For the love of crackers...

If Carter could pick one food to eat for the rest of his life, we're pretty sure it would be Goldfish crackers. Unfortunately, Carter is starting to get more into snacking than eating meals, and since Goldfish are such an easy and portable snack, we find ourselves giving into his love of these crackers. I know this isn't the worst thing he could be eating, but I am also starting to feel a bit guilty about the lack of variety in his diet lately, so I'm starting to try some new "snack" items. So far Carter is not keen on the idea of this added variety. In protest of my efforts, Carter broke into the pantry (which is not exactly a difficult task considering the unlocked lever handle on the pantry door), found his stash of cracker and made a break for it. It was too cute not to capture on camera. (Note to self: move Carter's food to a higher shelf out of his sight and reach)...

Hey Mom, Look what I found!!

Making a break for it...

Reading...

As stated in past posts, it is a rare moment to have Carter sit still for a long period of time; however, when it's close to naptime or bedtime, we are lucky to have a little "lap-time" with Carter and his books. We are thrilled that he loves to read so much!

Mom and Carter reading his farm animals book

Welcome, baby Nolan!!

Our good friends, Andy and Summer, welcomed beautiful baby boy, Nolan, on April 21st -- we are so excited for them! It seems as though the majority of our friends are having boys, so Carter will grow-up with lots of little buddies to cause trouble with (not saying the little girls in the group won't be trouble makers -- afterall, I did grown up with all sisters and we weren't always on our best behavior :))! Needless to say, we are thrilled for Andy and Summer and can't wait to watch the boys grow-up together over the coming years...

Carter wasn't so sure what to think about little Nolan (just 8 days old in this picture)

Up North...

With the weather forecast looking gloomy and wet on Sunday, we decided to join Dave, Dorothy and Jillian for a day at the cabin. After a delicious brunch at Hudy's in Champlin, we hit the road and headed north.

It stayed dry for the first hour or so we were at the cabin, so we were able to enjoy a little walk and some outdoor time before heading into the cabin for lunch and card games. Due to a lack of planning on our part, Carter was toy-less for the day, but did great making due with the broom and some headphones and watching the Twins game.

Ger, Barb, Nikki and the kids were also up for the weekend, so we were able to spend some time visiting with them and seeing the bedroom/bathroom addition they're working on -- it looks great!! Luckily Gavin (who will be 3 in September) had his tool-set with him, so he showed Carter how to use his drill and saw. The two of them are going to have such a fun time at the cabin this summer!! Now we just need the weather to get warm and stay warm so we can enjoy more than just a day up there!

Enjoying a little nap on the drive up...
Last time we were at the cabin, Carter was barely able to crawl up the stairs -- he loved the freedom of getting up and down so easily now!
Carter and I -- we are all smiles to be at the cabin again!!

Bridesmaids Dress Shopping...

My sister-in-law, Jillian, is getting married on November 28th and is in full wedding planning mode, which is so much fun! Kyle, Carter and I are all lucky enough to be a part of Jillian and Erik's big day (Kyle is a groomsman, I'm a bridesmaid and Carter is the ring bearer).

On Saturday morning, the bridal party met in St. Paul to pick out bridesmaids dresses at The Wedding Shoppe. Jillian chose a gorgeous, long, strapless black dress -- very elegant, very flattering -- it's going to be such a beautiful wedding!

After shopping, Jillian's future mother-in-law, Linda, opened her home to all of us for a delicious brunch prepared by Jillian's mom, Dorothy. It was such a fun morning hanging out with all of the ladies and getting to know everyone a little better. We look forward to the coming months and all of the celebrations leading up to the wedding.

Erik's sister's, Melissa and Laura, modeling the dresses -- the ones we'll wear for the wedding will be black
The girls (from L to R): Laura, Megan, Linda, Jillian (the BRIDE :)), Dorothy, Melissa, Me and Liz

The delicious brunch!

Walk in Someone Else's Shoes...

Carter has really gotten into wearing our shoes around the house lately -- I'm sure it's because he gets a good laugh out of us when we see him scooting around the house in giant shoes -- makes him look so tiny!

