THE PRATERS

Crazy Coupon Lady

2010-08-25T09:12:00.001-07:00

For the past year I have really tried to become a "thrifty shopper". I have cut coupons, joined coupon groups, compared grocery adds like a hawk, and have even been know to take an item back once it has gone on sale to get the better price. I'm not by any means saying I'm a "Coupon Queen", but I would like to think I'm responsible for making our family dollar s-t-r-e-t-c-h a little further.

This family photo shoot is the results of one of my many coupons. I know that these pictures are far from amazing, but what to you expect for 10 bucks? I loved that when we took these pictures there was absolutely no stress. We kinda-sort-of tried to match our clothes, and we did take showers and put a little extra gel in Carter's hair, but we went in knowing that there was a great possibility that these pictures could suck. Given the fact that the photographer we had totally hated her job, and I had to bribe my son and husband with lunch immediately following the picture taking, I think these pictures turned out a bit better then sucky.

Remember it only cost 10 bucks. . . . . . After pictures we went to Farm Basket for lunch. It just happen to be a buy one meal, get one free day. Coincidence? I think not:)

My Monster

2010-07-14T09:23:00.000-07:00

YES we are still alive. Honestly I’m not sure why I’m even updating this blog. I really don’t think that I need to have a Facebook account and a blog. But since I still like to blog stalk people, I figure I might as well give those few people who do stalk me (and never leave a comment) a little something to look at. Since I’m being honest about my blog stalking we might as well be honest about my kid. . . . . He is seriously cute!!

Given the fact that I have not updated the family blog in over six months, you will see Carter growing before your eyes in these pictures. Carter is two and half years old, he wears a size 4, not a 4 Toddler a FOUR, as in XS in the big boys department. He loves to swim, ride his bike, drive anything with a motor, going to the movies, camping, the cabin, and having all the attention on him ALL the time. He talks back, rolls his eyes, and tells “stories” all the time. To make up for his naughtiness, he hugs and kisses you unexpectedly, he will tell you that your shirt is cute, and that he likes how you did your hair today. He is fully potty trained and totally rocks his boxer briefs. He taught his Nana how to use her cell phone last week. He can recognize the whole alphabet and most numbers. If I ask him what color something is he looks at me like. . . . . “My crazy mom I just told her what color the grass was yesterday, she forgets so easily. Oh well, mom the grass is greeeeen. G-R-E-E-N!” He is all boy, he loves to wrestle and get dirty. He can burp louder then most men, loves peeing outside, and has been known to blow a snot rocket or two.

I'm the crazy wife/mom that loves to dress her boys the same. I can't help it! They are just so dang cute!

Carter loves his dad so much! Seriously look how much Carter looks like Kenny. CR-A-ZY!

He can start almost every quad we have. As soon as he can reach the foot pegs we are all in trouble!

Every once in awhile we get all gussied up!

Spoiled to the Max!

Shaking his groove-thang on the dance floor!

He really thinks that he should get his own quad. We are looking for one that is surrounded by a bubble:)

He was getting way to big for his toddler bed. He loves his Dragon room.

Slip and Slides still rule!!!

We took him bowling and he almost beat his Aunt Jordan!

Lovin some ribs on 4th of July!

We are taking bets on how old he will be when he gets his first set of stitches. . . .

He loved watching Toy Story 3 in 3D!

Too cute for his own good.

I love these guys sooo much!

Let's Make A Deal!!!

2010-01-04T09:41:00.000-08:00

So, my friend Stephanie calls me and says that I need to get a babysitter because we are going to try and get on Let's Make a Deal. My first thought was, Let's Make a Deal is still on TV??? That's when I started my research. I put the DVR to work and started checking out the Internet. To get on Let's Make a Deal they like you to dress up in costumes and act silly. We all know that I've got the silly part down so that meant I had to find a costume. So I called my sister Shelby and asked to borrow her "granny wig". I remember her and her friend dressing up as granny's for Halloween and it was freakin Hilarious. Now that I had the "hair" I needed to acquire the rest of the "Granny Outfit". After several trips to several thrift shops and one emergency trip to Walmart, I ended up with this crazy, ugly, costume that cost less then 10 bucks!!!

They are filming the show at the Tropicana and Wayne Brady is the host. We got in line around 9:00 for the 11:00 show. Apparently we were pretty late because people started arriving at 3:30 in the morning! Needless to say we didn't make the first show. We did get tickets for the afternoon show. But that meant we had a couple hours to kill. So, what do three crazy people that have lived in Las Vegas for most of their lives, dressed up as some of the most random people/things decide to do to occupy that time???? We decided to get in touch with our inner tourist and walk the strip. Here are just a few of our pictures. Hope they make you laugh.

Nick is Richards Simmons cousin Russ. Check out his Liberty pose.
The yellow M&M just happen to be out!

That anaconda needs to watch out!

Granny and Lady Bug Stephanie by the New York New York.

Wonder what their babies would look like???

------

After we finished playing tourist it was time to get back to business. We went back to the Tropicana to begin our journey. We started out standing in line to get a number, then filling out a bunch of paper work, then standing in line to get your picture taken, then in another line to be interviewed, and yet another line because the line we were in was too long. We finally made it inside which meant we were definitely going to be on the show. Then we stood in a security line. . . . and we finally got our seats. We are actually sitting right behind Wayne Brady for the whole show. I'm pretty sure when the show air you will be seeing a whole lot of Granny:) None of us ended up getting picked but we sure had a blast and it will be one of those days that I will never forget.

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P.S. Shelby thanks for the costume inspiration.

Santa Train

2009-12-15T16:22:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! Well we had an awesome Christmas and I hope you did too. We started off our Christmas celebration with a ride on the Santa Train. Pops (aka Kenny's dad Gary) got us all tickets to ride the train in Boulder City. We had a ton of fun riding the trains and Carter loved it whenever he herd the Train Whistle. We spent most of the morning riding the trains and ended the day eating at A&W ( the A&W in Boulder City always taste the best). Thanks again Pops and Grandma we had a great time!

Our family picture. Matt was even home from school to go with us.

We apparently don't listen when they say to keep you arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times.

Carter is not sure what to think of Santa and Mrs. Clause.

Carter showing Pops all the sites.

I love this guy so dang much!

Loves his Pops.

Family picture time.

Carter and his dad. Cutest guys in the world.

I love this picture.

Merry Christmas!

Coral Pink

2009-09-28T12:06:00.000-07:00

It seemed like we had not used our trailer in years. So we decided to go to Coral Pink sand dunes. It worked out great because it was Uncle Dens birthday and it was finally starting to cool down. The trip started out great. Kenny was happy because he had a day off Carter was chillin in the back seat watching movies, and I was reading a book. We stoped in Kanab Utah for lunch and paid $16 for a Big Mac at McDonald's. OK, it wasn't 16 bucks but it was at least double the price. We finally made it to our camp site. It was a bit small but after we broke a few minor laws we manage to get everything set up. Check out the pictures and continue reading for the rest of the story. . . . . .

These are the beautiful Pink Dunes.

Here are some nice trails in the dunes.

This is our trailer fully loaded with all the quads.

Here is Carter enjoying his freedom outside of the car seat.

We are finally unloaded and set up. Life is GOOD. . . . . .

. . . .And then this happens! Carter fell out of the trailer AGAIN. I swear I got 50 grey hairs after this fall. He had been doing so good. He would take his time going down the steps, and he was asking for help. Then he leaned on the screen door and landed straight on his face. The stairs where folded up this time, it was almost a 3ft fall.

This is the screen door he fell out of.

We kept giving him "candy" all weekend. AKA chewable Tylenol.

