The Adventures of The Hiatt Family

A full summer of fun

2010-07-31T13:01:00.000-07:00

We headed out West again this time towing "Big Red" the trailer. First stop Ogden to visit with Nana and Grandma Coates. Uncle Ryan came out for a weekend to visit. Highlights of our visit there were playing at the Splash Pad, the Hill Airforce Base Museum, In-N-Out and the Red Iguana Restaraunt, Movies with Nana, and lots of yummy treats at Grandma Coates's house.

Next up was the McWhirter gathering in Frisco. Lots of hiking and good family time was had.

Finally we were on our own for camping. One night in Frisco where Carter and Gracen adopted the campground hosts or maybe that was the other way around. Then on to Independence Pass where we linked up with the Bonnells for a couple of nights of fun and a great day of hiking at altitude.

Then it was back to Summit County for five days that took us through the Fourth of July and the Frisco Town Parade. Uncle Ryan came up for a couple of days of shared fun.

Then we finished up with three nights in Rocky Mountain National Park with great hiking and Carter and Gracen getting their Junior Ranger Badges.

Play Ball !!!!!

2010-04-22T11:15:00.001-07:00

Carter had his first t-ball game on Tuesday. It looked iffy all day with gray skies and early drizzle. Carter was convinced it wasn't going to happen when he saw the forecast two days earlier. I kept telling him to think positive and that a forecast only meant that it "MIGHT" rain. He seemed pretty skeptical. Dad called just before the end of the day to check on the weather and the possiblity of rain. It hadn't rained up to that point and he really wanted to come down so I told him to come on. Thankfully the rain held off long enough for us to get our game in and Papa was there to capture some great images of the affair. I have called kid's soccer affectionately "KID MAGNET". However, if ever there was a game in which kids converged so completely as a group upon a single object as if it exibited a gravitational pull superior to anything else in the known universe, T-ball would be that game. There were a few points at which not a single yellow shirt was out in the field save that of our first baseman who miraculously remained fixed to his post. The rest converged on a single spot practically in a pile to battle it out for an unseen ball that had been hit 15 feet into the field, overrun by the three closest players who proceeded to turn around and converge with the remainder of the team all streaming in from their distant positions with increasing speed gained over their distance. It was truly a sight to behold and all you could do really was stand and marvel at the scene laughing. I LOVE T-BALL.

All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth

2008-12-19T16:59:00.000-08:00

Today Carter decided to kick off our Christmas family time with a fun little playground accident. Apparently while running around on the playground he tripped going up some stairs and face planted biting through his bottom lip and knocking his top two front teeth loose. Luckily it was an early release day and that Carter and Amy are at the same school. Lucky Amy got the call at around 10:40 a.m. She figured at first that it was something little like a scraped knee but got there to find a much more serious situation. After a quick visit to the school nurse they headed over to the pediatrician's office where they saw several people who all gave the " Ooooooh that looks bad." comment. Because it was a face wound they encouraged us to see an ENT doctor with more experience with stitches and scarring. The only problem was, of the two docs they recommended one was out of town and the other was closing for the day to take his staff out for a Christmas Luncheon. He was gracious enough to come back and see us at 3:00 even though his office was closed. Between the pediatricians and our 3:00 Amy called and got Carter in at the dentist to check out his teeth. (by now they were bothering him). The dentist said they needed to go and so after some funny gas(nitrous) and sleepy juice (novicaine) Carter had both top front teeth pulled. They finished up just in time for us to run next door to the ENT doc. Dr. Ford was incredible. It was just him and the cleaning staff and he had even called in his own daughter just in case so we wouldn't feel like it was just him. The good news after a thorough look was that by now Carter's lip was healing up nicely and he didn't think he could improve on what was happening all by itself. He ushered us out with a Merry Christmas and didn't charge us for any of his (I'm sure very valuable) time. So maybe this wasn't such a bad start to the holidays being reminded how blessed we really are that this was a "major" event. It made us think about how really minor the event was. We live in a great little town with incredibly generous and caring people. All of our docs, nurses, and assistants we dealt with today were very nice, and Carter was well cared for. God bless our health care workers and the job they do every day.

Ouch!!!

This is actually a smiling shot. Mr. tough GUY!!!

