Megan's prayer

Megan's blessing on the food tonight: "Dear Heavenly Father,  thank you for the food that I loved as a baby, that I loved when I was two years old, that I loved when I was one years old, that I loved when I was three years old, and that I loved when I was four, and that I still love it....."  hahahaaa. After she said that I couldn't help but bust up laughing.   What a funny girl.

Fyi...I had made chicken enchiladas.  :)

"Put it on the list!"

Megan has somehow gotten it into her head, or maybe just refuses to get it OUT of her head, that a Christmas list can and should be compiled all. year. long.  That's right.  Wherever we go, if she sees something she likes she says, "Mom, put this on the list!"  The part that cracks Bo and me up is that she's content with our answer of "okay," without us once pulling out the so called "list" and writing it down.  Seriously though, if we actually made up a list, it would be about as thick as a dictionary by now.  It's that bad.  So I'm writing this down so I can remember her in this stage.

Megan also has the best, and I mean BEST imagination ever. She can hold a pretty long conversation with whatever imaginary person she is talking too.  She's gone to balls with princes, fought bad guys with her fellow Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (she is a pink girl turtle and has a bow on her forehead--told you she has a great imagination), been a horse in a magical horse kingdom, and pretty much anything in between.  Megan can usually be found in her room, playing with her princesses and chatting away to herself and making up different voices for all the characters in her story.  And she'll play like that for an hour!  I just love watching her and listening to what she says.  She says the funniest things, and I need to do better at writing them down.  Bo and I will often nudge each other,grinning, and nod to her, because if she catches us looking or talking about her, she stops and gets shy. 

Megan's latest most favorite thing is to watch Barbie movies, especially Barbie's Princess and the Popstar.  And if she's not watching it, she's going around the house singing the songs, dancing the dances, and pretending to be every character in the movie, although the Popstar is her favorite. :)  You also can't sing with her.  It has to be only her.  Pure Diva.

Megan can write her name and is trying her very hardest to read.  It's pretty awesome.  She can read three letter words that are pretty basic, and I just sit in awe and watch her. She's awesome.  Oh yeah, and lately she refuses to write Megan, but instead writes Meg and then a heart, to stand for Megan Love, which is one of my nicknames for her.  Funny,  right?  That girl has the biggest opinions.  I love her!!

That's all for now.  Loving that girl and everything about her!

Carter

I just want to remember these things.

Carter was the Star Student a few weeks back for his school.  We are quite proud of him over here.  He had to be recommended by his teacher, and then approved by the principle.  The certificate has been on display at the school and then most lately it has hung very proudly on our fridge.  Way to go Carter!!! 

Carter came home from school yesterday telling me that the bus driver gave out new seating assignments on the bus that day.  Now, instead of sitting by his friend Kevin, he sits by a girl.  I asked him if this was okay, and he said, "Yeah, but don't ask me what she smells like."  Me, puzzled and then thinking maybe she smelled bad, asked "Why?  What does she smell like?"  His response, in an undertone, "Good," then louder, "But I'M not going to tell her that!!"  I got a good laugh out of that.  I then asked him how old she was.  He said she was in third grade ( Carter is in first).  PHEW.  :)

Tonight the kids were playing in the bathtub.  Bo was sitting in chair watching them and playing on his ipad.  I was lying on the bed listening to them and reading a book.  Eventually Carter got out and dried himself off and got dressed.  Megan followed soon after.  I asked if Derrick was still in the bath, and Bo responded yes, so I went about reading, assuming Bo would get Derrick out.  A few minutes later Bo brought my attention to the floor, where Carter was drying Derrick off with a towel and dressing Derrick.  It took a few minutes of shock and questions to realize that CARTER had gotten Derrick out of the bath.  Not only that but Carter also put a diaper on Derrick!!!  Sure the diaper was on backwards, but still!!  This was definitely a first around here.  I then watched in stunned silence as Carter put footy pajamas on Derrick, stood him up to get his arms in, and heard him say, "Derrick, where'd your hand go??  There it is!" Just like I say when I put their pajamas on and play peek a boo with their hands.  I'm one proud Mama.  What an awesome kid!  ps...Bo took the diaper off before Derrick was fully dressed and showed Carter the correct way to put it on, so no, Derrick still doesn't have his diaper on backwards.

