The Cry Spot

2010-07-23T20:06:00.001-04:00

Conner saw a van like ours and said it sounds just like our car. Then Carter chimed in and said the skin on it is the same. ??? Crazy boys!!!!

Seat Belt

2010-06-17T23:08:00.002-04:00

Okay, didn't want to forget this for some reason. Okay, we all know Carter likes to scream at me. Well, when we get in the car, the boys do their own seatbelts. They have been able to buckle themselves in since last summer. No problems. Well, Carter was really good about it for a while, then started getting really frustrated with the seatbelt. It was always either too tight or too loose. I would be buckled and in reverse and Carter would scream at the top of his lungs for me to come fix it. If I kept going, he would kick and scream and pretty much torture the rest of us in the car. So I stop and get out and fix it. He also does this and gets himself overly worked up if I start backing out of the driveway before his seatbelt is completely buckled. He has to be "just so" in his seat before I am allowed to move the car. I just can't make any sense of it. I've tried the ignore trick on him so many times and he is like the energizer bunny and just keep going and going.

Broken Heart

2010-06-17T22:19:00.002-04:00

Why am I deciding now to start blogging again, you ask? Well, lately I have really felt like the boys have really grown up right before my eyes. I don't know when exactly they turned into little men. Seems like yesterday they were running me in circles and teaming up against me ALL DAY LONG. Well, they still do this at times, but it is much easier to handle now that they are much more communiticative. I am really struggling with life right now. I want so much to just run away and live a life in the forest with Andy and our boys. I feel like I am so busy that I am overlooking what is most important, and I HATE this feeling. I am trying to make the most of each moment, but it isn't working out well. Here's why...

Maybe a day or two ago, I told Carter that I loved him and he mumbled something along the lines of "I don't love you." I assumed he was mad at me for making them go to sleep, because this happened at bed time or nap time, can't remember which one. I brushed it off and didn't think much of it. Tonight, he was sitting on my lap on the back porch so I could cut his fingernails. I was talking to him and told him I love him, and he told me that he didn't love me. We talked some more about how God gave him to me and I love him more than anything and it makes me sad to hear him say he doesn't love me, etc. He continued by telling me repeatedly that he doesn't love me and proceeded to list the people he does love (by the way, the only people to make the list were Nana, Daddy, Becky, and Grandma). He was very adament that he didn't love me. I asked him if I was a good mommy or a bad mommy and he said I was a bad mommy. I asked him why, which he went in circles and said because he doesn't love me. I never really got a reason out of him. Although his only answer to ANY "why" question is "because."

So all night I have felt absolutely crushed. I hope it is a phase of somekind, I really feel like I've messed him up somehow or I haven't been there for him enough. I really need to make time for just Carter and Mommy, because we don't do that as much as we should.

I think it is a good time to tell my Carter story for today. I picked them up from VBS at Idlewild. Carter and Conner both had paper bags with their projects setting outside their classroom and a pretty large sheriff hat. We went out to find their "stuff" and Conner found his instantly. Carter saw his projects, but threw a fit because he said it didn't "spell his name." He knows his name and can spell it just fine, so I don't know why he was so insistant that it wasn't his name. So I finally convinced him that it was his stuff. Then he noticed that one of the sequins on the hat was coming unglued. I tried to tell him it was okay and he started screaming about how it was broken. I told him (and showed him) to put the sequin in his bag and we would use our glue at home to glue it back. He started screaming about no glue at home or something. Just mean and ugly yelling. He then wanted me to carry everything and I told him no because I had other things in my hands already and still had to pick up Canyon and how he is big enough to carry his own stuff, etc. Well, the fit started again and he is literally screaming crying for me to hold everything. Stupidly, I hold it just to get him to get up and walk with us to get Canyon. (Keep in mind Conner has been happily standing with me hold his stuff this entire five minutes.) So then as we continue down the hall, Carter starts to throw a fit to hold my hand, which are both FULL of my stuff and his stuff. He starts yelling and screaming at me about how he has to hold my hand. I explain to him how I can't hold his had because both hands are full and he doesn't even act like he is listening. He is pulling on my arm and finally gets ahold of my pinky. (Another sidenote, Carter is the kid who almost NEVER will hold my hand. He will if we are in a parking lot because that is a rule, but never just to hold my hand.) So I have a screaming kid attached to me while I am trying to pick up Canyon from class. So we proceed to leave and Carter insists on holding my pinky the whole way to the car. About the time we get outside, his poor little hand is all sweaty from clasping my pinky so tightly and it starts to slip off. So he then starts to throw a fit because his hand is sliding off. Now, it is completely obvious to me that he is pulling his hand down off my pinky on purpose, over and over again, just to have a reason to scream. Of course this was quite amusing, so I start cracking up. Now I am feeding the fire and he screams all the way to the car and about the first five minutes we were in the car. He was screaming at his brothers about something, and he was screaming at me to turn the movie on, which I didn't.

