Carter {5 months}

In the midst of unpacking boxes a certain little man turned 5 months old! 

Carter is starting to get pretty good at grabbing toys.  And he loves to put things in his mouth--especially fingers!  Sometimes he gets them a little too far in there and gags himself!

We haven't quite got the rolling over part down but sometimes he surprises us and flips himself over when we're not watching.  The other day he flipped himself over when he was laying in his boppy.  Not sure how he managed that one, but I think it surprised him too!

He's still fairly quiet and likes to observe what's going on around him.  Although he does have a voice and is starting to talk a lot more. 

He loves to be naked!  Almost every time we strip him down he kicks and pushes off with his legs like a crazy man!  He's little but he's got some strong legs! 

Sleeping hasn't been top priority on his list lately...espeically at night.  He had been sleeping from about 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. with no interruptions.  Now he seems to think it's fun to get up once a night and eat.  Maybe he's growing, but it's not very fun for mom when we had been sleeping so well!  Oh well!  This too shall pass, right?!  I think now that we're getting settled in and getting back to more of a schedule he's starting to get back on track.

Hard to believe he's been here for 5 months already.  We can't wait to see what the next months hold for him!

Moving

OK.  See?  I told you I probably wouldn't be very good about updating this thing!!!  Never mind that the last several weeks of our lives have been chaotic and stressful and everything in between! 

To make a long story short...we had a buyer for our house within the first week of listing!  A few weeks later she decided to back out.  Back to square one.  The next day we had another buyer!  And, hopefully, we'll be able to close soon.  Selling a house is such a fiasco!

Anyway, last week was our official move to Texas.  It went rather smoothly and quickly.  It's quite nice to have someone else pack for you!  The moving company came in with two guys and were there for less than six hours and had the entire house and garage all packed up!  I'm pretty sure it would have taken me 10x as long to get it all packed.  We only had to pack a few things ourselves.  So we spent the last night in our house surrounded by towers of boxes!

                                              
The next morning the movers came and loaded up our things and we said one last goodbye.  It was kinda sad.  Even though we have referred to our house as the 'money pit' (sometimes quite often!) it was our first house.  We brought two kids home there and had lots of good memories!  Some of those memories we relive every year...such as a certain Christmas tree incident--which could be blog worthy at some point! ;o) 

So, after a night spent at my parents house we headed out for Texas.  It took us at least a half an hour to even get out of town.  A certain 3 year old decided he had to go to the bathroom at least 3 times before we even got to the highway!  We were pretty sure it was going to take 2 days to get down there at that point!  But, thankfully, we eventually got on the road and it wasn't too bad of a trip.  The boys are pretty good travellers!  And we were packed to the max on the way down!

 

 

Our things weren't being delivered until the following day so we spent the night at a hotel since we didn't have any beds!  The next morning when we got to the house the truck was sitting outside waiting for us at 8:00!  Our only job that morning was to check off boxes and to tell them where to go.  If you ask me it's a pretty nice way to move!  No packing, no unloading on our part!

They made pretty quick work of unloading the truck.  Bret checked off the boxes and I told them which direction to head.  We had it pretty easy when it came to the moving part.  Unpacking boxes, well, that was all on us.

Let the unpacking begin!

Good thing we have 2 bathrooms!  The toilet is behind all those boxes!

My tower of packing paper!  This was JUST from the kitchen and I still had a box to go at this point!   Pretty sure a small forest sacrificed it's life just so we could move!

We don't quite have things all put together yet, but it's getting there.  Don't worry...you'll get a tour when it's all done!  For now here's a peek at the outside of our new house!

Dedication

Sunday was a big day for little Carter.  Our church has child dedication a few times a year and this past Sunday just happened to be one of those times. 

As parents, sometimes I think it can be easy to forget how special each child is--especially when you have those sleepless nights and days where it seems every time you turn around they are doing something naughty.  But, then there are moments when you realize they are listening to what you say and there are moments that they are sweet little angels and you get glimpses of God's love. 

We are blessed to have two little boys as part of our family.  Each one so different, but yet they each have such a special role in what makes our family tick.  God knew that these two boys would fit in our family so perfectly.  They come with their own little quirks and their own struggles, but we wouldn't trade them for the world.

Riley was dedicated when he was a baby and this past Sunday was Carter's turn.  He is a gift from God and we are so thankful for his little life.  We chose to give Carter back to God and we hope that God will use him in amazing ways that will further His kingdom.

