I'm a cool Mom too!

My sister was telling me about how she made letter pancakes for her boy and how she was a super cool mom (my words not hers). I was jealous. I think wow she makes pancake mix from scratch and fills metal cookie cutter letters with batter all for her two old. I am such a loser mom that's way too much work. Well guess what. It isn't. Water and mix and the trick is ziploc-bag-pipping letters. It was too easy and so fun. We had the Letter C, L, M and D. I bet you can guess why.

Thanks for giving me the cool mom tip!

I need more cool mom tips. Have any to share?

9 Months Old

Dear Landon,

You are so beautiful! Everyone assumes your a girl.. sorry I promise I do not put bows in your hair or dress you in pink. I think maybe it's your charm (or they see Carter and assume that one boy is enough). Anyways we love you.

• I love how you throw your one arm up and say "UH UH" I believe it means more than just "up" but "I want that" as well.
• You are not happy with cherrios at breakfast anymore you want what we eat you can tell it is different. Clever boy.
• You Love bananas and love going outside. When we shut the door before you can crawl outside, you start to cry.
• You only wake up once at night and usually at 5ish. I am so happy for that. Thank you.
• Crawling up the stairs is one of your favorites, for sure you crawl up faster when I start to call your name.
• You are such a wonderful part of our family.
• When Carter steals toys from you, you hold on tight and start screaming at him to quit it! I'm so glad you stand your ground.

Love you lots,

Mama

Carter's Letter

Puppy

Ryan spent the weekend in Amarillo, Texas. His little brother reports to the MTC this week. He is serving his mission in Guayaquil, Ecuador. While visiting Ryan fell for this little Jack Tzu pup. Her dad (Jack Russell) is 10lbs and mom (Shih Tzu) is 8lbs so she will stay tiny. Carter seems to like her. We need a name. Any ideas? Even I think she is cute, despite my animal fear/dislike.

Update: the Fort

Picture of the peek-a-poo floor from the top level down below

The tunnel entrance

I meant to have updates more often, but here are pictures of the fort as it currently stands. We have not seriously worked on it too often, busy with trips and other tasks, but now it is taking shape. It just needs the walls finished (complete with hidden doors), and the activities added. We are thinking about a steering wheel, marble maze, and Ryan want to do a bike peddle powered fan. Do you have any great ideas?

Happy Birthday Sister Dear!

do we look alike?

My sister is great we've been sisters my whole life.. and good friends almost as long.. :) We shared a room when we were young and a bed. She is one of those people on my short list of those that can make me laugh until I cry.

I remember laying on our brothers bunk beds (I think Grandma and Granddad most of been visiting and we booted the boys out of their beds so Grandparents could have ours) and Melissa would reading to me the silly parts of Anne of Green Gables and I would just laugh and laugh at how funny she is.

I am a lucky girl to have this sister the only down side is she lives so far away.. :( Our kids are the same ages.. hers are 4 months younger than mine. I am so glad that we have each other.

Every sister needs a sister.

Carter is driving me crazy...

..his toys are all across the living room.. we clean them all up and vacuum last night, you can't tell.

.. he has not been listening AT all this morning.. until just now.

me: "Okay Carter you are driving me crazy, I guess it is time for bed. You know to stay out of my drawers."

Carter:"you're kidding me, momma. You're kidding me." as he quickly puts my kitchen things away and shuts my drawers- suddenly all smiles.. charming me into postponing nap time some more.

20 hours

We made it all the way to Idaho Falls, Island Park and Back again. I really am surprised at how much better we are at the car trip thing than we were when we moved out here to Washington. We left here at 4 AM. That way hopefully the kids sleep a lot in the car.. We were pretty organized on the way there and Carter seems to get the hang of it. "I want something else." instead of "AHHHHH AHHHH HAHHHHHH AHHHH I'm Done!! AHHHH" like when we moved here.. Oh the joys of parenthood.
Things that made the trip easier
1. Mom sees a train and than Carter gets his play trains.. (thanks Aunt Melissa)
2. Notebook and ONE crayon
3. stack of magazines for C to read when he started to get tired (Auto Weekly and The Friend)
4. sunglasses
5. Apple for C Banana for L
6. Grams for L and a few baby toys (he was sooo good)
7. Latch Board (thanks Aunt Melissa) (we used this last trip too and than put it up until this trip and I will put it up again until the next trip) He loves it!
8. Mouse and Cheese Lacing block (thanks Aunt Ang) (we had this in a box of baby toys that C hasn't seen in a long time)
9. Jacob's Ladder (not sure where this came from but again it was in the box of stuff he hasn't seen in a long time)
10. Sticker book ($1 at Wal-Mart)
11. My own personal version of Sound Of Music's "The Lonely Goatherd"

and I believe this trip was the first time Ryan and I have ever finished a bag of chips before the bag went stale. We like French Onion SunChips.. I put all the chips in a gallon sized bag before we left so that the bag would not give us a headache (their bags are extra loud.. not good to go sneaking a chip when the kids are a sleep.)

any secrets to traveling with kids up your sleeve?

Patio

I decided that I wanted to build something. Ana White's blog is wonderful full of ideas and plans. We started out easy and just did the bigger kids picnic table this past weekend. It is mostly finished I still need to sand it a little more and than paint it. I got all the wood for the project for free! We have been watching Craiglist, and the Habitat Restore store (Ryan's coworker also gave us some leftover 2x4s). Why pay for wood?? I found a gallon of dark green mis-tint paint at Lowe's so I plan on painting it soon.

I wish I had sanded the boards before I but it together because I like the rounded edges better, and the inside boards are a little tough to sand now. I also wish our patio was level... but oh well. I think Carter really like his new table. We ate dinner out on it two nights ago. It was lovely.