Me and the Archie Boys

9 Months to Recover

2010-04-16T23:11:00.001-07:00

Four days after my last post I had a cornea transplant. All I have to say about that is if you can avoid having one. . .do it! They are not high on my list of recommendations.

So now the question . . . how do you catch up on almost a year of posts? The answer . . .LOTS of pictures and a very long post.

Ellie has loved this bunny since she was three months old

The boys LOVED to feed Ellie.

The results

This is what I found when I went to check on Ellie during her nap one day.

Brayden turned four in Aug.

We had a beach party in our back yard.

Carson started school at APA (American Prepatory Academy). A charter school in Draper. A lot of work for me, but a huge blessing for Carson. Her has really blossomed over the last year.

Ellie was Tinker Bell for Halloween. My awsome friend Heidi made this incredible costume for her. Ellie enjoyed picking the little balls off and eating them.

Carson was Peter Pan and Brayden was a lost boy. Yep I forced them to choose costumes based on what I wanted Ellie to wear.

Christmas morning.

Ellie thought we were insane for waking up so early

Even Carson thought it was a bit too early

Brayden was psyched out of his mind

That takes us to the end of 2009.

At the end of Jan 2010 we went with Ryan’s family on a cruise. We spent two days in New Orleans were our cruise left from and than five days on the cruise boat.

The fam. at Jackson square.

Brayden LOVED Beignets. Can you blame him. They are scrumptious.

It was cold in New Orleans

It was not in Mexico

Ryan’s family was a lot of fun.

The boys had a BLAST. At the end of the trip Carson could not decide if his favorite vacation was a cruise or a trip to Disney Land

Ryan’s Grandma Archuleta passed away shortly after we got back.

Ryan spoke at her funeral. He’s had a lot of public speaking opportunities that pass year or two and did a fantastic job.

In Feb. Ellie turned one.

She share her birthday with my sister and my friend Becky (Becky could not make it to the party.)

She was NOT a fan of the candle on her cup cake or of every one staring at her and singing loudly.

It really hurt her feelings.

She did get over it eventually though.

Carson turned 7, yes SEVEN in April. I am not going to lie. I cried my eyes out the day before his birthday. I have every year. I don’t with any of my other kids, but for some reason with Carson all I can see on his birthday is the miracle my 2 lb. 13 oz. baby has become.

We spoiled him and let him have a party at the children’s museum.

It was complete chaos. . .

. . .but, the children’s museum did an incredible job. That IS something I would recommend.

And since I completely forgot to take pictures of Easter that brings it up to date. So there you go Jamie, I kept my promise, lots of pictures of Ellie.

Crazy Busy

2009-07-13T23:46:00.001-07:00

So I’m sure that I’m not the only one who’s month of July is absolutely INSANE.

So far this month we have. . . (sorry very limited on pictures)

(Ryan and his brother Miles)

1. spent a week in Bear Lake with Ryan’s family.

I know what you are thinking, a week in one cabin with all of my in-laws. Ooooh the insanity, but is one of my favorite things we do all year. I’ll have to get them from Ryan’s sister, but I have the best pictures of Carson riding the tube behind the boat. That kid has become such a dare devil. So not what we expected from him, but it has been a ton of fun.

Little Buddies, Owen and Brayden

2. Gone to Lagoon. . .TWICE

3. Taken two weeks of swim lessons

4. Celebrated the 4th watching fireworks at the Riverton Park

5. Enjoyed Mile’s and Jessica’s beautiful blessing day for baby Isaac

6. Spent time with our good friends Cathie and Dan Packer who visited from Texas

7. Ryan has gone to girls camp, cub scout camp and scout camp.

8. Worked incredibly hard on some fun new projects for Simply Creative (more to come on that later!)

And still to come. . . My Cornea Transplant! Some of you will remember last year that I posted about needing a transplant, but instead we decided to have a baby. Well I’ve put it off long enough and it’s time. Surgery is scheduled for this Fri. If I think too much about it I start to become a wreck, but than I think hey, what’s the worst thing that could happen? They could ruin my vision right? Than I remember, oh that’s right I can’t see out of my right eye any way.

So, if you think about it I could use all of your good thoughts and prayers. I can’t wait to have my depth perception back!

Oh, and I also get to have a root canal this week! Yeah!

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

2009-06-14T21:47:00.001-07:00

Both boys love to play soccer and let me tell you game days are insane. Yesterday I was getting all three kids ready and out the door for Brayden’s game (by myself). I threw Brayden his soccer uniform, told him to put it on and rushed off to get myself ready, than hurried and came back to put on his shin guards and shoes, and than out the door. We were standing in the door way when I turned to tell Brayden to hurry and realized we had forgotten something

NO PANTS

If you know my sister April and my family you will find this next picture hilarious. If not you will probably just think I am cruel with a sick sense of humor. My brother took this picture in Disney Land.

The two side of April. The princess and the gorilla.

Baby Blessing

2009-06-14T21:35:00.001-07:00

Last Sun we blessed Ellie. It was such a wonderful day. My Aunt Lenore made her dress, based on a picture I gave her. What an amazing talent. I love the dress. I wish these picture showed better detail.

This isn’t the best picture, but it shows the detail in the dress a little better.

If you are blessing a baby soon here are my top ten tips

1. Leave room in your fridge and time in your schedule for all of the last minute people that will drop by with food.

2. Let family and friends know in advance that you need to leave fifteen minutes early. (can you tell all the people showing up at the last minute to put food in my overstuff fridge made me late.)

3. Cook for the crowd. I played around with a couple of different menus and food items, and finally realized that the Archuleta’s are kind of a picky bunch and at the last minute decided to go with some family tried and true favorites. I think it went over pretty well.

4. The night before make sure you know were your car keys are (After all those people that made me late left, I realized I had no idea were my car keys were, luckily my brother showed up and drove me and the kids to the church. I didn’t find my keys until yesterday.)

5. Have a cute dress for baby to change into when you get home. Blessing dresses are kind of awkward for nursing and sleeping in.

6. One of the best things Ryan and I did is the couple of days before we talked a lot to the boys about their blessing days and things that happened. I think this helped ward of some jealousy and made them excited for the day.

7. Ask some one (like a sister or sister-in-law) ahead of time to write down the blessing for you as it is given (maybe some one with out kids, or older children so they can actually hear the blessing.)

8. Make sure all of your priesthood holders know they are invited. Than there’s none of the last minute awkward searching for everyone and trying to make eye contact to know they are suppose to up there.

9. Make sure every one has directions for the church.

10. Say a sincere heart felt prayer that morning as soon as you wake up that things will go smoothly and you will be able to relax and enjoy the day. (:

Whew blessings are a lot of work!

The Nursery

2009-06-14T17:18:00.001-07:00

In preparation for the baby blessing I finally finished up some of the projects in Ellie’s room.

I decided to go with a green chair instead of a pink. Pink walls and a pink chair would have been a bit much.

I changed my mind on the bedding too. It’s hard to see the detail in these pictures.

