A Quote I NEED to LEARN to live by~

"Be patient enough to live one day at a time, letting yesterday go & leaving tomorrow until it arrives." ~Unknown author

BIG & small...

I was getting out some new stuff that I had bought for the baby and came across these adorable little booties. Moments later....I was helping Carter put on his shoes to go run an errand and had one of those "OMG" moments. I had my "OMG" moment for a couple of reasons. 1. It feels like it has been eternity since I have held a newborn baby or made a bottle for that matter. Now a days I am juggling a 30 pounder on my hip. To think that Carter currently is about 4 times the size of what the newborn baby will be kind of scares me. 2. This baby is really on his way!!! I am already 26 weeks along. Where has the time gone? Having a second child will be a major adjustment for me and for my little Carty who really hasn't a clue to what is going on. He knows mommy has a baby in her belly and gives it kisses, but I really don't think he fully understands that the baby will come out of my belly and come home with us forever. I doubt I will have much time to be blogging once the baby arrives, but I promise if I do.....I will keep you all posted on the trials and tribulations of the "big brother" syndrome.

I LOVE ELMO

Another good quote

" It is not the breathes we take in life that matter, but the moments that take our breathes away"

The 2 Prego's

Today I got a chance to meet up with my friend Bean at her son's b-day party. So, we decided to compare bulges! Bean is due with a baby girl around April 1st.

I am officially 25 weeks along and have 14 more to go! I went last week for my gestational diabetes blood work and an exam. Thankfully, I passed the "sugar" test, so one less thing to worry about. The baby still has a very strong heartbeat and is measuring right on target. However, I am gaining much more weight this pregnancy and have been a lot more hungry. So.......let's hope the weight gaining decreases and the desire to go to the gym increases soon. lol!

All and all though, I am feeling pretty good and look forward to the spring weather and being able to get out more and be more active.

Some of Mommy's favorites

Hugh Heffner or Rocky Balboa? I don't know??? Carter recently has dug up his robe and loves it because it has two of his favorite things on it: Monkey's and bananas. Oh, and the color of course is BLUE. Yep, you guessed it....his favorite color.


The back seat driver always has a lot to say!

What a FUN weekend

The three of us taking a "jumping" break!

So fun! Go Carty!

Daddy & Carter in the BIG tractor. Farmer Carter did a good job driving.

Firefighter Carter takes this job pretty seriously!

Carter loved taking the balls out of the water and then putting them in this gadget full of air that lifted the balls up thru a tunnel.

This weekend Carter had a blast! On Saturday Darrell and I took him to the Science and Industry Museum. He loved "driving" the tractor and playing in the kids water area. We definitely plan on going back as water and tractors are two of his favorite things these days.

Today, we attended Grady Slimko's 3rd birthday party at Bouncetown. Carter had so much fun bouncing around with daddy on all the inflatable toys and slides. Here are some random pictures from this weekend!

Happy Valentine's Day!~

Carter's "work of art." A beautiful heart he painted at his Bubbles class for daddy!


A very special Valentine's Day hug & kiss to my 3 boys.........the ones I LOVE and cherish the most in this world. xo~

Bubbles Preschool Prep. Class

Making special Valentine's.


Playing in the rice table. Carter's favorite thing to do during "free play"

This cracks me up! He loves to put his chubby little feet in the rice too. I think he likes how it tickles them. We always end up getting some rice stuck between the toes that goes home with us!

Practice makes perfect! Carter is pushing the baby in the stroller very nicely!

After a long morning of playing and learning it is time for snacke. Carter is seated with his friends Luke & Zach.

Carter is currently enrolled in an amazing class offered at Bubbles Academy. It is called the Preschool Prep. class and it is somewhat of a structured enviroment where the kids have a circle time (do ABC's, #'s, weather, sing songs, etc), art time, snack time, story time and free play. The teacher Ms. Rachel is really great with the kids and Carter has really warmed up to her. He even gave her a Valentine's Day hug today. Today the subject was all about "love."

Play Date with Luke

Carter had his buddy Luke over today after their Bubbles Preschool prep. class. The two of them always have a fun time together!

Rainy Day Fun

What a mess! But what fun!

We rode up and down the elevator a half a dozen times. Carter has forced mommy to no longer have a fear of elevators. He loves them. He is quite the button pusher.

Getting the mail is a daily routine of Carter's. He loves playing "mail man"

Well since Wednesday was such a crummy rainy day, Carter had to find somethings around the house to "amuse" himself with. Lately dumping all his socks out of the drawer has been his favorite.

