Well, yesterday was quite the day for me. First of all, it was my little Gracie's second birthday. My baby is two years old! How did this happen? Though, she is two going on about 13 sometimes I think. I just love this little girl. She has been such a blessing in our lives. We are glad she came to our family. But, I will have to write more about that later....when I have pictures to put up! We didn't get to celebrate yesterday, as this post will explain, so we will be doing something with her later this week!
So we finally got all moved out of our apartment. Well, we got all our stuff loaded in a UHAUL and Bryant took it to Boise this weekend. We don't officially move out until Friday. We have some friends in the ward who have four kids. A few days ago they asked if I would watch two of their kids for a few days. Sure, no problem--they had an opportunity to go on a great trip basically for free. However, that fell through--so they decided then to go to Seattle for three nights. However, that also meant that I would have all four of their kids plus my own by myself until Bryant gets home Monday morning. Now, they are NOT difficult children. They are actually really good kids. But 5 kids by myself has actually been more than I expected. Did I mention they are all ages 5 and under. I have a 5 year old, a 3 year old two 2 year olds and an almost one year old. No matter how good a kid is, that is a lot to handle!
Things really have been fine, besides I'm just so dang tired from moving and stuff, and then to have 5 kids to run after has added to it I'm afraid. Well, last night I got dinner all done, and the dishes done even. I was sitting outside with the kids since it was so nice out and a good chance to get some energy out before bed. Well, my poor little Gracie was climbing on the deck to come see me (she wasn't being naughty or anything!), and she lost her footing and fell and smacked her head against the wooden deck. This resulted in a HUGE gash on her head above her eye that was gushing blood. So here I am all by myself with 5 kids, and one of them needs to go to the ER.
Luckily/miraculously a lady from the ward came right over and took care of the kids while I took Gracie to the ER. 4 1/2 hours later, we left with four stitches in her head and a very very tired two year old. What a happy birthday present huh?! Poor baby.
I also found out yesterday, that my sister Kristin is still really sick. The medicine they've given her has not worked, and she is just about at her breaking point. Between being in constant pain, to having no sleep because of it, to still trying to do the missionary thing, she has just had it. So, it has been a worry for all of us. I mean, nobody wants to see someone in pain...especially someone you love.
So yesterday will forever be a day I will always remember. I will always love the date "August 21" because that was the day I finally became a Mommy! However, the date August 21, 2010 will also be a date I wish never ever to repeat again EVER!
And so, we will celebrate Gracie's birthday sometime this week with some good friends before we leave on Friday--and once we do that I will post more about my precious little girl.
AND on a good note, Bryant get home tomorrow morning, so I have survived the hardest part of watching 5 young children by myself I think!
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Friday, August 20, 2010
Starting the Next Chapter of our Lives
Well, Bryant left this morning for Boise with a UHAUL full of all of our stuff. It's so hard to believe our time in Spokane is over already. We have enjoyed Spokane. It has been fun to experience a new place, and live so close to stuff. We have enjoyed several weekend trips to Seattle along with several Mariners games, visiting the many city parks, going to Coeur D'Alene, Cataldo, Ferregate State Park and Lake Pond Oreille a few times as well. That's not to say that moving to a new place with NO family or friends and a brand new baby didn't have it's challenges. Not to mention a husband that started a very demanding and difficult graduate school program on top of it all. But it has been a great adventure. We've made some friends, we've grown closer together as a family, and we've especially learned, that home can be anywhere as long as we're together.
Bryant and his entire PT class took their big comprehensive exam last week. They have spent the entire summer getting ready for this test. It was a 7 hour long exam that included every class, lab, practical, etc from the past two years. Needless to say, I think all the students were nervous about it and quite anxious to get it over with. Especially after the hundreds of hours they each spent going over all their notes from every class over the past two years! I am so happy and proud to report that every single one of them past the exam! What a great accomplishment for each of them. I have seen how hard Bryant has worked these past few years. This Doctorate Degree has been no small feat, and I think he has done extremely well trying to balance class and studying with spending a little time each day with Gracie and I. He is an amazing person, a wonderful father, and the best eternal companion I could ever have hoped for.
