tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62862242258173754182024-03-12T17:30:13.984-07:00Wood Life 365Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05250577940234149853noreply@blogger.comBlogger736125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286224225817375418.post-47178209459450548362016-01-06T20:36:00.003-08:002016-01-06T20:36:28.233-08:00January 6, 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We have our weekly YW activities on Wednesday nights, but our church building was closed today for carpet cleaning so I had the girls over to my house. We had eight girls, plus myself and one other leader. That is a good turn out! First we made time capsules. Each girl had a set of cards where she could write about things like "what a typical day is like," "qualities I want in a husband," "future education and career plans," "current favorites, likes & hobbies," "my testimony," etc. We sealed them up in envelopes and will give them to them when they leave YW. Next we talked about setting goals & New Years Resolutions using the S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Action oriented, Realistic & Time based) goal system. Then we had donuts and and played Telestrations (which is like a cross between Pictionary and the telephone game).<br />
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Pictured above is Emily (who just turned 14 and moved up to Mia Maids), and our Beehives: Abby, Lindsay, Jetta, and Amaya. <br />
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Here is Sam, Kara, and Katie. We updated our Personal Progress tracking sheets tonight and I was totally shocked to see that Katie is almost done! Here 18th birthday is coming up in March, but she only has four small goals left to finish. I am SO proud of her and super excited that she will be getting her YW medallion. And I'm also really sad to be losing her in a few months when she graduates. </div>
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Micki, my second counselor, brought donuts for a treat. As soon as my boys laid eyes on them they went crazy begging for one. Luckily there were leftovers. I still don't understand how kids manage to get so much food on their faces when they eat... Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05250577940234149853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286224225817375418.post-45069116526523819372016-01-06T20:19:00.000-08:002016-01-06T20:19:12.677-08:00January 5, 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After this recent miscarriage my doctor wanted to run a series of blood tests to see if he could determine any cause for the recurrent losses. Most of the results came back already and everything looks fine. I was still waiting on results for one more test. Today they finally called and told me that the blood sample for the last test was insufficient and I would need to retake it. So off to LabCorp I went. I'm not very hopeful about getting any answers but they told me the test had already been billed to insurance anyway, so I might as well retake it. </div>
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Today Luke was really enthusiastic about helping me with all of my chores around the house. He especially enjoyed helping with laundry by matching socks and pushing the basket around to different rooms to deliver the folded piles of clothes. While we were matching socks I was helping him to identify the subtle differences in a few different pairs of Charlie's black socks. Then I just had to laugh when Luke tried to match a few pairs of Charlie's Stance socks because they are intentionally slightly mismatched. So everything I had just taught Luke about the subtleties of black socks went right out the window! </div>
Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05250577940234149853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286224225817375418.post-79360159925335970172016-01-06T20:09:00.001-08:002016-01-06T20:09:07.783-08:00January 4, 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Isaac is one of a kind. He is a funny kid with really unique quirks and interests. Sometimes I am completely baffled by him, but for the most part - I get him. I see a lot of myself in him and I can see characteristics of my family members. I don't know quite how to explain it but I think I can connect with him in a special way because I identify with the way his mind works. </div>
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Every night I tuck each of the boys in and talk to them about their days and say prayers with them. Isaac always takes this opportunity to ask me questions. It's the only time in the whole day when I know he will sit still and truly listen, so I've grown to really love this time with him. Tonight he asked what the difference was between the Book of Mormon and "the big scriptures with three books inside." I explained the origin of the different books of scripture and what they contained. Then he wanted to know what kind of stuff the Lord told Joseph Smith in the D&C. I gave him a few examples and then we talked about the Word of Wisdom. We really should start bedtime earlier because I really think he'd sit and talk with me for hours if I'd let him. </div>
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He insists on having his sleep mask on to fall asleep, but he rarely wears it the whole night. We always find it kicked down into the sheets at the bottom of the bed. And he has also taken to sleeping with the quilt that my Grandma Edwards made me when I was a little girl. I loved it then and I still love it now. Apparently Isaac loves it even more. And he is quite distressed about the fact that it's becoming so worn and getting holes and tears around the edges. </div>
Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05250577940234149853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286224225817375418.post-71804317594559824222016-01-06T19:42:00.002-08:002016-01-06T19:42:42.646-08:00January 3, 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My poor little Luke! As we were getting into the car after church today he burst into tears and told me that his primary teacher had hurt his arm. "For no reason!" he added. I instantly suspected a nursemaid elbow and a quick glance at his limp hanging left arm was all it took to confirm my suspicion. I carefully helped him into his car seat and assured him we'd fix it as soon as we got home. This is now the fifth time he's had this happen. After the fourth occurrence I learned how to fix it myself by watching a YouTube video and saving us a trip to the Urgent Care. I just didn't want to do it in the church parking lot because it causes a lot of screaming, and he's not in pain as long as he doesn't move it. But once we were home I quickly popped it back in and he was back to his happy self within moments of taking this photo. And just for the record, I'm sure the primary teacher had no intention of hurting Luke when he picked him up, and may not have even realized that he was hurt. Luke's pretty good about keeping a brave face when he needs to. <span style="text-align: center;"> </span></div>
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I decided I'm not going to limit myself to just one photo a day because the whole purpose of this blog is for me to record memories and look back on. So with that being said, here are my other photos for today.<br />
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For one of Isaac's Cub Scout achievements he is supposed to visit a place of worship and then create a piece of art or make a model of it. I suppose we could have gone the cultural route and taken him to a church of a difffernt faith, but instead we opted to visit the Atlanta temple. We walked around the grounds and talked about how it is the House of the Lord.<br />
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Our Ward moves Primary teachers up with their classes, so today wasn't a big change for the boys. But Luke was so proud of the CTR ring that he got today. He wore it all day long, which is surprising since he sheds socks, shoes, and often his shirt any chance he gets. But I love that he is so excited about it and about "being good all the time."<br />
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One last Luke photo because it cracks me up. We've had family game night nearly every evening since Christmas. Both boys love playing Uno, but Luke gets especially excited about it. His favorite part is getting the "secret weapon" cards. The Uno game came with some blank cards for us to create our own "secret weapons." Luke had the BEST evil cheesy smile tonight when he got the "wild, draw 6" card. I wish I had caught that exact moment, but the grin lasted long enough for me to capture at least a glimpse of it.<br />
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<br />Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05250577940234149853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286224225817375418.post-50591180630215212132016-01-03T20:24:00.000-08:002016-01-03T20:24:13.992-08:00January 2, 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have the opportunity to earn my Young Women's medallion a second time while I am serving as Young Women's president (I totally could have done this the other two times I served in YW, but I didn't). One of the requirements for the value of Virtue is to read the entire Book of Mormon. I've been wanting to get back on track with scripture reading, so this is another one of my New Year's Resolutions. I plan to finish it twice this year. . <br />
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I've also felt very strongly that I need to encourage our YW to be reading their scriptures. The Church is very different in the South. I'm still trying to accept the fact that many of the YW in our Ward have zero desire or intention to complete the Personal Progress program, no matter how much I encourage them. And that's okay. What I truly want for each of them is to develop a personal relationship with, and testimony of, our Savior Jesus Christ. And what better way to start than by reading the Book of Mormon.<br />
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Since it is the first Sunday of the month tomorrow I am teaching all of the YW combined. I spent a couple hours today making this chart that can fold up to store in our YW closet. I plan to challenge each of them to join me in reading the Book of Mormon in 2016. They can sign their name in a colored square and mark off their progress each week. I hope that if nothing else, that displaying this chart each week might encourage and remind them to keep reading.Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05250577940234149853noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286224225817375418.post-62886835460684523672016-01-01T20:05:00.000-08:002016-01-01T20:13:55.159-08:00January 1, 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm not 100% committed to doing the 365 blog this year, but I do want to get back to blogging and I thought this might be a good way to get me back in the habit.<br />
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One of my New Year's Resolutions is to run 1,000 miles in 2016. It's a rather ambitious goal for me because my previous highest mileage was just over 600 miles back in 2013. The past two years have been much lower and doing other kinds of workouts take away from my total mileage. But I wanted something that would keep me committed all year long and 1,000 will definitely require some dedication.<br />
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Today I ran 3 miles. I'm not going to lie, it was tough! I am totally out of shape. I had not worked out at all since my miscarriage and subsequent D and C in November, and hadn't run since September. It was discouraging to realize how much fitness I had lost. Our neighborhood is very hilly - so pretty much straight out of my driveway I was huffing and puffing it up some major hills. The temperature was in the low 40s and my lungs were on fire! I had instant flashbacks to my running days in Provo and quickly remembered why I spent so much time on the treadmill. I hate to be such a weather wimp, but I've had a raspy cough all day since running. <br />
