Carson Quote of the Day

This one is my favorite so far:

Mommy, I LOVE YOU! You're the best girl ever!!!

Check out the Peterson Family!

Right HERE!

Thanks-tmas?

Talk about an awesome week! It was such an nice and relaxing vacation, we came home refreshed and renewed! It all started with my very first Girl's Trip with my great friend, Ashleigh. I had so much fun with her and I can't wait for our next adventure! I was hesitant to leave my boys at first because Reese was really sick. He pretty much had it all- vomiting, diarrhea, and an ear infection, probably a soar throat, and a cough to top it all off. He was really miserable but Ryan said he could handle it so I left it up to him! Carson came down with a little bug too but not nearly as bad as Reese but by the time I came home, they were on the uphill mend! I'm going to leave Ry with the kids the next time they get sick, that's the way to go! :) 

Ashleigh and I headed down to Boise because she needed to get an new glass eye. Maybe she'll blog her story later but in short, she had retinal blastoma when she was little and has had a fake eye since she was 18 months old. I got to tag along on the doctor appointments and I thought it was fascinating! If I were to  do school over again and choose a real career I would totally be a optometrist. This guy wasn't a real optometrist but it was still really cool to watch him work!

 So exciting!

I was pretty bummed when a few of my good friends had already taken off for their Thanksgiving breaks by the time we got to Boise but we did get to meet up with these lovely ladies and had a blast chatting at Chili's.

The roads got kind of scary on the way home but we had no problems and made it home safe. We had the traditional Thanksgiving dinner at the Crandalls and the Fazios and Grandma Spencer even made the trek to join us! 

There was so much snow we couldn't not go sledding. The boys had so much fun and I couldn't not take a million pictures of their cute smiling faces!

I'm so bummed that the snowflake got in the way. This would've been the best picture!

So . . . here goes, my first blog post ever. Jenny's been pressuring me lately to join in on our family blog, and I've finally given in. "Guys are doing it too," she says. I'm not entirely convinced that's true, but I figured the occasional post would give me an opportunity to share the family stories that I find entertaining (sorry, there's no guarantee that they'll be funny to anyone else). At the very least, it will allow me to share my side of the story and thereby preserve my dignity to some degree.

So I'll began with a story from tonight. We had just finished meeting with our "teach homers" (home teachers in Carsonian), and the boys were being their usual rowdy selves. Reese was runny around laughing diabolically like a comic book super-villian, and Carson was taking swan dives off the bar stool onto our couch (incredibly without any injuries). Carson then came up to Jenny and me and told us he had new nicknames for all of us. They were funny enough (at least to me) that I felt they merited eternal digital preservation on the pages of this blog. So here they are:

Kyooki (Dad - apparently I'm Asian)

Muddy (Mom)

Buddy Peeber (Carson)

Pooger (Reese)

Plinko (the dog we don't have)

Buddy Peeber is my personal favorite. I'm thinking of using the names in a futuristic sci-fi adventure I've been working on. It's loosely based on our family stories but set on a distant planet where the human population is facing annihilation at the hand of an alien species. A young boy, Buddy Peeber, is their only chance for salvation. What do you think? I'd like to hear your suggestions, so please pass them along.

On a different note, I'd also like to someday use this blog to share my music. I arrange music and write original songs from time to time, and I'm working on recording them. Unfortunately, law school keeps me busy and the going is slow. But keep posted, hopefully I'll have something to share in the not-too-distant future.

- Ry

Carson Quote(s) of the Day

Just spread some butter on it and EAT NUTS!

Translation: he would like a peanut butter sandwich.


Mom, Reese just bit me like a peach!

Does watching a show make me old and crazy?  

Halloween

So I finally figured out what blogger's problem was... did you know it automatically puts all the pictures that you post on your blog into a Picasa Web Album? I didn't even know I had a Picasa Web Album but apparently it's full so I couldn't post any more pictures.

We had a great Halloween this year! It was especially nice because we just re-used the same costumes that I made last year. When I put them on the boys I was really surprised they still fit! Reese's was a little tight but it was still perfect. 

Ryan was Dumbledore

Carson was Draco Malfoy, I was Professor Trelawney, and Reese was the snitch.

Our ward didn't put on a Halloween party so the Primary presidency (I'm the second councilor) decided to put on a little party for the kids. It was fun! We had homemade soups with bread bowls, face painting

donuts on a string, the fishing game, pin the nose on the jack-o-lantern, and a cake walk.

 A lot of people came, there was hardly any room to move around but that's what made it fun! Afterward, all the kids went trick-or-treating around the complex. It was perfect for this age because they got plenty of candy and it was just enough walking around for their little legs. Carson kept saying "I love Halloween! It's the best ever! My bag is getting fuller and fuller!" Reese would go up to each door, knock with his cute little knuckles, and say "tik or teat" but every time he would try and go in the house and inevitability trip on the step. I can't wait until next year when Reese is a little older and can really understand and get as excited as Carson!

