Since Carter was taken out of her swim time at daycare last week (that's an entirely different sore story!), I promised to take her to the "big pool." Today was the perfect day, too: it was beautiful and there weren't a lot of people around. She splashed and played, snorkled and tossed her fishy's around. We had a great time!
Ready to run and play!
Cue "Bay Watch" beach music, we've got a cute one!
A glimpse into what the world looks like through the eyes of our favorite 3 1/2 year old has been updated. Be sure to check out her work of art, along the right side of the page under Carter's World!
Today, Andy turns 50! Okay ... really, he's 30, but he might as well be 50 :)
Friday night we cooked for him, making his favorites: meatballs, au gratin taters and cheesecake. He also got his birthday gift: framed movie posters for the theater room. He also bought himself a gift: a big ol' John Deere lawn mower he'd been pining over for weeks!
Saturday the lawn mower was delivered, and Andy was truly torn. He wanted to mow, but he also wanted to go golfing with his buddies. Ultimately, he decided upon golfing. Carter and I went to the splash park and had a great time while Andy got beat on his birthday. I'd told Andy we had reservations for this restaurant of choice, Dos Rios Mexican restaurant, but I'd secretly been planning a poker party for him. When I sent him, with Carter, to the basement at 6:15, he was suspicious, but went. At 7:00, I went to get him, and he was happy to see his pals and play poker. He lost but had fun, that's what matters!
Sunday was the day: he finally got to mow! In the time it took Carter and I bike around the development and talk to a couple neighbors, Andy was finished, and it looked great! Later, we went to see Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen at the iMax theater whlie our fantastic babysitters, Angie and Von, played with Carter. The iMax itself nearly made me sick, but the movie was the BEST! And Carter had an equally awesome time with Angie and Von (although she claims Angie cheats at the game they played!.
Happy 50th birthday, Andy! Here's to 50 more wonderful birthdays, filled with family, friends and fun! We love you!!!
The 'Deere, and one very happy Andy!
Andy and I, headed out to Transformers
Carter's birthday card for Daddy. Don't let the pathetic look fool you - she wanted to do this!
Carter got to play in the sprinkler, play games and read book after book with her beloved babysitters, Angie and Von. Again, I'm thinking the pout is a total "faker, faker, belly acher" thing. She adores Angie, and she obviously loves Von, too
Our morning started out at 6:20am. I love mornings :)
We got all cleaned up and dressed, and the girls were looking good. We went on a special operatives, covert mission (check it out: http://www.thesmilestation.com, customer name: Kelly Calupa (nice, right?), access code: LTTT0976118800TAR). The girls rocked my socks, as usual!
A little sampling :) How great are these?!
Then we lathered up with sunscreen, put on our swimmies and headed to the splash park. Again, Courtney was a little hesitant to warm up, but she giggled and had fun with Carter, who was a maniac!
Courtney and Carter, preparing a battle plan of attack!
I blame Andy for this!
Carter wasn't always the instigator (mostly, but not always!). Courtney got a few great buckets of water to the face in on her!
NOW see if you can get her! Courtney's a pretty smart little cupcake!
Carter and Courtney, wet and hot, but had a blast!
Because the heat index was 105 degrees, we figured our best bet was to find some indoor fun. So after lunch (mac and cheese and watermelon!) and power-naps, the girls, Andy and I headed to the Science Center.
Who says girls can't construct? The girls put together a system of gears (with Andy's help) to move the propeller
It's supposed to be an experiment in wind patterns. Carter really only likes it because it blows her all over!
"Bubble Bay," always a hit!
In "Toddler Town," the girls found the texture wall. We pushed all of the bendy-sticks to the silver side, they made body impressions, then checked them out on the other side.
Courtney really liked the snake - eww! Maybe she's a parsel-tongue!
Cave cuties
Courtney and Carter predicting the weather. With the hot temperatures and high humidity, I bet you expected some storms and severe weather. But were you expecting hurricanes in Iowa? I think not ... thank the girls for your safety!
The amazing, super-cool Ball Wall
After the Science Center, we had "sketty" and relaxed while coloring. Of course we broke out the glitter!
