The Carlson Family

Snow Princess

2012-01-24T17:10:00.000-08:00

We finally got snow, and we were so excited to take advantage of it. At Mirian's preschool, they had a Princess Party, so Mirian wore her beautiful white coat to be the Snow Princess. She loved it! Mirian doesn't have a lot of dress up clothes, so she had to wear her pink tutu.

She made the crown at preschool. She wore it until it fell apart. She thought she was so beautiful in it.

Over the weekend, we had our awesome friends the Divis' come from Spokane. They braved the weather, just to spend a few days with us. Since we had so much snow, we had to let the kids go sledding in the back yard. Mirian loved playing in the snow, but not so much the sledding.

Kitty Boots got to enjoy the snow too, but he didn't get to go sledding. I wish I had a picture of it, but I made Maced got on the sled with me. I don't think she liked it, but I thought it was pretty hysterical.

And here is the Panty Princess. Lately, she has been getting out of bed when she is supposed to be asleep, stripping off her pj's and pull-up and putting on panties and a hat. She thought she looked so cute the other night, that I had to take a picture of it. I sure do love that girl! She always makes me laugh! I'm going to have to show this picture to her future husband one day to truly embarrass her.

Christmas Holidays

2012-01-24T16:55:00.000-08:00

We had such a wonderful Christmas season this year filled with fun and family. Mirian was old enough to make Christmas really fun. She got to meet Santa at our ward Christmas breakfast and she has been obsessed with him ever since. Mirian still talks about Santa a month later.

Mirian got to make a snowflake ornament at the Christmas party. She had so much fun!

On Christmas Eve, we went to Russ' parents house for dinner and a live nativity presented by the grand-kids. Mirian started out as a shepherd, but then when the program started, she came out as this:

Either way, she was adorable. The kids then performed the nativity and sang songs and we all thought that we had the cutest kids ever.

Just look at that little face! How can you not think she is the cutest!

That night, Mirian got to open her Christmas jammies from Santa. She was sooooo excited because they were Dora jammies.

Just as we were getting ready to leave Grandma and Grandpa's house for the night, we had a special visitor come to the house. It was Santa Claus! Mirian was so excited! She ran right up to him and hugged him. She didn't leave his side until left. It was so fun to see her eyes light up. We told Mirian that she had to go to bed because Santa was going to come back while she was asleep and bring presents. That made her even more excited. We had to be back at Russ' parents house at 5:45am, so we went into Mirian's room to wake her up. Usually, it takes her awhile to wake up, but she immediately jumped out of bed and her first words were "Christmas, Santa come!" She ran out of the room to see if Santa had indeed come. Mirian was not disappointed.

She ran to the fireplace to open her stalkings. Again, her eyes just lit up with the magic of Christmas

Back at Grandma and Grandpa's house, everyone had to line up in order of age to go open presents. Mirian was obviously the youngest there that morning, but that made for a more magical Christmas. She loved opening presents and would help everyone with theirs if she didn't have one to open.

She thought all the presents were for her!

After presents we went to Russ' parents ward, and enjoyed a lovely Christmas service with lots of Christmas singing and wonderful talks about our Savior's birth. We then all went home for naps.

Later that evening we went back to Russ' parents and Mirian of course, had to be decked out in her new Christmas clothes, playing with her new Christmas toys. She is at such the perfect age for enjoying the holidays. I think this was one of my favorite Christmas' because it truly felt magical. I will never forget that sparkle in my little girl's eyes.

The next day, we went bowling with the family. Mirian thought it was pretty cool, she even had a better score than her mom (okay, she might of had a little help from others).

Yummy bowling alley nachos!

Some Extras to Share

2011-12-09T16:46:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-09T16:20:00.000-08:00

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!!!!!!

2011-08-04T08:58:00.000-07:00

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

2011-05-23T15:29:00.000-07:00

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.

Happy Birthday Sweet Little Mirian!!!!

2011-04-02T07:50:00.000-07:00

Today Mirian turns two!!!!! What a complete and total Joy she has been for us!!!!!!! We love her so dearly! It was two years ago today that Russ got a speeding ticket on the way to the hospital. He even told the police officer that he was going to the hospital to adopt his new baby girl.

Newborn Mirian

Mirian on her first birthday

Mirian at 2

Mirian has a wonderful birth-mother. Her name is Kristine. Thank you Kristine for your completely selfless and loving act of providing us the opportunity to have and raise this sweet little girl!!!!

Mirian's personality is so wonderful!!!!! She absolutely LOVES kitties!!!!!! Her daddy would have preferred that she loves dogs (which she does) but she drops everything for a kitty. Her favorite movie is "Oliver and Company," because it is about a kitty. Mirian even sings along with the songs. In the car, she gets upset if we don't listen to kitty music (the "Oliver and Company soundtrack). Mirian loves babies! She has 3 baby dolls, but she could easily have a million more and be happy. She loves to change their diapers, push them in strollers and put them down for naps. she is a good little mama. Mirian also loves to read books. Her favorites are "Goodnight Moon" and any book with pictures of animals. She loves to point out the different animals and make their sounds. Mirian loves music and she loves to sing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree." It is so fun to watch her do the movements and say "Copcorn." Mirian is her mommy's big helper. She loves to help out with anything that she can around the house. Mirian loves to dance, and she sure knows how to shake her little bootie. It is adorable. Mirian loves to say prayers. She always remembers to fold her arms when we sit down to eat, and she always folds her arms when we are done reading scriptures. She is a good reminder to her mommy and daddy. But one of her mommy and daddy's favorite things about Mirian is that she loves to give kisses!!!!

Today Daddy made waffles with homemade blueberry syrup for Em and Mirian's birthday breakfast. As you'll see from the photos, Mirian LOVED it!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Sweetheart!!! We love you!!!!

Happy 30th to My Beautiful Bride!!!!

2011-04-01T08:43:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Emily!!!! You have now reached my plateau!!!! I've been anxiously awaiting your climb to 30 as I sit up here all by myself . . . . . . .

As I was thinking about what to post about Emily, I thought maybe I could post about the best 30 things about her. I then decided that there are too many good things to limit myself to just 30 (come on folks, up top!!!! Brownie points for me for that last comment!!!).

Finally, since I am a little biased, I decided to list several of the comments that others tell me about Emily. Most, but not all, of these comments have been made to me without Emily present so as to not embarrass her.

Her smile is contagious!!! - Sherm and Irene Carlson
She's our own Vanna White!!!- Sherm and Irene Carlson
Russell, if things don't work out with you two, I'm next in line - Wesley B. Carlson (my grandpa)
She's so happy and content - Van Holland
It seems like nothing can ever get her down - Van Holland
Its too bad Gertrude (referring to Emily) isn't gorgeous or anything!! - Janelle Givens
Shantel (referring to Emily) looks hot - Janelle Givens
Em - You are as beautiful as ever! Russ - You're blessed.....to have Em as your wife - Darlene Svetz
Em you are SO CUTE! - Olivia Carter
I love you guys, but... Emily more. - Audra Divis
You are so lucky Russ to have two of the cutest girls ever living with you :D!! - Jessica Carlson
The two are really cute! - Kathinka Leinz
Where did you find this woman?! (this was a compliment but it could be misunderstood since it's out of context). - Abraham Wise

There have been so many other compliments given of Emily and in my old age, I just can't remember them all.

Emily is so creative and so loving!!! Everyday I am amazed by her!!!!!

I love you sweetheart and I hope you enjoy your birthday today!!!!! Live it up since tomorrow Mirian gets the attention for her birthday . . . . . .

Maybe I'll learn to slow down a little in the future

2011-03-29T08:34:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I posted about my busy life and adding umpiring to the already busy schedule. Well I've done it again. We're not finished with our own kitchen remodel and last week we started remodeling my parents bathroom. Thankfully, I've had a lot of support from my siblings. That has made it easier. I really do have good siblings!!!! The willingness to help out has been phenomenal.

For some reason I didn't take before pictures. But the bathroom was very outdated. It was comfortable for my parents, so they felt no need to make a change. But right before they left on their mission, we found that there had been some leaking problems. They were going to have it remodeled at that point, but were so busy they couldn't add anything else to their plate. The problem has continually gotten worse and worse and needed to be fixed now.

Here's a picture of part way through the demo. Notice the harvest gold shower to the left and the patch of wallpaper that was behind the toilet and couldn't be painted. Like I said, outdated.

We have done the demo and reinstalled new subflooring. We've also installed the shower basin. We are waiting for the mud to dry on the basin before we start moving forward on everything else. I don't want to post too many pictures because I want the overall remodel to be a surprise to my parents. They know we are doing the remodel, but they do not know what the end result will be.

Here is a picture of where the shower used to be.

And here is my brother Brian putting in a line of studs to line up the walls where the shower used to be.

My parents' already know this, so it's okay to post. We are going to put in a heated floor so that the tile is nice and cozy when you go in without any shoes or socks. Won't that be nice . . . . . .

Happy Saint Patty's Day!!

2011-03-17T16:28:00.001-07:00

After a long, nice nap (nice for mom and Mirian), Mirian was ready to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day, complete with a lovely green dinner and Shamrock Cookies!

Family Challenge, Last week

2011-03-14T13:05:00.000-07:00

Well we are in the final week of the family challenge. To date during the challenge, I've lost 30 lbs. To hit my ideal weight, I still have another 15 to go, but it won't happen during this challenge.

The challenge has been a tough one. As I've mentioned before, it isn't just a diet (in fact I wouldn't call it a diet at all) it's a personal challenge to change your life for the better. Since starting the challenge, I've exercised ALMOST daily except for Sundays, I've read books (yes plural), I've updated the blog as part of my journaling, I've looked for opportunities to serve, I've lost a bunch of weight, and I have increased my energy level. I'm super-pleased with my efforts and the goals I've set. My goals were not simple, but I felt GREAT when I was able to accomplish them.

