Let it Snow!!

Greetings from Toledo, Ohio!
We awoke this morning to snow on the ground, and one really excited 3 year old! Needless to say, it was only a matter of minutes before he was asking to go outside to play. So Carter and I bundled up and headed out for a morning of fun...
We started with target practice by throwing snowballs at the trees, then we had a snowball fight of our own! (Well, some were just snow chunks...Carter hasn't yet mastered the art of forming snowballs.)
Next, we made snow angels side by side. Chilly, but beautiful. Then we waddled along the sidewalk like penguins.
Finally, Carter had the same experience I had exactly 10 years ago when I came up to visit Scott in Toledo...it was his first training in how to shovel snow off the driveway and scrape snow and ice off the cars. Fun, fun! Not too bad if you only do it once a year...but sure makes me thankful to be a southerner!! :)
Here are a few pics of us in our snow gear this morning, and a couple of Carter at Nanny's house last week with his second cousin, Ethan. They are just TOO cute in their matching PJ's, so I wanted to share this pic too!
Happy New Year!!! Love to all!!

Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday!

Christmas morning is extra special at our house...not only are we celebrating Christ's birth, but it's also Scott's birthday! Happy Birthday, Scott/Daddy...we love you!!! We've sung happy birthday, presents have been opened, and now we're enjoying some time together listening to the musical musings of our 3 year old drummer...Santa has made our son's year! Video footage coming soon...

Santy Claus

Two of the oddest traditions we have as parents...
1. Telling our kids not to take candy from strangers, but getting them all dressed up and taking them door to door asking for candy from strangers on Halloween.
2. Telling our kids not to talk to strangers, then putting them on the lap of a complete stranger, not to mention old man, for a quick photo op at Christmas.
Odd but at the same time these are traditions we want Carter to experience! :)
So, tonight we braved the mall traffic and sub-freezing temperatures to stand in line for close to an hour so our sweet little man could tell Santa what he wanted for Christmas. Afterwords, he kept telling us that he and Santa were buddies, then stood at a distance waving and blowing him kisses. The twinkle in Carter's eye, excitement in his voice, and complete awe at the sights and sounds of Christmas made the wait well worth it!
We know that Christmas is not all about presents and Santa, and we read the Story of Christmas to Carter nearly every night. Even still, we don't want him to miss out on some of the wonders of being a child...the mystery, excitment, and thrill of this season.
May our response to Christ's birth be like that of Carter's to Santa tonight...may our hearts flutter, may our eyes twinkle, may we be filled with such joy we can hardly stand still!
May the joy of knowing Christ be the greatest gift you receive this season...
Merry Christmas!

Happy Birthday, Carter!

It's hard to believe it, but our sweet son turned 3 on Monday. Even before he was born, other often well-wishing parents would tell me to enjoy every minute because "It all goes by so fast!" It sounded so cliche then, and yet now I am realizing just how true it is. I find each day I want to just soak up every moment with him and hope that the memories held in my mind's eye will forever remain as clear as the day they happened. Some of our most precious times together may not ever be captured on camera...bedtime prayers, snuggling at 3am (love it, but also ready for more sleep!), the first hug after Carter wakes up, hearing him say "I love you, Mommy."...just to name a few.
We celebrated Carter's birthday with family this year, deciding we weren't quite ready for the friend party...maybe next year?!? I hate that I didn't get pictures from his actual "party." As luck would have it, our camera battery was dead! So, the birthday pics on here are from his birthday dinner at Mineo's and first ride on his new bike...enjoy!

Hamming it up!

Cheese!

Carter and Daddy

A REAL bike! :)

Packages and Bows!

This Christmas is already such fun with Carter. His eyes light up at the sight of Christmas decorations, he claps as we turn on the Christmas tree lights, and he cheers each time the Grinch's heart grows! It does feel a bit like we have a cat in the house, though. Why? Well, you should see Carter creep up to the Christmas tree and begin batting at the ornaments.. .
Last night as Scott and I were filling our supper plates, Carter was upstairs and it got suspiciously quiet. I called up to him, "Carter, what are you doing?" His reply with great joy in his voice, "I'm just opening my Christmas presents!!" I scrambled up the stairs and quickly pried the box from his sweet hands. Patience will be a difficult virtue to teach this Christmas!

Carter at Ally's house

Braxton, Adaline, and Carter--CHEESE!

PRECIOUS!!!

Warm Up and Foul Shots

As promised, an update on how Carter's been spending his time. The video's a couple of minutes, but worth watching all his moves! I'm saving this one for when he plays in the National Championship for UNC!!! :)

Holidays for Heroes

I'll get back to my usual Carter blogging soon...but for now, I want to encourage you to help spread holiday cheer! Specifically, please take a moment within the next week to mail a card to one of our many deserving heroes serving our country.
The Red Cross is sponsoring "Holiday Mail for Heroes." The mailing address/info you need can be found on their website. Please join me in thanking those who sacrifice so much so we can enjoy the freedoms and security we so often take for granted.

Deadline...

Sorry for not blogging much this month. As most of you who read this know, my Jan. 15 deadline for my current freelance project got bumped to Dec. 1...resulting in a month of frantic writing and little time for blogging or anything else really! :)
We hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! More soon...

