Aunt Michelle

We have been so lucky to have so many visitors since Ben was born!  My sisters Amber and Holly came out right after he was born, then my parents, Mike’s dad, and finally one of my other sisters, Michelle.

We had a great time with her!  We ate some amazing food, explored downtown , and just hung out.  There was lots of hanging around the house as Carter and Mike were sick most of the time she was here.  She was here for 3 weeks, which was probably a little on the long side for her (and her boyfriend), but I really appreciated the help.  It was so nice  to have an extra set of hands to help out with the kids.  We were able to get Ben sleeping better while she was here, which was huge. 

Carter informed me the other day that he was going to go live with the Forsters so he could see Michelle again.  They loved having her here and miss her a lot already!

Unfortunately, when my camera was stolen they also got some pictures from when she was here, and then without a camera for a while we didn’t get many more.  Here are the ones we got:  Thanks for coming to visit!

Happy Birthday!!!

Alright, I know this is late.  Carter’s birthday was on Monday but I have been a serious blog slacker lately.   So, here is a (late) happy birthday to one of the cutest guys I know.  He is incredibly imaginative and keeps us entertained with all of his crazy stories and ideas.  He is super smart and has a great memory (which isn’t always a good thing).  He absolutely loves to learn and learned how to read this past year.  He likes to do school work on his own and is working on spelling now.   He is super sensitive, which can lead to some extra drama, but he is very aware of others’ feelings and he does a great job of making other people feel better when they are sad.  He is a Wii champion and can beat just about anyone at sword fighting or boxing.  He loves cooking and coming up with bizarre food combinations. 

I seriously can’t believe that it has been 5 years since Mike and I laid in bed wondering what we had gotten ourselves into as we prepared ourselves for a C-Section in the morning (stubborn from the get-go he was breach).  It has been an adventurous 5 years to say the least, but I wouldn’t trade them for anything.  I can’t wait to see what the next 5 years hold for us!  We love you kiddo and are so glad that you decided to be a part of our family!

We went bowling for his birthday party last Saturday.  Carter and Samantha were both a little surprised that real bowling isn’t quite as easy as Wii bowling.  But we still had a great time!

Carter with his buddies:   And it’s a little bit hard to see, but with a score of 121, guess who won the adults game?  That’s right, me!  I have never won at bowling before.  I have to say that with the bumpers up, those are some pretty sad scores.  On Monday, Mike took a half day and we went to the museum for Carter’s actual birthday.  The butterfly exhibit is always the highlight.  We had a great time until we went out to get in the car only to find it being towed away!  Apparently we missed the “No Parking between 3-6” sign.  We walked a few blocks to a hotel where Mike caught a cab and went down to the ghetto to get our car back from the impound.  I haven’t seen Carter so upset – not even when the car got broken into.  He was going on about how he was going to get the police to put the people who stole our car in jail.  Then when he found out it was the police who took our car he started saying that he would find other police to put them in jail.  He was devastated to say the least.  We went into the hotel to wait for Mike and once we got Carter calmed down, kept busy by taking funny pictures.  If you want a funny conversation, ask Carter about our car getting towed.   Needless to say, it was quite the day!  One that will not be quickly forgotten. 

Just Chillaxin'

Ben likes to get his TV time in too. Luckily Daddy lets him watch whatever he wants. Mostly it's Food Network. He's got those teeth, now he wants to use them!

Happy Days!

Things have been going much better around here lately.  Ben’s teeth finally made their appearance – one last Sunday and the next on Tuesday.  He is a much happier baby!  I have never had a baby have such a hard time teething.  I guess part of it is how young he is.  I am just glad that it’s over for now.   On top of that, he slept 8 hours the other night! Not so much last night, but at least now I know it’s possible.  There is a light at the end of  this sleepless tunnel.

