Santa Clause is coming to town

So Dusty works with a guy named Dave. Dave is so nice...he asked if he could bring Santa to our house last night for the boys and of course Dusty said yes. Dusty was so excited he could barely stand it especially since he got a rope for Riley and really wanted to play with it. Santa came and here is what happened.

Carter was not afraid. He sat on his lap, smiled, and tried to take his bells.

Riley opened his rope...enjoyed Carters present better and first and now is in love with his rope. Dusty enjoyed playing with is as well.

Fearless...much better than expected.

Riley was not crazy about Santa. If he spoke at all is was in a whisper and couldn't wait to get off the jolly old mans lap.

For FHE we made this gingerbread tree. It was a huge mess but a lot of fun!

Dusty lost interest before the kids did. I looked pretty sad and I finally had to throw it away because Riley kept eating the candy off it.

We had a great time and hope that you all have a very Merry Christmas!

Happy Halloween

Just thought I would post pictures of the boys in their Halloween costumes. Riley was a golfer and was a big hit at pretty much every house. Carter was a monkey and the costume was almost too small even though it was Riley's costume from last year and was so cute. We had perfect weather and had a great time trick or treating. Riley and I practiced saying, "Trick or Treat," so he said it as we walked on the sidewalk between houses but would freeze when it actually came time to say it at the door. Nobody seemed to care but he was funny. We carved our pumpkins...or should I say that I carved the pumpkins...but I realized how much I hate doing it. Maybe next year we will just paint them. Hope everyone had a great Halloween!

This is my best effort at a picture. At least they are both smiling.

My little monkey!

What can I say...the smile says it all.

They were both looking at the camera...what a big accomplishment!

He wasn't too excited about his costume. Oh well.

My boys!

I thought I would add some more pictures. My boys are so great and I am such a lucky girl. We went and had these pictures taken and they turned out better than I thought they would. Life has been pretty slow here the last few weeks. Dusty is working like crazy at Cornbellys and is enjoying himself. I have been here at home winterizing the yard, working on curtains for the living room, and of course taking care of the kids. Carter is starting to show his little temper already...he threw a fit because he wanted to get in the bathtub and I was trying to get his dirty diaper off before he got in. His face was red, crocodile tears running down his face, and kicking his feet as hard as he could (there were a couple of successful kicks on my leg). He must get that from his dad. Riley is growing like crazy and we are starting to potty train him. YIKES! I got a couple of tips from my sister-in-law but am still not sure the best approach. I guess we will just make it up as we go, and hopefully, I can remain patient. Sorry for all the pictures...they are just so cute that I couldn't decide which ones to leave off.

This is part of Dusty's Christmas present. Good thing he doesn't read this blog.

Riley thinks this is so funny. Poor Carter.

These guys really love each other.

Such a punk. The photographer couldn't resist. Get a load of his tacky boots; he loves his cowboy boots and wears them everywhere he can. Dusty is so proud.

He is so sweet!

Got to love this smile!

My little stud!

Got to love them!

Our Trip

Dusty had to go and do some work in South Carolina and we were lucky enough to go with him. We had such a good time and the boys were really good the whole time. We flew into Jacksonville Florida and drove up to Charleston. We visited Boone Hall Plantation while Dusty was working and it was pretty neat to see. We also went to the USS Yorktown, Fort Sumpter, historic downtown Charleston, and the South Carolina Aquarium while we were in Charleston. We then drove to Savannah Georgia and went to the boardwalk on the river, and did a bus tour around the historic district in Savannah. Other highlights of the trip that I don't have pictures of include Riley giving the tour guide a heart attack when he went running at a huge mirror while we toured the Boone Hall Home, and Riley yelling "I know" during the flight instructions. All in all we had a great time but it was a lot of work.

Carter was trying to get ahold of the camera and I think the face he makes is so cute. This is at Boone Hall

The USS Yorktown unfortunaltly due to naps we didn't get up on the ship but it is a decomissioned WWII battleship that has been converted into a museum. It was huge!

This is the driveway to the Boone Hall Plantation. For about 1/2 a mile the road is lined with big oak trees that are about 300 years old. It is beautiful and the trees all have Spanish Moss hanging from the limbs.

Dusty ordered crab legs for dinner and in order to keep Riley entertained Dusty had him "help" and he was working really hard.

Another picture at the USS Y0rktown.

On the boardwalk in Savannah. This was a nice relaxing end to the day. It was sunset/night and there was a man playing his trumpet and we just walked along the river. It was a great end to the trip.

Sunset in Savannah.

At the aquarium in South Carolina. The boys were ready for their naps at this point but is was a really fun place to visit.

At the aquarium they had a tiny ship that Riley thought was fun to drive. He thinks he should drive anything that moves.

Downtown Charleston. This is an old alley way that was really cool. It was covered with plants and the old cobblestone pathways. This and the old gas lamps on the houses were the best part of downtown.

Our best attempt at a family picture on the ferry to Fort Sumpter. 30 seconds later Carter grabbed my necklace and broke it. There were beads everywhere and we had to hurry and pick them up so nobody would step on them. Riley thought it was great fun.

