Sock Hop

Last week Colby and I went to a PTO Sock Hop at his school. There weren't very many people there but we had a lot of fun. I won a gift basket with bath products and also won a silent auction of a photo shoot for the boys. I'm really excited about the photo shoot because I've been wanting to do one for a long time but Chris doesn't really like to spend money on pictures when we can take pictures ourselves. You know, men! Here's a picture of the cute little man.


Yeah, I don't really know what this pose is all about.

Some New Wheels at Our House

This weekend we went and picked up a very special gift from Grandpa and Grandma in Missouri. They've been waiting a long time to get the boys something big like this and boy do the boys love it! It's a Powerwheels Jeep!! The first day they had it they rode around in the alley for about 2 hours taking turns with the neighbor girls. See they are picking up chicks already! I'm sure this will keep the kids entertained for hours so thanks Grandpa and Grandma in Missouri!!

Lagoon

On Saturday Colby got to go camping at Lagoon with Grandpa and Grandma Carpenter. It was special for him because he got to spend alone time with just the two of them. No little brother getting in the way. They said he played a lot of games with them and put together some puzzles and had so much fun playing in the dirt that the tub was black!

On Sunday morning Chris, Cameron and I went up to meet them and spend the day at Lagoon. Colby had so much fun, the bumper cars were his favorite! Cameron on the other hand did not! For some reason he has decided he hates seat belts of any sort-well except the kind in the car thankfully! We tried to put him on a few rides with Colby and he did nothing but scream! Grandma thought she'd take him on the carousel because he loves the one at Disneyland but sure enough, when it was time to put on the seat belt he screamed bloody murder and I had to rescue her from his screams by removing him from the ride. We did finally convince him to go on the train but only because he could sit on Grandma's lap. After all was said and done we did end up getting him on five rides I think. The rest of the day he was content to just stand or watch Colby do all the fun stuff. We always have a good time at Lagoon! We seem to always go when the weather is bearable and the crowds are low so the boys can go from ride to ride. That's pretty much why we go is for the boys. I think Chris and I rode one ride by ourselves and that wasn't even worth it. Colby is already asking when he can go back. He said he LOVES Lagoon! So thanks Grandpa and Grandma Carpenter for inviting us to spend the day with you. We love our good quality time with you guys!

Out of the Mouth of Babes

I saw this cute little questionnaire on someone else's blog and thought it was a really cute idea so I stole it. Sure hope she doesn't mind. Anyway it's a question and answer session with Colby and I think some of his answers are absolutely freaking adorable! I wanted to put this on my blog so I could document this for later in life. You know maybe I'll do this every year until he refuses just to see how his answers change. I also did this for Chris but I'll save that one for another day.

1. What is something mom always says to you? I Love You

2. What makes mom happy? Me being good

3. What make mom sad? When I do something bad

4. How does mom make you laugh? Saying silly things (Never knew I was a comedian)

5. How old is your mom? 30 (Thanks, Colb, I'll pay you later!)

6. How tall is your mom? 30 and when I asked 30 what he said just 30

7. What is your mom's favorite TV show? Our favorite show (He's referring to Jon & Kate Plus 8 because we used to watch it together a few years ago while Cameron was napping. I don't watch it anymore because they have gone off the deep end. He never knew the name and just referred to it as our favorite show)

8. What is your mom good at? Spelling words

9. What is your mom's job? Working on the computer

10. What is your mom's favorite food? Pizza

11. What do you like about your mom? When you hug, squeeze, and kiss me

12. If your mom were a Disney character who would she be? Daisy Duck

13. What do you like to do with your mom? Ride bikes

14. How are you and your mom the same? We both talk

15. How do you know mom loves you? Because you always hug me

16. What does your mom like about your dad? When he's nice to me

17. Where is your mom's favorite place to go? Disneyland

My Quest for 5K

In May I decided to take up running. At first I didn't take it too seriously and just went for a jog whenever time allowed and didn't really keep track of distance or time. After moving in July and having this awesome lake a block from my house and seeing all the runners out there enjoying it as well I decided to take it more seriously. I set my sights on running a 5K. Even though I played multiple sports in school I was never ever a runner. The most running I did was from one end of the basketball court to the other. So setting a goal of a 5K seemed both aspirational and attainable-can it be both? Since our move I've been running every other day and have made it to my 5K mark to which I am very impressed with myself. If I can do it anyone can! I decided to "complete" my goal I would sign up for a 5K and it just so happens that the Wasatch Women 5K is scheduled for this weekend. After debating and chickening out about 10 times I finally told Chris that if he registered me I would do it. I mean if I paid the money I definitely needed to follow through with it, right? On Monday he logged on to sign me up and found out they had filled all the spots and were no longer taking registrations. :( When I found this out I actually felt a little bit sad because I had convinced myself I could do it and now lost the opportunity. So off I go to look for another 5K to complete.

