The Carlson Family

Fairytale Town

2011-08-31T20:07:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday we decided to take the boys to Fairytale town, they had never been before and we had a ton of fun! I grew up going to and performing at Fairytale town all the time and was super excited to get to go after so many years...Joseph couldn't remember anything about it except for the giant cheese and was pleasantly suprised that there was more to do there than sit on giant cheese! The boys loved everything about it but their favorite thing was getting to pet the sheep!

Frosting Cookies

2011-08-31T20:00:00.001-07:00

In some homes frosting cookies with your kids looks like this... In our home frosting cookies with your kids looks like this...
Now I realize one version of cookie frosting might take a little more clean up...but seriously who do you think had more fun in the process!

Cute Boys

2011-08-31T19:27:00.000-07:00

Funny B Story...

We work very hard in our house at sharing! Having 2 two year olds who usually want to play with the same toys gets a little bit tricky! We have worked out a rule where if one of the boys wants what the other is playing with he counts to 5 and then gets to take his turn! This is usually followed by the first one counting to 5 and taking his turn and so on and so forth! It is actually suprisingly effective! There are days when they kick and scream while they're counting to 5, but they understand that they have to wait to take their turn! It has been funny to see them try to use our rule against other kids...when we are at the park and someone is on a toy or something they want, I tell them they have to wait their turn and their immediate response is, "1, 2..." The way they count to 5 is wonderful to...they count 1, 2, 1, 2, 1! which is technically 5 and they really shout out that last 1!

A few days ago I was pushing B in his swing out back and I was on the phone with my mom at the same time. Her and my dad were in LA for the week so we had been talking for quite a while. B finally said, "Mama, no Hello" (the phone to them is a hello) to which I responded, "okay, wait just a minute" to which he responded, "1, 2, 1, 2, 1!" At that point I decided I'd better get off, I'd told him to wait and he'd waited the way he'd been taught!

Funny W story...

A few weeks ago on a Sunday morning I was feeling particurally sick so I asked Joseph to get up with the boys and let me lay in bed for an extra half hour and then bring the boys in to get me. So after my little extra rest W and B climbed up on my bed to "wake me up", unfortunately for them I had to jump up immediately and run to the bathroom to be sick. When I came back in to bed to lay down with them they were both very concerned about me and asked me all sorts of questions about if I was sad and if my tummy how owies.

And then with all of the sweetness in the world W ran his fingers through my hair, put his hands on my cheeks, looked me straight in the eyes and said, "Mama, you hairs a mess."

Love these sweet boys of mine--they make me laugh and smile every single day, don't know what I'd do without them!

And Baby Makes 5?...

2011-08-20T21:49:00.000-07:00

We are so excited to announce that Carlson baby #3 is on his or her way! I am feeling entirely too lazy to scan in my cute ultra sound picture so just imagine our sweet little baby bean waving and kicking its legs in black and white!!!

And now the answers to some of your nagging questions:

-We are 15 weeks along and due February 12th

-Yes, we were trying!

-We are definetely only getting 1 little baby bean this time; most people think we would've been incredibly relieved to get this news, but we were totally okay with having another set of twins--needless to say we are still uber excited to be getting one little baby!

-My belly is popping out already and has been for a while, I've been trying to wear baggy clothes but I'm not sure its made any difference! My body for sure remembers how to stretch!

-W and B LOVE to talk about the baby in mommies belly! They rub my belly, talk to it, and give it kisses--they always say it is a baby "goose" which in their world means girl! we'll see...

-We are not dying for a girl! We would love to have a girl or a boy; I think either would be perfect for our family and we know this won't be out last child!

-Everyone always wants to know how you're feeling when you're pregnant...I never know if they're just being nice or if they actually want to know, and I try so hard to stay positive I always hate to complain! I will say I have not been feeling wonderful and the energy and feeling better thats supposed to come with the second trimester has not yet! But the baby is growing and healthy and that is whats most important!

It is so crazy to think that 2 1/2 years ago there were just two of us and now we're going to be 5! We cannot wait for this little one to join us in February, we feel so lucky that our Heavenly Father continues to pour blessings down on us--we could not be happier with how things are going for our little family of 5!

btw--please excuse my spelling throughout this entire post...at least I know its bad I'm just to pregnant tired to fix it!

Summer Fun-Friday!

2011-06-17T22:48:00.000-07:00

I finally made my cute little summer board! I know its not amazingly cute or fancy but I LOVE it!

Painting the sidewalk with water!

Playing in the pool with Matthew!

Filling the pool with water!

We had family come in from Missouri and Idaho tonight. We spent the evening at Gma and Gpa Overtons house visiting and watching all the kids play!

My great aunt and uncle came from Missouri.

My cousin Wayne, his wife, and their five boys ages 5mo's to 9years old!

W and B had so so much fun playing with all of them!

Unfortunately I was having so much fun talking and visiting that I didn't take a single picture! I'll have to steal some from my mom...

On the way home I asked the boys if they had fun playing with the "big boys" and they both threw their arms in the air and yelled "YESSSSS!"

Summer Fun--Late Thursday!

2011-06-17T14:45:00.001-07:00

Thursday was a busy day for us!

And as I'm sure most of you ran to your computers last night desperately wondering what we Carlson's had been up too yesterday, I sincerely apologize!!

We headed out bright and early to the Folsom Zoo, for the boys bdays they go membership passes--so we can go whenever we want for free!

Gma-Joe's Mom met us there as well as Auntie Caitlin and Matthew-the little boys she nannies! After seeing all the animals we had a picnic lunch with Gma and played at the park! Then we ran back into the zoo to make one more round and tell the animals goodbye!

Suprisingly W and B both took a 2hr nap which was heaven! They are being really difficult about naps right now but they are always in bed for at least an hour and a half, whether they read books or play quietly with toys, or sleep they have to stay in bed! After naps we played outside, had dinner...etc.

Then I got to go out to dinner with our YW Presidency, which was super fun! Joseph was in charge of bedtime, and I got to enjoy a peaceful dinner with wonderful company! We have a great YW Presidency and I have such a great time hanging out with the other gals! Then I got to run in Target and buy a mop! Good Times!

Hope you didn't miss me too much last night--I'll post tonight, promise! We're already off to a great start on today!

Ready for the zoo--remember what I said about not being morning people...

Watching the monkeys play!

with Matthew, one of their best friends!

Summer Fun-Wednesday/Joseph's Bday!

2011-06-15T20:56:00.000-07:00

Happy Wednesday All!

I have no pictures today as my camera is still dead! I have to mail it back to Kodak and they are apparently going to fix it for me which means for now I have no camera--ugh!

Anyway, today was our library day and Joseph was home for his bday! We let him stay home and relax and went to the library with Gma, my mom!

We LOVE the new toys at the library, the boys have so much playing and I actually get to look through the books!

We came home to Daddie and he read the boys their shark books we checked out! Then we ran some errands, and then Joseph and I got to go out for his bday!

We saw Pirates of the Carribbean--Joe had seen it already but I hadn't! I loved it, it was so fun! Then we went to late lunch/early dinner!

We came home to 2 silly, happy boys! They got to play with Gma, Gpa, Auntie Caitlin, and Uncle Cole! Such lucky boys!

I am loving our summer schedule, what good days we're having and fun memories we're making!

They also learned how to give "nose" kisses aka eskimo kisses today--SO CUTE!

Btw--I'm so glad my wonderful, handsome, silly, smart, caring husband was born 27 years ago!! Love you babe!

Summer Fun-Tuesday

2011-06-14T21:58:00.001-07:00

Happy Tuesday! Today was preschool/learning day for us...We are grumpy morning people at our house, here's W pretending to be asleep when I came into the room and B rubbing his eyes!
We switched out schedule a little bit and went to the dollar movie this morning. We were going to see How to Train Your Dragon but it was too loud for the boys, we ended up in the Trumpet of the Swan...LAME--sorry if you like this movie! Halfway through I looked at W and said do you wanna go home and he said Yeah, so we left!
They LOVE pirates...not pirates the movie, just pirates in general! They had to stop and check out the posters and I caught B doing his pirate dance!

After leaving the movie we headed to preschool for the last hour! So much fun for them to play with the bigger kids!

After preschool the boys got summer hair cuts! They look so big! I Love it!!

Then my camera pooped out on me so I didnt get anymore pictures!
To complete our day we danced, sang, jumped on the couches, played with Auntie Caitlin and Matthew, made Father's Day pressents, read all of our library books, went on a walk with Gma, visited Uncle Cole and Gpa, and finally went to bed!
Tomorrow is library day and we have Joseph home because it's his BDAY! 27 years old tomorrow!

Summer Fun Day One!

2011-06-13T22:30:00.000-07:00

Today was our outside day, we decided to go to the park and picked up Auntie Caitlin on our way! We played for a long time and then had a picnic lunch in the shade.

While the boys were napping I whipped up some sidewalk chalk paint and when they woke up we had a great time painting our porch and sidewalk!

The boys played outside at Gma and Gpa's(my parents) house and then got to hang out with Uncle Cole and some of his friends!

W and B didn't get enough sleep last night so they were a little bit grumpy today, it made me so happy I already had things planned for today--had we just been staying home with no plan my grumpy guys may have spent some time in front of the tv!

Cute W at the park

B loves to swing

Our fun sidewalk paint--this was so easy to make and the boys really liked it!

W painting

B's grumpy face...isn't he irresistable!

Hanging with the big boys! Cole got an owie on his knee and the boys were so concerned for him!

We LOVE Summer!

Summer Plans!

2011-06-12T23:09:00.000-07:00

We are so enjoying this summer weather!

I have come to realize that my life is a lot easier with 2 two year olds when I have specific plans for our days!

I found this blog that has amazing "staycation" ideas for summer. She has a theme for each day and plans everything out in advance!!

Following her lead I made a three month calendar for the boys with a different activity everyday...last week was the first week on our calendar and it was wonderful! It was so nice to wake up in the morning and know what are plans were for the day!

Here's a little peak at what we're doing:

Monday is OUTSIDE DAY--this week we are going to the park and taking a picnic!

Tuesday is PRESCHOOL or LEARNING DAY--we either attend Summer Preschool with my mom aka Miss Cindy or do something educational at home! This week we're going to Superhero day at Preschool.

Wednesday is LIBRARY DAY--Our library has awesome toys right now and the boys love to hang out there while I go through the children's books.

Thursday is FIELD TRIP DAY--This week we're going to Folsom Zoo--we got passes for the boys bday!

Friday is WATER DAY--This week we are setting up our mini pool and practicing pouring!

Saturday we are doing day trips as a family--This week we have cousins in town from Idaho so we're not too sure what we'll be doing yet!

I've decided I need to take more pictures this summer and blog more, so I'll be trying to post everyday this week about what we're doing!

Hope you're having as fun of a summer as we are!
And of course a few pictures of what we'll be doing this summer...

Relaxing with our daddie...having lazy afternoons!

Playing on our $5 slip-n-slide!

Smothering...I mean Loving our sweet kitty!

And Potty Training!! Wish us Luck!!

