Growing Up

Paxton is delighted that he's now just tall enough to reach things at the table's edge (such as unattended, mint, chocolate chip ice cream).

And Carsten insisted on not missing a photo op. :)

Sunday Morning

Halloween

Carving pumpkins

A Seuss Halloween

Treyton - "The Onceler", Paxton - a "Truffula tree" & Carsten - "The Lorax"

Elise came over in her "Sassy Devil" costume at 9pm to spend the night after spending Halloween evening with her mom and Ethan.

October Birthdays

Paxton turned 1

Carsten turned 3

Brian turned 42

Boating

The kids had a half-day so we took the opportunity to hit the lake (last time?) before it gets too cold. The water was much chillier than last time we were there, but it was bearable. Brian needed a wet suit, but the rest of us were tough. ;)

Paxton & I have matching forehead zits...

Carsten (and I) rode on the tube for the first time. He wasn't as much of a fan of the tube as the other kids (he kept his face buried and white-knuckled it most of the ride) but he was a trooper and didn't cry or anything.

And I got up on the knee board for the first time! (I actually got "up" once before, but then wasn't able to get the handle to release from the board, so this was my first time of doing it right, and let me tell you that was a serious upper body workout!!!)

Treyton's 9th Birthday

For Treyton's 9th birthday, he decided he wanted a doughnut cake. So, I drove out to the ONLY Krispy Kreme store in Arizona and got 3 dozen glazed doughnuts. I brought them to his class and stacked them on a pizza pan to make a tiered "cake" (sans candles). He also got a giant Pixy Stix from his teacher, which he loved.

And you know what? Treyton said he didn't think there was any difference between Krispy Kreme doughnuts and doughnuts from the grocery store!!! Sacrilege! I guess I could have saved myself the $$$, but I'm still glad I got the opportunity to have a Krispy Kreme doughnut since they're so few and far between.

(Paxton has a super sensitive gag reflex. Right as I was starting the picture-taking, Carsten gave him a Frosted Mini-Wheat...)


Later that night, Treyton and I went out for dinner (Carl's Jr.) and had our first visit to a real hackerspace. We went to HeatSyncLabs in Mesa to see a 3D printer in real life. They printed an orange hat for Treyton's Lego guy. I'd like to use their laser at some point to make awesome things! :)

Kitchen Shower

Paxton was safely down for a nap in Carsten's bed, which a child-proof doorknob cover so Carsten couldn't harm him. Carsten was set up to watch Thomas the Tank Engine. And I was going to take a shower knowing they were both safe and occupied.

I came out of the shower to find a shower going on in the kitchen!!! Carsten had gone outside, turned on the hose & sprinkler, and placed the sprinkler right outside the OPEN glass door!

Brother Bath

Paxton & Carsten's first bath together

Wright Reunion 2012

We went to Brian's family reunion the week of July 4th. We all had a good time seeing everyone and hanging out together at the family cabin.

Brian's younger brother, Brad, and his fianceé (now wife), Lindy, were kind enough to schedule their wedding during the reunion so that it would be convenient for everyone to attend. However, that also meant they'd be on their honeymoon during the latter half of the reunion, so we took pictures of them in their reunion t-shirts (over their wedding attire) to be Photoshopped into the group photo later in the week.

Teacher Gifts

Yesterday was the last day of school. I made gumball "machines" for Treyton's & Elise's teachers.
I got the idea from this blog. Then I found the printable tag on this blog. I made a few prototypes out of various items from Dollar Tree, but ended up creating my own hybrid of Dollar Tree / Hobby Lobby glassware, which I got the idea for painting from this blog. :)

 If I had more time, I would have etched the names on the glass (or done a different color of vinyl that was easier to see/read). I probably also would have designed a vinyl "knob" & "chute door" to make it look more like a gumball machine.

Say Cheese

Apparently, Carsten wanted some cheese. This week, he has learned how to unlock the gate that used to keep him out of the kitchen. I'm impressed that he operated the cheese slicer to divide this 2lb. block in two. But then he proceeded to take bites out of both sections. :( The other kids are grossed out and don't want that cheese anymore. Carsten is fine with that. :)

Father & Son Campout

Our ward Father & Son campout was at the lake this year. Carsten has been talking non-stop for the past several weeks about "Daddy. Boat. Water." When the day finally came and he saw Brian pulling the boat out of the side yard, he would not let it out of his sight. I was going to take him with me to a restaurant (usually he *loves* to go "bye-bye"), but he would not leave the boat.

There are no pictures of the Father & Son outing. Rumor has it, Carsten only fell into the lake and almost drowned once...

Tough Day

After a long day of playing, Paxton crashed out in his exersaucer.

Twins

Cartsen & Paxton were born just two days shy of exactly two years apart, so Paxton is able to wear all of Carsten's old clothes in the same seasons and everything. Between that and hand-me-downs from family & friends, I've been able to dress them in quite a few matching outfits. :)

Foraging

Carsten has been foraging a lot lately. Here he is eating an avocado he got out of the fridge, peel and all.

 Here he is eating a (not quite ripe) red pepper he prematurely picked out of the garden.

Treyton used to sneak spinach leaves off the counter when I was making salad (although he hates spinach now and doesn't like being reminded of that story). I've just never been able to get upset at a kid eating healthy foods without permission. :)

Baking Cookies

Carsten & Paxton were helping bake cookies.

I don't remember now what I had to step away for, but apparently it was just enough time for Carsten measure everything back out of the bowl that had previously been measured into it.

I like to take pictures when I find messes like this for two reasons:

1. To document/preserve childhood memories
2. To give myself time to defuse before reacting...

Pinewood Derby

In March Treyton had his first Pinewood Derby.

 Ethan volunteered to help hand back cars after they raced.

 Elise entertained Carsten (i.e. kept him from crossing the "Caution" tape and grabbing race cars).

Refreshments were served afterward: Capri Suns and KRISPY KREMES! I hadn't had one of those in years! Delicious, as always. :) It's a good thing the nearest location is several miles away.

"Soon" is relative...

I give up. May is nearly half over, which means the year is nearly half over, and I still don't have our Christmas update posted! I've wanted to post a few times, but felt that I simply *had* to post the Christmas update first, with the net result being that I haven't posted anything. :(
So, here is our 2011 in a tiny, tiny nutshell:

Brian: bought a boat
Chanda: had a baby without an epidural
Ethan: played tackle football
Elise: started rock climbing
Treyton: started piano lessons
Carsten: started talking
Paxton: was born

Ta da! I am now free to post 2012 events without 2011 still hanging over my head. :) With any luck, I'll post something before Christmas...

Coming Soon! - 2011 Update

Our Christmas card didn't get out until after Christmas, and now that it finally got mailed, I still haven't gotten anything put up here... BUT, stay tuned and I will eventually get something posted here in the not too distant future. :)