My friends Julie Williams in my ward took these beautiful pictures of Ellie.

There wasn’t room for the rocking chair and the changing table in the room so we took the doors off of the closest and put the changing table in there.

Love this chandelier.

I’d still love to put up bead board and add some other little details, but for the most part the room is done.

This week and last in a nutshell

2009-06-04T22:02:00.001-07:00

Ellie turned 3 months

She is such a different baby. Her colic is gone and she is nothing but a smiley happy baby.

She coos and talks to us all the time. I’ve been surprised and love how expressive she is.

Brayden graduated from Joy school

What a funny kid. He loved Joy school and is sad it’s over. Thanks to all the Mom’s and kids in our little Joy school class. Both Brayden and I loved it

A funny story about Brayden, today he walked up to me and said, “Is it my birthday?” I told him no, and he turned and skipped away saying, “Just checking’”.

You really have to wonder what is going through the little minds.

Who Says We Have to be Responsible Adults

2009-05-28T12:41:00.001-07:00

So this is the car I drive (the Blue Moose). . .

And this is the car Ryan drives (scout) . . .

If we were responsible adults we would have taken our tax return and bought new cars, but instead. . .

WE WENT TO DISNEY LAND!!!

We fully took advantage of Disney’s 5 nights and 5 days for the price of three and spent all of last week playing! My mom, my little brother Isaac and my sister April came with us. It was a ton of fun, and boy do I have some good April stories. (Kacie I know you enjoy the April stories.)

Really the plan with the car is to drive the Ford Taurus into the ground. Which we pretty much expect to happen any day and we fixed our Honda so Ryan now usually drives it now.

One of my favorite moments at Disney Land was riding the Tower of Terror with my Mom. She thought it was a haunted house and how NO idea it dropped. It was hysterical.

Every one thought Ellie was Isaac’s baby . Really they do look a lot alike. Man he’s handsome kid!

Isaac and Ryan were my hero’s they pushed my Mom and April around in wheelchairs every where we went for five days!

Yard Work

2009-05-09T17:41:00.001-07:00

Ryan and I have been spending every moment we can working in the yard. Here are some before and after pictures of what we have done so far. We have along way go to get it were we want it, but I think we have at least made some progress.

Here’s What we started with.

Here’s were we are now

Spring Flowers

. . .10 weeks later

2009-05-03T21:21:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick update of what we have been doing for the last 10 weeks.

1st me going insane. . .
Turns out Ellie has reflux and is pretty colicky. Thank goodness for medicines. They have helped immensely! She is pure girl though, she is moody, emotional and high maintenance, but she also the BEST sleeper at night.

Here she is having her hair done.

Her brothers love her to DEATH! Carson especially is CONSTANTLY kissing her, and hugging her and always wants to hold her.
All day I am constantly saying. . .please give her some space, you guys let her breath, she can't see you when you are that close to her face.She gets a little tired of the constant attention.

Ellie gave us a scare when she was catapulted from her car seat. Brayden accidentally knocked her over while we were shopping and of course she wasn't buckled in. I turned just in time to see her fly into the air and land face first on to the tile of the Kohl's floor. I was horrified. She had a huge bump on her head and her eye swelled up and turned black and blue. We ended up spending 6 hours at Primary Children's while they observed her and did a CAT scan. In the end though she was fine. I was literally shaking for almost three days afterwards.

Carson turned 6. Isn't he a hadnsome kid.
My nephew Carter REALLY liked the cake.

I did some decorating. I LOVE spring decorations.
Brayden went to this birthday party several weeks ago that was all about batman. They made these masks and every one got a batman cap. Ever since than he has been running around the house with his mask on and referring to Carson as Robin. . .Come on Robin, let's get those bad guys, is a common phrase. Carson's not so hip about being Robin all the time.

and Ellie learned to smile.

Eleanor (Ellie) Marie Archuleta

2009-02-27T18:29:00.000-08:00

Feb. 23rd 2009. (The same birthday as my sister Heidi and my good friend Becky!). She was born at 7:11, weighs 6 lbs. 1 oz. and is 18 in. long. She looks A TON like Brayden did as a baby. We came home yesterday. We are both doing well. She's a good baby, and is so sweet.

We named her after Ryan and I's Grandma's. Two of the most loving wonderful women I know. I was named after my Great Aunt Holly (my Mom's Aunt). I always loved being named after some one.

Baby Girl!

2009-02-23T10:05:00.000-08:00

I called my OB today to see if I could come in and get checked. I've been having a ton of back labor pains and contractions about every 20-30 min for 2 days now. His nurse (whom I love) called back and said she had a better idea, how about we just do the c-section today. Evidently my OB was a little surprised that I had made it through the weekend and had asked her to call me this morning to see how I was doing and so when she told him I had already called they decided to bump things up two days. We will be going in at 5:00 to have the c-section!

Here's me at 37 weeks 5 days. A new family record (I even beat my sister who only made it to 37 weeks 4 days) Today I am 38 weeks exactly.Of course the boys had to be in a picture too.

Nesting

2009-02-23T09:09:00.000-08:00

I have been cleaning and organizing every aspect of my life for the past three weeks. One of my projects has been organizing and creating back ups of all of our pictures since 2003. I've found some cute pictures I wanted to share. Really it's an update of all the holidays I missed the past couple of months.

The boys after a Halloween Carnival Grandma and Grandpa Archuleta took us to. Brayden wouldn't look at himself in the mirror until I scrubbed off the spider. It scared the crap out of him. Oh and they were cowboys for Halloween.

Brayden was the Joseph in his joyschool play. He was not a very willing participant. He hated the scarf/hat.

This is was the first Christmas in 4 years that no one was sick. It was A LOT of fun. The boys are at such great ages. Carson surprised me by being so grateful for everything. He even wrote Santa Clause a thank you card. After we'd opened presents Brayden kept asking Ryan and I were his socks were. We had no idea what he was talking about. He started to get pretty mad and frustrated with us before we finally realized by "socks" he meant his stocking.

Pictures of the boys after the snow storm that hit right after Christmas. The boys played for hours out in the snow. Than my cute neighbor Lilet took them on a ride on her alligator four wheeler thingy (I have no idea what it is really called). They LOVED it.

Uncharted Territory (a Baby Update)

2009-02-13T13:23:00.000-08:00

These quick posts seem to work out well for me. I went to the OB today and I am STILL not dilated. It seems like a crazy miracle to me that I can have my first baby at 29 weeks, my second one at 20 weeks and dilate at 26 with the third and than make it to 36 (almost 37) with this one and nothen'.

I am so excited to have another healthy, fat baby that I can hold after she is born. That was an awsome experience with Brayden (whom after 10 weeks of bedrest, I had at 36 weeks 6 days)

My cervix is apparently swollen from the stitch, but my Dr. says that just means he needs to watch me closer so I am now going in every 5 days. It's a little painful, especially when she kicks at it, but at this point I think most pregnant women have one reason or another to be uncomfortable. My next apt. is Wed. and we scheduled the c-section for the 25th. Amazing, a scheduled c-section, that's a new one for me.