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Oh, and I got this running belt for Christmas from Karl & Janelle. I love it! I don't usually run with my phone because it doesn't fit in any of my pockets, but it fits perfectly inside the belt. I'm excited to try out some running apps and maybe even snap a few running selfies! Just kidding. Kind of.... Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05250577940234149853noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286224225817375418.post-52270140997002261482013-12-31T23:01:00.000-08:002014-01-08T22:56:11.175-08:00December 31, 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The last day of 2013 has brought the beginning of some pretty big changes for 2014. First things first, we are selling our home! I will post more about this later, but today we met with a realtor and signed a contract. We'll be listing on January 13th. I have mixed feelings about all of this but at the end of the day I know this is the right thing to do so I might as well try to get excited about it.<br />
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I was letting Luke play with my phone in order to keep him busy while we talked with the realtor. Here's one of the hundred photos he snapped. That's our realtor, Dale Cheema. He's supposed to be fantastic, with 29 years working in Woodbridge. Let's hope he can get us a nice price! </div>
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Charlie & I have done some pretty cool things for New Year's Eve - more so when we were newly married. But the last few years have been rather low key. And for several years in a row we've ended up eating Taco Bell for some reason. Gross. Tonight I decided to make it Del Taco instead. Still gross. But my boys actually love Del Taco. I think one of Isaac's favorite foods in the whole world is Del Taco tacos. Anyway, we decided to keep with tradition tonight and head through the drive-thru. Fancy, I know. I look really done up too, right? I finally showered at like 5:00 this evening after staying in my work-out clothes all day, but skipped the hair and make-up part. I think one of my New Year's Resolutions should be to not eat Del Taco. It makes me sick every time. <br />
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And this is how we rang in the New Year. Charlie, Cracker, and Lucie (those are her feet) asleep on the couch while I typed up blog posts on my computer. Here's to 2014! Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05250577940234149853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286224225817375418.post-15752752422744797162013-12-30T22:51:00.000-08:002014-01-08T22:56:11.160-08:00December 30, 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of my goals for 2013 was to run 600 miles. This is not an incredibly high number and every time I told anyone about this goal they were kind of surprised that my mileage was so low. But for the first 9 months of the year I was also doing spin class twice a week and body works (weights) twice a week, so there were a lot of other workouts besides just running. Then when school started up in the fall my routine started falling apart and I haven't been spinning hardly at all, but I still do body works. Anyway, the thing I am most proud of is that I ran consistently all year long. Other than the year I trained for and ran a marathon I'm sure this is the most miles I've ever run in one year. Because usually I will run for a few months and then stop for awhile and then pick it back up again. Having this goal kept me consistent all year long and I loved that. I want to track my mileage again for 2014 but maybe I should find a better system than the "Notes" app on my phone! (I kept detailed daily entries, but this is a snapshot of my monthly summary.) </div>
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At Target tonight Isaac spied the toilet plungers and wanted to try one out. He was having a blast suctioning the floor over and over again and then laughing at himself as he used all of his strength to pull it back off of the floor. </div>
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<br />Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05250577940234149853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286224225817375418.post-33581002437642649652013-12-29T22:45:00.000-08:002014-01-08T22:56:11.167-08:00December 29, 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We are dog sitting for the next 11 days while our friends are in Prague. Lucie is the only dog that Cracker has every really tolerated, but I wouldn't quite call them friends. They never cuddle or play together. I think it's Cracker. He's an old grumpy man who only likes people, not dogs. But he does like to follow Lucie all around and see what she's up to. This is his house after all. Lucie's favorite spot is up on the back of the couch. Cracker actually loves it up there too but he can't jump up on his own. Isn't this more like something a cat would do?<br />
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Tonight we took both dogs out on our evening walk. We never take Cracker on walks anymore because a) he is terribly behaved and barks at every person and dog that we pass, and b) he gets tired quickly and refuses to walk any further. So tonight we brought the jogging stroller and figured we could just put Cracker in there after he tired out. Turns out all four of them (Isaac, Luke, Cracker, and Lucie) wanted to ride in it. Ridiculous. If you look closely you can see Lucie in the basket underneath. <br />
