Grandpa

I got the news last week that my sweet grandpa had passed away. He passed in the most perfect way. He was in his home with women cooking in the kitchen, granddaughters talking on the couch and boys playing catch in the front yard. He was surrounded by people who loved him with a house filled with family, which is just how he would have wanted it. I was able to spend a wonderful few days out in Utah saying my goodbyes and enjoying being with my dear family.

I feel so grateful for the opportunity that Ethan had just a few short weeks ago to travel to Utah with Charlie and spend some time with Great Grandpa up at the cabin. Ethan was the last one of my little family to spend time with him before he passed away and I hope it will always be a special memory for him.

While I was there I had the chance to go through some old photos and I came across this one that I had never seen before. It is me with my grandpa in his shoe store. I quickly snatched it up and put it in a special place. I love the smile on my face looking at my grandfather. He always could make me smile like that.

The services were beautiful and I was able to hear stories that I had never heard before. My grandfather was a man of strength and spirituality. He will be greatly missed. Over the last 9 months I have said goodbye to all of my grandparents that I had ever known. While it has been difficult it has helped me grow closer to my family and it has strengthened my testimony in the gospel. I am always grateful for my understanding of eternal families. I know that it must have been a beautiful reunion between my grandmother and grandfather and I am thankful for my knowledge that they are happy and healthy together once again.
On a brighter note the positive side to a funeral is that I get to see my family. It was even more special that it was my mom's birthday so I was able to celebrate her special day with her. We had a wonderful lunch with my sister and aunt and cousin. And we also had a dinner with my sister and her wonderful kids and my dad. I just love being around family. I so wish we were closer in distance. I miss them terribly. All of this was possible thanks to my dear mother in law who came and took care of all of my very sick children while I was away. It was difficult leaving but I knew they were in good hands and it was such a comfort to me to know that they were with their grandmother. Thank you Diane...you are wonderful.

I am thankful to know that my next trip to Utah will be just for fun. We are looking forward to seeing family and enjoying some happy times together.

Last, First

Today marked a major milestone, Logan's first birthday. This could quite possibly be our last, first birthday EVER. How do I feel about that? WONDERFUL! We love this little boy more than words can express but it is exciting for me to be thinking about possibly moving on to a new stage in life. Not necessarily easier, just different. I spent the day making a yummy chocolate cake for his party. After all, the only reason you even celebrate a first birthday is for the messy cake pictures right? As you can see from the progression of photos below he enjoyed his cake!

Logan is also our earliest walker to date. I have no doubt that it has everything to do with him trying to keep up with his brothers and sisters all day. He took his first steps while Charlie was gone and was ready to show off his new skills once they got back. He is so thrilled with himself as you can see from the video below.

I can't believe it has been a year already. Logan has filled our home with so much joy. It has been such a blessing to see him and Sam start to be best buddies and wrestle and hug and love one another. We are so happy to have Logan in our lives. Happy birthday my little man!

Ethan's Big Adventure

For spring break this year Ethan got to go along with Charlie to Utah. We took Abby to conference right before she turned 8 and since Charlie is in Utah recruiting for BYU each year around the time of General Conference we decided to make it a special tradition for the kids before they get baptized. Ethan had a BLAST! Day one was filled with airplane rides, a trip to the nickle cade, a movie, dinner at The Mayan with cliff divers and then a night at the hotel. He also swam at the hotel pool and took a trip to temple square. They visited BYU and saw Dad's Engineering building and walked around campus.

He then headed up to the cabin to spend some time with cousin Seth and grandma and grandpa. Since I was not there in charge of photo opportunities it looks like we missed some pictures of the fun spent at that cabin. Grandpa took the boys to see the trains and then they went tubing and got to ride some snowmobiles. It sounded like they had a ton of fun. Next was shooting with Uncle Chris and then it was off to conference with his best buddy Luke who he will be getting baptized with in a few months.

That night he also got to see his cousin Scotty while Charlie went to the priesthood session with his brothers. Then it was back to the cabin to have some down time just playing with family and having some good quality time with those we don't get to see too often.

Each day Ethan called with his report and was so excited. I think this will be a trip that he will always remember. The rest of us are excited to follow in his footsteps in July when we all get to go out together.