Thank you Mom and Dad Carter for inspiring me to be healthy and a better person!!!!

Tiling the Kitchen Floor

2011-03-13T15:23:00.000-07:00

Well, when Em's parents came to visit over Christmas time we remodeled the kitchen. Uncle Walter also flew up to help. We are SOOOOOOO appreciative for their help and the help of other family and friends. One of the things we weren't able to do was to tile the floor. So that has taken me about 3 1/2 months thus far . . . . .

Well yesterday I was doing some tiling, and it turns out, I had a little helper. . . . . .

Here she is helping to lay some spacers

What a cute little helper!!!

She just loves to do what mommy and daddy do. Mirian loves to work along side us, she loves to clean the house along side us, and she even loves to do exercises right along with us. We always have a fun little chuckle when she stretches and does her exercises with us. It's just so cute!!!!!

We just love our little monkey!!!!

Peanut Butter Jelly Time

2011-03-10T12:39:00.000-08:00

With a side of "Cheese!"

As if I didn't have enough going on in my life . . . .

2011-03-03T09:25:00.000-08:00

I really do enjoy working with youth, it inspires me to be better. And that is probably the main reason why I will be adding "Certified SUA Umpire" to my repertoire. Our good friend Steve Lawson has umpired for YEARS!!!! He started officiating in high school and has even officiated college softball games. He is VERY GOOD at what he does.

Steve convinced me to become certified as an umpire in order to help out the community and help some youth. It does "pay" but not enough to be considered "an income". There is training that we undergo at least 2 times/week with no pay, so, yeah, you don't do this for the money.

Needless to say, I will probably get some of this

And yes, I'll admit, I might do a little of this

Nevertheless, I am excited for this opportunity. I don't plan on changing professions (even though MLB umpires make around $300,000/year), but this will be a good opportunity for me to learn (I have to read and understand the 50 page rule book. I even have to memorize about half of it and take tests for the certification) and grow and work with youth.

Wish me luck!!!!!

SF Trip Vs. Family Challenge

2011-02-27T18:14:00.001-08:00

Well I accomplished some major exercise milestones this week. I walked 6 miles in one day through San Francisco. I walked from Union Square all the way down Market Street to the Pier and back, then I walked from Union Square all the way to Ghiradelli Square/Fisherman's Warf. And this was through the VERY steep hills of San Francisco. The view was great but that combined with the steep hills, and this is what you get.

It was cool to walk by Lombard Street. I haven't been there for probably 15-20 years.

My weight loss has slowed. Even though I didn't eat too much and I exercised like I was supposed to, my exercise wasn't a lot of running, it was pretty mellow since most of it was done in a suit while heading to meetings. I hope to get back into the extreme weight loss category again, that feels really good and provides a lot of motivation!!! We'll see!!!!! Wish me luck.

Russ

SF vs. Family Challenge

2011-02-15T09:13:00.000-08:00

Well I have a business trip to San Francisco starting this Saturday that will carry though Wednesday. I have been nervous about figuring out how to find time for my exercising and making sure I eat right and don't lose points on this challenge.

Discipline will be the name of the game. I'll be very busy and typically I don't sleep well on trips, so all that combined will make for an interesting trip.

We shall see . . . . . . .

Italian Wedding Soup

2011-02-13T17:45:00.000-08:00

Tonight for dinner, we had one of our favorite meals, Italian Wedding Soup. It is so quick and easy, and it tastes great. We especially love it with homemade bread. We've been getting several requests lately for this delicious recipe, so I thought I needed to blog about it. Try it out and let us know what you think.

New Belt

2011-02-09T09:57:00.000-08:00

Well this Carter Family Challenge has been, how do you say, challenging. And the competition seems to be heating up!!! Regardless of who the winner is (I, Russ, am currently in the lead, woohoo!!!!!!), I am so happy about the progress and energy I now have. It's been a while since I've felt this good!!! I started the competition at 245 and I weighed in this morning at 228!!!!! I'm gonna need a new belt when this is done and over with. My end goal is 200 lbs.

In addition to the challenge of eating healthy and exercising, there have been other challenges that are included. Things like reading a book. I have to read everyday. If you know me, you know I can't sit still long enough to read a book. I've been able to listen to books on cd or the iPod. I've "read" more books this year (3) than I have ever read in any one year of my entire life. I just simply don't read. People talk to me about getting addicted to it and loving to read. I can't say that I love it that much, but I've been entertained. I find myself wanting to continue on with the rest of the book and being interested in "what's next". The book I am reading now is so so, which is kind of frustrating, but I told myself I'd finish it regardless.

Another piece of the challenge is that you have to get 8 hours of sleep every night. Now sometimes you wake up in the middle of the night, but that doesn't matter. As long as you go to bed (not lay in bed and watch a movie, literally go to bed) and wake up 8 hours later, you get points. This has probably been my hardest challenge. I have so many things going on that I have to simply not accomplish things as fast as I would like. But I do find myself having more energy, so that keeps me driven to keep going.

The last thing that I've had to pay attention to on this challenge is eating breakfast. I typically didn't eat breakfast as I felt I was already overweight and adding to my eating would only make it worse. In addition, I typically am in a rush to get to work in the morning, so I run out of time. When the competition started, I began eating breakfast EVERY morning. Most of the time, I eat two packets of Quaker Oatmeal. I sell product to them, so I may as well buy from them right???? I feel good and I know that Oatmeal is also good for maintaining lower cholesterol. High cholesterol runs in my genes, so this is definitely an added bonus. I also don't get hungry mid-morning like I used to.

All in all, I feel SOOO good about my progress. My energy level is good, I'm starting to get some abs and calves, and I have improved my life in ways I never figured I would. Thank you Mom and Dad Carter for this opportunity to challenge myself and better take care of my family.

Baby Sadie's Blessing

2011-02-06T12:50:00.000-08:00

So this weekend we got to meet the cutest baby in the world, Sadie Belle Divis. We came to Spokane this weekend for her blessing and she is the cutest, sweetest baby ever! We have been in Spokane since Thursday, and what a blast we have been having. Audra is one of the best cooks, and every time we come, I have to steal her recipes. We have been playing and watching movies and lots of fun talking. These guys are some of our bestest friends. Poor Audra, was sick with strep throat the whole time, but she was still a great hostess. Mirian has especially loved playing with James Micheal and Evan. It has been so fun watching her follow James around like a little puppy dog. Mirian especially loves baby Sadie. She is going through a baby phase right now, and she loves anything that has to do with babies.

Sitting at the big kid table

All the kids, ready for bed

Baby Sadie's blessing today was just beautiful. She looked so pretty in her dress, and she was just so sweet. We are now winding down now to get ready to relax in front of the Super Bowl and then head home tonight.

After Sadie's blessing

Carter Family Competition

2011-02-01T08:43:00.001-08:00

So as the Carters do so well, they've created a new family competition. It is so helpful when we have these competitions because it's the motivation that we've all been looking for. You are welcome to follow the program that we've been following. Feel free to check out the blog for some helpful guidelines. We've been doing the competition for about a week now and I have to say we are cruising forward.

We are eating healthier, exercising more (versus almost zero), doing service for each other, reading more, etc. This has been a great competition so far, and it's only just begun.

I've (Russ) lost 11 lbs as of this morning (8 days into the competition). We are planning on doing this for 8 weeks so if my one week of history keeps up, I'll have lost 56 lbs . . . . . . okay so it won't and I don't want to lose 56 lbs, but it still gets me excited to keep going. Last week I walk/ran just over 12 miles. My goal for this week is to run for 30 minutes straight before Sunday.

Here's to hoping . . . . . . .

Emily and I work together on our strength training. Most of the time we are working on either our arms or our abs. As we lay on the floor doing our abs, Mirian likes to come over and climb all over us (mostly on Emily).

We recently got Mirian to "exercise" with us. This really only involves her laying on the floor next to us and putting her arms and feet in the air for about 2 seconds, but it is oh so cute!!!!! What sweetheart she is!!!!

The Carter Cabin

2011-01-30T15:25:00.000-08:00

Last week we went to California for a little getaway. We were supposed to go on a cruise this week, but our cruise ship caught on fire a few months back, and they still haven't finished the repairs. My Dad had the week off from work, so he asked if we wanted to come down and play and maybe help with a few projects. We got to my parents house on Tuesday night. On Wednesday, Russ helped my Dad repair a fence and garage at my brother's house. While the boys worked, the girls shopped. We had a blast. On Thursday, we went to my grandparents cabin. We haven't been their in about 6 years. My uncle now owns the cabin, and he made a bunch of changes to the place. It looked so nice!! While we were there, we did what we Carters always do, played lots of games. Anyone that knows my family, knows that they are epic game players. The cabin is such a nice place to getaway from technology and just be together as a family. Mirian loved getting to know her cousin Shade better. She is obsessed with babies right now.

Mirian and Shade loved sharing toys

Say "Cheese!"

Bath-time for Babies ( I love clean babies!!)

The next day we went to Columbia, a restored mining town. It was fun to relive my childhood there, getting Sarsaparilla, climbing on the rocks, and of course getting an old-time family photo.

Just us girls, sitting on the rocks (and Russ too)

I love the old buildings that they have restored here

Don't mess with this rough 'n tough family

The next day, we had to leave, we were sad that it was such a short trip, but we had a wonderful time. We were sad that Scott and Olivia and their kids couldn't be there either. We missed you guys.

What??? You thought we moved to Hungary?

2011-01-26T11:44:00.000-08:00

So we haven't been posting much on the blog lately because we have been SUPER busy. We have been remodeling the kitchen since the beginning of December and that consumes our "extra free time". We did take some time to go to Cali for the purposes of helping with projects for Em's family since they came up and helped us huge on our kitchen. The kitchen is progressing, but it definitely takes time. . . . I attached a picture so you can see some of the progress. We will be very happy when it is all finished.