Wearing Mom's flipflops

Sporting Dad's tennies

Sunglasses and Bubbles...

Nothing says spring-time like new sunglasses and bubbles, right?!? :)

Spin, Spin, Spin

Carter loves to "SPIN" to his Thomas the Train Choo Choo Music Book...enjoy!

Fun in the Tub

Since Carter will be spending a lot of time at the cabin this summer, we are thrilled that he seems to love the water -- or at least the tub! Here are a few bath shots and a video...

Loving this weather!

The past few days have been so gorgeous and today was no exception. Carter and I have been spending the past several Friday mornings at parent/tot playtime in Champlin, but today we played hooky from that and spent the morning at the park. We are lucky enough to have several parks with short walking distance, but since the temp was so mild this morning, I decided to dust off the jogging stroller and run to a park a bit further away. Carter absolutely loves the park and I have a feeling we will be spending a lot of time there this summer!

Kyle was able to sneak out of work a bit early today so we thought it would be fun to take Carter for a ride in the convertible. We weren't sure how he'd do, but he was nothing but smiles with the wind blowing through his hair. We enjoyed a snack and beverage on Rush Creek's patio, and then headed home for dinner with our friends, Jenny & Ryan, who are expecting their first baby in July.

Loving the sunshine!
Sporting his new haircut...

Climber

Carter is at the age where he will climb on anything he can -- chairs, tables, and in this case: plastic storage bins...

Looking pretty proud of his most recent climb

A rare moment...

When Carter got his blocks out tonight, we figured he would do what he normally does: dump them on his head, throw them under the table and scatter them throughout the room. We were awestruck to witness our busy little boy sitting peacefully with his blocks, building towers, carefully taking them apart and then rebuilding them again. He sat for 45 minutes...in one spot...almost completely still...amazing!

Monthly Playdate...

It was my turn to host the monthly playdate with my high school girlfriends, so I whipped up some chicken enchiladas and chips/salsa/guacamole and we had ourselves a little Mexican fiesta and playtime with the boys. Julie was able to join us after work since her office is so close to my house -- we can't wait until baby boy Drommerhausen arrives to join in the fun!! Looking forward to next month ladies!

We didn't get many pictures, but here are a few highlights:Declan and Henry hanging out...

Carter decides to join the party train!
Carter was trying to get into Henry's carseat all night -- I guess he thought he'd give it one more try before they had to leave -- poor Henry!

What a dude...

Carter got a hold of my sunglasses this afternoon and we thought these pictures were just too funny not to post. Enjoy...

Happy Easter!

(I'll have to update this blog entry later because I forgot my camera at home for most of the day's festivities. We got a couple of Carter checking-out his Easter basket, which are posted below.)

After Carter rummaged through his Easter basket and we all had breakfast, we got ready and headed to St. Gerard's for morning mass, where we met Dave, Dorothy, Aunt Chris, Aunt Paula and Grandma Jeannie.

It had been a while since we've had Carter at church, so we weren't sure how he'd do, especially since he never sits still! As expected, he did not want to sit still...unless he was sitting with "Papa" (his Grandpa Dave). We are all completely fascinated with the affect Dave has on Carter, -- it's like Carter goes into a trance the second he is with his Papa. It's become a bit of an obsession for Carter -- he talks about Papa all the time and does not want to go to anyone else if Papa is in the room. It's pretty fun to watch, especially since Dave had such a special relationship with his Papa when he was a little boy. We joked with Dave that we will never be able to go to church without him there to keep Carter still :)

After mass, we enjoyed a delicious Easter lunch at Dave and Dorothy's house with the Opitz side of the family. Carter also got to have his first Easter egg hunt -- he did a great job!!

We went with a less traditional sports-themed basket this year, stuffed with large and small eggs that were filled with socks, a new shirt, goldfish crackers and a cool toy cellphone.
You can tell which Easter basket goody was Carter's favorite!

Dinner and cards...

We love that my sister, Jesse, and brother-in-law, John, live so close to us and that we have had a chance to hang out with them so much more due to that close proximity.

