Crafty

Last night was awesome! I attended my ward's 'Weekday Relief Society Meeting' with the wonderful women of the Cherry Hill 5th ward. We had a great time. We sanded, painted, 'mod podged' and giggled through crafts, family memories, and silly stories. I love having a place where I can just hang out and chat with witty, unique women of all ages...
I am learning that I have indeed been given a 'crafty' instinct. I never knew I had it until recently. But I am happy to say that I love creating new things and making stuff up. Sometimes I don't even care if it's perfect. (This is a big thing for me!) Anyway, I will be presenting some family and friends with homemade gifts in the near future due to my new found love of crafting.



Refrigerator Magnets




"Brag Book" for Little Sis Keira

"Sickies"

So here we are on another Monday. Sorry there have been no updates but we have all had the "sickies" also known as the stomach flu. Yuck! Cougar started us off last Wednesday and he was sick until Thursday afternoon, Beckett was sick on Friday and Brian and I got sick Friday evening and we were sick until yesterday. It was horrible. On Saturday Gramma and Russie took the kids so Brian and I could try to get better. . . We got Russie sick in return. SORRY! And just in time for her to visit Court and the kids. REALLY SORRY!! But the good news is we are feeling much better.

I am so excited it is Thanksgiving time. I love it. The food, the memories, and the food. Did I mention the food?! For anyone who cares I found this great website for those who need new ideas for their crockpots. It is www.365daysofcrockpot.com Ohhh Yeah! So try a new recipe and I hope it's good. This wife and mother decided to use her crockpot everyday for a year. . . And we get all her recipes. She even rates them for you so you know what to try and what to skip. I've been inspired. . . But not enough to have dinner ready to go for tonight. (Sick stomach remember?) Good luck with the crockpot and happy eating.

A Thankful Heart

I would like to officially welcome autumn into my home. For those that don't know this about me, autumn is my favorite time of year. I love the sounds (crunch, crunch of the falling leaves), smells (pumpkin pie and hot cocoa) and the sights (pretty leaves and bulky sweaters). Who doesn't love the atmosphere and grateful feelings that accompany fall?
This year I am trying to feel grateful for all the wonderful blessings in my life AND more importantly remember my gratitude for everything on more than just Thanksgiving day. Sometimes I get so involved in all the "stuff" of this holiday and others that I forget their true purpose. So here's to being grateful for the here and now, Here and Now! Here are a few of the people and things I'm grateful for today, November 1st.


Baby Toes



Healthy Kids



Beckett- Quiet For the Moment



Brothers



Crazy Boys

Hello Friends and Family,
Yes I know I am the world's worst blogger. I never update and half the time my internet isn't working. . . So here is what our world currently consists of:



Cougar Starts Preschool- Everyday I walk my kids over the river and through the woods (down the street, though the park) to school where Ms. Ruth is his teacher and he gets to sing, play, color, and cut. It's just like home but with new faces and no mess for Mommy! We love preschool. Coug is also playing soccer in a youth league. It is the funniest thing I have ever seen! It reminds me of the movie 'UP' with the talking dog. He talks and talks and talks but randomly bursts out "Squirrel!" Just imagine 8 little boys chasing a ball, running after each other and rolling around in the grass just because they can. One game all the kids on one team stopped to watch a worm in the grass. . . The other team would have scored but they stopped to watch it too. Good times.




Beckett is still into everything and wants to be big like his brother. Before we make the trek to school he puts on his 'pack pack', shoes and of course grabs his mandatory fruit snacks. Yes it is a long way for little legs. We head to school and then he's down for a nap until Coug is home.




Calloway is growing like a weed and I'm happy to say he loves to sleep! I know everyone with young kids that don't sleep is cursing my name but just think that he is the only one sleeping through the night at my house! So there. He is a very giggly, sweet, smiley little man and I love him to pieces! And I finally got a baby that loves to snuggle! Yipee for Mommy!!


Brian is working, working, and hanging with the young men as 'El Presidente'. Call him that to his face, he really loves it! (Can you feel the sarcasm in my voice?) Tuesdays he plays basketball at church, Wednesdays is Young Men, and most Saturdays he is involved in football and Cougar's soccer team. Either at the stadium (if you don't know which one, you obviously don't know us) or seated in front of the television.

I am currently making 75 pinwheels and cutting out 50 2 inch and 2 and a half inch circles for Aunt Cody's wedding party centerpieces. . . It's awesome!! I also volunteer in Coug's class once a week and have a blast as a soccer mom. I know it sounds weird but I do love it! I am also building custom scrapbooks for clients from Orem to New York. Yes my friends New York City! It is truly a blast. I get paid to play and be creative.

Our lives are exciting and wonderful. Never a dull moment!
Loves,
B

Nicholas Calloway

Introducing Nicholas Calloway. I know that his name seems pretty normal but things get interesting when you hear our story. Nicholas is a Carter family name . . . but it is also a family profession (think St. Nicholas). Calloway is in honor of Brian's favorite sport and I really like it, so there. We are calling him Calloway just to make life hard when he gets to be school age, but like Cougar isn't going to have a hard time too. We love our little Calloway. He's my little skinny mini weighing in at a whopping 6 lbs 9 oz at his last checkup. Hopefully he will soon be a pudgy little guy. . . He obviously didn't get the memo that babies are supposed to be fat! He is the sweetest baby ever! (besides my 2 others of course.) We are so happy he is the newest member of our family.

