What's New With The Carter Family

I love this time of the year! I always look forward to attending Jem's school Christmas concert, and this year we added a Piano Recital to the mix! Here is a collage of pictures from the two events.... I even managed to take a short video of Jem playing his two songs at the Piano Recital....Click on the video below... And another video montage of Jem at his Christmas Concert...Click on the video below...

I had the most amazing time at my baby shower :) Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who came....I love you guys, and it meant the world to me to have my closest friends and family there to celebrate the occassion with me! A very special thank you to my BFF April for hosting it -- you put in an enormous amount of time & effort to make the day very special! I love you for it! Thank you also to Heidi for snapping some pics - I'm sure it's the last thing you want to be doing when you're not working, but I'm ever so thankful to have some photographs to remember the day!

There is someone that is very special to me - her name is Jaymie . She is my cousin Bill's oldest daughter, and lives in Australia. When she was younger, and before I moved to the US to marry Brandon, I used to love spending time with her. She was such a smart little girl - full of spunk and love. She would come over to visit my grandpa with her family, and always end up in my room, at my desk, drawing. There's always been a very special place in my heart for Jay Jay...and there still is. It's very odd to me that almost 13 years have gone past since I left Australia. In that time, I've managed to go back and visit a couple of times...and have even had Jaymie come up here for the birth of Jem (which meant so much to me to have her share that with us). Through it all, I still can't help but remember her as she was when I left - 5 years old, adorable as heck, and my special little friend. Yesterday she celebrated her 18th birthday. So bizzare! How can she be Eighteen a...

I had my 30 week Dr Appointment on Monday...and was told that I was measuring a few weeks ahead of where I should be. He wasn't too concerned by it, but suggested I get another ultrasound done to more accurately measure the baby's size. That ultrasound was done today...and boy...what a cool experience THAT was! My ultrasound technician was this lovely lady that I have seen before, that was kind enough to give us a 3-D image of our little girl...just because! How nice was that! Here are a couple of the pictures we got....one is a 2-D profile shot, and the other a combination of two of the 3-D facial images we received :) It felt amazing to be able to "see" her...we all think she looks an awful lot like her big brother Jem. What do you think?

Another year, another Halloween.....and yes, another re-use of the same costume! It happened a few years ago with the Ninja Turtle outfit (where Jem decided to re-purpose it into a Hammer Bros. outfit). This year Jem decided he had to be "Mario" again......and thankfully his costume fit him (although it was REALLY tight in the shoulders --sigh-- since my baby boy is growing up). His dad and I may be biased, but we think he makes the most ADORABLE Mario :) Gosh but how we love this kid so much! After a FULL hour of trick-or-treating in our neighborhood, and a quick visit to see his cousins...Jem came home with a nice haul of candy! He was super excited to wade through his stash and see what he got. I even let him pick 3 pieces to eat that night :) I hope everyone had as great of a Halloween as we did! Until next year...

Happy Halloween Everyone! This year we decided to attend our Church's annual Family Fun Night - and it was a lot of fun! We brought our pumpkins to carve (no mess at home!) and they even had a spaghetti dinner for everyone there. I didn't take my camera with me because I just wanted to enjoy the evening....and guess what? The church even had a photographer set up to take a family picture! Loved it! You'll see the pumpkins we carved in the picture below...from left to right we have MINE, BRANDON'S and JEM'S! I think they came out pretty good....especially considering that this was my first year to ever carve a pumpkin and the first year that Jem did his all by himself! They are now keeping watch on our porch, super excited for the trick or treaters that will be ring a ding dinging tonight :)

I love that Jem and Matthew are still good friends. It's been 8 years since we moved next door to them in Lake Stevens...and while they've since moved away, I've always been happy that our paths crossed. Our decision to purchase this house (instead of the one in Marysville) has made the course of our lives such that it is now....and I wouldn't trade it for anything :)

We still have more to do to get the nursery ready....decor for the walls, a rug for the floor...some fine tuning...but the basic space is done, and here are some pictures showing it! Have to say a BIG thank you to Brandon and Jem...both my guys worked really hard to make this space a reality :)

This year, Jem was awarded a "Student of the Month" award for the character trait of Knowledge. Once again he was totally surprised to hear his name called, and did not see his daddy and I in the audience. I loved surprising him! He had a big smile on his face when he saw me sneak up to the front for a picture. His certificate, given to him by his teacher Ms Quigley said: "James exhibits the character quality of wisdom by always seeking to do what is right, even though it might not be the popular choice. He also listens attentively to teachers and other adults." Way to go Jem, we're so proud of you!

