Great Grandma's 80th Birthday....

Scott's Grandma Morris had her 80th Birthday party last week. Carter absolutely adores his Great Grandma and Grandpa Morris. They have this toy Hummer that Carter is obsessed with and everytime we go over to their house he has to go in basement and bring it up to play with.

Surprisingly, Grandma Morris only had two kids (my father-in-law and his sister) but there were over 35 people there representing the immediate family to celebrate!

All the great grandkids got together and sang a song for Grandma....

The "cousins" had a great time playing with eachother. I know it's not the greatest picture but things were a little crazy with so many little kids!

It was such a special party to go to. It really was an eye opener for me because 2 kids is pretty much it for me...but it's comforting to know that I can still have a huge family in the end!

Silly Boys....Mother's Day....

The other day the boys were so hyper from being cooped up inside all day. When Scott got home and said he was going to mow the lawn, Carter about had a heart attack getting on his motorcycle to join him. Once Brax saw Scott and Carter leaving he started to freak out...it was so sad.

For those that don't know, Scott is a really big "softy" he hates to discipline or see the boys upset. So what does he do?

Braxton could not have been more content! He got carried around like that for about an hour and didn't make one peep!

On Wednesday Carter made the cutest Mother's Day present for me.....

I will have to admit this brought tears to my eyes because Carter drew on the bottom of each sheet! He told me it's for my grocery lists. (I just might steal this idea!) He picked out each sticker and said that they reminded him of me and what I like. PRECIOUS!

Yesterday I walked into the living room to find this...

Our sweet little Brax is getting so big! He is starting to pull himself up on things now!

Our two boys make it all worth it in the end! Having Carter and Braxton in our lives has really made us see what's important in life. Carter loves playing with Brax, (although when he wants Brax to follow him and he doesn't, Carter does take it pretty hard) they are the cutest friends!

Kite Flying...

This year was Carter's first year flying a kite...now that we've done it I'm not quite sure why we waited so long!

It was a really great windy day when we went (though a little cold for Brax) it was perfect for flying the kite. Carter and Scott picked out a special "Blue Angels" themed kite and we're talking about it the whole time it was in the air.

We live by this great park that has a paved walkway and lots of room to run around, so off to the park we went!

I loved watching Carter and Scott have a great time get the kite going...

It was so fun to be outdoors with the boys...

Scott had a blast teaching Carter some kite tricks and watching Brax pay close attention to what they were doing...

Who knew $1 at Wal-Mart could be so much fun?

It's so nice to have time when Scott can do fun thigns with us...he's been working so much lately that these times are far and few between.

From Trash to Treasure.....

Everyone knows I'm a big "Bargain Girl." Especially in today's economy, it's so important to stretch your dollar. I love to go to Savers or the DI and see what they have to decorate our home with.

Usually I go shopping with the boys because we go during the day and Scott is working...well last week Scott was able to come with us....isn't that just what he wanted ona day off, a trip to the DI?

When he saw the "lovely" painting I was putting in the cart he thought I'd lost my mind. I can't blame him because this is what it looked like....

Now as gorgeous as that was back in the '60s, it's not the cutest thing today.

But as I'm sure you can guess... I turned that dated frame into something that I'm proud to hang in my home....

It's actually really big! It was $4 and now looks so cute in my living room.

"Sick" Day....

Scott has been working so much lately, so yesterday when he said he needed a "sick" day I was all for it. We hung out in the morning as a family for once and then decided to take the boys to the Treehouse. Our family loves the Pizza Factory so of course that was our first stop.

Braxton loves the breadtwists...

The boys had so much fun at the Treehouse. This was Brax's first time really playing with the things. He had a blast following his brother around...and Carter didn't mind being the leader. :)

It was such a fun time just hanging out as a family during the week!

"Sick" days should happen more often.

T-Ball!!

My family and I have been looking forward to Carter playing T-Ball since we found out I was pregnant with a BOY! At my baby shower for Carter, my mom and dad even got a mini ball and glove. T-Ball, baseball, softball, you name it, it's a part of our family's history and so much fun.

Growing up I was so much older than my brother and sister, so I became the "secondary parent" in our family. I remember watching them play T-Ball thinking how much fun I was going to have one day watching my own kids play....and now here we are!

For those that know me well, know that I'm not the least bit sports-inclined. But in junior high and high school I gave softball and shot for a couple of years and though I wasn't great I did have a great time playing second base almost 9 years ago. It's such an amazing feeling to now have my little guy playing T-Ball for the first time!