One of these days I'll have Ryan take a picture of my big belly and I'll post it. The baby has already dropped so I look different, but still huge.

Excuses, Excuses, Excuses

2009-02-11T08:34:00.000-08:00

Lately I have been trying to get the boys in the habit of picking up after themselves. (I am mostly motivated by the fact that it is getting incredibly hard to bend over.) Carson is usually pretty good about it, Brayden on the other hand is full of excuses. Here are some of my favorites.

My legs are broken.

My head is to0 heavy

My tummy hurts

I like my toys right there, they look cute

I NEED you to do it.

Daddy will do it when he gets home.

and my favorite. . .I'm too lazy, maybe later.

A Man's Valentines

2009-02-09T20:03:00.001-08:00

We just finished up our Valentine's Family Home Evening. We made valentine cookies with blue frosting because pink is a girl color!

The boys frosted and decorated them all by themselves and Ryan was in charge of buying the decorations.

Aren't they pretty. I bet your mouth is watering.

A Great Weekend

2009-01-11T20:48:00.000-08:00

I know I should be posting about Christmas, and my birthday and other exciting things, but I had such a great weekend with the boys I wanted to share.

1st two funny stories
Ryan's parents live down the street from the new Draper temple, so they were invited to a VIP temple tour before the official temple tours start. All week we have been talking to the boys on and off about the temple. EVERY TIME we talk about going Brayden start's to have a melt down. Finally Sat. I'm dressing the boys and Brayden is just freaking out that he does NOT want to go. So I ask, Brayden, why don't you want to go to the temple. He looks at me and yells, " I don't want to get married, I don't want to get married!". I laughed so hard my eyes wouldn't stop watering as I realized that what I had mistaken for dread of being bored was really a dread of coming home with a wife at the age of three!

A little later they were dressed and ready to go. I stopped them both and told them, how handsome they were and said, "I'm so used to having cute kids, what are we going to do if the baby is an ugly baby?" Carson stopped and looked at me very seriously, evidently deciding that this may be a very real problem that we might have to deal with, and he says, "Mom, we will just have to put lots of big bows on her."

Were does he even get these ideas?!

The temple open house was a great experience. The boys can be so wild I was a little worried about how they would act. Before we went in they had us watch a 12 min. video and to my surprise the boys were glued to the entire presentation. At the end the "Host" told us that while the temple had not been dedicated that the ground it stood on had, and promised us that we would feel the spirit. I thought that was a very lofty promise. From the moment we started walking into the the temple my kids were calm and wide eyed. It was such a great experience for them. Carson (in a whispered voice) asked a million questions and by some miracle I was able to answer them all. You could tell that my tiny, rowdy, usually out of control kids, could feel that there was something different about this building.

The temple its self was beautiful. The ordinance rooms were amazing, with huge painted murals. I was reminded of all the reasons there are to love the temple. My life experiences have made me incredibly grateful for the understanding my temple covenants have given me. Having lost my Dad, my baby, my grandma and my sweet niece, there is nothing I am more grateful for than that knowledge of eternal families and the opportunity I have had to make those covenants.

I LOVE Pictures

2008-12-15T18:48:00.000-08:00

My Friend Jamie took these darling pictures of the boys. Her and her sister take fantastic pictures. You can check them out at Simple Moments

Classic Brayden look:Pictures for Grandma:

Blue Eyed Boys: My sister and I love that all four boys have blue eyes. That intense blue color comes from my Dad.

I bought these boots for Carson and Brayden for their cowboy costumes for Halloween. They have worn them every day since.

Santa's Work Shop

2008-12-15T18:42:00.001-08:00

Thanks to everyone who came to our Santa's Workshop. It was a ton of fun. The food was great and the vendors donated some awesome prizes. It was especially fun to be able to visit with old friends and watch everyone make and complete their projects. We've already started looking at venues for next year!!

I wanted to especially thank mine and Ryan's family for ALWAYS supporting, and loving me.

Santa's Work Shop and Boutique

2008-11-25T18:50:00.000-08:00

Just in case any of you are wondering why my blog posts are so sparse and far between it is because I spend my life working on Simply Creative.

We are hosting a Santa's Workshop and Boutique, Dec. 6th from 9-2 at the Mt. Vernon Academy (174 E. Vine St.)
It will be such a fun morning. We are offering about 10 different projects you and come and make that day, plus TONS of fun prizes and give aways from both us and our vendors. The grand prize will be a $75 refer a friend gift basket.

Lia Sopia.Modbe.Scentsy.Juzt for Gilrz Bows.Discovery Toys. and Usborne Books. Will be there taking Christmas orders. Plus tons of yummy food will be available.

We hope to make this a traditional event that people will look forward to every year. For more info you can log onto: www.CreateSomethingCute.com

Oh and I have to just say how proud I am of this website. Kim practically put herself through computer school in three days to figure it all out, and I designed most of the graphics. We are pretty impressed with ourselves

Baby Girl!!!!

2008-11-23T20:50:00.000-08:00

Yes, we're having a girl. After having three boys we didn't think we could make girls. I of course am thrilled. Carson cried when we 1st told him. He said he didn't want a sister because they take too long to get ready and we don't have any pink toys for her. Brayden is convinced I am having a puppy so he could care less either way, boy or girl, as long as it's a puppy. Oh and we are naming the "puppy" flower.

So of course I have bought tons of clothes, nothing practical like jammies or sleepers, but tons of little Mary Jane shoes, bows and dresses (I even found an Easter dress, I'll post a picture).

I've also designed the nursery in my head. . .

The Bedding I found at Target

The Pink Damask Rug. . .also found at Target

The pink gingham rocker at JC Penny.
Ryan thinks I am crazy to spend this much money on a PINK rocker (it will be my birthday and christmas present from him, my Mom,my mother-in-law and myself) But really how much is he up with the baby? The man sleeps like he's dead. I'm the one spending hours rocking a baby back to sleep in the middle of the night and after four pregnancies and two other babies, I think I deserve to be comforable.

Add some bead board, paint, a little vinyl, oh and a chandelier and it will be so dainty, girlie, whimisical and pink, my boys won't even dare go in there!

My Big Mistake

2008-09-07T20:58:00.000-07:00

First I have to say, some day I am going to revamp my blog, until than, I am just seriously impressed with myself for posting two weeks in a row.

Alright so the past couple of weeks everyone keeps asking, are you hoping for a girl. In all honestly I just want a healthy baby, preferably one I can hold right after it is born like I did with Brayden. Than the other day I was shopping for an outfit for my sister Heidi's new baby and I came across this dress
It was on sale for only $7.99 AND it comes with bumpkins, (the little things that cover their diapers) I LOVE bumpkins. It was only available in 3-6 mon. I did the math and thought perfect the baby would be 5 mon. old in July, what a perfect little fourth of July dress, with a big red bow and red shoes!!! So, I bought it.

I should have never looked, now I've opened my heart up to the possibilities and I can't stop looking, clothes, bows, tights, shoes, bedding, paint colors.