The kitchen went from this

and this

to THIS

We've done work since this picture, but this is the best "comprehensive" picture.

A HUGE thank you to all who have contributed on this project!!!!!! It is looking sooooooo good.

Thanksgiving and Sewing Camp 101

2010-12-02T09:25:00.000-08:00

So, Russ gave me an early Christmas present this year. He is letting me stay in California until December 6. We came to California for Thanksgiving and we had a wonderful time. We had lots of family around, we had two fabulous Thanksgiving dinners, we dressed up in costumes and went to see the new Harry Potter movie, and we have been playing massive amounts of games. On Black Friday, my sis-in-laws and I went to JoAnn's sale at 5:00am and we bought tons of fabric. So, after Russ left to go back home, Kristal and I have been sewing up a storm. I have never really done much sewing before, and I never knew how to follow a pattern, so Kristal has been my teacher and we have been having a blast. I am making a few things for Mirian as Christmas presents, and then a dress for me. I just finished making her a cute rag quilt, and now I am on to toddler dresses. I will post more as I finish. It has been a blast and I am learning a lot. Thanks Russ! I love you and miss you!

Learning to make Homemade Noodles with Nancy Miles (Author).

My cute little Indian in our family pageant

She looks so grown up with the other kids

Hardcore game playing

Kristal, Emily, and Olivia at JoAnn's

McDonald's was the only place open with hot chocolate

Kristal put rags in Mirian's hair

After a little work, the results of the rag curls

Starting my rag quilt

Finished rag quilt

Let it Snow!

2010-11-22T14:32:00.000-08:00

So, it has been snowing all day today. It is crazy! Last year, Mirian was too young to experience snow, so I took her out today to see what she thought of all this white stuff. The experience didn't last long. She wasn't even outside three minutes before she wanted to come back inside. I had to force her to even stand in the snow at all. And it didn't help that Maced was so excited to have a friend to play with her in the snow that she almost knocked Mirian over. Too bad it is too early for Christmas lights and Christmas music!

Not sure what to think

Noooooo!!!!!!!

Maced loves the snow!

Russ had just scraped our driveway less than an 30 minutes ago.

Front of our house

Russ' Mission Buddy

2010-11-09T10:59:00.000-08:00

While on Facebook the other day, Russ wished a fellow Gringo Missionary (who served in Peru) a happy birthday and noticed that other fellow missionaries had also commented on his page. One of them was Freddy Alva. Freddy is from Peru and was a good friend!!!!

Russ added Freddy as a friend and began to look through his info and pictures. Low and behold, Freddy only lives an hour and a half from Selah. HOLY CANOLI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A week later, we were at his home where his wife Andrea (who he also knew from one of the wards he served in) had cooked an AMAZING Peruvian dinner. We had Aji de Gallina, Arroz con Pollo and INCA KOLA!!!! Inca Kola is a soda made in Peru and it's awesome!!!! Finally, for dessert, Andrea made Picarones which are essentially sweet potato homemade donuts with Fig honey. OH MY GOODNESS THEY WERE AMAZING!!!!!!

Here are a few pictures of Russ, Freddy, the Inca Kola, Mirian and her new friend and Picarones

You knew it was coming, didn't you . . .

2010-11-03T10:15:00.000-07:00

Without letting everyone down on Russ' annual tradition . . . we bring you the latest breaking news. He hasn't let you down . . . .

As you'll recall, Russ' wrists tend to have a difficult life. Read about it here, here, and here.

Russ finished his post-surgery physical therapy on his wrist in late September. For several weeks now, Russ has had new pain in the side of his surgically repaired wrist. He went to the doctor who performed the surgery and was informed that due to keeping the wrist immobile for 4 months and then putting it back to use, he now has tendonitis in his wrist. Now he gets to keep it in the brace for another 4 weeks while taking some ibuprofen as needed for the pain and swelling.

Wish him luck!!!! Hopefully it heals quickly and properly!!!

Happy Jedi Halloween

2010-11-01T18:33:00.000-07:00

For Halloween, I made Russ and Mirian dress up as Star Wars characters. Russ was a Jedi, I was Princess Leia, and Mirian was an Ewok. For Christmas a few years ago, my Mom made me and Russ costumes that were Star Wars/Bethlehem costumes so we could use them for Halloween and Christmas. We hadn't had an opportunity to use them, so I thought it would be fun to try them out this year. We had a little party at our house on Friday night. It was fun to decorate the house, and get all dressed up. On Saturday, we went to our ward Halloween party. No one knew who I was. I guess the black hair really confused people. On Sunday, we took Mirian trick-or-treating to our old neighbors, Bob and Rhinda. They loved her cute little Ewok costume. I didn't get any pictures at the ward party, or trick-or-treating. I forgot to put the memory card back into the camera. But enjoy the pics from our party.

Our cute little Ewok

My Spider Cheesecake that I made

My Handsome Jedi with the Ewok

Princess Leia and Ewok

Do you like my scary spider on the ceiling?

Silly Mirian

2010-10-28T10:24:00.000-07:00

Mirian has so much personality. She is so funny and she knows it! Here are just a few pictures to show some of the silly things that she likes to do around the house. I'm not great at capturing the moments, because there are so many different things that she does and I am usually too busy laughing with her to take pictures.

Trying to chase Daddy and tickle him

In her defense, the spoon was too small

Mirian loves to play with Maced under the table

She kept coming up to me like this and then growl at me. I think she was an alien.

Mirian loves getting into things!!!!

Mirian loves to share her food with the animals. It looks like she is pushing the cat away, but really, she is pushing noodles into the cats mouth.

Pumpkin Patch and Jack o' lanterns

2010-10-27T19:49:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, we took Mirian to the pumpkin patch. She loved looking at all the pumpkins out in the rows. She would stop to touch every single one. At the pumpkin patch, they have a huge pumpkin cannon that shot a volleyball size pumpkin about 1/4 of a mile. It was pretty cool, but it scared Mirian to death. She did not like the sound of the cannon at all. So while Russ watched the cannon, Mirian and Mom went to get fresh pumpkin donuts. The donuts were delicious (and that is coming from someone who does not like donuts at all.)

She was so happy to be outside

Look, I found a pumpkin!

Picked one out

The Pumpkin Cannon

Mirian was just a little worried

On Sunday evening, we got together with our good friends the Lawson's and we carved our pumpkins and then ate yummy caramel apples. It was so much fun. Mirian didn't really care for the jack o' lanterns, even though she tried to use the carving knives a couple of times.

That's why she wanted to play with the knives, Daddy was having so much fun with his!

Poor baby Carter

Cat on a fence

Igor

Southern California Trip Continued

2010-10-20T13:38:00.000-07:00

I know it is a little late posting the rest of our trip. We have all been sick with colds and we have had family visiting. But I guess it is better late than never. To continue our Newport Beach Vacation, we went over to Crystal Cove to look at the tide pools. Crystal Cove is a protected beach, so we thought it would be a lot of fun to see different sea creatures. Only problem was that we went at high tide. It was still a beautiful beach, and we had a good time, even if it looked like rain.

Russ and Mirian Looking at the Ocean

Olivia, Robert, Scott and Sydney Carter (aren't they the cutest family?)

Watching the waves come up to our feet

Looking for shells with Syd

That evening, we went to dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. It was fantastic! We really need one of those closer to us. On second thought, maybe not, because I would want to eat there everyday!

Beautiful Sunset

Delicious Thai Chicken Wraps!!!

The next day, we kept pretty low key. Scott and Olivia had to leave, so we played games all morning until it was time for them to pack up. Once they left, we just crashed. We were so tired from all the playing and all of the sun.

Mirian Loves her Cousins!!!

On Thursday, Russ and I woke up sick with colds. We felt so miserable, especially since we were on vacation. We did go swimming, but it started raining on us. That evening, we drove to Long Beach, to meet up with one of Russ' Brokers for dinner. We ate at Parkers' Lighthouse. We forgot the camera, which makes me so sad, because it was the cutest place ever! And my Chilean Sea Bass was to die for.

The rest of my family came down on Friday and we spent all day at Crystal Cove. It was a beautiful day and the water was perfect! We spent the whole time playing in the surf, while Grandma watched babies. Again, I forgot my camera (Kristal, did you get any good shots I can steal?) To finish the trip off, we went back to the Cheesecake Factory for another fabulous meal and then games back at the time share. We had such a wonderful trip. It was nice to not have any responsibilities or time schedules. We loved every minute of our trip and wish we could do it all over again.

Huntington Beach, Day 2 of Vacation

2010-09-27T18:09:00.000-07:00

We slept in a little, then . . . . . We went to Huntington Beach!!!!! Temps here got to 108, but the beach was fun and awesome, except at the end when Russ lost his sunglasses in the Pacific Ocean, so if you see some prescription Bole's float up, let me know.

Oh Yeah, Mirian loves Watermelon!!!!!!

We had some visitor dolphins nearby. We also had a sea lion, but couldn't get a picture.

We also found this random head in the ground!!! Syd loved it!!!!

Sunday Afternoon in Newport Beach

2010-09-27T17:52:00.000-07:00

We arrived to Newport Beach, CA Saturday afternoon. We mostly just rested since our day started at 3:30 in the morning. On Sunday, we slept in a little, then went to church. The church was right next door to the temple, what gorgeous temple!!!

We walked around the grounds and enjoyed the view.

Afterward, we checked out the resort. Tons of things to do!!!!!! They have mini-golf, basketball, several pools and hottubs, a playground for the kids, fitness center, arcade, etc. It also has a coy pond and we went to check that out.

