Typical Carter

Today started out as a normal Sunday...but that didn't last long. We were finishing up getting ready for church. I got the kids ready first and I knew I was short on time. Chad usually takes his car because he has a meeting right after church. But, today, Chad saw I needed a few more minutes so he said he'd take the kids and I could bring his car. I was about 3 minutes behind him. I was just about to our church building and I see a bunch of cars lined up 1/2 a mile before the building. I thought it was road construction and got over in the far lane. That is, until I noticed a white mini-van pulled over with it's hazards on and my husband and kids getting into a small car with a man from our church.

I knew immediately...he ran out of gas. Whoops.

So, I took the kids into church and Chad went to get a gas can at home since the car needed to be moved asap.

Sacrament meeting with an 18 month old is not super fun when you are due in 5 days. Owen was such a pill...trying to crawl under my legs to run around, spitting out crackers...you name it. And of course, Alexis being the little mommy she is couldn't stay in her seat because she wanted to solve the problem and hold and entertain Owen. She meant well...but it was only making matters worse. Owen was getting more vocal in his frustration so I had to take him out leaving my kids alone. Halfway through the sacrament Alexis comes out because "she needed to go to the bathroom." I told her we try not to leave the room during the sacrament unless it's an emergency and told her she needed to stay and wait till it was over to go back in.

When Owen finally calmed down...which was honestly 15 minutes after the sacrament...I took him back in to sit by my kids. After a few minutes I felt a tap on my shoulder. The girl behind my whispers this in my ear.

"I just thought you should know your boy (Carter) sat so quietly all by himself during the sacrament. Your daughter left to go to the bathroom after the bread and when the water came by Carter quietly whispered to the boy handing him the water that his sister went to the bathroom and he needed to get one for her. So, he grabbed 2 waters. Drank one himself and sat holding the tiny water cup with 2 hands so focused not to spill it for at least 8 minutes. It was so cute."

I was impressed with Carter but not surprised in the least bit...it's so him.

Our home teacher came over to give us a lesson tonight and told Carter they talked about him in Young Men's today. He was confused. Apparently, word spread about Carter's sweet act (not by Chad or I) and they used his example in a lesson on the importance of the sacrament.

Carter was smiling from ear to ear when he heard how impressed people were with him. I love that he really does try to think of other people!

Threats

You know you have completely brainwashed your kids into being a member of this tooth family when the threats at night become:

"Alexis, if you don't get your pajama's on and teeth brushed in 3 minutes...I am not going to pull out your tooth tonight."

You better believe she started moving really quick! She's been begging for weeks for me to pull it out.

And yes, I completely realized after I said it that if anyone would have overheard my threat they would have thought we were crazy.

Seriously Kidding Me

The conversation I just had with Alexis 2 minutes ago was too funny not to document. She's supposed to be long asleep and I thought she was when suddenly she pops her little head into the kitchen where I am dishing myself up some ice cream.

Alexis: "Are you seriously kidding me? You said we didn't have ice cream."

Me: "We didn't have ice cream yesterday. Daddy just picked some up. Maybe, if you can get to bed and be good you can have some tomorrow. What are you doing down here anyways?"

Alexis: "I just came to tell you I hate my nose!"

Me: "Really? Should we cut it off?"

Alexis: (as she is walking to the stairs) "No! I just wish Jesus never invented snot."

Me: (from the other room as she goes upstairs) "Well, I guess you can talk to Jesus about that when you get to heaven."

Alexis: (Hollering from the top of the stairs) "Yah...but I'm not going to heaven for a long time!"

That's that. Conversations over. She went to bed. I'm still laughing.

What color will they be?

I remember when Chad and I got married...well, long before we got married, we always wondered what color eyes our kids would have. Everybody, my parents, all 6 siblings and spouses...have BLUE eyes. So Chad was an outsider coming in with his brown eyes. Which is so funny because you know a Pitt when you see them by their big brown eyes. So, naturally...we wondered with our 2 dominant family genes what we would have. I knew blue eyes were recessive...but being that I have strong genes for blue eyes and Chad's mom has hazel eyes...I figured we might get a blue or hazel eyed child in there with Chad inheriting that recessive trait.

I never would have guessed I'd have all 3:

Alexis=Hazel............Carter=Brown...........Owen=Blue

(Pictures taken by my college roommate, Jamie. She is so talented. I love them!)

The crazy thing is they all had blue eyes up until they were about 1 years old. Alexis' slowly changed but Carter's changed rather quickly to a dark brown like Chad's. I don't anticipate Owen's will change with how crystal blue they are.

So, now that we have all 3 colors the question is....What will this next boy have or what will they turn to around 1?

Flashback

I was sitting in church on Sunday with Chad, Alexis and Carter in Big Bear. (Owen was napping at Grandma's.) It was nice to have one Sunday where we weren't wrestling Owen and trying to entertain him and keep him quiet.

We were singing the opening hymn and I just sat there for a while singing but, really, listening to my husband's voice. There are a lot of things I love about Chad...and his voice is one of those things I REALLY love. I always have. But there is usually that little 15 month old distraction so I don't hear him singing that often. He used to sing duets on his mission...but he's somewhat shy singing in public especially if all eyes are on him. He does not realize how incredible his voice is. So, basically his voice goes under the radar and not many people know how well he sings and how it just melts my heart.

