Cinco de Mayo!

We spent this beautiful cinco de mayo saturday with a trip to Sweet Seasons Farm for Art at the Barn. This is the fourth year Paulette and the Manning family have hosted this event and I have ALWAYS had to work so I was looking SO forward to this year!

It was hot and the kids got a little whiny after a while, but they did enjoy a demonstration by Mr Manning with this sheep dog. He used a border collie to round up the herd of sheep in no time flat! Carter is convinced that he can train Simba to do the same thing....we'll see, I guess!

I did score some great props (some newborn hats and a great banner) and a Mother's Day gift, a CUTE little bird feeder,  for GG while we were there. I also got a few good ideas for crafts should I ever decide to get crafty again.....ha! I think Simba may be more likely to become a sheep dog!

We left the farm and stopped at Mi Casita for lunch, then home for naps and playing outside.

Carter has spent the afternoon trying his best to learn to whistle. It would probably help if he had a teacher  who could whistle....neither me nor Kyle can whistle enough to amount to anything!  We've had fun listening to him though!

Overheard:

Overheard this morning: 
Carter to Walker, (after I heard the cocking of his nerf gun): "open it wider....wider....wiiider"
Walker: "AHHH"
Me: CARTER! Don't shoot that in his mouth!!!
Carter & Walker: *wild giggling*
Mercy.

What a wonderful way to wake up!

Sweet Walker woke me up this morning singing my favorite song...He came up with it himself! It goes something like this: "Mama, mama, maaaaamaaaaa, mama, mama, mama,...i wuvvvv yooooouu." So sweet! Yesterday was a  particularly tough one with a NILMSTS call, so this just hit the spot! Then in true Walker fashion he looked at me right in the eye and said, "Now I'm gonna wipe a booger on you." lol! Stinker!! (p.s...he didn't, he just likes to threaten)




I am so very thankful for my sweet little blessings! 

Walker...

Dear Walker,

I haven't written a lot of letters to you here on the blog, but you'll find them shoved neatly tucked away in your baby book for safe keeping. As of now, you are 22 months old, you weigh 21 pounds, and your absolute favorite things in the world are trucks, tractors, and 4 wheelers. The kind you push around in the floor, and the kind you ride. You eat anything that's put in front of you and your always sure to take your time and enjoy every bite. It's so much fun to watch you taking in the world around you!

Today you got your first pair of big boy boots and you couldn't be prouder. Carter couldn't have been more proud either! He took great pride in showing you to the big boy boot section and helping to find just the right size.

We went to the county fair last night and you were so excited when you saw all the lights & rides! You jumped on every ride you could and smiled and laughed the entire time! There were a couple that you weren't big enough for yet, but that was okay too. You waved and squealed at Carter & Lilah as they went by.

You love your big brother and big sister so very much, and they love you too! I love that you can be away from each other for just a little while (like for the hour and a half Lilah has dance class) and when she comes out you greet her with a hug and a smile and a "Hi Wiwah!!" like you haven't seen her in ages! You never sleep with me & daddy, but you can be found either in Lilah or Carter's bed every night. I hope you always love them this much!

You bring such joy to our lives, Walker! I can't believe you'll be two in just over a month......I'd like to slow down time for a little while. I am so thankful that God picked me to be your mom.

I love you!

Mom.

p.s....In the above picture, Walker is "babysitting" his favorite baby cousin, Luke. I'm sure he'd like me to clarify that he's definitely not playing with a doll...lol!

What? 9 Months?

It's been 9 months exactly to this very day that I wrote on my blog.

Good grief!

I would attempt to try and catch things up a bit, but:

1. I'm sure nobody stops by here anymore

and...

2. You wouldn't believe all that's taken place in those 9 months if I tried to tell you.

(and since no one is listening, I am talking to myself. I dont believe it either.)

However, I realize that I am failing miserably at slowing down long enough to document my children's lives and that stops today.

Does that sound believable?

I am going to do my best to at least keep a record of the goings on within my children's and family's lives.

Starting now:

Carter is now 4 years old.