We thought about shaving his head and getting him some "iceman" shorts so he could be Chuck Liddel for Halloween.

This is inappropriate shirt #1. Thanks Uncle Den.

The morning after mug shot.

Carter usually doesn't like to ride on the quads. He likes riding in the Ranger or the Razor best. As you can see he pretty much likes any thing with a motor now!

He will tell you which one he wants to ride. Red wheeler or Blue wheeler.

Birthday boy enjoying some Jungle Juice!

This is inappropriate shirts #2. Not sure if you can read it. . .

He was one big sand ball by the end of the weekend. We almost had enough sand to start our own sand box!

I had so much fun on our Coral Pink trip. I actually got to go on a ride, and it was such a fun ride! It was so relaxing (except for the falling out of the trailer part). Can't wait to do it again!

Here are a couple funny pictures of Carter in his big boy bed. He was so good with the switch. He stays in his room until I get him and he loves his new sheets.

This kid moves constantly. I'm so happy we have the bed rails. . . . .

. . . . . .What bed rails?????

Catch Up

2009-09-11T16:39:00.000-07:00

Well here it is, for the two people who actually look at this blog, I hope you enjoy the update. We have tried to keep busy this summer. I find that if we keep Carter super busy he tends to take long naps. I REALLY like long naps:)

We spent a lot of time swimming. Taking swim lessons at the start of the summer was the best thing ever. Carter is a little fish and is already trying to swim on his own.

Check out my chunky lil man. I love that belly!

Super Carter showing off his guns!

We went to the Drive-Inn movies. Carter loved having his own bag of popcorn. We took Kenny's truck and put the bean bags in the bed. It worked as an awesome play-pen!

It was a little warm but it only cost us 12 bucks! In my book that is AWESOME!

This is how the night ended:)

We spent Labor Day at the cabin. This is the "before" picture.

And this is the "after". It's kinda hard to tell, but they are REALLY muddy and tired.

Ross was in charge of the fire so we could have SMORES.

What happens when you put two skinny girls and a few smores together in the same forest? (see picture above:)

Jordan is modeling her sweet boots before she takes Carter on a ride.

This is Bubba's favorite place to be!

He is getting so dang big.

We went to the Flamingo Hotel so that we could . . . . . . .

. . .see the flamingos. It was fun and FREE.

Carter got tattoos!

A lot of tattoos. Thanks you very much Teel Family.
We bought a 3 dollar kite.

Carter like watching it for all of 10 minutes. Kenny had a great time trying not to hit the other people at the park.

We had a BBQ for Nanas birthday.
We went to Logan to visit Shelby and attend a funeral.

We were able to see our long lost cousins and all their kids.

Carter is starting to pose for pictures now. I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not.

Seriously I was gone for 2minutes. I swear!

BUSTED!!!

Overall our summer was awesome. Hope you enjoyed ALL the pictures.

Great Grandpa Prater

2009-09-11T15:38:00.000-07:00

I will never forget the first time I met Kenny's grandparents. I remember walking into the house that they raised their children in. There was comfy furniture, tons of pictures of family, grand kids and great-grand kids, and the all important BIG screen TV. Kenny lead me into the house with that, "are you sure your ready for this" look on his face. The first person we ran into was his grandpa. I was immediately wrapped in this huge hug. I made my way down the line, grandma, aunts, uncles, cousins, and at the end of the line there was Grandpa again. He took another hug and asked how I like my margarita. That's when I knew that being a Prater was NOT going to suck!!!!

One of G-pa's most favorite things to do is go fishing. I have heard so many stories of the family fishing/camping trips. Once the boys started getting older the trips started to slow down. G-pa is going to be 89 in November. He has been telling us for a while now that he wanted to go fishing one last time before he dies. I don't want you guys to get the wrong picture in your head. G-pa is not an "old man". He is not in a wheelchair, he drives a really nice Caddy around town, and last time I checked he still hangs his own Christmas lights. Lets just say that he is AMAZING and if we can accomplish half the stuff that he has then we are doing DAMN good.

We decided to help G-pa check a few items of his "bucket list" so we took him fishing! My parents were nice enough to lend us the cabin for the weekend. G-pa got to go fishing on Navajo Lake, spend time with his grandsons and great-grandson, eat good food, and watch the deer from the deck. He was one happy camper!

This is G-pa and his catch! I LOVE this picture!

The boys and their catch! Way to go guys!

We spent a lot of time on the deck.

A baby deer that came to visit.

Beer can chicken. Boy was it tasty!

Carter's Grandma and Pops lovin life.

Nana left this baby rifle at the cabin for Carter. He kept shooting the deer and saying "bang, bang, bang!"

We went on a super dusty ride. Good Times!

The fishing trip was a success, G-pa was happy, and that was all that mattered.

We love you G-pa!

Happy 4th of July

2009-07-06T11:34:00.000-07:00

I love the 4th of July. I mean seriously LOVE it. I love the smell of fireworks, I love the BBQs, I love the hot weather, I love it ALL. My birthday is the 6th of July so when I was a kid I would always wait for the first firework stand to set up. Thats when I knew my birthday was right around the corner. I remember being so excited. What other week in the year do you get to play with fire AND open presents? It is awesome!

This year Grandpa Prater bought us all tickets to the 51's baseball game. It was Carters first game. We had such a great time. Thanks POPS!

They put on a a great fireworks show. Carter did so good, we thought he might get scared but he just loved sitting with Kenny watching the show.
Firday we went to my parents cabin. We always have such a great time there.

Carter loves to go on "rides". We take him on trash runs and to the corner gas station.

He also loves to go on hikes (or as Carter says "ikes"). This is him picking flowers for me and Nana. Such a sweet boy. . . . . .sometimes.

We bought a few boxes of sparklers. That kid is very dangerous with fire.

We decided to try something new this year and drive up to Brianhead for the firework show. It was one of the best shows I have EVER seen! They set them off right in the middle of the canyon. You can FEEL the fireworks and the echo seems to go on forever.

This is Carter eating some carmel popcorn waiting for it to get dark.

We had such a great weekend! When we left the mountain it was 73 degrees. Once we got home it was 107 degrees. So I decided it was time to buzz Carters head again. This is before . . .

. . . . and after.

Hope you all had a great holiday. Thanks again to my mom and dad. They bought me a new camera for my birthday. I was so lost with out a camera.

The Month of June

2009-07-06T10:21:00.000-07:00

June sure seemed like a crazy month. I don't have many pictures to prove it, but here is an update on the Prater Family.

We have been trying to do things that are inexpensive (just like everyone else). One of our most favorite "cheep" thing to do is swimming. Carter took swim lessons earlier this year. We didn't have a great start but I'm soooo happy we went. I wasn't expecting him to learn how to swim this year, but I really wanted him to be comfortable in the water. Sometimes I think he may be too comfortable. He absolutely loves the water and has no fear what-so-ever. He holds his breath for at least 7 seconds and will jump off the side. We are working on his kicking and floating on his back. Overall his is doing better than I ever expected. He is one amazing kid! Check out this picture of him flying.
Kenny will throw him so high that as he is coming down he ends up under water. As soon as he pops up he yells "one more!", it is so cute. The only down side is that my mom freaks out a little and Kenny's arms are always sore the next day:)

Next on our list of "cheep" things was a visit to Great Aunt Linda and Uncle Jimbo. Carter loves horses (at least he thought he did). He can make the best "neigh" sound I have ever heard. He sounds just like a horse! Aunt Linda has four horses and five dogs at her house. Carter loved the horses from far away. If the horse would "neigh" he would "neigh" right back. Then we took him for a close-up. He pet the horse, and showed us it's eyes and ears. As soon as he got a glimpse of the teeth he freaked out. He refused to sit on the horse or give her a treat. He still had a great time and we love Aunt Linda so much for letting us visit.