Carter is over whatever he had and back to his usual self.  He got a haircut this week and it really hit me how fast he has grown up.  He turns 5 in a few weeks!  I think part of it is that he lost some weight when he was sick, but he is losing his little boyish-ness.  Before I know it he will be moving out!  I need to remember to enjoy these awesome kids while they are still small.   Mike, being the awesome husband that he is, replaced my camera that was stolen last week.  In celebration, me and Ben had a little photo shoot.  There are a bunch, and they are all similar, but I love them all.  So look if you want to, don’t if you don’t.  But really, you should look.  He’s pretty dang cute. 

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What a week!

This week has been pretty rough. We have had lots of ups and downs. Carter woke up Monday morning with a fever. He came down with a bad cold and ended up with an ear infection. That alone hasn't been that bad - he really hasn't done much but sleep all week. He is feeling better now, and hopefully he will be back to school on Tuesday. Ben has been teething lately (his first tooth popped out today!) and on top of that, he got whatever Carter got. No ear infection, just the cold. So he has been cranky all week.

In spite of Carter being sick and Ben being cranky, we had a great Thanksgiving! With Carter being sick all week and we were thinking that we may have to miss out, but he was doing better Wednesday night/Thursday morning so we went over to a friend's house and had a fabulous dinner with some of our best friends. I made a turkey, and it was delicious!

By the time we were done with dinner, Carter was feeling sick again and went to lay down. Samantha wanted to be a part of the party too.

On Friday I finally took Carter to the doctor. While we were in Walgreen's filling his prescription afterwards my car got broken into. They stole my GPS and my camera. I was devastated over the camera. I think that Carter may have been even more upset. I had Mike come and pick him up so he wouldn't have to wait for the cops with me. Mike said it took him 10-15 minutes to calm him down. He was crying and going on about how people should just be honest and how it was just a terrible thing. Samantha offered to give me her camera as a replacement. We are working with the insurance and I have overcome the initial devastation. Mike got my window fixed and hopefully I will have a new camera by Christmas.

Finally, I got to see New Moon yesterday. It was so fun to go out with the girls and leave the kids at home. I can't say that it was my favorite movie ever, but I thought it was good. I have to admit that I think Jacob is pretty dang hot. I also have to admit that it causes some serious internal conflict because he reminds me a bit of my little brother. I think it's mostly the mouth, I don't know. Something to discuss with my therapist I guess.

Hopefully with some medication and rest we will be back to normal this week!

Halloween

I have been meaning to get the kids back into their costumes to get better pictures than this, but it hasn't happened yet. It was so fun to have Grandpa get to go trick or treating with us! Carter informed us that this was "the best Halloween ever!" This was the first year that he really got trick or treating. Samantha thought it was ok, but once a kid in a mask started following us she decided she was done. "I don't like that guy" she kept on saying over and over.
She was a princess under her jacket. Carter was a GI Joe ninja and Ben was a baby. I was a total slacker and didn't even dress him up. Like he will remember, right?

A day at the beach

While my parents were here I took them down to the lake.  My mom hasn’t ever seen the ocean, so I figured this is the next best thing.  It was pretty cold and windy, but we had a good time.  I will never understand the fascination with throwing rocks in the water. 

Carter found a stick (which he used to poke the huge dead fish he also found): Samantha ended up soaked from getting in the waves to throw her rocks. Did I mention it was cold? Aren’t grandparents the best?

Who needs sleep?

Not Ben apparently.  This kid will not sleep!  At least not in his bed. Or in his car seat.  Or really anywhere that isn’t my arms.  Ok, maybe he will for a minute, but that’s only after screaming his brains out and exhausting himself.   The sad thing is that I have read close to a dozen books on getting babies to sleep.  I know all about putting him down while he is drowsy but still awake.  All that does is give him enough time to start freaking out before I leave the room.  I know he’s too young to cry it out, but after putting him to sleep 3 times in a row in 30 minutes, what’s a mom to do?  By the end of the day he is so tired and cranky that I finally give in and put him in the wrap where he will sleep 3-4 hours.  Then I worry that by doing that I am just showing him that if he holds out long enough he gets what he wants.   Do babies even get that?   Nights are ok, but that is just because he sleeps with me.  Go ahead, judge all you want, but after getting up with him 3 times before midnight just wipes me out (oh, and did I mention his bedtime is 10?  He won’t stay asleep before then).  I do put him down in his bed in hopes that he will sleep longer, but so far we haven’t gotten very far.  Once in a while I will get 4 hours and then it’s every 30 minutes or so.  He can start crying it out at 4 months, and then we are going to have some serious sleep boot camp action.  2 more months…

In spite of the sleep issues, he’s still one of the sweetest babies I know.  I just need to vent sometimes.

