First day of school

September 7th was the first day of school at Liberty Lake Elementary. Paige is now in 4th grade and Kate started 1st grade. So far they are happy with their teachers and classmates. I'm happy to have them back in a routine and not driving each other crazy all day at home.

They are also doing Cross Country this year at school. It's 3 days a week. I'm glad that they'll have that extra time to stay active.

Noah Grant Carter

On August 23rd, we welcomed our sweet little Noah into the world. He was born at 9:51 PM, weighing 7 lb 3 oz and was 21 inches long. He is healthy and doing really well. I am exhausted, but so happy to have a sweet new baby, and happy to not be pregnant anymore. I will post the birth story soon. The kids love their new brother and always want to hold him. It's been fun. He's going to be a spoiled little boy.

38 weeks

Although this often feels like the longest pregnancy in the history of mankind, I'm kind of shocked that I'm almost 38 weeks along. It's suddenly really hitting me that this baby will be here very soon. Luke arrived at exactly 39 weeks, so I could be just a week away from having a baby! Aaaahhh!!

I am really excited to meet this little guy and I cannot wait to be done being pregnant. It is the best feeling in the world when your baby finally comes out and you can breathe and move normally. Can't wait. 

So far this pregnancy has been pretty smooth, thank goodness. I just hope everything continues to go well, and that the baby is as healthy as can be. We've had 2 NICU babies and it was incredibly stressful, so I would love to be able to bring this little one home within 48 hours of delivery. 

We still don't have a name for him, which is ridiculous. Naming boys is HARD. We have 6 or 7 names that we are considering, but I'm not sure if any of them are right. I'm hoping that we will feel some inspiration when he's born. 

This was taken at 37 weeks (last Wednesday)...

Paige's Room Makeover

For her birthday, all Paige wanted was a room makeover. I was excited because I kind of love that sort of thing. She wanted to be surprised, so I just did my best and hoped that she liked the direction I went with it.

She loves it. Phew! Unfortunately, I don't have a "before pic." Dang it. It's not the most dramatic makeover ever, but I think it's cute.

Here is how it turned out...

Her desk was worn and ugly on top, so I found some vinyl (easy peel) wallpaper on clearance at Michael's and just layed it over the top. Worked great.

I found these prints at Hobby Lobby and I just really liked them.

Paige is 9!!

For Paige's birthday this year, we decided to do a small, simple party. It may have had something to do with the fact that I was 33 weeks pregnant and exhausted. We came up with the idea to go see The BFG with some of Paige's friends. She decided a few months ago, that she doesn't really like cake or pie all that much. She does love donuts though, so that's what we had for dessert.

We love Paige so much. She's really mature and smart for her age. She always loves to be involved in adult conversations. She's a great helper and always watches out for her younger siblings. She's really strong-willed, which can be hard as a parent, but I think it will benefit her as she grows up. She's a leader, and I hope she stays that way. We love you, Paige!

Our 4th of July trip to Huntsville, UT

My mom and dad recently moved to Huntsville, Utah, which is my mom's hometown. When I was growing up, we used to drive to Huntsville almost every year for the 4th of July. The town does a fun parade in the morning, and then a carnival type thing throughout the day. So this year all of my siblings and I made the trip there for a little reunion. The kids did really well on the drive and everything went pretty smoothly. We had a good time. Here's a recap...

My parents have a really fun yard. The kids loved it!

My brother-in-law, Ryan, bought a Ferrari a few months ago, and he was nice enough to let several people drive it around town. Even Nate, if you can imagine that.

Our first day in Utah, we went to the This is the Place Heritage Park in SLC. I thought it was really cool and worth checking out. It was super hot though, which is always rough for me. But still a neat place!

All the kids got to be a part of the parade in Huntsville. The girls rode with Ryan in the Ferrari and the boys rode bikes and scooters. My girls felt pretty special.

 Luke didn't really know what was going on, but he was along for the ride with his little cousin, Miguel.

Nate didn't exactly want to be part of the parade. Luckily, Melanie and Miguel pulled the kids for us.

Fun times with the Carver family! Thanks for a fun weekend, Mom and Dad!

Picking cherries at Green Bluff

We drive up to the Green Bluff farms a couple times each year. It's a beautiful, fun area. We love to pick cherries in the summer and pumpkins in fall. We picked about 15 lbs of cherries this year (mostly Rainier). So good!

I'm not sure why Kate is absent from the pictures. I think I remember her chasing a dog and then watching a goat the entire time.