This past week, Brandon (with some help from Jem) has been working on converting the "purple room" into a nursery! Brandon and I picked out colors a few weeks earlier, and this past weekend we drove to IKEA to pick up a couple of items for the room. The crib had been delivered a week earlier, but was still in it's box....and the time was finally right to start the make-over process! It's actually been really fun seeing my ideas come to life...I had a vision of what I wanted the room to look like. I pictured pink and white, a little girly, but not baby-ish. I have to hand it to Brandon - he was such a trooper throughout this whole thing. It was a LOT that I was asking for....not only to paint the walls & ceiling, but to paint all of the brown trim (to white), paint the closet doors (white again) AND take the window trims off and paint THOSE too! He was awesome! And I have to say, the trim/door painting made ALL the difference to the overall look. It looks amazing. ...

A week and a half ago, my 'little' boy began his first day of FOURTH grade! I'm still in a state of shock. I mean, really. FOURTH grade? That's one year away from fifth grade, which we all know is one year away from MIDDLE SCHOOL. How can my baby be almost old enough to be in middle school????? I look at these 'first day of school' pictures, and all I see is my three year old boy getting ready to head off to preschool. I wonder why on earth he has to carry such a seriously huge backpack. I'm in serious denial. Have a great year of school Jem! I love you bunches :)

As many of you already know, Brandon, Jem and I are expecting a new family member this January! The ultrasound indicated that it is a......baby GIRL! We are all beyond thrilled...but none more so that Jem. He is so excited to finally become a BIG BROTHER!

Brandon's Dad came to Washington for a week-long visit before school started back up. It was wonderful to have him here, and the kids really enjoyed spending time with him!

We took an end of summer trip Vancouver, Canada, with our good friends The Bakula Family. It was a really fun end to summer break, and we packed in as much as we could into the three short days we were there. Some of the highlights include: Stanley Park Aquarium, Capilano Suspension Bridge, 218 flavor ice-cream shop, swimming in the pool, LOTS of eating out (Brandon tried 'poutine' for the first time). Some of my impressions of Vancouver - thousands of highrise apartment buildings in the city center (kind of like a mini New York only maybe not so mini), very expensive prices for EVERYTHING, in dire need of an interstate system (always driving around on small residential roads to get anywhere), beautiful architecture in the city center, Asian signs on EVERYTHING in Richmond (where our hotel was located). It was a GREAT vacation with April, Burke, Matthew, Ryan and Adam! Will definitely have to go back again sometime, as there was so much to do there that we didn't have a cha...

I love tennis. I have ever since I was a teen, living in Melbourne (the tennis capital of Australia). I used to go to the Australian Open with my friends, and roam around all day watching matches of players I liked. Such fun memories! When I first moved to the USA, Brandon and I lived in apartments...and they always seemed to have a tennis court attached. We would play together a few times a week...and used to have a ton of fun. Since living in WA, Brandon and I haven't played any more tennis. Busy jobs, busy lives...it kind of fell by the wayside. The saddest part is that Jem hasn't had the opportunity to try this sport yet. So when I found out that his piano teacher's husband taught tennis, I was very excited! Finally! A reason to get out on the court, and someone to give Jem some pointers on the game! After only a few lessons, Jem now 'knows' what tennis is...he LIKES being on the court and hitting balls....and....Brandon and I have gotten our old rackets ...

