Sledding

We've only made it out sledding once so far, but it was a good time as always! Here is my biggest boy!
Carson was so good this year to hike the hill all by himself. He won't let anyone ride with him anymore and doesn't get scared a bit! He is growing up so fast!

Wyatt was the luckiest one who got to ride up and down the hill.

We hope for more sledding adventures to come!

Christmas Pictures

We had a wonderful Christmas. It was so much fun to watch Carson and Wyatt's excitement all day long! Carson's favorite gifts are his Leapster and Bumble Bee helmet and gun. It's kind of funny seeing Carson in this huge helmet. It cracks me up. Wyatt loves his saw and pretty much everything else. He has been fixing up the house and fixing up our owies with his doctor kit. I love getting pictures of the boys in their new clothes. I must get it from my mom.

This is right before church. One of the few Sundays that we have smiles before church, so I had to document it!

They also got new bedding for their bunk beds.
Ya, it took me several tries to get them to smile at the same time. It was worth it though! Merry Christmas!

Fawcett Christmas Party

On Christmas Eve, we had a party at my mom and dad's. After we had a delicious dinner, we had a program. Carson "helped" Grandma play the piano and Wyatt sang "Grandma Got Ran Over by a Reindeer", his favorite song right now.

I am very thankful that my Grandma and Grandpa were able to come be with us. The boys got new pajamas and hats and gloves from my mom and dad. Carson also got a new (and much needed) coat. Wyatt got boots that he won't take off.

The bottom picture is the best one I got of most of the grand kids. It is really hard to get 10 kids together for a picture! We had a great time together! I am very thankful for such great parents, sisters, brothers-in-law, nieces and nephews! I love you all so much!

Merry Christmas!

Although I had to work on Christmas this year, I still found time to call Britney and wish her and the boys a Merry Christmas. I also told her how much I missed her and couldn't wait to see her after work. I hope you had a great time anyway honey. I love you.

Merry Christmas!

2 Days Until Christmas!

We are almost ready for Christmas around here! Carson wrote a letter to Santa last night. I think his handwriting is getting pretty good. We are going up to my mom and dad's for their Christmas party tomorrow, and they boys and I are spending most of Christmas day up there. Thanks to my mom and dad for inviting us to stay with them so we don't have to be here alone. We will come home Christmas night when Ryan gets off work to spend some time with him. I think I am more excited than my kids!

Proctor Christmas Party

On December 19, we had our Christmas party with Ryan's side of the family. We played games, ate dinner, the kids performed the Nativity, and the kids opened presents from Grandma and Grandpa. Carson got a Bumblebee Transformer and Wyatt got an Optimus Prime Transformer and a cute little Uno game. Ryan spent the night trying to transform the Transformers. Wyatt spent the night downing cookies. Carson loved playing and rough housing with his cousins.

The Polar Express

Thursday night we boarded the Polar Express! We found our seats toward the back of the train car near the heater. The boys were excited that we got to ride in the caboose. We were off to the North Pole!On the train, we read the story of the Polar Express, drank hot cocoa, ate cookies, and sang songs. Mrs. Claus even joined us to give us a copy of one of her special recipes.
When we finally arrived at the North Pole, Santa Claus hopped on board. He gave all of the children a silver bell. I hope we will always be able to hear it. :)


Soon it was time to go, but fortunately we had these jolly elves to keep us company on the way back.

We got in the car and came home.
I think the train ride tuckered the boys right out.

Thanks to our friends Mariah and Dave for inviting us to come along! We had a very special, memorable night! Thanks for a wonderful time!

Christmas is Coming!

I love this time of year. I love the snow, the music, the decorations, the Christmas Spirit, and yummy foods. I love having things to look forward to and spending time with family and friends.

However, I am not loving my kids fighting EVERY SINGLE DAY! It kind of feels like Groundhog Day over and over with the fighting. Growing up, my mom would say she just wanted us to get along for Christmas or her birthday or whatever holiday it was. Now I know how she feels. That is all I want for Christmas too.

I also am quite bummed that my hubby has to work Christmas AGAIN! I am not looking forward to spending Christmas alone AGAIN. Can't they just lock up the prisoners and cuff them to their beds and tell them they will be back on the 26th? Do I have to pay for other's bad choices? Not to mention Ryan. I know he hates it as much as I do.

I guess I am just feeling a roller coaster of emotions right now. I think I'll just blame it on the hormones!

It's a Boy!

I will not need to change the name of my blog. :) We sure love boys around here!

