Out on the Lake

Bennett lounging on the boat.

Carter ready to drive the boat.

April driving the boat (okay, so the boat was anchored and the keys were nowhere near the ignition, but she was happy).

Carter toasts the dragon boats as they row by to the starting line.

I took a long walk with Carter in the stroller and Murphy insisted on joining us. He looks like he is ready for more in this picture. The only problem is this is not our house, the sun came out and it got really hot, we were about 2 miles from our house, and Murphy decided he was done walking.

Happy Birthday April!

April started the day by getting her new bike. [Okay, that present went downhill as soon as we got outside, but she was very happy when she got it. You mean I need to pedal to keep upright, just like on my old bike? WAAAAHHHH!]

April had a special girl's day with Mommy for her birthday. The nail salon was closed so getting her fingernails & toes manicured will need to wait.

Doing artwork while waiting for lunch.

Yes, April LOVES sushi.

April right after getting her ear's pierced.

The pretty girl modeling her new look.

Celebrating with yogurt and various toppings.

Carter eating one of his favorite food groups - CAKE.

Carter in Grandma's arms, who does not believe our outrageous stories about how her newest cute and cuddly grandson likes to pinch, pull, tear, and scratch various body parts on the head.

Hmmm, I still say this thing comes off if you pull hard enough. Maybe if I just try to pull one side of it off and try harder?

Aren't I cute?

5/16/11 - Last day at the beach

Surfer dude in training posing at the base of the lifeguard stand, waiting for the photographer to move further away.

Safety patrol captain spots crazy man climbing the lifeguard stand and runs to the rescue.

You will never catch me! I'm free! I can climb to the top!

Safety patrol captain reaches the lifeguard stand and tries to pull little man back down.

Why can I sleep anywhere during the day but will not go to sleep at night? Because I can!

One last look at the beach from our condo.

Then .... the dreaded drive home ...

We planned to leave the beach in time to be home for dinner. We, ahem, got a late start after we finally cleaned the condo and packed the car.

Yes, the kids all went to the bathroom before we left the condo. Then, before we could get into the car, Bennett decides he needs to poop. Fifteen minutes later, a happier and chatty Bennett decides he is done and we go back to the car.

The rush hour traffic is quickly slowing us down, but at the wrong end of the trip.

A quick stop for gas. Keep in mind before reading further that the kids have not had anything to drink for a while now.

1 hour later, April decides she needs to pee. We pull over to the side of the road for a quick pit stop.

2 hours later, April announces she needs to pee again, NOW. We have delayed dinner long enough for the kids and stop at the first likely fast food place we can stomach. April sprints for the bathroom with Lisa in pursuit. Daddy makes the bad decision to attempt feeding the kids food in the car (not the usual non messy prescreened snacks normally allowed). We later determine that Carter took one bite of each chicken nugget and french fry before sticking them behind his car seat and clamoring for more. April and Bennett did a much better job of putting all of their food into their mouths.

We finally hit our metro area and are on the home stretch. We start to relax. Too soon! April announces she needs to poop, NOW. After managing to sit longer then Bennett's extended stay in the potty, she finally emerges from the Chik-Fil-A bathroom with mommy. As they walk by the order counter, April proudly states to mommy in her usual inside voice (i.e. VERY LOUD) "Mommy, we are not eating dinner here, we already ate at Wendy's!".

Carter falls asleep in the car less then 10 miles from home, but wakes up when we arrive, and then manages to stay awake despite our best efforts for 2 hours after we do get home. April and Bennett attempted to follow his lead in the car, but were read the riot act about how they would WALK from the car to their bedrooms and were NOT going to be carried to their rooms if they fell asleep now.

Ahh, home sweet home.

Catchup - April 2011

Vicious guard dog and attack cat sleeping yet again on the job.

Carter getting ready to run. Daddy has been trying to convince Carter to push him in the jogging stroller for a change ... no luck so far. But he does like Lisa's running shoes!

We are spending a long weekend at Carolina Beach courtesy of a friend who had a last minute cancellation at his beach condo. The kids are having a blast after we endured endless "Are we there yet?'s". Thankfully this is a quicker drive then our usual beach vacation to the NC Outer Banks.

Carter took to the beach quickly and is having a great time. We discovered our 2nd Xuzhou kid also loves eating crab legs and other seafood. Bennett is still passing on crab legs but managed to not run screaming from the table when they were served (thank you again sis for repeatedly telling him to watch out for the crabs when you joined us on his first beach trip!).

Hmmm, needs a little salt or maybe tabasco sauce?

Yoga at the beach.

Shouldn't have had that whole half gallon of milk. I need to cut back on my drinking.

5/14/11

After lunch and running around on the beach, even crazy man needs a rest.

5/14/11

Carter is now liking this!

5/14/11

Not sure about the sand.

5/14/11

4/!24/11

First time on the boat.

