Jenn's Baby Shower

My good friend from high school/seminary/YW's lives in Portland, which has been really nice over the past year. We get together once a month or so, and she's awesome. She is pregnant with her first baby! She will be having a (beautiful) little girl at the end of May, so our friends and I decided to throw her a baby shower in our hometown, Gig Harbor.

 

Our friend, Kristin, asked her parents if we could host it at their amazing new home that overlooks the Puget Sound. It was a fun day! It was nice to catch up with some of the people we grew up with.

 

It was also a nice break for me since I was gone most of the day and Nate had the kids to himself.

 

 

 

 

 

These are Sarah's cute cookies. She's so talented!

 

I think Brad was thrilled to attend his first (and probably last) baby shower. 

 

 

We played a little game where I read some funny things that Brad and Jenn did/said when they were children and people had to guess which one did it. Their parents were very helpful in providing some cute stories about them.

 

Leslie and Diane brought their adorable little boys.

 

 

 

 

I wouldn't mind a view like that.

 

Cinnamon Puffs

I recently got this awesome recipe from a friend in our last ward (Thanks, Jessica!) and now I'm obsessed.  They are pretty much like donuts. SO GOOD!

Cinnamon Breakfast Puffs

1. Mix together 1/3 c. butter, 1 egg and 1/2 c. sugar. Stir in 1/2 c. milk

2. Mix together 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, 1 1/2 c. flour and 1/2 tsp. salt

3. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and combine thoroughly

4. Fill greased mini-muffin tin

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes

6. Pop the muffins out and roll them in 6-8 TB of melted butter

7. Roll ball in a mixture of 1/2 c. sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon. (I needed more like 3/4 cup sugar and 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon)

Enjoy!

Quote of the day

Kate just came running into the house and said, "I saw a snug!" 

And then Paige said, "With antenticles!"

 

 

Yahoo Images

Changes

Big changes are coming in the Carter family, once again. After a year in Vancouver, we've decided to make our way back to Liberty Lake. Crazy!

Although this area definitely has a lot to offer and we do like it here, we've realized that Liberty Lake is where we want to settle. We've missed almost everything about it (I can't say I've missed the snow though). What made our decision even easier was the fact that Nate isn't happy with his job here. He loved it at first, but some big things have changed since he started the job and it's clear that it's time for him to find something else.

We've been looking at positions in Spokane for a few months, but we have no official news in that department yet, so we'll see what happens. I'll keep you posted. But no matter what, we will most likely be moving back by mid-May at the latest, and we're excited about it!

I am not so excited about the actual moving process, but hey... if I can do it 10 days after I had a baby, it should be a breeze this time, right? Nope. It's still gonna suck.

Moving is really hard for me, emotionally. This time will be easier, since we know Liberty Lake so well, but I know that we'll still have a hard time leaving everything behind here. Paige loves her friends at school and the kids in the neighborhood, so I know she will be sad to leave, but also excited to be near her cousins again. I cry everytime I move, so that's a given. Change is always hard. But we really feel good about this decision, so that makes it easier. I really hope this is our last move for a long, long time.

We'll see you soon, Liberty Lake!

Kate Quote

"When I'm older, like Dad, I'm gonna have a boob to go potty too!"

 

Little Kate is 3!

Kate turned 3 on March 12th. I can hardly believe that. How can she be 3?

 

 I just love this sweet girl.  We celebrated her birthday with some friends from church, and a couple girls from our neighborhood. She wanted a princess cake, of course. She was so excited about celebrating her birthday. When she woke up and saw the decorations, she started running around, yelling, "I'm free! I'm free!" (That's how she says 3.)

 

She loved all of her gifts. She's one happy little girl with so much new stuff to play with!

 

 

I had to keep these up high. She was so excited to open them all day.

 

Halle had been crying, so her eyes are all red and teary.

Sometimes you gotta take pictures of yourself. No one else will.

Halle is so freaked out by this squishy ball thing (yes, that's what it's called). She acts like it's gonna attack her or something. I should have gotten it on video.

He loves taking pictures, if you can't tell. 

Kate LOVES sunglasses. It's so funny. Poor thing doesn't realize she lives in Washington.

 

She sat there, slowly starting to touch the frosting for quite a while. She was trying to be sneaky, but I was standing right there watching her. ha ha ha.

 

How to torture a 3 year old:  Sit them down in front of a cake, and tell them they can't touch it.

 

 

And... the sunglasses are back on. :)

 

 

Enjoying some of her new toys from Grandma Bev.

 

Halle

This is how Halle crawls when she's trying to protect her little knees from the hard floor. Cute, huh? She has been standing up on her own a lot lately, but she hasn't dared to take any steps yet.