Weekend Tidbits

This weekend started out a little rough! Jaxon kicked Ross's ass once again. This time with a gnarly scratch to the nose with his fingernails. This is exactly why I am not the "play fighter" in the house!Oh, how I wish I had his nose. It's perfect just like his mommas!

My mom hosted her whole clan for the superbowl. I am over pretending like I care about football now. When I was younger I think I may have pretended to have a favorite team. I have come out of the closest with my pure hate for the game. I feel so much lighter now! This is my cute Grandpa with his oldest great grandson.

We played in the snow...

Until it got way too cold.

Jax spilled a smoothie all over himself and was less than pleased.

Ivy added to her box of tricks..... She can play and say Peek a Boo!!!

She sees you.... the best part is she thinks you can't really see her>

Being a mom is like Groundhogs day

I heard a lady at a baby shower once say that..."Being a mom is like GROUNDHOGS DAY everyday"! I thought how horrible that comparison was but the more years of mommy hood I get under my belt I am starting to get what she meant...

This morning I woke up to four year old morning breath in my face chanting, "Breakfast, Breakfast, Breakfast". Just like clock work I could hear the morning babbles of baby Ivy in her crib along with some banging on the Wall next to her crib.

(This is the exact same thing that happened yesterday and everyday I can remember that came before)Hmmmm

I then attempt to get all of us clean and looking like the cute little family we are(Or at least the one we are in public)! My shampoo bottles are dumped out, make brushes are thrown in the toilet, Lucy (our dog) is eating leftovers on the highchair, The "Treat, Treat, Treat" chant begins before my clothes are even on.

(This also seems wildly familiar to me.. Oh yeah...Same as the day before)

I wander through the day wondering what to make for dinner that we could all somewhat enjoy! While I cook more things are tossed in the toilet and someone gets a bonk on the head from jumping off the couch etc...Daddy comes home... Yeah... "How was your day"? Great... Jammies...movie...The treat chant begins again and we sometimes open a bottle of wine.

(Wait a minute! Am I having Deja Vu?) Another thing that never changes is that I wouldn't trade it all for the world.

This Week

Yesterday I felt like a really bad mom. Jaxon told me that his tooth hurts really bad! I call my MIL over to watch the other girls and take him to the dentist. When we walked in the office the receptionist was small talking with him about nothing really and he said to her,"I guess I'm here to get all my teeth pulled out, where's the dentist?, I hope he's not a girl". We go through the whole routine. Xrays, yadda, yadda, yadda. The dentist gave poor little Jax a root Canal and then told me he had 7 cavaties... 7 cavities at the age of 4. I sat in the chair across from the dentist as he proceeded to explain to me the importance of "Teeth Brushing". Oh! so you're telling me my kids SHOULD brush their teeth? Why hadn't I thought of that? Jax did awesome and took it like a real champ...It's amazing what a brand new shiny toothbrush can make you forget about...

I went out on the town last night with one of my favorite and oldest friends. Colby has been around so long I feel like he dated all my old boyfriends with me. Him and I were out dancing the night I met my husband too... Thanks for being such a true friend!!!!

I can't give one a bottle without a major meltdown from the other one. This is how they now enjoy their morning baba's together now. Soo precious.

There's no room in my bed for this guy!

So Ross is in Vegas this week and I'm thinking about buying one of these nifty things! There's nothing like snuggling up to a prosthetic hand in the middle of the night. Yes, this is real! The only thing I think it may possibly be good for is little ones that sleep better in your arms. I just don't want to be the mom trying to get this thing through airport security in case they got so attached that we couldn't leave home without it!

This lady will never wake up and find herself lonely!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Master of Driving in the winter (FAILS)

Proof.... Ross is not the best "Snow Driver" in the world. He loves to lecture me on all sorts of winter driving techniques whenever I leave the house. Well, here is the master of the snow stuck in his own driveway that he so meticulously plows himself.... Love You Roscoe!!!

Capturing/Captioning My HEART

Ivy is the sure winner or the "Carson Crab leg Eating Contest"... She is a hungry beast for sure but this was a lot of eating, even for IVY! This picture reminds me of one of my dad's most embarrasing moments.......... We road tripped all the way from Los Angeles to Star Valley Wyoming one summer... We were ordering dinner at the only Diner/restaraunt in town and when it was my turn.... I politely told the waitress that I would like a Lobster tail and a side of sauteed mushrooms.... I was 10 years old at most...Needless to say, that was hardly an option and my dad still remembers it as the time he knew he had "CREATED A MONSTER".....

I think I know what these girls are after and they are........"OUT OF LUCK"..

That Tori! How does she do it??? Always smiling,bringing home the bacon,baking like Matha, Lovin like jenna... I think her secret lies in her right hand.......

Here he is in all his glory!!! He says, "Mom, Are you gonna rock with me or what?"

Neither Ivy or I can stand Ella's breath... Here she is capturing exactly the way I feel about it. She really is starting to get me... I could'nt be more pleased!

Mother like Daughter?

My Grandfather painted this portrait of me when I was around Ivy's age.. Resemblance?

I know there's not a lot of resemblance between my mom and I but I can only hope to have some of her beautiful spirit.....

She is One Hot Mama for sure!!!!

Alone at last

We were free for a whole 3 hours on Friday night. YaYa and Papa John had our little munchkins over to play and we were free to do as we pleased! I love bieng with my babies, but it is so fun to know that they are in good hands and go out to dinner with your husband every once in a while.

Thanks again for having the kids over to play

They love spending time over there.... And we love it too........................

