Mr., Mrs. & Baby T's

Love / Hate relationship

2012-01-25T15:07:00.000-08:00

We are on the war path of breaking Nolan from the binky. It has been a long two nights and we are on day 3. We have gone cold turkey, so it has been rough. My little munchkin only had a binky while taking naps and bed time (although also during "emergency" situations). Mamas word of advice. . . break em! Let go of the crutch! You will thank me in the long run. Nolan will be 18 months tomorrow and I am planning to throw all binkys in the disposal just so he will never accidently find one again. Peace and red wine be with you.

(PS. Thats not my babe, I didn't give him knuckle tats)

Snow days. . .

2012-01-18T13:17:00.000-08:00

It doesn't happen often but when it does the Pacific Northwest shuts up shop. We have snow and the world has stopped. No school for the past two days, even the gym closed today. Too bad Daddy still has to go to work, I guess they can't have the juvinelles let out for the snow day, might not be so safe.

It takes us 20 minutes to get these babes all bundled up and then we play for 15 because it is so cold. I get more of a workout getting them ready then playing outside. But today we managed a short walk and sled ride. We'll see how long our winter wonderland lasts.

Snow days have encouraged more living room dance parties, movie watching, and cuddling. However snow days have also lead to eating more because when its cold you have to stock up for the winter weather, right? And today the snow lead to me cutting my hair, I now have bangs. Seriously? They aren't too bad but probably would not have done it if we hadn't been couped up in this house for this whole week! Meanwhile I am humming the tune by Bruno Mars, "Today I don't feel like doing anything". . . and sometimes nothing is fine.

My little monkey

2012-01-18T13:09:00.000-08:00

This one right here, loves his mama, I mean LOVES his mama. But sometimes mama has to cook, or clean or help another baby in the house or even pee for that matter. But this little Nolan will not have it. So I will soak up the moments of you loving me so bad it hurts because one day you won't your mama around every waking moment. I love you my HMB (high maintence baby)! If you were a girl, you may have been my last so pray for mama she has a little princess one day.

Buddies

2012-01-18T13:03:00.000-08:00

When you are younger you talk to your girlfriends about having kids and how they are going to grow up and be best friends just like you were. Then you have babies and realize how crazy life is and you are lucky to get a conversation in once a week. But the time you do spend together is priceless. Our little mini me's are creating bonds with their buddies, just like we did when we were younger. Which leads me to the question of are arranged marriages out of the question?

Carter at Pre-school

2012-01-11T14:58:00.000-08:00

I opened my email today to find these fabulous pictures of Carter bug loving his PT at Pre-school. A+ to our new PT who send me pictures and told me about his day. And . . . I cried but happy tears because today I felt like I knew about what my boy was doing in school. He may not be able to come home and tell me but these pictures made my day, heck they made my week. Mama is so proud of you big boy!

Average . . .

2012-01-10T22:09:00.000-08:00

Sometimes in my head I will rate myself of how good of a mama I am for the day and hope that within the week it averages out. Sunday- lost it because babes split flour and sugar all over the floor, survey says “3” for the day. Mama should understand they are just curious and exploring right? Monday- story time at the library, walk around the block with a trip to the park, topped off with family swim night, survey says “8”. Mama used creativity without having to spend barely any money ($7 for swim) and simulated young minds.
As mothers we tend to always compare ourselves, whether you admit it or not. You watch in the grocery store to see how another mom handles her kids screaming throwing everything out of the cart. Yet when your child is in a restaurant throwing their food and cup, you pray that no one is watching in fear of being judged. “Look at that mom, she has no control of her kids.” When in reality we should be supporting each other. Help a sister out. You have been there. And if you haven’t yet, believe me you will. Parenting is down right hard. I try to cherish every day that I am home with my kids, but some days I cry. I cry because I wonder if I am doing it right or if I could do it better.
Then it brings me to Carter. There are days I forget he has DS and other days when I curse his DS. I wish things could be easier for him and sometimes even myself. But I feel so guilty for saying that out loud. Do I ever wish he didn’t have DS? No. Carter is the beautiful, vibrant, funny, energetic boy he would be DS or not. Yet when I am out with both of the boys, someone will come over and ask how old are they (after asking if they are twins). When I respond with 3 and 1 they are taken back for a minute. And I know why, because Carter is smaller than an average 3 year old and he isn’t talking as much as a “typical” 3 year old. But why compare? We compare ourselves as mothers, we compare our children, we are constantly sizing each other up. Why not stop and chill the “F” out?
And I know my post had a point . . . I may have rambled on to much or gotten a little too worked up. But I am passionate about being a mama, I am passionate about being Carter and Nolan’s mama. I am passionate about saying it is okay some days to be average. We all have our days.

Holiday pictures

2012-01-10T13:47:00.000-08:00

We had some pictures done with the grandparents right before the holidays for fun and Christmas. My girlfriend Rachel did an amazing job. To check out more of her work (http://prissypiggiesblog.com/) She is a busy lady so plan ahead.

First day of pre-school

2012-01-06T13:45:00.000-08:00

Well, it happened. We made it through our first week of pre-school. I am pretty sure it was harder for me then Carter. I couldn't believe it, he walked in there like he had done it a hundred times before. I stayed for the first part of class just to make sure he (I mean I) would be okay. I waved good-bye a little while later and then came the tears, my tears but I didn't let Carter see me crying. I am so scared because my baby can't come home to tell me how school went. He can't tell me if someone was mean to him or if something was hard for him. I am scared that my baby is starting to grow up. Everyone says the years just fly by when they are in school. I am not ready for the years to fly by. I still want to snuggle my boy and protect him from everything in this world. But I know part of him becoming his own person is mama learning to let go. . . just a little. So with all of my worries I decided to create an "All about me" book for his teachers. Just a small insight to who my Carter bug is. And since I am incapable of doing things less then huge it turned into a giant project that involved a lot of glue, pictures, paper, a short novel and a few nights of midnight bed times for myself I completed his book. Carter's teachers will know everything about him that makes him the precious boy he is. (I will take some pics and show you my masterpiece.)

So pat us on the back because we made it through the first week of pre-school. The best part was picking him up. When he saw me standing there waiting for him, he smiled ear to ear and ran towards me with open arms. I may have cried again, just a wee bit. On our way home I was asking him questions about class and how his day was. Then I asked if he had a snack and he signs, "more food please". Apparently he had not had enough snack. So the next day I delievered a large box of treats, for my hungry boy and the rest of the class.

Sledding

2012-01-06T13:43:00.000-08:00

Took the boys on their first sledding adventure up in the mountains. They were bundled up in multiple layers and could barely move. At one point Nolan fell over and couldn't get himself back up again. However they were warm and dry. I am pretty sure they had a great time!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-04T16:16:00.000-08:00

Happy 2012. We rang in the New Year on the couch with the babies in bed. However we managed to make it to a friend's house for a couple hours before to enjoy friends and food. My babes are at the age that staying home is so much simplier. They can destroy our house and I am can sit back to relax and watch.

New Year's Day we ventured to Point Defiance Zoo to see zoo lights on their last night with the Lakes. Apparently everyone else had the same idea because it was packed! The kids ran circles around us at the zoo and had a blast. Ainsely and Carter are such good buddies, I tried to snap a shot of them hugging but was unsuccessful. They move to fast. We went out to dinner afterwards and we were cordially sitted in the back of the restaurant. It's to be expected with 3 babes under 3! On the way out Nolan dumped over the doggie bag containing of the leftovers. The poor restaurant was probably glad to see us go. But just remember folks, we were all babies at one point. Just saying. . .

Fish in the water

2012-01-02T10:13:00.000-08:00

Carter was born to swim. Before the holidays we had his last swim therapy session with his amazing therapist Ruth. Ruth has been a dream! She is very firm with Carter in a nuturing way. She knows he is capable of doing it and doesn't hold back! Exactly what Carter needs. Everything that we had worked on in the last couple months Carter did on his last lesson. It was impressive to say the least. I am so excited about his progress. He certainly has built his endurance in the water and become stronger. Carter is swimming under water and able to hold his breathe. He can pull himself out of the water on the edge of the pool. He jumps in, goes under and begins swimming to me! The little fish swims underwater with his eyes open and a big old cheesy grin.

Check out our fish here.

Day after Christmas at Grandma & Grandpa B's

2012-01-01T11:02:00.000-08:00

Christmas Day at the Grandma & Grandpa T's

2012-01-01T10:57:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning

2011-12-30T11:04:00.000-08:00

They were excited. They learned how to rip through the paper and to see what was inside. It melted my heart watching my boys (even Daddy) opening their presents. I have a real tough time waiting until Christmas morning, I love giving surprises! We have started our own traditions as a family now. I'm kind of a grown up now being a mama and all. So our morning consisted of presents and then fresh baked cinnamon rolls and eggs benedict for breakfast. Perfect morning with my beautiful family.