Seasonal Tidings

2008-12-14T10:38:00.000-08:00

Yes we've finally gone and done it. We have fully given into the hype. We are now one of those houses that I never imagined. Amy went out to Lowes the other day and bought lights for the front porch. Then she went back and got the dangling Moravian star string for the big opening and some stars for the opening in our kitchen. I must say they look festive and pretty in a non-gawdy statement of holiday cheer. I just never figured I'd be "that guy". I'm drawing the line here and now for all the world to see (and mock me for when I'm unable to deliver on my ultimatum) that THERE WILL BE NO SANTA OR REINDEER OR OTHER SUCH NON-SENSE BEYOND THESE LIGHTS! The only reason I feel remotely secure in this statement is that that would never be something that Amy would be into (at least I pray that is the case).

We had our annual Christmas party last night. Sorry no pics. It was complete with the Russ Hiatt ( Amy would say overly complicated and bossy) version of the White Elephant Gift Exchange which features a mandatory spin of the Chutes and Ladders Spinner of Chance (DEATH as I like to call it). It's a twist on the standard holiday party pattern that apparently you either love or hate and our group of friends is growing weary of . Of course it is still instigated by me and as long as I can delude myself that even a single person among the group finds it even the least bit entertaining shall continue henceforth. Pardon me while I step down from my cruise-director soap box. OK now then where was I? Oh yes Christmas Party. It was a nice return to the crowd who has been coming for the past few years. Last year events conspired against many attending. I just like any excuse to get friends together.

And then that leads us to today and a holiday tradition from my childhood that has been absent for many years. The making of CHEESE BREAD. This was an annual occurance at my house which I became increasingly involved with as I grew older each year. It goes back to my grandparents restaurant days when my Dad was responsible for making the bread for the day. I remember being allowed to help a little more each year (translation get a little more in the way and my hands a little messier playing with dough). Below are some pics of Carter's first involvement this year. He was a great little helper while Gracen took her nap and Amy ran errands. The messiest parts are undocumented as I had dough stuck to my hands for over 30 minutes while Carter did his best to assist with flour pouring. Now the bread is rising despite grossly underestimating the amount of flour needed. We ended up supplementing with whole wheat flour and a little self rising as that was all we had in the house and thank goodness we even had that. Hope that doesn't mess anything up but the dough appears to be rising just fine as I type this. Won't be long before Carter and I are back into making a huge mess in the kitchen. Happy Holidays...

Getting in the SPIRIT of Christmas

2008-12-08T12:16:00.000-08:00

Advent Calendar

Riding to the parade in Papa's truck.

At the parade with Papa and our friend Lance.

Gracen and Papa

Picking out our Christmas Tree with Papa.

Carter's Birthday

2008-12-08T06:49:00.000-08:00

Sunday we had Carter's birthday party. Five pre-k and kindergarten kids running wild in the Rescue Squad wasn't nearly as bad as it sounds. They got the quick tour of an ambulance as well as crawled all over our big crash truck. We did a turn-out gear race and then a rousing game of pin the siren on the ambulance. The big hits were the Monster Truck pinata, opening presents, cake and icecream, and a ride in the big ambulance around the local neighborhood. I guess we've entered into the big time now and there's no going back. Carter is such a big boy now and it is so funny to see him with his friends. He is so confident and self assured. He some times gets a tad bossy but he is well liked in his class. I'll do another post on the rest of the weekend soon.

Happy Birthday Gracen

2008-11-11T12:17:00.001-08:00

Saturday was Gracen's Birthday. We had a house full of family to help celebrate. Aunt Kristi, Uncle Kevin, Papa, Granny, Great Aunt Dory, Great Aunt Jackie, and Great Uncle Paul all came Friday night for a super fun slumber party. Saturday morning Grandpa and Grandmommy McWhirter came up to join the festivities. After a nap we all had birthday cupcakes and then Gracen got down to the real business at hand. She loved all of her presents and of course quickly ran out of hands to hold and play with everything although she made a valiant effort at times. It was definitely fun to see her enjoying herself with everyone there. She really is growing up right before our eyes. Happy Birthday big girl.

Fall Is Here

2008-10-12T16:09:00.000-07:00

Papa came up this weekend to watch Carter and Gracen on Friday during our workday. Although Friday was a dreary rainy day, Saturday and Sunday turned into a classic Carolina clear fall day. We totally took advantage of Papa's photography equipment and savy to try and get some decent family shots. Here are some of the better shots. As you can see the fall colors are on the scene and so are all the people who come here to look at them. We managed to avoid most of the mob scene.

