This is Carter...

This little man lights up my life!  Here are a few things about him that make me smile...and sometimes not smile. (that's when I call my mom)

1.  He loves his bath!  When he first enters the tub (the water is pretty hot) he just sits and      relaxes.  After he takes it all in, he starts to splash!  That's when the fun begins.

2.  He loves getting his diaper changed!  Who knew that having a soggy diaper on your bum was not comfortable?!

3.  He loves being outside!  He has loved it from day 3 when I took him out there to feed him because he couldn't settle down.  We go on walks everyday, and I mean everyday.  It just settles him down, and if I'm lucky, I get a small nap out of him.

4.  He has been able to roll over from his back to stomach since August.  Just started rolling from stomach to back this month.  That's another milestone met!

5.  Does it count if he can sit on his bum for a long time, but can't hold his body up?  I think yes..

6.  This kid loves to eat!  Rice cereal is a hit.  We are adding new foods this week and first on the list was peas.  So far, so good!

7.  He doesn't sleep anymore (this is when I call my mom).  He was a rockstar sleeper clear until September.  He slept at least 5 hours ever since we brought him home, and would sleep through the night often enough to make me happy.  Now, he sleeps about 5 hours then he is up 2 or 3 more times in the night.  It's a struggle!  I had to go to Idaho last week for my mental health!  I needed sleep and my mom assisted me in that department!  Thanks MOM!

8.  He loves his blanket.  I just think that's fun!

9.  He has already been to the Pacific and Atlantic oceans..lucky boy!  That's all I have to say!

10.  Dancing is always a hit!  

11.  He knows when there is a camera.  He always stops laughing and smiling or doing tricks.  It's very frustrating! 

12.  This little guy is HUGE!  He is off the charts in his height.  80th Percentile for weight.  And, 20th Percentile for his head??...Tall kid with a pin head?!  And a mother who has never been so proud!  

13.  He wears 3-6 month size clothes, but he is moving closer to 6 month alone.  He does have to wear 6-9 month pajamas though because he is too tall for clothes with feet.


I love you, Carter Clyde!  Isn't he just the cutest thing you ever did see?!

Carter Clyde


Carter made his way into our lives on May 13.  It was a Sunday, it was Mother's day, and it was also Grandpa Becker's birthday.  May 13 was a GREAT day!  I was in labor for about 6 hours.  Things were going well from about 12pm to 2pm...then the contractions were getting worse and worse.  4:30 rolled around and...Epidurals are the BEST thing EVER!  Carter was born at 6:55pm and weighed a whopping 8lbs 11oz and he was 21 inches long.  He was a big boy, but a healthy boy indeed, and that's all I could have asked for.


When we first found out we were having a boy, I was a bit nervous.  I didn't grow up with boys.  However, the more I thought about it, the more I felt at ease.  I am better at throwing a ball or running around than I am at playing Barbies and princess.  I am not super emotional so that could be a plus (hopefully Carter won't be too dramatic...I won't know what to do!)  Finally, I married the greatest boy in the world and I knew that he would be the best dad and there was nothing to worry about.  We make a pretty good team so we were ready for this little man to come into our lives!


Birth is truly a miracle!  I don't know how anyone could not believe in God after going through something as miraculous as that.  I know my Heavenly Father loves me and His plan is going to allow me to be with my boys FOREVER!  I can't stop thinking about how grateful I am for this perfect plan of true happiness!  


I love being a mom!  It is already one of the best things that has ever happened to me!


     You'll Be
    
    his first kiss
    his first love
    his first friend.


   You are his mamma and he is your 
   whole world!


  He is your little boy


and how lucky I am!

our CARIBBEAN adventure

Who knew that going to the Southern Caribbean would be so spectacular? Well I think we all kinda think that, and let me tell you that all my expectations were met and were even better that what we could have hoped for. Every time we reached a new location, I thought to myself 'this is the most beautiful place my eyes have ever seen.' It happened time after time. However, after much contemplation, I decided St. Maarten was my favorite.

Each place had something fabulous to offer, but I made my decision and that is that!

