The Day They've Been Waiting For!

Aidan has been especially into Christmas this year. Or should I say, he's been really into Santa this year. He has accepted, without questions or inquires, that on a certain day in December, a large, jolly old fellow, all dressed in red, with a big white beard, is going to come to his house and bring him presents. For a kid that questions EVERYTHING, I was expecting to have to field questions like "who is Santa?" "why does he bring presents?" "Where's the north pole?" ect...but much to my surprise, there was nothing. Not one, single, solitary question about Santa at ALL. I guess he figures if some guy wants to bring him presents, and mom and dad are ok with it, than who is he to look a gift horse in the mouth, so to speak. It's amazing the blind faith that kids have. It's us grown ups that know that if something is too good to be true, than it probably is. But not my three year old! And because of that blanket acceptance of Santa and his enthusiasm for Christmas this year, I have had so much fun writing his letter to Santa with him, going to the mall to visit the big guy in person with him, decorating the tree with him, baking cookies and putting out carrots for the reindeer with him, and watching his face literally light up when he woke up this morning and saw what Santa had brought him. I love you Aidan, and I hope that for years to come you stay unaware and blissfully oblivious, so that every Christmas can be as wonderful as this one was!



On Christmas Eve, the kids place their stockings where they want Santa to leave their presents, and in the morning, this is what they wake up and find. Mom and Dad's presents are wrapped, under the tree.
Our Christmas tree (pretty self explanatory, I know!)


Aidan was very excited about his soccer ball, but was OVERJOYED that Santa actually brought him what he asked for: tracks for his trains. Even got some more magnetic trains AND a few motorized ones...he won't stop playing with them!

Emma, finally a smile with teeth, no eyes closed!!! She loved her Fisher Price piggy bank...she was even in her matching piggy pajamas!

Here Comes Santa Claus, Here Comes Santa Claus...

We braved the mall and took the kids to see Santa. Aidan was so excited I thought he was going to bust out of his skin.


Emma on the other hand, didn't really have any idea what was going on, but enjoyed getting out of the house, people watching, and playing at the mall play area after our visit with the man in red.

Week Two & Three

Here are some pictures of Parker taken at two and three weeks old. Matthew insisted on putting him in his reindeer hat, to be festive of course! It's amazing how fast they change, in just a week no less!

Tis' the Season

As I have gotten older and become a mother, I have learned from first hand experience that the old adage "when it rains it pours" is most definitely true. Since bringing Parker home from the hospital we have been suffering from more than sleep deprivation (although that is starting to make me a bit crazy, too.) Poor Aidan got the stomach flu shortly after Parker got home, and in an effort to give him and the rest of the family from getting it, we exiled him to Grammy Sally's house for a few days. Almost as soon as he came home, the cough started. Emma got it next, and then Matthew got the worst cold he's ever had the entire time I've known him. We finally got everyone to the doctor and on antibiotics, so hopefully the sickness will have left our house in time for Christmas. On the brighter side, Parker is now almost three weeks old, and is doing great (aside from spitting up all over our bed in the middle of the night, and the four diaper changes every five minutes...) He is starting to hold his head up a bit, he is sleeping pretty well, only getting up about twice a night, and eating really well. Aside from all the illness we've had around here the last few weeks, we have so much to be grateful for this holiday season and I couldn't be happier that we are a family of five this Christmas!

Before Parker Arrived...

...here is what we were up to a few days before our family grew from four to five!



Aidan at the park the day after Thanksgiving! He really like playing crochet (I hope I am spelling that right?)



The day after Thanksgiving Aidan also turned three!!!! Here he is with his present....



...and here he is playing with it! We got him a little cash register with money and debit/credit cards and food to check out. He loved it and played with it all day. Now, however, it spends most of it's time in the toy box. How quickly they lose interest :(



Emma has been using the potty sporadically over the last few weeks. I think the fact that Aidan uses the potty has prompted her to want to as well.



Our first Thanksgiving dinner! In years past we have always gone to my in-laws, but this year we celebrated Thanksgiving at home, and cooked ourselves.