A big thank you to all the family that went out of their way to make this a special trip for my little Ethan. We are so far from family and moments like these are few and far between so THANK YOU for making it such a fun memory for him!

Bathroom Update

We are still working on our bathroom but we made some big strides today so I thought I would share with you our progress.

(Bathroom floor before)

(Bathroom floor during)

(Bathroom floor after)

(Vanity before)

(Vanity after)

(Sink before)

(Sinks after)

The vanity came much darker than any pictures or samples in the store but I actually was hoping it was darker so I really like it. It is hard to take a picture with the right lighting. It looks darker in some pictures and lighter in others. The counter top is beautiful and I love our rectangular sinks.

Now we have to put back in the toilet, seal the grout, reroute the electrical, put in new light fixtures, install mirrors, fill and paint holes from old light fixture, purchase and install vanity hardware, towel rods, and then decorate with a new shower curtain, mat, and art work.

This seems like a never ending project but today was very rewarding to see it all come together.

21

Over the next 21 days my hubby will be home for 4 of those days,(or gone for 17)....does one sound better than the other? I think they both sound pretty bad but I am hoping Charlie gives me some credit for trying to put a positive spin on the situation.

Is it possible to gain 30 lbs back in 21 days? When Charlie is gone I get little sleep and am lonely at night. The thought of exercising after many long nights alone sounds like a joke to me. All I am going to want to do is crawl in bed and eat popcorn and chocolate. I guess a woman's got to do what a woman's got to do.

On a positive note I do have a babysitter coming to let me get out of the house for a bit. Oh yeah wait....that is so I can go and have a root canal done. Seriously, I know you are really getting jealous of me now! Doesn't the sound of having your root pulled out through a hole they drill in your tooth just scream of relaxation?

So I am buckling down. I am really hoping to be able to stay on top of my diet and exercise as well as be a decent mom to my 5 cute kiddos. If you are bored or lonely too give me a call or swing on by and we can laugh (or cry) through it together.

Bathroom Remodel

I have 5 kids. I also have one smallish kids bathroom with one sink. As you can imagine trying to get 5 kids to brush teeth and get ready often causes fights and toothpaste on surfaces all over the bathroom as they climb toilets and sit on counters trying to maneuver around one another.

So naturally when the idea popped in my mind to put in two sinks instead of just one it did not seem like that big of a deal. On further discussion we realized that we would need two new sinks and two new faucets and we might as well replace the counter that is ugly and has had a bleach stain on it since we moved in. We then realized that we would need a new vanity though as well since the one we have will not accommodate two sinks.

(Current bathroom)

It still sounded like a fairly do-able project. But then I remembered how much I hate the flooring as well. And heck if we are already replacing everything else why not rip out the floor, mirror, and light fixture while we are at it.

Hmmmmm....suddenly this is sounding not so easy. So it was off to the store and MANY hours later we picked out flooring, a vanity, sinks, faucets, counter tops, light fixtures and mirrors. Everything we got ended up being a special order and it makes me super nervous to try and pick out flooring to match a vanity to match a counter that we have only seen small swatches of or pictures of.

We sat down and made a schedule based on what we needed to get done before the flooring and all the other orders arrive and two nights ago we started demo. Seriously, I don't know who I think I am sometimes. I get these ideas and then the reality hits and I wonder why the heck was one sink SO bad?

(after night one)

This was after night one. We removed all the accessories and towel bars. We removed the mirror and back splash tiles and started patching nail holes and things. Unfortunately removing the tiles caused some major drywall issues and so we had to add patching drywall to our schedule for the next day.

(after night 2)

Last night we unhooked all the water, removed the sink and counter top and removed the vanity. We also cut out the section of drywall that needs to be replaced and continued patching.

The list of to-do tonight is to take out the toilet and start tearing out the tile floor. Amazingly we have done this at night with the kids sleeping right there without waking anyone up.

We are in the dirty ugly messy stage right now and I am honestly hoping that it will all pay off in the end. We purchased beautiful hardwood cabinetry, limestone flooring, and a beautiful quartz counter top. In the end the "kids" bathroom is going to be way nicer than my master bath...I think there is something wrong with that scenario.

We have about a week or so to finish demo, have the walls in shape to paint and once the tile gets here we will spend that weekend learning to tile. The entire project should be done over the next several weeks as our orders come in. Stay tuned for updates!