Carter, I love you more than you will ever know.

Lord, please give me the strengh to raise this child. Give me the wisdom to make the right decisions in dicipline. Just please give me the guidance I need. Please.

More...

2009-10-10T19:51:00.002-04:00

So today we were outside clipping fingernails and Carter says something about the clouds. Then he says "God made them". I thought is was the sweetest thing!!!

A couple of days ago, Canyon told Nana "Mommy bought me some Cookie Crisp because it was on sale AND she had a coupon for it." So funny!!! He doesn't ask for things at the store, he just asks if I have a coupon or if it is on sale. He's learning young!!! So funny!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Little Personalities...

2009-08-14T04:47:00.003-04:00

A couple of weeks ago I bought the boys these little wooden boxes at Michaels and told them if they got 3 smiley faces they could paint them. Well, since Conner drew smiley faces all over the chart I decided since they had been pretty good that it was time. In a last ditch effort to get the boys to eat their peas, I told them if they ate ONE pea, they could paint their treasure box after dinner. My little eater, Conner, didn't mind and just gobbled all the peas. Carter was reluctant, but did eat his pea. Canyon was happy to eat his pea, but apparently his tastebuds didn't agree. He ran to the bathroom and threw up! UGH!!! Anyways, everyone got to paint their treasure boxes!!!

We used acrylic paint, and I knew I was going to have to hover to make sure they didn't paint anything or each other. Well, as I was watching them so intently, I learned a lot about them!

Canyon - I always knew he stuck his tongue out to concentrate, so this was nothing new. It is almost like he can't concentrate without sticking his tongue out though. He was very meticulous with his design and had to cover every single spot. He was very insistent on painting the inside as well.

Carter - Carter didn't need much time to paint his treasure box. Of course he used alot of pink, but he used the other colors as well. He didn't seem to notice that there were spots he didn't cover with paint, the spots his brothers worked so hard to avoid. Carter also does this funny wiggle thing with his tongue while he is working. He just puckers his lips a bit and wiggles his tongue side to side. Funny boy.

Conner - He is the one that really surprised me with his attention to detail. Conner sat there for at least 15 minutes longer than both brothers. And for a 3 year old, I was impressed. He worked very hard and put a lot of thought into his choices of color. Of course, I bought green just for him and he used a lot of green! While I watched his face, he seemed VERY focused and very serious. He did none of the other weird things with his tongue like his brothers.

That's NOT Chapstick!!!!

2009-06-12T19:48:00.002-04:00

Okay, so this is how I found Conner...

He totally was using the glue stick he found as chapstick. UGH!!! No telling how much glue he ingested!!! My boys.

(Please ignore the lasagna mess all over him!)

Airshow

2009-06-01T21:13:00.004-04:00

Here are some pictures when we took the boys to the airshow back in April. They loved it so much, but Conner was asleep when the Thunderbirds took the sky!

And this is Conner during the LOUD Thunderbirds. I was cracking up!!!

I had to...

2009-05-19T21:54:00.003-04:00

Okay, this is something that I probably shouldn't be posting, but it is too funny not to post. I want to remember this for sure.

So Andy was giving the kids a bath tonight and he noticed Canyon playing with his "berries", and he proceeded to tell Andy that he feels something in there, what is in there??? So Andy tells him that they are his testicles. So Canyon's response is "you mean like it the same as Squidward's last name - testicles?" (For those of you who don't watch Spongebob as much as we do, Squidward's last name is Tentacles!!!)

Chick-fil-a

2009-05-19T21:25:00.005-04:00

So we have been going to Chick-fil-a family night on Tuesday night. They do face painting, which we did for the first time a couple of weeks ago. First night, they didn't really know what to expect, but Canyon got a PINK and red glittery butterfly on his arm. And the twins both got red spiderman. Here's those pictures...

So tonight, we went again. Canyon had said he wanted either a flower or another butterfly, but decided on a zebra when the time came. The zebra was on his arm. Conner went next, and he wanted GREEN spiderman. Whatever, the lady who does it is super nice and said no problem. Well, then Carter's turn. And she shows him the colors and he wants a pink spiderman. He was very insistent on pink. UGH!!! So we had a pink and green spiderman at chick-fil-a and at Publix. I'm sure people thought I was abusing my poor child.

Anyways, so the funny thing was that Canyon came home and said he didn't want to get his face painted because his friends at school "wouldn't know his name with his face painted". What?? It was too funny!!!!!!

Real Quick...

2009-05-17T20:27:00.002-04:00

Couple of things I sooooo didn't want to forget...