Literally ONE day after arriving back home from Italy, Brandon hopped back on a plane (with Jem this time) and headed to Indiana for a quick 2 day visit. They were there to celebrate a very special occassion - Brandon's Great Grandma Nickels' 100th Birthday! She looks AMAZING, and as you can see from the photos below, her party was a family celebration. Almost everyone was able to make it, and it was wonderful for Jem to meet so many of Brandon's side of the family!

This past June, Brandon got to go on another business trip to Italy. He was there during the summertime, and he says it was very hot - much more so than here in WA. On the weekends (which he had off) he was able to do some sightseeing with a few other co-workers that were there. One of the places they went to was Florence. Even though the architecture was amazing, Brandon says that Florence smells like a mixture of trash and urine. Nice. Not exactly a ringing endorsement for revisiting, is it?

Summer brings out the "goofy" in Jem. Something about being outside, in the sun, half naked (which is of course acceptable since he's in his swim trunks), makes him act a little kooky. Take this day for example. It was a warm enough day (in between the weeks of rain we've had this summer), and Jem was outside, playing with the sprinkler hose. He was having a blast. Running around. Acting silly. Having the best time. And giving me the silliest faces. So of course I had to capture some of his funny poses! Seriously. Oh how I love this goofy kid of mine :)

Every year we have our summer 'homework' that we (and by we I mean "Jem") have to do. This year he is working on a Math workbook, writing a page in his "journal" each night, and a little bit of reading before bed. Nothing too strenuous. But yes, the poor child doesn't even get a break during the summer :) Mean, aren't I? Here he is in the morning doing some fractions work....in his cute little red robe!

This year goes down as one of the best 4th of July's ever! It was a PERFECT day - sunny & warm, and we spent the holiday with our family and friends. Can't get any better than that, right? The Skinners were generous enough to host at their new house...and it was a great day! We played some games, ate some food, and talked while the kids played. The Bakula Boys brought their scooters, and the kiddos rode and rode and rode....they also had fun with chalk, and with their water guns :) Burkey got a little TOO close with the water gun, as you'll see a little later on! The cutest thing ever was how little Adam was Jem's little shadow :) He kept wanting to be near him, and when we saw him scratching Jem's back we thought it was the CUTEST thing ever! April was missing her Mexico warmth...towards the end of the night she was covered in 2 blankets and 2 towels LOL. The fireworks show was spectacular, as usual! We set off some mortars and we had a whole bunch of sparklers...

Ok...before I start talking about this picture let me first say this: It HAS been a long time since I've updated this blog! SIX WHOLE WEEKS in fact! I'm sorry about that. The end of the school year has been (and always is) a C-R-A-Z-Y time of year for us, and as a result, my blogging suffered. But fear not! I'm going to update you on ALL of the exciting things that have been going on with us, The Carter Family, these past 6 weeks. So be prepared for some posts. I think I have about 5 or 6 of them. And I promise to be more on top of 'updating' our family blog in the future! So go on...read away! COUSINS Jem just adores his two cousins, River and Piper. And while River is maturing and getting a little old for the kind of games Jem still likes to play, he has found a happy and attentive playpal in his young cousin Piper. Piper absolutely ADORES music - and her cousin Jem! And Jem is only too happy to have her sit with him and play a few notes on his piano. He is so pat...

This year Jem and I surprised Brandon with a Keurig Coffee Maker! He'd been eyeing his sister's one, and liked using them when he went on business trips...so we bought one for him to use at home! They're nifty little things - they use these disposable little cups of coffee, that come in over 200 varieties. Very quick, convenient and (according to Brandon, since I don't drink coffee), very yummy! At our church that day was a "car show". We got to look at all kinds of cool cars - old ones, new suped up ones...and Brandon and Jem really liked this one. It was a GREAT father's day!

Brandon just LOVES his Clematis plant, and I have to admit, it IS a beautiful plant. It blooms every year with an abundant amount of flowers, and is the most gorgeous & vibrant purple. Here is what our porch looks like this spring...

