Hello, this is the principal calling

Last Friday evening I went out.  I plugged my phone in to charge and I saw that I had a missed call from the kids school.  I quickly checked my messages and I was surprised what I heard on the other line.  The message was from the school principal asking me to please call her back.

Oh boy.  In the 6 years I have had children at this school I have never gotten a call from the principal.  And now it was the weekend so there would be no way to contact her until Monday.  My stomach sank and I immediately started questioning my kids to find out if anything bad had happened.
 
They all claimed they had no idea why she would be calling but you could tell they were all a little freaked out too.  I have good kids who do well at school and have never had any problems so I don't know why I assumed it was something terrible, but I had to wait the weekend to find out what was up.

First thing Monday morning my phone was ringing again and I saw that it was the school calling again.  I took a deep breath and picked up the phone.  Much to my surprise it was the principal informing me that Abby was going to be awarded The Principal's award the last day of school and she wanted us to attend!  Wahoooo...no one was in trouble!  I was so excited for Abby and feeling really bad about the level of questioning I had given my kids the last few days.

We kept it a surprise and said nothing to her about it.  Abby was nominated by her wonderful teacher and was chosen by the principal out of 115 fifth graders! 

(Abby with her teacher Mr. Zimmer)

After the awards ceremony they headed back to class where her teacher gave each child in class an award for something special just about them.  Abby was awarded "The Most Inquisitive".

As Abby's mom I know what a great kid she is but it was a proud momma moment to see that other people see in her what I do.  My heart was beating fast for her as I heard the kind things her principal and teacher had written about her.  Way to go Abby!

Abby {11} Sam {4}

 As many of you know June is birthday month for us around here.  We pretty much decorate once and just keep it up and we might as well have an I.V. drip of cake and frosting going right into our bellies the entire month.

 How I am old enough to have an 11 year old I am not quite sure but it is true.  This year Abby requested a flower cake, a pedicure, and a ukulele.  I think she was quite pleased with her day.  She has played her ukulele non stop since she opened it.  Her fingers are sore but believe it or not in only 1 day she has taught herself a few songs and is loving it. 

It has brought back a rush of memories of when I was young.  My sister got a ukulele once and hearing her tune it over and over again to the famous "My Dog Has Fleas" tune drove me nuts.  Well I am pleased to inform you Jeni that 25 years later the my dog has fleas technique still seems to be the best method and I now have the joy of hearing it over and over again in my own home.  Who in the world came up with that jingle in  the first place???

Our sweet Abby is growing up so very very fast.  She blesses our family each day and we are so lucky to have her.  She is kind and sensitive.  She is loving playing piano and her sweet teacher.  She adores crafts of all kinds.  She has created an entire craft room in the basement and she is constantly coming up with creative things to make out of almost nothing.  She is a good friend and a great conversationalist.  Abby, we love you!

Mr. Sam or Sammy or Sam Sam is now our big 4 year old.

He had a different request every 5 minutes of what he wanted this year.  He was so excited the entire day.  In church the primary presidency gives the kids a small gum ball machine on their birthdays.  After sacrament meeting when I told him he would get his gumball machine today his entire body started to shake with excitement.

The kids had fun decorating for his party.  They all made him a special gift and Ethan wrote him such a special big brother note that he loved. 

His requests this year were for a super Sammy cape that Grandma Diane made for him and the slinky dog from Toy Story.  We also got him his own pretend lawn mower.  We already have 1 mower but it is Logan's and Sam's favorite thing to do to "help" daddy mow the lawn.  With only 1 mower one of them always gets left out.  In theory 2 mowers should work, but now they just both fight over the new shiny one!  Go figure.

Sam is an absolute joy.  He brings so much love to our family.  He is loving and patient and funny.  He loves to be with the big kids and is such a good brother to Logan.  He loves to sing and dress up in costumes.  One of his favorite songs right now is Follow the Prophet, only he has his own little spin on it.  He sings it like this, "Follow the prophet, follow the prophet, follow the prophet, don't come and stay" It makes us laugh each time he sings it.  I am forever grateful that Sammy is a part of our family and am so blessed to be his mommy! 

I loved this video clip.  He seemed so surprised when he realized we were singing happy birthday to him!  Unfortunately I missed the sweetest moment ever when I turned the camera off just a minute too soon.  As soon as he blew out the candles he said that he had wished we could all be together forever!  I could not ask for my 4 year old to have any sweeter wish on his birthday.  We love you Sam!

Alpha Race

It was another race filled weekend for The Carnaroonies, although this one was in a whole different ball park!

