July- Summer Travels and Isla turns 1 year old!!

July began with a bang! We traded our two cars in for one mini-van, better known as the "swagger wagon" to Alan. We swore we would never get one...but, it has been a great car for us, and it felt good to be a "one-vehicle" family. We headed out the same day for a long camping trip with Grammy and Grampy throughout northern Michigan in a camper (Oak thought it was so cool to be able to sleep in a bed while we were driving). This was another first for the kids...it was an adventure (no pictures to show), and we had a really fun time exploring Lake Huron (brrrhhh, very cold and rocky, but so beautiful), Mackinaw Island and some new campgrounds! We came home for two days and then headed out on our long road trip to Dallas. Our plan was to drive 6-7 hours a day and camp wherever we landed each afternoon. The kids had already proven they were troopers and loved to camp, so this seemed like a great idea...we forgot to factor in the heat index as it grew hotter as we headed south. Needless to say, we attempted to camp both nights on the way down, but ended up using Dad's "pool and cool" fund to stay in cheap, but clean and cool hotels. Crazy, fun stories to re-tell someday. We enjoyed our stay in Dallas, catching up with our good friends, the Dyers, my aunt and cousin, and all of the Carter Family. We went to a water park, the Dallas Aquarium, Ft Worth Zoo, and Alan attended a school conference...and we all had a blast. On the way home, we hit two new cities for us, Nashville and Louisville (and of course, we took the Slugger Museum tour). It was a great first road trip as a four-some and Alan declared as we arrived home, "this is definitely how we are traveling for the next few summers, let's head west next year." And so, it actually seems we might be going to Colorado for next summer's school conference....Once home, we enjoyed hot summer days and celebrated our sweet Isla turning one year old...she is our treasured girl!! Oak on his first "real train" ride at the Ft Worth ZooOur new "vehicle" when Daddy takes the van. The bike and trailer became very useful for getting groceries and getting us around the 'hood! Most of our small group kids playing after church
Asa hanging out with us for a fun July day

Isla in Nashville...she might end up in this City. She loves music so much that at the slightest beat of any type, she moves and dances...thus, we have instated nightly Carter Dance Parties in our kitchen!!
Carter Fam on White Rock Lake...we showed many of our old stomping grounds to the kids during this trip and had some fun laughs down memory lane. We loved living in Dallas and miss our friends and family there so much!!

A lake in Illinois (can't remember the name) that was our 1st pit stop on the trip down to Dallas. Beautiful lake that "you are not allowed to swim in!" Say what to Michiganders?? Our 2nd pit stop was at Lake Ouachita State Park, Arkansas. A most gorgeous place...but as you can see from our clothes and faces beyond humid and hot...and the lake was so warm that there was no reprieve to be able to sleep. This is Alan moving our tent to a 2nd campsite we thought might be a little cooler...we ended up packing up at midnight and driving to find any available hotel, which was over an hour away...so crazy!!

Naked and sweaty, but having fun:) Carter Ladies at Dallas World Aquarium

Mommy and Oak enjoying the waterfall Cousins watching the sharks

Walking the Stockyards and enjoying some BBQ in Ft Worth Casey Jones Train Museum in Tennessee-Oak loved it!

Louisville Slugger Museum- a childhood dream of Alan's and really cool to see the process. We all got miniature wooden bats!

Maxwell's 3rd Birthday party (they waited for us to get home from our trip-how sweet!)

Small group at the Beach and Bella's 4th Birthday Party

Isla Lynne Carter, July 28- 1 Year Old!! Isn't she beautiful? We are so blessed with our little girl- she is sweet, lovely, fiery, strong-willed, tender, funny, tough, a dancer, a smiler, a snuggler...thank you, Lord, for letting us be a part of her life! Butterfly cupcakes

Yum, yum...mom, I know what I'm doing here, no problems!!

Happy 1st Birthday, Isla Boo-Boo!

June 2010-Summer Begins!

PLAYING CATCH UP SINCE JUNE...will post a month at at time...SORRY!!

June was great fun...as the weather warmed up and our trips to the beach began!! We love getting out to the lake as much as possible during the summer!!

We headed out to Lake Michigan to continue our Father's Day tradition of celebrating with the whole fam on the beach and grilling out...fun, relaxing, quiet...a great way to celebrate Dads!!Isla's 1st Father's Day with her Dad...she's got him completely smitten:) Love that corn, Mom!!

