The little chef

On Saturday while I was cleaning up the kitchen, Carter kept running into the kitchen grabbing a fork here, then a cup, then roaring back in for water, measuring cups. Finally curious (yes, mom is a bit slow these days...) as to what she was up to, I followed her outside where she informed me she was making muffins.

Naturally muffins need lots of water in the muffin tin, preferably from a tea pot.

You also need a fish squirt gun...

And then put them in the oven! I really got a kick out of her narration as she was cooking. She had quite the story to go along with the muffins. I so love her imagination even if it generally makes messes bigger than this one. The house will clean (eventually I promise) but the stories I will remember.

Christmas in July aka More Boxes from Gramma!

Yay! More boxes from Gramma Howell! Three boxes showed up this morning and Carter was very excited to tear them open. Lots of great clothes, books, a little baby rocker and bouncer, and even candy and balloons. Carter was most excited about the new swim suit with flotation padding and frog goggles which we promptly needed to try out over at Aunty Linda's pool. More pictures coming!

Carter impatiently waiting to open (rip, tear, and preferably shred!) all the boxes. She was not happy that we had to take a picture first rather than jumping right in. Mean mom had already made her wait until she got back from running around with Aunty Linda in the afternoon to open them.

My house looks like a hurricane hit with the main storm happily sitting in the midst of the chaos trying to get all the candy open.

Thank you so much Gramma! It's such a great help to get all the wonderful clothes for both Carter and Number Two! Carter has almost as much fun opening the boxes as finding out what is actually inside. She is convinced that all the little baby clothes for Number Two are actually for HER baby and will gather them up to put on her dolls and stuffed animals.

Jumping with furry friends

Carter decided that her dogs really wanted to jump on the trampoline with her this morning. Although Robert wasn't able to get a good picture with Cash in it, she had both dogs in there with her and she was just having a ball. Not sure the dogs were as excited about it, but hey, part of their job is entertaining my little girl! She's had the cat, Pete, on the trampoline before too and now he is a lot more careful...and faster.

My newest nephew has arrived!

My latest little nephew decided yesterday that he was ready to come out and meet the world!


Everett Phillips was born yesterday afternoon to my brother Clint and his wife Corinne. They both look pretty sleepy and very happy. (The sleepy part probably isn't going to go away anytime soon guys...).

My sister and I were excited to go in and meet him...this makes 3 little nephews for me and one niece so far. I just remember when I was pregnant with Carter thinking how sad it was that she was going to grow up without any cousins her age. At that point none of my other 3 siblings were even married much less worried about having babies! But, within a year of Carter being born, all three managed to get hitched and Christy was already pregnant with Jess soon to follow. Yay! Check out the little bitty foot sticking out!

He fits on my belly just right! Everett felt so tiny after lugging lil miss Carter around. Carter was never that small either...she was born weighing 8 lbs 9 ounces while this little man is starting out at 7 lbs 11 ounces--still pretty good sized. Still, I'm pretty sure I'm NOT ready to do this just yet, although my days are getting numbered!

Anyway...I wanted to hurry up and get this posted so our other sister Jess could see pictures too of the latest Hammond to join all of us on Haley Bench. I think Christy and Aunty Linda got lots of pictures too!

Sandbox Pretty Please?

Grampa, Dad...We really really need a sandbox pretty please.

Meet Hadley

Oh and yes, we've picked up another dog. (I'm hoping this is the last post of this kind for quite some time) She's a very nice little terrier. Robert thought she was a Boston Terrier but she doesn't look like one to me. One of his friends in Colorado had picked her up from another friend, but couldn't keep her anymore. At any rate, she's moved in and made herself at home. She's very sweet although not too sure what to think of Carter other than something to avoid when possible, tolerate when she can't hide. She's pretty much decided she is my dog and follows me around all day. Sigh, Robert isn't the only sucker around here!

Summer!

Yah, summer is here and its really starting to warm up finally. Not nearly as fun when you are very pregnant. Carter's loving the weather and being outside (sans clothing whenever possible naturally). I've been working on Robert and Dad to get Carter a sand box and need to get her small pool set up in the yard. We've been using a small stock tank, but it has to been cleaned out each time before we play in it.

I picked up several baby items from my sister and Carter has decided they must be for her and her baby. She's moved into the swing as her favorite new chair and I'm not sure I'm going to be able to convince her to let her brother try it out when he shows up. The picture above shows her fresh from sneaking the bottle of chocolate syrup outside and trying to eat it before mom caught her. I'm hoping she didn't think I wouldn't notice, since she'd tried to pour some in a cup and had chocolate smeared all over the kitchen floor and the refrigerator as well...

Carter all ready to go swimming again at Aunty's house. She was excited to go back and see all the cousins and play.

Our big dog Cash likes to nip when he's all excited to see you which Carter HATES. He doesn't nip hard but it's wet. She came running in the house mad because he had got her again. So, I gave her a fly swatter and sent her back outside and told her to whack Cash if he nipped her again. Pretty soon I could hear her out the kitchen window, calling "Cash, come bite me!" Not exactly what I had in mind. Oh that little girl just cracks me up!

Fourth of July Waterworks!

We had a nice laid back Fourth of July. Just the way I like it. Robert was in Colorado to help with a bull riding and to pick up a bunch of material. A friend of his worked for a company that got a large part of the clean up Windsor contract after all the tornadoes. They had a bunch of salvage material that Robert could use, so off he went. Sounds like he had a pretty fun trip, although he is getting better about not telling me too many details. Some things are just best left unknown, you know?