1.) Conner and Carter have been doing an amazing job with potty training. They go in the bathroom and do everything themselves, then Conner will just come and bring his undies and pants to have us put them back on him. Carter is so independent that he will get his pants back on himself, whether they are on correctly or not, even if we are there to help him. Oh, and they are sitters, so they take their pants all the way off every single time. UGH!!!!! Anywho... now to the funny part. They still haven't been going number two in the potty, only a couple of times actually. Well, we got some of the CARS race cars to reward them with hoping that would work, but it didn't. Both boys will tell you that they get a new race car when they do the deed, but they still wouldn't do it. So Conner did get one yesterday (YAY!), and daddy got a few more cars out of his prize stash and they were so excited. Conner wanted the Mario Andretti car so bad that he ran in a went number two in the potty right then!!! Andy and I about fell over. It was so funny and so exciting!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So we will see how long it lasts, or how big the collection of race cars gets before this whole process is over. And Canyon felt extremely left out, so he is earning race cars by keeping his room and the toy room clean. If he can do it, I'll keep us well stocked in race cars, that's for sure. Mommy needs a little help in the cleaning department.

2.) I bought a couple of dresses at Marshall's the other day and I was trying them on for my mom while the boys were in the bathtub. I walked in wearing one of the dresses and Conner said that mommy looks like a princess like grandma! I thought it was the sweetest thing ever. I had to call Grandma right away!!! Too sweet!!!!!

Spring Soccer 2009

2009-05-05T21:37:00.007-04:00

So Canyon is playing soccer again this spring. Thank goodness, this is the first season he actually has PLAYED soccer. He is the big kid on the team now and he's really running around to get the ball and he's pretty good at kicking it down the field and into the goal. He misses the goal some too, but he's doing much better. Oh, and it also cracks me up because he doesn't really "get" the team part of it. He doesn't care who he is taking the ball from, but since we told him that he has to go and get the ball, that is exactly what he does. I feel bad for the other kids, but it is hilarious. He has been the kid picking flowers the past couple of seasons, so I guess it is his time.

The twins are also doing much better. I dreaded taking them to soccer games in the previous seasons, because they both would take off in opposite directions, and I never got to watch the game. But they are finally doing much better and just playing around where I am sitting and staying out of trouble, for the most part. In the fall, they will all 3 be on the same team since Canyon will still be 4 and the twins will be 3. Can't wait to see that!!!

Here's a few pictures...

Here's the pre-game huddle. They are pointing to the goal they will kick towards. This is only a minor problem. :-)

I wanted him to wear his sweatband headband thing, but he only wore if for like 30 seconds.

Snack time is everyone's favorite...

Crazy Daisy!!!

2009-04-12T22:19:00.004-04:00

Well, a few friends came over for dinner and to play a while back. Andrea brought the crazy daisy, which is basically a big flower that squrits water everywhere, and before we knew it, we had a backyard full of children running around in their underwear! It was a sight, so I thought I'd add the pictures for everyone to enjoy...

And the video of Ollie... (Ollie is funny, but the kids are way more funny)

Daddy's Birthday at Magic Kingdom

2009-04-11T08:19:00.004-04:00

Since Andy got in free for his birthday, we decided to go to Magic Kingdom for the day. Pretty soon we will start having to pay for all five of us, so might as well go while we can! The boys had a great time and loved the trains (including the monorail, tram, the people mover in tomorrowland, etc.). It was a really great time and Canyon thinks that his daddy had the best birthday ever!!!!! (Remember when we had daddy's birthday at Disney World?)

Oh, and I didn't charge the camera, so it died early in the day...UGH!!!!

Kids Say...

2009-03-08T23:05:00.002-04:00

While I'm thinking about it, I wanted to post a few of the funny things the boys have said lately.

Canyon

-I gave him some chocolate candy in the car and he had chocolate all over his hands. I made a comment about how I had no napkins or wipes to clean him up and he just said "Don't worry Mommy, I can just taste it off!" I thought it was the cutest thing!

-The other night, he was laying with me in bed. I was reading The Chocolate War, which has a character named Carter. I pointed to the name Carter and ask him what it said and he said Conner first, then Carter. I continued reading, and he pointed out a question mark. He said something about how he found a "mystery" and it has "a c with a line and a polka dot". I thought it was too funny. I asked him where he learned this and he quickly said Mickey Mouse (the mystery mouskatool is a question mark).

Conner

-The boys both have their "tee-tee". They both got attached to these "uncute" little bear blankie things that were once yellow. They have carried them around since they were little bity. So Carter has started chewing on his, which Conner hates when he picks up Carter's wet tee-tee, and Carter usually gets them both wet and nasty. So I've had to wash them as much as possible. Every time they come out of the dryer, it is a big deal, and Conner will smell it over and over and say "tastes good"!

More to come...

No Training Wheels!

2009-03-04T23:37:00.004-05:00

I had to get this on today so Nana and Granny could see how great Canyon did on his bike. We have been encouraging him to try to ride without his training wheels and he has been very against it. Well, today he wanted to take the training wheels off, so daddy did. A couple of neighbor boys were outside playing with him, and he was having so much fun I don't think he realized that he was doing it! But he just rode and rode and rode all afternoon and had the greatest time and had the biggest smile on his face! So sweet!!!!