BTW--we had Joseph's bday party tonight combined with Cole's--Cole's bday is tomorrow and Joseph's is on Wednesday. I made this cute penguin cake for Joseph, he requested it and I had fun making it--I think it's my favorite one I've made yet!

I love it when we're cruising together!!

2011-05-14T21:25:00.001-07:00

Joseph and I got back yesterday from a four day cruise to Mexico for our 5th Anniversary!

We left the boys with my parents and took off for our first time away from them ever!

We had a wonderful time just being Joe and Kira again for a few days, staying out late, sleeping in, and taking long showers(meaning more than 5 minutes and actually taking time to shave my legs!)

And we were so glad to be reunited with the boys on Friday, feeling refreshed and rejuvinated!

I had been a little leery to say anything and to even go!--anyone who knows me well knows that I am very overprotective of my little guys, it was a very big decision for us to leave them for 4 days--the long and short of it is we had always planned to go for our 5th anniversary and we got an awesome deal!

We left early Monday morning and got back Friday evening, our cruise stopped in Catalina and Ensenada. Everything was wonderful and we had a great time! Here's a few pic!

A pic of our ship on our way to Catalina...we got off the huge ship and onto one of those tiny ships to get to the Island...I get motion sickness pretty bad, I had medication so I was fine but the tiny boat makes me nervous!

It is kind of unreal how huge the ship is! View from Catalina!

We saw quite a few of these buffalo around Catalina! It was a beautiful place, the houses were so cute and the weather was perfect!
Back on the tiny boat back to the big ship!
All dressed up on our formal night--no I am NOT pregnant this picture just makes me look like it...unfortunately its the best one we got all dressed up! But look how handsome Joseph looks!
Just off the ship in Ensenada! Isn't my big hat cute?! I got it on the ship for $10--so excited!

I'm so glad we went! As much as I missed the boys, once we were on the ship and on our way we left our worries behind and just enjoyed ourselves--i'm sure it'll be quite a while before we get to do anything like this again, and it was wonderful!!

2 years old today!

2011-03-20T22:38:00.000-07:00

W and B turned 2 today! I can't believe how big they're getting! We took them to the Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner yesterday and they had cupcakes with candles to blow out today! Auntie Caitlin and Tyler brought some balloons by and the boys took PB cookies to share in nursery at church today!

Walker before church--they looked so cute today! Brayden did not want to cooperate, he took his bottle and sat down in the swing!

After church they took a nice little nap on the couch-BWWaiting to blow out their candles--B blew his out mid song so we had to re light them! They were so excited to finally get to blow out the candles! They pretend all the time!B WDancing off their cupcakes with Tyler!Their super cute new outfits--skinny pants and bowtie made by me, upcycled from a hand-me-down skirt from Joe's Gma. Vests from Babies R Us-50% off clearance last week. Converse shoes from thrift store!If I have some time this week I'll tell you how I made the pants and bowties! They were super easy and hardly took any time at all!

I can't believe my babies are 2! My how time flies! A few things about W and B...

They talk ALL the time!

They say lots of words and are starting to put sentences together.

They also talk to eachother constantly!

They love to dance and sing and have amazing pitch and rhythm!

They love animals and know what sounds they all make.

They love to color and help mommie cook.

They go to bed at 7pm and usually don't get up until 9am--A-mazing!

They love going to nursery at church.

They follow directions super well and are such good sweet boys!

Collects toys, he will carry as many as he can at one time for hours at a time!

Calls his brother "Baby" or "Bayden" and always gives him loves!

Loves chocolate

Loves to jump off things, especially the couch!

A total momma's boy

Always concerned about his brother, check's on him when he's sad, takes him toys, snacks, etc.

Loves bananas

Loves to tickle and be tickled!

They are such fun and smart little boys! We love them to pieces!

Vday Shirts!

2011-02-11T00:18:00.000-08:00

I made t-shirts for the boys for Valentine's Day this year, and I think they turned out super cute! Not sure if you can read them from the pics, so I'll tell you what they say!

Walker's says...
I enjoy...
Long walks to the playground,
Pizza and Juice Boxes,
Doggie's and Kitty's,
Driving my (little tikes) red car,
And collecting toys.
If you are...
Sweet, have pig tails, and enjoy watching Toy Story
I'm your guy!Brayden's says
I enjoy...
Long walks to the playground,
Cookies and Juice Boxes,
The Wiggles and Backyardigans,
Driving my (little tikes) red car,
And dancing in my diaper.
If you are...
sweet have pig tails and enjoy watching toy story
I'm your guy!

They are always happy to give their brother a "love" though...this pic makes me smile--such sweet boys

5 Year Anniversary!

2011-01-29T13:34:00.001-08:00

We celebrated 5 wonderful years of marriage on January 7th!
So, here's 5 things you may or may not know about Joseph and I...

1. On our first date--which I thought was a date but apparently Joseph didn't--there was another girl who thought she was also on a date with Joseph...lucky for me I charmed Joseph by chugging a full Dr. Pepper in 16 seconds flat and burping louder than any other boy in our group...yup I was a charmer!
2. The day of our first "date" I told my friend Ashley that I was going out with Joseph and she double dog dared me to hold his hand...at this point I wasn't even sure I liked Joseph but I could never back down from a double dog dare, needless to say as soon as he sat down next to me I grabbed his hand--according to Joseph he thought that was "super hot" and I credit Ashley for the fact that he asked me out that night!!
3. We started dating May 25, 2005, got engaged September 17, 2005, and got married January 7, 2006!
4. The way Joseph proposed was by having my family lug me to Dillon Beach for a "family vacation"...long story short he was there dressed as a pirate--we were HUGE pirates of the carribbean fans--I followed a treasure map to where he was, climbed over huge rocks out to the rock that was furthest out into the water, and he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him!! BLEW MY MIND! Of course I said yes!
5. We honeymooned for a week in a cute little cottage at Dillon Beach, my favorite story from our honeymoon is that we went to visit the Point Reyes lighthouse--if you're not familiar with it there's about 300 stairs leading down to the actual lighthouse--we walked down looked around for a minute and for some reason decided to race back to the top...mind you we were both in much better shape then than we are now...we collapsed about 2/3's of the way up and died laughing everyone around us thought we were crazy--but we were oblivious...
We have always had so much fun together...I always say we ended up together because we out-flirted, out-smarted, and out-crazied eachother--and we had never met anyone else that could...I'm so glad I met and married my perfect match!
Love you Joseph!!!!

Wordless Wednesday!

2011-01-12T23:08:00.001-08:00

Christmas Sunday Carlson Family Style

2010-12-19T18:58:00.001-08:00

1. Get up at 6am to shower and get ready before the boys get up, pack the diaper bag, ready everything for church, leave with 5 minutes to spare and still manage to be 15 minutes late....CHECK
2. Ditch handsome husband and children in the rain storm, run inside to young women's and realize that we're 15 minutes late...CHECK
3. Listen to the rest of the wonderful Christmas lesson and hear three wonderful girls bear powerful testimony of the church and our Savior and momentarily feel that wonderful true Christmas spirit!...CHECK
4. Baby B aka Brayden gets kicked out of Nursery because he's SO tired--spend Sunday School hour in nursery with both boys...CHECK
5. Leave nursery and look for previously mentioned handsome husband who has the diaper bag, walk around the halls with both boys holding one of my hands--best feeling ever--and being such good/sweet boys...CHECK
6. Change stinky diaper and finally sit down in Sacrament meeting surrounded by family who had come to listen to all of us sing--hubby, sister, mom, and I were all in the program...CHECK
7. Baby A aka Walker pukes his guts out just as the Bishop stands to welcome everyone to church--that would be an entire bottle of EggNog...CHECK
8. Rush around frantically trying to clean puke without anyone noticing...CHECK
9. Escape to the hall with Baby A to change him and try my hardest not to burst into tears...CHECK
10. Sissy and I jump in the car and take both boys home, I run back to church--in the biggest rain/wind storm ever and make it just in time to hear handsome hubby sing an amazingly beautiful song, handsome hubby leaves post haste to relieve sissy who makes it back with seconds to spare to sing with mom in a beautiful womens "trio", and I sing a somewhat rushed version of a great song about our Savior because my mind cannot slow down...CHECK
11. I sit back and finally sing the closing song and am overcome by the love of my Savior and my family--how blessed am I to have family to help me every Sunday and who love, support, and give unconditionally--as crazy as our hour and twenty minute Sacrament meeting was for us I truly feel the joy and spirit of Christmas...CHECK
12. Spend the rest of the day snuggling with handsome husband on the couch while boys play on the floor and watch Christmas movies...CHECK
13. Thank my Heavenly Father before falling into bed for giving me the two most wonderful blessings I could have ever asked for--while our lives are rarely boring we would not trade the craziness for anything in the world!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas Sunday and that you got to enjoy your program a bit more than we did! Merry Christmas!

New House, New Adventures

2010-11-15T22:55:00.000-08:00

2 weeks ago we moved into a new house! We are out of our little condo and into a 3 bedroom house that feels huge to us! We have a garage and a great backyard and are loving every single second here! The boys wake up in the morning have breakfast, play outside, take a nap, eat lunch, play outside, eat dinner and sleep like rocks!

Last Sunday when it rained I taught the boys to puddle splash in our backyard--rain is my favorite weather and growing up everytime it rained I put on my mud sliding clothes and ran outside to jump in puddles and slide in the mud, and when I say growing up I mean until I got married!--Anyhow the boys loved it every bit as much as I did!

A sweet story about the boys--Saturday night Joe and I were making spaghetti together while the boys were playing, they came in the kitchen and asked for bottles and after I made them both a bottle they dispapeered and got very quiet, I came around the corner to check on them and they had climbed up on the couch, pulled a blanket up over them, and were just sitting together on the couch drinking their bottles. They are best friends and I LOVE it!

One more story about the boys--they found Joe's remote control R2D2 toy and figured out how to work it...they passed the remote back and forth a few times before they got it working but I was just amazed that they could actually work it! They're such smart boys!

We are loving our new place and keeping busy getting everything organized! For anyone wondering we are still in CP and didn't move very far, we are even still in the same ward!

On the brink of VACATION!!

2010-10-13T13:26:00.000-07:00

So, I am PROCRASTINATING...I should be packing for Pismo but my brain is already in vacation mode...our family goes to Pismo once a year--this year my grandparents have rented a beach front house that we can all fit in and we get to spend a week relaxing!
As excited as I am I just can't find the motivation to get things done--it's a bit overwhelming to pack for two 18 month olds for a week...here's what the math looks like

for 1 child most people say pack 2-3 outfits per day: 14-21 outfits

we need pj's for every night because we usually wet through at least one set per night: 7 pj's for 1 child

x's by 2: 42-56 outfits total

plus

at least 2 sweaters per child, 1 coat per child

2 pairs of socks per child per day: 28 pairs of socks

2 pairs of shoes per child/2 pairs sandals per child...

7 sheets per child--refer back to wet diapers in the night--we usually change the sheets once a day...actually I just read that...who in their right mind has 14 pack-n-play sheets not me--looks like we'll be washing sheets!

2 pack-n-plays

2 booster seats

1 double stroller...

good thing we're taking the truck!

