The Watkins Family

Which do you like better?

2011-12-31T02:04:00.000-08:00

Ok, so Crystal and I had a great house hunting trip while overseas. We felt at home while we were out there which made for a huge blessing. Here are two of the many homes we looked at. The reason I am posting these two is I think one is far better than the other, so I have an internal bet going on with Crystal right now on which home would be liked the most. Now I can't tell you which one she likes best and which one I like best, but would ask that you post a response saying either White House or Yellow House. Thanks in advance and I look forward to winning the bet!

Ok so here is the White House! I didn't put every bedroom due to amount of pictures, but know there are 4 more bedrooms upstairs. It also has two more bedrooms downstairs (one for Maids quarters and one for Drivers Quarters)

Front of Home

Front Door

Family Room right when you enter the home

Office (this is downstairs)

Office bathroom

Dinning Room (picture doesn't do it justice it's huge) the table is huge and looks small

Half of Kitchen

Storage (pantry) in Kitchen

Laundry Room

Garage and part of driveway

Master Bedroom

Entrance to master bathroom (this is closet space etc.)

Master Bathroom

Upstairs Hallway/extra family area

Built in (upstairs hallway)

Outside lounging area

Outside pool

Patio by the pool

little fire pit area

Ok so here is the Yellow House! Same as White House I didn't put all bedroom etc.

Front of home

Entrance family room area (as you can see they are still doing to renovations)

Dinning room (yes this one is huge too) notice it is a ten seat table...

Kitchen #1 (main kitchen)

Kitchen #2 (right next to kitchen #1 they call it a dirty kitchen...)

Backyard

More backyard

Master Bedroom

Master Bath

Picture from Master Bedroom balcony

Ok so now is where you go back to facebook or just post here on our blog which home you liked better. I know I didn't put all of the pictures, but both homes had 5 bedrooms not including the maids and drivers quarters. Every room has a bathroom in both homes and both homes are very spacious. Let us know what you think!

Thanksgiving Day 2011

2011-11-29T23:40:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my sister in laws and my mother in law for an amazingly yummy meals :) I made the deviled eggs... I didn't want to crowd the kitchen and I did have two small kids running around keeping me busy. But the food was awesome. The Watkins had a tradition when they were little to go get candy at a certain candy store after Thanksgiving dinner. It is a good long walk both ways so you can walk off a few calories. So we took all the kids minus Livy (who was napping) and then went over to the park to let the kids burn some energy. Pete comes from a family of 7 kids and we were lucky to have 4 kids including Pete there. There was Stacey & Scott Hayes from Texas and thier three kids Chance, Noelle, & Hannah. Josh & Nina Watkins from Illinois with thier two kids Taylor and Brock. Then Sarah Watkins and Richard (her fiance) from Florida with thier son Caleb. And then us from Utah. We were just missing Adam & Angela who live in Japan, Steven who lives in Florida, and Jennifer & Thayne who live in Oregon. But we were happy to get as many people there as we did.

Fun at Grandma & Grandpa Watkins

2011-11-29T23:29:00.000-08:00

We had a good time over the holiday playing games, talking, telling stories, and making crafts with the kids. The girls LOVED having a real baby in the house and would fight over whose turn it was to feed her a bottle or hold her. I was in heaven because that gave me time to read a good book Sadie had lent me :) It was a page turner called "A Bride in the Bargain." Carter was of course the center of attention. I think his older cousins got a huge kick out of his imagination and the random things that came out of his mouth :)

Calebs 9th Birthday Party

2011-11-29T23:23:00.000-08:00

For Calebs (Sarah's son) birthday we had a pizza party and then went over to Pirate Joes for video games and unlimited lazer tag. Let's just say Carter was in HEAVEN. He loved the games so much that when he ran out of coins he went up to the cashier put his hands on his hips and said "I'm going to need some more money." I was laughing my head off. We had a good time besides the big bruise I got in lazer tag from falling over a barrell that was in a dark corner. We had a fun time even Livy got to ride some rides.

St Louis Missouri

2011-11-29T23:18:00.000-08:00

After flying with two kids all day the last thing we wanted to do was get in the car and drive two hours to Pete's parents home so we got a room at the Hyatt across from the Arch in St. Louis. Pete was particularly excited that we could see the Bush Stadium from our room as he is a HUGE Cardinals fan and in case you live under a rock just won the World Series. I just loved the view of the old buildings.

Random shots of the kids.

2011-11-29T23:12:00.000-08:00

I love the picture of Livy in her blue Tinkerbell pajamas and the one where she fell asleep in the high chair. But my favorites in this bunch are the one with Carter reading the library books. Every time we get home from the library he helps me clean the books that I picked out and then he goes through each one to decide which ones we have to read that night. I love that he loves books. I also love the one with Madi & Carter on the table. Those two will think of anything when they are together.

The Witches House

2011-09-29T21:44:00.000-07:00

For the last two Halloweens we have gone to see the Witch displays at Gardner Village. Carter calls it the Witches House. He loves to go and explore all the different witches and see what they are doing. He calls the one with the long black hair the Mommy one because he thinks it looks more like Mommy than a witch..... should I be offended? I don't quite know....

