I have mentioned wanting a mini-van before and gotten lots of criticism from all you Tahoe-style vehicle fans :) It isn't a necessity, just a want now that we will have to car seats in one car. Recently my car was in the shop because the air conditioner wasn't cooling. The mechanic (whom we really like and respect) said it just needed freon. Recently, I also decided to trade vehicles with Ryan because it is easier for me to get Ben in and out of the truck and the truck stays much cooler when sitting in the sun in our driveway.
Still following? Today, Ryan was out in my car and the air went out completely. Lovely! So now the car isn't even an option for me and Ben because it is just entirely too hot right now to put my little baby back there in the heat.
The car isn't worth what it would cost to replace the air conditioning so, now comes the conversation about Ryan just living with a car with no air conditioning or trying to buy a new (to us) mini-van.
Our request of you is to pray that we know what is the right choice for us, how to use our money wisely. We have been given some generous savings bonds since we were young children and have been smart with our savings, but we are about to add a second child to the mix so we have to think about that too. Also, if you know anyone that has a used mini-van in good condition that they would be wiling to donate (tax deductible) or sell to us at a reasonable price, please pass that along to us. We would be willing to pick it up!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Circus Pictures
I told you about our trip to the circus when we were in Houston recently. The coolest part was that we got to see the animals zoo style before the circus and we got to meet the performers and even see them do some little side acts. That was my favorite part, personally.
The bigger Carter Family Circus.
The Carter Family Circus - they had dress-up clothes.
The bigger Carter Family Circus.
My favorite picture. L-R Wesley, Justin, Olivia, Jeremy, Avery, Ben and Valerie.
A real live Orange County Chopper. Ryan and I were huge fans of the show back when we had cable. We watched the episodes when they built this bike. So cool. At the beginning of the circus they fired it up and rode it out. Fun!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Just an Update
It has been over a week since I posted a picture of Ben. I get in lots of trouble when I go that long, so I figured I better send some cuteness your way.
As I have always said, he is super smart. He understands so much, but often times gets things just a little bit wrong and it usually means it is a lot funny.
I asked him if he wanted to help Daddy mow (the lawn) and he began to blow his nose!
He was watching Daddy mow the yard in this picture. He went from the front door to the backdoor watching.
He has never actually tried to put one block on top of the other until a few days ago. I got so excited that he wasn't just knocking them down. I asked him if he wanted to build with me. He nodded yes and walked off down the hall. A minute later he returned with his wooden hammer and began destroying all the lego towers!
I built the base, but he built the purple and green by himself.
He is infatuated with lotion right now. We lube him up every night because his skin is so dry and sensitive. Now, he wants some in the palm of his hand. He carries it around like a prized possession until he eventually rubs it somewhere. We encourage him to rub it between his hands or on his tummy. Usually he rubs it on his shirt, forgetting to raise it to get to his tummy or sometimes he just rubs it on whatever is close by, like the couch cushion this morning. Lovely.
I asked him to smell the lotion and he vigorously began sniffing his empty hand. Close, but not quite.
He definitely has the word "more" figured out. It was always a favorite sign, but now a favorite word as well. We think it is so cute and I am glad he is finally really trying to use verbal language.
Recently he chose to dump his entire plate of oatmeal into his lap. So, if you have ever wondered why Ben always seems to be only in a diaper when in his highchair, now you know!
Our house has been all daddy all the time lately. Sadly, daddy has to leave the house a lot. Ben stands at the window calling for him over and over again. So sad. He gets so excited when daddy comes home. Thankfully, daddy loves Ben as much as Ben loves daddy. He is willing to play with him as much as he can.
As I have always said, he is super smart. He understands so much, but often times gets things just a little bit wrong and it usually means it is a lot funny.
I asked him if he wanted to help Daddy mow (the lawn) and he began to blow his nose!
He was watching Daddy mow the yard in this picture. He went from the front door to the backdoor watching.
He has never actually tried to put one block on top of the other until a few days ago. I got so excited that he wasn't just knocking them down. I asked him if he wanted to build with me. He nodded yes and walked off down the hall. A minute later he returned with his wooden hammer and began destroying all the lego towers!I built the base, but he built the purple and green by himself.
I asked him to smell the lotion and he vigorously began sniffing his empty hand. Close, but not quite.
He definitely has the word "more" figured out. It was always a favorite sign, but now a favorite word as well. We think it is so cute and I am glad he is finally really trying to use verbal language.
Recently he chose to dump his entire plate of oatmeal into his lap. So, if you have ever wondered why Ben always seems to be only in a diaper when in his highchair, now you know!
Our house has been all daddy all the time lately. Sadly, daddy has to leave the house a lot. Ben stands at the window calling for him over and over again. So sad. He gets so excited when daddy comes home. Thankfully, daddy loves Ben as much as Ben loves daddy. He is willing to play with him as much as he can.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Living Room Re-Paint Pictures
All World Impact missionaries live incarnationally. That means we all live in or near the area of the city to which we are ministering. Ryan and I were placed in a house directly across the street from the World Impact campus and less than a mile from our church plant area. We thought we would love into the actual neighborhood where our church is located, but with changes to our church plant model and a serious lack of funds with the down economy, we are still in this house. We have been slow to make too many changes for fear that we would move soon. But, it looks like we will be here a while so we are making what little changes we can to make this our home. I told you a few weeks ago that my mom and sister helped us paint our living room and Candice added her special touch with some design ideas. Here are the pictures.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Carter Blue
It doesn't just mean those gorgeous Carter blue eyes - we are having another BOY!
