Messy Man

Given just a few moments, Carter can make a mess like no other. This is new to me because Abbie has always been under my feet, cautious, and hates to be dirty and/or wet. Carter escapes often and loves a good mini disaster area. For the first time, I have had to put up a safety gate to keep him out of places. Now there are frequent sink baths and of course, Abigail likes to take one too even though she is almost always clean. Now we can all see where I spent a good part of my day.

Church on Sunday

Last Sunday, Nana Noreen took Abigail and Carter to church for Sunday service after keeping them all day and night Saturday. I got a much needed break and the kids got to have fun playing with Nana, Grandpa, and Aunt Joy. The kids love it and so do I!

Sunday Visit

On Sunday, we went over to my mom's house to visit because my Aunt Janice, who has been battling cancer, came into town from Fresno. Abigail was so excited to see everyone and had an especially good time playing with Remington and Shelbi and eating strawberry shortcake. Carter loves everyone so he got a kick out of all the extra attention.

Playdate

Last Wednesday, the kids and I went over to Mahala's for a dinner playdate. The girls hung out in the kitchen and had dinner, taking turns monitoring all of our rowdy children. Missing from this photo are Abigail (way too busy to pose for a photo), Colin, Gavin, and Ethan. Carter loved hanging out with the big kids and Abbie had fun playing with all the different toys.

Naptime

I have to say, I love playing with the kids and there are many great times in my day, but my favorite is naptime! It follows the morning of Noggin (preschool tv programs), silly songs, several feedings, and usually a couple of tantrums and injuries. I also know that it precedes an evening of guaranteed tantrums, a rushed dinner, making funny bubble hats and beards in the tub, and reading the same books over and over. I wouldn't trade sharing these moments for anything and will cherish them forever, but knowing that I will have an hour or two (if it's a good day) to turn off everything that makes noise and catch up on a few chores in total silence is precious! Plus nothing is cuter than sleeping kids!

On Saturday April 13th I took Abigail to cousin Remington's birthday party at Shabby Girls. The girls got to wear tutus, have their hair, makeup, and nails done, sing along with Hannah Montana, eat pink sandwiches, drink shirley temples, and have pink cupcakes. Abigail was not at her best on this day and we had to leave soon after arriving, but it looked like the big girls were going to have a blast!

Silly Carter

On this day, Carter would not stay out of Abigail's room and kept getting into everything he could get his little paws on. He eventually pulled down a stuffed giraffe that wears Abbie's favorite tutu when it is not in use, so I decided to put it on him thinking that it may keep him away from it. Well, he certaintly showed me- he LOVED it! He tugged on it and squealed, wrestled around with it, and finally, posed so nicely for me in it. Now I show it to everyone and tell them that it will be the picture I submit for his high school yearbook. So Carter- you better be good to your mommy!

Disneyland

Abigail's 1st trip to Disneyland and California Adventure was on the 15th and 16th. My Grandma watched Carter for us so that we did not have to attempt wrangling a toddler and a baby at a major theme park (thanks Grandma!) and my mom, Roy, and Kelsey (aka Auntie Cool Beans) went with us to help out and have some fun. While we all agreed that we had fun, we also agreed that Abigail was a bit too young to understand the full concept of Disneyland. Waiting in line and being unable to run free all the time was difficult for her and some of the rides that were meant for kids were a little too much. It's funny how you forget how scary some things really are until you do them with a toddler! She loved the playground areas and would have stayed in them all day long if we would have let her. Like I said we all had fun and look forward to going again when both kids are a little bit older.

High Chair Graduation

I don't know why this milestone was so huge to me, but it was. Moving out of the high chair and into a booster made Abigail officially a big girl. She was so excited about the move and got a kick out of sitting next to me at the table. After she was done it was time to put her baby in the booster and pull a chair next to Carter to "help" him. Carter got to try out his first Puffs which consisted mostly of crushing them in his hands and making terrible faces when he actually got one in his mouth. I also gave him a teething biscuit in an effort to keep him quiet for a few more minutes and quickly remembered why DJ had banned them from the house when Abbie was his age. What a mess! Abigail was more than happy to eat as many of them as she could. To continue the big night, we did our first double bath and the kids LOVED it! Carter splashed the whole time and Abbie enjoyed her newfound freedom outside of the bath chair.

Standing!

He has been trying so very hard for about a week now, and already he can do it! He is already pulling up and standing. I have to admit, it totally freaks me out to turn around and see him standing, especially since he is still so little. If only he could just figure out what to do once he gets there!

My Little Prince

I love the milky beard!

Copycat Abbie

Just like my Grandma!

Bananas!

Finally, a food Carter has made funny faces for- smashed bananas! Obviously, he's not a fan yet!