Merry Christmas!

We wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! It is such a busy time of year for everyone and know that it is important to take a step back and remember what this time of year really is about!We hope you enjoy your time with loved ones and know that we are very blessed.

We have so much to catch up on and promise updates soon!

We wish you love, joy and peace this holiday season.

The Gorsh's

November

We are already almost half way done with this month and next week is Thanksgiving! Hard to believe! We continue to be very busy in our household so the weeks just keep flying. Hard to believe at the end of this month we have already been here 4 months.

Carter started swimming lessons at the YMCA a couple of weeks ago and loves it! It is a class for 2 and 3 year olds. Jordan and I have both taken turns doing the class with him and it is so much fun to watch him as well. He is really good at swimming on his belly (of course with our help) he kicks his legs, moves his arms and even puts his face in the water. He is not as comfortable on his back and that is what we will be working on. He is good at jumping into the pool (us catching him :) and LOVES going all the way underwater. At the end of class they let the kids play in the kiddie pool for 15 minutes and Carter just goes up and down the little frog slide they have over and over again. They even turned on the big slide last weekend and I took him down and it was really fast and he kept saying "again, again".

Carter continues to be a sponge. Repeating everything we say and always asking what something is or what was that noise. He has picked up the words "that's cool" and "awesome" and it pretty funny when he uses them. He also really enjoys singing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star and hearing his little voice is probably the sweetest thing I have ever heard. We contiue to work on counting with him and he can count 1 -10 but not exactly in that order but that is ok. He also knows red, green and blue and can identify each color.

I also ask that you keep Jordan's grandpa in your prayers as he had a massive stroke last week.

We are looking forward to my brother being in town next week as well as a trip to Des Moines next Saturday to spend time with the Gorsh side.

We wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving and know that we have SO much to be thankful for!

I also updated the below post with Halloween pictures so make sure to check them out!

Halloween Pictures

I know it is a couple weeks late to post pictures from Halloween but we just found the camera cord. Better late than never!

Carter was a pirate for Halloween this year and I must say was a very cute pirate. Sunday night (October 30) was trick-or-treat in Davenport so we went with the Petersen family and made our rounds to grandparents, great-great parents and aunt and uncles houses. Carter didn't quite understand the concept at first but by the second house he held his bag out and said "trick-or-treat" and when the candy was put into his bag he said "thank you".

Monday night (October 31) we went over to the Petersen's and went trick-or-treating in their neighborhood. Carter had the hang of it and was running as fast as he could to keep up with his cousins. It was so fun to watch the kids. We brought over chili and Mollie made up some sides and we had a nice dinner.

I have a feeling next year is going to be a lot different than this year. Carter doesn't know what candy is now but I am sure he will next year!

October Catch Up

I haven't been the best at keeping the blog updated since we have moved back to Iowa... but maybe I don't even need the blog anymore now that we live within minutes of family and friends? We have so much going on and have been really busy it is hard to find time.

Carter's 2nd birthday party was a success! We had beautiful weather and a great turn out. He is one spoiled little boy! We had Carter's 2 year wellness appointment and everything looks good. He is still a little peanut on the weight side 26.4 lbs (19%) and for height is is 34 1/2 inches (80%). The pediatrician was very impressed with Carter's knowledge of identifying animals, sounds and over all language of being able to use sentences of 5 or more words together. We are really working on colors, counting and letters right now. We have been fighting a couple of colds and ear infections but that is normal for this time of year.

Carter and I have been enjoying our time together and he has been enjoying going to his daycare 2 days a week. We purchased a membership to the children's museum last week and know that this is going to come in handy once the weather is cold. We enjoyed time at the pumpkin patch a couple of weeks ago. As well as a trip to Monkey Joe's with the girls.

Carter is growing up so fast and is really a sponge right now. Everything you say he repeats and he is always asking what things are and pointing to everything. He is on the go non-stop and makes me exhausted. We spend most of our mornings at the park or hanging out with aunt Mollie and her daycare kids and Carter an I have been enjoying long runs at night.