As it turns out I guess it was a good thing I couldn't register. I went to Salt Lake Running Company on Saturday and found out what type of run I had and what shoes worked best for me. Got fitted for those as well as inserts and after running on them for 3 days yesterday I came home with a huge blister on the arch of my foot. Man it hurts. I called them to find out what to do and they gave me some good advice. Not only do I have a blister but my toenail on my right foot FINALLY fell off. I say finally because it's been dying a very slow death. It started out purple and then turned black then white and now gone...I guess my old shoes were a bit too small. To top it all off with my knee has started to hurt. Not while I run but after I get done and anytime I try to walk up stairs or squat down. I don't know what's going on with it but man does it hurt! I don't want to go to the doctor for fear they will tell me I have to quit running for a while and after all this hard work I'm not about to give up now. So I guess I'll take it easy today and possibly tomorrow and be glad registration was full so I don't have to worry about whether or not I'll make it on Saturday or not.

Colby's New Bike

Finally, a few weeks ago Colby got his very first big boy bike. Well it still has training wheels but it's a real big boy bike. The first day he got it he was riding at Mike and Nancy's and crashed into the neighbors mailbox. He got up with blood coming out of his nose, went in to have Grandma wipe it off and once the blood was gone he was right back up on it. Since then he's done really well with it. One day I thought it might be a good idea to let him ride the four blocks to school with me pulling Cameron in the bike trailer behind my bike. BAD IDEA...it took him longer to ride to school than it did for us to walk the one time we tried that, and trust me he's a slow walker too! But over the last week we've taken him out a lot to let him get used to it and he's doing so much better and getting more comfortable on it. We walked to the lake and I pushed Cameron in the stroller while Colby had free reign on the bike and he loved it and has learned to go really fast on it. In fact, there were several times I had to tell him to stop and wait for me to catch up. So I guess not all hope is lost with him riding to school. Maybe we'll try that again next week and see if we can make better time!

Oh yes, and we cannot forget about Cameron! He got a big wheel for his birthday and he loves to ride it around too. Some how that little boy can get that thing going faster by using his feet on the ground than most kids probably can peddle. It wears me out just watching him. But soon enough he's going to be on a big boy bike too and I am definitely not ready for that yet!

I love the fact that we have the perfect place for the boys to ride without fear of them getting hit by a car. We head out to the garage and our house is the first one on an allyway with about 10 houses on it. Everyone on the ally has kids that play out there and ride power wheels and bikes of their own. The boys have free reign of the ally and can play without worrying about getting hit. Either Chris or I or both of us camp out at the curve to watch for any cars so we can warn the kids to get out of the way and off they go. Lately I've been planting my butt down on a chair so I have a good view of everything. Seems to be working out really well so far.

Swimming Fun

I swear my boys are half fish because they LOVE to swim! I guess they take after me since I love it too. It helped that I had a swimming in pool in my backyard growing up. I could swim anytime, anyplace. Chris, however, can swim pretty much just good enough to not drown but that's about it. So when the boys were little I decided that I wanted them to be good solid swimmers so I don't have to worry as much about them. I started taking Colby the summer he was about to turn one and the same with Cameron. Every chance we get we head to the pool and it looks like my persistence paid off because they are both doing fabulously!

Colby has learned to swim under the water and that's a big step for him because he's one of those boys that couldn't stand to have water in his eyes. Just last week he was able to tread water and keep himself afloat for a long time. That gives me a tiny bit of relief that if something were to happen he would at least be able to keep himself afloat for a little while.

Cameron is a complete daredevil! He does not want to stay in the shallow end where he can touch. No, he wants to be in the deeper part with his floaties on right there alongside his brother. It amazes me how good he does with the floaties. He can swim better with them on than anyone I've ever seen and I'm not just saying that because I'm his mom. Even the lifeguard said the same thing. She was very amazed at him! Sometimes he thinks he can take of his floaties and still be able to swim but I let him and stand right there while he sinks to pull him back up and then he decides maybe he does need his floaties and puts them back on. I have always been very diligent about water safety and Cameron makes me really nervous with his confidence in the water. I guess that just encourages me to watch him even more like a hawk, if that's possible.

I love that they love to swim because it's something we can do as a family and enjoy together! Here are some cute pics of them swimming!

Fun on the Lake!

