Brothers

Carter tries to wake Riley up in the morning by climbing on his head and poking his eyes.

When Riley finally does wake up, Carter runs up to Riley with open arms for a big bear hug.

Riley tries so hard to hold Carter's hand but, Carter isn't into that unless they are playing Ring-around-the-rosies.

Riley is practicing his tackling skills on Carter(thank you Sunday football). Carter doesn't like that.

Carter thinks that he is three and can do everything Riley can.

Despite the fights, they love each other and I am so grateful that they are good to each other (most of the time)!

This is what being brothers is all about.

You push me...

And I will push you!

Riley putting on Dad's work shoes. Every dad's dream and too cute to leave out.

So, here is to brothers!

Riley

Riley is three years old.

I can't believe he is already three.

What a fun and trying couple of years. We have always said that we were just making it(being parents) up as we went. Once I think I have it figured out, I find out that I don't really know what I am doing. I am still trying to figure it all out. Riley is great and I am so grateful for him. He is so sweet and loving and keeps me on my toes. I wish he sometimes didn't make me feel like such a bad person though. It is kind of sad when your kids are better people than you are. I hope he knows that I am still learning and growing and that someday I will be as good as he is! I love my boys! I hope he had a great birthday and that we continue to grow together everyday!

I feel bad not posting a picture of Carter so here he is!

Riley is proud of his gray truck with the gun on the back.

Riley and Grandpa blowing out their candles. Their birthdays are 10 days apart.

My Husband

So, I really miss my husband today. Church is harder without him. Riley and Carter wouldn't sit still for a minute during sacrament meeting which included the finale of Riley opening a pack of fruit snacks that exploded all over the chapel. I did however laugh really hard so I guess it was okay.

We miss him so much. The boys miss having someone to jump on and terrorize. They miss someone to play ball with and chase them around the house. They miss someone who tells the best stories every night while they lay in bed. They miss someone who always seems to be happy and bring the best out in us all.

I miss him. I miss staying up late with him watching a show or laying in bed and talking about whatever comes to mind. I miss the feeling of anticipation every night for the moment when he comes home as we all watch out the window for his car. I miss the laughter and joy he brings me everyday as he teases and laughs with me. I miss snuggling with him at night.

I really miss him and hope he knows how much I love him and am grateful that he works so hard to take care of us. I miss everything about him. He is so good for me in so many ways and I know I wouldn't be the person I am today without him.

My Boys

My boys sometimes drive me crazy and sometimes the only thing that get me through the day is the fact that I know they will be going to bed soon. However, I want to brag about my two little boys.

Riley is so sweet. He tries constantly to make me smile or "happy" as he calls it and has a figured out things to accomplish that task. He opens my car door for me, he laughs in my face until I start laughing, and he gives me his killer smile until I can't possibly be mad at him any more. The other night I left their room for a minute while putting them to bed, I came back upstairs and heard Carter crying because I had left and Riley singing "I Am A Child of God" and "Old McDonald" in order to make Carter feel better. And he sometimes comforts Carter after Carter has just gotten into trouble by telling him that everything is okay.

Carter is crazy! (and I mean that in the best possible way.) That kid never stops moving, not even for naps. He loves his older brother and copies practically everything Riley does. He also has a killer smile but usually only shows is off when he is doing something he isn't supposed to, which , lets face it, is most of the time. He loves to tease and is always looking for a chance to tease someone. He has the best laugh and I sometimes do anything I can think of to make him laugh just so I can hear it.

Both my boys play with other children really well and have lots of friends in the neighborhood. They are always dirty and sometimes go through a couple of pairs of clothes a day. In fact, I am pretty sure that dirt is why they have survived this long; it must do them more good than I realize. They are curious about everything and love their dad more than words can describe. All in all, I am pretty lucky. I have good kids who are happy and healthy and at the end of the day, that is all that matters.

This picture is just for fun because it is so funny. They love watermelon!

While writing the post I heard them laughing so I went to see what they were doing. This is what I found...an entire box of crackers dumped on the mattress and floor. They thought it was really funny. I don't.

Our Fourth of July celebration

We didn't do much for the 4th. We went to the park for the concert in the park that our city puts on every Sunday night and came home to do some sparklers. Riley was scared of the sparklers and wouldn't even hold one. Carter on the other hand was nervous at first but by the end was waving the sparkler like a sparkler should be waved. He also attempted to eat it. (Good thing I was right there) The 4th of July is a wonderful holiday and we are so blessed and honored to be Americans and live in the beautiful place. I am so grateful to live in a place free of war and full of the freedoms that we enjoy every day. Though it is not perfect, I love my country and am honored to be here. Here are a few pictures of our celebration.

