Highlights from Jan - March 2012

If there is anyone still checking for updates today is your lucky day.

• My first shout-out is to my goddaughter/niece Meghan.  She turned 21 today.  She is awesome and Aubrey loves her very much, calling her "my Meghan".  I will add Aubrey and Wyatt's video message to her tonight.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!  WE LOVE YOU!

• My second shout-out is to my niece Katie who is awesome.  She turned 15 on March 8th and got her restricted drivers license.  After looking through the GA drivers handbook, I realized I might not be able to pass the test, if I had to retake it.  Good job, Katie!!!  WE LOVE YOU!
• If your using the countdown clock - subtract 2 days (see below,  I am too lazy to change them...actually, I think I have forgot how.)

Highlights from Jan - March 2012

• LA is still pregnant 
• Since January 2008 (4 years, 3 months, 24 days) she has been pregnant for
• 30 out of 52 months
• 120 out of 225 weeks 
• 840 days out of 1575 days
• We will have 3 kids within 3 Years, 7 months and 11 days (Providence Record)
• The spread will be - Aubrey - 18 months - Wyatt - 25 months - Baby 3
• However, Baby 3 was served eviction papers last Thursday and has until April 24 at 6AM to exit LA's belly under their own power.  If still residing in LA's belly at 6:01AM on 4/24, all necessary steps will be taken to remove Baby 3   
• We still do not know if Baby 3 is a boy or a girl - (If there is any truth to the heartbeat theory, my guess is that it's a boy.)
• Names - We have the girl name selected and have for quite a long time but a boy name is still up in the air.  It is looking more and more like a game time decision, if we have a boy.  Can you leave the hospital without having an official name?  
• Why so difficult for a boy name?  LA has shot down most of my favorites:
• Cash (Cash Carter has a good ring to it)
• Boone (It's not just a dog's name (see below))
• Trae/Tray (for being number 3)
• Corey Wyatt Carter II (I like the name Wyatt.  Bet that has never been done before - call them Wyatt 1 and Wyatt 2...we might have to move to W Va for it to be legal)
• If you want breaking news on Baby 3, you should follow me on twitter (k_carter) or facebook or keep checking out the blog or if the final contract gets signed this week before Baby 3 arrives you will be able to get the details and first pictures here. 
• Aubrey and Wyatt are sharing a room now.  It went much better than expected.  We figured they would talk to each other all night.  Except for the occasional "Wyatt, Wyatt, Wyatt" in a very soft whisper from Aubrey, it has been very quite.
• Wyatt is in the process of potty training and is doing very well.  We couldn't have two in diapers full time so LA put him on potty boot camp during spring break.
• Wyatt had his 2nd Birthday which was supposed to be and outdoor sports theme party and due to the weather it turned into an indoor gathering.  We even had the pinata indoors which means someone is getting hit with the stick in the family jewels.  Uncle Waylon and I held the stick with the pinata and he took a shot to the ribs for the team.  Fortunately, we were on our knees or that hit would have been a crippler.    
• I am beginning to realize why everyone thought we were crazy for having number 3.  We could have been finished with diapers, bottles, bibs...etc.  but now it is getting ready to start all over again.  However, we are looking forward to it.  It will be interesting to see how Aubrey and Wyatt take another addition to the family.  My take today is that Aubrey will roll with it and Wyatt is going to struggle because he struggles at times with just Aubrey getting attention from us.
• Congrats to our friends at Courtyard (Jenn and Clark...I think Jenn and I are on a quest to see can blog the least in 2012 - Greg has run away with the title for most post for 2012) on their newest addition, Timothy Bryant.  I got to hold Bryant at the hospital before LA (that didn't go over real well BUT I actually was in the area at a lunch meeting with DCSO and decided to stop in to see Bryant and complete a covert operation to inspect the baby rooms at Summerville Medical Center and see if any changes had been made because I thought I had heard they remodeled but it's still all the same as when Wyatt was born...In 2 years, I was expecting 45" flat screens in the rooms and something better for me to sleep on - wishful thinking)  Seeing and holding Bryant was exciting to again hold something so small that is dependent on you for everything.  It was hard to remember in only 2 years what it was like to have a child so small again (with Aubrey around 40 pounds and Wyatt around 30 pounds, while holding a child 7lbs 7oz, you almost don't realize you holding them).
• We had a great Easter and got to spend some time with Meghan.  She came up on Saturday, endured a birthday party, filling Easter eggs, a couple of meals with the kids, and hiding Easter eggs.  We also exposed her to our favorite tv show - see below.  Not sure when she will be back but we  hope soon.  