My Latest Project

2011-09-29T21:39:00.000-07:00

Ever since Pete and I have moved into our house we have been updating things from the tile, to the third bathroom, the playroom, extra parking, and the countertops. My latest project was to paint the door and shutters black. It gives the house a little pop instead of all the white. I also painted all the trim around the door and garage. It was a week project but I love the results.

Halloween... Halloween... Lots of Fun on Halloween....

2011-09-29T21:36:00.000-07:00

Halloween for those of you who don't really know me is my FAVORITE holiday. We have started the decorating in September.... like those grocery stores who start stocking candy to early I start decorating too early. From the skeleton straws at dinner time to the house and nightlights. We have also already gotten our pumpkins for family home evening one night. Carter and I LOVE it.

Livys favorite place to be...

2011-09-29T21:32:00.001-07:00

Every day multiple times in the day you can find Liv standing under any one of the eight kitchen chairs under the table. She loves to stand and she feels like this is the best place to do it. She can stand under there for 10-15 min at a time and loves it until it is time to get out. Then she cries for help.

Family Home Evening

2011-09-29T21:30:00.000-07:00

One thing that Carter loves to do is to take the train downtown to the temple. He has been calling it Heavenly Fathers temple lately and loves to go and visit. I don't blame him as it is one of my favorite things to do too. We love the small temple they have on display nowadays too. I took some change with us so Carter could make some wishes in the fountain. I showed him how to do the first wish and said "I wish Carter is happy all the days of his life." So Carter takes a coin and says " I hope Daddy is safe forever." another coin "I hope Mommy is safe forever." another coin "I hope Livy is safe forever." another coin "I hope the bears like me." another coin "I hope Brett is my friend forever." another coin "I want to live with Heavenly Father and Brett forever." Brett you should feel special.... Brett is a friend in the neighborhood. Carter loves to play with Brett.

Blessings

2011-09-26T18:42:00.000-07:00

We have been able to count our blessings this year but one of the coolest blessings Pete and I have experienced this year is going to the baptism of Chandler and Cassandra and then the sealing of the whole family a couple days later. We love the Morley family and have been so lucky to watch them give up things to get an eternal family and see how strong and amazing they are in the process. Pete and I were honored to escort them through the temple process. We love that family.

BYU we bleed BLUE.

2011-09-26T18:38:00.000-07:00

Since Pete is the Elders Quorum President he has to plan a few ward activities each year and this year his presidency decided to do a ward BYU/Ute game with a big screen and surround sound outside. Weeeeeelllll unfortunately BYU got stomped. But my kids looked cute on the bright side :)

The Zoo

2011-09-26T18:34:00.000-07:00

Beth, Kim, and I took the kids to the zoo. Daisey is in Carter's primary and preschool class and Maci and Kaden live across the street. It was the perfect day for the zoo. Great weather and not crowded. Carters favorite animal was the snakes. I loved the elephants and the giraffes. I had never seen a giraffe with black spots before. Livy as you can tell was TIRED and fell asleep for part of the day.

Dads visit

2011-09-26T18:29:00.000-07:00

My Dad came down for about five days this month. We took the kids to park city one day and one day to Temple Square. Madi and Carter love the temple grounds and stuck together the whole time. It was a good visit.

Carters First Day of Preschool

2011-09-26T18:26:00.000-07:00

Carter is going to Miss Brandies preschool. He is so happy to go to class twice a week and has a good sized class with about seven boys and three girls I think... He loves to learn and play. The first day of school he was sitting on the kitchen counter eating some banana bread and said "Mommy are you going to come back and get me?" "Yes Carter" "Mommy where am I going to out my backpack when I get to school?" It was cute because you could tell he was nervous and it reminded me alot of me when I was a kid.... the nerves went away the first day and he has loved it since.

Random Shots of the Kids.

2011-09-26T18:22:00.000-07:00

Carter decided to try and fight the driveway and the driveway won. He was pretending he was the Daddy fighting bad guys trying to get into our house and face planted. It will be a scar for sure. Then one morning the kids were sitting in front of the A/C vent drumming it with the fingers and talking it was cute. I love the backs of my kids heads. I think they are shaped really cute. One night I gave Livy a licorace to chew and when she was done she looked like the Joker from Batman. She loved it. The next picture was of Carter waiting to go out with the guys. They were having a father and sons campout for the ward but it was pouring rain so Pete and Daniel took the boys to a hotel to swim all night and Sadie and I kept the girls and did a slumber party with BBC :) The last shot is of Liv she loves to try and climb things.

They Hayes Visit :)

2011-07-11T23:24:00.000-07:00

Pete's sister Stacey and her family.... Scott, Chance, Noelle, and Hannah stopped by for a brief visit from Texas. We were happy to BBQ with them and have family home evening. Carter loves his cousins and I think they were all shocked at how amazingly well behaved Livy was and how entertaining Carter was with his commentary at dinner :) It was a great night and we as always wish they lived closer :) Carter was hyper once they left. He went into his room and came out with his tie on his pajamas informing me it was time to go to church (it was 10:45 pm.) It was cute and if you look closely you can see the red marks on his neck where he scraped himself getting the tie on.... funny funny boy!

Carter and the "Boys"

2011-07-11T23:10:00.000-07:00

Mom and Livy

2011-07-11T22:56:00.000-07:00

Livy is not much of a cuddler but she will put up with it if you cuddle her :)

Grandpa and Grandma Burches House

2011-07-11T22:46:00.000-07:00

I love this picure of Mom and Carter. I love Olivia in her Cardinals cheerleading outfit (Pete's favorite team) and I love how Carter curls up in Dave's recliner to watch T.V.