Christmas Eve

2011-12-27T10:48:00.000-08:00

Hmm. . . what can I get into next?

Somebody should have put IPAD on their Christmas list.

Uncle Gerry was in town from NY for Christmas.

Again, loving and obsessing over the IPAD.

Professional gift opener this year. He tears the paper with such force! Watch out!

Our lovely Christmas Eve host, Auntie Mollly, who spoils the kids and over feeds my husband! Love her to pieces!

Christmas Eve was another hit this year. The boys have gotten used to this whole Christmas thing. They can rip through some serious wrapping and bows now hence the non present tree at our home this whole season. Christmas Eve was just the beginning we still had three more days of Christmas's, it was a long weekend!

Snowflake Lane

2011-12-22T23:00:00.000-08:00

Met the Kangs in Bellevue to visit Snowflake Lane and have dinner. Always a blast taking 4 kids out to eat and festivities. Madi (Oct.) and Carter (Dec.) are two months apart and Nolan (Aug.) and Ella (Sept) are 3 weeks apart. Maybe our third babies will be born on the same day.

As for Snowflake Lane, our boys weren't too excited about it, more like dearly afraid of it. The characters were a little overwhelming to them. Eric and I agreed Disneyland will be a trip planned in the far, far, future.

Carter's 3rd birthday party

2011-12-12T18:09:00.000-08:00

Fun was had by all at our local bouncy house. I have never hosted a birthday party outside of our house so it was challenging and easy in some aspects. Kind of a control freak and have to set things up the way I like, but don't mind an extra hand when it comes to clean up. This year I did a Elmo theme for Carter bug because they are pretty close, him and Elmo have a special bond. Elmo is like a drug for kids, he has a way of sucking you in. Elmo currently has taken over our house with Rock n Roll Elmo, Tickle Me Elmo, Dancing Elmo, Elmo cell phone, Elmo playdough maker, Elmo CD player. . . I could keep going but you get the point.
Yet to have a party for C when he doesn't cry after the candles are blown out, although he loves to be the center of attention he is not such a fan at everyone staring at him wondering what his next move will be. Tried a new recipe for the cupcakes, I used beets for the coloring of the frosting and used them in the red velvet cupcakes. The cake was moist but the frosting was a little runny from the beets and more pink then red. But they were healthier! Eric told me to cool it because people don't come to parties to eat healthy. Worth a shot though, all those kiddos got there vegetables and didn't even know it!
Afterwards a few of my girlfriends and their families headed back to our house. The kids played and our house looked like a tornado went through it, but hey that's what parties are for right? I still can't believe Carter is three. It just seems like yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital. Happy birthday little man, now let's celebrate Christmas. Talk about spoiled!

Keeping busy

2011-12-12T16:46:00.000-08:00

Luckily this winter hasn't been too bad. We are still able to get outside, go on walks and play. The Black Diamond Bakery is right around the corner from us so I like to take the boys up there when it is nice outside. They make yummy whole wheat cinnamon with chunks of apple. We had ourselves a treat and then had to burn off the calories with a run home!

Finding our perfect tree

2011-12-12T16:40:00.000-08:00

Although our tree has been up since the day after Thanksgiving I haven't had time to post our adventure due to our crazy couple of weeks. Thanksgiving, Carter's birthday party, and Christmas preparation. This year we opted out of the mountain extragaganza because of the sad rain (and last year's sad tree!) So we hit up a local tree farm where Eric got to saw down the tree with his bare man hands. It was no mountain trip but mama liked it because I have a beautiful manicured tree!

Carter's birth story

2011-12-02T21:37:00.000-08:00

Dearest Carter,
I wanted to write our story so I could share with other mommies and daddies about the joy you have brought to my life. Saying that you have changed my life would be an understatement. You have given me an inner strengthen I didn’t even know existed. You taught me to love with my entire heart and soul so much that it hurts, in a good way. You made me a mama and that is the best gift that anyone could have ever given me. I love you my sweet precious boy. Thank you for being you and letting me share our journey.
Love,
Mama
It was December 1st, 2008, I walking down the hallway to pick up my kindergartners from recess. One of the other teachers said, “Mrs. T, your baby hasn’t even dropped yet. I bet you are going to be overdue”. Word to the wise do not make comments like that to a very pregnant and tired women. My due date was December 15 and I was determined to work up until the day. I didn’t want to take off any extra time that I wouldn’t be spending with my new precious baby boy.
That night I was tired and exhausted from the day so after dinner I told Eric I was to going to bed early. I wanted to take a shower that night so drying my long curly hair would be one last thing I wouldn’t have to do in the morning. As I stepped out of the shower and wiped the foggy mirror with my towel, I felt a trickle of warm water down my leg. I dried myself again but more water was dripping down my leg. Oh my gosh, I think my water just broke. I yelled to Eric and he actually thought I was kidding. But when he came around the corner he realized, I was not kidding. I remained calm and Eric took on the panic role. I had prepared my suitcase weeks before, I had a checklist for items needed and a phone tree of everyone to call and text on the way there. Within minutes we were in the car and calling the doctor to say we were on the way, he reassured us that first births could take up to 16 to 20 hours, he said not to worry and take our time. My contractions were coming fast but I proceeded to put a little make up on because I couldn’t be ugly in all of the pictures. I was already upset that I didn’t have time to straighten my hair and was trying to accept the fact that our child would look back on pictures and say “nice hair, mom”. I said to Eric, “this is the last time you and I will be just you and I. Our next trip in this car we will have a baby boy in the backseat with us.”
As we pulled up to the emergency room, we had no idea where to park and Eric let me off in front. There I was with wet hair, in PJ’s and a big old red towel between my legs. Around the corner comes Eric running with a suitcase, diaper bag, my purse, a blanket, and a giant body pillow. A girl has got to be prepared right. My contractions were getting stronger and I was in pain at this point. We walked in and they immediately whisked me away to the maternity ward. I had been there just several weeks before with kidney stones, I was much more excited this time to be giving birth to a baby rather than a stone.
The time seemed to fly by and everything was happening so fast. Before I knew it they were offering me the epidural and promised it would ease the pain. The doctor came into to check and said I was dilated to a 6 and I would be able to push before long. I called my parents to give them the update and told them I would call as soon as we knew more. I remember just staring at the baby station and knowing that any time now my little baby boy was going to be wiggling around in there.
It couldn’t have been more than a half an hour later when they checked me again and said, I think we need the doctor, she is at a 10 and ready to go. I watched around the room as nurses prepared and made sure everything was in order, Eric paced back and forth but remained calm. The doctor rushed in and looked at me and said “are you ready to push?” Right then I confessed to the nurse, “we didn’t take the birthing class, please don’t judge us I said, I promise we will be good parents”. She smiled and told me not to worry, everything would be fine. This was it, everything I had anticipated and planned for, and I was ready. I was ready to become a mama. I began pushing and 20 minutes later we were welcoming our baby boy. Carter Nicholas was born at 12:31am. The nurse set him on my chest and looked into his deep dark blue eyes. I kissed his sweet face and Eric cut the cord. I didn’t cry right away and I remember feeling like what is the matter with me, why am I not crying? I think that God was preparing me and helping me to be strong before the news was delivered that changed our lives forever.
They whisked his small fragile body off of my chest. Eric was over taking pictures of Carter’s first minutes of life and the 7.4 oz on the scale. While I was lying there, I was watching the nurses hover over him and whisper to each other. And I knew. The pit of my stomach was telling me something is wrong but I didn’t know what. I terrified to ask. A nurse was standing beside me and I asked in a joking matter, trying to make myself feel better, “does he have all 10 fingers and toes?” She nodded yes and said that they were concerned about his tone. The nurses continued to huddle around Carter. Nobody was talking to us, I just waited and prepared myself for what it could be. I watched as a nurse hurried out into the hallway and within minutes another doctor was there with her. I watch as she looks over Carter’s tiny hands and feet and then sits down on a cushioned black stool to wheel over to my bedside. I will never forget the sound of the squeaky wheels making their way over as I lay there in absolute fear of what words could be coming out of her mouth. Without any hesitation she spits out the words, “your son has Down syndrome”. She then proceeds to ask, “So I take it you two were unaware of this?” I wanted to reach out and strangle the woman for her insensitive delivery. I believe the look on both Eric and I’s face should have answered her question. I felt my insides turn over, my eyes were burning with tears and the lump in my throat was making it impossible to breathe. Just then a nurse walked over with Carter and handed him to me bundled up in a tight hospital blanket with a blue and pink striped beanie on his head. I don’t think Eric or I said anything. We just sat there, held each other and cried. I literally was numb, I didn’t want to feel or believe this was really happening. They must have made a mistake. We were 29 years old and healthy. How come no one told us? What had we done wrong? I thought about every regret in my life and immediately blamed myself, so this is my payback. I held onto Carter so tightly like I was never going to let go. Inside of my head I thought about complications. What if he doesn’t make it? Is it safe to love him, what if we lose him? I cried aloud like I had never cried before and I kept saying, “he is perfect to me, I love him no matter what”. I thought that if I kept saying it over and over again, I would feel better, it would make it all better.
It was almost 1:30am when I saw my mom poke her head through our hospital doorway, my dad a few steps behind her. I had been hysterically crying for over an hour and it took all the energy I had to mumble the words, “they think he has Down syndrome”. It was as if they had seen a ghost, I knew their heart hurt, just as bad as ours did. I watched tears run down my mom’s face, shocked by the news and terrified to think of what I was feeling. My dad remained strong, he just gently kissed me on my forehead, he didn’t have to say anything. I watched Eric hug them and almost fall apart even more. They stayed for hours and tried to be supportive as possible. They held Carter in their arms and despite their fears of the unknown, they welcomed him.
A few hours passed and I needed to use the restroom. Eric helped me and we stepped into the bathroom, it was our first time alone. We talked about how our lives would be so much different then we planned and how Carter would probably live with us forever. I just remember feeling a sense of relief knowing I would be going through this with such a strong and supportive husband. Maybe things would be okay. Maybe our life could go on.
The next day I barely remember, Eric and I had not slept at all. Eric’s parents came first thing in the morning. It was hard to watch Eric greet his parents. I watched him just melt into his mom’s arms, a mother loving and trying to comfort her son. I think the news was just as hard for our families as it was for us because nobody knew what the right thing to say was. They stayed for hours and by the end of the day we were smiling, laughing and celebrating the arrival of Carter. Once you held that baby boy in your arms, he had you wrapped around his tiny little finger. The tears of unknown were turning into tears of joy. Carter was a son, a grandson, a cousin, and our gift from God.
We stayed in the hospital for four days. The doctors and nurses wanted to monitor his progress. He had a little trouble latching on to nurse but soon became quite the eater. Carter never experienced any health problems such a heart defect or other complications related to Down syndrome. I thank God for that every day. We were free to take our baby boy home from the hospital.

