just blogging...

Carson has been saying the funniest things lately...

The GIRLS from our old neighborhood came to play and as we were driving them home I asked what was wrong with him and he said 'well, I am just feeling lonely inside!'

I was explaining the voting and campaign signs and I asked him if he knew who the President of The United States is?

Carson said, 'hmmm....Jesus?'

Today he was trying to talk me into letting him sleep in my bed and I said probably not.  He said, 'why?  If I sleep in your bed I am sure I will sleep longer than a BEAST!'

He makes me LAUGH out LOUD.  Which reminds me of one of my most favorite words...'giggle'!

And one of my VERY most favorite sounds...is when the heater turns on and you can hear the sound of air coming through the vents.  We could be in the middle of meltdowns and candy negotiations but when I hear that sound everything seems to be blissful!  Which is ONE reason I LOVE winter! 

Carson just came in and asked for icecream with sprinkles - how much fun is it to be a child in a home with heaters and icecream with sprinkles:)

Some days being a MOM is seriously hard (the small font makes me feel better saying it out loud and TYPING it) and then there is a MOMENT...one single moment can change our lives, our perspective, our future...

Sometimes I wish I was just more thankful that it was just who I was! Some inherent gene of thankfulness...and then I have one of these 'MOMENTS' and I am overwhelmed with GRATITUDE. 

Halloween

I'm not sure why I think this is SO funny. When she sent the photo I thought they were here real ONES.  They are NOT so rest assured NO NUDITY here!  It really is so creative and I only hope she went somewhere exciting as GARFIELD!

My cousin's wife, Afton aka Garfield!


My G-PA thought John was a China Man with a Ponytail!

avatar, great white shark, tiger, and giraffe
Hansen Halloween Party

Make a Wish Tour...

Each glass star represents a wish GRANTED.  Sad because that is a lot of sick little kids!

 We drove up to SLC to the Make a Wish Foundation and were given a tour of the facility.  It really is such a great place.  They grant 3-4 wishes PER WEEK!!!!  Big Wishes!

These are current little kids that have wishes - so the money Carson raised from his birthday will go to help make one of these wishes come true!

This is the TOWER (like in a castle) - kids come in here and put their wish into this vessel.

Granted wish - twin boys (Carson's age) both with Cancer...very rare for twins to both have leukemia.

This is the wishing well - she gave both boys wish tokens and they each threw their coins in the well and made a wish.  Carson wished for a football field in his backyard!

Pay It Forward (from the MAKE A WISH Blog)

...I often feel blessed working for this organization because I am constantly given glimpses of the basic kindness of human beings, and despite the terrible painfulness of life that I constantly encounter here also, I have always been able to hold on to an optimistic view of humankind.

There was an article in the SALT LAKE TRIBUNE this week that talked about the fact that human evolution produces, not the expected vicious fight for survival at all costs, but rather a survival of the kind and good. The instinct to make things better for another, even to our own personal detriment, seems to be a fact in nature. We are all surviving because of our deep patterns of cooperation and moral values, not in spite of them.

Ivory Ridge Halloween Party...

 Avatar and my animals...

I think I was the ONLY adult that dressed up for the party and the Avatar body suit was SO dang tight is was up my butt most of the evening...ANNOYING!  However, I might have won a gift certificate - Do I look like a boy?  I should have put some Hapari boob cutlets in my suit:)

Last Soccer Game of the Season

 It was rainy and cold but Carson still played like a stud! 

Happy Birthday John Curry...35!!!

 Dinner the night before in Jackson at Calico...noodles, noodles everywhere!

Tori couldn't get over Crew and his cardigan - she was calling him the little Professor all night...he did look like a nerd - who dresses that kid?  Poor Sucker!

 Birthday morning in our condo in Jackson (aka THE HOLE)

 home home jiggity jig...On our way to dinner with our friends...we went up to Ruth Chris in SLC

Witney's 17th Birthday Party

 I hosted Witney and 6 of her girlfriends for her Birthday...

I made her a Boobalicious Beach Body Cake since the theme was Luau

 A few of the 'extra' Party Goers

 I rolled Sushi and John manned the grill - Korean Beef Steak (it was SO tasty)

 Crew is psyched to be getting all the leftovers!

 Wit and her friends...

 They played Twister, How Low can you Go, & Bean dropping from their noses!  

