New Page: Organizing Our Home

My mind has been going crazy lately with a million different ways to label and organize everything in our home.  I finally had to get a grip and find a place to start.  So, I created a page on my blog called Organizing Our Home.  You can click on the link and read all about my recent organization projects.  Every time I complete a project I will write a blog post about it and link it back to the Organizing Our Home page.  This should be fun!  Do you have any spaces that you've recently organized?  Any tips and tricks?  Any products you love for getting and staying organized? 

Carter: 9 Months

Only three more months until Carter's 1st birthday!  I can't tell you how much we love having Carter in our family.  He completes us.  He is a mama's boy all the way.  Yes, I love that.  ;-)

Carter had a rough patch this past month with RSV, pneumonia, ear infections, and pink eye.  He is on his second round of meds right now.  He was able to get rid of everything, but 3 weeks later got the ear infections and cough back.  Poor guy... Those daycare germs sure are rough. 

Carter started crawling - finally!  He isn't moving very fast, but he's taking baby crawls forward.  He can crawl backwards and spin in circles super-fast though (as Ethan would say). 

Carter is also trying to walk.  He walks along furniture and really cruises when we hold his hands and help him walk.  He is ready to move! 

We've had some early spring-like weather lately and have been able to enjoy lots of time outside.

Funny how the weather works this time of year... warm one day... cold the next.

xoxoxo

Yes, That's Me

I am the mom that often looks like this at work.  Frizzy, air dried hair.

But that doesn't last for long.  It quickly turns in to this.

Not the greatest look.  I know.  Instead of taking 10-15 minutes every morning to do my hair, I choose to have breakfast with my kids in the kitchen, then take time to play with them at daycare while dropping them off. I drop Mariah off at high school every morning and talk to her about her day on the way there.  I read the menu to Ethan at school every morning.  We look around his classroom and he points out what he did the day before.  Right now they are growing beans, sunflowers, and pumpkins under a little lamp in the corner.  Ethan's beans are about 2 inches tall!  Then we pick out toys for Carter to play with, say HI to the other kids, and catch up with the teachers.  I get a couple hugs and kisses from both boys, and leave with a smile on my face. 

 Those moments with my kids are way more important to me than the way my hair looks.  Sure, some mornings I rock and am able to do both, that's ultimately my goal, but on days like this when my hair is a mess and I am watching well groomed moms drop their kids off at daycare and fly out of the door without even hugging their child good-bye, well, those are the moments that make these messy hairstyles that much better. 

Little Artists

Ethan and Mariah love to work on craft projects together.  One of their favorite projects is painting on canvas.  I've been getting these packs of canvas at Hobby Lobby for about $7 for two.  They are so easy to display around the house.

Lately I've surprised Ethan by putting a couple of his canvas drawings on display.  This first one he made while I was pregnant with Carter.  It's the perfect pop of color needed for the shelf in Carter's room.  Ethan loves that it's on display in his little brother, Carty's, room. 

This next one Ethan made about a week ago.  Ethan and Mariah love to go downstairs to the craft room room and paint up some artwork.  They never let me come down while they are working and love surprising me with their creations after they dry.  Ethan's been learning a lot about weather at school lately and he explained to me that this piece has a green and yellow twister in the lower right corner.  I love his creativity.  Ethan's eyes lit up when he found this piece of artwork on display in the kid's bathroom. 

Mariah made a really cool John Deere tractor for Ethan.  This piece is on display in Ethan's room.  He loves that his big sister made it just for him. 

Ethan's 4th Birthday

Ethan turned 4 on January 14th.  Here are a couple pictures of him celebrating his birthday with friends and family. 

Ethan's favorite teacher made his birthday hat.  He wore it with pride the entire day. 

I asked my brother to take pictures while Ethan was opening gifts.  Instead, he surprised me with a 30 minute video of the entire gift opening.  I'll have to put that on youtube.  ;-) 

Randomness

Just a couple fun pictures from last weekend.

I made this wreath.  Took me forever because I kept forgetting about it, but I finally finished it and hung it on my front door.  I pinned it on pinterest and to my surprise I had about 20 likes and re-pins before I could blink.  It was amazing.  I felt famous! Too bad I didn't like a "how to" post to my blog.  Could have increased traffic and maybe gotten more comments.  ;-)

On Saturday we worked outside in the garage.  Yes, it was like 70+ out that day, but the morning was chilly, Carter has a cold, and the garage was damp.  So, I covered his ears. 

The boys played bumper cars in the garage while Cory and I hung up some more drywall.

Cory taught Ethan how to use line chalk.  Cory drew a bunch of dots on a piece of drywall, lined up the letters, and had Ethan pull the string.  It's hard to read in this picture, but the chalk lines spell out ETHAN. 

Doesn't Carter look like one of the farmer toddlers that should be on the posters wearing striped overalls?  Love this little monkey.  He was demonstrating his backwards crawl all around the deck.  Have I mentioned that he's trying to walk?  Still won't crawl forward though.

Cory's 31st Birthday

Cory turned 31 back in February.  We had a much smaller get together this year compared to his surprise birthday party last year.  It was nice to relax and just hang out with family. 

Yes, Ethan was pretending to nibble on Cory's arm.  He loves to be goofy for pictures. 

The picture would have been brighter if we would have put 31 candles on the cake.

Happy Birthday Love Bug!

Mariah's Dance Team

This happened back in January, forgive me.  I can't believe I let pictures sit on my camera for three months... I need to get better at this.

Mariah's JV Dance Team won 1st in the State!  The girls rocked the house.  They were awesome.  So proud of them and their talents.

Pajama Day

The boys got to go to daycare in their pajamas today.  They both looked so adorable this morning.  I just wanted to stay with them all day and snuggle them up.  I was also a bit jealous that I couldn't stay in my pajamas today.  We don't get pajama days at work, which is probably a good idea. 

Carter and I were rarring back and forth to each other this morning - inspired by the bear on his pj's.

Ethan loves to give me goofy smiles.  Love my silly boys so much!

Christmas 2011: Part Two

Yup, a lot of pictures.  And I really tried to only include a couple... Yikes!  You can find many more on flickr at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ckbartlett/sets/72157628242140119/show/

Carter's First Christmas

Mariah ;-)

Ethan had a very "Cars" Christmas 

 Look, a little something for me!

 And another something!

 Cory being silly ;-) We don't have any fun in our house, can you tell?!

 ...here is a perfect example.  I think my mom was demonstrating Yoga. 

Ethan saw it as a bridge opportunity.

Ethan and Charlotte (our niece) 

Carter looks a bit startled.  He wasn't a fan of his new car at first.

Ethan modeling one of his new shirts from Grandma.

 Princess Charlotte. We got her a storage ottoman full of fun dress up stuff.

My grown up Princess Mariah.

Carter opening a couple more gifts.

Mariah giving Ethan a gift. She bought it all on her own.  

Ethan loving the paintable piggy bank from Mariah and giving her hugs in return. I love these moments.

A daddy and Ethan photo. 

My Mariah. She's even pretty when she's acting silly.

"whowa super fast" might have been a direct quote from Ethan.

 

An Ipad 2 for me!! Yippy! 

Sorry about the cleavage shot.   

Doing much better in his new ride.  

Some mommy-Ethan love ;-) 

Daddy and Carter opening more gifts.  

 And a tired out baby Carter.  

I hope you all had a very Merry and Blessed Christmas as well.

Love, The Bartlett Family