Treasure Island

2009-01-27T22:44:00.004-05:00

A few weeks ago, we went to the beach with Johnna, Aubrie, Papaw, Granny, and Nana. It was pretty chilly, so we didn't bring our swim trunks, just the sand toys.

Didn't take long for everyone to get wet... (the water was FREEZING, but Johnna got in because she said it was warm-crazy Kentucky people!!)

Canyon's pants wouldn't stay up...

Aubrie digging in the sand...

We all dug holes in the sand and tried to build some sand castles. Carter and Conner mostly just wanted to step on the sand castles.

And afterwards, we tried to get everyone dressed, but Carter just wanted to run away!!! He didn't care who saw, either...

ICE! at Gaylord Palms

2008-12-30T19:42:00.006-05:00

Today we all went to ICE! at Gaylord Palms in Orlando. Our wonderful friends, Steve and Emily, gave us tickets to ICE! for Christmas and we decided to make a family day of it since my cousin Johnna and her daughter Aubrie were in town from Kentucky. So, my family of five, my mom, my papaw and granny, and Johnna and Aubrie all went to Central Florida to spend the day in a brisk 9 degree ice exhibit.

An ice cave...

Johnna went down the ice slide!

Conner and Carter went down the slide, too. They layed down flat on their backs. It was too funny! Too bad my SLOW camera didn't get it.

Not sure who this is??

This was a neat little ice tunnel.

Conner loved Santa, I thought he looked a bit scary...

So cute in his little parka!

Conner loved this -- NEMO!!!!

Conner was all about posing for pictures. Where is Carter you ask?? Probably somewhere screaming for Nana to hold him.

Johnna and Aubrie...

A family of snowmen...

Bundling everyone up...

There's Carter! With Nana, of course.

Conner and Carter would have preferred to watch the FREE train display...

Canyon and Aubrie. She's more than 2 years older than he is!!! Canyon loves playing with her!

The boys...

Hot Cocoa for everyone!!!

Also, my granny fell while we were walking through ICE! and hit her face on a rail. Please say a prayer for her that won't get any worse.

Good Night!!!

Carter in Trouble AGAIN!!!

2008-12-03T14:04:00.003-05:00

This is what he does to me!!! I can't leave him alone for five seconds!!!
And look at that face, like "Mom, I'm not finished with my masterpiece, give me the marker back!!!"

Trip to Georgia!!

2008-12-03T13:32:00.005-05:00

I am excited to get caught up on this thing. I pretty much finished my homework about an hour ago, so I feel like I can do anything!!

This trip was mid-October. The other half of the Andersons went to visit with their family and they invited us to join them. Of course, this sounds much easier than it is. The twins and cousin Sidney did a lot of crying and screaming. But they did have a great time playing outside. It was much colder on the mountain than we anticipated, so we didn't stay outside too too much. Poor Canyon doesn't even have a jacket heavier than a sweatshirt, so I know he was freezing. Anyways, here are some pictures from our long weekend!!!

Canyon wanted me to take lots of pictures of him and rocket...

The deck was a little scary...

They thought it was funny to slide down the hills...
And Georgia doesn't have regular dirt, they have RED CLAY--What a mess!!!

They loved to just run, run, run!!!

Yep, that's all of us on the top bunk of bunk beds...

We tried to get pictures of all the kids together, it didn't work...

More running...

More pictures with rocket...

The family by the fire (It was freezing, but the boys stayed out til we made them go in!)

Some weird thing that the kids weren't supposed to play near, but it was like a magnet...

Just a swingin...

Carter and Sidney...

Real Quick...

2008-11-13T21:01:00.002-05:00

I had a really bad night, but I won't go into everything. As you'd probably expect, the twins are to blame. But, moving on...

Tonight, before bed, Canyon and I sat on his bed and we were playing with his letter flashcards. We went through them (usually he doesn't want to) and he knew every single one except W, J and one other that I can't remember. I was so surprised, because I really don't work with him very much. The last time I tried, he only knew about 12 or 13, so I was so excited!!! Also, I thought it was so cute that when he got to "V" he said "CVS" a couple of times and then finally said "V". He knows CVS everytime we pass it. I was so proud of him. He really gave my heart a huge smile at just the right time.

Carter Kissing the Bird

2008-11-02T20:10:00.003-05:00

Daddy took the boys to Busch Gardens one day and they went to feed the birds in the Lory Landing area. This is Carter trying to give the bird a kiss. Carter is usually the scaredy cat when it comes to stuff like this!!! Daddy's lucky the bird didn't take a bite of Carter's lip!!! (I guess Carter is pretty lucky too!)

Canyon's 4th Birthday

2008-11-02T19:12:00.008-05:00

Okay, so I'm over a month behind. Basically, our laptop keeps shutting down whenever it feels like it which makes me never want to get on that computer and our desktop upstairs is slower than ANYTHING, so I haven't been on the computer much. Now Andy had rigged my laptop that I accidentally cracked the screen on and hooked it up to the desktop monitor, so it works fine. Three computers in this house and each with it's own problem!!! GRRRR!!!!!