A few weeks ago Chris and I decided to take the boys out on the lake in canoes. We asked Adam and Erica if they wanted to join us and they happily agreed. Since that particular day was going to be so hot I wanted to get out on the lake early in the morning to avoid the heat but that didn't work out when Chris received a call from Jason that his friend had gotten a flat tire on his bike and they were a long way from home and needed a ride. So Chris went to take care of that. When he got back it was past noon but we decided to go anyway. Since you have to have a resident in each canoe, Erica and I rode together and Adam and Chris rode together. It took us about an hour and a half to paddle around the whole lake. We had a great time and can't wait to do it again. In fact this time we are thinking about taking a kayak but neither one of us really know how to steer them so that could get interesting...

On the way home we stopped at the shaved ice stand and to let the boys play in the dancing water. It was a great day!

First Day of School

On Tuesday we reached a major milestone here in the Carpenter house, Colby started Kindergarten! While he was so excited and ready to take the big step, mom wasn't so excited. I mean I was excited for him to start this new and exciting journey but I just can't believe he's actually in school now. We did two years of preschool before so I knew the transition would be easy for him but I'm just not ready to let go of my baby yet.

Tuesday came and he was soooo excited. We dressed him in some cute clothes, took pictures of him, put on the backpack, loaded Cameron in the stroller and walked to school. When we got there he was not apprehensive at all! He went right to the playground and started playing and the next thing we knew the teacher was blowing the whistle for the kids to line up and head into the school. I took one more picture of him, we said our goodbyes and off he went. I told myself I was not going to cry but for a brief minute when he was safely in the school and I turned to walk away I did have tears in my eyes but that was it. I did much better than I thought I would.

When Cameron and I got back home, I put him down for a nap and just enjoyed the peaceful quietness of the house and for a brief moment I thought to myself, "wow this actually might be kind of nice".

Well, he survived the first day and has been excited every day since. I know that will not last but I'm enjoying it at the moment. One thing I'm not enjoying is the HOMEWORK. I mean seriously, homework in Kindergarten? I never had homework until at least the fourth grade I don't think. And homework every night? Boy things sure have changed. I guess I better buckle up and get ready because this is just the beginning of my life as a parent with school aged children. No more vacations when we want, sleeping in, staying up late, doing what we want in the evenings, those days are long gone!

Oh so serious!

Gotta love the string cheese he just had to eat on the way to school.

Our First Neighborhood Party

One week after we moved into our house an invite was placed in our door for the second anual "Neighborhood Block Party." The party was to be held on July 24th at 6:00 pm with everyone meeting and riding or walking with decorated bikes, scooters, golf carts etc. Chris and I debated for several days whether we should go or not. As you know, neither of us are very good at meeting new people. We are definitely on the shy side so it's hard for us to mingle with others we don't know. The invitation stated that there would be face paiting, bounce houses, snow cones, balloons and fun stuff like that. So we decided for the sake of our kids getting out with other kids and having fun we would give it a shot. We walked to the corner and watched the parade go by and followed along lagging behind because we had forgotten the dessert and had to go back for it. Once we got to the party house our back yard neighbors greeted us and told us that we could sit with them so they could intoduce us to other families. Since we had not brought meat to cook we told them that others could sit there to eat and we'd meet up with them after they finished eating. Immediately Colby ran to the bounce house and started playing. We kind of stood there like deer in the headlights not knowing what to do. There were tons of people our age and a ton of kids so you would think we would fit in. We just kind of stayed to ourselves and got the boys snow cones, popcorn, cupcakes, watermelon, and balloons. Our backyard neighbors did come up and try to introduce us to some people but the conversations never really "took off". We stayed for about 2 hours. All in all it was an okay time. We were introduced to a few people, I don't feel like they will become my next best friends but it's nice to recognize people when you are out and about. In fact, the next night we were at Marble Slab Cremery and a lady walked up and asked us if we were at the block party and introuduced herself so we thought that was nice. And since the party I've seen a couple people out riding bikes or running and I can place them and even sometimes remember their name. So I guess we made some progress in our quest for neighborhood friendship.

A horrible discovery!

I'm not sure how Chris stumbled upon this but he found a video on you tube today about the breeder, Keystone Kennels, that sold us Molly. Come to find out this place was a puppy mill! I am still sick to my stomach after thinking about what these poor dogs have been through! Thank goodness we haven't had any illness or behavior problems with Molly, fortunately we are one of the lucky ones. When we purchased Molly in November of 2002 this filth and disgust was going on but we had no idea as they never allowed us to see all of that. Thinking back neither of us were very comfortable with them and had it not been for falling in love with the puppy that became Molly we would have never bought from them. Right after we bought Molly they stopped breeding Min Pins and focused on the Mini Dachshunds. Chris called the kennel several times asking for the AKC registration papers and they always had an excuse. Thanks to the lady at ittybittydachshunds.com for bringing this horrible situation to light and getting this puppy mill closed down. For more information and to view the website visit ittybittydachshunds.com.

