4 Generations

The weekend before Thanksgiving Carter and I made a quick trip to Billings. We didn't get a 4 generation picture when Carter was born, but we have one now. Grandma Ash, Grandma Penney, me, and Carter.

November 2009

Carter can't be confined at work. He needs to be able to get around easily to fix "things".























My little man was a little vampire for a few weeks. The Doc said it could be hereditary, but neither Landon nor I had our teeth come in like that. We've always said he's special. I guess he'll do everything he can to continue proving that.
























I know this isn't the best picture, but there is a story behind it. Do you see that door next to Carter? Well it's an outswing door to the pink bathroom at work. And can you see the hallway is only 3' wide? Well, if you go into the bathroom and a certain someone sees you go into the bathroom, that said person will follow you. Yep, I got locked in the bathroom. I couldn't even get my hand out enough to move him. Of course the more you talk to Carter the more interested in the door he becomes. So I sat, quietly, in the bathroom for about 5 minutes waiting for him to move. Luckily the phone didn't ring. At least if a customer came in they could've gotten me out of my pickle. We now have a rock that goes in the middle of the hallway to keep Carter from following us.

We went to Watford City, ND for Thanksgiving with Landon's Mom and Mike, and also made a quick trip to Velva to see Grandpa Holte and Grandpa Dave. Grandpa Dave was heading to American Samoa after Thanksgiving and we wanted to see him before he left. I'll have to post the story on that next time.

Dang Deer

This is what is left of our two pumpkins. We even put them on the deck so the deer couldn't get to them. They must not be afraid of stairs becasue they had to go up three steps to get the pumpkins. Next year I'm trying cayenne pepper spray on them!

October 2009

Here's our little cowardly lion. He had a rough night due to being overtired. He screamed at the sight of any animal that wasn't our own. We visited a few friends, I ate all his candy, had a bath, and called it a night.


I think this was an indication that he wasn't very excited about his first Halloween.


Carter and Daddy carved pumpkins while I took pictures and kept the little man ON the table. He was more curious about what was over the edge than what was in the middle of the table.






It's never to early to practice calling ducks.



He can be anywhere in the house and as soon as the bath water comes on he is next to the tub. I think he likes water. Hopefully we don't have to fight with him when he's 11 to take a shower.


8 Months

















Sometimes he works...




















and sometimes he plays.






















And we thought Mesa wouldn't like him.




















Hanging out with Dad on a Sunday afternoon, watching a race and "wrestling"

September 2009

On September 22nd our nephew, Cruz, turned one. We went to his birthday party in Mandan, ND. Carter loved playing with his cousin.
This is Carter's pooping face. Everytime.
For Grandparent's Day I helped Carter make cards for all his grandparents. It was messy, but oh so much fun.
I guess kids really can sleep anywhere, even with a lifejacket on.
Carter really wanted my pen. Bumbo chairs are not safe for children seven months old.

August 2009

First "backpacking" trip. We just went to the downstream campground, but it was kind of like a nature hike. Of course he fell asleep. I don't think we've used the backpack since then.
I guess he must be laughing in this one. I didn't take it so I'm not sure what was so funny.
Carter and I had a couple pool parties on the deck this summer. He loves to splash around and even managed to keep his face out of the water when he flipped over to his belly.

Carter got his first (and second) tooth in August.

July 2009

Abby likes anything she can lick.
Carter got to go swimming in the lake for first time with his Grandma Karen. I think it's too cold to swim in, but I was raised with a heated pool.
He's a pro at eating. He got baby cereal for the first time in July, and he ate like he'd been eating for years. I had the camera and camcorder out thinking it was going to be a great show. Good thing we didn't sell tickets for it, we would have been refunding them. Landon and I are expert eaters and I'm pretty sure Carter inherited that from us, along with the countless dinners at the table he had to sit through watching us eat without getting much more than a tickle on the bottom of his foot.
Carter also got to go fishing for the first time in July. He even got to touch a slimy fish and drive Grandpa Dave's boat. And yes, he does have two life jackets, and yes he does have to wear them.
Carter, Cindy, and I went to Billings in July for weekend of eating and swimming. This is Carter's first time in a swimming pool (it was before swimming in the lake). We were still using the baby tub at the time, so it was a big deal to have all that water to play in. Unfortunately, we missed the opportune swimming time and ended up cutting it short because he got cranky.