And now, it is time to finish this last leg of grad school. The class part of his program is over with. YEAH! Now, he gets to take the last two years worth of information and put it to actual practice. We leave next Friday for Eugene Oregon, where he will be doing his first 10 week internship at a pediatric therapy facility. He is very excited for this internship in particular. Bryant is very good with kids, and this clinic seems to be top notch. We will have our baby in Eugene in about 7 or 8 weeks. Our lives are definitely going to continue to change for a while longer. Around the 1st of December we will head to Boise where Bry will do his last two internships. One at an Advanced Care facility and one at St. Lukes hospital. Looking back at how incredibly fast the past two years have gone, I can't imagine how fast the next 9 months will go before he officially graduates!
And so, it's time to say goodbye to Spokane. It has been a good experience for our family, and we are looking forward to starting this next chapter in our lives and the many wonderful things it's sure to bring us!
Bryant and his entire PT class took their big comprehensive exam last week. They have spent the entire summer getting ready for this test. It was a 7 hour long exam that included every class, lab, practical, etc from the past two years. Needless to say, I think all the students were nervous about it and quite anxious to get it over with. Especially after the hundreds of hours they each spent going over all their notes from every class over the past two years! I am so happy and proud to report that every single one of them past the exam! What a great accomplishment for each of them. I have seen how hard Bryant has worked these past few years. This Doctorate Degree has been no small feat, and I think he has done extremely well trying to balance class and studying with spending a little time each day with Gracie and I. He is an amazing person, a wonderful father, and the best eternal companion I could ever have hoped for.
And now, it is time to finish this last leg of grad school. The class part of his program is over with. YEAH! Now, he gets to take the last two years worth of information and put it to actual practice. We leave next Friday for Eugene Oregon, where he will be doing his first 10 week internship at a pediatric therapy facility. He is very excited for this internship in particular. Bryant is very good with kids, and this clinic seems to be top notch. We will have our baby in Eugene in about 7 or 8 weeks. Our lives are definitely going to continue to change for a while longer. Around the 1st of December we will head to Boise where Bry will do his last two internships. One at an Advanced Care facility and one at St. Lukes hospital. Looking back at how incredibly fast the past two years have gone, I can't imagine how fast the next 9 months will go before he officially graduates!
And so, it's time to say goodbye to Spokane. It has been a good experience for our family, and we are looking forward to starting this next chapter in our lives and the many wonderful things it's sure to bring us!
Friday, August 13, 2010
Missionary update
For all those interested I thought I would give a quick update on the very special missionaries in my life....my mom, my dad and my sister!
I just got a message that my parents visa's are in for Mongolia! All the fretting about if they would be delayed, how long they would be delayed, if they would have a mission call change, etc is over! They are in fact going to Mongolia. All I can think is that they have some very important work to do over there! As of right now, they are scheduled to fly out of Salt Lake a week from Sunday--August 22. What an adventure this next 18 months will be for all of us. I can't lie, I will miss them horribly. Even the past week since they've been in the MTC has been a bit of an adjustment since I can't just call and talk to them whenever I want, and I still have been able to talk to them a few times! But I know they are needed in Mongolia more than I need them right now, and I also know that our entire family will be blessed for their service and sacrifice! Please keep them in your prayers as they prepare for the very long journey to Mongolia and as they serve the Lord for the next year and a half.
Kristin is not doing well health wise. She has been transferred to a new area and is with a new companion that she just loves. However, she had to have emergency oral surgery last week. Somehow she got an infection in her jaw and the infection just continued to spread down her entire jawline. I guess she finally went in to the Dr/Dentist and he was worried the infection would go down to her windpipe and cut her breathing off. She has been in a great deal of pain from the surgery. From what I understand she had to have her entire jaw cut open and she had horrible infection cleaned out down her entire jaw-line as well. The pain medication they gave her is not working well either so she is really struggling.