Spam Moosabbi

When Ryan and Jenna were here over the holidays they made this. I was trying to be polite but at the same time thinking that there was simply no way in hell I would ever eat anything with the word spam in the title.... much less really used in the recipe. To my suprise it was soo delicious. I will admit that for some reason I found myself kind of embarrassed buying spam at the supermarket.Especially because I had lots of other things to be emarrased about that day such as Ivy having no socks on in below zero weather buts thats a whole other post.


The cast of Characters

Fry the mystery meat in a pan, steam some rice, roll in seaweed wrap... enjoy

Dip these bad boys in some sauce and you will be amazed at how tasty they are....

This is for you.... Lauryn

This post is for my friend Lauryn. She is the makeup nazi. More like the no-makeup nazi. Here's me braving my makeup-less face in support of our friendship and turning over a new leaf with less Blagging (bragging on your blog). I still wore lip gloss and have my eyelashes dyed black but hey, this was big for me...

On another note... Why in heck would I choose to look like the picture above when in 10 minutes I can be transformed into a much better version of myself? I still love makeup and probably always will. I can only hope to become one of those old ladies that sports orange lipstick, blue eyeshadow and overly penciled in eyebrows...

Skating for Haiti

This weekend at the local skating rink they had a "Skating for Haiti" fundraiser. We skated on saturday and sunday... Ate hamburgers and sipped hot chocolate. My thighs are still burning from the adventure. I love it!

Two eyes made out of oranges and a mouth made out of string cheese

KISSING COUSINS

In some states this kind of thing is illegal.... Good thing we live in IDAHO

Jaxon told me that while she sure is cute. Shes still a little drooly for his taste. That's what you get when your main squeeze in cutting teeth.

Ivy and Blaykers..............Bummin around the house

The little girls just love Jaxon

Lately he seems so old to me

He loves being a big brother. He's so proud when he teaches Ivy something new. I love to listen to their cute little conversations when they don't think I am listening....


This pig is the only way I can get this little nugget to sleep. She sucks on it's ear until she falls asleep. Tori told me that she cloroxed piggy the other day and Blayke was furious with the new taste of the ears. Pigs, Binky's, thumbs... (Whatever works)

Beside the occasional pinch or hair pull these girls are the sweetest little friends

Ivy Taylor AKA Axle Rose

"I hate to see you go but I love to see you walk away"

These two had such a great time at YaYa and Johns the other night. John lets them jump on the bed, plays puzzles, plays outside and even came and watched Jaxon at Judo this week. Now he can share my pain of watching Jax attempt jumping jacks. Is it bad that I cringe at the sight of them.

Guilty Pleasure #231 (Collecting Magnets)

Is it too late for Christmas cards?

My sister Calyn and fam came to visit today and I forced her to take our Christmas Card photo.. I know that Chrismas is over so I thought a "Happy New Year Card" may be the next best thing. At this rate I will be sending these pictures on a card with a huge smiling heart that says, "Be Mine"...

We heart Chainsaws, Turbans and Leggings

The most fun you can have with your clothes on... "Chain Sawing"

Ivy loves her "Snow Turban" it's what all the cool chicks wear

And I love leggings with white socks!

precious moments

Lately it's been way below zero. It's so cold here that the public schools closed for the last couple days. I guess if it's 30 below zero the schools here close. I think it may be because there would always be one crazy mom that sent her kid out to wait for the bus in the morning and the poor little sucker would be a snowball in about one minute....

It's also too cold to pour concrete so this is Ross looking super cool sleeping on the couch.. How cool do you have to be to sleeep with your shades on? I have no idea because I don't think I could even pretend to be this cool.

Yesterday Jax invited me to an "Animal Party" in his room. He thinks if he calls it a party it suddenly becomes much more fun. He honestly apologized for not having any decorations up and for not having treats. In case you were curious (because I was) at what goes on at an "Animal Party". Heres the inside scoop...We one by one named all of the stuffed animals names of family members or by what they did or what they looked like. We tucked them into bed because he told me they were tired... I thought the party was over and then he told me that there was a huge fight between bernice and bernie (Husband and wife bears) upper left in the photo. We put them both in time out and the party was over.

They are finally starting to play together. Siblings are the best.Nobody knows the joys and trials of your childhood like they do. They are the only real witnesses of your life. I can't say enough about my sisters or little brother....

Look who's getting married (in 20-30 years)

Ivy has no clue yet that I may have pre arranged a wedding for her and Whit Griffin in the next 25 years. I can't help but think about how tall their children would be and all of the money I could make off of the NBA career of one of their spawn. Those scratch lotto tickets I have been buying for many years now still haven't paid me yet and so I am forced to explore other options. Look for the "Save the Date" cards in the mail soon......




Not only would they be tall....Their children would have the most gorgeous eyes ever!

What you never see on a blog post

I love/hate looking at every one's blog sometimes. Sugar coated stories about perfect couples that never argue, booger less kids that always have clean hair, vacations to all most amazing destinations. I am so guilty of this brag type of blogging too. I'm going to go out on a limb here and tell you a few "non-blog worthy secrets and I hope you will tell me yours... I sometimes late night blog stalk some of my peeps and random friends of theirs too.I go to bed thinking that I must be a bad mom because so many people are doing the most creative fun things with their kids everyday. I think... I should have made my husband his favorite Belgium waffles wearing an apron with full hair and makeup before he headed of the work this morning. Why didn't I take my four year old to that weird sing along story time at that creepy art center? I am also usually thinking in my head as I'm taking a picture... "That is so bloggable"! Smile for mommy and look super cute so Gramma can see you on the blog!!! I read the funniest blog that is a total joke called www.seriouslysoblessed.blogspot.com ... Some guy/girl updates it all the time about their perfect life and all the juicy details. no one knew it was a hoax for a while and it has gained a cult following on the web.. Here's a few secrets you never get to see on a blog. I can't wait to see yours!

