Something to Think About......

This past week has been hard, challenging, enlightening, and wonderful. I have learned a lot about myself and grown so much. When trials come to us it is always for a reason. Last month Lloyd Newell gave a talk in the Music and the Spoken Word with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir called "unexpected blessings" I highly recommend looking it up online and reading it. It will give you a boost and make you more grateful for your blessings.
I thought I would share a little bit of that talk since it is the month of giving thanks and all. He said,

"Life is filled with unexpected blessings. Often then come in the form of rewarding opportunities or wonderful experiences. But many times our most cherished blessings come from adversity that inspires personal growth. We shouldn't focus on 'why me?' Instead we MUST focus on how our problem has drawn us closer to God, to those we love, to the issues that really matter. Once we get past the unaswered questions, we might be surprised to find that our hardship has led to a blessing we've long sought. Truly it takes courage to see life's challenges as blessings. Yet hardships can become turning points, opportunities to learn, to love more deeply, to develop greater kindness and to forgive and cast aside resentments. We can be blessed with wisdom when we understand in very personal ways that on the other side of suffering is a depth of feeling, a perspective on life that we might not otherwise have known."

I found these words beautiful and inspiring. I am grateful for my countless blessings, including life's trials - that help me to learn and grow and become a better person.

Trick or Treat Smell My Feet!

So when Dave and I were trying to decide what Carter should be for Halloween, only one thing came to mind.....a MONKEY! He is our little monkey in real life and so we thought it would be perfect. He was even cute enough to make the monkey sound of Ah Ah Ah whenever anyone asked him.

We had a fun time at our ward Trunk or Treat and one lady gave out these cute little apples to all the kids. Carter pulled that out of his bag and ate it to the core! He didn't even care about the candy - he wanted the apple - we as his parents were very pleased with his nutritious decision. :0)This is us attempting to dress up - Dave and I aren't really the dressing up type - but when we need to we always have our old stand by Hawaiian outfits. Whatever works right?

And, finally, here is a closeup of the cutest monkey face EVER! Man we love this kid!

Playin' Around on the Playground

Carter is LOVING the new backyard. We go out every day and play. He loves the swing and giggles when he goes really high.
He also learned how to climb up the stairs all by himself. I showed him how to put his feet in the rungs and he caught on so quickly and did it by himself the very next time he tried. Smarty pants!

This is his preferred method of going down the slide - Backwards on his belly.

He also loves to push his lawnmower around everywhere - which is adorable. He is getting so big and grown up - he is not my baby anymore - he is my little boy now.

Sprinklers in October?

This is Carter's first experience running through the sprinklers - yes that's right - in OCTOBER! We have had to water our new sod a l!ittle more now that the water has been turned off for the winter season. Carter was loving it. He got completely soaked. This video is so fun. It makes you want to be a kid again. :0) Enjoy!

Bike Ridin' Boys

Dave's a big fan of the bike rides and Carter loves to go. I am even trying out the whole mountain biking thing too! The weather has been so nice that we keep getting out and enjoying it. We gotta soak it up while we can - because before ya know it - frigid weather will arrive!

Here is Carter's little helmut. I think he looks so cute in it! Safety first!

Let it Snow??

So, last Sunday we woke up to 7 inches of snow on our newly layed sod! It was crazy. All of the fluffy white stuff got us into the Christmas spirit and Dave broke out the Christmas CD's and Carter started dancing. It was so cute - I got some footage. Enjoy and.....Merry Christmas! :o)

Before the Backyard......there was dirt....lots of dirt...

Here is a before shot of our backyard before we put in the grass and play area. We have been working so hard to get it ready for sod, and hauling more dirt than you can imagine. I have also become quite the landscaping expert. I have called everyone in town and know all about the best prices for dirt, sod, curbing, etc. I am also quite good at measuring square footage I've come to find out.....


I like to call this funny pic "Todd with the Sod". This is my bro in law Todd. We loved having him around helping and making us laugh. Thanks for the help Toddster!