Parker David Carpenter

Don't let the smile and happy demeanor fool you, Monday, December 1st started out as one crazy, hectic day....

Sunday night was typical. I didn't sleep much-- I was up multiple times a night to go to the bathroom, and because of my gigantic tummy and constant pelvic pain, I couldn't get comfortable. At around 5:00 am I started to feel crampy and so I gave up trying to sleep. Pretty quickly I realized I was having contractions, but they were only about 7 minutes apart. After about an hour or so I let Matthew know I thought I was in labor. Because I had been dilated to 4 cm for a week or so, we decided to just go to the hospital instead of waiting for the contractions to get 5 minutes apart. We called my mom, showered, got packed and were heading to the hospital by 6:30 am. In the car, however, my contractions came closer and closer together, until they were just two minutes apart. We got to the hopsital at 7:15 am, were sent to triage to make sure I was actually in labor (no one believed me, because I was handling the pain well and they all said if my contractions were two minutes apart I would be screaming.) They checked me, and I was 6 cm. They decided to admit me. By the time I got to my room a half an hour later, I was almost 10 cm and was ready to push. There was no time for an epidural, which I was planning on getting and after some crying, and begging, I accepted that I was going to have an ALL natural, drug free delivery and after 15 minutes of pushing, screaming, and more crying Parker David Carpenter made his grand entrance into the world at 8:03 am.


Later that evening family came to visit us. Here is Aidan holding his baby brother for the first time.


Grammy Sally, Aidan, and Emma in a group hug!


One of Parker's first pictures. He weighed 7lbs. 3 ounces and was 19 inches long. Welcome to the world Parker, we are so happy you are a part of our family!!

Amanda's Banana Cookies

My kids having been spending a lot of time with both of my sister-in-laws lately, while I have been on bed rest. My sister-in-law Amanda made cookies with the kids one day last week while they were at her house, and as you can see from the pictures, Emma thoroughly enjoyed eating them...especially with no hands!


This picture is my favorite. She has that look on her face like "what? Don't bug me, I have my own way of eating these cookies!" Thank you Amanda for always making the time my children spend with you, so much fun!

Grateful

Lately I've been thinking a lot about gratitude. Mostly because I have a lot to be grateful for these days. Having been on bed rest for the last few weeks due to preterm labor, and my recently diagnosed SPD http://www.babyworld.co.uk/information/pregnancy/pregnancyproblems/pregprobs_pelvicjointpain.asp I have had a great deal of time to think. I am the type of person that is easily caught up in the things that are going wrong, and it is typical for me to lose sight of all that is going "right." Ironically enough, it has been during this time of everything going wrong that I realize just how incredibly lucky I am. By the world's definition, we are not a rich family, we are not a famous family, we are not even a family that has it all together...but we are a special family, because we have each other. It has taken me a long time to learn that who we are and how we treat each other means so much more that what we have. It is very hard for me to accept help from others, and recently that is exactly what I have had to do. To humble myself and ask my family and friends for help, especially help with my kids. And I have been blown away by just how much help I have been given. By my mother, mother-in-law, sisters-in-law, friends, and most especially my own husband.

Matthew works 40+ hours a week as an electrical engineer at Raytheon, owns a web design business on the side(another 15-20 hours a week worth of work) and has some how managed, in addition to all of that, to take over the cooking, cleaning, and needs of our children. He has also managed to finish tiling our kitchen floor this weekend (he still needs to grout and move back the appliances, but he's done so much!) He also finds time to get my pregnancy cravings from restaurants across town, rub my back almost every night, and spend time talking to me before going into his office and starting on his second job. I don't know where he finds his energy, patience, or strength, but I am so, so grateful for who my husband is as a person.

Below are a few pictures of just how wonderful of a husband I have:

Matthew STILL tiling the kitchen at 11:00 pm, after having tiled all day long...

...wishing I would stop taking pictures and leave him alone to finish!