All adding up to 1 momma who should definetely be packing instead of blogging...

btw don't judge me for my spelling, I'm a fairly good speller but have never been able to spell the word definetely right...it's like a mental block, go figure!
Honestly I don't know how all of you mother's do it--or how my mom did it with 4 kids for so many years...I guess I'll find out eventually...but for today I'll stick to packing for 3...wish me luck!

Thursday Thoughts...

2010-10-07T20:51:00.000-07:00

Most of my blog is about my children...as much as I love them it makes me feel like I don't have a life beyond being a mom...which I guess could be true at some times--it just makes me feel fairly uninteresting!

So I thought I'd try to blog about something different every once in a while...

I had Jury Duty this week...it was awful and I cried...in front of the whole court room and the judge--I am traumatized! The case was very similar to the car accident I was in back in 2003 and had been caused by a 21 year old kid who had been drinking--it felt way too familiar for me and I had to explain to the judge that I couldn't be unbiased in the situation because of it...as I explained the car accident and how it impacted so much of my life back then I began to cry--I was so embarassed...the upside--I was excused which means they consider me as having served and I can't be called again for a year...BAD day though!

I am obsessed with Glee...Joe and I rented the first disc of season 1 via Netflix and bought the first season shortly after--we have watched the entire season twice! We don't pay for TV though and have been watching season 2 online a few days after the new episodes come out...I am sad to say I don't enjoy the 2nd season nearly as much as the first...

We are going to Pismo Beach in less than 2 weeks and I am so excited! We look forward to this trip all year long!

I have been toying with the idea of joining a gym--I used to love running but have only done it a few times since having the boys...at this point I am a little bit scared to run because when I do it will show me exactly how out of shape I really am...

Last Saturday night Joe and I got free movie tickets to see Life as we Know it--it was a pre screening type thing, I don't think it comes out until November--although it could come out this month I have no idea...it was actually pretty cute and for being a free movie we both had a great time...since the movie was free we were able to spend a whopping $11 on a small popcorn, large soda, and a water bottle--amazing! We stopped by Coldstone for dessert and came home to sleeping boys and a clean house--thanks Mommie!--We don't get to go out just the two of us very often but landing free movie tickets was the perfect reason for a night to ourselves!

One last thing--my calling right now is in Young Womens, I am the Personal Progress Specialist and I absolutely LOVE it! The girls in our ward are so sweet and I have had such a great time getting to know them! We are trying to move into a house and are looking so hard to stay in our ward because I LOVE being in Young Womens...plus we have some pretty rad people in our ward!

Nursery!

2010-09-25T15:06:00.001-07:00

Sunday was the boys first time in Nursery by themselves at church! Now that they're 18 months old they get to go to Nursery for the first two hours of church and play with all the other kids! They were such good boys and had so much fun! I prepped myself all week because I knew that they would do so well...Brayden was a little bit sad to see me go but Walker was fine--they both played just fine without me around! Can't believe they're this big already!

18 months ago...

2010-09-17T12:54:00.000-07:00

18 months ago yesterday I was busy growing my two little angels...little did I know my water would break that night and I would have my two sweet boys 5 weeks ahead of schedule!18 months ago today Heavenly Father sent these sweet boys into Joseph and I's lives and everyday since then has been a wonderful adventure!
18 months ago, Joseph and I became parents and changed from a couple to a family

6 months ago we celebrated these sweet little guys 1st birthday--and the fact that Joseph and I had survived as parents for a year!

Today I woke up to the sound of my babies playing and giggling at eachother...as usual one of them was covered in poop--such smart boys getting their dirty diapers off--they played in the bath for an hour, we had breakfast, we played some games, we danced and sang at the top of our lungs, I chased them upstairs and they are now slumbering sweetly...

It is days like today when I know how blessed I am to be a mother and to have such wonderful children...

It's somewhat bizarre going from 2 to 4 in a matter of nine months...there were day when I was pregnant that I thought how in the world will I care for and love two children at once--I remember worrying that I might love one more than the other or that I wouldn't have time to play with both of them each day--

I can truly say that I LOVE being a mother--I treasure each moment I have with my little guys...even the poop filled ones!

I can't believe how quickly the time has gone by and how big Walker and Brayden are already--I hope that I always remember these moments and make time for more moments throughout their lives!

And there is no way I could talk about the last 18 months without saying how wonderful Joseph has been as a husband and father--he is such a natural with the boys and they absolutely adore him! They talk about him all day while he is gone and giggle and sit with him when he gets home--

I love you Joseph--thanks for being the best!

Dear...

2010-09-07T10:52:00.000-07:00

Dear Fall...

Thank you for showing your beautiful face on the tree in front of our car this morning! Can't wait for more good times with you! Please stay for a while!

Your friends-Kira, Walker and Brayden

Young Women Beach Trip

2010-08-01T20:28:00.000-07:00

Growing up in the same ward I'm in now I went on our ward Young Women's beach trip every year...the year after I graduated they changed it to a Youth Confrence trip and invited the boys from the ward, after that they never really did the trip again...They decided to bring it back this year and it just so happens that I just got called to be the Personal Progress specialist in YW's! I was so excited to get to help and attend the beach trip with all the fun girls in our ward! There were 9 girls on the trip and 4 leaders! We had such a fun time...it was my first time being away from the boys over night but Joseph did a great job taking care of them! It was so fun to hang out with the girls and act like a teenager again for a couple days!!The other leaders and I
The girls minus two--turning Chloe into a mermaid

Some of the girls turning Amber into a mermaid...
Morgan, Brooke, and I

Brittney if you're reading my blog I have to say being on the Beach Trip with Morgan--who is So muc like you--brought back so many memories!

It was FREEZING and these girls stayed in the water almost the entire time we were at the beach!

Such a fun trip! Can't wait to go again next year!

Summer Days with 16 month olds...

2010-08-01T17:48:00.000-07:00

Things have been busy here in the Carlson household! We have been having so much fun enjoying summertime!
One of the saddest things about the boys getting bigger is we've cut off all their sweet baby curls...we were getting lots of mullet comments so we decided it was time! They look so grown up now!I suprised Joe and took him to Six Flags for his 26th bday! We had a great day riding roller coasters and hanging out just the two of us!
Auntie Caitlin had our cousins Payton and Brooklyn with her for a whole day last week and they came to spend it with Walker and Brayden, the girls swam while the boys napped, they colored and blew bubbles with the boys frosted cupcakes, played outside, and ate pigs in a blanket--the boys love playing with the girls!

Walker and Brayden absolutely LOVE coloring right now...while they do eat the ocassional crayon they will color for hours!

We also play with whipped creme in their high chairs before bath time! They have so much fun getting dirty!

Oh bummer, these pictures are sideways, but they love to pull our curtains around and play peek a boo behind them while they eat...I end up having to wash the curtains every few days but they giggle so sweetly its worth it!

They love to eat bananas but will only eat them if they are whole with the peel, they can peel them back by themselves and look so big holding them!

They love to relax with their daddie when he gets home from work and watch an episode of the Backyardagains or Spongebob!

Well darn, another sideways pic...we also love playing dress up in our house, hats, ties, sunglasses...you name it!

also bandanas...

Hope you're all enjoying your summers, we sure are!

Best Pumpkin Muffins Ever!

2010-07-12T14:38:00.001-07:00

So I know it's kind of the wrong season for making things with Pumpkin, but I got some on clearance the other day and have been wanting to use it!

I absolutely love pumpkin...I found this recipe for muffins a few years back from this website and have been making them ever since! The recipe makes a huge amount of muffins--I made some on Monday and did half of the batter in my crockpot, to make sort of a pumpkin loaf...and used the rest of it yesterday to make 27 muffins! Anyways it's so yummy I thought I should share!

PUMPKIN MUFFINS

3 1/3 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
3 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground ginger

Mix dry ingredients and add:

1 c. oil
4 eggs
2/3 c. water
2 c. pumpkin

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

Prepare muffin tins by greasing with vegetable oil or butter and sprinkling lightly with flour. Shake out excess.

Fill muffin tins three-quarters full and bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean

I bake mine for exactly 20 minutes and they turn out great!

They are also equally delicious when you add some chocolate chips!

Happy Baking!

Mother's Day Crafts

2010-06-22T09:30:00.001-07:00

I've been meaning to post these for a while now...I made our Mother's Day Pressents this year and felt so good about saving money and giving gifts that were more meaningful! I made both of our moms canvas' with pictures on them and made a washer necklace for Joseph's mom and picture blocks for my mom(which I don't have a pic of)!

The washer necklace idea came from here

it's been done on probably every craft blog out there but I really liked this one! Just an FYI for anyone wanting to make washer necklaces get aluminum washers--anything else is really hard to stamp, everybody blogs about them being so easy but just buying normal washers are way too hard to stamp hence aluminum washers are apparently the way to go...unfortunately for me I found this out too late!

This picture canvas was my idea, I bought the canvas on clearance at Target and just painted over it, added the pictures and bought the letters for $.99 at Target as well! I love the way it turned out, I also made one for my mom with her other Grandkids on it as well!

The idea for photo blocks is here

They turned out super cute, I painted them blue for my mom and did black and white pics on them, I'll get a pic asap!

One other thing I made recently for the boys are these awesome no sew capes
they literally took me five minutes to make both, and the boys love them! They came from old shirts of Josephs! They're a little big for now--I've been searching for small Superman shirts at thrift stores so they can be real super hero capes!

Scratch That!

2010-06-22T09:25:00.000-07:00

So I went to bed last night thinking that my last post sounded horribly negative! I'm sorry! I just get upset by people who act like having twins is a horrible , hard thing! I don't want anyone to feel like they need to be careful what they say around me, I love talking about having twins I just don't enjoy the negativity that people have towards how hard things must be and that they don't realize that having two babies makes every single day worth it!

That's probably what I should've said from the start...thanks for letting me vent friends! Happy Tuesday!

People Say the Darndest Things...

2010-06-21T21:27:00.000-07:00

Disclosure: Please excuse me while I rant for a minute...

So today I made a decision--I think my life will not be about surviving twins...but about surviving stupid people--excuse my frankness!

I know I have blogged about this a little bit before, but I just can't believe the things people say to me when I am out with the boys...today we went to the Dr. for their 15 month check up...I know can you believe they're 15 months already!?

And everyone went on and on about how hard it must be to have two boys walking/running! People are always so negative...why not say something like...I dunno, HOW FUN!? Because it is fun and wonderful and ocassionally crazy but I would not change it for the world! I love having two walking boys...I love having two babies in general! Some women struggle for years to have children and I got pregnant with two babies on the first try...why in the world is that a negative thing???

Sorry...just venting, but in case you were wondering I love having twins, I do have my hands full--each hand is full of a wonderful precious baby

...or I mean 15 month old big boy!

Wordless Wednesday!

2010-06-02T21:47:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day at the Zoo! Love these boys!

Thrift Store Make Over!

2010-05-31T20:08:00.001-07:00

I recently purchased this...at the thrift store for $5!

With some TLC and several coats of paint it is now a perfect pantry for our small kitchen! I love it!

Wordless Wednesday--one day late!

