The Simple Life

3 Weeks Old!

2012-01-31T12:22:00.000-08:00

I can't believe the Twins are 3 weeks old already!! We are enjoying them so much. Here is last weeks happenings:

Bethany officially has all of her tubes out! They were able to put an IV in her foot, so now she doesn't have to have surgery to put it in her chest. We were so happy! In fact, the nurse got it in when we were there to visit her. After the procedure, we were able to go in and see her. It had been a week since we've saw her last.
Well, we walked in and her eyes were wide open and looking around. We haven't seen her eyes open hardly because she had been so sedated. We were so surprised to see big beautiful eyes! Johanson eyes!
She definately looks different from her sister. Although, they still look like sisters. But, I don't think we will have trouble telling them apart.

Brady, Josh, and I took turns holding her. It was the first time we've got to hold her. It was so precious. She looked at us and liked being held. What a beautiful moment it was. Our Miracle Baby!

(The only tubes you see are a feeding tube, and an air tube in her nose, electrodes on her chest, the IV on her right foot, and the oxygen monitor on her left foot. If she learns how to use a bottle this week, they can take out the feeding tube, the air flow tube, and the IV!)

Alexa had her first bath last week. She wasn't sure at first, but she quite enjoyed it! She has been a good baby. We love every minute with her.

During:

After:

Babies Update #4

2012-01-27T10:46:00.000-08:00

A Few Milestones!

Bethany now is tube free and oxygen free!! She has all of her tubes out and she is only on air flow. She still has a little bit of fluid in her lungs, but she is doing good! She is going to have surgery to put in an IV line. She has been getting some breast milk and is doing fine with that. We haven't seen her for a week, so we are anxious to see her tomorrow with all of her changes. We'll take pictures and get them up next week.

Alexa had a good week at home. She lost her umbilical cord on Wed. Jan. 25th! And then she had her first bath yesterday.

They continue to progress and do good, thanks to all of your prayers!

Here are pictures of Alexa at home:

Baby Update #3

2012-01-23T14:03:00.000-08:00

First of all, I have had some people message me wondering if they could take meals to Shari and the family. Shari's ward has set up a meal planner for their family, you can access it at: www.takethemameal.com User name: Carter, Password: Terreview They definitely appreciate all of the help with their boys and family as they go through this journey!! It also helps us that can't be there to be very thankful to know that so many people are helping them out in such a trying time!

Here is the latest on Bethany:
They took one chest tube out, she has been taken off the ventilator and moved to oxygen and is doing fine with the transition. She has a small leakage on one of her lungs,so they aren't going to take the other chest tube out yet. (Alexa had that too, it's normal preemie underdeveloped lung stuff). They took her off her pain medication and she will probably have withdrawals. They are going to use morphine when needed. She still is having trouble digesting. They aren't going to try to feed her that much yet until she gets the narcotics out of her system. She is doing well with all of the changes.

Bethany and her doctor (he has been amazing!)

Shari holding little Miss Bethany's hand

Bethany as she continues to progress

Alexa: Got discharged on Friday and had her first Pediatric appt. today. She is doing very well. She gained 4 oz as of Friday. She now weighs 5lbs. 10oz. She's only gotten up 2x's in the night! She is sleeping well at night. Hasn't caught on to breastfeeding yet, but we're still trying!

Little Miss Alexa

Finally on her way home!!

Shari feeding Alexa

Shari continues to feel better a little bit more everyday. She continues to express her gratitude to all of you!! To end my post here's my favorite picture of the girls so far:

I present to you Bethany and Alexa, together for the first time!!!

Baby Update #2

2012-01-19T11:17:00.000-08:00

Bethany:

Bethany is still making progress. She is down to 4 pounds 7 ounces, they are feeding her 1cc (less than 1/4 tsp) of milk every hour and she had her first bowel movement which is exciting! She has gas in her belly, which the doctor said is also a good thing! They removed one of her chest tubes, so she is down to just 2 now. They had some concern with her liver, but an ultrasound came back saying that both her liver and kidneys look good, so hopefully they will continue to function properly. She is also completely off her blood pressure medication! Shari was able to do some of her care time on Wednesday!! Sweet lil Bethany sure is fighting hard to be able to go home!

Alexa:

They moved Alexa out of the incubator and into a crib to see if she can regulate her own body heat. She is up to 5 pounds 3 ounces and taking a bottle! When Shari was pregnant and started to feel the babies moving, she commented that she thought that Alexa was the more feisty of the two babies, seeing as how Alexa managed to pull out her feeding tube and was waving it around at the nurses, I'd have to say she was right!! :) I just think she's trying to prove a point that she's ready to go home!!

Shari:

Shari is feeling better more and more everyday! With the snow storms, she wasn't able to make it into the hospital yesterday, but had a Pride and Prejudice Marathon instead with her mom, mother in law, and Brady's aunt! (I'm just glad she got that out of her system, since I'd never watch it with her!) She said that she feels her energy coming back and is feeling more like normal! I do have to say that she is one of the most amazing and strong people that I know! She has handled this whole process like a champ and taken it all a day at a time, which I think has been the girls biggest strength! They aren't being rushed, just merely loved. She continues to be very grateful for every one's thoughts, concerns and especially their prayers they are felt daily in the babies progression! If you know Shari and her journey to these girls, you know that they are in fact miracle babies and they continue to prove that every day! (I figured that since I put pictures of the babies under their updates, Shari needed some too! She's going to kill me...but what are little sisters for??)