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<br />Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05250577940234149853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286224225817375418.post-6787784634723163682013-12-28T22:41:00.000-08:002014-01-08T22:56:11.181-08:00December 28, 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Our "family" Christmas gift this year was a Vitamix blender. We've never done a family gift before but Charlie decided we really needed one of these super blenders - and he's probably right since I've pretty much killed our Cuisinart making smoothies all of the time. So anyway Charlie wanted to start making smoothies for himself too but wanted the turbo blender. This was going to be his gift but then he found something else that he wanted, so the Vitamix became the "family" gift, which actually makes more sense anyway since we all will be drinking smoothies. Luke has always loved drinking my green smoothies but since Isaac went with Charlie to pick out the Vitamix he is now suddenly interested in the smoothies too. It's hard to see in this photo but he has a big green mustache and he's been asking for smoothies everyday since Christmas. <br />
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Tonight after Karl & Janelle left for the airport we tried out another new gift. They gave Isaac some K'Nex blocks since he loves building stuff so much. Isaac came to me with the instruction booklet and pointed to a picture of what is basically like a chair swing ride and asked me to build it. But there were no instructions for this thing, and I only had one picture to go off. I spent the next 40 minutes constructing it (it was a lot more complicated than it looks in this photo) while Isaac built space ships with the remaining pieces. It was actually pretty cool once it was done. It even had gears so that you could spin the whole thing with a lever. I say "was" because after they played with it for about 20 minutes they destroyed it. Thanks a lot. <br />
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<br />Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05250577940234149853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286224225817375418.post-74788250861252158612013-12-27T22:35:00.000-08:002014-01-08T22:56:11.184-08:00December 27, 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This morning we met up with some of Charlie's friends who are visiting California from Sweden. Charlie met Luke & Emily when he worked with Luke back in Toledo, Ohio like 12 or 15 years ago and they have stayed good friends. Our Luke is even kinda named after him. This was my first time meeting them and they were super friendly and fun. We met up at our favorite spot in Laguna Beach and spent the morning relaxing on the sand, exploring the tide pools and letting the kids play. <br />
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Next we headed to Bonsai Bowl for lunch. When Janelle & Carly came to visit about a year and a half ago we took them to Bonsai Bowl in Costa Mesa and both of them loved it. It's funny because they have both told me on separate occasions how they always talk about Bonsai Bowl and how good it was. But Charlie & I have never been back! So we decided we needed to go again with Janelle. She said it was just as good as she remembered and I'm glad. I loved it too, so maybe we should try to become more regular customers. It is basically an acai smoothie in a bowl with a mixture of fresh fruit, granola, coconut, and honey topping. It's almost more like dessert than a meal. Yum. <br />
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<br />Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05250577940234149853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286224225817375418.post-64888689640830586052013-12-26T22:29:00.000-08:002014-01-08T22:56:11.179-08:00December 26, 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When Charlie & I were in Paris last month we bought this beautiful puzzle of a Renior painting at the Mussee d'Orsay as a gift for Karl because he loves jigsaw puzzles. I love them too, but now is not really the time in my life when I can really justify spending the time to do one. So when Karl suggested we wait until Christmas time and do the puzzle together, I happily agreed. Hardest puzzle ever. By looking at the picture I would have never imagined it would be so difficult, but there are no clear defined lines so everything kind of blurs together making it incredibly hard. This was day three with four adults working on it and we finally started to make some progress. We all stayed up until midnight to finish! <br />
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Earlier today Janelle suggested that Charlie & I go out on a date tonight and that she and Karl would baby sit. So nice! We rarely go out because we don't have a baby sitter, so when an opportunity like this comes along we usually jump at it. We just had dinner and came home, but it is always really great to have a quiet and relaxed meal together. Charlie suggested Slater's 50/50, which I had never heard of before. It is a burger place where their signature burger is a patty made with 50% beef and 50% bacon. When Charlie told me about it I thought it sounded really gross and planned on just ordering a regular beef patty, but once we were there I got sucked into the hype and went for the 50/50. It was good, but I wouldn't order the 50/50 again. What I did like was how you could customize your burger with tons of different options. It was a fun night and I ate way too much food. Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05250577940234149853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286224225817375418.post-14915483778453580972013-12-25T22:09:00.000-08:002014-01-08T22:56:11.155-08:00December 25, 2013<br />
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Merry Christmas! The boys were so excited to see what Santa brought for them and to open all of their presents. We had a fun morning and everyone received so many nice gifts. Luke's favorites were his scooter, his soccer ball, and the Imaginext Rescue City from his Wood grandparents. </div>
