Wicked

On Thursday, March 19th, a huge group of us went and saw Wicked. It was awesome!! I highly recommend seeing it if and when you can. The music was fantastic and the dialogue was very well written. I loved it. Both Whitney's sisters came to see it, along with theirt husbands,other family and friends. It is in San Francisco until September. Awesome!!!

Ok, next topic:

We had all the Lowe cousins here for about four days. That was great for all the kids. They played alot together. It was nice to hang out with Whit's sisters too. I had spent time with Cassie on our big trip, but didn't get a chance to spend time with Diana. It was fun to sit around and talk and play games and laugh at people on YouTube (Jake, cough).

When Diana was here, we all went to Muir Woods by San Rafael. It was a really neat place to go. This is Jared showing Daddy the banana slugs that live there.

These are all the Lowe cousins (minus Ashlyn because she was asleep).

Jared split his head, again. This time he had to get 4 stitches; not just 2 staples. I took these pics for posterity's sake. Apparently, Jacob pushed Jared off the chair in their room and Jard fell back and hit his head on a toy with a charp edge. Lovely. Jared came out crying. So I bend down over the top of him to kiss it better and realize the back of his shirt was soaked. My first thought was, where did he get the grape juice? My next thought was, crap. My third thought was, Whit's not here. Great. SO I called my mother in-law. She and Cassie came over and took Jacob and Sarah to her house while I took Jared to the hospital. We were there about 2 1/2 hours, which is better than the last time around. I am very proud of myself for not freaking out and for holding it together. But, man it would have been nice to have Whit there so I could stand outside the room while they stitched him up. I know that Whit would have come if I have asked him, but I knew it was more important for him to stay at the academy that night when it wasn't a serious injury. I love you Whit.

Happy Birthday to Jacob!! I was really excited about how the cake turned out. One of my new hobbies is cake decorating. I had d0ne some really cute cupcakes for a baby shower earlier in the month.

And the last picture is Sarah doing her stink bug walk. Absolutely adorable. She will be 10 months on the 8th. This year has seemed to go by so fast. And yet it feels like the Academy will never end. Just 6 1/2 more weeks!! Yay! We should find out in the next week or so where Whit will be working. His top choices were all in the bay area so the chances of us having to move are small. I am keeping my fingers crossed, though.

Sharing Moment

I love how service is a circle. It's like those insurance commercials. You see service or have a service done to you and you in turn serve someone else. I have been able to serve a friend of mine a lot lately. They are going thru a rough patch with their families and work, plus she is having a baby on Monday. They don't have a car right now and she is supposed to be on bed rest, but with two kids already that is hard. So I gave her a ride to her doctor appt today. Then she watched the kids while I went grocery shopping. We hung out after I got back and instead of going home for dinner, she called the lady who was bringing their dinner and had her drop it off at my house. So the sister came over with her daughter and we chatted. She forgot something at home so ran back to get it, bringing two other daughters and we talked some more. Then we realized the time. She told me she would be back to help clean up the kitchen. Sage (the friend) left with her kids and I got mine ready for bed. Julie came over to play a game and the sister came back with one daughter and cleaned my kitchen. Now, she hadn't started out the day giving service to me, but she ended it that way. I started the day with service and ended being the recipient. I am always amazed at how it goes around and comes around. You serve others and in turn are served. It is such a blessing. I am so grateful I have the ward family we do. I am grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the knowledge that the family is the most important unit. I love my savior for all He has blessed me with. We have been so blessed, especially with Whitney in the academy. I Know that Christ loves me. I see His hand in my life every day. I am grateful for my children, even when I don't feel it at that moment. They bring meaning and happiness to my life. I love my husband and despite the creepy dreams I have been having, I know that we will stay strong and be together forever. Thank you for listening to my sudden tangent. But I know the power of service and I am grateful for those that can and do for others. It is that Christ-like love that other people see and will draw them to our savior. Thank you all for your support and love.

New Addition!!

So, I have a new nephew. On Feb. 28 (my dad's birthday. Happy Birthday, Dad!) Mason Elias Carter was born to Willow (my sister in-law) and JD (my bra). He's a cute little bundle, but definately looks like a newborn. He is going to be handsome, for sure. Congrats, guys! We love you!!

