Angiogram/Grandma's 2nd Visit

I know, I know...I'm behind again! What's new? I've been insanely busy lately but will talk more about what's been going on in my next post.

Shortly after my last blog post I had my angiogram. It went well and they found that nothing had changed since the last one...I still have a 100% blockage in one of my arteries but it's not actually a big deal and nothing they want to fix (the issue comes at the point that your artery becomes 100% blocked, but after that happens there's no more risk for a heart attack). We're still playing around with medication, but I'm pretty healthy overall!

My mom came out since I couldn't lift over 10 pounds for a week (ie. both my boys!). She'd only been gone for a week and flew out for a 2nd time. She was a big help taking care of the kids and they loved playing with grandma! Naturally, she had to take lots of pictures so here are her pictures from that trip and her 1st trip a week earlier.

Trying on Grandma's glasses

Grandma got Carter some cool outdoor toys! He loved them.

Carter is bothered when his hands are dirty!

Every time Grandma would take out the camera Carter would want to play with it! Hence the many pictures with him like this or pointing...

Carter's favorite books are ABC's and Oh the Thinks you can Think both by Dr. Seuss. I have both books memorized.

How can you resist that face???

With Carter, most everything turns into a hat.

One of the last days (when I could officially lift kids again) we went to the Children's Museum in Everett. Carter had a blast and Landon loved being out, too!

All dressed up and on stage

Carter was OBSESSED with the cash register!

He didn't like the barber's chair...he doesn't like getting his hair cut!

These are the coolest things! They're magnetic gears that you can arrange together so you spin one and they all spin. I want some for our fridge!

Driving the bus

Milking a cow

Driving the tractor

Water play

All Carter's dreams came true when he found the keyboard. It took much coaxing to get him away from it...1/2 an hour or so later!

I think Carter was confused by the fake food. He kept trying to eat it! No wonder he gets sick all the time!!!

Playing with the stage lights

Tickle time!

He thinks nuzzles are so funny!

See, Grandma really was there! She's just behind the camera most of the time :)

Jabbering Landon

Ok, Dad, I got the hint...but I simply don't have time to do a complete blog post for now! So here is a video to keep you satisfied for the time being:

Mice and Dadu's

Wow a LOT has been happening with our family the last few weeks! I'll try and keep each brief...in no particular order, here's what's been going on:

-We had a mouse living in our car...seriously sick. I realized later I'd drank from a water bottle that it had chewed a hole through. Sick sick.

-Landon started grabbing onto toys and eating rice cereal

-We went on a weekend trip to Vancouver away from the kids! My mom came out to watch them while we went away...we had the best time! Ate a lot of good food, slept in, went to an improv show, walked around Granville Island, and enjoyed our time as a couple. I brought back some important Canadian treasures...like Mr. Big Bars, Fudgee-o's, and Kinder Surprises :) Oh Canada, how I've missed you!!

-Carter became obsessed with "dadu"'s...Carter speak for garage doors. I don't know that I can even convey the depth of the obsession. He LOVES to open and shut them...and this is not just a like, as I said. It's a serious obsession. We go to other people's houses, he tries to open their garages. He talks about them in the morning while laying in his crib (I hear it over the monitor). All morning he says "DADU". SERIOUSLY obsessed.

-We all got the stomach flu...I've never been so sick in my life, and that's saying something if you know about our Bass Lake adventure and going to the hospital last August

-Carter has become SUCH a loverboy. We went to the play place at the mall the other day and he went around giving the other kids hugs! They in turn were terrified...or mad. One kid shoved him in the forehead! I've since become severely scared of sending him to school and having kids be mean to him. Even today when my visiting teachers came over he tried to hold one of their little boy's hand! He's such a sweet boy.

-I found out I am having yet ANOTHER surgery this week. Wednesday to be precise. This will be angiogram #16, heart surgery #18. We found out the day after my mom flew home last week. She's turning around and coming back to help take care of the boys as I won't be able to lift over 10 pounds for a week.

-I was given a 2nd calling...cubmaster!! I'm terrified!!!!! I have no idea what that entails and I'm...terrified.

-I bought a NOOK. I'm loving it!