On top of this, she is having some fairly severe stomach issues. She is going in for a stomach scope and ultrasound on Wednesday to find out what is going on, but the Dr. is pretty sure it's either gallbladder, pancreatitis or ulcers, but they haven't been able to determine which one.
Kristin is loving her companion (Sister Stoehr), and she loves her new ward as well. They are having wonderful success, but she is discouraged at the moment because she simply doesn't feel good and she is in a lot of pain. Please please, keep her in your prayers. From personal experience, it is SO hard to be sick when you are a missionary. There is nothing quite as discouraging as not being able to do what is expected of you, and feeling guilty for it...though I think she and her companion are staying pretty busy despite everything!
So, that is the update for now. I know there are a few of you who read this that know my family, and I also like to have a little journal to look back on--and this blog is the best thing I have since I am a horrible journal writer!
I just got a message that my parents visa's are in for Mongolia! All the fretting about if they would be delayed, how long they would be delayed, if they would have a mission call change, etc is over! They are in fact going to Mongolia. All I can think is that they have some very important work to do over there! As of right now, they are scheduled to fly out of Salt Lake a week from Sunday--August 22. What an adventure this next 18 months will be for all of us. I can't lie, I will miss them horribly. Even the past week since they've been in the MTC has been a bit of an adjustment since I can't just call and talk to them whenever I want, and I still have been able to talk to them a few times! But I know they are needed in Mongolia more than I need them right now, and I also know that our entire family will be blessed for their service and sacrifice! Please keep them in your prayers as they prepare for the very long journey to Mongolia and as they serve the Lord for the next year and a half.
Kristin is not doing well health wise. She has been transferred to a new area and is with a new companion that she just loves. However, she had to have emergency oral surgery last week. Somehow she got an infection in her jaw and the infection just continued to spread down her entire jawline. I guess she finally went in to the Dr/Dentist and he was worried the infection would go down to her windpipe and cut her breathing off. She has been in a great deal of pain from the surgery. From what I understand she had to have her entire jaw cut open and she had horrible infection cleaned out down her entire jaw-line as well. The pain medication they gave her is not working well either so she is really struggling.
On top of this, she is having some fairly severe stomach issues. She is going in for a stomach scope and ultrasound on Wednesday to find out what is going on, but the Dr. is pretty sure it's either gallbladder, pancreatitis or ulcers, but they haven't been able to determine which one.
Kristin is loving her companion (Sister Stoehr), and she loves her new ward as well. They are having wonderful success, but she is discouraged at the moment because she simply doesn't feel good and she is in a lot of pain. Please please, keep her in your prayers. From personal experience, it is SO hard to be sick when you are a missionary. There is nothing quite as discouraging as not being able to do what is expected of you, and feeling guilty for it...though I think she and her companion are staying pretty busy despite everything!
So, that is the update for now. I know there are a few of you who read this that know my family, and I also like to have a little journal to look back on--and this blog is the best thing I have since I am a horrible journal writer!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Here's an update on "Elder and Sister Carter"
Well, my Mom and Dad have officially entered the MTC! I can't believe the time has gone by this quickly. They went into the MTC on Monday, and so far they are LOVING it! It's different for senior couples. They are busy, but they have a few hours every evening free. I was able to talk to them for a few minutes last night. This is really a new experience for both of them, since my dad is a convert to the church and never had the opportunity to serve a mission when he was younger, and though my mom served a mission, they did not have the MTC back in those days!
They have really enjoyed meeting the other senior couples, and seeing all the young missionaries as well. Right now there are more than 2,300 missionaries at the Provo MTC going to every mission around the world! It is amazing how no matter what is going on in the world "Nothing can stop the work from progressing!"