And we jammied ourselves up, brushed teeth and combed hair. We read
Carter's pick, "Chicky, Chicky, Chook, Chook" and Courtney's pick
"Monster Mess." Currently, the girls are chattering and giggling in
bed (it's 8:52 - they'll be asleep in about 2 hours ;) )
Today is our first full Courtney day, and boy, did we really fill it!
Because I'm oh-so-lucky, both girls were up by 6:40am (today I will try harder to wear them out ;) ). We got cleaned up and ate breakfast, then headed to Triad Gymnastics for play day. Courtney was very hesitant at first to try anything. In fact, I think she may have broken both my pinky's from holding on so tightly! But after about 20 minutes, and seeing Carter giggle and have a ball, she started to cautiously try activities, then jump right in!
Tentative at first, Courtney eventually got the jump of things on the trampoline
Once they started jumping, they couldn't stop!!
Next, on to the pit. Again, Courtney wasn't having any part of it, and she never would swing on the rope. But she did push Carter, and eventually jumped in herself
Weeeeeeeeeeee!
1, 2, 3, JUMP!
Carter crawled in the barrel and Courtney pushed her around the gym. Goofballs!
Where's Carter?!
Carter and Courtney, cute and crazy!
After Triad, we met Aunt Amber at the Blank Park Zoo to see the
animals. Given that it was about 100 degrees in the shade, we kept
moving and did our best to remain in the shade. Carter's favorite: the
jelly-fish, of course! Courtney really enjoyed feeding the fish, and
both girls loved the train ride and camel ride.
Carter and Courtney, ready to roll at the zoo!
Amber, Courtney and Carter, crossing the bridge
"MINGO's!"
The girls feeding the fish, one pellet at a time ...
Courtney wanted to ride the camel (very badly!). They loved it!
Carter, Courtney and the giraffes
And a perfect ending to a super day: playing in the pool at home!
They were so stinkin' excited about the pool!
The girls took turns jumping in. First Carter ...
... then Courtney!
Then out came the water guns. Carter and Courtney vs. Daddy. Who ever will win??
Daddy didn't need a water gun. He just splashed water at the girls, who only giggled!
Run, Courtney! RUN!
Snuggling with our favorite girls after a fun night in the pool!
We got settled at home in Ankeny (car ride - Courtney: "Are we home yet?" Carter: "Yeah, it sure is a long way to my house."). The girls played while we unpacked the car and started a load of laundry.
Then, it was water balloons.
Again.
We filled 20 total (5 purple and 5 orange for each girl), then we went outside to attack Andy. The girls had a wonderful time throwing balloons at him and soaking him! When the balloons were gone, they turned to the hose that was filling the pool!
Courtney and Carter helped me fill water balloons
While we filled balloons, Andy blew up the pool. I'm not sure which task was worse: tying 20 itty-bitty wet balloons or blowing up that big ol' pool!
Thing #1 and Thing #2, ready for mischief!
It always starts out so innocently ...
After pelting Andy with balloons, Courtney and Carter run back to the bucket to reload!
Courtney fires ...
... then Carter fires!
Andy filled the pool with the hose while the girls were launching balloons at him. Once the balloons were gone, they turned to the water guns and hose to soak one another!
Finally, the tired eyes grew sleepier, and we headed for bed. Each girl got to pick out a book (and the both chose the long ones!), and we snuggled in for books and lovies.
Whew! What a busy day! We high-tailed it home after dance to spend the weekend with the Chalupa's (since we spent last weekend with Grandma and Poppy). It was relaxing and fun, and we loved it.
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to our wonderful Dads and Grandpas. Our grandpa's must have done a great job with us, because our "babies" are wonderful little girls. You've passed on your wisdom and sarcasm and we couldn't thank you enough for being our DAD's! We LOVE you!!!
Grandpa bought a Wii, so Grandma, Aunt Amber, Uncle Corey, Andy and Carter played. Uncle Corey is still learning to play tennis. Andy (easily ;) ) beat him, but Carter was right at his ability level! Don't worry Corey, you'll only get better!