Catching Up

We've been so busy the last month that my blog has been seriously neglected. Today I decided it was time to quit neglecting and get some things posted. So here are a month's worth of posts in one day...not bad I say for a Sunday afternoon.

Our New Neighborhood

I thought I'd share some pictures of our house and our neighborhood. For those that are not familiar with Daybreak, the houses are modeled after homes you would see in the Avenue's and Harvard/Yale neighborhoods. For those not in SLC, they are like old houses you would see back on the East Coast. They have bungalow styles, tudor styles, colonial styles...things like that.

Home Sweet Home!
Just ignore the dead landscaping, that's our first project for the house!

Side view of our house. Most of the houses have the garage in the back and share an allyway. This is looking from our ally.

There are a lot of natural grasses and wildflowers around.

Some houses face into a courtyard that they all share. I'm sure it's nice for some, but it's not for me.

Houses across the street from us.

Poor Molly!

We've had our dog, Molly, for almost 7 years. She's a Min Pin and extremely good with our boys even though they are not so good to her all the time. Friday evening, Chris and I were visiting with Erica when all the sudden we heard a horrendous yelping from the back yard where Colby and Molly were playing. Chris rushed to see what it was and came running frantically back in the house holding Molly. Her paw on her right front leg was facing the wrong way! It turned my stomach just to look at it. He was barking orders to me about getting in the car and this that and the other. I calmly had to explain to him we couldn't just jump in the car and take off with her. I know she needed immediate attention but Cameron was upstairs asleep and we had no idea where the nearest pet hospital was. He finally calmed down enough to look up some addresses and Erica volunteered to watch the boys for us. Once we decided where to take her we headed to the pet hospital. I called them on the way to make sure this was something they could handle and they said it was. Once we got there the vet came in and looked at it and said yep, it's broken. We need to get her some pain medication and take some x rays to see how bad it is. Within five minutes she had her pain shot and they came and took her for x rays. They called us back to look at them. She broke one bone completely in half and a piece of another bone was completely broken away from the rest of the bone. On top of that, she tore all the ligaments in her leg...ouch! The vet that was working Friday doesn't specialize in orthopedics so he called the vet that does and they decided that she was okay to be splinted until Monday when he could look at her x rays to see exactly what needed to be done to fix it. At first they mentioned her having surgery as the best way to fix it but after looking at the x ray they don't know if that will work with that piece of bone broken completely away. If they can't fix it surgically they will put a cast on it for 6-8 weeks to see if it will heal on it's own. If that doesn't work they will have to fuse the bones, something they really don't like to do. If they have to do surgery on her the vet said it was going to be a rather costly surgery due to the extent of her injuries, somewhere in the ball park of 1800.00! OUCH!!!

So right now we sit and wait until tomorrow to find out what the verdict is going to be. We are hoping that they can just cast it and that it will heal on it's own. Casting has got to be a lot cheaper than surgery! In the meantime, you would never know she has a broken leg. She's up walking around, going through the doggie door, and up and down stairs. She even still wants to go for walks with me. Last night I felt so bad for her that I carried her with me on my walk. Even the vet commented on how laid back and easy going she is. He said most Min Pin's will not let you anywhere around them when they are injured and she's just been a trooper. Here's a pic of our poor little Molly!

Fourth of July

Around the Carpenter house we have a tradition for Independence Day that we've had since we moved here five and a half years ago, the Murray City Parade. We wake up early and head to State Street right in front of the Murray City Hall to sit with our other Weeks family members. Thankfully we have some that are so die hard that they get up before the sun rises to claim our spot. I thank them for that! This year was no different! We got set up around 8 am and waited for the parade. I have to say it's nothing too spectacular but it's always fun! The kids get a ton of candy (Thanks Spencer) and love playing with all the other kids while we sit and relax.

This year after the parade we went to Mike and Nancy's house and then to lunch with them at the Cheesecake Factory. After that we went back home and all four of us took a nap, that's right all four of us at the same time. A rare occasion in our house!

After we all got rested up we headed to Sandy City to watch their fireworks. This is something Chris and I have done for the last three years and we thoroughly enjoy it. We gotthere around 6 pm and staked our claim to a good piece of grass and then headed to the food booths to decide what we want for dinner. This year Chris had ribs and they boys had Chick Fil A. I wasn't hungry so I just ate some of the snacks we brought for the kids. And the Sandy City picnic wouldn't be complete without a Texas Twister, one of the greatest drinks ever!

