The Year of Three's.

33.

That sounds much older than 32, doesn't it?

I don't know where I thought I'd be in my life by the time I hit 33.  Most people think in milestones of 30, 35 or 40, etc. 

I do know that I hoped to have 3 kids by this time. 

So close. 

Like "one month from tomorrow" kind of close. {What the hell?}

And so, I declare it the year of three's. 

What a fantastic year it will be.

With that, here's an adorable video of my sweet Brynnie Girl singing Happy Birthday. 

We lost power a few weeks ago during a storm and she thought all the candles meant that it was someone's birthday {Clearly.  I mean, duh! It had to be.}  She then proceeded to sing in front of every lit candle in our house...

It doesn't get much cuter than that, people.

Here's to a great year...

Houston, we have a costume. Finally.

For about 2 months now, Carter's been telling us exactly what he wants to be for Halloween. Which would've been great... if he was consistent. Oh no, he kept changing his mind.

If you remember this post, I mentioned that he wanted to be some kind of sports player... first basketball, then football, etc. Bob suggested he just go as a sports nut. Which would have been cute... but then he changed his mind. Again. {Shocker.} He wanted to be a basketball. No, no... not a basketball player. A basketball. And since they don't sell basketball costumes {and no, I'm not making one} that was out the window.

So, one day while watching Cars, Carter decided that he wanted to be Lightning McQueen. Awesome. We can do that. I decided to take him costume shopping with me just in case he saw something else he wanted. Of course, they didn't have Lighting McQueen in the store, but he also didn't want to be anything else that he saw {which was good... he finally picked a costume... WOOT!}

When we got home, I pulled up the costume online before I ordered it. He was pissed. "Nooo, I don't want to be Lightning McQueen. I want to ride in Lighting McQueen."

Annnnnd, back to square one.

For the umpteenth time, I showed him costume after costume. Dinosaur. Toy Story. Superman. Spiderman. You name it. Then we got to this Pirate costume. {A costume that he's seen at least a dozen times already.}

And he finally got excited. And he yelled "Argh, trick-or-treat." And then the skies opened and the sun came out because we finally FINALLY had a costume.

Whew.

I'm home today, and I got a video of Carter saying "Argh, trick-or-treat"... I love it. =)

Oh, and if you want to see take I of the video, here it is. I'm actually surprised I could get him to say it in just 2 takes. He was upset that he couldn't see himself on the video while it was taping {like he can when we take pictures.} He's pure evil, I tell ya...

As for Miss Brynn... well she was easy. I found this costume last year but by the time I went to order it, it was sold out. I made sure to get it early this year, since this will be the last time she'll fit into it!
Awww, a little Lady Bug!

How did everyone else make out this year with costumes? Hopefully better than me ;)

Y3W | How many bloggers?

What happens when I buy a cheap bottle of wine and a 99 cent opener and bring it into a hotel room full of bloggers?

Ya know... the kind of wine opener that you screw in the top and have to pull out the cork with just sheer force. The kind that I tried for 10 minutes by myself to get and then handed it over for a few other people to attempt to open.

Well, this of course...

Not a single drop of wine was spilled in the making of this video.

Video was taken by Morgan. You may also see Mandy, Beth Anne, Mel, Erika, Chelsey, Me, Jill, Alena, Torie, Jenna, and a few others.

Next year? I'll remember to work out more before coming. And bring my own wine opener.

<center><a href="http://www.jennifromtheblog.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i51.tinypic.com/178q4n.png" /></a></center>

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend and I can't wait to tell you all about BlogHer when I return!

Thank you for keeping me at #6 for so long!
Love you guys! xoxo

Video Cuteness

The cutest rendition of "Happy Birthday" that your ears will ever hear.

Our weebily woobily "walker." {She did this like 10 times!}

Sibling love. {And? Brynnie has a Boston accent when calling for her brother. Yep. "Cah-da! Cah-da!" Although sometimes, like on this video, she does call him "Car-dey" =}

Oh, and please ignore my (1) annoying voice and (2) messy family room. It looks like that 32 seconds after we clean it. I've given up.

Vote if one {or more} of the videos made you smile! =)

"Walking"

Brynn has been practicing her walking with us for about a month or two now. She'll walk with both our hands, then with just both our fingers, and now she's a big shot and can walk while just holding one of our hands/fingers.

