Somebody Loves Ice Cream!

It looks like Trish and Carter now have the same vice:)

Just Plain Cuteness!!!

Back to School...and the Many faces of Carter :)

Not much to say about this... what a face!

"Mom and Dad, do you really think this wall of pillows is gonna hold me back? Come on... who are you kidding?"

"Watch out Lucky... here I come!"

"Do I have something on my face?"

"Hey guys.... how's it goin'?"

Back to school we go!

Andy and I have been in teacher in-service for the past week and a half, and we start classes Monday! (Andy's actually been doing coaching stuff for a few weeks now.) I think we are both looking forward to seeing our new students and getting the year underway, despite the fact that the summer just flew by.

Carter has readjusted to daycare pretty easily, but I don't think they were expecting or ready for what they got when he returned. They tell me everyday how fast and far he crawls. (He's like lightning) He likes to visit kids in various classrooms, and the other teachers welcome him with open arms :) They say he finds his way in and out of all kinds of spaces, and they think he is so funny... a complete handful... but really funny.

It has been tough not seeing him throughout the day, but it definitely gives us something to look forward to...

Ooooppppsss... got to go... Carter somehow found a way out of the barricade I put up for him... What a little stinker! CARTER... COME BACK HERE!!! :):):)

Summer Fun!!! It has been a great few months!!!

Carter is crawling everywhere now... we put up pillow barracades, but he just looks at us and laughs and then crawls right over them... What a boy!

The tickle monster attaks again!!!!

Carter and his great friend Nico... Carter taught Nico to crawl and Nico taught Carter to sit... It was amazing... such cute little friends!

Beautiful picture of the Canadian Lake the boys went to. They spent 4 days there and did nothing but fish and enjoy the great outdoors. It rained a lot, but they ate well and got to act like men... Grrrrrrrrr :)

Summer has flown by, but it has been such a blast! The last part of our break was spent with friends and family. Andy went on a fishing trip to Canada with the men in his family, and I went to Seguin and Austin to see my parents and close friends. Carter was incredible and had a great time with everyone. He swam a lot with his friend Nico and at his Auntie Brenda's house. My mom and dad LOVED having him, and he gave them lots and lots of smiles. All in all this was a fantastic summer!

Family Pictures... These were all taken at the lake house in Minnesota... Fun times!

Sorry for the Delay!!! We were on vacation and had a great time. Below are the pics and a quick re-cap.

Great Grandma Jean... She's so awesome... Carter was all smiles listening to all of her great stories.

Just a little family pic in the woods... We took a billion of them and plan to enlarge quite a few.

And another... Carter seems pretty used to the camera flashing in his face... I think he got pretty bored by the end of our photo shoot.

The grandparents with Carter at their lake... Carter swam in it quite often and loved it... Can't wait til' next year!

Andy and I were able to get away for a couple of days to the beautiful North Shore of Lake Superior... It was such a nice time. We thought it was a bit weird at first not having to unload two dogs and carry a baby, but we managed to adjust pretty quickly :) We got home to Carter as soon as possible though.

Look at that face... He melts my heart on a daily basis!

Summers in Minnesota... gotta love em'... I hear this is what y'all were wearing down in Texas :)

Carter confused himself with the dishes... He's so big, the sink was hardly big enough... He loved splashing around and making a bubbly mess.

Its the summer version of A Christmas Story...

A beautiful double rainbow at the lake...

Focusing really hard on sitting up by himself... He tipped over a few moments later... but he is getting better.

Baby Banz... too cool for school... Thank you Grandpa Jack. I love my new shades.

SUPER cute pic of cousin Sully smooching Carter goodbye. She was just precious.

