5 Years

 5 years ago a tradition started that I look forward to each and every year....a girls getaway!  These trips are filled with laughter and tears and endless memories made.  This year was particularly a little bittersweet since one of our dear friends in a few short weeks will be moving 1,000 miles away! These trips have always been important to us but we are now even more committed to meeting up once a year no matter where we are and continue this wonderful tradition.

 This year our trip landed us in Washington DC.  Some would think that the 12 hour drive would be long and boring but not for us.  I can honestly say that the drive there and home was probably the highlight of the trip.  When the 5 of us are together we are always surrounded by our 21 wonderful children.  As you can imagine it is difficult to have even a 20 second conversation without being interrupted by someone needing something.  So to have 24 hours of adult conversation proved to be very therapeutic and so so fun.  The drive flew by and was filled with singing and dancing, crying and laughing hysterically.

Our first stop before even getting to the hotel was Cafe Rio for lunch.  It was D-licious and the only quiet moments we had were when we were filling our fat faces as fast as we could with this amazing feast.  We managed to visit this place not once but twice in our 3 days there!

The next couple of days were filled with lots of sightseeing although there was a dark cloud following us on this trip. The phone call we got from one of the hubbies only a few hours into the trip that he was headed to the emergency room for stitches should have been a warning to us that a bumpy road or should I say slick road was ahead of us!

We headed to Arlington National Cemetery and took a tour of the grounds.  It was peaceful and beautiful and reminded all of us how thankful we are for our freedom and for those who have provided it for us.

Visiting the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was wonderful and learning about the guards and watching them change their post was amazing.

That night we headed for some frozen yogurt at pinkberry and caught a chick flick at the movies.

The next morning we headed to DC to visit the Holocaust museum.  No pictures were allowed but if you ever have the opportunity to visit this place you must go.  It was gut-wrenching and chilling but I think so important to remember what happened not all that long ago.

We went outside for just a minute to decide where to head for lunch and this is where quite literally the black cloud continued to follow us.  It started to rain and one thing led to the next and before we knew it our very pregnant friend slipped and fell face down on the ground and hurt her foot.

 The next few hours were spent filling out forms and visiting the on site nurse and trying to figure out what to do with our dear friend who could not walk anywhere!

Our friend assured us that she was ok as long as we could push her around in a wheelchair so we continued on and headed to our tour of the Capitol building.

(the dome of the Capitol building)

The tour was great and while getting around with carts and wheelchairs and cabs was a little more difficult we made it work. 

Getting home was another story.  Our hotel was about 40 minutes from DC and since all of the wheelchairs were borrowed from the places we went we were left to our own strength to get this cute girl home.  So what did we do?  We did what all good friends do...carried her from the capitol through all the train stops and made it safely back to the hotel. 

We had to stop many times for breaks because we were laughing so hard we could not breathe.  We had more strange looks than I care to talk about and we had nothing short of  3 offers of people wanting to call us an ambulance!  This is a moment we all will NEVER forget and while it was not what we had planned on having happen we bonded together and made it work and still had fun doing it.  The lady who we asked to take this picture for us must have thought we had completely lost our minds....and she just may be right!

That night we ended up in the emergency room until 3:00 in the morning!  How I have no pictures of this event I am not quite sure.  After hours of tests and monitoring and x-rays we were given the all clear and headed our tired heads back to the hotel with a set of crutches and an ace bandage.  My favorite moment may have just been when Steph wanted to play a hand clapping game for fun at 2:30 in the morning.  I think the trauma of the day must have gotten to her head at that point.  Boy do we love that girl!  Keep in mind this was now the 2nd trip to the emergency room...and the black cloud continues to follow still.

We saw lots more sights and ate a ton of really great food and got all good and tuckered out!  Just in time to wrap things up with a relaxing trip to the spa.

Our trip came to an end with a fabulous trip to the spa at the Lansdowne Resort.  It was beautiful and so relaxing.  After all the hopping and pushing and crutching we were all ready for some relaxing.  And that is just what we did.

 

I never think it is possible to love these girls any more than I already do but these trips always prove me wrong.  I am blessed in my life to have a group of women who cheer me on when I succeed and cry with me when I fail.  Who show me how to be better by their amazing examples.  They have been proud of me on my best days and have hugged me on my worst.  We laugh until we cry and I would truly be lost without them. 

I can't finish without a shout out to our amazing hubbies who hold down the fort while we are away.  I honestly think they look forward to it as much as we do and I question sometimes who has more fun.  They themselves have sleepovers and play games almost every night we are gone.  We are so glad that they are all close as well and have fun together while we are gone.