We packed all of our belongs and were ready to go. Eric went to the car to get Carter’s car seat while I was dressing Carter in his outfit to go home. I picked this outfit out months before. It was a blue and brown oneies with fuzzy light blue pants and a striped jacket to match. I started to cry when I was dressing him thinking about all of the other plans I had made. I had always envisioned this perfect life for our happy little family of three. I knew it was going to be a long road of hurt but it was necessary for us to grieve to be able to move on with our lives. We were going to lead a new life now, with new dreams and new expectations.
Eric came back from the car almost a half an hour later, sweating and looking flustered. He couldn’t figure out how to release the car seat from the base. I hadn’t given him lessons yet because we were in the hospital two weeks earlier than planned. The nurse came in with the wheelchair to take us to the car and to stock us up with every supply she could stuff in our bags. Carter was tucked tightly in his seat bundled up in his oversized clothes, beanie and soft blue blanket. This was it, we were headed outside of the hospital for the first time as a family. I remember studying people’s faces as we passed them in the hallway of the hospital, everyone was smiling. Did they know? Could they tell our new baby was born with Down syndrome? I knew from this day forward I was going to protect this boy of mine with all that I had in me. I held onto his car seat even tighter and smiled proudly back at the onlookers. I was proud to be Carter’s mama.
By no means will I ever forgot the pain and agony I felt that day. Some of the feelings I felt that day will probably never actually be said aloud. No one will ever be able to feel what I felt unless you have experienced it yourself. If I could have seen into our future, if I could have known what I know now. I would have been relieved to know that the aching in my heart would be replaced with pure love and happiness for a child that I unexpectedly dreamed of. There are still days that I worry about his future. How will he be in school? How will the other kids treat him? Will he ever fall in love? What will he do when he grows up? Things every typical parent asks themselves but I realize that some of life’s questions are unknown and won’t be easy. However since the day Carter was born, he never ceases to amaze me. I know my little boy will have a bright and promising future.

Today Carter Nicholas turns three years old. He has graduated from the birth to three program is ready to start Pre-school in January. Carter is still learning to use his words and is able to use some sign language. Eric and I understand him perfectly, we have our own special language. Carter loves music and is a dancing machine. Carter is also part fish and loves his swim lessons. Carter is a vibrant, enthusiastic, and loving little boy. People are naturally drawn to him and you will love him instantly after meeting him. We still have our challenges and some days are harder than others but I wouldn’t change our lives for anything. Carter was meant to be in our family. In my lifetime I want to dedicate my time to change perceptions of how people view individuals with Down syndrome and other special needs. Carter is capable of changing and teaching the world and I promise to be by his side to help him do that.
Carter Nicholas, I love you with all of my heart. Happy Birthday sweet boy, thank you for choosing me to be your mama.

Alison Corey Tharaldson
December 2, 2011

Three years ago. . .

2011-12-02T10:35:00.000-08:00

Three years ago, we were blessed with Carter Nicholas. In honor of his 3rd birthday I decided to write his birth story. I will post our story later today. It's a long one, so be prepared. . .

I am thankful for. . .

2011-11-24T19:52:00.000-08:00

Simple and sweet. . . I am thankful for my beautiful family. I love my boys and my dedicated hottie of a husband who works so hard to take care of us. I am thankful to be home with my children and thank them for making me their mama. I am thankful for my boys grandparents and love the way they love our babes. Thank you for teaching us to be the parents we are. I am thankful for having a sister in law, Erin and her wonderful fam that comes with her, because I always wanted a sister. I am thankful for my creative, unique brother Josh and his other half Charlie who we deeply missed today. And let's be honest, I am thankful for red wine because I couldn't get through life without you either! Cheers!
Happy Turkey Day!!!!
Thanksgiving 2011

Watch out!

2011-11-17T22:41:00.000-08:00

Here's a story that we will laugh about one day. Saturday night about 3am I wake up to hear the cabinet doors in the boy's bathroom opening. Eric was gone working a graveyard shift so I quickly popped up to see what was going on. Well Mr. Carter had gotten up (which he NEVER does) and decided to play in the bathroom. The only problem was he had shut the door and opened the drawer leaving about one centimeter of space. I calmly tried to get him to close the drawer. I brought out snacks, toys and musical instruments, anything I could think of to try to get him to want to come out. Nothing was working and I began to panick, it had been a little over a half hour at this point. I finally had gotten a hold of Eric which was good because I was one phone call away from calling the fire department. He tried to keep me calm but once Carter started to cry, there was no calming me down. My mama instincts took over and I was going to break that door down if I had to. I found every tool possible and went to town on the door. By 5am I had broken through the door and Carter was safe and sound.

Some how Nolan slept through it all, which was a very good thing. Eric made it home shortly after the ordeal and all was well, all but the door. And later on that afternoon as I was retelling the story to friends and family we were laughing. Because things are always better when you laugh about them. Looks like we may need to add a new door to our Christmas list.

Family haircut day

2011-11-17T22:15:00.000-08:00

Every 6 weeks or so, the boys in this house need a trim. They grow hair like their Daddy (AKA- Harry). Unfortunatly they strongly dislike having their hair trimmed. It is a two person job between Eric and I. So this session of hair cutting, I got smart. . . M&M's and music. Much easier with chocolate and the Rio Soundtrack playing in their ears!

Opps

2011-11-17T21:29:00.000-08:00

Our little Carter loves to take off his diaper. We have to make sure he sleeps in pants or his jammies because Lord knows what we will find. The other morning he managed to take his diaper off inside of his jammies and when I unzipped him, I found his diaper wrapped around his ankle! Nice buddy!

B-day parties!

2011-11-13T18:53:00.000-08:00

We celebrated two friends birthday's last weekend. Kiera's 2nd birthday at the farm and Adeline's 3rd birthday at the Bouncy House. Some where along the way we picked up a little virus so we have been homebound all this week. It has been a long week. The tikes were feeling better this weekend so we did a couple outings just no contact with other kiddos. It has been a long week!!!

Beware of the super protective mama. . .

