I'm a slacker!

It's been two months since my last post... I'm a slacker. I won't bore you with the nitty gritty details of the past two months, but I have posted some of the highlights (beginning with the most recent).

Last weekend we went to the Elton John / Billy Joel - Face 2 Face concert. I'm not the biggest fan of either so while I thought it would be fun, I didn't think it would be anything exceptional, but it was AWESOME! Both were really great performers. Elton John was very gracious toward the audience and his band. He stood from his piano after each song to wave, give five or sign autographs...

The weather last week was beautiful. It was very tempting for us to turn on our AC, but we held out, which is good because it is COLD and dreary today and will be for the next couple of days. This NC weather is crazy! One weekend it's sunny and warm and the next it's snowy...

Speaking of SNOW, this next group of pictures was taken five days before our beautiful (high 70's) weekend. Apparently it was the biggest snow storm (6+ inches) in Charlotte in 5 years. The kid's daycare was closed so I had to stay home with them and Averie enjoyed playing outside with Sadie.

Carson won't wear a bib. No matter what kind we put on he will pull and tear until it comes off. Then a couple weeks ago we found a great, waterproof bib at Ikea. It is like a little shirt that he puts his arms in and snaps at the neck. He works at getting this one off too, but we've bought ourselves a little time.

This was pre-Ikea bib. Mmmmm... Chocolate!

For those of you who remember Averie's fascination with the dishwasher, you'll appreciate Carson's fascination as well. He comes running the second the dishwasher door is opened.

Another one of those beautiful weekends. We took the kids to the playground then took a walk around the nature trail that surrounds the park.

Our little dare-devil. This is his favorite way to go down any slide (head-first).

We've been busy!

The past month has been pretty busy...

Cameron visited for Christmas. He was here for 13 days and we had a great time! He's grown up so much. Averie absolutely loved tagging along with him. We could tell there were times she annoyed him, but he handled it well, after all she adores him and just wanted to be with her big brother. The weather was hot and cold, literally. Christmas day was so warm we kept our patio door open until late in the evening to let a breeze cool down the house. However, there were a few days that were quite chilly and we needed to bundle up. For the most part we just hung out, we did some Christmas shopping, celebrated Carson's birthday, went fishing, played video games and celebrated Christmas.

Carson turned one! What a sweet kid! His actual birthday was the day Cameron flew in and Justin and I both worked so we didn't have much of a celebration. We brought cupcakes in for his class. He was not interested in opening his presents, but LOVED his cake. Of course, he didn't understand the concept of blowing out a candle so Cameron and Averie helped while we held down his hands so he wouldn't touch the flame. I felt really guilty that amid everything else, his birthday was a relatively small event... I'm already falling into the Christmas / Birthday trap that so many people with December birthdays complain about.

Christmas was great. The kids woke up at about 7:30 (Justin actually had to wake up Averie) and were delighted that Santa had come. Averie is 100% girl and was thrilled to get a cupcake maker, barbie, bride dress-ups and all things Disney related. Cameron got a Rip-Stik (similar to a skateboard) and in no time was riding around like a pro... he really makes it look easier than it is. Justin and I both tried to ride it, but decided it would be best to avoid an ER trip on Christmas day! Carson was just thrilled to have a chocolate free-for-all. He wandered around all morning scrounging for chocolate.

As you look through the pictures you'll notice a trend... Averie is really into silly posing. She says it's "glamour".

These first few pictures are taken at the lake behind our house. We didn't catch anything, but we sure had fun. Averie has her own Hannah Montana fishing rod which she loves, but she gets bored easily with actual fishing. Cameron really enjoys fishing and fishes a lot at home with his stepdad so he was really good at setting up the poles, baiting the lines and casting.

I thought this would be a funny picture... Technically, it is private property, but thhe lake is for private use by households in our neighborhood so we can "trespass".

We had a small, family celebration for Carson's Birthday.

I'm a bit dissapointed with our camera, it's only two years old, but we're having problems with pictures in low light... even with flash. It started a few months ago. These aren't the best quality, but they are our only Christmas pictures.

We took the opportunity to take a few family pictures. I would have loved to set up a formal photo-shoot, but just didn't get around to it.

I think this one is funny... it really captures what that afternoon was like.

We made the move!

We officially reside in Charlotte! Unfortunately, I have to modify a statement in my last blog about things falling into place. The sell of our house in PA fell through so it's on the market. That aside, we're settling in nicely. The kids enjoy their new daycare. Justin started his job the Monday after we moved in. I've been very busy at work.

This post is going to be short and sweet... I promise I'll post more pictures at a later date!

One last picture before we leave our house in PA.