She looks so adorable with her wobbly, chubby legs, and her little heinie shake. It makes me happy.

Within the last week or so, she's finally shown some interest in actually walking on her own. To the point where she'll push our hands off her once she's found her balance. Last night she took as many as 4 steps on her own! Here's a little video...

Brynnie the Rock Star!

Now, to the mamas with toddlers... have you found that your older one wants to get in on the walking action too? When ever we're practicing with Brynn, Carter takes a turn as well. We make sure to give him the same cheers and excitement as he walks steadily and slowly between Bob and I. It's actually kinda cute. He'll turn around and say "okay, now it's Brynnie's turn!" =)

So? Yay for "walking"!

How 'bout a vote for wobbly, chubby baby legs!?

Shake, Shake, Shake

Alright, who's having a margarita for breakfast? Just me? Okay, well how about a cute video while I drink by myself...
{Kindly ignore my singing voice. I'm not trying out for American Idol anytime soon.}


PS- Yes, that is Bob in the background yelling "don't play with that, are you crazy??" to Carter. He grabbed a knife out of the dishwasher while Bob was emptying it. And we all know what happens when we play with knives. Enough said.

How about a vote for cute little heinies?

Y3W | His biggest fan.

No, that's not us. It's not his mom, dad, grandmom, sister or aunt. Nope. It's him. He's his own biggest fan. He's the funnest person he knows {as evident in the video below.}

I never thought I'd post a video of a video, but this is too cute not to share with you. Carter made us watch the vlog of him and I over and over and over again on Wednesday night. Every time we'd watch it, he would do exactly what he did in the video, as if he was playing Simon Says. He would also answer his own questions and reply to whatever he said on the video and then crack up at himself being silly.

This video isn't that long. And it's cute. It's sure to make you smile on this lovely Friday. If you watch it to the end, you'll see my favorite part... Carter cracks up at himself kissing the computer screen goodbye {in the video} and then looks over at me and Bob and says "that's funny, daddy!" {Remember he wouldn't say it for me in the original video... brat!} =)

His Biggest Fan from Jenni on Vimeo.

Wow, I really hit my video limit this week, huh? Okay, how about a "State of the Bathroom" pic:

Down to the studs. Even the floor is gone. Why? Because the plumbing had to be removed and replaced with all new pipes. And because nothing is ever easy with this house. Hopefully by this weekend, things will be put in to the bathroom instead of taken out! Drywall, floor boards, the new tub, toilet, and hopefully the new floor will go in soon. Then we have to go pick out our vanity/sink. YAY!

Oh, and PS, I reached my first Medifast goal! That's right... I lost 10 pounds! I'm so excited to share that with you.

Okay, I'm done now. Have a great weekend!

Are you a fan of Carter Man??
Then how 'bout a vote!

Vloggin' with Carter

Although it's not the theme this week {see why below}, I'm linking up to Vloggin' Vednesday!

This weekend, Carter and I were hanging out while Brynn was napping. Carter is slightly obsessed with seeing himself on video, so I often put on PhotoBooth and let him record himself being silly. This particular time, I got in the video with him and we were talking about his upcoming ear surgery {which is scheduled for March 30th.} He has a 2 hour pre-surgery physical today {they want to make sure he can be under anesthesia, etc} so, in honor of that, I thought I'd show this to you.

Before you watch it, I must tell you that Carter loves to do this thing with our ears... he'll sit on our laps and face us and then grab both our ears and go "quack, quack, quack, quack" with one and then go {like a siren} "e-o-e-o-e-o" {Yeah, I have no idea why. Let's just chalk it up to odd genes, shall we?}

Once his ear tube surgery was scheduled, I wanted to start talking about it with him so he wouldn't be afraid. I told him that the doctor would go ""quack, quack, quack, quack" and "e-o-e-o-e-o" and his ears would be "alllll better!" Well he loved it and so we talk about it a few times a day now.

This morning, I told him we would be picking him up early from GG's because we have to go to the doctors for a physical.

The first thing he said was "alllll better!" Sigh. I love it.

PS- Carter calls me "Bubba" not Mommy. {Click on the link to read why.}

PSS- He always says "that's funny, Bubba!" so when I say "that's funny, Carter!" I was sooo hoping he would say it back because I love it. But he just ignored me, as usual.