My whole family came out to see the little guy learn what t-ball is all about!

He has a really great coach. "Coach V" is so patient and creative! He gets the kids excited and really has a way of making it fun for them.

Because the team is full of 3 and 4 year olds, the parents are expected to help out on the field. This was a great time for Carter and Scott to have some different bonding time.

Carter is a lefty, which makes things a little harder. I went to 7 different sports stores looking for a t-ball sized lefty glove. I swear I found the last one in Weber county! And after about 2 hours of going to all these stores and having salesmen look at me like I have a "freak" kid, Carter wanted nothing to do with the glove! I guess that's how it goes right.

Brax loved being outside and watching the "big" kids play t-ball. I'm so excited to see how our little Carter progresses over the next couple months!

Keeping Busy with Lots of New Things....

Everyone knows I'm a BIG party planner...well Braxton's First birthday is no exception! It's not until July, but my mom and I always go all out and it takes months to plan. We've come up with a Carnival/Circus Theme for the party and I found the best activity to have at the party....

The best thing about this jumping castle is that we can have it in the playroom, in the basement, outside, you name it! It's great and I got it for a fabulous deal on Amazon.com.

Carter and Brax absolutely love it! I can't wait to see all the kids at the party enjoy it too.

Another "new" in our home is home-baked bread. Scott's mom was getting rid of her bread-maker awhile ago and the other day we got it out to test-drive it! All I can say is...AMAZING! It's crusty, soft and totally looks like I know what I'm doing in the kitchen.

Carter has been complaining for a few months now that his carseat buckles are hurting him. And with Brax upgrading to Carter's current front-facing carseat I thought it was time to get Carter moved into a BIG BOY BOOSTER!

Since the kid only weighs 33 pounds he still needs a back on the booster, but this one has the removable back so when he does finally weigh enough we can make it just the booster seat.

Carter loves it! He can use the seat belt, which has created a lot less problems in the car for him. And one of the best features about this seat is the activity lights it has. We are always drving around when it's dark and Carter has a really hard time being occupied...so these lights give him just what he needs to see his toys or snacks while in the dark!

When the package came, Carter couldn't wait to sit in it and use the double cupholders. So here's the little man sitting on the couch with his booster seat...

Another "new" is that my Gran (my mom's mom) and Aunt Marian came to visit. My Aunt came back in November and met Brax for the first time...but this was Gran's first time seeing the little guy.

Carter is such a chatty-Cathy and my Gran couldn't have been more thrilled. Braxton is such a happy little boy (most of the time) so my Aunt (who really was meant to have 10 kids) adored spending time with him.

We've been staying busy, trying out new things, and making new friends too!

Grandma Margaret...

Like I said in my earlier post, Easter weekend was packed for the Morris Family. My mother-in-law's birthday party was the Saturday before Easter so we had even MORE events! I promised in my earlier post that Grandma Margaret's Birthday deserved its own post....so here it is!

I planned my first-ever surprise birthday party for my mother-in-law this year. I had a ton of help from my sister and brother-in-law as well (I couldn't have done it without them!)

For those that don't know, Margaret was truly meant to have girls...and after three sons and 4 grandsons, I thought it was time to give her a "girl" party....

I baked this Barbie cake and my mom came over that morning to help finish the icing. (I'm not so talented in that area) and it turned out so cute! I can't believe in all of her years my cute mother-in-law has never had a Barbie cake.

Unfortunately, getting the cousins together for the last Easter for awhile, having Carter's Great Gandma there, and hanging out with everyone was just too much fun... and I just didn't think take any pictures during the fun things I had planned. We gave the cousins their custom baskets, had an Easter egg hunt (with over 200 eggs I might add) and had a great dinner.

Scott and I have wanted to refinish a kid's picnic table that his mom made years ago and have her be able to use it in the backyard for the grandkids...so this year we "stole" it from their house! We sanded it (keeping some of the blemishes from her boys) and painted it. The best part is I got all the grandkids' handprints on it with their names so that she can always have a memory of when they were little. It turned out adorable!

It was a great day! I wish I thought more about taking pictures though...

Living Planet Aquarium...

My friend Ashley told me about a great deal...and I'd love to SHARE it with everyone! The Living Planet Aquarium has a one year membership for an adult and child (under 2 is free) for $19.99. Go to CityDeals.com for more info.

Of course I jumped on this opportunity because it's regularly about $16 for a one-time entrance fee. It's a really fun place to go. Carter loved looking at everything and Brax was such a good trooper!

