Family Time!

Things have been so crazy around here that we knew we needed to schedule some family time! We decided to have a family day!!! (Well... after school OF COURSE!)

Carter and Harrison look at a helicoptor- they really wanted to fly!

Our first stop was to the Stead Airport! We looked at planes and saw a helicopter! Of course, we didn't have approval to get too close, so we stayed pretty far back- but it was still neat to see all the different types of aircraft! Carter and Harrison REALLY wanted a plane ride! Maybe next time!

Harrison feeds Kurt some broccoli, lol!

After the airport we went to dinner together. It was nice to go out and be together!

Carter and I enjoy chips and salsa.

When we got home we had Family Home Evening! Last Sunday one of the sisters in the Ward gave us a good idea- we could use the Gospel Principles book for our FHE lessons! HOW SMART!!!! So, this week we did Chapter 1: Our Father in Heaven. The kids asked lots of questions! It was neat! We followed up with Popsicle treats and we all played together in the back yard. What a great day!

October Challenge!

I found this really great site today! It is by a Christian woman who is SUPER AWESOME! I have been reading her posts nonstop, and they are really helpful and uplifting.

She has started a challenge for making homes better places! I am SOOOO ready to do that!!!!

If you are interested in seeing her blog click the pic =)

This is the gal that was featured on Rachel Ray! Here is the vid:

Gluten-Free's the WAY TO BE!

Our family has been gluten free for just over 3 months! It has been a difficult transition, but a necessary one. We first discovered Harrison's gluten issue in May- right before I went to Africa. My parents watched our boys while I was gone and they were great about keeping him away from gluten- and the few times they slipped they admitted there was a HUGE difference.

When I got home we decided to make the whole house gluten free. I wanted Harrison to be able to come home and know he could eat anything in the house and be safe. After a few weeks we realized I had a gluten issue too!

So, three months later- and a LOT healthier, we are still gluten free. Of course, cooking for Brian and Sean has made them gluten free too! (For the most part... I am pretty sure that Kurt and Brian sneak gluten at work, and I know Sean and Carter have it at school!) It makes me happy to hear Sean tell me how delicious dinner is (and then ask for 3rds!). Gluten free felt like such a blow at first- it seems like there is gluten in EVERYTHING! But, with education, patience, and change of diet it really isn't that bad. (And the loss of a few unneeded pounds is a welcome side-effect!)

Let the good times roll!!!!!

Sean plays with Lego cars!

Harrison decides he is going to be Mr.Potato Head!

Carter cant wait to play with his new train!


Carter has been working REALLY hard to earn his Toy Story 3 Lego Train. Yesterday was the day we went to the store and brought it home!!!! He was SO excited!!! It took Mom 4 hours to put the train together, but it was worth it! The boys had a great time playing today- SO NICE!

I love being home. It is so hard... really, the hardest thing I have ever done. I had forgotten the physical and mental exertion that being a homemaker requires, but I know it is all worth it!


I don't get paychecks, but I get to kiss my little boys' faces a hundred times a day.

I don't get praise from superiors, but I get random "fank-you!"s from my little men.

I don't get lunch breaks, spa trips, or African vacations... but I get SO MUCH MORE with every single conversation I have with my children.

I am so happy to be with them. I knew they were great kids, but I had no idea just HOW great they were!

I have so many dreams for them... but my dreams are not about what professions they will choose, what kinds of homes they will own, or anything of that sort. My dream for them is that they always know how much I love them. I want them to be happy. I want them to know Kurt and I love them unconditionally. I want them to know that our Heavenly Father knows them, loves them, and wants nothing more than for them to return home to him. I want them to know that they are such wonderful blessings and I am honored to be their mother.

I love you!

Two boys

one... two

Two boys

You and You

Two boys

buckets of fun

Two boys for everyone!

Friday FUNday!

Kids watching Aladdin! They LOVE Fridays because they get to watch a movie in bed!

