Train Ride

A few weeks ago we took Carter for his first train ride.

We have been blessed with tons of hand-me-downs, and

I thought these overalls were perfect for the occasion!

The line to ride was over an hour long,

so we were glad Carter was in a good mood!

Michael held our place in line while Carter and I 
sneaked up to the loading area for a peek at the trains.

Carter was definitely interested.

There were no pictures allowed during our ride.  
Bummer.

But I did manage to snap one right as we were getting off the train.

And with that, Carter was scooped up
and we were back home by naptime.

Summer Fun

After being mostly at home (with a newborn) last summer, 

it's nice to be able to get out more this year.

As I attempt to live "in the moment" and just enjoy our time with Carter, 
I've made an effort to leave my camera at home lately.  
I have managed to capture a few cell phone pictures, though.

The last week in July, Carter and I joined Michael on a trip to Washington DC 
where he was attending a seminar/training for work.

Our hotel had a pool, so Carter got to go swimming for the first time.

It's hard to tell from the pictures, but he loved it!

We spent a lot of time in the hotel room while Michael was gone.  
Carter was constantly asking, "Where Daddy Go?"  
Actually he just says, "Daddy? ... Go?" 
Always with this gesture:

Lunch in the hotel room - without Daddy. 

Part of Michael's training included a visit to a battlefield near DC.  
He came back to the hotel with a bunch of souvenirs for Carter, 
including this Union Soldier Hat.

 It was a little big, even for Carter's giant head.

 

All in all it was a good first road trip with Carter.
We had a total of less than 15 minutes of crying during the whole trip,
which included about 7 1/2 hours each way in the dreaded carseat.
I call that a major success!

Carter is pretty obsessed with lawnmowers this summer.  
Anytime we pass one on our walks, he nearly falls out of the stroller,
straining to keep watching it long after we've passed.
So of course he wants to "help" Michael mow our lawn 
any chance he gets!

"Inspector Carter" checking out his mower before getting started.

At one point he opted to ditch the mower, thinking he could keep up better without it.

It became an adorable game of "Follow the Leader" all around the backyard!

Here's a video of my boys in action.

I love how Carter mows his own path.
And his wipeout around the 0:35 mark is pretty adorable, too.

This weekend we stopped at my Aunt Bonnie's ice cream shop

and Carter had a blast climbing up and down the "grass bench"

that my Uncle Joe built a few years ago. 

King of the Mountain - he was so proud of himself!

Chatting with Aunt Bonnie atop the summit.

Calling for Daddy to come up and join him.

Where did he go?

Of course no trip to the ice cream shop would be complete

without a baby cone for Carter.

 

The kid definitely inherited a sweet tooth.

I have a weakness for ice cream, as does Michael, 

so it's a good thing Aunt Bonnie's isn't any closer!

Thanks, Bon, for the yummy treats!

13 Months Old

We almost forgot to take these today,

but remembered right about dinnertime.

I'm too tired to even worry about the likes and dislikes, 

but here are some of the images I was able to capture.

They give an idea of the experience.

Nobody ever said it was easy to get a 13-month-old to sit still!

Momentary break for a

13-month DANCE PARTY...

 

AND..... 

back to pictures.

Happy Birthday to our little maniac.

We love you, Buddy!