Lilah is 2

Walker is 1.

People ask me how many kids I have and I say "3". That doesn't alarm them so much. Until they ask how old they are.

Then they cringe.

Carter is still Carter. Funny as can be!

Lilah is a pretty funny girl too. She reminds me SOOOO much of my niece Rachel. She even talks like her.....which is not always a good thing :)

Walker is a wild man. There is nothing he won't try. Nothing. He climbs up, down, over, and around. If he can't climb it, he will find a way to get it. He kicks, smacks, pulls hair, ears, ear rings.....whew! Wild.

And SOO sweet.

Okay, thats a feeble attempt I realize, but in that 9 months my photography business has been blessed by God in ways that still just take my breath away.....and it's Christmas....and I have to get to work or people will be hunting me down!!

No excuse, really...

...for not blogging much lately. I have been pretty busy, but I have been slacking over here and I'm really gonna try to do better!

Whether or not anyone else reads my endless run on sentences, I do like to keep a journal of the things that go on here on "the farm" and I haven't done much of that lately!

In my last post I mentioned taking the kids to the circus, well, we did! And we all had a great time! Carter is still talking about it, and still doing some of the "tricks" he witnessed there at the greatest show on earth....so much so that I'm starting to rethink whether or not we should have taken Little Mr Imagination.

Why?

Well, just the other day I was in the bathroom that joins our bedroom and he and Lilah were dancing on our bed like they do all the time when I heard something break. I ran in there only to find that Carter had taken 3 big picture frames off the wall (very quietly) and lined them up in a row across our bed. He then proceeded to walk across them because "Mom, the man walked on glass at the circus!"

Oh,..... well, alrighty then.

Also, he is constantly doing "tricks" from the ottoman to the couch and back again, and since the moment we left the circus parking lot, there is a new requirement that must preceed each and every "performance" of said "tricks". Here it is:

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, childrens of alllllllllll ages, presenting Carter Kyyyyyyyle Piiiiiiiiike.........He can do tricks!!!"

....and after a trick or ninety, I get a little lackluster in my ringmaster skills, and he ain't havin' none of that!

Also, Lilah has a few new skills of her own......

*She talks 97 miles per hour.
*When you call her name she very unpolitely says "WHAT?" (heeelarious!)
*She don't take nothin' off her big brother, and she will bite to prove it! (not so heelarious!)
*she will eat anything and everything, and you know she enjoys it because she says "mmmm"
after every bite.
*she blows fabulous kisses!
*she gives even better real kisses....complete with smoochy sound effects! (so precious)
*she will not wear hairbows, or shoes! I take her shoes to the car with me and put them on when we get where we're going, otherwise I put them on 3 or 4 times per trip!
*She talks the most adorable baby talk to Walker. It goes like this, "jabber jabber jabber, yeah. jabber jabber jabber, oh yeah baby Caulker" (SWEET!)

I'm sure I'm forgetting something....

.....and Walker, well he just smiles and coo's and looks and smells adorable and cushy, and I love that he loves me more than anything or anyone right now. I know this phase will end, but for now, I'm basking in the fact that I am his everything....

So, since I know you've missed seeing them constantly, (unless you're on Facebook, then you're still bombarded regularly!)....I'll leave you with some pics of my little darlin's from this morning...

Just Hangin' Around......

...Finding new and exciting ways to entertain a 3 year old and a 22 month old indoors during a long cold wet winter has started to tax my imagination.






Obviously.

However, we are going to the circus this weekend so the fact that they are practicing their scooter ridin' "tricks" just might come in handy with the circus crowd! :)

It's UP!

It's up.


It's running.

I'm so excited!

I just can't hide it!


What,...you ask?


This

There are still a few tweaks I want to make, (I say that like I know what I'm doing...)


......but it's up and running at long last!

Now, I have to run because I have not one, but TWO photography gigs tonight!

God is Good!!

Two Months. (a little late!)

