6 Years

On this day six years ago, Kyle and I were married and enjoyed a wonderful wedding. And last night we celebrated this special day with a fun dinner out at McCormick & Schmicks downtown. It was great to enjoy each other's company and treat ourselves to a deliciously fancy dinner. As we ate, we were marveling at the quiet and relaxing atmosphere. We had no toddler climbing over the back of the booth, no baby throwing her spoon or dropping her cup, we didn't have to flag down the waiter once to clean up spilled milk...heaven! It was the most enjoyable meal we've had in months! We actually enjoyed a leisurely drink, finished multiple conversations and lingered over dessert. It was a very special evening.

Happy Anniversary, Kyle. I love you and all that you are to our family. We are blessed.

Sadly we didn't get a picture together, but here is one of my handsome hubby with our wonderfully decadent (and free!) chocolate cake.

We love Nana

Nana and her infinite helping hands arrived on Saturday...thank goodness! Kyle and I were both feeling a little worn down and are now relishing in the extra hour(s) of sleep, an extra person to read books and change diapers and just another set of hands to help out. I know the words are small, but thank you, Mom. We can't say it enough, we appreciate all that you do for us!

Carter could not be more thrilled to have his Nana here for the week - he welcomed her with the biggest hug, numerous "I missed you, Nana"-s and just general sweetness. It took Kennedy a few days to warm up, although she was out of sorts with other things as well, but by yesterday she was definitely Nana's girl. I wish that we could be doing more exciting things, but with day light savings throwing off our schedule and Kennedy's morning naps we've been sticking close to home. Perhaps we'll venture out tomorrow...

This picture was taken Saturday night, just a few hours after Nana arrived in Portland. Carter could not get enough of her. It was so sweet. It was all love, hugs and "I missed you, Nana"-s.

Not only do I love the help during the day, but I love my mom's company even more. Last night we escaped to Target of all places but really had a good time. It was so fun to shop around leisurely, throw ideas back and forth and spend time catching up without interruption. It was the highlight of my week so far!

Thank goodness for Arizona's early spring break!

Better late than never

So I've been meaning to get these pictures posted for awhile now...I'm not such a fan of blogging "out of order" but things kept coming up and our fun Valentine's Day "party" kept getting pushed to the back burner. I finally have a few spare minutes, the pictures uploaded and nothing else to do - hooray.

The Thursday before Valentine's Day was so much fun. I hosted a little get together for Carter and his friends Andrew and Gracie. Some cards were made and exchanged, yummy pretzel chocolate treats were assembled and heart cookies decorated. It really was fun and the kids seemed to enjoy the activities.

Making heart shaped pretzel chocolate yummies that Lindsey brought. The kids were intensely working on unwrapping their Hershey kisses.

Andrew was all about the cookies - he did a wonderful job!

Gracie loved the frosting...she probably ingested more sugar at this one sitting than she did all week. So fun to have a little girl added into our play dates!

Carter couldn't wait to get his hands on the sprinkles. He'd been asking for them all morning, but once he shook a few on his cookies, he was done.

Sarah brought over these great cards for the kids to make.

How cute are they? I wish I would have gotten a group shot before Gracie left, but the babies were still sleeping. Next time.

Kennedy and Lauren were none too pleased that they napped through the festivities - maybe next year, girls!

Where were you at 3 AM?

Well, if you were my wonderfully amazing, fantastically unselfish husband, you were standing in line, outside on a frigid 30 degree night, to enroll Carter in preschool. Yep, preschool. Who knew people literally camped out to ensure their 3 and 4 year old children a spot?!? Craziness. But we had been warned of this madness, so Kyle decided he'd get up in the wee hours of the night and brave the freezing cold. Arriving a bit after 3 AM, you'd think he'd be first, second or heck even third in line...you'd be wrong. He was 15th and so we're not even guaranteed our first choice. (Seeing as how there are only 8 spots in the class that we'd like for Carter, we're hoping the first 14 people had older children or wanted different days/times) But, Carter will definitely be in one the classes and hopefully will learn and thrive at this special place. Just another reminder of why I so dearly love my husband. Thank you, Sweetie.