While I was busy with showings on Saturday morning, and Kyle and John were getting in a the first round of golf this season, Jess was nice enough to watch Carter for a few hours -- they had a great time playing with Boomer, and Carter slept for Jess while she took him on her training walk (she is training for the 3-day Breast Cancer Walk this coming August).

That night, the five of us decided to enjoy a nice outdoor dinner at Rush Creek Golf Club -- you really can't beat dinner on that patio overlooking the course -- it's definitely one of our favorite spots! We ended the night with cards at the Jess & John's house as Carter slept peacefully upstairs -- thanks for a fun day Brines!!

Our wonderful hosts, John & Jesse
Enjoying cards and John's delicious White Russians :)

Happy Friday!

It was such a beautiful afternoon, we couldn't help but get out and enjoy it!

Giving the John Deere a test drive...sort of

Grandpa Mike would be so proud -- he's the only other one who loves to sweep the street :)Future baseball star...?!?

Birthday Lunch...

Carter doesn't normally go to daycare on Fridays, but since he was sick on Wednesday we were able to do a "make-up" day today. Since he usually naps around the lunch-hour, we don't often get out to meet friends for lunch. So with him off at daycare, I was lucky enough to join some of the girls for lunch at Granite City to celebrate some April birthdays -- Molly Woodard's birthday was today, Michelle's birthday is tomorrow, and Anne's birthday is next Friday, though she was unable to join us today. Happy Birthday ladies!

Michelle, Clara, me, Danni, Molly, Shannon and Declan

Busted!!

A historic home opener

It was a historic home opener for the MN Twins baseball team this year, as it is their last home opener in the Metrodome (thank goodness) -- we are so anxious for the new stadium to open next season so we can enjoy baseball as it is meant to be: OUTDOORS!!

Our season ticket package did not include the home opener, but our good friends and fellow season ticket holders, had an extra set of tickets available and they invited Kyle and I to join them -- thank you, Andy and Summer!

Carter was sporting his new Twins tee that we got for him in Florida at Spring Training. Thank you Dave and Dorothy for being available last minute to watch Carter while we went to the game!
Annual Twins Home Opener family picture. Last year when we took this picture, there was snow on the ground! What a difference the sunshine makes...!
Although the sun was shining, it was still a bit chilly out. Nonetheless, we were able to enjoy some pre-game time on The Plaza.
We don't know who this guys is, but we thought his Puckett suit was pretty cool!

92-years-young

Kyle's Grandma Jeannie turns 92-years-young on April 7th so we had a birthday gathering for her on Sunday. We've been so lucky the past couple of days to visit with both sides of the extended families -- another rare opportunity to get the whole clan together for a visit -- it was a wonderful celebration -- happy birthday Grandma Jeannie!!

The birthday girls with her great-grandchildren (from left), Carter, Gavin and Isabel
Carter was too antsy to pose for a picture on GG Jeannie's lap, but he loved her cane!
Carter's "almost Uncle" Erik giving him a knee ride
Nonnie, Carter and GG Jeannie - what a great picture!

Visiting G-ma and G-pa

My aunt Ann was in town from Louisville for a few days so my parents hosted some family at their home for a nice Saturday lunch and visit. It is rare to get so many of the Maloney clan together since there are so many of us and we are spread across the county. It was great to see everyone who could make it and we were especially thankful we were able to sneak-in a visit with Ann -- it's rare to have her here alone without the 5 kids!! Unfortunately, we didn't many photos of Carter with the relatives, but we did get a few action shots of him with his cousin, Kieran, Grandpa Mike and his first cousin once removed (my first cousin, Will, who is actually younger than Carter!!).

Carter's Aunt Jesse rode with Carter and I to may parents house and Carter got a hold of her sunglasses -- what a ham!
Carter and Kieran cleaning -- they both have the wierd obsession with cleaning supplies.

Carter and Kieran sharing the rocking chair -- this lasted for about 2 minutes.

Grandpa Mike was hoping to take Carter for a ride, but Carter would rather help him pull the wagon.

Carter had a blast pulling Will around in the wagon -- we can't wait until Will is a little older -- the boys will all have so much fun together!