Funny Kids

My kids make me laugh. This last week they all gave me a chuckle at one point or another.

Ethan is a hard worker when he wants to be but he also likes to find short cuts when he can. Charlie and I were going through some of his school work today and we found his answer to this question quite funny.

I also took Ethan to see the 5 Browns piano concert the other night. I asked him during intermission if he hopes he can play like that some day. His answer, "Um, no, I plan on being a scientist." If he wants to be a scientist he is going to have to come up with some better answers to his homework!

This is what I found Logan doing after a hard day of playing and eating. I feel sorry for his wife some day.

Abby got an i-pod for Christmas and most of the music on it is my music. The other day in the car she was listening to it and all of a sudden I heard her say, "What the heck is this?" She handed me her i-pod and I saw that it was The Cure. I asked her what was wrong. She said, "It sounds like it is from the 1800's. Abby, I am old but not THAT old.

Last week Sam wanted his blanket. I asked him where it was and he kept telling me it was in the chicken. Over and over again, I had no idea what he was talking about. It was a few minutes later that I went to get a drink and saw it on the floor in the kitchen and realised that the chicken in Sam's world means the kitchen. He also asks all the time if he can have "awfuls" for breakfast. Awfuls = Waffles and I swear it has nothing to do with my cooking!

Last but not least is my little Morgan. The other night we were late getting to bed and we told her to get in bed and not get out. She promptly asked if it was ok to get out to go potty or come and get us if she gets an "ear confection". Yes Morgan, you can come and get us any time you get one of those crazy ear confections.

I love when my kids bring a smile to my face and I love their innocence. Moments like these I know I will miss as they get older.

Weight loss and Training

I am doing this post mainly as a motivation for myself. I am not usually one to toot my own horn but this last 6 months I have pushed myself pretty hard to do some things that do not come easily to me and I think it is important for me to take a look back and see where I have come from and give myself a second to try and feel proud.

Today I hit a major milestone. I have lost 30 pounds!!!!! I started this journey in August so it has not been a quick process. I feel like I have been doing it the right way...go figure, eating right, exercise, and determination really do work.

I have 10 more pounds to go to get to my goal weight. I have a strong feeling that the last 10 will be as hard and take almost as long to lose as the first 30. I have noticed a significant slow down in my loss despite the fact that I am still watching what I eat and have increased my workouts from only 2-3 days a week to 6 days a week. I am determined to not give up though. I am going to keep pushing and hopefully will be able to report back again once I have finally hit my goal.

Because the weight loss has happened slowly I am surprised that I don't really feel all that different. In fact I had to pull some clothes out of my closet from last summer to try on just to convince myself that maybe I am starting to look a little different. I decided to snap some shots of me in my pants pre weight loss. The first pair of pants I wore post baby, the second are the ones I was wearing right before I started to lose some weight and the third are some I bought probably after I had lost the first 10 pounds. I was amazed when I went to put these pants on and did not have to undo a single button or zipper. This was a big moment for me. I am kind of disgusted with myself that I once fit in to all of these clothes. I hope I never go back.

I guess I will need to do some shopping this summer. All the hard work pays off when you have to go buy new clothes not because you just want something new but because you literally can't wear your old stuff anymore.

As far as training goes that has not been as successful. My running has been plagued with injury. I guess that is what happens when a 33 year old woman with 5 kids who has never exercised decides to be fit all of a sudden. I am however determined and doing my best to just work through my current injury.

Right now I am on a 8 week program of running twice a week and doing my Jillian Michaels 30 day shred video 4 times a week. I am finishing up the first segment today and move on to segment 2 tomorrow.

After that 8 week program I start my 10 week training for my first 10k. Charlie and I are running our first 10k ever. His parents are coming to cheer us on and watch the kiddos for us. We have lots of friends coming who are running races as well and it will be a fun weekend that I am looking forward to.

I am literally praying that my body can hold itself together long enough for me to train for this race. I am nervous. I really want to accomplish this goal and I need my body to cooperate.

I want to give a big thanks to my friends and family who have inspired me and encouraged me through all of this. It is so nice to see some results and know that I am a much healthier mom than I was 6 months ago!

Tubing

Yesterday we got a sitter and took the 3 older kids tubing. What a B-L-A-S-T!!!!

