lately...

Here's what we've been up to lately:My parents' best friends came up to Bellingham last week and stopped by for a visit. Grandma Nancy and Grandpa Dale were so excited to see Carter!

Uncle Adam celebrated his 31st birthday.

Carter went for a walk in the BOB without sitting in his carseat. He was so excited he fell asleep.

Lots of floor time and starting to scoot. It's so darn cute to watch his butt raise in the air and his chubby legs push off the floor.

Carter had his 4 month check up last week. He now weighs 19lbs. 10 oz and 27 1/4 inches long - the size of an 8 month old! This kid just won't stop growing.

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Easter Fun.

For the last few weeks I have been shopping for a cute little Easter outfit for Carter. I've seen some cute cardigans, shorts, hats and sweaters, but ended up buying a little button up shirt and some khakis, figuring he'd get lots of use out of the pants. Little did I know that our baby would continue to grow like a weed! His easter outfit just barely fit him! Notice the buttons on the shirt about ready to pop off!

So, that first outfit only lasted about 10 minutes. Carter is the king of spit-up and always knows how to time it perfectly. He had his first big attack as I was putting his shirt on him, but I just wiped it up as best I could and ignored the huge wet spot hoping it would dry quickly. 5 minutes later and a puddle of spit-up on the floor it was time to change him into Easter outfit #2! The funny thing is this shirt is an 18 month shirt and Carter just turned 4 months old!Grandma and Grandpa Longhurst came up for a visit.After church, Carrie and Brandon came over to color Easter eggs. Carter wasn't too sure about it.Cuddling with Carrie!Brandon and the eggs.Matt was so happy the Glanzers came over to color eggs with me. He has zero patience to let eggs sit and dye and hates to eat hard-boiled eggs, so the combo was quite boring for him. Luckily, Carter was only interested in sucking his thumb so the 2 of them spent some quality time playing on the couch.

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toes.

Carter's new obsession. Toes.

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back to work.

Change is never easy, but always necessary. After having an amazing 4 months of maternity leave, I have to return to work tomorrow morning. I have been dreading this day since I had Carter. I just love being at home with him. It is such a joy to watch him play, discover, laugh and learn new things every day. The last 4 months have been some of the happiest moments of my life (I'm not completely naive - there were difficult moments too!) and I will always cherish that time I had with my beautiful baby.

Tomorrow a new routine will begin. Playing with new friends, napping at a new place, drinking from a bottle - changes Carter will adapt to. Balancing work and baby, husband and dog, friends and home - changes I will somehow learn to manage.

Carter - you are such a blessing in our lives. You are sweet, silly, cuddly and smart. You amaze me at how advanced you are for your age. Your smile melts my heart. To us, you are perfect.

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mom and dad time.

Here's what Carter has been up to in the last few weeks. Learning how to use a Mac.

Mastering the art of the jumperoo.

Showing off his first polo shirt. (Anyone who knows Matt knows he owns a lot of polo shirts. So, naturally Carter needed one too - thanks Jake!)Going on walks with mom.Getting cozy on the floor with Yoshi.

We've also entered into the fun world of teething. Constant drool throughout the day, many bib changes and a little fussiness but no teeth yet!

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Celebrating the Glanzers!

Our good friends, Carrie and Brandon Glanzer, are in the process of adopting 2 little girls from Uganda. We got together with all of our friends yesterday to celebrate. It was so fun and we can't wait until we get to meet these precious little girls!!Karlie (holding a sleepy Carter), Caity and Brie

Luke, Seth, Clay and Michelle enjoying root beer floats!

Brandon opening up the 3rd potty seat they received!Matt and Brandon having their own little storytime.Cute little family picture!

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so much better.

How great is the new blog design?!?! Even though I didn't win the blog makeover by Heather Mann, she was still kind enough to redesign our blog - apparently it was THAT bad! I've known Heather since I was 5 and she never fails to amaze me. She is so talented and creative in all she does and somehow finds the time to always help out a friend. Not to get too sappy, but she really is wonderful and I'm truly blessed to have her in my life.

So, if you have a blog that needs a little work, check out Studio M Designs. You won't be disappointed!

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