I hope that you all had a wonderful celebration as well!

Carter's mosquito bite

We just went up to Dusty's parents house a few days ago. The mosquitos are really bad at their house and we discovered that Carter is allergic to mosquito bites. The pictures will show better that I can explain.

Carter on Saturday night.

Carter on Sunday morning. And yes, he is eating breakfast...it's the only way I could get him to hold still for a picture.

Sunday night.

Sunday night or Monday morning...can't really remember.

He is such the trooper. Even when he couldn't see he didn't let it bother him. So from now on we will be packing the bug spray everywhere we go.

I know I haven't posted for quite some time now. I am simply writing to say that I plan on posting something very soon. That is all and thanks for reading.

So the last few weeks have been a little crazy as I am sure that everyone else knows. Rather than bore you all with a lot of writing I am going to show you all what we have been up to with little explanations along the way. These pictures are not in the order that I wanted them to be in but someday I will figure out this whole thing better. Until then, here it goes!



These are pictures of our peach tree. Dusty requested some pictures of it and they are totally awesome! I am so excited for our peaches!



Carter outside while we flew kites. He thinks they are lame.



We have been working in our yard like crazy; digging up the garden and working on the flower beds. Riley and Carter both enjoy it except when they have to come inside and take a bath and leave a layer of dirt in the tub. Now that I think about it that might be why the tub is clogged! (and yes, Carter is in his PJ's)




Riley flying his kite.

On our way to fly the kite. The idea was to have them ride in the wagon while I pulled it...obviously it didn't work out.

We went to the Dodge National Circuit Rodeo in Pocatello. This was my first rodeo and it was really fun. Riley was glued to the show; the bull riding was his favorite. My nephew Cache rode in the mutton bustin and had a great time doing it.

Dusty and Riley watching the rodeo!

Carter and I watching the rodeo.

Carter has figured out that he can climb...everything. I thought this was really funny.

My sister-in-law and her family came and spent a few days over Easter weekend. This is Derek, Riley, and Carter just loving life.

My neighbor has a huge Easter egg hunt for all the neighborhood kids and her grand kids. We are talking 100+ kids in a really small yard but it was really fun. Crazy but fun!

Riley at the Easter egg hunt was mad at me for some reason. Awesome.

Well, that has been our last month in a nutshell. Someday I will get the order right so things make more sense but until then...hope you enjoy our pictures. I know I do!

Carter's new shirt

You know the blogs that have amazing pictures to show off their crafts? This is now one of them! I am however very proud of my work because I made this shirt for carter from old shirts somebody gave me! That means this shirt was totally free! I had to unpick the sleeves twice but now that it is done I am very proud!

So the pictures are terrible but oh well! I tried making one of these shirts for Riley but it is too easy for him to take off so i probably won't be making him any more shirts in the near future.

The Art of Dance!

Carter has begun to dance! I love it when they learn to dance and it cracks me up every time he does it. He looks like he is going to knock himself over with his large head but he usually is able to keep himself upright. Anyway, we get a kick out of this at our house. Hope you all enjoy!

As a side note: We were just watching the video and Carter thought it was quite funny and started dancing again. Love it!

Carter is already 1!

Today is Carter's first birthday...where did the time go? Tonight I was looking at pictures from the past year and I won't lie...it kind of makes me sad. However, we love Carter. He is walking all around the house and has started to copy some of the things that I do which is always really fun. He and Riley get along really well for the most part. If they fight it is because Riley keeps touching Carter so Carter gets mad and tries to bite Riley which in turn makes Riley mad because "biting is not nice" but Riley keeps touching Carter so it is only a vicious cycle. Carter is a total momma's boy which is good and bad all at the same time. He is a fun little guy and we are lucky to have hime. But anyway, here are a few pictures of my little Carter.












Here he is at on month old...I forgot how big he was!






After the bath.



Carter loves to crawl under the table and play in the garbage. Nice.




Carter and I on a sleigh ride.

My boys!

After his first round of birthday cake. He didn't really dive in like I thought he would.

Riley is such a great big brother.

Happy Birthday!

Couldn't leave this out. Got to love this face!

Happy birthday little guy!