Sunday morning, we made cookies to share. Carter only got to do sprinkles, for obvious reasons!
After a family lunch (with the BEST potato salad!), Grandma and the girls went outside to pick strawberries ...
... they also ate a fair share while outside!
Carter got to hold her cousin Marissa Mae (8 weeks). She did such a great job playing big sister! She was very careful, helped Marissa with her binky, and didn't get upset when Marissa got a handful of hair!
Uncle Kevin fell asleep and the girls pounced!
Then they snuggled up with Aunt Katie for a book and some lovies
We wanted to introduce Courtney the the world of water balloons, so
we filled a few and headed outdoors. Courtney tossed hers at Uncle
Kevin, not knowing what she was in for! You'd think the girls would have learned by now - Uncle Kevin will
play back! Courtney took of running when she realized he was going to
toss a balloon at her! Tag team! Carter takes her throws at Uncle Kevin, who was quicker than she expected. Her caught her balloon ... ... and when running after her. She high-tailed it to the porch like there was no tomorrow!
After a round of good-byes, we packed up all of our goodies - AND
COUSIN COURTNEY! - and headed hom. Courtney's staying with us until
Wednesday. Both girls have been looking forward to the "slumber party"
for a few weeks now, and we're so excited to have her stay with us!
We're already exhausted, but it's a blast!
Today's afternoon performance of Encore-Sonian: Night at the Dancing Museum wrapped up our first season of dance. Carter did a great job today, too. During her dance routine, she snagged a "sparkley triangle" off the floor and held fast to it during her routine, but otherwise she did great!
In just a few month of dance, she's really come a long way. She's understanding that she has to listen and follow along with Miss Evie, and she's respecting herself, her teacher and her classmates. I couldn't have taught her these lessons on my own, that's for sure. We're going to talk with Miss Evie and see what options year two of dance brings (Tumbling?! Hip Hop?!), but for now, we're relaxing and taking the summer off!
Mommy, Carter and Daddy - off to Carter's final performance, proud as can be!
That's my little diva!
After the show, de-sparkled and un-pinked, back to Little Miss Sassy Pants!
Summer = water balloons. Don't act like you don't remember how much fun these were as kids!
Carter spotted a big bottle of water balloons at Target, and I couldn't say no. We're saving them for Courtney's arrival tomorrow. But to clarify what they really are, I filled two - one for her and one for me - and we went outside to show and tell.
NOT what she'd expected, but she loved them none-the-less!
Tonight's dance recital was the real deal, and Carter couldn't have possibly done any better!
She did a great job during her tap recital, probably because Miss Kalee was right behind her making sure she towed the line. She had jazz-hands and was all smiles! Honestly, she was one of the best in her group!
And ballet went wonderfully again. It's clear that, of the two, this is her favorite.
Video to come in 4 to 6 week, courtesy of Mr. Video (and $35!). It, no doubt, will be better than yesterday rehearsal run where she walked off stage!
The dancer, preparing for her showcase
The Pink Mafia, ready for action
Carter and the girls, waiting for their tap routine
To celebrate an wonderful first recital, Carter - like the big girls - got a flower and much love from Mommy and Daddy! I am so proud, "proud" almost doesn't say enough. When she came out for her tap, and actually tapped!, I cried I was so proud (and pregnant). She was fantastic!
Tonight was dress rehearsal for tomorrow and Saturday's big recital! We've talked about the upcoming showcase, we've done all we could to prep Carter, told her we loved and were proud of her hard work. All was good
She and I got all ready this afternoon. She smelled wonderfully clean. We did make-up, making her look about 17, and we did our best to curl her hair. We headed to Johnston to my middle school where the show will take place. All was good.
We got ready to go on stage. All was good. Carter and 9 other little dolled up dancers hit the stage to "I Like To Move It, Move It," and Carter moved it on stage to her spot. She didn't seem thrilled to be doing so, but she moved it. Then, she just quit. Everyone else shook it and smiled; Carter just stood there with a solemn look on her face. After about a minute on stage, she decided she'd had enough and walked off!