Fourth of July Weekend

2011-07-11T22:40:00.000-07:00

It has been a tradition since Pete and I have been married to go to the firework show put on by my Uncle Dean up at Utah State University in Logan. This year we decided to stay at a bed and breakfast called the Riter Mansion. It was a fun experience and Carter loved the Bed and Breakfast. The kids were decked out in thier 4th of July clothes and loved the show. Olivia loved the fireworks until the finale and then she cried. But she was totally enchanted by the fireworks. It was cute to watch her just stare at them. Then Dean sent us home with a huge box of fireworks to do at Mom and Daves. It was a fun weekend and we are truly grateful for our freedom and all who serve to protect our country.

Livy the cutest thing in the WORLD.

2011-06-18T23:27:00.000-07:00

Carter at Universal

2011-06-18T23:12:00.000-07:00

So this particular day at the parks was super hot and Carter ended up in the parks First Aid area to cool down and get hydrated. He had started to throw up from the heat and it was so hard to get him to eat and drink. It was sad but he bounced back with in the hour and it rained a bit cooling things off and after Pete took him for a two hour nap later in the afternoon he came back and enjoyed the day in Dr. Suess Land. It was his favorite part of the parks.

Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal

2011-06-18T23:06:00.000-07:00

We got very lucky and Pete's brother Steve has a friend that works at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter... his name is Scott and he plays Olivander at the Olivanders Wand Shop. He does an amazing 10 or 15 minute wand show where he picks someone from the audience to choose thier wand. There is some magic involved and it was cool. He did a private wand choosing for Pete, Carter, and I which was so much fun. I am telling you I felt like a kid all over again in the parks.... Pete said I haven't seen you this happy the whole trip. And it was true. I was giddy. I loved all the attention to detail and the castle was so dang awesome with the coolest ride I have ever been on. I was next to a probably 10 year old maybe 11 year old kid on the ride and he cried the whole way through it. It was intense and a blast. The week we were there the Weasley twins from the movie were there for "fun" we just missed seeing them.... oh well!

Disney World

2011-06-18T22:53:00.000-07:00

So this is Carters second trip to Disney World and it was totally opposite from our last trip. Our last trip he was scared to death of all the characters but loved the rides. This trip he loved the characters but was scared of most of the rides. He would cover his eyes at the beginning of each ride unless or until he decided the ride was "safe." If he didn't like the ride he would ask if "the board is over because I don't like this board." I guess he has been playing too much Mario on the WII or something. He was so wiped out from the heat he would fall asleep everywhere even though we would take him to the hotel for his mid afternoon nap. He fell asleep at most restraunts. He was hilarious at night though... the picture of him with his feet kicked up on the pillow was taken at 1am after getting back from Disney he would get up on the hotel bed with a drink, bear, and some food and chill for 15 min watching T.V. before crashing again. It was hot as hades some of the days but two of the days we got really lucky and had nice weather. All in all it was fun but I will never do Disney from June through August ever again. I want to go in October next time. Pete and I did the parks in January once and that was perfect almost chilly in the mornings.

Florida 2011

2011-06-18T22:38:00.000-07:00

Here we are on the plane going to Florida. Carter was so excited to fly again... he loves airplanes. He was really good on the plane as always and had funny little comments about the flight throughout. Like "We are not going to fall, right Mommy?" It was a long day and we got to Stevens house by 1am and crashed. We also saw the Orlando Temple this trip. Carter loves temples and he especially loved all the lizards outside this temple. Then here is a picture of us eating at a restraunt called Bananas where they serve Banana cotton candy after every meal. They even have a two person breakfast for $200 called the Millionaires Breakfast..... needles to say we didn't buy that to eat. Oh and my favorite picture is of the card board license plate down in Fanning Springs FL we saw it. We laughed our heads off.... lets just say the couple was definately W.T.

Livy's Baby Blessing

2011-05-27T17:23:00.000-07:00

Olivia was blessed by Pete May 1, 2011. We were lucky to have Monica, Cynthia, and Rachel come from Nevada. Dave, Mom, Tiffany and Grandma Burch from Idaho. The Colgans, the Packards, and the Whitney families from Utah all attended. As well as all our friends in our ward. The dress was made by my mother in law Donna and it was simply beautiful. The pictures don't do it justice because it looks like it was made for a queen. I let her know she can start working on her wedding dress now :) We missed Pete's family terribly and John and Andys families were not able to come this time either which is always a bummer. We are blessed and thankful to have the Priesthood here on earth to bless our family and home.

Carters Playhouse is Done.

2011-05-27T17:09:00.000-07:00

Pete of course did a wonderful job on Carters playhouse. He did the electrical, framing, drywall, and carpet. I just painted the room. We love having all Carters toys in here out of the way and Carter and his friends enjoy the room too.

Livy 4-4 1/2 Months Old

2011-05-27T17:04:00.000-07:00

So Livy as usual is an amazingly good baby. As you could imagine I was shocked when I heard her screaming from the other room. I ran in to find her headband as follows... I had to laugh. She loves to talk to her brother and Daddy and I as well as blow rasberries. We are happy she is ours.