Mirian loved looking at the fish.

What a great vacation!!!! We are so glad that we get to spend it with family!!!!!! Thank you everyone for making the effort to get here and thank you mom and dad for booking the resort for us. We love it!!!!!!

What a Sight!!!!!

2010-09-16T11:41:00.001-07:00

On our way South through Washington and Oregon (unless we are going the Idaho/Utah route) we pass cross over the Columbia River just after Goldendale, WA and we enter Biggs, OR. On the Washington side we see this photo:

These things are MASSIVE!!!!!! And there are THOUSANDS!!!!! What a sight!!!!! It is incredible to look at. And there are a few that you can drive right up to. We were behind our schedule so we didn't take the chance to check it out in person. But one of these days . . . .

Extreme Makeover Home Edition

2010-09-07T14:33:00.000-07:00

Well, this is pretty cool. Russ' brother Dennis works for John Deere Landscapes in Salem, OR and Extreme Makeover Home Edition is doing some work for a Deaf School in Salem and John Deere has volunteered supplies and man hours (Dennis included).

So watch for this man

on the show scheduled to air around Halloween (part of the work being done is the building of a haunted house on behalf of the school).

Labor Day Fun

2010-09-07T08:46:00.001-07:00

Well what a crazy and fun weekend. We had different visitors and some overnighters every day of Labor Day weekend.

On Saturday the evening started off with the visit of our dear friends the Jakemans. We played a lot of games with them when they lived in Yakima, but then they abandoned us to go live in the Tri-Cities. They graced us with their presence on Saturday and we got to meet their new little girl Penelope. How precious she was!!!!!!! We had some pizza from Papa Murphy's and played games. A couple of Alicia's siblings along with the Steve and Erin Lawson also came over to enjoy the Penelope visit/games. Russ' brother Mike and his two kids also came after a day of floating the Yakima River. They were pretty exhausted and pretty much went right to bed after a brief chit chat.

Sunday Morning we went to church with Russ' brother and his kids. We then headed over to have dinner with Russ' siblings (Ron, Mike, and Dave) and their families at Ron's house. It was lots of fun and scrumptious.

Sunday night Devin and Amanda Perkins and David Lawson came over for games. Around 9:30 that evening, Collin and Krystal Hunter and their girl stopped for a pit stop at our place on their way home to Idaho Falls.

The Hunters spent the night and we had a nice breakfast Monday morning. Shortly after the Hunters left, the Mills arrived. We told you about Mirian's shiner during their visit. We also got to play catch and Russ and Dave taught Dave's oldest boy Tanner how to throw a ball.
He was practically an expert after all the professional advice he was given.

Kids swang, threw the ball around, oh and we can't forget the BBQ hamburgers we had for lunch!!!! They were awesome.

After the Mill's took off, we went to have Family Home Evening with Russ' brother Dave and his family. They have 4 sweet little children and another girl on the way. Due to the audience (the kids), the scripture was acted out by the entire group. What a great way to teach the scriptures!!!!! It was wonderful. The evening was capped off with a Wii boxing tournament.

What a weekend!!!!! Exhausting, but oh so fun!!!!!!!

Mirian's First Shiner

2010-09-06T16:11:00.001-07:00

Being an only child, Mirian doesn't have to watch out for others very much, she creates her own ruckus. However, we had some our friends the Mills over today for a BBQ and they have three adorable little boys Tanner, Colton, and Braden. They were all playing so nicely. Colton was on the "two way bench swing" and Mirian walked over while it was going and didn't know to duck. She cried but was a trooper. We felt so bad for her and so did the Colton. It wasn't even his fault.

I guess you win some and lose some eh????

Colton felt so bad (and he's a lady's man) that he swang with Mirian while holding her hand the whole time. What a cute little guy.

Trip to California

2010-09-02T13:48:00.000-07:00

Enjoying Hula's

We went to California this weekend for Jeff and Marlena's ring ceremony and for the blessing of little baby Shade. We had such a wonderful time, even if it was a whirlwind weekend. We left Thursday night after Russ got off of work and drove till Klamath Falls, OR where we stopped for the night. Then we got up early the next morning to finish off the trip. We stopped in good ol' Chico and met up with our good friends Megan and Josh and got some yummy Mongolian Bar-b-que at Hula's. Then we hurried home to be greeted by family anxiously waiting for us to arrive so we could all go out on the boat. Uncle Jim brought his boat, and Dad got his boat working, plus we had 3 jet skis for 12 people (including Mirian). It was crazy, but so much fun! Mirian was a little nervous at first being out on the boat, but then Grandpa let her drive and then she thought it was pretty cool! We tried taking her out on the tube, but that was too scary for her.

I'm not sure about this Mom!

Driving the boat with Grandpa is fun!

Look at that worried face

We planned on going out on the boat all day on Saturday too, but it ended up being freezing cold with little sprinkles. We were all really nervous, because the ring ceremony was going to be outside. Luckily, the weather held out for us during the ceremony. Jeff and Marlena looked so nice and baby Shade was as adorable as ever. We finished off the evening with a massive game of Scum.

All the Carter kids with Marlena

Cute baby Shade with Russ

And this lovely picture taken by my Fabulous Sis-in-Law, Olivia!

What do I do with these petals?

Cute Flower Girls!!

On Sunday, Shade was blessed at church. It was such a nice blessing and it was so fun to see people that we hadn't seen in a while. We spent the rest of the day cleaning up from the reception the night before and playing more Scum. We had such a great time and we were sad to have to leave on Monday morning. We love getting to spend time with family.

Playing Grandpa's Piano

Mirian's Traveling Antics

2010-08-30T22:07:00.000-07:00

We just got home from our quick weekend trip to Cali. It was a long drive but totally worth it. We got to attend Jeff and Marlena's ring ceremony and the baby blessing of their little boy Shade Vivaldi Carter. Pictures while in Cali to come when we aren't exhausted.

However, Mirian LOVES to do a few little things when she travels.

Play peek a boo
Love her baby
Make animal sounds (all the sounds are a roar so we ask her to make the sounds of any animal that roars, LOL)

Unfortunately, we only got video of the first two, but the good news is, we got video of the first two!!!!! The videos were only taken from Russ' phone so the quality isn't great, but it's enough to make you smile. Enjoy!!!!!!

Trip to Oregon

2010-08-23T13:34:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a weekend trip to Oregon. We left on Friday morning and drove all the way to Yamhill, OR. Russ has a cherry supplier there, so he got to tour the plant, while Mirian and I played outside. Afterward, we took his client out to dinner. Mirian was so good the whole time!

The next day, we met up with Russ' brother Dennis and his wife Hannah, and their three adorable children. We had breakfast with them at the hotel and then we headed out for the beach! It was Mirian's first time at the beach, and she was pretty unsure about the whole thing. We had a great time though, even if it was a little chilly.

After lunch, Hannah and I did some power shopping at the nearby outlets. I needed to get Mirian some fall clothes and we only had 1 hour to shop. Thanks Hannah! You were awesome. We then hurried back to the hotel to get cleaned up and got ready for my cousin Sydney's wedding reception. It was fun to see Syd and her new husband. They are the cutest couple!!

After the reception, we played games with Dennis and Hannah all night, and then continued the games on Sunday until it was time to go. On the way home, we stopped in Portland and had dinner with our sis-in-law Olivia and her two kids. We had a great trip, even though it was short.

New Blog

2010-08-15T15:28:00.000-07:00

Well Russ has enjoyed the benefit of having a blog. It's a great journal opportunity and it shares family experiences and pictures with everyone who wants to enjoy it.

That being said, Russ has decided to start yet ANOTHER blog. However, Russ has also delegated Emily to keep it updated. It is just barely in the beginning stages so it is definitely rough around the edges . . . . . and in the middle.

The new blog will be a journal of Home Remodels. It will also serve as a help to those looking to do work on their own homes (maybe we do something that gives an idea) and vice-a-versa. If people have ideas, they can throw them out and maybe help us create our home. It will also stand as a way to monitor our goals and timing on the remodels that we do. Finally, it will act as a sales tool (I said tool) when selling this home as potential buyers can take a look at what we've done and see the befores and afters.

Have a look at the new blog and fill free to pitch in on thoughts and ideas of how to set up the blog and possible polls that we could run. We are VERY open to suggestions. Feel free to share the blog with friends as the more that look at the blog, the more thoughts and ideas we can get for our home remodel. Check it out!!!!!

Matthew Robinson/Kitchen Cabinetry

2010-08-12T22:46:00.000-07:00

This post is dedicated to Matthew Robinson and our kitchen Cabinetry.

What a good man and friend Matthew is to us!!!! Many have offered and tried to work out a time to come help put together kitchen cabinetry, but always scheduling conflicts come up with each others' schedules. Matthew Robinson has twice been able to come help put together cabinetry. He is SUPER busy with school, work, family, etc. I mean this guy does homework ALL HOURS OF THE NIGHT, practically every day of school. But he found some time for us. Thanks for all your help Matthew!!!! I wish we'd have taken a picture with you working on cabinetry so we could prove to everyone that you do actually work . . . . .

The cabinets come from the shop like this.
You open the box and this is what you see.

You pull out the VERY underdetailed "Assemble Literature". This one below is actually very detailed compared to some. One set of instructions literally said for one of the steps, "Assemble all the pieces". They are horrendous.

Below are two of the finished cabinets. One of them is a Base Corner piece with two lazy-susans and the other is a 3-drawer base cabinet.

So far, this is our stack of cabinetry. It's going to look great once we assemble it all into the kitchen which appears to be taking place over Christmas break. Can't wait!!!!!

Thanks again for your help Matthew!!!!!!