2010-05-27T10:26:00.000-07:00

14 Months Old!

2010-05-20T11:48:00.000-07:00

Where has the time gone! I can't believe my BABIES are 14 months old today! They are getting so big and developing more skills everyday!

Just a quick list of things they do:

They can both walk-Walker since mid March, Brayden started last week.

They are wearing 9 month clothes for the most part! Still small but we're getting there!

They eat and drink everything in sight! Right now they're loving chicken and mac & cheese!

They both drink from a sippy cup.

They sleep through the night almost every night!!!

They have stopped nursing this week...this is bitter/sweet for me, but just shows how big they are!

They talk up a storm all day long, mostly gibberish but they know quite a few words including: mama, dada, duck, quack, dog, moo, ow, eye, nanama (grandma), da-daah (grandpa), tole (Uncle Cole), ball, squirrel, hi...etc.

They can sing A,B,C,D--just those four but it is so cute!

They LOVE music and dance any time there is music playing!

They point to their eye or my eye and say eye! --occasionally they point to their nose and say eye but they're pretty good at it!

They give the best hugs and kisses and Brayden says "aahhh" everytime he gives hugs!

I'm sure there's more, they are such smart boys, but that's all I can think about now! I can't believe I've been a mom for over year, it blows my mind--I still feel like a teenager most of the time! Well I better go check on my little guys--they laid down for a nap 45 minutes ago and are still just talking and laughing at each other...lovely! Am I a bad mom for leaving them for 45 minutes if they're happy...

Wordless Wednesday

2010-05-19T12:12:00.000-07:00

So, I was on a cute blog the other day (can't remember which--I look up waay too many blogs these days) and every Wednesday she did a worldess Wednesday entry--just a picture of her kids doing something goofy or something fun they had done, really a picture of anything I thought it was pretty cute though and I'm gonna try to do it every week...I think mine will mostly be pictures that don't need words--just boys being boys! Well this is entirely too many words for a wordless entry--hope everybody has a great day!

There are absolutely NO words to describe how much these boys make me laugh every single day!

P.S. I hope "wordless Wednesday" isn't some sort of copyrigted title for the gals blog I was on...if so we may switch to mute mondays...or silent saturdays...we'll see!

Just a Quick Pic...

2010-05-16T23:53:00.001-07:00

So I am up way past my bedtime...I have to have one of those now that my boys sleep through the night cuz they insist on getting up at 7am--which isn't ridiculously early but if you're up blogging at midnight...

Just thought I would share a cute pic of my kiddies with their cousins! We had a mini photo shoot with my brother Kyle's kids to take Mother's Day pictures--I made some super cute crafts for mom day pressents that I will be posting soon!

I had a nice Mother's Day, the boys were sick so everybody came here to visit us--I was sad to not go to church since last year the boys were still quarantined on Mother's Day so I've never been to church as a Mom on Mother's Day!

Being a mom is by far one of the best things that has ever happened to me! They are by far my favorite little guys in the world and I am so glad to be their mommie! Also, on the topic of moms I must say that I have the most amazing mom of all time--you might be thinking your mom's cooler, but she's not--I am so blessed to have her close and that she is around to help me whenever I need her!

And with that I hope you all had a wonderful Mom's Day and that you are not awake at midnight to read this post! I'd better get in bed before my children wake up...I put them down without nursing tonight...we'll see how that goes!

Sweet Dreams!

Retiring my old running shoes...

2010-04-27T11:56:00.000-07:00

I am so sad that my old Puma's have seen their day that I felt the need to blog about them! I bought my puma's with my hard earned babysitting money at the age of 14--mind you I'm almost 25--I saved for months and knew exactly which pair I wanted--pink was my signature color, I even remember that I bought them at the Folsom Outlets at the factory brand shoes store...is that what its called? As you can see they are not great running shoes, so they were my fun run shoes...I wore them when I went out for a jog just to feel good, not to get in shape or train for something but just to get out and get some fresh air, i also loved to wear them in a good Hip-Hop class! I feel so silly that I am so sad about a pair of shoes but I feel like they were a part of my life...owning them for almost 11 years they saw a good bulk of it! I have been wearing them to run recently partly because one of my tennis shoes is lost in the abyss called Joseph's truck but partly because I am finally jogging for me again...of course I want to get in shape but mostly I am running because it feels so good--it is time for me even if I am pushing the boys in their joggette--I love the feeling and the fresh air and of course...the burn! I feel like I should keep the shoes, pack them away somewhere to savor the memories...but I know it would just be a waste of space! So I took pictures and am blogging about it--silly huh, but a part of my life none the less! Maybe there's some pics somewhere of me wearing them as a teenager! I'll have to ask my mom! Anyways whether you wanted it or not there's the story of my Puma's and why I'm blogging about shoes! My lovely husband bought me new ones...they were half the price I paid as a teenager and they just don't seem as important when you're not spending every hard earned cent to buy your favorite shoes! But they are very comfy and hopefully in 11 more years I can blog about shoes that have seen me through another wonderful chapter of my life...hehe!
Huge chunks started falling off while I was jogging last week...the time had come!

And the new ones...they are super comfy and I love them...lets see what memories I can make from here!

What I've been doing instead of laundry...

2010-04-25T21:52:00.000-07:00

I have recently been sucked in to the wonderful world of crafting blogs...most people who know me know that I am not crafty at all...I do love scrapbooking but that has been where my talent ended. While my younger sister learned to cook and sew I got a lot of practice flirting with boys--he,he--anyways, I have recently decided that I want to make all sorts of things and have found lots of blogs with some very fun stuff! I have wasted many evenings, not sleeping, but bookmarking blogs with different things I want to make...I have been making something about once a week, so here are my creations--don't judge me too harshly I'm still learning--and where I got the ideas! Enjoy!

Super cute placemat clutch...got the placemat at goodwill for $1 and the liner also at goodwill for $.50, I have so many other ones to make--this is not my favorite colors or patern but it was a trial run....idea from

http://www.blueeyedfreckle.blogspot.com/

Scrappy magnets--taking the magnets you get in the mail or from the pizza place and simply gluing cute scrapbook paper over them--such a fun idea! I got cute paper on clearance at Michael's yesterday a little pack for $.25 and the cute stickers for $.25 as well! Idea from...

http://www.acraftyescape.blogspot.com/

Spring/flower centerpiece for my table--made this from random scraps of paper around the house, a $.25 mason jar from snowline hospice, and the sticks holding the flowers up are from my fondue pot! Made in about 20 minutes just after laying the boys down for their nap one day and before getting in the shower! I love it, it brightens up my room! Idea from... http://www.tipjunkie.com/

Made an awesome brown sugar body scrub for a friend for her bday, I added stress relief aromatherapy and it smelled wonderful! This was so easy to make and we have been picking up jars at thrift stores between $.25 and $.99 to make more!

Idea from...

http://www.theidearoom.blogspot.com/

here it is before it was all wrapped up!

I am having so much fun making things, and I have many more things that I am dying to make! I guess I just needed to get started, the crafting bug does run in my family! If you like crafting check out some of the blogs I listed...my favorite is that some of them list the project time in nap times...ie-this is about a 1 nap project, or 1/2 nap project...makes me happy!

And just becuase they're by far the cutest thing I've ever made, here's a pic of the boys!

They're holding hands while eating lunch...I love how sweet they are to eachother, they are definitely best friends!

1 Year Appt and Day at the Park!

2010-03-23T21:54:00.001-07:00

So yesterday, Monday, the boys had their 1 year old check-ups. And while they look huge to us apparently they haven't grown a whole lot!

Walker:

18lbs 4oz

27 3/4in

Brayden:

17lbs 14oz

27 3/4 in

So they've both gained about a pound since their 9 month appts but they've gotten about 3 or 4 inches taller...silly boys, they're so skinny! Would you believe that most of the clothes they wear are 3-6 months!?

Before their appt my sister, Caitlin, brought over the 2 year old she nannies to play with Walker and Brayden and we walked to the park just up the street to let them all play for a while!

The boys loved getting the fresh air and it was nice to go out for a walk, we used to go all the time during the summer, but haven't been in quite a while!

We are loving the spring weather and lookin forward to spending more time letting the boys play outside this year!

Walker--they liked the slide!
Brayden--striking some sort of GQ pose don't you think!?

Love these silly boys!

Walker

Brayden

Hello World!!

2010-03-21T21:36:00.001-07:00

In case you're still bothering to follow our blog--that we haven't updated in 3 months--I thought I'd finally post! So hopefully there's still someone out there who wants to hear about our little family!! Things have been busy and crazy and wonderful all at once! Since I updated last I had a wonderful 24th bday, we had an awesome Christmas/1st Christmas, a new niece--Rosalee, Joseph and I's 4th Anniversary, a PGY performance, a long weekend vacation to Pismo Beach, a sweet Valentine's Day, Dance Festival performances--I taught a Hip Hop number, a finally--the main reason I'm blogging a 1st birthday party!!

So considering that it would take for-ev-er to update you on everything I'm skipping right to the best part--Walker and Brayden's first Birthday! We had a wonderful day with the boys, their bday was Saturday March 20th, we started out with a wonderful breakfast made by Dad-Joseph-chocolate chip pancakes with peanut butter! The boys absolutely love them! After playing with them and singing happy birthday to them all morning they went down for their naps and then we ran out for their Party! We had a nice party at our Stake Center with family and a few good friends! The boys had so much fun being the center of attention--they loved their cakes and got so many wonderful pressents!

Sleepy Walker wondering why Mom has the camera out so early!
Equally sleepy Brayden, waiting to pancakes to be made!
Joseph is quite the chef, and makes some killer chocolate chip pancakes!
Enjoying their bday breakfast--such big boys!

The Party was Sesame Street themed and both boys had their own cake to demolish!
We played a game during the party where I made two posters with 14 different of Walker and Brayden on it and the guests had to guess who was who in each picture from birth to now! It was really fun--mind you the boys technically are not identical but I had some really tricky pictures! I had my money on Cole winning and he actually tied with Joseph's cousin Harrison! It was super fun!

Just starting to dig into their cakes!

BraydenWalker

Their birthday crowns were courtesy of my mom--they turned out so cute!

Confessions of a Mother of Twins...

2009-12-13T22:38:00.000-08:00

As my boys are 8 1/2 months this week, I have decided that this is apparently the point when your brain...at least my brain says, 8 1/2 months without sleep is enough see ya...the story is, a few days ago I was feeding the boys breakfast and thinking wow, these peaches are super runny and getting all over the boys clothes...I continued to feed them trying desperately hard to keep their clothes clean, upon giving them their last bite I realized...I NEVER put bibs on these silly boys...Thanks brain...please come back soon! As you can tell they're quite happy about being so messy...
Goofy Walker

and Brayden

One Little Tooth...

2009-11-25T14:54:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-25T14:30:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving this year!

We have so much to be grateful for this year, but most of all are thankful beyond words for two little boys who keep me too busy to update my blog sufficiently!!!!! We are spending the day with Joseph's parents tomorrow and are excited for the boys to enjoy their first Thanksgiving Day!

