4 years ago...

 

and now we celebrate EVERY DAY with Carter in our lives! 

To kick things off, we stuffed over 50 balloons in his room overnight, so we were ready to party as soon as he woke up...who knew it would be at 5:45 AM!!! 

After a fantastic birthday breakfast,

 We headed to Odyssey Fun World, an INCREDIBLE indoor playground for parents and kids. 

Carter's adopted a semi-fear of heights, and was so brave to try everything, even though I could SEE his body trembling as he crawled across the tunnels and bridges so high up! I was very proud of him!

And Addison was zipping through with no fear (just like Carter when he was 2). 

And toting around a baby was so much easier than we thought! Alana was a GREAT sport as we climbed with her.

Next, Carter invited a neighbor friend to the primary party, where they learned about the Savior's life and "flew" to Jerusalem on an imaginary airplane.  It was a GREAT acitivity!

And Carter's birthday wouldn't have been complete without going to a Train Restaurant!  They deliver the food right up to you on a train!  THAT is the cool part, but the uncool part is that the food was terribly bland and surprisingly expensive with a total bill of $45. 

 But, Carter was SO happy when the WHOLE restaurant sang the Birthday song to him.  He even shouted "THANK YOU" to everyone when it was done, warming everyone's heart!

You'd think that was the end, but no, we still had cake and ice-cream to finish off the night at home!

Allow this to be proof that we LOVE birthdays

and we LOVE our Carter Man!!

7 years today...

And he still blows me away

Keeps me laughing

and gives me time to stop and smell the roses

Boy, I love this man.

The Easter Post

You know that Easter moment when you hid 25 eggs, but only find 24?  Then about two weeks later you find that last egg and are even MORE grateful for the treat inside?  Well, let this 2-week late post fill you with equal joy as I at last post pics of Easter.

Easter Egg Hunt at Dominicks

Waiting for "Go!"

Alana's strategy: Distract others with my cuteness.

Addison's strategy:  Find egg.  Stop.  Eat.  Repeat.

Carter's strategy:  Eggs!  Eggs!  Find more eggs!

Sorry Folks, no time for smiles!  We have CHOCOLATE!

Easter Sunday

Spent at my parent's house watching General Conference.

LOVED it!

Last Sunday

Easter at Steve's parents house.

Easter Egg Hunt...

Turned into Easter Egg Roll...

Turned into Easter Egg Throw...

Ended in Easter Egg Stomp.

And for the spiritual side,

 Addison played the Good Samaritan by giving his Aunt one of HIS eggs when she couldn't find any.

It's a bird...It's a plane...It's a sky full of kites!

I'm not a very good kite flyer, nor am I a candidate to break any world records, but on Saturday morning, we attempted both.  At 10 AM sharp, Carter, Addison, Alana and I gathered with over 800 people in a park, and at a 3..2..1.. grand launch countdown, we all got our kites HIGH in the air!  It was an incredible sight! 

And the best part was that we did this all to the tune of "Let's Go Fly a Kite" from Mary Poppins being blasted over the speakers!  It was truly a goosebump moment, mostly because it seemed magical, but also because we were freezing cold!

This octopus kite was one of our favorites! 

At the end, we got to see the Chicago Fire Kite Team do tricks and stunts. Totally cool! Like watching the Blue Angels, but with kites.

I was having too much fun with the kids, and kite flying with 3 under 3 was more hands-on than you'd imagine, so I didn't get many pictures of my kids and their Lightening McQueen kite. Oh well.

Live in the moment. Not in the photograph.

At the Zoo again

"Can you hear me now?"

Actually, they're all watching the seals that were giving us quite a good show, and all saying "Eal...eal...eal", imitating the 2 yr olds of the group.  The seals won the "Favorite Animal" award THAT day.

Seems as though Carter and Leah picked up where they'd left off last year, also at the zoo. 

 

Their Zoo romance hasn't missed a beat. 

(just kidding...they're just sweet friends). 

Why do I do this to him?  Am I going to be the mom showing embarrassing pictures to his prom date?

Carter's Sense of Style

Sometimes the best way to get a kid dressed is to make a game out of it.  That's why he laughed so hard when his Sunday outfit wound up looking like THIS when I was done.

But he sure had me laughing when he looked in the mirror and said, "Mom, you've made me look FABULOUS!"  What a good attitude!  Of course, I had to rearrange my "fabulous" masterpiece to go to church, yet he was equally pleased with the outcome.

Ni-Night Addie!

After a friend posted pics of her twins asleep in the oddest positions, I had to grab my camera to remember Addison's favorite way to sleep right now...perpindicular.

Do we need to vote on the comfort level?  I don't get it.

Addison is adorable with all of his blankets.  It may be hot out, be he insists he sleeps with each blanket.  Also, he always wants them on the right order.  Please meet the fabric of his life. 

First there's Snuggly, or "Lugly"{remember, he loves "L"s}, his little cuddly woobie that would go EVERYWHERE with him, if I let it.  It's usually soaking wet from being sucked on, cuddled, slept with, spilled on, etc.  It's his version of the Velveteen Rabbit, I suppose.

Then there's "Stripes".  I bought him this blanket before he was born.  So super soft.

After Stripes, he will tell you if he wants "Cars" or Animals", an adorable quilt his Gma made him that is reversible.  In that pic, it was clearly a "Cars" day.

And to finish off the pileup, he asks for "Bubbles" a fun stripey-blanket I made him for Christmas a year ago.

So, if you ever are in charge of putting Addie to bed, you may want to tuck this cue-card away for hints later on :)

New license plates: I8UIRS

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

...right?  Well, what about...

What happens at Tax Time stays in Tax Time?

meaning, so far, Steve and I have treated ourselves to

Dark Chocolate M&Ms

Chicken Alfredo Pasta

Birchermuesli (essentially yogurt parfaits)

Homemade Italian Salsa & Chips

Ice Cream

So I figure I can just write off the calories during this tax prep, and send in my receipts to expense our "thinking treats".

Wouldn't you agree?

In the Eye of a Child

If you ever want to see what the world looks like through your childs eyes, just give him a camera for a while. I discovered he has quite an artistic eye.

Remember, he's not yet 4 years old.