Dog Sitting

2010-08-12T11:16:00.000-07:00

As you know, we love dogs. We love cats too, but this post is about dogs. Russ' sister-in-law Melanie's parents are in town and they brought their puppy. The family wanted to do a small two day trip together and asked if we would dog sit their puppy Gretchen. Gretchen is such a sweet mild mannered and very obedient puppy, especially for her age. She is only 18 months. Maced has loved having a friend around to play with. Maced is 6 years old and so even though she still has lots of energy, she has calmed down considerably. But Gretchen is even more behaved than Maced.

It was fun having Gretchen around. Here is a photo of Maced and Gretchen (the puppy) being so well behaved.
Oh and by the way, Gretchen is 90 lbs and is a Bernese Mountain Dog. She (at 18 months) dwarfs Maced (at 6 years). She is a little skinny for her breed. Skinny is not bad, but average for her breed at this age is about 105 lbs. Maced weighs about 50-55 lbs.

Happy Anniversary to My Sweetheart!!!!

2010-08-04T13:31:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrate 9 years of being married!!!!!! Woot!!!! One more year and we will be "an old married couple".

Emily is such a sweetheart and has been wonderful to me!!!!

She's quirky, which is absolutely perfect for me.

She puts up with my stupid obsession.

And she's creative!!!!And she puts up with my strange desire to move out of a home right after we finish it.

I love you Emily!!!!! Can't wait for our cruise!!!!

Mirian Walks!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-08-02T18:19:00.000-07:00

Okay so it's sideways, and poor quality because it's from Russ' phone, but here it is, the first ever video of Mirian walking!!!!! Woot!!!! Way to go Monkey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We love you Mirian!!!!!

Is it Christmas time???

2010-07-27T22:59:00.001-07:00

We loved having Matt and Kristal up for a visit. We went to miniature golf, go-carts, batting cages, arcades, and yep, Bumper boats. We all got soaking wet and there was a slight breeze which kept things a little cool.

SOOOOOO, we had some hot chocolate and justified that we were over halfway to Christmas!!!!!! Carters sure love their Christmas time!!!!

MMMM!!!!! Yummy Torani flavoring!!!

Russ' Business Trip to Chicago

2010-07-22T11:40:00.000-07:00

So last weekend Russ went to Chicago for a convention that he attends each year. While he was there, Transformers 3 was being filmed down the street from his hotel. No he did not see Shia LeBouf (or however it's spelled). Don't worry Olivia, I don't think Megan Fox is in the third Transformers.

He did get a couple of views of different things, but only had his phone for a camera so you only get to see shots of things that were close up, like bumpers of different cars. Enjoy the limited view photos and watch for them when the movie comes out.

This one may or may not be in the movie. It was just sitting there, so easy to capture which almost makes one think it wasn't a part of the movie, but who knows.

Mirian's New Hat

2010-07-11T09:22:00.000-07:00

Russ went to an M's game yesterday thanks to his birthday gift from his wonderful in-laws. Unfortunately, Em and Mirian weren't able to attend. Felix pitched a complete game and only gave up one run and Jose Lopez hit a grand slam. Great Game!!!!!

However, Russ brought home Mirian's first Mariners hat, and boy does she look cute!!!

Late Lake Tahoe Relay Report

2010-07-06T15:43:00.000-07:00

We had tons o' fun at the Lake Tahoe Relay this year. It was sunny with a good breeze which was great for the runners, but the timers were cold early on in the day. The race allows for 120 teams, and this year there were 119, so as you can imagine, we were pretty busy. You can catch a full run down of the success of the race at their website.

Most importantly, we have the cutest, sweetest little girl in the world. Here are some pictures of her from the race.

As you can see from her knees, she crawled around everywhere.

She loved hanging out with her crippled daddy.

She got to know her friend Samuel a lot better.

And loved sharing a beverage with him.

4th of July Weekend

2010-07-06T11:34:00.000-07:00

Over the 4th of July weekend we had a Carlson Brothers Family Reunion. Not everyone could make it and we missed them, but those who were able to come had a blast. We went to Tri-Cities on Friday night and checked into our hotel. We had pizza and soda and played games. The 6 brothers that we there and our nephew Matt stayed up until midnight playing Liar (some know it as BS). We had lots of laughs (it was obviously past bed time for a few of us).

On Saturday, some family members went on a hike up Badger Mountain. Overall, it was only about an hour hike but there are great views from the top. After hiking, the group went to the local farmer's market in Pasco. The goal was to find ingredients for a salad for lunch time. There was a competition, but no one knew the rules, it was fun deciding on ingredients while trying to figure out how to win a game and not know the rules.

After the farmer's market we went to Columbia Point Park (right on the Columbia River) and rented jet skiis. It was a blast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We jet skied all day long.

We had a picnic where Emily and our sister-in-law Rachel's combined effort salad won the competition. The only rule was to have the most items from the farmer's market. They had 9 ingredients from the market.

We got plenty of sun and had a great time!!!

Sunday we went to church and took a family photo before going in. Emily was sick Saturday night and Sunday and wasn't able to join us. Sunday afternoon we had another picnic, played games and then watched fireworks from the bank of the Columbia River (they lit the fireworks from a barge in the middle of the river). What a show!!!

Monday we had our final get together before everyone left. We had a lunch picnic and had the Carlson Family Olympics. We divided up in teams and competed in 3 events (frisbee golf, cherry seed spitting for distance, and Soap bubble blowing for distance). How creative!!! Way to go Mike!!!

We love to get together with Family and have a good laugh. Thanks everyone, let's do it again soon!!!

Cute Pictures of Mirian from Russ' Phone

2010-06-22T18:54:00.000-07:00

Matt and Kristal are Coming Home!!!

2010-06-22T16:39:00.000-07:00

Some of you may know Matt and Kristal, some don't. Matt is Emily's brother and Kristal is his wife. They have been teaching English in China for about a year. They had some great experiences and visited some amazing places. However, we missed them and are excited to have them home. They are such fun people to be around and are so creative. Check out their blog!!! It's so entertaining!!!!

We love you guys and we are glad that you'll be home tomorrow!!!!

Who's the Blogger????

2010-06-17T11:46:00.001-07:00

This is Russ, and I have been trying to get Emily to blog more, but it isn't her thing . . . SOOOO, if you want Emily to blog more as well, please leave a comment.

Love you guys!!!

Happy Birthday Daddy!!!!

2010-06-08T10:07:00.001-07:00

Dear Daddy,

How are you? I have missed you so much while you have been gone. I have been a really good girl while you have been away. What was New York like? Did you get me any presents? I am pretty bored without you. Mom isn't as much fun to hang out with. All she does is drag me around town while she runs her "errands," and then she doesn't let me get into anything fun like the dog bowls. I did get to play with my cousins though while you were gone, and with Erin and Steve and Carter. But none of them are as much fun as you! I hope that you have a fun birthday. Make sure that you eat some cake and ice cream and take some time to relax. Hurry home, because I can't wait to see you and give you a big hug and kiss. I love you so much!

Love,
Mirian

PS Mom says hi and she loves you too.

Memorial Day Weekend Travels

2010-05-26T11:31:00.000-07:00

We are headed to Spokane (link goes to the chamber of commerce) this Memorial Day weekend for work and play. Spokane is a gorgeous area with lots to do nearby.

Russ has several visits with different customers in Spokane. One is Cyrus O'Leary's Pies. Man, they make great pies!!! If you have ever had a pie from Shari's Restaurant, it was made by Cyrus.
After Russ' meetings on Friday, we will get to relax for the weekend with our dear friends the Divis' and head back on Monday evening. We are super excited for the visit. It's nice to accomplish work visits and visits with friends all in one trip.

Want us to come visit??? Find Russ a good customer nearby that warrants the travel. Just kidding.

My Two Loves!!!!

2010-05-12T19:46:00.000-07:00

I also love the huge lilac bush in the yard. it needs some major pruning, but it's gorgeous. However, it still didn't make top two on my love list.

Thanks to Bob and Rhinda for the wonderful deck furniture!!!!

Calling in all Favors . . . .

2010-05-10T11:08:00.000-07:00

Prior to Russ' surgery, we went down to Cali and bought cabinetry and granite for our kitchen remodel. Emily's parents and maybe Uncle Walter are going to come help with the installation. However, some assembly must take place on the cabinetry before they are installed. Anybody who would like to pitch in on the assembly (and probably get a free meal out of it) since Russ can't do it would be more than welcome. We don't have set times as to "when you must come", just the sooner the better. Let us know if you are available.

We appreciate your help.

Prepping for Wrist Surgery

2010-05-04T22:27:00.001-07:00

Trip to California

2010-04-27T14:42:00.000-07:00

We recently took a quick little trip to California. Emily's brother, Jeff, decided to finally tie the knot to his girlfriend, Marlena. It was kind of a last minute trip, so we packed up and left right after Russ' doctors appointment last Monday. We drove all day Monday, and arrived at Emily's parents house around 8:30 at night. We were so tired. The wedding was on Tuesday at 9:00 in the morning. They wanted to be married on a mountain top, but because of the weather, they had to settle for a vacant house on the top of a hill in the middle of Lake Oroville. The view was beautiful and the ceremony was nice and simple. Emily's dad performed the ceremony. After the wedding, we headed back to Emily's parents house for a nice, big breakfast. It was fun to get to go and see everyone and to be there to support Jeff and Marlena.Jeff and Marlena

Mirian with Great G-ma D

Mirian with her cousin Sydney

Crazy Carter Clan

Mirian and Daddy

Mirian with Uncle Jeff

On Wednesday, we drove down to Oakland to Sincere Hardware, to pick up our kitchen remodel things. We picked up our granite and our cabinetry. We also got a pretty tile back splash and some tile and granite to remodel Russ' parents bathroom. We got a great deal on all of the stuff and we are so excited to install it sometime this summer. On Thursday, we hauled it all back to Washington in the back of Russ' dad's pick-up truck and a U-haul trailer. There was only one minor casualty. A piece of back splash cracked on the trip, other than that, we managed to make it with 5 slabs of granite. We were pretty proud of ourselves.