Dear Walker,

It's hard to believe you are already two months old! This precious time is going by so fast. You are so calm and alert. Eyes always open and taking in your surroundings. You still have that sweet newborn cry, though I know you won't for much longer, so I'm breathing it in with each whimper you make.You have only been in our family for such a short time, yet it already seems as if you've always been there. You are such a sweet, precious blessing from God.

Daddy & I aren't the only ones who have been blessed by your arrival. Your big brother and sister love you so very much! They both watch over you and protect you so sweetly. Your big sister however, has an odd fascination with your eyes. She loves to touch them. Needless to say, you don't enjoy this so much. I worried that Lilah might be a bit jealous of you to begin with, but she hasn't been. Not at all. She wants to be where you are at all times. If you are ever taken out of her sight she wonders through the house calling "caulker,.....CAULKER". She says this very sweetly, but I think you think she's coming for you, because when you hear that, you immediately launch into this wild panicked cry......like she's coming to get you (Chucky style).

Your big brother is ever the protective guardian. He believes it to be his duty to keep you safe at all times, day or night. His only problem after your coming home with us was that you weren't going to be sleeping in his room. I still find him checking on you at night. He loves you fiercely and I look so forward to watching you grow up together.

I know that the time will only go by faster as the years go by. I am treasuring every night time feeding (though those are few and far between), every bath time, and every quiet moment. I know you won't be my sweet little baby for very long. I am so thankful that God made me your mom.

I love you Walker,

Mom

Carter Says.....

"Can we play the truck game now? Pretty please?? With a quesedilla on top?" (apparently they rank higher than sugar in his book)

"Mom!!! It's SANTA!!" This was yesterday in the Walmart parking lot, to a man not dressed as santa,we passed as we entered the store...thankfully he laughed, probably because Carter said SANTA with the enthusiasm of Will Whatshisname in the movie Elf.

"Carter, quit picking your nose!" "But, Daddy, there is a big buger in there and I want to get it out." (yeah, I laughed)

To the Salvation Army bell ringer lady in the Santa hat, "Are you Santa's grandma?" (she told him no, she was his helper....then immediately went in to Walmart to buy Oil of Olay)

With a huge smile on his face, "Mom! I've been in the dryer!" (don't worry, his dad was in the next room and saw the whole thing.....I'll leave out what he said :)

"Mom, I'm gonna feed Walker some of my "mother's milk"" (this after catching him trying to "breastfeed" his baby brother who was about a week old at the time.)

"Mom, will I get into trouble if I poured water on the (prelit artificial, with a couple thousand extra lights added for good measure) Christmas tree? What if the bubbly lights are smoking?"

"Carter quit picking your nose." ..."But Mom, Simon said to."

He was about to get into serious trouble for all the weird messes I caught him making one morning. When I asked him why he would want to pour water in the floor in front of the door he said, "I'm keeping the bad guys out, Mom" Oh. (I think he's watched too much Home Alone?)

On Christmas morning, immediately after opening his presents, he immediately "called" Santa to thank him for all of his presents. He also told Santa that he hoped all the little boys and girls who got toys because of the charity b'day party liked their toys too.

"MOM DID YOU SEE ME???!!! THAT MAN LET ME GIVE THE TROPHERIES OUT!!!! DID YOU SEE? DID YOU SEEEEEEE??? (a few nights ago after we watched my neice Rachel and her 4th grade team win 2 games to win the tournament, Mr Young let Carter hold the trophies at center court while he gave them to the teams) He obviously suffers from great stage fright...haha.

"Carter! Quit picking your nose!!!" "Mom, why does God make stupin' (stupid) bugars?"

"Mom, what kind of hair do I have? Do I have down hair (long I think) like Rachel, or do I have not much hair, like Daddy?"

As of January 1, Carter is 3 years and 7 months old.

disclaimer: if you're my Facebook friend, you may have already seen most of these, but I slurp these posts into books to keep via Blurb so I transfer them here to do that....I would never remember the things he says otherwise. Oh, and brace yourselves, Lilah is starting to talk in sentences. I can only imagine the things that will come out of her little mouth! :)

...until the next edition of "Carter Says..."

Believe it or not....

Can you believe this sweet baby boy is going to be eight weeks old tomorrow?