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Isaac had been asking for Hexbugs and Legos and that is exactly what he got. He wasted no time in setting up his new Hexbug track and then I spent the next few hours helping him put together his new Lego sets. </div>
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In the evening we went over to Sandy & Chris' house to have dessert and open more gifts. We tried to get a picture of my parents with the grandkids (minus baby Emma who was asleep) but the little ones weren't cooperating very well. </div>
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It was a busy and fun Christmas and I will (eventually) post more photos on my other blog. </div>
Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05250577940234149853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286224225817375418.post-2184084893795444222013-12-24T22:06:00.000-08:002014-01-08T22:56:11.165-08:00December 24, 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We are so happy to have Karl & Janelle here to spend Christmas with us. As per the New Mexico Wood Family tradition, our Christmas Eve meal was posole and tamales. Charlie made the posole from scratch and Karl & Janelle brought the tamales and tortillas from New Mexico (since they were visiting there last week). Someday my boys will appreciate this tradition, but not tonight. Isaac ate a tortilla and Luke ate chips. Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05250577940234149853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286224225817375418.post-42811555371935858192013-12-23T22:01:00.000-08:002014-01-08T22:56:11.169-08:00December 23, 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Tonight was the Edwards family (my mom's relatives) Christmas party. Usually my aunts take turns hosting at their homes, but the crowd keeps getting bigger and bigger and my Aunt Janet decided she'd rather host at their church building this year. It was a little weird getting together at the church, but whatever. We had dinner at long tables in the cultural hall and then moved to the Relief Society room for the Present Game. This is a silly game we've been playing for at least 20 years. There is a pile of little presents in the middle of the room and we pass around pie plates with a pair of dice. If you roll doubles or seven you get to pick a present. I can't remember a single thing I've ever won from this game that I was actually excited about. It's usually stuff like a pocket pack of tissues or LED keychain flashlight. It's kind of silly and I don't know why we're still playing this, except that it's tradition and I guess the kids do love it. <br />
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The biggest bonus of having the party at the church was that there was plenty of room for my boys to run wild. And nursery toys to play with too! <br />
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<br />Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05250577940234149853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286224225817375418.post-16661767896972500672013-12-22T21:57:00.000-08:002014-01-08T22:56:11.163-08:00December 22, 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I tried to have Isaac help me wrap the gifts that he picked out for everyone, but he was more interested in building space ships. Don't you just love this wrapping paper though? I'm a little obsessed with all things dachshund. And although Isaac didn't care about wrapping, he has really loved thinking up ideas on how to trick everyone about the gifts they are getting. He keeps telling me that the gift he & Charlie picked for me is a box of paper clips. For his Grandpa Wood, he got him a Jeep t-shirt but Isaac wants to tell him that it is underwear with hearts on it. And every time we talk about this he laughs hysterically. <br />
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Charlie and I were relaxing on the couch this evening. We normally just sit at opposite ends of the couch doing whatever on our computers or phones, but tonight we were cuddling a little and Cracker just couldn't stand it. Seriously, whenever this dog sees Charlie showing affection to anyone but him, he has to come nose his way in. It is ridiculous and funny but can be annoying too. Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05250577940234149853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286224225817375418.post-63204619704909623422013-12-21T21:52:00.000-08:002014-01-08T22:56:11.177-08:00December 21, 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Since my parents don't come to CA very often, when they are here everyone wants a chance to see them. All of the Stran family (my dad's relatives) usually gets together on Christmas Eve, but it wasn't going to work out this year for several reasons, so they decided to have the family party tonight instead. Sandy hosted at her house and we had dinner, watched a short video about the birth of Christ, sang a few songs, and had a white elephant gift exchange. </div>
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Charlie and I haven't been to the Stran family Christmas party in a few years, so when my Aunt Kathy and my cousins Becky & Abbey got up to sing their special song, we had no idea what it was going to be. As soon as the music started playing for "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" my boys went crazy. I bought a CD of Christmas songs for kids a few weeks ago to listen to in the car, and this is my boys absolute favorite. They want to hear it on repeat every time we drive anywhere. Luke was especially delighted and smiled and danced through the whole thing. </div>
