Oh Brother

'Tis the season for Christmas parties. I'm a member of our local Rotary Club and have enjoyed our Christmas party for the last two years. They do a great job of gearing it towards the kids. For instance, the meal is chicken nuggets, corn, mac and cheese and cookies. Perfect for all kiddos. Santa makes a visit also. My boys were so excited to see him. When Santa made his big entrance, he stopped at each table for a personal visit. When he got to our table he stopped behind Logan and asked, "Have you been a good boy or have you been fighting with your brother?" Logan quickly replied, "My been a good boy. My brudder should be on the naughty list!" (Obviously I was trying to type like Logan spoke ... did you pick up on that?) Isn't that funny? I guess that's what brothers are for: throwing one another under the bus. HA!

Can it be?

Can it be that I am actually posting twice in less than a month! HAHA!
I wish I had more to write about today, but things are just as crazy as ever. Both boys stayed home from school/daycare/preschool due to fevers, runny/stuffy noses and coughs. They seem much better today, however they decided to share this with Mommy. I don't have the fever, but I feel like someone is sitting on my chest! I've been drinking DayQuil today like I normally drink sweet tea! Funny and sad.

Marcus and I haven't started Christmas shopping yet this year. Looks like maybe we'll go this weekend. To be honest, I'm just not in the mood. Things are tight ... very tight and I just feel like some of this hustle and bustle just isn't worth it. We have really been enjoying spending time with family and friends and I'd be perfectly happy just doing that the entire season. However I have two little boys that would not be thrilled about that. Good thing is that we are diligent in talking about what the real reason for the season is. They both seem to grasp that it's Jesus's birthday and that is why we are celebrating. I am not against them believing in Santa, but Santa never brings them the biggest gift. And they do not seem to care too much about it. They love leaving out the cookies and carrots (so does Daddy), and I am ok with all of that.

We did go around our little city the other night looking at Christmas lights. There was one neighborhood that I am 99% sure they have a contest with one another! It was a total different world! There were Santa's on the roof, elves galore, dancing candy canes, lights set to music ... it was awesome! I think we were having as much fun as the boys were!

Take a second to check out the photos on my slideshow. Baby Grace Photography did these for us in October. They have a magic camera ... I'm telling you! I just love all of the pics - even the ones of Gavin crying! Isn't that awful?
~Carrie

So, if the blogging world gave grades for blogging, I'd have an F at this point. I wish I could say it would be the first F I'd ever receive, but that's so not true. Anyway, things have been busy but I guess that's not a great excuse. I mean, everyone's busy these days, right?

Things are going well for us. We had a great Thanksgiving out in Missouri. It was one of the smaller get togethers we've had out there, but it was a welcomed change. We were able to visit on a more one on one level. The boys love it out there and Grandma and Grandpa were doing well.

Both Marcus and I are still working, which in these tough times is a true blessing. We're hoping the steel biz picks up a little in the next few months and the education field is doing steady.

Next up: Christmas. Oh man. Marcus and I had to literally get out our calendars in order to plan a date to go shopping for gifts. Is that sad? With his odd schedule and me working a few nights a month, we're lucky to see each other every day! Anyway, for Christmas Aiden is asking for a Nintendo DS and Logan ... he just wants trucks. Those two crack me up.

Well, I am going to make an effort to update this blog at least twice a week. I may have to scramble for things to talk about, so stick with me!

Talk to you soon ... I hope!
~Carrie

Big Weekend

Hello! Sorry I haven't been keeping this updated very well. Things are busier than ever with work and the boys in school. Sometimes I just want to hide in a hole for some rest!

This weekend was very eventful. Dad's birthday was Saturday and we weren't sure we were going to get to see him. So ... I did a little planning. Jamie's family, Sandy and I were all able to get our schedules in sync to surprise Dad for dinner on Friday night when he got off from work. He and Mom go to Olive Garden a lot, so that's where we were waiting for him. He was clueless and he was thrilled to see all three of his daughter's and grandsons. We had a nice dinner and then me and the boys went back to their house for the night. On Saturday, we headed home and Dad came too. South Whitley had their Fall Festival so we took the boys to ride some rides that evening. Logan's favorite was the ferris wheel and Aiden's was the fun house. Sunday morning Aiden did the 1 mile fun run again this year. He did great! He finished in 8 minutes, 51 seconds (unofficially at this point). That's 23 seconds better than last year! He was very proud of himself too. Enjoy the pics! (please note Logan's enthusiasm in watching the race).

Where did the time go???