All in all, it was a quick trip, but it was so fun to see family and friends. Congratulations Jeff and Marlena! We love you both!

Wrist Injury Update

2010-04-23T12:02:00.000-07:00

Well, remember Russ' wrist injury??? It isn't healing on its own like it should. Russ gets to have surgery on May 5. Not fun. It's a good thing and a bad thing. It's good because the problem will get solved. It's bad because . . . well, it's surgery.

The doctor said he will start out orthoscopically. If he finds additional problems, it will turn into a full on surgery. The recovery time for orthoscopic surgery is 2-3 weeks. If it turns into something bigger, recovery time is 3-4 months. Let's hope for 2-3 weeks.

This will really put a damper on our kitchen remodel for which we brought home the cabinets and granite yesterday.

Please keep Russ in your prayers.

Cows say Moo and E.T. Phone home

2010-04-05T19:13:00.000-07:00

We have been trying to teach Mirian important things in life. Some of the first she has learned are that cows say moo, heard at the very beginning of the video and that E.T. phones home. Have a listen.

We are starting with the most important things first. She also does a kitty sound and an elephant sound. We will put a video of it if we can catch her doing it.

Happy First Birthday Goober!!!!!!

2010-04-02T15:54:00.000-07:00

It's really convenient for Russ to remember birthdays for Emily and Mirian as Emily's is on April Fool's Day and Mirian's is the day after Emily's.

Today Mirian turns one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a sweetheart she is!!! We are so grateful for her and the joy and happiness she has brought to our lives. She is just so precious. She will have her daddy wrapped around her little finger.

It's hard to believe that a whole year has gone by since we first held her in our arms!!!! The times have been so wonderful!!! She is getting SOOO big!!!! She has 6 or 7 teeth and we have a hard time keeping track of her as she cruises from room to room.

It's fun to see her smile, and to hear her cheeseball laugh. Unfortunately, she has learned the cheeseball part from her goofy dad. She does "ET phone home" with her daddy-o as they touch fingers. It's fun to watch!!!

We had a party tonight with some family and friends and it was awesome!!!

Mirian we love you so much and are grateful to have you in our lives!!!!!

Love,

Mom and Dad

Happy Birthday Emily!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-04-01T19:03:00.000-07:00

It's no April Fool's Joke, today is really Emily's birthday. She turned 29 today (she doesn't mind people knowing her age). She is such a sweetheart!!!! And what did she do for her birthday you ask???
She worked on the house. This picture was taken a few days ago, working on removing popcorn ceilings, but you get the point right??? We just finished painting the upstairs. Em was fantastic. We had a couple of Russ' former young men helping out with the work as well.

The paint gives a whole new feel to the house AND we were able to move upstairs in the house. We are so excited!!!! The downstairs isn't bad, but we preferred the upstairs.

Em got a certificate for some new dishes and silverware and glasses for her birthday. She also got some flowers . . . .
And a lot of love from passers-by.

Love you Emily, Happy Birthday!!!!!

San Diego

2010-03-08T11:58:00.000-08:00

Russ had a convention in San Diego that he had to attend, and Mirian and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to come along. We had such a good time being away from Washington for a little bit and getting the chance to relax. We arrived in San Diego late Saturday night. Sunday morning, Russ had meetings, so Mirian and I stayed at the hotel. The hard thing about traveling with babies is that you still need to get their nap time in somehow. Russ had a break in the middle of the day, so we attempted to go to church. The hotel, however, had listed the wrong times for the church building, so we just missed the first ward, and the next ward wasn't starting for another hour. There wasn't time to wait around for the next meeting because we had to hurry to get Russ back to his convention.

On Monday, we went to Balboa Park. It was so beautiful! Spring had definitely sprung in San Diego. We let Mirian play on the swings and in the sand. She had so much fun! Then we walked around the park and walked past some of the beautiful museums. Most were closed so we didn't go inside. There was also a lovely botanical garden. The flowers were so beautiful and smelled so good (especially after not being able to smell anything for two weeks with a nasty cold).

We went to the San Diego Zoo. You can't visit San Diego without making a stop at the zoo! It was the perfect time of year to go. The zoo had hardly any people there, so you really got to see the animals in action. They weren't hiding from all of the tourists. Mirian loved the lions and the elephants. She was such a good baby, not to mention the cutest!

Our favorite part of the trip was when we went to Sea World. It was so exciting to see dolphins and whales, and all other sorts of sea life up close. What wonderful creatures our Heavenly Father has created. We were just in awe the whole time we were there. Russ and I kept going back to see the dolphins, because they were just so much fun to watch.

Mirian and I were supposed to come home on Thursday. Russ had to stay an extra day and catch a flight to Ohio. When we got to the airport, we found out that my flight had been canceled, and they rescheduled us for Friday. It was nice to spend one more day with Russ, but we were all so exhausted, that we just relaxed at the hotel most of the day.

All in all, it was a really fun trip and Mirian was so good! She really is the best baby and we are so blessed to have her in our life. She was so happy and she made everyone around her smile. You should have seen the people at the airport! She would make eye contact with someone across the room and then give them her huge smile. Next thing you know, total strangers were coming up to her, just to get a smile from her. We love her so much!

Video of Mirian

2010-02-22T13:59:00.000-08:00

Here is an enjoyable video of Mirian, hopefully it makes you smile.

Carlson Update

2010-02-19T10:49:00.000-08:00

So sickness has been going around our house. It started with Mirian, she got a cold. Then when it seemed she was about over it, she came down with 102.2 temperature and the cold got worse, and on a Saturday at that. Since all doctor's offices were closed, we took her to the E.R. We waited in our room for about an hour. Luckily, Russ' brother Dave (who's a pediatrician) had to see patients and he stopped in to see us while we were waiting. Dave doesn't see family for obvious reasons, but does help on "what to do's". He asked a few questions just to make sure it wasn't too serious. Then the Doc came in and checked Mirian. All was fine, we just had to control the temp with some Tylenol and he said the cold should pass within 7-10 days.

In the meantime, Em came down with the cold and has felt miserable for the last three days. And yesterday Russ started getting the sore throat and is starting to come down with it. Water has been consumed constantly in our home the past few days. WOW do we ever have to go to the bathroom frequently!!!

We are just hoping to all be better by next Saturday when we leave for San Diego!!!

Just for kicks, here is a family photo for you to enjoy.

Mirian's Bath Time

2010-02-16T07:37:00.000-08:00

Mirian has been sick this last weekend with a cold and a temperature. The temperature is controlled, but the cold still persists. She feels pretty crummy and it just melts our hearts when all she wants to do is lean on us.

However, despite not feeling great, Mirian is ALWAYS up for a bath. Enjoy the photo.

Russ & Em's Story (Russ' version)

2010-02-12T10:46:00.001-08:00

My awesome sister-in-law Olivia posted her "Quick Version of Falling in Love". I loved it so much, I copied the idea. Obviously, our story is different . . . well, you get the point. However, those of you who know me well, know that no story I tell is short. I will be as brief as possible.

Shortly after my mission to Peru (about 2 months after I returned home), I met Emily while playing Sardines at BYU-Idaho. After the game, I walked her home along with our friend Squelch. Squelch got distracted easy, so I was able to have almost a one on one visit on the way home. During our trip Emily suggest that we "go check out the stars at the observatory". Naturally I thought, "YES!!!! She wants to make-out". Stupid me. I later realized she REALLY DID want to check out the stars at the Observatory.

Only being home for a few months, marriage was the farthest thing from my mind. I just wanted to date a lot and get some kisses in here and there.

After a few other group dates while watching "Sandlot" I held her hand. She was a little slow on the affection side of things compared to what I was used to, hence "after a few other group dates". I tried to kiss her several times, but got rejected consistently. I think our first kiss was after dating for about 4 months. I felt that there was more to dating Emily than just kissing and having fun dates.

Wouldn't you know, after only dating for about 2 months, I knew we were going to get married. It took Emily another 2 months after that, to come to the same conclusion. I didn't share my conclusion with her. Her delay in coming to the conclusion was probably because her roommates would set goals with her as to when she was going to dump me . . . they did it on 3 different occasions, but she could never go through with it (thank goodness).

Long story a little bit shorter, I proposed to Emily on the stage of Guitars Unplugged (I was drumming for a friend of mine) in front of a very large crowd.

What a journey it has been, and I have loved every minute of it. Thank you sweetheart, I
love you!!!

Russ' Yearly Wrist Injury!!!!

2010-02-10T13:08:00.001-08:00

Well, it was about that time again. The injury took place over Christmas break while we were with Em's family in California. We had gone Christmas caroling to some family friends and while concentrating on the singing instead of the walking, Russ missed the last step of the porch while leaving a home. Russ caught himself . . . with his hands of course.

At first we thought it was just a sprain, but it kept not getting better and is still swollen. So Russ had some X-Rays taken on Friday and had a doctor's appointment on Tuesday. There were no breaks or fractures. However, the doctor informed Russ that he had torn two ligaments in his wrist. The treatment at this point . . . be good and use Lidoderm pain patches and let it heal itself.

If that doesn't work, it's off to surgery. Let's hope for the first solution to work.

Talent Show Suggestions

2010-02-02T15:36:00.000-08:00

Russ and some friends did a skit at a talent show. It was posted on youtube. In case you didn't see it or need a refresher, click here.

They are trying to be prepared for an even better skit for next year. They are welcoming suggestions. Here are some suggestions that we have been given or have thought of that won't work for some reason.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HkXmOIwpkQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LAuhUp8Uh8&feature=related

Leave some suggestions for us, we want the coolest skit EVER!!!!