Mostly Human

As many of you know Brian, Cougar, Beckett and I welcomed Nicholas Calloway into our family on June 8th! We are so happy he is finally here. Along with the arrival of our new baby came less sleep, needy big brothers, and parents with less patience. Needless to say we have been 'off the grid' if you will and we know absolutely nothing about the outside world. But we are adjusting and feel mostly human. Sorry I haven't been posting. . . Here are a few photos of what we've been up to the past few weeks.



The boys got bored one day and threw all their clothes all over their room. . . Mom was not happy!



Softball games with Daddy. . . His team had a great time and Beckett is officially my sports fan.



Another 'bored moment'. Cougar and Beckett like to hide behind my bed and spray anything that sprays. This time it was shaving cream.



The boys loving on our new baby.

Today

Today has been a very interesting day. And when I say interesting I mean crazy! And when I say crazy I mean I contemplated selling my children for a while. Let's be honest. . . Some days are just hard. By 9:30 I had cleaned poop off of my entire kitchen floor, shaving cream off my bedspread, pillows and carpet, and ground in goldfish crackers from the carpets in both boys rooms.
I was in the middle of baking bread when I discovered the boys planning their next attack on my sanity. It involved lots of toilet paper and even more tooth paste. Luckily I found out about the conspiracy early enough to stop the ambush! Today was one of those days when I worried about getting in the shower for fear of what I would find when I got out and naptime gave no relief. I felt like I was constantly on guard for the next possible act of destruction.

So I have come to a couple of conclusions:
1) My boys are very smart
2) They are also very inventive and imaginative
3) They are a little bored

That means I need to find more things to occupy their minds so that they don't destroy my sanity and my house. So if anyone has ANY ideas for me on how to keep my boys busy, I'm all ears.

Crazy Boys. . . Or is it Crazy Mom?

These are my crazy boys. In the average week I change 35 poopie diapers, 30 wet diapers, sweep my kitchen floor 28 times, and run the dishwasher 7 times. I would do the math for the number of laundry loads I do but I think I would be depressed. I read countless bedtime stories, eat way too much macaroni and cheese, and spend hours catching boys that jump off my couches and balls thrown at my head. But when my kids are this cute all the yucky stuff is made up for in the snuggles, kisses, and giggles.
Don't get me wrong. . . I love all this stuff but sometimes I think I'm going to scream if I hear "Mom" shouted one more time. Then I lock myself in the bathroom for 5 minutes and breath or read a chapter in a book. Then I'm usually okay. . . or I have to call Lori and talk for a few minutes. Lori, You're my lifesaver! Thanks for the backup.

Mom, My Head is Freakin' Me Out!

Cougar is my crazy soon to be four year old and he says the funniest things. . .
Every night about 7:00 he starts to get tired. When he gets tired the whining beings. Lucky for me he tells me he's tired and tonight went a little like this:
"Mommy, I'm tired."
"I know sweetheart. We'll be home as soon as Daddy makes copies at his office."
"But my head hurts and it's really freakin' me out!"
"What?! What does that mean?"
"It means I need to go to bed MOM! Right now, in my own bed. But first we need to say prayers and get my sippy and jammies."
"Okay baby, let's go home and get you in bed."
"Thanks Mom, you're a sweetie pie."
"Thanks Cougar."

NCIS and Washington, D.C.

So my baby sister left this morning for Washington, D.C. to intern with NCIS. I'm so excited for her. She will be amazing!! I have to admit that when she called to let me know she had gotten the internship I thought she was going to intern at the t.v. show NCIS. . . Yes I'm an idiot! I was really excited because I thought she could get me some autographs. I told you I was an idiot. . . Anyway, after she explained and we laughed for about 5 minutes I got excited for all the right reasons. So now she's on a plane headed to a very big city, all by herself, and I am going to miss her like crazy. So good luck on all your adventures Tally! I am so proud of you and I promise to keep you updated on all our adventures here in Utah.

In Honor of the Farley Family

My sister Kiara is away for 4 months with her hubby and kids selling security systems in Billings, Montana. . . She is the best negotiator and made me promise to blog at least once a week. So here is this week's blog.



Here is Beckett saying it better than I can. We are so sad that you've gone!! We love you. Please don't go!
See you later.

B

Update

Hello Friends and Family! I know it has been a really long time since our last update. Oh, go ahead and look. . . it was last June. I know! So here is our update.


Brian is:
Playing basketball, coaching the Young Men's basketball team, and watching BYU basketball. Go Cougs!
Working like a madman at Provo Land Title Company.
Playing with our cute boys any chance he gets.


Brielle is:
Playing with our cute boys every day.
Baking treats for friends, family, and the occasional party.
Sleeping, eating, and behaving strangely because of this pregnancy. Yes, we are expecting our third little boy in June! Yahoo!!
Scrapbooking, making cards, and occasionally reading. Anyone have any good suggestions?


Cougar is:
Getting ready to start preschool this fall.
Playing with his active younger brother.
Watching Hercules, Robin Hood, and Curious George on an almost daily basis.
Helping Mommy with the chores specifically the laundry (he likes to throw it down the stairs) and kitchen duty (making a mess so Mommy has something to do).
He is totally into Wii sword fighting and bowling. He can beat both Mommy and Daddy!


Beckett is:
Growing like a weed. He weighs only 6 pounds less than Cougar and recently has learned that he can tackle and tease his older brother.
Loves anything outside including parks, running away from Mommy, and eating dirt.
Likes to eat raisins, carrots, and unfortunately a little Play Doh. Yucky!

We are all doing great and hope you are too! Until next time . . .
Brie