Lator 2009 Halloween

Ah, now that Halloween has come and gone, we are preparing for our first Winter blast of snow. We expect nature won't wait long. Take a look at, what will likely be, our last weekend of mild cool fall weather. Carter was a dragon for Halloween.

Weekend Getaway

The weather man predicted snow for today, so we thought we better plan a weekend getaway before it's impending arrival. Plus, Jeff and I thought it would be a treat to ourselves as we get ready to celebrate our 7th anniversary on Tuesday. We called my mom and asked if she would like to join us for the weekend and head up to Door county. We had been hearing that this time of the year is the peak season to view the beautiful fall colors and Door County provides some of the best viewing. Off we went!

Unfortunately, the colors of the leaves just weren't there yet. There was a little bit of color to see but, not the stunning views we were hoping for. With our hopes still high, we headed up to Egg Harbor in Door County for their Pumpkin Patch Festival. I had read amazing stories of what a fun family experience their fest is and that people come from all over the country. With all the hotels booked, I was expecting some fall fun. Well, as soon as we arrived it began to snow. Hmmm, the weather man by us said we had until Monday before the snow hit, but apparently the forcast was a little different for the Door. The flurries didn't last long, but it was long enough to put a damper on the festival. We decided, to hop back in the car, catch a bite to eat, warm up, and then head to one of the State National Parks. Jeff and I ventured up a very high tower at the Park. It was quite the adventure. The tower itself was a bit old, then coupled with the record number of people climbing up and down the stairs on the way up, and the crazy winds blowing us over, Jeff and I were feeling a little bit unsure we made a good decision for our adventure. However, we fought our way to the top, took in the pretty views, and quickly decended down the 6 stories of stairs. Jeff was ready to kiss the ground when we made it to the bottom as all we could think about was the callapse of the Chicago apartment complex balcony a few years back in the news that killed several people. I think we were happy to have had the experience, but our tummies were a little unsettled and ready for a break. It was a long day of driving and sight seeing, so we headed back home. Sunday, we took Carter to the pumpkin patch near home. He took a hayride out to the patch and said he was going to find a pumpkin the size of the sun. While the pumpkin didn't quite measure up to the sun, it was a great pick of pumpkins I have to say. He was so proud and is patiently waiting to the day when we can carve it. Details to follow in the coming weeks.

Carter's First School Field Trip

Carter's preschool class took a field trip to the Apple Orchard to pick apples today. What a nice fall day. The weather was in the low-mid 50's with a little bit of a breeze. The fall foliage around us is just beautiful. We are taking a small trip to Door county this weekend to enjoy the change in colors of the trees and to go to their pumpkin festival. Carter is dying to pick the best pumpkin ever as his pumpkin was stolen last year off of our porch. He has already starting coming up with ideas to make his Jack-o-lantern especially spooky. Last weeekend, we had the opportunity to have a campfire in the backyard. Fall is just the best!

Backyard Entertainment

Our neighbors are putting in an egress window, so they had an excavator and dump truck in their backyard this morning. Carter stayed home from school with a little bit of a sore throat and was really upset to miss. But, when the construction equipment showed up, his mood quickly changed. We spent the entire morning watching the men do their job and Carter had to take out his own excavator toy to imitate the workers. It was so cute that I had to get a few pictures.

Wisconsin's Rite of Passage into Manhood

Shucking Corn

Disney 2009

Recently we took a vacation to Disney with Jeff's family. It was a once in a life time trip in which without the help of Jeff's brother in-law's Disney hook-ups and my father in laws timeshare, we would never have been able to afford. We are so appreciative for their help in getting us to Disney to create long lasting memories for Carter. It was a fun time even with the extreme Florida heat. Next time, we have vowed to aim for Disney in cooler weather. Here are a few pictures from the trip.