I really will be happy either way, I mean seriously I've got this boy thing down. . . but, what if. . .

If I do have a boy, Becky, you can have the dress.

We aRe ALiVe!!

2008-08-29T23:01:00.000-07:00

Poor Brayden has been sitting here with his pants down for long enough!

If you make it all the way through these posts I will be amazed. I am so long winded, and it is confusing because really you are reading the story backwards.

AUG.

Started out on a sad note. Ryan's Grandma passed away on Aug. 7th, after complications from a stroke.

There are two great things I learned from Ryans Grandma. Both of them about love. The first one is the sincere interest she always had in every one of her grand children and great grandchildren. She always knew what was going on everyones life, and did her best to make it to the birthday parties, recitals, plays ect. of not just her grandkids, but also her great- grand kids. This above picture is of her and George at Brayden's first birthday.

The second thing I learned from Eleanor came from watching her and George. While she was in the hospital they celebrate their 63rd anniversary. Their life together was a true love story. Watching the way they interacted with absolute, love kindness and respect was inspiring.

Aug. 8th was Brayden's birthday. We had such a bad two weeks previously and I was still feeling so sick that we decided to post pone his birthday. It turned out to be a good thing since he started throwing up at around six that morning.

Brayden on his birthday.
Finally on Aug. 22nd I got my act together and we had a small party with a couple of friends and family at the splash park by our house. It was really low maintenance and easy, which is what I needed. Maybe in a year I will go back to trying to be Martha Stewart.

I know I'm vain, but I think he is so stinken' cute

If you know Brayden, you know he LOVES pop.

We Played Most of July Away

2008-08-29T22:07:00.001-07:00

I apologize ahead of time for the lack of pictures. Ryan and I are getting really bad about forgetting the camera.

For the 4th we went to Logan on the 3rd to see the USU fireworks. This has been a tradition for Ryan and I since we were first married. With Ryan's work schedule it is so much easier for him to get the 3rd off than the 4th. This year, like always, my Mom went with us. We spent the night of the third in a hotel. It was a fun little mini vacation and I loved spending the time with my Mom.

The second week in July we spent 4 days with Ryan's family at a cabin in Bear Lake. I have to admit, I was a little nervous about the excursion. That many people in one house for four days. . . It turned out to be an absolute BLAST!!! My kids loved every min. Ryan and I forgot our camera, so thanks Miles and Jessica for the pics!

The whole fam.

Cousins at the beach
Brothers!
Ryan's Dad, I love this hat!
You'd think we would have had enough of each other after Bear Lake, but not so, a couple of days laters we went to Lagoon, (Miles and Jessica didn't come, so no pictures ): ) and than we hung out on the 24th as well.

The 24th turned out to be a pretty special day. We all went over to Ryan's grandparents to visit and set off some fire works. Less than a week later Ryan's Grandma had a stroke, it was the last time Ryan and I saw her conscious.

Jessica and the littler ones

All of my nieces (on the Archuleta side)
Me and Jessica, my sister -in-law, I LOVE this girl!
Thanks again Miles and Jessica for the pics.

The Best For Last!!!

so remember how my eye Dr. told me I needed to have eye surgery and I should wait to get pregnant, well apparently I don't like to be told what to do, because we are expecting!!! I'm 13 weeks along and bigger than I have ever been at this point, but hey what do you do. Baby is due March 9th, but we will probably have it sometime in Feb.

The first trimester has been really rough. I really didn't get sick with the last two and had moderate sickness with Carson. I swear this pregnancy is either trying to kill me or convince me to never do this again. I literally started feeling sick at 3 weeks and it was relentless until 8 weeks. Than I went on some anti-nausea medication which has helped A TON.

I had my cerclage (were they sew me shut so I can't have the baby) at eight weeks and it turned out to be a nightmare. While I was under my muscles seized up and de-facilitated (is what my Dr. called it.) He said it is like having a seizure, but with out anything happening to the brain, your muscles just tighten and shake. To make a long story short I couldn't walk, eat, move my arms, cough, breath ect. with out being in pain and to make it more fun I threw up non-stop for 4 days.

Anyway I'm feeling MUCH better now. Food is even starting to look good again, and I've gone 5 days without any puking!

I almost forgot!
Carson started school. I cried for a week before hand, but the day of was actually really fun. Carson was so excited it was hard not to get wrapped up in his anticipation. Brayden however was heart broken, I'm not sure which was harder for him, parting with Carson, of the fact that he couldn't go. He tried to convince me all morning that he was five too!! He cried big crocodile tears when the bell rang and Carson walked through the school doors. I teared up, but I held my composure. There you have it, that's what we have been up to.

Potty Training!

2008-06-22T17:33:00.001-07:00

This event actually took place about a mon. and half ago.

After potty training Carson, I pretty much thought I was a failure as a mother. Brayden has been my redemption. He's been ready for along time, but Carson was such a nightmare I was terrified. He forced me into it though by taking off his diaper EVERY TIME he peed. I don't know about you, but really 10 diapers a day is a bit much. So I took a deep breath, cleared my schedule for three days and told myself not to look back. The first three hours started off horribly, he had an accident every ten min. Than just like that he got it!! I was shocked when hour after hour went by with out an accident, than days and now weeks! AMAZING!!

The whole pooping thing took a little longer, but still wasn't bad. He did say the funniest thing though. He had an accident, and I said to him, "Brayden what happened?" He replied, "I dunno Mama, the poop just fell out of me."

The only problem we're having now that he's figured out he can control the pee, he can't fathom why any one uses a toilet. Isn't it so much cooler to pee off the back steps, or in the field across the street, or in the GARBAGE CAN (gross!). A daughter would never give me these problems!

My take on potty training, WAIT TILL THEY ARE READY. I really think that Carson was so hard because he just wasn't ready. And age has nothing to do with it. Carson was three, Brayden was barely two when I felt like he was ready.

Another Set of Stitches

2008-06-22T17:20:00.001-07:00

Boys, boy, boys!!! To all of my friends with younger boys, just you wait!! Two weeks ago we spent another long evening getting yet another set of stitches. This time for Brayden. He simply was walking across my father-in-laws office when he tripped and hit the corner of a filing cabinet. (It's not scaling my kitchen cabinets, jumping from ridiculously high places, or keeping up with Carson at the play ground, it's walking across a room that seems to be hard for him)

He was really, brave. He never even cried and actually fell asleep half way through. When it was all done I picked him up and he laid his head on my shoulder and patted my back and said over and over, "you were so brave Mommy, you were so brave." And dang it I was, I didn't even cry this time!

The fun didn't end there. The next day at church I picked him up off the floor because he was being naught and suddenly there was blood every were. I didn't want to make a scene so I immediately started walking out of the chapel when suddenly it dawned on me that Ryan was still on the stand. I shot him a look that was ment to say "PLEASE FOLLOW me". Apparently it said, "Follow me or die". To make a long story short, his stitches were still intact, but bleeding pretty badly, and he a second cut that probably could have used a stitch or two, but Ryan and I worried that they wouldn't let him leave with us if we took him back the next day decided he was fine.

