Linen Closet Fun

Today I was cleaning. I know for those of you who know me well this may come as a shock :) However it needed to be done so I decided to roll up my sleeves and get some good scrubbing done. I cleaned my bathroom. Next on the list was the stove, microwave and fridge. While I was cleaning the fridge I realized that my boys were TOO quiet. I decided I better check on them. I went down stairs and could hear them but couldn't find them. Hmmmm..... I followed the sound and was led into their bathroom and then into their linen closet. They are having a sleepover tomorrow night with my cousins Dyllan and Addison and they are so excited. They told me they are going to sleep here when they come. I think we might need to make a few changes to their plans.

Busy 9 days

December 19, 2009 my 29th birthday!

Wow, I really can't believe that I am that old. I did have a little melt down when Mark called me 30 the other day. I am NOT 30 yet. This was a very eventful day. Jake had been really excited about my birthday all week. He told me on Wednesday that he was going to be in charge of the games and I would be in charge of the food. So that is what we did. It was a panda themed party. We started by having a panda bear treasure hunt. We played panda leap frog. Then panda volley ball. And we did a version of duck duck goose with panda bears:) We then opened presents and had cake and ice cream. Jake made my day. We did go to the ward primary party in the morning and the ward adult party in the evening. Spencer was here and he cleaned my house for me while we were at the adult party. What a gem! I think he has cleaned my house more than I have in the last month. Thank you Spencer. December 24, 2009

We have been doing fondue for the past few years on Christmas eve. It is so much fun. A little stressful with all our boys but we keep doing it. I am glad it is only once a year.

We had a very fun Christmas but I don't really have any pictures to post from that morning. I was a little slow with the camera. So strange but we haven't ever been woken up by our kids on Christmas morning. I really thought this would be the year but it wasn't. I guess we will enjoy it while it lasts.

December 28, 2009

Mark and JanaRae's 8th anniversary! Wow I can't believe it has been 8 years. CRAZY! We love being married and the joy our little guys bring our way. I told Mark I love anniversaries because I feel like it is a shared Birthday party! Today we had a babysitter from 1-5 and we just went shopping. Mark was even pleasant about it. We then ended the night with Pizza and FHE. (And maybe a little Wii playing)

To celebrate Mark and I got new shoes! Love them! Mark also picked up a Wii. I have really enjoyed the new Mario game too much. Last night we stayed up to midnight playing! As Ethan would say "I just want to save the princess!"

Who invented this?

And why are we still using them?

My kids did have fun however it took me an hour to clean up and I think I will be finding packing peanuts throughout my house for years!

December 7th

As long as I can remember December 7th has been a holiday in the Carlson home. My parents got engaged on this day. It was a Sunday and they had gone to someone's home after a fireside for banana splits. When my dad brought my mom hers it had a ring instead of a cherry on it. We have celebrated this with having banana splits ever since. Last night we went to Thanksgiving Point, to our favorite ice cream place to get our treat. When we got there we saw reindeer out front. It was so fun for my boys. I was glad Emily had brought her camera so we could get some pictures.Ethan, Jake and Ryan with the reindeer
Me with my banana split. I really wanted to share with Mark since these are so huge but he wasn't in the mood to share so I was forced to try and eat this all myself. Poor me :)

The Hemingway Boys. I wanted to share with the little guys but they insisted on having blue ice cream cones!

Emily and Matthew with their puny banana split. I really don't know why they got one so small. I have never seen one this small at Thanksgiving point.

pantry

Thanks to Mark I now have these! I am really excited about all these shelves in my laundry room. It now feels huge again. It was getting a little crowded with the little plastic shelves we had in there. Mark even went the extra mile and organized all his tools. He was super busy Saturday. Thank you Mark. I love you!

Together Again

Mark is now back and I am back to my normal self. Thanks to my cousin Alyse and her husband Bob. They were heaven sent. The came and watched the little monkeys on Thursday night and I went to Emily's fashion show that she had for her beauty school. I also went to dinner with Jeannie. Her husband was at the conference with Mark. I was actually happy when Ryan came in my room at 6:30 Friday morning. I was again tired by the time Mark got home at 7:30 that night.