- Sometimes my kids eat cheetos and mandrin oranges from a can for dinner
- I ran out of bottle liners and instead of going to the store I'm using ziploc baggies
- My guest bathroom tub is coated with spray tan solution
- Ivy slept with me the other morning and I woke up and couldn't find her.. She was in the rabbit cage...
- At 8 am I have convinced Jax that it's the middle of the night and he needs to hurry and go back to sleep just so I could sleep in.
- I have threatened to call Medusa over to babysit in a desperate moment
- I secretly can't wait until Ivy is old enough to sit and watch a whole cartoon

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Photo Booth favorites

I need one of these MacBooks really bad. I don't know who I will miss more....Ryan or this little beauty of a computer!

A New years kiss from me to you!!!

The ghostly evidence of New year's past

This is a crazy picture from a couple new years ago! Good thing Tori had her tights on... Haha

May all you troubles be only as long as your New Years Resolution

Yep, this is honestly the best group picture out of 10. Does it makes you wonder how good the other one were???????????

Gramma Renne and Blayke... Thanks again for being such a great sitter. Jaxon loved all the stories she read to him and loves her singing voice even more.

I just had to put this picture on here because she looks sooo smokin hot! Can you hear the sizzle?

Uncle Ry Ry and Jenna treat Jaxon to a New years ticklefest

Cheers to a new year

It can only go up from here. If were still smiling after what 2009 threw at us were unstoppable!

There's something so refreshing about the "New Year". I love the feeling of hope and optimism that we feel when we look towards the future. The feeling of a clean slate. My resolution this year will be to, "Live in the Present"! I am going to trust all the older and wiser people when they mention how time flies and how in the blink of an eye your babies are grown. I am going to try to remind myself that the cleaning can sometimes wait when a little one is begging for a game to be played. I never met anyone who regretted not spending more time mopping their floors or doing more laundry(except my mom, maybe). I love the look that people our parents age give us when they see us struggling through an airport with little kids or trying to handle a temper-tantrum. It's not a look of pity or a, "thank god we are over those days" kind of look. Surprisingly, it's usually a look of fond remembrance. For they know how precious time with their own families is now more than ever. "Yesterday is a gift.........Tomorrow is a mystery.........Today is a gift" I have a feeling this year will be the best one yet! Happy 2010...

Loving the life we live......

Lauryn and her entourage bombarded me on my birthday...... Just look how cute this little nugget is! He almost makes me want another one. Almost!

Is it just me or does she have the most adorable smile you've ever seen?

This is actually a really funny story: I was getting Ivy in the bath when Miss Savanna told me that she hasn't had a bath in 5 days and feels like she's so dirty that she just had to get in too. I told her that her hair smelled nice and clean and asked her if she was telling me the truth! I asked her if she was sure she hadn't had a bath in the last few days..... she finally said that she may have but couldn't remember. ha ha... This just reminds me of all of the things that your kids will tell their teachers that you can only pray they don't fully believe. I know for a fact that this is soo not true but let the little monsters all have a "Bath Party" anyways.........

Would you rather???

Don't be shy..... I am dying to know if you would RATHER.............

• Be a hunchback -OR- be an albino
• Be considered Annoying -OR- Dull
• Be known as the dumber identical twin -OR- the ugly one
• Assuming both would find out.... Lie to a priest or a cop
• Make your living manufacturing sex toys -OR- guns
• Have no kids -OR- twelve
• Breastfeed a seventy year old man -OR- a chimp
  

Christmas 2009

Christmas was great this year. I can't say we have had a bad one yet. I'm so sad to see all the decorations get put away until next year and the spirit of Christmas slowly dwindle away until next time. As usual our children were spoiled by everyone and we ate like royalty and traveled from house to house to make sure we could see all of our families. Merry Christmas and a big thanks to our "lovelies" who made this whole season so special! This year I was reminded that though sometimes it may be so chaotic and loud in house with kids running around every where and people filling up every little spot in a tiny living room, this is the kind of Holiday get together that I love the most and truly the only kind I've ever known. These are the memories that count and always come with a good/funny story to be remembered and shared for years to come!!!!!!!!!!!! Come on, What would a real family party be without someone drinking too much, some one's kid being sick, a dog ruining something, kids fighting over toys, someone else having drama with their boyfriend/ex/wife,etc............ All in all the love felt for each other makes all those things so funny and seem so trival. Our newest ornament!!!!!!

This is Jaxon at about 10 o Clock Christmas night. You can just tell by the look on his face that he had a great day. There really is nothing like Christmas when you're a kid!

A few days before Christmas we met up with Ya Ya for some holiday margaritas

Yes, this is really a Snuggie!!!! Papa Leo put on a good fashion show in his new "Snuggie"

I even got in on the fashion show! I'm never one to be out performed..........

My mom always makes Christmas feel so special! She's such a worker bee in the kitchen and is who all the little kids can't wait to see on Christmas day. Or any other day for that matter.

"Mom, Do you really think people will think I'm a real Sheriff"..... His words exactly!!!!!!!

Ivy thought she was so cool with her new ride on pony she got from her Ya Ya and John. It's so adorable! It even has a little basket in the front so she can put her babies in it.

These two lovebirds were hanging out at our place for the big "Santa Reveal"

Watching your own kids on Christmas morning is so priceless!!!!!

This was the big hit at our Christmas Eve dinner at Randy and Catherine's house. Donnie presented Rod with this hilarious blanket. It took serious convincing to even get him to pose with his new blanket. He really wouldn't want anything like this showing up somewhere on the Internet... Ha Ha

Emily and Ivy performing a duet on the piano!

I just love my little BFF/cousin Tori Jo

Like mother like daughter

The Wackerman Clan! I love how Donnie's cast matched his shirt. Now that's a "stylin" cowboy if I ever saw one.