We talked backstage as we changed for ballet. She just didn't like tap, but she was ready for the ballet routine. Once again, all was good.
The group took their marks for their Lullabye routine. Carter did a GREAT job! She smiled, she moved as gracefully as she possibly could, and she enjoyed herself! It was great to see!
On the ride home, she and Andy "had a conversation." They decided that she didn't really like tap anymore, but she'd finish up this year. She also said she loved ballet, which is strange given that she has move difficulty with fine motor skill activities like ballet (I figured she'd be ALL OVER stomping and tapping!). The consensus is to talk with Miss Evie at Encore (who, by the way, is the BEST dance teacher on the planet!) and see if we can continue with just the ballet portion, and maybe pick up tumbling instead of the tap.
Our little dancer, all dolled and dressed up, ready to shine!
The tap routine started well. She's right behind Ms. Kalee, Miss Evie's helper. She had her hands on her hips and she was shaking away.
The movin' it on stage is where it fell apart. You can't really see it, but you know that bottom lip is stuck out to Tennessee!
The rest of the girls boogie-woogied and tapped their little hearts out. For whatever reason, Carter was having no part of it .....
..... then she just took off. That's her, mid-picture, exiting, stage right.
And that's Carter hanging out backstage with Miss Evie's mom, who was no doubt lovingly trying to get her back out there!
The ballet routine was much better! They all started esleep, and Miss Kalee came by to wake everyone up. Carter's the little yellow jammied-ballerina on the left in the second row.
She twirled, just like a real ballerina!
She and she had her toes positioned correctly and arms right on!
She was a little wobbly with her sashay, but she didn't quit or get upset.
Because she did a great job as a ballerina (and because it was 7:30 when our rehearsal was over), she got to pick our dinner restaurant. No big surprise that she choose Chili's, and had mac and cheese, corn on the cob and chocolate milk! And she also got a lovin's from Daddy!
And some more lovin's and snuggles from Mommy.
Congrats on rehearsal, Carter Kay! Good luck at tomorrow's
recital, Beautiful Dancer! We're so proud of you, and we LOVE you, no
matter what tomorrow brings!
Wednesday had been a humid day, and the local weather forecasters predicted a "30% chance of thunderstorms" overnight. Now, I can deal with "thunderstorms." But what we got was certainly not a thunderstorm. I woke up at 2am to blowing winds and lightening. I woke up Andy to see if we needed to hit the basement. He checked the weather, and the brunt of the storm was upon us. Our town was R E D, but no mention of tornado or tornado watches. We could hear the pounding rain and wind, and what sounded like furniture blowing off the deck, so we took it upon ourselves to seek basement refuge.
This morning, things were a mess. No tree and limb damages, but our crap is everywhere! Carter's deck toy box flipped, spewing toys everywhere. My deck flowers must have taken flight, and been separated from their baskets, because my once-beautiful flowers were here, but I still haven't found the pots. Somewhere in the dug up lot next door are chive and parsley plants, and our rain gutter is mangled and in the pit of muddy water that will one day be our next door neighbors.
Thanks, Ed Wilson. The heads up was greatly appreciated. Had I known we would have been receiving 85 mile an hour winds, I would have been proactive and battened down my own hatches, instead of having to go retrieve my deck chairs my the muddy lot next door! Gold star for you, Ed!
Toys, deck chairs and flowers were strewn everywhere, but most telling sight of a rough night were my new tomato plants. I just got them into the Topsy Turvy planter (which was no easy feat!!) Monday morning. I got a hook Tuesday morning and was ready for tomatoes. To the right, you can see the hook, bent to a near-90 degree angle by the winds (that ED WILSON at channel 13 news did NOT predict!). The Topsy Turvy bags, lids and dirt are accounted for, but the tomato plants are long gone.
Most of our outdoor things blew south, towards the lot next door that they just dug yesterday, making a muddy, sloppy mess. A deck chair, three flower pots and numerous herbs were blown into the muck. One lost solider, our rain gutter, is sitting at the bottom of the 10-foot deep muddy hole, waiting to be saved. After finding and salvaging what I could, me and my messy feet hosed down and called it quits. I guess a trip to Earl May is in order this afternoon!
