More Elf...

Day 5: Benjamin was found in mama's China cabinet hanging out with the Native American Nativity

Day 6: Benjamin came back from the North Pole peeking out of Carson's stocking

and Today day 7: We found Benjamin upstairs sitting amongst the holly and pine above Muga's china cabinet. 
 

The Elf on the Shelf

On Dec.5th, the South Jordan Merchant's became a household that now has an elf on a shelf... named Benjamin.
Day 1 Carson found him here... Atop our Christmas tree next to Tinkerbell

Day 2: Benjamin enrolled at Hogwarts

Day 3: Benjamin was found in Carson's room riding in a fire truck

Day 4: Hiding in a toy train set

Carson's 3rd Birthday

Every Year I've tried to make Carson's Birthdays better than the last one.  But This year, was out of control!  The Noise level was crazy loud- The Monster University Theme was crazy- The pin the eye on Mike game, The mountain of gifts, the cake and the gift bags for the kids that came.....

Catching Up... Halloween....

Halloween...
Carson and I spent the morning going through grandma's Halloween Box, Trying on many costumes that his uncle once wore, but he went as Mike from Monster's University and Xavier went as Nemo and Zayne went as a Tiger.

Zayne as a Tiger

 

 



October crafts

So this month I have been very crafty...
First, my mom and Erin and I spent 3 hours making this wreath

 I'm pretty proud of myself, although I do have to confess that Erin and my mom spent most of the time helping me tie the 100 yards of tulle while I cut theirs.  Tulle is such fun stuff to cut, not!

Then I made this banner with my card friends, which took me just about as long...
But it turned out okay, I might just try next month  banner too.

Fall Break with My Boys

My hubby bless his heart felt that because my family was going away for Fall Break, that he'd take some time off and be home with Carson and I.  So we took advantage of the time and took Carson to his most favorite place- Hogle Zoo on Wednesday and then met up with all of his cousins-- one set on Thursday and the other set on Friday, but all of them at the same place-- Gardner Village! 

Daddy and Carson at Hogle Zoo

Gray and White Wolves just outside Reptile house

Day 1 at Gardner Village with  Xavier & Zayne,
(Xavier was Camera Shy with the hat on and they wouldn't get out of the strollers) 

Day 2 at Gardner Village: Tanis and Carson



All The grandkids- don't they all look like they are having fun?

All smiles

Rival cousins? No, it just so happens we like Rival teams, 16-13 baby!

Sweet smiles from a sweet boy!

35th Birthday and the Utes Win!

I couldn't ask for more, even though our birthday is technically on Monday Erin and I celebrated our 35th birthday on Saturday-  The Utes beat the Cougars 20-13... and as my lil man says... "GO UTES" every time they score! Here is my little Family before dinner

Here's Muga teaching Carson how to make the U

My little Cheerer

The best part of my night was when they scored a touched down and he started to dance, so I recorded it...

what a birthday celebration!  And to think it won't happen again for 3 years!

unusually smily boy for professipnal pictures

Hey Ya'll-

My lil' man smiled for not one, not two but numerous PROFESSIONAL pictures the other day so I thought I'd take the opportunity to post them and be the proud mama...and also give a shout out to the staff at PicCouture in the District- it was a very enjoyable experience.

I love the 3 where he is looking in

they played peek-a- boo

to get those expressions , pretty cool huh?

I love Zayne's smile!

Trip to Oregon

So after the disastrous trip that wasn't to Lava, but ended up being a fun staycation in the end with daily trips to places around here...
Monday(8th) we went to Smith and Edwards- that place is way fun, you can find all kinds of things there for cheap.  I found pink baby booties for 99 cents! 
Tuesday(9th) we went to Seven Peaks in Provo where I saw an ex boyfriend(whom I almost married) and his wife and five kids!  His wife is pregnant with their sixth and all I could think of was how hard it was for Corby and I to get Carson and how glad I'm not her!
Then Wednesday(10th) we went bowling, then Thursday(11th) we went to Park City to the outlet stores before flying out at 10 p.m. to Oregon
 
We went to Oregon because some members of the branch in a small city that Corby served his mission in were celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary!
We have kept in touch with them over the years and decided to go, We flew into a nearby city Thursday(11th) night and drove down to Oakridge the following Friday(12th)morning and visited with some ladies and the old branch President that afternoon.

Then we're foolish enough to drive back to our hotel and then drive back down for the anniversary celebration the following day on the 13th,  We had a great time though and Carson did very well on his first plane ride.

Adri,  Grandma Beasley  and Carson

Corby, Grandma Beasley(LaVern) and Carson



The Happy Couple of 70 years Dick and Sally Stephens with the 3 of us

It was a quick trip- we flew up Thursday night and came home Sunday the 14th but we promised everyone including Carson we'd come again and stay longer.