Baby did not want to cooperate, was straight up and down and the sono tech was forcing him to move around for us by banging on my belly. But, we saw what we needed to see!
The pictures aren't that great since Baby didn't cooperate, but we did get a video this time of him moving around. We don't have any names picked out yet, but we will certainly let you know when we make up our minds. We take suggestions, just don't be hurt if we don't use it!
Baby did not want to cooperate, was straight up and down and the sono tech was forcing him to move around for us by banging on my belly. But, we saw what we needed to see!
The pictures aren't that great since Baby didn't cooperate, but we did get a video this time of him moving around. We don't have any names picked out yet, but we will certainly let you know when we make up our minds. We take suggestions, just don't be hurt if we don't use it!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Tour de Texas II
We were crazy enough to make the long 12 hour drive to Texas with a toddler. We just went to Houston and back this time with an hour stop in Dallas both ways, but we made the whole drive in one day. Ben did exceptionally well! We listened to a book on CD and the hum-drum sound of the man reading kept Ben very calm and gave us something to focus on too.
Ryan's brother Randy, his wife Rebecca and Ben's six crazy cousins (ages 12-3 years old) were all at Grammy and Papa Tom's house. Ben followed them all around like little ducklings in a row. Olivia was Ben's second mommy, insisting he give lots of "nose kisses" to which Ben (almost) always obliged. Valerie and Ben spent hours it seemed at the window or door looking at the dogs, 2 massive, black German shepherds. Ben learned the word "dog" and said it over and over again. He only liked the dogs when they were on the outside of the glass though. When they came in he gave a scream of terror I have never heard from him. I can't blame him, they are a bit taller than him and 10 times as long :)
We hung around the house creating chaos, checked out some parks, ate some good food, saw some faithful supporters, the Evans and Chamnessi (in Dallas on the way), and even went to the circus! Circus pictures are all on Aunt Becca's camera and they are just arriving back in North Carolina today, so I will post those later when she shares them.
While Ben did well while driving and played well with the cousins, he did not sleep very well at night. Ugh. The first night, Valerie woke Ben, but it didn't last long and both babies were back to sleep. The next three nights Ben was the only night time annoyance. He woke every hour for 5 hours one night, woke for the morning at 4am and refused to go back to sleep one night, etc. He napped fairly well, but just couldn't stay asleep at night. Our little family just doesn't like sharing a room ;) Hopefully, Uncle Randy, Aunt Becca and cousin Valerie will still love us!
Enjoy these snapshots of family fun.
Seats go fast with 13 people in one house - grab one when ya can.
Trying to keep up with the big kids.
Olivia getting some nose kisses.
We started to see some intense separation anxiety and jealousy. He gave a good scream when one of us left the room, but if it was on his own terms he would happily walk off with the cousins and leave us behind.
Valerie, an absolute doll. I love this pic of her.
It was so insanely hot at the park that the kids waited on the sidewalk for the sprinkler to spray them.
Not loving the lion, Grammy.
Kisses for Daddy.
Valerie and Ben watching the dogs. So sweet!
He was always a step behind all the other kids.
13 mouths is a lot of people to feed and it felt like there were people and kids everywhere. One night we even added 3 guests for dinner!
Remember: Our gender sonogram is tomorrow morning! I will certainly blog what we find out tomorrow.
Ryan's brother Randy, his wife Rebecca and Ben's six crazy cousins (ages 12-3 years old) were all at Grammy and Papa Tom's house. Ben followed them all around like little ducklings in a row. Olivia was Ben's second mommy, insisting he give lots of "nose kisses" to which Ben (almost) always obliged. Valerie and Ben spent hours it seemed at the window or door looking at the dogs, 2 massive, black German shepherds. Ben learned the word "dog" and said it over and over again. He only liked the dogs when they were on the outside of the glass though. When they came in he gave a scream of terror I have never heard from him. I can't blame him, they are a bit taller than him and 10 times as long :)
We hung around the house creating chaos, checked out some parks, ate some good food, saw some faithful supporters, the Evans and Chamnessi (in Dallas on the way), and even went to the circus! Circus pictures are all on Aunt Becca's camera and they are just arriving back in North Carolina today, so I will post those later when she shares them.
While Ben did well while driving and played well with the cousins, he did not sleep very well at night. Ugh. The first night, Valerie woke Ben, but it didn't last long and both babies were back to sleep. The next three nights Ben was the only night time annoyance. He woke every hour for 5 hours one night, woke for the morning at 4am and refused to go back to sleep one night, etc. He napped fairly well, but just couldn't stay asleep at night. Our little family just doesn't like sharing a room ;) Hopefully, Uncle Randy, Aunt Becca and cousin Valerie will still love us!