2011-11-07T19:09:00.001-08:00

So changes are in order. Our little man is approaching his third birthday (December 2) and we are getting ready for pre-school. The process has been somewhat challenging for us. Prepare yourself because I complain here a little bit! I just can't understand if you are in the "business" then you should know how to choose your words. I am prepared to offer classes in Professionalism 101 because in unprofessional terms- "you suck"! My first conversation started with "Tell me about Carter, is he high or is he low?" My response was "well mam I can tell you about what Carter does well and other areas we may need to work on". Conversation continues with, "let me guess he must be very happy and sociable but is also very stubborn and set in his ways". If you have a child with DS, you may want to knock someone upside the head when they throw this stereotypical remark at you. Umm last time I checked every 2 year old is happy and also stubborn, DS or not. I remember after Carter was born, people would say to me well at least he will be happy all of the time. And I wanted to respond to them by saying my child will be happy because he is loved and treasured, not because he has DS. And if you have met my little man, he has his moments. It's not always ponies and rainbows around here. He experiences every emotion just as a typical child would.After awhile (and more annoying questions and comments) I began to realize that I need to grow thicker skin. I have to prepare myself because this is just the beginning. School is going to bring big changes and new people into our world. People that I will politely need to educate because they obviously missed their Professionalism 101 class in college.We have had several meeting and had to do some assessments with Carter to see what areas we need to work on. Although not sure what these questions, like "when he is in a grocery store does he refrain from touching things?" Or "does he walk on the sidewalk or does he tend to want to walk in the street"? Well let's see being the parent that I am, I don't let him run free in the grocery store and throw things off the shelf nor do I let him run wild in the street. So is this question for my parenting skills or actually have something to do with the way you will be educating my son? Seriously?With all complaining aside I am excited for Carter to start Pre-school, I realize there are a few hoops we will have to jump through to get there but we'll get there. And Mr. Carter along with his mama will teach a few lessons on our way there!

Weekend in Winthrop

2011-11-07T19:05:00.000-08:00

For Eric's birthday we took a family trip to Winthrop and spend 3 days enjoying the peaceful little town far away from home. The town looks like an old western movie set in Hollywood. Loved it! Cute shops with friendly smiling faces, quaint restaurants with food grown locally, and colors of fall everywhere you looked. Schedules were set aside and we never even looked at the time. We took long hikes and explored. The cabin (http://cascadecondos.com/) we stayed in was amazing, thanks to Katie's mom Karen and step-dad Randy. The decor was rustic and country. We had a tremendous time and can't wait to visit again. We will feeling adventures so we even stopped by Leavenworth on the way home to sip an October feast beer and munch on a hot dog at our favorite place (mine was a veggie braut of course and the boys an organic turkey dog, daddy enjoyed the real deal though). Great, great weekend.
Happy birthday Daddy! We love you!

Trick or Treat!

2011-11-01T15:20:00.000-07:00

We headed downtown Enumclaw again this year for the Halloween celebration. (And my damn battery in my camera ran out within 5 minutes of us getting there, I almost cried! I charged that bad boy up later so I survived!) The boys are still a little young for trick or treating but are starting to discover what candy is, thanks to daddy. Eric was nervous about being the only adults in costumes but our family themed costumes were a hit. Even random strangers wanted our pictures. We passed "Puff the Magic Dragon" who was very impressed with our costumes and proceeded to say "Oh look the tin man, lion, scarecrow and . . . hot Dorothy!" Thank you sir but easy "Puff" your wife may not agree and my husband might attack you! (Don't get me wrong, a girl loves a compliment but have some class in front of the small babes dude!)

Then we headed over to the grandparents to celebrate Grandma Carol's birthday. Happy birthday Nana, we love you! (Today is her actual birthday!)

Happy Halloween

2011-11-01T15:04:00.000-07:00

Saturday night we headed out to the Dow's for a little "grown up" Halloween party. Everyone brought their kiddos at the beginning and then the grandparents came in waves to wisk off with the little ones. We had a fabulous time!

Fall leaves

2011-10-25T12:52:00.000-07:00

They didn't have this when I was a little girl. $10 to go throw some leaves in the air. Nothing in life is free anymore, not even going outside! And the second I parked the ranger was at my door asking for my receipt or Discover Pass. Whatever!

When I was little my parents used to take us to the park to build up piles of leaves and throw them in the air. So I packed up the babes and headed to Flaming Geyser Park. We danced in the leaves, ran through the muddy wet puddles and re-lived some of mama's childhood memories. Only problem was mama watches to much Dateline and any person that looked our way, I wrote down their license plate number. Call me crazy, but I just think I am cautious. Just protecting the fam. I'm a little nervous in wooded parks. But besides me being slightly crazy we had a fun afternoon.

I want my own pumpkin patch!

2011-10-17T16:10:00.000-07:00

I have decided, my new dream is to buy some property, grow some pumpkins and have our own patch. I seriously can't get enough of these places with my little ones running all over the place as if we were in Disneyland. Today Eric was home and we ventured off to Thomasson Farms in Enumclaw. I watch our buddy Raleigh on Monday's and Fridays's so he accomplained us on our fun field trip to the farm. This place was made for kiddos, so much to do, it was amazing. If all three of the boys weren't falling asleep we probably would have stayed there the rest of the day. They had a petting zoo, corn pit, hay maze, trike track, tractor rides, yummy treats and so much more. I couldn't take enough pictures! After a long day at the patch, all the babes are resting and mama is scoping out some property to grow our future patch! Happy pumpkin hunting!

If only I could live at the pumpkin patch

2011-10-10T15:33:00.000-07:00

Look out because here we come!

Ready to ride!

Ohh, look at this one brother!

Tough call, I want them all. . .

We have discovered the mud puddles, really? Thanks Grandpa!

Long day at the patch!

Nothing I love more then a day at the pumpkin patch. I could spend hours just watching my babes run up and down the isles of pumpkins. And yes I go a little crazy with pictures, but I can't get enough of their precious little faces lighting up every time they discovered something. This year was so much fun because both of our tikes were walking, it was a whole new world for us. A whole new dirty world, they discovered mud puddles thanks to Grandpa B. But I let them dance their hearts out in the mud because they were having the time of their lives. I just might have to take them to another patch this season because yesterday was so fun!

"The list"

2011-10-06T21:22:00.000-07:00

The boys, my mom and I had the privelliage to attend a special event hosted by Kindering (http://www.kindering.org/) to meet the author, Jagatjoti Singh Khalsa who wrote, "I'm Down with You". (http://imdownwithyou.com/)

A nice lady checked us in and we received our name tags. Carter made a grand enterance, running from left to right talking to anyone who made eye contact with him. We were welcomed into a room filled with nothing but smiles. I felt like we were VIP in a special club, we got invited because we are on "the list". People came up to introduce themselves and wanted to know about our family. Throughout the evening we heard the author speak and families that told their story. It made me want to stand up and tell our story. I saw new parents with their one month old son who had DS, I wanted to run to them and tell them how I thought they were so brave to be there, I could not have done that. I wanted to tell them that it seems so unbearable and heartbreaking right now but it gets easier. I can remember those first couple weeks after bringing Carter home, some days I didn't know how I was going to make it to the next. But that little man of mine showed me how to love like I didn't know I could love. No one can tell you that after you find out, you can't even believe that you will ever be okay again. Some of the thoughts that went through my head in the beginning, I still feel guilty about and to this day I have never even said aloud. I wanted to tell those parents, I have felt it, I know your pain but one day you will be able to be the proud mama like I was that night. My boy lights up a room, he turns heads, his smile is contagious, he makes you laugh and he put us on "the list".

Pre-school prep

2011-10-04T15:03:00.000-07:00

We have been working to get Mr. Carter ready for pre-school which is starting this winter after he turns 3 in December. He is attending a playgroup at his therapy center which works on the skills that he will use in the classroom. This is our second week and today went much better than last week. I can defiantly say that Carter is a fan of the music but not so much of the arts and crafts side. Today he participated in circle time like he was an old pro. Followed the songs, directions and even the hand movements. We are still working on being gentle with toys (and our brother) and asking for things by using his signs or words. I will keep you posted on his progress!

Get your chores done!

2011-10-03T14:28:00.000-07:00

It's about time these boys get to work and start helping their mama get some chores done. Carter loves to empty the dishwasher (and load the washing machine). He hands you each piece, one by one. Nolan on the other hand just likes to throw the dishes.

Music man

2011-10-03T14:20:00.000-07:00

Another wedding. . .

2011-10-01T10:39:00.000-07:00

We went to the Kluge wedding last weekend at the Seattle Rowing Club on Lake Union. Mama and Daddy went out for a little while the kiddos were around the corner from us with their Uncle Josh, Brett, and Caroline. We had a blast, a little too much fun actually.

2011-09-28T22:14:00.000-07:00

Fall family pics

2011-09-28T22:03:00.000-07:00

I was trying to wait to show our fall family pictures but was to excited and had to share. Erin did a wonderful job. (My links won't work for some reason but to check out her work look at Head over Heels or Erin & Steven) There are tons more but here are a few of my favorites!