Hog Heaven

I have wanted to go to the Harley Museum for a while now. I knew my dad would love it, so when my Mom and Dad came out, it was one of the first places on our list of things to do.   It was really interesting, although I think my Dad liked it more than I did (he’s kind of a machinery nerd :)).

One of my favorite parts was the architecture of the building.  Check out this rhinestone beauty:  They had to have a second alternator to power all the extra lights.      Before we left, we got to test drive a few bikes:   Me and Ben:  He was in the wrap, which is why his head is poking out at a weird angle. 

It’s definitely worth seeing, but leave the kids at home.  I know I’m glad I did (Ben doesn’t count yet). 

My Little Pumpkins

Alright, it’s a little late, but I am seriously behind on my blogging!  We were lucky and had Grandma and Grandpa Forster in town for Halloween.  Grandpa helped Samantha design and carve hers.  Carter designed his own (with the square eyes).  Carter then went through all the pumpkin guts picking out the seeds only to find out the next day that he really doesn’t like pumpkin seeds.  Sucker. The rest of us enjoyed them!  I’m not sure what all head tilting is all about, but they both do it.  

2 Months!

Ben is 2 months old now! He is 11 1/2 lbs and 24 inches long. He loves to be held and definitely has his own opinions on when and where he would like to sleep. He is a very happy baby when he get it though.

He rolled over today from his tummy to his back for the first time!

He's a great eater as is evidenced by his numerous chins...

He loves to chill out with a great video...

We love our sweet baby!

Say Cheese!

Ben has just started smiling at us and we love it! He has a huge mouth (don't know where he got that from) and that makes for a huge grin! The kids love doing anything to get him to smile at them.

I just thought this one was funny.

One Month!

Ben turned one month old on the 6th! Overall, we are all doing pretty well with the adjustment. I am looking forward to getting out of the house more but I don't really see that happening any time soon. He eats like a champ, and he still sleeps a lot. We are working on getting him to sleep in the crib more. He would much rather be in the swing or wrap. He loves being held.
I tried to get some one month pictures and Samantha insisted on being in them. Neither of them are great of Ben, but I love the one of Samantha. She is getting to be such a big girl!

I just realized that this is the outfit we brought him home in. He's starting to fill it out!

On a side note, isn't it cruel to make someone go through acne and balding twice in his life?

Why we don't leave the house

Ben is one month old now. I have taken all 3 kids out together one time by myself, to Ben's one month appointment the other day. When my sisters were out, we attempted to go grocery shopping with everyone. We were doing fine until Carter disappeared. We were at the Pick N' Save grand opening and so I thought he had headed out to get some more cookie samples somewhere. My sister was frantically searching for him and I was starting to get freaked out when I ran into someone from my ward. I said hi and explained that I couldn't find Carter anywhere. She replied "um, he's under your cart." And that is why we don't leave the house.

Finally!

This is what our upstairs bathroom looked like when we moved in.  Now imagine it with all of the dreamy blue tile ripped off and a large hole underneath the shower head.  That is what it looked like for the last 18 months or so.  And this is what it looks like now! We have done a little bit here and there (we replaced the nasty toilet right after we moved in), but for some reason this project just kept getting pushed to the back burner.  For the last month or so, Mike has been hard at work while I haven’t had any projects going to distract him and he finished it!  You can’t really tell from the pictures, but the white on the walls is bead board.  It looks a lot better than I expected it to.  I may start sending people upstairs to use the bathroom from now on! This is my favorite part.  We haven’t had a toilet paper holder in that bathroom since we moved in.  It is awesome not to have to search every time I need toilet paper.  It’s all in the little things, right?