Baby Update

2012-01-15T19:23:00.000-08:00

This is Shari's sister Shannon. She asked me to do a post to update everyone on the status of her sweet little girls. I'm going start from last Thursday, January 5th. Shari had her normal ultrasound visit at her doctor's office in Pullman. Through the ultrasound they could see that 'Baby B' had fluid in her heart, lungs and tissue and scheduled an appointment to get everything checked out up in Spokane. On Friday, January 6th Shari and Brady got checked in and set up at Deaconess Hospital in Spokane. Through tests and ultrasounds, they concluded that there was in fact some concern around 'Baby B' and that they needed to get a team ready to help her as soon as she was delivered. They made the decision to schedule the surgery for Monday, January 9th so that they were able to have all hands on deck, and all the specialists in the room that they needed. On Saturday, Shari's mom and dad were able to leave Utah to drive up to Pullman and get the boys from the neighbors that had been so willing to help look after them. On Sunday, January 8th, we packed up the boys and headed to Spokane so that they could see Shari and that Brady and Shari could let them know what was going on, and some of what to expect (mainly that they wouldn't be able to see the babies right away). Also on Sunday, Brady's parents were able to fly in, and from there the planning started as to who would go where when and who was doing what. Brady, his dad and Shari's dad were able to give her Priesthood blessing and then we headed a couple of different ways. Shari's dad and I took the boys and headed back to Pullman. Brady's parents and Brady headed to his aunt's house that lives in Spokane Valley and Shari's mom stayed with her in the hospital. On to Monday, January 9th. Shari's surgery was scheduled at 11am, due to her having low platelets (what helps your blood clot) the surgery was pushed back. After getting her platelet count up, they were able to take her into surgery at 1:00pm. The babies were born at 1:13pm and they took 'Baby B' (Bethany) straight into the operating room to work on her. Brady was able to hold 'Baby A' (Alexa) in the delivery room and then she was taken into the NICU to make sure everything was okay with her. After Bethany came out of the OR and into the NICU, they wheeled Shari's bed into the NICU and she was able to see both of her beautiful girls! (she wasn't planning on seeing them at all that day, so she was really happy that she was able to go in and see them). After Shari and Brady had some alone time with the girls and a chat with the doctor about Bethany, Brady, his dad and Shari's dad were able to give Bethany a Priesthood blessing. Here are some pictures of these precious little girls on their birthday:

Alexa Grace 4lbs 13oz 19 inches

Bethany Kristine 5lbs 12oz 19 inches

Bethany (the puffiness is due to her water retention which is gradually decreasing)

After the surgery, Shari's platelet count was still low and she was soon diagnosed with HELP Syndrome, and put on magnesium. She was pretty wiped out for most of the day on Tuesday, but we were very happy to at least have the reason why her count continued to be low. The babies first night was a rough one, Alexa was doing pretty well, but had to be put on a bit of oxygen since her lungs still hadn't fully developed. Bethany was put on an oscillator to do her breathing. By Tuesday night Shari was starting to feel better and her color had started to come back. Alexa was still on oxygen, but they were able to gradually turn down how much they were giving her. Bethany had increased her urine output (which is good because that is her getting rid of the water retention), her blood pressure was up and they also did a scan on her brain and heart and everything came back that there was no fluid in those areas, which was more good news. Wednesday Shari's dad and I were able to get back up to the hospital. I was able to see these sweet little girls for the first time. In going up to the NICU both Brady's dad and Shari's dad (who had both seen Bethany on Monday) commented on how different she looked and how much her 'puffiness' had gone down both girls were doing well and they continued to progress slowly but surely. Thursday Shari continued to feel better. Alexa was down a little bit more on oxygen, and Bethany was losing a bit more fluid. All positive steps.

Friday Shari was set to be discharged at anytime that day. She opted to wait until we could all get up there from Pullman once the boys got out of school. Once we got up there, we got the paperwork started to get Shari discharged. I was able to go into the NICU with Shari and Brady to see the girls. It was so good to be able to walk in and see for myself the amazing change in Bethany's water retention. She was able to make a fist with her hands (which she couldn't do before due to so much swelling in her fingers). Another amazing thing I was able to see, was Shari holding sweet little Alexa for the first time! Alexa was doing really well and was off oxygen and doing all of her breathing for herself, she had started with a bit of jaundice, so they had put her under the lights. Bethany was taking quite a bit of breaths on her own, again, progressing slowly but surely. The doctor stopped by and talked with Shari and Brady for a bit and said that Bethany is doing better than he thought she would at this point, doing good, but not out of the woods yet. It was at that point that I had to say goodbye to those sweet little girls and make my way back to Utah, along with my dad.

Bethany's little foot. Looking sooo much better. That's Shari's finger, showing just how tiny she is.

Bethany on Friday. She can put her hands in fists now and looking much better!

Shari's first time holding Alexa. I just love the way that Alexa is looking at her mommy!

Brady, Shari and Alexa

Saying goodbye to little Alexa

Saying goodbye to sweet little Bethany

On Saturday, they moved Bethany from the oscillator to a ventilator, and Alexa was still doing well. Just still delicate and unable to take normal activity. Sunday Bethany was much improved. They removed her catheter and took her off the nitrous oxide. Her swelling in her ears had gone down and she had drained off quite a bit of fluid over night, she's doing really good, but still has a ways to go! On behalf of Shari and her family (myself included) we want to thank everyone for their prayers, thoughts and concerns. All have been felt by our family, and we know that they are definitely helping these girls progress. I will try to keep this updated until Shari is able to. Shari will be staying in Spokane Valley at Brady's aunts house until both babies are able to be released from the hospital!

Hair Bow Holders

2012-01-05T18:45:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited I got this done. Although, I'll put their names, or first initial on them as soon as know what they're names are going to be. I made them to match the kids bathroom, hence the jungle theme.

I sewed buttons on the bottom to hang the headbands on. It works good for the crocheted type!

Christmas 2011

2012-01-04T10:46:00.000-08:00

All wrapped up! Do not open until . . .

Excited for the BIG day!

Christmas morning and ready for Church in new clothes!

Christmas Eve P.J.'s. Just opened them and ready for bed.