Visiting the woods. . .

2011-09-22T22:10:00.000-07:00

Made our way over to the woods this last weekend to spend some time with Grandma and Grandpa T. Always an adventure when we visit. They also had lot of new exciting things to show and share. Grandpa Robin fulfilled his dream of getting a boat, he showed the future fishermen their new ride. He was beaming with excitment, so proud of their new treasure. Grandma G also had "new" to show, little baby chicks were hatched. Nothing like a mini farm at the grandparents. Love it! My little city boys were a little weary of the animals at first but warmed up to them eventually. We loved spending the weekend with the grandparents and can't wait to them again soon!

Our new toy!

2011-09-22T21:54:00.000-07:00

Last week we spent our last day at the park in Black Diamond because my friends we brought the park to our backyard. We found a steal of a deal just as summer is coming to an end, a new swing set with all the bells and whistles. We are soaking up our numbered days in the backyard, swinging and sliding our hearts out. Plus we have had lots of vistors over to enjoy our new toy. Notice our buddy Raleigh in the swing who comes to play every week now. Lucky us!

Mama and Teacher

2011-09-21T21:27:00.000-07:00

So this afternoon we had a meeting with the instructor that will be teaching Carter's new playgroup at his therapy center. As most of you know I have been teaching the last 5 years and now I am staying home with the boys. Staying home is giving Carter and Nolan so many more opportunities that I couldn't do when I was working full time. I feel so lucky to be home with them, even though some days are harder then others. So my role inside this house is to be a mama and outside of here I had been a teacher. I always tried to envision what it felt like being the parent of one of my kindergartners. I always used to say to myself, remember these are their babies. I would ask parents to work with their kids at home on skills we were working on in the classroom. And conversations with parents could be tough when one of my kiddos was struggling with a skill. Being a teacher, I considered myself an empathic person. After becoming a parent and teaching my empathy skyrocketed. But today I found myself on the fence. The instructor of Carter's upcoming class was explaining the schedule and expectations. She told me about during craft time, the kids are to sit down and participate in the art project provided. And if they are not interested they are still suppose to remain in the area and can partake in another activity such as reading a story. To a typical parent of a 2 1/2 year old, that may not sound like much. But my little man will have nothing to do with crafts, believe me I try. Paper is for ripping and crayons are for eating. Sitting at a table for about all of 2 seconds, maybe if your lucky. I work on these things at home but there is only so much I can do. Am I being a good parent? Failing as a teacher? Should we be working harder? For the first time I found myself nervous and afraid for what Carter may face in school. The instructor continued to discuss the classroom activities and I found myself overwhelmed. I was angry, upset, how do they expect Carter to participate in these activities but then on the flip side, I said wow I am glad he is held to the same expectations as all of the other students in the class. I know when Carter starts school, things are going to be tough but damn it, it hurts. I curse the world for being an unfair, cruel place and thank the world that excepts and celebrates us all for who we are. In life we will always have to play two sides, take on different roles and do what is best for the ones we love.
Tonight I laid down next to Carter and watched him sleep. I rubbed his little head and promised him I would protect him for the rest of his life.
I whispered and told him he was going to do big things in this lifetime. I told him, no matter what his mama would always be proud of him.

I never got the memo. . . .

2011-09-19T15:53:00.000-07:00

Carter has been attending swim lessons this summer and just started the fall session last week. My little fish is doing a fantastic job in the water. He is an excellent bubble blower, loves to jump off the side, a strong wall walker and has fantastic floating abilities. During the summer session I always showed up in my bikini, because that is what I own. I never got the memo. . . when you become a mom you must invest in a one piece suit. So there I was looking like a little hussy in my two piece and big old regretful tattoo on my back, knowing damn well other moms were probably talking about me. And when one of the girls popped her head out during swim lessons, it was time. . . time for the big girl mama suit. So I did it, I waited for Target to put their swim wear on clearance and I picked myself up a suit, whole piece and all, navy with a little ruffle down the center to jazz it up. It's official, I am a mom.
So last week at our first fall lesson I walked in, in my mom suit feeling conservative and confident like I was an official member to the new club! I still have my two piece attitude and don't you worry I will rock that thing tell the girls are dragging on the floor (which won't be long) just not at swim lessons!

(New mama suit is not featured in the post, that was pre-mama suit slash "hussy" suit.)

Happy Birthday to Erika Lynn

2011-09-15T15:19:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Erika Lynn's birthday dinner with friends at our favorite sushi place, Umi's in Seattle. Nice little grown-up night out but home by 11, perfect!

Labor Day weekend

2011-09-11T14:15:00.000-07:00

Mama decided last minute to make a quick trip to E-burg, all by myself. Yep put my big girl pants on and hit the road. I went after dinner and was home before the kids woke up so they didn't even realize I was gone. I had a wonderful time, stayed with the Gibson's and caught up with old friends and re-lived my college days. Love me some Ellensburg!

Fun at Nana and Papa's house

2011-09-11T14:07:00.000-07:00

We stayed the night over Nana and Papa's house on Labor day. The boys had a great time playing in the yard and with the dog (and his cage)!

Enjoying the outdoors

2011-09-11T14:03:00.000-07:00

Soaking up every last day of summer. Eating ice cream and playing in the pool.

1st dentist appointment

2011-09-11T13:52:00.000-07:00

Well we attempted Carter's first dentist appointment. I sat in the chair with him in hopes it would make him more comfortable. He did not open his mouth the slightest bit, I literally had to pry it open. The dentist said that was fine we would slowly build up to his first cleaning, so every 6 months we will come in, walk around, possibly look at his teeth but mainly to just get him comfortable. We found an amazing dentist in Federal Way, Dr. John Hodges. He has 3 young children and his 8 year old son happens to have DS. We really enjoyed our visit, well maybe not Carter but he will learn to like the place one day.

Boys will be boys

2011-09-06T22:14:00.000-07:00

Daddy did some construction before Nolan's party so the boys got there little paws on anything they could hence the paint on Nolan's head. I promise my children are supervised but sometimes, they are so quick!

Got into a little paint there Mr.?

Exactly why mama has to clean the darn windows everyday!

And already trying to take mama's car without asking!!!

My little one year old

2011-08-30T14:05:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe it has already been a year. You turned one on August 26. Nolan you are an amazing sweet little mama's boy. You are happiest in mama's arms and love to be cuddled. You finally sleep through the night and you go down for your naps like a champ. You still love your binky and I am not sure how we will break that habit. You love to nurse and refuse to drink other milk. You take one drink, shake your head, and say "uh-huh". You want everything your brother has and he wants everything you have, even if you both have the same thing. You two communicate in a way only brothers do and I love to watch you guys giggle and play. You are pretty much walking but still think crawling will get you there faster. Nolan Joseph, I love you with all my heart. Happy Birthday sweet boy.

Nolan's birthday party

2011-08-29T14:17:00.000-07:00

The next day after lunch, after all of his friends had left. I literally turned around to grab something in the kitchen and came back to find poor little man passed out in his chair. Parties are tough when you're one.

It was the hottest day of the year and we had ourselves quite the pirate party in celebration of our little one, Nolan turning one. All the planning, organizing and preparation for the big party was worth it. I may not have sat down until 10 o'clock that night but there was fun had by all. Thank you everyone for coming, your help and gifts. We feel truly blessed to have spent the day with all of the special people in our lives!

Going to the zoo, zoo, zoo . . .how about you, you, you?

2011-08-23T08:13:00.000-07:00

BFF- Haley & I

Rach, Haley, & I and our caravan of children.

Carter wanted more pictures taken, boy loves the camera!

(Sorry Raleigh, your hat was too small, your mama later informed me there was a hat in your bag. We found it so don't worry you didn't wear this one all day long.)

Raleigh woke up to see this big boy smiling down on him!

Carter woke up Friday morning to a baby boy all bundled up in a car seat sitting on our bench. We had the privilege of watching Raleigh on Friday while his mama and papa went to work. Carter was very excited to find out little Raleigh was going to spend the day with us. So Grandma and I ventured out to the zoo with three sweet baby boys to meet up with the girls and their beauties!

We had a great day in the sunshine and all the babes were on their best behavior. Does this mean I am ready for baby number three???!!!!

I didn't do it mama. . . look at this face!

2011-08-23T08:06:00.000-07:00

Wild little stinkers emptied out mama's drawers the other day. Too bad it was my underwear drawer. Future girlfriends will love this picture!

Lost without it

2011-08-14T14:23:00.000-07:00

So our trip to the ocean was a blast, but I am sad to say I came home with a broken camera. I feel like I have lost a limb. I feel like I am missing priceless moments that will be permanently erased from my memory without the pictures to remind me. Okay dramatic but all is well because a new life line should be on our porch by Wednesday. It leaves my blog post with nothing but words so here we go.

