighters. I hope he sleeps well tonight.

Two Year Check-Up

Carter had his two year check-up today. The doctor deemed him "perfect". Can't get much better than that. She was very impressed with his language skills. At two they are hoping for 50 words and 50% clarity - he is way beyond that. She asked how he was doing discipline wise and gave a laugh when I told her he was my stubborn one. She then guessed that he came out of bed a lot - and she was right. At least its just a normal phase. After looking him over she gave me his stats and he got a flu shot. He cried a little bit, but then was happy for his sticker. Tyler did pretty well during the appointment, but he did hit Carter at one point. He took his time out nicely in the room. All in all a good appointment. Here are Carter's stats:

Weight - 26 pounds 11 oz, 40th percentile

Height - 34 inches, 50th percentile

Head Circumference - 49 centimeters, 50th percentile

Fall Fun

Fall is here and we love it. The weather has been very warm too, which while not fall like, its great for outside time. Today the boys had a great time jumping in leaves, and raking them up. Then it was onto to pumpkins.

We decided that we would carve out pumpkins this year. Tyler told us he wanted a pumpkin with circle eyes, a circle nose and a happy face with 5 teeth. Carter picked one of the four pumpkins faces I drew and then told us he wanted one tooth. We let them play with the little pumpkin with kid friendly pumpkin knives while we cleaned out their pumpkin. While Justin was carving away the boys "helped" me roast the pumpkin seeds. They ate a couple before declaring them yucky.

The boys favorite part was putting the candle inside them and watching them light up. Sorry the pictures aren't of the kids. When I tell Tyler he needs to open his eyes he then thinks its funny if he keeps them close. Carter is two, so naturally he won't stand still for anything, let alone a picture.

My Little Helper

Tyler has always been a great helper. He loves to help clean. Whenever I am cleaning up the kitchen he needs a baby wipe to wipe things down with me. He also helps me clean the tables at church everyday. With laundry he helps me put the laundry into the washer, then into the dryer, and then helps me sort it all. The other day he found a new way to help - dishes.

We had just finished lunch and I was cleaning off the table when Tyler scoots his chair over to the sink. He then takes our sponge, turns on the water, and starts cleaning his plate and rinsing out his cup. He does the "dishes" at least once a day now. It usually consists of him filling his cup with water and then pouring it out - over and over again. Since Tyler does the dishes, Carter likes to try too. Unfortunately he doesn't have it down quite yet so usually water is all over Carter when he is done.

The boys have been having issues lately with not staying in their rooms at bedtime, not falling asleep at nap time, and then coming out of their rooms way to early in the morning. This weekend we tried to work on these things. First we put some toys up in their room. Before now the boys didn't have any toys in their rooms except for all the animals they sleep with. So we put up quiet toys - books, puzzles, cars, and legos. We told them they were not to play with the toys during bedtime, but they could play quietly during nap time and when they woke up in the morning. Next we got a wall clock for their room. I put stickers on the 7 and the 12 and told them when the hands were on the stickers they were allowed to come out. I was anxious about this, thinking it may make things worse, but I thought we should at least give it a shot.

So far it has worked great. Tyler is great at cleaning up his toys in his room so far and on Sunday he played so quietly in there I thought he was asleep. When I went to check on them Carter was dead asleep and Tyler was happily playing. So that he could get some sort of a nap I put him in our room (where he naps most days now) and he was out in less than 5 minutes. In the morning I usually have to tell them once or twice to go back until the hands touch the stickers, but then they happily play in there until then. We are still working on not coming out of bed during bedtime, but its starting to click in I think. I am very impressed on how well they are doing with this. Life is good.

Trunk or Treat

This afternoon my mom's group did a trunk or treat. The kids dress up in their halloween costumes and go from car to car "trunk or treating". We all had a ball. This year Tyler saw a giraffe costume in a catalog and had to be a giraffe. So we decided that Carter could be the monkey that Tyler was last year - after all he does climb everywhere.

At the trunk or treat there was an extra special surprise. Firefighters and their ladder truck was there! The boys had a blast climbing in and out of the truck. Tyler quickly grew tired of his costume and took it off. The firefighters closed the truck doors and Tyler then decided that our van was his fire truck - so he spent a lot of time in there.

All the kids then did a parade of costumes for the firefighters and they judged who had the best costumes. Tyler of course just watched, since he didn't want to put his costume back on. After that was done it was off to the candy. The boys did very well saying thank you every time and only taking one piece. Tyler then had to go and show the firefighters every piece of candy he got. He was totally obsessed with the truck and firefighters. He has never been one to talk to people, but if its a firefighter you can't get him to be quiet. It was very cool to see. Once we got all out goodies the firefighters announced the winners. Carter won cutest boy!!!! Of course we can't argue that!

They then opened the truck back up so the boys got to climb around it some more. Carter found a seat in the back and happily sat there for a good ten minutes. Tyler then told me he was ready to go (we didn't get naps today) so we watched the fire tuck leave - with its lights and sirens on and headed home. As we were leaving I asked Tyler if he wanted to be a firefighter one day. His answer "I am a firefighter now".

Bowling!

On Monday Justin and I both took the day off to celebrate Carter's birthday. We had planned on going to the zoo or Garden of the Gods. However we woke up to cold, rainy skies. We decided bowling would be a great option B.

The boys were somewhat confused at first. Whenever we mentioned bowling they would run to the closet to get their plastic pins out. Once we got to the bowling alley they had a blast. I was very excited to see that they had little bowling shoes to fit them -absolutely adorable.

We let them start off with the bumpers. After dropping the ball a few hundred times, they both understood that they needed to make it to the black line before putting it down. Tyler did great from the start - always getting at least a couple pins down (thanks to the bumpers). Carter was lucky if his ball didn't stop halfway. At one point it even started rolling back to us. So we got a ramp. Carter couldn't quite get the ball on the ramp himself, but still liked pushing it down. Tyler ended up with 2 spares thanks to the ramp.

More than bowling they seemed to enjoy just running around the bowling alley in the disco lights. We had a great time as a family and hope to do it again soon. Family days always make great days!

Pumpkin Patch Birthday

For Carter's birthday the family went to the pumpkin patch. We go every year to the pumpkin patch and it's so much fun. The boys loved riding on the tractor and then ran from pumpkin to pumpkin wanting to get them all. Last year Carter was barely walking so it was fun to watch him run around this year.

For dinner we went to Red Robin with Heather, Leah, Marj, and Seth. Carter loves Red Robin and it made it even better when they sang Happy Birthday to him and he got ice cream. Once again the boys did a great job sharing the ice cream together. We then came home for Elmo cake (which once again Justin did a great job) and presents. Carter still likes to tear off tiny pieces of paper at the time. Tyler stepped in to speed up the process -after asking Carter first of course. carter loves all his new games and puzzles - its all we do these days. This was a much more low key birthday, but I think we all enjoyed spending time together and just enjoying the day