Melanie and James' wedding: 1.29.11

Congrats to Melanie and James Dean on tying the knot...the wedding was beautiful; we wish them a lifetime of love, happiness, and laughter!!

The beautiful bride and groom.

All smiles!

Cheese!!

Having fun in the photo booth!

Me and the gorgeous bride, Melanie!

Gramps and Grandma time...



Laughing with Gramps.



Hanging out in Gramps' office.



Grandma, Momma, and Brennan before heading out for our run.

The Cousins

Hey cuz, look at the camera!

Landon's rockin' a new hairdo!



Justin strikin' the cool, older cousin/brother pose!



Seattle!

Our trip "home" was a whirlwind trip...there never seems to be enough time to see everyone and have the quality time we'd love to have in addition to do all the things we want to do (we actually had snowboarding and hiking on our list...).

A big highlight was seeing our nephews Justin and Landon...Justin is forever growing and will be taller than I soon and to meet Landon for the first time was a treasure. Landon and Brennan are just 22 days apart; we look forward to returning back home some day so we can watch the boys grow up together.

Friends galore!! We managed to see a lot of people...a huge thank you to all those that took the time to visit with us, to those we missed, we're bummed and hope to catch you next time! We felt so loved on this trip and really enjoyed seeing everyone; we loved seeing the little ones and can't wait until Brennan is old enough to play and keep up with them.

Thank you Aunt Trisha for coming down from Olympia to visit us and to Mom and Dad Carter for hosting all our friends and being such gracious hosts with the in and out traffic of people.

Photos to follow!

Last night out in Chicago

We went out to dinner for our last night in Chicago at Coopers Hawk Winery & Restaurant (http://www.coopershawkwinery.com/) where my brother works...fabulous food and excellent service. Brennan slept part of the evening away...

Gramma and Grampa time!

Story time with Gramma.

Bath time with Gramma.

Checking out Grampa's office.

All smiles.

Meeting Uncle Kev!

Nana and Saba

My grandparents were overjoyed at meeting Brennan for the first time...my grandma is Nana to Brennan and my grandpa is Saba (Hebrew for grandfather). Many special moments were shared...


Saba teaching Brennan how to whistle...actually, just whistling in the hope that
Brennan will recognize his whistle on Skype.



All smiles.



Seahawks vs. Bears Showdown

Gooooo Hawks!



Even Bailey dressed for the occasion!



John and Tami rootin' for da Bears

 

Brennan and Uncle Kev



Consequences of making a wager and losing... :(

January Happenings...travel and FUN!

We entered 2011 with excitement and anticipation in travelling back to the States (Chicago and Seattle) with Brennan to visit family and friends...excitement in seeing everyone and introducing the newest lil Carter and for me, nervous anticipation in how the long flight, travel, time change, and new faces would be like for Brennan.

In true Brennan fashion, he was a super trooper on the flight to Chicago and made friends with everyone who laid eyes on him...he's a true charmer with his beautiful eyes, long eyelashes and big ol' smile. He coped so well with the time change and just needed a couple days to get used to all the new faces (and pets); he slept well thoughout the nights and was truly an adaptable baby.

We spent 8 wonderful days in Chicago full of food, fun, family, and friends...my grandparents even flew in from Arizona! We were fortunate to be able to be a part of my dad's 60th birthday surprise party and celebrate him in style with close friends, family, and good food. I met up with an old friend from high school and enjoyed reminiscing, catching up, and looking at our lives now. Chicago was COLD...a reminder of how much I dislike the winters there, but that didn't stop us from taking a walk in the neighborhood and enjoying the snow. The Seahawks and Bears showdown put a small damper on the visit...we had our heart set on the Hawks winning and with the loss came the consequences of making wagers...Brian had to wear a Bears jersey. Photos to follow in future posts.

After 8 days in Chicago we flew to Seattle to spend time with more family and friends...everyday was packed full of people to see, places to go, food to eat, stores to shop, and an amazing wedding to attend to! Photos to follow in future posts.

This trip really made us miss home and was a wonderful reminder of all the people we have loving and supportng us...we truly are fortunate to have our far away village of people behind us no matter where we are.