Last year at this time I was patiently waiting for the arrival of our second boy. Not knowing what life would be after two little ones in our household. I can't believe it has almost been a year. I truly believe that having two babies makes you officially part of the parent club (nothing against only children parents). It is a whole new game juggling two of them though but I love it and I can't wait for more. (Only one more and pray it is a girl, because hubby says his is snipping the supply after the next.)

So what have these two stinkers been up to, well. . .

Nolan are a mama's boy for sure, you can't get enough of your mama which I don't always mind. You have taken about 4 steps so far and I am sure you will be walking within the next couple weeks. You can say "mama", occasionally "dada" and your sweet little "uh huh" when you are being naughty. You look up to your brother and everything he does. You always want the toy he has even if you have the same. You love your binky and mama is thankful for it to (although scared to break the habit someday soon) You are still nursing like a champ even with your 9 teeth, poor mama. You eat like no baby I have ever seen, baby food was not for you and you want everything that brother is eating. You have beautiful long eyelashes and a smile that is to die for. You like to scrunch up your nose and giggle, you sound like a little piggy. I love you to pieces.
Carter bug, my little toddler. My little man all grown up, so indepentdent with a heart of gold. You have learned to love your brother and I love to watch you play. Your hugs are sweet and you like to pat and rub my back when you squeeze. You surprise me with your words, saying "I love you" out of the blue but yet to repeat it again. Hearing it one time will keep me smiling for months to come. Your love of music is unbelieveable, you would dance in your sleep if there was music playing. You make your mama and daddy proud everyday in all that you have learned. You love to listen to books and fall asleep on mama's chest when she reads. You love animals and are hilarious when you inmitate their sounds.
My two little men, I love you so much. Thank you for being mine, thanks for making me your mama.
Love, Mama

Grown up time

2011-08-09T21:36:00.000-07:00

Anniversary dinner at Umi's sushi

Wedding in Semiahmoo

My summer days are spent being a full time mama, finding things for the babes and I to do (while daddy is at work). And don't get me wrong, I enjoy every moment we spend together but sometimes a mama needs a little break. I would be lying if I said it was easy to spend all day and night taking care of babies. Like tonight for example. . .

I am in the process of trying to teach Carter how to use the potty. I am taking it very slow and he sits on the potty before bath time every night (proud to say he has gone potty a few times on the big boy pot). So tonight Carter is on the potty and Nolan was already in the tub. Then Carter joined him in the bath but he must have not finished his business in the toilet because when he got in the tub he finished going pee on the back of poor Nolan. He then proceeds to do the big job . . . in the freakin tub! So I have everyone evacuate the tub so I can sanitize the entire place. Two soaking wet babies out of the tub and waiting for me to fill it back up again. Meanwhile Carter runs to the play room to wait for me to say the tub is ready again. Oh the surprise he had waiting for me. . . again not finished with his business, he pooped on the floor in the playroom! AHH!!!

So I think from time to time, a little break from poop patrol for mommy would be a good thing.

Seabrooke. . . look out the Becker's/Tharaldson's are here

2011-08-04T22:57:00.000-07:00

Uncle Josh & Charlie

Nolan taking in the ocean view

Daddy relaxing on the beach

Grandpa snuggling one tired little man

My little fish, who had just b-lined for the ocean, clothes and all.

Playing at the playground

A big a** stump, Eric thought was very cool

Shuffle board, anyone?

Cheers to Grandpa Nick & Grandma Carol who made this trip to the ocean possible.

Uncle Josh took this lovely picture just for me. Oh brother how do I love thy, let me count the ways. . . you are . . . my brother. Put here to drive me crazy, but I love ya!

Family . . . .

Well we packed up and headed to the ocean. 6 adults, 2 kids, and 3 dogs . . . quite the adventure. Grandpa & Grandma B treated us all to a fabulous week at the beach. We had our own huge house in a cute little town called Seabrooke, about 2 1/2 hours from Seattle.

I am exhausted so I will have to share details later. Goodnight!

Forever and ever. . .

2011-07-31T15:21:00.000-07:00

To my very best friend. July 29, 2011 marks our 5 year anniversary. 5 years of loving and learning together. I love you more then anything in this world. You truly are my soul mate. I am proud to call you my husband! I am blessed to be able to spend the rest of my life with you! I love you babe!

I did it. . .

2011-07-27T15:48:00.000-07:00

I feel like waving my victory flag, shouting from the rooftops-"don't mess with Carter's mama" and marching in an advocacy parade for DS. Awhile ago I ran into a lady at Costco (see "choosing my battles") I always said I would say something if I ever had the chance, I wanted her to know that it is not okay to say the things she said. Well this week I had my chance. I went to Costco with the kids to meet my mom. Out of the corner of my eye I see her, waving at my kiddos and trying to talk to them. I turned to my mom and said "oh my God, it's her"! The lady who was all up in our business, asking rude and inappropriate questions. I kept walking, I had to keep my cool. But what do you know a couple minutes later she comes down the same isle we are on. I was trying to help Carter try out a bike and I hear her say "is he special needs?" Remaining calm and not letting her see I had built this moment up in my head for months I went to her and said. . . "Mam, a couple months ago you asked some inappropriate and invasive questions that I was not comfortable with. You had questions about my womb and I am sorry I don't know you and don't feel it is okay for you to be asking questions like that. Especially because you shouted out your questions in front of 80 people in line and the cashier at Costco. I would be more then happy to answer questions about DS but I do not like the way you spoke to me and my family last time." I wanted to go on but I couldn't, I felt that tight knot in my throat and I knew I was about to cry, my palms were sweating and I was shaking. But I did not let her see my fear, I was strong and I was standing up for my family! She did apologize but not sincerely because I believe this is the type of women that just likes to have the last word. She tried to reassure me that she had nothing but kind words, yeah whatever lady, stick around and I will share my kind words. As we were walking away, Carter is wanting to get down and she says "oh looks like someone is going through the terrible 2's", (as if this woman had not said enough already) my mother replies back "no he is not, he is just independent!" Boo-yah lady, take that! Don't mess with our family!

I feel good, I feel like I made one small difference in what will be a lifetime of people that just don't get it or know. I am here to protect my baby and educate the ones that need it. So instead of me being bitter and angry at the cruel world, I celebrate. I celebrate the fact that I have a little man who's face lights up a room. I celebrate that he has his own special language that I can only understand. I celebrate his giant hugs with soft pats on my back when I pick him up. I celebrate that Carter Nicholas will change your perception of what "special needs" really is.

I know they are mine but. . .

2011-07-24T12:01:00.000-07:00

I can't help but think they are the most precious little boys ever! Sometimes they are so darn cute, I just want to eat 'em! They are both so messy so now it is a ritual to just take their shirts off before a meal. The less laundry, the better!

Lake Chelan

2011-07-22T07:03:00.000-07:00

We headed East in search of the sun. . . we found it (for at least 2 0f the 3 days) in Lake Chelan. We joined the Gibson's for a "relaxing" vacation on the beach in their condo. We did our best to "relax" with 5 kids under the age of three. Crazy to say the least. Going into town people looked at us as if daycare had just been let out. All the babes were great and got along just fine. We let the husbands out for a morning to golf with the intention the mamas would be able to wine taste in the afternoon. Once the kiddos went down for a nap Katie's mom, Katie, and I were out the door in a New York minute headed to explore the wine country. We walked into one winery and an older gentlemen said "wow you girls look nice and dressed up, did you just go to a wedding?" We reply with "no, it's nap time". We were accessorized, wearing heels and sipping wine like it was nobody's business.

We had a wonderful couple days soaking up some sun and letting the babies explore new territory. Katie and her family were generous hosts and we would love to be guest again someday.

Harper's 1st birthday

2011-07-21T16:29:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we celebrated our niece Harper's first birthday. We enjoyed brunch with the fam.

With it being Harper's b-day, guess who's b-day is just around the corner. . . Nolan!!!! I can't believe he is going to be one!!!

A day at the beach

2011-07-13T23:04:00.000-07:00

Carter thinking he is hiding from the camera behind my legs

Licking the salt water

Check out the right hand, full of sand about to go directly in his mouth. Yucky!

One of the 5 nice days we have had here in Seattle we took the boys down to Alki to enjoy the sea, sand, and sunshine. And we got to try out our new sun tent from Costco. I heart Costco, I do not remember life before Costco. I love their products, their parking spaces (they are huge just like everything else there) and their grocery carts. . . the list goes on.

Anyways, the kiddos had a fabulous time basking in the sun, drinking salt water and trying to eat the sand. Hopefully sometime again soon, the sun will grace us with it's presence!