And you may be wondering about that black cloud?  Well, I knew there was trouble when I got a call from Charlie asking how to get blood stains out of clothes!  The story involves a broken plate, some water, Morgan on the counter, and falling off flat on her face and lots and lots of blood.  ER trip number 3 followed soon after.  All is well except for some bruises and a ginormous top lip!

Another year down....I look forward to the next 5, 15 and 20!

Lucky 13

Today is our 13th anniversary! I had the idea this morning to post 13 pictures of the two of us together over the years. Some of them are even from before we are married...and lucky for us that we have known each other for so long because it was actually difficult to find 13 pictures of just us without any kiddos. So, here is a little stroll down memory lane taking us clear back to 1994....that sounds so ancient!
1. Family pictures are not our most favorite thing in this world but we love this shot that my wonderful friend captured for us.


2. Our first race together. I loved doing this together and we had a blast keeping each other going.
3. This will be one of those forever memories of a moment frozen in time. What is better than a kiss under the Eiffel Tower with the one you love?

4. Some good friends have been hosting a Halloween party the last few years and we have had fun dressing up. Mr. and Mrs. Incredible...what a team.

5. This however is our favorite costume of all time. We had a blast dressing up as Deb and Pedro for the night.

6. One of the most fun days and nights we have ever had. On the floor of Soldier Stadium on a beautiful Chicago night singing our hearts out watching the greatest band ever up close!

7. Buckingham Fountain all lit up at night is one of our most favorite places to be.

8. Graduation. We only had little Abby we also had no money. Life was simple and we had some of our best memories living off of nothing and just growing close as a family.

9. This is my rafting story. If you have not heard it you should ask me about it sometime. Let's just say I have not been rafting since this picture when Charlie had to jump in the freezing water to "save" me!

10. What a happy day this was. This was at the airport after Charlie got home from his mission. He worked so hard and I was glad to have him home. I prepared for his return by getting the best tan ever on a trip to Cancun with my dad. Hey...tanning is hard work too :)

11. This was how my never boring husband asked me to prom. We went to different high schools and I was in my very crowded lunch room when it all of a sudden got very quiet. From across the lunch room I saw a cow holding flowers walking my way. I was embarrassed and was even more embarrassed when the cow tripped over a garbage can. He got down on a knee and asked me to prom. I said yes...who could refuse an offer from a cow holding flowers?

12. When he takes the cow suit off this is what is underneath. We had the best prom night ever that included a plane ride around downtown Chicago with all the lights of the city. Did you know he was such a charmer?

13. Last but not least...our first dance together. It was turnabout where the girls ask the guys to the dance. I planned it and we blindfolded the guys, put them in a car, and drove to dinner. All the girls reserved the back of a McDonalds and we decorated the place and it was awesome.Unfortunalty Charlie ate so many nuggets that he ended up being sick most of the dance. Who says that Charlie is the only one who can be creative?

Babe...the last 13 have been quite a ride. I am just as excited for the next 13. Thank you for loving me. I am the luckiest girl in the world to have you by my side!

Christmas Sweaters

I am not exactly sure how this all came about but I am glad that it did. Several months ago I was together with some of my girlfriends and we got to talking about Christmas and Christmas sweaters and parties and food. One thing led to another and a few nights ago we all got together to celebrate this wonderful time of year.

I have no idea how we all convinced our husbands this was a good idea especially when they found out that we would be going out to eat at a very busy and popular restaurant. We got quite a few looks and laughs when we walked in but we also got a few compliments. I think people got a kick out of it and our waiter actually has a Christmas sweater party every year and gave us some tips on where to find some great sweaters if we ever do this again.

We then headed home for a ridiculous photo shoot. Good times I tell you...good times!
The evening ended with playing Christmas Minute to Win it. Charlie and I spent a good amount of time putting this game together and it was well worth it. With challenges like "Jingle in the trunk", "Deck the balls" and "Christmas nut stacker" we knew we were in for some laughs. I have video but I promised never to share it. I will say however that it is seriously funny to see.
We told everyone that there was an awesome prize for the winning couple. I will let you be the judge of its awesomeness. I personally find it somewhat disturbing but it was fun to make. What is better than snuggling up on a cold winter night under a fleece blanket with two of your friends looking as crazy as possible! I have a feeling this blanket may come back to haunt me one day.

I have to say that this night of celebrating was so fun. I wonder if we could convince our husbands to do it again?