Okay, here he is...my Carter Man. {Please ignore how annoying I am. And that I look like a hot mess with my ponytail, lack of make-up, and Phillies hoodie. But my Carter Man sure is cute!}

And last, but certainly not least, I want to wish a very happy birthday to my mama! You're the best and I am so lucky to be the one to call you mom. I can't wait to celebrate with you tonight! {And Friday night. And Saturday night. Birthday extravaganza! ;}

Thank you for your votes!!

I almost can't stand the cuteness.

When Carter was a baby, there was nothing he loved more than watching Mickey Mouse walk over that hill in the very beginning of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on the Disney Channel. His face would light up and then my heart would just melt from the cuteness. When I finally caught it on video, I was so excited and made it my Y3W post for the week. Carter was only 7 months old.

Well, last week when the show came on TV, Brynn did almost the exact same thing... she screamed with excitement, her "motorcycle hands" were going {you'll see in the video... Carter had them too =} and she would just laugh away at Mickey Mouse.

Sunday? I taped it.

Sigh. I just love when she looks at the camera. My sweet little Brynnie Girl.

You guys? Rock.
Thanks for keeping us in the top 10 by voting daily! xoxo

I poopin'

Oh, my dear Carter. Please forgive me.

When Carter poops, something comes over him. I can't quite put my finger on it but it's somewhere between a poltergeist and a grown angry man, possessed.

Now we all know when Carter does his business, because he usually grabs on to a chair somewhere, straightens his legs and grunts. I always check on him to make sure he's okay. My sweet boy use to simply shake his head yes and go about his business.

Not any more. No, now something {or someone} has taken over.

Our convo might go something like this... {and please, picture Carter's voice, not as a sweet 2 year old, but a scary monster}

Jenni: Carter, where are you? :::looks around until I see him holding on to a table or an empty chair:::
Carter: I POOPIN!
Jenni: Okay buddy, everything fine?
Carter: OVER THERE! :::points to the door:::
Jenni: Whoa, okay honey. You want me to leave?
Carter: GET! OUT!

And I have about 15 seconds of video to prove it {taken by my sister Kacy from her iPhone on New Year's Eve}

Did you hear it? If you restart and listen to the first few seconds you can hear him say "I POOPIN!!" then at the end he yells "OVER THERE!"

Oh Carter Man... we love you so much!

And a quick pic from yesterday {where he happened to clear his entire bookshelf so that he would have a clear space to hold on too}What can I say? My man wants his privacy.

I must also quickly add that we don't laugh at him when he's pooping, but it came up in conversation about how he acts when he does it, and then he actually did it at our NYE party so that's why we were laughing in the video. I promise you that I am super supportive of my little man's pooping habits.

But I can't promise you that we don't quote him in real life situations on a daily basis.

Next topic: Potty Training 101 ;)

#16!!! YOU GUYS ROCK!!!! xoxo

Your Three Words

I am SO excited about this weekend, as we have a lot of big Christmas-related things planned. =)

Tomorrow, we are heading back to Linvilla Orchards to cut down our Christmas tree! This place is sooooo great. If you're not in the holiday spirit before you get there, then you will be. They have hayrides out to the Christmas tree farm, hot chocolate, reindeer, a fire for roasting marshmallows, a little shop with homemade deliciousness and crafty holiday decorations... and did I mention reindeer? It's just beautiful!

They're calling for sunny, but very chilly weather tomorrow which is a HUGE step up from last year's experience. ;) And let's not forget about the fact that we picked out a ginormous tree last year. Oops.

This is one of my favorite videos... Ever.

Our Griswold Family Christmas Tree

In my defense, I had no idea how huge it would be until we got it in the house. I guess when you're in the middle of a forest full of Christmas trees, the only real comparison is... well, other trees.

Lesson learned. Hopefully. ;)

And on Sunday, we're headed to see Santa! Can't wait. I know Brynn will be perfectly fine, but I'm a little worried about Carter. We keep discussing Santa at home and how he is so nice and how he brings gifts at Christmas {which Carter understands because he walks up to every Santa decoration in our house and asks for "a cool truck, thank you!"} I'm still a little worried that we will have a repeat of last year's visit:

Don't forget to join the Y3W Blog Hop!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

#28!
Thank you for your continued votes!! xo

We have a talker!