It's gone!

I went from this....

to this!!
I have been thinking about cutting it for a while. I like it long, but Sarah loves to pull on it and it hurts. Plus it was starting to get heavy and was giving me headaches. I wish I could grow it out, but I guess I will just have to admire it on other women. I do like it short though, too. And I think it looks good, if I do say so myself. I can't wait for Whit to see it this weekend. He knew I was getting it cut, but I don't know if he remembered it was happening this week.

Pictures

Okay, here we go. This is a short recap of our trip. I haven't been able to get on till now because we were settling back in to our routine and the kids were sick for a week. That sucked. But now they are better and I feel more at home so, here we go.

This was the fam not letting my dad sleep in. My brother and sister are here too. Poor grandpa.

It's snow!! Jared actually wasn't very enthused about the snow. He thought it was pretty to look at and talk about playing in, but not actually doing it.

Jacob enjoyed the snow. He and Dell (my nephew) hada snowball fight. I showed Jacob how to make snowballs but he wanted me to do it.

This was our snowman. YOu would think with all the kids we could have made it bigger, but I was running herd on them and trying to make a snowman. We'll make a bigger one next time.

Ammon and I took the kids to Temple Square. It was really cool to be there after som many years of not seeing it during Christmas. The boys really enjoyed all the lights. Well, I did too.

I really liked all the statues, especially this one. I like that they put it in the reflecting pool. It's a really cool image.

I was really pleased with the way this one turned out. I am getting a 5x7 and framing it. I love going to Temple Square. There is something about just being there that calms my spirit and gives me peace.

The last time the four of us were together was 2 years ago. I guess that's not too bad but it felt like it had been forever. My sister lives in Kansas, my older brother in Utah, and my younger brother is joining the Marines. He goes off to boot camp next month. I pray that he will do well.

Ellie is so adorable. SHe is getting a baby brother next month and so was practicing her big sister skills with Sarah. I think she'll be great.

Jacob and Ellie had lots of fun together. Jacob was whacking himself on the head and they both were just laughing so hard. It was way cute.

This is a trick Sarah picked from who knows where. She did it the whole we were at JD and Willow's house. It was hilarious.

I took the kids to the Train Museum in Ogden. They really enjoyed seeing the model trains that were set up and they had a little rookm with a train track set up that the boys could play with. That was their favorite part. We also took them to Air Base Museum but apparently we didn't get any picutres this time. Oops.

Jared decided he needed decorations on his face and took a header down the stairs outside the church. Ouch.

This is one of my best pals, Jesse., and his fiance Kiersten. They are getting married May 16th. They had failed to consult me on this decision and therefore I won't be able to go since Whit graduates on the 15th. Rude (hehehe). By the way, I realized that shirt is not very flattering on me in pictures.

Another pal of mine, Natalie. I am really glad I got to see her since I hadn't since beofre I moved to Az which was like, 7 years ago. It was great to see her even for only a couple of hours. I hope they take me up on my offer and come visit. Next time we go to Utah I will make sure and let her know ahead of time so we can kick it.

Our next stop was Las Vegas where we spent four relaxing days with Cassie and her crew. I really enjoyed that time. Cassie and I get along really well but we have never spent consecutive time together. So that was nice to have a chance to talk and dwell in each others' space. Thanks, Cass!! Oh, this was Sarah's first time in the swing. therefore, the picture.

At one end of The Strip they have Town Square which is a bunch of shops and this play area for the kids. That was really nice. The kids loved it. This is Brielle, Jacob and Jared. Cute kids.

Jared did not want to sit on that unicorn but hey, the pic is more important than your child's feelings right?

We went to the MGM Grand to watch the Lion feeding. That was really cool. I got some pics and some video. the boys that it was awesome!

Brooklyn was also practicing her older sister skills since Cass is due June 20th with #3. Congratulations!! That was also my due date with Sarah, by the way. It's a lucky due date.

All five of these munchkins in one house. They actually did very well. Aren't they cute?

Cass, we are awesome to survive three girls and two boys. I love you. I can't wait to visit again!

Our last stop was my parents' house in Pine, Az. I took the boys to the creek and they found joy in throwing rocks into it. Who knew.