Randy carving the most delicious prime rib ever. Secret recipe courtesy of: Uncle Bryan






Me and the MR.

AVALANCHE BARK

This really is so easy it almost shouldn't even be called cooking. This is the most delicious treat ever! This recipe is from the "Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory"! You know.......... That place that has the best Carmel apples on the planet. My girlfriend, Melissa made these once for some church thing and ever since I've been craving them.............

RECIPE:

One pound White chocolate

1 and 1/2 cups rice crispies

1/2 cup peanut butter chips

1/2 cup semi sweet chips

1 cup mini marshmallows

**** melt white chocolate,add rice crispies and stir.....Add chips and marshmallows. stir them up a bit(not all the way) Pour onto a greased cookie sheet. Cool. them break apart. ENJOY

Lately

"So you think you're a photographer?" I pretend I am! I love capturing all the little things with my camera. I am borderline annoying lately but I just can't stop snapping photos of anything and everything these days. One day everyone will thank me for all the memories!

We don't mess around here...... Everybody in this family has to earn their keep. We even go as far as to make our house guest chop firewood. Hey, times are tough and we can use all the free help we can get these days. Gone are the days of my beloved, "Conception" cleaning my house. Man, I really miss that woman. Jenna took her job very seriously and earned herself another night at the" Carson Casa". I may even throw in a Continental breakfast for sport..........

For old time sake..... these brothers still love to wrestle around like 12 year olds

Planks in the morning? This never happens in this house unless these two are in town. How cute are they with their vitamins, spammoosabi, and their morning exercise routine. More on the spammoosabi to come. It sounds disgusting but was actually really tasty! I'm a convert for sure..

Ivy just loves snuggling with Jenna and Uncle Ry Ry

The wooden bowl

THE WOODEN BOWL... This story touched my heart! here's to hoping it might touch yours. I just had to share this with everyone. Maybe I'm hormonal! Who cares, read it anyway. It made me cry for sure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in- law, and four-year-old grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in- law became irritated with the mess. 'We must do something about father,' said the son. 'I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor.' So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence. One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, 'What are you making?' Just as sweetly, the boy responded, 'Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up. ' The four-year-old smiled and went back to work. The words so struck the parents so that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soil. I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles four things: a rainy day, the elderly, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.

In his own words

These are just a few of my favorites from, "The mouth of Jaxon" this month.

ON GOD: Jaxon was really frustrated the other day and kept saying that he just "couldn't remember" under his breath... I asked him what he was talking about and he told me that he was bummed out that he couldn't remember what heavenly father had whispered in his ear the night before. He thought about it a little more and told me that he thinks that it was something about his heavenly father being mad because he didn't have a picture of him in his room anymore because it must have gotten lost in the move. Then he looked at me and said, "Mom, Jesus is such a nice little fairy isn't he"?

POTTY TALK: "mom, come quick I think I just pooped out the cutest little poop I ever saw".

MY BREATH: "don't kiss me anymore because your breath is stinky and you need to brush your teeth".

SANTA: I have really been using the whole naughty list thing to my advantage this year. I threaten calling Santa at least a couple of times a day....Yesterday he said, "If you really know his phone number you would have already called him by now".

MANNERS: Ross asked him to go and get something for him and Jaxon replied, "My pleasure". I don't know why, but that one has been cracking me up for a few days now.

Epson Salt Candles......

So I know this chick who is a hairdresser/mom/retail biotch/babyfood maker who also happens to moonlight as a modern day Martha Stewart. She said I could buy candles at the Dollar Store...........Coat them with modge podge(I used elmers glue) and roll them in Epson salts, and I would have the most adorable and sparkly/snow like candles.... She was right.....I made some tonight and I can't believe how adorable they turned out. Dollar Tree here I come! P.S. Eat your heart out martha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Snow,more snow, and other important events..

Jaxy looks so hardcore in his uniform....... Not to long ago Jaxon told me that Dallin and him were going to "whoop" me with their hands tied behind their backs.... I told him that, "two against one was not any fun" and that I needed a team mate in order for it to be a fair fight. He said, " Okay then, you can have Aunt Calyn on your team". All I have to say is they better watch their backs because My sister Calyn and I don't go easy on anyone.....and that includes 4 year old's!!!

Merry Christmas you filthy animals....... and A happy new year too.

This was ivy's first time playing in the snow that she can remember... I love that it takes 20 minutes to get her dressed in her snow bunny gear for 10 minutes of play!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks again mom and dad for having the patience to teach my sisters and I how to ski. Not until now did I truly understand or appreciate the time and patience stuff like that really takes!

Here's Ms. Ella in her reindeer get up. I just love torturing my animals for the sake of photography................................................................................................................................

Saturday morning Jaxon and I had breakfast with Santa... Jax was in heaven! I asked him what him and Santa talked about and he said that he wasn't going to tell me because he wanted it to be a surprise when he woke up on Christmas morning. Oh dear!!! He was seriously concerned about where Santa had parked his sleigh and if Rudolph was staying out of the snow!!!!!! I think he is a secret animal rights activist at heart!

This just may as well be our Christmas card... Why not?

I have this love for the two of them that is so intense that I almost have to stop my self from biting them. I have said this same thing about the "Big League Chew" bubble gum that comes in a weird pouch that looks like chewing tobacco. I really can't chew it like gum because it's so delicious that I have to swallow it within seconds of putting it in my mouth. Such a strange analogy but most definitely from my heart!!!!!!!!

SLUMPED???

You really want one don't you????????

"Simple elegance in entertaining"

Just what are these things?????????????

These photos do them no justice at all.........

They are cheese platters made out of slumped wine bottles!

I like to call it upcycling at it's finest!!!