So, Canyon's birthday was September 24th. We let him pick what he wanted to do, and for a long time he insisted on Chuck E. Cheese's. I finally sat with him and looked at pictures of different places on the computer and he really liked Pump It Up when he saw those pictures. And since Mommy and Daddy are exhausted, Pump It Up sounded easy enough to me. So we had a great time in all of the bounce houses. It was great for everyone and really kept all the kids busy. So without further delay...

Daddy got him a new golf club...

The girls got him a Rocket -- this is what he really wanted!!

On his actual birthday...

This is from school...

At Pump It Up...

Patrick and Liam...

Camden and Kyler being silly...

Dom and Vince apparently liked the cupcakes...

Nana made them with sprinkles, just like he wanted...

Andrew...

Madilynn...

Macie going down the slide...

Carter taking a rest...

Funny shot of Madison...

Nana with Carter and Canyon...

Uncle P!!!

Conner...

Morgan flying down the slide...

Um, Mike, what are you doing???!!!!

Mommy and Conner...

Carter making his usual mess...

Tons of cupcakes...

Five Little Ducks

2008-10-04T12:38:00.003-04:00

Canyon Tee Ball

2008-09-12T23:29:00.005-04:00

Canyon started Tee Ball a couple of weeks ago. He seems to really like it so far. I have class on Tuesday nights, so I haven't gotten to go yet. :-( I think I'll have to skip part of class one week to see him play. Anyways, here are some of the pictures from last Tuesday...

P.S. If you are wondering where Carter and Conner are, apparently Daddy plays a movie for them and leaves them nearby in the van. Actually this sounds horrible, but it is probably the safer alternative because Conner fell off of the slide at the New Tampa Rec Center last night and then tonight the van smashed Conner's thumb in the sliding door. So Andy must be smarted than I am, since someone keeps getting hurt with mommy. By the way, Conner is surprisingly fine. He does have a swollen thumb, but thankfully, he's a tough little cookie.

He's the second one from the front...

Such nice form, huh?? Hee Hee!!!! I love him!!!!!!

Doing good, dad...

The Twins Get Big Boy Beds!!!

2008-09-07T07:46:00.003-04:00

Okay, this has been a couple of weeks ago, I'm pretty far behind. But, Conner had started climbing out of his crib. So we went back and forth as to what to do with them. I wasn't sure if I should just get them twin beds, or maybe the twin beds that will turn into bunk beds when they are ready. Well, we decided to wait on all that and we went with the toddler beds. Canyon went straight to a twin bed at 18 months because the twins were coming and I wasn't going to have 3 cribs in the house, so I missed the whole toddler bed thing with him. And since the twins share a room, the toddler beds give them more space. (Wow, I can ramble on and on about nothing, huh??)

So one bed arrived on a Friday (I ordered them online at the same time) with no sign of the other bed. So I went ahead and assembled it and showed the boys one of their new beds. They were so excited!!! They just sat on it forever. I finally told them that it was time to go night night and they both went and got their blankies and laid down next to each other in the one toddler bed. I was sure that they would be playing and out of the bed in no time, but I told them good night and closed the door. I went in later to check on them and they were both asleep in this tiny toddler bed!!! It was too cute!

Since then, we did get the other bed, although both beds were damaged. So they have been sleeping in their new beds. About 50% of the time they get up and play in their room in the dark. It's funny. I'll hear them screaming (they apparently have NO idea how loud they are) and I'll walk in and they both sprint to their bed. Or I'll go in and they are both sitting together looking at books with the light from the nightlight. They are sneaky. I'm pretty sure Carter is the instigator. Anyways, they are doing pretty well, overall. We are going to do a few things in their room, then I'll add more pictures.

The Best 30th Birthday EVER!!!

2008-08-19T21:05:00.012-04:00

Well, it all started Friday morning, the day before my 30th birthday. Andy woke me up at about 4:30 am and told me to pack a suitcase. I was like "whatever" and kept rolling over. He finally started jumping on me and I could see how excited he was, so I got up. I asked him what I should pack and he kept giving me answers like "nice outfits, regular stuff" etc. Nothing specific. So I threw a bunch of stuff into the suitcase and took a 5 minute shower since he said we needed to hurry. By 5:30ish, Uncle Perry was sleeping on the couch to be there when the boys woke up and we were on our way. I kept asking where we were going and he wouldn't give me an answer. I figured since it was so early, we must be going to the airport. I knew something was going on for the weekend, but I was thinking something local or maybe a short cruise, something like that. So now that the airport is in my head, I started thinking Vegas or New York City. Andy's not usually very creative, so I figured he would go with old reliable or whatever.

