picture catch up

Carter has been playing YMCA Basketball.

Dribbling down the court....

Score 2 points!

For Thanksgiving My mom and dad came up. Jaxton was lovin' on grandpa. He never does this to anyone, but grandpa held him when i was busy and couldn't give him attention, so he loved up on him.

Cousin Jord.
Making pies with grandma. Licking the cream..... Grandma would get her some on a spoon and she would say " that's not very much"

Kiddo's

Our first snowman of the year. This was over a month ago. Since Carter was at school we made it a girl with pink hair :)



yes those are p ink gloves on Jaxton, because we don't have any for him yet. and his coat was too huge he looked like the kid off of christmas story and couldn't move. so he is a little mismatch

Snow Angel :)

USB cord is back so expect some updates!

Starting with HIVES! Jaxton started getting hives all over his back and belly , that progressed until his intire body was coverd with these welts. Luckily they didn't seem to bother him. And funny thing is he wasn't even allergic to anything it was just a virus?! They look awful though.

Halloween:

I was bubble gum. Carter a vampire and Haven Alien from toy story. and Jax wore Carters old pirate costume.Carters best friend since preschool Riley is the Ninja.

"ELIEN" as Haven says it.

She got too hot and the heavey head of her costume kept falling off, so she spent most of the evening in her pajamas. lol

sorry no pics

So, my USB cord for my camera broke, so I can't download any pictures right now, but I will tell you some things I am so happy about:

• Jaxton is 100% weaned from nursing and sleeping through the night ( i know babies sleep through the night sometimes when they are like 6 months old, but none of my kids did, I end up nursing them back to sleep and it creates problems, but we are all done now)
• I became a Mary Kay Beauty Consultant, and although at times I get feeling nervous and overwhelmed with it , I am really excited about it and feel some confidence returning to me. http://www.marykay.com/cherishw . And so many of my family and friends are already being so supportive and helping me get my business started. Thank you!
• I started exercising again, just today actually, and I plan on cutting down and eliminating sugar from my daily diet. I need to lose about 7-10 lbs and I will be much happier!
• I have been asked to give the TFOT lesson on Gratitude by Thomas S. Monson, so I get to prepare that and receive the blessings of that, a little nervous but still exciting! I am trying hard lately to count my blessings, at least one a day, to prepare for this talk, and to help me with my attitude. funny thing was that before I was asked to do this talk I decided I wanted to be a more positive person/mom. I want my kids to see that bad things happen to all people but faith makes them bearable, and attitude really is a little word that makes a big difference. Easy to say, not so easy to do, but I am trying!
• I have been growing my nails out again. This is my 3rd time in 27 years. I did it like 6 years ago but then I had a horrible experience with a cop and jail in St. George and bit them all off, then I tried again last year and a really bad anniversary came up and there went my nails again, so here I am again, hoping to never go back to biting my nails wish me luck. I use this awesome stuff my mom told me about, it comes in a purple box and it is pink stuff called Nail Magic from Sally's beauty supply. Love it!
• I have said many times before, I love my mattress and bed, therefore I am going to climb in my comfy bed! Good night!
• OH an one more thing, Carters is going to get his two front teeth for Christmas! Why is this exciting you may ask? Because he has been without them for almost 2 years because they were his baby teeth that have been capped and rotted and fell out prematurely. Imagine eating without your 2 front teeth for over 2 years! :)

Maybe I am trying to be so positive because I know I have a hard Montana winter ahead of me and you will all get to hear me complain about it for the next 5 months. :)

thoughts

A couple of my friends are going through some very trying times right now. Both of them have shown great faith and courage in face of their trials. They both have listed things they are grateful for, rather than focusing on the bad. I am inspiried by their strength and want to list some of the things I am grateful for reguardless of current wave of trials. I think we all need to be grateful all the time, but I am very impressed by my friends who thought to do it when it may be hardest to do so. I am not bragging or patting myself on the back. Just trying to be grateful.

I am grateful for being raised by a loving family who don't strive on drama. Are they perfect..no. But My parents and siblings all love me and for that I am grateful!

I am grateful for being "lucky" enough to have married the man I did. Based on the way I was acting at the time and some of the guys I was dating at the time, I didn't deserve to find him. It was no luck that we met, but I feel lucky to have met him.
we really have become unified over the past 9 years, to the point where it is hard for us to be apart for even one day.