Carter is CRAZY about airplanes! If we are in the house and he hears an airplane he will run to the sliding glass door and look at the sky to try and find it. If he hears a plane while we are walking in the parking lot he will freeze and try to find it. He can be in the middle of a melt down and hear a plane and will immediately stop crying. He has informed me that airplanes and jets do not make the same sound, and if he happens to hear a jet he stops everything and says "WHOA!". He is one smart kid. We decided to take him to the North Las Vegas airport and watch the planes. He was in heaven. We went to the cafe and had breakfast at a window seat. Needless to say he didn't do much eating. He made airplane noises the whole way home.

We also made several trips to the splash park, watched a free movie at the theater, and took a tour of Peter Piper Pizza, thanks to my friend Jamie and the mommy group. We took our trailer up to Mt Charleston for a weekend and really enjoyed the cooler weather. (my Camera broke before this trip, sorry no pics). Kenny and I also celebrated six GLORIOUS years of marriage. All in all I would say June was an amazing month.

Summer Fun Begins!

2009-05-30T12:34:00.000-07:00

As soon as we got home from the cabin on Moday we went over to Great Grandpa Praters house. We had a great day full of swimming and RIBS. Hope you all like the pictures.

Carter is showing everyone how you REALLY eat ribs!

Carter is seeing how high Dada can throw him. Nana is gonna freak when she sees this picture!

Carter hangin out with his Grandpa.

Hey grandpa! Catch!!

This is what happens when we take him OUT of the pool. It use to be that he would cry when we put him IN the pool.

Testing out the underwater capabilities of my camera. Thanks for the supermodel pose Uncle Den.

This is my new favorite picture!

GO, GO, GO!

2009-05-30T11:22:00.000-07:00

We have been making the rounds lately. Our first trip was to Armagosa Sand Dunes. We love that it doesn't take us very long to get there and that it usually not very busy. The weekend we went we were the ONLY people there! Everyone else seemed to have half a brain and decided it would be a lot smarter to stay home. The fact that it was easily 90 degrees and that we were in the middle of a dessert, did not stop us from going! We used a ton of sunscreen and began to think it was normal to be dripping with sweat. Good times were had by all!

This is our "HOT" group! (my eyes are closed, AGAIN)

My crazy brother in law Dennis came up with the idea to pull snow sleds behind is Banshee. This is Matt getting ready to go.

This is Matt getting ready to fall off the sled.

Whenever we go camping you can always find Carter on one of the quads. He loves going on rides!

Our next stop was to drop Shelby off in Logan. I was a slacker and didn't take very many pictures. I managed to get these pictures of Jordan and Carter in there matching Adidas outfits. They are so cute!

We had so much fun taking Shelby but we miss her already. Logan is such a pretty town and her house is so cute. We know she will accomplish so much and make us proud. Love you Aunt Shelby.

The next stop was to the cabin for Memorial Day. We had a BLAST! Every year there is a party put on by all the people that live on the mountain. It started out with a progressive dinner. My mom was in charge of appetizers for 70 people. She made these new shrimp stuffed mushrooms that were to die for. Amazing as always! Next was the quad decorating competition. We won thanks to Shelby, Kenny, and Ross. There was also a poker tournament. Jordan won 150 bucks! They started a new tradition with a sandbelt race. It was the craziest thing I have ever seen. We plan on winning next year.

It rained most of Saturday so that meant we got to go for a muddy ride on Sunday. I talked Jordan into driving the Razor. I got to sit next to her and be her co-pilot. We laughed so hard that our abs hurt the next day. Check out the before and after pictures of the Razor!

Swimming Lessons

2009-05-01T12:59:00.000-07:00

Carter had his first swim lesson this week. I was really excited for him to get in the pool. I thought he would love every minute of it. Boy was I wrong!

It started out really good. He was watching the other kids in the class before him. He kept saying "wa wa" (water). I thought that it would be a peice of cake!

Then we went inside to get ready. He didn't want to leave his Nana's lap. This is when I saw the fist sign of trouble. . . .

Then we got in the water (don't pay any attention to fat chick holding him) and it started to get BAD!

At this point he was beyond pissed! We still had 20 minutes to go!!

We signed up for three more weeks of torture. They keep telling me that it will get better. I have my fingers crossed.

Easter

2009-05-01T12:24:00.001-07:00

I'm sure by now you all are aware that I will always be tardy when it comes to posting about our holidays. At least I'm consistent about posting late:)

This years Easter was great! The Easter Bunny left Carter a pretty sweet Easter basket. It was full of candy (which his mom quickly consumed) and toys. We had a small egg hunt in our backyard for the little man. He didn't understand why someone would leave eggs all over the place. He thought we took him outside just so that he would clean up, then he realized there was candy in the eggs. Look out!

Way to go BUBBA!

Havin fun with Dad!

Lovin the bubbles!

Mowing Great Grandpa Praters Grass!

This is my new favorite picture.

Girls enough already!

I don't care what you say, Ring Pops ROCK!!!

Cowboy Carter!

2009-04-08T10:59:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to post these pictures for a while now. This is Carter's cowboy attire. He loves the sounds his boots make when he stomps his feet. He still is not crazy about the hat, but he will keep it on as long as his hand are full. Hope it makes you smile!

You Should See The Other Guy!!!!!

2009-04-01T11:20:00.000-07:00

Lately Carter has been a bit clumsy. Ok, clumsy is an understatement. He is down right uncoordinated! First the little guy falls out of the camping trailer resulting in a black eye. Then at home he falls into our entertainment center which left him with a nice size scratch on his forehead. Next he decided to fall flat onto his head on the garage concrete floor. The kid seriously needs a helmet!This right after his fall out of the trailer!

This is after his close encounter with the garage floor (this one freaked me out).

I know that kids fall a lot and that he is gonna get his fare share of bumps and bruises, I just hate seeing him hurt. You should see the looks I have been getting in the grocery store! I swear that I don't beat my kid. I'm a really good mom . . . . .promise.

Camping

2009-04-01T10:44:00.001-07:00

We went camping a few weekends ago to a place called Gold Butte. We talked Kenny's family and our friends Robbi, Jay, and Ted into coming with us. We got to ride the quads and check out some really cool sites. As always we had a ton of fun! My only compliant was that we had to leave so soon.

The first night we got there kinda late and it took us a while to get set up. There was a little confusion with the directions and by the time everyone got to the campsite and set up it was pretty late. I was inside the camper getting dinner ready and the next thing I hear is a big BANG. That big BANG happened to be Carter as he fell out the camper door and down all three stairs! It's the same story every time he gets hurt, "I just turned my back for a second. . . . ." We were pretty lucky he only got a black eye. Carter will be rocking his first SHINER in all of these pictures.

When we headed home on Sunday there was 50mph wind gust! That was the first time we have ever towed the trailer home in that kind of wind. I was totally freaking out! We managed to make it home in one piece. Check out some of the pictures of our camping weekend. This is our Camp. It was a great "play pin" for Carter and blocked most of the sun.

This was the day after the fall. He looks soooo tuff.

Ted just enjoying the ride.

This is our dusty group (minus grandpa, he is doing the picture taking).

Family Razor Ride. This is Carters favorite part.

This was the morning we were packing up to go home. Carter was so tired. He decided to use his yogurt as body paint, I guess he wasn't that hungry.