Carter as of Late

2011-05-27T16:53:00.000-07:00

Carter has been so much fun lately. He has been happier than ever. He loves to imagine he is a super hero, or pirate, or cook, just about anything. One day he came in the kitchen and said "Happy Birthday Mom... I made you a cake!" The "cake" is the picture of the mound of cereal below. He truly is an amzaing child and we say on a daily basis how lucky we are to have him.

Easter

2011-04-27T00:06:00.000-07:00

Carter was so excited to see the Easter Bunny but freaked out when the time came. Lets face it this is a pretty freaky bunny. Almost as freaky as my hair in this picture. I got it cut two days later.... oh well. Carter totally dug Easter this year. I was telling him the story of Jesus and why we really have Easter one night last week and he fell asleep... I guess I need pictures or a book or somthing to help me out :) Pete and Carter dyed eggs and we had Amanda and Robyn for dinner... should have taken a picture of that but spaced it with preparing for dinner.... All in all it was a good day besides the quick hospital trip to see if Carter broke his leg when he fell of the tramp and wouldn't walk on it. It probably is not broken they told us after XRays....

Carter... My best friend.

2011-04-27T00:00:00.000-07:00

I tell Carter every day that he is my best friend... it's true. So the other day I had to put him in time out and afterwards he came up to me all upset and said "But I thought I was your best friend Mom." Oh that tugged on my heart a bit. Carter has been busy helping Pete and I finish his play room . Here he is "helping" Pete sand the mud off the drywall. He helped me paint today. He is also potty training and so far we haven't had any poop accidents which I am greatful for. I can handle pee just not poop. He also has a VERY active imagination and loves to be a pirate. We will make a pirate ship and I make a treasure chest with treats for him to find somewhere in the house. Man I love him.

Livy AKA "Little Watkins"

2011-04-26T23:49:00.000-07:00

I like to call Olivia "Little Watkins" because she looks so much like her Grandma Watkins and Pete. She is just like her daddy in temperment too... very calm and happy. She has been "talking for weeks and loves to be sitting up at all times if possible. She is always trying to sit up on her own and is really close to being able to get up there on her own but staying upright is not possible by herself yet. She is seriously my pride and joy. I have heard people call other people sweet before but I personally have never thought anyone was sweet before until I had Livy. She is the best baby ever.

Elders Quorom Pine Wood Derby

2011-03-07T13:27:00.000-08:00

Pete is the Elders Quroum President in our ward and this year Pete and his counselors have put together some fun activites. The first of which was this pinewood derby. Pete made two cars and I made one... well painted it and Pete put it together. As you can tell Pete had a Y car for BYU... his Y car did well he placed first in many of the heats... as shown below.... He is under Peet Watkins... don't know if they mispelled his name as a joke or what. Then we have a picture of some of the wives cars and some people in our ward that I love... enjoy!

Madi and Carters Favorite Spot

2011-03-07T13:09:00.001-08:00

Carters First Time Bowling

2011-03-07T12:54:00.000-08:00

Carter loves to bowl but thinks it should be his turn everytime... He actually beat Pete but Pete made me choke at the end so Carter would win. Granted Carter had bumpers and Pete didn't :) It was funny.

My Valentines Present

2011-03-07T12:31:00.000-08:00

Here are some before and after pictures of my Valentines present. Pete got me new countertops and undermount sinks in the kitchen and bathrooms. I love them. We went with Silestone because it is just as durable as granite but it is the only stone out there that bacteria and mold and mildew cannot grow on. I love the color so much more than granite also... they have better selections of beautiful color schemes than granite. I love the faucets too... we went from Super 8 Motel faucets to pretty faucets :) Thanks babe I love you...

Livy "Talks"

2011-03-07T00:14:00.000-08:00

Livy just for Andy... He keeps asking for more pictures :)

2011-03-06T23:44:00.000-08:00

Livy is getting so big. I can't believe how much she has grown in the last month. She is still such a good baby. Sleeps like a champ and is so well tempered. I almost forget I have two because she is so easy. She is smiling and cooing alot more now and I love to sit and talk to her and have her "talk" back to me. I even caught a smile today and threw it on here.

Random Carter Shots

2011-03-06T23:34:00.000-08:00

Here is Carter in the snake outside the Myan. We took him for dinner and he thought it was so much fun... we had front row seats and stayed for hours. Then we have a shot of Carter painting in the bathtub. He loves his tub time. Then we have a picture of Carters favorite person right now... Grandpa Burch. We were in Idaho for almost two weeks and Carter followed Grandpa everywhere. They played all day long for hours pretending Grandpa's closet was a ship or a hotel or a house.... wrestling... watching Scooby Doo...cooking...eating together. Carter wanted to sleep with Grandpa and Dave was going to do it until I told him he would most likely get kicked in the face at least once. Then he changed his mind... :) Then we have Carter doing what he does best and that is taking care of Olivia. He loves her to death.