Carter also has been challenging us with climbing out of his crib. He started this about 2 weeks ago. We put him to bed for the night and Jordan and I were relaxing downstairs and all of a sudden Carter was standing at the top of the landing saying "mama". I went upstairs and put him right back in the crib and after repeating this twice he fell asleep. The same thing happened the next night and I repeated just not saying anything to him and putting him right back in the crib and it worked. We are finding when we miss his window for bedtime is when he climbs out of his crib so we started his bedtime routine about 20 minutes earlier and he has not climbed out of the crib in 1 week. This is just hard for me as a mom because it means that he is growing up and we are going to have to move him into a "big boy bed" sooner than planned.

Jordan and were able to go to Iowa City last weekend for the game and had a great time hanging out with friends and being in Iowa City. We haven't been to IC in 3 years and we are excited that we will be able to go to a lot more games now that we are back! We also closed on our home in MN last month so Jordan and I are SO happy and relieved to have the house sold and have that stress gone! We just started house hunting and know that it is going to probably be a long process considering how picky we are and making sure we buy the right house. We are looking in 3 different areas in the QCA and hope to be closing on something in early Spring.

I have been interviewing and searching for the right job for me and I am actually hoping for some good news this week. So please say a prayer that I receive this job offer because it is finally something I am interested in and want to accept! More details on the job/company if and when I receive the opportunity. But I am really going to miss staying home with Carter and feel so blessed that we are in a position that I am able to stay home with him and not rush into a job. Thanks to my wonderful and supportive husband for making this happen! Jordan's job is going good and he is traveling a lot but liking it and learning a lot

Other than that we are all really good! Lots of exciting things going on with us and our families.

Of course with the move we have not been able to locate the camera and video cord to upload pictures... (they are somewhere in the 100 boxes in the basement). So I am not able to share all the pictures from Carter's birthday, pumpkin patch etc. Till we find them pictures from my phone will have to do.

We hope everyone is doing well!

Happy 2nd Birthday Carter!

Can you believe Carter Thomas is 2 years old today or should I say officially be 2 at 1:57PM. I cannot believe how fast the past 2 years have gone (some days were longer than others :)I must admit I am taking him turning 2 much harder than him turning 1... not sure why? Jordan and I are so thankful that we were blessed with such a unique little guy as our son. He has changed our lives for the better and we look forward to watching him grow up!

Carter and I will be hanging out today with aunt Mollie and her daycare kids and maybe have a special birthday lunch. When Jordan get's home from work we are going to head out to my parents house for a little birthday celebration. But Saturday is the BIG celebration!

We are finalizing all of the last details for Carter's birthday party on Saturday (cross your fingers for nice weather). Which is why this is such a short post. We will post more next week of plenty of pictures from the party and details on Carter.

Happy birthday Carter!

Mom & dad love you!

Changes, Changes, & More Changes!

As you can tell we have been extremely busy in our house and have LOTS of updates. In June Jordan had an unexpected job opportunity come his way with RSC Equipment Rental the company he worked for, for 6 1/2 years and left last August. Not only was the opportunity more of the direction he was looking for career wise but it was in the Quad Cities! With a lot of late night talks and putting our faith in God. We decided this was a once in a lifetime opportunity and moved back to the Quad Cities at the end of July.

It has been a crazy roller coaster and the ride will continue for a couple more weeks but we couldn't be happier living minutes away from family now instead of hours. We are slowly adjusting to being back here but know that this was the best decision we could of made for Carter and our family.

Jordan has been traveling a lot and settling into his new role but is really excited and doing well. I have been enjoying being a SAHM (stay at home mom) but am really putting my focus on getting a job over the next couple of weeks. I enjoy my time with my little man but also really enjoy working. So if you know of any companies in the QCA looking to hire email me.

We are in process of planning the final details of Carter's 2nd birthday (can you believe it) and just had a fantastic weekend of our friends wedding Tim and Shannon Matthys (congrats).

Carter is 2 weeks away from being 2 and has been AMAZING with adjusting to the move and new place we are living at. He has been loving seeing his cousins (pretty much everyday). He is talking so much and using sentences and just being the sweetest little boy. We have been dealing with all 4 of his 2 year molars coming in and Carter has been a tough guy. We are pretty sure they are done giving him problems. Next post I promise details on Carter...

