Baby Name Poll

I have posted a baby name poll so feel free to cast your vote. This isn't to say that we will choose the name with the most votes, or even choose a name from that list, but these are a few of our favorite names as of now.

Say Aaaaaaaaaaw!

Carter had his first trip to the dentist this morning. I was a bit skeptical about how it would all go down, but my little guy did amazingly well! Frankly, he sat through his cleaning better than most grown ups do. Everything was decorated in jungle theme and there were jungle animals hanging everywhere, which really made Carter excited. The whole reclining in the chair thing was a bit nerve-racking for him, but then they gave him the cool giraffe sunglasses to wear. He made it through all the scratching of the teeth, flossing, fluoride, and then the cleaning with the little sandy "toothpaste" on the upper teeth. Once they tried to move to the lower teeth he had had enough. I mean, that is the worst part, sandy toothpaste, a little water squirter spraying everywhere, and a vacuum sucking up the inside of your mouth. So we scratched doing the toothpaste on the bottom and moved on to the x-ray. Carter bit down on the thing, wore the silly vest, and held perfectly still. He was the image of the perfect pediatric patient.

I, myself, was more disgusted over the flavors of everything. Orange flavored/scented gloves, cookie dough teeth cleaner, marshmallow fluoride.... yuck!!

We originally went in, well, because he needed a general check up, but really because Carter fell up a slide a few weeks back and hit his front teeth. They were tender for a couple of days, but then seemed fine. Until... I noticed about a week ago that one of his front teeth was turning gray. Not a good sign. Well, the x-rays came back and Carter has no cavities!! Good little brusher of mine. And the supposedly "dead" tooth actually looks okay too. That's not to say that it won't get worse or anything, but it's not loose, and it's not dead... yet. The dentist said that graying of the teeth after trauma is pretty normal. It can be temporary and return to the normal color or just stay the same color of gray. She said there was nothing to worry about unless it ever bothered Carter or if other trauma occurs to the same tooth. (Any bets on whether a three year old boy is going to hit his mouth on something again? I think just the other night Carter was crying because he hit his mouth on Andi's crib while jumping off his bed)

I was thrilled that the tooth didn't have to be pulled or anything and oh so happy that there are no cavities!! Motivation to keep brushing and flossing. The thumb sucking is a concern because it's making his pallet really cramped, so we are going to work on ridding Carter of his thumbs, but other than that, everything looked great.

I was so proud of Carter. It went way better than I ever could have anticipated. And now his poor mom can breathe a little easier knowing that poor gray tooth isn't going anywhere for the moment. Way to go Carter!

I scheduled Andi's first dentist appointment for a few weeks from now. I have a feeling that hers is not going to go near as smooth... wish me luck!

Fourth of July fun!

We had such an incredibly fun 4th of July weekend. We headed down to Klamath to spend the holiday at my parents' house with some of my family. The weather could not have been more perfect. The pool was warm, the sun was out, what more could you ask for?

We spent Thursday swimming and swimming. Jefferson and Carter managed to sneak in a short four wheeler ride, but the rest of the day before and after naps was swimming. Carter has always loved water, but really turned into a fish this trip. He will put on one of those little swimsuits with the floaties in it and just swim around, jump in, swim some more, and will not let anyone help him with anything.

Gramzee playing telephone with Carter:

Grandpa Paul with Andi somewhere under that hat:

About to shoot Mom... that's Carter treading water while filling and shooting his water gun. I can't even do that!

Friday we headed out to train heaven. Some guy in my dad's stake belongs to a train club out in Chiloquin Oregon (aka middle of no where). We loaded up that morning, me personally, with low expectations. I'm thinking we'll go on a little five minute train ride around some trailer or something, but boy was I wrong! I can't even begin to describe this place. It has over 20 miles of mini train tracks over tons of acres. As you take this little train ride there are little towns set up along the way that are made to scale. Our little ride took just over 2 hours. The kids loved it!! Since the little seats didn't have seat belts we decided that the kids ought to sit on a grown up laps. Lucky for me I have a huge belly, so my mom, dad, and Jefferson so graciously took turns holding my kids. I definitely got the best end of the deal; relaxing in my own seat, legs outstretched in the sun, a drink and snacks in hand- yup, it was pretty sweet.

After train time was naps and then we headed to the movies, "Ice Age 3." The kids did great with their little snackpacks and it was good to be out of the sun a bit. Grandpa let the kids drive the John Deer when we got home. Carter and Gray thought it would be smart if Gray pushed the petal and Carter "steered." It was highly entertaining to watch my dad run beside them to make sure they didn't crash.