These are my new hobby/moneymaking scheme! They are so much cuter in person. They are cheese platters made out of slumped wine bottles. They can also be used as a spoon rest, butter dish, change tray, etc.... They make such a great eco friendly and creative gift for anyone on your list..... drop me a line and I'd be happy to make you one. I have even figured out a way to attach a wedding invitation to the back of them so it's seen through the front. What a great wedding gift idea. I can also do this nifty trick to any glass bottle your heart so desires........

Happy Birthday Big Daddy

Happy birthday to Ross!!!!

29 reasons why I'm your biggest fan....

1. You are ridiculously handsome


2. You finally gave in to rubbing my feet and are the best at it


3. You want more kids


4. There isn't a man I know who can organize the fridge or pantry better than you


5. You make me feel so beautiful


6. Jaxon wants to be you when he grows up


7. You have huge hands


8. you give a mean spray tan


9. you can fix anything


10. you make an amazing breakfast


11. you are a great kisser


12. my very best friend


13. you can dance


14. you change diapers and make baba's


15. you have such faith in god


16. you provide us with a great life


17. you are an adventurous soul


18. and an old soul


19. you love my cooking


20. you cuddle like a champ


21. you love my family


22. you are soo honest


23. did I mention super sexy


24. you are an amazing example to our kids


25. you have such a weak spot for animals


26. I just love love love your ever loving guts


27. you call to check on me and just to say you love me


28. you make me feel like I can do anything in the world


29. I love that I really feel like I can with you beside me

From the mouth of Rod (My Father in law) Part 2

What in the world?

Tonight as Jaxon was walking over to the dinner table he casually said, " hm mm, I never knew we were supposed to skin Cinderella(Our Rabbit) put her in a big pot and eat her for dinner?". Ross and I both looked at each other like,"What The heck"??.......... "Grandpa Rod told me thats what we had to do", he told us. I asked him if he would be sad if we ate Cinderella for dinner and he said, "I guess so, she probably would be sad if we did that huh, mom?" We talked about how you don't eat your pets in bizarre detail and it was over and done. Well that's what I thought until I tucked him into bed and he asked me if Grandpa was going to use a big knife to skin the rabbit and if he wanted to use one of his pirate swords for the gruesome task. Thanks again Rod for your grandfatherly wisdom. We just love it!

"Mom, am I famous"?

Even Ivy gets in on the action at Judo. Sweet little miss Hanna keeps her entertained for Jaxon's whole class. If it wasn't against the rules of the world I would hire this first grader up to be my new babysitter...........................................................

We live in a small valley and our newspaper only comes out once a week ( Thursdays). My friend, Jill showed me the paper and low and behold there was a picture of my very own little man. It is a picture of Jaxon at his Judo class with his sensei, (whom he adores) and his Judo homeys. I showed it to Jaxon and he said, "Mom, am I really famous"? I told him he was a huge local celebrity just like his mother (ha ha). Jaxon tried the Judo thing a little more than a year ago but was a little too young to really get it. We are on round 2 of Judo now and it is going so much better. He loves it and is so proud to wear his ghee. What is a gee? That's what I said and was promptly put in my place by his sensei and a couple of the Judo moms when I called it an outfit or even better.... a (costume). I am hoping to get him hooked up with the little toe head girl in the picture. How cute is she? The whole article is about his teacher recieving an award for being the local citizen of the month and it got me thinking that I have a lot of work to do to ever be nominated for that award. That is why becoming "Valley Citizen Of The Month" will be my new goal .... I will be accepting nominations now! "The Judo Tykes"

Thanksgiving (a week in review)

Let me just say that I am so thankful for all of the many blessing I have been given. I have such great family and friends. I am so thankful for my amazing husband who knows me so well and can almost read my mind. Our little family headed to Salt Lake city on Tuesday to meet up with my dad, Erin, brother and sisters for Thanksgiving. We had such a great time shopping, eating, relaxing, and laughing together... My Dad and Erin planned everything for us and treated us to so many great meals and fun things all week. Ross and I were so THANKFUL for a 100% free vacation for sure!!! Thanks so much Dad and Erin for such great family memories.We had Thanksgiving dinner at the Sundance resort. It was delicious. I really loved not having any dishes to do at the end of the whole deal.

We took all the kids to the Gateway Discovery Center and they had so much fun. We maybe had more fun than them pretending like we were news reporters and taking pictures of ourselves! My dad and I made a great news team.

Breanne and calyn Co-anchored the morning news together.

Ivy was a huge fan of the ball exhibit

I told you she was a big fan....

Ivy's looking for more scraps of stuffing under the tables.

Ross and Trev proudly sporting their new birthday snowboarding helmets.

"Cheese balls"

The Zachary gals............

The original Zacharys

I can't even explain my love for Tepanyaki. It's semi creepy really. Who doesn't love catching hibachi shrimp in their mouth? We love it.

Better luck next time Trev!

The legend prevails once again.

We even cruised up to park City for a day. I wish we were still there relaxing and pretending like we don't have any cares in the world.........

Let's get the season started already!

Is there anything better than pulling all your special ornaments out of the box each year?

Or redecorating with candles that smell like the holidays?

I need to get Ivy some special ornaments this year. I was noticing that Jax has about ten. These are the weird things that kids will talk about later to their therapist on why they are so crazy and why their childhood sucked!

This is my new wall mural thingy that I put up over the fireplace! I just love it!

I'm all ready to serve up a Christmas dinner with my new table decor. Come on over!

Last night we started setting up early for the Christmas season. We set up the tree, messed with the lights, hung the stockings and snuggled on the couch under the lights of the Christmas tree. I don't think there's anything I love more than Christmas Time so why not get it started a little early.

Jaxon and Ivy are becoming the cutest little friends lately. I use the term, "friends" loosely!