Tick, tock

That's right...the countdown to Christmas has begun!
Don't believe me? Check out the display at your local Walgreens (or ask Carter!).
I innocently went into Walgreens in search of a toothbrush for Carter, when bombarded by twinkling lights and a large Snoopy clock counting down the days, hours, minutes, even seconds until Christmas. My heart began to beat a little faster as I scanned the store...instantly, thoughts of Christmas cards, gift lists, and a plethora of other "to-do's" ran through my mind. Can it really be so few days until Christmas? Has it always felt this rushed? It's not even Thanksgiving yet, after all.
Even still, I'll soak up every bit of it, because this truly is the most wonderful time of the year!
Click on the link below if you need to give your own to do list a timeline...
http://www.emailsanta.com/clock.html

"Look Mommy--a hat!"

Those were Carter's words as he ran into the kitchen while I was fixing dinner...with his batman underwear on his head. I LOVE THIS KID!! :)

"I'm Batman!"

We hope everyone had a safe and happy Halloween! Ours was fun as we celebrated Don-Don's birthday at my sister's house. Happy Birthday, Daddy!! We love you!!! :)
Carter had been afraid of his Batman costume (really just the muscle part) until it came time to put it on last night. Something about being a super hero and people giving out candy must have convinced him it was okay. :) Anyway, enjoy the pics from our Halloween fun!

Check out that six pack!
Who is that masked man?

The most beautiful gypsy and adorable Batman
you'll ever see!

Best buds...Carter and Braxton checking out their loot.

Batman and the Birthday Boy
Happy Birthday, Don-Don!

Fireman Carter

Last week, the fire truck was at Carter's school. I was amazed at how well he had payed attention to the firemen when he got in the car and said, "Mommy, we need a meeting place." I think C's the cutest fireman I've ever seen!! :)

Halloween Cookies??

Use your imagination, and you just might see that it's a ghost.

Today, I thought it would be fun if Carter and I made some Halloween cookies. I wanted this to be his project, so I let him roll with it. Unfortunately, our "ghosts" and "pumpkins" turned into big blobs that became one huge cookie! Even still, we were able to cut them apart, ice a few, and add sprinkles. They taste GREAT! Even if they were horrible, I wouldn't care...we had a BLAST! :)

The chef was proud of his creation!

Being silly (pretty much the entire time!) :)

Pumpkin Patch

We met my dear friend, Angeline, and her adorable daughter, Rosa Grace, at Walden Farm today. We've taken them there the last couple of years, so to me it's become a special tradition. Here are a few pics from the day...

Carter on the mini tractor

What a sweet face!

C's first hayride...notice he's putting the moves on Rosa! :)

Playing with corn and grain

Picking out pumpkins

Carter in the hay maze...
He LOVED it!!

Our little pumpkin

First time with face paint
(I thought he was going to cry when we washed it off!)

Fun with farm animals

My God is SO BIG!

Last night after saying his bedtime prayer, Carter serenaded me with the sweet song "My God is so BIG!" complete with the motions.
So...tonight I thought you should get to hear it too. Unfortunately, he decided not to do the motions, and the second part's a little sketchy...but what a precious reminder that "There's nothing my God cannot do...for you!" :) I love this sweet little guy. What a blessing!!!

Jump Zone

Tonight, Carter's school hosted a family fun night at Jump Zone.
What is Jump Zone???
To kids--just about the most fun you can have indoors.
To adults--a bunch of those blow-up bouncy slide/obstacle course contraptions in a hot warehouse room...basically a germ fest!
HOWEVER...no complaints from this mom. Carter had a BLAST (he was super brave!) and we're about to scrub him down from head to toe before what will, hopefully, be a great night's rest. As crazy as I may sound to those of you who've been there, I'm actually thinking it'd be a great place for his first "real" birthday party...don't hold me to it, though. :)

Monkeyin' Around...

Every day for the last week and a half, Carter has asked to go to the zoo. So...here are a few pics from today's fun including Carter's first carousel ride! He was so excited and kept saying "Oh my goodness!" each time we saw a new animal. Favorite animal of the day? To no one's surprise....the gibbons (like monkeys). :)

"Where are the magrillas?"

"I think I'm having fun...but will it ever stop??"

Daddy, Carter, and the friendly giraffe

Batman!

For his potty training efforts, Carter's Aunt Ally, Uncle Ross, and cousins Braxton & Adaline gave him his own Batman outfit (complete with cape), a Batman action figure, and some cool stickers for when he goes potty. Ally also found Brax's old Batman mask...Carter's been "flying" around the house while singing his "na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na BATMAN!!"

"Moose Valuable Player"

Carter and I have been all about sports this weekend! Friday night, the two of us sat in the pouring rain as we watched BGA defeat Father Ryan (Go Wildcats!!). I'd already talked up the game to Carter, so how could I not take him? Scott was the smart one for staying home, but even in the rain we had fun! :)

The weekend continued with watching Carter's cousin, Adaline, play in her first soccer game of the season yesterday. She played so well!! Go ADDIE!!!
For the game, Carter wanted to wear his own soccer shirt...so here are a few pics of him sporting his "Moose Valuable Player" shirt that Nana & Papa got for him this summer. :) Although Carter likes to play soccer, he especially enjoys being the coach. You should've seen what he had my sister & me doing as "warm ups" last weekend when he was the coach and we were his "soccer teamers" as he put it. We were stretching, kicking, even walking like magrillas (Carter's word for gorillas). I'm sure the neighbors thought we were crazy!! But look at this cutie pie....who could say no? :)

Adaline is the one right in front of the ref...
Look at her hustle! Way to go, Addie Bryce!