Hospital Visit

2011-12-24T05:44:00.000-08:00

Dec. 23 4:30am, I started to go into labor. I've never done that on my own, so it was kinda exciting. Of course, we want the babies to stay in 3-4 more weeks. So Brady and I went to the hospital and spent the day there watching Christmas movies, while they drugged me up and monitered everything. The babies did great and are totally fine. We were able to get the contractions under control, so I was dismissed to go home. We were all grateful that I would be home for Christmas. The boys did a great job of taking care of each other and Lily while we were gone. They went to our neighbors house for most of the day, thank you Galloways! Thank you all so much for all of your thoughts and prayers! They help so much! We have so much to be grateful for this Christmas season.

Take Home Outfits

2011-12-24T05:37:00.000-08:00

One of friends that was due 2 weeks behind me, had her twins at 30 weeks! That was last week. So I decided to get a few more things done to be prepared in case mine decide to come early. I washed all the baby clothes and picked out the twins take home outfits. What do you think?

Basketball

2011-12-02T12:14:00.001-08:00

Josh is playing 7th and 8th grade basketball. He performed well durning the first practices and was chosen to be on a great team. He has several friends on his team. He has had a good time at the practices and the games!

Jairden has been very enthusiastic about basketball! He takes it seriously, but loves it!

Music Recitals

2011-11-28T15:21:00.001-08:00

Jace participated in the 4th grade musical. He had a speaking part and did a great job!
The next night, we went to his piano recital. He had the opportunity to play on a grand piano!
He performed most excellently!! We are very proud of him!

Car Seats

2011-11-28T15:14:00.001-08:00

It was so fun to have the car seats delivered and then open them. Aren't they Adorable?

It is so weird seeing double!!!

Here are the Car Seat covers that my neighbor, and a friend made! I just love them!

Brother Carter

2011-11-28T15:10:00.001-08:00

Brady was released from being a Bishop of the Pullman 3rd Ward in the Moscow University Stake. He served as Bishop for 3 years and as a High Counsellor in the same Stake for 3 years. It will be nice to have him with us again after 6 years of service! He did an Amazing job! The students in his ward loved and respected him. He will miss the people, but I don't think he'll miss all the work it was!

Babies Shower

2011-11-28T15:02:00.001-08:00

My friends Talia, Jessica and Rachel put on an Amazing shower for me and the babies. It was a great turnout! I was overwhelmed by the many thoughtful gifts and handmade gifts. It was so fun to open baby girl clothes!

Halloween!

2011-11-17T12:42:00.001-08:00

Vampire #1 or Dracula as he liked to be called!

Vampire #2, a "Twilight" Vampire.

Not sure what to call Josh's character. He made the silly costume himself!

February 2, 2011

2011-10-30T11:05:00.000-07:00

What is special about this day?
It's Groundhog Day!
The day before Jairden's Birthday!
The date the C-section is scheduled!
3 kids birthday's in 2 days!!! I don't know about this!

Nursery

2011-10-25T10:24:00.000-07:00

I've had several requests to see the nursery. So here are some pictures. There are still some finishing touches to do. . . I'll post them later when their done.

The Crib Story

This crib is one that we inherited from Brady's sister Dana. It is around 16 years old. We used it on all three boys. I sanded it and stained it darker, (with the help of my mom) for Josh. It was a long process, but I have really loved this crib. Well, as you all know, we need another one.

A friend had promised to lone me hers, but it is in Coeur D' Alene, so we didn't know when we could get it. A few weeks ago, a sister in the ward just asked a few of us if anyone needs a crib. I figured, I didn't, but I told her, I might want to come and look at it. She was ready to get rid of it. I went to go look at it and when I walked into the room, I about cried! It was the exact same crib as ours!!! I couldn't believe it!! It is a little lighter and more worn, but the same style. I was so excited!

So we brought it home.

Luckily I was able to find the same crib bedding I had already purchased earlier. Everything will Match! I just can't believe how everything has worked out and flowed together.

It was definitely meant to be.

Be Surprised!!

2011-10-24T21:18:00.000-07:00

We like Surprises, but LOVE to Surprise others!! It was so much FUN to shock and surprise everyone with our news of having twins! And then the icing on the cake, to tell you all they're both girls! So to keep the trend going, you will find out the Twins names on their Birthday! Stay Tuned. . . . .

The Newest Runner in the Family

2011-10-24T20:49:00.000-07:00

Josh completed his first year of Cross Country Running. He did a great job and enjoyed it too!

After an excellent run at his first meet, Josh and his friend get refreshed. Here are his season times:

2,000 Meters
52nd 11:39.89 Oct 5
21st * 9:44.38 Oct 21
1.5 Mile
56th 10:27.15Sep17
60th 12:04.52 Sep 23
41st 11:09.84 Oct 13
2,500 Meters
47th   10:52.73 Sep 29
Season Best
2,000 Meters
2011 7th Grade 9:44.3*
1.5 Mile
2011 7th Grade 10:27.15
2,500 Meters
2011 7th Grade*10:52.73

At the last meet, Josh did his Season Best and Personal Record (PR) knocking about a minute off his last PR!!

New Name List

2011-10-20T12:57:00.000-07:00

First of all, Sophie is out! Apparently it was the name of an old family horse! Ugh! There's nothing like a pet name to ruin it!

Here is the new list:

      BABY A                     BABY B
Kinsey Hope                Kennadee Grace
                                       or
                                 Kaiya Grace
Abigail Hope             Alexis Grace

We haven't talked much about the "J" names. We haven't completely scratched them out, but they are last in the running!

23 Weeks and Counting!

2011-10-17T13:05:00.000-07:00

Getting bigger every week! Most of the comments I receive are very kind. I'll take them all now, because in a month or so, I'll be hearing the word Enormous!

Baby Names

2011-10-05T19:21:00.000-07:00

So we have a now shortened list of names. Comments and voting are welcome!! (I don't know about suggestions though, I'm glad my head has stopped spinning from the hundreds of possible names!)
We aren't necessarily sticking with "J's". But, we did narrow down to our favorite "J" possibilities.