4/21/11 Grocery Shopping with "Helpers"

Murphy - a different picture of Conehead

Murphy aka Conehead

After eating a bunch of child motrin and chewing on diapers, plastic, and pearls!, Murphy will now be residing in his crate full time when we are not home. He goes back to the vet for a full day of IV fluids tomorrow. The cone is to keep him from gnawing off the bandage on the catheter.

After a hard day

... of shopping, Carter catches some shut eye waiting for the school bus to come.

4/7/11: Various Blurbs

Today we went to a kid's birthday party across the street. April, Bennett, and Carter had a good time. Carter managed to get up the stairs to the slide on the playset while holding his sippy cup and a huge exercise ball. Unfortunately, Carter has not mastered the art of steering clear of swings and managed to walk behind one when his caretakers were not in position. Bennett took Carter out and Carter hit the deck (Bennett was not going too fast and Carter is pretty solid, so no one was hurt). Bennett, being the sensitive soul he is, was atually more upset about it then Carter, who would soon get down from Lisa's arms to run around some more. Sensing opportunity, April came running over and asked Lisa if she could use Bennett's swing since he was not using it any more. Unfortunately, April's timing was bad and she did not wait until Lisa had checked out Carter. Result - "Umm, NO!".

Meanwhile, Carter did manage to eat pizza. Carter also made it quite clear to his assistant at dinner that both slices of pizza on the plate were his - he was not buying the 1 slice for Carter, 1 slice for Daddy argument.

Carter quickly determined that Bennett's noodles looked much more interesting. Bennett was more interested in playing and let Carter eat half of them.

Carter then hit the JACKPOT. CAKE? Did I hear Cake? I LIKE cake! After I finally convinced Carter to leave his bib on and come inside to eat some birthday cake, Carter realized what was going on and got a big grin on his face. After the first bite he decided this cake was GOOD! In between bites he would grin madly and clap his hands.

Carter took his usual 1.5 + hours to calm down and go to sleep after we put April & Bennett to bed. We have tried napping and skipping naps, more exercise, baths, showers, lotion, classical music, and begging. So far, no dice. He is not angry or crying - he just does not want to go to sleep. He wants to play. So far it looks like making him pout after you take away the sippy cup (for hitting you) or scold him (for biting you) seems to be the best way to get him to calm down and fall asleep. He is obviously overtired.

Carter usually wakes up very happy. Today he kept running back and forth between Mommy and Daddy to get picked up and hugged. Breakfast is early on school days and Carter is able to deal with this. Carter is quick to grab his bib and climb into his booster seat when we have April & Bennett sit down for breakfast and other meals.

He went to a new park with mommy where his favorite toy was the bouncy platform with seats on it. Last night at the school playground he astounded us by climbing up the metal bars (picture the outside of a sphere with widely spaced bars). Granted, we quickly spotted him and were ready when he slipped occasionally, but this kid is fast.

He has learned to be careful on the stairs in our house and holds the banister legs when he comes down the steps.

Even though he is still in a diaper, Carter knows what a toilet is for. Not sure if he picked this up before he met us or from watching us and the other kids, but he will pee on demand if lift him over the toilet after removing his old diaper (when you are changing him).

Carter loves to throw things away and will take anything you hand him to the trash can. He understands when you tell him to pick up his toys and will help you clean up. [We know this was not a trait he picked up from his mommy!]

4/3/11 Happy Camper Eating

4/2/11: Carter's First Time Driving

Self powered car - no gasoline or electric engine for this kid ... yet.

Carter found it a bit hard to steer holding his constant companions (sippy cup & treat bowl) until he located the trunk. If you look closely you can see them in the trunk.

Carter continues to show he is all boy and a true 2 year old. He headed right for the street and returns there when you turn your back.

April has been out of sorts all day. Bennett is loving the big brother role but April is a bit put out by all the attention and focus on Carter. Our friend Jay pegged April with this observation before we left for China - "Hi. But enough about you, let's talk about me." Despite not being the center of attention, our princess has been managing to get by and still have a good time.

4/1/11 - Murphy, Salad, & Swings

Murphy celebrated everyone being home by taking a nap during the day.

Despite LOVING cucumbers and tomatoes, Carter did find the first food item we provided that was not awesome. Evidently iceberg lettuce is just "okay".

Taking a break from bonking us on the head with his sippy cup when it needed refilling, bonking us on the head with his treat bowl when it ran out of Cheerios, and handing us his bib to indicate it was feeding time again, Carter joined us for his first trip to our local park around the corner. Note Carter did bring his sippy cup (pacifier) and treat bowl to the park and held on to them for the whole trip.

Rewind - 3/22/11 Pictures: Lunch w/Ann

In the middle of our shopping expedition on 3/22/11 with Ann, she asked if we would mind taking a break for lunch. We eagerly accepted and soon enjoyed a great lunch of Dim Sum in a place we would never have attempted (or found) without Ann.