Just a quick update...the boys turned 8 months last Friday...
they are both crawling,

they both say Dada and Brayden says Mama,

they love to talk and make all sorts of fun noises,

they eat solid foods and love bananas and sweet potatoes best,

Brayden has one tooth...and they're both still nursing (keeping our fingers crossed),

they can both sit up on their own,

they sleep in their own cribs in their own room,

they are starting to pay more attention to eachother and love to giggle at eachother,

and they're standing up to everything...pulling themselves up...

they are everywhere and in everything!

We love them and their budding personalities sooo much!

Brayden
Walker

Just had to say...

2009-10-15T22:10:00.000-07:00

So, I've been thinking lately about being a mom of multiples...

Everywhere I go people seem to have something somewhat negative to say...

Oh wow you have your hands full,

Do you ever sleep?,

That must be so hard,

Imagine when they start walking,

You must've been scared to death when you found out,

I'm so glad it's not me...

and the list goes on...

I have made it very clear that I am just tickled to have twins...as most of you know, but I was thinking the other day that I want to give myself a pat on the back...I think I have taken well to being a mom and especially for having twins, what brought this on was that on Wednesday I was leaving the boys with Joe for an hour and a half to go teach dance and he was asking me what to do if they were both sleepy at the same time...I went on to tell him what I do and demonstrated how to lay them down in the crib at the same time, or how to lay one down if the other one is still awake, and just went down my list of all the different things I do...

And I thought despite the fact that somedays I'm a complete zombie I think I'm doing alright...and I'm doing something that a lot of other people think would be their worst nightmare and loving every minute of it...so here it goes, in light of legally blonde...SNAPS for Kira! Today is a day to feel good about myself!

P.S.--the best comment I've ever gotten about having twins came from an employee at Costco who looked at the boys and just said, Oh what a blessing!

Two faces to wash, and four dirty hands

Two insistent voices, making demands

Twice as much crying, when things go wrong

The four eyes closing, with slumber song

Twice as many garments, blowing on the line

Two cherubs in the wagon, soaking up sunshine

Work I do for twins, naturally comes double

But four arms to hug me, repay all my trouble.

~Author Unknown

It's double the giggles and double the grins, and double the trouble if you're blessed with twins. ~Author Unknown

Dear Walker and Brayden,

2009-10-14T20:41:00.000-07:00

Please stop getting so BIG!

Please go back to being 5lbs and stay my little babies forever!
It's not that I don't love playing with you and listening to you starting to talk and trying to crawl...it's just that I want you to be my little babies forever!
Love, Your Mommie

Happiness Is...

2009-09-16T10:59:00.000-07:00

Being these little boys Momma...

...and being part of this family!

Confession of the Month: from the mother of twins!

I love being the mother of twin boys! There is nothing better in the entire world than snuggling two sweet boys to sleep and having one head on each of my shoulders! They are starting to interact more and are just so sweet and precious! They are getting so big so fast--I wish time could just stand still for a while and I could enjoy this time for a little extra! They are already six months! I hope I am blessed to have twins next time cuz i don't think I'll know what to do with only one baby!!!

Pismo Beach Pics!

2009-08-28T14:36:00.000-07:00

My happy little guys

2009-07-22T16:50:00.001-07:00

Brayden laughing at mom

Happy Walker--they love talking to mommie!

Silly boys in Copy and Paste Onsies

Confessions of a Mother of Twins...

2009-07-20T15:47:00.000-07:00

So I've decided I need to have an ongoing post of confessions...there are always crazy things that happen with these two boys that need to be shared! I think this is a great way to share them and to share the crazy things that I end up doing throughout my days with my precious little guys!

Some examples:

I could never survive without my nursing pillow...if you are having twins or know anyone having twins they need one--it is a total life saver! I don't know what I would do without it...

for the record you can find it at www.doubleblessings.com

More days than I would like to admit I never get dressed and spend the whole day upstairs on my bed playing with the boys, feeding them and sleeping or reading while they nap! Disgustingly enough--there are days when I go to get ready for bed at night and realize I never even got a chance to brush my teeth!!!

There are days when I make food--like sticking something in the microwave for breakfast or lunch and when I go to find food for the next meal I realize I never ate the previous one! I would not have survived without microwavable meals for at least the first 2 months!

I am extremely stingy when it comes to letting other people hold my babies! I get so anxious to see other people with them...plus I just absolutely adore them and when people try to take them offering me a "break" it makes me crazy! I don't need a breakI don't care if no one but me ever holds them!!! If I never had to eat or sleep and they never had to sleep I would probably hold them all the time...

and more to come...

17 week old boys!

2009-07-20T15:13:00.001-07:00

Caught in the Act--Brayden

He Can Fly!!!

Snuggly Walker

Ready to go to sleep--smiley boy!

To be a successful mother of sons you must: (and by you I mean me)

2009-07-15T17:44:00.000-07:00

Quit ogling (and sometimes buying for the future) tea sets, doll houses, and pink clothes every time you shop.
Learn to play with action figures. This means you have to think like a boy. Captain Jack and Will Turner want to FIGHT. They do NOT want to garden, have a tea party, or be nice Daddies who do the dishes. They want to dismember each other.
Quit hating sports. You have very athletic children and years of spectating before you. Just accept that your Saturday mornings will never ever be free ever again and invest in a good lawn chair and cooler.Accept that your boys will come inside from playing completely filthy and smelling of wet dog. And furthermore, they will NOT stop digging in the dirt and will NEVER wipe their feet adequately before entering the house.
Potty words are here to stay. Just like the bodily functions they represent, they will never cease being a large part of your life.
Instead of being offended at being brutally stabbed, shot, and/or impaled in all pretend battles, be flattered that you were worthy enough to be chosen as an adversary.
Keep lots of Febreze Air Effects, Lysol Wipes, Hand Sanitizer, and snacks (for bribery and personal fortification) on-hand at all times.
Check the toilet seat before sitting down

Joe got Braces and 1st Father's Day, Kyle and Rachel are in town, July 4th...etc.

2009-07-07T09:31:00.000-07:00

Beware lots of new pictures!!!

Kyle and his family suprised us by coming into town on Saturday the 20th--he stayed until the 27th and Rachel, Jonah and Audrey are here for a few more weeks! It is so fun having them here...we miss them now that they live up in Washington!

Our little family on Father's Day--Joseph's 1st! Notice he got braces as well!!
All our Daddie's kids minus Caitlin on Father's Day at our house!

Joseph got car antlers from Kyle and Rachel for his bday! Yes they really sell these places in Washington and we drove with them on my car the rest of the day!

Audrey and Walker sitting in the boys' bumbos! My boys absolutely love them and Audrey thought it was very fun! Her little thighs would get stuck everytime she tried to stand up though!

Rebekah holding Walker
Brooklyn with Walker

Payton with Walker

Brooklyn singing I am a Child of God to the boys--it made them smile!

Audrey playing with our puppy Hurley

Walker is my little thumb sucker--if he wakes up and is able to find his thumb sometimes he'll sleep another hour!

The boys first fourth of July--at our ward pancake breakfast we walked over since it only takes about five minutes--the boys were wonderful and I didn't even have to feed them until we got home!

Mommie and Daddie with Walker

Sleeping Brayden on Mom

Christina is home from her mission! She was one of my best friends before we got married and suprised us by coming to our pancake breakfast! It was so fun to see her and for her to get to see the boys!

Hope everyone had a wonderful 4th!!

Some Pics to add to the last post!

2009-06-20T14:17:00.000-07:00

Making my Blog Boy Worthy!

2009-06-19T15:10:00.000-07:00

So I decided that I needed to make my blog a little more boyish considering that I am now out numbered in our family 3 to 1! Things have been going super well for our little family these past few weeks! The boys are growing and healthy Walker is now 8lbs 8.5oz and Brayden is 9lbs 2.5oz! It is hard to imagine that they are the same tiny babies we brought home from the hospital! They are now 13 weeks old and are thrilling us with smiles and giggles, rolling over, and sitting up in their bumbo!

Joseph turned 25 on the 15th and we had a combined bday party for him and Cole on Sunday night at my parents! Joe got a keyboard for his bday(a portable grand piano) and it's really nice! It's been fun to start taking the boys out more and have them around different people! I never got a chance to post that Joseph got a new position at VSP as well! He is now working for Altair where he sells the actual frames to doctors office and is really enjoying being there! We are so blessed that he is able to work and provide for our family so I can stay home with the boys!

I am just loving being a mom and having a wonderful time everyday! I will put on some pictures later but for now i have two boys who want their momma!

11 weeks old today!

2009-06-05T21:48:00.001-07:00

Walker Bud

Brayden ManAnd one very happy mommie with both my boys!

My boys are 7 weeks already!

2009-05-08T17:45:00.000-07:00

Goodness have we ever been busy! The boys are getting bigger and cuter everyday though! They are finally weighing 6 pounds and to us look so big! But are definetely still quite small! I am loving being a mom and they are just the sweetest babies anyone could ever ask for! We are starting to get better at telling them apart and they are starting to develop little personalities! They are also starting to have some awake time beside just eating and we're enjoying getting to actually spend sometime with them! (Before they were only waking up to eat and immediately going back to sleep) They're eating every two hours and we figured out last night that I am getting around 3 1/2 hours of sleep at night! But they are little angels and I love them with all my heart! Here's some pictures we took of them today at 7 weeks old!

Walker

Brayden

Just thought I'd share....

2009-04-10T10:02:00.000-07:00

I can wear jeans again!!!!!!! My mom took this picture of me last week when we ran out and left Joseph with the boys for a few minutes so I could get some fresh air...I decided to get dressed--like in real clothes instead of sweats!--and my jeans fit! Not too shabby for two weeks huh? The boys are three weeks old today and I can't believe how quickly time is flying by! They are getting bigger everyday and in my opinion cuter every time I look at them! They are such good babies and are so sweet and happy! I can't believe they're almost a month old...I am trying as hard as I can to cherish every moment cuz I know time will just keep going faster!!Here they are today at three weeks old...they had just eaten--their little bellies are bloated! (By the way I'm not really sure why I'm writting in blue...)Here they are again just relaxing on our bed!And their sweet little feet...they are so perfect!

You might be the mother of new born twins if....

2009-04-07T18:10:00.000-07:00

Your refrigerator looks like this!

The boys today in their onsies from Auntie Caitlin! We went to the doctors to have them weighed yesterday to make sure they are still gaining weigt...Walker is 5 pounds 2 ounces and Brayden is 4 pounds 13.5 ounces! They are doing so good and getting so big! They are eating every four hours and I have started nursing them at the same time! Because they are still so little they don't get enough milk from nursing so I pump when I am done nursing and we feed them bottles as well! It takes about an hour and a half to two hours to get them fed and back to sleep and then I have to pump so we are not getting too much sleep but we are loving every single minute with the boys! Joseph is such great help during the night and and basically just all the time! He is a great Dad! The boys are so sweet and I feel so blessed to have them home and healthy and growing!

My handsome Boys...