Enjoy these snapshots of family fun.
Hanging out on the huge back porch in the sweltering heat and humidity.
Seats go fast with 13 people in one house - grab one when ya can.
Ryan and his brother. Once, Ben actually pointed to Randy and said dada and Ryan was standing right next to Ben!
Trying to keep up with the big kids.
Olivia getting some nose kisses.
We started to see some intense separation anxiety and jealousy. He gave a good scream when one of us left the room, but if it was on his own terms he would happily walk off with the cousins and leave us behind.
Valerie, an absolute doll. I love this pic of her.
It was so insanely hot at the park that the kids waited on the sidewalk for the sprinkler to spray them.
Not loving the lion, Grammy.
Kisses for Daddy.
Valerie and Ben watching the dogs. So sweet!
He was always a step behind all the other kids.
13 mouths is a lot of people to feed and it felt like there were people and kids everywhere. One night we even added 3 guests for dinner!
Remember: Our gender sonogram is tomorrow morning! I will certainly blog what we find out tomorrow.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
16 Month Update
My baby seems so grown up these days as evidenced by the recent high chair video! He is a great little helper, but isn't very good with the follow through quite yet. He takes his shoes to his room, but sometimes they don't make it all the way and other times they are in very odd place but in his room at least. He follows directions like a pro, most of the time. He is a much better listener at home than in public it seems. Maybe he is keeping me from getting a big head from all my expert parenting skills. haha.
He is starting to really make sounds that are almost words. He does clearly say mama, mom, dada, out, uh oh and ball. He loves going outside and we constantly tell him "get out" when he is in our room, daddy's office or the laundry room. He is familiar with "out!" He doesn't play with balls that often, but when we walk past the big ball containers at Wal-Mart or Target he clearly says "ball" and doesn't understand why he can't play with them all. He says mama nonstop, but he doesn't quite get that he is calling my name. He knows he is talking about me, but when I answer him he just says mama again. It is a fun game we play. Occasionally my name is dadamama. He says that a lot too.
When asked what the cow and monkey say he can respond appropriately. It is funny to watch because he seems like he is working so hard to get the sounds out.
He is eating like a horse. Just a few weeks ago he started cutting another bottom tooth and went on a hunger strike. We were feeding him anything he would tolerate just to make sure he was getting some nutrients or at least something in his tummy. He is over that and making up for it! He is eating at least 5 times a day and usually more like 7 times. I can barely keep up. He eats all the time. I don't keep that much food in the house!
We are still not really doing anything with the potty yet. I am thinking about giving it a real try soon because he has started pulling on his diaper, pointing when he is wet and he goes straight to it when I ask him if he needs a diaper. Who knows.
We let him attempt water colors and he just doesn't get it, like crayons. He loves playing in it, but has no idea that he is making colored marks on the paper. But he thinks the paint brush sure is fun!
He has started blowing kisses a lot now. He gives the biggest bear hugs at bedtime and I can't get enough!
Experimenting with water color. He loves playing with the brush and the water, but seems to have no clue that he can make marks on the paper. And when we demonstrate, he could care less that we are making beautiful art. He just wants to dip the brush in the water or colorful little circles (paint
Helping Daddy mow the lawn.
He is starting to really make sounds that are almost words. He does clearly say mama, mom, dada, out, uh oh and ball. He loves going outside and we constantly tell him "get out" when he is in our room, daddy's office or the laundry room. He is familiar with "out!" He doesn't play with balls that often, but when we walk past the big ball containers at Wal-Mart or Target he clearly says "ball" and doesn't understand why he can't play with them all. He says mama nonstop, but he doesn't quite get that he is calling my name. He knows he is talking about me, but when I answer him he just says mama again. It is a fun game we play. Occasionally my name is dadamama. He says that a lot too.
When asked what the cow and monkey say he can respond appropriately. It is funny to watch because he seems like he is working so hard to get the sounds out.
He is eating like a horse. Just a few weeks ago he started cutting another bottom tooth and went on a hunger strike. We were feeding him anything he would tolerate just to make sure he was getting some nutrients or at least something in his tummy. He is over that and making up for it! He is eating at least 5 times a day and usually more like 7 times. I can barely keep up. He eats all the time. I don't keep that much food in the house!
We are still not really doing anything with the potty yet. I am thinking about giving it a real try soon because he has started pulling on his diaper, pointing when he is wet and he goes straight to it when I ask him if he needs a diaper. Who knows.
We let him attempt water colors and he just doesn't get it, like crayons. He loves playing in it, but has no idea that he is making colored marks on the paper. But he thinks the paint brush sure is fun!
He has started blowing kisses a lot now. He gives the biggest bear hugs at bedtime and I can't get enough!
On the way out for a neighborhood walk.
Experimenting with water color. He loves playing with the brush and the water, but seems to have no clue that he can make marks on the paper. And when we demonstrate, he could care less that we are making beautiful art. He just wants to dip the brush in the water or colorful little circles (paint
Helping Daddy mow the lawn.
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