Lots of pictures!

Warning: This is a photo-heavy post! These are some pictures from the last few days. We've finally gotten a break from the rain, which has allowed us to play outside some, even though it's still chilly.

On Sunday we went to a local park with a duck pond, and talked to Carter the whole way there about how we were going to feed the ducks. He was totally excited about it and kept saying, "Feed ducks!" We got there and the entire park was under construction -- apparently it's being rebuilt. We managed to park and make our way over to the duck pond, and the ducks totally ignored us! They swam the other way when we threw bits of bread at them, even. Ah, well.



So we decided to go to a local bar and grill that has a playground out back, the Boat House Grill. Carter had fun playing, and we still got to spend some time outside. These pictures show him rolling gravel down the slide, which was apparently even more fun than going down it himself.





That was basically our Valentine's Day outing! I'm glad we went outside when we did, because the weather turned on us by the time Carter's afternoon nap was over.

On Monday morning it was in the 40s, but clear. After Gymboree class we headed to a favorite local park to spend some more time outside. We bundled up in our coats and had the park to ourselves, despite the fact that it was a bank holiday. The park was muddy and wet, and of course the first thing Carter did was wade through a puddle, getting wet up to his knees!



It was chilly out and he was wet and I didn't have a change of clothes for him, but I decided we'd stay and play for a little while, at least. He really had a lot of fun! The great thing about this particular park is that it has a lot of natural space to explore, which is perfect for Carter right now. Instead of a playscape, there is a big rock-climbing area:



As I snapped this photo, he was saying, "I go this way!"



This park also has a HUGE sand play area with lots of little trucks and digging equipment, and some concrete dinosaur "bones" hidden in the sand for kids to excavate. Carter had it all to himself for almost an hour, and he loved it!







His jeans were dry by the time we left. In the car, I pulled off his shoes and his cold, wet socks, and his feet were perfectly warm underneath! He definitely got Doug's warm-bloodedness. My toes would have been blue by that point.

Carter's getting more and more verbal all the time. His 3-word sentences are starting to turn into longer sentences, and they sound so strange coming out of his mouth. He'll say, "I need some juice," or "Let's go upstairs and play!" This morning he woke up before I left for work, which always makes for a tough goodbye. Michelle was making him breakfast while I packed up my bag, and he looked up at me with tears in his eyes and said, "I want go out (with) you!" I picked him up to hug him and he whispered, "Bye-bye, Mimi" while looking over at where she stood. It is SO hard to leave him on those mornings.

She said he started asking about me about an hour before I usually come home, so he knew it was almost time. When I came home he ran over to be picked up and said, "Mommy time!" :-)

I'll wrap up with some family pictures we had taken at the end of January. Some of you already saw these on Facebook, and family members got these in the mail for Valentine's Day. I really like them!



Carter is playing a pitch pipe in these shots. It looks like a family jam session, LOL!





Doug doesn't like this picture, but I adore it! All three of us look so completely happy in this shot, and it's hard to get a family picture like that! Doug and I have been together for more than 20 years, and I think this is one of the only photos I have of him in which he is genuinely smiling. :-)