Happy 2-year Birthday Connor - October 2011

Connor turned 2 on October 23 and I can't believe 2 years has gone by so fast. We love Connor and can't imagine our lives without him now. Overall, he is an energetic and happy boy, excluding those "precious" 2-year-old tantrums we get regularly. :)

Connor had such a fun birthday, he's been singing the "Happy Birthday" song since October. We were in California the week before he turned 2 (for Ady to have her baby) so we were able to celebrate with my family first on October 20. We went to Chuck E. Cheese for games, presents, food (pizza is one of Connor's favorites), and birthday cake/cupcakes. We celebrated with my immediate family and the Smiths (Connor's friend Braden).


Claire made the cutest (and yummiest) cake and cupcakes for the party. Strawberry cake with vanilla frosting and silver sprinkles. Connor dove right in after we sang him Happy Birthday. It helped a lot that his favorite color is pink.


Connor LOVED his presents. Several Lightning McQueen cars, Mater truck, Lightning light-up shoes, a new train track set, sweaters and jammies with some of his favorite characters (Buzz & Woody, Thomas the Train, Lightning McQueen). Thanks everyone!


The other little kids had fun helping Connor open his presents faster.



Connor's favorite games were the slide, ski ball (he loves throwing things so I'm not surprised), putting the tokens in the machines, and then ripping the tickets off. He chose 4 suckers for his prizes with the tickets he won. How could the night end any better?




Connor's sweet friend Braden giving him a hug goodye.

We flew back to Utah on Saturday the 22nd and celebrated with the Jeppsons that night. We ate dinner and opened presents - more jammies, several new balls and trains, woody and buzz action figures, and his now favorite Lightning McQueen chair.


But Connor's favorite present by far was from his Aunt Cami. A whole gallon of chocolate milk just for him.



I also took the annual picture of Connor standing next to Brad. He's grown so much!

Connor age 1:

Connor age 2:

Happy Birthday Connor! We love you!

Ady was supposed to have her baby... (October 2011)

Ady was due to have baby Will on October 16. So the week before Connor turned 2 (i.e. the week before we had to pay for a plane ticket for him) we all flew down to visit my family in California and to see Ady's new baby. I thought staying 1 full week after her due date would be sufficient time for baby to arrive. It wasn't. We flew home on the 22nd. Will was born on the 25th.

But we still had a really fun week with my family.

The city of Rancho Santa Margarita (where my parents live) put on a city fair/petting zoo.




Claire and I took Jaxson and Connor to the Children's Museum in Irvine.

We also managed to fit in a trip to Disneyland. Oh how I miss this place! Connor's favorite ride was the carousel. Connor's friend Cohen (and my friend LeeElle) met us there later in the day. It was great to see them.



How cute are these boys?!


We took our annual Carver family pictures at Irvine Park. (Notice the matching ties on all the boys from Father's Day!)



We also went to Chuck E. Cheese for Connor's 2 year birthday, but more on that in it's own birthday post.

When we weren't playing outside the house, we were relaxing inside the house. Connor loved holding Sam on his lap, and playing with Jaxson all week.


A very pregnant Ady. This was taken on October 21st, the night before we left (and 5 days after her due date). She was craving popcorn balls. :)

Other Summer Fun - 2011

The few weekdays and weekends that we were home this summer, Connor and I had a great time together while Brad was at work (thanks Braddy, someone has to pay for all these trips! :) )

We frequented the Treehouse Museum (or the "House Museum" as Connor calls it) in Ogden. Story times, tons of great toys/displays, dress-up for different cultures and jobs, and a giant tree in the middle of the building with stairs, bridges, and small crawl spaces for exploring. (June, 2011)



The Jeppsons visited a few times for more motorcycle and 4-wheeler rides around our house. (June, 2011)

Connor loves the park near our house and we met several of our church friends there for playdates. (July, 2011)



We fed (and chased) the ducks at the pond in the Lee's Marketplace parking lot in North Ogden. Lee's gives free day-old bread to feed them.


In July, I joined a Weber County community MOMS Club. Moms in Weber County (LDS and non-LDS) get together and do fun activities together as frequently as 3-4 times per week. Connor and I went to about 3-4 per month during the summer since we were gone so much, but we have so much fun with moms and kids that we wouldn't know otherwise. This is Wheeler Creek hike with our MOMS Club group. We also went to a couple splash pads, the pool, and playdates at parks and other moms' houses in our area. (August, 2011)



Took a drive thru Ogden Canyon (with Brad). (August, 2011)

Watched the deer traipse thru our yard every evening. (August, 2011)



Watched "Rio" at our summer neighborhood block party with s'mores and popcorn. (August, 2011)

Hogle Zoo with Brad's parents. Connor's favorites are the elephants, monkeys, and giraffes. (October, 2011)





We had the best (and busiest summer). I miss the nice weather and can't wait until it gets warm again!