Way Cool Show & Tell

A few weeks ago we attended Forks Community Days and ran into a friend from high school who happens to be a police officer in the community. It was great to see Shawn and we had fun talking and catching up all the while Carter was totally taken with him. He was interested in the police car and all the cool equipment that Shawn wore on his belt. We parted ways with the promise that when Carter got the show & tell bag from school Shawn would be there.

Carter talked about him coming for days and when the bag showed up in his cubby last Thursday he was beyond excited! Shawn did a great job and the kids really enjoyed him. They later really enjoyed playing in the police cars using the sirens and lights!!


Shawn addresses the kids about his job as a police officer. (all three classes attended show & tell)
Three other officers came to the school with extra vehicles for the kids to explore. They were fantastic and showed the kids everything that they carry in their trunks.

Carter and Shawn pose for a picture.

Future officer in training??

This is the one and only time I want to see Carter in the back seat of a police car.

The officers pose with Carter's class. They were great and the kids seemed to have a good time.

Let's cut the Drama

Carter said something to me today that I have to assume he learned in school. It is not something we have ever said nor have I heard any family members or friends use this phrase.

We were relaxing after school (I was hoping for nap time actually) and Carter started getting a bit wild and I asked him nicely to stop...he of course did not stop. I told him if he continued the consequence was a time out. He looked at me and said as seriously as can be, "Stop being a Drama Mama!"

I pressed to find out where he learned this (which I found a bit funny, by the way) but he wouldn't give up who he heard this from. Must be a really special person that he doesn't want to tattle on. I even told him that it wasn't a bad word and that he wasn't in trouble (let's face it....I can be a Drama Mama at times) but he still wouldn't talk!

Enjoying the Sunshine

Taking advantage of the beautiful weather we headed across the street to the park to enjoy the swings, slides and monkey bars. The boys had so much fun and wore themselves out. (Both in bed and asleep by 8:30 tonight!)

I love this one.....they even posed a little bit without too much begging from mom!

This one definitely had to be posted since it clearly shows the bonds of brotherhood!

Man....he's tall! When did that happen?

Doing the BIG slide by all by himself.

Eli tackles the BIG slide as well. Such determination on that little face!

4th Week of School

WOW! It's hard to believe that Carter has just finished the fourth week of school and that the next month is fast approaching. By all accounts Carter had a great week at school. He is still very secretive about what he does while there but occasionally we will hear bits and pieces about snack time, circle time or songs that the class sang.

I must say that Carter was very enthusiastic about school this week and we had no problems at all. He couldn't wait for the start of school this week! This week the theme was Apples and Leaves and the bible story was Abraham is Blessed. The shape was a circle and the color blue.


This week's artwork........
The happy little apple is a 'shaker' and has a joyful little rattle to it!

I am not quite sure why Carter chose all brown leaves for his tree but he said that is the way he wanted it!

Next week should be very exciting for my little man.....not only does the firetruck come but Carter has anxiously been awaiting his turn with the show and tell bag and Tuesday will be his day! Be sure to check back to read all about it!

Happy Autumn

Happy Autumn, Everyone! Fall still remains my favorite season. I love the colors of the leaves, the warm sun in the afternoon, the crisp night air and hayrides to the local pumpkin patches! Now having the boys, I also look forward to Halloween more than I did when I was kid!

Brian continues to be busy mowing. It seems that this summer wasn't as hot and humid as summers past making mowing easier. Even though we have lacked rain, mowing season didn't seem to slow down and Brian also kept busy with a variety of extra side work. (i.e. mulching and pruning of trees and bushes for his regular customers) All in all it has been a great season but I know Brian is welcoming the end of mowing and the start of the hunting season. Archery is upon us and Brian can't wait to spend some time in the woods.

The boys continue to keep me very busy. As they are growing it seems I spend alot of time running back and forth to school and doctor's appointments. I have also been able to escape the house on a few occasions to do some shopping and to help out at a friend's cafe when needed. Getting away a little bit has proven to be very positive for me!

As for Carter...................
.......he continues to amaze his father and I everyday. He has such a wonderful zest for life and truly enjoys every challenge that he faces. He continues to enjoy pre-school and is very proud to now call himself a 'junior'. Sometimes he can be a bit too stubborn but I admire his conviction to make a stand and stick to his guns no matter how large or small the issue may be! I would be fibbing if I said life with Carter is always rosy......he keeps Brian and I on our toes at ALL times but we wouldn't want it any other way!


