Clarkism

Yesterday I had a friend over and she was showing Clark pictures of her cats on her IPhone. She eventually got to some pictures of her and her husband on vacation in Miami.

Clark: Where are you in the picture?

Friend: At the beach in Miami.

Clark: At the beach in Yoursami?

Happy Easter!

This one's for you Grammy and Grandpa. Thanks for the treats!

Easter Egg Fun: Part 2!

Jenna and I planned an Easter Egg hunt at her house and invited a bunch of other kids to our fun activity. Well, we woke up to pouring rain and it didn't stop. So, we improvised and Jenna's husband hid 150 eggs all around the main floor of their house. The kids had a BLAST and they actually all took it VERY seriously. They found all of them so fast!

Afterwards we had snacks for each of the kids and also put out the rest of the Rice Krispy Treat eggs we made yesterday and let all the kids dip them in frosting and sprinkles. The kids only ate one or two, but I know I downed at least 5. Yum.

Andrew quietly enjoying his Rice Krispy Treat egg.

My handsome man.

Easter Fun: Part 1

After we had so much fun on Thursday with the Swintons, we decided to get together again on Friday for some Easter activities. I saw a commercial I believe by Kelloggs as I was speeding through my dvr on fast forward and I stopped and rewound and actually watched the commercial and thought, I want to make those! The commercial was of a mom and her daughter making these...someone in the advertising department at Kelloggs should be given a promotion because they certainly sucked me in! We doubled the recipe so we would have ample treats for us as well as for all the kids that we invited for the Easter Egg hunt we planned for the next day.

YUM!

Then we did the traditional egg dyeing, which the boys were somewhat interested in, but really they just wanted to get back to devouring their rice krispy treat eggs.

Cherry Blossoms!

Today my friend Jenna and I decided to take our boys downtown to see the Cherry Blossoms. We had so much fun! It was a beautiful day and the trees and flowers were amazing! We walked around the Potomac basin and also stopped off at the FDR memorial which I had never been to but was actually really cool. Then we walked over to the mall (it was further than it looked!) and had a picnic and the boys got to play some more. On the way we also happened by the "Tulip Library" which was really pretty. The boys loved running in between all the beds like it was a maze. Jenna and I kept talking about how today felt like the first day out after a long winter. We all came home exhausted from the fun, and my two boys both had some rosy sun kissed cheeks tonight. I love it here.

Rainbow Road/Brite

So, there's a story here.

Ever since we got the Wii and MarioKart, every time we do Rainbow Road, Tanner busts out singing "Rainbow Road, see the shining light!"

For a while, it sounded somewhat familiar, I just couldn't place it and I just played along as if I knew exactly why he would do this every time. I wanted to look cool in front of my husband, is that such a crime after 6 1/2 years? Anyway, one day I finally got the guts to ask him exactly what it all meant and he said "Rainbow Brite! Come on!" He SAYS he learned it from his sister watching the show...uh huh...we'll give him the benefit of the doubt on this one. I think I had tried to sear Rainbow Brite from my childhood memories, but they all came flooding back.

So, I was playing MarioKart with Clark the other day, and he decided he wanted to do Rainbow Road...as soon as it came up on the screen he busts out with "Rainbow Road, see the shining light!" out of the clear blue. I laughed so hard and had to ask him to do it again for the camera, which he oh so willingly agreed to do.



So before I posted the video tonight, I went to RainbowBrite.net (oh yes, it exists) and just had to listen to the original Rainbow Brite Theme Song.

Okay, how AWESOME was that?!!!

Now, I dare you to listen to the Rainbow Brite Theme Song TECHNO REMAKE. Go ahead, click, you know you want to...it will be in your Itunes library in no time. ;-)

How Well Does My Kid Know Me?

My sister did this on her blog with her kids, so I thought I would try it out on Clark just to see if he understood any of the questions I asked. His answers were pretty funny and I was somewhat surprised at how well he understood what I was asking...he's been holding out on me apparently.

1. What is something your mom always says to you?

Clark: Rooooaaaaaar! (We had just got done playing "Scare Me")

2. What makes your mom happy?

Clark: When I go potty. (Yeah, so can you do it more often? We are STILL, I repeat STILL working on potty training)

3. What makes your mom sad?

Clark: When I go pee pee on Thomas (he has Thomas the Tank Engine underwear)

4. How does your mom make you laugh?

Clark: I don't know. (That's what he said...I swear I make him laugh all the time. He just couldn't make up his mind on which one to choose ;-)

5. What was your mom like as a child?

Clark: You were a child of God (I LOVED this one...just the fact that he associates the word child with the song I am a Child of God is good enough for me!)

