What's New With The Carter Family

Halloween is one of my very favorite holidays.  I don't know if it's because I never got to dress up growing up (it's was not really celebrated in Australia when I was younger, though nowadays there are some who do), or if I just really love the decorations and atmosphere of the holiday.  Either way, I really dig this time of year :)  And I hope that my kids do too! Jem was super cute as a green Ninja this year.  He totally scored on his Halloween candy, and as in previous years, spent a couple of hours trick or treating our entire neighborhood.  I'm not sure how  many more years of trick or treating he has in him, but as long as he still wants to go, I'm happy :) Finley was dressed as Minnie Mouse this year, though as she was sick with a fever, she did not get to go trick or treating.  I did dress her up for photos though!  Love her little mouse ears, though she WOULD NOT keep them on!   We had a lot of kids come by for c...

That's right folks.  You heard right.  We FINALLY made it to LEGOLAND, California, for a secret, hush hush, family   >>mostly for Jem<<    vacation!  It was AWESOME in so many ways....but let me start at the beginning :)  So first of all you should probably know that Jem had NO IDEA.  None whatsoever.  Not that we were going anywhere, much less that we were going to LEGOLAND.  In fact, we woke up that morning and "pretended" to drive him to school.  Only we didn't take the exit.  And when he kept asking us what we were doing, and where we were going....we simply told him that we were going to spend the day together as a family.  And then we drove to the parking garage at the airport.  And then he realized something was UP because we were all getting out of the car and we had luggage.  SO FUN!  We ended up telling him that we were going to spend a few days in San Diego, since he had the ...

  Every year we try to make it down to the pumpkin patch.  Just to walk through the field, to find a good pumpkin to take home, to sip some hot apple cider.  And of course for the great photo opportunity :)  Fall is such a beautiful time of year, and I love taking pictures with all of the bright fall colors!  Here are some pictures from our afternoon at Carleton Farm...  

This year's 4th of July was a family affair.....dad drove down from Idaho to spend a week with us all, and even Justin's mom came up for the day.  We spent the day at the Skinner's house, hanging out and eating.  In the evening we went to our house for some amazing fireworks!  I love this American holiday :)  

It's crazy how time flies.....it seems like not very long ago I had a little boy who was starting preschool. I remember one of my very first posts on this blog was Jem's first day at Sunnyside. Now here I am, 8 years later, blogging about my almost middle schooler. This is the summer before Jem starts Middle School - I can't really believe we're at this point in time.  Crazy!   Here are some pictures of Jem with his friends from Sunnyside Preschool - Wesley, Kira and Tiana -- who I am proud to say, still get to see each other after all these years. I love these kiddos, their moms, and their families, and I'm so grateful that they get to be a part of our lives!  

I just love this kid!  Matthew is Jem's longest known friend; we moved next door to them when Matthew was 11 months old and Jem was 16 months old.  They have been best buddies ever since!  I not so secretly joke that Matthew is my second son ;)  Love those boys!

I know it's been a while since my last post....but I wanted to share a picture from this year's Mother's Day.  It was a very nice day for me -- I got to enjoy my family, and they treated me to some special gifts (a charm for my bracelet from each of my kiddos, and a wonderful French soup lunch from my husband).   On the way home from church we stopped by the cemetery to pay our respects to Brandon's mom.  It was a sweet moment, seeing my family remember their love for Pam - especially today, on Mother's Day.  I hope it was a great day for all moms out there - especially my very own.  Love you Mama!

April Fools!  No, not really.  It's my anniversary, for reals :)  This year marked year number 14....and we decided to spend the day with the whole family (seeing as it was spring break and everyone was  home together anyway!).  We ended up going to the zoo in Seattle, and it was a really nice time.  Here are some pictures from our day...

  My 39th birthday came around awfully fast.  When Brandon asked me what I wanted to do this year, my answer was fast and sure - I wanted to drive down to Seattle and have lunch at The Cheesecake Factory, and then head over to the waterfront to ride the new Giant Ferris Wheel.  So with my BFF and her family joining us, that's what we did!   For the first time in what seemed like weeks, the sun actually came out :)  It was going to be a perfect day to ride the big wheel....though we were all smart enough to realize that it was still going to be COLD as heck.  It is the Pacific Northwest afterall!  Hence the big, bulky winter gear :) Love that I got to do something fun on my birthday, but even more than that, I love that I got to spend the day with the people I love most.   I had such a good time....and was so grateful to my good friends The Bakula Family (Burke, April, Matthew, Ryan and Adam) for joining our fun and...

Yikes.  Time is passing by so quickly!  I am now the proud mother of....a....PRETEEN!  I can't believe my little guy is eleven years old.  Crazy!  Love my minecraft.obsessed-video.game.playing-always.eating-loves.to.cuddle-awesome.big.brother-violin.and.piano.playing-almost.middle.schooler-handsomest.boy.ever  SON.  Happy 11th birthday!

  Finley is now 13 months old.  Time is flying by.  She is a little spitfire, who can't sit still.  She's always moving, and loves to make noise!  She adores the dog, and will pick up it's toy to play with her.  She acts like a mini me - attitude and all.  I can't wait for her to find her words, as she likes to "yell" to get what she wants.  Her favorite show is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and if I put it on for her (and only a specific episode -- "Goofy Baby") she will sit quietly and watch it. Ahhh, sometimes we all need some quiet time, don't we?   She says lots of things, but "dada" is her favorite word.  She uses it for daddy and brother and even her uncle Justin.  She says "moh" for more, and "oh wow" and "Yeah!".  Of course she is very proficient at "no, no!"  She loves to join in with the family, whether it's sitting with us at mealtimes, or copying us when we're laughing.  It...

It's been a super busy month for us....December usually is.  I have neglected this blog for far too long....so here is an update, and some Christmas memories from our first Christmas as a family of 4! Merry Christmas to all xoxox