2009-04-02T19:44:00.001-07:00

2009-03-29T19:53:00.000-07:00

Left: Brayden Matthew Carlson
Weight 4 pounds 8 ounces
Length 17 3/4
Right: Walker Joseph Carlson
Weight 4 pounds 11 ounces
Length 16 1/4
Walker Joseph was born at 9:04pm on March 20, 2009 and by regular delivery
Brayden Matthew was born at 9:20pm on March 20, 2009 by c-section as he turned feet down after Walker was born.
They were both born without any complications but because they were 5 full weeks early they were taken to the NICU at UC Davis in Sacramento to be monitored and taken care of by the wonderful nurses and doctors there. Because I had just woken up from my c-section I didn't get to hold them before they left but they brought both boys in to see me in their isolets and let me talk to them and touch them before they left. They both ended up a little bit jaundice but did very well under the bili lights. I spent the first three days away from them recovering at Marshall hospital in Placerville but Joseph spent as much time as he could with them in the NICU. I was released on Monday afternoon and my Mom took me straight down to see the boys. They were discharged yesterday after just a week in the NICU and the doctors are very happy with how well they did! We are now home and happy to be a little family of four! Because they are still premature they aren't allowed to have any visitors except family until their due date April 22. We are so happy to be home with our little boys and feel so blessed that everything has gone so well! It still seems so sureal that they really are ours and that we're a little family now but everything has been wonderful so far and we're treasuring every single minute! I stole these pictures from my mom but will put up more from my camera soon!
Our first family picture the first time I got to hold Walker(Left) and Brayden(Right) Walker and Brayden sleeping at home!
With Auntie Caitlin
Aren't they sweet...Walker and Brayden

Why I haven't been blogging.....

2009-03-16T18:04:00.000-07:00

So I am on bedrest and simply exhausted most of the day...if you want the whole story check out my moms blog at www.cindykersey.blogspot.com
Happy St. Patricks Day

Baby Shower!

2009-02-26T15:42:00.000-08:00

I had a baby shower last weekend on Saturday and had so much fun! We got so many wonderful things and Joseph and are feeling so blessed by all the family and friends we have that love us! So many people came and it was so good to see everyone...friends we see all the time as well as friends we haven't seen in years! Above is my favorite picture of the day because my tummy looks so huge! It was such a great day, thank you so much to everyone who came!!!

Arenacross!

2009-02-23T14:05:00.000-08:00

On Sunday Joseph and I went to watch Cole at Arenacross at Arco Arena in Sacramento. He is doing this new series of Arenacross races and this weekend happened to be when they were close to home in Sac. We had a great time watching him and his friends and going back and forth between the pits. He did a super good job in his heat races and took a 4th and a 7th in his main races. We picked up Caitlin on the way down and met Matt on the way so we didn't all have to pay parking. We had an awesome day!

With Cole when we first got there!

Cole #99

The whole track from where we sat all day!

All of us watching, apparently Caitlin and I were either confused or intently watching!

Matt and Joe consulting with Cole after his race.

In the pits under ArcoArena.

Snow is Cameron Park!

2009-02-15T15:45:00.000-08:00

Joseph and I have been staying at our friends the Bitnoff's with their two boys while their parents are in Hawaii for the week! Conner and Cole are 16 and 13 and we have tons of fun with them! On Friday morning when Joe woke up to get ready for work we awoke to SNOW!!! Now for those of you who live in the snow this might not be very impressive to you...but for us sunny Californians we were freezing!

Looking out our window down onto our cars Friday morning!

My poor frozen car!

Looking up the street from the Bitnoff's house.

Their frozen backyard

The trees looked so pretty all covered in snow!

As pretty as it was I am glad to say it only snow about once a year at the most in Cameron Park and I am hoping it stays that way! Joseph and I are doing well...I'm thirty two weeks along now and we're just waiting (inpatiently) for these boys to get here! Joseph has tomorrow off work and we're excited to spend sometime together--we didn't get to celebrate valentine's day on Saturday so we'll probably go out to dinner or something! As for me heartburn and major backpain have kicked in during the last week and we are definetely not friends! Hope everyone had a Happy Valentines Day!!!

Not much new here...just growing babies...

2009-01-30T16:41:00.000-08:00

Performing Groups for Youth Show

2009-01-22T12:45:00.000-08:00

I teach 4 dance classes a week for a performing group in El Dorado Hills called PGY. I have taught there for a year now and I absolutely love it! The kids are so fun and I get to teach music and dance! We had our big show last weekend called Disney Magic--each class did around four numbers for 2 different disney shows. It turned out so well and we all had a great time! I choreographed Beauty and the Beast, Mulan, Aladdin, Lion King, Hercules, a Princess Medley, Cruella DeVille, Cinderella, and part of Alice in Wonderland! My cousin Rebekah was also in the show--unfortunately I didn't get to be her teacher--she did a Friendship Medley and Enchanted and did such an awesome job! Here's some pictures of all the fun! Rebekah and I after our Friday night show--Joseph's parents brought me flowers!
Joseph and I, he came to the Friday night show With Miss Toryn my helper for my 5 year old class--she was the best so we made her a shirt and all the kids signed it
Rebekah in her Friendship Medley
A bunch of my students in the finale Ever Ever After

Rebekah in her beautiful Enchanted costume

With two of my girls Brooke and Ali from my oldest class

Again with Miss Toryn

Rebekah and some of my students in the finale

With Caitlin--she came on Saturday night

29 weeks pregnant...and still growing!

2009-01-22T12:35:00.000-08:00

So every monthly pregnancy picture I've taken I wear the same cute purple dress with my leggings and usually it's the only day I actually do something with my hair because I want to remember looking cute while I was prego...yesterday I showed up at my parents house looking like this and when my mom asked me where my dress was I told her that this is how 6 1/2 months pregnant looks on me! We had an Ultra Sound yesterday as well and the boys are growing and developing exactly as they should be, one of them likes to kick my left ribs and the other kicks my right hip bone and they tend to do karate(or something) most of the day! I am trying to tell myself they'll be here soon so I can get things finished up at home--their bedroom and so forth. I am also working on quilts for them with my mom and sister and will post pictures when I am done! As for me I am doing alright...I am always tired and can rarely catch my breath...and I'm starting to get nauseous in the evenings again but I'm hanging in there--and still teaching 4 dance classes a week!

3 years together!

2009-01-07T11:25:00.001-08:00

I cannot believe how quickly time flies! Today Joseph and I have been married three years! It seems like just yesterday! And now we're expecting twin boys! I am so grateful that Joseph came into my life, we have had so many wonderful times together and he is truly my Prince Charming! I am so grateful for all that he does for me and for how hard he works so that I will be able to stay at home with our baby boys. He is such a wonderful and sweet person and I could not be happier than I am with him! I love you Joseph Carlson!!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-29T17:22:00.000-08:00

These aren't in the right order...but here's some pictures of our Christmas! Kyle and Rachel came down with their kids from Washington and it was super fun to see them! We spent the Monday night before Christmas with Grandma and Grandpa Kersey doing gifts at their house, Christmas Eve with Grandma and Grandpa Overton at my parents house, and Christmas day we went between our house, my parents, and Joe's parents...if we can figure out how to do it i'll upload a great video of Joseph and I singing Grandma got run over by a reindeer at his parents house for their annual Christmas program!!!! We also celebrated Rachel's b-day while they were here at her Grandma's house!

Siblings at Rachel's B-day party!
All us kids!

Christmas at my parents on Christmas day!

Caitlin and I leaving cookies out for Santa at my parents house on Christmas Eve.

Audrey's favorite part of Christmas was sitting on the boxes here she is with her Great Grandpa Overton on Christmas Eve!

The whole clan on Christmas Eve

Jonah and Audrey playing the piano on Christmas Eve--cutest niece and nephew an aunt and uncle could ever ask for

Monday before Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa Kersey's house!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!!!!!! And best wishes for a Happy New Year!!

25 weeks pregnant!

2008-12-29T17:09:00.001-08:00

Guess What....

2008-12-22T13:28:00.001-08:00

So, after much waiting and almost loosing my mind with so many people asking me what the babies are we FINALLY had our Ultra Sound last Wednesday! And the verdict is two, healthy baby BOYS! We are so excited! For right now they are Walker1 and Walker2 until we figure out a second name! People keep telling me we're going to have our work cut out for us but we could not be happier! They will always have a partner in crime and we are counting the days until they arrive!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-28T15:12:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We sure did we were at my parents this year and everyone came to their house for a change! Caitlin and I got up early and did the run to feed the hungry at sac state...we've done it for the last few years and we usually run but since I"m prego we decided to just walk this year! We had a great time and a wonderful Thanksgiving! Joseph and i have so much to be thankful for this year and have been blessed so much in the past year!!!!

Here we are after the race at my parents! We had an awesome time!

Getting Bigger...21 weeks pregnant!

2008-11-28T15:08:00.001-08:00

About My Hubby!

2008-11-14T09:24:00.000-08:00

I saw this on a friends blog and decided to steal it! Joseph is out of town for work for 4 days and I'm already missing him like crazy, so I thought I grab this and write a little about the man I love!

What is your husbands name? Joseph John Carlson

How long have you been married? Almost 3 years

How long did you date? We met in February 2005 on Valentines day but never really talked to eachother until May, I thought he was cute but super quiet...little did I know! We dated just under 4 months, got engaged in September and married in January 2006!

How old is he? 24, we're only about a year and a half apart.

Who eats more sweets? I'm not sure we don't eat a ton of sweets between the two of us, even being pregnant I don't crave too much, I guess it'd depend on the day!

Who said I love you first? Joseph did, we had been hanging out at my parents house and I walked him out to his car and he said he loved me in my parents drive way...I of course told him I loved him too!

Who is taller? Joseph has an inch or two on me!

Who can sing the best? I would say Joseph for sure, he would try to be modest and say it's me, but definetely Joseph. He has a much bigger range than me, he can sing anything from country to rock and roll and always sounds amazing...I love hearing him sing!

Who is smarter? Considering that I've taken about two years off school and Joseph has been actively going I'd say him, I'm definetely better at math though!

Who does the laundry? Both of us...

Who pays the bills? Depends on the bill...so both of us!

Who mows the lawn? The landscaper! Wow doesn't that sound ritzy! The HOA through our condo's does all the yard work every Thursday morning!

Who cooks dinner? I attempt to cook dinner more often but Joseph is definetely the better cook, we usually finish eating what he makes...not so much when I'm cooking, but I'm trying to get better!

Who drives? We both like to drive and we always bug eachother about who gets to drive where...drives us both nuts, one of the few things we totally disagree on! I think I'm a better driver and he thinks he's a better driver, you can see the delema!

Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Ha, ha, ha you can tell from the above statement we are both extremely stubborn! We both hate admitting we're wrong...but for the sake of my stubborness I'll say I'm first to admit it!!!!!

Who kissed who first? I was going to kiss Joseph the night of our first date...it was just a whim and I didn't think I liked him very much or that he liked me...I thought it would be a fun story to tell somebody someday though but I chickened out at the last second and just gave him a hug...to this day I wish I had done it, it would've been an awesome story and Joseph says he would've asked me to marry him that night it I had kissed him first! But unfortunately Joseph kissed me the next day after institute at the mormon center! That's a funny story too becuase I got the giggles and the first time he went in for the kiss I laughed in his face...he kinda backed up and looked at me funny and went for it again...it was very cute!