Grammy brought noodles to the beach...forever to be known as "noodle swords" Where's Aunt Libbie? Taking the picture:(

Father's Day weekend was the beginning of Alan's few days off during June...so, we had planned ahead to spend Sunday at the beach with the whole family and then continue up the lakeshore to one of our favorite campgrounds in Muskegon and camp for 2 nights. Isla's first camping experience...both of the kids were in heaven getting to play in sand on the beach, then dirt, leaves, sticks, etc. in the campground. The days were a perfect 75-80 and sunny, and the nights cool in the 60's-perfect to sleep well. It was a great first camping trip of the summer and Isla was a champ!!
How could we need this much stuff for 2 nights of camping??

Oak loved playing ladder ball with Daddy as much as possible

Isla was only crawling, so the amount of dirt and sticks on her little knees bothered her at times...so, she spent quite a bit of time just riding around on our backs:)

Lots of beach play-time! Alan and I are big beach-bums...so, we love that our kids love the beach, too!! Michigan summers are a blast!

Daddy taking some great candids...

During the last week in June, we headed out to a close-by, inland lake and beach on a lazy Saturday afternoon. Daddy got hold of the camera, again, and took some fun pictures...

Normally I wouldn't allow a picture to be posted showing my lower half, but Oak and I were having so much fun "erasing" our names in the sand, it had to be shown:)

We can't get enough of those cute buns...little chunkers:)

March Through May of the Carter Crew

Well, I finally got the pictures off my phone and am able to upload to the computer (wow, its amazing all the time this new technology saved me;)
1) I am posting chronologically beginning in March
2) I will put up as many pictures for each "event" as I would have had I posted these all separately- so get ready for lots of pictures:) (not all great exposure since they were on my phone, sorry:)
3) Once again- I am sorry to those of you who keep up with us through these pics and I have jipped you out of seeing our life over these past 3 months: Isla's growth and change since being a 7 month old to our now very mobile, talkative, wrestling 10 month old:) Oak potty-trained and riding his bike fast "like Dash"- and so very much a gentleman taking care of his mom and sister always-and hilarious in his talkativeness- "almost 3 year old"s sure do pick "it all up". Alan working his buns off and being the best Dad and Husband ever! And me, just trying to keep up and have fun!
Thanks for your grace!! We have had a blessed, busy, fun, crazy, wonderful past three months- thanks for sharing in it with us!

March began with warm days (now, of course we still had bouts of snow and cold through April and May, but we enjoyed being able to start more outside play right away in March) Easter Celebration- We had a neighbor egg hunt on Friday evening (after I had vein sugery all morning:), family time on Easter Sunday morning, and then another fun egg hunt with Grammy, Grampy, Uncle Tim, and Aunt Libbie on Sunday afternoon Spring Break-Quick trip to Chicago (Oh how we love our Chi-town) First swim of the season- warm enough for Michiganders when the sun is out even if the water is still 50 degress coming out of the hose:) Spring Schedule- "Monday Playgrounds" and "Friday Hikes"

Saturday outing to Meijer Gardens with Daddy

Isla's first "taste" and touch of sand Oak "riding" his tricycle alone for the first time- after practicing since last Fall, it finally clicked for him how to pedal on his own- and since then he has been off. No parent handle, no help if he tips over...his own words are "momma, I am a big boy now, I don't need your help." Yep, you guessed it, some tears from momma were shed...I did reply that even big boys need help sometimes- we all do, and that it is okay to ask for it. Of course, the depth of this comment was lost on my two year old:) Where does the time go, literally, where does it go? We are so proud of our ever-growing, ever-changing, amazing son!!

Play Day with Buddy, Asa...digging, bubbles, riding...and ending with a cut up head, sorry Asa:)

Papa and Granna Carter visited in Mid-May for 6 days...and as usual, I forget to take pictures for most of their visit-sorry:). I did catch a few when we went to the zoo and this one with Granna and Isla is beautiful!

A real brown bear- the animals came alive to Oak this year at the zoo, as he has spent most of the last year obsessed with any growling animal, lions, tigers, bears, dragons, monsters, etc.

Too cute in this too big helmet from Grammy

Lazy summer afternoons- its almost mandatory, as soon as naps are over, all the kids file out of their respective houses in their swimsuits and hit one of the backyard pools- and it has been wonderful-since we have been in the 90's for two weeks (too hot for Michigan in May:)

First 2010 trip to Millenium Park Isla officially started crawling at about 8 months and has been off like a shot since then- she loves to walk with our hands now and is trying to move around from furniture to furniture, she loves to wrestle with Daddy and Oak after dinner, she thinks Oak is the funniest person and will laugh at what he does for no reason at all, she is babbling a lot (dada, mamama, ooooo-and of course lots of screeching and growling- her trademarks:), she still has the sweetest smile that lights up the room (and my heart every day:) We are so thankful for this amazing baby girl and the privilege to have her as our daughter!!

Fun family trip to Home Dept on Memorial Day:) Lots of home improvements around here lately- and of course those lead to more fix-ups that we have to get done:)