Carter Visit Part Duex

So lots more Huntington Beach pictures. The second day we met up with Dan, Marie, and the girls at a rather large park that had a nature center/walk. To myself as an apparent desert folk, it was not a dry heat. The highlight was a big hill, then a playground, and finally ducks. But the picture from that visit was of Ryan and Makaya. Mostly because it's one that we were able to catch with them both in and photogenic.



We went to In-and-out for lunch. The cool kids got to sit at the bar stool area.



The boys took to the beach. Trevor and Ryan both seemed to enjoy spending time in the sand and the wet sand. The water was a bit chilly, but interesting to look at.





Ryan and Grandma Jackie looking for Tsunamis






Hotdogs and fries and sand for lunch

The beach has spots where you can have fires. So we met up to have a little picnic and then toast marshmallows.


Ryan was pretty into climbing in and out of chairs.


Makaya, Trev, John, Marie, Jackie, Gracie



Trevor and Gracie chasing Seagulls


They were pretty cute


And they're off again




Dan and Marie brought a kite. Trevor was super excited about getting to fly it.


Family Picture


Ryan found the package of chocolate bars and carried them around most of the roasting time.

Carter Visit Part1

Grandpa Bill and Grandma Jackie came out to visit this past week. We stayed around our area a couple days and then drove down to Huntington Beach to meet up with Marie and her family. So we have LOTS of pictures and I'll probably be splitting them up a bit.

After a very brief period of standing by the door and staring, the boys seemed to warm up to the grandparents. Saturday we went up to the Kern River Reserve Saturday with a group from our church for a little nature hike and then up to Kernville for lunch at the brewery. The flowers are already popping up all over the place up there, so the drive itself was interesting too (but no pictures of course)


At the preserve


Playing Ryan catch at the park in Kernville




Ryan practicing wearing a hat to cover his future bald spot





We drove down to Huntington Beach Monday and stayed through Friday. We ended up renting a cute little house for our visit.



We met up with Dan, Marie, Gracie and Makaya that evening and had some beach time. Trevor is much more excited about the beach than last year. The water was a bit freezing so he mostly instructed John to fetch him buckets of it to play with in the sand.



Trevor built a lot of character the first evening. The part of the beach we visited was also open to dogs and after being mildly chased by a friendly large dog and freaking out decided a little later that he does indeed like big dogs. Then after the beach we let them dip in the pool a little bit where Trevor took one step to far and tried to drown. After Dan saved him he was initially freaked out again but then decided that "I was almost swimming!" So it was a success afterall.






Ryan was pretty thrilled with all the beach toys. Lots of stuff to carry around and hand to other people


Ryan handing me the shell and saying 'Tankewww'

Park and Temporary Lake Visit

Our winter storms seem to be subsiding and spring is in the air. It's been really nice the past week or two so we're starting to get back into the going to the park plan. These pictures were taken last week some time...


CHEESE!



The play equipment had stairs and tubes that connected a couple parts. Ryan would follow Trevor through the obstacles and he's pretty good going down the slide on his own now--tummy or bum style.





And here they start to wander off towards the recently formed lake nearby...





It was pretty entertaining. Trevor liked walking on the squishy mud and throwing rocks into the water.



Ryan liked picking up rocks and showing them too me and then setting them on a piece of wood before again picking them up to show me.

January

I figure it's time to put up more pictures before my mom starts bugging me again... The month kind of flew by I guess. Though it also still seems like a long time until Spring Break. I actually get two this year (yahoo!). Marie (John's sister) and her family are going to Huntington Beach in March during her husband's spring break. The Carter grandparents are going to be coming this way too so we can all meet down there for a few days. So it's pretty exciting. But still seeming a ways away.

I was looking through pictures we happened to have this month. Most of them are a bit random and around playtime (which seems to be anytime outside of nap and eating time).

Here's Trevor in his "throne" that John built him. He spent a lot of time declaring "off with their heads!" that day.

























Not to leave Ryan out, John built a Ryan sized throne too.
























The rocking horse has regained it's popularity lately. Especially now that Ryan can play on it too. Turns out that all the best toys in the house are the ones that your brother happens to be interested in at the moment (both ways).



And we managed to get some snow last week. I'm not really sure what the official accumulation was, but not much more than what you see in the pictures. I worked that day and got to cross two newly formed 'rivers' on the way back from Trona. It switched from rain to big flakes about ten miles away from town. There are no pictures of the boys playing in it because, as Trevor explained "no way! It's cold and wet!" I think it's funny though that in the past year we've seen more actual snow falling in Ridgecrest than in Alaska.





Ryan's walking like crazy now. He hasn't quite mastered the standing from sitting move (though John claimes he has seen him do this) and I think once he feels comfortable with that he'll really be a biped. He's mastered the walking while carrying items (very important to him), turns, and squats down instead of just falling all the time. So he's really turning into a toddler more than a baby now. He seems to understand 'no', but finds it funny most of the time. Trevor keeps growing in vocabulary and understanding of all sorts of things. It's really interesting to hear the questions and thoughts that he comes up with day to day. I can understand the whole idea that time really starts flying when you have kids. It's hard to picture Trevor as when he was Ryan's age. And that was only a couple years ago.

Christmas Time and Alaska Visit

We were up visiting my parents for a couple of weeks around Christmas. They had a really good snowfall for days before we got there so Trevor got to experience some winter. He was pretty sure that it would all melt before we got there because it doesn't usually stick on the mountains near Ridgecrest more than a day or so. Turns out it his mommy was right and it was still there. I was impressed that he stayed out in it at all and I think that John was a little dismayed that he didn't want to go out more.























All suited up



The first time they went out it was super cold but they played for quite a while.


Ryan stayed inside and played with Grandma Linda

We took Ryan out to play on the second outside adventure. He liked being pulled around in the sled, but anytime the sled stopped he'd get a bit overly concerned. Trevor seemed to have fun except for any part when the snow touched his skin.


Trevor spent some time cleaning off grandma's fence









I stopped pulling the sled to take a picture--so he's concerned



The sled was still moving in this picture--much happier



Ryan was happiest when we got inside and started taking the snow clothes off

Trevor got to go to work with Bapa one of the days we were up. Ryan went around with grandma, Aunt Nancy and I to deliver Christmas baskets to some businesses. We ran in to Trevor and Bapa on one of our stops and Trevor definitely seemed to have the better end of the deal. He'd already eaten hostess cupcakes for snack, then with a chocolate smeared face came bouncing into the building we were at to later find cookies.
























Ryan the Woodbuilt mascot




Trevor helped make a gingerbread house again this year. This time he got quite a bit more of the candy on the house.



Hanging the stockings



Christmas morning--opening stockings



And presents

Grandma Betty and Ryan taking a stroll around the house




Visiting the Alaska Berry Factory























Trev and Grandma
























Ryan and Bapa most likely watching football or cowboys
























Glass doors are fun