Oh this boy!

Carter is lucky to be alive today...and not for the reason that you may think. Yesterday morning, I was doing a quick job of vacuuming the upstairs. I finished up our bedroom, turned off the vacuum and realized that it was a little too quiet for my liking. So, I called out to Carter only to have him respond, "Mommy, come look at this. I'm fixin' it." Fixing what, I thought? Hmm. I found him in the guest room with the outlet cover off, a paint brush stuck in one hole and a paper clip in the other. Seriously. I kind of freaked out - not in a yelling or mad way, but in a crying, oh-my-gosh I'm so thankful that you're okay way. I tried desperately to stress how dangerous his actions were and how badly he could have been hurt. He totally didn't get it, although he shook his head with vigor and said, "I understand." Is this what having a boy is all about, because I think this little stunt just took a few years off my life!

On a funnier note, Carter had a wonderful time celebrating Valentine's Day on Saturday night. We had a few friends over for dinner and Carter was wound tighter than a two dollar watch. He managed to eat dinner without incident but was finished well before the adults. So, he started begging everyone to come and play with him. Not wanting to leave my meal half finished, I suggested he go play with Jake. To this he responded, "but Jake doesn't have any hands." Come on, Mom, really, how can the dog play with me without any hands. We all got a good laugh.

Happy Valentine's Day

On a day that celebrates love, I thought it was important to send a special message to the people that we love the most. We are so blessed to have so many wonderful, thoughtful, loyal, generous and supportive friends and family members in our lives. During times of joy and struggle, our family and friends are always there for us and we are grateful. Thank you for loving us, dear ones. We love you!

Carter making heart shaped cookies in honor our Valentine's Day

Kennedy sending her love your way!

Cute t-shirts from Auntie Stacy, Uncle Justin and Bennett, Thank you!

Posing in her new Valentine's Day outfit - a thoughtful gift from Nana, thank you!

Sunny Cabo

This past week was spent in the beautiful, glorious, warm sunshine of Cabo San Lucas. Even though I questioned our sanity at trying to travel to Mexico with two kids, three suitcases, a pack & play, two car seats, a stroller, two backpacks and an overflowing diaper bag, we survived the "travelling" part and had the BEST vacation. The flights were surprisingly smooth, both kids slept fairly well and the weather could not have been any more perfect. It was a much needed break for everyone and we had so much fun with Kyle's parents, Stacy, Justin and Bennett. Some of the highlights were: 11:00 happy hour by the pool, Carter's endless squeals as he splashed and enjoyed the pool, dinner at Poncho's (twice, none the less), celebrating Kyle's 30th birthday with a little serenade from three Mexican musicians, morning walks to see the turtles and flamingos and lots of quality time with family. We could not have asked for anything more and are so thankful that Kyle's parents allow us to invade their otherwise peaceful vacation! Here are some pics from our wonderful week!

Carter was swimming less than an hour after we arrived...no nap, no problem! He was just so happy to finally be in that pool!

Grandma and Papa with the three kiddos. So long to rest and relaxation on vacation! They were amazingly helpful and hopefully enjoyed having us as much as we enjoyed being there.

Off for our morning stroll

Dinner out at Ponchos. We had to laugh at our early dining hour (5:30 most nights), but with three wee ones to consider we were just lucky to make it through a meal!

The view from our balcony

Our happy kiddos. Love them.

Little Bennett, happy as a clam!

Carter's favorite mode of transportation - Uncle Justin's shoulders!

Too cool. Please notice I'm having to restrain her arms, because she did not enjoy the sunglasses. They were off and into her mouth in mere seconds.

Beautiful beach. Unfortunately, we didn't spend much time in the sand, because Carter was kind of afraid of the ocean. He didn't like the waves and was worried that there would be whales. (He just learned about the story of Jonah and the whale the Sunday before we left - not the best timing for that bible lesson)

Our one attempt at ocean time. I think Kyle's back is still recovering from the indentations of Carter's fingers!

Kennedy seemed to enjoy it - her first dip into the ocean