(awesome Alpha Race gear, personalized dog tags and all)

This race was the Alpha Race.  Charlie and I ran it last night and Ethan and Morgan ran on Saturday.  This is not your typical go run 4 miles and cross the finish line...oh no.  This was running at 10:00 at night in the pitch black with head lamps in the rain in 45 degree weather and facing 12 military style obstacles along the way.  The last one being a 200 foot slip-and-slide ending in an army crawl through a giant mud pit. 

The unfortunate part of the entire thing was because of what we were facing bringing a camera along would not have worked.  We did our best to snap some before and afters but we have no real footage of the actual event. 

We ran the race with some of our closest friends and stuck together the entire time.  We found ourselves many times along the route just the 4 of us and it was prefect.  We laughed and threw our bodies up and over walls some of us more graceful than others.  I often refer to myself as Little Miss Sissy Pants since I am not quite a thrill seeker.  However, last night when I found myself balancing over top of a huge cargo net with nothing but the light of a small headlamp to guide my way I think I may have retired that self given nickname!

The second 1/2 of the race was filled with obstacles and boy was I getting tuckered out towards the end.  I had a huge smile on my face the entire time and I found myself just giggling more and more as the race went on and loving each obstacle more than the previous one.

Here is our after picture.  We may not look all that different but trust me we were soaked to the bone and FREEZING cold.  It all seemed like a dream just moments after we finished.  I can honestly say though that this just may have been one of the most fun nights I have ever had in my entire life and it was so great to share it with amazing friends who will be leaving us in a few short weeks.

We got home and hopped in some hot showers as fast as we could....man did that shower feel good!

The next day was the kiddos turn.  I don't know if they were excited or intimidated after seeing all our messy gear that was left on the floor from the night before but they got their numbers on and were ready to go.

Ethan got to race with his best friend and they also ran with some friends from church which was fun for all of them.  The kids race was 1 mile with 3 obstacles to face and theirs ended the same wonderful way as ours did.

Morgan was the first to finish in our group.  That girl is unstoppable.  They both did great and had fun and I was proud of them for trying something new and difficult.  It was chilly so to convince your kids that it is a good idea to go run through water and down a giant slide and then throw themselves into the mud can be a difficult request but they did wonderful!

The really fun part was after all the races were done they had a chance to help break the current book of world records for the most people down a slip-and-slide in 1 hour.  Charlie and the kids went down a bunch of times but the cold won out and we headed home before the hour was over.  We will have to wait over the next few days to see what the results are.  Either way it was exciting for the kids to give it a shot.

The race was a huge success and a night and day I will NEVER forget.  Anyone up for joining me next year????

UPDATE:

I just checked the paper and it looks like the current record for total feet slid in 1 hour was 82,080 feet.  Drum roll please!!!!!  Our record came in at 118,200 feet so we have oficially broken the world record!  What a fun thing for my kids to be able to say they were able to take part in.

Here are two pictures from the race held Saturday morning that were in the paper.  It will give you some small idea of what we faced!

And last, here is some video footage of Charlie and the kiddos breaking the record!

Dow Run

 Have you ever heard the saying "The family that runs together stays together".  Ok, so I made that up but I think it is true. 

(all our gear lined up the night before)

 Our family has spent the last few weeks training for the big Dow run we have done each year since we lived here.  It has become a great tradition that the kids look forward to each year.

This year each and every single one of us participated.  Morgan and Abby and Charlie ran the 5k and then we all ran the 1 mile together.  Morgan and Abby set a goal this year to run their first 5k and they met their goal! 

Sam and Logan are not even old enough to officially register them for the 1 mile but we run it with them and they do amazingly well.  Mr. Sam ran with me and he did not stop even once.  His little legs went as fast as they could and he finished at exactly a 12 minute mile.  Not bad for a 3 year old!

Logan was not far behind Sam and did as good as any 2 year old wearing a shirt almost to his ankles could have done.

Charlie and I both signed up for the 5k because we were not sure who was going to run with who.  I did not even run the 5k but for some reason they put me up with a chip time of 1 hour 45 minutes which works out to be a 34 minute mile!  I am a slow runner but a dead person could run faster than that.  It annoys me a bit to know that I am down in the books as the slowest runner ever for a race I never even ran.  Oh well!

The last few weeks we have had long summer night running as a family on the rail trail and often ending the night with laughs and yummy ice cream.  I am so proud of my kids for setting goals and working hard to accomplish them.  What a great day!

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!