Seven Years

2009-02-10T10:38:00.000-08:00

This month is my seventh year in remission.Most of you know that I had thyroid cancer when I was a sophomore in high school. In 2002 I was considered cancer free. Just to be positive they decided to do a scan and make sure. Being the lucky person that I am, they discovered that it came back. That sucked. Now I'm cancer free AGAIN! I get regular check ups every three months and have even gone to UCLA and MD Anderson in Texas to have check ups done.

Cancer sucks! I have beat it twice and if for some freakin reason I get it again I know that I can beat it. My cancer was really, really easy compared to other types of cancer. I was very young the first time and recovered really fast. The doctors told me "hey guess what, You have cancer", I didn't feel like I had cancer, I was never sick, never weak. It was so strange to be walking around, feeling fine, and know that I had cancer. I have seen friends and family with cancer and they get SICK. I was so, so lucky to catch it when we did. A few surgeries latter and a little radiation and I was all better. . . ok maybe it wasn't that easy (especially on my mom).

The second time was a little harder. I was older and understood how serious it was but it still wasn't THAT bad. I had some more radiation (yes its true I do have a slight glow that radiates off me when its really dark) and few scans, no big deal. In the end it worked out because it made me skinny for my wedding :)

I tried to find some pictures of me when I first had my surgeries. This is the only one I could find. I guess no one wanted to take pictures of the scary girl with her neck cut open. If you look close you can see the drainage tub coming out of my chest. Come on, you know that's COOL!
So to remind myself how strong and determined I was all those years ago, and how strong and determined I will always have to be. . . I got a tattoo. Yep you read that correctly. I got a tattoo! I know that there will be some of you out there that do not approve or understand why I got a tattoo. There are also some of you out there that have not fought cancer twice, and to be honest I didn't get the tattoo for anyone but MYSELF. I love it and it's exactly what I wanted. For those of you that are a excited as I am here are a few pictures.
Yep I got a tattoo on my foot. The blue part of the ribbon represents Thyroid Disease and the purple part represents Thyroid Cancer.

This is the guy that did my tattoo. I don't even remember his name. I was a little nervous.
This is me being strong. . . . not really, this is me smiling for the camera trying to look strong.
Close up of my cancer ribbon tattoo.

I have wanted this tattoo for a really long time. I always talk about getting one but I never do. I have known exactly what I want for years. Saturday night we are at a family party and we start talking about tattoos AGAIN. Jordan (my sister) txt me late Saturday night and says " hey, gonna get a tattoo tomorrow want to come watch?" (yes, Jordan got a tattoo also but that's her story to tell). I say "heck yeah!" in the back of my mind I know I'm gonna get one too. I can't let Jordan be the only one that gets a tattoo. I'm no chicken! So we go down to the Palms Casino and visit the Huntington and Hart Tattoo shop. Jordan was already getting her tattoo by the time I got there and she was in a back room where we couldn't see, that kinda sucked. I check and see if they have anymore appointments and SCORE, they have one left. I decide to take it on one condition, that my mom stays with me while I get the tattoo. She was with me through every cancer, doctors appointment, and everything in between, I just couldn't see getting the tattoo without her. After it was all said and done I got my dream tattoo. I'm not gonna lie. It hurt. If I had to choose between kidney stones and a tattoo. . . . tat me up baby because those stones hurt like HECK!

Superbowl

2009-02-10T10:28:00.000-08:00

We crashed Aunt Robbi and Unckie Jay's house for the Superbowl. They got a bunch of toys just for Carter to play with and he loved them all. Unckie Jay gave Carter his fist lesson in pin ball. Then we enjoyed a vast array of fried foods and chips and dip. It was AWESOME! Thanks again guys, we love you (mean it).

Carter and Unckie! I love this Picture.

Carter and Dada.

Camping

2009-02-10T10:07:00.000-08:00

Last month we went camping with Kenny's parents. Gary (Kenny's dad) is part of a motorcycle club. Every year his club puts on a desert race. We go every year and have lots of fun. This year we invited our friends Jameson and Jamie and there two little girls Zoey and Mackenzie (Carters girlfriends). Carter got to spend lots of time with his Aunt Kim, Uncle Den, and grandma. Which meant that there was no shortage of babysitters! It was really nice to just sit back and relax. Check out some of our pictures.

Carter saying "CHEEESE" for a picture with his Dada.

Family ride in the Razor!

Jameson and Jamie in the super sweet Odyssey.

Carter making out with Mackenzie!

Carter holding hands with Zoey. He just can't keep the girls off of him!!!

Stupid Mom Questions/Comments Toddler Edition

2009-01-16T10:46:00.001-08:00

Everyone seemed to enjoy my last post "stupid mom questions". Now that Carter is officially a toddler I have a whole new set of questions rolling around in my head. As always I do not expect actual answers to these crazy questions, just hoping to get a few "Amens" and to know that I'm not alone in this crazy world of mom-ville.

You know how the dryer always seems to "eat" one sock? Why is it that I get so excited when the other one gets gobbled up too?

If someone stops to tell me that Carter is "the cutest kid they have ever seen", do I have to say the same thing about their little guy even if he is not? (I'm not the best liar) Can't I just ask them where they got those adorable shoes?

Why do I sometimes find myself yearning to get in the attic and pull out my comfy maternity clothes? Oh how I miss my comfy, stretchy clothes.

Will I ever finish the dreaded baby book? It seriously has dust on it. Please tell me I'm not the only mom that has not finished.

I love the Swiffer! I don't use it nearly as often as I should, but I still love it.

Why does it seem that I spend half my day loading and unloading the car? I only have one kid, will the madness ever stop?

How did I totally miss the gradual take over of my house? It used to be Ken and Em's House. It has now turned in to Carters play land,complete with rocking horse, outdoor slide that some how made it in to the middle of my living room, every ball and car imaginable, complete children's library, and adjustable basketball hoop.

When did I lose my first name? I'm now "Carters Mom", formally known as, daughter, sister, granddaughter, cousin, etc.

Why does everything seem to find it's way into my bath tub, toilet, garbage can, or out the dog door? Yesterday I found my couch pillows in the bath tub.

When did "find the sippy cup" become my least favorite game? I have learned if I check the 4 places above first, my chances of finding the sippy cup improve dramatically.

How the heck do I go about taking the pacifier away? He only uses it at night but I still think it's time to start the weening process.

I never thought the day would come when I would say, "I need a BIGGER purse!" My purse is huge already. I might as well get a small suite case with wheels on it!

I think that everyone that enters a mall, or any other shopping center should have to go through a " Stroller Etiquette Class" before shopping. During this holiday season it seemed like people with/without strollers were so rude. I tried so hard to be considerate and polite but by the end of the day I was being rude right along with everyone else. Next year I'm so getting my stroller lifted with a huge bumper on the front. Look out Walmart here I come!

I also think strollers should come equipped with headlights, blinkers, and the all important HORN!

During Christmas I was informed by my lovely husband that it is more "cost effective" for me to change Carters poopy diapers. Kenny was watching me change a poopy diaper and I only used two wipes. He explained to me that when he changes a poopy diaper he uses at least six wipes, therefore making it more "cost effective" for me to change all the poopy diapers. This theory does not apply to wet diapers. For the record, this theory although it may be true, was not put into affect and Kenny does indeed still change poopy diapers, regardless of the amount of wipes used. Good try babe.

Hope you enjoyed the new list. I hope it doesn't sound as if I'm complaining. I love being a mom and wife and wouldn't trade it for anything. I have always heard people say that you can never understand love until it's your child. It's true. I have never loved someone so deep and so hard as I love Carter. I didn't think I could possibly love Kenny anymore, and then Carter will make a face just like his dad and then BAM, my love for Kenny gets bigger. I'm so dang lucky.

