Happy Birthday Carter!

Carter turned 4 yesterday and had a great day! He went to school in the morning and his friends and teachers sang "Happy Birthday" and had a little pretend cake for him. I arrived later in the morning with treats at snack time. Carter passed the goodies out to all his friends and I was so proud of him and his manners. I got to stay the rest of the morning and "work", reading books and helping kids at the paint center. We had a great morning!

Afterward, Jon and I took Carter to his favorite restaurant, Moe's. It was nice to have a date just the three of us. (A friend graciously watched Moira) Carter felt very special. When we got home, Carter got to open his presents and let me just say, he is one fortunate little man. He had a good haul this year thanks to dear friends and family. He loved all of it - the cards and phone calls too!

I am in awe of the little man he is growing to be. He is just so funny and soaks up everything around him. We are so very blessed to have him in our life. Carter is truly a gift to us.

We wish to thank you for all your love and support as we have watched over and nurtured Carter these past four amazing years.

First Day of School!!!

I don't know who was more excited, Carter or me, but today was the first day of preschool!
Carter goes three days a week now and LOVES his school. One of his teachers is the same as last year so I think it has been very influential in easing him back into his routine. He even has some friends from last year in his class (all girls and they are very excited!). He couldn't wait to head off for the day with his Curious George lunch box and get his tote (instead of a backpack). He was a little disappointed that we had to walk in with him, he wanted to do it himself. I am thrilled for this opportunity for him. He really enjoys having a place that is his own. He feels so independent. I like it because it wiped him out! Please enjoy the photos below.

Outside his school:
















Finding his tote:
















Getting his name tag. Now he is ready for the day!
















Passing out after a hard day at school:

Embarrassing Bath Time Photos

Its their first bath together and boy are they cute! Moira can barely take her eyes off her big brother for a moment. She thinks the world of him!

First Family Beach Vacation!

We just recently returned from our first family vacation since we moved to Virginia. We went to the beach and the kids had a blast "surfing" and playing in the sand. Jon and I had a great time too: Jon got to fish and go crabbing with Carter and I was able to read TWO WHOLE books. We all appreciated the time away from the city and some time together. Enjoy the pics below.

Running back after catching some big waves with Daddy:
















Moira enjoyed playing in the sand too -well, er, eating the sand
















Mommy and Moira playing in the sun
















Carter took a face plant while building a sand castle:
















Checking out starfish on the beach. Side note: They are NOT easy to pick up and just toss back into the water. Please just leave them on the beach.
































Moira gazing out at the coean

Clap Clap Clap Your Hands!

Moira can clap her hands! Well, at least she did yesterday with Carter and me. Of course, when her Daddy came home and we tried to show him, she looked at us like we were crazy. I outsmarted her though (this time) and was able to snap a few pictures for proof. (P.S. the dress she is wearing in these photos, MY grandmother made for me when I was this age...yes, yes, it is vintage, an antique!)

Moira continues to amaze us with how fast she is growing. Tomorrow, Sunday the 2nd, she will 8 months already! I can not believe the time has flown by already. She still scoots, but is working at her traditional crawl a little every day. She enjoys rocking on all fours and has even figured how to pull herself to sitting in her crib. Such a strong girl! It is astounding how fast she can travel on her belly. She also enjoys her gustatory adventures and loves food she can feed herself. She is very independent, which is hard for this controlling momma of hers to reconcile.

Carter is doing great as well. He has definitely discovered the magical world of make-believe and can be found entertaining himself for longer periods of time with all of his new "friends". I never know who will join him, or who he will pretend to be. One moment he is a Storm Trooper, the next red Spiderman or black Spiderman, the next Robin Hood. His new favorite is to pretend to be David and throw balls of paper at me (Goliath) with his sling shot (my hair band). There is always an adventure at the Stevenson house!

We are both excited for preschool to start in 6 weeks...but really, who's counting?