Blake's favorite place was probably St. Lucia but it was a tough choice for him also. St. Lucia was seriously UNBELIEVABLE but it was a rainly, cloudy day so we couldn't get the full effect, but the views were B-E-A-Utiful! (sorry the clouds are covering the tops)

There are two famous peaks called the Pitons (pee-tons) and it was such an amazing thing to see. Two HUGE peaks just shooting out of the water with lush rain forest/jungle covering them from top to bottom. St. Lucia is on Oprah's list of Places You Have to See and I know why! We went snorkeling at Jalousie Bay which is right between the two peaks and the coral there was AMAZING! This is the resort that is there. It's exactly what I picture when I picture a resort in the Caribbean...what about you?

Anyway, here are our FAVORITE THINGS about each island:

1. St. Thomas- Best snorkeling/clearest water/best banana daiquiri

2. Barbados- We got to swim with sea turtles and that was SO SO FUN!

3. St. Lucia- Most Beautiful Landscape (ps..coconut water is GROSS)

4. St. Kitts- Rented scooters and made our way around the WHOLE island almost running out of gas...

5. St. Maarten- Gorgeous water/most clean

Now that we have that out of the way, I would like to finish by giving a few (what we found to be) helpful tips...

1. Bring your own snorkel gear! It gave us something to do on every island for free!

2. We ordered room service every morning and got sandwiches to pack in ziplock bags to take for lunch. Also saved us money because we didn't have to buy food on the islands.

3. Sometimes renting a car is cheaper than getting taxis, especially if you have a few people to split the cost with.

4. Going to the shows on the ship was fun! "Free" entertainment that was usually pretty good.

5. We took our own camelbak and filled it with ice and water from the ship so we had something cold to drink with water we trusted.

6. Be sure to catch at least one sunset!

We had the BEST time and hope to go on another cruise again someday!

As of Late...

To CELEBRATE this...

We did THIS...

And it was the best vacation! We left out of Puerto Rico, spent 7 days in the Caribbean, went to 5 different islands (including: St. Thomas, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, and St. Maarten), spent one day in Puerto Rico upon our return, got back to Idaho, packed up our loot, drove 14 hours, and ended up here... our cruise deserves a post of it's own, so I will get on that soon..ish

Life certainly has been crazy for us the past few months, but we are loving the direction our "ship has sailed" (get it? Cause we were just on a ship...) Arizona is super HOT but we are loving it thus far! Our apt is wonderful and I will upload some photos soon, you know, just in case you want to picture us in our new environment. Anyway, there's an update. Don't be too jealous! It's bad for you-

Our New Toy

With the last of our wedding money, we bought a new something to document our lives. Can't wait 'til something exciting happens so we can keep the memory in an HD form :) I guess Blake's Graduation in a few weeks will get to start things off...I hear that those are kind of a big deal.

My six years of living in Rexburg are coming to an end. However, we are excited to be moving to Phoenix to start a new chapter in our lives. Blake has a job with PetSmart. He will be a buyer for their company and is very excited about it, as am I! My little boy is growing up, and his wifey is sure proud!

I love Farmers

Something about this unshaven, greasy, covered in dirt, smells like the shop guy makes my heart go pitter-patter :) Love my Farm Boy!

The Pics I Promised

I FINALLY found my camera cord! Here are a few pictures from the Jazz game.

We Love Vacations!

We had our annual St. George boating trip and it was a much needed vacation. Blake has become some die hard wakeboarder and is already passing me up! He claims he'll be flipping and flying one of these days. Now, he's trying to clear the wake and was almost successful :)

We played some tennis, went swimming, and even convinced my dad to go to the mall. Sunburns, long drives, and sore bodies were 100% worth it!

Life is ROUGH!

It's spring. The NBA Playoffs, our favorite thing!

Jazz vs. Nuggets. Game 6. Jazz lead series 3-2.

Dad calls and within an hour we're on our way!

Life's Rough, but I accept the challenges :)

(pics coming soon)

The Day I Used to Dream About

The days leading up to our wedding day were FUN, EXCITING, and BUSY! There were so many helpers and I'm so grateful! Thanks so much, the day was PERFECT!

Finally, the day has arrived! November 7 was the best day of my life! I sat inside the temple doors with my one and only and was told we could be together forever. We sat in the Celestial Room before our sealing and I don't even know what we said to each other because all I could hear was my heart beating so hard in my little ears. I was a nervous girl holding hands with a nervous boy. However, the next 30 minutes were the best 30 minutes I've ever experienced. It truly was the HAPPIEST day of my life! I love you, Blake