As he was singing and I was thinking the above...I had a major flashback.

Going way back...

20 years ago, during one of our big stake productions my friend and I would hurry and get ready for our next number so we could sneak into the back of the cultural hall where no on could see us to see our favorite number. We did this every show night since we didn't have to be on stage yet. The number was sung by a Dad I didn't know at all...he sang "In The Jungle" from The Lion King. The song gets super high and this guy was so good at singing it. I remember telling my friend..."wouldn't he be the coolest Dad ever!"

I was 12 years old at the time.

Almost 20 years later...at 31...I am sitting next to that Dad's son in church realizing...I got my wish. "That Dad" that I loved sneaking off and listening to back when I was 12 is now my father-in-law. And my husband inherited that heart melting voice from his Dad. I didn't even know he had sons at the time. I met Chad 3 years later when I was 15 and we started dating at 17. Who would have thought?

Basically, I felt like a pretty lucky girl sitting in church listening to my husband sing yesterday. I love flashbacks like that.

Happy Valentines Day

So...we just got back from a fun filled weekend in Big Bear. We were going to come home last night but my sister talked us into staying and having Chad and the kids go snow skiing with them today. We went up there and stayed with Chad's Grandma who lives there. My brother-in-laws family has a cabin there too and a bunch of couples from our ward were all going out there for the weekend to hang out. We got to go to hang out with them and spend some time with Big Bear Grandma so it was a good weekend. She spoiled us like no other. Let's just say we came home and loaded our fridge and we didn't even go to the grocery store. Plus, she picked up some toys for our dog from Costco because she knew we'd be bringing her. (Costco is an hour away...down the mountain.) Roxy loved them...and she loved Big Bear.

The kids played in the snow with their cousins and a bunch of other kids in our ward the first day. On Saturday night my sister's older kids watched all of the younger kids (18 little ones to be exact)...so we could all go out on a date. It was super fun. There were so many fun people there...we laughed all night. Sunday we relaxed with Grandma, went to church with our huge clan and made dinner.

And today...we got up bright and early so everyone could get on the slopes. Alexis and Carter have only been snow skiing once a few years ago....and we took them between our legs. This year my sister and Chad got them skiing on their own almost immediately. They loved it. Chad came home a few hours before they closed and said the kids could have kept going but his legs killed from skiing slow next to the kids. I guess Alexis felt pretty independent because she kept sneaking off to get on the lifts on her own.

I, of course, wasn't able to go...not just because I really stink at snow skiing but seeing as I will be having a baby in 6 weeks it wouldn't have been pretty. So, I told the other couples to go have fun and stayed home with all the little ones. It was a pretty smooth day considering for much of the day I had FIVE 1 year olds...then joined later that afternoon by Four 4 year olds who were pooped out on the slopes...oh yeah...and the 3 dogs on the balcony who kept wrestling each other. I changed 5 poopy diapers and picked up 3 dog turds....got the babies down for naps and rotated the dogs in their kennels for naps and lunch. That might sound weird but my sister's dog and my dog are still just puppies. When Chad came to their cabin to meet up with me towards the end of the day he totally cleaned up their kitchen, took their trash out, and drove 4 bags of trash down to the dump downtown before they all got home. I don't know if they will even know it was him. I'm only bragging because I was so impressed. He was tired...and really...none of the mess was ours since we weren't staying there. He just happily did it to be nice. Isn't he the best! All the couples were super appreciative that they got to be out on the slopes and not have to rotate taking care of the babies...but really...if any of the other Mom's were prego they would have done the same thing. I was just impressed I was able to deal with 8 poop turds and be somewhat ok with it....especially when 7 of the them weren't from my own child.

Bottom Line: I'm glad my sister talked us into staying...my kids had so much fun and Chad said it was fun seeing how fast they caught on. The funny thing was Chad resisted doing it because he felt bad I couldn't go...but honestly, I would rather they go have fun together. Sure I'd love to go...but we will go again sometime and I'm looking forward to a healthy baby in a few weeks. That makes it all worth it.

The Book of Mormon

A few months ago, Alexis asked me if she could take her Book of Mormon to school with her to read during free reading time. She got a lot of questions as to what she was reading by the other first graders in her class at the beginning. Months have passed and she still takes it with her. If she forgets it...which is rare...she will remember in the car and she gets so sad she forgot it. About 2 months ago, she came home from school with an important question:

"Mom, I can't believe Nephi put on Laban's underwear!"

"What!? He didn't! He put on his clothes to look like him so people would think he was Laban."

"Nuh-uh. It's says in the scriptures...he put on "Laban's Garments? (She lets out a loud giggle) Isn't that his underwear?"

Super funny...but definitely needed some explaining on "garments" having 2 meanings.

2 thoughts:

1. My 7 year old daughter reads the Book of Mormon on her own...with NO push from us.

2. My 7 year old daughter really reads it...and pays attention to what she's reading! What?

She amazes me!