Every Friday I try really hard to do something fun for the kids. Lately it has been pretty simple, something like a movie in bed. Even though it is nothing amazing, the boys really love it, and I think it is a great way to wrap up the week. Carter and Sean did SO well at school, both boys had nothing but good comments ALL WEEK! YAY! Harrison and I got a lot of cleaning done too- YAY!

Things are still not feeling like home. I miss the 900 court a lot... I dont miss the apartment... well... actually I kinda do.... but really I miss our ward and our amazing neighbors. I know that this will eventually feel like home, but for the time being it is a little bit hard.

The week went better, and we are establishing more of a routine. I am happy for that! Kurt is enjoying the new market and the competition here- he thrives on stress, so this is good for him. Brian is enjoying coming home to a clean house and cooked dinners. Sean, Carter, and Harrison are enjoying being "brothers." All is well =)

Sean and Harrison

Sean and Carter

Sean loves his "brothers" so much!!!!

Buzz Lightyear to the RESCUE!

Zurg gets blasted with Buzz Lightyear's lasers!

Carter made this for Harrison- we did not help AT ALL. GO CARTER!

Harrison is no longer Harrison... he is BUZZ LIGHTYEAR!

Kurt takes a break to play Buzz Lightyear, Space Ranger! Kurt was Zurg, of course.

Garage work!

Carter, Sean, and Harrison (aka, "my monkies"), enjoy bananas during break time!

Kurt works hard!

The stuff on the driveway is alllll garbage! (And 8 hours later it was GONE! Thanks, Kurt!)

Harrison "fixes" random items in the garage



Harrison and I pose... while Kurt checks out the air show, lol!



Even Brian pitched in to help!



Kurt eyes the work ahead...

Working on clearing out the garage has been tough! It has been especially tough because we have two households in one house! With a lot of work, we made a lot of progress! GO US!

Harrison!

I am thrilled that Carter enjoys his school. I am so happy that he has the PERFECT teacher for his personality! I am also happy that I get alone time with my little Harrison! I was so lucky to have Carter as my first born son. He is a wonderful big brother and a great example to Harrison. I enjoyed my time with Carter, when it was just the "Carter and Mommy Show." I am so lucky to have the chance to have some special time with Harrison, and the chance I have to get to know him better. It is so great! I am thrilled! This picture was taken today, after Harrison's shower. (Early in the morning Sean and Carter get showers before school, so Harrison asked to have his later, lol!) So, I couldn't resist taking this pic of my little guy!

Our wall =)

The wall!



We werent sure what we were going to do with our living room wall. After a few minutes we realized it would be the PERFECT spot for our family pictures and The Family: A Proclamation to the World! It looks great and Kurt and I were happy to have done the project together =)

The wall says:

The Family: A Proclamation to the World



We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children.

All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.

In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.

The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God's commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.

We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God's eternal plan.

Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. "Children are an heritage of the Lord" (Psalms 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.

We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.

We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.

This proclamation was read by President Gordon B. Hinckley as part of his message at the General Relief Society Meeting held September 23, 1995, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Elder David A. Bednar explained that the Celestial Kingdom is not like "a bunch of huts," but he added that if it WERE like huts, we would be in huts with our eternal companions. Kurt and I love The Family: A Proclimation to the World... and I am so glad to have him as my "hut-mate!"

Happy (late) Birthday, Sean!

Sean enjoys his cupcake with Grandpa Russ

Sean eyes his cupcake

Carter, Sean, and Harrison get ready to open gifts!

We celebrated Sean's 5th birthday a little bit late. It was such a good time! Grandma Joyce and Grandpa Russ were able to come and have a mini party with us, and we finished it off with some (gluten free) chocolate cake! MMMMMmmm!!!

First Day of School!!!!!

Carter is ready for his first day!

