Fall 2012

Here's the deal: I have all these pictures from last fall and the first part of this year that were on my camera, but since my computer was ill I couldn't post them. Now I am left with the dilemma...do I go back and write posts and assign them dates according to when they happened? Or do I just write them now for the sake of having them recorded, in the hopes that someday I get around to printing out this blog in book format. So...because I don't have the time, energy, or anything else to go back, I'm just going to write those posts now in a couple of posts. So yes, these are old pictures.

At the first Southlake football game of the season. Also the first game played at Allen's freakishly huge new stadium. Carter was totally enthralled.

So proud of this girl!

Fair Day 2012! Looking back, it was probably pretty stupid of me to do all that walking around, knowing what I do now about all the contractions and issues that I had. But hindsight is 20/20.

Carter and Brycen at the petting zoo

Jason and Carter

Couple of goons!

That day there so happened to be some sort of world record thing where they attempted to make the worlds largest Frito pie....why I am not sure, but it resulted in free Frito Pie for all of us!

Aaahhhh, Fletchers!

Free chair massages for preggos?? Yes please!

I am so glad that we made it a point to take pictures in front of Big Tex, since he burned to the ground the following week. :(



Who would ever have thought last year on fair day when we got engaged, that we would be pregnant the next year! What a crazy year it has been!

Brycen loved the rides!

Carter hated them so much that they gave us our tickets back

Brad and Bri adopted a dog! That unfortunately they got rid of a few short weeks later.

Love this sign! See the boys?

Trying fried cactus. It was yummy!

I know its blurry, but I love the ferris wheel all lit up!

At another Southlake game

Brannan and Jack met us there

Chelsea's baby shower

Deanna and Chelsea

Two preggos

Finally meeting baby Jaden!

Nana and Edna made yummy Mexican food, and Jazzy made Carter a tiny tortilla!

Carter is not too sure about a baby

Wearing Juju's jersey

We went to the Heart of Texas fair in Waco

First horse ride!

Petting goats

This deer got ahold of Jazzy's shirt and she was like "Audrah what do I do?" I told her don't let it rip your shirt! And she started telling it "No no, deer, don't eat my shirt." I had to tell her umm Jazzy, I don't think he's going to listen to you! Silly girl!

Red velvet funnel cake. All you need to know is that it was freaking delicious, and you already know that yes, I did pass my second glucose test that week.

Hiding from scattered showers

Brandon and Candice met us there. Elan always gets confused by Christiaan because he looks so much like Brandon!

Carousel ride

Too much fun!

The Malone's drove down and went to the game with us that night

These guys love each other so much!

He's such a natural!

Swim lessons 2013

We signed Carter up for swim lessons for the first 2 weeks of summer break.  I have been looking forward to him being able to take lessons from Mrs. Harriet, but she doesn't start lessons until 3 years old. He was very excited for them to start too. Of course, I had high hopes of him taking to the water and ending those 2 weeks being on the track to the next Michael Phelps. But in true Carter fashion, he was a hot mess. The first couple of days were rough when I left him, even though he talked about it non stop. She told me the third day that he was refusing to jump in from the side, and at times also refusing to actually swim. Naturally. 

 

But, after many pep talks and bribes, he was eventually more cooperative, even "jumping" off the diving board. Which meant the helping teacher dropped him in to Mrs. Harriet. I'll take what I can get!

 

It was a 9 day class, and the last day was scheduled to be show day, where parents could stay and watch. But last Monday we got rained out, so he actually had his last lesson on Friday, the day after show day.  We were very excited to go see his new talents at show day, and he was excited to show us. My mom even came to watch. 

 

Umm, this kid.  Ya'll, he's the poster child for ADHD meds.  He also summed up within minutes of the class why Mrs. Harriet has strict rules about parents not watching the class the rest of the lessons. He was turning around telling us random things, dancing around, talking to Mrs. Harriet about random stuff, watching rabbits hop outside the fence, good gravy. She chose him to go first when they had to jump in fully clothed and practice taking off their shoes and swimming with clothes on. So when she started the next round of jumping in with just swimsuits on and told him that since he went first last time, he was going last this time, he turned around and said "Hey GranPam, hear that?? I don't have to jump again!!" Oh geez.