First off just let me say how easy it is to take my 3 older kids out for the day and not have to bring diapers and wipes and snacks and toys and blankets and bottles and and and ....seriously kids ages 9-6 is a walk in the park. Anyway back to tubing.
We found a great place not far from home. How we have lived here for almost 5 years and did not know about this place is beyond me. We will for sure be going again. They had great tubes and a tow line and 4 runs to choose from. We could go down together in a big group or alone. You could choose if you wanted them to spin you or just send you down straight. I opted out on the spin but the kids wanted to spin all the way down.

I love this video of Abby where I could hear her laugh all the way down the hill. It was a great afternoon and I really enjoyed spending time with my 3 oldest and my hubby trying something new.

The Good, the Bad, and the Downright Ugly

The kids had off school Friday and Monday and Thursday morning we had a conversation that went something like this.

Me: Hey, the kids have off today and Monday, do we want to do anything fun this weekend?

Charlie: Yeah, why don't I take Friday off and we can go stay at a resort and ski or better yet why don't we go to Chicago and watch the Bears game?

Kids: Cheering and smiles

Me: Ok, and why don't we stay in a hotel Friday night so they can swim and play.

Really???? Did I just say that??? I am the least impulsive person I know, and being married to the most impulsive person I know we can sometimes butt heads but this time it just worked somehow.

I spent the rest of the day on Thursday frantically planning, making phone calls, and packing. Everything was waiting at the door as soon as Charlie and the kids got home and we were off!

We drove for about 3 hours and then stopped at a hotel for the night to swim and play. The kids had a blast.

The next morning we had breakfast and headed to The Museum of Science and Industry for the day. The kids loved the museum. The highlights were the baby chicks, the U-505 boat, the water area, and the weather area. We were tired by the end of the day but we have some great memories.

Then we were off to visit the fam. Charlie's brother Brad and his family came up to watch the game as well and we always love seeing them. There was lots of laughs and great food as usual.

So...the GOOD:

- Brook was impulsive
- The hotel was a blast
- The museum was great
- Spending time with family is always a blessing

Now for some BAD:

Despite all our effort and the fact that we were all wearing Bears gear from head to toe...the Bears lost and our hope of a Bears vs. Stealers Superbowl was over. We then had a LONG drive home that night that would have been much more fun had we won.

The DOWNRIGHT UGLY:

****warning*** If you are squeamish about bodily functions you may want to skip this part. You've been warned. And be glad I have no pictures for this part of the post!

My little Sam has been working on potty training and the last few weeks he has become aware that he should be pooping in the potty and not his diaper so every time he has to go he has been stopping himself and starting to make himself constipated.

This is a common thing in kids being potty trained but I noticed in the last week his appetite had all but disappeared. When he did eat he would always say his belly hurt. When we got to the museum he spiked a fever out of no where and was not feeling well. By Saturday morning he was in quite a bit of pain and was asking to sit on the toilet about every 5 minutes with no success. It got so bad that he spent an entire day crying, feverish, shaking, and in obvious distress.

After a very long sad day Charlie and his dad gave him a blessing and his little body was able to rest for the first time in 12 hours. He slept through the night but awoke around 5 in even more pain. It was off to the ER.

They got him right in and gave him a enema. Uh, not fun folks...not fun at all. Still nothing would come out. So then they attempted manual extraction. If you thought the enema did not sound fun this was worse. I was not there but to hear the story of having to pin down my 2 year old with screams of terror and pain was unbearable. Still no success. There were several trips to the potty and still nothing was working.

They were going to give him another enema and then finally....success. He was instantly relieved and feeling much better. The doctors said there was no way that it would have passed on it's own so we are glad we took him in. I now wish we would have done it a little sooner.

He is still having a hard time and we are going to have to watch him close the next month or so but he is feeling much better than he was.

So there you have it. The Good, The Bad, and The DOWNRIGHT UGLY. I am glad we made the trip. Family is just the best. As for the Bears...maybe next year. Go Stealers!

Have you ever?

Have you ever had 8, 12 year old boys sleep at your house? I have and I have the bags under my eyes to prove it.

Last night was the annual yearly planning meeting for the deacons at the Carn compound. I can tell you I was a bit surprised that the first thing all the boys did was play with Morgan's Barbie doll house and then proceed to dress up in fairy wings and tutus! I have pictures but I will save them of the embarrassment.