Congratulations are in order to the Wren family on the birth of their daughter Briana Catherine on 8/3/11. I also want to say congrats to my sister and her husband on the exciting news of baby #4 due 2/17/12. I have several other friends and family who are also expecting in 2012. 2012 appears to be the year of babies!!!

The pictures are from a family photo sessions a couple of weeks ago!

Take care.

21 Months and a Trip to the Zoo!

This past weekend aunt Brenda came to MN for a visit. She stayed with her friend Roxie Thursday and Friday night and spent the majority of Saturday and Saturday night with us. We hung out around the house and caught up while Carter took his nap and when he woke up we headed to the MN Zoo which is in Apple Valley (just about a 10 minute drive from our house). It was the perfect day to go to the zoo not too hot & not cold.

In the almost 5 years that Jordan and I have lived here we have never gone to the zoo and are kind of mad at ourselves for never going and especially not ever taking the Petersen family when they have been in town. The first animals we came upon were the monkeys and boy were they cute! We had to take Carter out of the stroller so he could see them (big mistake because then he did not want to go back in). We watched the monkeys for a couple of minutes and decided to heard over to the farm area. We felt that Carter would enjoy this the most as he would be able to be up close and personal with the goats, pigs, horses, bunnies, chicks, and sheep. On our walk we came across the bear exhibit and that was so fun to watch as one of the bears was in the water swimming right up to the glass that we were touching. We checked out the prairie dogs on the way to the barn too and Carter loved those.

We took a brief tractor ride over to the barn. This was great because tractor is one of Carter’s favorite words right now so it was fun to see his reaction when the tractor was pulling us. When we arrived at the farm we went over and feed the goats (I was very nervous about this and Jordan and Brenda got a kick out of making fun of me being so scared of the goats). It was fun to see how excited Carter was. We also checked out the other farm animals. They had a couple of bunnies in cages and Carter really liked this is was right up on the cage yelling bunny and talking to them. I think he enjoyed it because we have several rabbits that frequent our yard and they of course don’t let you come anywhere near them . We stared working our way back and checked out the lions and cheetahs, and the bears again. We even were able to see some of the underwater exhibits but were disappointed because the dolphins were put away for the day. Carter had a blast and I know we all did watching Carter have so much fun.

Carter’s new thing this week is telling us the sounds that different animals make (can we say ADORABLE). He knows the correct sounds for the following: dog, cat, cow, pig, monkey, and lion. He also loves pointing out airplanes when we are on our walks and can actually say the word ‘airplane’ perfect. He will hear the airplane first and say airplane, airplane and point up to the sky,

We are headed back to Davenport this weekend for my parents housewarming party and are looking forward to seeing Rich and Jenn who will be in town from Florida as well as celebrating Father’s day!

Enjoy the pictures!

5 Years of Marriage and 20 1/2 Months

It looks like things are not slowing down anytime soon in our house. We just had another jammed packed weekend and looking ahead in the month of June it is not slowing down and July and August look crazy too!

Jordan and I celebrated 5 years of marriage on May 27th and we were back in Davenport. We had an AMAZING night and weekend. We started the day off by having a 90 minute couples massage at spa Luce in the Blackhawk Hotel. After the massages we checked into our room at the Blackhawk and when we walked in I was surprised with 24 red roses and a bottle of champagne and jewelry! I am a spoiled girl. We had a romantic dinner at Woodfire and decided to met our good friends Cara and Jim at the martini/bowling alley bar at the Blackhawk (which was awesome) we went on to have a fun filled night with the VanAckers. Thanks for babysitting mom and dad.

Saturday we recovered and hung out at my parents BEAUTIFUL new house. It has been a major renovation and the final outcome is amazing. My mom should have been an interior designer they did not skimp on anything. We are looking forward to hanging and making many new memories at their new home. We went to dinner with the Endo’s Saturday night and met up with other friends afterwards for drinks.