Another way Bubba wins the hearts of her grand kids is by letting them play in the dog food. This is Ivy and Drakes fantasy coming true!

YaYa and her sleeping angel!

For your viewing enjoyment..........

Happy Birthday Trev-Dog!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TREV_DOG

Today is my brother in law trevors Birthday! In birthday blog tradition I thought I would list a few of my favorite things about Trev ( in no paticular order).

1. He may look squeaky clean, but this wild animal get kicked out of BYU intramural sports.
2. All his neices and nephews love him
3. Until about a month ago Jackson thought trevor was my brother and calyn(his wife/my sister) was just his best friend who tagged along with him to family functions
4. he has an undiagnosed case of ADD
5. My sister and him have been in love since Jr. high school
6. He loves living with Ross and I from time to time
7. He's a major night owl
8. He polishes his tennis shoes to a spit shine
9. he's a great dad!!!!
10. 
    

"Maybe if we say it in Spanish"

Lately when we run into some sort of a problem Jaxon will say, " Mom, maybe if we say it in Spanish we can figure it out". I didn't get it until finally today it donned on me that these two little characters are the culprits of his new need to be a Spanish speaking four year old who has a magic backpack and begs for a pet jaguar. I heard the other day that Dora is receiving a makeover because their have been studies that little girls are more likely to watch a more sexified version of her. She's an explorer for hell sakes!!! although i would somewhat agree that her hair could use a little help. I remember a lady at a bunco party last year told this story about her new hair cut: She decided her hair needed a little updating and went to her stylist for some hot little bangs. She came home and her little girl said, "Mom, you look so beautiful because your hair looks exactly like Doras". The Dora cut was not the look she was going for, for some reason I crack up every time I think about that lady. Oh yeah the other day Jaxon asked me why he didn't have a Pap pi like Diego. "Because you just got a dad instead", I told him. Now run along and get some clean chonies on and this senorita will bring you a hot cup of choc-o-latte!

Tori Jo turns the Dirty 30.. ( Suprise)

This is the birthday girls face when we all yelled, SURPRISE!

Later in the evening we gathered up the troops and went on a field trip.. Things got a little rowdy as usual but we all lived to tell/laugh about it.........

I made a bunch of pasta, sauce and a bunch of toppings for our own little Italian buffet....... This cowboy was a big fan!

This lucky fellow was sandwiched between his two favorite blonds..

Some old friends of Tori's came to celebrate the big 30...

The birthday girl and her daddy!

Sometimes I pretend like I'm Martha Stewart..

I also moonlight as a wannabe photographer....

And a Bakerella/domestic goddess...........

Lauren Estay was so sweet and made this masterpiece of a cake for Tori... It was gorgeous to say the least. Thanks again Lauren! She is the woman to call next time you have something to celebrate.........

I smell the snow...

I was afraid this might be the last day of walks to the pond. I'm crossing my fingers that we get a couple more days just like this..................................................

Have you ever??

Went in to check on your kids before you go to bed and find one of the sleeping in a wagon?

Our Halloween

SPOOKY
Cheers ladies!!!!!!!!!

This is just a sneak peek at Tori and Donnie's house decor. Donnie is that guy that you don't want to live next door to on the holidays because he puts everyone to shame with his yard decorations. He's a modern day Clark Griswald with a cowboy hat...

Brookside Hollow even had a real headless horsemen riding around the neighborhood...

Speaking of the devil, here he is! this is the king of Halloween, Donnie the bearded ballerina.

Super mom Savanna with Ivy and Jaxon

If you were confused on the costumes I'll fill you in... YaYa is a painter and John is a cool guy wearing a visor!

Thanks for the candy YaYa...........

We practiced her buzzing all day but it still sounds like a growl!

This is how our Halloween started out... About 2 minutes after we got in the car, Jaxon ( aka, Scary Guy) fell asleep smearing and drooling all over his freshly painted face...

I glance back in the rear view mirror to discover that little miss Bumblebee had demolished her paint job too! We Were off to a rough start to say the least........

This mulleted pirate is not too excited about the smell taking over our car on the drive to his moms house for a quick trick or treat.......... This is him saying, "last one out of the cars a rotten egg''.......

The smell was getting worse because we lost a few of these deviled eyeballs in the car and we were having a hard time finding them. (They were really cute). Our Halloween turned out really great besides a few smells, smears and bumps in the road!

Simply Adorable

Ivy can't wait to hit the slopes this year! ( Okay maybe next year)... She is ready to roll with her new ski hat courtesy of Jack and Jills( This cute little kids consignment store in town)...

This is the famous Green Elephant blankythat we never leave home without........ He looks pretty serious about it right??

The pirate and the princess

He is still not over the pirate thing! It's going on three years straight people.... I guess it could be worse if he wanted to dress up like winnie the pooh everyday! There's always a bright side to everything!!!!!!!!!!!

Ivy loves her BaBa's like crazy

This is my girl au natural

Jaxon is now in charge of shop vac-ing all the rabbit pellets every morning.. ( He loves it)!

Cinderella

This is our cute new home........

It's really coming along and getting cozier by the minute. Wait till I post pictures of the enormous mountain lion that digs in our garbage... Stay tuned!
I promise this is where our rabbit lives! (don't judge)
if you look close you will see her litter box right behind her. She used to use it for it's purpose. She now uses it only to snuggle in..........Dammit!!