Drumroll Please!

2009-01-15T16:15:00.000-08:00

Just got the results of my MRI. . . . . I do not have a brain tumor! Go me! I do have Chronic Sinusitis and Bells Palsy (officially). I will talk to my doctor more on Tuesday. I'm curious as to what Chronic Sinusitis is. I feel so much better knowing that I do not have a tumor hangin out in my head. Don't get me wrong if I did have a tumor in my noggin I know that I could totally kick it's ass. For now I will leave my ass kicking shoes in the closet. Just wanted to keep you guys posted. Thanks for all the love and support.

Abrasions, Bell's Palsey, Speeding Ticket . . . O MY!

2009-01-07T20:51:00.000-08:00

WARNING!! This is my venting post. I'm going to complain and whine.

I have had a rough couple of months. In November I got kidney stones. I jokingly gave my little sister Jordan a hug and told her that she would now get the "stones". She actually got kidney stones! I still feel kinda bad about that. Sorry Jordan. Since I have had thyroid cancer a couple times I had to get some test done. One of those lovely test involves me collecting my pee for 24 hours. Yes I had to pee into small cups then transfer that pee into a larger "pee bag" and, this is the best part, keep it chilled in my refrigerator. Don't worry I have sterilized my refrigerator. I also had to have several blood tests done. I will find out the results in a couple of weeks. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Along came the month of December(this might be TMI for some people, you don't have to read this, remember I'm venting). Right before Christmas I got a bladder infection. Of course it was on a Friday night when my doctor was not available. I get bladder infections A LOT. When I get a bladder infection it hits hard and fast. Since I couldn't get an RX, I started chugging cranberry juice and water. I was able to make it through Christmas and at my next doctors visit I tell him how frustrated I am. Guess what? He orders another pee test for me! O joy, I just love peeing in cups. My aim has improved drastically.

December 29Th. My eye starts to water a lot. I just figure that its time to change my contacts. So that's what I do. Then my eyelids start to twitch. I'm talking major twitching. It hurts to read and the twitching/watering has not stoped, so I go to the eye doctor. He informs me that I have an abrasion on my eye. He tells me that I cannot wear my contacts and that I need to get some prescription eye drops. The eye drops were super expensive and I hate wearing my glasses! My eyes are sensitive to the sun and if I can't wear my contacts that means I can't wear my sunglasses. This makes me grumpy.

New Years Eve. I'm at a party having a good time, when all of a sudden my lips start to feel funny. I wait it out until morning to see if anything changes. My tongue felt a little numb and I was having a hard time using a straw. At this point we are at the cabin. I tell my mom my symptoms and she tells me to make an appointment with my doc as soon as we get back. By the time we get back home I cant fully control the right side of my face. When my left eye closes my right eye stays open. I can only smile with half of my mouth and all the wrinkles on the right side of my forehead are gone. One of my new years resolutions was to get a lump on my face looked at ( I kept putting it off because I was worried that it would be cancer again) I already had an appointment made for Monday morning with the dermatologist. He takes one look at the lump and says that it is only a cyst and that I don't need to worry about it. That was such a relief! He proceeds to tell me that he wont treat the cyst until my other doctor can figure out what is wrong with the right side of my face. He did burn a wart of my pinkie finger and it kinda hurt. I then go straight to my regular doctor and he tells me that he is almost positive that I have Bell's Palsy. Bell's Palsy only affects your face and it usually only happens once. I didn't realize how common it was until I started asking around. To make sure that I have Bell's Palsy he made me go get an MRI of my brain. I should find out the results in the next couple of days. Once again keep your fingers crossed for me. (sorry no pictures of my messed up face)

Because my right eye will not close all the way I now have 2 dry spots on my cornea. This is not a good thing. If your eye drys up you can go blind. I have to put more drops in my eye every our and sleep with a mask on. Since I was having such a great new year, I decided to top it off by getting a speeding ticket on my way to the pharmacy to get my new eye drops. Ain't life grand? Now I have to appear in court and pay $190 fine!

I guess you could say that my 2009 is not off to a great start. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest. Sorry to be so negative. I have faith that all my test results will come back fine. I will keep you posted.

Mt Charleston

2009-01-07T20:20:00.000-08:00

We actually got snow in Las Vegas this winter. It was so crazy to see kids on the side of the road building snowmen and sledding. We decided to take advantage of the snow and go snowboarding at Mt Charleston. Aunt Shelby took Carter for the day (thanks again). We talked my mom and our good friend Robbi into coming with us. Poor Kenny was the only guy, but I think he kinda liked it. We were one of the first groups to get there and it didn't seem to be that busy and the weather was great. We got all suited up (check out Robbi's florescent purple and green jacket! Love it!!) and jumped on the lift. The first two runs were great, nice snow, good friends, I could tell it was going to be a great day.

Then it seemed like all of Las Vegas decided to join us! Being the good sports that we are we decided to keep going, we had to get our moneys worth. 50 bucks! Since the entire mountain was covered with people we had to slow down. . . . A LOT. Even with all the people on the mountain I could always spot Robbi! It seemed like we all decided at the exact same time that we had had enough. I'm so out of shape that me legs were burning, two of us had to go pee and Kenny was hungry. We decide to call it a day and grab some lunch. As soon as we sit down I look at my watch and it's only 11:00. After a whole 2 hours of snowboarding we were DONE. I guess you could say we didn't get our moneys worth. At least we had fun! Right??

Me and my man! Mr. concussion always has to wear a helmet. Doctors orders!

Me, mom, and Robbi!

Christmas

2009-01-06T20:29:00.000-08:00

I'm not going to apologize this time for not posting. I have my excuses but I will get to that latter.

We had a great Christmas! We spent Christmas Eve with the Prater side of the family. Kenny's parents made homemade pizza. Mmmmmm it was so good, I hope it becomes our new tradition. Carter was the star of the show once again. He got a rocking chair from his grandma and grandpa Prater. He looks so dang cute in it when he is watching TV or reading a book. He got so many presents that I can't even remember them all. Poor Kenny felt like a pack mule all weekend. He had to load and unload the car sooooo many times. Kenny wanted to have scones on Christmas morning so I stayed up late that night to make the dough.

Christmas morning we got up early and opened our family presents. Santa brought Carter a tunnel to crawl through. Carter chases our cat through it most of the time. Then we headed off to my parents house. We opened MORE presents. Carter got and adorable table and chair set from his Nana and Papa. We had some great scones for breakfast (it was my1st time making them and I think they turned out great). After breakfast we headed off to see the great-grandparents. We try to make the rounds and see everyone but it seems to get harder each year. We ended our day back at my parents for an awesome dinner. When all was said and done Carter had and entire car full of presents. He has no idea how many people love him.

We were planning on spending the rest of the holiday weekend at the cabin but the weather was so bad we had to stay home. It was actually kind of nice to have a break from our crazy schedule. I feel so blessed to have such a great family and I love them ALL.

Carter and his Uncle Matt trying out the new rocking chair!

Christmas morning. We had to wake Carter up and he was not happy about it. We figure this will probably be the last year WE do the waking up.

Carter in his new tunnel!

Carter playing the organ with his Great Grandma Prater.

Picture Update

2008-12-05T16:05:00.000-08:00

I was messing around with my scanner and thought you guys would like to see some MORE Carter pictures!

Carter does not like Santa!

Carters 1 year pictures!

Thanksgiving

2008-12-05T15:35:00.000-08:00

We had an awesome thanksgiving! We spent Thanksgiving day with Kenny's family. It was so nice to have everyone together. I was a bad wife, mother, daughter-in-law, niece, granddaughter. . . . . I forgot to take pictures! Sorry Prater Family.

