I think it is time for child proof locks on our big cupboards. We have them on everything else, but these ones he hadn't really gotten in to...

"Time for bed Carter"

"I'm Not listening"

What a character we have on our hands!

What's in here?

We have some of Carter's toys in a basket in the center of our coffee table and Carter loves to pull it and all of the toys out. He decided that he needed to check out the space.

Has anyone seen Carter?

Another cute video....

Walking....

Well he is officially walking. For the past month he would take a few steps here and there, but yesterday he would just let go of things and start walking on his own. If I am walking away from him I look back and he is following me on his feet. It is so cute and he loves it. With this new skill he has gained, the greater desire he has to do it. It made for a rough day at church. He did not want to sit still. He wanted to try out his new shoes (they did not last long). Thank you Nate for being so good with him at church and walking laps around the building.

Going to Sage (our dog) for comfort

This video is when Carter was 9 months old. It is one of our favorites.

Best Baked Beans

Ok, I have another recipe for you. Nate loves food and is always searching for the "best" of everything. I found a Baked Bean recipe and thought I would try it out to see if it could be added to Nate's "BEST" list. They made the list. The recipe actually comes from my old ward (9th) favorites cookbook which many of you have so (page 155) you may have made it. We made a few adjustments to it though. Nate loves - I mean LOVES - brown sugar, so we added some extra of that and thought it needed some extra bacon stirred in after it is cooked for a bit of texture and crunch. If you try it out for your next BBQ let me know your thoughts. ENJOY!

1 large can pork and beans ( I used 31oz can)
1 large onion (I used 1/2 onion), chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 cup chili sauce
1/4 lb bacon, cooked and diced (reserve some for serving)
2 TBS mustard (I used spicy brown)
1/2 cup brown sugar ( I probably did 3/4 to a cup)

Mix all together. Bake at 350, uncovered for 1 hour.

After an our we tested it and it was not quite to Nate's liking, so we put it back in for about 10-15 minutes longer and tuned up the temp to 400. It did burn on to the edge of the dish, but was quite tasty.

Sorry I dont have a picture, I will remember next time!

Big Boy

It is finally time for the "Big Boy" car seat. He loves it and looks so cute in it.

He does however have plans for his old car seat!

Carter's Birthday

Ok I know that Carter's birthday was almost 2 months ago, but I thought I should get some pictures up so those that were not with us could see the fun weekend we had. Carter turned 1 on May 9th. His Grandma Vlam, Aunt Aimee and cousin Tuscanee came and spent a few days with us. We had so much fun playing with them and preparing for his birthday party. We had a surfboard party with everything being surfer and beach fun. Carters Grandma McDowll and cousins Parker and Taylor flew in the day of his party and it was so fun to have them. Carter invited all his neighborhood friends (ok our friends and their kids) and had swimming, BBQ, water balloon fight and a pinata. Carter was a little overwhelmed with the cake and presents. He was tired, so did not know what to think. It was really fun and I cant believe he is over a year old. Time goes by so fast. He has already started to take his first steps. Man time fly's!

When does my party start??

Daddy's attempt to make a surfer for the cake

Carter's cute surfboard cake


I made surfboard ice cream sandwiches for the dessert

Didn't really care about eating the cake.

Opening Presents - Thank you for all the fun toys

I'm ONE!

Dancing Carter

Carter loves music and every time he hears it he has to dance.

Jackson Hole

Growing up, my family went to Jackson Hole, WY every year. I love that place and have such great memories of it. Well it has been at least 7 years since I had been there and Nate had never been. I knew that he would love it, so we planned a trip with my family. Nate, Carter and I flew into Utah early Friday my mom picked us up in her NEW car and we headed to JH. Aimee, Mike and Tuscanee followed behind. It was so nice to drive and see so much Green, open spaces, flowing rivers, wildlife and even some snow. The temp. was perfect in the 60's & 70's, so much better than 110 degrees. We took Nate around and showed him what Jackson has to offer. We hiked around Jenny Lake, traveled up to Yellowstone and Old Faithful, checked out the fun shops, went out to eat at some yummy places, participated in a Bear Jam, and Nate and Aimee went Fly fishing. I love Jackson and I am glad that I got to share it with Nate and be with the whole family. It was a great few days. I think we will make a tradition out of this.... Enjoy the pictures!

Before our hike around Jenny Lake

I needed a Carter Hug

We made it to the falls. Carter is happy to be out of the carrier.


Grandma and Tuscanee

The Girls of the family!

My Boys

The Bear

Old Faithful

Tired Boy

So Beautiful!

Downtown Jackson

Carter & Tuscanee having so much fun playing

I promise Carter does go out in the sun.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love chocolate chip cookies and the other day I was in the mood for some, so I took a look at my trustly cookbook to find a recipe that I had not made in a while. A friend from our old ward gave us this recipe and it is so yummy. The cookies have a crispt outside and a chewy middle and the dough is not too bad either. Nate is more of a sugar, gingerbread, snickerdoodle cookie person, but he loved these cookies. I meant to take a picture of the cookies for you to see, but we ate them all before that could happen... So here it is if anyone wants to try it out.

2 1/8 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup (1 and 1/2 sticks) butter, melted
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg and 1 yoke
1 cup chocolate chips (1/2 of 12oz pkg)

Mix all together and bake at 350 for 11-15 minutes oruntil lightly golden

The Brain

The brain and the learning process is so amazing to me. I watched Carter do so many firsts today that it just amazes me on what he picks up on and follows. I have been teaching him a few signs like, eat, more, and all done when we are doing things, and i never thought he was catching on to it. Carter is an early riser (5:30-6:00) and Nate has been getting up with him until I get home from the gym. He is hungry and has signed "eat" to Nate letting us know he is hungry. He is definitely excited to see me when I get home. Then today we were at Costco and Carter loves Ritz crackers and after he finished his first one he signed "more". He has never done that before. And when I was getting him ready for his bath, he grabbed the wash cloth and started pretending to wash his tummy. I just amazes me on what he is paying attention on. He must have above average in thinking skills!!(hehehe-mom)

I am just having a moment of wow to what amazing creations we are and what we are able to do...

One of Carter's favorite games!