Anyways, at the airport, he made me stand on the side at the ticket counter. So I didn't find out anything there either. It's pretty fun knowing you are going somewhere, but have no idea where it's going to be. So, he did finally let me see the boarding passes which said Buffalo. I was like "What the heck is in Buffalo???" My thoughts were that he got a cheaper deal outside of NYC and went that route, but I figured we were still going to NYC. (Keep in mind, I had NO idea where Buffalo was in New York.) So I think I said something about Niagara Falls once, but I had NO clue where Niagara Falls was in relation to anything. We were on the plane, and I was still clueless. Then I ordered my diet coke and the fight attendent gave me a napkin too. The napkin had a map of the US and all of their destination cities marked. Well, Buffalo had Niagara Falls underneath it in parentheses, so that's when I figured it out. Andy was pretty mad -- he wanted me to find out by seeing the Niagara Falls sign once we were there. I still can't believe he pulled it off. He didn't even let me look around the bookstore at the TPA airport because he was afraid I'd find a map and figure it out.

Aunt Nikki, Uncle Perry, Nana, Granny and Papaw all helped with watching the boys over the weekend. Knowing they were well taken care of was such a great birthday present from them. (Oh, and thanks P for watching Miller and Skipper -- sorry about the mess!)

So for the trip... It was absolutely amazing. Everyone should go at some point in their life. I want to take the boys back when they are 10ish. They would have so much fun!!! I always thought it was this little romantic place, but it wasn't like that at all. Downtown Niagara Falls -- the Canadian side -- is kind of a mix between the fair, ybor city during gasparilla, and Vegas. It's really weird. Tons of kids and people had their kids out at all hours of the night.

So here's pretty much the jist of it...

So excited to rent an economy car (that only had 700 miles on it and later it got a flat tire!!!)...

We saw these rapids and stopped just for fun... we had no idea this was the top of the American Falls...
We were so oblivious -- still didn't know this was the top of the falls...
This is about where we started realizing where we were...
The Horseshoe Falls...

The brink of the falls -- this was probably my favorite view...
My birthday fireworks...

On the big Niagara Skywheel...

The Maid of the Mist boat headed into the falls...This is while we were on The Maid of the Mist -- this must be similar to what it's like in a hurricane...
The Maid of the Mist was my favorite!!!
I was soaked through -- the poncho DID NOT keep me dry...

We saw lots of rainbows...
This is "The Journey Behind the Falls"...
At the bottom of the Horseshoe Falls...

This is above the Whirlpool that's down the Niagara River a ways...
The Whirlpool Jet that we rode on later that day...
Andy wanted to stop at a winery and check it out...

This is when we climbed down into the gorge to see the rapids we went on while riding the Whirlpool Jet (notice my flip flops -- not appropriate cause it was a steep and long hike!!)...

The bottom of the gorge...
The Whirlpool Jet going through the rapids...

The top of the gorge (I was about to collapse)...

I love you Anj!!!!!!!

Carter and Conner Gymnastics

2008-08-12T20:50:00.005-04:00

I can't remember if I told y'all about the New Tampa Rec Center that recently opened near us. I signed up all of the boys because it was so cheap and I figured it would give them something to do. So Canyon loves it and has a great time with it. The twins -- that's a different story. I'm allowed to drop Canyon off and he goes with his teacher, but for the twins, it is a parent and tot class. So while all the other parents are playing with their ONE child, I'm trying to keep up with my two. They did have fun, but I just couldn't sign them up for another 7 week session. So they had fun while it lasted, but I'll get them signed up again when they turn 3 -- actually, I can't wait for that!!!

Every Drain Leads to the Ocean...

2008-08-06T19:03:00.003-04:00

This story starts with the plush Nemos that the twins fell in love with today at the Disney Store. They LOVE Nemo and call every single fish Nemo and when I took Canyon into the Disney Store to start getting ideas about his birthday, I knew once they spotted Nemo, we wouldn't be able to leave without him (trust me, I'm not usually a pushover like that). So, they've pretty much been completely attached their Nemos all day. Anyways, tonight after dinner, they all went upstairs to play. Andy and I were downstairs cleaning up. We usually don't worry about them, because Canyon is always so quick to tattle on them. But tonight Canyon was playing in his room with cousin Macie and wasn't paying any attention to the twins. Now here's the funny part. Andy goes up to check on them and he yells at me to come up. We found both boys in a puddle of water in our bathroom and guess who was "swimming" in the toilet?? You guessed it, both Nemos. Andy said that when he walked in, that they both were just so happy playing with their Nemo in the water. So is this something that you laugh at or something that you get angry at??? I couldn't stop laughing because I knew that they thought Nemo should go in the toilet. I had to share, even though it makes me look like a horrible parent. I know this will be one of the stories we tell for a long time. UGH!!!

Here is them after Andy scared the crap out of them...

This is the mess in the floor (we are just waiting for the water spots to show up on the ceiling downstairs)... And here are the responsible parties...