Right before our eyes

2008-10-08T18:09:00.000-07:00

Today makes it only one month left before Gracen is officially two. In many ways she may as well already be there. She is talking more and more each day and her words get more clear with each sentence. My favorites right now are "Don't want it;" " Go baby go baby allway," (an imitation of my cheering friends on during a race) and "Want spyman spoon" (thanks to big brother she has an attachment to spiderman). She has also, in a not so amusing turn of events, discovered a whole new level of screaming which happens mostly while playing with Carter, and is with delight but it also gets employed when he starts messing with her.

Carter on the other hand is a full fledged little man. He is for the most part a very loving older brother very concerned with Gracen's safety. Of course he does get a tad bossy from time to time and although I have no earthly idea where he would ever get the impulse from also a bit ornery with his little sister. Of course Gracen is quite a bruiser and for the most part is able to hold her ground if not give better than she gets. She is definitely tougher than her older brother. Carter is loving school. We hear about his day every night at dinner. Amy loves having her little boy to herself in the morning and getting to see him first thing at the end of the day. I on the other hand love my time with my little girl on the way to work and first thing after work it is incredible to get the rock star treatment. Every day she lights up when I walk through the door of the babysitter.

We've really been enjoying the fall weather lately with a cooling off and the beginning of the leaves turning color. The other day we took a little walk after school all together just up the road with the kids racing each other up the gravel to look for Buckeyes, acorns, and other assorted treasures. Life is simple and good.

2008-09-27T06:39:00.000-07:00

We just returned from our annual trip to Isle of Palms with the Boone gang. This year we missed Lance and Nicole due to their new baby girl's arrival being immenent, but added Lynn and Abby along with the regulars of Todd and Jess, and Jasyn and Corrie. What a different experience with EVERYONE having kids! It was great to hang out with everyone, eat awesome food, have fancy drinks, and relax on the beach. The kids did great and Carter loved playing with Lucy, Lynn and Abby's 2 1/2 year old. Gracen kind of did her almost two year old thing, playing on her own, and not wanting share with anyone. (what is up with the terrible twos anyway?)
Mostly it was just fun hanging with good friends in a beautiful place. The boys (the big ones) caught both some surf during the day and some crabs in a night stealth mission. Carter loved "surfing" on his boogie board and played in the water most of the time. It was great finally being at the beach when none of my children were eating the sand and could just run around and play. It just makes me even more excited for next year's trip!

McWhirter Family Reunion

2008-08-06T17:20:00.000-07:00

Back towards the end of July we met Amy's family for the annual McWhirter get together. This year it was at Natural Tunnel State Park in Virginia only about 30 minutes from Kingsport. We had a great time visiting with everyone and spent a ton of time in the pool. It was pretty hot while we were there but the pool was right next to the lodge we were staying in. In fact we even had our own little back gate to access the pool. Carter's swimming progressed exponentially during our time there to the culmination of jumping off the diving board all by himself and on the last day even swimming to the side unassisted.

Carter really enjoyed playing with his cousins Ethan and Ellie the whole time. He also really liked hanging out with the bigger cousins especially his cousin April.

Todd and the twins spent a night with us after the reunion back in Boone. Gracen is still putting things on her head and saying "hat" (a game with her silly Uncle Todd). We got to hang out at the pond together where Ethan and Ellie both got to real in a couple of bass.

Our hike down to the Natural Tunnel.

Carter going for it.

Carter's Swim Lessons

2008-07-17T18:35:00.000-07:00

Carter has finished and passed his level one swim lessons. Yeah!!!!!! He took level one last summer and was set to take them a second time last summer when he refused to keep going. We let him make that choice last year and were a little apprehensive about this year. This year has been a completely different story. He has been excited to be there every night and just since last week when we were allowed to watch to this week he has made huge improvements. Here is some of the action at his last lesson.

Enjoying our Mountains...

2008-07-14T09:45:00.000-07:00

We've been back for a couple of weeks now and have been making it a point to remind ourselves why we love where we live. Hiking around Price Lake.

Hiking the Boone Fork Trail

Playing at Papa's.

Fishing and canoeing at Papa's

Climbing along the parkway.

Another Hiatt Road Trip

2008-07-09T05:30:00.000-07:00

Right after school we took off for our Summer road trip. We drove down to Kingsport and spent the night with Amy's folks before hitting one of the bigger driving days to Belleville, Illinois just outside of St. Louis where Amy's Godparents live. Next it was off to Mizzou to spend some time visiting with Russ's aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Amy and kids with Aunt Elaine and Uncle Wayne

Lunch with cousins, aunts, and uncles in downtown Kansas City.