Who asked who out first? Joseph invited me to a few different activities with his ward before he actually asked me out...unfortunately for me what I thought was him asking me out to a party was just him asking me to come hang out with him and his friends and there was another girl who thought she was there on a date with Joseph! I thought she was there on a date with Ryan, Joseph's best friend, but apparently they were pretty much dating! Unfortunately for her I was a huge flirt and Joseph and I were dating by the end of the night!!!

Who wears the pants? I would say Joseph, he would probably say I try too though! Goes back to that stubborn thing! I do listen to him when it's important though!

I love you Joseph!!!!

Starting to look pregnant!

2008-10-29T13:19:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa Overton's 50th Anniversary Cruise!

2008-10-29T12:41:00.001-07:00

We did a 5 day cruise to Mexico (Cabo and Ensenada) for my Grandparents 50th Wedding Anniversary! They were twelve of us total with Grandma and Grandpa, my parents, Caitlin and Cole, Joseph and I, and Matt with his 3 girls. We had an awesome time! It was our first time cruising and I was a little worried that I would get motion sickness being pregnant and all but we did great! Joseph and I can't wait to go again! Our whole family went to Karaoke every night Caitlin and I sang a ton each night and Joseph and I got to sing together as well...everything they had auditions for their Carnival Legends show that took place the last night of the show starring ten cruise guests as ten music legends from Madonna to Elvis...so of course Matt and Joe were picked right off the bat as Sir Elton John and Ricky Martin! We had a ton of fun watching them! Our first stop was in Cabo and it was about 95 degrees with major humidity I only lasted a few hours before I went back to the ship in my airconditioned room and Cole and I ordered room service...Ensenada was much nicer and we got to do some great shopping...we had fun picking out all our favorite knock off items!

Just before getting on the ship on Saturday morning!

Cole being pregnant with me...we all wore shirts the first day of the cruise that said Grandma and Grandpa's 50th Anniversary Cruise...

The little girls, and on the back of our shirts it said my Grandpa paid for my cruise! Caitlin and I singing at Karaoke

Joseph and I singing together.
Dying of heat in Cabo in front of the Love Shack!
Joseph on our water taxi to the beach at Cabo.
Go figure we ran into Joseph's favorite person in Ensenada!

Walking the streets in Ensenada.

With Brooklyn in a restaurant in Ensenada!

Ricky Martin and Sir Elton John after the big show! (Joseph and Matt)Caitlin and I with Sir Elton

Me and Ricky!

With our waiter Hoshang after our last dinner, he was awesome!

In case you haven't heard...

2008-10-29T12:33:00.000-07:00

We're having twins!!!!

Aren't they adorable?? For the time being they're Thing 1 and Thing 2 compliments to my Dad for coming up with the names! We found out on October 6th at my very first appointment with my OB and are just tickled! They immediately sent us for a more high tech ultra sound just two days later and we got to hear both their little heart beats and they were laying just perfectly to get the picture above! We know that they are fraternal but are still not sure if they are boys or girls or one of each! We can't wait to find out!

Secret, Secret I've got a Secret!

2008-09-29T14:24:00.001-07:00

Audrey Turns 1 on Saturday!

2008-08-20T09:17:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Moie!

2008-08-20T09:07:00.000-07:00

Friday the 15th was my moie's birthday! I took the day off work and we went to Ikea, Joanne's, Michael's, Green Tangerine, etc. and had lunch at La Bou! We had an awesome day together! We celebrated her birthday on Sunday with Grandma and Grandpa O, Matt and the girls, and Allen and B came over with Caden!

I am so blessed to have such a wonderful Mom! She does so much for me and is truly my best friend! We have so much fun together--after lunch on Friday she got the Mamma Mia soundtrack and we had a wonderful time rocking out together! We have also been walking together on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and it's so nice to get to spend extra time with her!

Happy Birthday Moie I love you!

Found some Pics of Joe!

2008-08-15T10:03:00.001-07:00

Alex, Ty and Joe (57, 77, and 33)
I found these on Ty's myspace from last season...I still go out to the races almost everytime at Sac. I miss Joseph racing! He has band practice every Friday now and hasn't been out once this season!

Current Obsessions!

2008-07-22T16:10:00.000-07:00

I love the song...all I wanna do oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo....
Want to see this one sooo badly
Joseph's current reading obsession...
We still haven't seen it and Joseph is dying to!
IF you haven't seen it you HAVE too...hilarious!

Counting the Days Till the next one comes out!
mmmm....
Can't wait for this movie!

Miss the beach so much already!

Pismo Beach

2008-07-20T11:17:00.000-07:00

We spent the last week in Pismo Beach and had a super blast! Here's some pictures of our adventures! We had lots of time to play and have fun and relax and kick back!

Joseph's first time driving on the beach! Also the first time he got to use the 4-wheel drive in his new truck!
Just driving down the beach!
Joe did some boogie boarding
I did some relaxing while Joe was playing
Unloading to go riding Joseph taking off out to the dunes
Me doing some more relaxing!

Then I did some riding myself!We took a walk every morning down on the beach!Joseph fell asleep on the beach in his shorts and was burnt to a crisp all week long--the day after this happened he could barely bend his knees if was horrible!Joseph and his bike in our garageWe took a little drive to Shell beach which was beautiful but we decided we wanted to be back at Pismo!I got to hang out with a seal for a whileAnd then I rode a whale for a few hours!Joseph sculpted my name in to the sandWe were so glad there was a sign over this stairway or we never would have known that's what it was and those stairs came in quite handy!

And then we both got to do some relaxing--notice the towel over Joseph's legs--he was already burnt bad enough!

Pictures as Promised!

2008-07-20T10:44:00.001-07:00

4th of July Slumber Party!

Playing Rockband--Joe is singing and playing guitar!
Playing Halo with both tv's hooked up
Joe and Curt passed out! Notice I am still wide awake and playing Halo with the boys! This was around 1:30am...Joe finally went upstairs to sleep around 2am! Notice all the energy drinks on the coffee table as well! These boys were wired!
The next morning! None of them had slept at all...except for Jacob and Jeffrey had finally crashed around 7:00am the next morning!

More Rockband pictures at the beginning of the night!
Cole was rocking the drums!

Trip to SF with Ryan and Manuela!
On the Pier

Not entirely sure why this picture is on here twice but I can't get it to delete! At the A's game later that night!
Our seats were pretty sweet!

All of us in our A's attire!

Joseph and I in our awesome matching shirts!

Busy As Usual!!!

2008-07-08T13:54:00.000-07:00

So we have been super busy the last month! And I need to catch up with my pictures! Since the last time I posted we took a great trip to San Fran with our friends Ryan and Manuela. We left at 6am on a Saturday morning and spent most of the day wandering around town. That night we went to an Oakland A's game! Joe and Ryan are A's fanatics and we had a great time! Joseph and I got matching shirts! It was a super fun day trip and I even got some great knockoff Gucci sunglasses in SF! Unfortunately for the boys the A's barely lost right at the last minute and they were sad about it all the way home! I thought i was a great game though! My cousin Rebekah James turned 10 this last week and we celebrated her birthday on Sunday! I can't believe how grown up she is! She is such a beautiful girl! Also on her birthday July 3rd we had a slumber party at our house with Joseph's brothers, cousin Roger, my brother and his friend Ty, Curt, Ryan and Manuela and Allen and Benecia our friends who live next door stopped by too! We played Halo and Rockband until about 330am when I finally went upstairs to sleep (Joe passed out about 2am and was already sleeping) The boys watched two movies downstairs and were still awake when I got up at 6pm to walk with Benecia and Hurley! At 830am the boys still hadn't slept and I was going on about an hour--fell asleep aroudn 4am and woke up at exactly 5am and couldn't sleep anymore--we walked over the the elementary school where our ward does a pancake breakfast! That evening we went to my my aunt and uncles (James and Carrie) for a bbq, swimming, and fireworks! It was super fun and we had a great time! Next week we will be taking off for a week stay in Pismo Beach and we can hardly wait! We deserve a good vacation I think! We will be gone from Saturday-Saturday and have rented a little beach house for the whole week! I'm going crazy trying to pack and make sure we don't forget anything but I can hardly wait! I'll add pictures asap! I have some great ones of the boys playing xbox and Joe and Curt sleeping!

The whole family after Cole was ordained to a priest! I can't believe he's 16!

Joseph and Cole's Party

2008-06-19T10:52:00.000-07:00

On Monday night we had a combined Birthday party for Cole and Joseph at my parents house since they b-day's are so close! Joseph got all three Indiana Jones movies which he's been dying to have and the new National Treasure movie. Sounds like year 24 has been pretty good so far!Jonah and Baby AudreyIt took a long time to get al 24 candles lit!Jonah and Uncle Joe being hardcore!
Payton trying to look Chinese!Rebekah James and meBrooklyn's Blue Steel...With Audrey who is 9months now!

Father's Day/Joseph's Birthday!

2008-06-19T10:40:00.000-07:00

So this year Joseph's birthday landed on Father's day so we got to run around and see our Dad's and celebrate Joseph's birthday! On top of that Joseph got asked to give a talk about his dad...I told him I would've said no but he accepted and did a wonderful job! My primary kids sang "My Dad" in Sacrament Meeting and it was great! I love when they sing in Sacrament meeting and do such a great job! It makes me feel like I actually do get across to them in what I teach! After church we went to my families house to be with my dad and then we went to Joseph's families house to see his dad and celebrate Joseph's b-day with his family! We had a very nice day being with family but Joseph decided he's glad it'll be another seven years before he has to share his birthday with Father's day again!

With my Daddie at my parents house!Joe reinacting blowing out his b-day candle! Yes I missed it the first time!

His parents got him a Nightmare Before Christmas sweatshirt when they were in Disneyland! Doesn't he look handsome with his new glasses???

The Morning After!

2008-06-19T10:27:00.001-07:00

After spending Friday night at Tower of Power we got home around 1:30am and set our alarm for 5:30am the next morning! For my Grandma Overton's birthday we were all going to the 7am session at the Temple! It was so nice to be at the temple with my grandparents and my mom and the spirit there was so strong, I feel blessed everyday that my husband and I live worthy of all the wonderful blessings of the temple. ---But let me tell you man were we tired!!!!

I was wearing heels that made me taller than Joseph so I'm trying to look shorter!

Later that night we went out the movies since Joseph's birthday was on Sunday and we wanted to do something special on Saturday! We saw Kung Fu Panda and it was AWESOME! If you haven't seen it I advise you see it immediately it was super fun! We met up with Joseph's brother Jacob and his girlfriend Courtney and laughed the entire rest of the night!

In the movie theater can you see the bags under our eyes! We also went to the Elephant Bar for Joseph's birthday dinner before the movie!