Sunday we had a get together with family at the Petersen house and celebrated our anniversary, Mollie and Karl’s 7th, and Brenda and Dave’s 3rd anniversary. Carter of course had a blast hanging out with his cousins and can say – KK, Mymy, and Lil. Overall, it was a great weekend. We are looking forward to being back next weekend for my parents housewarming party! Plus Jenn and Rich will be in town.

Carter had his last swimming lesson this past weekend and we most likely will sign him up for more lessons this Fall. We are just too busy this Summer and I know we will be going to the pool when we can. Carter continues to pick up new words on a daily basis. He is really good at repeating words. His new fav is ‘ready, set, go’. He also can count to 3 (it’s a start right) and we work every day with him on his ABC’s and reading to him. On the way to daycare we drive by cows and horses (I swear we don’t live in the country) and I point them out to him and he says moo and horse. He also likes to point to the sky and say airplane. His favorite movie is Cars and he really is obsessed… he will say McQueen, McQueen (main character in the movie) and he will grab your hand and pull you downstairs and say movie, movie. He really is a smart little guy. We were very impressed with his memory too. As when we were back in Davenport he ran over to a closet at my sister’s house where she keeps the toy vacuum and when he ran over to the door he said vacuum , vacuum. When he was at Grandpa and Grandma Mary’s house he ran over to where they keep their cats food and wanted to feed the cat. ADORABLE.

We were not good at taking pictures and need to start getting better at that! I promise pictrues of the cousins and Carter next time take care!

20 Months

Things have been super busy in our house the past couple of weeks and we are jam packed this weekend. For some reason I decided to have a garage sale with several of my neighbors and it was suggested that it be held at our house since we live on the corner. Boy has it been a ton of work. Wish us luck this weekend with the sale and keep your fingers crossed the rain holds out.

Carter has been continuing to love swimming lessons every Saturday and we only 3 more classes left. His black eye has recovered but boy did it take awhile. He really is all boy and is constantly climbing and trying try new things. His new thing is unbuckling his seatbelt in his car seat which is not good at all and we have no idea where he learned how to do this. We have had great weather since Sunday and have spent our evenings going on walks and playing in the yard.

Carter continues to be picking up words at a very fast pace and not only are we impressed but Janet (our daycare provider) as well as several of our friends who have kids have all told us how well Carter talks and recognizes things for his age. Of course we are biased but it really is a great compliment to hear from other non-family members how wonderful your son his. One of his new words is HAWKEYE and boy his is daddy proud! His other new thing is walking over to the fridge and saying ‘milk please’. Such a smart little boy!

Sorry for the short post but as you can see we are busy! We are super excited to be going back to Davenport next weekend for Memorial Day as well as celebrating 5 years of marriage next Friday (I can’t believe we have been married for 5 years and together for 9)! Where does the time go!

Please dis-regard the girl items in the pictures as all of the mom’s in the garage sale have girls so Carter is out numbered

Have a safe holiday weekend next week!

We have a Bruiser!

Last Saturday Carter received his first (and probably not the last) black eye! He was standing on his Little Tikes chair (he knows he is not suppose to do this) he slipped and did a face plant into the plastic table. Of course mom was not home when this happened :) Jordan said he didn’t even cry for 30 seconds and that he was under the impression he was going to have a bruise on his check and even tried to ice it but Carter wanted nothing to do with it and went on playing.

The next morning not only did Carter have a black eye (neither of us were expecting this) but he had a SWOLLEN black eye and side of his check. I was more upset than him. Monday it was every color you can imagine (green, yellow, blue, and black) and by Wednesday the swelling is gone and the color is not as crazy. The pictures don’t do it justice at all but you get the idea.

Don’t mind his snotty nose and dirty face! We have a bruiser on our hands!

Swimming Lessons!

We recently signed Carter up for swimming lessons at the YMCA and he had his first class this past Saturday. He is in the "Sea Lion" class with 5 other children ages 1 to 3. The class meets every Saturday for the next 8 weeks. A parent has to participate in the class with the child and Jordan and I are taking turns every other week. Jordan wanted to participate with Carter in the first class while I watched on the side of the pool waving and taking pictures. I wasn't the only parent doing this, it really looked like a photo shoot was going on that day.