I am grateful for healthy children and the ability to bear them. That is not to say that I didn't get a life threatening blood clot and have to be on blood thinners for the remaining pregnancies but there again makes me grateful for medical advances that allowed me to have more than one kid despite the risk of blood clots. Even though all 3 of my children have my blood condition that causes their spleens to be enlarged and thus need to be removed at an early age, there are so many worse things they could have. This condition does not prevent them from living a "normal" life. There again grateful for medical advances that allow this condition to not turn fatal.

I am grateful for a full functioning body. (although I don't always show it, with my lack of exercise) I am grateful I can run, and see beautiful things, and smell wonderful things, and taste amazing food. I see people in wheel chairs that are paralyzed or people born without fingers and toes or other limbs ..etc and am so grateful I know what it is like to run my fingers through my childrens hair or hold my husbands hand.

I am grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the many things I have learned and been able to apply in my life for the better as of the past 4 years and especially the past year.

I am grateful for GOOD friends. Ones who care about me and show me that they do. You know who you are.

The list goes on but I have to stop because one of my little ones is having a rough time falling asleep.

so Good night :)

Oh and I am soooo grateful I invested in a nice matress, because I LOVE my bed! :)

Hookie...

So since Carter's birthday party was Saturday and his actual Birthday on Sunday, he didn't get a chance to use his new fishing pole that Grandpa and Grandma bought for him. We decided to play hookie and take a "family day" and go somewhere we have never been and go fishing! It was fun. Here are some highlights.
Tim caught a really pretty rainbow trout on Carters "lucky pole"

Jaxton wasn't feeling well and was kind of bored so I made a game up for him that Haven joined in and enjoyed too. I propped a piece of wood on a rock and rolled rocks down it, while making car noises. They loved it. Jaxton laughed every time. I still am able to think of entertaining things, I have not been completely handicapped by tv and computer...yet.

The place we went is called Ruby Reservoir. Because there are a whole bunch of Rubies there and the nearby town boomed..until they realized they were Garnets, now the town is a tourist ghost town. lol So Tim and Carter are trying to find some "rubies" in this picture.

While we were cooking some hot dogs Carter asked if he could cast out his own line and we said yeah sure go ahead. Next thing we know Carter is reeling in a fish. He was so proud, and we were surprised that he caught a fish completely on his own with his "lucky blue Shakespeare pole". It is kind of small and blends into the rocks. You can see me in the background, holding Jaxton and trying to get our dog to fetch a stick so he would stop trying to eat the fish. Stupid dog. lol j/k

Haven was catching all kinds of fish for us. Sweedish fish, "bockoli" sparkly fish, and in this picture she is saying "wainbow" fish. !

.

Carter turns 7

Pin the hat on Woody from Toy story.Opening Presents Blowing out the candle.

Home made tied flies from Grandpa Tom! And a new Shakespeare Fishing pole. Carter can't wait to go fishing!

there is no charge for awesomeness.....or attractiveness

So for doing so well as a store in whole Tim's boss took everyone and their spouses out to a nice dinner. Rib and Chop house in LIvingston. Tim's brother and his family watched our kids. So we were dressed up and ready to go eat some yummy food at someone else's expense!
So there we are sitting waiting for our food and we hear a scream coming from the lady at the table behind us saying " ahhh there's a spider on my arm" The guy sitting with her said what? where?!!! I looked on the ground and sure enough there was a pretty big spider scrambling around. So me being the awesome person I am ( and not wanting it to climb up on me, because it was no innocent daddy long leg, definately a hobo poison bite, swell up huge, possible amputation, kind of spider) (: Decided to stand up turn around and step on the little buggar.
YUP that's me, stepping on a spider for a stranger in a nice restraunt in front of all Tim's co workers and boss. ( actually no one at our table really paid any attention)
I looked at the lady and said "got it" and sat down. She looked at me and said " Thank YOU! so much you rock! " And sealed it with a knuckle bump! :) She asked me how I saw it, being that a) she was probably drunk b) the lights were dim c) and the carpet was black and brown, it would be hard to see. But I said " well I saw it running" ....and thought to myself carpet usually doesnt run unless you are drunk all the time.
It was pretty funny. HOpe you enjoyed the true story :)

Kona our new dog

Tim sold a car to a guy who mentioned they had a dog they wanted to give away because they aren't home with it very much anymore. Tim said we would maybe be interested if it was a good dog. So we have a dog now. He is about 1 1/2 yrs old. Chesapeak Bay Retriever. He is a very good dog, although Jaxton gives him an earfull when they both want to play with the same ball.
His name is Kona but when i first heard the name it reminded me of "the cone of shame" from the movie "UP". So Haven will say "Hey cone a shame come here puppy". Pretty fun.