Jaylee Grace and Jennavieve (Jenna) Hope

Sophie Grace and Sydney Hope

Kennadee (Kenna) Grace and Kinsey Hope

TWINS!!!

2011-10-03T17:33:00.000-07:00

That was the First suprising news we received!! Can you see the two heads with the membrane sac separating them? (sorry the pictures are sideways, I couldn't get them to turn!)

This picture was taken at 12 weeks.

Right now the babies names are Baby A and Baby B.

Here is Baby A posing with the hand at the face.

Here is Baby B with a perfect profile.

We were so excited to find out they are Both Girls!!

I wouldn't believe the sonographer! I made her check a dozen times!

She said she would take all of her money to Vegas on it!

She said they are 100% Girls!

Yosemite National Park

2011-10-03T16:37:00.000-07:00

For our Annual Family Trip, we took the long drive to Bass Lake, CA. My brother from SoCal met us there with his family in tow. We spent 3 days exploring Yosemite and all the wonders there. The views and waterfalls were amazing. The other 3 days we spent resting! It's a vacation, right?!

Our favorite day was out on Bass Lake. We rented a Pontoon boat and had a blast!! We swam, cooked and ate dinner, and of course, cruised the lake with kids hanging on to a tube!

Our Summer Project

2010-07-20T15:17:00.001-07:00

Completed! Sitting out on our new deck (that can now fit all of us, at the same time!) has been soooo nice! After all the sweat and work, we have enjoyed the afternoon shade on the deck and the awesome view. A new concrete path was poured from the front to the Salon door. Now Hair Defined clients can stroll safely down the plant lined path. The sport court (as we call it) has had a lot of use by the whole nieghborhood! My dad barely beat me in a game of PIG!

The flagstone firepit area hasn't had much use yet. We don't want to blow smoke all over the neighborhood. So we will wait and use it when we can get a propane firepit. The vegetables love their new garden spot. It is terraced and finally has soil instead of clay!

AlIcE in WOndErlAnd

2010-07-20T15:07:00.000-07:00

Our summer adventure has been to "WOndErlAnd"! Jairden is a "Heart Child" of the King and Queen of Hearts. He also moonlights as a croquet mallet!
Jace plays one of the Card Gardners that paints the roses red! He delivers his 7 lines without a hitch!

PaRiS 2010

2010-04-11T11:11:00.000-07:00

Brady had work over in Europe, so I flew to Paris at the end of his work days and we spent a week in France. We hit Paris hard for 4 days and still didn't see everything! We had a blast! Here we are on the back side of Notre Dame. There was another American couple that took our photo. We climbed to the top and had a wonderful bird's eye view of Paris.
Le Tour de Eiffel. Just as the sun was going down. The crowd cheered when the lights came on it about an hour after this picture. Every hour there are twinkling lights on the whole thing. Of course, there was cheering then too! It took us 3 hour to stand in line to get to the elevators. The view was worth it!

This is Versailles. A huge Palace and grounds. The grounds once had 1200 working water fountains. Now there are about half that left. This particular building was a "house" built away from the palace and palace life.

The Louvre.

Brady is standing just below the glass pyramid. We loved this museum. So much to see!

Shopping in Paris

Snake River 1/2 Marathon

2010-04-11T11:05:00.000-07:00

Here we are ready to go! It was a beautiful and warm sunny on March 6th along the snake river. There were more than 600 people there! We all met our goals and had a great time. Only one of us puked!

Happy Birthday Jairden!

2010-03-10T17:12:00.000-08:00

Jairden turned 5 years old! I can't believe my baby is grown up. We went to a Condo in Cour D'Alene for the weekend with some friends to celebdrate. It was cold, but we enjoyed the brisk country air!

Here he is riding a carousel in a toy store called Figpickles!

Leavenworth for Labor Day

2009-09-13T17:20:00.000-07:00

This is our view from the Condo. It was a cloudy weekend, but still beautiful!
Me, after my hole in one!

Brady putting in the last hole.

Walking down the main streets and looking through

the shops.

Rain or shine, we still went for Ice Cream!

First Day of School

2009-09-03T19:19:00.001-07:00

Josh sporting his favorite shirt, LEGO Star Wars! He is starting 5th Grade.

Activites include: Scouts, Piano, Violin, and Golf.
Jace Striking a pose. He is excited about 2nd grade.
Activities include: Scouts, Piano, and Golf

Jairden looking Cool! Jairden attends preschool at the University.

Activities include: Swimming, Soccer, going to the Library and the Science Center.

A Special Week

2009-07-08T20:52:00.000-07:00

For Jaces birthday, both my parents, Shannon, and Brady's parents came. He wanted a Baseball theme, so us women put our heads and frosting licking fingers together to pull off a baseball in a mitt cake! Quite ingenious, and delicious!
Baptized on the 4th of July

Since the 4th was on a Saturday, it was the chosen day for Jace's Baptism. Grandma's and Grandpa's helped out with the program, and all of our friends and neighbors came. It was a nice Baptism and he will never forget what day he was Baptized on!

After the Baptism, we hosted a BBQ in our backyard. After stuffing ourselves we played a few games. At dusk we let the Pyros (Brady), shoot off our Indian Reservation bought fireworks! The City Display almost paled in comparison.

Our Trip to California

2009-07-08T20:16:00.000-07:00

McCall for Memorial Day

2009-05-31T14:02:00.000-07:00

Finally, a Memorial Weekend that Brady wasn't traveling! I've spent the last 2 Memorial Day's doing laundry and cleaning with Brady traveling for work. Since Brady has been gone a lot this year, we decided to get away to one of the condos in our timeshare to McCall, ID. We pass through McCall everytime we go to Utah. So we are familiar with this beautiful town with a mountain lake. Here we are relaxing at the condo. We BBQ-ed on the little deck, watched my favorite summer movie, "Summer Magic", and swam in the pool and hot tub.
This is outside the condo.