Must Be Santa

Saturday morning our ward had breakfast and the kids got to sit on Santa's lap. They were so excited to see Santa! I was really surprised that Carson was the one who got a little nervous to talk to him.

Wyatt asked for a yaw (saw).

Carson told me earlier that he was going to ask for a Bumble Bee helmet and gun. When it was his turn, he wouldn't talk, so I reminded him what he wanted to say. I love how excited the boys are about Christmas and Santa. I also love that I can remind them that the elves are constantly watching them so they need to be good!Here is the gingerbread man Carson made to take to preschool tomorrow. He did a pretty cute job!

Exciting News!

We are expecting a baby in May! I am very excited and very nervous and just hoping for a healthy baby to join our family!

Countdown to Christmas!

For FHE on Monday, I decided to have the boys make those candy countdowns so they can have a piece of candy each day until Christmas.We are so excited for Christmas around here, we can hardly stand it!!

Thanksgiving & Other Happenings

I have been horrible about remembering my camera, so I don't have any pictures. This has been a fun week, and I wanted to remember what we have been doing...

Sunday: We had a pre-Thanksgiving dinner at my parent's house. It was delicious as usual! Due to a huge snow storm and the closing of Parley's Summit, the boys and I ended up spending the night instead of braving the roads. Ryan missed out because he was working.

Tuesday: Ry and I got to go out for our anniversary. The Proctor's watched the boys for us. We watched New Moon and had dinner. I had a great time with my man. While we were gone, the boys got to make their own pizza's and had a fun time with their grandparents.

Thursday: We had Thanksgiving at the Proctor's this year. I made banana cream and coconut cream pies for the first time. I think they turned out pretty good; although, the crust kicked my tush and I ended up sending Ry to the store to buy my crusts for me. My mom is now determined to teach me how to make pie crusts. :)

Friday: I went Black Friday shopping with my sisters (kind of). It is always so crazy, but exciting to get a good deal. I think I got everything I had set out to find. I am so excited for Christmas! I think being a parent is just as fun as when I was a kid. I can't wait!!!

We had a great Thanksgiving and I hope you all did as well!

"The Prilgrins and The Indians"

Carson made these costumes and had a Thanksgiving feast at preschool today. He came home and allowed me to take his picture, along with his side-kick, Wyatt.

Then he told me the story of the first Thanksgiving. Here is Carson's account.

"The Prilgrins were in a town where they didn't want to be and then they went to a place where they had to go to church and then they didn't like going to church every Sunday. And then they lived with the Indians. Then the Prilgrins and the Indians sat down, then they went to get their food for a huge feast and then the Indians taught the Prilgrins to be strong and work and build houses. And then they got their turkey and then they got some drinks and then they builded their houses. And that's all."

Bunk Mates

Ryan and I decided to get the boys bunk beds as an early Christmas present from us. The first two nights were a little rough since they have never slept in the same room, but now they are doing great. I hope it continues and no one falls off and gets hurt!!

Eight!

A few years ago, I was living in downtown Salt Lake going to SLCC in their radiology program. I was living with these Hispanic sisters and it came time to either renew the lease or move out. They decided to move and I did not want to go along. Who could blame me really. I didn't enjoy them speaking Spanish when I came around or the Spanish soap operas on TV all of the time. So, I went to the Institute (of religion not mental--hee hee) up at the U and found a few numbers off of the "roommate wanted" board.

A few weeks later, I moved in with Becky. She was probably one of my best roommates, and I had many. She was dating a guy named Adam. One weekend she invited me to go water skiing with her, Adam and Adam's brother (Ryan). We had a fun time together and even hung out that night and a couple of dates after that. Then he went to Vegas for a week, but he never called. I figured it was probably over. But then brought me back presents. I thought I better give this guy a chance. :) Well, after dating for a few months, we got engaged in September and married eight years ago today. That was then...

And here we are now....

Eight of my favorite memories of the past eight years with Ry are:

1. Having our boys & telling Ryan that he was going to be a dad for the first time.
2. Getting sealed in the temple.
3. Buying and moving into our first house together, then our second.
4. Our trips to Mexico, Disneyland, Yellowstone, and San Francisco. I love our vacations together!
5. Surprising Ryan with the Wii last Christmas.
6. Our few over-nighters to Anniversary Inn.
7. New Year's Eve 2001.
8. The late nights when we stay up talking and talking and talking.

Happy Anniversary, Babe! It stunk that we weren't able to spend the day together, but I hope and pray for many more anniversary's to come! I love you!!

I am Thankful for Gifts

The gift of a great family, wonderful children, and friends.

The gifts of love and forgiveness.

