Carter's 1st birthday!!

Wow I cannot believe a year ago we were going to have this little man!! He still has handsome as the day he came home!! ;) It's funny because I remember how ACTIVE he was in the womb, and at the age of 1 he is as active as ever!! He walks like he's 2 years old!! Talks very well and clear (the few words that he knows are Dad, Mom, Londyn, Please, Thank you, Lily). I love to watch him when the radio is on. He loves to dance along with Londyn!! :) His favorite song and the song that ALWAYS makes his frown go upside down is 5 Little Monkeys!! He loves to be the alligator and SNAP THOSE MONKEYS RIGHT OUT OF THE TREE.
The last month he has decided he's not going to be pushed around by his older sister anymore!! He fits right back, and when she wants to trade, YEAH RIGHT!!
His SMILE just melts anyone's heart!! Especially when you are having a bad day, he'll just smile at you, and ALL your worries will go away!
These few pictures are all of the week he was born!

This one makes me laugh because he STILL pulls this face when gets really sad!
Look closely and you can see his "Melt Your Heart" smile!

Bradey Mini-Me!!
My perfect family a year ago
My perfect world now!!

We had a blast celebrating Carter birthday!! WE did it on the 21st (his actual b-day) here at the house. Everyone that lives in the area in our families came!! This little boy is SO loved!! :)
WE started the day off with Tesha's kids coming over and playing. Surprisingly everyone got along and not very many separations had to take place!! Then everyone else joined us for dinner and ICE CREAM CAKE from COLDSTONE!! YUMMMMM!! Carter LOVED his cake. It was like an enormous peanut butter cup with chocolate ice cream in it!! Which are his FAVORITE things in ONE!! He received a lot of new toys and clothes, and Londyn is VERY grateful for the toys!! haha!!

I'm ALL ready for my PARTY Mom!!
Cousin Fun!
Present time!
Yes Football!! The boy LOVES to watch FOOTBALL!!
Digging IN!!
Lily was on Clean up duty!!
Thank you ALL for the wonderful gifts!

Its amazing how much your heart grows for each individual that comes into your life. My heart has tripled in size in the past 3 years!! And I am SO grateful that Heavenly Father has blessed me with this wonderful family!!

Vance Reunion & Lagoon!

Wow what a past few weekends we have had!! The last weekend in July we went to Choteau, Montana for my mom's family reunion!! WE had a great time. My favorite part was the drive. The beauty of Montana is majestic, in my eyes!! It was Carter's FIRST time camping. Even though he was teething, I think he did AMAZING!! We took Lily with us and she did awesome as well!! There was shooting, duck races (with a BUNCH of CHEATING!!), and AMAZING FOOD!! OH how I LOVE the Vance Family! They ALL know how to COOK!! We had slow cooked pig for dinner one night, then had the BEST homemade bagels I've ever had the next morning!! YUM!!

This is how Londyn helps Mommy pack!!
We're on our way!!
How does the dog get the front seat?
Bradey was in heaven for hours!!
Grandma thought this was the best place for a duck!!
Thank you to Miss Gretal for sharing her little car with LondynAnd letting her hog it all weekend!! ;)

The week after we got home, Londyn and I headed to Lagoon with my family for Dennis' work party. It was SO much fun. I haven't been on a roller coaster since I was in high school, so thoroughly enjoyed this trip. Londyn did awesome the first ride, but then we took her on the Lady Bug ride, which is the kiddy version of the Rocket. She was NOT impressed. She kept saying, "Mommy my tummy, owie!" So she didn't go on any rides for awhile. The funny thing is, we took her on RattleSnake Rapids after lunch, after that she went on EVERY ride!! Oh goodness, such a Water Bug!!

We are ready for RIDES!!

First Ride of the Day!
The Lady Bug RideJessa LOVED all the slow rides!!
Flying the Airplane
Hot Mama's in the Car!!
The girls weren't to sure about this flying elephant thing!
So the bumper cars was the last ride, and the funniest!! Londyn had NO IDEA what to do. The guy running the ride kept trying to tell her what to do, and she just sat there stuck!!

The next morning we were able to go to The Spoken Word in the Conference Center. Mom, Abbi, and I took the kids to the theater room. The boys kept saying that it is SO much better in person. So maybe some day I'll get to go with out kids!! ;) But we had a lot of fun afterward with all the fountains and we even got to go up on the roof! Londyn kept pointing out the temple!