Then of course there was swimming!

And after the kids were in bed; marshmallow roasting:

Saturday, the 4th, was packed full of fun!! We started the day at my parents' ward pancake breakfast and flag raising. Then we hit the parade. It is so small town and quaint and I love it, as did the kids:

After wandering around the street fair and lunch, we did a few rounds of sparklers and pop-its.

Then of course, swimming! The kids even got a special treat of snow cones made by Gramzee.

Then we had a delicious bbq dinner and did fireworks. Again, the kids loved it.

After much debate on whether to go and watch the city fireworks or not, we decided to let the kids go to bed. They were all tuckered out from all the swimming, sun, and playing. Us adults could see them from my parents drive way and then enjoyed ice cream and brownies around the fire. It was a great 4th of July!

We are so grateful to live in this beautiful country with all the freedoms we enjoy. You know you're pregnant when you are trying to explain the concept of country and freedom to your three year old and you get teared up. Poor Carter thinks his mom is crazy.

Bye-bye Binky!

We decided that two was the age that the binky had to go bye-bye for Miss Moo. So, Saturday night was Andi's first night without it. She asked for it and we said, in a very positive voice, "You don't need a binky! You're a big girl!" And that was that. She played with Carter in their room for a little and went to sleep without a peep. Naptime was next on Sunday. She cried for less than ten minutes, and then just sat in there and talked and sang for about another fifteen minutes and then was out like a light. That has been the story ever since. She is amazing. Today, before naptime, Andi looked at me and said, "I binky?" And I said, "Do you need a binky?" To which she replied, "No! I'm a big girl!" It was pretty cute. The end.

Moomoo for my Moo compliments of Grandma Z. Isn't it too cute?!

My Moo is Two!!

My baby girl is two! We had such a fun day of celebrating. Jefferson was home with us that morning so we had a nice, hot, family breakfast of eggs (per Andi's request). She loved her homemade tutu that I gave her that morning before the rest of her presents:

That evening we went to Chuck E Cheese's with Ben, Sharon, Gray, Cal, and Grandma Z. We had a great time playing games:

Eating dinner:

Opening presents:

And eating cupcakes:

I think my little lady enjoyed her second birthday.

What a fun little girl my Andi has turned into. She is such a joy to have in our home. Some things I love about Andi Moo are:

-Finding her behind the couch, completely quiet and content just reading books by herself. (frequently)

-Twirling around in her tutu.

-How much she loves her purse and pearls and putting on as many bracelets as she can find.

-Dragging her stroller behind her with her dolls in it.

-Always wanting to have "monies" (you can usually find at least one penny in her pocket)

-Whenever we see water, be it a pool, river, lake, ocean, stream, or fountain she asks for "monies!" We have her trained from throwing pennies in fountains, I guess.

-She loves babies! If there is anyone who appears her age or younger she gets all gitty and starts yelling for the baby or trying to make her way to the baby.

-She is not shy at all and will walk up to anyone and strike up a conversation

-She is somewhat uncoordinated and we frequently joke that she needs to take ballet. :)

-She is a little singer, even though it's an octave lower than Carter. Her favorite songs are ABC's, Jesus Wants me for a Sunbeam, The Cow gives us milk, and Peanut Butter.

-This girl feels the beat and dances whenever there is anything resembling music on.

-She is starting to fight back with Carter. It's good for Carter.

-She loves eggs and fruit. Sweets aren't her favorite. She likes them, but won't eat a lot of them.

-She is starting to talk really well and we can understand so much of what she's saying. Her little 2-4 word sentences are adorable.

-She runs like a girl in the cutest way possible.

-She still loves her Betty Ballerina (though the name has been abbreviated to Rina, as in ballerina) and Mooers.

-In the mornings she will stand up and throw her binki in the crib and say "We don't need a binki!"

-She has a yummy little booty with just a little bit of lovin' on her.

-She is a mama's girl, which just warms the cockles of my heart.

-She is super tough and bounces back from just about everything.

-She is a beautiful, happy little girl and we just love her sweet little feisty spirit.

Happy 2nd Birthday Miss Andi!

Grandma Z zoo day

We had such a great time at the zoo with Grandma Z on Tuesday. She was watching my nephews Gray and Cal last week so we met up for the morning and part of the afternoon.

Petting the goat is always a favorite of ours.

Grandma Z treated us to the train ride. The kids LOVED it!! It was about a 30 minute ride and they could have gone again.

Thanks Grandma Z for a fun day at the zoo (and for the elephant ears!)