Here is what we wrote about Carter:
Carter has brought so much joy to our lives.  He is our little peanut but almost always has huge smiles for us.  Carter has a quiet and calm disposition and just seems to go with the flow.  He has taught us so much in his short little life and even before we met him face to face.  Through Carter we have learned to trust God even more in all circumstances and he reminded us that though we may not know what life holds God is always in control.  We pray Carter will grow into a man who seeks God in all he does and live a life devoted to Christ. 

Dedication is self-sacrificing devotion.  As a parent there are lots of things you sacrifice.  Some things willingly and others not so much.  It takes a lot of dedication to be a parent.  It's a never-ending job.  Sure, one day you won't be responsible for them anymore, but you will always be their mom.  Always be their dad.  And that's no easy task, but it's one that we have been called to.  We've been given the job of raising these two precious boys.  And, though we won't do it perfectly, we can attempt to do this job with our utmost devotion and try to show them sacrificial love.

That's NOT an easy job.  Like I said before, there are sleepless nights, and hair-pulling days, and you wonder 'what in the world did I get myself into!'  But, we know we can't do it on our own.  Only by the grace of God can we bring kids up in this world where sin has a GIANT foothold.  Only by His grace can we get through those days that make us want to pull our hair out.  Only by His grace can we learn to be self-sacrificing.  After all, it was His self-sacrifice that is the ultimate expression of love.  The perfect example of sacrificial love.  There's no better example of a parent than the one our Heavenly Father has set.  And I can only pray that our boys would see us living out that example on a daily basis.

 

4 Months

Carter turned 4 months old this last Friday!  I can't believe he's been here that long!  Time sure flies and we are enjoying him immensely.  He's getting so big!

And when I say "so big" that's relative because he's so big from where he started out! 

We made it into the double digits finally.  A whole whopping 10 lbs 8 oz and 22 inches long!  I know what you're thinking...some of my kids came out almost that big!

Carter is just a little guy, but full of life!  He is so different than his big brother.  Full of smiles for just about anyone, quiet, and a go-with-the-flow attitude (for the most part).  You had to work pretty hard to get Riley to smile and if you got too close, well, watch out!  Carter is not so much that way.  He loves to be talked to, but can still pull of that pouty lip pretty good, which I've been told looks just like his mommy's!

(Riley thought Carter needed all pillows surrounding him)

Some things Carter has been up to recently:
-rolling over (just a few times and it's always been unseen!)
-starting to laugh and very ticklish
-finding his voice more and more each day (though still not as loud as big brother)
-figuring out that he likes to suck on his hands (I'm just hoping we don't have another finger sucker on our hands!)
-playing with toys a little bit.  we haven't quite got the whole grabbing thing down, but it's coming!

Who Knew?!

Did you know elevators can be loads of fun?  Espeically for a 3 year old?  And might I add, somewhat educational?!

Riley, Carter and I took a weekend trip to see Bret this last weekend.  Riley definitely misses Daddy...I can tell!  Mom just doesn't cut it...especially when it comes to wrestling!

Bret is staying in a suite at a hotel in Amarillo and so we got to ride in the elevator...a lot!  Riley loved the elevator.  He would run down the hall and say, "Can we go in the 'elegator?'"  We tried hard to get him to say 'el-a-va-tor' but it always came out 'el-a-ga-tor!'  Pretty darn cute!  I'm sure he'll love that we'll remind him of that someday!

He loved to push the buttons so we would tell him what # to push--that's where the educational part comes in ;o) --and then he always had to push the button to close the door.  It didn't matter that the door had already closed!

Then, when we arrived on the correct floor, Bret taught Riley to say, "Open says me!!"  So EVERY time we were in the elevator this was the conversation.
 

Who knew you could have so much fun with an 'elegator'!?

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The main reason for our little trip down there was to find a house.  We did find one, but we're still working on the negotiating part of the whole process!  I'm sure details will come once it's all settled!

New Adventures

Monday brings the start of a new adventure for our family.  Bret starts a brand new job in Amarillo, Texas.  This first month of 2012 could be quite challenging as he is down there and me and the boys stay in Kansas for a little while until we can find a place to call home down there. 

As we leave behind family and friends, we are extremely sad to say goodbye, but know that this is part of God's plan for our lives.  We never know what's in store for us and we ask that you pray that this experience will be one that strengthens us and draws us closer to each other and, most importantly, God.

We hope this blog will give you a little glimpse into our lives in Texas and, hopefully, I can get over the fact that I am NOT the greatest writer or photographer like so many of my friends and keep up with posts on a regular basis! You'll have to bear with me as I figure this thing out!

And, because I know hardly anyone likes posts without pictures...

Even though we may live in Texas we'll always be Kansas fans!!  Both K-State AND KU!  Even though some of you may not like us rooting for both!