Down on the farm in Kansas

Next it was off to Colorado and Utah to visit more family and friends.

A typical morning on the road with the Hiatts somewhere across Kansas, quickly followed by the picture below.

A hike to Rainbow Lake above Frisco, Colorado.

Hiking with our friend Hannah and her son Kai above the Reudi Resevoir and the Frying Pan River.

Our morning in Arches National Park on the way to Grandma Coates' house.

Grandma Coates and Chooch.

Our train ride on the Front Runner from Ogden to Salt Lake City.

Nana and Carter in front of the Front Runner. Carter and Nanna also had an exciting day out at the movies to go see Kung Fu Panda.

Hill Air Force Base Aircraft Museum.

Uncle Ryan and Chooch on our hike up Malan's Peak overlooking Ogden.

Our hike up Mt. Royal in Frisco the second time.

The kids with cousins Ethan and Ellie at the Denver Childrens Museum.

Carter and Gracen at the Great Arch the gateway home for us.

A Flashback to Easter and Spring Break

2008-05-01T09:14:00.000-07:00

Nana and Uncle Ryan flew out to Raleigh where we met them along with Aunt Kristi and Uncle Kevin. We rented a beach house in Wilmington for the weekend. It was a gorgeous place on the intercoastal waterway side of theWrighteville Beach. It had its own personal dock which was rather convenient for using Kevin and Kristi's new sea kayak. We had a fun Easter with some great seafood dinners out. Then we all headed back home. Nana and Uncle Ryan came up to Boone for a few days before having to head back home. All in all a very relaxing week.

Discovering the Power of NO!!!!

2008-04-07T09:34:00.000-07:00

Gracen has recently expanded her working vocabulary by a single albeit impressively powerful word. It is surprising the number of practical places she has applied it. Brother touching your favorite baby stroller??? NO!!!! Gets moms and dads attention and they get him to leave it alone. Pesky Daddy trying to get you to cram down one more good for you bite of veggies??? No No No!!! gets Mom's attention and she gets Dad to leave you alone. Of course there are times when it doesn't work but the times when it does are so much more memorable and do a wonderful job of reinforcing the use of the new word. Being at a primarily single word vocabulary does have some limitations. Like when you want to do something. But then Mom and Dad are pretty good at interpretting the subtleties of the less than emphatic no, or maybe we just force the issue for good measure from time to time. The NO is not to be outdown with the other latest discovery of the ability to produce an ear piercing scream from deep down in the diaphragm. I think this discovery came initially from a squeal of delight that got her to experiment with her capabilities. No she can punctuate her NO with shrieks determined to get Mom or Dad's attention. Ah the learning curve of toddlers :)

January Milestones...

2008-01-14T11:38:00.000-08:00

Yes Gracen is growing up right before our eyes. She now stands regularly and decided finally this weekend to start putting together steps. See links below. She has also started spoon feeding herself yogurt after Amy gave her the starter spoon. She is so proud of herself when she dips that in and brings it to her mouth. I think she thinks she's just like the rest of us.

Carter is tearing it up on his new bike at the Greenway. His confidence grows with each ride and it is almost impossible to keep up with him just walking anymore. We had a nice mild week of weather but now we're dropping back into the basement of winter again. I guess the bike will have to wait for a while. Otherwise we're just having fun in Boone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyBJVwEVVUA (Gracen Feeding herself)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cALxGPAT5I (Gracen Walking)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHZcurkRPKs (Carter on the bike)

Christmas and New Year

2008-01-04T07:54:00.000-08:00

Christmas Day and the day after were spent in Kingsport. The rest of the clan came in on the afternoon of the 26th just in time for a nice dinner and another round of presents for the kids. After a day back at home to regroup and repack, we headed up to Russ's Dad's on Friday. Carter hung out with Papa at work, unloaded a truck with a fork lift, and then proceeded to milk his Papa for McD's dinner, chocolate milk, cupcakes, and colored marshmallows from the grocery store. Papa loved it. Saturday Kristi and the other hero in Carter's life, Kevin drove up from Raleigh. We had a birthday present swap for all of the December baby's Connie, Kevin, and Carter and then of course our Christmas present swap. We spent a cold rainy Sunday after Church shopping. Then Monday we had a nice hike to the Cascades waterfall before coming back for the eating festivities. Later we got out Kristi and Kevin's WII game system and played that most of the evening. New Years Day we headed out late morning trying to beat the snow storm forcast for Boone which we successfully did.