We had taken Carter to the neighborhood pool last Summer and he really enjoyed it and absolutely loves his baths. He swims around and is constantly dunking his head underwater. So lessons seemed like a good idea!

When Jordan and Carter first got in the water Carter was not so sure about what was going on. It was very loud in the pool area, 3 other classes were going on, several other kids were crying and hanging on to their parents for dear life. Carter was hanging on to Jordan and cried a little bit. The teacher did a really good job of easing Carter's fear and brought over a couple of toys to distract him. Within a couple of minutes he relaxed and started having a great time and enjoyed kicking and splashing. The first class they really worked on getting the kids use to the water and making them feel comfortable. They did a couple of activities where they would kick on their stomachs & backs (of course with parents help) and splashing in the air. By the time the class was over Carter did not want to get out of the pool. We found out that you can go a little bit before class and even stay after class as long as you want so we will probably go early next week and let Carter get acclimated with the pool. I know this is something that all of us are really going to enjoy! Since he has tubes in his ears he has to wear a "Ear Bandit" to protect his ears from getting water in them. Doesn't he look so cute!

We also enjoyed a nice weekend with Grandpa Gary and Grandma Mary. Carter was spoiled by the Easter Bunny and is enjoying all of his new gifts. For some reason we don't have any pictures of him opening his gifts or finding his baskets (BAD MOMMY & DADDY). We have been enjoying walks whenever it is nice out and playing outside. Carter continues to pick up new words on weekly sometime daily basis. We really have to watch what we say around him now.

Enjoy the pictures of my two boys! They are the best and I am so lucky to have them in my life!

National Infertility Awareness Week

National Infertility Awareness Week is April 24 to 30. In honor of this important week I would like to define what Infertility is as well as several myths about infertility.

Infertility is a condition that affects about 6 million American couples, or roughly 10 - 15 percent of the reproductive age population. For many couples who are trying to conceive, something can go wrong in one or several of the reproductive processes, causing infertility. Knowing the facts about infertility can help you make informed decisions regarding your reproductive health.

A couple is usually considered infertile if pregnancy has not occurred after one year of unprotected, well-timed intercourse

Infertility is an issue shared by women and men. In approximately 40% of infertile couples the problem can be traced to the female, and in approximately 40% of infertile couples the problem can be traced to the man. In the remaining 20% of infertile couples the problem is either shared by both partners or is "unexplained."

Infertility may be designated as either primary or secondary. Primary infertility is the term used to describe a couple that has never been able to conceive a pregnancy after at least one year of attempting to do so through unprotected intercourse. Secondary infertility is the term used when a couple has conceived previously, but is unable to conceive again, whether or not the first pregnancy resulted in a live or still birth, miscarriage, or termination.

Myth's
1. Most people get pregnant very easily

FACT: Infertility affects 7.3 million people of childbearing age in the United States -- about 10-15 percent of the reproductive-age population, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

2. It's all psychological; People just need to relax and they'll get pregnant.

FACT: Infertility is a medical condition of the reproductive system. Stress can result from struggles with infertility, not cause it.

3. MYTH: Infertility is a woman's problem.

FACT: Approximately 40 percent of infertility is due to female factors, 40 percent is due to male factors. The remaining 20% of cases are either a result of both partners or for unknown reasons.Consequently, both men and women should be evaluated.

Male infertility factors include:

- Azoospermia (no sperm cells are produced) and oligospermia (few sperm cells are produced).

- Malformed sperm cells

- A genetic disease such as cystic fibrosis or a chromosomal abnormality.

Female infertility factors include ;

- Ovulation disorders

- Blocked fallopian tubes, which can occur when a woman has had pelvic inflammatory

disease or endometriosis

- Congenital anomalies involving the structure of the uterus and uterine fibroids



Even though I personally have not experienced infertility it is a very important issue that I hold close to my heart. I have no idea what women and men are actually feeling and going through. But I do know that the stress and grief infertility causes is the same as what a person dealing with cancer or the loss of a family member feels.