Do you have a bunny that lives on the rock that surrounds your fireplace? well, we do... So strange, creepy and cute all at the same time. Little miss Cinderella is not so little anymore. The lady at the pet store promised she was full grown and would always look like the sweet little supposedly litter box trained bunny she sold us for $24.99. She is getting bigger by the minute and is refusing to deposit her little pellets in her litter box. Now I'm not even sure that she's a she. I promise we have a cage less rabbit in our house that eats (I'm not kidding), one cup of rabbit food, 2 huge carrots, 1 celery stalk and whatever fruit scraps drop from the high chair a day. Thank goodness for the shop vac that I have plugged in ready to go every morning. I am starting to think that catching 15 grasshoppers a day for Fred the frog(R.I.P) wasn't nearly as painful as I thought. Sidenote: What the heck do people breed rabbits for? fur, meat, pets... Is this seriously a lucrative business? I can't for the life of me figure it out! I don't know anyone that eats rabbit besides my moms childhood friend (long story). $24.99 per rabbit isn't anything to write home about and I can't remember the last time I saw a tourist walking around the square in Jackson wearing a rabbit fur... please help me figure this one out!!!!!

Long time no blog...

What have we been up to? I am pleased to announce we are no longer homeless. We moved to a great new house in the woods. I have been decorating like a madwoman and making my nest cozy for my little chicks. I love it here! We have been busy doing the fall stuff that I love. We have made Carmel apples, carved pumpkins, haunted gingerbread houses, had some backyard bonfires, and had the annual, "Dinner in a Pumpkin"...... Good friends post pictures on their blog of their friends when they look good even if you don't..

Make that pictures of their sisters too.

Yaya and Jax made a pirate face pumpkin..........

Ryan brought his main squeeze home for the activities.....

I am afraid this mountain living is turning us into people who really look like mountain people.

One priceless night away from the kids at the Knotty pine. Enjoy the peep show!

Dinner in a Pumpkin



1 small sugar pumpkin

2 onions, chopped
2 cups diced celery
1/4 cup shortening
5 pounds lean ground beef
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (20 ounce) bottle ketchup
3 cloves crushed garlic
5 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce
1 (4.5 ounce) can mushrooms, drained
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup
2 cups cooked white rice

Put all that good stuff in your pumpkin. Place pumpkin on a baking sheet and cook for an hour at 350...... Enjoy

Oh I forgot to mention that this little woman is now walking all over the house. She really does have to wear a necklace everyday and almost never takes it off. it's too cute.

Happy Fall Everyone!

one

Miss Ivy is officially 1. Time flies, blah, blah, and all the rest and of the stuff you say on you're little babies first birthday. This little girl is such a joy to have around. She cracks me up constantly and I am so happy she's in our family. lets just say her birthday party this year wasn't exactly the party of the year. I promised her that when she turns two she'll have a great party complete with a pony... I love this little one year old more than ever. Happy Birthday, baby sister...........

SWM seeks someone to love

SWM seeks a sexy guy\gal to have a little fun with and possibly something more. Must love: Flying, good food, family, coffee, spray tans, and life in general!


This young stallion holds a very special place in my heart. He is sooo good with all the kids in the family and so easy to talk to. I couldn't think of a bigger catch than Maxamillion.

Besides studying to become an EMT he makes a mean cup of coffee on the fly. Leave a comment and if I approve I may give him your digits.

"Bangin" bangs for baby Ivy

All geared up with treats and scissors, tori goes in for the kill My poor little girl could no longer see unless her bangs were pulled back.

This was not an easy job! It makes me wonder how many treats my mom had to feed us while she permed our hair in our highchairs when my sisters and I were little. I have the pictures to prove it!

She looks so retro! I love the bangs and Ivy is happy to be able to see little hairballs and crumbs on the floor now so she can continue her journey of eating any little nasty thing that crosses her path.

Breanne's neighborhood

Let me introduce you to Robert! This nice fellow lives right downstairs from my sister.
I just had to capture a picture of this late night cat walker to share with you all. Believe it or not Cat Walking isn't the only claim to fame Robert has. Robert proudly tells the story of meeting his wife on the Jerry Springer show. We are searching for the episode on the web to give to my sister for christmas. Robert is a great neighbor and even offers to babysit from time to time. Anyone need someone to walk their cats or watch their kids????

Carson-Shivley-Petersen-Sandoval-Zachary

So we had the whole crew together a few weeks ago and decided to take some pictures in the mean time. Family pictures are sort of a nightmare but every ones happy to have them when it's all over. The more babies we add to the mix, the more difficult it gets. I wonder who will have the next one? 123 not it!!!!!
Sophie is starting a new lawn care business! Any takers?

My little brother is finally taller than all of his big sisters!

We tried our best to get a good one..

Sisters are forever friends......

I just love this one..

Sometimes we pretend like we're still newlyweds!

Bubba Jr.

She really does have an outie belly button

and the cutest little pot belly to go with it!

For your viewing enjoyment

My good friend Desiree and I modeled a bunch of crazy western get ups in the western design conference fashion show in Jackson. I miss you Des!

Papa Leo and his littlest granddaughter. Ivy is finally warming up to him and lets him hold her now. That's a big deal for Ivy!

I love this picture of Blayke! She is made for wearing hats... Next photo shoot I want to find a baby cowboy hat for this little girl. I can see it now!

CAMERA PRACTICE

11 months old

It's a month and a day away from Ivy's 1st birthday... I can't stop snapping photos of this little blue eyed beauty. These pictures are from this afternoon. My little girl is growing up.

Happenings........

My little boy loves to cook just like his mom. This is his favorite creation! (Recipe below)

CAST OF CHARACTERS: Gum, Marshmallows, choc. chips, cotton candy, sugar cones, lots of sprinkles, and leftover Halloween candy. DIRECTIONS: Put any or all of these ingredients into a pie pan and serve to whoever will eat it! ENJOY

This is really the only picture I have ever seen of Jax where he looks a lot like his dad. I had to post it......

Jax has the cutest new buddy named Charlie! The have so much fun together. Here they are looking for scurvy pirates and treasure on the boat. Charlie was disappointed when he found out the boat had to stay in the garage. They are too cute together!