Kicking it in the cool cart at the Depot

2011-07-11T08:08:00.000-07:00

Big brother doing most of the driving, little brother kicking back eating his snacks while touring Home Depot. Mama struggling to push the darn thing around with run over someone's ankles and Daddy shopping his heart out!

4th of July

2011-07-11T07:29:00.000-07:00

Roasting marshmallows at Haley & Ralph's on the lake, waiting for the fireworks to start.

4th of July Kid's parade in West Seattle at Auntie Molly's.

In Bremerton at Grandma Georgia & Grandpa's.

A weekend packed full of events. We took off on Saturday to head to Bremerton and meet the grandparents at the canal for dinner. Poor Carter had a small accident with the trailer and came home with a new shiner on

his forehead. Sometimes I think I should just have him and his brother in full body armor and helmets and then I may feel a little better. Everyone says with boys, just get used to it. We stayed the night in the woods (that is what I call Bremerton- "the woods") and Eric went golfing the next morning.

Monday we headed to West Seattle to be in a 4th of July parade. It started right down the street from Auntie Molly's. We marched in the parade and then enjoyed a potluck in the sunshine at the neighbors.

Next we headed to Haley and Ralph's on the lake to ring in the 4th with a BBQ, roasted marshmallows and a fabulous firework show. Good times all weekend long!

Big boy bed

2011-07-11T07:21:00.000-07:00

Look who is sleeping in their big boy bed! I thought it was going to be a lot harder to have Carter start sleeping in his bed, but it has been an easy trasition.

Moses Lake

2011-07-06T09:01:00.000-07:00

Moses Lake Water Park Taking a little nap on the beach
Nolan . . .whatca drinking?

Macy & Carter seeing who could drink their milk fasterI made some cupcakes for Macy's b-day since we weren't able to make it on her actual b-day. Carter & Macy getting the dirt ready to plant their new backyard.

We headed over to Moses Lake to visit Amber (also baby boy in her tum) , Greg, and Macy at their new beautiful home! They just recently moved into a gorgeous huge new house so we had to help break it in for them. They are also getting ready to welcome a baby boy into their little family of three. Amber looked bloated, not even near almost 7 months pregnant! We had a great time.

My blog won't work

2011-06-30T23:27:00.000-07:00

School is out for summer!

2011-06-29T22:51:00.000-07:00

School is out for summer! These are my ladies I will miss the most this summer! Although I know we will get together often. Mrs. T's plans for next year have changed. Stay tuned for updates.

Let's go outside!

2011-06-29T11:08:00.000-07:00

Finally a little sun to play outside in! Let the backyard parties begin! Swimming pool, sprinklers, water toys, popsicles, no diapers and running around naked! Yeah!

Father's Day continued. . .

2011-06-28T23:12:00.000-07:00

Carter trying to drive away in the grandparents car!

Great Grandma Blanche giving the boys some love.

The Grandparents

Cheers to the three dads!

Happy Father's day

2011-06-22T21:21:00.000-07:00

To the most loving father, Happy Father's day. Our boys and I are so blessed to have a papa like you. I love the way you love our babies. Fatherhood is something in life you were meant to do. I love you with all of my heart. August 26, 2010 Nolan Joseph made you a daddy for the second time.

December 2, 2008 Carter Nicholas officially made you a daddy.

2011-06-22T20:43:00.000-07:00

Driving the car at lunch

Taking a break on the bench in the middle of the mall.

Hitting up the mall on a rainy Saturday afternoon, doing some last minute Father's day shopping. We had a little lunch with Grandma, toasting our last day of school (which was this Monday) Oh and the joys of being a kid, every ride and game in the pictures did not have one quarter dropped in it's slot. No, my little munchkin still can appreciate the novelty of something new and cool.

2011-06-15T20:55:00.000-07:00

It's official, I am in my 30's. I remember thinking, 30 is old! Now I think I will have to bump it up a notch, 40 can be old. I celebrated my 32 birthday all weekend long with family and friends. Eric surprised me on Friday with dinner, cake, flowers, wine, and a brand new bike! (Special thanks to both my mom & dad and my in laws for their presents as well!) Saturday we went to a BBQ at my girlfriends. And Sunday we headed to the winery on bikes for a fabulous picnic. The sun even decided to make an appearance. Thank you everyone for helping me celebrate this weekend!

Charlie giving Nolan some love!

BBQ at our friend's Kayla and Sean's house to celebrate Tiffany's and my birthday!

We need a trampoline now after last weekend! The boys loved it!

Me, Vanessa, Tiffany, Kristin, Lisa & Kayla

My loving husband was full of surprises!He bakes me a cake and decorates it every year. Yummy!

To the canal for Memorial weekend

2011-06-06T20:41:00.000-07:00

Cousin Piper and Carter having a great time at the canal over Memorial weekend.

Giving brother some love!

Piper giving Carter some advice on life

Carter taking his first boat ride with Daddy and Grandpa Robin

Grandma Georgia soaking up the love of her grand babies!

Throwing rocks in the water

Over Memorial weekend we headed over to the canal to do some "semi" camping with the Grandparents and family. The first night was a little chilly, but we survived and then the sun made an appearance the next day. We filled our tummies with oysters, clams, burgers and smores!

Just relaxing. . .in my birthday suit!

2011-06-06T20:34:00.000-07:00

I was finishing th dishes up in the kitchen after dinner the other night and I turn around to find this. . . little man has discovered how to undue his diaper. He was just chilling watching Tangled, in the nude! Oh Carter, you crack me up!

BBQ at the Gamba's

2011-06-06T20:26:00.000-07:00

Over Memorial weekend we went to Uncle Meatball and Auntie Erika's for a BBQ. We invaded their house with kids, letting them loose to show them what needs to be baby proofed in their future. I can't wait for them to have babies. They have had plenty of practice and will be fabulous parents!

(Hurst's kids- Jordan (7) & Kale (4), Erica & James's girls- Morgan (5) & Haley (3) and our boys)

Our growing baby boys!

2011-06-05T22:09:00.000-07:00

Our growing boys! Oh how you keep your mama on her toes. Chasing the two of you in every direction. You are both changing so fast, I don't want to blink my eyes because I may miss something! Nolan, you are 9 months old and desperately trying to keep up with your brother. I am afraid you will be walking within the next month or so. You have 6 teeth and mama is painfully still nursing you. The neighbors may have heard a few yelps from me after you have bit me! You are quite the mama's boy and secretly I love it, I think it makes your papa a little jealous though. And your brother oh my. . . he is a crack up! Carter bug you are 2 1/2 and very indepentdent. You love being a big brother, you are constantly giving Nolan hugs (some a little aggressive) and kisses. You love copying everything that mama and daddy do, down to spitting while we are brushing our teeth. You make so many different sounds and your favorite new words are "go" and "socks". You are a sponge soaking up everything life is throwing your way. Mama loves the both of you more then words can say!

9 months old

He is so proud of himself!

Nolan pulls himself up on everything! He is starting to travel along funiture now! Ahh!

Big brother had to get his cow picture also. Carter is 2 1/2 now! I can't believe he is growing so fast!

Carter loves to read books.

Come on down to Bill's Fishin Hole. . . .

2011-05-22T21:51:00.000-07:00

We headed out to Bill's Fishin Hole in the sticks for Hayden's (my girlfriend Tiffany's son) 4th birthday party. Had ourselves a lovely time. Caught up with old friends, watched the kiddos try to wrangle in some fish, pet some animals and had birthday cake! The boys had a great time! Carter squaking at the birds.

Little man discovered the good stuff, poor guy couldn't put these yummy chips down. Why doesn't mommy buy me these is what he is thinking. Probably because mommy would look just like that if we had them in the house!

Carter signs dog for just about every furry animal he sees. We were checking out the goats here.

Lisa, Me, and Tiffany. Hard to believe we have been friends since junior high. (Umm that was quite a long time ago, considering I will be celebrating my 32 b-day next month.)

Dance party, yeah!

2011-05-22T21:45:00.000-07:00

We love music in this household and we have dance parties daily. This morning while I was cooking breakfast I caught these two wild ones shaking their groove things in front of the TV (We listen to music on Comcast, don't worry my babies aren't watching MTV!)

We beat the bridge!

2011-05-22T21:41:00.000-07:00

Pictures from last weekend's Beat the Bridge race we did for Flynn! Go Team Flynners! We look like drowned rats, but we had a great time. I want to be a runner now! (Although running outside is a whole new form of excercise compared to my treadmill)

One minute. . .