18 1/2 Months - Spring is Here (we Hope)

The snow is finally gone from our front yard and neighborhood and after the Winter we had I never thought I would see this day. I hope Spring is finally here and we won't have to deal with snow anymore. We had temps in the mid 50's this past weekend so we took full advantage of spending as much time outside as we could. Carter LOVES being outside we had a hard time getting him to come back in.

We took him to the park right by our house yesterday and as you can see from the pictures he had a blast. We took him to Toys R Us on Saturday and purchased a shopping cart (he loved playing with is cousins) and he also got a Little Tikes Mobile (a little car that has a handle in the back for you to push). Carter loves this new purchase as well and I have a feeling the wheels are going to be worn out by Summer end.

Carter also enjoyed playing with his second cousins Aiden and Avery who were in town this weekend from North Dakota. It was nice to spend time with family and watch the kids have a great time.


Here are some pictures from this past weekend.

Ya Mon! -18 Months

Jordan and I just got back from Jamaica late last Thursday! We had such an amazing time! The company, resort, pool, beach, food, and drink(s) were better than we expected. We almost didn’t even know what to do with ourselves at first because we are not use to so much down time and use to chasing after a busy 1 ½ year old. But we got the hang of it very quickly. We started our day off at the breakfast buffet where we usually had made to order omelets, waffles, pancakes, french toast as well as a endless variety of delicious breakfast items. After that we enjoyed lazy days at the beach & pool sipping on any kind of fruity drink you can imagine (they put rum in everything) as well as endless glasses of Red Stripe. At night we enjoyed many of the restaurants they had at the resort – Japanese, Italian, French, Jamaican, Mexican, and buffet style (food was awesome!). After dinner you would find us sipping on martinis at the lounge & piano bar and we even danced at the night club a couple of nights. The resort was beautiful very high class & recommended by us if you are looking for an adults only 5 star vacation. We even ventured off of the resort for one day and got to experience Ocho Rios – we climbed Dunn River Falls, snorkeled, and enjoyed a boat cruise on the ocean. The weather was perfect in the mid 80’s (not humid at all) and the evenings were in the upper 60’s. It was so nice to reconnect as a couple and spend quality time together. Mollie and Karl are a fantastic couple to go on vacation with we all got along great and hung out everyday together as a foursome. I never doubted that we would have any problems as the four of us like to do a lot of the same things and have fun. Plus we always stay at their house when we are back for visits in IA. We decided we are going to do a tropical trip together every 2 years!

So you must be wondering how Carter handled all of this? He did great! No problems at all. The grandma’s were great about keeping him on schedule and he napped and slept great at night. He adapted well (even with the back & fourth between houses). They said he was a happy little boy & very easy to read as far as what he wants and he ate good too. He enjoyed playing with his cousins and especially bonded with his cousin Myla (Mymy) he even picked up a new couple of words – Mymy, up, & bomp. He was able to go to the park, play outside at Bompa and Grandma Wiebler’s new house, spend time with Aunt Brenda and Uncle Dave. Grandma Mary and Grandpa Gary took Carter to his friend Brody’s 2nd birthday party. We were told that Carter had a great time running around playing with the other kids and especially liked the balloons. Sometimes Carter can be shy when he meets new people so I thought he might be shy but he proved me wrong.

Of course Jordan and I missed Carter so much (at one point I wasn’t even sure I was going to be able to go with the trip) but I sucked it up & knew that I had to do this for myself, Jordan, and Carter. Once we got to the resort I was able to relax. I was proud of myself. I only called home twice. After the first call and after being told he was doing great it eased my mind even more. When we got back on Thursday night Carter was already asleep so the next morning when he woke up it was a moment I will never forget.

Thanks again to The Petersen’s for being such great traveling partners and for all the laughs and good times.

Thanks again to our parents for taking such good care of Carter.