The last word we heard about two weeks ago was that their visa's to Mongolia have been delayed. They were scheduled to fly out August 19, and somebody must be very optimistic because now they have them scheduled to fly out August 22. Maybe a miracle will happen and they will be able to leave almost on schedule! If they do have a few weeks to wait however, they are hoping to stay in the MTC and join the Mongolian class for a few weeks. It will be a great opportunity for them to learn a few basic phrases, how to say a simple pray, and learn how to bear their testimonies. Those were the first things I learned in the MTC (though I just had to learn French which is MUCH MUCH easier than Mongolian!)
Their was another senior couple who were called to Mongolia but had their mission call changed in the MTC a few weeks ago. However, we aren't sure they were changed for visa purposes. My parents learned that they have called four young missionaries to Mongolia again, and miraculously, all four of their visa's have come through. The only Mongolian's visa's the church has been able to get in the last year have been the new mission president's and his wife...until now. Somehow, I have a feeling they are in fact going to make it over there at some point. It may be a few weeks later than expected, but I just don't know that they will have a mission call change. Mongolia seems right for them!
If anyone is interested, their address at the MTC is:
Elder Carter and Sister Carter
Missionary Training Center
2005 N. 900 E.
Box 76
Provo, UT 84604
Again, they will be there at least until August 22, and i will keep an update on when they actually leave with current addresses!
I am so proud of my parents for putting everything else on hold so they can serve the Lord. They have wanted to do this for so long...ever since I can remember they have talked about serving a mission together. It is hard to leave your family behind. With a new grandbaby on the way, my brother off to Iraq this fall/winter, my sister on a mission herself (and quite sick at the moment), etc...they have a lot of excuses to stay home. They are making a lot of sacrifices to do this, but I know they will be so blessed as they dedicate this next 18 months to building the Kingdom of God!
They have really enjoyed meeting the other senior couples, and seeing all the young missionaries as well. Right now there are more than 2,300 missionaries at the Provo MTC going to every mission around the world! It is amazing how no matter what is going on in the world "Nothing can stop the work from progressing!"
The last word we heard about two weeks ago was that their visa's to Mongolia have been delayed. They were scheduled to fly out August 19, and somebody must be very optimistic because now they have them scheduled to fly out August 22. Maybe a miracle will happen and they will be able to leave almost on schedule! If they do have a few weeks to wait however, they are hoping to stay in the MTC and join the Mongolian class for a few weeks. It will be a great opportunity for them to learn a few basic phrases, how to say a simple pray, and learn how to bear their testimonies. Those were the first things I learned in the MTC (though I just had to learn French which is MUCH MUCH easier than Mongolian!)
Their was another senior couple who were called to Mongolia but had their mission call changed in the MTC a few weeks ago. However, we aren't sure they were changed for visa purposes. My parents learned that they have called four young missionaries to Mongolia again, and miraculously, all four of their visa's have come through. The only Mongolian's visa's the church has been able to get in the last year have been the new mission president's and his wife...until now. Somehow, I have a feeling they are in fact going to make it over there at some point. It may be a few weeks later than expected, but I just don't know that they will have a mission call change. Mongolia seems right for them!
If anyone is interested, their address at the MTC is:
Elder Carter and Sister Carter
Missionary Training Center
2005 N. 900 E.
Box 76
Provo, UT 84604
Again, they will be there at least until August 22, and i will keep an update on when they actually leave with current addresses!
I am so proud of my parents for putting everything else on hold so they can serve the Lord. They have wanted to do this for so long...ever since I can remember they have talked about serving a mission together. It is hard to leave your family behind. With a new grandbaby on the way, my brother off to Iraq this fall/winter, my sister on a mission herself (and quite sick at the moment), etc...they have a lot of excuses to stay home. They are making a lot of sacrifices to do this, but I know they will be so blessed as they dedicate this next 18 months to building the Kingdom of God!