Swimming

2008-08-03T10:38:00.003-04:00

Canyon just suddenly figured out the whole swimming thing while we were on vacation. Here he is swimming across the pool...

Anna Maria Island

2008-08-03T09:54:00.007-04:00

All of the Andersons (yep, that's me, Andy, Canyon, Carter, Conner, Nikki, Perry, Whitnee, Macie, and Sid) went to Anna Maria Island last week. We had a really good time considering there were 5 kids 3 and under. We pretty much just stayed at the hotel and went to the beach and pool everyday. The kids were exhausted and so were the parents!!!

It rained some, but we still had pretty good weather...

Everyone is bathed and ready for bed...
Perry borrowed jet skis from a friend and he and Andy, Canyon, and Whit had a great time riding them.

My little bug catcher is showing me a giant sand flea he caught. EWWWWWWWWWW!!!!

We buried Conner in the sand and he thought it was hilarious!!!!!!

Notice the rain... Then noticed the twins down the beach... They loved running away!!!!! We had to worry a little about Carter going in the water, but Conner would not go in unless someone was holding him. For the most part, the were sitting on me or Daddy the whole time we were at the beach!!!!

Sweet boys...

Hug your brother...

They fought over the two Macks all week...

That jet ski wore him out...

Uncle Derek, Aunt Lindsey and Eli

2008-07-23T23:26:00.006-04:00

We got to visit with Uncle Derek and his family for a couple of days in Orlando. We had a good time and Canyon loved playing with Elijah. We just stayed at the hotel and played in the pool -- Canyon went down the big water slide and loved it! We also went to Sea World with everyone, which was fun except for when it rained. I so wish they lived closer, we were really sad to have to say goodbye.

Everyone waiting to see Shamu...

Eli in the middle of a downpour...

The boys in the car, I thought they were cute...
Canyon on the waterslide!!!
Carter and Nana...
Canyon fishing...
Yes, the boys went fishing in their PJs...

A Letter for Becky...

2008-07-20T22:48:00.003-04:00

Canyon's been way excited about mailing his letter to Becky. So I took some pictures -- and Becky, you'll be getting a card soon!!! Oh, and another thing Becky, he made two cards for you, but the first one has been mysteriously misplaced, so we'll send that one when it turns up!!!

Our New Favorite Place

2008-07-18T19:01:00.004-04:00

I'm way behind...

Last week, we went to the Bob Sierra YMCA water park over in Carrollwood. It's free for all Tampa Y members, so I figured why not. Well, for my family it was fantastic. The kid area doesn't get deeper than 1 foot, and there are lifeguards there. Plus it is fenced in, so I don't have to worry about an escapee. So Jennifer, Blake, Morgan and Madison met us there and we all had a great time!!! Canyon loved playing with Blake and they pretty much did their own thing while Andy and I chased babies. I highly recommend it!!! For anyone with older kids, there is a bigger pool with slides right next to the kid's area. Very cool!!!

Andy sent the babies down the slide, they didn't hate it. I thought it was funny that they both came out the same way.

4th of July Fun

2008-07-08T09:15:00.005-04:00

We started the day at the 4th of July parade in Temple Terrace. Papa and Granny went with us and had a good time. We were at the very beginning of the parade route and got overloaded with candy and beads. I still haven't cleaned out the back of my van where I dumped the stroller out. I'm sure everything is nice and melted by now! EWWW!!!

Everyone wanted to give Carter and Conner beads...

Macie says "Happy Birthday America!"

Thanks for the super close parking spot Uncle P!
"BOAT!"
"BOAT!"
It's impossible to get them all smiling -- or even looking happy.

Canyon and his Becky...
Grandma and Aunt Nikki...
Richard, Whitnee, and Grandpa enjoying the great view of the fireworks...
(That's leftover parade candy Canyon's chewing on...)

Come back soon Richard and Becky!!!

Conner and the Baby Lizard

2008-07-06T21:13:00.002-04:00

This evening, we were in the backyard and Canyon kept talking about a baby lizard. I didn't even think twice about it, but a few minutes later Conner comes up to me with this little tiny lizard in his hand. I thought it was dead, but then it started squirming and Conner was so excited. I wanted to run in and get the camera, then the lizard grabbed Conner's finger with his tiny mouth, so I thought we better let him go. I led Conner to the grass to put it down, which he did, but then was determined to catch him again. It was cute, but sorry I didn't get a picture.

Too Funny...

2008-07-02T14:43:00.003-04:00

I know I should laugh with my children, not at them, but this was hilarious!!! At Busch today, we were on the train -- Canyon's favorite -- and I look over at him and he's falling asleep! He nodded off over and over and over again. It was all I could do to hold the camera still while I was dying laughing. Poor thing. Enjoy!!! He'll hate me when he's old enough to know we were all laughing at him.

Why Buy Finger Paints?? Ketchup Works Too.