Carters Birthday

2011-03-06T21:58:00.000-08:00

Carter turns 3

2011-03-06T21:40:00.000-08:00

I have been working with Carter all year to say how old he was when someone asked. Anytime someone would ask how old he was he would say "Carter." Literally on his third birthday I asked him how old he was and he finally said "Two." Now I can't get him to say three for my life :) He had an Iron Man party and we kept it small since Olivia was only a month old and we didn't want a bunch of sick kids over. Carter had a wonderful time and loved all his Iron man toys. His favorite were the Iron Man heart and sleeve as shown below and the Iron Man that Grandpa & Grandma G. gave him. He loves birthdays because he gets to blow out candles. He won't eat the cake but he loves to blow out the candles...

The best big brother a girl could ever ask for.

2011-01-03T23:33:00.000-08:00

Carter and I decided we needed to make a "Haunted Castle" in which the princess (as seen on top of the castle) is waiting for Mario to come and save her. :) Carter was Mario for Halloween... and then there is a shot of our daily I am awake from my nap but too tired to walk down the hall so I will wait for mom to come and get me.... I love my boy to pieces he is truly my best friend.

Introducing Olivia Lynn Watkins

2011-01-03T23:27:00.000-08:00

We have FINALLY gotten our second addition to our family. It seems like it took forever to get her here but Olivia was born on 12/29/10 at 11:03 am. She came very easy during labor. No real labor pains to speak of and I only pushed for maybe a minute or two. She is such a sweet baby and hardly ever cries. She weighed 6 pounds 12 ounces but has lost weight due to the Jaundice. I put her in some preemie clothes today and they drowned her. She is on the Bile Bed at all times however so clothes are only necissary for going to get her blood drawn to see if the Jaundice is getting better... so far it is not. She has gone from an 11.9 to a 13.4 to a 16.4... basically not good. We are currently sleep deprived and happy to be so because it means we get Livy in our lives. Carter is loving the whole experience and every morning he wakes up and tells me how cute or pretty the baby is and that he loves her. We are truly blessed.

Carters New Room

2010-09-27T21:15:00.000-07:00

I finally made Carters room officially his room... he has been sleeping in here forever but all his stuff was in the nursery. So I decorated and Pete changed the bedknobs to baseballs... clever... and tada! Carter loves his new room and takes everyone to check it out. Even his teddy bear got the full tour from Carter.... it was so dang cute. I wish everyone could have heard him explaining to Maddie Bear "And this is the basketballs... " It was too cute. Things like that make parenting so worth it.

The Nursery soon to be Olivias room....

2010-09-27T21:07:00.000-07:00

The Childrens Museum

2010-09-27T18:12:00.000-07:00

Pete and I are members at the childrens museum and it is worth every penny. We took all the grandbabies (except Brynli) to play. we all shoved into my moms Honda Pilot and had a great day. It is really fun to watch kids explore new things. They spent the most time in the grocery store and it was really cute. Both Carter and Madi knew that you should swipe the groceries on something to scan them. But there were no scanners so they would swipe the groceries on the actual cash register. It was cute.

Grandmas House

2010-09-27T17:56:00.000-07:00

We had the joy of having all of the grandbabies in the same house for a couple weeks. They all love eachother and were so excited to see eachother in the mornings when they woke up. I wish Andy and Katy lived back in Utah because our boys are good buddies. I am glad John and Kel are back. These five kids are really the joys of my life. Soon to be six when Olivia gets here.

Must be documented.

2010-09-27T17:45:00.000-07:00

This would have never happened ten years ago. John vacuuming on his own free will. I felt like a proud papa:) I think Keli has been a good influence for domesticating my brother.

Grandma Knights Funeral

2010-09-27T17:41:00.000-07:00

My Grandma Knight died on August 29th 2010. It was the sadest thing to ever happen to me thus far in my 30 years of life. She was like a second mother to me literally. Helped raise me, gave me advice, feed me, ect. She was alot of fun and full of life and wisdom. I can't wait to see her again. If she was here today I would want her to know she lived a good life and fought a good fight to the bitter end. In all things she was a good example to her children and grandchildren and the world was a better place to have had her in it. Thank you Grandma for everything you have done for us. Love you.

Dinosaur Park With Grandma/pa Watkins

2010-09-27T17:24:00.000-07:00

We took Carter down to Ogdens dinosaur park which was really cool. Carter was really scared at first but by the end he was begging to stay. It was definately worth the money and the drive. As you can tell I am definately pregnant :)

Lagoon 2010

2010-09-27T17:16:00.000-07:00

Now I will go on the record to say I really do think Lagoon is overpriced and not worth the money.... but Carters reactions were so cute it was almost worth it. It was the perfect overcast day and therefore wasn't hot... which for me and pregnancy was great. Carter loved his first roller coaster as he is a thrill seeker :)

Yakima and Kennewick WA

2010-09-27T17:07:00.000-07:00

I served my mission in these two areas as well as three more and I wanted to see way more people on my trip but I was so sick by this part of the trip that the next day we cut the trip a little short and drove straight to Idaho where we admitted me to the E.R. Fun I know.... this makes all you women who have never had children want to run out and get pregnant :) But let me explain in the picture we have Kimmie D. first who was one of my neighbors. I loved her so much.... she has some disabilities but to me they just make her more amazing. She is a wonderful role model to mankind. Then there is Suzanne who is a lady I taught on my mission.... she never joined probably because of language barriers but six years later I still consider her a true friend that I adore and love. Then we have the Lowes.... Carter is in love with Morgan if you can't tell... they were my mission mama, papa, brother and sisters. They are my family. LOVE them. There was so many people I wanted to see and I hope you know who you are!