Friday morning Carter and I hitched a ride to the cabin with Ross, Jordan, and Shelby. Kenny stayed home to work (we really missed him). It was so nice to get back to the cabin. I missed it so much. Check out some of our cabin pictures.

This was Carters first trip to the snow! He had so much fun eating the snow and watching the dogs run around in it.
He did not like sledding!
Still not crazy about it. . . . .
Uncle Ross tried to show us extreme sledding. (He made it about 5 feet before he got stuck)

Carters favorite part of the cabin is making people chase him up the stairs. I'm so glad that we live in a single story house!

Shelby made a snowman and named him Marty.

Then she kicked his head off!

Bonnie Springs

2008-11-25T11:43:00.000-08:00

Sunday we took Carter to Bonnie Springs. He had a lot of fun! We took the train ride into town and spent most of the time in the petting zoo. He loved being able to run around and look at all the new things. Here are some pictures. . . . . .

Carter waiting for the train. He is so freakin cute!

On the train with Mama!Carter's dada let him pet a billy goat. Yuck!

The ducks were Carters favorite. He didn't want to leave!

Carter saying hello to the deer.

We just had to do it . . . .

Funny but kinda weird.

Bonnie Springs was so much fun!

Twilight

2008-11-25T11:31:00.000-08:00

Friday night I went with my sisters to see Twilight. We had so much fun! We stood in line for almost an hour just to get in the theater. Everyone was looking at us because we had the coolest shirts in the place. I really liked the movie and I can't wait to see the next one. Check out our pictures. . . . .

Crazy Girls!

Yikes!!!!

Yes we are pointing at our BOOBS!

Edward had is hands full! HAHA!

I Want You To Meet Sally. . . .

2008-11-25T11:01:00.000-08:00

This is Sally my pee strainer. Yep I have named my pee strainer. You might be asking yourself, "Why does Emily have a pee strainer?". Last Monday morning (12:00am) I woke Kenny up and told him that he needed to drive me to the ER. I also got my mom up and asked if she would like Carter to come spend the night for the first time. She wished we would have dropped him off a little sooner but she still took him. Dropping off Carter and getting to the ER seemed to take FOREVER! We finally got to the hospital, I was in a ton of pain, the waiting room was empty, and it still took a 1/2 hour for me to get in. Grrrrrr! Then they proceeded to ask me a gazillion questions while I'm almost in tears and getting ready to vomit on the floor. (I understand that they were just doing there jobs, but at the time I didn't care!) Finally I meet this beautiful woman that started an IV and gave me this wonderful thing called "morphine". Instant happiness!!! After a few ultra sounds they found out I have kidney stones. I passed 1 kidney stone in the hospital but there is still at least 1 more lovely little stone that needs to make it's way out. I do not look forward to the day it decides to make an appearance. Part of me wishes it would just hurry up so I could get it over with. This might have something to do with my thyroid and I might have to have a minor surgery (don't worry I'm strong like bull). I will keep you posted. In the mean time I hope that you all never have to go through the experience of kidney stones. It sucked BAD!

P.S. If Sally catches the next stone I will post a picture for you all to see:)

KIM NEEDS TO START A BLOG!

2008-11-16T11:17:00.000-08:00

Hey Kim. Yes I'm talking to you, Kim in New Mexico. You need to stop blog stalking me and start a blog so I can blog stalk you. It's only fair.

To everyone else that is reading this-

Kim is my friend. I haven't exactly met her yet but we have had some great conversations on the phone. She is Carter's Aunt Robbi's sister. She has been blog stalking me for some time now. If she is stalking me than I'm sure you have also been stalked by her. It's only fair that we get to stalk her too. If you agree please leave a comment.

Kim- I hope you are laughing and considering starting a blog. It's not that hard. If you can load songs on an IPOD you can start a blog. I really want to see some pictures of your kids:)

Happy Birthday CARTER!

2008-11-09T11:16:00.000-08:00

WARNING - This could be a long post!

My little boy is growing up. I know everyone says that it goes by so fast. . . . I really didn't believe that it would go by THIS fast. I truly tried to absorb everything that happened this first year. It was impossible.

I remember the day we found out Carter was on his way.

I remember the day he was born.

I remember wanting to memorize my families faces the first time they saw him.

I remember the first time he looked at me and Kenny.

I remember the sleepless nights and going through three diapers in 1 minute.

I remember Kenny totally freaking out if Carter spit up on him (take a shower and change clothes kind of freak out)

I remember all of the First: roll over, crawl, steps, solid food, tooth, smile, laugh . . .

I remember thinking - I can do this! I'm going to be a great mom.

I also remember thinking - What was I thinking, I can't do this!

I remember the endless calls to my mom.

I remember holding him thinking that there was no way it could get any better than it was right then at that moment.

We decided to have a small get together for Carter's 1st birthday. When I say small, I mean only 50 people showed up (we have a big family). Yeah it was CRAZY! I don't think this kid realizes how many people love him.

This is Carter in his smokin hot birthday outfit. He had a really cute sweater that went with it (with skulls on it) but since we live in Las Vegas and it still 75 degrees he didn't get to wear it.

This is Uncle Ross totally breakin a sweat while he tried to put one of Carter's MANY presents together. That's Kenny on the left supervising. Granny Tammy put her two cents in also.

Our family picture. My guys are so stinkin cute!

I made Carter practice this for a month before his birthday so that he would be ready for the big day. . . . When we asked him how old he was he would put his one finger in the air. I totally think he is gifted!

I asked Jordan and Shelby to make Carter's cake. I think they had a blast doing it. I didn't really no what theme to go with for his party, so we went with soccer. The girls made Carter's cake look like a soccer field with two soccer balls on it. They did such a great job and Carter loved it!

This is the cake that everyone else ate. Carter's cake was soooo much cooler.

He was so happy! At first he kept looking at me to make sure it was ok. Two bites into the cake he forgot I was even there.

Check out the green frosting in his mohawk!

Can you say SUGAR HIGH?

Here is Carter opening his presents. Thanks to all our friends and family my living room is now FULL of toys. We filled my car and half of Kenny's truck with presents!

Happy birthday Carter! I love you more than you will ever know!

Dumont Trip

2008-11-05T10:32:00.000-08:00

We left for Dumont Thursday afternoon. Kenny has been working so hard lately it seems like he never has a day off. He really needed this trip. He pulled up to the house Thursday afternoon with the trailer behind him and he had the biggest smile on his face.

Dumont is CRAZY on holiday weekends! We stayed at the little dunes, it is more family oriented. We spent most of our time at our camp relaxing and watching Carter get dirty. I seriously have a sand box in my trailer shower! I am the horse shoe champion if anyone would like to challenge me. . . . bring it on! The kids went trick-or-treating from trailer to trailer Friday night. It was a little warm in the day but we made the best of it. Good friends, good food, and lots of fun!

Carter makes his dada so happy!

Carter playing with his new trucks from Aunt Robbi and Unki Jay.

Carter's camping chair.

Higher Dad!

Halloween

2008-11-05T10:11:00.000-08:00

We planned a trip to Dumont for Halloween so we took Carter Trick-Or-Treating a little early. We made the major stops at the great grandparents, grandparents, and aunts and uncles. I had a ton of other stops on my list (great aunts & friends) but by the time we finished our four major stops it was 8:00. Carter was sick and tired of getting in and out of his car seat, so we called it a night. Overall he was a pretty good sport. We used black hairspray to make the widows peak. It was kinda hard to clean off (thanks Kenny). Here a few pictures of his 1st Halloween.

Carter the cutest vampire ever!