Definetely looking out for us

On the 7th my family set out to go on a family trip to Lava Hot Springs... we were caravanning down redwood road- my dad was pulling his trailer and then my BIL Phill was behind him and Corby and I  were behind him.  All the sudden the trailer veered from the middle lane into the right lane and hit a silver car and  truck and trailer went up and over a trax  sign and over some trees before it came to a stop. 
My brother who was in the front seat had the foresight to turn the wheel to get it off the road and turn off the car when my dad passed out behind the wheel.  
We never made it to Lava because the truck and the trailer were totaled, but we weren't 10 miles from home when the accident happened. Luckily no one was hurt in any of the vehicles involved. It could've been a lot worse than it was.  
So we all went back to my parents house and made it a "Staycation". The Lord was definitely looking out for all of us that day.
Maybe someday we'll get to Lava again, apparently it just wasn't meant to be that day.

Mr. Heart Goes to the Moon

On day #1 of getting up at 5 a.m. Carson was doing anything BUT doing what this tired mama wanted and that was going back to sleep...

So instead he made up a story about his favorite stuffed animal...Mr. Hearts( is a white dog with red ears, red tail and nose, and it's covered with Hearts)

Mr. Hearts gets in his moon truck and goes all the way to the moon.  He gets out and hop, hop, hops all the way to mommy.  Mr. Hearts gives mommy a kiss and then turns around and hop, hop, hops back to his moon truck.


                                                           The End

Looks like we have a creative story writer at 2,

Mother's day

On this particular Mother's day I'm giving my mom and my sister a shout out and my mom-in-law made sure Carson was okay because you see, I had 3 seizures on this Mother's day.  Each time when I came to at home, my mom and sister were right there and when I had the seizure at my in-laws Corby was reassuring me that Everything was okay and when I asked where Carson was he reassured me that my mother-in-law Alaine had taken him when she could I wasn't okay.

So, Thank you Ladies

From This Mama to you

 

 

My Little Man and his daddy

So I made an attempt to go to church today even after having had several seizures yesterday, because I felt really good this morning.  No problems before church, so I got ready and went, but there was something about the stuff they had used to resurface the gym floor with that made my head fuzzy and before I knew it, my sweet neighbor was helping me to the car.

My cute little man was telling this sweet neighbor, "This way Chris, we're over this way." Then he says to Corby, "Hurray daddy, get the door open for mommy."  Then as always after I have a seizure he asks, "You okay mommy?" and gives me a kiss

Looking back

Just two short years ago 3 weeks earlier than I had planned, God planned to bring Carson into my life.  I had gone home from work one night planning to get things ready for my sub because my doctor had said, "I think we're going to go ahead and take him early with all the fluid that you have building up."  I never did make it to school to start planning for that sub, because at 1:30 the next morning I went to the hospital and began the Long labor  of bringing Carson into the world.
Things have not been easy with Carson, he's been in the hospital once or twice and gets croup more than I want to think about.  We have a very unique relationship with our pediatrician but I wouldn't change any of it.
Recently my mom was telling me about a teacher at her school who's wife gave birth over Spring Break and the baby has had so many problems being born early that he (the teacher) hasn't wanted to become attached for fear of the worst.  Their baby isn't gaining the weight he needs to.
When my sister-in-law Kaeloni  found out she was having a November baby I gave most of the clothes Carson grew out of to her, but today I took a bag of the preemie clothes that Carson wore and enclosed a note hoping that his son grew out of just as quickly. 
I hope that this couple gets to return those clothes to me and gets to experience the milestone that we

have with Carson.      

Funny Things kids say

Some of you may remember the show, Kids Say the Darnedest Things....  My little man could've been a contestant on the show a few days ago when his daddy changed the calendar. 
In the time that I've known Corby and throughout our almost nine years of marriage my hubby has always had a Country Music Hall of Fame calendar and this year is no exception. 
March's Picture was of Ms. Miranda Lambert

and Carson asked me one day, "Who Dat?" I told him and he repeated Miranda Lambert.  Everyday he saw this picture on our bedroom wall.... until the 31st roll around.  Carson came into our room to have his bedtime story read and got the shock of his tiny life, Miranda Lambert's picture was gone!
He put his hands on his face and said in a very distraught tone, like she had died,  "Miranda Lambert
gone!"  He woke up the next morning and told Grandma and uncle Bubba the same thing in the same tone!

He went around telling everyone that and then one Sunday The ACM's were on, for those of you who don't know, they are the American Country Music Awards... Miranda Lambert was on and Carson saw her on there and said with an astonished voiced, "Miranda Lambert Back, yay!