Here we are at Ponderosa State Park. It is a penisula that comes out onto Payette Lake. We followed the trail up to the cliff lookout.

Other trails we followed, led us to a marsh. The ranger told us we might see beavers, a bear, or a fox. But, all we saw were bees and misquitos! I took pictures of the beautiful pink, yellow, white and purple wild flowers that adorned the path.

Walking along the shores of Payette Lake.

Back to Blogging

2009-05-14T11:04:00.000-07:00

Oh man, how time flies! This blog has been nagging at me to get caught up and I confess, I haven't wanted too! Brady has been gone traveling 1 1/2 to 2 weeks out of every month this Spring! Not to mention his Ward duties and activities he needs to do when he gets home. So any spare moment I have, I use to relax with a book. I guess I need to escape! Not really though. The kids have been great! The real reason is that I am probably the last one on the planet that hasn't read Harry Potter. I'm a little embarassed to confess this, but the series has reeled me in! I wanted to finish the sixth book before the movie comes out. I just finished it last night and cried at Dumbledoor's funeral! (okay, so I am a little lonely this week with Brady in New Jersey!)
Here is a short list of the other happenings:
1. I hired a Stylist to work in my home salon on booth rent.
2. Jace and Jairden played soccer.
3. The IWCC (community choir I'm in) had our Spring concerts.
4. Josh had his Orchestra concert and Piano Recital.
5. Brady basically has been gone!

Blarmey!

2009-04-10T15:46:00.000-07:00

Oh boy, time has flown! These pictures are a little late, but I am finally posting again! St. Patricks Day Eve, we constructed our Leprechan trap! We put a $1 coin (acquired from the Vegas trip) inside the trap. It was attached to a string, when pulled, the green netting comes down and covers the opening. Brady the scientist figured out the mechanics of the trap, and Shari (the wanna be designer), disguised a tampon box with lovely green paper!

On the morning of the 17th, the kids woke up to find that we didn't trick the leprechan! But, he did leave them some green treats, along with some tricks. The barstools were backwards, the toilet water was green, and the bathroom mirror had a message written on it in green. Maybe we'll catch him next year!

After being tricked by that silly leprechan, we all put on our green attire and sat down to Green eggs and ham! We even had a green smoothie! Shhhh, don't tell them they drank spinich!

All in all, we had a Lucky Day!

2009-03-16T17:53:00.000-07:00

The fountains at Bellagio.

The Buffets were great! We tasted every dessert!

Winning change at the Slots.

Girls Weekend in Vegas!

2009-03-16T17:35:00.000-07:00

It's cooooold, I wanted to go somewhere warmer. . . . it's Vegas Baby!
My sis and I had fabulous four days in Sin City. We saw so many Stars! They were just a little waxy though.

Tim Mcgraw was cool to hang with.

Isn't our wedding lovely?

The Venetian was our favorite hotel. We took a Gondola ride, had gourmet chocolate, watch the entertainment, the wax museum, and went to the Blue Man Group. Okay, a little slot machine playing too!

Valentines Day

2009-03-01T12:40:00.000-08:00

After a week of doing special things for our "Secret Admires", we guessed who they were around a candle lit dinner. The boys enjoyed this as did Brady and I for we had each other!

So her name will start with a "J"!

2009-02-15T15:04:00.000-08:00

We thought we would carry on the tradition of our kids names starting with "J". So our daughter-to-be will have a "J" name. We have a list of names to choose from. After we see her and interact with her, we'll narrow down the list. I wanted a reference to use when we talk about her, so I thought "J" would be a good one.

I am trying hard to keep up both blogs. I want to keep this one as our "family" one. So please check out my other blog waiting for our angel for all adoption news!

First Haircut

2009-02-11T12:41:00.000-08:00

This is the "Before" picture. She couldn't even see! And "After"! The Grooming shop had her all decked out for Valentines Day!

She ran around and was so excited because she could finally see where she was going.

Number Four!

2009-02-01T18:57:00.001-08:00

A Lightning McQueen Birthday! Or as Jairden calls him "Light-Ling the Queen"! My Mom-in-law helped me make the cake, wrapped all the presents, and helped with all the preparations! I couldn't have done it without her!

We had a family party Friday night at 11p.m. when my mom and sis flew in. Jairden was a little dazed. The styrofoam car was a last minute creation for Jairdens friend party the next day. Whew, I fit it all in!

Opening gifts from Grandparents, Parents, Aunts, Uncles and Cousins. Thank you everyone!

Yes! a Batman Scooter!

The Friend Party!
Playing "Red light, Green light".
Happy Birthday little one. I'm sad you are getting so big. You'll always be my little boy!
Love you tons!

Enlightened

2009-02-01T18:29:00.000-08:00

The whole month of January, I have practiced to partcipate in the musical play of the Ten Virgins. Our stake put it on for our Annual Women's Conference. It has such a beautiful message of our relationship with Jesus Christ. Each virgin had a personality and a lamp that was specific to her devotion. We each had parts to say and a song that related to our character. The setting was beautiful with a huge stage, props and lighting. We even dressed-up in period clothing. We performed with a CD because the music is so beautiful. Of course there were five foolish and five wise virgins. My character was a "foolish" one. "Adi" was too concerned about the way people think about her. So she used all her money to buy a new dress for the "wedding" instead of extra oil. It is interesting to think that the parable is about church members and their preparation for the bridegroom. "Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh." Matthew 25:13

We had a overflowing turn-out and since I performed this the Saturday after Brady was put in as Bishop, my in-laws, mom , and sister were able to see it. Thanks again for flying up here! Love you all.

Here We Go!