Seattle

2010-09-27T16:54:00.000-07:00

We loved Seattle. It was such a friendly beautiful town.... The sad thing was I was so sick with my pregnancy that I didn't have alot of energy. But I tried to suck it up so Pete could enjoy it.

The Goonie House

2010-09-13T23:10:00.000-07:00

My favorite movie of all time is the Goonies. I have always had going to Astoria WA as part of my bucket list. So it was something I can check off that list. It was such a cute town on the coast I could totally see why people want to live there.

Sea Side Oregon

2010-09-13T23:07:00.000-07:00

The day we got to Sea Side it was pouring rain. We stayed beach front in a nice hotel and so it was a bummer that it rained so hard the two days we were there. So we spent time playing games and dining out on thier main boardwalk area. It was pretty even in the rain....

The Falls

2010-09-13T23:03:00.000-07:00

Multanomah falls and Horsetail falls are really pretty. We were there over a holiday weekend and it was packed. We were on our way to Portland for a few days but after all was said and done we thought that Portland was overall lame and we wished we would have stayed in Sea Side or Seattle longer instead.

Choo Choo!

2010-09-13T22:59:00.000-07:00

Carter LOVES trains. So we thought it would be cool on our OR trip to take him on a four hour train ride. Of course he took a nap. He always does on trains.... must like the sway! Carters favorite place to be on the train was on the caboose because it was an open air area. He was fun to watch on the train. Super excited. It was a nice trip up to Park Dale and back.

White Salmon/Hood River OR

2010-09-13T22:53:00.000-07:00

This year we decided to go to Washington and Oregon for our summer trip. I have always wanted Pete to see where I served my mission. Here was my first and last area... White Salmon. I lived in the blue duplex and it was probably my second nicest apartment. There are also a few shots of the Columbia River from outside our hotel in Hood River OR. This is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Comparable to Germany in beauty.... I was prego in the first trimester so I was sick as a dog most of the trip. Bummer.

Aunt Amandas Birthday

2010-09-13T22:46:00.000-07:00

So Amandas birthday was in February but lets face it I haven't blogged in about six or seven months :) My mom and Tiffany came down from UT and Keli, Pete, Robyn, Carter and I took her to dinner and a movie and then had cake. Can you tell Carter is Amandas shadow? He is crazy in love with his Amanda.

Bathroom #3 AFTER Renovation

2010-09-13T22:40:00.000-07:00

I really think this bathroom is beautiful. I am so happy I have a husband who has an attention to detail. The pictures don't show how beautiful it turned out but it will give you an idea. We love having a bathroom downstairs and it is nice for our guests who use the guest bedroom downstairs. Great job babe!

Bathroom renovation BEFORE....

2010-09-13T22:04:00.000-07:00

Pete finished our third bathroom downstairs with the help of Daniel Hugely, Jason Jeppson, Jake Ostler, and

Spencer Gardner. Here is a couple before shots. They had to do all the plumbing, electric, move the shower drain, drywall, mud, tape, ect. It was a lot of hours and hard work but it turned out great. I am happy to be married to a go-getter/fix it man. And thanks to all his friends who taught him how to do all this and helped put so many hours in. Oh and thanks to thier wives for letting them come night after night :)

Discovery Gateway Musuem

2010-03-16T23:13:00.001-07:00

Pete and I decided to get an annual membership for the Discovery Gateway Musuem so that we can take Carter a couple times a week. They have free classes everyday including music classes, reading groups, science classes, self esteem classes, art classes, and toddler time. Carter loves it. We usually go at least twice a week and this time we brought Madi who also loved it. They were cute to watch. Keli and I had to jam three car seats in the back of the Volvo but we did it. Brinly slept through the ordeal until five pm when she got hungry.

Rachel Knights Baby Blessing

2010-03-16T23:07:00.000-07:00

Monica had her baby girl and she is a doll. We drove down to NV for the baby blessing. It was a short trip but we were glad we could make it and support Monica in this life changing joy. We love them both. Don't you think Rachel looks like Monica and John?

Carters favorite person

2010-03-16T23:00:00.001-07:00

Carter asks for Madi, Keli, and John at least once a day. He loves them.

The Hayes come for a visit.

2010-03-16T22:56:00.000-07:00

We got lucky enough to have Petes sister Stacey and her husband Scott and the kids here in Utah for a brief trip. Carter loves his cousins and so do we. We wished they lived in UT.... hint hint....

Christmas 2009

2010-03-16T22:42:00.000-07:00

Yes I know we are now in 2010 but I haven't updated since 2009.... but my mother in law needs to see her baby... well both her babies. So Mom here you go! We first have a picture of us at Temple Square. Carter loves to go see the temple and he always cries when we leave. We went to Idaho for Christmas this year and Pete of course had to take carter on the "motorcycles".... he thinks the four wheelers are motorcycles and he love them. Carter was sitting in the sled screaming "Go Daddy Go!" and "Faster Daddy" He is definately an adrenaline junky. The next picture is a MIRACLE. John actually did the dishes after Christmas dinner. Sheer miracle will never happen again. I had to get a picture. And last is one of Carter opening a present. I love him in that outfit. We got him a mini table and chairs for Christmas and a bunch of other stuff I can't remember now.