And if you are wondering our new punishment for peeing on the carpet is having to wear a diaper all day. They are also responsible for cleaning up their mess.

I just took this cute picture of Andrew yesterday. I had to post it. I think he is so darling. My sad news. All my 0-3 month clothes are officially put away :( I wish they could stay that size for 6 months. I love newborns!

Trying to Survive

Just in case people are wondering how I am managing with out Mark. Today was a rough start:( Mark left on Sunday at noon and won't be home until Friday around 5 or 6, he has yet to give me the full details!
I thought this morning was going to be a good one since I had all my kids bathed last night. I got up at 6 and worked out on my treadmill. I came upstairs and packed Ethan's lunch. (Good thing I got that done early!) When Ryan woke up I quickly changed his diaper and got him dressed for the day. The same thing with Andrew. When Andrew was done eating I put him in his swing and then had family prayer with the boys. Sounding good so far. Just wait.
As soon as I sat down to eat my breakfast with the boys Andrew threw up all over himself and the swing. Yes there was a puddle of spit up in the swing when I got him out. So I quickly bathed him and changed his clothes. As I was washing him Ryan was screaming that he wanted an egg instead of Lucky Charms. I was a little busy at the time and couldn't get his request so he dumped all his Lucky Charms all over the floor. Yes Andrew was in his towel at the time. So I got that cleaned up and peeled him an egg.
Jake and Ethan were being so silly at breakfast they weren't eating. I was worried that Ethan wouldn't be ready for his bus on time. Jake finished so I sent him downstairs to get dressed. Ethan finished shortly after so I said why don't you try and get dressed faster than Jake. They both came running upstairs shortly after. Ethan still missing a shirt. I got Andrew dressed and then went down to check on them. Ethan then told me that Jake peed on the floor. When I asked why he did that he said "because Ethan peed on my bed!" Yes there was pee all over the floor, Jake's bed and box springs. I was down in their room trying to decide how to best handle this. And then Ethan, Jake and Ryan all started screaming (just for fun) hmmm, I was really overwhelmed. It was only 8:09 AM!
I called my mom and told her I needed someone to feel sorry for me. She let me relate all that had happened (through tears of course) and felt truly sorry for me. Then just before we hung up she said, "Be thankful you don't have cancer too" Thanks mom. Things really could be worse. I really am thankful for my boys. I am just still trying to find a good way to discipline them. If I ground them from TV then I won't get my nap in everyday ( I NEED that) There aren't any friends on our street so they don't really play with friends. I would love any suggestions! And I would Love for Mark to come back soon!

Top 25!

Last night Mark and I went to this Fancy smancy dinner for Utah's top 25 student run businesses. It was a lot of fun. Mark's Partner Cahlan is finishing up his master's degree and entered their company Sharp Media into this competition. Mark's company took 4th! Way to go guys. We got there at 6 for the mingle with appetizers. They were delicious! Then we sat down to dinner and the program. The program consisted of Utah's Governor Gary Herbert, Stephen Gibson a BYU professor and entrepreneur, and John Pestana and Josh James the founders of Omniture. They were all really good speakers. I learned a lot about entrepreneurship. It was nice to realize that there were other wives out there that have husbands working LONG hours to make their dreams come true and see that it can pay off in the end. Here is Mark and Me at the dinner.

Here we are with the award


Here is Mark with Dustin on the left and Cahlan on the right. Mark didn't really want me taking this picture because my camera was sooo slow and then he made this face during the picture. He wouldn't wait for me to take another one and wanted me to get one from one of the other wives but I haven't gotten one yet. So sorry Mark for the bad picture.

Here is everyone from Sharp Media left to right

Cahlan and Kim Sharp, Mark and JanaRae Hemingway and Dustin and Jeanie Christensen

PS. Thanks to Emily for doing my hair she got me so excited about the night. She gave me a crash course on what she had been learning in her etiquette class as well as a hand bag full of accessories to chose from to wear for the night.

Happy Halloween!

I took the boys to Gardner Village on the 15 when Ethan didn't have any school. These are the costumes they decided to wear that day. Yesterday at school Ethan was a vampire and last night night at the ward party Jake was batman. Here they are by witch number 1. Ethan is Anakin Skywalker, Jake is a ninja, Ryan a scarecrow and Andrew a little pumpkin thing.
Here they are in this cute little buggy but I didn't capture the buggy that well just the boys.