On to our sweet Elijah.........
........he is making wonderful progress. We continue to meet with an occupational therapist once a week and Elijah has been making fantastic progress in the month of September. He is cruising more than crawling. He has also begun to take one or two steps here and there. We also catch him standing without the support of any furniture more and more. These are all positive signs that point toward walking. My goal is to have him walking by his second birthday.....a goal that the therapist feels is very realistic. Elijah has also started to say some words. We heard a 'NO' the other night and he can say "Jeven'.....his favorite word is, of course, MOM! Not mama or mommy but MOM! Guess he wants to be sure to get my attention when he needs me. Eli definitely is our more easy going child and still remains a cuddle bug that will greet anyone with a tight hug and kiss!

As always, please continue to check back often and enjoy the ride through our crazy life that never seems to slow down!

Happy Birthday, Pappy!

Today our Pappy turns 80 years young! Happy Birthday and have a great day!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

WOW! Today Brian turns 35! Happy Birthday to the very best Daddy and Husband....we hope you have a great day! (check out Eli's excitement....peanut butter chocolate chip cake, YUM!)
Wishing for a big buck in a couple of weeks!

School Update: Week Three

Carter has finished his third week of school and we are slowly transitioning out of summer mode into school mode. Carter is not a lazy child by any means but it has taken a couple of weeks to get him back into the swing of school, which unfortunately means no lounging around in his jammies until Thomas is over.

We did hit a bump in our pre-school journey yesterday......Carter cried and didn't want to go into his classroom. He went through this last year and very quickly got over it but I wasn't expecting the tears this year. It was with a very heavy heart that I left him behind the closed doors of his classroom screaming. I stood frozen outside the door listening to him scream for me and trying to open the door to make his escape. Luckily I could hear Mrs. McAtee talking calmly to him and then the crying stopped rather quickly. When I picked him up Mrs. McAtee gave me a thumbs up and Carter chattered the whole rest of the day about how much fun school was.

This week's curriculum was The Farm and the religious theme was God calls Abraham. The shape was the circle and the new color was blue. The blue theme carried over into the super cute blue jeans that Carter and his classmates made yesterday. The jeans have replaced the ladybugs and hang from the ceiling.

This is Carter's farm book. My faves are the cow (his spots are Carter's fingerprints) and the sheep who is made of popcorn (yum)!

This is the cute little ladybug made last week.

Carter has been starting to practice letters. You will notice the L's on this page. He worked diligently with his Mimi at lunch yesterday on them.

Lunch with Mimi was a special treat for the boys and I yesterday as we have not seen her that much as of late. After a super successful Las Vegas show, Mimi has many orders to fill and leads to follow up on for Waiting for You (www.waitingforyou.net ). Way to go and Congratulations....we are very proud of you, Mimi!!!

It also should be noted that both boys were excellent during our lunch excursion yesterday...I am also very proud of my boys!

Getting Ready

Carter is preparing for the arrival of Halloween. He is pretty sure that he wants to be Buzz Lightyear again (he is wearing last year's costume) but we are going to shop around to see what else is out there. Carter is counting the days until 'Candy' day!!!!!

Second Week of School

Carter has finished his second week of school and is still loving it! This week's themes were crayons and markers. The religion theme was God made the World and Plants. The shape was a circle and the color was red. In keeping with the circle and red theme Carter and his class made adorable ladybugs which are decorating the ceiling of his classroom.



This week we learned about the show and tell bag which is sent home with each child and they are to return to the next class with an item from home to share with everyone. We also learned about the book bag. Each child gets to pick a book from the classroom library to bring home and enjoy with their families.



Carter loves seeing all his old friends but has really been talking about Elizabeth. I think this may be his first crush and from what I understand she is quite cute with blonde hair. I have yet to formally met her.



Carter is also enjoying his time with Mrs. McAtee and Miss Marie and was sure to tell Miss Marie he loved her before leaving today


Enjoy his artwork below....all done with crayons and markers! Until next week.

Mini Me

Everyday Elijah looks more like his Daddy!

Rainy Day Saturday

While Hanna howled outside our doors yesterday, we were content to stay indoors and chill out. Carter and his Dad baked chocolate chip cookies. (for all of you wondering, yes, Brian is an awesome baker!) We were so happy to get rain since we really need it here in Pennsylvania. We didn't sustain much yard damage and were lucky to escape the most severe weather. Our neighbors in Allentown weren't so lucky and had a tornado touch down...YIKES!