Our new car.....

2010-01-02T23:42:00.000-08:00

We got a new car today. Pete and I saw this car on the lot on New Years Eve and he talked me into test driving it today. I really didn't think we would walk out with a new car but it was a great deal and a wonderful car with a 7 year bumper to bumper warranty and our old Nissan Altima was eleven years old.... so I guess as Bob Barker would say the Price was Right. This will be Petes main car and I will still drive the Volvo. He is in love with it I think. I was driving it tonight and he said "Your driving to close to the snow." I said "What?" and he said "Your going to get it dirty."

Trunk or Treat in Kernersville NC

2009-10-30T07:49:00.000-07:00

I have to laugh at these pictures of Carter.... He definately doesn't look comfortable. I need to alter the neck to fit better. But Carter loved to chew on the dinosaur claws and he prefered the hat off but once he got around other kids he forgot about the hat. He was cute going from person to person getting his own treats and carrying his own pumpkin. He even said pumpkin for the first time! I love our boy.

I am a BIG boy

2009-10-30T07:19:00.000-07:00

Carters first time eatin cereal on his own. He did a pretty good job. He wanted to do it like his older cousin Jake.

Bubbles

2009-10-30T06:57:00.000-07:00

Random NC Pics

2009-10-29T20:15:00.000-07:00

Here are some random pictures.... one of Jacob and Carter playing in Jakes room. They were being so dang cute that day in there talking up a storm holding a nice conversation. I peeked in and saw them looking outside discussing what they saw. Here is also a picture of Papa reading the boys a book. Jacob asked him to read it and I didn't think he would but he did and they loved it.

Charlotte Library

2009-10-29T19:58:00.000-07:00

It's funny to see how different kids are.... Carter was such a socialite at the reading time and Jake was so shy and quiet.... he totally reminded me of Andy when he was little.... it was cute to watch them both.

Monkey Joe's

2009-10-29T19:45:00.001-07:00

Katy and I took the boys to Monkey Joes one morning to play on all the blow up toys. They liked it but they loved playing basketball there the most. That should make thier daddys proud. You should have seen Katy and I on one of the blow up toys we could barely get over the wall after multiple tries. She is 81/2 months prego I had no excuse. We were laughing hard.

The Pet Store

2009-10-29T18:47:00.000-07:00

2009-10-29T18:43:00.000-07:00

Grandpa G's House

2009-10-24T19:59:00.000-07:00

Here we are in Kernersville at the elementary school park. He loved the dinosaurs they have there...they had about five or so dinosaurs in all different sizes and he would run from one to the other laughing and squealing. And then here is Carter in Grandpas throne. Carter likes to sit in his chair.

Carter Best Buddy

2009-10-24T19:56:00.000-07:00

This is how it usually goes when Amanda is here... Carter sticks to her like glue. He loves loves loves his Amanda.

Halloween tradition....

2009-10-24T19:49:00.000-07:00

Pete and I always carve pumpkins while watching The Nightmare Before Christmas. He hates the movie but I love it and he loves me. I have a good husband. Thanks babe. Pete made the scary face and I did the skeleton. Carter just ran around excited to see them lit up.... and watched the movie. Some pumkin seeds got on him and he said "EWWWW."

Girls Camp 2009

2009-09-26T23:47:00.001-07:00

I love Young Womens. I had been in the program two years and had two great girls camps... when all of the sudden the ward split and I was moved to Gospel Doctrine teacher.... I love that too but I miss my girls!

What we found coming home from the temple....

2009-09-26T23:41:00.001-07:00

Here is a picture of how we found Carter coming home from the temple last night. The babysitter didn't want to move him because he was so tired and upset I wasn't home. He was out cold turkey. There is also a picture of Carter watching our wedding video he was glued to the t.v. saying Daddy? Daddy? And then a picture of Pete and Carter watching World Word on his I phone. It's part of our night routine. Cute eh?

Pictures off an old Camera.....

2009-09-26T23:34:00.000-07:00

Pete and I love to go fourwheeling in Idaho. Here are some pictures I just found on an old camera of an all day trip in the mountains with the Hales, my parents, and Tiffany.

Random Carter Pics

2009-09-26T23:24:00.000-07:00

My inlaws have been in town for three weeks and we have had a good time. As you can see Carter loves them. This is from the hotel in St. George. We went down for three nights so Pete's parents can look at buying a winter home there. The next picture is one of how long Carter's hair is.... yes we did cut it. I love his hair though it is like a wild beast and is hard to tame. The picture of Carter is with him and our neighbor Kaden. Carter loves Kaden the other day Kaden was outside and Carter ran over and started hugging and kissing him. They are good buddies. And lastly is one last picture of Carter in his crib.... he has just graduated to a toddler bed. He hasn't even fallen out.... he is such a big boy now!

Pete Turned 27 09/01/09

2009-09-26T23:17:00.000-07:00

I couldn't get Pete to be in the picture he thought that would be dumb I guess.... But he had a good birthday I took him to dinner and a movie and then brought balloons and cake to his office and then bought him a bunch of presents.... I am glad he is mine and I hope we live to be 87 together.... I love you Pete.... But if you take note you can see what color we have painted most of the house.

Madi and Kel come to visit.

