Some Extras to Share

Well, since I'm already up blogging, I figured I better throw a few pictures up here for you all to see.  Enjoy!

At the Pumpkin Patch in Spokane.  Mirian was really tired from lifting that huge pumpkin!






 Halloween Night!  What a silly ladybug!  She absolutely LOVED Halloween!  She still walks around the house with a purse, saying "Trick or Treat!"  I love it!

 Family Picture at my Aunt Pat's Wedding in Portland.  We had such a good time with family.

 Russ' Brother Mike got married at the Columbia River Temple.  We love Mike and Stephanie!  They are so cute together.  Mirian loves weddings now!

 This morning, I gave Mirian a bath, and before I could change her into some clothes, she ran out of the room and I heard her say "Go doggy, go!"  She was trying to ride Maced : )

Trip of Epic Proportions

So I know it has been a bazillion years since I blogged, but I figured it was about time to write what we have been up to as of late. We just got back from a 10 day trip through 6 different states (so we were only in Arizona for like 10 minutes, but I'm still counting it). Please don't feel like you have to read the whole thing, but I just needed to get this out there for the universe.

On Wednesday, November 23rd, we made the long trip down to Paradise, CA to see my parents for Thanksgiving. My parents are in the middle of remodeling their kitchen, so we spent Thanksgiving day helping them tape off walls and start the painting process. Since their kitchen was in shambles, we headed to good ol' Home Town Buffet for dinner. Nothing says Thanksgiving like mashed potatoes, turkey, tacos and fish sticks.

Friday morning, we packed up my parents car and drove down with them to Newport Beach. We stayed at the Marriott again, right across the street from the beach. Mirian was so excited to see her cousins when we got there. All of my brothers and their families came, except Matt and Kristal who just had a baby girl born a few weeks ago.




On Saturday, some of us went to the beach while Mirian and Shade napped. We loved looking at the tide pools and seeing all sorts of fun sea creatures. We told Mirian all about it and she was sad that she didn't get to go.  On Sunday, we went to church and enjoyed some epic game playing. 





 
Monday was another beach day, however, this time Mirian hated it!  She spent the entire time screaming.  We thought she was going to love it because she had been talking about going for weeks, but I think the sounds of the waves scared her, and she doesn't like getting her feet dirty. 

After all of the screaming at the beach, I was really nervous to take Mirian to Disneyland.  I thought for sure she was going to be a beast. Surprisingly, Mim love Disneyland, but what kid doesn't?  It is the happiest place on earth.  The week after Thanksgiving is definitely the time to go.  The lines were short and the weather was perfect!  We had so much fun!  Mirian wasn't a huge fan of the rides, but she did love Dumbo, the storybook train and It's a Small World.  Disneyland was so beautiful!  It was all decorated for Christmas and it was the highlight of our whole trip.








On Wednesday, we took the time to relax. We went swimming in the pool, played more games, and then the girls sneaked away to watch Breaking Dawn, oh the horrible goodness!  We spent Thursday at the Aquarium in Long Beach, which was a lot of fun.  I think everyone's favorite part was feeding the lorakeets.  They just hoped right up on you.  Mirian really loved the sharks.  If you ask her what she saw at the aquarium, she will tell you all about the sharks. 

Finally, it was time to leave the warmth of beautiful So Cal, and we headed over to Utah to see Matt, Kristal and Baby Natalie.  Natalie is the most beautiful baby, and Mirian just adored her!  While in Utah, we were blessed to watch our niece Ashley in her Drill Team competition.  Her team took 2nd place in two events, which was a great accomplishment.  These girls can dance! We went to Salt Lake City as a family on Saturday night and got to see the Christmas lights. If you have never been to Temple Square during Christmas, you are missing out.  It is breathtaking!

 




Sunday was a special day, because that is when Matt and Kristal blessed Natalie.  I am so excited for them, and I can't wait to watch Natalie grow up!  After the blessing, we drove back to Paradise to pick up our car.  Then, we left Paradise first thing Monday morning to drive back home.  But our trip wasn't complete without a stop in Wilsonville, OR to visit my cousin and his family and to pick up the newest member of our family, Baby Kitty Boots!

Well, thanks for sticking through to the end, I hope you didn't get too bored.    We are thankful to have such a wonderful family that loves us and supports us through everything.  We are so thankful for this Christmas time and for the birth of our Savior.  I know that he lives and I am thankful for this time to think about Him.  We love you all and hope you have a wonderful holiday season!

Happy 10 Year Anniversary Emily!!!!!!

Last year on our anniversary I claimed "One more year and we will be "an old married couple". Well guess what, it's been one more year!!!! I guess we are an old married couple now!!! Happy 10 year anniversary to my sweetheart!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Proof that you are happy!!!!!


I know, cliche', but I love you more and more every day!!!!!!! Please don't have me "done away with" in order to collect life insurance money . . . . . . I know you know how to use a bat!!!!

Catch Up

Okay, so I haven't blogged in a long time. We have been very busy with Russ' parents' bathroom remodel, having a renter move into our basement for the summer and a nasty sinus infection that lasted for a month. But I wanted to share some of the things that we did last month, even if it is a little bit late. Better late than never, right?

So Mirian turned two last month, and for her birthday, we had an impromptu party. Her birthday was the same day as General Conference, so during the Priesthood session, our nieces and nephews come over and some friends who didn't want to be alone while their husbands were at the meeting. We went from having no party planned to several people over for a little shin dig for Mirian in just one day. It was so fun though to have friends and family want to celebrate with Mirian, and she loved being the center of attention.

Mim's Birthday Cake

Not sure what to think of the Candles

Mirian LOVES kitties!

The next weekend we had a big Carlson family get-together. Our nephew Zachary was baptized and Russ' brothers came from all over to attend the baptism. We had so much fun getting everyone together and Mirian just adores her cousins. We had a two huge Easter egg hunts (thanks Scott and Julie), and we went to Meadowbrook to play mini golf and ride the go-carts. It was so much fun to get to see everyone. We wish we all lived closer.

I found one!

Too Cute!

Having fun at Meadowbrook

Going for a carousel ride

For Easter, our bestest buddies the Divis' came down for our annual Easter get together. Mirian just adored baby Sadie. She kept trying to get toys and blankies for Sadie. Mirian loves babies and couldn't get enough of Sadie. While the Divis' were up, we drove to Seattle to go to IKEA. We had a blast (at least Audra and I did). Then Audra and I drove home with the kids, and Russ and James went to a Mariners game. On Easter Sunday, the kids got to go on an Easter egg hunt in the backyard. I love that Mirian is starting to get into the holidays. She had so much fun looking for eggs, and every time she picked up an egg, she would shake it to make sure there was candy in it. It was so fun!

Mirian's Easter Dress

Yummy Chocolate!

Mirian, Makayla and James Michael on the swingset

Mirian Loves baby Sadie!

The last few weeks we have just been keeping busy trying to get Russ' parents house ready and get our home ready for our renter. Russ' parents got home last Monday at midnight and we are so happy to have them back! They loved every minute of their visit! Mirian is quickly warming up to her grandparents again.

We had our renter move into our basement on Friday. It was kind of a last minute thing. We weren't looking for a renter, but a friend of ours contacted us and asked if we would be willing to rent to her friend's husband. He is a great guy and is doing a pharmacy internship at the Indian Reservation. His housing fell through two weeks ago and was desperate to find a place to live. Since we hardly use the basement anyway, we thought it would be a great opportunity.

So that is what we have been up to. We haven't fallen off the face of the earth. We are happy and we constantly feel so blessed.