Oh, boy!

We had our ultrasound Thursday, December 28th and found out we're having a boy! The doctor said that he looks healthy and is the right size for this time so we couldn't be happier. I'll have to admit I was a bit surprised to hear the words "it's a boy" because I always thought I would have a girl first. But I'm very happy and getting use to the idea of having a little boy. And of course Kevin is excited that he is going to have a son. This baby has made his presence known for the last 2 weeks...I guess I should have known it was an active little boy growing inside me!

Christmas Afternoon

Here's Grandma Carter trying out the new Wii game system. She's playing the baseball game if you can't tell from her wind-up. She was having a great time and we all enjoyed watching her play!
Mom with Rebecca (my youngest sister) who was about to open her "big" gift. Can you see the anticipation? These are the only decent photos I have to share:)

Christmas Day

We had a yummy breakfast at Kevin's family's house Christmas morning! Here is some of the action:

Here's J-Lynn with the Snow White doll Kevin and I bought her.

And here's Benjamin (and mom, Kelle) with his cool new phone from us. He's always stealing the nearest cell phone or remote so we thought he could use a phone of his own! Isn't he a cutie?

Kevin's mom couldn't wait to buy the baby something so she gave us a set of girl and boy onesies. Now I know we'll be keeping the boy set:)

Here's the family in front of the soon-to-be new fireplace. Kevin's family added a great big family room onto their house. It's not quite done but we still had to enjoy the room on Christmas day. We can't wait for this room to be finished!

Christmastime with Family

I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas with family and friends! We had a nice Christmas and I thought I would share some pictures from our holiday fun with family.

This is the Friday before Christmas with all of my mom's family: Grandma and Grandpa Hansen and sister Kristen Coppa and family. We enjoyed a delicious prime rib dinner, opening presents and just spending time together.

Here's Kevin with my sisters Rachel and Kelly.

Right behind Kevin is Ryker and then Blaize.

Kevin and Amber

Moving around

I'm feeling the baby move which is very exciting. It started with a little "gurgle" in my belly while driving to work one morning. And now I'm feeling the baby move daily. It's little legs and arms are stretching and moving around inside me. It is so neat to feel! Kevin can't wait until he can feel the baby move. He tries now even though I tell him he won't feel anything:) He's very cute.

Another thing I am excited about is finding out if this baby is a boy or a girl...and so is our family! This Thursday, December 28th, we have an ultrasound appointment. They should be able to tell us the sex of the baby then so we'll keep you updated. Also, I will post some pictures soon since I'm on Winter Break now. I need these 2 weeks to rest up. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

We're having a baby!!!

Kevin and I are happy to announce that we are expecting. The big day is May 25th but you know how that can change. We hope to find out next week if it is a boy or a girl. I'll be sure to keep everyone posted...

Happy Halloween!

Class photo after the Costume Parade

All the 1st grade classes sing in a Halloween Performance which I was in charge of leading. This is a class photo after the performance in our costumes and with all our props. They always look so cute wearing their spider headbands!

My Classroom

Here's where I spend my days...just a glimpse into my classroom on Halloween morning.

Maui Memories

Carter Kids at BIG Beach

Kevin and Amber at BIG Beach

Beautiful sunset on the way home from Big Beach









This was our last day in Maui. I love this picture... it looks like a little tropical oasis.

Here I am saying farewell to Maui.

1st Day

Tomorrow is the 1st day of school. This will be my 4th year teaching 1st grade...I'm starting to feel like a veteran:) I love 1st grade and really enjoy what I do. It's always exciting starting a new school year...Happy Fall!

More Maui

Here we are ready for take-off in our helicopter. Since there were 11 of us we had to take 2 helicopters to fit everyone. The ride was so smooth and the views were amazing. We were able to see the whole island...definitely worth the money! Here's an arial view of our hotel.

Just the sisters:

Rachel, Kelly, Amber, Rebecca and Sandi

We landed on this hill and had a few minutes to take some pictures of the view and they served us juice in goblets...you'll notice I'm holding a glass.