Visits with Kristine

2010-02-01T19:29:00.000-08:00

Mirian's birth mother Kristine recently got married and then baptized. We were priveledged to attend both of the important events. Here is a picture Kristine and Mirian and also one of Mirian's half brother Michael holding Mirian from the wedding. Kristine is so wonderful and we love her to death.

Congratulations Kristine!!!!!!

AND WE'RE BACK!!!!!!

2010-01-30T18:05:00.000-08:00

Through lots of patience and perseverance and being homeless for a month and a half, we made it. We are in our next home. We love it!!! We are very excited to be

Not homeless
In our own home
Not living in a 2 bedroom 1 bathroom trailer with 2 other people and their dog and cat
Planning our first remodel project (the kitchen)
Able to make our own schedule and not have to work around that of others
Able to have a larger shower.

Wow, didn't know what we had been missing . . . . actually, yes we did. Our new house is great though. We bought it as a fixer-upper, so there are some things that need to be redone, but the projects are larger than the last house, but not as labor-some (like redoing an entire basement). We have attached a few pics for your viewing pleasure.

Our new address is 306 Hillcrest Drive Selah, WA 98942.

Yes they left the pool table. As you can imagine, Russ was ecstatic!!!!

Here is a view of the kitchen and the living room(which will be removed in March and redone to be a kitchen with an island and a dining room).

The backyard. It looks just as good as our front yard!!!! Needless to say, it needs work!!! And a sprinkler system.

The house is bigger than we were looking for, but we have room for visitors, so we'd love to have you.

New Photos

2009-12-27T12:48:00.000-08:00

We have been super busy with moving, and trying to buy our next home, and doing Christmas, etc. We haven't had a chance to keep you all updated with the family. We are still busy, but thought we would share a couple of pictures of Mirian with you to keep your interest in our blog.

Merry Christmas to you all. We love you and appreciate all you do for us.

Carlson Update

2009-12-04T10:42:00.000-08:00

Well, if you haven't noticed, we haven't been posting much on the blog. We have been working on selling our home and so each day we have to make sure it is show ready. It has been exhausting. Well we sold our home, it closes next week. We are excited but stressed. We are buying a new home but it is bank owned and it will take some time to finally close. It will be a little stressful as well. We probably won't get to move in until the end of January. If you haven't done the math yet, that means we will be homeless for about a month. We will spend a couple of weeks in California for Christmas with Em's family and then we will be living with some friends in Selah that lived with us while they closed on their own home. Good trade off eh???

If you would like to take a look at the link of our home and all the work we've done on it, click here. If you would like to take a look at photos of our next home and all the future work that will need to be done, click here.

Enjoy, we are excited and nervous and stressed all at the same time. We are also sad because we won't be able to decorate our home for Christmas. We love doing that and feeling the Christmas spirit. Well, we will just have to leech off of everyone else for the Christmas spirit.

Thanksgiving Thankful List

2009-11-25T09:50:00.000-08:00

Our friend Audra did a Thankful Post on her blog today and I thought it would be a good idea to copy her idea and do one for me.

Too often we get so caught up in everything that is going on and forget to say thanks. So here is what I (Russell) am thankful for:

Emily: What a sweetheart she is!!! She loves me even though I am stubborn. She has the most beautiful smile and always brightens the mood wherever she goes. She supports me in everything I do from my obsession for the Seattle Mariners to my desire to live in fixer uppers and then sell them once they have no problems. She loves me everyday and every minute.
Mirian: What a blessing she is to us!!!! She is so precious. Her smile is much like Emily's, always brightening the room. She is so loveable and squeezable, and she doesn't get upset when I put her in Mariners clothes (fyi, the Mariners clothes are pink). I grew up with 8 boys in my family and so having a little girl in the home is a new experience for me, and I love every second of it.
Kristine: I am thankful for Kristine and for her generous gift. Without Kristine, we would not have Mirian in our lives. Kristine's love and trust mean the world to us. It is Kristine's faith in our Heavenly Father that in the end, made it all possible.
Mom and Dad Carlson: I am thankful for the won derful life lessons they have taught me. They have taught me that nothing in the world is worth losing integrity over. Their dedication to the gospel is tremendous and has not gone unnoticed. I love that they love each one of their boys regardless of what we have all done in the past. I love that they love each of our families.
Mom and Dad Carter: See List item #1. It's not often that a young man goes to meet his future in-laws and is welcomed like I was when I walked into their home. I feel their love everyday, it radiates through their actions and through Emily's. My father-in-law can fix or do ANYTHING. If he doesn't know how to do it already, give him 10 minutes and he will figure it out. My mother-in-law is so willing to to anything for her family and she loves EVERYONE and EVERYONE loves her.
The Gospel: The gospel of Jesus Christ has had such a tremendous impact in my life. Where would we be without it??? I am proud to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Siblings: I am grateful for both my siblings and Emily's. They truly know how to have a good time. I love them and enjoy spending time with them.
I am grateful for Alex and how much he likes to play baseball and scratch my back (this one was inserted because he started scratching my back while I was typing this. How could I not include it?????)
Finally I am grateful for our dear friends. I love how selfless my friends are. Always willing to help when I need it and always willing to share a good laugh and hear my stupid jokes.

So You Think You Can Sync???

2009-11-15T19:18:00.000-08:00

Russ and 5 of his friends did a skit for the Stake Talent Show and we wanted to share with all. Enjoy!!!!

Click Here for the Video

Who is that Big Girl?

2009-11-12T14:54:00.000-08:00

Mirian is just growing so fast! Just recently, she has been able to sit up on her own for long periods of time. She is so much happier now that she can sit up and play and see things.

She is also getting her first two teeth in. If you look closely, you can see her two teeth on the bottom.

Maced Had Her Puppies!

2009-11-12T14:39:00.000-08:00

On October 30th, Maced had her puppies. When she had her ultrasound, the vet saw 7 puppies. We were excited that she would be having that many because her last litter only had 5 puppies. Well, she went into labor, and the puppies were coming about every 1/2 hour. Maced as doing great! When she had 7 puppies, we thought that she was done, but we continued to check on her throughout the evening. Just before we went to bed, we discovered that she had 2 more puppies! She had a total of 9 puppies. One didn't make it through the labor, but the rest are just cute and fat and happy!

Our Trip To Rexburg

2009-11-01T21:20:00.000-08:00

Well we went to Rexburg, ID as we mentioned not to long ago. Russ' roommate from college, Adam, was getting married and we were invited to the sealing so we made it a weekend and got to see some old friends from school.

It seemed weird being back there. Em kept thinking, "okay we gotta hurry so we can get back to the house" which is the house where we lived. Then we thought, "hey we can call Matt and Kristal and go over to visit them", but they are in China.

Although we missed many things because our schedule was so tight, there were quite a few highlites. We had dinner with the Mortimers, Beazers, Hunters, and Bozungs. It was awesome. Thanks for setting it all up Collin.

Mirian enjoyed some green beans while we waited for our food at Frontier Pies.
The temple was gorgeous. We loved catching up with friends, although after leaving each of their homes we would say, "Dang it!!! We forgot to get some pictures." We missed getting pictures with the Rich's, the Mills, the Bozungs, the Hunters, and the Mortimers. Have fun looking at the few pictures that we were able to get while we were there.

Trunk or Treating

2009-11-01T21:09:00.000-08:00

Why bore you all with details? All you want is photos of Mirian anyway. We went trunk or treating, Russ was a chef, Em was a pot of boiling water, and Mirian was a lobster. We parked right next to Russ' brothers van. That's the other pictures.

How we love Aunt Julie!!!!!

2009-10-16T21:09:00.000-07:00

Mirian's Aunt Julie has absolutely spoiled Mirian!!! Quite frankly, all Mirian's Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins love and spoil her. Mirian's Aunt Julie sent a package with the most adorable outfits. Have a look at her adorable dresses!!!!

Central Washington State Fair

2009-10-16T19:34:00.000-07:00

Well, not long ago, we posted about the Central Washington State Fair. Well here are a few photos from our journey. Lucky for us, the Lawsons, who are staying with us until they close on their house, got free tickets and parking for the fair. AWESOME!!!!

Oh yeah, it was cold too!!!

Fire in Yakima

2009-10-16T19:13:00.001-07:00

Well we made the National news. The lumber mill here in Yakima stores thousands of logs outside their wood chip production plant. They also store thousands of pounds of wood chips outside their plant. Well depending on your science background you may know that wet wood combined with no air (piled up) can self combust, similar to alfalfa that is baled wet.

Well, as you can imagine, a self combusting pile of wet wood chips next to thousands of logs can create a sight. Here are a few photos of what we saw and smelled.

Watching the Baseball Playoffs with Daddy

2009-10-16T18:39:00.000-07:00

Unless you just started following our blog today, you would know that Russell LOVES baseball. Although his team (the Seattle Mariners) are done for the season, Russ is still following the games. He is rooting for a Phillies vs. Angels World Series, however predicts a Dodgers vs. Yankees WS.

Here are some photos of Mirian and her Daddy watching the Angels vs. Yankees in the ALCS.

Headed to Rexburg

2009-10-09T10:19:00.000-07:00

We are excited to take a trip to Rexburg, ID later this month. We will be going for Russ' old roommate's wedding in the Rexburg Temple. Adam and Kym will be getting hitched on the 24th of October. Don't they look like a great couple??????!!!!!! Let me add that Adam's mom is awesome too!!!!

While we are there, we hope to see some other friends that we haven't seen in some time. If you are going to be in town the weekend of the 24th, give us a holler. We would love to hang out. As for our old married student ward members, Collin Hunter is setting up a get together (which I believe will include Bishop Mortimer and Brother Beazer and their wives). I believe this will take place on Saturday (the 24th) evening. Let's Party!!!!!!

