New Carpet!

Several weeks ago we decided to finally take the leap and replace the carpet in our house. Initially, it felt like we were living in a new home.

Here's a picture of our newly-arranged family room. We decided to change things up a bit since we were already moving furniture all over the place!

Here's the carpet up close and personal.

And just for fun, here's a picture of the kids eating dinner. Ashlyn told me about 7 times that she "did not like her dinner." Ah well. That's life.

While We Were Away

When Brad and I were in Las Vegas (back in the beginning of April) my mom watched the kids. The following pictures are ones that she took during that time.

The kids love "resting" their feet on the ottoman just like Daddy! I think it is more comfortable for Daddy.

Ashlyn gets out her play-doh as soon as Carter goes down for a nap. She plays with it almost every day. Recently we tried letting Carter play with it too, but he proved that he is not yet ready by eating half a container's worth.

Now that the weather is nice the kids love playing in the backyard on the swings. I think Carter could swing for two hours straight without wanting to get out.

They also like to dig in the dirt with Ashlyn's shovel and rake. They've even made their own "garden."

Ashlyn has some princess dress-up shoes that she enjoys playing with daily . . . Carter does too.

Why do the boys get the best eyelashes?!?

When we were going through Ashlyn's old baby clothes (getting prepared for girl #2), the kids had fun in the containers.

Take a good look at that carpet because you won't be seeing it in pictures again. Two weeks ago we had all our carpet replaced. Maybe I'll post a picture of the new stuff soon. It's pretty fun - we feel like we live in a new house!

Las Vegas Trip

At the beginning of April Brad and I went to Las Vegas while my mom watched Carter and Ashlyn. We were gone for 5 days and 4 nights, and while it was tough being away from the kids, it was such a wonderful break!

The day that we arrived, we enjoyed dinner at The Lotus of Siam and watched Sherlock Holmes at the dollar theater. We liked the movie so much that we ended up buying it when we got home!

The second day we did an endowment session at the Las Vegas temple. It was a gorgeous day and the temple grounds were beautiful!

The third day we went to Red Rock Canyon and did a little bit of hiking and climbing.

The fourth day we went shopping at two sets of outlets and at the local Old Navy. We had the best luck at the Disney Store Outlet and bought a few things there for the kids.

On our last day we packed up and headed home, but not before taking a few pictures of our hotel.

Yes, I know I look very pregnant. I feel very pregnant and I still have 3 months to go!!!

During our stay we also enjoyed eating at Viva Mercados, Pinks, and The Spice Market Buffet. We rented two movies from Redbox, bought Sushi at the grocery store (it was delicious!), and walked the strip and watched the Bellagio fountain show.

Thanks mom for watching the kids! It was so relaxing!

Ashlyn's First Dance Recital

In January Ashlyn started a two-day-a-week dance class at our local fitness center. Each class was 30 minutes long and she really enjoyed it, especially since her friend, Azelynn, was in it too! On April 1st her little dance class performed along with 6 other classes. They danced to Johnny Be Good and Pooh Corner.

Before her turn:

During the dances:

All done

It's over!

She was cute. There was a lot of the dance that she didn't do at all (probably because she just didn't feel like it). I think her favorite part was wearing the leotard with a skirt and tights. She didn't want to take it off.

Ashlyn liked her teacher, Amber Johansen, and especially loved that Amber let them pick out a sticker to keep at the end of each class. It's been fun and I think she'll be dancing more in the future!

We're having a Girl!

Earlier this month we had an ultrasound and we were excited to find out that our baby is not only looking healthy, but also, she's a girl!!! We were both pretty sure that we were having a boy, so it was kind of a shock. Ashlyn was pretty sure we were having two babies, but she was still happy to learn that she was getting a baby sister!

Carter is 18 months old

I know this isn't a great picture, but it sure is a great face! Here is Carter at 18 months old:

With Carter we have come to learn that a boy child is quite different from a girl child. Carter is definitely all boy (well, I don't know about the dancing part of him . . . it's special). He loves cars, trucks, balls, dirt, climbing, jumping, and running. He does a great job of letting us know what he wants . . . and what he doesn't want. He's energetic and playful and we sure love having him around!

and then there were 3

First, I apologize for being such a poor blogger lately.

Secondly, I think I have a good excuse . . . I've been feeling really, really sick. I mean, I've been laying in bed all day every day for over 2 months.

Lastly, the sickness will all be worth it in the long run because it's from a pregnancy!

Yep, we're expecting baby number 3 around July 25th!!!