Grant, Collin and Kelsey came up this morning, and the five of us trekked to the zoo to explore. Minus the sticky heat and Carter's hunger-induced meltdown, the group did wonderfully!
The crew crossing the bridge
Carter flew through the jungle area. She was on a mad-mission to see those Jelly fish! She only stopped long enough to see the birds with Grant, then she was gone!
Along the way, she did come across a cute and silly blue poison frog.
Loving the "stinky" flamingos
Greatest smiles ever, as the kids watched the otters swim and play
Like we'd skip this guy!!!
Feeding the fish, being wonderful friends. Grant and Carter
Grant, Carter and Collin share fish food and watch in amazed happiness
We had a bit of a meltdown around the African safari area, but we had a Come-to-Jesus talk, and things were all good again: "Mama, I just love you the most!" she told me in a tearful sniffle, when she'd calmed down (she wanted a map, that she can't read! Then she wanted in the stroller, out of the stroller, to go home, to see Grant and Collin ... basically, I couldn't win. But ... now she loves me!)
We headed to the park for a picnic lunch of Lunch-ables and Palmer's, cheese balls and grapes, and our best pals. Grant and Carter needed to run a bit of the crazies off!
The cutest little cheese-ball mug you could ever imagine!!!
Ankeny has a great summer education program for kiddo's, and our pick this year was "Let's Make Music!" Carter likes to make up silly songs (which she got from Andy, who got it from Duane!), so I figured this would be right up her alley. And I couldn't have been any more right on!
From the moment we stepped into class two weeks ago, she has loved every second it it! Her teachers, Miss Olivia and Miss Katie, are high schoolers who love music and children, and she adores them. She follows directions and she's a great friend to other classmates. Honestly, I couldn't image it going any better than it has so far!
During drawing time, Miss Katie plays a song and the kids draw what
they hear. tHe song was "Celebrate!" so Carter drew her and her
house, down the street from Elisa and her house!
Playing the pot drums and the bongo's, her favorite!
The rain stick and the maracas - perfect to shake it to!
Poppy filled the pond in the backyard with fish for Carter to go fishing in. Carter was a slightly misinformed: she thought she was going to automatically catch a fish. She's smack her line in the water, instantly reel it in, and look cute and sad when she caught nothing. She might not have any "big ol' fish" stories to tell, but she enjoyed herself!
Casting ...
... and reeling back in. No luck this time, but she kept on trying!
And that's exactly what our cherubs started to do! We went to Williamsburg in search of great deals, and we found some great buys. With the bribe of "horses" and "airplane" rides, the crew was pretty good, up until the very end prior to lunch. At the Osh Kosh store, Carter melted down. I got her out of her stroller and we sat on the floor, her head on my lap, exhausted. Kelsey buzzed by with the boys for a motherly heart-to-heart/fear of God conversation outside. So we packed up for lunch, which helped the boys (Carter ended up having a bit of a temperature, and didn't feel good for the remainder of the day).
Sick, sleepy or just sassy, we still had a great time with our pals! Thanks guys! See ya next week!
Grant & Carter take turns riding the horsey. Yee HAW!!!
Our bargin of the day: Carter's new purple hat and cheap rides at the outlet mall!
Our well-fed, cute crew: Grant, Carter and Collin. Love ya, guys!!!
While Shane watched Carter and the boys, Kelsey and I high-tailed it to Moline for our much-anticipated Kenny Chesney concert! After getting around pesky construction, we were finally able to find Janine, and we were off!
Lady Antebellum and Miranda Lambert opened the show, and both were great! I was the one who was "okay with missing the openers," but I'm glad we got there in time. It was fun.
Then came Kenny. In a swing hoisted above the crowd, he came swinging out over the sold-out arena. Crazy, but interesting! It was loud, bright, and an absolute blast! I apologize to everyone within earshot of me; I sang, poorly, every song that he played! About halfway through the concert, the older gentleman across the aisle from me touched my elbow, smiled, and asked if I knew every Kenny song. Yes, yes, I do! Then he told me I was having "too much fun for someone like me," I'm guessing in reference to my motherly ways!