Water polo mongrel part 2

Since when are Sophomore's in high school this muscular? What can I say big muscles run in the family. Anyone who has ever arm wrestled me will testify to that. Actually I am yet to win an arm wrestling match with anyone over the age of 4. Leg wrestling is my specialty!!!

Matthew is the cutest on in the picture (of course)

He is the striking young lad who is farthest on the right.

http://www.laverneonline.com/2009/08/26/making-waves-again-bonitas-varsity-water-polo-team-a-storied-franchise/

My little brother the water polo machine is at it again. My dad sent me this(above) link today about this years team. I couldn't help but post it. I can't wait to see Matt in action.

"mom, I think I'm a cowboy now"

One night of watching uncle Donnie rope and jaxon is convinced he's a real cowboy. He is now requesting a cowboy costume to add to his repertoire of costumes! He also wants a "real Cowboy hat". Whatever that means!

fishing,biking,swimming...

Best friends forever "Blayke and Ivy" I love the way these two yell and squeal at each other. They are best little buddies and don't even know it yet.

( Words cannot begin to describe her cuteness)

Sometimes i pretend like I am a hardcore biker mama and take the kids on a trek around our neighborhood. This outing ended quickly when Jaxon fell off his bike(again) and said, "That's it! I'm just a little kid mom. I can't do everything you can do. I'll never ride this bike again" Luckily he has since changed his mind overnight and was back at it this morning.

Jaxon and his cousin Savana went swimming today. We simply refuse to let the summer end. Today was warm and perfect in every way. I am praying for more global warming!

Daddy took Jaxon fishing last night just down the road from our house and they caught this monster of a fish. jax has been talking about catching a fish and frying it up in a pan for months now and last night his wish came true. We grilled this little feller last night for a midnight snack and he was delicious.....

Baby Griffin

The new daddy and I
Roscoe and the new Mommy

They are now officially a family... Baby makes 3

I have been waiting a long time for this girl to join me in the motherhood club. Congrats to the Griffins on their new little angel from above. I can't wait for our kids to grow up together...........

Some of mine and ross's best friends welcomed their first baby boy to their family. Whityn Mckay Griffin is just perfect and precious in every way. He is two weeks old today and has the biggest hands I've ever seen. I know they will both make amazing parents. My kids love these two to death. We couldn't be more happy for both of you guys.. A big congrats from the Carson's. The Griffins have also joined the blogging world. You can watch them in their new journeys at www.griffinspuds.blogspot.com

This outfit is my worst nightmare

This sexy getup is courtesy of Grandma Debbie. Jaxon spent the night Friday at my mom and Leo's place and came back with this sponge bob getup and Transformer shoes that light up. Leave it to grandma to go against everything (FASHION) I believe in. The good news is Jaxon has never been so proud of his outfit and shoes. He models this new getup for anyone who will watch. The bad news is I have a feeling it's going to be a daily battle to get him to wear anything but this.

Fred's dead...

Cinderella and and her proud new papa

Little Miss Ivy is the biggest daddy's girl

Our deadly frog Fred, finally went to heaven the other day. Poor Jaxon took it harder than I thought he would. This is the first time I have had to try and explain death, heaven, spirit, etc to my four year old. The conversation went something like this, "Mom, if Fred is really in heaven how come he's still in his cage looking like a dead frog"?...... Well his body is still there but his spirit is in heaven...... "Is he being nice to heavenly father"?........ I sure hope so jaxon! I think he's probably hopping all around with lots of his frog buddies eating lots of grasshoppers........"OK mom, Where's the shovel, so I can throw him in a hole and sing him a sad song".

Ever since the death of Fred he has been on me about having a bunny that lives in his room. I caved in to today and we brought home our new little carson and named her Cinderella! She really is trained to go in the litter box. Who knew bunnies were so smart? I, on the other hand had my own hidden agenda for purchasing our sweet little Cinderella today. What could be than luckier than a rabbit's foot than a real live one that lives in Jaxon's room? It just so happens that the pet store in town is connected to the liquor store that sells power ball tickets.... When I win that rabbit will have the best carrots money can buy. I'll fly them in fresh daily from wherever good carrot's come from!!! Good luck powerballers...

From the mouth of Rod (My Father in law)

"He couldn't pour piss out of a boot if the directions were on the heel" - Rod Carson

Blondie...

Emily has turned into the most helpful girl in the world. Too bad she has to go back to school soon because there is no one else I would rather have as a personal assistant. Do I need a personal assistant? of course not, but I could only imagine how great it would be if I had one. Emily is so sweet with the kids and so fun to be around. They both just love her to pieces!

I love the taste of baby cheeks in the afternoon

Yesterday I looked at Ivy and thought that she barely looks like a little baby anymore. She is turning into a girl and it's blowing my mind. Enjoy your babies while they last...

Mother in Law with the moves...

We went to Palisades yesterday and had a great day on the lake. Ross's mom Rachel came along this time and said she wanted to give wake boarding a try. This hot mama got up on her very first try. The whole boat was amazed at the skill this lady had on the water. I still can't believe it. Now we know where the Carson boys got their moves from!! She's a natural on the wake board...

My cousin max and I hard at work on our tans.....

At the pool

We are taking full advantage of Cousin Tori's Teton springs membership. We have had so much fun in the pool this summer scamming off of Tori's new membership. Thanks Tori jo!! Jenna and jaxon taking a dip........

"Hey girl, cool Bumbo"

Ivy love love loves the water

SUPER FAN

Soooo, The results are in and it looks like our biggest fan works at Valley lumber!!! Somebody there just can't get enough of us and has logged into our blog more than anyone else in the last year including our own family members. How must this person get any work done in a day? Thanks for the support......