Over the last 15 1/2 hours I have heard belching contests and discussions of eating pizza until you puke. My entire house wreaks of bacon and lets just say that the smell coming from my basement...well...it smells exactly like 8, 12 year old boys slept there. If you can't imagine what that might smell like you are welcome to come and experience it for yourself.

I have exactly 50 minutes left before the cleaning and deodorizing begins. I have to say that they are a great group of boys and it is fun to watch in the background how differently boys interact. Only 364 days until I get to do it all over again!

Happy Festivus . . . for the Rest of Us!

Sorry - I had to blogjack Brook again for a special occassion.

As all of you know, today is December 23rd. Time to get out your aluminum poles (because tinsel is distracting), invite over your friends and celebrate Festivus. Please feel free to comment on the annual, beloved sharing of grievences and don't leave out any details on your family's feats of strength.




Enjoy it while you can . . . Soon enough it will be time to go back to work at Vandelay Industries.

Christmas Recital

My kids had their Christmas recital this last weekend. Ethan just started playing 4 months ago and I have been thrilled at his progress.

They both practiced a ton and I loved hearing Christmas songs being played in my home the last few weeks. They both got cold feet and had a few slip ups here and there but I was so proud of them. I especially loved seeing Ethan play a duet with his dad. It was so cute to see his little smile through the whole song.

It was another great year and I love to see the progress they are making. I am so proud of all their hard work.

The story of Fanta

To any of you out there that may not know just how competitive Charlie's brothers and sisters can be you must hear the story of how Fanta came to be. My sister-in-law recently put a picture up of their newly acquired Fanta and said that she would tell the story of him some day. I figured that each kid in the family has their own perspective and we needed to jump at the chance to get the TRUE story out for all posterity to read someday.

It all began many years ago when Diane hand painted this Santa as a Christmas decoration for their home. It was well loved by all the Carn children and a fond memory of Christmas past. As years went on Diane's taste changed and she filled her house with all sorts of new shiny decorations and poor Santa was left in a box for many years.

(Real Santa)

Charlie and I moved to Chicago and we were approached by Diane our first Christmas there wanting to know if we wanted Santa as she was going to throw him away. Charlie jumped at the offer. I not having the nostalgic value behind it actually thought it was kind of ugly and was not thrilled about having a beat up Santa placed front and center on our mantel each year. I since have grown to love Santa and look forward to taking him out at the start of the holiday season.

It wasn't until one of the brothers found out that we had Santa that the tales of unfairness and plotting ways to retrieve said Santa begun. The boys actually went to such great lengths that they stole our garage door opener out of our van, broke into our house and held Santa hostage. Literally, they put duct tape over his mouth and vowed that we would never see him again!

The game was on. Charlie and I were now on the hunt. We did not let anyone know that we noticed that Santa was missing. They all thought they were so sneaky. We did some breaking in of our own and finally found and rescued Santa from his brothers house and brought Santa home...where he belongs.

We since have kept Santa under close supervision. He is hidden so well in our house you would have to take the house apart board by board to ever be able to find him. As a joke a few years ago we said we were so tired of hearing about all the whining and complaining that we would bring Santa back with us and place a bet on the Bears game at Christmas, that whoever guessed closest to the final score would win the Santa. The kids were ecstatic to say the least.

Why anyone would believe that Charlie would actually give up willingly something his siblings were so jealous over is beyond me. The search was on to find a fake Santa...or as we like to call him...FANTA! We found an exact replica on EBAY. The only difference was the weight. The original Santa weighs a ton. Charlie spent hours painting the new Santa. We debated on filling it with plaster to make it heavy and trying to distress it to make it look older but in the end we knew that it would never pass for the real Santa and we were tired of spending anymore time on it. We packed up Fanta and headed for Chicago.

(Fanta and real Santa)

So we made our bets and at the end of the game guess who one.....CHARLIE. SURPRISE SURPRISE. So now we were stuck with real Santa AND Fanta. Now what were we going to do?

The Carn's had a huge family reunion this summer and we decided to offer once again to bring Santa as a bingo prize the final night. Tension ran high and the siblings have never before taken bingo so seriously. It ended up that my sister-in-law Bridget won it for her and Brad. Ahhhh...the moment of unveiling had finally come.