Need I say more?

June 2009

We went to another wedding in June. Landon was a groom's man for his friend Jeremy. It's not very often that we get dressed up, so I thought I'd better post it.
We didn't think Mesa would like Carter, and she doesn't. She LOVES him. She is always kissing on him, gross I know. She has never liked kids and for the first few days we had Carter at home she'd follow us everywhere, even at 3 am. Any time he cried she'd be right there on my lap with him. We wouldn't leave her alone with him just in case she got mean. But so far she loves him. Since both Mesa and Carter go to work with me she's had to adjust to other people loving on him too. In two years she hasn't warmed up to our most frequent customers, but after she found out it was ok for them to love on Carter, then it was ok for them to love on her. Funny little dog.
I try to keep Carter busy at work with toys like hammers, nails, saw blades, etc., but sometimes he just needs to help me.

He's been sitting at the table with us almost since we brought him home. This is the best high chair ever. It reclines enough so even a baby only a month old is comfortable in it.

May 2009

Carter loves to go for walks. He was still a little small for the stroller so we had to add some extra padding. Amazingly, he leaves his sun glasses on. Of course he can't stay awake for more than about 20 minutes, but he still loves it.
At the end of May we went on a REALLY long road trip. Our final destinations were Portland, OR and Seattle, WA. We took 2 1/2 days going out there and about 3 coming home. We went to Portland so Landon could go fishing. I posted pictures a while ago of his fishing trip. Then we went to Seattle for my cousin Max' wedding. Carter did great traveling; he slept most of the way, learned how to roll over in the hotel in Missoula, and waited until we stopped for the day before pooping. We spent an afternoon at Pike's Market (culture shock for Landon), but only managed to take two pictures the whole time we were out there, except for the fishing trip, which we have about 50 pictures of.
My cousin Wyatt, who will be teaching Carter the finer points of baseball, spent some time cuddling with Carter while watching tv.
For Mother's Day we, just me and the little man, went to Billings. My mom, aunt, and a couple close friends, and I have been doing the Women's Run, aka the Women's Waddle, held the Saturday before Mother's Day for several years now. I was going to take Carter but it was a little rainy the day before so I thought I'd better ask Grandma Ash to watch him JUST IN CASE it was rainy on Saturday morning. All Grandma heard was blah, blah, blah, "will you watch Carter Saturday morning", blah, blah, blah. Forget the JUST IN CASE part. They had a great morning together, and so did us waddlers.

I can tell you this picture was taken in May, but because both my mom and mother-in-law didn't have the date set on their cameras right, May is all I can tell you. (I've since fixed that problem for both of them)

This One's for Krissi

MY FREE SOUP!
Krissi,
I shopped and shopped and shopped looking for the perfect buys, trying to save as much money as possible, when I came across my soup. The soup was on sale 10 for $10. Luckily, I had been carrying a 50 cents off coupon around for a really long time (it didn't have an expiration date). And, to top off my shopping trip, it was double coupon week. So my regularly priced $1.99 can of Soup at Hand, was FREE! So when the cashier at Albertson's asked how my day was going I didn't have to lie, "It's been great!". However, I ate the soup last week, and it's just not as good as the stuff out of the can that you add milk to, but if it's free it's for me.

April 2009

In April we went to Watford City for Easter. Carter got to spend time with his cousin, Cruz, who is 5 months older. Carter didn't seem to care. Notice Cruz's cute Easter outfit and Carter's fall colored outfit. Cruz was born in September and Cruz' fall clothes became Carter's spring clothes. He didn't care. We had Carter baptized at the end of April in the Fort Peck Luthern Church, the only church in Fort Peck.