Because they had Friday off and weren't playing again until Saturday night, in Chicago, they played extra long. Kenny sang all of his best, plus "The Joker," "Blister in the Sun," and other great oldies. We finally got to the car at 11:30pm. We didn't get out of the construction and packed arena until about 12:30am, and we finally arrived back in Coralville (in one piece, thankfully!) around 1:30am.
Lady Antebellum and Miranda Lambert - good times!
Kenny's odd-but-interesting entrance, via the swing
Sun-tanned toes ....
Do you have your tickets to the gun show?
Kenny, up close!
And guess who sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the 7th inning stretch at Wrigley Friday?
Today kicks off a fun-filled weekend for Carter and I. So why not start the fun with more fun?
We spent a beautiful morning at the Blank Park Zoo, this time seeing the jelly fish first! We saved the petting zoo for a future visit with pals, but we couldn't pass up a train ride!
"Jelly's, Mommy! Jelly's!" Hands down, Carter's favorite exhibit at the zoo!
The big fish swam from one end of the big tank to the other, followed very closely by Carter. "Those fishes are BIG, Mommy!" she told me in awe
After our zoo outing, Carter and I had lunch with Daddy downtown, then we buzzed to Coralville to hang out with our favorite Bumsted's. Kenny Chesney played in Moline, which we'd never miss, so Shane kindly offered to watch the boys AND Carter (God help him!).
The kids played in the yard and splashed around while Kelsey and I talked babies and houses. We left the crew with Shane around 6, and headed to the Mark. The home crew had grilled burgers, watched movies and crashed after a fun afternoon! THANKS for being a great daddy/sitter, Shane :)
Grant and Carter, splishing and splashing in the pool
I'm not trying to be one of those obnixious mom's who thinks their kid is the bestest and smartest in the world (mine is, but that's another post). But I swear she knows this word is "at."
Woo hoo! School is over and done with for the year! Carter came in today with me to help lock down materials, clean up and say good-bye's to my awesome colleagues.
Now, it's sleeping in, splash park and play dates with pals! Summer rules!
Neat now, when you put yourself in there. Not so neat in 10 years when someone bigger throws you in there, and Mommy's not around to let you out!
Our brains have begun to whirl and spin over the baby room. I've looked at a couple bedding sets, and I think I've found The One. But then there's paint - what will we love "for the next 10 years"?
Thoughts ...
Here's the bedding collection I'm in love with (right now, at least). It's "A, B, C, 1, 2, 3" from Target (thank the teacher in me!). The dotted sheet is on the left and the cozy blanket is on the right. It's boy, but not all blue, which I have yet to become a total fan of, yet ...
Here are our paint choices so far. I think I'm learning to the colors in the bottom swatch - probably the browns and yellow? Maybe two light brown walls, two dark brown walls and a yellow closet, just for fun?
Reading, like anything that's a challenge in life, is more easily learned by bribery. That's my theory in my classroom and in my home!
One of my summer goals for Carter is to get her on the reading track by working on basic sight words with her. Nothing like "instrumentalist" or "carpentry." Basic sight words, like "yes" and "green." She already has a couple committed to memory (her first "owned" sight word: "no." It was also her first spoken word and most frequently used word to date! Why should that be a surprise?!).
In an effort to make her enjoy this time, instead of seeing it for what it really is - homework, we made it a game. "Candy Words" is what she calls it, and when she can read me 20 sight words with little to no help (hey - and she's counting!), she gets a candy. Tonights selection included numbers 1 - 9, basic colors, how, will, how and why. She did fantastic!!!
And honestly, who's really surprised that she was awesome at this?!
This evening after a great day at daycare, Carter and I went to the park. Before sprinting to the playground or running wild, she noticed the pond full of ducks. "Those are the mommy duckies, and those are the ducklings!" she informed me, as she watched in amazement!
"Hey duckies! Come here!" Carter shouted to the ducks
