Fall Farm Fun!

Tractors, Animals and Pumpkins, Oh My!

We had a fun morning together at the local farm.  

This is childhood!

A little too close to nap time to get a smile from this little farmer!

Pick a pumpkin!

The BEST part, driving the tractor

Why hold the pumpkin when you can throw it off the hay bale?

Carter's First Birthday!

Carter, I was admittedly intimidated to throw a first birthday bash.  It's really a party for grown ups after all...unless you're a super baby and remember it...

Do you?

God has already blessed us with many nice, new friends here in NV and the house was full of people who love you!

It's been the fastest, slowest year ever.  You're already 1!  How did that happen?  Yet, oh my gosh we have barely gotten more than 6 hours of sleep in a row in over 12 months and we're so tired!  Ha!

You are just the cutest little boy now.  If I had to sum you up in 3 words they would be:

INDEPENDENT

CRAZY CUTE

HAPPY

OK, I guess that was FOUR words, but your cuteness cannot be contained to just one word.

You are fiercely BRAVE and INDEPENDENT  No clinging to mom and dad, you're ready to tackle the world.  You love going up to strangers, petting dogs, eating anything, climbing everything, running everywhere.

You are ADORABLY CUTE.  Everywhere you go people comment on how sweet your little face is and just melt when you give them a smile.  You just started waving and that drives everyone wild.  You don't dole out those waves very liberally, yet...so when we get them we know it's special.

You are so full of JOY and HAPPY.  So much like your dad, you are always smiling, giggling, grinning, laughing.  It's contagious.  It's the absolute best first thing in the morning when we go to get you from your crib.  That AM smile is to die for.  I couldn't love anything more.

Here's a few pics from your party including your Fox cake!  I still cannot believe I pulled that off.  Your mom had never made a decorated cake before.  But with YouTube, Grammy J and a few prayers at 6:30am the morning of your party, Mr. Fox looked good enough to eat or hug...some people just couldn't decide!

Mom's first decorated birthday cake ever!  

Grammy J and Carter

YUM!

Dad, Poppi Ron and Grandpa Bami

Grami Pam, Grammy J and Mom

We love you Carter Bruce and love who God has imprinted on your heart for you to be.  You are 100% toddler perfection from every smile to tantrum.  We wouldn't trade you for the world!

That SMILE!

Love,

Mom and Dad

Woot!  First Birthday Party was a success!

Summer 2016

Mama's been bad about keeping this blog up...It's been a fun summer together in NV in our new home.  It feels like we've spent as much time on the road traveling to and from CA and other places as we have at our house!

Let's see if I can recap a few of the fun happenings!

June we headed up to Sunriver, OR for a Bastani Family Reunion.  Sunriver is the town Corey grew up vacationing in with his family growing up so we've decided to make a week (maybe more) up there a summer tradition for our family too!

We rode horses, river rafted, biked all over, ate, ate some more (it IS a Bastani reunion after all!) and partied all night...well, may not partied all night but Carter screamed all-night almost every night leaving us exhausted.

Rafting!

Picnic by the river

Those smiles!

Snuggles with Grandpa

Mom and Dad

The whole Bastani family

Great Grandma Maman  

Nicku's Family

July meant a couple trips over to Tahoe for some fun with friends and visits from our friends CA Jesse and Melissa, Erik, Tiff & Elliana and Bianca, Maya and Hannah!  We showed them around our new digs and of course...more Lake!

At the end of July Mom went away for her first trip!  She headed to Nashville with friends leaving Dad and Carter to fend for themselves for 4 days...spoiler alert...they did great.

August was and will always be a busy month in the Bruce house with Corey's, Carter's, Grandpa Bami's and Peanut's birthdays and Nicku and Corey's anniversary.  There was a lot of traveling and nice, long trip back to the Bay Area for 9 days to see friends and take care of some work meetings.

September showed no signs of slowing down with 2 trips back to the Bay for Nicku and the start of the backyard!  Progress is slow, but hopefully in a month we'll have a great yard to play in.  Was buying an acre ambitious...you bet.  Is landscaping a dirt back yard even WITH professionals an exhausting project...yes, yes it is!

Lastly Louie had surgery on his other hind ACL.  Poor Lou.  He's recovering well though and will be back in action just in time for the yard to thaw out in Spring.