We are excited to see friends and show off our sweet Mirian!!!

Maced's Litter

2009-10-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

New post with details of the upcoming litter for Maced. Tell your friends. Take a look at the blog for details.

Official Word!!!

2009-10-01T08:58:00.000-07:00

Well we were wondering and waiting after sinking a few hundred dollars into projesterone testing on Maced and then two round trips to Seattle to see Maced's boyfriend. Maced is officially pregnant!!!! We had an ultra sound done on Maced yesterday and they found 7 puppies!!!! Woot Woot!!!!

Spread the word. If you or a friend are interested, check out our puppy blog that will shortly be updated with all the information necessary to buy a puppy.

Central Washington State Fair

2009-09-22T11:01:00.000-07:00

Every year, once the apple harvest begins/beginning of fall, the Central Washington State Fair takes place here in Yakima. It is a fun fair. It's very large with plenty to do and see. Growing up in Yakima, my mom always encouraged us to enter things into the fair for judging. We entered anything from sewing projects to baked goods to dried or canned fruit to flowers. It was lots of fun.

We would enter about 20-30 different items per child (times that by how many kids are in my family and you have a lot of items going into the fair from the Carlson home over the years). You would earn ribbons and if you got a blue ribbon, it was worth $3, a red was worth $2 and a white one was worth $1. One year I got 3 Best of Shows. One was for peanut butter chocolates that looked like chocolate peanuts, one was for a pineapple upside down cake, and the other for a flower I entered. I brought in bank that year!!!!!

What a great opportunity for children to learn and be rewarded for their efforts. Then the pride of going to the fair and seeing your items is awesome. What a fun fair!!!! It helps to get you excited about Fall time with the changing of the leaves and fruit and vegetable harvests.

Anniversary Gift - Collective Soul Concert

2009-09-17T16:21:00.000-07:00

My whole life I have loved listening to Collective Soul. I have never met anyone who doesn't like them. They may not be on some people's top 20 bands ever, but no one ever dislikes them. I have never been to their concert.

Well for our anniversary in August, Em asked me what I wanted. I simply said, a Collective Soul concert. She made it happen. We went to Seattle last night to the concert and it was everything I had hoped for.

The members of the band stuck true to what I know of them. They were sincere, grateful, fun, and entertaining. Here are a few photos of the concert and even a video.

Oh yeah, and thanks to the Lawsons for babysitting.

Maced is pregnant . . . . hopefully!!!

2009-09-10T12:06:00.000-07:00

So we just took Maced to be bred. We hope that this time she has puppies. We are optimistic. There were no issues that we know of and we watched her progesterone levels very closely (to the tune of over $200 in testing at the Vet).

We have also started a new blog to handle any and all inquiries for puppies. Feel free to take a look at the blog here. Also feel free to send anyone interested in puppies to our new blog site.

Trip to Utah

2009-09-06T19:46:00.000-07:00

Well we took advantage of the three day weekend for Labor Day and made it into a 5 day weekend. We headed out for Utah on Thursday and are heading home tomorrow morning. We have a lot of family and friends in Utah so sadly, our time was limited with everyone we visited. Here are a few pictures of the people we were able to see.

Russ with Syd and Mirian

Uncle Scott and Mirian

From left to right, Ashley, Aunt Julie (who shares Mirian's birthday with her), Mirian, Amie

From left to right, Matt, Mirian, Ashley, Amie

From left to right from front to back,
Amie, Aunt Julie, Ashley, Emily, Mirian, Jessica,
Russell, Matt, Uncle Scott

From left to right, Aunt Olivia, Mirian, Uncle Scott

All of our family has been so loving to us and Mirian. Russ and Emily have officially become the second most important people in our family of three. Thank you for your love and support.

It was a short weekend, but it was a blast, thanks everyone, we love you and we will miss you.

Just Moments Ago!!!!

2009-08-28T19:12:00.000-07:00

Nothing can make a father more proud than to see this . . . . . . . . .

Well nothing can make a father more proud besides the same set up

Aunty Triss

2009-08-26T20:39:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to post pictures for a while of the dress that my Aunty Triss made for Mirian's blessing. I don't have any really good pictures of it, but it was such a beautiful dress, I have to post something. She made everything by hand, she even crocheted the lace that goes around her chest. Mirian was so beautiful in it. Thanks Aunty Triss for everything! You are the best!

Trip to California

2009-08-26T19:54:00.000-07:00

Mirian and I just got back last night from a trip to California to see Grandma and Grandpa Carter. Mirian took her first plane ride and she did amazingly well! It was so nice to get to relax and to spend some time with family.

While there, I went to see Julie and Julia with my mom. It was a cute movie, and it inspired my mom and I to do a little cooking while I was there. My mom has the first edition of Julia Child's cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, so we set to work making chocolate cake, Boeuf Bourguignon, and Coq au Vin. Each recipe was so delicious, but I think that I gained 10 pounds by the time the week was over.

My brother Matt and his wife Kristal were in Paradise while we were there. Matt and Kristal left on Wednesday to spend a year in China to teach English. We were lucky to get to say goodbye to them, before they headed out. Before they left, Matt and Kristal wanted Mirian to know how much they love her. They also wanted to make sure that they were her favorite aunt and uncle, so they got her a series of presents. Mirian loved them all! Good luck in China you guys! We miss you already!

It was also my 10 year High School Reunion while we were there. Russ came down on Thursday and then we went to the reunion on Saturday. It was kind of disappointing. Not many people showed up and the restaurant where the reunion was held wasn't suited for mingling and conversing. We still had a fun time. We went with a couple of my best buds from high school, Megan Conn (and her husband Josh), Brian Hunt (and his wife Hilary) and Bethany Taylor. After the reunion, we went to get ice cream and then we went to Walmart to play our favorite game from high school. We had a really good time.

Aunty Rachel and Mirian

2009-08-26T18:16:00.000-07:00

At Russ' work (the family business), the business just grew by one. Russ' sister-in-law Rachel just started working for them. She will help out at the office in place of Russ' parents who will be heading out in November for a year and a half on a mission to the London England Temple Mission.

Rachel was formerly employed with the Washington State Patrol and the Kittitas County Correction Facility. She has a long background in law enforcement. It is fun to have her around the office.

The other day, Emily and Mirian came to visit at the office while a Realtor tour was going on at our home. The photos below are a result of this visit.

Mirian loves her Aunty Rachel. What good times they will have!!!!!!

Check out the video!!!!!!!

2009-08-25T18:22:00.000-07:00

Well it's not the first time that Mirian has done this, but this is the first time on film. Enjoy!!!!!!

Wow, we have been super busy . . . . .

2009-07-26T20:42:00.000-07:00

So you haven't seen any posts from us in a while because we have been swamped. We will attach a few photos of what has been going on in our lives.

We made the adoption legal. Yay, can you tell Mirian is excited!!!!

We had many friends and family come from near and far
to be with us as we were sealed together for time and all eternity and also blessed Mirian.

We took Mirian swimming for the first time at our favorite
neighbors' house. Bob and Rhinda are awesome.

Russ had a business trip up to Lynden, WA so Em and Mirian joined the journey.
While there we took the ferry and then headed over to Sequim to see good friends from years ago, the Krumbaughs.

Finally, we got to go ice blocking with Steve and Erin and also Josh and Megan (Erin was there in spirit as she had to work). While we iceblocked Franklin Park, Mirian slept.

Naches Blueberry Farm

2009-07-09T21:44:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, Emily and Mirian went to the Naches Blueberry Farm to pick blueberries with Shannon and David and the kids. The farm was so cute and there were rows and rows of blueberry bushes. Within just a short time, Emily had picked over five pounds of blueberries. We have eaten some fresh, but decided to freeze the rest for future baking. If you have never been to the blueberry farm, I highly recommend.

Getting ready to head out to the blueberry farm

Shannon, David and Alex picking berries

Emma picking her berries

5 Lbs worth of blueberries (doesn't look like much)

Visit to the Seattle Aquarium/Family Mariners Game

2009-07-09T21:28:00.000-07:00

Mirian had her first visit to the Seattle Aquarium. What an experience!!!! It is a neat place to go, but we have to drive 2 1/2 hours to Seattle to get there. She didn't enjoy putting her face in the hole for the octopus picture, but all in all, it was a fun time. Mirian just cuddled most of the time.

Oh yeah, we also hit a Seattle Mariners game . . . . . again. Seattle played the Baltimore Orioles and we won 5-0. The pitcher Jarrod Washburn was 1 hit away from a "perfect game" (it's a baseball term). Here are some photos.

Baby Sitting

2009-07-09T21:19:00.001-07:00

Russ' brother Dave and his wife Shannon just moved to town a few weeks ago. He is a Pediatrician and will start practicing at Yakima Pediatrics the first of August. As part of their move from Pennsylvania, they put some of their things in a storage unit. Today Dave and Shannon went through all the things in the storage unit and reorganized (which also allowed them to find things they were missing from the move). While at the storage unit, Emily got to babysit two of their four children, Emma and Jacob.

They are adorable kids and we just LOVE Emma's red hair. What cute, happy, and fun kids.

Welcome to Yakima Dave and Shannon

WONDERFUL NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-07-05T12:56:00.001-07:00

We received wonderful news!!!!!! We originally had to wait for 6 months (as per LDS Family Services) to have Mirian blessed and sealed to us. We received an email the other day informing us that the new policy is that we only have to wait for the state requirements, which in the state of Washington means, asap. We will go to the temple on July 18 at 1:00 pm and have Mirian sealed to us and then we will bless her on July 19. We are so excited. Please come to the baby blessing and share in our excitement. Church starts at 9:00 AM and the address is 4307 Englewood Ave. in Yakima, Washington.