Summer time!!

We have been swimming alot this summer and Carter loves to pose by the pool!!

Siblings!!!  They seem to play pretty well together, but the love to wrestle!!

Our sitter gave the kids a bubble machine and the kids love it!!  Don't ask me why Carter has a long sleeve shirt on...oh, it has curious George on it!!

This is Kennedy's good friend, Kingston.  They had summer camp together

Nona and Papa came into town and the kids got to swim at the pool.  Kennedy was using floaties here but last weekend she swam the length of our friends pool without floaties or stopping!!  It was pretty awesome!!  Our little fish!!!



Our little golfers
After church last one evening we went to the golf course and the kids had a great time!!!



Camp GC 2011
When Tony and I went on the Alaskan cruise, the kids stayed at my parents house.  We called it Camp GC.  It just happened to be Beef Empire Days.  They were so many things going on the kids had a great time!  Here are some highlights!

A little yard work...

Having fun with Nona and Papa!!

Story time at the Zoo!

2 of the cutest cowboys/girls you have ever seen!!  My parents took the kids to the rodeo!!

Cuttin watermelon in the backyard with Papa.

hanging out with Uncle Matt.

They did crafts everyday!

They went to a concert in the park and then participated in the parade.

Went to the parade and saw the awesome farm equipment. Obviously the highlight for Carter!!!

The kids were very into fireworks this year.  We did fireworks for several days before the actual 4th. Here are a few helping Daddy.



Kennedy and Carter have become quite the little golfers.  Carter will last much longer than Kennedy and likes it a little more.  We got them real golf clubs and they are a little heavy for Carter but he is getting use to it!!

So....Kennedy has been going to camp the last 2 weeks.  Today she tells me that there is a new girl in her group.  I ask Kennedy what the little girl's name is and she says, Shelter.  I question that and she says, "No mom.  It is Shel-ter.  Say it with me, Shel (here is where I am to repeat shel) and ter (again I repeat after Kennedy)"  I look at here with a questioning look and say, "could her name be Michelle?"  And Kennedy says, "oh, yes.  that is it."  I try not to make her feel stupid although I am shaking my head and Kennedy says, "Can you imagine if her name was In-Shell. Get it mom? In-Shell."  Kennedy starts laughing so hard I thought she was going to cry.  I am laughing because she is laughing and Kennedy says, "Isn't that hysterical?!"

Carter has learned the crazy sign.  I taught him to do it today.  Make several circles beside your head and point to Daddy.  It was going to be great!  Instead he makes a circle around his face and points to me.

This is all just at lunch.  What a day!!!

I'm not sure what to say about this...



Happy 4th of July!!!



Kennedy heard the fireworks tonight and said, "Well, there it is.  We missed the Fourth of July."

Got to love it!!!

A few updates...

• We have had several people look at our house, but no offers yet.  We had another person look today so hopefully someone will make an offer soon.
• We are trying to work something out on a house in MN.  We haven't put an offer, officially, in yet, but probably will soon.
• Carter has his 2 weeks check-up last week and everything is good.  No fluid and the swelling in completely gone! 
• Kennedy has her last tball game on Wednesday and she couldn't be happier!  She liked hitting, but fielding was not her thing!!!
• Carter loves playing golf and Tony has a subscription to Golf Digest.  Here is a pic of Carter reading the magazine one morning last week.  Yes, he is sitting on the coffee table in his pjs.  :)

 Alaskan Cruise!

Tony and I went on a cruise for the annual Gradient trip.  We had a great time, but it was 7 days too long from the kids!  Here are a few pics!



We left from Seattle.  Here is a pic of the city from the ship.

Space Needle

The first stop was Juneau, AL.  Tony and I went on a rafting excursion.  It was so beautiful and we saw so many bald eagles.  The only bad part was that the water was so cold, there were chunks of ice in it!  You can see Tony waving in the white hat on the right side.  I am hiding behind the big guy in front on the right side.  It was fun!

The rive we rafted.  Looks really busy from here...it wasn't that wild!  More of a float trip than rafting really.  :)

2nd stop was Skagway, AL.  It was really a stop for the ship to make money on the dumb tourists!  There was a cool train!

....Skagway again.

We went thru Tracy Arm Fjord.  There is a glacier that we saw and it was crazy to see all of the huge pieces of ice in the water.

Very cool waterfalls!!!

Lots of seals!

We hung out in one of the agent's rooms drinking mimosas while we saw the awesome glaciers!

Ice chunks off the side of the boat and a seal trying to get on the ship!

The glacier had this amazing blue color. 

Our last stop was Victoria, BC, Canada.  It was beautiful there!  The weather was so nice and Tony and I actually had sometime together alone.  It was wonderful!!  After being on the ship with so many people (we had 200 in our group), it was really great to have some down time!

The Fisherman's Wharf

In Victoria, we saw this amazing hotel where they still have high tea.  This it, The Empress.  It was gorgeous!

I am happy to report that Carter is doing well.  He has recovered completely.  He had a sore throat because they had to put a tube in to help him breath (standard operating procedure) and he had to sleep the last couple of days with his mouth open.  Today as he was napping I was watching (because I am a weirdo) and I could hardly hear him breathing.  He had his mouth closed and was not snoring!!!  Never seen that before! 

Butterfly garden!!!

If you have seen on TV the advertisement for Live Butterfly Garden and you have kids, or just like butterflys, get it.  It is pretty cool.  They send you 5 very small caterpillars (10 if you order in the next 10 minutes. :) ) and within in about a month you have butterflys.  They come in a container that has the food and you can watch the little critters get really fat, form their cocoons and emerge into butterflys.  It is really cool.  Both kids were entertained by them every day.  Carter really liked them!!!  Here is a picture of Kennedy and Carter releasing the 2nd batch of them.  5 were ready one day and the next we released 5 more. 

You can see in the middle of Kennedy and Carter's hands is the butterfly.  They must have liked the kids because they were able to hold the butterflys as they were released.  Pretty cool!!!

Tubes and Adnoids

Carter's surgery went well.  The doctor said his adnoids were huge.  He said they were almost completely blocking his nasal passage.  No wonder the kid sounds like darth vadar when he is breathing!  They took him back and he didn't even cry!  Afterwards was a different story.  It took awhile for him to wake up but he is doing good now.  Thanks for all the prayers.  He is peacefully taking a nap as I type!  Here are a few pics of before.

Just a few quick updates....
Kennedy is done with school, she is sad but we have lots of play dates planned and a few camps. Tball is going well.  I think she likes it more than she thought!!  Hopefully she will be able to participate in everything.  I guess it would be good if we sold our house, but if we don't we can still do all of our plans this summer. 

We are in the midst of potty training Carter.  Tony got is started last weekend and we have done pretty good this week.  A few accidents when we have been outside playing, but for the most part he is doing good.  I guess it helps when you get a pez candy every time you go!!  :)

June 1st, next wednesday, Carter is getting another set of tubes in his ears and his adnoids out.  At his 6 month check-up they said the left one was out of place and had fluid in it.  They waited 6 weeks to see if it would clear up on its own, but it didn't.  They said the adnoids procedure would only add 5 minutes on to the surgery time-they obviously do it at the same time.  Last August is when they put in the first set of tubes and it took 10 minutes.  This time they will have to give him an IV, but will wait to do that after they have knocked him out with the gas (and he is back in the room, without me!).  Keep him in your prayers.  I know he will be fine, but I just hate that he has to go through this again!

Have a good weekend everyone!!!    

Dance Recital!!!

Before the recital....can we get some showmanship, please!  :)

Gettting read to perform..

On Sunday, Kennedy had her dance recital.  She was awesome!!!