We're Still Alive!

Wow, talk about being a delinquent blogger! Last week was Spring Break, and we really enjoyed having a low-key week without many obligations. We had t-ball practice on Tuesday, soccer on Wednesday (no church that night), a play date on Thursday, and another impromptu play date on Friday. All-in-all, that's very relaxing for us!

Last Sunday, I decided it was time to break out the new running shoes and the double jogging stroller and start my "Couch Potato to 5K in 8 Weeks" plan. (For more info on this plan, click here.) I talked Alan into going with me the first week, since I didn't know if I could push approx. 110 pounds of stroller and kids all by myself, while jogging! The boys loved being side-by-side in the stroller for the first time. As far as the plan, I have stuck with it for an entire week, although not quite meeting the requirements listed. I think I will re-do week 1 (you are allowed to repeat weeks) and I should be ready to move on after that. We are talking SUPER couch potato, here, so I need some slack :)

Monday, we stayed at home and played. It was raining, but we did a few crafts, played Wii, sang songs (Charlie loves to dance!), and a few other indoor activities. Carter fed Scooby Doo some Scooby snacks (gummy worms)...



And he dressed up like Batman...
Tuesday at t-ball, Carter got to wear his new "practice uniform" we bought him. He looked like a real baseball player!

Thursday, I had a few friends over for a play date. All the kids played very well together and the moms got to enjoy socializing for a little while. Friday, one of the moms (who is one of my friends from church) had a hair appointment, and her mother was unable to keep her boys as originally planned, due to medical reasons. So, she brought her 2 boys over to play with Carter for the afternoon. They had so much fun and played well together once again!

Saturday, we had t-ball practice again. Alan had helped Carter practice on Wednesday or Thursday night for the first time since we started t-ball, and it really paid off! Carter's coach even commented to me afterward that Carter had improved dramatically! I guess all it took was a little one-on-one instruction and he will be a pro at this, just like soccer ;)

After t-ball, we came home and got ready for Andrew's birthday party. It was a really fun party at a jumping place, although Charlie did not like the loud noise and crowded areas. We mainly hung out in the less crowded waiting area while Carter jumped and Alan supervised. At one point, Carter ran into a wall in one of the jumpy houses, and had a bloody lip and knee. I'm still not sure how that happens with an inflatable wall...

After the party, the boys fell asleep almost immediately in the car! We came home and let them finish napping. Alan stayed in the house with them while I went for another run/walk. After naps, we all got ready once again and went to get Carter a combo TV/DVD player for his room! Yes, I said it. I have been against this for so long, but after Carter woke up at 5 am a couple of times recently, I decided I needed something else to keep him in his room until the sun comes out! In addition, I think it will make quiet time (which is usually not nap time anymore) a lot easier. We will NOT be adding cable/satellite, but rather let him watch his cartoon DVDs. We will have complete control over what he watches and the amount of TV time he has. Here are the boys getting ready to leave, wearing their matching madras plaid outfits that I recently made!
Charlie's first ride on Daddy's shoulders!

Carter has said a few funny things lately... One day, he asked, "Mommy, how did you meet me?" Ha! The day after I wrote that his favorite color was red, he said, "Mommy, my favorite color now is yellow, not red anymore. After yellow, my favorite color can be orange." And one day while Charlie was napping, he asked me if we could take Charlie back to the hospital so that Charlie could sleep, and he wouldn't have to be quiet anymore and wouldn't wake Charlie up. My little comedian...

Finally, I recently ordered (and received very quickly) these ADORABLE personalized sippy cup inserts. I already had some of these cups, as I was going to get some fabric to monogram to go inside. However, my friend Shelly told me that the fabric gets wet and mildewy, and she found this great company that makes laminated paper inserts which work much better. These are 4 of the 6 we ordered - we also have a bubble one and a baseball one. Aren't they cute? If anyone is doing their Christmas shopping already, we still need some for Charlie, and some additional ones for Carter for every holiday, of course ;)