January 6, 2009 by Amy Jo.

Allison’s current favorite phrase is: “Now that’s something you don’t see every day!”  Often, in fact, it is something you see every day.  A minor point that does not seem to curtail her enthusiasm.

Last week while driving in the car, Carter picked up on her phrase:

     PETE (a.k.a. Allison):  A pink car is something you don’t see every day.

     COPY (a.k.a. Carter):  Pink. Tar. Don’t hee. Evry. Day.

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January 5, 2009 by Amy Jo.

We are lucky enough to live in farming country.  It’s lucky because I have a little boy who loves tractors.  And we drive by a John Deere tractor store everytime we take Allison to preschool.  It’s pretty much heaven for Carter.  If only he could get Mom to stop and browse the tractor selection…

So, this morning, here’s what he had to say as we were driving by the John Deere store…

     CARTER (in a cute little sing-song voice):  Track-er, hee?  Tracker, hee?
          (i.e. Tractor, see?  Tractor see?)
     CARTER: (in a deep, no nonsense voice):  BIG track-er.  BIG!

Indeed it was a big tractor!

A big thank-you to John Deere Tractors for making me a smile today!

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January 2, 2009 by Amy Jo.

Hi guys!  It’s me, Carter!  Mommy is letting me tell the story today because I happen to be an expert at getting a rise out of my big sister.

OK, here’s the thing.  For the first 1+ years of my life, Allison took all my toys.  And I was helpless - I mean helpless! - to do anything about it.  But now, I’m a BIG two-years-old and I have a retaliation plan!

At first (when I was younger) I would hit her.  With whatever toy I had in my hand at the time.  Preferably on her head.  That sure made her cry.  But then I realized that every time I hit Allison, Mom spanked me and gave me a timeout.  So, now that I am older and wiser, I have devised a new plan. 

Here’s how it works:  Whatever Allison says, I just reply, “No.” 

Like this:

        ALLISON:  Blah, blah, blah, Carter.

        ME (Carter):  No.

        ALLISON (whining already):  Yes, CAR-ter!

        ME:  No.

        ALLISON:  Waaaaaah!

Brilliant.  Works  every time!

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December 25, 2008 by Amy Jo.

We went to a 4 pm Mass on Christmas Eve and then drove around and looked at Christmas lights for quite a while.  Carter really loved the lights.  Whenever there wasn’t a house with lights in view, he’d politely say:

More. More, please.

Also, we discovered quite a few light-up reindeer that had some lights not working… sometimes the head wasn’t lit.  Sometimes the body wasn’t lit.  And sometimes there was a small dark patch that only Carter could see.  For all of these reindeer Carter would say:

Broke. Reindeer.

In fact, the broke reindeer were the highlight of the trip!

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December 13, 2008 by Amy Jo.

This is what happened when our little guy was up in the middle of the night Thursday because he didn’t feel good… 

He and Daddy snuggled and snoozed on the couch.

(Mommy was watching TV and knitting!)

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December 13, 2008 by Amy Jo.

This is an x-ray.  Like the x-ray that Curious George got when he broke his ankle while climbing on a dinosaur skeleton in a museum.  Except, this is an x-ray of Carter.  His lungs to be exact. 

The diagnosis?  Pneumonia. 

He’s been sick all week.  He was diagnosed with another ear infection on Tuesday and started antibiotics, but then he developed a cough and runny nose.  I knew he was really sick!  But then he’d perk up and I’d think he might be getting better.  But the Mommy instinct prevailed, I was persistent, and now we know how sick he is!

Today we got the diagnosis and, ironically, today he seems to be doing better.  His fever is down, his cough isn’t as bad, he’s eating a little and he drinking more.  I am so relieved.

The antibiotics for his ear infection have been working, but we’ve upped the dose now that we know he has pneumonia.  And the doctor wants us to repeat the x-ray next week to be sure that his lungs are indeed clearing up.

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December 10, 2008 by Amy Jo.

I’ve been telling everyone that Carter likes to take things apart…

Earlier today he took apart a little flashlight and examined it and it’s various parts for at least 20 minutes.  (I didn’t let him have the batteries.)

This morning while Allison was at preschool and I was working on the computer, Carter was sitting on the floor, very quietly, playing with a toy car.

ME:  Carter what are you doing?
CARTER:  Wheels off!
ME:  I don’t think those wheels come off.
CARTER:  Wheels off!

A little bit later he brings me the car and orders:

CARTER:  Wheels on.

I guess they do come off after all!

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December 8, 2008 by Amy Jo.

Tonight after bedtime prayers and a story, Carter climbed in bed with the book we’d just finished.  And he started reading. 

He opens to a page with a bird and says, “Bird. Flying. Sky. Bird flying.”

He flips to another page with four monkeys in a tree and says, “One, two-a, tree.  Mon-hee.  Tree!“  (One two, three monkeys in a tree.)

Then to a page with dogs barking at a tree and says, “Dog.  Barking.  Arf-arf!“

These are the moments I wish I could freeze and rewind periodically as he gets older.  They just touch my heart and make me proud to be his Mommy.

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December 8, 2008 by Amy Jo.

Carter is talking.  A lot.  Cute little sentences.  And not just to make his desires known.  He talks to tell us what he’s thinking and what he sees around him.  I thought I would start blogging some of my favorites before they are gone… It’s true, kids do grow up so fast!

Heabby!
(heavy)

Hard do.
(It’s hard to do… used most often when putting on shoes or socks or trying to take something apart.)

New. One.
(Used whenever you see something - like a car, a tractor, a cloud, a bus, a toy…all are new ones.)

Broke. Awww.
(Especially useful to describe any plane you see flying in the sky.  Broke.  And the Awww is added to indicate that this makes you sad.)

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November 29, 2008 by Amy Jo.

Pop bought the kids Big Wheels.  They have had so much fun riding them! 

We put Allison’s together first.  Then decided that Carter needed a smaller one because he couldn’t reach the pedals.  So, he got a “My First Big Wheel”.  So cute! 

Allison has learned to use the pedals and she can steer very well! 

Carter has learned how to go backwards and crash into things.

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