Hurricane Cougar

For those of you that read us frequently you may recall the wonderful picture of Cougar painting himself with green and blue finger paints. Yes it was a beauty. I would have posted it again but I couldn't find it. . . Today was that day all over again. Only crazier! Cougar painted himself from his shirt sleeves down and even his face and head. Beckett refused to nap until 2 o'clock this afternoon. Cougar watered all of my flowers, the concrete, and the sliding glass door. We painted, demolished the basement, and had multiple tantrums (the kids, not me).
It got me thinking that I would be a lot more efficient if I didn't have kids but I would definitely not have as much fun or anything to write about on my blog. So here's to crazy, hurricane driven children that make my life anything but boring.

Wa-Whoo!

Today started out a little rough. . . Lots of screaming, messes, crying, and madness. But I am happy to say things just got better and better. By 2:30 everyone was asleep, including ME! Wa-whoo. That has not happened for a long time. So now it's 5 and everyone is mighty happy. Thank heaven for Friday naps. Have a great weekend everyone.

Just Like Daddy

Sorry to everyone for the long period of non-blogging. . .

Last Sunday we were trying to get ready for church. Sunday mornings happen to be the most hectic time of the week for me. Between the church clothes that need to be ironed, the bags of activities for the kids, don't forget the diapers and wipes or sippy cups; things can get pretty crazy. But lucky for us things were unusually quiet and calm. Cougar sat studying Brian for a while and then informed everyone that he wanted to wear a tie too. So Cougar and Mommy went to pick one out for Daddy and then Cougar.
Daddy wore a red striped tie so Cougar decided an orange striped tie would be the best option.I guess Cougar decided that the oranges matched in the tie and his plaid shirt. Okay! Whatever makes him happy. Cougar was so proud to go to church dressed just like Daddy. He received lots of compliments and a few giggles. But Mommy and Daddy were very proud of him. He looked so handsome!

Busy Boys

This week the boys and I went to St. George for a little break. We had a great time swimming, playing, and visiting friends from our old ward. We saw K.P., Nicole, and baby Houston and had a little adventure as Nicole watched me wrestle my 2 boys. She is so excited to have a mobile child! We watched movies and enjoyed the sunshine and nice weather. It was great! The reason we needed to get away is that I have very busy boys and they like to cause mischief. . . This is what they did that caused me to need a break from reality.

Beckett has become incredibly mobile and I am constantly chasing him all over the house. In and of itself this is not a bad thing but add to it a 2 year old that can find things to get into faster than I can run around and prevent crazy ideas and we have a major problem. This is a picture of Coug with lipstick all over his fingers. He found my favorite tube after digging through my purse and then decided to stick his fingers in it up to his second knuckle. Great. Of course he picks the lipstick that has been discontinued so I can't replace it. But his face was priceless!
This is Beckett after he discovered that he can walk all by himself if he pushes a miniature chair around the kitchen. Very cute.

Dirt and Bikes

I will never understand little boys and dirt. It must be genetically programmed into them to love that gritty, grimy, rocky substance. I don't get it.

Yesterday Cougar asked to play in the backyard. The weather has finally started to be nice and we are all excited to be outdoors. So out my oldest munchkin went to explore and discover. And discover he did. He discovered:
1) Mommy likes dirt, but only when it is outside.
2) Dirt is fun to play in but not clean up.
3) Dirt sticks to sunscreen.
4) Mommy doesn't like to sweep the kitchen floor constantly.
5) Dirt does not taste good.
6) Sunburns and dirt are not necessarily a good combo.
7) Mommy doesn't appreciate dirt like little boys.
8) Cougar likes bath time, but not with dirt in the tub too.
9) Mommy likes dirt a)in the garden and b)with flowers in it.
10) Mommy and Cougar think dirt is neat but not stuck to us, on the kitchen floor, or in the bath tub.

While Cougar had a great time during the day in the dirt, both boys loved our family adventure when Daddy got home from work. This is another thing I will never get- high tech bikes. I would love a nice banana seat bike, but no Brian got me the mother of all bikes with 6 gears and other crap I have to learn how to use. What happened to just pedaling however fast you want to go? I'm not doing the tour de france, just taking my kids around the neighborhood. What-e-ver! (Not that I'm complaining, I love the bike, I just like simple things too!)

We finally invested in some nice bicycles and a trailer for the boys. Last night was the maiden voyage for Mommy's bike. It has been years since I have ridden a bike (I crashed as a teenager, had iodine poured into my road rash by my Grandma, and vowed never to get on one again.) Somehow Brian convinced me to get a bike because 'it will lead to great family adventure', yeah right! So we all hopped on/in. On for Brian and I, in for the kids. And took a little ride all around our neighborhood. We ended up at Wendy's for some dinner. It was an event to celebrate.
Mommy didn't crash, fall, or hate every minute of it. Brian on the other hand, hesitated a moment too long and fell over because he couldn't unclip fast enough. (I giggled inside but asked if he was okay.) But we sure had a good time. Cougar slept the whole time, Beckett got upset because Cougar was laying on him the whole time, and I was cursing Brian for the first few minutes (then I was fine). Beckett loved everything about moving but he did not like being stationary. I could actually hear him saying 'No Stopping, Dad!' It was great! Happy Family Home Evening from the Carters.

Monday Morning

So here we are on another Monday morning. Don't worry. . . Things are never mundane at our house. It is a beautiful day, the weather is nice, and it might actually feel like spring today. Cougar has noticed the difference in climate and immediately asks to play outside. What the hay! So out he goes in his jammies to slide, make dirt piles, and drag a drainage pipe all over the yard. What fun little boys can have with nothing to play with.
After a while I hear him, "Mom, Mom, come watch me!" So out I go (like any good mother) to take some pictures of Cougar's pre-breakfast playing. Yeah!! He loves to slide, run, jump, and he refuses to look at the camera. What a character!
While Coug is out in the yard, Beckett is having a bath. Look how sweet he is. He started crawling laps in the tub. Daddy thinks he may be our football player but after this mornings display he just might be a swimmer.

Bath Time

Cougar and Beckett experienced their first real bath together. It was quite an event. They splashed, picked on each other, and had a great time. As you can see I think we will continue to bathe together so Mommy can have some fun at bath time too. They are hilarious to watch!