The gift of music.

The gift of a place to call home.

The gift of the Gospel.

The gift that are watched over every minute of every day by a loving Father in Heaven.

Another Thankful Post

Today I am thankful that Carson is excited to sleep on the floor in his sleeping bag since I sold his bed on KSL in 20 minutes! Yeah me! (Maybe I didn't ask for enough $$??)

Thankful for...

Modern medicine and technology. I really would have made a horrible pioneer.

People who do their callings, who get along with others and don't complain! And my wonderful presidency. I really love the girls I am working with.

Creative, loving sisters that always have the answers to my many questions! I sure love them!

People that teach or care for my children. I am really thankful for their love and patience for my kids and it is so exciting for me when my kids tell me things they have learned at school or church. I got to watch the teachers interact with my kids a little today and they are so sweet to them. If I can't be with them, I am grateful they are with good people.

Today I am thankful for...

Toilet plungers. You really don't want to know the details. But I am also thankful that when the plunger doesn't work, Ryan will be home to fix it when I can't.

Much to be Thankful For...

All month I have been thinking of what I am thankful for, and today, I am finally getting around to posting!

Not that there is a specific order, but I am thankful for my job. I am thankful to be a mom and to have these two little boys to help me be less selfish and hopefully a little more patient. I love them more than anything! I am also thankful that I chose the profession that I am in because I really like what I do, I get to meet a lot of people that make me realize I'm not so crazy, and I work with really nice people that make me feel appreciated.

I am thankful to be healthy and have healthy kids and a healthy husband.

I am thankful to have a clean house. This morning I made a list of all that I needed to do because I like to cross things off my list. It makes me feel like I have accomplished something even if I still haven't showered, and I am sitting in a bathrobe blogging at 11:30. Anyway, after being bribed with letting them have some of their Halloween candy, Carson and Wyatt even helped. I think it is important for them to learn to work and clean up after themselves too.

I am thankful for Ryan. He is so helpful around the house and with the kids. I wouldn't want to be doing this without him.

Halloween

Here Ryan is carving pumkins. He is quite meticulous and really does a good job.

He did allow me to carve one. Can you guess which one? (Here's a hint...it was too small for one of his designs to fit that's why he let me carve it.)

The boys had a great time trick or treating and got way too much candy.

Happy Halloween!

Carson's Birthday Part 2

Monday, Carson's preschool celebrated his birthday. He chose Halloween donuts to take to share with his class. Of course, Wyatt couldn't be left out.
I had to bribe Carson Tuesday morning to let me cut his hair so we let him open a present in the morning. He chose the biggest present, which was a Batman Cave. Thanks, Rakell for the idea. He loves it!Carson was so excited that it snowed on his birthday. We told him we would take him anywhere he wanted and he chose Wendy's for lunch then bowling. Thanks to the bumpers, Wyatt won with a score of 100 and we all followed behind in the 90's. We are thinking of being a pro-bowling family. :)

Carson's grandparents came down for dinner and cake and ice cream. We were so glad they could come celebrate with us. My boys love their grandparents! I am grateful we live close enough so they have a great bond with their grandparents.

Grandma Nita made the skeletons out of tube socks and their Halloween shirts. She is so creative--much unlike myself. Carson wanted a monster truck cake so this is what we came up with. Now he is talking about turning 6!

Happy Birthday Carson!

I can't believe this boy is five! Time has flown by! Carson's birthday is actually tomorrow, but we have a full day planned, so I decided to write about him today. Saturday we had a Halloween/Birthday party with his cousins. It was very fun, but unfortunately I forgot my camera, so Skip, if you have any pics can you send them my way?

Here are a few facts about Carson:

Favorites:
Color: green/black
Song: Snowman, The Cars song, Shift Work, and a new song about Toes in the Sand (the edited version of course :) )
Things to do: play the Wii, ride 4-wheelers, ride his bike, and play with his brother
Food: pizza, Spagettios, lasagna
Drinks: chocolate milk and root beer
TV show: Curious George
Snack: fruit snacks and popcorn
Book: he says he likes all books

Carson does not like getting his haircut, going to bed, or going shopping.
He says his best friend is Wyatt.
He likes to be busy or doing something at all times.
He sleeps with his blue blankie every night. (I have to sneak it to wash it.)
He loves preschool and right now loves math. He is always telling us what ___ + ___ equals.
He is a little boss and takes charge when playing. (First child syndrome?)
He likes to pretend he is going to work and that he is a superhero.
I have to make things into a competitive game for him to help me. Everything from eating, putting clothes away, and buckling in the car is a race!