Carter's Chuck E Cheese Birthday Party

Carter had the best birthday party ever at Chuck E Cheese.  His words. :)  We invited a few of his friends to come join us to celebrate there, and it seriously was a huge hit.  I got the birthday package for Carter, which meant food, tokens, and entertainment that I didn't have to do myself.  Best idea ever!  I didn't have to serve the boys, they did.  I didn't have to set it up, they did.  I didn't even have to light the candle on the , er, cookie, they did!  LOVE. 

Carter and his friends played for a good hour, then they sat down to eat pizza and visit with Chuck E.  After that Carter opened his presents, which he thought were awesome, and then it was the highlight of the night, the TICKET BLASTER!  They put some goggles on Carter and stuck him in a booth that blew tickets all around him and he tried his hardest to get as many as he could.  It was hilarious to watch.  His goggles would keep slipping down, making it hard to catch tickets, and it was funny watching him try to focus.

After the ticket blaster, I still had tons of tokens left over, so I sent the boys out to go play some more, and even after a 2 hour party, I still had tokens left over.  Guess we'll just have to go again. :)

After the party, and even the next few days, you could hear Carter telling me or Bo that "Chuck E Cheese really is where a kid can be a kid."  hahahaaa.  I love that boy.

 

Carter is 7!

Carter turned 7 a couple of weeks ago. SEVEN!  And while I've been getting ready for his birthday, planning his party, and shopping for him, it wasn't until the day after his birthday that it hit me: I have only one year until my baby turns 8 and is baptized!!!!!  Holy smokes.  Crazy planning mode then went into action. Now my mind is consumed with trying to figure out a way to convince Bo that we should fly to Washington and have Carter baptized there.  These things need to be thought out in advance. :) Especially so that I don't have a huge emotional breakdown next year. 

Anyways... Carter's birthday was on a Thursday this year, so we decided to have his party with friends on Friday, and just do a little family celebration on his actual birthday.  Unfortunately Bo had to work the entire day that day, but I made him skip a morning meeting so at least he could wish Carter a happy birthday and see him open his presents.  Carter got spoiled by us and his grandparents and Aunt Bridget and Uncle Whitney.  Nerf guns, an ant farm, a science kit, Lego's, and an Indianapolis Colts shirt, since he has proclaimed that as his favorite football team (we're trying to brainwash him into liking the Seahawks, no worries). Lucky boy. He is still giddy about his gifts.

After school I took the kids to MacDonald's for dinner, then we went to the grocery store and picked out ice cream and cupcakes and went home to celebrate. It was a low fuss day and Carter loved it.  Don't worry, he got a huge party the next day and that will be my next post... in like a month.  hahahaa just kidding.

Carterbug, yes I still call you that and good luck getting rid of it, I love you so much and just think you are the best little buddy.  You are funny, silly, smart, caring, competitive, gentle, crazy, athletic, clever, and just a little daring. :) You make me so proud to be your mom.  You are a GREAT big brother to Megan and Derrick, and you are always so tender and loving to us in need.  (side note..a couple weeks ago I was REALLY sick, and I had hurt my elbow really really bad, so I was in bed crying, holding my arm, and praying Bo would come home from work on time.  Carter, you saw me crying, knew I had hurt my arm and that I was having a rough day, and so you went downstairs, unasked, and got me some ice in a baggie, wrapped it up in a dish towel, and brought it up to me. You then hugged me and went and entertained your siblings. AMAZING and so tender!).  You are a great light in this family.  You are a leader to your friends and siblings.  You are the best.  I love you!!!

 

Megs giving Carter a kiss. 

New Years!

During the day, the day of New Years Eve, we joined our friends the Adams to celebrate the coming new year at the Children's Museum.  Apparently the museum does a big celebration at noon and one pm so that the kids get to celebrate bringing in the new year.  Carter and his friends, and even me, got to get on the stage and sing some songs, and we topped off the event with sliding down the Yule slide.

We had a great time and love having good friends to hang out with!!

 

My random pictures! again...

I think we need a new camera....

So here are some pictures from right after Christmas.  Yeah.....

My parents came for a few days during the Christmas holidays, and here are some pictures I found of them leaving.  I also threw in some pictures of the kids and me playing Just Dance 4 on the Wii.  We are pretty rad at that game. 

I love in the second picture of us dancing that we are all doing different moves, and that in the pictures with my parents, Derrick has some mysterious thing in his mouth in one but not the other. I just love my family!