Maui Trip

Just arriving at the Hyatt..typical tourists with our leis. The hotel entrance was very impressive. You could walk right out to the pool and beach. There were beautiful plants, colorful birds, and penguins as you walked in. They also had flamingos and swans on the grounds in another area. It was like a mini-zoo.My family at Kapalua Bay-minus Sandi and I. Ryan's holding the crab that walked right up to me and mom while sitting on the shore. It was hilarious watching the little crab walk sideways into the ocean and then get washed back up to shore.
Here is Dad, Ryan and Kevin in their scuba diving class in the pool. Kevin is 2nd from the right. After an hour class they went right out to the ocean to scuba dive. Because they're not certified they were only able to go 30 feet deep. They had a great time. (This pool was really nice and even had a water slide.)
It is the Rainbow State! This is the view from our balcony...the ocean is just inches to the right. So we had a partial ocean view. It is truly a paradise!

Kevin and Amber right before going to a Magic Show. Grandpa was really excited to see this particular show: Warren and Annabelle's. Only the adults 21 and older could go. We had a good time.

Zion and Bryce Canyon-August 8

We went on a 1/2 mile hike which starts just after the drive through the long tunnel in Zion National Park. Here is Kevin posing for the camera half way through the hike.
Here is the view at the end of our little hike.

Our original plan was to go to Zion only but we felt adventurous and traveled the 80 miles to Bryce Canyon. Why not? I had never been there so Kevin thought it would be fun.
Here I am very close to the edge of a steep cliff:) It is an amazing sight to see!

I was freaking out as Kevin casually jumped up to sit on this rail. I still managed to get a picture before helping him down from the rail.

I'm glad he's smiling.

Grand Canyon-August 6

On our way to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon...even the drive was beautiful. This shot was taken through our windshield as we were driving.
Here's one of the few pictures of both of us at the Grand Canyon.
See that guy over on that ledge? That's Kevin! I stood at another lookout point to catch this shot. Later I stood at that same spot and I was a bit nervous...I felt that at any moment I would fall to my death. Other than my fear of heights I enjoyed the beauty of the Grand Canyon.

St. George Temple-August 5

We enjoyed a session at the St. George Temple and walked around the grounds.

Las Vegas-August 3

This was a great show...it's amazing how they coordinate the stage and water. One minute you see them swimming and the next minute they are walking on a dry stage.
We stayed at Bellagio which is where O was playing. When we got to our room I found these beautiful flowers. At first I thought they were just part of the room but then I realized they were for me.

Happy 4-year Anniversary!

Hollywood Bowl

We've got our popcorn...we're ready for the show to begin!
Here we are before the the performance began. The LA Philharmonic Orchestra performed Beethoven's 5th Symphony along with some other classical pieces. It was a nice, relaxing evening...except for when the car alarm was set off during the 5th Symphony!

At the

LA Temple

August 1, 2006

Kevin's professional photo of the temple :)

4 years

We're coming up on our 4-year anniversary! It's amazing how the years go by...I was just looking at our wedding pictures tonight for fun. Here's one picture from our wedding day. I'll post a recent photo of us sometime soon. We just bought a new camera so we'll have to try it out in the next few days.

Enjoying the summer

I'm working for my dad at Carter Services this summer and Kevin's working for Century 21 doing real estate. We're looking forward to August which is when the real fun begins. We are celebrating our 4-year anniversary by going to Las Vegas to see Cirque Du Soleil's "O" and then we will drive to St. George to spend a few days there. We plan on visiting the Grand Canyon and Zion National Park along with eating at Cafe Rio:) When we get back from Utah we will be preparing for our trip to Maui with my family. We are very excited!

Ashley's High School Graduation

Up close and personal with Kevin and Faith

The Martin Siblings

Time Out for Women

Here's my sister Sandi and I at Time Out for Women in Long Beach. We had a great time. Mom and Grandma Hansen were there too but just not in the picture:)