Reading the kids a story after having worked a very long day, done two loads of laundry, fed the kids dinner, given them their baths and gotten them ready for bed...

...he still manages to smile and enjoy being a dad to our kids!

Mug Shot....?

Matthew recently watched an old home video, where his father chronicled the growth of his beard. After that, I noticed that Matthew wasn't shaving anymore. I sighed internally and waited patiently as my husband followed in his father's footsteps. After about two weeks however, I was begging him to shave! But, he wouldn't shave until I took a picture, to document his ability to grow a moustache. So, here it is, the evidence, that if given long enough, even my husband can grow facial hair. Congratulations honey! And thank you for finally shaving again!

Baby in a Basket

Emma's new favorite thing to do is find a laundry basket...and if there are clothes in it, clean or dirty, she will dump them out, bring the basket into the family room and immediately get inside, where she will demand that you place all her Little People's Farm Animals in the basket for her to play with. And by play with I mean that she will take them all out one by one and throw them on the floor, and then you have to put them back...Matthew just LOVED playing that game with her :)

Halloween Parties and Play Dough Shapes

Our Ward Halloween Party was last night, and instead of Trunk or Treating, we just had a regular inside party. Candy was given out at the booths. Unfortunately, still being on bed rest, I wasn't able to go, but here are some of the pictures Matthew took. Not to knock my husband, but I would have taken a few more of Aidan with his bat hood on. Oh well. My sister-in-law's Halloween party is Friday night and we are going to try and go to that for the Trunk or Treating and I will make sure to take more pictures.



Aidan LOVES to play with play dough. It's an activity that he can actually sit for long periods of time doing. Needless to say we play with play dough a lot around here. Yesterday in preparation for the Halloween party he was going to with his Daddy, we made Halloween shapes. Aidan was very proud of them and insisted I take pictures.

Sunday Best

I thought it would be a good idea to take pictures of the kids before church on Sunday while they were still looking their "best." I love this one of Emma!

I thought this one was cute, because they were looking at each other like they actually liked one another, which is rare these days :)
Emma wouldn't stand still long enough to get a really good shot of her, but this was cute, because she was running away from me and laughing, so I was able to get a good smile.
Aidan is much better about posing for pictures. He looks so sweet in this one... I can't believe that in a month he's going to turn three. Time really flies.

Donuts and Milkshakes with Aunt Celeste

Matthew's baby sister Celeste has come over a few times recently to help us watch the kids while we do projects around the house. On two of her visits, the kids got special treats. Oreo milkshakes made by Daddy, and homemade chocolate filled donuts that Celeste made all by herself here at our house.

Emma after her milkshake...she's actually smiling a REAL smile!
Matthew sampling the chocolate donuts...
Aidan eating his donut with a very serious look on his face...it's tough work snacking on sweets!
Emma sampling the frosting before we put it in the donuts...notice my concrete kitchen floor. I am STILL waiting for it to be finished. Matthew's deadline is now set for November 15th. Aidan's birthday party will be on the 21st and so everything needs to be completed. We'll see what happens!

Four Years Ago Today...