6. How old is your mom?

Clark: 2 (he started busting up laughing after he answered, so I think he was trying to make a joke by saying I am younger than him)

7. How tall is your mom?

Clark: Large. (Everything with Clark these days is Small, Medium, or Large or if it is really big than it is GIANT...fast food much?)

8. What is her favorite thing to do?

Clark: Pre-school (hmm...I like it, but my FAVORITE thing? I am glad HE thinks so.)

9. What does your mom do when you’re not around?

Clark: Go pee pee in the toilet (not often ENOUGH! Privacy is a luxury in my house)

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?

Clark: Pre-school

11. What is your mom really good at?

Clark: Pre-school (I am sensing a pattern...maybe he is getting bored)

12. What is your mom not very good at?

Clark: Pre-school (okay, I made him stop and think about this one since he was clearly just wanting to be done with this exercise....although I think I am good and bad at preschool)

Take 2:

Clark: Juice! (Meaning I am assuming that I don't give him enough juice when he wants it)

13. What does your mom do for a job?


Clark: Play toys

What is your mom’s favorite food?


Clark: Chucky Charms(what can I say? I'm a fan, always have been and always will be of the Pink Hearts, Orange Stars, Yellow Moons, Green Clovers, Blue Diamonds, and Purple Horseshoes...plus all the new ones that just add more sugar to the box...you were extra cool if your read those with the melody going in your head)

15. What makes you proud of your mom?


Clark: Kisses and Loves

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?


Clark: Mickey Mouse

17. What do you and your mom do together?


Clark: Blocks

18. How are you and your mom the same?

Clark: We like Cars.

19. How are you and your mom different?


Clark: We are wearing different colors

20. How do you know your mom loves you?

Clark: At first he said "Ladybugs, Butterflies, and Ducks"...random, so I tried to explain it in a different way and he said "You say love you!"

21. What does your mom like most about your dad?

Clark: Hugs!

22. Where is your mom’s favorite place to go?


Clark: The car (hey, I am just glad he didn't say my bed...even though it is my favorite place to go...it's nice that my child doesn't think I am too lazy.)

Thanksgiving In February

Since the last time I blogged was at Thanksgiving, I thought it only appropriate to start up blogging again by writing some things I have been thankful for during my blogging absence:

1. Doctors/Medication: We have been sick since Thanksgiving...seriously. Ask my family. At one point I thought my sister was going to climb through the phone and take me to the doctor because she was so sick of hearing my coughing fits over the phone. After the double ear infection for Clark and my throat issues at Thanksgiving, we were hoping to have a sick free Christmas...but it was not to be so. We were all sick off and on throughout December (conjunctivitis for both boys and colds all around) and it culminated in all of us but Clark being really sick on Christmas day. I was up at 4am with Andrew Christmas morning. So then, I decided we would be done being sick once 2009 came...New Year = No more sickness right? Wrong. Andrew just finished his 10 day antibiotic script for his double ear infection and this crazy sinus infection thing that has been dogging me since before Christmas just doesn't seem to wanna let go. But, it could all have been worse...we could have had to deal with no Motrin, Tylenol, Tylenol Cold, Antibiotics, Eye Drop meds and no doctor to whine to. It also made me more grateful for good health (when it decides to come around again).

2. Computers/Printers/Word Processing/Excel Spreadsheets/Personal Laminating Machine: I was called to be the Secretary in our Primary (another reason blogging has taken a backseat) in December. Our ward's boundaries changed the end of the summer, and pretty much no updating of our rosters, lists, rolls etc. had been done after that happened, so I had my work cut out for me. I wanted to start the new year completely organized and make sure the President and the other two counselors had every list, phone number, calendar, schedule that they could possibly want and actually have it be correct! It took some late nights, but sure enough we started to the new year good to go! It couldn't have been done without the above mentioned technology, so I am very grateful.

3. Freezing Temperatures. Okay, so I hate the cold...but it did help me feel less guilty about keeping my kids cooped up inside so much over the last two months because someone was always feeling crummy. Which reminds me...I am thankful for central heat. We thought we would try to just use our wood burning fireplace, but it just didn't cut it...and it is just way too much effort to keep it going...so now the fireplace is mostly used for cozy/romantic evenings (when Tanner feels like going out and bringing wood in from the forest out back).

4. Good Friends. I am so grateful for good friends who listen, inspire, comfort, and laugh with me. It is so nice to know that at a moments notice I could call any one of them knowing that they would try to do whatever they could to help me. I hope that I am the same kind of friend for them.

