san francisco weekend

We just had a fabulous weekend in beautiful San Francisco and Wine Country. We went with my extended family for a wedding of our friend, Aaron. But, on our first day there, we checked out many of the sights of San Francisco!

 Dad, Mom, Terry, Paula, Jerry and I... before we boarded for our bay cruise

 looking out towards Alcatraz... see how foggy it is?

 leaving Pier 39

 Alcatraz

 this is the MOST we could ever see of the Golden Gate Bridge due to the fog!

 Alcatraz up close :)

 it was sooooo windy on the boat!

 the Oakland Bridge

 me, Paula, and Mom with downtown SF in the background

checking out the Pier 39 sea lions... they were so cute! more up close pics to come ;)

first day of 1st grade

Today was Grayson's first day as a 1st grader!! He was up bright and early, dressed himself, and was ready to go. Today was just a half day for all the students, and then tomorrow is the real deal... a full day. I think that will be a tough transition after half day kindergarten. We'll see...

 Carter and his monkey joined Grayson on the front porch

 with his teacher, Mrs. White

 at his desk... he was SO GLAD they have desks this year... not tables like they had in kindergarten...

 their room is totally decked out in animals... their lunch magnets are little tigers... very cute!

Grayson and his good buddy, Brinklee. They are so glad to be in the same class!!

this one's about the big boy bed

I was taking a shower the other morning, when Grayson came running in our room. "Mom!" he shouted, "Carter can now climb in AND out of his crib. And he's doing it right now!" (As I went in to see for myself, Carter was hanging off the side of his bed, looking like a monkey that might fall right on his head.)

And, that is how and why we decided that it was officially time to be done with the crib, and transition to the big boy bed.

 Getting ready to make the switch -- he was so excited!

 Grayson supervises from the corner

 Jerry gets the bed ready... with three little helpers

 Zoe looking peaceful

The finished product! We're happy to say that he's stayed in his bed the past two nights. Yay for a successful transition :)

Jerry's 10 year PT class reunion

It's hard to believe that ten years ago, Jerry graduated from WSU with his Master's in Physical Therapy. His class got together to celebrate and have a little reunion!

 l to r: Heather, Mark, Sherri, Melissa, Denice, Jennifer, Jerry, Carrie, Jenny

 Jerry has been really, really lucky lately. He has been winning crazy things like a flat screen TV at a baseball game and a marathon shirt at a running store that just opened. Well, at the reunion, Jerry won a hat, and both the boys won t-shirts. Crazy! :)

Heading out from the reunion, on the WSU campus. The boys loved the bounce-house and all the food, and it was fun to catch up with lots of Jerry's classmates!

rock river rapids

Jerry took the afternoon off yesterday, and the four of us headed to Rock River Rapids! We needed a little waterpark action before school starts in about a week and a half. It was nice and hot, but not windy, and we stayed for about 3 hours. Perfect... since they don't open until 12:30pm and that's right in the middle of Carter's naptime. What a fun afternoon together!

 this is jerry going down the steepest slide!

 and jerry afterwards! i think it provided a nice water enema...

the boys with their lifejackets for riding on the lazy river... they had been watching jerry go down the slide, and grayson was in charge of jerry's prized red socks hat...

"Use Me Here"

by Everybodyduck

Use me here, where I am
I'm not gonna pray anymore that You'll change your plans
Despite my fear, I place my life in Your hands
the future can wait, tomorrow might be too late,
So Jesus use me here
I lay my heart's desires at Your feet, oh Lord
Take all the plans I've made and all my dreams
Blinded by triumphs of tomorrow I've let sin control today
So many drowning within reach, Father it's time
You heard me say...

I tell myself I want to know Your will, oh Lord
Still I confess I've had plans of my own
But from now on I plan to listen to Your will and to obey
No matter what the future holds I'm gonna live for You today

a few Carter-isms...

At 2 1/2, Carter says some funny things. He either talks up a storm or doesn't say a word... kinda depending on his mood. I know that I have to write these things down, otherwise I'll forget what he was like at this age! :)

First and foremost, Grayson is "Yay-Yay" in Carter's language. So cute. We all love Yay-Yay.

Other fun things Carter says:

"Mommy, hold me." (a lot!)

I'll say, "I love you!" And Carter will reply, "Love me, Mom. Love ME!"

My friend, Sarah, has a darling blog and her daughter Grace is the same age as Carter. He loves looking at pics of Grace. "Gace on, Mom? Gace on?" he will ask when I sit down to look at blogs.

Carter's all-time favorite song is "Holy Holy Holy." Loves it. We have to sing it to him at bedtime... or else. :) He knows the first two lines... Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty... and that's about it!

He loves to pour in the detergent when I start the washing machine; he wants to get in the car all by himself AND buckle himself in; he is going to really miss Grayson when he's at school all day; loves to drink out of my cup (oh dear! -- his diet Coke passion is beginning early); he is fearless at the pool, jumping in and frequently putting his head all the way under water; loves to ride his big wheels in the driveway, but always puts his helmet on first; he has just figured out talking on the phone, and says "Hello" really loudly when answering; another new word is "NOW" -- his patience is not at an all-time high right now. ;)

So, that's Carter in a nutshell, at 2 1/2. He can be a handful, but a pretty sweet handful!

we {heart} steamboat springs

We had a blast this past week in Steamboat.

Loved every minute of it.

Was one of those vacations where you blink and it's time to leave.

 Can't wait to go back!!

Here are some of my favorite pics from our wonderful week!

 eating dinner outside at sweetwater grill -- right next to the yampa river

 the boys with their sled...about to go down the alpine slide

 spinning their t-shirts

 grayson getting ready to do the bungee sling shot -- the background is gorgeous!

 jerry ran/hiked to the very top of the steamboat mountain, then ran back down. all in about 2 hours one morning. he amazes me!

 the view of steamboat from a bridge over the yampa -- everything is soooo green!

the view from the deck of our condo... loved loved loved it!