....me either!

Needless to say we are just head over heels in love with him!

p.s....I updated the photog blog today too, just in case you were wondering what I've been doing in my spare time! :)

Christmas Blessings

I can't believe it's the day after Christmas! Wow! This year has flown by! We have one more Christmas "get together" at my grandmother's on Sunday and then Christmas is officially over for this year at our house.

I find myself trying to stop and treasure every single moment. I know that next year my kids will be older and different and I'm trying to enjoy them just as they are right now.

Carter:
He is ever the big brother. He feels it is his duty, his privelidge to take care of his younger brother & sister. (He also tells me he wants 3 more......I am listening VERY closely when he says his prayers these days!!:)) He is fun-NY, loving and so very giving and thankful. Months ago we saw a little CAT forklift in Walmart and from that moment he knew that's what he wanted from Santa......and that's ALL he wanted.

Of course Santa delivered, and even surprised him with a few other things. Carter was so excited. He used the closest phone, which happened to come with Lilah's play kitchen, to call Santa and thank him for everything he brought him. He even told Santa that he hoped the kids who we had the charity birthday party for liked their presents as much as he did.

SO SO sweet! That party will definately be a tradition around here! Carter is so sweet and loving. He loves to "snuggle" with me and tells me at least once a day, "Mom, I sure do love you!"

Carter, I sure do love you too baby!


Lilah:

Lilah is changing so quickly these days. She is a perfect mixture of girly and tough. She will flat beat her big brother with a wooden spoon while wearing every single piece of gaudy costume jewelry she can manage to squeeze on her little 20 month old frame! She usually only gets in one smack before he is off and running and she is right on his heels, both giggling like crazy!

She is learning more and more words and can say anything she wants now that she has finally shed her pacy. My favorite thing she says is "I wuv you" and "daaaaaaaaddyyyyy" SO sweet! I wish I could bottle those up to keep forever!

Lilah loves her big brother and her little brother too. She took right to her new role as big sister, never for one minute being jealous of the new little person in her life. She loves to hold him and kiss him (complete with sound effects!....adorable!!) and must know where he is at all times! I've only heard her say "Walker" 2 times, mostly he's just "thebaby".

She loves her baby dolls, her stroller, any toy Carter is playing with, climbing, squealing, & snuggling. She is Mama's girl, and I LOVE it....

.....and I wuv you too Lilah!

Walker:

Walker is 7 weeks old. I can't believe he is already 7 weeks, yet I can't imagine that he ever wasn't here. He is snuggly, sweet, smiling, and looking more like his big brother every day.

He puckers when he cries and pouts when he gets startled.....its too cute to stand!!

He is amazingly tolerant of being held by his brother, sister, & cousins. He has developed every newborn rash known to man, yet still manages to be super adorable under all the little red bumps.

Walker has slept all night long twice now and the intervals are getting longer on the nights he does wake up to eat. I don't know if he is incredibly laid back, or if I am more laid back this time.....maybe a little of both, but going from 2 to 3 children has definately been easier (so far) than going from 0-1 or from 1-2.

He went for his 6 week checkup last week and weighed 9 lbs 1 oz and was 21.5 inches long. He is growing so fast! I treasure every moment with him as I know he won't be this little for long enough!

I love you so much Walker, I am so thankful to have you in our family! Merry 1st Christmas sweet baby!

It's hard to believe that in a few short days a new year, a new decade will begin! I don't make resolutions per say, but I am trying to make a point of slowing down, savoring and enjoying each and every moment with my babies, and with those around us.

Visions of sugar plums?



Look Mom! We both fit! (hold on Lilah!!)
Carter wanted to put Walker in the back....uhhh. no.

Cooking Christmas Breakfast

About time!

Really? It's almost been a month since I posted? It's hard to believe that our little Walker is a month old already! He is such a sweet baby. He only cries at diaper changes or when his sister smacks him with a large bottle of Bath & Body works Vanilla Bean Noel.....and he's beginning to tolerate the diaper changes a little better. The Vanilla Bean Noel, notsomuch. (it's put away, hopefully it was a one time thing!)