Carter and I went over to Aunty Linda's for a picnic and to play in her pool. She converted a large livestock water tank into a pool for the kids and they had a ball playing in it. I managed to find Carter's swimsuit and keep her in it long enough to get to the party. Knowing Carter, I think she really would have preferred her birthday suit. There were lots of cousins running around to play with and she had a great time. We stayed, playing in and out of the pool for several hours, then went home, good and tired!

All the mommies sat around near the pool, in the shade, chatting and relaxing. It was pretty hot--the hottest day all summer, so luckily it was a good day to sit around in the shade and have an excuse not to do too much.

Hunting Wabbits

Carter managed to turn the sole surviving bunny loose last night and some how I managed to walk outside just in time to see the white streak go tearing past with our dog Cash in hot pursuit. He, unfortunately (for him, lucky for the bunny) didn't see me and practically ran right into me. I was able to catch him as he tried to dash past, and shove him in the house. I gathered up Robert and Carter to go find and catch the bunny. In full self preservation mode, Carter promptly decided that she needed special bunny hunting gear and got decked out before mom could lecture her on turning the bunny loose. After she was dressed up, it was hopeless because I just could not keep a straight face and a lecture really seems to lose all value when you are laughing.

Oh, and Robert was able to catch the bunny, so all is well. Now if we can just keep him in the cage!

Mommy Pop Quiz

Yesterday I made a major mommy error in taking a hot tired kid into the grocery store thinking I would grab a few groceries before running home. I felt like the whole experience was something that was definitely missing from any mommy handbook I've ever read and a test to see what I've learned in the last couple years. I somehow don't feel like I passed, although the fact that the kid is still alive should count for something.

Mommy Quiz Question 1: You have crammed a hot tired kid into the special pink butterfly looking cart that is about as easy to push around the grocery store as a dump truck and about as heavy. The kid has decided to start howling because you won't give them any more candy. Do you

A. Give the kid the damn candy and hope they will shut up
B. Refuse to give the kid the candy and ignore all the non-mommy shoppers glares as the howling increases in volume
C. Spank the kid in the store and threaten to leave them there if they don't shut up right now

Ok, so I picked B. Answer C was getting pretty tempting though. The store wasn't too crowded and I figured all the other mommies have either been there before and/or had heard this enough to be sympathetic. As for the Non-Mommies, well I figured I was giving them reason to applaud their decision not to be mommies or a reason to stay on birth control a little longer. Or even better, they could pat themselves on the back like I once did and self righteously think, "MY kid will never do that!"


Mommy Quiz Question 2: You finally make it to the check out stand and said kid is now in complete meltdown. You can just barely hear the check-out clerk over the noise. Kid REFUSES to leave the pink butterfly cart and in fact is trying to push it back through the checkout (over you if possible) so that she doesn't have to leave the store. Do you

A. Try to bribe the kid into silence and/or cooperation
B. Pretend this isn't your kid anymore
C. Grab your groceries, forcibly pry kid off the butterfly cart and march out to the car

Well, the young check-out clerk tried A and I can tell you that didn't work (bet she keeps taking her birth control--heck she may have given up sex altogether) and B didn't seem like much of an option either since she was screaming out Mommy occasionally in her tirade (that has now been going on for about 20 minutes--I'm sure by now the other shoppers are telling the story in hushed horrified tones and the tantrum time has increased to hours). So that left C. The person that normally helps you take out your groceries took one look at Carter and one look at the expression on my face and disappeared. Oh, thanks for the help. So I pried Carter out of the cart and with one arm firmly clamped around her (of course she is kicking and screaming) and the other trying to push the damn cart, marched out of the store, to everyone's relief.

Mommy Quiz Question 3: Said horrible kid is now strapped into the car seat, finally quiet and drinking Gatorade. Mommy notices that kid is getting that sleepy look (oh hooray!) however, still holding an open almost full bright red sticky drink. Every time mommy tries to take the drink or put a lid on it, said kid immediately goes right back to howling and not looking sleepy. Do you

A. Take the drink anyway, put the lid on it and turn up the radio
B. Chicken out and hope the kid doesn't spill the drink when they fall asleep

Ya, B. Definitely. Probably not the right answer but I'd do it again. It was the only quiet I got the rest of the afternoon. I trained my rear view mirror on the drink and when she finally fell asleep, I slipped it out of her hands and drank the damn thing myself. There.

Mommy Quiz Question 4: Now the mommy is finally home with wonderful quiet sleeping kid. Do you

A. Take the kid out of the car seat and lay them in bed, hoping they will stay asleep
B. Roll down the windows and pray they keep sleeping

Oh to retake that quiz question. Rookie mommy mistake, I picked A. She woke up while I was trying to get her out of the car seat (she normally stays asleep...) and the fight was right back on. She started kicking and screaming so I sat her down right in the dusty driveway and left her, for about 20 minutes while I unloaded groceries, made phone calls, and then made sure all the critters had water. It had started to sprinkle a little, but she just kept on howling. She finally got tired of no audience and came to search me out. The rest of the afternoon pretty much followed the same pattern. I did call Robert and warn him that if he wanted to see his daughter again, he might want to hurry home. NOW. Oh and naturally, once he got home, she suddenly couldn't be sweeter. She was suddenly all smiles and cute little girl again for poppa. Luckily Robert has witnessed (finally) some of the Jekyll and Hyde behavior before (I suppose it's a kid survival mechanism that helps keeps them alive), so he didn't think I was completely crazy. I seriously don't know how single parents manage, I really don't. So mommy decided she'd had enough for the day and went to bed! Whew. Unfortunately I have to go back to town for my doctors appointment. Sigh. Here's hoping for an easier quiz tomorrow!