Look What My Daddy Got Me

Since Carter's birthday is next month, I have been trying to convince Jeff that we should get Carter a new bike with training wheels. Carter saw some of the neighbor kids riding around on their bikes and and has repeatedly said "I want a big boy bike Momma." All Carter wants to do is ride bikes lately, so I figured it would be a great gift. When I talked to Jeff about it he was let's just say not really into the idea. He felt that Carter was fine with his tricycle and that he would grow out of the bike too quickly. I knew he was probably right so I told him I would look and see if I could find one at a garage sale for under $10 or so. Carter and I hunted and even went as far as looking on Craigs list for one. However, we never found one. When I mentioned it to my mom, she happened to mention it to a co-worker and behold the following weekend, we had a bike for $5. A few days later, we took a trip to Toys R Us to let Carter point out some things he wanted for his birthday. (Big mistake, of course he wanted everything :) Anyway, while we were there Carter wanted to ride one of the bikes with training wheels. So Jeff pulled one down expecting to prove to me that he wouldn't even be able to climb up on the bike. Carter climbed on without problem, and took off riding up and down isles in the store. Jeff was shocked and saw just how excited Carter was to ride it. Then, he turns to me and said "Yeah, I think we are going to have to get him that bike. I just didn't expect him to take off like that." I just smiled and tried not to say I told you so, but I was saying it in my mind for sure. I reminded him that my mom had already gotten him one, but Jeff insisted we leave that one at Grandma's and get him one for our house. He claimed that it is a joy that every Dad should get to experience, picking out his son's first bike. So, I figured who am I to stand in his way. A few days later, Jeff picked up the bike on his lunch hour and came home with it. We decided since Wisconsin summers are so short, we would give it to him early so that he would have more time to ride it. That evening we surprised Carter with the bike. The picture below is Carter the moment he saw the bike. Carter has said at least 5 times now, "thank you so much Daddy for my new bike." Or he will show his friends the bike and say "look what my Daddy got me." Even though I am the one that worked on convincing Daddy to get the bike, Daddy takes all the credit. Can someone please explain to me how that happens. Do all Dads take a class on how to sneak in and take the credit for all things good? Oh the injustice!!!!

My Buddy's Birthday

Carter's best friend, Bryce, just turned three. Last weekend we went to his birthday party and the boys had so much fun. Here are some pictures of them together.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Nature Preserve

Today I took Carter to the Riveredge Wildlife Preserve in Newburg. They have a program geared towards 3-5 year old kids, in which they will read some sort of nature related story, do an experiment with the kids, let them explore on a hike, picnic, and then hunt for pond wildlife. Today, they read the book "Diary of a Worm" and then did did an experiment to learn about the type of environment worms like best. Then, they went outside and got the opportunity to dig for worms out in the garden. Carter found several and got so excited. He would hold them on his shovel but would not hold them in his hands. I think in time this will likely pass:) He had pb & j for lunch and then went to the pond. Carter found tadpoles, frogs, turtles, slugs, ladybugs, toads and fish. By the time we were all done, Carter had ventured into about a foot of water trying to net a frog. So cute and a really fun day. The last two pictures, are at the house. He was having so much fun being outside, he didn't want to come in.

"I miss the snow, but I really like the sun."

Today is supposed to be a remarkable 80 degrees! We met some friends at the park and the kids had a blast playing and riding bikes. We really needed the Vitamin D after this long winter. He just learned how to peddle his bike a few weeks ago and so that is all he wants to do. Before, he would ride the bike but do the Flinstone peddling. This afternoon we are going to play with his play sink. The weather is finally nice enough and he has been wanting to play with it since Christmas. Before he went down for nap, he said "I miss the snow mommy, but I really like the sun."

Easter Egg Hunt 2009

This morning I took Carter to an Easter Egg hunt with the Mom's Group. He had a blast.

Bedtime Songs

Carter has stopped wanting us to sing to him before bed, now he wants to sing. This is the song he chose to sing the other night. Sorry the video is a little dark as the room was dimmed for bedtime. I ran down to get the camera and made him start over.

Spring Fever

Sorry for the lack of updates. We bought a new desk and have been in the process of transferring our computer, cameras, and files over. Last week was beautiful here in Wisconsin so we took advantage and went with my friend Judy and her 2 twin boys to the Brookfield Zoo. Fun, Fun, Fun!!!! This time Carter was looking forward to seeing the Lions and Tigers, which in the past have scared his so much, he wouldn't look at them. I guess this time, he was feeling extra strong having his buddies Ethan and Tyler by his side. Some of the highlights from our day:

Crazy Illinois squirrels that walk right up to people begging for food
Geese that came uninvited to our picnic
Fantastic life sized animated Dinasoar statues
A trip to a really cool Korean Market (Jeff was in heaven)after the zoo.

Buggy Bumper Blog

Just FYI: I started making baby blankets and burp cloths in addition to the shopping cart covers. Keep me in mind if you are looking for a baby shower gift. You can see some samples of my work by clicking on the link on the left hand side of this page titled Buggy Bumpers.

That's the sound of the train

After Dinner Party

Just a little Clip

Super Bowl Sunday

Here is a picture of the boys wearing their 3D glasses on Sunday during the Super bowl. The commercials and previews the glasses were meant for were a little bit dissappointing, but we were prepared nonetheless.

Moving up to a Big Boy Bed

It's official. Carter has now gone from being our little boy to a big boy and has a new bed to prove it. I still haven't gotten around to taking a picture of him in it, but when I do, I'll post. We left the crib in his room for the first week of the transition with the advice of a friend of mine. She warned that the first week may be a little rough. However, I am pretty sure that Carter was ready because he slept better then he has in long while. Once he was in the new bed, he never went back to the crib. Now if we can only get him potty trained......