Playhouse Disney Live.....

We have been preparing for this special event since the beginning of this month! My little sister told us about it.....Playhouse Disney was coming to town! That's right...Handy Manny, My Friends Tigger and Pooh, Little Einsteins and Mickey Mouse were going to be LIVE in SLC!!!

Julia is such an obsessed aunt, amazing sister and funny sis-in-law to Scott that she just mixes right in with our family of three.....and we become a family of four really easily with her. One of the best things about having an extra person is that we acutally get a family photo!

Carter was having a blast! He really wanted to go down to the stage and get Handy Manny. It was so nice because there were a ton of other kids there...so I didn't worry about how loud Carter was! :)

It was so fun to watch him sing the songs...pat along with Little Einsteins.... and dance to the music! Poor little guy was so tuckered out....he fell asleep right at the end and was out for about 3 hours after that! LOVE IT!!!!

It was so much fun to hang out together, watch Carter LOVE the action and just experience Playhouse Disney Live.

Morris Happenings.....

Lately Scott and I have been working on spending more time as just our little family of three. Soon there will be a fourth member, so we just want to enjoy the 6 months we have left as parents of one! In our near future there will be some major changes, especially for the little guy: Carter's room will now be upstairs, he will start preschool in April and of course in July he'll be a Big Brother! So as of right now, we're all about hangin' out, having fun and getting things ready little by little.

My little sister had a track meet the other night at Weber State...of course we went there to support her. Carter really didn't care about anything but the fact that he had an ENORMOUS amount of space to run about freely! And believe me...he did!

Carter's lastest thing is to switch from riding his bike around the house to his car...he will do this for hours during the day! It's really funny because when he leaves the room he always says, "Bye...see you soon!"

One of the most creative ideas Carter's ever had for fun is this....he puts his booster chair on our lazy susan (it's used for his entertainment purposes only anyway) and wants me to spin him around continuously!

What a goof! We have some really fun things planned this weekend...so kieep checking back to see what Scott and I have planned for our little fam!

Cousin Time!

Carter absolutely LOVED having one of his only two cousins visit this past week. It was really cute to see them playing together too! Carter has such a fun playroom (I think that comes with being the only grandkid on both sides of my family and the only one here in Utah for Scott's family) and his cousin Tanner took advantage of it!

It was really hard to get both the boys in a picture together because they were "cruising" around everywhere! I totally made Tanner get in Carter's car (I think Tanner's still a little young for it) and though he looks a little nervous...they had so much fun together!

I have to say though, Carter's blow-up football "balls" thing was the biggest hit ever! I was carrying Tanner in and the minute he saw it his little legs were kicking and he was actually growling at it! So fun!

Pretty sure he was having a BLAST!

Winter Fun!

I have wanted to take Carter sledding for a long time and I thought it was finally time....although we've been having some really cold days lately there really hasn't been any new snow...I guess I should have thought about that before getting all ready to go!

Scott and I got all bundled up, of course Carter was in his "winter snow suit" and we got the sleds, drove to Romer Park in the Terrace and found "ice snow!" We're talking hard, slippery and not that much fun. It wasn't exactly the sledding I pictured! Carter and I just hung out in our sled...with "Mr. Elephant" of course....and enjoyed the show Scott put on for us!

Scott was such a trooper though! He wanted to show Carter what it was all about, even though Carter and I just sat in our blow-up converted to a sled. It was really rocking, bumpy and hard but he pulled through and gave us a great time! What a great dad!

Today Carter and I went with the Morris' Clan to Salt Lake...and where else would you go than The Gateway right? It was so much fun! The cousins were "back-seat buddies" and had such a fun time sharing toys, candy and treats on the way down there. Here's the gang at their favorite Candy Shoppe getting a couple treats.

The boys got free suckers from the candy shop and we headed down to the fountain for them to check out...here are the cousins chillin' with their suckers while checking out the water show!

It was such a fun time, we were so busy and got a lot done and this is what I found in the backseat when we got back home!
Poor little guy was completely tuckered out! Nothing like falling asleep after just finishing some treats right?!? So funny!

Cousins, Brothers and Ice Cream!

Scott's older brother, Steve, is in town this week and brought little Tanner with him. Carter hasn't really played with Tanner, because Tanner's older brother, Hunter, is a more energetic age and does more with Carter usually. So this one-on-one time with his little "Cuz" Tanner has been so fun to watch! It's even funnier to see them now because they are almost EXACTLY one year apart!

Is he not the CUTEST little guy ever?!

Tanner camed equipped with some of his own toys...of course Carter HAD to check them out! Tanner was such a good sport about everything though. It was so fun to see them interact, Tanner would "talk" to Carter and Carter would answer him! How funny!