• Duck Dynasty - This could be one of my top 10 shows after only 6 episodes.  Just the career day episode alone would have sealed a top ten ranking.  Phil is the founder of the family company (Duck Commander) and is as country as country gets BUT has some very good life lessons for his grandchildren and us.  Don't miss another episode - set your dvrs. You can thank me later.
• Speaking of country - Coon Hunting
• The Ulmer clan (minus Scott's brood) held their 1st annual Christmas/New Year camp-out on the 191 Acres.  I am working on a new name but that one will have to suffice for now.  LA and I have a tent and we have used it 3 more times than Tim has borrowed it (1) and one of those it was setup in the house.  Anyway, since LA was with child and to give her brothers something to give us city slickers a hard time about we brought our air mattress (a double that is double height). Our tent is large enough to sleep an Army division comfortably.  After LA got the tent set up...it was a pretty normal camping adventure - eating hot dogs cooked over the coals, stories, and laughing but the highlight of this camp out was the Coon Hunting trip led by Master Coon Hunters Mike and Hayes and their dog Boone (not sure if that's the dogs name but it sounds like a good coon dogs name).  Aubrey and I loaded up in Gator with Uncle Wesley and two or three kids in the back.  Our first treeing wasn't exactly what we were looking for.  The dog holed an armadillo (for the everyone reading this that doesn't know about coon hunting this is not good because it means your dog doesn't know the difference between an armadillo and a coon)  As Mike shot into the hole, I realized one thing I had not considered, Aubrey asking questions.  "Why is Uncle Mike shooting the armadillo?"  It was a bad armadillo "Why was it a bad armadillo? It was messing up the fields and the questions continued but not for long because they released the dog again and in no time Boone had something treed.  Upon arriving at the tree where Boone was barking up a storm, we began looking for the coon.  In the oak tree about 12 feet off the ground was a hollow and we believed it was a coon but do to its position in the hollow we were unsure.  Mike shot into the hollow and tried to poke it to get it to move but it wouldn't.  Still not sure it was a coon, Uncle Waylon took matters into his own hands and climbed up the small tree next to it that wasn't really big enough to hold Aubrey.  He inspected the animal in the hollow and confirmed to everyone watching on the ground that "we got us a coon".  At this point the only thing I can think of is Jerry Clower and his story about coon hunting (and if you don't know who Jerry Clower is shame on yourself - take sometime to listen to this southern gentleman)

Waylon grabbed hold of that "souped up wildcat" by the tail and began to pull the coon out and coon tried to climb down further into the hollow and after a brief struggle Waylon had the "souped up wildcat" out of the tree and threw him to the ground.  Where Boone was waiting to finish him off (We gave the coon a sporting chance).  Needless to say it was quite an adventure for Aubrey and she is still talking about Uncle Waylon grabbing that racoon by the tail and the dog biting the racoon and tearing it up.  I tried to video tape this adventure but it was too dark. I still find myself laughing about that evening and events took place.  As I try to retell the story in person or even put it in words here, it does not even come close to actually being there.  Unless you were a witness, you will never get the full effect of everything that happened.  I am not sure year 2 can top year 1 but I am looking forward to next year already.

• The last couple of months haven't been easy for our extended family.  The death of my sister's husband Chris has been difficult.  However because of our faith, our friends and family, it has been easier.  I would just ask to keep my sister and her children in your prayers.
• In the midst of difficult situations, there is sometimes humor and during the receiving of friends at the funeral home a couple of funny things happened.   
• Chris's employer had been closing down for the past year due to the lack of commercial construction projects and as the people introduced themselves to me and their connection to Chris a woman said she worked with Chris in the office and was one of the first to be let go when they start shutting down.  I wasn't exactly sure how to respond....so I just told her "Sorry, thank you for coming" and moved her down the line.  I am sure she didn't mean anything by her comment because it really is a difficult time and you never know what to say and sometimes you say the first thing that comes to your mind which is totally different than what you wanted to say.
• I am pretty sure I met every teacher in Chatham County.  My sister assures me that they were only from her school.  While greeting those friends and teachers , my sister helps with the introduction of a female that works in the office at her school - "this is my brother, Kevin from Summerville, when did you tell me you graduated from Summerville? She replies "85".  That's when Kevin graduated.  Do you know each other?" and my sister turns to greet more people.  I am thinking my sister and I should have had this conversation sometime prior to this moment and this is getting ready to be a horrific train wreck.  What was she thinking.  The woman tells me her maiden name and I stare back her as I run through a Rolodex of all the girls I knew in high school.  I am sure she is ready to unload a dump truck of her bad high school memories that were probably all my fault.  I decided to dive in head first and break the ice - "You look familiar but not with your clothes on?".  Actually, I still don't have a clue who she is and thankfully she didn't have a clue who I was.  We talked about who we knew and while knowing some of the same people we didn't know each other.  She had moved to Summerville in the 11th grade so we were only in school together for 2 years.  That was a close call.  We both agreed not to go back and look at old high school year books.
• As I remember more highlights from earlier in the year, I will share them.