Brian and Carter mix the batter.
On his own Carter gets ready to mix. Notice how happy he is to be left to his own devices!

Adding the best part...the chocolate chips.

Yummy......enjoying the end result!

For any of you who were in Hanna's path we hope you and your loved ones were able to stay safe and dry!

Little Monkey

When the opportunity presents itself Elijah will climb onto anything. He is becoming more brave with each climb he accomplishes. Of course, Carter eggs him on which makes it that much more fun!
I see you little man! Way to go Elijah!

Great Job Elijah!

Hooray for Elijah! He took two steps on his own today. He just let go of my hands and walked into my arms! I think we are on to something great!! P.S. Pressure is on now that I know you can do it, little dude!

First Week of School

Carter has ended his first week of pre-school and all went very well. Carter was very happy to see Mrs. McAtee and also his friends, Jacob, Maci and Shayna, from last year's class. There are a total of 14 in his class this year and he seems excited about his new friends as well.

This week's topic was 'Friends at School' and the whole week was about meeting new friends and teachers. The children also learned about the school they attend...i.e. the name of the school, location ect. The shape and color of the week were circle and red.

The difference between the Tot's class to Juniors is quite significant and every minute spent in the classroom is structured. Carter seems to thrive on structure so we should have a very productive, happy year.

Below is this week's artwork. The trees in the first picture are Carter's ever growing hands (love it!) and the bottom is Carter Bear with his best friend at school, Jacob Bear. Enjoy! I am hoping to stay on the ball and be able to do a school update every week so all of you can follow his progress.

Hip Hip Hooray...Carter had School Today!

Hooray! Today was Carter's first day of school. This year he is a 'junior' and has added a 1/2 to his class time.
Carter was thrilled to get the day started. He was so happy to see his old friends and Mrs. McAtee. He was also very excited to meet all of his new friends. Never shy, he walked right into the classroom and went to the carpet and sat down as instructed. When Brian and I left he was happily singing The Dukes of Hazzard theme song much to Mrs. McAtee's delight!

At pick up we learned that it was a fantastic first day and everyone did really well. Carter jabbered the whole way home about his friends. snack and the songs he sang! He, of course, is asking when he goes back!

Eli also enjoyed the start of the school year. He motored around the house playing with whatever he wanted to...laughing the whole time! If only Carter knew what toys Eli had his hands on!!

Labor Day Weekend

We had a wonderful holiday weekend. Not too much running around, just a lot of relaxing...especially for Brian who is finishing up a four day weekend!

We kicked back on Friday night with my mom and dad at the Toby Keith concert which was fantastic. If you enjoy Toby, catch his show, he doesn't disappoint. A big thank you to my parents for a the great birthday gift to both Brian and I, we had a blast!

On Saturday my cousin Courtney and her family came to Pennsylvania for a visit. I enjoyed school shopping with the girls but I am also thankful to have boys now having experienced shopping with two girls that are 11 and 13! The morning was fantastic since Brian stayed home with the boys and I could get out and have a little fun!

In the afternoon we headed to the campground to visit my aunt and uncle and have dinner. Both Carter and Elijah had a blast exploring and playing with their Rhode Island cousins and their cousin Kyle. This is the only travel we really did all weekend. Below are some photos of the kids enjoying camping.

Here are the toads that we found while taking a walk around the campground. Carter was so happy that we could reunite mommy and baby toad since we found them at different areas of the campground!
Carter, Katerina and Michele explore the almost dry creek bed. We need rain! This little creek was running strong on the 4th of July!

The kids had fun monkeying around the playground, especially Mikey!

Kyle and Carter work on excavating the campsite.Nanny and Pappy's pride and joy...all the great grand kids. It's very rare that they are all together.

It was great.....Katerina and Michele fought over who would take charge of Eli. I am thinking that they would make great mother's helpers next summer.

Eli had a blast and did alot of great moving around and exercising those little legs of his!Kyle demonstrates the laziest way possible to toast a marshmallow.

Brian teaches Carter how to toast the perfect marshmallow.

The reward....a delicious s'more.

We spent the Sunday and Monday just bumming around home and enjoying the beautiful weather. Carter also spent what was left of the weekend gearing up for school. Look out, Mrs, McAtee for a fun filled year!