Adam and Erica joined us this year and a good time was had by all. By the time we got home that night it was almost midnight and we were all incredibly worn out but it was a great day! I love the 4th of July and it's quickly turning into one of my all time favorite holiday's.

My cute family!

Colby, Cameron, their cousin Lizzie aka Colby's wife. You know, they got married when Adam and Erica did. (They were the ring bearer and flower girl and think they're married.)

One half of the family...

Cameron being just too cute!

...the other half of the family.

Two cuties!

Our New House

On July 1st at 8:30 am we closed on our house! So exciting for sure! We spent the rest of the day finishing up packing and bright and early on Thursday we started loading the U Haul. We had the truck loaded and ready to go by about 12:30 but had to wait for the official, "your loan has funded, you're officially the owner" call. Around 1:30 we received the call from our real estate agent and were headed to the house within 15 minutes. We had a ton of help so by 3:30 we had all of our stuff moved into our new place.

We've been here for a week and 3 days and we absolutely LOVE it! The lake is just a block from our house with walking paths around it. We can see one of the many parks from our front porch and have been there at least three times in the last week. We went yesterday and got our official Daybreak membership card so we can access all the amenities there are to offer such as the community pool and the community center with all the workout equipment and fitness classes one would ever need. I've been on three bike rides and at least three walks that I can think of. We took the boys to the lake to play in the sand and playgrounds down there. Eventually we want to get a paddle boat to take the boys out on the lake. I have to say our family has become very active in the last week. It's great because that's one of the reasons we decided to buy a house in Daybreak, we want to have an active family!

The boys are loving the backyard. Chris put up their play set on Wednesday and they are having a great time with it. Last night we had our first official BBQ, a friend of mine from a place I used to work came over with her three year old son Kaden and Adam and Erica came over to hang out in the backyard even though they had already eaten. We had a great time! I don't think I have ever seen my boys more dirty than I did last night.

So, yes, all the stress of house hunting, inspections, aprasials, loans, rate fluctuations and last minute closing questions were all worth it! We wouldn't change it for anything in the world!

Yellowstone National Park

Father's Day Weekend we were invited to go to Yellowstone Park with Chris' parents. We thought it over and decided with all the packing we needed to do for our big move that we probably should decline, so we did. Fast forward to the Thursday afternoon before...

Sitting there thinking about how bad I wanted to go to Yellowstone since A. I had never been there and B. it was a drive that wasn't 9 hours and C. we had made a lot of progress packing the last few weeks I decided I would maybe like to go. So I brought up the idea to Chris and his dad we talked about it for a few minutes and somehow I convinced Chris to go.

Saturday morning we packed up the truck, took the boys out in their jammies and headed the 4.5 hours to West Yellowstone. We arrived around 11 am and met up with Chris' mom who had hung out at the trailer to wait for us. After saying our hellos, unpacking a few things and packing a lunch we headed out on our first scenic drive through Yellowstone. About 10 minutes into the drive we were already spotting animals. I think the first thing was a buffalo followed by some elk and a bald eagle sitting in her nest. We took a loop that ended up being about 6.5 hours long with all the stops. It was incredibly beautiful and we saw soooo many animals it was amazing. I especially loved the waterfalls! The only downside to our day was Colby getting what appeared to be the stomach flu. He started vomiting around 5 pm and we first thought it was motion sickness but it lasted until 3 am. I felt so bad for the little guy he vomited so much and even collapsed on the bathroom floor two times. Thankfully when he woke up the next morning at 5:30 am he felt like a new boy.

Sunday with Colby feeling like a new kid we went to "the best pancake house in West Yellowstone" for breakfast. I'm not much of a breakfast eater so it was okay. After that we headed to Old Faithful Lodge and to see Old Faithful. When we got there it was just going off so we decided to wait for the next eruption. To kill time we went to Old Faithful Lodge and had an ice cream cone, apparently that's part of the tradition. I would have to say it was fun to see Old Faithful but I probably wouldn't make a point to go see it again. We were gone most of the day on this trek, stopping at all the neat hot pots and stuff of the way. Once we got back to camp and rested for a bit Chris and I, the kids, and Nancy went to the Grizzly Bear and Wolf Center. It was neat for the boys to be able to see grizzly bears up close and personal.

Monday we went back to the Grizzly Bear and Wolf Center with the whole gang. Then we went shopping and to lunch and then back to camp. We hung out at camp for a while and then packed up and headed for home.

I would have to say this trip was much needed and we thoroughly enjoyed it. It exceeded all of our expectations, to say the least.