 

He balked at just about everything they were doing, didn't want to let go of her while in the water, and eventually had a meltdown because he bumped his lip on the edge. But, at the end, he was so proud of himself, and so excited that he had shown us his talents. And even though in comparison to the other kids in his class he didn't seem too successful, at KK's pool yesterday we definitely saw where he had come a long way thanks to Mrs. Harriet! Plus, I found out he was the youngest in the class, so we will go back next summer(and maybe the next!) for some refresher classes!

 

 

Ready for his first day

Listening to Mrs. Harriet explain why they were practicing swimming with clothes on...he's the smallest one!

Carter's first!

Taking off his shoes

Trying to get him to back float

Each kid had to demonstrate how they could put their face under and the teachers counted how long they were under. Most kids made it to like 12 or 13, a couple closer to 17, and just before Carter's turn Christiaan leaned over and said "I give him to 5." And he made it to 4...

Trying to entertain sister and keep us both cool

Using a paddle board. He actually did pretty good with that one!

Playing around



Notice anything?? He's totally in his own world.

Doing much better with his back float!

Delaney's curls go berserk when she sweats!

And the big one....jumping off the diving board!

He requires help

And by help, I mean they throw him in. Haha.

Look at this close up of his fingers and face bracing for impact! Hilarious!

Swimming back to the edge

Ranger game fun

In May we decided we had better get to a Ranger game before the gates of hell opened up and it got too hot.  We took my mom with us, and prayed that both kids would behave for a couple hours.  Carter of course had the time of his life, as anything sports is obviously his happy place, and Delaney actually rolled with the punches quite well.  I used the game as an excuse to buy a newer and fancier umbrella stroller, and I may or may not now be obsessed with it.

 

The weather turned out to be very nice, with a slight breeze even. Of course we ate everything in sight, and Carter wasn't shy about putting away some delicious ballpark food. I know that some people would seriously frown upon my obsession with ballpark food, and especially that I allow my child to eat it, but alas, its in our blood. Blame his Grand Dude for it.

 

We did draw the line at letting him eat cotton candy, or hot'n candy as he calls it, for dinner, but insisted that he first eat something nutritious such as cheese fries or nachos. He wisely chose loaded nachos, and scarfed them down while keeping his eyes peeled for the hot'n candy man.  During a bathroom break, I let him peruse the small gift shop on the upper level, telling him that he could pick out one item, and his choice?? A pink bat. He also wanted the matching shimmery pink baseball, but I had to put my foot down about that one. Whatevs. He also picked out a Pez dispenser, and said that Delaney needed nothing because she was too little. (For the record, I tried to convince him that a Rangers toothbrush would be much cooler than a Pez dispenser)

 

Carter kept asking to see the fireworks, and lucky for us, the Rangers hit 2 home runs that night. One of them, he had been sitting with my mom and Nelson Cruz was up to bat when Carter started asking for fireworks again. My mom said "Carter, tell him Come on Nelly, hit a homer!" and I swear to you she hadn't so much as said those words when he did! Carter was in awe, like GranPam has super powers or something.

 

Things that I learned from this experience:

-Its really flipping hard to deal with 2 small kids, all while trying probably unsuccessfully to not piss off everyone around you (Although the people next to us were on their first date away from 6 month old twin girls!)

-ALWAYS take advantage of a grandparent to be an extra set of hands

-Fork out the money to get Carter his own dang seat

-Christiaan has taught Carter well when it comes to not leaving a game before its over

 

Excuse our stellar photography skills. We also learned that it was all we could do to snap a few pics with our iPhones.

 

 

Even got a couple of naps in

Nosebleeds, but a good view!

Hot'n candy, pink bat, and the sugar hyped eyes

She made me promise not to post this on Facebook, but she didn't say anything about the blog....

Oh this kid. My mom (and all the women in her family except me) can bust eardrums with her whistle, and Carter thinks that he can as well when he puts his hands in his mouth like this.