He looks a little dopey in this picture because he is retrieving a ball back to me, but he is very smart and loves to play fetch.

"Ballareens"

Haven started "creative movement/pre tumbling" class this week. But she calls it ballareens.
Basically it is just dancing around and having alot of fun while learning some dance and gymnastic basics. Pretty cute to watch.
Haven kept looking at me and winking. The other mom's watching on the side were cracking up at her.
Here are some pictures I took

:

Painting Before and AFters

Living room before: (note the brown wooden cheap looking base boards)Dining Room Before:

Dining room before..removing the ugly industrial looking shelves ( but now where do I put all the stuff I had on them?)
Living room after: new curtains and decoration above couch..

living room after: note no more chocolate wall...

Dining room after: the curtains all match but the ones in the dining room are blue with circles and the other ones are more beige with circles, I love them!!!


Dining room after: note new clock in place of shelves


This is Carter before his first day of 1st Grade! thus the one finger I made him hold up. lol

Here is the update on school: It has only been two days. I knew Carter would be tired because he was used to sleeping in past the time he has to be up and ready and at school, but in a week he will be used to that. I knew he would have an adjustment period where he needed to get used to his new teacher. Kindergarteners fall in love with their teachers (if their teacher is good and nice),because they are so young and they don't know alot of people, so it seems to be hard for Carter to accept his new teacher and the way she does things.

He told me yesterday that some girl he doesn't even know called him a liar for no reason, and Tim and I both told him it was probably because she thinks he's cute , but just to ignore her if she is mean. Then tonight after him acting in a bad mood and saying he doesn't like school and alot of prodding Carter broke down crying saying that he feels like people hate him when they are mean to him. He said some kid made fun of him for having a smaller glue stick(what a stupid thing to pick on someone for?), and another kid called him weird at the lunch table and kept putting his food on him. And his feelings have just been really hurt by these kids he doesn't even know , so it is weird to him that they are being mean "for no reason".

It is SO hard when you hear that other kids are mean to your kid, it makes you want to go tell a teacher that they need to put a stop to it or tell your kid it is ok to punch the mean kids in the nose! But I amazingly came out with some good advice and insight.

Finally I am able to put my "getting picked on" to some good use. I know how it feels and I know how to deal with it and that it doesn't last forever and that it usually means people are jealous or t feel threatened by you. We even did a coupld of practice runs where I told Carter to just say "so" or "who cares" or something similar when people say mean things to him.

I have confidence that Carter will adjust to first grade and continue to find friends and be the leader he always has been, we just need to get back into routine.

that's all ... good night

Lagoon 2010

So we went to Lagoon this weekend. It was a really quick and tiring trip though. After Tim got off work Thursday drive for 7 hours...sleep for a few..wake up go to Lagoon for about 10 hours...sleep...wake up drive to P.F. Changs..mmmmm...drive back to Layton eat dinner, then drive home 7 hours...finally home at 1:30 a.m. sleep in our own beds zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

I was surprised that I can't enjoy the rides the way I used to. They make me feel dizzy in the head, even if they don't spin! What the heck?

I was a bit ornery and stressed out because of having lost $50 ( well actually got tricked into paying for my 1 yr old $30 for him not to be able to ride anything! and not getting our $20 cash given to us and the till balancing out which means the kid pocketed our money! ) , and having a 1 year old to try to deal with at an amusement park.

Always something to be grateful for though....

I got to see my two oldest brothers and their families although it was brief because everyone was just doing their own thing, running around and bumping into each other here and there.

But it was my sisters birthday so I am glad I got to see 3 people on that day 1. her son Jordan 2. some of my family 3. Gaylynn's best friend from high school and one of my favorite people and coincidentally our cousin, Sheral ! ( in no particular order)