Waiting patiently for the program to start

Playing in the Water
"Look Mom temple!"
Going into the Conference Center, to go to the roof
"Look, Mom, temple!" Again

After all was said and done, we had a wonderful time, but I was glad to get home to my boys. Bradey and Carter stayed home due to Carter's teething, and Bradey's not a fan of rides or big crowds of people! So they just had a hang around the house and relax weekend!

My Silly Kids!!

On Sunday July 25th Carter decided he need to read the paper like Daddy while waiting for breakfast!

On July 28th Londyn and I had a "Water Park" in our backyard while Carter took is afternoon nap. We had a blast with just a plastic side, a sprinkler, and a NAPA bucket!!


Then on the 29th, Carter and I played in the morning while we waited for Londyn to wake up for the day. I got him to laugh a lot!! I LOVE his laugh!! And then he decided to be a boy and make a huge mess of the living room!!

Car-Car is NOT having the greatest week! :/

I figured I'd put this in writing so I can remember it; and since I type faster than I write, I'm putting it on the blog.
So on July 11th Carter broke through a tooth. And its SLOWLY coming up through the gum. I feel like a horrible mom because the week before he was really fussy and clingy. I thought he was just being a turkey. But in my defense Londyn didn't get her first tooth until she was 13 months, so teeth at 9 months didn't even cross my mind! :/
He's always been my little bruiser. Some how he ALWAYS ends up with a bruise, scratch, or something at the end of the day (the majority of the time its on his head somewhere!) , especially now that he's moving QUICKLY!!
So last Tuesday Carter woke up the same time Bradey did, 5:45 am!! Mommy does not do 5 maybe 6, but definitely NOT 5!! When Bradey was ready to head to work at 6:30, he laid Carter in bed with me, so that I could snuggle with him, and hopefully get him back to sleep. He was almost a sleep, so I figured I could run to the bathroom really quick. Well I was wrong!! While sitting there I heard a "THUD" and my little man screaming bloody murder!! Poor kid had an instant bruise on the side of his head, and a scrape on his nose.
Later on that day, just after lunch, I was sweeping and mopping the floor. When I do this I put the chairs upside down on the table. Londyn and him were in the living room reading books. Londyn was talking so I assumed he was in there with her. My back was facing the table so I didn't see him come crawling in, but the next thing I heard was "THUD" and him screaming BLOODY MURDER! He crawled under the chair, which knocked it down and fell on top of him. :/ Again he had a new bruise on his head.
That evening my kids when over to my older sisters house, while I went to my Mary Kay meeting. When I came to pick them up, YOU guessed it, Carter had a NEW bruise on his head!! He was crawling up the stairs, fell down, and hit his head on the wall.
You would think by now I WOULD never leave his side, but I didn't learn.
On Wednesday Bradey was grilling up some hamburgers for dinner, so the whole family was outside on the deck. I put Carter down on one of the camping chairs, and was playing with him. Bradey said, "Burgers are done." So I automatically went inside to get plates, assuming Bradey would keep an eye on the kids. Well he didn't realize I came inside, so he came inside to do the same thing. The MINUTE Bradey walked into the house we heard a "THUD" and screaming once again. Carter had fallen off the chair head first onto the deck. Not only did he have a bruise, but he had a HUGE goose egg.
The next few days were calm for our little man, but you know how the saying goes, "there's a calm before the storm"
Sunday I took Carter into Primary with me. He likes to stand up a lot more now, and I let him so he can build his leg muscles!! Well he was standing and supporting himself up with a little chair, and I was behind him using my legs as a safety net for him. Well the chair fell back, and he fell down. While he fell he hit is chin on the chair, which made him BITE his gum, NOT his lip BUT his GUM?! (now remember he just broke through ONE razor sharp tooth TWO whole weeks ago!!) There was blood every where. He snuggled into my shoulder, so most of it was on me, but there was so much that it soaked through my shirt, my bra strap, and my garments. All over his face, his shirt, some dripped onto his pant and his feet, and on my dress. It was a mess. All I can say is THANK YOU Tide for being an amazing product and doing what your suppose to do, LIFT OUT STAINS !!
And today he is trying to brake through ANOTHER tooth!! Oh man this one is really hurting him. SO our little man is not having the best of luck lately.
But on a positive note ALL he ever says is Dad, which Bradey loves because he's two for two!! And he's crawling up the stairs like a champ. Tonight he crawled up the stairs WITHOUT any help TWICE!! He's getting so big. I have a feeling walking will happen this next month! I just can't believe how much he has grown.