Today I thought it would be a fun surprise to get Scott and Steve a quart of their favorite Spumoni ice cream. So off to Farr's Carter and I went. He has been such a good sport with everything going on lately, so I thought it was time for his first ever "hand-scooped cone!" We do ice cream cones at home, but he's never actually had one from the ice cream parlor before.

He chose his own flavor, Playdough, (sick name for food if you ask me!) and absolutely LOVED it. He didn't even spill it in the car on the way home.

Here he is just enjoying one of America's favorite treats!

Tonight Scott got a RARE chance to spend some time with his two brothers and dad. Where else would these four boys rather go than a Utes basketball game! The Utes one by the way! What a great way for the Morris Boys to spend some quality time together.

New Addition...and Baby News!

Scott and I have wanted to get a hampster for Carter for a little while now. I've been debating whether or not I'd be able to handle another pet...we all know little Timmy isn't my favorite. :)

Well, tonight Scott and I decided we just needed to do it! I found this cage on KSL for a steal, and we took little Carter to Petco to pick out his very own "friend."

Here's the little dude absolutely LOVING his new buddy! We named him Johnny (or John Boy as Scott says) and Carter is now obsessed with him.

I don't know if you can tell, but Carter had to give Johnny his Kung Fu Panda figurine. So funny!

As far as baby news goes, my doctor isn't 100% what we're having yet. Scott and I both think it's a boy, but we'll know for sure next month. Having two brothers would be so nice, I would want Carter to have that "special" relationship only two boys can have...but a little girl would change the dynamics of our family...so we'll have to see. (My money's on BLUE though!)

Memory Lane Monday...

I was going through our pictures on the computer and organizing them (it seems like we have millions of them!) But it got me thinking about how quickly time has past! Our little guy is going to be three this year and we're going to be parents of TWO kids in less than 6 months! As crazy as our lives have been...I wouldn't trade it for anything!

This is the very first family picture we got taken when Carter was not even three months old...(it was exactly three years ago this month!)

This one always makes me laugh! Carter is bald, chubby and couldn't stand on his own: I was still carrying a lot of the prego weight: and Scott's allergies were bugging him so his eyes couldn't be open much...but Scott's aunt managed to get a great shot of the three of us anyway!

This one is really funny to me too, Carter is MASSIVE! Look at the size of his body! So cute and chubby, now he's a skinny little dude who gets anywhere he wants on his own.For some reason, this picture is small. But this was taken a little less than six months later when Carter was just barely one.

I just love Carter's curls, it's what sets him apart. I hope when he's older he'll like them too.

And I know this one is familiar to everyone....this was this past October when Carter was two!
It's so crazy to see the differences in Carter, myself and Scott throughout these pics!

Best Buddies....

Carter has a really cute buddy named Hunter. He's such a great boy and really shows Carter a lot, it's also really nice that Hunter's mom and I get along really well. Carter went to Hunter's while his mom Ashley watched him while I worked. They were together about 10 months and we've been keeping in touch ever since.

Ash and I were pleasantly surprised to see how well the boys actually did! Now that they can actually talk to each other, and run after one another...it's really funny to see them together! I just had to take a couple shots while they were "conversing" over snacks!

They are so cute with one another. Carter also has a cousin named Hunter, so from the beginning "friend Hunter" has been referred to as "Daycare Hunter." But now that my little man is growing up, he has decided to refer to him as "Brown Hair Hunter" and his cousin is "Cousin Hunter." It's so funny to see how they're little minds work.

Ash and I are going to be getting the boys together more often (especially now that I have no schedule but my own!)

On a side note: Tuesday is the day we find out what we're having. (As long as the baby is in position) So we'll keep you posted and let you know if Carter will have a little brother or sister coming in July!

Treehouse Fun....

Today I took Carter to the Treehouse Museum. Can I just tell everyone how much I LOVE it there! It's always so clean, there's a TON of things to do and it's never way crowded! I decided that I'm going to have enough time on my hands now with Carter this winter, that I bought a season pass there with some of his Christmas money. I have to admit though, $40 for the whole year for two adults and one kid...AMAZING DEAL!

He had so much fun there, I know we're going there a lot more often now!

Here's Chef Carter making mommy some lunch...

And Captain Carter getting the crab out of his boat.
His favorite part is the trains though, he could pretty much stay there ALL day!

Here's the funnest train! If I had more room, you know this would be in the playroom!

The next thing on our "to-do" list was the FIRETRUCK! Carter has been talking about driving this particular firetruck for days now! I love that they have the outfits and everything...

It was such a fun time, I really enjoyed going just the two of us more than I thought I would!