-Tyler's been busy working...and killing the mouse living in our car

-I hate Obama-care. Our health insurance stinks even worse now! That's not something particular that's going on recently, just a complaint I currently wanted to get off my chest.

-Landon has decided he won't sleep unless he's in his car seat, and still gets up 4-5 times a night. Did I mention I started taking Ambien? I'm pretty sure I would get NO sleep otherwise. I'm loving it :)

-I now belong to 2 book clubs! Between those and my manuscripts for work, I'm not keeping up on my reading...but wishfully thinking I can do it.

Here's first a video, and then a few pictures from the past few weeks! Our boys are getting BIG.

Landon's new exersaucer!

Landon's first taste of solid food...rice cereal time!

He was not too sure about it

Mmmm...

One rare situation...Landon just fell asleep! I wish that would happen more often :)

Aww isn't he cute??

Carter thinks we got the exersaucer for him

Look at his ear...that's right, that's a piece of cotton! He found it and immediately stuck it in his ear...then walked around with it like that. And when it would fall out he'd just put it back in. Funny boy!

Videos

I realized recently that I haven't taken any videos of the kids in a LONG time! So here's a few from the other day (it happened to be Valentine's Day and Tyler's birthday--we took videos while he slept in!).

Carter LOVES to dance!! Every time music comes on he starts jamming...especially when it's Sesame Street!

Carter doesn't speak very much, and I didn't even get all the words he says, but here are a few

Our sweet little Landon

A little brotherly love

Tyler's Birthday/Valentine's Day

I'm pretty sure both of our last birthdays have been cursed! On my birthday in October I was in the hospital with a uterine infection. On Tyler's birthday this year he was super sick with a cold...so sick that he stayed home from work (he almost ALWAYS works even when he's sick). To add to it, all the rest of us were sick too! It was a tad miserable. However, we still celebrated his 29th birthday--last in his 20's!!!-- as best we could. I made his annual red velvet cake and gave him a voucher to get himself a new state-of-the-art BBQ--there's no way I was going to risk picking one out for him! In return, Tyler told me that for my Valentine's Day gift we were going to go on a little weekend trip! He won't tell me where we're going, but later this month we're flying my mom out to watch the boys and getting out of here!! We're both really excited...more for the idea of being able to sleep through an entire night than anything else. I'm lucky to have a husband that remembers me on his birthday as well :) Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures of us on his birthday...our camera tends to be all about the boys anymore! Here's a few pictures to enjoy:

Carter and his Boo Bear. He LOVES this bear (extra thanks to my grandma and grandpa for getting it for him!!) and we've recently started letting him sleep with it which has drastically helped him sleep at night in the new place!

Our little Boogie

Can you see the myriad of bubbles?? He's started grinning like this...so funny.

He sits in his Bumbo like it's his throne

Moving Day

A couple months ago we decided our apartment was WAY too small and since our lease was ending, we started looking around for a new place. We were so lucky to find a nice three bedroom duplex up in Lynnwood (about an hour north of where we were living) in our price range! Toward the end of January we packed up and moved. We're so excited to be in a bigger place with a 2-car garage and a fenced-in yard for the boys. We all love it here! Since we've got a 3rd bedroom, there's more room for you all to come visit us, too!! There's still some unpacking to be done, and we're discovering it's a lot harder to unpack with the boys, but this move was definitely worth all the work. We're meeting a lot of people in our new ward but are still glad that we're not too far away from all our other friends...I still go down there several times a month for girls' nights, book club, etc. It's been a great move for our family so far!

Still at the old place

Going in for kisses

Carter loved all the boxes that were out while we were packing up! He had so much fun playing in them.

I kept closing him up in the box and telling him we had to pack him, too! He thought that was so funny and loved breaking out.

Playing in the new kitchen! Carter LOVED taking everything out of the cupboards before we got the new gate up.

Loves for brother

Carter thought I was funny in my apron, so I let him wear it for a little while. He's not exactly sous chef material yet, but he likes to think he is!

Seriously?? Is he not the cutest baby EVER????

Our new home! We live on the left side of the duplex. Our poor neighbors probably never knew what they were getting into! Our boys are soooo loud day and night.