2008-06-30T12:11:00.002-04:00

Today at lunch, since we had been outside playing in the water and they only had diapers on, I thought it would be a good idea to give them corn dogs with ketchup (they love ketchup). Guess Carter wanted to prove me wrong!!! UGH!!!!!

Yellow and Blue Make... A MESS!!!

2008-06-29T21:30:00.004-04:00

No, they really didn't make a big mess at all. I've only let them finger paint outside in the past, but with the wind and rain, I thought we'd try inside and they did fine! They loved it, but why does everyone have to finish at the same time -- which means I have kids running around screaming with green hands! My bathroom was the messiest after all was said and done.

Canyon's Swimming Lessons at the YMCA

2008-06-20T12:17:00.002-04:00

A New Friend

2008-06-15T14:26:00.004-04:00

While playing in the backyard, we found a little green frog. Carter is the one who pointed it out (like 12 inches from my head, no less). Conner loved it, and my little daredevil Carter didn't like it at all. As a matter of fact, he was screaming like a little girl. Canyon took a few minutes to warm up to little frog and finally held him. They had a really good time playing with their new friend!

Playdough and Canyon's Picture

2008-06-10T18:35:00.004-04:00

Today was Canyon's first swim lesson. I had to leave because he was throwing a fit, but as soon as I left, he did great! I forgot my camera, but I'll get some pics next time.

We also played with some play-doh this afternoon. The babies were very interested and actually sat still the entire time! I think Carter ate a little bit too, oh well.

And best of all, here is a picture Canyon drew a couple of nights ago. I was so impressed!! His cousin Macie who is 4 months younger has been drawing well for a long time, but Canyon just recently began holding his pencil correctly. Then to draw a picture of something that I immediately recognized was so exciting!!! I just had to share.

(It's Spongebob and Patrick. I'm not sure what that is between Patrick's legs??!!)

Daytona Beach Weekend

2008-06-09T17:40:00.008-04:00

Andy thought it would be fun to go to the east coast for a weekend. We stayed at Perry's (like Uncle Perry!) Resort. Too bad for Perry, it was far from the nicest place I've ever stayed. It very much reminded me of high school spring break trips.

We just played on the beach and in the pool. On Saturday, Andy and Canyon went to see Kungfu Panda and also got to see flame throwers and some fireworks. Mommy stayed in the room with sleepy babies... (we had to separate them with a pillow to keep Carter from bothering Conner)

Here are some of my favorites...

Chasing a bird...

Notice the baby screaming in this one...

I'm definitely noticing that Carter is the daredevil of the twins. Conner was right next to Andy and I the entire time, but Carter would take off running out in the water. UGH!!!

Carter's First Swim Lesson

2008-06-09T17:30:00.002-04:00

On June 6, Carter had his first swimming lesson at the YMCA. We got there at 8:45-ish thinking it started at 9am and went ahead and got in the pool. By ten after 9, there was no sign of a class starting, so I began investigating. Yep, typical Constance, we got there an hour and a half early. Anyways, my point is that by the time it was time for his class, he was exhausted already. But he did pretty good. He didn't blow bubbles in the water, but hopefully he'll figure it out soon. Canyon starts his swimming lessons on June 10, so I'll let you know how he does! Poor Conner doesn't go until July since I can only take 1 baby at a time. Here's the only picture...

Wacky Waffle and Water Wednesday!

2008-06-05T09:28:00.004-04:00

This week's wacky Wednesday brought us to The Land of the Dragons at Busch Gardens. This was the first time the babies have been to The Land of the Dragons. They loved it so much more than Jungala. They are really good about staying close to mommy (most of the time -- I still have to stay on my toes). They are finally becoming such big boys!!! We all splashed around for a while, then ate our PB&Js and mommy was ready to go home. Canyon had other plans for us though. He didn't feel complete without riding the train. So a 2-hour Busch trip turned into a 4-hour trip. UGH!!! But it was fun and they all LOVE the train. I think they could stay on it all day (maybe we should try that).

Monkey See, Monkey Do

Until next time...

Today's Drama

2008-06-03T19:14:00.005-04:00

So my SIL and nieces came over to order pizza (Tuesday golf night tradition) and I'm just chatting with her about this and that. Well, babies disappeared for a few minutes and I found them standing in the middle of this...

...you can't really tell, but the water dish was dumped out too, so I had to clean up mushy dog food -- I was not happy. They thought it was Adventure Island the way they were splashing around.

And this is them in the cry spot...

(Carter is the one picking his nose.)

HAVE SOME RICE BROTHER!!!

2008-06-02T21:38:00.004-04:00

Both boys were being very sweet at dinner tonight. Sweet that is -- not NEAT. Carter kept feeding Conner rice and Conner kept eating it from his brother's fork (long enough for me to run get the camera!). The typical Conner would have said NO! and rice would have flown across the room. They have so much fun with each other, when they are not fighting, of course.

And notice their mess, ugh!!! In the meantime, this is what Canyon was busy doing!!! He is what keeps me sane!!!