The drive from PA to NC (somewhere in the Virginia mountains).

This is the view from our backyard in Charlotte (just before sunrise).

I'm sorry the lighting in this video is so dark. Hopefully you can see what a darling little dragon and beautiful little princess my kiddos were for Halloween!

Things are falling into place...

Well, I'm excited to say that things are falling into place with our move! We are finalizing the paperwork for a lease to own on our house. We found a good daycare in Charlotte and the kids are both enrolled. Justin got a job offer - at the place we hoped for. And we put a deposit down on a house in Charlotte that's just five minutes from daycare and less than 15 minutes from my work and Justin's work.

I'm sad to move, but so excited that I won't have to travel anymore. It's been hard on all of us. For Justin basically being a single Dad when I'm gone, for the kids to not have their Mom there consistently and for me to leave the kids every other week.

This last weekend we went for a drive in the country. Sadly, it's probably the last one we'll take in PA. We stopped in Lititz and enjoyed ice-cream cones at a little shop and took some cute pictures. Carson had his first ice-cream and boy did he love it!

Averie is usually bugged when I try to take her picture, but for some reason she loved modeling for the camera!

Since it's been a while since I last posted the next few pictures are a bit outdated.

In August we went to Washington DC for the ward temple trip.

This is my binky baby... this boy loves his binky or should I say binkies.

When I was little my family would as "Vivi, where's your chin?" and I'd point to my chin. Then they'd ask "Where's your other chin?" and I'd point to my double chin. I guess we know where Carson gets his.

Averie started soccer this fall. She really enjoys it. Her team is 2 - 2.

Help us sell our house!

We've been torn about whether we should lease or sell our house when we move to Charlotte. We've decided to sell. We're starting as a For Sale by Owner and will see how that goes. We've created a blog of our home www.314AmandaCourt.blogspot.com. If you know anyone in the market for a charming home in this area please send them this link!

Happy Birthday Bugga!

Happy Birthday Mom! Averie was excited to sing you a special Birthday song. And as an extra treat she agreed to do the Z-snap... this girl's got attitude. I was hoping Carson would "talk" but he was pre-occupied with his graham cracker.

I know you aren't terribly excited about your birthday, but we want you to know how much you mean to us. And whether you like it or not, we want to celebrate this day. If it weren't for your Birthday you wouldn't be our Mom and Bugga. You are the greatest Mom and we hope this year brings good fortune and happiness.

We love you and miss you.

P.S. Pause the music so you can hear the singing.

Catching up on the last month...

I've been terrible at keeping our blog up to date so this is going to be filled with updates...

Update #1 - I quit RRD! YAY! My last day was 8/8/08. No more spending 3 hours a day in the car and no more filling the gas tank 3 times a week!

Update #2 - I started a new job with Shutterfly on 8/11/08. Shutterfly is an Internet-based social expression and personal publishing service that enables consumers to share, print and preserve their memories. Check out the site, it's a really cool company with awesome product! http://www.shutterfly.com/. So far so good, I'm really enjoying the company and the people.

Update #3 - We're moving to Charlotte. I know this is a complete 180 from our original plan to move west. We're excited about it and we still plan to move west long term, this is just a minor detour.

Update #4 - Carson is on the go! He's gone from scooting to crawling to pulling himself up. Now that this kid is mobile he hates being confined anywhere. The crib has now become a prison that he hates unless he's sleeping. He loves exploring his new world. In fact he's trying to climb the stairs right now (Of course, Justin is monitoring and diverting). His favorite thing to do is to splash in Sadie's water dish. We have to her dish up while he's "loose". He's also quite the eater. He loves meal-time. However, he now wakes during the night for a bottle. I think he's going through a growth spurt.

This is Carson stuck between the couch and the wall. He scooted himself in then got stuck. I had to pull the couch out slightly to free him.

Carson loves splashing around on the slip-n-slide.

Redneck swimming pool... Who needs a good slip-n-slide when you can frolic in the garbage can? Justin was cleaning out the trash can and Averie just couldn't resist. You can imagine the looks of passers by.

More pictures of our Niagara Falls trip...

We did a lot of walking and Averie was tired. This is her pouting because she decided she didn't want to walk.

We decided the kids could share the stroller.

This is Horseshoe Falls. We don't have many pictures where you can actually see the falls because it was so misty.

These are the rapids leading to the American Falls.

That's the Canadian side in the background.

American Falls directly behind us and Horseshoe Falls in the distance.

A few pictures from the Hill Cumorah Pageant.

Carson was in heaven crawling around on the blanket at the pageant. He kept himself occupied most of the night until he fell asleep. Averie loved the pageant and was absolutely captivated the whole time.

We had a great trip!