It wasn't until our drive home last night that it hit me ... my baby starts preschool tomorrow. GULP. How can this be? Shouldn't I still be teaching him how to feed himself (although if you know Logan - he does still need some more work in that area). I seriously don't know where the time went. With Aiden, the first day of preschool brought up a few emotions, but no tears. With Logan, I cry just thinking about it. I guess because I wasn't fully prepared for this day to come so quickly and because he very well could be the last child I take to preschool for the very first time. Ugh. I am really trying to put my happy face on for him though. He was so excited this afternoon when I went home to see him before taking him. He walked right in and seemed to own the place. I just spoke with him on the phone and he said they ran in circles, sang songs, his face got sweaty and they played. Sounds like a full 2 1/2 hours to me!

Tributes

Hello.

Last week is a week I'd rather forget quite honestly. Let's start off with Friday, August 14th. This is the morning that I received a call that a friend had passed away after a 3 year battle with stomach cancer. I'd met Becca when I was in 7th grade. She my camp counselor at Yellow Creek Lake Camp. I then was reconnected with her when she began attending my church when she came to AU for college. She helped out with the youth group and she and I grew very close. That remained for a few years until she graduated and moved away. Fast forward to 2 years ago when I realized that my good friend Steph and Becca were running partners. Steph invited me to go visit Becca and we had a nice time. Then a year ago Marcus and I moved into Becca's hometown! Small world, right? I did not spend as much time with her as I would have liked. We saw each other at Carol's Corner or at ballgames or community functions. We always shared a hug and a laugh. A few weeks ago, Steph and I went over to Becca's for another visit. We ended up staying nearly 3 hours but we just didn't want it to end. We shared funny stories from our past, stories about how we met our mates, stories about the kids, she shared family photos that she had organized for her kids so they would know their heritage. It was the most perfect visit. We did head back over the night before she passed, but Jade, her husband stopped us and let us know the situation. That was very hard for me. That night I couldn't hug my boys without thinking how short life is. She has two young children also and I can't imagine not seeing them grow up. It all hit home for me that evening. The next morning we received the call. Monday was her viewing and hundreds if not a thousand showed up to pay their respects. Tuesday was her funeral. Of course there was crying, but there was also some laughter. It was almost as if Becca was there conducting it for all of us. One of the neatest tributes to her was when my friend, Steph and the other 5 or 6 ladies that would run with Becca did somewhat of a tribute run for her. They all took a flower from the gravesite and headed for a run down one of Becca's favorite roads to run. I know they had a wonderful time remembering and honoring her. I think that was the coolest idea and so fitting. She truly left her mark her on earth not only through her children and husband, but her good works. I encourage you to check out her blog where you can get a snapshot of the wonderful Godly woman she was. May she rest in peace.

To add to all of the feelings of losing a friend, I found out on Monday that two fellow employees have resigned. One will be done at the beginning of September and the other towards the end. That leaves me as the only recruiter. Ugh. Talk about stress. I've been trying to go with the flow, but it just makes me a bit nervous. Hopefully we'll get someone hired soon and we can get them trained and move on. i will miss Debbie and Susan though.

So - this weekend I just needed to veg. We had two picnics to attend. We had a great time. Marcus also went to a local tattoo parlor and got some new ink. He designed it himself (the tattoo guy perfected it though) and he is very proud of it. As he should be. It looks HUGE in these pics, but it's still small enough that when he has a short sleeved shirt on it is not visible. He wanted this tattoo to represent his faith and our boys. I think it looks great and does just that.

Last thing. Aiden is still really enjoying the 1st grade. We hear a rumor that he has a little girlfriend ... but he's not quite ready to admit that. He does tell us that they play on the monkey bars together though. Cute. We also had a meeting for Logan's preschool. UGH. So weird! Where has the time gone?

Pictures Galore! Vacation and 1st Day of School

Where have you guys been? Wait, what? It's ME that's been missing? It's ME that has neglected this blog? No way! Well ... ok. Maybe you're right!

We have been busy enjoying the last few weeks of summer. We had a great time on Lake Cumberland in KY the last week of July. Lots of pics attached to show just a snapshot of the fun.

Today was Aiden's first day of first grade!!! Can you believe it? I am so not old enough to have a 1st grader ... right? Ugh. He was a bit nervous about the homework load, but I told him that we can do it together and it will be fun (I hope). I just spoke to him and he said his favorite thing they did today was read!!! Great answer!! Anyway ... you KNOW I took lots of pics, so here are some of my favs.