Tower of Power

2008-06-19T10:13:00.001-07:00

Last Friday night Joseph got free tickets to see Tower of Power at the Radisson Hotel in Sacramento. Despite the fact that I had absolutely no idea who Tower of Power was before we got there (I kept telling people we were going to see Power of Tower!) we had an awesome time! Joseph invited his two best friends Ryan and Curt as he got four free tickets! We had tons of fun dancing and laughing at old people dancing! There were even some hippies who brought a rug to dance on and laid it out on the front row! On the way home we stopped by Mel's in Folsom since none of us had had dinner before the show! It was an awesome concert and we really enjoyed it! Now that I know who Tower of Power is I wouldn't mind going again next year!

The whole gang right before the show started! You can tell we are pretty stinking excited!

Our hand stamps! They took our tickets and gave us hand stamps I was so upset I wanted to scrapbook my ticket--so we had to take a picture of our stamps so I'd have some proof we didn't make the whole thing up!

Playing Catch Up!

2008-05-23T09:28:00.000-07:00

Wow!! Have we ever been busy! I have been planning on catching up for weeks and haven't even had a second! May has flew by and we can't believe it's almost over already! Joe finally finished school for this semester and it has been nice to get to see him before 9:30pm every night this week! He will most likely be starting up at University of Phoenix next semester and is excited to get started there! I have been directing with a performing group in El Dorado Hills, PGY, since January and we had our shows the second weekend of this month! It was such a wierd aspect to be sitting in the audience watching and not on stage! It was very fun though and starting in September I will be directing 4 classes for a show in January! Also that second weekend my mom, Caitlin, and I did the race for the cure! I had been running everyday and was super excited to get to do the run! We had a great time together, went straight to my cousin Ashley's baptism and then I went straight to my PGY show! What a crazy weekend! Joe is also keeping busy singing every Friday night in Concord with his band Vanishing Affair! They are really talented and I have been able to go to some of their practices with Joe! The other guys in the band are really fun and Joe's having a great time with them! I'll have to see if I can figure out how to load some of their songs on here! We were also able to get away to Santa Cruz this last weekend! I had never been before so I went with Joe to band practice on Friday night and we drove straight to our hotel after that! We had a great time and it was super relaxing! We spent most of the day Saturday on the Boardwalk going on some of the rides and enjoying the beach! The weather was gorgeous! We also wandered around downtown and did some shopping! Sunday we went to the Mystery Spot which was bizarre!! I have never seen anything like it! We also walked out on the pier and went bowling! Joseph killed me at bowling I was definetely having an off day, my high score was 74! On Monday we just slowly made our way home taking our time and relaxing, neither of us wanted to go back to work on Tuesday! We also had to leave Hurley with some friends of ours for the whole weekend...I don't think she wanted to come back home to our quite house! At our house she's home alone all day until we get home after work...their house has three kids at home and she was constantly getting attention! She finally got her last shots last night though and we'll be able to start taking her out on walks to burn up some of that energy!! Well, enough talking! Here's some pictures of what we've been up to! We've been keeping busy and loving life! We feel extremely blessed for everything we have!!!

Race for the Cure with my Moie!

With Caitlin--We're on a team called the Super Sisters and we wear pink Superman capes! It's awesome!

Joseph singing with Vanishing Affair! Friday night practice!With Allen the guitar player. He is also LDS and we do a lot with him and his wife! Celebrating Mom's Day with Joe's family on the Wednesday after--I am still in my scrubs from work!All the boys with John and Raena--can you tell they're related?

On the boardwalk in SC!There were so many people on the beach!Joe got new aviators!

At the lighthouse.

Mystery Spot!

He's actually standing up completely straight in this picture...creepy huh?

Joe crashing after a long day at the beach!!!!!!!

Hurley!

2008-04-23T11:21:00.000-07:00

So I've been slacking on my blog...but we did get a puppy! We've had her about 2 1/2 weeks now and she's almost 3 months old! Her name is Hurley and she is a Puggle...a mix of a Pug dad and a Beagle mom!

We have been wanting to get a dog for a long time now but have had trouble deciding on a perfect one for us...we live in a condo so we needed a dog that doesn't need a big yard I also was adamant about her being good with children as well as other dogs...since we plan on having children next year and I want her to be able to play with my parents and in-laws dogs!

So I found the puggle online and we decided to drive out to Petaluma to check them out. It's about a 2hr drive and we had a really nice time together as we had had a super busy week and it was nice to get to spend some time together! When we held Hurley we fell in love! She is so cute and sweet and very energetic!

So we ended up getting a puppy! It was not planned but we love her! She's a lot of work though and I'm kind of glad we got a dog before having a child! We are learning a lot of responsibility!

Everyone in both of our families love her and we're having a great time with her! I can't wait until she gets the rest of her shots and we can start taking her for walks!

Here she is with Cole at our house! She goes crazy when he comes over and runs circles around our living room!

Sheer Boredom or Just Really Craving Chocolate!

2008-04-16T16:24:00.000-07:00

So today while at work I discovered a website where you can turn yourself into an m&m! It may be my lack of sweets for the last 4 months but I turned my entire family into m&m's! Lets see what you think........My Joe the Rockstar!
Me, the Pink Princess of Course!
My Moie!
My Daddie!
My brother Kyle, we think he's a redneck!

My Sister, Caitlin, always stylish but never quite matching!!!
(Notice the blue hat and purple shoes)

And Cole the broken, crazy one......

He broke a rib last week, need I say more!

And just in case you're dying to go create your own m&m family you can find the website at www.becomeanmm.com

Our Newest Addition!

2008-04-07T12:25:00.000-07:00

Hurley! --More details to follow!

Happy April Fools Day!

2008-04-01T11:44:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning feeling quite patriotic! I had to report for Jury duty for the first time ever at the Cameron Park Court House! I got up early and dressed nicely so I looked professional and got to the court house at 8:30am on the dot ready to go! As they began telling us about our case and what was going to happen the officer that seemed to be in chart was interupted when the Judge entered to let us know that both cases were cancelled! Everyone else seemed quite thrilled but I was actually kind of excited...oh well, I'm sure they'll get me next year! I should've known, Joe told me it was probably just an April Fools joke and they wanted to see how many people would actually show up!

Honey Lake Races

2008-04-01T09:37:00.001-07:00

This weekend we went to Honey Lake to see Cole race! Honey Lake is between Reno and Shasta--it's in California but you go into Nevada to get there...so confusing for me! My family has been racing almost every weekend doing these National races since Cole is getting so fast and Joe and I decided we would join them this time! They pull a trailer and everyone sleeps inside and Joe and I took our tent to set up in their camp. We left on Friday after work but by the time we ended up getting on our way and picking up Caitlin it was around 7pm. Not to long after leaving we hit snow...apparently not so bad that we needed chains but bad enough that we could hardly see the road! Needless to say I am a California girl and have never driven in the snow! Had Joseph not been driving I would've turned around and gone home! We got to Honey Lake around 11:30pm not only was it dark and freezing but Joe and I still needed to set up our tent! Luckily it didn't take too long and we were quickly sleeping in our cozy tent! Saturday morning I woke to the sound of rain hitting our tent and peaked outside to so SNOW! Yes, it was really truly snowing on us! Needless to say we froze all day, but we had an awesome time! Cole, Ty, and Alex raced on Saturday. Ryan's race was on Sunday. Practice starts at 8am and the races start at 9am.

Mommie's truck Saturday Morning! It snowed all day long! You can't tell as much in the pictures but our tent had this much snow on it too!

Cole was going to check on what practice they were on He, Ty, and Alex were all the same practice #7.

The whole set up...our tent is in the left corner!

The view of all the trailers from the bleachers. We walked up to the bleachers to watch at least 10 times a day!

The whole track! It was huge....up at the top there's a huge hill that goes straight up and straight back down. It was incredible to watch!

Unfortunately Cole crashed in his Main and ended up not finishing...He was supposed to have two races on Sunday but ended up not feeling well enough to race. Not only did he go down but he was ran over in the process! (I didn't even take any pictures of him riding becuase I figured I'd get some on Sunday when it wasn't so cold) Ryan was the only one that raced on Sunday--so we were up again for practice at 8am and the races started at 9am. He crashed in his Heat race and broke his shoulder! So we packed up and headed home early! Quite an exciting weekend I'd have to say! Joseph and I had a great time though! It was super fun to be out there with all the boys and my family!

2008-03-22T23:03:00.001-07:00

We also got to see Audrey tonight! She is getting so big, she will be 7 months old! I can't believe how cute she is!She got ahold of Uncle Joe's sunglasses and thought they tasted really good! I guess Oakley's must be quite delicious! Good thing Uncle Joe adores her or she might be in trouble!
She is trying to crawl now and can get up on her hands and knees and wiggle herself around to get to anything on the floor!

Coloring Eggs with Jonah!

2008-03-22T22:49:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter to Everyone! Tonight Joseph and I hung out with my brother Kyle and his wife Rachel and their kids Jonah and Audrey. Jonah and I got to color eggs together--we even put face stickers on them!

Jonah took this picture of me!
This was Jonah's favorite egg, so he took a picture of it!

Riding Last Saturday

2008-03-22T22:31:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we went riding for my Uncle Matt's Birthday! Joe got to wear his brand new gear for the second time! It had been so long since we had been out riding we had an awesome time!
Joseph, Cole, and Ty. Cole and Ty have matching gear!
The three boys on their way off.
Joseph and Matt riding away. Matt was on Cole's mini!
Caitlin, Me, and Jordan. Hard core riding groupies!

Matt riding Cole's back out with Joe.The boys after a long day of riding!

Bowling!

2008-03-18T11:06:00.000-07:00

So we went bowling Friday night with Joseph's brothers, Jacob and Jeffrey, my sister, Caitlin, and her friend Jordan, and our friends Ryan and Manuela!

Caitlin and Jordan were being dorks!
It was around 11:30pm when we go to the bowling and they had black lights on a super fun music!

Baby Audrey

2008-03-11T15:08:00.000-07:00

Our Niece Audrey is 6 months old now! Isn't she adorable?! The first picture is older but I love it because she is smiling at me! The other three are her at 6 months, the middle one with Daddie (Kyle) and Uncle Cole.

This Weekend!

2008-03-11T08:47:00.000-07:00

So, this weekend I was whisked away to Tahoe by my romantic husband! We stayed at a hotel called the CalNeva which happened to be out on a penninsula with a beautiful view of the Lake! We left on Saturday morning after I finished teaching a 3 hour dance class and got up to Tahoe about 1pm. Little did we realize it would be freezing! There was snow everywhere...I was wearing flip flops and hadn't packed any other shoes and Joseph hadn't brought a sweatshirt! We had to buy sweatshirts and socks (I found a pair of shoes in my trunk!) and we wandered through the snow outside our hotel for a while! We had to be home for church at 2:40pm and almost ended up being late! We both have callings in primary and Joseph was gone for work last Sunday! We had a wonderful time though and it was great to get away for day!

VSP Dinner

2008-03-11T08:36:00.000-07:00

Joseph's work has a party every year in February instead of doing a Christmas party. We had a lot of fun this year! Because of his promotion this last year Joseph knows a lot more people at work and I had a lot of fun meeting all of the people he works with. We sat with his parents and their good friends Kyle and Tracy. We left just after dinner as we were babysitting for a family in our stake and didn't want to be gone too long! This picture was taken when we got home at their house!