Where to begin?

TURBO!!!
Turbo is crazy!! She is tolerant of Ethan but no-one else. I don't mean to say that she is mean. By no means, she is a lovely cat she just knows what she wants, just like her master, Ethan. They also like to nap.

We went as a family to West Virginia. There is a beautiful spot called Seneca Rock that is perfect for a weekend away from the hullabaloo. We rented a cabin with Karen, J, Mom and a friend of Karen and J's, Chris. The kids had a blast! The leaves were beautiful. We went horseback riding in the mountains. Ferdi and Ben went hiking. Ethan and Elli had a apple and cheese pick-nick in front of our cabin. We roasted marshmallows. It was great to get away and be with people that know you the best.

I enrolled the boys in Tai Kwon Do. They love it!! Ben is gaining self worth by the day! Ethan is just having F-U-N! That is what Ethan's do best! They have only been practicing for a month but they both have their white belts. Ethan will test this Friday for a stripe on his belt to progress him on to the next level! It has been fun watching the boys enjoy a sport for the first time!

BOOST!
She sure has gotten big in the last year. I can't believe that we have had the girls for almost a year now! I can't imagine our life without them. It is funny how laid back she is. Ethan can do anything to her and receive no reaction.


Then there is my little cub scout, Weblos. He is really enjoying this activity! He is loving the challenge. He has already asked about the Eagle Scout project, how long does it take, what do I do, etc. This photo is of Ben, Jamison and Richard at the rain gutter regatta. That is where the boys make boats and race them in a gutter filled with water. It is really a fun event.

Well that is about all.
I know I promised you all an update in October, but life has just been packed! I am loving being home with my children.
I hope to update again over Thanksgiving break! I get a break at Thanksgiving!
Oh, one more thing before I go.....
I am not exhausted and you all might get Christmas cards this year~!!!
Look for more soon.
Maybe even about my new job, though I don't want to jinx it.
XOXO~~S

Finally an Update

On the top is, of course, our family. Yes, that is me finally, a photo of me with my boys! They are wonderful!! The bottom photo is my Uncle David, dad's brother, with my "little" Ethan. We were in the mountains for both photos for the Esterline-Carter Family Reunion. We went to Shenandoah National Park. It is but 3 hours from our house. It was unseasonabally cool for the weekend which was refreshing after the heat we had been enduring in the valley. We went on several hikes. J, Ferdi and several others from the group caught the last two games of the World Cup in the T.V. room that was VERY small! It was a lovely weekend with people of like mind and blood :). I can't wait till next year in Yosemite.
The boys met "new" cousins, uncles and aunts. It will be fun to stay in touch and see them all again next year!

To cute for words

What else can I say? Ethan loves to imitate Ben. Ben can do no wrong. This day they were waiting for the ice cream woman. They were waiting so patiently and I thought what a cute photo! I couldn't resist. They are such a joy in my life and they sure do keep me grounded!

Sister Kiss

Turbo, the grey one, is the groomer. She grooms both herself and Boost on a regular basis. As thanks Boost, the black one, is very affectionate of Turbo. She watches out for her and on occasion, kisses her. Yes, that is Turbo's paw in the immediate foreground.

Artificial Color Added

My kids are so natural in the foods they eat that when they do get a hold of something artificial, from school or grandmas, they really love it. Take for instance the fruit roll-up that Ethan just finished, it was a "snack" from school. He shoved it in his mouth when he saw me coming. He was either ready to go home or afraid that I would take the contraban away from him. I couldn't resist then snapping this photo of him and his tongue for my blog. After I saw the photo I thought that it might be something I take to Art-O-Matic this October.

WE BE LOyal Scouts

Ben is now a WEBLOS. He had his crossing over ceremony with Richard, Nahum and Jamieson. He has been with those boys since he started at Rockledge Elementary School in the first grade. Actually, they were all together in first grade with Mrs. Lingamfelter. Now look at them! They will be going into 4th grade and they are making the transition from cub scouts to boy scouts as they start with the Weblos program. I am so proud of Ben he has really become a little man this year.
As you can see in the photo on the bottom, so has Ethan! All of my boys (Ferdi included) have had a great year so far. Ben and Ferdi are planning to go back to El Salvador this summer without the Mom factor. That should be fun. Ethan and I will have about 3 weeks of together time without any interuption except school and work. I will keep you posted as to what happens and maybe some photos when he returns.

Have you met the girls?

This is a photo of our kittens. The black one is Boost and the grey one is Turbo. You get it? Turbo is Ethan's cat and is an animal image of the boy, MISCHEIF! Boost is Ben's cat and again a mirror image of our older son, laid back, chill and loving. It is cool that their personalities match so well. We chose whose cat was whose before they even came to our house. They are both so patient with Ethan who always wants to hold them and love them. We couldn't have gotten better girls!! To top it all off they were rescued from Katrina which makes it all the sweeter to have them around. They are here to sty, even Ferdi is growing attached to them. Turbo LOVES Ferdi. She grooms him on a regular basis. :)

THE COUSINS!
The three little wonders on Easter Sunday after church. They really love each other. This was not a set up they were holding hands on their own and everything! They are so wonderful together. It really is a blessing to have had the two youngest so close together and Ben to watch over them when they play!
MY BOYS!!

I love them so much they are my heart! I don't know what I would do without them! They are so close! Ben truely love being the "big brother". This is in front of mom's house with her azalea's. I didn't get a chance to do the crocus photo that I like to do every year. The weather was just to weird with HOT and COLD days right next to each other. The crocus died before I could take the yearly photo. ANYWAY>>>

2nd edition birthday

Finally a new photo of Ben. Here he is with his birthday present from his Tia Gilma and his primos Clara, Jen, Eliseo and Elias. He was pretty excited to get some new shoes, the first in the series of Avatar DVD's, some books, an ice cream cake, a Nintendo DS and just general all around fun! Who doesn't like a good birthday?

Where is Ben?

Like I said in my first post I am new to this whole thing! I still haven't figured out how the choose the photos I want for the blog so I am selecting photos from numbers and dates. When I finally figure it all out there will be many photos of both my kids and the two cats turbo and boost (sisters) on the blog. I am not doing the baby thing I am just inept!
Syn-D

window

My Ethan loves to "drive" with the window down and arm hanging out! He gets mad when I lock the windows on cold days and he can't put it down. We were lucky to have a fairly mild winter.

Ethan and Bread

This is my carboholic 2 year old, Ethan. Whether it is pasta, bread or rice he will reach for the carbohydrates everytime before protein!

1st edition of Birthday Fun

Ben turned nine this year!
It is amazing that I have a nine year old!
We ate at Jimmy Buffet's resturaunt Cheeseburger in Paradise

First one

Well I am new to this whole blogging thing but I really need to work on my writing skills if I ever want to be an English Teacher! I also want a place to post photos for family and frineds to see. Anyway...I got into this because I wanted to send a note to my cousin Lynelle in Wash. State and I needed to sign up for a blog spot. I guess it will be cool!
Anyway that is enough I need to go and check on a sick baby~!