Monday Carter Edition #37~This one's for you dad...

Before he left Nate and Carter were having a little bonding time while driving in the car. The song "Live Your Life" by TI and Rhianna came on and Nate was quite proud that Carter quickly picked up waving her hands in tha' air to the beat. The song has been a favorite of hers ever since. So, in honor of the fact that Nate will be home SO soon, this one's for you dad...

Dear Daddy,

You've never seen me as excited as I am right now! Everyday I give big "WOoHOo" when I count my chains and realize you are almost home! I can't wait to hug you SO tight! Hurry Home!!

XOXO Carter

5 Down 1 To Go! (Hopefully)

Ok, ok, so I'm just a little guilty of counting my chickens before they hatch, but we're almost there! Nate should be home in just a few short days and so the excitement around here begins to build (that also means I have to put away the mountain of laundry that has been living in my guest room, but I'm choosing to dwell on the positive here!)

I have been so thankful that while he has been gone for this "detachment" I have had some really great friends to hang out with and share in the loneliness that often comes with having your husband away. Speaking honestly I really don't know I would have gotten through without the dinners, outings, and encouragement I have had from these girls. So, being that all of our husbands are coming home this week we decided we should celebrate. Believe it or not there is actually a pretty fancy shmancy restaurant here in Oak Harbor that has fabulous food and an aesthetically pleasing atmosphere. I would have thought that too good to be true, being that the most exciting thing going for our other sit down dining venues is a CrApplebee's, but alas it is true. Fraser's (a gourmet hideaway) actually leaves you feeling like you have escaped into the city and I like that. They have little touches that make you feel special, like a homemade Parmesan "chip" on your Caesar Salad...


See special right?? Good thing, because these are some pretty special girls! Lara, Molly and Jamie...

And here I am with Whitney and Amy...

It may sound silly but it always feels like quite an accomplishment to put another one of these behind us. Way to go girls!

Hopefully Nate will be headed out one more time before we welcome our new little kiddo' into the world and head off for new adventures!

Cool Rider

She's a cool rider....

She's a cooooooooooool rider...

She's cool enough...

She can burn you through and through...

She's a C-O-O-L R-I-D-E-R!!!

Never a dull moment...

This afternoon I was chatting on the phone with Nate while putting my make up on because we needed to be out the door in about 30 minutes. Carter was keeping herself occupied, but unfortunately that can sometimes be a little risky. She suddenly appeared at the door of the bathroom with this puppy dog look on her face. "What's wrong?" I asked her. "I did it again," she said. "Did what again?" I asked. "What I did that day at the restaurant..." I instantly knew and went running for my cell phone, because what she "did again" was call 911!!!

See, my husband had this really great idea to get me a Blackberry (and it was a really great idea) except for one thing...when your phone is locked it is actually pretty darn easy to make a "emergency call". So, I'm immediately on the phone with a 911 operator, I explain what happens, we both have a good chuckle, end of story. WRONG. Fast forward 15 minutes and two very gung ho base police officers in the full fatigue get ups are knocking (rather emphatically) on my front door. I am still on the phone with Nate, I open the door and they look like they are ready to pounce. I explain again what happened and they insist they need to come in and look around to "make sure I am not in distress." Carter is playing quietly in her room and looks a little worried when she sees a couple of overly zealous GI Joe's (she had already asked me earlier if they were going to come and take her away!) When convinced that I am not harboring any criminals they turn things over to the other two guy's who had also arrived on scene (must have been a slow day at the office!) After taking down all my info. the ordeal was over.

Needless to say my Blackberry will be out of reach from now on. The End.

Oooooh Baby I Feel the Temperature Rising

I'm a Texas girl at heart. Born, raised and quite familiar with the scorching temperatures that heat up the state during the summer. One thing I have come to realize though is that air conditioning is a wonderful thing. Our temperature is 95 today and with no AC to combat the heat it is just a little on the warm side! We've been doing our best to beat the heat and have spent the last couple of days at the outdoor wading pool at a park here in town. It is a great way to pass the time and stay cool...

I did find myself on the receiving end of a pretty powerful Super Soaker (you can read more about that funny story on my friend Molly's blog) but, other than that the water has been a welcome escape! At 14 weeks when life gives you lemons (as in extreme temps. with no AC)...

Make lemonade!!

I Heart Faces~At the Beach

I just ran across a "new to me" site, I Heart Faces. I love photography and they have a little weekly contest where people enter their photos, what a fun idea! This weeks theme is "At the Beach" and I immediately thought of this photo of my two favorite people. So, for this weeks "Monday Carter" a photo of the munchkin' and her dad, they were so happy that day...

Delicious

We have done a lot of berry picking while living in the great Northwest, and today we added a new berry to our repertoire...raspberries...

We have never picked them but they proved to be as fun as any berry and I'm sure our efforts will make for some yummy jam! We went with a group of friends (which makes any outing more fun), thanks girls, we had a great time...

Carter started out with a few berries in her bucket...

But, of course, she is more into filling her belly than her bucket...

but I think that is to be expected...

The day was even more fun because she had her sweet friend Maddie to hang out with...

They both got right down to business...

there were equal parts of picking berries...

girl talk...

and giggling!

They would pick a berry, eat a berry and then exclaim, "This is Delicious!"

Carter's friend Bradley was there to pick too, but he was also pretty interested in the dirt...

And, I had finally gotten down to business and started picking my own berries when I suddenly heard some very excited little voices...

Apparently we have a couple of little geniuses on our hands...

They figured out that raspberries are perfect for popping on your finger...

It's the perfect technique, poke it on your thumb...

Pop it in your mouth...

Yummy!

It was the perfect day of picking...

Carter thought she would tell you a little more about it...

Gosh, I love that little munchkin'...

And she was such a good little picker she got a "special" sticker...

Yeah, she's pretty "special"...

It was an almost perfect day, except for a little pouting...

But that's ok baby girl, I love you anyway!