Both wounds are healing fine!

A Little Disapointed

2008-06-02T15:56:00.001-07:00

Bad:
= No:

I have a weird eye condition called Keratoconus. Basically Keratoconus is like a bad astigmatism. The astigmatism is so bad that my eye bulges out like the bottom eye in the picture.

Or if you prefer the creepy picture, like this eye:
Pretty huh?!

To correct the problem I have to wear hard contacts that essentially shove my eye back into the right shape. The problem is, that my eyes are so "out of shape" that I have to wear hard contacts that fit really tight, so tight that they rub against my eye, which as you can imagine hurts. The solution: wear soft contacts under my hard contacts. Yes I wear two pairs of contacts on each eye. They stick to each other, get bubbles under each other and generally bug the crap out of me, but hey I can see.

Keratoconus is a degenerative eye disease and my right eye is significantly worse than my left. Today I went to the eye Dr. for yet another contact fitting and he finally gave up on me. ( We have been trying to find a contact to fit my right eye for months, he says it is like fitting a frisbee to a football). So, next month I'm off to see a specialist to see if they can find a surgical procedure to fix my eye, most likely a corneal transplant.

So what does all of this have to do with a baby? Well I have been baby hungry pretty much since Brayden was two months old, but felt like emotionally my family needed a break from my
rough pregnancies. Finally I have started to feel like we were all ready. Not so, says the eye Dr. They will likely not even do the surgery for another 3 mon. and I CAN NOT be pregnant when they do the surgery. Than they don't want me to get pregnant for another 3-6 mon. after that while they wait for my eye to stabilize, since pregnancy has proven to be bad for my eyes (it make the keratoconus shift a lot).

It's amazing how bad you start to want something when some one tells you, you can't have it! Oh and I'm a little freaked out to have my eye operated on. My Dr. comforted me by telling me that they don't use stitches any more. Great I feel SO much better.

A-Z about me

2008-06-01T21:28:00.000-07:00

I'm horrible about following up on tags, someday I will follow up on the rest! But, here's one for now.

A- Attached or Single? It was 7 yrs. this May
B-Best Friend? Ryan of course
C-Cake or pie? Depends, is either chocolate?
D-Day of choice? Ryan's Day off, with out Bishopric mtgs.
E-Essential Item? Sleep
F-Favorite color? Blues
G-Gummy bears or worms? Neither... pure chocolate!
H-Home town? Layton Ut., and now Herriman Ut.
I-Favorite indulgence? Vanilla Coke
J-January or July? July. Does any one who lives in Ut., like Jan.?
K-Kids? Carson 5, and Brayden 2 (almost 3)
L-Life isn't complete without: I agree with Brooke... FAMILY and good FRIENDS!
M-Marriage date? May 9th 2001.
N-Number of brothers and sisters? 2 little sisters and 1 little brother.
O-Oranges or Apples? Neither, I'll take a strawberry.
P-Phobias? Driving over water. . . don't ask me to explain, you'll think I'm a freak.
Q-Quote? It doesn't matter were you go in life, it's who you have beside you.
R-Reasons to smile? I have an amazing husband.
S-Season of choice? Summer
T-Tag 3 people: Cathie, Heidi (HP), Kim.
U-Unknown fact about me? I faint a lot when I am pregnant. Ask Cathie, I scared her to death one time.
V-Vegetable? Brocoli with cheese
W-Worst habit? I have ALOT. Sleeping in late, vanilla coke
X-Xray or Ultrasound? Ultrasound.
Y-Your favorite food? Rasberries, pasta, cheerios I could go on . . .
Z-Zodiac sign: Capicorn

DiSNeY LaND!!!!! With The Parson's

2008-06-01T20:26:00.000-07:00

Or as Brayden says is Diney Land (pronounced the same, just omit the "s"). Every morning as we walked down main street he screamed Diney Land, Diney Land!

We had an absolute blast! Carson was tall enough to ride almost all of the rides, he even rode the tower of terror. Brayden was in complete awe of EVERYTHING, and nobody got sick. Here are a few pics.

We left bright and early on a Tues. As soon as we landed we drove to Newport Beach and ate at the yummiest restraunt on the Pier called Ruby's Diner. We ate on the roof, which the kids loved despite the fact that it was blindingly bright.

Than we played on the beach. It was a little chilly, but they kids didn't care. Ryan LOVES the beach, and played in the water like he was ten years old. Eventually we went back to our hotel and cleaned up. We came back at sunset to take a few photos. Some day I'll edit some of them and post them. But for now, here are two of my favorites.

After our day at the beach we spent the next three days at Disney Land.

Carson was a little roller coaster junkie, which delighted Ryan and I. He especially loved the train roller coaster (I forget the name) or what he called, the crazy train ride. My favorite memory of Carson though was at the end of fantasmic, after Mickey conquers the dragon Carson jumps to his feet, throws his fists in the air and yells loud enough to turn more than a few heads, "Mickey Mouse is Awsome!"

Brayden LOVED the parades and the shows. He would just clap and clap and wave like crazy. My favorite Brayden memory was during the firework show in front of the castle. If your sitting right in front of the castle the fireworks actually surround you. It's a little loud and there's alot going on. It scared Brayden so bad he was shaking, but no matter how many times I offered to leave with him, he was determined to stay and watch.

We also learned the Brayden has a more sensitive stomach than the rest of us. The first ride we went on was Gadget's Roller Coaster in Toon Town. I wish I could have recorded the look on Brayden's face, it was so strange. It wasn't until a few rides later that Ryan and I figured out that the look was one of sheer terror. We think he confused the tickle in his stomach with the sensation of vomitting. Poor kid, he thought we were torturing him, but Brayden true to his strong will to never miss out, never complained and wanted to ride, every ride he could.

The Parson's could not have been more fun to go with. I have to admit though Ryan and I finally met our match. We are die hard Disney fans and we can usually out go and out do, just about any one, but Heidi and Brett, EXHAUSTED us (well at least me). It made it all the more fun to have be with some one the loves Disney just as much (if not more) than we do. Thanks Heidi and Brett!!!

My New Favorite Jeans

2008-04-20T21:51:00.000-07:00

Ok so I'm becoming such a Mom and comfort is starting to mean A LOT to me, but I still want to look cute! I found these jeans at American Eagle and I LOVE THEM!!! It's like wearing my pajamas all day long, they are that comfortable. Plus they have a cute tie belt that is kind of hard to see in the picture. The best part though, they are on sale for $29.95!!!

2008-04-20T21:33:00.000-07:00

Strange, I know to have a picture of another couple posted right at the top of my blog. But I just had to honor my friend Kim. She is my dear friend who is the genius behind Simply Creative, and let me tell you she has had the week from you know were.

We did a craft show in Kaysville this week that was amazingly stressful. To make it short, it was a long drive, a lot of stress, and a VERY slow craft show.