We gave him an Oreo after falling on the deck. It really lifted his spirits!!

4th of July and the past week.

So our 4th of July celebration was a BLAST!! LITERALLY!! ;) We went to the fairgrounds in Pocatello, where they shoot off the fireworks. Well I found this spot, thinking, "Hey there's no one sitting here for quite a few feet, cool we won't have to deal with people crowding us!!" Well when the fireworks show started I realized WHY there wasn't anyone sitting right there. We were sitting in the FRONT ROW of the action!! The fireworks were literally being lit right in front of us!! Haha!! Carter LOVED it!! He didn't even make a peep, he just watched every firework go off!! (I think he's going to be my little pyro). Londyn didn't really like the really BRIGHT ones, so she would hide her face under the blanket. But after the intermission she came and sat with me, and I turned it into a learning experience. I would ask her what color each firework was, and she got a kick out of that!!
Last night Carter pushed through his FIRST TOOTH!! He's getting so big. He HAS TO BE where ever Londyn is, which is funny because Londyn knows he is not as fast as her. She teases him by running away from him, then he chases after her, she comes back, then runs away. They just laugh and laugh when they play this game.
Londyn picks up a new habit every day. This week it's been quoting her favorite movies like "Bolt". Just a few days a go I was trying to get her off the 4-wheel and to come inside so we could eat lunch. She turns to look at me, ROLLS her eyes and says, "Get out of here, JUST GET OUT OF HERE BOLT." Oh my heavens I thought I was going to die laughing. She said it just like the cat does in the movie!! My kids crack me up!! Her new found love is bedtime stories. This started because I've been reading my scripture before I go to bed, instead when I wake up. One night she asked if she should read my stories, and I told her to go get one of her books to read (not that I don't want her to read scriptures, I just didn't want her RIPPING out pages). So she hopped out of bed, ran and got some books (yes not just ONE but SOME!!), and I've been reading to her, letting her fall asleep, then I read scriptures ever since!! I LOVE it because it's been a fun bonding time for the both of us!
Bradey has been working hard in the yard!! Our sprinklers haven't been getting the back corner of our lawn, and our hose isn't long enough to reach that corner, so Bradey (being the go getter that he is) decided to put a sprinkler head in that spot!! We went to Lowe's Friday after work to go get the material (and we were there for FOREVER!!), then got home and he dug a trench until 10:30, then Saturday he put it all together. Now my grass is turning green!! I love my hard working man!!
As for me, I've really been trying to kick it up a notch with my MK business. And it's been fun doing it!! I've gotten to see friends who I haven't seen in years, and meeting LOTS of new people. It has really help me come back into being the "sociable Alyssa" again. Hanging out with adult women has made me realize I have been talking to babies WAY to much!! ;) So I am getting a balance of adulthood and mommyhood. :)

P.S. Sorry no pictures this post. I didn't take my camera with me to the 4th of July!

SUMMERTIME!!

OH it has been SOO nice to have summer weather these past few weeks. We have really taken advantage of it with swimming, walking, 4-wheeler rides, and horse rides!! Carter rode a horse for the first time last weekend. The kids and I spent the night at my mom's house last Friday because Bradey went to Bear Lake with the young men for a high adventure trip.

And of course Londyn had to ride. She's our little cowgirl! She loves to put the lead rope on the halter (while its on the horse) and lead the horse to where ever we are going. My mom always worries that Londyn is going to walk underneath one of the horses and get stepped on. She definitely is fearless!

ON Monday we went back out to Mom's so we could play with Hunter and Jessa (my sister's kids). They are out there every Monday, and it seems if we don't start our week with a play date with our cousins then we have an off week. Anyways, the kids went swimming and had a blast. Carter even got into the baby pool all by himself, and entertained himself for an hour!!
These next pictures are from last month. Londyn wanted to help Bradey get the flower beds ready for planting.
And this one is from this morning. For some reason my kids LOVE the vacuum. Every time I get it out they go straight to it. Which makes me laugh because most kids freak out from the noise. My kids' fearlessness could be dangerous one day! :/