2010 Outdoors Expo

Trying out the 4 wheelers

Linc wanted out of the stroller...mommy didn't want to lose him so I won & he stayed right where he was

yes, we are still dealing with the effects of Carter's stitches as you can see by his Spongebob bandaid

He didn't want any help. Apparently he already knows how to fish he informed us.

Tying a "Bumble bee" fly to put on his fishing pole with his dad

Every year Brandon does volunteer work at the outdoors expo for his dedicated hunter program. The last couple of years he has been working in one of the children's booths at the expo which is wonderful for him and for the boys and I . I usually take the kids up one of the days that he's up there and let them see all the cool outdoorsy guys stuff that they all love so much! I feel kind of alone as all three of the guys get so into all of this stuff. Don't get me wrong, some of it is pretty cool, but I just feel outnumbered, especially in such a masculine environment and being surrounded by the 3 guys in my own family. I guess we need some girly stuff at some point, or maybe someday a girl if we ever get that far. For now though, I am outnumbered and loving my boys more and more every day. Oh yeah, the expo was fun too.

Dinosaur Museum!

The boys "digging" for dinosaur bones

Carter being attacked by a shark...on a side note he's wearing the band aid because he fell "twirling" into our rock fireplace. 6 stitches later he's fine.

More hands on activities

So Brandon went snowmobiling last Saturday and I was stuck with two very stir crazy kids. So I packed them up and we headed on down the road to the Thanksgiving Point dinosaur museum. They LOVED it! It was great to get them out of the house and the many hands on activities the museum provided were awesome for little ones. The only downside was the admission price ($10 for me and $8 for Carter). I thought it was a little steep, but the boys sure enjoyed it.

Sweet nothings from Carter

So I was having a conversation with Carter in the car this morning and I told him that he will always be my baby. He replied with, "I'm not a baby. I'm a big boy!" I rephrased what I was saying with, "I will always be your mommy". Carter replied with, "I sure appreciate it mom". So funny to hear that coming from a 3 yr old who knows how to push my buttons. What a sweet boy he can be sometimes.

New Years fire house visit

So we kicked off our New Year's day with a visit to our local Lehi fire dept to visit Brandon's friend, Randy, and to let the boys check out the fire station. Carter was a little shy at first due to the massive size of the fire truck, but eventually warmed up and enjoyed exploring everything.

Christmas morn vid

Christmas 2009

So I do have to say that this Christmas was definitely one of the best yet. I think 3 years old is a great age for Christmas. Carter finally understands the whole Santa thing and knows how to open up presents without help from us. He totally got into making Christmas cookies with his grandma and loved helping me decorate the tree and even tried to help me wrap presents. He has so much excitement and love for everything he does. I wish I could be more enthusiastic about things like he is. Lincoln was content just watching Carter doing stuff and would occasionally try to tackle something himself. He did enjoy decorating (or undecorating I should say) the tree. The boys loved what Santa brought them (Carter got his Transformer cars and a new bike and Lincoln got his Radio Flyer car and lots of other stuff). These boys were so spoiled! I really enjoyed shopping for them and everyone else on my list and actually spent quite a bit less than last year and still got a ton of stuff (thanks to couponing and watching the ads for deals). Brandon and I actually took the time to sit down with the boys and tried to tell them the Christmas story as well. Carter enjoyed learning about Jesus and his birth. I'm not sure how much of it he will retain, but I think every year he will be able to learn more and more, as I feel I do every year. We have been so blessed and are so greatful for everything the Lord has blessed us with. We love our family and friends and most of all our Savior and Redeemer. May we forever keep him in our thoughts and actions.

linc trying on Dad's tie

Always such a happy kid...unless being bullied by Carter of course!