Well, technically Brynn's been "talking" for awhile, but yesterday she finally said her first word...

"Da Da"

I know, I know... I bet you're all shocked that her first word was "da da"... but how she says it is soooo adorable. She looked right at Bob while he was talking to Carter and said "da da da da da" =)

{I think it's no coincidence that she learned how to say "da da" just before Christmas. Now she's sure to get everything on her wish list. Daddy will buy it for her. Smart cookie.}

She also happened to say her second word yesterday too: "no no no no" {which actually sounded more like "na na na na"} and who do you think it was too? Yep... Carter. He attacks her with kisses and will NOT leave her alone. I'm not surprised that she was telling him no. Bob actually thought her first words would be "restraining order."

I tried to catch the cuteness on video, but all I really caught was the back of Carter's head while he was talking to her. I'll try again over the weekend.

Instead, let's flash back to the cuteness that is Carter saying his first words of "da da da"... {be sure to pause N'Sync down there!}

{Carter- 2 days shy of 7 months old}

In other news...

• Today is my Friday. =)
• I have an appointment for the kiddos tomorrow. Carter is getting his flu shot while Brynnie is having her 6 month well visit/shots done.
  
• Did you catch that... Brynn is 6 months old. Tomorrow. What. The. Hell.
• The Comcast Yule Log went up this weekend. Sigh. Who wouldn't want to listen to a crackling fire {in HD} set to beautiful classical Christmas music? I've actually been waiting for it for awhile, but it turns out they moved it. For all the Comcast users... it's now On Demand > Top Picks > Holiday & More > Yule Log HD 2010. Enjoy!

I'll be back tomorrow with Brynn's 6 month stats. Anyone want to take any bets on her weight? If you want a preview, I think it will go something like this.

Help me get back to the first page by voting for me today! =)

Halloween = Success

If someone would have told me that Halloween would go as smoothly and awesomely as it did, I would have called them a liar. I actually would have bet my house that Halloween would be a complete disaster this year. Even up until my Happy Halloween post in the late afternoon, Carter refused to wear his Mike Wazowski costume. And it wasn't because he was afraid of it... he just didn't want to put it on. Luckily, my sister Kristi came to the rescue and gave us my nephew Ben's Thomas the Train costume from last year for Carter to borrow.

Life. Saver.

Now it didn't go well at first. I put the costume on Carter while he was kicking and screaming and then immediately took him outside with my dad so that he could take him across the street to get candy while we were getting the stroller and Brynn all situated. He went... but he still wasn't happy about it. We then spent the next 5-10 mins trying to distract him with candy and going to visit "Uncle Ry Ry" who lives down the street.

It worked.

After that, the night was awesome. This coming from the person who hates Halloween, I know. I'm even surprising myself. Carter had so much fun going from door-to-door saying "trick or treat!" and "Happy Halloween!!" It was adorable. And it was such a gorgeous fall night. Perfect for walking around the neighborhood {as opposed to last Halloween when it was hot, humid, and raining.}

Brynnie girl, well she was an angel, as always. She happily sat in the stroller smiling and laughing away until she fell asleep. I can hardly stand just how sweet she is.

Here are a few pics {and even a video!} from our night...

I had to share this cuteness one more time... Brynnie before we put on her costume.
Walking with Poppy {who became known as "the candy collector" b/c Carter only gave his candy to my dad after every house we visited.}"Trick or treat"
Mommy and her Mr. Man...
Carter LOVED this house...
Especially since they gave him a few mini bags of pretzels {that he immediately started eating.}
Going with Daddy...
Counting his treats after almost 2 hours of Trick or Treating!
Trying to scare GG and Aunt "Tacy"...
Now this very well may be the single cutest thing I've ever witnessed. Carter LOVED handing out the candy to the trick-or-treaters. He sat at the door and just waited for them to come and then said things like "Hi!" "Trick-or-Treat!" and "Byeeee, Happy Halloween!"

le sigh.By this time it was already past 7:30pm so he didn't get a ton of trick-or-treaters after that. He kept saying "where'd they go??"
Wouldn't you love to get candy from someone as cute as this? =)
A big group of HS girls saw him sitting in front of the door from across the street and ran over. Carter LOVED it. :)

Here's a little video of Carter Man as well...

All-in-all it was a fantastic night!