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<br />Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05250577940234149853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286224225817375418.post-47736703043373564682013-12-20T21:44:00.000-08:002014-01-08T22:56:11.172-08:00December 20, 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Isaac's school wasn't having any type of holiday parties so the Kindergarten room moms organized a cookie party at the park after school instead. We had another meltdown when Isaac saw the long line at the cookie table and was worried he wouldn't get one with chocolate frosting. Anyone who says girls are a lot of drama hasn't met Isaac. We eventually got our cookies and Isaac added a few M&M's and enough sprinkles for 10 cookies on his. (If you happened to notice the smudged stripe across his forehead, that is a light saber that he drew on himself with crayons. Huh?) </div>
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Here's Luke, Isaac, and Chris with their cookies. We stayed and played at the park for a while but it was kinda nuts. There are usually anywhere from 10-20 kids who stay to play after school, but with the party and having both the Early Birds and Later Gators, there were probably 50 kids on the play structure and it was insane. </div>
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After we dropped Chris off I took my boys and headed out to Diamond Bar to meet up with my parents. They arrived from Utah last night and are staying with Sandy in Chino Hills for Christmas. We had a crazy lunch at The Whole Enchilada, which was a family favorite when we were growing up. <br />
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Our friends the Oyler's host a Christmas party every year to watch the Newport Beach boat parade from Tennyson's parents house on Lido Island. It's something I like forward to every year. We have dinner at the house and then head out to the beach to watch the parade. Isaac's favorite boat was this dragon one that even spit fire! Luke says his favorite was the "dancing one" or in other words, the one that was playing fun music that he was rocking out too. <br />
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<br />Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05250577940234149853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286224225817375418.post-15732468965523587392013-12-19T21:41:00.000-08:002014-01-08T22:56:11.158-08:00December 19, 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For a long time Luke was impartial to his "googins." We have 8 of them, I think, and he used to be satisfied with whichever one I gave him. But I knew it would happen, and it eventually did - he now has favorite googins. There are two that have a vehicle pattern on them, the "car googins" and those are his favorites. The rest have been sitting untouched in a drawer for the last few months. Today Isaac decided that he wanted googins too, so he went and grabbed a few spares to cuddle up with on the couch. Silly kid. <br />
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Later during Luke's nap Isaac and I popped some popcorn (we've been using our air popper a ton lately and the boys love it) and had a little chat on the couch. He was recounting all of the funny parts that he remembered from "Home Alone." His favorite part is when Kevin finds a framed picture of Buzz's girlfriend hidden in the trunk in his room. Kevin looks at it and says "Buzz, your girlfriend.... WOOF!" Isaac keeps repeating it and busts up laughing every time. <br />
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<br />Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05250577940234149853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286224225817375418.post-89690703105545889482013-12-18T21:38:00.000-08:002014-01-08T22:56:11.186-08:00December 18, 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I am in love with this little cutie. Lately he loves, loves, loves taking baths and asks to take one several times a day. But after bath it usually takes a lot of convincing to get him to put his clothes back on. As long as I can get some underwear on him I'll let him go. He has also fallen in love with "Cat in the Hat" on PBS. I've saved some episodes on the DVR and he loves to watch the same ones over and over again. Charlie & I both have the songs from the Christmas episode stuck in our heads. So here's little Lukester after a bath relaxing with a snack and watching his favorite show. Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05250577940234149853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286224225817375418.post-50780000047948223852013-12-17T13:59:00.000-08:002014-01-05T23:56:32.203-08:00December 17, 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today Meadowpark had a carnival out on the playground. It was put on by the upper grades as a fundraiser for a charity. The younger kids could buy tickets and go around to play all of the games. I am picking up Chris from school all this week so I had three boys who wanted to go in three different directions. The water balloon slingshot was one of the first things Isaac spotted, and despite the very long line, he was insistent that this is what he wanted to do. After waiting forever, and me running off after Luke a million times, they ran out of water balloons just before Isaac's turn. Cue the crying. Total disaster. Isaac was having a toddler-like tantrum, while Luke was running into the fire of the water guns at the next game over, and I had no idea where Chris was. I love my kids, but they are really hard to take anywhere. We're pretty much a circus anywhere we go and I usually leave feeling totally defeated and exhausted. Anyway, they did eventually restock the water balloons so Isaac got a turn with the slingshot. He shot it super far and was very proud of himself. <br />
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Next we had Steve over for a few hours while his parents went Christmas shopping. I think Steve played more with Luke than with Isaac because Isaac had transformed into his alter ego, Mr. Bossy. <br />