Carter was SOOOO excited to start Kindergarden! He was ready to go with his new Toy Story 3 backpack! Carter LOVED going to school, he adores his new friends, and he is doing wonderfully with his new teacher! It was SO hard to see him go! But we are THRILLED he is doing so well! WE LOVE YOU, CARTER!!!!

Carter is thrilled!

And then there were... SIX!

Carter and Harrison pose at Old Navy!

We moved to Reno on September 12th. It took only 2 hours to load the truck, and 1 hour to clean our old apartment, and then we were done! Well... almost done. Kurt was made to work that day, so the kids and I went to the University of Utah Marriott and went swimming! Kurt joined us after work and we all spent our last night in Utah comfortably! **I managed to get some back to school shopping done too!

Carter got to ride in the truck!

Reno is great! The kids LOVE being here! We moved all of our things into the garage and it took about 5 days to unpack, but we did it! The kids' room is super cute! Sean loves having his "brothers" here with him, and all the boys enjoy being together! Carter and Sean go to the local elementary school together, and they are both doing really well! HOORAY!

Sean, Harrison, and Carter play in the backyard!

A day with Harrison

Kurt and I decided to give the kids Daddy and Mommy dates. Each of us took a child and spent the day with him. It was so much fun! Carter stayed home with Kurt and they rearranged furniture, packed, and got ready for the big move! Harrison and I ran errands.

Harrison plays with a car at Big O Tires. Harrison LOVED that this Big O Tires had "Scripture Power" (note the Book of Mormon under the table! YEAH!)

One of the stops I made with Harrison was to Big O Tires. He was so well behaved that the employees gave him a balloon. Harrison, of course, insisted that Buzz Lightyear would rather hold the balloon, so the employees tied the balloon to Buzz's hand! LOL!

Harrison checks to make sure Buzz's balloon is still in his hand.

Harrison and I returned books to the Sprague Library and then went to Barnes and Noble to pick up a few new books of our own. We bought 3 Elephant and Piggie books and one Toy Story 2 book. The trip wouldn't be complete without a stop at the Barnes and Noble Starbucks, where Harrison enjoyed a Vanilla Bean Frapuccino!

Harrison ADORES Starbucks! (Coffee-free OF COURSE!)

The next day Kurt and I swapped kids and did the same thing again. This time Harrison stayed and packed with Dad and Carter ran errands with me! Carter and I picked up lunch and went to Home Depot for some paint... we needed to paint a few of the walls that the kids had colored! BOO! When we got home Carter helped Dad pack some more and Harrison painted with me. Good times!

Harrison paints with Mom!

At the end of the day 95% of the house was packed and ready to go, and the kids wanted to show off their empty closet. Well.... it is empty except for a few more empty boxes! The boys are SO excited to move and cant wait to start new adventures in Nevada! YAY!

Carter and Harrison show off their empty closet. My kids are TOO CUTE! I love their little faces!

"The ABCs of Numbers..."

Today was our final Sunday in the 21st Ward. It was bittersweet and memorable. Some of the harder moments were saying goodbye to our closest friends, hearing some of our favorite teachers gives (for us) their last lessons, and hearing some of the inspiring and thought provoking comments from our beloved friends and neighbors. Some of the best moments were when the boys happily walked to Primary and sat with their classes- they were THRILLED to be there and they didn't fuss! (Well, they fussed a little, but it was over who they wanted to sit next to!) For so long when the boys would leave Primary and when asked what they had learned they would just giggle or shrug and say, "I donno..."... but today, Carter proudly rushed forward to exclaim, "Mama!!! Guess what?!?!? I learned the ABCs of numbers!!!!" I asked him what he meant, and he enthusiastically shot his hands forward to show me his take-homes. There was a piece of paper, a small handmade envelope, and an official tithe slip. Carter was SO excited about tithing! When asked how much he will tithe he smiled and answered "21!" ... confused I tried to correct (10?)... he laughed and responded, "I wanna do 21!" This started us talking about his mission, he explained that he wants to ride a helicopter to get to his mission... I don't know that they do that kind of thing, but okay! We talked the whole walk home, and both Harrison and Carter were thrilled to have been able to be in Primary today.
Carter and Harrison both show off their Primary take-homes!