Now it is back to the real world for us…

We also had Carter’s 18 month wellness appointment right before we left and he is doing great. He weighed 22 lbs 14oz and is 32 ½ inches long. He has gained a little over 14lbs since he came into this world (weight wise he is our little peanut) and has grown a little over 12 inches. He is in the 10% for weight and 50% for height. He is wearing 18 month size clothes and is starting to fit into is 18-24 month Gymboree outfits. He seriously is eating all of the time. As soon as I pick him up from Miss Janet’s I give him a snack and usually feed him dinner 30 minutes later. Since Jordan gets home a little later him and I usually eat together and 9 times out of 10 Carter eats again and sometimes has a small snack before bed. If he is hungry he will grab your hand & walk you into the kitchen & say “please” how can you resist that?

The doctor was also very impressed with the amount of words Carter knows (he said typically at this age they expect them to say at least 3 words ) and Carter knows & says well over 15 words. He really is starting to pick up on language – if you say a certain word to him he will repeat it. He still uses “Carter language” but does communicate with us with one to two word sentences. Carter also is getting to that stage where he wants to do things himself – he especially is getting good at using his fork & spoon when eating, he wants to walk to the car holding your hand (instead of you carrying him), he also tries to put his coat & hat on if you tell him it is time to go bye-bye and his other new thing is trying to open doors all by himself.

If you ask Carter where is belly, eye, nose, or ear is at he also points to the correct body part on himself. If he sees me brushing my hair he will go & grab his brush and help me same thing if I am brushing my teeth. He really is at a mimicking stage which is so cute. When we are reading to him we will ask him where certain things are at on the page and he will point to the correct item. Carter also has 16 of his teeth! The only remaining teeth are his 2 year molars which we hope hold off until 2 because poor little guy has had a lot of teething going on over the past couple of months.

As you can see Carter is really learning new things everyday and is really becoming a toddler. He is so interested in his surroundings & truly amazes me every day. From what I have read & heard 18 to 24 months they really start to take off with communicating.

We are looking forward to Spring so we can get the jogging stroller out and get active with Carter. He loves being outside and I know we are looking forward to taking him to the park and pool this Summer.

Hope you enjoy our pictures from paradise!

Congrats to The Wren's

Jordan and I just wanted to say congratulations to our very good friends Tim and Tracy Wren. They let us know a couple of months ago that they were expecting their second child at the begining of August! Most recently they found out that their son Brody is going to have a baby sister!!!! We are so happy for their growing family and know that Brody is going to be a great big brother.

We hope Tracy is feeling good and I know I am looking forward to shopping for a newborn baby girl.

We love you guys!

17 Months

Not a lot new going on with us. We have just been super busy and it doesn't look like we are going to slow down anytime soon. We had another snow storm hit MN yesterday AM and it made for an interesting morning. I think the last I heard we received another 15 inches... (I am SO ready for Jamaica). I am working from home today since we weren't even able to get the driveway cleared till 11:30 and Jordan headed to the office right around noon. The hard part about living on a corner lot is the snow plows, plow all of the snow at the end of the driveway. The snow at the end of the driveway this morning was seriously up to my chest(and remember I am 5'10"). We had to shovel it first because it was too high for the snow blower. The best $900 investment I think we made last Winter.

My parents were up this past weekend for a quick vist and flew out of the Minneapolis airport yesterday headed to Mexico. Luckily they had a 6AM flight and made it out with no problems (the snow didn't start till 10AM). I have a fun day planned with friends this weekend for my birthday and the following weekend my parents are getting back 3/3 and staying a couple of days to help me celebrate my big birthday and my moms too! On my birthday Jordan and I are meeting up with friends for dinner and a night out on the town. We are even going to get a hotel room that night (first night EVER both of us will be away from Carter). But we figured this would be a good test before we leave him for 5 nights in a couple of weeks.

Not much is new with Carter all of his teeth have come in (except for the 2 year molars). He continues to be all over the place and really just a happy guy.

The pictures are from a trip to the MOA & just hanging out at home as well as a picture from the snow fall yesterday & today but the picture really doesn't do it justice. I also included pictures of me with long hair and now my new do... which length do you like better :)

We probably won't get a chance to blog till after our trip. But will have plenty of what is new with us next time. Take care!