oh christmas tree....

We normally have Christmas decorations up right after Thanksgiving (or even before) but this year decided to wait until the day after Carter's party, to keep some of the excess clutter out of the house.  It was so hard to wait!  To get the Christmas season off right we headed down to Bellevue last weekend for Snowflake Lane.  We've never been but heard it's so fun and I totally agree. For anyone thinking of going....GO!  Fun dinner out, lots of Christmas lights and decorations, Christmas music, drummers, shopping, peppermint suckers and lots of Christmas joy (okay, that last one was a bit cheesy, but it's true).

Matt and Carter waiting for the show to start.  

 The girls. Somehow Lucy slept through the entire thing.  I was so worried it was too loud for her little ears but she didn't make a peep and slept the whole way home too!

 The next day we got up early to go find our Christmas tree.  Luckily the rain stopped but it was super muddy.  Naturally Carter loved it.  Matt and I wandered around seeking out the perfect tree while Carter stomped in puddles to keep himself entertained.

 They gave us a wagon to put the tree on so we wouldn't have to carry it back to the car.  Brilliant idea!

 Our tree!  After looking at this picture I realized our tree looks a little sad.  But, if you saw it in our house with all the lights and ornaments you would change your mind.  Well, that and we had been looking for about 40 minutes and were tired and hungry and wanted to go home.  This was the next tree we saw and agreed it would work just fine.

 Matt had a helper this year.

 While Matt tied it to the car the kids and I sat by the fire and had a snack.

 One very happy boy getting to help put on the star.

And luckily the kids have both been great with the tree this year.  I only have 3 broken ornaments so far (but totally fixable) and it hasn't fallen over yet.  I'd say that's a success!  Merry Christmas.

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donuts and pajamas.

For Carter's birthday party we decided to do something at our house this year.  I wanted to keep it simple (of course, that's never the case!) and have a fun theme.  After reading another blog I follow, I totally copied her idea and went with an early morning donut and pajama party.  It was perfect!  Kids are cranky in the afternoon, especially during nap time.  Plus you have to wait all day for the party and then take all night to clean up.  Instead, the party was over by 11:30am, kids were napping by 1pm and the house was back in order by 3pm.  

The morning started early, as it usually does, around 5:30am with Carter getting to open up a few of his presents from us.  

A new blanket I made (well, cut some fabric and tied some strings).  He is loving Toy Story and now sleeps with this blanket every night.

Then I took Carter with me to the local donut house to pick out some special treats for his donut cake (way easier than cupcakes!)  

 I decorated the house with sprinkles and these super cute sprinkled donut coasters I found in the dollar bin at Target (love.target.) I didn't take many pictures of the food but we had fruit, blueberry muffins, donuts (duh) and milk, chocolate milk, OJ and coffee to drink.  Super simple!

 It was really just a pajama party for the kids but Matt and I wanted to get into the party mode too.  And, it was super comfy.

 Love Matt's pants!  :)

 Lucy wanted a snack before the party started and the Grandma's were happy to help!

 One bored little boy patiently waiting for his friends to arrive.

 We sang Happy Birthday pretty quick because most of the guests couldn't wait to eat some yummy donuts.

 We had 5 little boys under the age of 5 and 3 babies under a year.  So much fun!

 I kept with the breakfast theme and had the kids make fruit loop necklaces for an activity.  But really, they just played with the strings and ate the fruit loops out of the box.  And Lucy helped herself too. Lucky girl!

 Crazy playtime in the playroom.

 Pin the sprinkle on the donut!  But, only Carter and his friend Michael wanted to play.  Needless to say, the game ended quickly.

 Pinata time!  I am SO not ready for a swinging bat flying around the house, so this option was perfect! Each kid takes a turn pulling a ribbon off.  One of the ribbons makes the pinata open.  So fun!

 And then presents.  Oh my gosh.  I've never seen a kid open up presents so quickly.  Sadly, our thank you cards will probably be pretty generic (ie. thanks for your gift?) because it was impossible to figure out what was from who.

 So many fun people came to celebrate with us.

 On Carter's actual birthday he got a few more presents.

 A new nativity set from Grandma Vance.  It's great to let the kids play with it and explain the story of Christmas.

 And, because you only turn 3 once (and to make him feel better after getting bullied at Jump Planet) he got 2 cupcakes!  One at lunch (which made nap time interesting...haha)

 And another at dinner!

Such a fun way to celebrate.  So far 3 has been a really great year.

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Longhurst family memories.

My parents have wanted family pictures for a few years now and we somehow finally made it happen! The amazing Heather Mann from Heather Mann Photography (go check out her page, she's amazing!  www.heathermannphotography.com) braved the cold (it was freezing!) and we got some great shots. 

Grandpa and Carter

 With their 2 adorable and perfect grandkids (so, I'm a little biased)

 she's the cutest.

 and somewhat camera shy when she's tired and wants her thumb.

 us. It looks like we are all cute and cozy but really I was freezing and just wanted to warm up a bit!

 the parents!

 the whole family.

 our big 3 year old!

 siblings.

 and another cute one.  Only a little girl could pull of a hot pink skirt like that!

 our family.

 brother/sister love.

 and Aunt Joy!

Great job Heather!  You were able to capture some really great moments and I know my family will cherish these pictures for years to come!

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three.

3 years ago I looked like this.  I was loving being pregnant, excited for the unknown of labor and feeling prepared for parenthood.  Little did I know that my world was about to be flipped upside down. 

Carter was born after 24 hours of labor and 3+ hours of pushing.  He was worth every ounce of pain.  This little boy made me a mama and I've never quite been the same. He made us a family, made my heart grow in ways I didn't even know was possible and continues to amaze me today.

Turning one.  Such a fun year of growth, discovery and adventure.  

Then two.  This was his year of change.  Changing physical abilities, communicating, showing frustration, new sister, new routines, moving, new babysitter, new house, new discoveries.  And he handled it like a champ.

 And now three.  How did these last 3 years go by so quickly?  I feel so blessed to be able to be home more with the kids.  I love, love, love watching them grow up.  Carter is our busy boy.  He is constantly seeking new things, new ways to learn and discover and grow.  He keeps us on our toes, not just running to keep up with him but also by what he says, asks and knows.  He is smart.  I know every parent says that, but it's true.  He's quick too.  He can pick up on new words, phrases and songs faster than anyone I know. He's sensitive.  He wants to make sure people feel happy, loved and cared for.  He watches out for his little sister, he loves giving me open mouth sloppy wet kisses and always reminds me that "your the best, mom.  I love you."  It melts my heart.

 He's obsessed with all things pirates.  He's total boy.  Not really sure how or when he learned it but new sound effects come out of his mouth every day.  He can easily mimick a spaceship, airplane, car, truck, motorcycle, pirate ship, crocodile and tickle monster.  It's awesome.

 

He wants to be independent but still wants me there to help, just in case.  He's in a balancing act of being a "big boy" yet still wanting to be tucked in at night and get his back rubbed. He wants to do things himself and is proud to show you how well he can do it.  He is amazed by the simple things in life and voices, "wow!" when he sees something new and exciting.  He's funny.  He's kind.  He's stubborn.  He's athletic.  He's loud. He's persistent.  He's strong.  He's helpful. And, he's three.

Happy Birthday Carter Thomas!  You'll never understand how much we love you.  Here's to another exciting year!

(and now I'm sitting here with tears running down my face as I reflect on my baby's first 3 years!) 

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