On the way to each stop we gave him a chicken nugget to eat. He loved every minute of it!

Vampire Carter with FANGS!

Bath Time!

Walking For Jordan!

2008-10-28T12:27:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday a bunch of us got together to walk for Jordan and all of the other people that are affected by arthritis. We all agreed that this was the best walk EVER! Some of us went on the 1mile walk and the hard core people (and there dogs) went on the 5k walk. The weather could not have been more perfect! To make things even more delicious every 100 yards there was people handing out CANDY! It was awesome (it kinda defeated the purpose, I soooo did not burn any calories). They had a ton of jump houses set up, carnival games, and costume contest.

The gang! (We are missing about 6 more people.)

Gavin showing Carter how it's done. Nice shirt Gavin!

At the finish line!

Jordan, I just want you to know how much I love you. I still get pissed off every time I think about this crappy disease that you have. But I know how strong you are and that if anyone can beat it, it's you! We all support you and want to do everything we can to help you. You don't always have to be so strong, I will always be there for you. Love You Mean It!

The Great 8 Tag

2008-10-10T12:09:00.000-07:00

8 Favorite TV Shows. . . .
1. Grey's Anatomy
2. Private Practice
3. One Tree Hill (Thanks for nothin Jordan!)
4. Jon & Kate Plus 8
5. Ultimate Fighter
6. What Not to Wear (I still need help)
7. Ellen
8. Baby Einsteins (I can get a lot done in 30min!)

8 Favorite Places to Eat. . . .
1. Macayos
2. Chipotle
3. Austins Steak House
4. Benihana
5. Granny's House
6. Olive Garden
7. Del Taco
8. In-N-Out

8 Things I Did Yesterday. . . .
1. Took Carter to the park
2. Went to see Kenny at work
3. Went to the Bank
4. Printed online coupons
5. Costco
6. Dinner with mom and sisters
7. Thought about how lucky I am
8. Watched Grey's Anatomy

8 Things I Look Forward To. . . .
1. Watching Carter grow
2. Teaching Carter new things
3. Meeting my sisters kids
4. Dumont trip!!!!!!
5. Spending time with Kenny
6. Cooler weather
7. A trip to the cabin!
8. Pumpkin Carving

8 Things I Love About Fall. . . .
1. Decorating
2. Hot Chocolate
3. Blankets
4. Big fires in the fireplace
5. Pumpkin pie
6. Halloween
7. Parties with family and friends
8. Almost time to go snowboarding

8 Things On My Wish List. . . .
1. Win the lottery
2. Be able to see my grandchildren
3. Lose 15 pounds
4. Focus more on the good things
5. Maybe, a couple more healthy kids
6. Getting hard wood floors in my house
7. Never to get cancer again
8. Get a tattoo

I tag Mandy, Christina, Adrianne, and anyone else thats feels like it.

Vampire Boy!

2008-09-30T10:25:00.000-07:00

My kid looks like a Vampire! He has his two middle bottom teeth. He is supposed to get his top middle teeth next. Carter likes to make thing interesting so he decided to hold off on the middle teeth for now. He has his vampire teeth and there is no sign of the middle ones coming yet. We figured since he has the teeth he might as well be a vampire for Halloween!

I think that he is totally cute with his vampire teeth. His granny is a little worried that he might not get any middle teeth. I have heard of this happening (vampire teeth) to one of my friends before. If there is any of you out there that has had any experince with crazy teeth please let me know so that I can give granny a little reassurance.

Crash And Burn Part 1

2008-09-22T11:11:00.000-07:00

Carter is learning how to walk! As you can tell from the bump on his forehead, he is also learning how to fall. Since I'm such a great mom, I decided to wait until after he was done crying to take a picture of his bumps and bruises.

I tell myself that this is the first of many and that I don't need to run over to him every time he falls and starts to cry, but 90% of the time I don't listen. I do what ever it takes to make it better. Half the time giving him a piece of candy or a Cheeto makes all the pain go away. Then the other half of the time he wants me to hold him and tell him it's OK, sit and rock him for a bit, or kiss him until he laughs. That moment makes me so happy. I'm not happy because he is hurt but I am happy that he needed me. I love knowing that I have the ability to make him feel better. I see him growing up faster than I ever thought possible, and it scares me to think that I might forget these special moments. (Guess I'm having another weird "mom moment". Seriously, why do his bumps and bruises make me appreciate him more? Koo Koo!!)

It seems like we have been very busy the last couple weeks. Kenny has been reffing soccer A LOT! Last Saturday we went with him to Bolder City while he reffed two games. Carter had fun rolling around on his blanket. He's still not sure what to think about the grass so he never goes off the blanket, which makes watching him very easy. I know that wont last for very much longer. On the way home we stopped at the A&W and Carter shared a root beer float with us.

We also decided to cut Carter's hair. When I say we, I mean Me and Kenny. There was not a hair technician on the premises to lend a helping hand. We borrowed Uncle Ross's hair clippers and crossed our fingers. The last time he got his hair cut he was not the happiest little guy. This time I decided we needed a better distraction. Distraction = Popsicle. It worked out GREAT! I was in charge of the clippers and Kenny was in charge of holding Carters ears down and laughing at what a horrible job I was doing. It turned out pretty good and I think that the next time we might do even better.

Better Late Than Never

2008-09-10T11:41:00.000-07:00

Labor Day was a lot of fun. Carter and I spent the weekend at my parents cabin. Kenny had to stay home and work. He takes such good care of us. Here are some pictures of our little guy and his big weekend.

Carter and Aunt Jordie going on a ranger ride.

Carter in his swing at the cabin. He wants to go higher!!!

Carter with his big boy clothes on. I still can't believe how grown up he looks!

I WANT MORE ICE CREAM!

This is the new face Carter makes when we get out the camera.

The weekend was a lot of fun but we really missed having Kenny and Shelby around. We can't wait until the next time!

TAG. . . .

2008-09-10T10:45:00.000-07:00

This is for you Jordan. Sorry it took so long.

The rules are you have to take 10 pictures of the following things and you have to do it right away. No straightening, cleaning or wiping your child's nose. Then you tag five others.

1. Closet

It was kinda hard for me to get a good picture, my door is in a really wierd place.

2. Sink

Just did dishes this morning! Lucky me!

3. Toilet

Yes, it is possible! My husband is trained to put the seat down.

4. Laundry Room

Not my favorite place in the world, but I do love my washer and dryer.

5. Kid I risked waking Carter up just to get this picture. Yes that is drool. He is a major drool machine!

6. Favorite Room

I really like my kitchen. I don't love to cook but this is the only room in my house that the furniture actually matches (kinda sad).

7. Favorite ShoesI can't choose. I probably have atleast 15 pairs of running shoes. These are just a few.

8. Self PortraitSorry this is as good as it gets, this is the most recent picture with me in it. I'm sooo not going to post a picture of myself the way I look right now. Not doin it!

9. Refrigerator

I need to go to the grocery store STAT.

10. Dream VacationThere are a ton of places that I would love to go. The next trip I want to take is a week long cruise to the Caribean.

I tag Christina, Holly, Amanda, Ashley (again), and Natalie.

Stupid Mom Questions

2008-08-26T11:10:00.000-07:00

If you guys don't already think I'm crazy, you will by the time you finish reading this post. I don't expect answers to these stupid questions, but it would make me feel better if a few of you would agree with me so I don't feel as stupid.

* Do they manufacture a sippy cup that is really leak proof?

* Teething tablets/drops do they really work?

* When do I need to start putting a robe on after my shower, so that he is not permanently scard for the rest of his life?

* When do I stop taking him into the women's restroom with me?