http://picasaweb.google.com/hiattra/Christmas

Carter's Birthday

2008-01-04T06:49:00.000-08:00

Well we headed to Kingsport over the first weekend of break. We had a great time hanging out with Amy's Mom and Dad and her brother Todd along with the twins Ethan and Ellie. Carter had a wonderful time playing with both twins. They had big fun in the playhouse behind Grandmommy and Grandpa's house and at the big new park at Warrior's Path State Park. The Spiderman cake was a huge hit (way to go Grandmommy). It's hard to believe it's been four years since we were bringing home this tiny little boy on Christmas day. What a sweet and kind little boy he is growing to become. He loves everyone in his family and is definitely not afraid to show it. We are all well covered in Carter hugs and kisses on a daily basis. There is not a day that goes by in which he doesn't stop and tell us that he loves us. It can be in the middle of playing or just sitting around the house but his "Mommy (or Daddy), I love you's" just make your heart sing. It is also becoming more and more fun to celebrate birthdays now that he is old enough to understand what's going on and get excited about the time leading up to them.

http://picasaweb.google.com/hiattra/CarterSBirthday

Getting in the Holiday Mood

2007-12-18T09:43:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago we took some time to go pick out our Christmas tree. Carter did us proud again chosing a rather large specimen to grace our foyer. Good thing the area is open above because we would have had to do some serious trimming to get it to fit anywhere else in the house. The weather was unseasonably mild for this time of year. Last year it was bitterly cold and windy when we went out. This year it was in the sixties and all of us were in need of something cold and refreshing after our hike among the trees. The remaining shots are from our excursion the following weekend to Grandfather mountain for dollar days. A little cooler and more overcast but still unseasonably mild. This past weekend made up for it with icy conditions Saturday (just in time for our annual party) and following through all day Sunday with snow and really cold temps that lasted through this morning. We missed school yesterday which is always fun during an already short week leading into Christmas break.

Uncle Ryan

2007-12-07T08:06:00.000-08:00

Carter: “Daddy, when I grow up I’m gonna live in California. Would you live in California with me?”

Daddy: “Well Carter I kinda like it here in North Carolina. When you grow up you can live wherever you want just as long as you come visit.”

Carter: “I will come back and visit. Would you come visit me???”

Daddy: “Sure I would. Mommy and I like visiting California. Carter, why do you want to live in California?”

Carter: “Because that is where Uncle Ryan lives! I want to live with Uncle Ryan when I get bigger in California.”

A conversation on our way home yesterday. This sweet little boy does love his Uncle Ryan something fierce. He went on to share how he would drive Uncle Ryan’s car and they would live together near the beach. Here are some shots from Ryan’s visit. Anything Uncle Ryan does is of course the coolest including dancing in your underwear in the living room. Oh wait that’s cool no matter who’s doing it.

Halloween Revisited...

2007-12-07T05:50:00.000-08:00

Ok so many of the posts soon to come will be a trip back in time to share some of the past events from this fall. Now that I have some pics available I thought this would be a good time to display some of our Halloween moments. Carter made his first Jack-O-Lantern with a little help from Dad. He actually drew the face all by himself after a few practice sessions on paper he then did a great job of drawing on the pumpkin itself. Dad helped cut it out and Gracen kept a close eye on us for safety. As for costumes Gracen was the Jill-O-Lantern with a little attitude and Carter was a Thomas Train Conductor. Of course the big hit of the whole shebang was the candy Carter got both at our Church's trunk or treat and then on Halloween Day on King Street in downtown Boone at the Boone Boo.

A Belated Birthday Party

2007-12-06T10:15:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago we had a belated birthday party for Gracen. My brother Ryan was visiting from San Diego and my Sister Kristi and her husband Kevin also came up along with my Dad and stepmom Connie. Gracen loved her new play tunnel and Carter got to go on a special ride with his Aunt Kristi and his two heroes Uncle Ryan and Uncle Kevin.

Opening Salvo

2007-12-06T09:57:00.000-08:00

OK here are the first tentative splashes into the shallow end of this pool. This looked too cool not to try, and a great way to provide family and friends with a constant update of the growth of the kids and our general day to day existence. I've been inspired by several friends blogs. Enjoy