2009-01-31T17:40:00.000-08:00

We are big fans of this movie, but we didn't think we would be going back to a Singles Ward!
On Jan. 25th, Brady was called to be a Bishop of one of the Student wards in the University Stake. Boy, were we Surprised! We were a bit overwhelmed, but excited! His ward meets at the Institute building on Campus with one other student ward. Our family attended the last two Sundays and Man, is it ever Quiet! The kids did pretty good, though. The kids and I will still attend our family ward. But, we will go to the activities and participate in other ways. Brady's parents came and stayed for a week. My mom and sis flew up the next week. It was nice having family here. It still doesn't seem real that Brady is a Bishop, but I guess when he is gone for meetings, it will feel very real. Now I know why it is important to pray for the Bishop and his family! I feel bad that I have slacked off on that. Any prayers are welcome for Bishop Carter and his family! Thank you for all of your love and support. (We'll need it!)

I dreaming of a White Christmas. . . .

2009-01-04T13:34:00.000-08:00

Our dreams came true and then some with the loads of snow that was dumped on us. Christmas day was white, bright, and briskly cold. This picture was taken Christmas day in the afternoon on our way to our friends and nieghbors to see what Santa brought.
The boys all geared up in their new Christmas attire.

Christmastime

2009-01-04T13:22:00.000-08:00

Our Friends and Neighbors came to our house for a Christmas Eve Celebration. Isn't our Nativity Scene wonderful?

All Decked out in their Christmas Eve presents and waiting on the stairs to go see if Santa came.

Jairdens Loot.

Jace's Stash

Josh's New Additions

Legos or Boats

2008-12-31T19:27:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Josh and Happy Anniversary Honey! Yes, Josh was born on our 4 year Anniversary Dec. 17th. Of course the Birthday festivities rule the day. We celebrate our anniversary whenever.

For the party, we took Josh and his friends bowling. Then of course pizza, some Lego cake, presents, and finished the fun off with some video games. I can't believe Josh is 10 years old. I can't believe we've been married for 14 years! Fun times!

For the Coug fans and Alumni of WSU

2008-12-31T14:09:00.000-08:00

Fancy now, huh!?! Martin Stadium had a bit of a rennovation. A new huge jumbo tron was added, Gates at the front and real concession stands and bathrooms. Yep, no more porta-johns lining the stadium. And the newest addition is the bronze Cougar statue. It is big and impressive. The pictures didn't turn out as well as I liked, but the sky was awesome that afternoon.

The Fiddlers Three

2008-12-31T14:01:00.000-08:00

Joshua's first Orchestra Concert. He loves playing his violin with his friends. The songs they performed were "Twinkle Little Star", "Mary had a little lamb", and "Old McDonald". They were accompianed by the High School Orchestra. It was a great concert. Way to go Josh!

To the North Pole!

2008-12-31T13:43:00.000-08:00

Ah, the Christmas Season. For Thanksgiving weekend, we drove up to Coure D' Alene and went on a Holiday cruise on the lake. The boat was warm inside and served hot chocolate. Outside on the boat, it was cold, but the lights were fantastic! The boat took us to the "North Pole" and we saw Santa in a cabin. He called the kids by name and wished us a Merry Christmas. All of the sudden, the lights of Santas village all came on. What a spectacular sight! This will definately be added to tradition list.

In Memorium

2008-11-30T18:11:00.000-08:00

December 1st, 2007. I can't believe it has been a year since my Grandpa Johanson passed away. It still seems weird that he is gone. I didn't get to see much of him the last 10 years. But, he came to every celebration we had in Utah for the kids. I miss his quick wit and dry sense of humor. He didn't laugh, he chuckled. His strong, wood worked hands and tall stature always made you feel like you were in the presence of greatness. We all looked "up" to him, literally. Grandpa Jo, thank you for the bear hugs, the laughs and the knuckle sandwiches. I miss you and love you.
Love,
Your Eldest Grandchild
Shari

Thanksgiving Part 1

2008-11-23T15:35:00.000-08:00

My Awesome parents and totally cool sister, came to visit us this last week. We were so grateful they made the long trip. Thursday was a crazy day! After Jace's basketball game, Jairden had his Start Smart Sports. We all joined in the fun. He tried hard to keep his eyes on the ball! After the sports, we tailgated at the elementary school with pizza. Then it was off to the church!

Josh recieved his religious knot and bear badge at Pack Mtg. I don't know who worked harder at getting those accomplishments done, me or him! Congrats JOSH!

2008-11-23T15:06:00.000-08:00

Jace taking it easy at the Basketball game. The Cougs were successful and won, but Jairden wasn't successful in his third bathroom trip. He only made it to the stairs. Grandma helped him out and he took a nap the rest of the game.

Thanksgiving Dinner was Delicious! Thanks mom for all of your preparations. One question: Why does it take hours to fix a lucious meal and 15 min. to devour it all?

The boys made these Turkeys with my mom. Jairden loves "turkey" now. It's "chocolate turkey". Needless to say, he ate all of his "turkey" (the chocolate kind).

They also made rice krispie "drumsticks". Brady was trying to figure out what it was. When he was satisfied with the desription, he took a big bite and got a mouth full of peanut butter! (the cocoa krispies were stuck on with peanut butter, and then stuck on the roof of his mouth)!

The infamous puzzle. Shannon and my dad spent all of two days hunched over and eyebrows scrunched to finish the dang thing! Being stubborn, they wouldn't let the puzzle beat them. Isn't it a perfect puzzle for Thanksgiving. I thought so too. Sorry guys, are your backs still sore?

A Day to Remember or Forget?