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Crazy last two weeks
Well, we just got back from spending about 2 weeks in Boise. We went a week early so we could see Pamela--Bryant's oldest sister who was visiting from Dallas. We didn't get to spend nearly enough time with her, but we did get to do a few fun things with all the kids/cousins. We finally made it into town Thursday night, and Friday we took Gracie, Parker, Bayden and Ava to the zoo. It was a little hot, but it was fun. Gracie is my little animal lover, and she also LOVED hanging out with her cousins!
Saturday the Rodeo was in town! I have never been to a Rodeo and I was really excited to go...especially with the kids. Unfortunately, I am destined to be plagued with weird illnesses this pregnancy I guess because I was up literally all night Friday night with a horrible ear infection. After watching the minutes tick by on the clock, morning finally came and Bryant took me to Urgent Care. Needless to say, I was exhausted, not to mention ear infections hurt so bad. I haven't had one in years, but I guess I forgot how bad they really do hurt. In fact it's been two weeks now and I still can't hear very well out of my ear. It's still full of fluid that the Dr. says will eventually drain out. Oh well, at least the infection is gone and besides being annoyed with my impaired hearing, the pain is gone as well!
Anyway, there was no way I was up to going to the Rodeo (or anywhere else), so Bryant took Gracie with everyone by himself. It sounded like they had a great time. Gracie kept telling me about the "horses and cows" for a few days afterwards!
It was also our cute nephew Bayden's birthday, so we had a little birthday celebration for him and for Gracie.
Bryant had to fly back to Spokane for his last class EVER, and then he drove our other car down to Boise a few days later. We will be "babysitting" my parents truck while they are on their mission so we needed to get our cars down to Boise at some point since we only need one car in Eugene this fall.
My Mom and Dad came up to Boise to drop off their truck to us, and also for our final goodbye for the next 18 months. It was so nice to spend a few days with them. Gracie is just in love with her Bubby and Bampa. I love the relationship she has with them. Even living so far away, she knows who they are (thank you webcam), and loves having them visit. In fact I'm pretty sure she might love my mom more than she loves me sometimes! And I'm okay with that. I am so glad they will have webcam access in Mongolia. I want this new baby to have the same kind of relationship with them as Gracie does.
Saying goodbye was hard, I'm not going to lie. Here I am, 7+ months pregnant, trying to pack up and move, getting all these weird illnesses, and having to send my mom and dad off to a foreign third world country. Gracie will be 3 1/2 years old when they get back and this new baby will already be 16 months old before they ever see her.
The hardest part was watching Gracie cry when they left. She doesn't even understand that they won't be back for a while, but she was devastated watching them drive away on the shuttle. And then once we calmed her down (and me down) and got about 10 minutes down the road Gracie started saying "Bubby, where are you" which made the waterworks for me start all over again.
I guess I'm glad the goodbye part is over with. They go into the MTC on Monday. Right now things are a little up in the air for them. They were scheduled to leave for Mongolia on August 19, but they just found out their visa's have been delayed, so we aren't sure when they will actually leave. They will go through their MTC training and then they will go work in the Las Vegas Temple while they wait for their visa's to come through.
We are finally back home. Bryant is studying like crazy for his big comprehensive exam next week. I need to get a move on stuff and start packing more boxes up. It is hard to do with a two year old running around though! Bryant is taking our stuff to Boise in two weeks!
I can't believe how fast this summer has flown by! Before I know it, I will have two kids! I hope I'm ready for this!
Saturday the Rodeo was in town! I have never been to a Rodeo and I was really excited to go...especially with the kids. Unfortunately, I am destined to be plagued with weird illnesses this pregnancy I guess because I was up literally all night Friday night with a horrible ear infection. After watching the minutes tick by on the clock, morning finally came and Bryant took me to Urgent Care. Needless to say, I was exhausted, not to mention ear infections hurt so bad. I haven't had one in years, but I guess I forgot how bad they really do hurt. In fact it's been two weeks now and I still can't hear very well out of my ear. It's still full of fluid that the Dr. says will eventually drain out. Oh well, at least the infection is gone and besides being annoyed with my impaired hearing, the pain is gone as well!