...I was sealed for time and all eternity to my best friend, in the Mesa Arizona Temple. It's hard to believe that four years has come and gone already. So much has happened to us in that time. We have both graduated from college, bought our first home, had a son, then a daughter, and are now expecting our third child, another son, in just a few weeks. As I was looking through my wedding photos, trying to decide which ones to post, a lot of the little things about our wedding day/weekend came back to me. It's very easy, in all the chaos of getting ready for the sealing and the reception to forget the meaning and importance of marriage. When Matthew and I got in engaged in August of 2004, we had originally planned on getting married in December, a typical choice for most BYU/UVSC students, seeing as that is when the semester ends and there is a little free time. But after being engaged for a few weeks, we decided to get married in October instead. Part of that decision came from the fact that we had dated on and off for two years and didn't see the point in waiting. So, we were only engaged for two months before we actually got married. Plans had to be made quickly and that two months was quite a blur of school, work, and dress fittings. I didn't take a lot of time then, to really ponder the eternal nature of my decision to get married, not only to Matthew, but in the Temple. If you were Mormon, that's just how you got married. Since we decided to get married in the middle of the semester, we chose a Thursday to get sealed and had our wedding reception and ring ceramony the next day on Friday. I am a convert to the church and so for my family I decided to have a ring ceramony so that my Father would get to walk his only daughter, and child, down the aisle. Also, my mother never would have forgiven me if she didn't get to actually see me get married, even if it wasn't the "official" ceremony. It was a very rushed weekend, since we had to be back to work and school on Monday. I didn't get to really appreciate how special and beautiful everyone involved made that time for us. My two close friends came from Utah and Michigan to be my bridesmaids, my Father flew in from Vermont, my Mother and Uncle had just recently moved here, and all of Matthew's family and friends came and helped set up and make everything as perfect as it could be. There were glitches, as there always are. For instance, it rarely rains in Tucson, especially this time in October, however, the day we got married in the time in took us to get from the car to the Temple doors, there was a five minute down pour. Just enough time to soak my hair, clothes, face, ect. I walked into the Temple in my wet, white shirt, with dripping hair and mascara running down my face. That wasn't so fun. But I dried off, got in my wedding dress and the day went on.

Although the last four years have not been free of trials, tribulations, or problems, they have been, without a doubt, the best four years of my life. I married my best friend. I have chosen to be married in such a way that he will be mine forever. I now have an eternal family, something that until I had it, I didn't know how much I wanted. I have a partner that loves me, takes care of me, puts me first, and is always looking for ways to serve me and make me happy. I don't always appreciate him as much as I should, but today at least, I remember just how lucky I am to have him in my life! I love you Matthew, happy anniversary!

Our ring ceramony, performed by Matthew's Uncle Rick, a former LDS Bishop.
Our wedding reception, the day after we got married, at Matthew's parents home.
Matthew and I in front of the Temple doors. This picture was actually taken one month after we got married, because we couldn't take pictures after our sealing because of the rain...
This is a picture I didn't really like the first time I saw it four years ago, now I do, so I decided to show it off!

Ouch!

So, Aidan's new trick is to fake throw something at you, and when you flinch, he laughs hysterically. I have told him many times, on his way to time out for fake throwing, that someone will end up getting hurt and it's not a joke...well, I was right. On Tuesday afternoon, after spending four hours at the lab taking my second glucose test, Aidan fake threw a toy at me, and when I flinched, I somehow threw out my back. Matthew had to come home from work, and my mother has been with us everyday since helping with the kids. I have been in bed, with an ice pack for the last two days, catching up on my soap operas, checking my friends blogs, emailing, and taking much needed naps. Aside from the pain, it's been a nice break. However, my house is a mess, the laundry is piling up and Matthew has been having to do the dishes :) I go the the chiropractor tomorrow to get adjusted, and hopefully that will help. Just 7 more weeks and this pregnancy will hopefully be over and the big belly that adds all the extra strain to my back will not be as big (well, at least it won't be as heavy, it will still be big!)

The last few weeks of fun!

A few weeks ago I went with my mom and my friend Allison to Apple Annie's, an orchard in Wilcox, about an hour or so south of Tucson. In years past they have had a great selection of apples to pick, but this year wasn't so great. We didn't end up taking any apples home, but we had fun helping Allison pick hers, and bought some yummy apple bread and pie to take home for our family. Aidan really enjoyed himself, and it gave me a sense of home, since every year while I was growing up, my parents took me apple picking. Hopefully next year they will have a better season.

Emma wasn't so good at picking them, but she enjoyed eating them. That is my mother Sally, holding her.
On September 26th we celebrated Matthew's 29th birthday (yup, that's right, my husband is two years younger than me) by decorating his office and surprising him with a new monitor for his computer, something he has wanted for a very long time.
I bought Emma these sunglasses because I thought they were so adorable...she seems to agree because she NEVER takes them off. She wears them around the house for hours at a time and when you try to take them off of her, she throws a fit. My little diva in training!