Uhhhhhh....Quiet Moments Like These

Quiet moments like these go a long way with a very tired and pregnant mommy. He looked like such a big boy sitting here intensely reading I just had to snap a picture.

In Memory of Mike

Today would have been our dear friend "Pickles" 32 nd birthday. There is not a day that goes by that Darrell and I don't miss him or think of him. His passing is still not real to me and has given me a whole new perspective on how I want to live my life. Thank you Mike for always making me laugh and always seeing the humor in life under every circumstance. I hope you are enjoying a Red Bull and vodka up in heaven today and making jokes about Kevin! Happy Birthday, Pickle.
This quote reminded me of how Mike lived:

"When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive--to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love."

--Marcus Aurelius

A Good Motto to Go By

"Laugh your heart out, dance in the rain, cherish the memories, ignore the pain. Love & learn, forget & forgive, because remember you only have one life to live!!"

What a Fun Lunch Date

(Left to right) Carter, Me, Jonah, Lynn, Jen, Taylor, Mary Meyers, baby William, Elizabeth, Carrie, Zach, Brady & Wendy

Today Carter and I went out to lunch with our Tuesday playgroup. All of the toddlers were SO WELL behaved. It definitely was a nice break for the mom's to be able to visit and eat our meals without feeling rushed or chasing around a little one. We all agreed that it was much more of a positive experience than we could ever have imagined and that we must do this again because not only did they all behave, BUT they all ate great! I think it was a case of "monkey see, monkey do!" Thanks Wendy for remembering your camera! Great shot!

Almost Two and SO independent

Carter playing "Elmo" games


Carter puts on his John Deer hat first thing in the morning



Dancing machine with his Wiggles guitar


Carter, Noonie and Pop-Pop make a snowman this weekend. Carter had so much fun out in the snow!

Technically, he will not be 23 months till tomorrow, but hey...I have the time right now to blog, so here I go! Well as I sit here and write this blog entry I can't help but be sad my baby is growing up so fast. He has turned into a little boy who definitely has likes and dislikes and a mind of his own. Everyday he amazes me with something new he says or does. This past month in particular he has really found a love for a few new things. They are as followed:

His Green John Deer ball cap. Can't leave the house without wearing that! I laugh when I look back at him sitting in his car seat wearing it because not only does it remind me that Carter was born into a small town/corn field family, but also how much he reminds me of my father. No other city kid sports such a cool hat or knows how much significance it has to us.

He loves the Wiggles. "Fruit Salad, yummy, yummy!" "Do the Monkey" are his two favorite songs. He loves to play his Wiggles guitar and "boogie" to the beat. He also recently has grown very fond of Bruce Springsteen and apparently danced to "Glory Days" during half time at Super Bowl. Other songs Carty can't live without are "Old MacDonald" and "Itsy Bitsy Spider." Those two songs are on constant repeat in the car!

Carter's favorite thing to say now is "I DO!" Even if technically he really can't do or it isn't safe to do! He always wants to do whatever mommy or daddy is doing. Whether it is cracking an egg in a bowl, washing our hands, pressing the toaster buttons or getting the mail.

Carter has a passion for computers just like his daddy. His favorite website is http://www.sesamestreet.org/. or as he refers to it as "Elmo!" He could play "Elmo" all day long if it were an option.

Playing dress up and pushing around the grocery cart. Carter loves to pull all of mommy's clothes off the hangers and put them on. He also likes to take all his clothes out of his dresser and throw them all around the room. And it wouldn't be a Carter day without doing the average 100 laps around the condo pushing his shopping cart around! My little Energizer Bunny.

Carter still loves waving bye-bye to all the semi trucks when we get off on exit and pointing to all the trains that go by.

Going bye-bye in grandpa's truck. Call my child spoiled because my parents will sit out in the garage in their car's with Carter and let him "drive." He loves to beep the horn, press all the radio buttons and pretend to turn on the car with the keys and blare the music!

Like I say, each day is something new and adventurous for us. Although it can be physically exhausting chasing him around every hour or every minute, I wouldn't trade it in for the world. I am so grateful to my husband for working as hard as he does so that I can stay home with our son. I am so excited to be having another son so that my boys will have each other to grow up with and play with and be best friend with like my husband had. I am forever fortunate to have such a loving family that loves my child just as endlessly as I do and Carter has so much fun spending time with.
Happy 23rd month Carty. I can't wait to celebrate your 2nd birthday with you!!! xo Mommy~