2009-09-26T23:09:00.000-07:00

We were lucky enough to see Madi and Keli this summer.... they have been in Boston and Philedelphia for the summer but they came to UT for a visit and we got them for two days. Unfortunately we all got food poisining thanks to Costco lasagna. I haven't had lasagna since. But it was nice to see them we can't wait for them to come home in a week and a half!

Disney World

2009-07-07T19:10:00.001-07:00

Carter loved Disney. His favorite ride was Its a Small World. He would clap and yell for joy throughout the whole ride. He also loved Dumbo and Finding Nemo and Pooh and Peter Pan and the Haunted Mansion. I thought for two seconds "I wonder if he will be scared in the Haunted Mansion?" But then I thought no way. He LOVED it. He stayed in Disney one of the nights until 11:30 PM and could have kept going. It was so fun to watch him get excited. It was however hotter than Hades and I was glad to get back to the dry heat in Utah. We loved the trip and hope to do it again when he is old enough to leave the stroller at home. Grandma and Grandpa Watkins came with us and we had a good time hanging out and swimming at night at the hotel. Pete would throw Carter up in the pool and let him splash back into the water. He would say "One, Two, Three" and Carter would fly up and and as soon as Carter got back down he would say "One? One? One?" until Pete threw him up in the air again. It was cute.

2009-07-07T19:00:00.000-07:00

Carter and Caleb in the car.

2009-07-07T18:58:00.001-07:00

Caleb wanted to drive with us everywhere we went. We loved it because the boys entertained eachother and just laughed and laughed. It was cute.

Chucky Cheese

2009-07-07T18:50:00.000-07:00

The next part of our trip was spent in Fanning Springs FL with Pete's sister Sarah and her son Caleb and her boyfriend Richard. We took the boys to Chucky Cheese. It was Carters first time and he loved it. He just ran from ride to ride. It was fun to watch. He loves his cousin Caleb so much. It makes us think we had better give him some siblings :) He would just laugh his head off at everything Caleb did. Caleb is six and was such a great buddy and helper to Carter. We love him and wish he lived closer.

2009-07-07T18:44:00.000-07:00

We started off our trip at Uncle Steve's house. He has a nice nine foot pool that Carter loved. Pete's parents spend every morning in the pool and have decided when they move to Utah they need a pool. They are so tan I felt like a white ghost next to them :)

Carter loves to help Daddy

2009-04-30T22:41:00.000-07:00

Anything Pete does is the most amazing thing to Carter whether its using a screwdriver to fix the glider or mowing the lawn. It is so wonderful to me to see how much Carter looks up to Pete. It's nice to know that Carter will have an amazing dad around to look up to and mold himself after. I am glad we have Pete and I know that Carter is too. He hands me the phone all throughout the day and says Dada until I dial Pete and then Carter takes the phone and wanders around the house jabbering about his day to his best friend- his Daddy.

Hogle Zoo with Carter and Jake

2009-04-30T22:34:00.000-07:00

My mom and Dave came down from Idaho to see Andy, Katy & Jake one more time before they flew home. We decided to take the boys to the zoo.... it was a beautiful day and it went pretty good with the boys. The only problem is they like to walk all by themselves and never where we were trying to go. Thanks to Katy's brilliance we made our belts into makeshift leashes but Carter wasn't having any of that. He is WAY TOO independant at times.... but usually that is something I love about him.... so we rolled with the punches and enjoyed the day. The tiger was my favorite animal. I was bummed they didn't have a lion though. What is a zoo without a lion really? Lucky lions I guess :)

Carter is 15 months old

2009-04-30T22:21:00.000-07:00

Carter is just our most favorite person in the world. He is getting much more vocal and independant. He was looking through the newspaper the other day and came upon a pizza add and was saying "MMM... bite? MMM bite?" over and over. It was so cute. He is a blessing and everytime he hugs me a remember how lucky I am.

Tiffany and Jake's Marriage

2009-04-30T22:12:00.000-07:00

Tiffany was a beautiful bride. Her long time High School sweetheart Jake Schenk and her tied the not on April 11th. It was a perfect day and everything went smoothly. Jacob was the ring boy and he was so very handsome. We enjoyed the weekend greatly.

Carter and Madilyn

2009-03-22T18:23:00.001-07:00

Carter loves Madilyn. He wants to be by her and is a little smothering at times. They are cute together. We wish she lived closer!

Momma Lowe and Morgan come to visit!

2009-03-22T18:19:00.001-07:00

My mission momma came to visit (Lana Lowe) and her daughter Morgan (sis.) They were passing through from Kennewick to St. George and stayed the night. Carter cried when Morgan left him. It was a nice visit.

There are certain things dads don't want to see thier sons playing with....

2009-03-22T18:06:00.001-07:00

Need I say more?

2009-03-22T17:56:00.000-07:00

Of course we have to TOUCH, TASTE, and TEAR everything we can get our hands on. I still think it's cute. I may not one day when it's something that can't be replaced. Carter's new word this week is hot. And his favorite things to do this week are walk outside and look at the flowers which he pronounces "owers."

Carter doesn't like to sleep alone.

2009-03-22T17:51:00.000-07:00

Carter loves his furry friends. I just hope he doesn't take after Aunt Amanda and still sleep with his bear at the age of thirty or Aunt Tiffany who still sleeps with my mom at twenty-three. We will just have to see.....