2011-05-17T22:07:00.000-07:00

I should be sleeping but I have one minute to myself so I thought I would make a quick post. Is it selfish to want to go to the bathroom by yourself? I seriously cannot remember the last time I got to run to pee just by myself. Within seconds of getting to the porcelain sanctuary there are two little boys smiling back up at me! Carter has a new obsession with flushing the toilet, so as I am using the facilities he is flushing his little heart out. And Nolan is pulling himself up on everything now so he is usually crawling up my leg at the same time. And all this mama wants to do is pee. . . alone!
Lately I have realized with two boys I will be a constant human jungle gym for them. Carter is pulling on my hair trying to crawl into my lap, while Nolan using my bubble yum nipples as a rock wall trying to crawl up and over my head. Yes that's right I said bubble yum nipples, they are seriously like a science project after nursing this long! They look like tube socks with rocks in the toes. Oh the beauty of motherhood.
We had a great weekend. We headed to Seattle to stay at my brother's and Charlie's for the night because we did a 8K run, Beat the Bridge on Sunday. We ran for my best friend Haley's little boy, Flynn who has diabetes. It absolutely poured rain the entire time, but we had a blast. And I was so proud watching Flynners run across the finish line. I will post some pics later. . . I am off to bed! Night, night!

Happy Mama's Day

2011-05-09T21:37:00.000-07:00

Hands down, best Mama's Day ever. My sweet husband and boys had the most wonderful day planned. To start the day off Eric made me breakfast while I got to take a shower and get ready all by myself. The simplest thing like just taking my time in the shower was a beautiful thing. After breakfast I had some much needed relaxing on the sofa with the Nordstrom spring catalog, picking out all of the new tops and shoes I need to go with my new jeans that my loving husband got me! And then we packed up for our afternoon adventure, crossing our fingers that the rain would subside. We headed to Marymoor Park in Redmond to start our bike ride to the Chateau Ste Michelle Winery. It was a little chilly but we had a blast. We had a picnic, explored the winery, and made a few new friends (Carter feed the ducks so they wouldn't leave after that.)

Favorite new ride!

One of our new buddies

Can you find Carter?

Afternoon nap in the bike trailer. Perfect!

Cheers to my husband who made me his wife and to my two baby boys that made me their mama. I love my life and can't remember what it was like before our children. Being a mom is life's most rewarding experience.

Buddies

2011-05-09T21:31:00.000-07:00

Our friends, Tiffany, Olly and their boys Hayden and Brody came over this weekend for dinner. We all went to a birthday party in the afternoon and then they came over to catch up. Tiffany and I discussed our dream of having sweet little girls one day.The little ones ran around playing so well together. And the daddies drank beer and ran the BBQ.

Shopping in the pantry

2011-05-08T21:31:00.000-07:00

I caught Carter in the pantry packing his lunch. He had 12 bags of Annies crackers and 1 bag of veggie chips. The kid knows what he likes.

Carter likes to go to the cupboard to get his brother some treats. Nolan had quite the variety of snacks on his tray.

Carter gave him a shoe, a sock, 5 bags of crackers, a bag of veggie chips and a diaper.

Kangaroo farm!

2011-05-02T19:59:00.000-07:00

Seriously pack up your tikes and head to the Kangaroo Farm. My girlfriend Haley and I packed up the kids and headed to Arlington and had the greatest day ever. We were covered in mud and poo but the kids had a blast! They had kangaroos, monkeys, donkeys, miniature horses, ostriches, lamas and rabbits. it was like a giant petting zoo. Amazing!

Nolan looked just like the baby joeys in the mama kangaroo's pouches!

The kangaroos came right up to Carter's ear and practically kissed him. Carter thought they were all dogs and kept signing "dog".

He signed "horse" for the first time after seeing the giant horse in the pasture.

This was a baby joey that we all got to hold. It was adorable!

Sophia probably could have convinced her mom, Haley to bring home the joey!

We had so much fun!

Bike riding

2011-05-02T19:48:00.000-07:00

We went out to enjoy the one day of warm sunshine a week we have been experiencing this lovely spring. We took the boys on a little adventure. Had the bike trailer loaded down with toys, treats and two stinkin cute boys. We rode all over Black Diamond soaking up the sunshine.

Easter Weekend

2011-04-27T20:53:00.000-07:00

We had a busy Easter weekend. Luckily we got one day of sunshine out of the weekend so we got to have one egg hunt outside. Great meals and lot of treats! Eric overindulged himself in chocolate like no other because he had given it up for Lent. Crazy boy has been eating chocolate non-stop for the past couple of days making up for lost time! Carter may have his sweet tooth, you give him one piece of candy and then he crys when you won't give him more!

Another Easter egg hunt at Grandma Carol's and Grandpa Nick's

Grandpa Nick (Everyone says Nolan looks like a mix of my dad and Eric)

Grandma Georgia & Grandpa Robin with all of the grandbabies!

Eric and cousin Harper kicking back with the bunny ears

Cousin Piper was fast at finding the eggs!

First year that Carter was really interested in finding the eggs.

The boys were spoiled this weekend with Easter baskets from us and their grandparents.

Enjoying the outdoors

2011-04-26T21:08:00.000-07:00

We may live in the sticks but seeing Mt. Rainer on a sunny day like this makes it worth it.

Seeing our shadows for the first time in a long time.

We took a walk to the bakery to enjoy the sunshine.

Nolan got to give his shades a spin for the first time this season. Carter won't keep his on his head.

Another day at the park (minus the sun. . . typical) The boys love to be outside. Carter actually throws a fit when we have to come inside.

Look at that look!

Playing a little b-ball with Daddy

We heart Texas

2011-04-13T20:23:00.000-07:00

Our last night in Texas was spent at a beautiful place right on the water. We ate mouth watering food, slipped our "adult juice", watched the sunset and our boys being the best of friends.

My sweet little Nolan hanging with Mommy while the big boys played in the sand.

Eric was determined to drive until the end of the island and so we did, and here it is. The road stops here.

We went to the playground one day and Carter had a blast. He buried himself in the rocks and was covered in dirt.

Carter and Daddy using swim diapers as hats.

This little ham bone was so proud of his new outfit. He was working it where ever we went!

One of the many crazy dinners out with a two year old and 7 month old. Notice the table cloth folded up because Carter took an entire bowl of sauce and dumped it all over the white table cloth. Opps!

Enjoying the view from our room. We watched the sun rise and set every day. I want to go back . . . now!

Texas, we will be back. I think we have even considered moving there. Anyone want to join us?

2011-04-06T19:13:00.000-07:00

Discovering sea weed

Loving the sun and the pool

Building sand castles with Daddy

Two little beach bums

Heading down to the beach. . . again!

Our schedules have been thrown out the window and start each day without a plan, we are truly enjoying our little vacation. We are constantly lathering our bodies in sunscreen but we all have a little red tinge of color in our skin. Counting calories and working out has not taken part in this vacation. We have had ice cream in the middle of the day and not even thought twice about doing it again. This place is absolutely beautiful and I love soaking up all this time with my beautiful family.

Howdy ya' all from Texas

2011-04-05T07:55:00.000-07:00

Busy vacationing but had to post a couple pics. We love Texas and are having tons of fun! More details later!

Spring has sprung!

2011-03-23T20:39:00.000-07:00

It's official, spring has sprung! Although you wouldn't be able to tell seeing how we are still dressed in winter coats and hats. Our pale skin emerged from within the fours walls we have been staring at for the past 6 or 7 months. The kids said to themselves, "oh so this is what the outdoors look like!" Carter bug is on the move and loving exploring the outdoors, all sorts of new adventures to look forward to. And more laundry for mommy to do because now things can really get dirty! Boys love dirt. One of the first things Carter did when he got outside was go sink his little paws into a pile of dirt and his face was beaming with delight! Nolan is into watching every move his brother makes, staring at him with envy because he to wants to be on the move too. I have a feeling Mr. Nolan will be getting around pretty quick here! They are loving each others company and driving each other silly at the same time. Boys will be boys!

The best of friends. . .

2011-03-18T17:36:00.000-07:00

I love watching my babies learning to love each other and get along. They are starting to play together and enjoy each others company. It is the most precious thing ever to watch. Carter has become such a good big brother, still learning to be gentle but you can tell he really loves him. Showers him with slobbery kisses and hugs the life out of him. They giggle non stop in each others face and it is hilarious!

Great Aunt & uncle

2011-03-18T17:26:00.000-07:00

My Aunt Vicki and Uncle Jim came over to visit last weekend. They had not had a chance to meet Mr. Nolan yet. Carter and Nolan were eating up all of the extra love. We had lunch and promised we wouldn't wait until Nolan was walking to see them again.

Happy belated b-day Uncle Josh

2011-03-09T21:24:00.000-08:00

We met up in Freemont this weekend to celebrate Uncle Josh's 30th birthday (which was February 17th) We let Carter out and about and the boy has discovered his freedom. Watch out world, here he comes, on foot and fast!