Carson is a fun part of our family. He is a very smart, fun, cute boy and we love him so much! We hope you have a super birthday, Buddy!

Look-alike

Wyatt brought me my camera the other day and asked me to take his picture with his gun. Ooo la la!Of course, Carson couldn't let Wyatt be the only one getting his picture taken.
So, I was looking at the pictures and realized how these two look so much alike. They have an interesting relationship where one minute they are playing and the next fighting then back to playing. And they always want to play with the same thing at the same time. I never realized why parents bought two of the same thing until now. I hope we survive Carson's birthday without too many tears!

Wyatt and Ryan are finally over the Swine Flu. They went to the doctor last week and the doctor didn't even test them. I guess they just had all the right symptoms. I am thankful it wasn't too bad, and I would give it a 6/10 for the worst sickness that has been in our home. Carson maybe got it but only had a fever for a day. I have been feeling fine, but the doctors at my work put me on Tamiflu just in case. Apparently they really don't want me getting their prego patients sick. That stuff is stinkin' expensive. I can think of a million other things I would rather spend $86 on. I hope we can all stay healthy through the rest of this dreadful flu season!

October

I keep trying to find interesting things to write about that we have been doing or funny things the kids are up to, but to no avail. So, basically this is what we have been up to...

Ryan: Went elk hunting for the first time in his life. Between work and getting a cold (which has landed him in his death bed) he only made it out for a day and a half. He only saw a few moose and deer. Unfortunately for him (and fortunately for me not having to eat the thing--sorry I'm a beef girl), he came up empty handed and is already planning for next year's hunt. Yippee.

Carson: Is getting so excited for his 5th birthday at the end of the month. He just wants to have a Halloween dress-up party with his cousins at Grandma's house and then have cake and presents. I've asked him if he wanted to have a friend party, but he doesn't. I guess I am off easy this year! He loves his costume for Halloween and tries it on frequently. He is a much better helper when I refer to him as Batman instead of Carson.

Wyatt: Nothing new here, other than this kid needs to grow. When I think he is going to be three in March and hasn't grown a bit since his 18 month appointment, it really worries me. I hope a serious growth spurt is just about to take place. I might have to bring on the Ensure. (Is that the drink they give old people to help them gain weight?)

Me: I have been getting things ready for our Primary Program in a couple of weeks. Only two kids burst in to tears when we had them practice their parts yesterday at church. I consider that a success. I also read a really good book called, The Hunger Games. No, it is not a book on dieting like one of my coworkers thought. Maybe that was a hint... :) It was a really good book and I am about to neglect my family again and start the second book in the series.

Well, that's about it! Until next time...

Birthdays!

We have been celebrating birthdays the last couple of months. Crystal's birthday was in August and I forgot my camera, so unfortunately I don't have any pictures. And apparently if I don't have a picture of something, I forget to write something about it. Sorry, Crystal, I should have written this a long time ago! I do remember that we went to Zupa's for lunch...

Somethings that I love about Crystal:

• She is a great aunt and my kids love her!
• Crystal is so supportive and a great listener. I know I can call her when I need to talk or vent and she just knows what I need to hear.
• She is fun to be around and I love when I get to spend time with her no matter what we are doing.
• She is very intuitive. She can tell when something is wrong and tries to cheer me up.
• Crystal is very complimentary and helps me feel good about myself. I am so lucky to be her sister!

This past week, we went to The Cheesecake Factory for Teresa's birthday. I also tagged along for some shopping afterward. I love shopping with these girls (including Mom)! First, they are usually honest if something is really cute or plain hideous. Second, our taste is very similar, so we usually end up with something the same. Last, they are super fun and our "shopping style" is similar--inexpensive, and get in and get out.

Somethings I love about Teresa:

• When I need someone to laugh at me, I call her. She always lightens my mood and helps me not be such a grouch when I'm having a bad day.
• She is very stylish and is always telling me when there is a good sale to check out.
• I feel like Teresa really loves and cares for me.
• She always has the answer to my many questions about motherhood and if all boys act that way or if mine just have issues. :)

Love you girls! Hope you both had great birthdays!

Fall Soccer

Today was Carson's last soccer game. He did so well and I am so proud of him! His coach gave awards today and Carson received the "Train Goal" award because when he had the ball, he would go straight for the goal. Carson's competitive side definitely came out on the field. He is a good little player, and I hope to have many more games to attend in the future!

More Mexico Pictures!

Hooray! I learned how to make collages and had so much fun that I am adding more Mexico pictures to the blogster. Thanks a bunch Keri!