Jem's annual end of school year celebration is a "Field Day". The kids really get excited for this day to come around, not so much because it signifies the end of school and the beginning of summer...but because it's a fun day spent with their buddies! This year both Brandon and I were able to go and watch the games...and the weather held out! Here is Jem during the tug-of-war....it's boys versus girls and.........THE GIRLS WON!!!!! Here is Jem with his best school friend, Garrett. Honestly, the best part of the whole day for Jem was getting to play with Garrett the entire time! Here's to hoping we have a great, long, warm summer!

Just before school was out, we had Jem's bedroom window replaced. It had somehow gotten a crack and was letting water in between the panes...each morning there would be this crazy condensation inside the window, and we were worried about mold taking hold. Let's just say that unless something like this happens to another window, we won't be replacing any more anytime soon. Not that it was that hard or messy...nope. Not at all. We had professionals come and do it for us. They showed up, took a saw out and literally CUT the existing window out of the siding. Look at the picture in the middle and you can see what I mean. Then they just pulled the window out, put a new one in it's place, and sealed everything right back up! No, it's not because of the work involved. Because really, they were here what - an hour and a half total? I'm not in a hurry to replace another window because of the cost involved. It cost just over $500! It's a window! I mean, really!

This year's Fine Arts Fair was held on Friday, May 13th. Last year the same event was called "Best of Elementary".... and I'm still not quite sure why it got a name makeover. Nevertheless, it was a fun couple of hours which started with the kids walking into the auditorium (see picture above) to perform some songs. Click on the video clip below to see a snippit of the 3rd grade classes' performance. Here is Jem standing by his project (which this year he completed at school, ON HIS OWN -- Yeah!) and giving some "interesting facts" about his chosen sea life animal - The Jellyfish. Go ahead and click on the video below for Jem's "Jellyfish Facts". I thought he did a great, independent job. Well done!

...Jem got a package. He usually gets a little gift when daddy returns home, but this time (since he would be away for almost 3 weeks) Brandon surprised him with a package of goodies. Jem was so super excited to receive it - and was happy to get a letter, some gum, and a few packets of Crazy Bones Go-Go's - the latest thing my little guy is 'collecting'.

Sometimes there are some really pretty sunsets where I live. The sky lights up with the usual colors of reds and oranges and is oh so pretty to look at. On this day, there was something different going on. The whole sky/land had this bluish-green glow to it...it was crazy colored...and when you looked up at the sky it was this bright color of blue that had no business being in the sky at sunset. It was bizzare I tell you! It lasted for only 15 or so minutes, but it was the most unusual lighting situation I have ever seen. I tried to capture it with my camera, though I was a little late by the time I snapped this shot....and it really doesn't do it any justice. I don't know if that kind of sunset will ever happen again, but it was definitely an amazing sight to behold!

I like changing around my desktop wallpaper. Often. Most of the time it will be a recent photo I took of Jem, or maybe of our family. It's almost always a photo of a loved one. I have lots of those kinds of photos. This time though, I wanted to try something different . I still wanted to use one of my pictures, I just wanted it to be people free. Goodness knows I have hundreds of tulip photos from our yearly trek to the tulip fields.... and beautiful scenery photos from our many outings. I found this fairly recent picture in my 2011 folder, from Valentine's Day. This was the bouquet of flowers Brandon had sent to me when he was away in Japan in February. Aren't they pretty? It was a complete surprise - it really meant a lot to me to receive them :) But uh...what on earth was I thinking, photographing these beautiful roses....on my ugly, green, bumpy carpet mat? HIDEOUS! I had to do something about it. So I opened up my picture in PSE 8 and went to town. Some careful sele...

I love being an Aunty to two of the most beautiful girls - and it is a very good day when I get to watch my niece Piper :) She is full of life and is always so darn cute! I couldn't help but get my camera out on this day, and snap a few pictures of her. Isn't it adorable how you can see her bottom two teeth? And the hand - up in the air - just makes me smile. It's her way of saying "Hi", she puts her hand up and gives you a big smile! Love it!