Nail Bling

Just this weekend I was walking through my local grocery store and this stuff caught my eye. I love Essie polish and when I saw the pink glitter one I threw it in the cart and could not wait to get home and give it a shot. This polish did not disappoint.

I have tried glittery polish before and this one by far takes the cake. My toes look like little pink disco balls and I love it. The polish is made to be a top coat over a color or all on its own with a few coats. I used just two coats of the polish on its own and it is a winner. I am excited to try it with other colors as well.

I love it so much that I went back later that day and picked up another bottle of pick and also a silver because as far as I can tell it is part of their holiday line and I am not sure how long they will be selling it for. It is cute even in the winter but I can't wait to get this on my toes with some flip flops and tan feet this summer.

I tried to take a picture of my feet with it on but I just discovered that my feet look pasty white and ugly so I will spare you my photo but trust me when I tell you if you want some bling on your toes this holiday season run don't walk and go pick yourself up some of this today!

Merry Christmas to me!

Christmas came early for me this year. A few days ago we had all new appliances delivered.

We went from this.....To this......
They are beautiful and shiny and fun and they make me happy each time I walk in my kitchen. The only bad part is that I am scared to touch them or cook in them because I don't want to take away their newness.

I actually baked a bunch of cookies this weekend and it was awesome having the double oven. It saved me a ton of time. And the inside of my oven is cobalt blue. I don't know why that is so cool to me but I love it.

I was feeling a little bugged when Charlie wanted to try and sell all of our old appliances. I thought they would sit in my garage for a year and then we would finally have to get rid of them on our own. To my suprise we sold all of our appliances in less than 30 hours. Who knew there were loads of people sitting around to buy old appliances. Charlie has been obsessed with this show called storage wars where people go and bid auction style on storage units that have been abandoned. At one point Charlie had two families in our driveway and a phone bidder all bidding eachother up at the same time for the appliances. Charlie ate it up and loved his real life storage wars auction moment. Craigslist is the best!

So, merry Christmas and probably happy anniversary and happy birthday to me for the year!

Christmas recital

Abby had her Christmas recital this last weekend. She has worked hard for a few months on her piece and it has been wonderful to see her grow and have our home be filled with a beautiful song. { Abby with her cute teacher}




Abby always wishes that extended family could be here to see her recitals but since they are all so far away this is the next best thing. She did a great job at her recital and I was so proud of her and all her hard work.

Christmas Traditions

I think holiday traditions are one of the major parts of being a family. It has been fun being married and blending some of the traditions that we both grew up with as well as create some new ones of our own. I absolutely LOVE this time of year spending time as a family building bonds as we continue these traditions year after year.

One tradition is a visit to the Santa House each year. This is a house in our town that is only open a few weeks a year and is made just for kids to come sit on Santa's lap and gaze in awe of this house filled to the top with an amazing Christmas display. This place is the best and it even "snows" bubbles from inside all day long! Our next tradition is a visit to the biggest Christmas store in the world. We let the kids pick out an ornament each year and they get to decorate their own kid tree. We have started to get quite the collection. I already imagine packaging up each ornament in a special box to give to each child for their first Christmas once they are married. Abby has been collecting birds and Morgan is collecting butterflies...the boys don't have a specific theme but it is fun to see what they choose each year.

This next one comes from my family. It is said to be a German tradition to hide a pickle in your tree. Whoever finds it first in our family gets an extra present on Christmas morning. I usually hide it deep in the tree and the kids love searching for it each year.

This one is not so much a tradition but a decoration. There has been much controversy over this Santa as well as the infamous "fanta" that even though he is just a decoration he has become a tradition because of the great story that comes along with this jolly old fellow. If you don't remember or don't know the story I posted about it I think last year and you can go back and read if you really desire.
This tradition is also one from the Carn side of the family. Also one based on a strong competitive nature of the Carn boys. Diane made an advent calendar for her family and each day the kids got to put up one of the hand sewn objects on the tree. The last object is the beloved star. Over the years it has become quite the big deal about who gets to be the one to put the star on the tree. As grown men now...they are still so competitive that it is usually a race to see who can get to the house first when they visit for Christmas and they will take the star and hide it until Christmas eve when they can be the proud bestower of the star on top of the tree.

Diane who has gotten very wise after the Sata controversy this summer presented each family with an EXACT replica of the advent calendar she made many years ago. She spent countless hours hand beading each object and we will cherish this gift forever.

Funny, that without prompting my kids have already started arguing about who gets to put up the star this year. They definitely have some Carn blood running through them.

