I was searching for friendship quotes today to start this post, intending to find a really deep, thoughtful one. When I ran across the above quote, I had to laugh---this is the toast one of our college friends offered during one of our crazy trips back in the day--brought back some FUN memories. Short and simple, but very appropriate.
Last night we had a little baby shower for my friend Noelle. She's expecting a little girl in September...we can't wait to meet her! Us girls don't get together too often since we're a little spread out, but we manage to find 4-5 times a year to make it work. Although we don't see each other as often as we'd like, we always pick up where we left off and I'm certain that these ladies will remain in my life forever. Tiffany, Jenny, Noelle--I'm very thankful to count you girls as my friends!
Now that we've all had babies, our get-togethers have a little different dynamic. Four high-spirited toddlers and an infant are the center of the show these days. Our kids are building friendships right before our eyes and that makes me so happy! And even though Carter whacked Ethan and Reed in the head with his drumstick, I know he's thankful to have you all as friends as well :). (sorry boys.)
This is literally THE ONLY picture I got of all four of the toddlers near each other, and none of them screaming. L-R: Reed, Carter, Ethan, and Adyson.
Then the boys sat still for just a moment longer.
Asher supervised while we ate dinner.
Ethan helped his momma open gifts.
After food and gifts, we headed outside to run off some toddler energy! Ethan tried out the steering wheel...
Adyson chilled in the swing...
And Reed flew down the slide!
The boys took time out for one more picture.
Thanks for the fun girls (and kiddos)! Until next time...
7. Asher is sleeping in his crib now! We started the transition last Monday and he's done great! He's still waking about once each night, but in the mornings, we're usually greeted with this adorable face.
8. We started Asher on rice cereal last night. He wasn't too sure of that mush being shoved in his mouth, but tolerated it for awhile. If I remember right, it took several attempts before Carter accepted any new foods, so we'll keep trying.
We got to the stadium plenty early, so we headed out to explore "The Outfield Experience."
They have a bunch of activities for kids out there including mini golf, pitching practice, and stealing bases.
They also have a great little playground, which Carter spotted right away!
Next stop was the carousel...he's getting really good at carousel-riding these days. Pretty soon, he won't need mom or dad around to ride!
After all of that fun, we headed to find our seats. We were in the front row of the upper deck--great seats with a fantastic view, but zero shade.
Carter loved looking out over the field watching the "big baseball game."
A few shots from the game.
Then it was time to take a trip around the bases.
By that time, it was the middle of the 7th inning and people were beginning to leave, so we found some nice seats in the shade on the lower level to finish out the game. On Sundays they have a Fun Run after the game where kids can run the bases on the "real" field. We went to get in line at the beginning of the 9th inning and there were probably 500 people ahead of us already. YIKES! We stuck it out again, waiting about an hour after the game and there were probably about 1500 people total that ended up running the bases.
Chris said that Carter was acting pretty pokey at the beginning and he kept having to hurry him along...
...but once he rounded 3rd base, Carter kicked it in gear and left daddy in the dust!
After a long, warm day in the sun and LOTS of walking, we were all pretty worn out after the game. On the way back home, both boys got pretty grouchy in the car, so mommy got the pleasure of crawling in the backseat to entertain/appease them. Asher got his rattle and some face time with mommy...
...and Carter got to watch Cars and Barney.
But the minute we walked in the door, all hell broke loose. There is a HUGE, very realistic dinosaur that moves and roars right in the entry way. Carter absolutely FREAKED OUT. He panicked and cried and clung to me as tight as he could. We immediately walked outside to calm him down. I had no idea he'd be that scared...but it was all very realistic. After a little soothing ("They're just really big toys! They won't hurt you...they won't even touch you. It's all pretend!") we ventured back inside. We quickly made our way into the gift shop where things were much less scary. 
The waitress took us right to our table and we all sat down and browsed the menus.
Pretty soon, that big dino right above Chris' head swoops down right over our table and lets out a mighty ROAR. Carter hit the floor, literally, and freaked out again. We felt so bad for him and once again, I scooped him up and we walked away to see the aquarium. I visited with a manager nearby and asked if there were any areas that were not quite as scary and he kindly moved us to the "Ice Age" room--no moving creatures nearby. They did have a meteor shower every 30 minutes or so and the whole room turned red and there were really cool sound effects. Carter didn't mind that, thank goodness. 
Once we got settled into our new seats, all was well and we had a great dinner. Carter loved looking at things from a distance and this place spared no details. Here's a picture of the big guy that greeted us in the entryway--taken from above at our table on the upper level.
Carter giving Ash some zerberts on his tummy--he was cracking up!
One person's junk = a toddler's treasure!
Reanna also stopped by for some fun!
Carter helping Grammy mix drinks. Future bartender maybe? 
Asher getting hugs from his big brother--see the joy on his face?
He'd rather just chew on his fists.
After the hard work on Saturday, we enjoyed some swimming on Sunday. Carter took private swimming lessons all week last week in Lindsborg. His teacher said that for 2 1/2, he did very well! He learned to breathe out his nose under water, go under water for several seconds, float on his back, kick correctly and jump off the side and go under. We can definitely see a big difference in his confidence and skills in the water even after one week! He loves to go under now!
This kid could jump in the pool over and over for HOURS!