But, that isn't what makes Kim worth a blog posting. Through all of this both of her kids have had the flu. Than her two year old had a 104 degree temperature and an ear infection. A week like that is bad enough with out doing a stressful craft show. Through it all Kim never lost her cool. She just did what had to be done and remained her sweet patient self, no matter what happened

Kim, is an amazing women with extraordinary talents, but most importantly she is an incredible mom with her head screwed on straight and her priorities right were they should be! Anyone who knows her will agree with me!! I hope I haven't embarrassed her!

2008-04-18T11:43:00.001-07:00

It's finally finished!!!! After months of working on my new project it is finally done. The company is called Simply Creative. We offer craft classes at events such as showers, family reunions, girls nights out and craft groups. For those who are craft savvy we offer ready to go kits with all of the needed supplies and step-by-step instructions. I posted a slide show of some of the crafts we offer below!!

We are offering 10% off all kits through the month of May. You will need to use the coupon code:blog. These is a great way to make a cheap, personal gift for Mom. I especially love the Mom's Magnetic Boards.

Check it out at:
WWW.SIMPLYCREATIVECRAFTS.BLOGSPOT.COM

2008-04-18T10:47:00.001-07:00

My Baby Turns Five

2008-04-13T19:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Carson turned five years old. Ryan and I can hardly believe that our 2lb. 13 0z. baby is now FIVE!!! I remember when he was born how terrified we were, and now look at him. . .he's a happy healthy five year old.

Carson's first baby pictures. For some reason the second picture will only scan small.

We had such a fun day. My Mom and Sister came down for cake and ice cream and to watch him open his presents. After the festivities we went to see Horton Hears A Who. Which I highly recommend, it cracked me up. Ryan's Parents, his sister Cynthia, my sister-in-law Jessica, and my brother Isaac joined us for dinner. I let Carson choose the restraunt and he said he wanted to go to the tomato place with the little muffins. AKA Sweet Tomatoes. Not the choice I expected, but hey it was his birthday.

Five Things Carson Loves

1. Carson loves people. He can get along with just about anyone. His favorite person in the whole world (besides me of course), would have to be his cousin Kaden followed closely by his cousin Grayson whom he idolizes. He also loves his brother to death (literally sometimes).

2. Carson LOVES TV, much to my dismay.

3. He loves Bundocks, an arcade/play gym by our house. He asks to go there EVERYDAY

4. He loves to eat. He will eat just about anything I cook. Which is wonderful of course.

5. He loves to imagine and color, one time he drew twenty different robots that did different things and taped them all over the walls. Oh and he LOVES tape. He loves to tape odd things (like my kitchen utensils) together to create strange "inventions"

FIVE THINGS I LOVE ABOUT CARSON. . .Before I start though I have to say, he is so much like his Dad, wow did I luck out on that one.

1. He is such a good big brother. He looks out for Brayden and always tells me, "Brayden is my best buddy."

2. He can be really sweet. He always tell me I am pretty and when I finish putting vinyl on a sign he will say, "that looks really great Mom!"

3. I love his smile. Carson has huge dimples that spread across his whole cheeks when he smiles. He also has the best laugh in the world and he's really tickelish, which is a great combination.

4. He is a lot of fun. Carson has such a cute, funny little personality. He can be so engaging and always has something fun up his sleeves that he wants to do. He cracks me up with his little stories and his WILD imagination.

5. He is an incredibly clean child. He keeps his hands clean, he wipes his own nose when it runs, for a five year old his clothes are always amazingly clean and he even won't go to bed until his room is clean. How nice is that!?

and of course because no child is perfect so. . . Five Things That Drive Me Crazy.

1. People never believe me until they see Carson have a melt down, he is drama like none other. When he's mad at me he will run to his room slam the door and scream, "FINE, I GUESS NO ONE IN THIS HOUSE LOVES ME!!" than he will throw himself on the bed and pretend to cry. WOW is all I can think when he gets that way.

2. He makes up for those nice brotherly moments by tackeling and beating the crap out of Brayden when he's ticked. Not to worry though Brayden's learned to hold his own.

3. Don't get me wrong, I love the kid to death, but man can he whine!

4. His LOVE for TV drives my crazy. It is a constant battle between the two of us.

5. Carson's ears are full of cotton. I swear 90% of the time all he hears is bla bla bla.

If your still reading, you must be one of his Grandmas. After all Ryan and I have been through trying to have more kids we now realize what a complete miracle Carson is. Since being diagnosed with an incompetent cervix we have learned that it is virtually unheard of for women to make it past 22 weeks with out a cerclage (which is how we got Brayden.) Carson truly is our miracle baby that should have never been. We are so, so, so grateful to have him.

.

There's Nothing Like Good Friends

2008-04-06T22:51:00.000-07:00

I stole this picture from my friend Ashley's blog.

I just had to take a minute to say how much I love my Stansbury girls. I have been blessed with good friends where ever I have lived and Stansbury was no exception.

My friend Hillary nailed it when she said raising our first babies together created an unmistakable bond. We went to dinner a couple of nights ago and laughed our heads off! It was such fun. I miss the old familarity that comes from spending our days together. I have been surprised by how much I miss their kids. I miss being able to take their babies in my arms, or stepping in to take care of a toddler. I miss having a million escaped children sitting by me (really Carson) at church and Addy's "Holly's house, Holly's house?" Every time we walked home from the park. Don't get me wrong I love my new ward and the friends that I am making and I know that familiarity will come with time, but I am so glad that I met and created friendships with my Stansbury girls!

Never a Dull Moment

2008-04-06T11:32:00.001-07:00

I'm not really sure how my life has become so crazy but it sure has. Just a month ago things seemed calm and laid back.

Here are a few events and things that have added to this months insanity:

I now have three callings. I teach Weeblos (the ten year old scouts), I'm on the Enrichment committee, for which my main responsibility is to teach a quarterly craft class for my ward, and I am a permanent sub for the Primary. Between those callings and Ryan's bishopric responsibilities my kids spend a lot of time playing in the church nursery.

EASTER

I love Easter! It's a day that allows me to feel the hope and peace the resurection brings to my life. I can't help but think of the beautiful day when I will see my Dad, my baby, my grandma and my niece again. I can not express the difference it has made in my life to have the knowledge that my Savior was resurrected so that I could be sealed to my family forever.

I tried hard to keep Easter nice and simple. I just kept thinking we don't need to make this a second Christmas. I bought the boys each a small basket with some candy (which I mostly ate) and a few small toys including sunglasses, flashlights and some bouncy balls. Brayden LOVED looking for eggs, although he didn't get very many. He was so excited about each egg he found he had to bring it to me and let me share in the excitement. After three eggs Carson had found the rest.

The rest of the day was very peaceful. A sweet lady in our ward named Sister Samowitz spoke on the power of the atonement. I was so impressed with the strength and power in her testimony. I only hope that one day I can stand and testify with the power that she did.

We spent the rest of the afternoon at Ryan's parents. The food was, as always, delicious!!