Anyway, there was no way I was up to going to the Rodeo (or anywhere else), so Bryant took Gracie with everyone by himself. It sounded like they had a great time. Gracie kept telling me about the "horses and cows" for a few days afterwards!
It was also our cute nephew Bayden's birthday, so we had a little birthday celebration for him and for Gracie.
Bryant had to fly back to Spokane for his last class EVER, and then he drove our other car down to Boise a few days later. We will be "babysitting" my parents truck while they are on their mission so we needed to get our cars down to Boise at some point since we only need one car in Eugene this fall.
My Mom and Dad came up to Boise to drop off their truck to us, and also for our final goodbye for the next 18 months. It was so nice to spend a few days with them. Gracie is just in love with her Bubby and Bampa. I love the relationship she has with them. Even living so far away, she knows who they are (thank you webcam), and loves having them visit. In fact I'm pretty sure she might love my mom more than she loves me sometimes! And I'm okay with that. I am so glad they will have webcam access in Mongolia. I want this new baby to have the same kind of relationship with them as Gracie does.
Saying goodbye was hard, I'm not going to lie. Here I am, 7+ months pregnant, trying to pack up and move, getting all these weird illnesses, and having to send my mom and dad off to a foreign third world country. Gracie will be 3 1/2 years old when they get back and this new baby will already be 16 months old before they ever see her.
The hardest part was watching Gracie cry when they left. She doesn't even understand that they won't be back for a while, but she was devastated watching them drive away on the shuttle. And then once we calmed her down (and me down) and got about 10 minutes down the road Gracie started saying "Bubby, where are you" which made the waterworks for me start all over again.
I guess I'm glad the goodbye part is over with. They go into the MTC on Monday. Right now things are a little up in the air for them. They were scheduled to leave for Mongolia on August 19, but they just found out their visa's have been delayed, so we aren't sure when they will actually leave. They will go through their MTC training and then they will go work in the Las Vegas Temple while they wait for their visa's to come through.
We are finally back home. Bryant is studying like crazy for his big comprehensive exam next week. I need to get a move on stuff and start packing more boxes up. It is hard to do with a two year old running around though! Bryant is taking our stuff to Boise in two weeks!
I can't believe how fast this summer has flown by! Before I know it, I will have two kids! I hope I'm ready for this!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Summer Fun
When we moved to Spokane almost two years ago now, we lucked out moving into a ward with two other little girls about the same age as Gracie. It has been so fun watching them grow up together! This past weekend we were able to enjoy more beautiful (HOT) weather and celebrate Summer and Brooklyn's birthdays. They are only two days apart and about 6 weeks older than Gracie is all. So we went to the pool and let them play in the water for a little bit. We then had some delicious Papa Murphy's pizza and watched Summer and Brooke blow out their birthday candles (with Gracie helping of course:) on their princess cupcakes.
Headed to the pool in style! I LOVE this picture! Gracie is so lucky to have such a good Daddy!
The three girls at the pool. It is very hard to get three 2 year olds to look at the camera at the same time. This was the best I could do!
The girls waiting patiently to blow out the candles---or eat the frosting off the cupcakes anyway!
Trying to blow out the candles
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Summer and Brookie!
Headed to the pool in style! I LOVE this picture! Gracie is so lucky to have such a good Daddy!
The three girls at the pool. It is very hard to get three 2 year olds to look at the camera at the same time. This was the best I could do!
The girls waiting patiently to blow out the candles---or eat the frosting off the cupcakes anyway!
Trying to blow out the candles
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Summer and Brookie!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
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