2008-11-23T14:11:00.000-08:00

It all started at 6:30 am. Brady was on his way to the gym and proceeded to fall down the stairs. The landing didn't stop him. Oh no, he continued to tumble down and landed head first, feet up with one foot hanging on the railing. With only a huge scrape, he managed to do his work out. Since it was "cleaning day", I was working my tail off trying to get the laundry and cleaning done. While I was thus engaged, Lily left a "present" on the carpet, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Well, that carpet is cleaner now! After Jace played outside, he walked in the door and through the kitchen with a trail of shoe shaped mud following him. So, he helped mop the floor. Continuing to be a good helper, Jace was clearing the dinner dishes that were stacked and didn't quite make it over the doggie gate. Crash! Jace, a broken favorite dish, and baked potatoes everywhere. Jace escaped free of injury, but the dish was put to rest in the garbage and the carpet was cleaned again. It was FHE night so we decided to go to the free exhibition basketball game at the Unversity. As my helper Jace was hasty in getting ready to go, he forgot there was mud on his shoes and left another trail on (you guessed it!) THE CARPET! Forget it! I let it dry and decided to vacuum it in the morning.
The game was a blast, we won, my house was clean, especially the carpet! Whew!

On the Sidelines

2008-11-09T20:02:00.000-08:00

Okay, I know why Referees have whistles. Waving hands, straining vocal chords, and jumping up and down uses more energy than a whistle to break up a fight. Oh yeah, I'm talking about my little superheros. I've tried using the term "to your corner". But, the bickering doesn't stop much. So I resort to physical punishment. Before you call CPS, you'll know what I mean when I tell you that I am living out my dream of being a personal trainer. Yes, I find that push-ups, sit-ups, donkey kicks, and jumping jacks often break up the fights and leads to laughing when done facing each other.

When the kung fu artists complain about their punishment, I just keep counting out how many more they have to do. (I love to see a man sweat!) Being a loving mom, I sometimes worry if my boys actually like each other and would play together nice. Which brings me to a question I would pose to Sacrates: "Why are we nicer to our friends than our family whom we should love uncondtionally and who we will spend eternity with? I guess it is because we live with our family. If we lived with our friends, we would call them poopy pants too, right?

One night at bedtime I was about to grab the whistle so I could keep the boys focused on bedtime. They were doing Karate, it was noisy, but it was because they were having a blast. I realized, my kids do like each other. The best times they have together are at bedtime, getting ready for morning church, and other times I am trying to rush out the door. Why do they pick "getting ready" times for play? As I try to strategize against my opponents, I figure it is all a diversion. Who wants to go to bed on time? Who wants to go to church early and get one of the coveted soft, enclosed benches as opposed to the cold, noisy chairs in the gym overflow? Well, I do! So I guess, I will try out for the coaching job and learn how to be a great motivator to keep my "players" focused. Or I can throw my hands in the air and join the fun. (Being late for church a week or two won't hurt will it?)

As I keep my whistle handy, I will readily give out hugs and hope for a win! Wish me luck in the Game, the game of LIFE!

2008-11-06T20:27:00.000-08:00

Good-Bye Shannon!

After living in town near us for 5 1/2 years, my sister moved back home.

Sadly she will be missed. So many memories made.

I am so grateful for the time we had together and so grateful for her and all she did for us. Babysitting, running errands, shopping, laughing, movies, hot chocolate, tanning, and late nights in the salon doing each other's hair!

I don't know what I'll do without her. She can't be replaced. But, I know it is time for her to move on. We wish she could come back to us, but mostly we wish her luck. To my favorite sister, I LOVE YOU!

A Time to Remember

Time with laughter, Time with tears.

Time that took us through the years.

Time to love, Time to share

Time to learn, Time to care.

Time to work, Time to play.

Time with family, Time with friends.

Time for some good things to end.

Time to babysit, Time to cuddle.

Time to read a book and snuggle.

Time for ice cream, Time for hikes.

Time to play the games we like.

The memories we shared with you

will last through the ages of Time.

2008-11-06T19:27:00.000-08:00

The Costume Parade! Lily's eyes look evil in this picture, but she was cozy and warm in her Bee costume. Jairden chose to be an Elephant for the third time in a row. Jace is none other than Indiana Jones! Can you guess what Josh is? We had a hand-me-down baseball outfit, but Josh doesn't like baseball and he didn't want people to think he was a fan. So we made him a scary Dead Baseball Player, or rather a Ghost baseball player. That last pitch was a Doozy!

2008-11-06T19:08:00.000-08:00

OOh, Scary! I love Halloween! I think it is my Favorite Holiday! For the kids school parties. I wanted to do something Gross or Scary, for the snack. Something healthy always works on a sugar loaded day! My sis helped by making the Creative Signs. I have found that if you want to do a Halloween Scary treat or snack, all you have to do is name it something gross or weird (ie: Lil' Smokies in BBQ sauce? What else but Bloody Fingers!) So here is the food behind the name:

Witch Fingers:

Carrots (from our Garden) not peeled, just scrubbed so the creases show. (more life like)

Cream cheese: to stick on the olive

Black Olive for the finger nail, cut in half

Googly Eyes:

Plain Old Deviled Eggs with a slice of olive

Roasted Potato Bugs:

Roasted Soy Nuts, no cooking or preparing involoved!

TASTY!

2008-10-27T20:59:00.000-07:00

YeS! We DiD It!

My First

(and maybe last)

1/2 Marathon

Training: It all started with innocent jogging this last Spring. In the wee hours of the morning, my running partners and I, Tara and Michelle, ran the trails and hills around town. We thought it would be fun to run in a 5 K race at the end of the summer. Feeling good at conquering 3 miles, we thought, "What the heck, let's just do a 13.1 mi. Half Marathon!"

The middle of August is when we started our rigorous 10 week training. Speed work on the High School Track, Tempo jogs around town, and Long runs on the Chipman Trail kept us in shape.

Halfway through our training, my right knee started to swell up. I iced it and rested a bit, and it healed up pretty fast. But, then the next week my left ankle was painful and swelled up. It hurt to walk, let alone run! I stayed off of it for a week and half. A trip to the chiropractor fixed my ankle in time to do our 10 mi. long run. The rest of the training went well. We were ready!

Race Day: First things first, you know, shopping! We bought our 1/2 Marathon T-shirts.