* Do they actually makes shoes that will stay on his feet longer then it takes me to put them on?

* Why do I always like the most expensive diapers?

* Why is every formula in the store on sale but mine?

* Do I really need a summer and a winter humidifier?

* Why do insurance companies make me yell?

* Why does it seem like every time I turn around I need to buy him more pajamas?

* Why do they only have the good "Bugger Suckers" at the hospital?

* How did I make it through my first 23 years of life without using at least 20 wet wipes a day?

* Why does holding a 24lb kid all day only work my arms? Why can't my abs see some results too?

* Why do strangers think that it's perfectly OK to touch my kid?

* Why do people I have never met, think that they know my kid better than me, and then proceed to give me advise that they actually think I'm going to follow?

* Will there come a day when I will be ready to go on a vacation with just my husband?

* Will I always feel like I'm going to pee my pants every time I sneeze?

* Why do I have stroller envy?

The list could go on forever. I think I will stop before I freak too many people out.

First Hair Cut

2008-08-11T12:08:00.000-07:00

I know it doesn't look like Carter has much hair but he really does. I'm a total freak about guys and their hair cuts. I think that if guys are going to have short hair they need to maintain it. It grosses me out to see all that hair growing down their necks and over their ears. I'm the first to tell Kenny he needs a hair cut. It shouldn't come as a surprise that I already insisted that Carter get a hair cut. I'm sure some of you out there think I'm crazy, but it had to be done! Here are a couple before and after pictures. Notice in the before pictures the mini bush he has on the back of his head. Before = mini bush. Didn't like the buzzer.I know this picture is blurry but it still makes me laugh. After = STUD. Carter survived his first hair cut. With a crazy mom like me there will be many more!

Camping in Style!

2008-08-11T11:16:00.001-07:00

Normally when we go camping we take our quads and usually end up out in the middle of nowhere. We love being away from the city and doing lots of exploring. We reserved this camping spot in Mt Charleston almost a year ago! This spot was really nice because it had hook-ups, which means we can plug the trailer in and run all of our "stuff" (air conditioner, TV, crock pot, blow dryer, cell phone chargers, baby monitor, etc) off the power box. We got up to the mountain Friday afternoon and it was oh sooo much cooler then Las Vegas. Saturday we got to sleep in and that afternoon we had some friends come up for a BBQ. We also found out that Kenny's brother Dennis is engaged! We are so happy for him and we love Kim so much. Here are some pictures of our super fun weekend.

This is our AWESOME spot! I know it doesn't look like much but there are 3 more tent sites behind us, 2 picnic tables, and a fire pit.

Kenny with Carter and Tootsie. We put Carter in his walker and made a big barricade with our lawn chairs so he couldn't get out. He had a BLAST!

Camo Carter!

Aunt Robbi and Big K eating some hamburgers. Good Times!

Our Friend TED.All of our friends that said they came to see us but really just wanted free food and to get out of the heat.These are our friends Jameson and Zoey. Carter really, really likes Zoey. I think he has a things for blonds. He really likes Diane Sawyer too.

Uncle Den and soon to be Aunt Kim chillin' with Carter.

Blog Change-Up

2008-08-11T11:10:00.000-07:00

I decided to give our blog a little makeover. I really love the picture of our lil family at the top. . . .to bad that crazy Jordan ended up in it. I guess I will have to try and take some more family pictures.

Weekend With Aunt Jordie!

2008-07-23T16:17:00.001-07:00

It wasn't an entire weekend, it was more like Saturday with Aunt Jordie. I went to the hospital to wait for a friend to get out of surgery. Kenny was on his way home from delivering the boat, and both granny's were out of town. I had no other option then to ask Jordan if she wanted to babysit. (J/K Jordan and Carter totally love each other) Jordan being the AWESOME aunt that she is said yes. She took a million pictures while he was at her house and even bought him new toys. What a cool aunt! Here are some pictures.

Thanks Aunt Jordie your the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bye Bye Boat!

2008-07-23T15:58:00.000-07:00

We finally sold our boat. We really didn't want to sell the boat, but it was sad just seeing sit there and never get used. Seriously, it cost over a hundred bucks in gas just to take the thing out for the day! We loved the boat . . . . . just not that much. We were lucky enough to be able to take the boat out one more time before we sold it. Carter got to go for a ride and he totally loved it. One minute he was helping Kenny drive the boat, the next he was passed out! Here are a couple pictures of our beloved boat. We will miss you! P.S. if you look really close at the last picture, its me grabbing my board and getting a little air. GO ME!

Yes we are still alive!!

2008-07-23T12:35:00.000-07:00

I'm sure all of you can tell that blogging is sooooo not my thing. I really enjoy looking at other peoples blogs but when it comes to my own I'm just too lazy. When I have a free minute blogging is not at the top of my list of things to do. I would like to say that I have rededicated myself to blogging. . . . . but that would be a lie. I can say that I will try to try harder. We have been very busy since the "poop in the pool" incident.

Carter was the ring bearer in his Aunt Jordie's Wedding! I I think they look smokin hot in their shades.

This is Carter and his new Uncle Ross!

Our happy little family!

Swimming with his dad and uncles. No poop in the pool this time.

Having fun in the water!!!

Carter and Kenny having fun on the Forth of July!

Carter chomping on his first rib bone. It felt o-so-good on his little teeth.

Carter and mom at the pancake breakfast. MMMMMM good.

Carter and Kenny with matching mohawks! I love my boys so much!

That is what the Prater Family has been up to for the last 2 months. I hope you guys have not forgotten about us.

Blog Slacker!

2008-05-14T10:18:00.000-07:00

I new this would happen! I had the best intentions to start a blog, try and keep my family updated, keep in touch with old friends. . . . yada, yada, yada. It's now been over a month since my last post. I'm such a slacker! Now that I have given myself a stern talking to, I'm going to shoot for two post this month!!!

What have the Praters been up to? That's a good questions. It seems like we are always busy!Last week we went to Shelby's school (Arbor View) and did a walk for breast cancer. It was fun but really windy. Carter didn't seem to mind, it must have been his cool guy shades:)

Are little man is still having issues with his circumcision healing so the doctor told me to let him air IT out.
My first mothers day was pretty Awesome. Kenny got up with Carter during the night (yes it is true he is still not sleeping through the night!!! Any suggestions would be great) and in the morning so I could sleep. He then made me a breakfast of pancakes and bacon. (note: he made the bacon outside so that the stove would not get dirty!) By this time Kenny was beat so he took a nap. Later that day we went over to Granny Tammy's house and made her dinner. We planned to take Carter swimming for the first time but had some problems with the pool heater. Not to worry, we went with plan B. The SPA! Carter really seemed to enjoy it. I think he thought we were just taking a family bath. Everything was going great, Kenny was teaching his son the perfect form to a cannon ball, granny was happy, I was happy . . . . . then granny yelled "POOP IN THE POOL!!!". Our family bath then came to a quick end. All and all a GREAT first mothers day:)

Carters Blog

2008-04-22T13:42:00.000-07:00

As much as I would like all of you to think that this blog is really going to be about the "Prater Fam", the truth is . . . it's all about CARTER! You and I both know that this is just another way for me to brag about how great my kid is. I think every mother thinks their child is "gifted". I not only think Carted is "gifted" I also think he is one of the cutest little-big guys EVER. To prove my point I have posted some pictures.

Peer Pressure!

2008-04-22T13:22:00.000-07:00

I have finally given into the peer pressure and started a blog!!! I hope that the people of the blogging community will forgive my many spelling/grammatical errors, and overall "blondness" that I am sure to make in the future. Now that I have made that disclosure . . . . Let The Blogging Begin!!!!