After a very busy, fun, and at times stressful summer, we are now back to the grind. Carter had his first day of preschool today, at the same school he was at last year, but two days a week this year. I was happy to have him go back, but it did feel a little strange to have the house so calm and quiet all morning long.
Playing coy.
Soooo grown up.
And a quick pic with sis.
She was a happy little girl to have Mommy to herself today! But we did miss our Carter. :)
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Carter was very glad to see us when we went to pick him up, but was one VERY tired boy since he didn't nap at rest time. He had a great day, though, and we are looking forward to more fun this school year!
We were lucky enough to enjoy a few days of cooler weather here lately, and we have taken full advantage! It's so nice to spend time outside and not have to wrangle kids into swim diapers and/or swim suits, smear sunscreen all over them, and pack an embarrassingly huge bag o'crap to accompany us to the splash park or pool. And this definitely has us all looking forward to fall!
Carter's been cruising in Lightning McQueen a lot, and Ella has been a little jealous....
....so Carter took her for a spin :)
Pretty girl hanging out in the backyard.
Looking for trouble....
HA!
And just last week, she got her first major boo boo --- Poor baby girl slipped and fell (while climbing one of these chairs one evening) and skinned her chin on the concrete! OUCH! Even Carter has yet to have a skinned chin, so Congrats Ella, on beating your brother to the punch on that one! :)
Too serious....
There are some grins, maybe?
... aaaaaaaand, he's done letting me take pictures of him, so I will resume with the photos of the one that will allow it (for now). Sigh.
Carter can always make her laugh!
As much as we have enjoyed playing out back, we have also really enjoyed being so close to one of our favorite parks. This is the kids ride to the park each morning. Easy life.
We had Carter's 3rd birthday party at this park back in April. When we walked to the park for the first time a few weeks ago, Carter said to me as he saw it in the distance, "Ohhhh, is this my birthday park, Mommy?! Oh, wow! I LOOOOOOOVE this park!" I'm so glad he remembers it as his "birthday park," and so very grateful he will be able to make so many childhood memories here.
Swingin'
Wouldn't be complete without a picnic lunch....
...and some friends to climb rocks with!
Lovin' this fall preview..... can't wait for the real deal!
We had our friends The Chiles over this weekend, and Carter and Olivia had lots of fun playing together!
Carter took her for a spin in his hot rod. Seriously, how cute is this??
Looks like they're headed out for their first date.
And Carter was nice enough to hand over his keys to Olivia. She had lots of fun driving, too.
And I can't leave out the babies....
Ella and Dylan, future BFFs!
Ella wanted to give Dylan kisses, and possibly eat her bow :)
4 months apart in age, and almost the same size! Ella, you're going to get passed up!!
I've got to focus on my boy for a minute and do a little bragging :)
So bare with me.
Carter has made vast improvements in his swimming skills this summer!
Here are a few quick videos of him swimming with Coach Stephanie. I'm so proud of how far he's come!
We've been playing out in the backyard more lately since the evenings aren't sweltering! Carter has been practicing baseball, and he's getting pretty good! I'd love to have him play on a team soon. We'll see. :)
Eye on the ball!
Look at that stance!
Check him out!
A little background on the following - Carter met his 3 little best friends before he even turned a year old. These boys have been in his life for a long time, and I hope they always stay a part of each others lives! We got them all together for a fun little photo shoot earlier this week, and Laura and Ashley each got some great shots. How fun is it going to be to look back at these pictures in 5, 10, 20 years?! LOVE them.
Time for another monthly update.... can't believe you're already 10 months old! And here is what's new with you lately:
You now have SIX teeth! You have cut four teeth in the last 2 weeks, all of them on top. They have come in enough now that you can see them all when you grin and it makes you look like such a big girl!!
You have become a crazy climber! You are still pretty good about staying away from the first few stairs before the landing, but I catch you over there thinking about climbing up every now and then. You definitely understand "NO" though, and you stay off them for the most part. I've caught you trying to climb onto the fireplace hearth, too, and your most favorite thing to climb on is Carter's chair! You're a little stinker!
Your favorite foods are strawberries, grapes, peaches, cheese, ham, bread of any kind, and french fries (of course!). You're still nursing 5 times a day, but I can tell you're taking less milk during your "snack" times, and we'll probably try to cut those feedings out in the next month.
You're close to 18 1/2 pounds and still in size 3 diapers. You're still wearing 9 month clothing. I've put you in a few 9-12 month things, but they are pretty big on you. And your feet are still tiny!!
You know where your tongue is. If I ask you to show me your tongue, you'll stick it out and give me a big grin!
You've also started clapping lately, adorable! And you still love to dance to music. :)
You LOVE the water! Going swimming is a favorite thing of yours, but you also have a strong love for bath time. You have recently started blowing bubbles in the water. It started by you dipping your mouth in the water to drink it, then one day by accident, you blew air out to make bubbles, and you've been doing it ever since. You think it's pretty hilarious!
You have such a sweet temperament, and are such a happy little girl!
This was about the extent of our 10 month photo shoot:
...and you're done. Already crawling away. I give up.
A few toys to keep you happy while I snap some more
And a little water break. And those beautiful baby blues!!
Such a pretty girl!
You love looking out the back door!
Getting fussy, and sooooo over Mommy taking pictures.
Awwww, baby girl!
You're even pretty when you cry. :(
Where's your tongue?
Lunch time will make it all better!
You're truly a joy, and such a blessing to our family! We love you so much, Ella!
I'm a wife to Eric, and a Mommy to Carter, Ella & Cole, the most precious gifts we have ever received. I use this blog mainly as a digital scrapbook to keep track of our family happenings and the kids' milestones, but also to keep you in the loop! Enjoy!!