Braxton looks a little "drugged" in this one but he's just completely enjoying his snacks! I just love my boys!
We made a quick stop at In and Out Burger in West Jordan where Brax ate his first french fry! (I know I'm all about healthy foods right...but in my defense he grabbed it off the tray before I could stop him!) And my picky eater Carter ate an entire hamburger!

I am all about going out and exploring new things with my boys! They are so much fun to take everywhere with me....I hope that lasts a little longer!

Easter Recap...

This year was jammed packed with Easter activities! I have to say Easter is one of my favorite holidays...not just because of the jelly beans and peeps (though they do make me happy) but because of what everything that it represents. New Life!

Scott and I started a new tradition in our home of dying hard boiled eggs. I know it's not original but we've never actually dyed real eggs before. (To be honest I don't remember the last time I dyed eggs myself) Now that we know what we're doing...I'd have to admit how much fun it is!

Another really fun craft we did was to put "string" stickers on white plastic eggs. I will say this is the BEST thing to do with little guys! It was easy, fun and none of them break!

Scott's Aunt and Uncle do a flashlight Easter Egg Hunt every year....though we couldn't make it their hunt, we did do our own this year. Ashley brought Hunter and Brinley and Carter's "Uncle" Jimmy came to! This is definitely something we are doing every year!

It was way windy, so Brax only got to enjoy it for a few minutes before we put him back in the car....

I didn't get that many pics outside because it was really cold. The boys loved it though. We all went back to me dad's afterward to check out the candy and hang out. The boys loved seeing what was in each egg.

My best friend Jimmy has been celebrating Easter with my family for so long! He's a great "uncle" to the boys and such a fun "adopted brother" into our family.

Brax and Brin are so cute together. I can't wait to see how they grow up with eachother.

On Easter my family came over for a relaxing brunch. Of course we had to have another activity...and this one my mom found is a winner...You melt chocolate and pour it over chow mein noodles for a "nest" and then add the speckled jelly beans and peeps for the bird and eggs.
It was such a cute idea and very easy!

We also had my mother-in-law's Birthday party at our house that weekend...but that deserves its own post (to come later)

Amazing News!

Our little Carter was born with a heart mumur (nothing real major, just a common hole in his heart) and we've had to go to Primary Children's every so often to get it checked for the past 3 1/2 years. Usually kids grow out of them pretty quickly, but not our Carter.

Well today I got some of the BEST news...NO MORE HOLE! Carter's little heart is completely healed and he is officially free of worry...as far as Primary Children's is concerned!

I can still remember the first time taking our little man there...he was a tiny 3 weeks old and was so small. The nurses were really nice, but too reassuring that Carter was going to be okay...it made me so worried that they were just preparing me for bad news.

We've gone about every nine months since he was born and every time I've always had the idea in the back of my mind that I could be getting "bad news" this time. It's one of the worst feelings to be completely helpless for your child.

Though everytime I worried, I did make sure to show Carter how much fun Primary Children's is. He loves the mini blood pressure cuffs, the cool prizes and fun candy they hand out readily. Last year was fun because Carter understood what was going on...

This year was great because I never have to go back there for his heart again!

I am so happy to have a healthy child!

Our Favorite Things to Do...

There are so many things that I'm getting excited for nwo that the weather is going to get better and better. The joys of having two boys is that we can carry on certain traditions that we love.

I know Scott's favorite thing is motorcycle rides...though this Kyle's scooter, Scott loves to take Carter around the block (of course Brax had to get in on the action too!)

Carter absolutely LOVED it! He was laughing the whole ride!
Another place we love going is Ikea. My mom and I took the boys last week and they had a blast. Though Carter has been there numerous times, it was Brax's very first Ikea trip!
The playland for kids was a hit!

Carter wasn't very thrilled to share his swing with Brax, but it's still fun to see how different the boys are.

They have moved things around, added toys and other fun things to the kids' area so we stayed there for awhile. I wasn't sure how two kids was going to be...and I'm excited to report it was so easy to take both of them. It's always a fun time when you're at Ikea.

Another must this time of year is the South Town's Home and Garden Show. It was a great time! My friend Jimmy even came with my mom, me and the boys. The expo shows are always a hit with my boys.

There was this mini tub...of course the "photographer" in me wanted to get a shot...

I will say Carter is a very unique little guy. He loves the people in the big costumes. Mr. Electric was at the show and Carter loved him...

We have so many fun things planned this weekend...so keep checking back for more pics!