On a side note: I have been part of the blogging world for a year this month! My favorite sister-in-law got me started, and I have to admit, I'm totally obsessed now! Though I've changed our blog address now, there have twelve months of Morris Family posts now!

Transitions.....It's so Hard to be TWO!

As much as I've LOVED staying home, our little Carter has been transitioning a little more difficult than we imagined. Everyday, he's just waiting for me to drop him off somewhere and leave him for the day. He's been "on edge" for the last week, and as hard as it to see him like this (I do have sympathy) it's still a little annoying to have a "basket-case" on my hands now! I know it'll just take a little while for him to get used to it, but it's hard when it's every time I take him ANYWHERE!

On Saturday, Carter's friend Rylan had his first birthday party. Carter had a rough time in the beginning, but then relaxed once he realized that mommy and daddy were both staying with him. He had a blast, and Rylan's mom (Jackie) put on a great show!

Any excuse to eat cake is GREAT for Carter. He pretty much only eats the icing!

The boys LOVED the million balloons!

That night my sister watched Carter while Scott, myself and my parents went to the movies. I just have to add that Marley & Me is a MUST SEE! Though there are some really funny parts, it's such a great show and really makes you realize what life's all about. While the 'rents were away, Carter and Aunt Ju Ju had a blast!

"J" ...as we refer to her, brought out the modeling clay and they made some really fun cars, planes and roads for their vehicles.

When we got home, this what our little guy was up too....

This morning I thought it woudl be fun to make our "Rice Krispie" version of gingerbread houses. Scott was our killing poor little innocent bunny rabbits, so Carter and I had Aunt Ju Ju spend the night to keep us company. Though the box made everything look really cute, ours didn't turn out "quite" like that. It didn't help that I'm not the slightest bit artistic! But we did have fun....

This is the end product of mine.... (Don't judge me by my lack of talents!)

And Carter pretty much just liked eating the candies off his house!

It was such a fun weekend, filled with lots of family. Carter really hates transitions now and screamed the whole way home tonight! I know he'll get over this, but man it's not fun anymore!

Bargain Hunter....and My Rewards!

Grocery shopping.....you either LOVE it or HATE it. I happen to LOVE it because I'm a "deal" girl and love making our money stretch as far as possible. Now that we're down to one income, I have to make sure that we make every dollar go as far as it can.
This building may not look like much, but it's the ONLY place I can get the best deals on groceries. It's the commissary on base, I get to still go with my mom. Today, in coupons alone (not the special pricing already on everything there) I saved $23 dollars.

Scott used to make fun of me while I clipped the coupons, but once he saw the numbers adding up he was amazed and hasn't given me a hard time yet! They say that if you're trying to stay on a budget and eat most meals at home, you should spend around $15 per person per week. So Scott, Carter and I should cost about $45 a week, which is $180 a month. (This is still including eating healthy and getting fresh veggies and fruits)

I am the type of shopper that goes once a month for everything, and then periodically throughout the month for the little things. We have actually been doing really well with our "food budget." I do spend a little more now because we can now that we've paid off things, so we average about $200 per month. This is including diapers, cleaning things, bathroom items, everything!

I just love getting good deals and making sure "Scott's" hard-earned money goes as far as it can for our little fam.

"Redneck" Family-Style Fun

Scott had today off...the first day in a LONG time that it's been just our little family...so we decided to ring in the new year with a "redneck" style picnic.

I know that sounds funny, but I came up with the idea today because I LOVE to have picnics and just hang out, (it's free for one, which is always a plus and it's also a way to just talk with eachother) but the weather isn't the best for that right now (in the high thirties) so I decided my car would have to do. Here's the details:

We loaded up the car with all the picnic "goods" and unloaded the back of my car so it was empty, then we took a nice scenic drive up Trapper's Loop and found a private area to park the 4Runner. Once parked we all got into the back of the car and had a "make-shift" picnic. As funny as it sounds, it really was fun.

Carter loved that his mom and dad were being silly in the back with him, and surprisingly with the back seat folded down there was plenty of room to just relax and enjoy our home-packed lunch! I would recommend this to anyone who needs a time out of the house, but is short on cash because this was way fun!

Carter loved the part where he got to drive mommy and daddy down the hill. (Little did he know that it wasn't even turned on!)

As we were heading home, we saw a HUGE moose (bull) on the side of the road! It was seriously right next to the road, so of course Scott had to pull over (into oncoming traffic) to take a couple shots of this massive beast!

This is when it got scared of us and went behind the trees for "protection."

We had so much fun, I'm so glad that we had today to spend together. With the holidays being full of extended family, and Scott working so many hours it's so nice to have a day to just relax and be the little family we are!