I am so thankful for this Church! I am so thankful for Primary! I am so happy to know that my boys both feel the Spirit and can both happily tell anyone that they love their Church, they love their parents, and they love Jesus Christ! What more can ANY parent REALLY hope for??? For us... there is NOTHING better.

Carter's tithe slip and envelope... note his tthe Kit Kat stains from reat! LOL!

Harrison made this puzzle- he is VERY proud of the H in the bottom right corner! "H is for HARRISON!!!"

Baby!!!! ... (sitting!)

HA! Fooled you! Nope, no baby for us- well... we did have one for the afternoon! Today William and James came over to play- the boys had a BLAST!!!! Carter loved playing trains with William, and Harrison ADORED playing with "Baby James!" It was so cute! If Harrison heard James so much as whimper he would rush into the room and give me a suggestion. "Mommy! I pink da baby needs his bwanket!" or "Here, Baby James, have dis toy... no, no, Baby James, you cant have da twain- have da fishie!" He was so concerned about every little move that baby made! It was really cute =)

Harrison hugs a less-than-thrilled James

Harrison and Carter try and get James to play.

Carter took this picture of James and me - way to go, Carter!

LOL, Adventures!

This morning Kurt and I awoke to a lot of laughter... those who have had small children know this is always a dangerous thing to hear. So, Kurt got out of bed and opened their bedroom door to find that they (we say they, but Harrison took "credit") had taken a box of Trix Cereal, opened it, and thrown it ALL around their room. They had been dancing in the mess and their floor was a multi-colored mess!


Fun was over. Poor kids! Carter used the dustpan and bush and took care of the Trix that weren't broken. Harrison picked up all the toys and put them away (yeah, they had decided pulling all their toys into the mess would be fun too). It took an hour... a whole hour... but the boys did REALLY well and they worked hard to clean.


Boys will be boys... right? You know... I should have KNOWN they had diabolical plans after they went to sleep so easily last night! LOL.

Carter is ready for bed- this was taken last night =)

Harrison says GOODNIGHT!

Being home =p

My hot hubby shows off all the packing we got done so far!

I have been a homemaker before, but this time is different. I find myself being able to pace things better. I am able to sit back and let a few dishes pile up while I play with the boys. I am able to go outside and seek the company of creative and wonderful women who can give me tricks and tips to how to do things better. It is great!

Today the boys and I played outside. The boys played in wagons with all the kids in our little 900 Village Court while I made crafts with a few of our neighbor ladies. It was SO much fun! The boys had a great time, and so did I!

Right now Harrison is in bed, listening to Primary Songs for Bedtime and gazing at a postcard we got 2 years ago at Disneyland. He was so well behaved, and already he has been more secure! It used to be that if I ever went outside he would cling to me- he wanted hugs and was too scared to go play with other kids. Now he gives me big hugs and runs off to "pway wif fwiends!" I am so proud of him! He seems to love this new arrangement almost as much as I do!

At this time Carter is playing in the living room with some of his Thomas trains. He enjoys role playing different scenarios with them and helping them solve problems. Carter's changes in behavior are amazing. Just since I have been home he is so much for considerate, more loving, and a LOT more calm and happy- I am so thrilled that he loves having me home with him! (Of course, I am sure he will NOT love it when he is a teen and just wants to be alone with his buddies! LOL)

Things are so much different, but in so many amazing ways. Kurt came home last night to a clean house (well, if you imagine the boxes aren't there!) and a happy wife and it makes all the difference! Its funny how following simple principles really does make for a happier family and home. I am so happy that we are able to be together and that I am able to stay with my little munchkins- they are such a joy!