I was able to see my old drama teachers, the Silers, while in Az. It was really great to see them. You ever have those dreams of being back in school? Well, I am hoping now I had a chance to go back and see some old haunts, I won't have those. They're really irritating.

Sarah figured out how to climb the first stair. At least she didn't start walking on the trip. Whitney would have been really sad if he missed that.

My friend Adrianna and I. I haven't seen her since I got married. It was really good to see her and meet her fiance. They are getting married on Thursday. Congrats A'!

On my birthday we took the kids to the Phoenix Zoo. The boys loved all the animals. They always enjoy the zoo. Sarah enjoyed her stroller. That was the extent of her enjoyment.

My boys are so cute. We had fun on all the rocks and various stones and statues. They make great picture locations.


Sarah loves her grandpa. And he is kinda sweet on her too.

And finally, this was us that the Zoo. Whit, we wish you could have been with us on our trip. I missed him a lot but I am really glad we took this trip. I enjoyed the time with my family and appreciated more the time I get to spend with Whitney. Thank you all for the support you have given us. He is halfway there. Yeah!!!!

Retarded

Ok, so it's more than a couple days since my last post, and still no pics. Here's the thing. Apparently my parents hadn't considered the possibility that I would need to upload pics from my camera to one of their computers at some point when I would be visiting them in AZ and not have access to a different computer, since none of their computers have SD ports, and I can't go through their camera because my sd card is bigger than theirs. How retarded is that?! So, I guess I will have to wait until I get home to upload pics, but there will be a slew of them. Here's a quick update: While in Utah, I took the kids to the Railroad Museum in Ogden. That was nice. They enjoyed seeing all the trains. They have a room where a mini train track is set up and kids can play with the trains. That was their favorite part. We left last Wednesday and drove to Las Vegas where we spent the weekend with Cassie and Jake. That was fun. I know Cassie thought it was boring because we werent partying every night, but I really enjoyed the time we spent. The boys really liked spending time with Brooklyn and Brielle. Congrats again, Cass. I am so excited for you and Jake! It will be fun to get together again in March.
While there we took the kids to the Town Square, which is at one end of the strip and is a square block of shops and a kids' play area in the middle. The kids had a blast. Then we went to the MGM to see the Lion feeding. They really liked that too. Next time we are going to go see the fountains at the Belagio. That will be fun.
Monday we left and drove to Pine, Az. I have enjoyed being back at my parents' house. I hadn't been back since our wedding reception, so this has been nice. Yesterday we went into Payson and I visited my old work and stopped at the high school to see my drama teachers. That was really nice. WE probably visited for a half hour and we took some pics. Other than that it has been pretty low key. I feel like for the first time on our trip I am able to truly relax. It has been wonderful to be with my siblings and all their kids, and Cass and her kids, but there's always extra stress when you have extra kids. Here, mine are the only kids in the house. Thanks to all my family for letting us crash at your homes. It has been a great trip so far. I am almost ready to go home. I miss Whit and I wish he could be with us. I know he misses us lots too and that gives me comfort; to know he misses me as much as I miss him. I don't think he expected it to be so hard being the one home all by your lonesome. I love you, babe!!
We will be here till Friday, then spend the weekend with Diana ( I still need to verify that), and head home the following Monday. We might take our time going home though, and cross to Carlsbad, then work out way up the coast to home.
Oh, for those I haven't told, we are having a Graduation party for Whit the weekend he graduates (May 15th or 16th). We hope you can make it. I haven't worked on details but when I have them I will send out the word. Put it on your calender. WE love you all and can't wait to see some of you when we get home!

Snow, snow, snow

Well, I am in Utah and there is a ton of snow!! THe kids love it, well, Jacob anyway. He has been so excited to play in the snow. It was fun to have my parents and younger brother here. They left on the 2nd. It was also nice to have my sister here. She left yesterday. It was great to have a chance for all of us to be together. That hadn't happened for a couple of years. I wish Whit could have been here too, though. I know he is busy when he's at the academy and that he spares a thought or two for me. I am glad though that he was alone this last weekend so he could get some much needed rest. He was trying to recover from being sick and it would have been much harder if the kids and I had been there. I have been taking pics and I will upload a few in a couple days.