Fanta came out of his box and for a brief moment there was joy that Santa had finally been stripped away from us. It was not until closer examination that the betrayal had been discovered! Can I tell you I was more than a little worried for the safety of Charlie and myself.

So now Fanta resides with Brad and Bridget...and the drama continues over why Charlie the golden child was so unfairly bestowed with Santa. So there you have it. The true story of Santa and how Fanta came to be.

(Fanta in his new home)

Ross and Diane, I highly suggest if you have not put in the will yet who gets the advent calendar with the precious star, you might want to do that soon. The controversy over that one item alone may be enough to take out your entire family!

Naughty or Nice?

A few days ago we did one of our yearly Christmas traditions when we visited Santa at his magical house. It is beautifully decorated and I think I look forward to it just as much as the kids do.
We were smart this year and went early in the season when we did not have to wait outside in the freezing cold for 2 hours. We walked right in where it was warm and cozy and hopped in the sleigh for some pictures.

Then each of the kids got to visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus and tell them what they wanted for Christmas this year. I was expecting Sam to cry but he did really well. We didn't get a shot of just Logan...maybe next year.

I am loving this time of year. I love that we have finally lived somewhere long enough that our kids have traditions that they will remember for the rest of their lives. We look forward to our stop this week at the world's largest Christmas store!

Change of title

This book was a classic in my home growing up. I have thought of this title many times over the last week and decided to make some changes to it to better describe what we have been through the last 7 days.

I will try to make a long story somewhat short. We now have made a new Thanksgiving tradition for ourselves. It's called the stomach flu...and I highly discourage anyone from following in our tradition. It seems that each year that I try to host Thanksgiving we all come down with the stomach flu.

It started this year with Charlie. He came home from turkey bowl and started to complain of an upset stomach. By the time we finally got the meal on the table he made himself a plate sat down and no sooner had he put his fork in his hand he ran from the table and spent the next 24 hours between the bed and the bathroom.

The clock was now ticking to see which of us was going to be the next lucky one. By Saturday Charlie was feeling a bit better and had taken some of the kids out to pick up some dinner. I got a phone call a few minutes later to come meet him at the car because Sam had thrown up all over.

The 5 days after that we all were hit one by one like an army being overtaken by the enemy. Next was Logan, then Abby, then Morgan and Ethan (they managed to both get sick literally 4 minutes apart).

So....I was the last soldier standing. How I was the last one since I have been the one to clean up all the stuff coming out of both ends and have not left the house in 6 days is beyond me. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach for more reasons than one. Charlie was leaving to go out of town. Yup, you heard me.

Sure enough he left at 4:00 this morning and I was left at home with not 1, not 2, not 3, BUT 5 sick kids home from school and the last soldier standing was finally brought to her knees (literally) at 8:00 this morning.

It has been a long day of survival mode. Thank heavens that Abby is doing well enough to give me a hand between bathroom breaks. I actually have about a 1 hour window between pit stops where I feel kind of ok'ish...thus how I am able to be writing this right now. I am sure I should be doing something better with my time, but I am sad and lonely and this is my only form of human contact. How lame is that?

This is a brief summary of my last 7 days:

Pots of homemade soup made: 1

Loads of laundry done: 18

Packages of wipes gone through: 4

Bottles of Pedialyte: 4

Loaves of bread eaten for toast: 4

Sleepless nights: 7

Times carpet cleaner used: 8

I have also been through an entire container or Clorox wipes and a whole bottle of bleach and have literally washed every sheet, pillow, and blanket that we own. Needless to say, I am tired and ready for Charlie to be home and have a house full of healthy happy children again.

Funny enough being sick during Thanksgiving does make you thankful for a lot of things. I am thankful for 5 normally healthy children. I am thankful for my own health and for that of my husband. I am thankful for disposable diapers. I am thankful for flushing toilets. I am thankful for a wonderful washer and dryer and an amazing carpet cleaner. I am thankful for my yummy twisted peppermint hand soap from bath and body works that has made all this hand washing a reminder of the holidays around the corner. I am thankful for prayer and the strength I have received from it over the last 12 hours. I am thankful for times of trial that let us reflect on all of our many blessings that we have.

Now if you will excuse me...I am off to visit my best friend the toilet!