Fort Sumpter (where the first shots of the Civil War were fired. This was my favorite stop on our trip. All the brickwork you see is original to the fort which is amazing considering how much it was bombed. They said the bricks were made by the slaves but the walls still standing are only the first of three levels. It took about 7 million bricks to built it. It was amazing!

Fort Sumpter. These are the flags that flew above the fort while it was and active fort.

This is a picture of the house at Boone Hall. Again the bricks were made by the slaves and are at least 200 years old.

These are the slave houses. They are also original to the plantation and had tenent farmers living in them until 1947. They are not very big and were really cool.

Riley on an old antique tractor. He was so dirty in this picture, he didn't have his shoes on and was walking in the dirt and kept throwing it so it was all over his face. Oh well, little boys get dirty.

Us on an open cart that took us on a tour of the entire plantation. The history at this place was crazy and so interesting. They also grow a ton of produce every year and locals come and pick what they want. They grow produce all year round and it grows really fast. Amazing what a warm and wet climate can do for a garden.

Inside a slave cabin, obviously it is the fireplace.

I couldn't get Carter's attention away from the grass but again these are the slave cabins. They have nine altogether.

The Gullah presetation they do at the plantation. This was Sharon and she did a great job. She told a story in Gullah (the language) and taught us a song and it was really fun to watch.

Can somebody tell me how to get rid of the blue dots so I can have a cute background? I have been sitting here for awhile trying to figure it out and need some help.

I am terrible about updating this blog but here is the last month in a nutshell. We have been busy with our garden picking our berries, peaches, and zucchini. We got to go to Bear Lake for a family reunion which was so nice. I can't believe that the summer is moving as quickly as it is it seems like it just started. Riley is now two years old as of today and is usually a good kid. He loves to tease and help around the house and play outside in the dirt. We got him a t-ball set for his birthday and he really likes it and enjoys playing in the yard. Carter is finally sitting up which makes him really excited and life a little easier for me because I don't have to pack him around all day. Carter is eating real food but isn't crazy about it yet and is simply a content and happy boy. We are loving our house and neighborhood and are pretty content with life. Here are a few pictures of the boys the last few weeks. They just keep growing!

Riley just celebrated his 2nd birthday but wasn't sure about the candles.

Riley is really good at big cheesy grins.

Carter loves to laugh and smile.

Riley thinks that everything Carter plays with he should play with so they kind of

It has been a long time since I updated this thing so here it goes. We took Carter for his 4 month check up last week and he is 20 lbs and 28 1/2 inches. He is now in 12 month clothing and size 4 shoes and is just big and fun. Riley is loving summer; his favorite activities are swimming and working in the yard with Dusty. Dusty is busy with work like always but still enjoys it. I am busy keeping up with the boys and have been called as the nursery leader in our ward. I will post some pictures in a few days when I have more time but life in Payson is going great. We also love our house! It is nice to have room.

I have a great family

Everything is going really well. Things with the house are moving along; we had the inspection today and everything looks good. I also went and got paint swatches because I was really excited about making the house our own. Riley and Carter are both doing really well as you can see from the pictures. The weather here in Utah is perfect right now. It has been getting up into the 70's the last few days and we love to go outside...even Carter which I must say surprised me a little. Carter loves to smile but only does so on his own terms which explains why this is the first picture of his wonderful little smile. We also figured out that he likes to get tickled. We hold his arms above his head and tickle his armpits and I guess I am not sure but it sounds like he is laughing and he does get a big smile on his face. Riley is getting more and more stubborn each day which isn't good since I am just as stubborn and we butt heads on occasion. I guess we will figure it out. Tonight Carter was asleep on my bed and Riley went in, climbed up on the bed with him and layed right next to him. Riley did wake Carter up though but it was so cute! I have a wonderful family which is all that matters.

The first picture of his smile...it lights up his whole face.

I figured that I should put a picture of me on here with my boys! They are so cute...they get their looks from their dad.

Riley helped take this picture.

Riley wanted a picture with his little brother. They are so funny together.

Our latest

Well, it has been a while but hear is what has been happening since my last post. We blessed Carter on April 12th and it was really nice. It was a beautiful day and we had all of our family crammed into our little apartment which was totally crazy. Carter barely fit into his outfit even though it was a 3 month size and I was really nervous. All in all it was a nice day and we are grateful to everyone for coming down. Riley and Carter continue to do well. Riley has discovered his love for cows and whenever we get into the car he is on the lookout. Carter is now 2 months old and weighs 16.5 lbs and is 25.5 inches long. Basically he is a big kid. Dusty continues to work hard and enjoys what is does. Also, I can't believe I almost forgot...we bought a house. Well, we close on the 28th of May and we can start moving in then. We are very excited and it is so cute! We also will have a strawberry patch, grapes, raspberries, blackberries, rubarb, peaches, apples, and room for a vegi garden. It is in Payson and is on a quiet street, it is really exciting.

As close as we can get to a smile

Naptime

Carter in his blessing outfit