Puzzles

 

 So I guess this will be the only picture because blogger is being stupid. It's telling me that I've used all my storage space but I've deleted a bunch of posts and pictures and that didn't do anything so then I tried used photobucket and that won't work either. So I'm out of ideas. Any suggestions on how to make posting less annoying?

Reese has really been into puzzles lately. It's been awhile since I've gotten them out because he would put them in his mouth and because they're made out of wood, it didn't turn out so well. But he's really good at them and is completely entertained for a long time with any puzzle. Most of you moms probably don't think that's something special, but Carson never got into puzzles so this is a pleasant surprise. It's the cutest thing too because he has to open his mouth to be able to get them in just right, helps with concentration! :)

Why I've been M.I.A.

This little guy is going to be joining our family May 17th (tentatively scheduled). I figured I should make it official since my pants are getting uncomfortably tight and people are already commenting on my "bump." The hardest part about this pregnancy so far is just having the energy to get off the couch! I have a great friend though who's getting me off my lazy butt and into the gym which has made a world of difference! I have a lot more energy after I've done a Gravity or Zumba class! I went to my first doctor's appointment last Friday and everything looks great and he's measuring about 30mm. Having that ultrasound really got us excited! And yes, we are referring to it as a "he" just so we can mentally prepare ourselves for another boy. :)

New post on CJP

You gotta check out the Stafford's!

And don't forget to grab a button! I think I've finally figured it out but let me know if it doesn't work!

In other news...

Carson started soccer last Saturday. It was pretty much what I expected... a lot of kids running around and Carson standing there with his thumb in his mouth.

He was really excited the day before but then he started to get nervous and said that he wasn't going to play, he was just going to watch the other kids play. When I told Ryan that he got a spot, he was elated! We had to stop what we were doing and go out and buy him soccer cleats right then. We went to a bunch of different stores until we found some that actually fit. Then on the way home Ryan asks me about uniforms. I'm like, Ryan, they're 3! He told me that this is a big deal for him and that he's been looking forward to this even before Carson was born. Then he told me how he remembers crystal clear the first time his dad got him a soccer ball for his birthday and how he took him in the backyard and taught him that in order to stop the ball you have to make your foot like a pillow. And that was a huge turning point for Ryan. So I guess I can't blame the man really. 

Back to the soccer "game."

After some pep talks from dad he started warming up to the idea.

 He got into it a little bit and was doing well but then I guess got tired and took a break...?

I think this was a bit of a disappointment for Ryan when he saw what it was really going to be like. I mean, there was a girl wearing a dress and tights on the team! Uniforms?... riiiiight...

This was Carson's goal...

 Mom, you watchin?

 GOAL!!!!

He made his mama proud!

Carson Quote of the Day

"Daddy, I want to play race! Come one, Daddy! Let's go! Trust in me!" (from Jungle Book)

I've finally finished Karpi's Maternity pictures! Feel free to check them out!

Kapri's Bun in the Oven

Don't forget to check out baby Sydney's pics HERE!

Brazilian Strawberry Limeade

I had some extra limes from another recipe and decided to try this out. We didn't have any ice so I added a bunch of frozen strawberries and it made it so much better! Thought I would share...

2 limes
1/2 cup sugar (maybe a little less)
3 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
3 cups water
about 10-12 frozen strawberries
ice

Wash limes thoroughly. Cut off the ends and slice into eight wedges. Place limes in a blender with the sugar, sweetened condensed milk, water, and ice. 

Blend in an electric blender, pulsing 5 times. Strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove rinds. Serve over ice.

Then straight down to Firth

After camping, Ryan had to go back home for school but I took the boys and we headed down to Firth for my brother's farewell. For fun we went to the

I've lived next to it my whole life and have never gone. It was pretty cool actually.

There was a huge display of potato mashers

The largest potato on record was 18 lbs! That's way more than the potato Jeff and I won $100 for! Ours was only 2.9 lbs! When I figure out what's wrong with the scanner, I'll post the picture for you.

The largest potato crisp

The trip was completed with an Idaho potato

On Saturday we went to the Bingham County Fair with Jeff and Kapri.

 We saw little horses

and freaking huge horses!

And of course we ate about a week worth of calories in one sitting. How could you go to the fair and pass up a teriyaki bowl, Reed's Dairy ice cream, elephant ears, and apples and cinnamon funnel cakes? You just can't, so we didn't. :)

We actually ended up finding a new car in the classifieds too. We're now proud owners of a Honda Odyssey!

Sunday was Jordan's farewell talk. He did a really good job and of course everyone was crying their eyes out! He's going to be such a good missionary! Did I mention where he's been called? Neuquen, Argentina.