Anyway, it's been such a whirlwind month around here! The first couple of weeks the ladies from our church blessed our socks off by bringing food every single night! That was such a wonderful help! It allowed me to rest up and feel human again! I always forget how miserable the end of pregnancy feels until I'm not pregnant anymore. I think it's a God thing! He lets you forget the bad parts so you'll want to have more babies!



Carter is a fabulous big brother. We already knew this, but having another baby has just confirmed for us that he was meant to be a big brother. He has taken it in stride, and never fails to kiss Walker at least 150 times a day.



Lilah is doing good too! She loves "thebaby", and is sure to pick him up at least once a day. Yes, I watch her, but she is a climber and she lies in wait until I turn my back for a second and she can make her move. The good thing is that she only wants to love him, so she is always gentle (as gentle as a 19 month old can possibly be) when she gets her grubby little hands on him.



Kyle is (still) trying to get all the beans harvested, and I have been in full swing with my photography so it's been a little bit of an interesting juggling act the last couple of weeks but it has been fun! Yesterday was the first time I actually left Walker anywhere but at home with Kyle, and it was to photograph a 2 week old baby boy, so I was afraid I might weep and leak and all other things hormonal new moms do.....but I didn't!



I also didn't waste any time getting back to my parents house to pick them up!



I have to wrap this up, but first I have to tell you that Carter is going to be "performing" with the children at church in the Christmas program. Kyle has taken him to all the practices so I haven't seen it, but he sits at the piano to "practice" and sings words that I'm pretty sure would not be part of any religious Christmas song, and shows me dance moves that are a mixture of Toby Keith and MC Hammer, so I'm really looking forward to this performance.



........and I really hope that after the "performance" our family isn't asked to move to another church. :)



I'm looking so forward to Christmas this year! Our little ones are at such fun ages! This is the newest pics of the grandbabies on my side of the family.....don't you think it's going to be fun?!



...and loud?! haha!

Home Sweet Home

.......right where I want to be!

Just a few things....

Just a few little (or huge!) victories to share with you....

*Last night Uncle Clay & Aunt Tammy brought Carter & Lilah to the hospital for a visit! YAY! To say that their mom & dad are missing them would be the understatement of the year! I can't tell you how many times Kyle has reminded me that he hasn't seen them since Saturday morning, except for a brief time Sunday night. Their daddy is missing them more than he would ever admit!

*During their visit last night we attempted something that could have very well gotten us all thrown out of the hospital. The NICU has very strict visiting policies. ONLY parents and grandparents can visit. NO siblings. Not EVEN if they are my babies. (I know, right?) Well, during one of my visits with Walker yesterday I looked away from him long enough to realize where we were in the building and notice that there was a door just across from his bed that led outside. I asked his day nurse about bringing the kids up to the door in hopes that they could see their baby brother....she was all for it, but didn't know if they'd be able to see through the dark tint on the windows.

Well, Aunt Tammy & Uncle Clay brought the kids by and were up for my plan, so Daddy went around the parking lot with them while I went back to the NICU to start Walker's feeding and plead my case (insanity?) with the nighttime nurses. (disclaimer: I may have had a bit of a hormonal "episode" in front of them the night before so I was afraid they wouldn't go for it...but they did!) They had the attention of the entire NICU as they pecked their little fingers on the door and there wasn't a dry eye in the place (or outside that door) as we all watched a big brother and a big sister see their baby brother for the first time! As of right now, I believe that ranks right at the top of my favorite Mommy moments!!! Carter & Lilah had the biggest most precious smiles on their faces and were so very excited to see their long awaited Walker! Preccccious!!

Thank you Clay & Tammy SO MUCH for braving the remnants of Ida, the dark, cold, and rain, and making this moment possible!!!

**And! to top off a very near perfect NICU day, Walker opened his eyes for me for the VERY first time at his 12am feeding!!!

This mama is going to sleep one happy lady!

p.s...have I mentioned that Walker has Hair?? Our other two babies had none...for a long time!