Race for the Cure 2010

This morning, several friends of mine and I all walked the 5K at Race for the Cure in honor of our friend, Staci, who has recently been diagnosed with breast cancer. We all are/were OTs at Wesley together at one time or another:

me, Debbie, Heather, Staci, Vicki, John

All the girls' shirts say Totally Supported and it's in the shape of the underwire in a bra =)

There were about 9,000 people there for the walk/run and all the festivities. It was a gorgeous route, all through Eastborough, and we were blessed with beautiful weather.

There was PINK everywhere!!
We all wore our bracelets in honor of a sweet friend.

Staci, we're praying for you!!

19 months

Carter will be 19 months old tomorrow and he keeps us on our toes!!

He so much reminds me of Grayson when he was this age, yet he seems even busier...

Maybe because he's trying to keep up with his big brother?

Some fun Carter facts:

• His current vocabulary is pretty small: uh-oh, Mama, hot, Nana, Amen, some random animal noises... but, he does talk most all of the time in his own LOUD gibberish. It's kinda cute, and then it can just wear you out.


• He loves to point, point, point at whatever he wants.


• He nods and shakes his head to answer questions very dramatically. Jerry thinks he looks like a bobble-head. Doesn't help that his head is still in the 100th percentile. :)


• He loves to be outside, to play on playground equipment, slides, swings, climbing on anything and everything.


• He still is most comforted by his white (now turned gray) angel bear. He's had it almost a year now. I finally found two replacements of the exact same bear on amazon, so we can switch them out. It was priceless when he saw the "new" bear -- he smiled so big... he just cracks us up. (The bear looks a little white-trash, but hey, whatever works!)


• He has gotten harder to take out to eat... we've started putting the seatbelt on him in his highchair, as he loves to just stand up in the middle of a meal.


• He can point out a Jayhawk!!

Soccer doubleheader

The first two soccer games of the season were yesterday! Grayson had a ball (no pun intended) and his team went 1-1. At the beginning of the first game, Coach Casey was making sure the boys remembered which goal they were supposed to head towards to score. (G is second from the right.) Afterwards, a little congratulatory pep talk, and the whole team yelled "ELEPHANTS!!"
Below is a video of Grayson's second goal of the season!

(You might mute the music player first before you play the video...)

Saturday mornings at Lowe's

We've started going to the "Build and Grow" activities at Lowe's on Saturday mornings. They have a mostly kid-friendly project every other week, and it always involves hammering and lots of nails.Each kid is given his own Lowe's apron and safety goggles
Today's project was a "pet leash hanger" -- waaaay easier than the school bus I had to help with two weeks ago =)

Carter walks around Lowe's with a hammer... happy as a clam.

Hard work in action...

The finished project! Great job, Grayson!!

A typical morning at our house...

one is making sure that his playset is still in the backyard,

one is making sure that there aren't any rabbits in her yard,

and

one is just copying his big brother and crazy dog.

Well, it wasn't much of a game, but...

we had fun anyway!! We drove up to Lawrence right after lunch, leaving time before the game for hanging out on the hill, eating at one of Dad's friend's tents, shopping on Mass St., and of course, bouncing in the inflatables! Grayson got a work-out!!
I think the boys aren't too sure what to do when they see a cheerleader...

Carter checks out the band as they march down the hill

Mom, Grayson, Carter, and I next to "SuperJay"

now you can see just how BIG SuperJay is =)

Watching the players head on to the field

Dad, Grayson, and Jerry stayed in the bleachers while Mom and I took Carter back to the hill so he could run around. It was a beautiful night!!

So, we said bye to the older boys in the stadium, and...

Carter-crunch was waaay more content to run around freely on the hill!

Here's to a better game next week, 'Hawks!

my 32nd birthday

My birthday was on Tuesday, and it was a great day. =) I can't say that I feel like I'm 32... I still feel like a kid, but I have kids now... hmmm. Kinda random.

Anyway, Grayson went to Kindergarten, and it was Carter's first day back to Kids' Day Out. So, after dropping him off, my mom and I headed out to TJ Maxx and found LOTS of bargains. Woo-hoo!! We picked up Grayson from school and had a yummy lunch at Mediterranean Cafe. Then Grayson and I picked Carter up, went home for Carter's nap, and then we all went to my parents' house for a delicious dinner. Mom made one of my favorites -- Chinese Chicken Salad, and Jerry picked up my favorite dessert -- a DQ ice cream cake! It is nearly impossible to get a good smile from both boys at the same time... some day it WILL happen...
Carter loved bringing the gifts over to me =)

A big shout-out to Mom and Aunt Laura who picked out my newest purse... several of my co-workers have been getting great deals on Coach bags at the Coach outlet stores. Well, of course, there aren't any in KS. The closest one is in Branson, and then there are a few in California, and Mom and Aunt Laura found this one there. Thanks so much -- I love it!!

I admit, I love purses and bags. I also had picked out this darling Vera Bradley one awhile ago when we went to Kansas City. Anyway, I was letting Carter try it, and LOOK AT DAD'S FACE. He looks completely irritated that his daughter would let his grandson carry around a purse.

Awww... come on, Gramps!! =)

(Dad looks completely done with the b-day fun, now...)

Grayson helped me read about the online gift certificate from Dave, Kristen, and Brett. It was such a great idea. They have all talked so highly about the H&M store in Pittsburgh, so when Jerry and I visit them in just a few weeks, I can use the gift certificate. Thanks, guys! It was a great idea!!