Hey guys... sorry it's been so long. Andy, Carter, and I were on a 3 1/2 week vacation. We started out in Arkansas at my family reunion. I haven't been to one in over 10 years, and it was a lot of fun! Carter got to meet lots of family and he and his sweet cousin Sullivan really hit it off. Her mom and dad generously gave us a place to stay and we were very relieved that they didn't kick us out after our two dogs decided to mark their territory all over their living room floor... Toby and Ally, if you are reading this... again, sorry and thank you! :):):)

Next, we made it up to Minnesota where we spent the majority of the time at Andy's parent's lake house. It is so beautiful up there. We got to see friends and lots of family and had a really great time. We spent the 4th of July with Andy's aunt and uncle and their kids, and Carter met even more of his little cousins... It was really fun to see all the kids playing together, although Andy's brother, Ben, and his grown cousin, Steve, were quite entertaining as well... Just think family style Mixed Marshall Arts between two thirty-something year old men...

We spent many long and gloriously lazy days at the lake, enjoying the mild weather and cold water. Though we had to get back to the blazing heat of Texas, we are glad to be home and are looking forward to the rest of our summer vacation. We have about 4 1/2 more weeks to soak it all in.

I hope you are all great and God bless!

Fab Four and Pictures Galore!!!

The Fab Four!!!! Meet Carter, Demi, Nico and Helia!!!! From left to right...me and Carter, Alison and Demi, Dee Dee and Nico, and Courtney and Helia! I've known Alison and Dee Dee since 1st grade and Courtney since my freshmen year in college. These babies are going to be life-long friends whether they like it or not... and NO, this was NOT planned!!!!

Seguin girls and their precious babies... do not be fooled by the calmness in the picture :) This was the aftermath of quite an eventful dinner :)

Carter flirting with Helia... He may appear like he just wants her toys, but he's just being smooth... Check out the look on her cute little face, though... Yep... he's quite the ladies man :)

Carter and Nico in their first wrestling match... It was hilarious, and I'm sure there are plenty more of these in their future.

Cousin Christopher and Carter just chillin' in Brenda's pool. This is the life!!!

Like father like son! So, so cute!!!

Uncle Warren and Aunt Caroline surprised us with a great visit to Seguin. Carter looks so tiny when Warren holds him... It's all an illusion :)

"As long as I have my grandma and my giraffe, I am good to go."

" Great Grandma Geri couldn't believe how big I was... She's so cool... she does pilates at her new house... If I knew what that was, I'd be even more impressed!"

All smiles in his bounce-mobile... Andy and I often wish they would make these in adult sizes :)

Flyin' high and lovin it!

Bottle belly anyone???? There's like an entire keg of milk in there!!!!

Carter LOVES his jungle-scape... he doesn't seem to mind at all that it is totally covered in his drool and spit up... It just blends in so well.

Just a quick pic with mom... this camera guy follows me everywhere.

This is a pretty recent picture of our pond. Andy and I dug and built it last year, not knowing that we had a stone quarry in our backyard. Our rose bush is now in full bloom, and we plan to install a rock border around the whole thing to finish it off.

These are some lillies from around our pond... we had more in our front yard as well... They're enormous and really pretty.

"One day, I'm gonna be this big!!!"

What a WONDERFUL start to our summer!!!

Andy, Carter, and I went to Seguin to see lots of family and friends! We were able to have a fabulous, yet tad chaotic dinner with 3 of my closest friends, along with their husbands and babies, all of whom were born within months of one another. It was so much fun, and I would like to commend the staff at Trudy's in South Austin for putting up with 7 brand new parents and their 4 infants... THANK YOU!!! At one point 3 out of the 4 babies were crying all at the same time... Carter seemed to sleep through it all... Moms and Dads were up and bouncing around the whole restaurant, dozens of pictures were being taken, and I'm pretty sure our table was the only one that thought the whole thing was in any way cute... but I guarantee you it was :)

We also got to see Great Grandma Geri, and Carter put on quite a show of smiles and acrobatics the whole time for her to oooh and ahhh over... It was so much fun!

Of course, my mom and dad and family all loved his visit, and I think they even enjoyed mine and Andy's company as well :) Carter had his first swim ever at Brenda's on Sunday and absolutely loved it. He got to meet all kinds of family, in addition to a little cousin just a month younger. It was such a blast, and our summer has just begun!