This last one is new to us just this year. I have seen this Elf on the Shelf for years but never purchased one until now and boy am I glad I did. It comes with the elf and a book to read to the kids explaining who the elf is and what he does.

Basically he is Santa's helper and watches the kids during the day and reports back to Santa each night if the children have been naughty or nice. The kids get to find him in a new spot each morning when they wake up. They also get to name him. We named our elf Ninny Muggins based of the movie Elf. The line where he calls himself a "cotton headed ninny muggins" is one of our favorites and it seemed to fit him perfectly.

The kids get up each morning and run around the house like crazy looking for Ninny Muggins and have quite enjoyed his sense of humor so far. They have found him sleeping in one of Morgan's Barbie beds, brushing his teeth, hangin' with some of his best pals and they have even found him dangling from a light fixture. This is a tradition that will for sure be a part of our family for years to come.

When I think of growing up I remember the traditions and they warm my heart and bring a smile to my face. It will be fun to see what my own kids hang on to and continue with their kids one day!

Monster Dash

I have been waiting 10 long weeks to make this post. I am glad to say I have good news to report. The Monster Dash was a huge success! Here we are before the race began. I was nervous beyond belief at this point. My knee has been giving me trouble the last few weeks of training and I was hoping and praying that it would hold out long enough for me to make it through the race.

The weather was BEAUTIFUL and running around downtown Chicago over bridges, around the lake, and through the parks was an amazing sight. All the costumes were so fun to see as well. This was for sure the best race to run in for my first 1/2 marathon.

There were moments that I really began to doubt if I was going to be able to finish but thank goodness to a dear friend and my husband who literally ran by my side the entire time giving me words of encouragement helped me cross that finish line. They both could have gone much faster without me but we stayed together and I can never thank them enough for the support they gave me.

The last mile was for sure the most difficult. Lots of people were walking and every part of my body was telling me to STOP. I dug deep and gave everything I had to literally just put one foot in front of the other.

I don't know how many moments in my life will ever compare to crossing that finish line. I was emotional holding the hands of my support crew as we crossed the finish line together. Once we crossed, I cried and then promptly found myself a patch of grass to sit on while I tried to regain some strength. Here we are with the other families from our ward that came and did the race as well. Everyone did a great job and it was fun to share the experience with friends.

These mementos of our race day will be something I will treasure forever. I owe a big thank you to my in-laws who took the kids for us so that we could go do this race together. A big thank you to my dear friend who stuck by me through all of our training and the race. She was willing to sacrifice her own better time to stay by me and show me the ropes along the way and I will forever be grateful to her. A big thanks to my hubby for encouraging me to do hard things and for believing in me when I did not believe in myself. Last, a thanks to my Dad who has lovingly called and emailed throughout my training checking in and making me feel proud of myself!

While this was my first, I am pretty sure it won't be my last. The aches and pains are a good reminder to me of what I just accomplished. It was just a little over a year ago that I ran my first 5k and here I am 12 months later with a 1/2 marathon under my belt! So let this be a reminder out there to anyone who may be reading this that YOU CAN DO HARD THINGS!

So cool

Ok, I really never thought I would be posting this but today in the mail we got a letter. The letter was addressed to "The Young Scientist" as soon as I saw it I knew what it was about. I quickly called in the kids and showed it to them and their excitement could not be contained when they realized someone had found their balloon and written back!

The letter was from a dear woman who owns a farm and found our note out in her field when she was picking pumpkins! The farm is about 25 minutes away and we are going to go there tomorrow to buy pumpkins for Halloween with the kids. They loved looking up on the map and seeing how far this particular balloon had gone. I think it will be even more exciting to drive the route tomorrow and get to see the actual farm where it was found.

My favorite part of the letter that she wrote back was when she said this: "Have a good day and keep studying. You can learn about all kinds of wonderful things that God has created and controls."

This goes down in the history books as one of my favorite experiments we have done with the kids. The look on their faces as they read this letter was priceless!

Balloon Launch

This weekend we did a fun little experiment with the kids that they LOVED. We got some helium balloons and they wrote notes on each of them asking people to be part of our experiment. They put on them the date they were launched and asked if it was found to send us a letter telling us where and when the balloon was found.

The balloons probably did not make it all that far and the chance of anyone actually finding one and writing us back is highly unlikely but the kids had so much fun working on this project. All weekend long they have been wondering if one of their balloons made it to grandmas cabin in Utah. We went on a nature walk yesterday and they were discussing how fun it would be if they found one of their own balloons.

I 'll keep you posted if we actually hear back from someone. Even if we don't, the kids had so much fun with this little project I think we will be doing it again soon!