300th post

Well actually, this is number 302, but I forgot to mention it two posts ago. A lot has happened in the 2 years that I have been blogging. Here's a few highlights from our first year of blogging.


April 06 - Started the blog. Abby was 4 months old, and we had just moved into our house.










May 06 - Our electrician fell through our ceiling and we installed our own kitchen backsplash.










June 06 - We highlighted Abby's "huh" look.








July 06 - We celebrated the 4th of July and Abby had her first trip to the ER.











August 06 - My grandpa died, and I had a horrific experience with lots and LOTS of ants.







Sepetember 06 - We went on tour with Evening Song to Salt Lake City
and I think this is the month where I really started to enjoy taking pictures.









October 06 - People think Abby is a boy, then she turns into a parrot.







November 06 - We announce that we're pregnant, and I turn 30.




December 06 - Brian is stranded in Denver three days before Christmas,
and Abby celebrates her first birthday.










January 07 - We found out we were having a boy and fall in love with his cheeks.







February 07 - Abby takes her first steps.








March 07 - We take another trip to Salt Lake for Grandpa McMurdie's funeral and we break into our own house.

i've created a monster.

I found FREE RICE on my friend Tara's blog and thought it was fun so I showed it to Brian. Brian has spent the last three days playing this game trying to up his vocabulary level, but then again, that's what word nerds do.

Try it out. It's fun!

fun, fun, fun

Don't cha love those floaties?

All my best shots are of Maryn. I guess my camera really likes her!



Love those eyes!

Abby and Mikayla up to no good.

Everett is the calmest, most laid back kid. Love him.

Sand was EVERYWHERE.
Cute Maryn again. Poser.

I love baby feet.

I think Tava is one of the cutest, sweetest rolly poleys in the world.

Brothers.

How many kids can you fit on an inner tube?

Carter. Eating. As usual.

Maryn and Eric

not much

Not much to blog about lately, I guess. We went to the audiologist to get Carter fitted for hearing aids. According to our insurance company, hearing aids are covered with not even a deductable, so we're crossing our fingers that that's really true.

Yesterday we went swimming at Grandma and Grandpa McMurdie's for the first time this season. Abby did pretty well and even went down the big slide, and Carter loved the water too. This is going to be a fun summer!

We are spending tomorrow at the lake and the a cookout at the McMurdie's. Yay! I'll take pictures, but for now, enjoy the "Abby Stare."

in her shoes

I was talking with a friend of mine and she was telling me of the woes she is having with making friends in her ward. She has been in this ward for a year, and in that time has discovered that not many people have made an effort to include her, and her efforts to make friends haven't gotten her very far. There aren't necessairly a lot of "cliques" but a lot of pairs of women that are best friends with eachother, so I guess they're really comfortable and maybe don't have any need to have more friends. And she feels like she would be "butting in" if she tried to make friends with them. She says there is very poor attendance at the ward playgroup activities, and even Enrichment nights and ward parties are really sparse. She says all together, the ward is kind of blah. She feels like she's done all she can to find friends in her ward and is pretty sad about it.

I've been in her situation before but not to that extreme, so I was at a loss as to what to tell her.

What would you do if you were in her shoes?

how to eat a birthday cake

Oh, and this is how Abby eats Carter's Birthday cake.

Happy Birthday Carter!

all or nuthin'

A few months ago I decided that I would try to give up sugar. The first few days were really hard, but after 10 days with not a single drop of sugar, I found it to be really easy, and I felt healthier than I had been in a long time. But then I started to think, well if this is easy, then maybe I'm really not that dependent on sugar and I can start having it once a week. Surely I have enough self control to just have sugar one day a week. So on day 11 I had some Nilla Wafers. But on day 12 I justified that Nillas really didn't count and I deserved something bigger. So I made cookies... and well you can probably guess that was the end of my no sugar streak.

Now I'm back to filling my days with sugar and wasted calories and I'm sick of it. So I am openly admitting that I am seriously addicted to sugar, and I am going to do something about it. I don't believe that I'm the type of person that is good with "moderation in all things". I'm an all or nuthin' type of girl, and so I've decided to give it up completely, starting now. Wish me luck!

go girl

America's Next Top Model is a size 10!

I honestly didn't think she was going to win, because Anya, the girl she was up against in the finale, seemed to be the judges favorite throughout the competition. But at the runway competition, Whitney rocked it, and blew Anya out of the water. She was amazing!


I mean, we all know that beauty comes in all sizes, but its just nice to see a "plus size model" (although its hard to believe that size 10 is plus size) make a break through like this one.

And it gives all of us that aren't a size 2 some encouragement as well.

what is and what could have been

Today Brian was supposed to leave for Dubai.

I've thought about this for weeks now, and stewed over the fact that we weren't going; still feeling jipped out of an opportunity of a lifetime. I even had in my head a blog post where I would list all the things we were going to miss out on because we couldn't go to Dubai. Like the rich culture, and living by the ocean, and meeting new people from amazing places...

But today I have an entirely different perspective on life. We got Carter's most recent hearing test results yesterday, and his hearing has gotten worse. So much so that we need to get hearing aids for him. We're also questioning how much Abby can hear, so she will get an ABR in a few weeks. Suddenly everything has changed. Having a hearing impared child isn't the end of the world, but it is the end of life as we once knew. It will be different, and it may be scary. We don't know if Carters hearing will stay this way, or get worse. And I feel so sad for Carter. I feel sad that he will have this disability for the rest of his life. But I have to get over it. As my sister Ginny says, its not a disability, its a different ability. Carter will be different, but I will never treat him differently, and I hope the world will do the same.

I've always known that Carter was going to be okay, but today on the way home from the ENT, I cried I think for the first time about his hearing. It's real now. I have a hearing impared child.

I am relieved to tears that we aren't going to Dubai. Considering these new discoveries with their health, we never would have gotten the care and services that Carter and Abby need there. Here, we have an instant network of doctors, therapists and services at our fingertips that will help our children get the care that they need. Not to mention our family and friends to support us. I am grateful that things have worked out the way they have, and feel that the Lord is guiding us through this challenge

the bestest mom

My mom is the queen of junking. She finds the greatest things in the craziest places. This time, she found a little slide next to a dumpster. Knowing that I was desperate for something my kids can play on in the backyard, she eyed it for a couple of days and then asked the owners if she could have it. They happily loaded it into her car, and she power washed it and then drove 50 miles to bring it to us. She even attached a Dora balloon.

My mom is the most thoughtful person I know; always going out of her way and sacrificing her time and energy for her family. I am so grateful for my Mom. For her strength, her character, her friendship, and her devotion to her family. Oh, and for her great junking skills too.

goop, a wallet, and a mirror.

So this morning Carter woke up with goopy eyes and nose again. I have a bad feeling it's pink eye and a cold. And then I went to get my wallet and realized that its in Brian's car... which is at the airport cause he is out of town this week. Then Abby threw a small hand mirror across the room and broke it.

So we're off to a good start here.

okay. no more.

At first it was cute. Gross, but cute. But now that she's introduced Carter to the fine art of mud eating, it has to stop. What's worse is I think Carter finds dirt tastier than Abby did. There isn't much to do in our backyard, and stupid me gave them a sand box tool set to play with, which to them was an open invitation to literally "dig in."

We've got to get a swingset!