Girls are LOUD!  My Boys were not born with Lungs like that:)

Fresh Seafood & Flowers from Pike's Place

Our friends (he is a captain for US Airways) flew him and his family to Seattle - picked up yummy seafood and flowers and flew them here to Utah for a Feast!  It was so good and so much fun!

St. Pete's Beach, Florida

Photo Booth Pics - we stayed at this Groovy Hotel called 'Postcard Inn' it was on the BEACH, very modern and minimalistic but FUN!  We will definitely go back...

Models for On My Side Photoshoot

Studio Shoot

It is getting Spooktacular around here...

I saw this at Thanksgiving Point (the cornstalks wrapped with burlap) and I thought it looked so good I went out and did it... I think it turned out GREAT!
The BIG Pumpkin rolled out of the back of my car and cracked so I can't wait to see what kind of mushy mess I have in a few days and Crew had a few seeds from the stalks in his hair, up his nose and in his mouth...but it is all good cause DADDY loves corn so if Crew starts to sprout it will be okay!

Our (my) craft project - we made Spiders from styrofoam balls, ribbon and a glue gun!
Then I tied some of the extra burlap around my vase of tulips...

Candycorn Styrofoam Ball Ornament THING - I hung this from the kitchen chandelier - the little spider, witch hat and cat dangle around it! Camden thinks it is so funny and wants to pick them off and eat them!

Funny! Seriously, this kid just baffles me...he hated his ponies at his party but wouldn't even let me stand next to him this time and then wouldn't get off the pony. He was so excited! He is actually riding a pony and YELLING that there is a HORSE across the way...what? HEE...HEEE...HEEEEEEE (horse horse horse - but CAM you are ON a Horse)

We went to the Harvest Festival at Thanksgiving Point - WOW! There are some HUGE Pumpkins!

The coach on the other team thinks his team is the BEST...watch out buddy!
We moved Carson up a level and it definitely seems more his speed. The kids are older but he likes the competitiveness of it now!

Moon River

Carson asked me yesterday what my dad's favorite song is - We would travel all over the STATE (which was WYOMING - that is a lot of travel time) to watch my brother play sports and he would either sing/whistle this song or a song about Apple Picking Time.
Moon River...
Moon River, wider than a mile,
I'm crossing you in style some day.
Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker,
wherever you're going I'm going your way.
Two drifters off to see the world.
There's such a lot of world to see.
We're after the same rainbow's end--
waiting 'round the bend,
my huckleberry friend,
Moon River and me.

Carson's current favorite song is Alejandro
oh boy - how the lyrics have changed! I wonder if Carson even knows what 'hot like Mexico' means or if he knows what/where Mexico even is.

Since he was about 3 years old he has called me hot shuga (sugar) - we aren't sure where he got that from either.

A New Leaf...or maybe an old one

So, I tried a new approach with my kids today...It didn't exactly work out the way I had planned. All day I was like 'oh my gosh you are SO cute, I love your hair, you are just the best...on and on and on.' Carson laughed and thought it was sort of crazy funny while Camden yelled at me 'NO! NO!' It was beyond hilarious...

Carson is 5 years old...Happy Birthday!

We had a great big party for him - that was "All things Ocean" since he LOVES Great White Sharks...he wants to be a shark so he can 'taste what people taste like' - since he thinks everyone should eat steak

We had a few games - the Crab Crawl, pin Carson on the world map, and fear factor style ocean eating (oysters and sardines - sick!)

Drake was so BRAVE - he tried an oyster but threw it up a few seconds later...

Pre-Party just chillin' under the umbrella...

In lieu of gifts I asked invitees to bring $5 for a donation to the Make a Wish Foundation...at first Carson wasn't so sure about the idea but after everyone left and we counted all the money ($65) and talked about how we were going to go up to Primary's and give it to the kids he was pretty excited. We are going to go next week, when I get home, if anyone would like to join us!

I had this big stuffed great white shark sitting at the bar when he came down for breakfast - he loved it! Crew took one look at it and started crying and wouldn't stop!

Carson really is just such an amazing child. I LOVE him with my whole heart - every bit and piece. He is kind, giving, caring, LOVING, affectionate, truly loyal, FUN, SUPER Athletic, an amazing BIG BROTHER, he understands things beyond his years (an old soul), I LOVE him! The day he was born my life changed for the rest of my life...I didn't know the power of love until you were born. I hope I can be a great example in your life and someone you will be proud of because you sure make me proud EVERY single day.

His Shark Cake