5. Books. I have been reading a lot (for me anyway) lately. I highly recommend "The Hunger Games", "The Alchemist" (only when you are in a philosophical/contemplative mood), and "Pope Joan" (although I am not done with that one yet). I love that my sister is an awesome and cool librarian who gives good recommendations so I don't waste time reading garbage.

6. The Blogging World. There have been a number of blogs I have been following over the last little while that have really touched me quite profoundly. Because I either know them or know someone who knows them very personally, it makes it all the more heart wrenching and inspiring. If you feel like a good cry that will leave you feeling inspired...check these out.

NieNieDialogues

Emma's Story

7. Family. What would I do without having some kind of daily contact with family members...even if they do fall asleep while I am talking to them on the phone (mom and dad). Yeah, I am THAT exciting to talk to. There is just so much to talk about with sisters...tv shows, jobs, the economy, politics, fashion...you name it, we Carter girls probably talk about it...DAILY.

Here are some things I am thankful for today:

1. Andrew is in the 30th percentile for weight...this may seem strange to say, but for those of you who know and saw Clark when he was a year old, know exactly why I am grateful, and why my back is also grateful.

2. Clark loves most vegetables...specifically tomatoes...whole ones. He eats them like an apple. I have proof:

3. XM Satellite Radio on Directv: Specifically 80s on 8. I loved that I turned it on tonight to dance with the boys and the very next song was The Safety Dance. Perfect!!! We had a blast.

4. This Face:


5. This Face:



6. And This Face:

7. The Blogging Feature of Post Dating: Hopefully I will be using this a lot in the coming days, but most of you know by now that you probably shouldn't hold your breath.

Airplane Ride

My dad has always loved airplanes. He used to fly them, and at one time wanted to become a pilot, but after his mission, he decided on a different career that required lots of time in an airplane, but as the passenger instead of the pilot.

He also never had any boys, but that didn't stop him from passing on his love for boyish things. When my sisters and I were little, as part of our going to bed routine, the last thing we always wanted was for dad to give us an airplane ride into our beds. There was a specific order and routine that HAD to be followed in order to be able to take off, and while we would try to be very serious during the first part, we usually would start laughing and my dad would start over. I think he knew that sometimes we would laugh just so we would HAVE to start over and the fun could last just that little bit longer. I have tried to remember how it all goes so that I could either teach Tanner or do it with the kids, but have never been able to remember it quite right (do you twist the nose after you say CONTACT? or after you say CLEAR THE PROP?). When we were in Charlotte, I asked my dad if he would give Clark 'the proper' airplane ride. I of course had to film it, and it was great. My dad laughed so hard because Clark actually flapped his wings after take off, and my dad said that no one had ever done that before. While it is a small and simple tradition, it is one that I have always particularly cherished, and I just love that Papa now has boys to do it with too!!!

Clark's 3rd Birthday!

Clark's birthday was the day after Thanksgiving this year, so we actually got to two 3 days of celebrating in a row with Brianna's birthday on the 26th, Thanksgiving, and then Clark's. I had been practicing with Clark leading up to his birthday that when people ask him how old he is, he would soon be able to say 3 instead of 2. It took him a little while to get used to the idea, but I think he is good now. Tanner and I took off at one point to go pick up cupcakes for Clark since they are his favorite treats at the moment. When we got to the grocery store, I was hoping they would have cupcakes with some kind of decoration on them, but the best thing there was actually an Oreo cupcake cake, which was pretty awesome, but no decoration. We asked at the bakery if they had any Cars decoration that they could do, and they felt very bad because they had just sent their cake decorator home for the day. I mean, how many people was cakes decorated the day after Thanksgiving right? So, instead they gave us the Lightening McQueen car and the other fun fixings that the cake decorator would use and said we could just have them for free if we were fine to do the decorating ourselves. We thought it was great! We went home and I decorated the cupcake cake, and Clark loved it. Clark got a rocket ship and a bowling set from Tanner and I, a Cars puzzle, winter accessories including Lightening McQueen rain boots from Grammy and Grandpa, a John Deere tractor from Nana and Papa, and games from the Seguines. In fact, of all the awesome gifts he received, I think he liked the free Lightening McQueen car that was on the cake the best. Classic. I can't believe my little boy is 3. He still has his 'moments' and his 'days', but he is so fun, energetic, and yet so caring. My favorite thing he does right now is whenever he hears a loud noise (i.e. me banging pans around in the kitchen getting ready for dinner), Clark yells to me "MOM, ARE YOU OKAY?" I love my big boy! Happy Birthday Clark!