Still September...

The last week in September was the first week that I was really feeling up to getting out. Recovery from Carter was pretty hard, but I was anxious to have a family outing just to play. We headed to the park, and had a great time. 

This isn't a great picture...of anybody...but that afternoon we had packed a great picnic and we were so excited to have a great time. Unfortunately the bees felt otherwise, so we packed it back up and headed to the car. We still had fun...just a little squished and crazy.

Olivia has always liked lemons (she takes a lick, makes a crazy sour face, then goes in for more about twenty times). This particular afternoon she sucked on this lemon for about an hour, while she helped clean up dinner, water the plants, and play before bed. I finally had to take it away at bedtime; she wasn't thrilled.

This next picture is very important to me. Like I've said before, Carter was quite a fussy little guy for quite some time. Now I realize that it was only about two months, but BOY do those days drag on. One day I was really tired of carrying him around everywhere, and had tried the two slings we have to no avail. I headed out to the consignment store and bought this sling that had Carter in a cocoon position. It totally worked for about a week, and it was glorious. I haven't tried him in it for a while...maybe I should :).

 Here is O doing her first chore! I'm all child labor in the home, and think that kids learning responsibility is very important. She unloads the silverware every time we run the dishwasher, and it has given us an opportunity to talk about all the work that goes into keeping the house running. We may have spoons jumbled with forks, but I love when she asks for a chair because she sees the silverware sitting on the counter waiting for her.

Here's a few shots of the awesome faces of Carter. He's quite the little character :)

A cute little impromptu picture during a walk...these women help me every day!

And we had Andy home for the weekend! What a treat for Olivia, who loves to play and jump and run around with her aunt and uncle. Here he is serving as a water fountain.

Another huge plus to Andy being home is that he inevitably will be making a cheesecake. My stomach and muffin top attest to the fact that they are impossible to stop eating...so delicious! Here is Olivia enjoying the first taste the night before Max's big party.