MY NEW PEEP HOLE

Carson and my nephew Kaden were playing in the boys room when they discovered that the door locked. How cool to lock each other in and out of the room they thought. The only problem, the didn't know how to unlock it. Luckily when the door was shut they were both on the outside. Now all of this would have been no big deal, if we had a key to unlock the door. We searched every where for the key, but the thing is, we had never locked the door before, so we weren't even sure if the key existed.

Ryan and my brother-in-law Ed had to stick a drill straight into the lock and than saw the door knob off. As you can tell from the picture it left it's mark. The one perk, I can see if Brayden is sleeping like he should be or playing in his room with out having to open the door and thus without him knowing.

I'M DOOMED

Carson will only be five this year and we have already done stitches, a concuscion, and now a broken leg?

Four days after we put in our trampoline, Brayden hurt his leg. Our pediactrician was concerned that he had a toddler break so we had to take him to get x-rays. Luckily the x-rays came back negative. He had to wear a brace for three days, but now he's fine. He screamed for about 45 min after it was first put on, but than he figured out how to hobble around with it and he never so much as wined after that! If we were smart parents we would have video taped him. He was hillarious to watch hobbling all over the house. He was so determined not to let it slow him down.

Besides all of this I have been working long hours trying to get a new business, that my genius friend Kim came up with called Simply Creative, up and rolling. Hopefully we will have our blog ready in a couple of weeks.

And Last of all WE'RE GOING TO DISNEYLAND!!! I love disneyland and have been counting the days down until May when we go, but WOW vacations are a lot more work and very time consuming when you're the Mom.

2008-02-25T23:21:00.000-08:00

Ok so weeks ago my cousin Emily tagged me, and than a couple of days ago my friend Alice tagged me, and now I find myself unable to sleep, so I thought hey, I'll respond to those tags.

First the rules.
1. List six quirks, habits, or unknown things about yourself.
2.Tag three other people
3. Let those three people know on their blog that they have been tagged.

I think there were some other rules, but I don't remember them

1. I LOVE cheerios. All kinds, frosted, apples cinnamon, plain, honey nut. I literally have to have a bowl of cheerios every day. I am working hard to instill this love for cheerios in my children, but so far they are too involved with their fruit loops to pay much attention.

2. It is very hard for me to be organized, I have to really work at it, and being on time is one of those near impossible tasks for me that gets harder with each kid. . . oh wait most of you already know that about me!

3. I love being a girl. I love wearing dresses and skirts, I love putting on make-up and doing my hair, I love the color pink, wearing jewelry and I even love wearing high heels.

4. I view the whole world as my canvas waiting for me to make it cute, beautiful or darling. My yard, my house, my children. Honestly sometimes I want to walk up to complete strangers and say, come. . . let me decorate you.

5. I hate having an unmade bed, I know this will shock my mother, but the first thing I do every morning is make my bed, and as soon as my kids are up, I make theirs. The rest of the house can be in chaos, but the beds must be made.

6. This one may be disturbing to some of you, but it's been on my mind, so here it is. I worry that people think that I have an eating disorder. This is probably based on the fact that I have had some very mean and hurtful things said to me, and behind my back about my weight. There have been times when I have almost peed my pants when I am out to dinner with friends because I am worried that if I go to the bathroom people will think that I'm headed off to puke my guts out. I have stuffed myself to the point that I am sick to prove that I really do eat. So there you have it, my great unknown. I don't really like being so skinny. It makes people say mean things and thirteen year olds have more curves than me!

Ladies Man!!

2008-02-25T20:58:00.000-08:00

Carson, Katilee and Will, Christmas 2006

I noticed that at a very young age that Carson treated girls differently than he treated boys. His two best friends in our old neighborhood, in Stansbury, were Katilee and Will. Carson would deck Will and take him to the ground (usually in a battle he lost) to take a toy from Will, but would bend over backwards to give Katilee whatever she wanted.

As of late he's started to make some comments that have really made me take notice. Today when I picked him up from preschool his cousin Kaden and him were sitting in the front seat while I arranged car seats. Two of the little girls from his preschool ran in front of my car and started waving, Carson said to Kaden, "Look, there's my ladies, they love me". I sat up and checked out the girls. . . they were pretty cute.

Than tonight Carson tells Ryan and I, "That little girl at IKEA, she was really pretty, I just keep thinking about her" I asked how old the little girl was wondering if she was actually a worker at the IKEA play place. He told me, she was three, but she would be four soon like him.

So, there you have it, four years old and already picking out the cute girls.

I was hoping we could put this off until what. . . he came home from his mission??? SCARES ME TO DEATH!!!

Our New Prophet

2008-02-04T21:37:00.001-08:00

I hope that Todd remembers this story the same way I do. When I was about twelve years old my cousin Alisha was married in the Salt Lake Temple. That night they had a beautiful reception at the Joseph Smith Memorial building. After awhile some of us started to get a little bored so Todd, Staci, Ben (my cousins) and Heidi (my sister) started playing tag on the elevators. During the duration of this game my pretty up-do started to sag and I lost my nylons and sunday shoes. My cousin Ben was it and Todd and I had just gotten off on the same floor he was on, so we dashed into another elevator. Ben made to come after us only to freeze. Instead of Ben, three tall men and a few other flustered people entered the elevator. The last thing I remembered seeing as the elevator closed was my mothers jaw gapping open. I was still bouncing around all jittery about escaping Ben. The tall man standing next to me turned to me and started asking questions. Todd just stood there in shock and I kept thinking, what is wrong with him. I chattered away rather hyper like the entire time we were in the elevator. When we finally reached the last floor, he turned, shook my hand, looked me straight in the eye and said, "It was nice to meet you Sister Painter" I'm sure he said something to Todd as well, but now it was my turn to be in shock, I was so overwhelmed by a feeling of love. It wasn't until he left the elevator and I watched other people stand and swarm to greet him that I realized I had just met Pres. Monson.

I have since met a shook hands with a couple of other apostles including Elder Tom Perry and Pres. Packer, but I have never felt that overwhelming sense of love FOR ME again. I am grateful for a man that took the time to instill a testimony in a messy, flighty twelve year old girl.

Pres. Hinckley

2008-02-04T21:19:00.000-08:00

While I have enjoyed reading what other people have written about Pres. Hinckley it has taken me awhile to say anything. I think the biggest reason is that I am not sure how to put into words all that I feel towards Pres. Hinckley On Sat. as I sat watching his funeral the tears started to stream as I watched his family file in for the graveside, I was so touched by their willingness to share their Great Grandpa, Grandpa and Father with us not only today a day, a day that is normally quiet and private for families, but through out his life. I am realizing that it is often easy to give of our time, talents but to do what is necessary to let those we love give of theirs, can be a painful sacrifice. One of my greatest life's lesson was learned when a friend mentioned to me that she had heard that Sister Hinckley had NEVER complained about her husbands dedication to the church. All of this was weighing on my mind as I watched this sweet family surround the casket. Carson saw me crying and simply said, "your said because the prophet died?" I looked at my own "little prophet" and said, "he's the only prophet I really remember, Mommy loves him". To the Hinckley family I say Thank you, thank you, thank you for your endless sacrifice you made so that he could touch so many lives. I am humbled by your example.

