Thanksgiving

We had a full house for Thanksgiving this year down at my mom's house. We almost had more food than people which was quite a feat! I tried to make a wheat salad using some wheat that I had gotten when Dad and Clint were combining the wheat field up above our house. It was really good except for all the cheat grass...I figured it was truly a Hammond wheat salad! It was also my sister Christy's birthday so Mom put some candles in one of Gramma Betty's squash pies. Carter was very intent on making sure she got to help Aunty blow out the candles.

Dad and Chase getting in some good boy bonding time! Check out Chase talking to Grampa!

Little Avery looked so cute walking around. She doesn't seem big enough to walk much less crawl. Her little tights were super cute.

Carter and Cade playing together when they weren't fighting. They are starting to play together pretty well, but still don't like to share very much. (Sounds like most people...)

Kendra

On Tuesday one of my girlfriends, Kendra and her family came through town on their way to Sydney for Thanksgiving. She was my best friend in third grade and I hadn't seen her in almost 10 years. Robert was fairly surprised that we've managed to keep in touch all these years since she moved right after third grade and I only ever saw her a couple times after that. I don't know why or how we managed to keep in touch, I'm just glad we did. I still have most of the letters we wrote back in forth for years, until email came along. It was wonderful to see her and meet her family for the first time. Hopefully it won't be another 10 years before we get to see each other again!

All Dressed up

Carter actually let me curl her hair and get all dressed up since we were headed into town to visit a girlfriend of mine. She looked so darn cute but she decided that having her hair curled was enough, no pictures on top of all that. I tried...

She was much more interested in showing me her football here...

Gramma Howell

Robert's mom came out for a 2 week visit and we've been keeping her busy! Carter is really enjoying all the extra attention, not to mention all the presents Gramma brought. We were over visiting my sister and my mom in these pictures.

Getting love

Chase is pretty happy getting attention from anyone who is willing to give him love. This is a pretty novel experience for me since Carter at his size only liked mom and only wanted mom. Here he's playing with Gramma.

Carter is great about keeping Chase entertained while I race around the house trying to pick up and get a few things done.

I've really enjoyed spending my Tuesday with my sister. She has Tuesdays off from work so we've been having a standing Tuesday play date either at her house or mine. It's great for Carter and Cade to burn off some energy as they are starting to play together pretty good (well except when they are fighting over the same toy...which they ONLY want to play with well, because the other one wanted it naturally)

Sterling came over to play with Carter and was so funny with Chase. He really was hoping Chase could play with the balloons with him (ah, No), could he have some Kool-aid (ya, again NO) and was concerned about where the bottles were to feed him (ah...no bottles around here).

Sterling checking out Carter's doll...

Christmas Pictures

OK, I tried to take some nice Christmas pictures of the kids...I still have hopes of getting a picture of all four of us. It may not get done before I need to order Christmas cards, but this was my best effort so far. Chase naturally threw up on the first outfit, Carter decided she did NOT want pictures taken and required several bribes. Of the 30 pictures I took, these were about the only ones that turned out. I need my friend Lyndsey to come up and take some for me!

He's a talker

Here's a couple pictures I took while Chase was talking up a storm. He pretty much told me his whole life story which took a lot longer than you might expect...

Happy Baby

The last couple weeks, Chase has really started getting some personality and has become a very happy smiley little boy. It's been really fun to play with him and he'll smile and talk to anyone who wants to give him a little love. Carter almost never smiled for anyone but her mommy!

These pictures were taken at about 6 am....mom was not nearly as happy to be up already. Sigh. Chase naturally likes to get up nice and early (usually around 5 am or so) since it would be WAY too handy if he slept in late like his sister.

Anyway, I'm sure having fun with all the smiles! Carter likes it when he's smiling at her too.

Elmo!

This Friday we took Carter to see a Sesame Street musical at the Metra. I'd spent 3 days getting her all excited to go and she was practically bouncing off the walls by the time we got there. She had a great time. The only time she wasn't thrilled with the whole show was when they didn't have Elmo on the stage (which luckily wasn't very often)

Naturally Robert had to pick Carter up a toy which lit up in the darkened arena and she just thought that was so cool. So did all the kids around us whose parents managed to get out of there without buying the over priced kid bait.

I also made Robert take a picture of me with my two babies. I almost never get in pictures since I'm the one always taking them. I figured I better start trying harder, especially when I'm actually dressed up!

Preg Checking the Cows

A few weeks back, my family all got together to help preg check all the cows. I took the kids up for about the last half hour. The weather was perfect. I can't wait until these two are big enough to help ride so that I can go too! Carter was fascinated by all the noise and commotion. Above she's catching a ride with Aunty Gwynny to go check out all the calves that had been sorted off from their mommas for weaning.

Robert and my brother Clint running the chute.

Aunty Gwynny answering all of Carter's 700 questions.

Updated pic

Things have been super busy and I'm trying really hard not to stop blogging, but I have to admit it's a bit low on the priority list right now. I'm trying to type right now with Chase on my lap so this is going to be short. Robert just came over to remind me that he did dinner and dishes tonight so I had some time right now. Ha! As if I don't have 300 other things! Sleeping comes to mind... I'm doing the books for two businesses: Roberts and my grandparents Internet business, and I'm trying to doing some projects for my other employer, MoonFire on the side...not to mention keep up with two kids. I'm feeling a tad overwhelmed by it all some days, but we're figuring out how to make it work. All my family has been so much help. I particularly love Vashti for coming over on Wednesdays after school to help Carter burn off a little energy. (Someday I will repay this favor, TiTi!) I was briefly on the phone yesterday and I could hear Carter up to something in the kitchen. As soon as I got off the phone I raced over to find her making a butter sandwich--A whole stick of butter mashed on a piece of bread, whatever honey she could dig out of the honey tub, and about a cup of oatmeal scattered on top (and all over the counter and floor...). Strangely enough, she couldn't eat more than two bites before she decided she was very very full.

Carter is always trying to hold Chase's hand, give him kisses and really wants to play with him. Her new favorite is hide and seek. I have him laying on the bed and she hides behind my pillows and peeks out at him. Carter thinks this is hilarious. Chase has started smiling and cooing (ya!! Carter never cooed AT ALL!) I'm trying to get a picture of it. With any luck, I'll even get it posted!

Halloween

We had a pretty laid back Halloween--just went to a couple family houses and called it a night. Carter had a ball--Robert dressed her up as a rodeo clown and she loved her outfit despite the fact that she could barely walk in it without tripping. Checking out the loot...

Jake hoping Carter has a little something in there for him!

Chase tried really hard to sleep through the whole thing. I was a bad mom and didn't have a costume for him. I was pretty proud I managed to find the "My First Halloween" onesie but that was the extent. I doubt he thought he missed out this year!

Halloween Treats!

Carter spotted a magazine article about making bug cupcakes and for a week it was all she could talk about. Everytime you asked her what she wanted she would run and find the magazine and point out the article--"Lets make these mom!". Sigh. So I talked my sister into coming to town with me to shop for all the needed supplies and did my best. They looked cuter in the magazine but Carter and I had fun. Chase wasn't much help yet.

The chocolate cake recipe I used sunk, but that meant we had to add more frosting...a bonus in Carter's opinion. It was fun and Carter was upset when they were all gone, even though she had ate most of them! (Well picked the candy off and licked off the frosting.)