After quick stretches we got in line for the race. It was a beautiful course along the Snake River. The paved trail was mostly flat and was an out and back. The first half we did a little fast so I was tired. We slowed down a little after the turn around. But we still made our Goal Times.

Michelle: 2hrs.5min.

Shari: 2hrs. 8 min.

Tara: 2hrs. 10min.

Whew! What a hard way to stay in Shape! To best describe it was, Hard, Long, and Rewarding!

Acknowledements: I couldn't have accomplished this goal by myself! There are so many people to thank! My Husband for supporting me and not complaining through all my training and early bedtimes. My children for their encouragement. My sister for a listening ear and nursing me back to health. My family, friends and clients for all of their support and kind words. And last but certainly not least, my good friends and running partners, Tara and Michelle. Whom I could not have done this without. Talking and running together made getting up at 5:30 am not only bearable but fun! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Uintahs

2008-10-12T14:18:00.000-07:00

The day after the wedding, we decided to go to the Johanson property up in the Uintahs with the family. Hiking, fishing, four-wheeling, but most importantly, Barry cooked a delicious dutch oven meal. It was a fun filled day with the family!

Shannon's Best Friends' Wedding

2008-10-12T14:04:00.000-07:00

Shannon and I flew down to Utah for a couple of days. Her best friend from up in Pullman ended up marrying our cousin from down in Syracuse. Shareena wanted me to do her hair for the big event as well, so here's some pictures of the big day!

Fall Festival

2008-10-12T13:15:00.000-07:00

With the sun shining bright, and a nip in the air the Carter clan bundled up and headed to Red Barn Farms for a day full of fall fun. There was a jumping castle, amphitheatre, hay ride, pumpkin patch, hay bail maze, and much more. Shannon and her friend Crystal along with her little guy Austin joined in on the fun.

Labor Day Trip to Seattle

2008-10-10T13:09:00.000-07:00

As soon as Labor Day was here, we packed up the van and headed to Seattle to see Brady's sis, Lori. On the way, we stopped in Leavenworth for lunch, shopping around, and Cold Stone ice cream! Lori had a great dinner for us when we arrived. The next day, we all dressed in our Cougar gear for the football game. The game was played in Qwest Stadium where the Seattle Seahawks play. The crowd was soooo loud! The experiance was fun, but the Cougs lost big time!
On Sunday, we went on Ferry ride and played at the beach. Before we headed home, we stopped by the Pacific Science Center for some science fun. The huge robot (above)played Tic Tac Toe. Water shooters, dinosaurs, butterfly forest, and many experiments

transported us to science world of learning and fun!

Golfing Trip

2008-10-01T19:44:00.000-07:00

Photos by Jace: So we bought a new cool camera. We gave our 8 year old camera to Jace. These are some pics of Jace's handy clicker finger. I haven't figured out how to download our new camera yet. But, beware, there are over 500 pictures on it! (And I've only had it a month and a half!) NO you're not sitting to close! That zoom button is FUN!

.:Lily:.

2008-08-21T21:49:00.000-07:00

.:Our Newest Addition to the Family:.

The Volcanoes

2008-08-20T21:40:00.000-07:00

My Mom and Dad joined us on the Volcano tour. We started at Mt. Rainier. The first day was gorgeous. Mt. Rainier was shy the second day and hid behind clouds and fog. Hey, you would be self-concious too if you were 14,410 ft. high!
Mount St. Helens was our next volcano. Although she blew her top off, she is still active and spewing smoke. Watch out!
We had a blast with G-ma and G-pa Sommers. Thanks Mom and Dad! We loved our Volcano Tour!

Glacier National Park

2008-08-20T21:20:00.000-07:00

With our friends and nieghbors, the Galloways, we took off for Waterton Park in Canada, and Glacier Natl. Park in Montana. Majestic scenery was accented by beautiful wildflowers. Hikes to waterfalls, boat tours, sleeping in a cabin, swimming in the pool, smores, a parade, fireworks, hot tub, and bug bites were all included in our adventure. Not to mention the Brady and I heard a bear growl on our evening hike in bear country. We made it out alive, thanks to noisy kids and breaking out in song. "The Hills are Alive" never sounded so good!

2008-07-17T13:01:00.000-07:00

Trip to Spokane

2008-07-04T09:58:00.000-07:00

When Grandma and Grandpa Carter came, we took a trip to Riverfront Park in Spokane.

"Sometimes the Snow comes down in June"

2008-06-19T09:04:00.000-07:00

The snow flurries that started, ended up dumping huge flakes all morning and accumulated about 1 1/2 inches of white stuff!

The "green" picture I took was on June 8th. All the trees had leaves and the flowers were blooming. The "winter" pictures were taken June 10th. No worries though, our garden is flourishing!

Fur Elise

2008-06-10T11:12:00.001-07:00

At the Piano Recital, Josh had memorized Fur Elise. He played it excellently and had rave reviews from the audience!

Planting a Flower

2008-06-10T11:08:00.000-07:00

Jace went on a Field Trip to the high school. They had a petting zoo, potato sack race, and climbed up in a tractor! It was a hot day until the lightning and thunder sent a rain storm.

Golfing or Baseball?

2008-05-19T10:59:00.000-07:00

An evening at the Driving Range. The boys got a new set of Golf Clubs and used them well!

2008-05-19T10:55:00.000-07:00

A Bicyclist is Born! Jace has now joined the 2 Wheeler Club! At first, he rode around on training wheels, then Brady took them off, and then Jace took off! Way to go Jace!

2008-05-19T10:45:00.000-07:00

Worn out after a long day. . . I think Jairden and the cars tracked about 500 miles that day.

Kamiak Butte

2008-05-12T21:42:00.000-07:00

Josh, cousin Talmadge, Jairden, and Jace overlooking the Palouse from the top of the Butte.

At dusk, the boys make their journey back down the trail.