The picture above is a beautiful picture painted by Leon Parson. You can learn more about this picture by linking to my friend's Heidi and Brett blog (Brett is Leon's son). Heidiandbrett.blogspot.com The symbolism in this picture is amazing.

My Little Prophet

2008-01-20T16:22:00.000-08:00

Carson is such a boy that it kills me. My friends and neighbors are always telling me about how their girls are so opinionated about what they wear and constantly changing their clothes. At four years old Carson could CARE LESS what he wears. Honestly his favorite outfit to wear is nothing but his underwear. Than all of the sudden last Sunday he had a complete melt down about a sweater I wanted him to wear to church. When I asked him what all of the drama was about, he said he had to wear a "kite" (his name for a tie). I asked him why, and he said he needed to look like the prophet! Well, how do you argue with that? So, this week I went and bought him a new white shirt and tie and this Sunday he looked just like a prophhet. Doesn't he look handsome!

How can they have so much personality?!

2008-01-07T22:46:00.000-08:00

For the last couple of days, Brayden has randomly gone and found these glasses. He puts them on, and goes about the house minding his own business. Anytime Ryan or I laugh or comment on them he looks at us like, what? What's your problem? I'm just hanging out.

A Few Changes in Our Life

2008-01-07T22:14:00.000-08:00

Well last Sat. we got a call from our Stake Presidents office asking if we could meet with our Stake Pres. (whose name we did not even know) the next morning. So at 8:00 a.m. we showed up dressed and stressed at the stake center. I was hoping for stake sports director. My hopes quickly went down the drain when the Stake Pres. called his counselors in to meet the Archuleta's, something inside me told me that they probably didn't usually all gather to discuss Stake sports. Ryan was called to be the 2nd counselor in our bishopric. Everything happened really fast. They sustained him in sacrament a couple of hours later and than set him a part with in minutes of the closing prayer. The best way to describe the day was powerful. It was fun to see Ryan's parents beam as he was sustained and set a part. The most overwhelming part of the day for me was when they ordained Ryan as a high priest. Pres. Ellis (our 1st counselor in our Stake Presidency) said it well when he told us that this calling would come and go, but Ryan would remain a high priest, literally forever.

I have to admit. Since than I have felt overwhelmed, and let's admit it a little neglected. But, I am grateful that Ryan has the opportunity to serve. When he came home from his meetings on Sun. he was glowing. I know that the sacrifices ahead of me will be a blessing for me, for Ryan and our children. I have already felt an overwhelming sense of peace in my life that has never been there before.

Christmas Day!

2008-01-07T21:56:00.002-08:00

Since the purpose of doing this is suppose to be to keep a family journal, I am going to be completely honest about Christmas. WOW, IT WAS A LOT OF WORK! I was so excited this year because Carson was so in to it, and than Christmas Eve Carson got sick, and well the picture pretty much explains it. After all of my hours of preparation to have a spectacular Christmas morning, Carson was to sick to care about any of it. Lucky for us we have two kids and Brayden was a hoot, although once again his favorite present was the sprite in his stocking. Carson did perk up as the day went on and Ryan and throughly enjoyed a relaxing day with family. We went to the favorite Brunch at Ryan's sister Jen. We look forward to this event every year because of the spectacular food!! After stuffing ourselves we went to my Mom's for the rest of the day. My little brother Isaac had the cutest idea to take this picture of the boys and than he had a mouse pad made for my Mom, what a thoughtful present! Wow missions can change people! j/k

It's never really a vacation anymore is it?

2008-01-07T20:54:00.000-08:00

Back in the day I was fortunate enough to get to travel a couple of times a year. I loved the excitement of going some place new, or some place old to see friends. I looked forward to the time away in an airport forced to relax while I waited for the next step. In those days I carried around a sporty, baby blue, jansport with all of my school books and a few leisure books. In those days I packed my portable CD player with a few of my favorite CD's, and little else. I rarely stopped at expensive airport venues to buy drinks or food. Once I was on the plane I looked forward to a nice nap, or relaxing while I watched a movie or read a book.

I couldn't help but think this Oct. as I was running at full speed with a small superman backpack inscribed with CARSON on my back, and trying to keep from ramming others with the stroller I was pushing, how things have changed. I couldn't help but, let my eyes water up with tears as I spent six dollars on a gross hamburger, because although I had packed a pantry full of treats to feed the animals, none of it was good enough. I couldn't help from missing my books as I continuously unloaded and reloaded twenty dollars worth of toys from the dollar store from two overly packed, and very heavy, bite size back packs. And I certainly couldn't help but feel a little frustrated with the lady in front of me who gave me the look of death when she was woken from her slumber by my two year old, who despite my best efforts to drug him into a sleep, or keep him amused, was freaking out. It was at that moment that I realized that when we got homeI was going to need a vacation, from my vacation with my kids. Well I didn't get it, but I did take a nice long bath and read a book . . . for about 10 min.

The New House in Herriman

2007-11-11T16:16:00.000-08:00

Last Nov. Ryan was trasnferred to the Sandy Walmart. In March I made the decision to move closer to Ryans work. After giving it some consideration Ryan decided that he would be lonely with out me and the kids. Our little house in Stansbury sold in 10 days and after looking for several weeks and living with my Mom for a mon. we moved into our new house in Herriman. We quickly got to work and with in two months I had painted the whole house and last week we finally layed sod. Thanks to all of our family and friends for all their help!! We had no idea what a how much work moving into this house was going to be!

Hawaii

2007-11-11T15:28:00.000-08:00

At the end of April this year Ryan and I left the kids and spent a week in Hawaii. We went with our good friends Heidi and Brett Parson. We stayed with my Aunt Sandy on the big Island. My Aunt Sandy could not have been a more gracious host, her home was beautiful, and we she took us all over the Island. We snorkled, hiked, boogie boarded, swam with turtles, layed out on beaches, and jumped off cliffs. Pictures can never do Hawaii justice! Ryan and Brett turn into 16 year old boys when they are together and we spent most of the time laughing our heads off. Hanging out with Ryan for that many days with out work, a house to clean, a yard to work, boards to paint and sand, or kids to take care of, reminded us both why we got married in the first place.

Our Trip to Disney Land

2007-11-02T22:28:00.000-07:00

In January of 2007 we took the boys to Disney Land, (Ryan's family also tagged along). It was a great trip, until the second day when Brayden started throwing up and ended up in the emergency, but hey other than that it was great! Carson remained oblivious of his brothers agony and throughly enjoyed himself. The saving grace to the trip is that Delta messed up on our flights so they gave is vouchers that we used to go see Ryan's sister in Chicago just last week

The beginning of a new craze

2007-11-02T21:36:00.000-07:00

Well I figure all of my friends and family are doing it so I might has well give into the peer pressure and join the crowd. Beside I think I can totally pass this off as family History and writing a journal right!!