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But to end on a happy note, here is a funny story from the day. Our neighbor who is a realtor dropped off some pictures for the boys to enter into her coloring contest. The prize is a Toys R Us gift card, so Isaac took the coloring pretty seriously. He normally does not enjoy coloring and only does it when he has to at school. And Luke will color for about 90 seconds before he loses interest. He used a rainbow of colors to scribble around a little on his paper and then he was done. While Luke was coloring at the table Isaac came over to take a peak. He took one look and then exclaimed "Ooooh, poor Luke! He's going to lose!" Haha. Yes, he probably will. I was just happy to see Isaac showing an ounce of concern for his little brother. Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05250577940234149853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286224225817375418.post-66115823832432994632013-12-16T21:24:00.000-08:002014-01-05T23:51:24.627-08:00December 16, 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This was not one of our better hair cutting experiences. In the last year or so Isaac has gotten really difficult with haircuts, which is odd since he was pretty easy as a toddler. Today he had a major attitude with this poor stylist and kept telling her that he didn't like the "saw" that she was using to cut his hair. Despite all attempts at reasoning with him, he kept insisting that the clippers were in fact a saw that was going to cut his head. Sometimes I seriously can't tell if he is being difficult on purpose or if he is really just crazy. Anyway, I couldn't stand around trying to talk sense to Isaac very long because a moment later Luke was darting out the open door and down the sidewalk of the strip mall heading who knows where. I dragged him back inside but then it became a game for him and my attempts at keeping him entertained inside were failing miserably. So pretty much just a typical outing for us. Isaac misbehaving and Luke running away. </div>
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At least Luke tried to be helpful at clean-up time tonight. Here he is "sweeping" up (or rather, sending them flying all over the room) Isaac's Legos with a bug catching net. <br />
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I was impressed with Isaac's creativity today. A few of his friends at school have gotten parachuting army men from the treasure box and Isaac has been super envious of them. Today he decided to make one of his own. He colored a piece of paper with army camouflage and then taped on a piece of curling ribbon and tied it around a Lego guy. It even kind of works and Isaac is really proud of himself. (But Santa also has a real one to leave in his stocking on Christmas.) Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05250577940234149853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286224225817375418.post-57618980716873898612013-12-15T21:22:00.000-08:002014-01-05T23:51:24.625-08:00December 15, 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I bought this Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas CD way back in my BYU days. I still remember sitting in the Harold B. Lee Library up on the fourth floor in the listening carols across from my roommate Sarah, and using this CD as my background music for study sessions all during the holiday season. And then year after year I'd pull it out and play it on repeat in my car every Christmas (even when I had my old Corolla and had to use one of those plastic cassette tapes with the wire that connected to my discman, ha!) Well then a few years ago I misplaced it and was really sad at Christmas time when I couldn't find it. So this year I did some hunting and finally found it again. Unfortunately I am now going to have to battle Isaac & Luke for a turn to listen to my CD in the car. I don't think they're going to give up "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" very easily. </div>
Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05250577940234149853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286224225817375418.post-19318760439889376152013-12-14T21:19:00.000-08:002014-01-05T23:51:24.614-08:00December 14, 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Isaac's friend Steve is in our ward and lives just across the park, about a 1/4 mile from us. Today his mom called and asked if Isaac could come over to play for awhile. Isaac was excited to go but Luke was so sad that Isaac was going off on a play date without him. When it was time to pick Isaac up a few hours later Luke was so eager to see him that he took off running and ran the whole way there yelling "Isaac, I'm coming!" I suppose it is typical for a younger sibling to idolize the older sibling, but I think is really adorable. I just wish Isaac would be a little nicer to his one man fan club! Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05250577940234149853noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286224225817375418.post-68844242374738650842013-12-13T21:03:00.000-08:002014-01-06T00:09:08.010-08:00December 13, 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Tonight we went to Bloomingdale's to do some Christmas shopping. Charlie took Isaac so that Isaac could pick out a gift for me (he's had something in mind for weeks) and I took Luke. But there is not much shopping that can be done with Luke so we went to look at Christmas decorations instead. Luke loved this miniature carousel. The highlight of the night was riding the real carousel. The reindeer carousel. <br />
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I wanted to get a cute picture of Isaac too but that was hard to do since he spent most of the ride pretending to shoot at a baby doll that a little girl had strapped onto the reindeer in front of him. Lovely, right?<br />
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<br />Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05250577940234149853noreply@blogger.com0