The boys were scared of this witch I couldn't get them any closer.

Jake the ninja

Ryan the scarecrow

Andrew in the pumpkin outfit. He wasn't very happy that I woke him up and then put him on some cold pumpkins. I still think the picture is cute.

Look What the kid brought in....

I grew up in a home of mostly girls (one brother 7 years younger than me) I never knew boys were so fascinated by creepy crawly things. Now of course after having 4 (5 if you count Mark) boys of my own I am well aware of how exciting bugs, trucks, motorcycles, dirt, and almost everything that I avoided as a little girl are. So Ethan was so excited about this HUGE spider. He even had to call Mark at work to let him know he had a surprise for him. He kept telling me "Dad is going to to love this." Mark wanted it outside. I said there is no way he is going to let it out so let him keep it in until he goes to bed. Well I went to take a 30 min nap and during that time Ethan and Jake let the huge spider out and smashed it all over their dresser. I bet they thought it was soooo cool when the huge sack on its back exploded. Mark wasn't very happy that he was the one cleaning it up since I was asleep. Anyway here are some pictures of the lovely spider before it was smashed. Good Find Ethan!

New York Part 3

Just a warning there are a lot of pictures in this post but I am finally finishing my New York trip blog! :)

On Monday Mark went fishing with the the three boys and Grandpa. Every time our boys would talk to their grandpa on the phone they would say they wanted to go fishing. So they went. Mark said Ryan just played on the grass the whole time at the first spot and he slept in the car at the second spot. So there are no pictures of Ryan on the fishing trip. Here is Jake with one of the fish that he caught
Here is Ethan (and Grandpa) I'm not really sure why Grandpa's head got cut off in the picture :(

Mark with his fish. He said that fishing on church property was his favorite part of being in New York. Thank you Mike.

Side note. I went shopping with Lee Ann and then took the longest nap in the afternoon. I had a lovely day as well :)

Here we are at the Peter Whitmer Farm. This is the same spot where President Kimball stood when he dedicated this building. Pretty Neat!

Here we are at the Hill Cumorah visitor's Center.


We also blessed Andrew in New York at the mission President's home. We did this on Sunday between conference sessions

Here's Andrew with his grandparents. Lee Ann was so cute to show him to all of the missionaries and tell them that he was her birthday present. (Andrew was born on her birthday)

Here's me and Mark what a cute couple if I do say so myself.

Here is Andrew in the and you can see the entire blessing outfit. Each of my boys have worn this (including Mark) I bought the hat when Ethan was born. The top was Mark's I made the pants when Ryan was born (first winter blessing) I have bought each boy their own shoes. Andrew's shoes were bought in New York with the help of Janni and Lee Ann. They were perfect! It is such a sweet day when I get to put my kids in this little outfit.

I think this is my favorite picture that I took of Andrew in his blessing outfit.

I think it is so sweet.

Here is Janni with Andrew.

We had such a nice time in New York it was so great to Be with Mike and Lee Ann. We were supposed to fly back on Wednesday afternoon. We had such a nice morning playing out in the back yard and packing everything up. It was nice to not be rushed. We got to the airport and our flight was cancelled! UGH The lady then acted like it was our fault that we were flying with 5 people ( I guess it was since we're the ones who have had these kids) But she said well its really hard to get 5 tickets all on the same plane (YUP that's why we booked out flight a while ago!) Anyway she said the only time she could get us out was the next morning at 6 AM! YIKES Four kids under the age of 6 getting to the airport by 4:30 not really my idea of a good way to start off our day. But we did it. Oh and did I mention she couldn't get our seats together. And the only thing she did for us was bump us up to first class on the short flight to Atlanta. So we made it home and I think my kids would just start crying if the other kid looked at him. Mark and I were SO tired and I just kept thinking that my kids would work it out. Thanks to a great friend Melissa I didn't have to cook dinner that night. It was so nice. THANK YOU! Any how did we spend our last day in New York. We went right to the sacred grove. It was nice since I hadn't been there since I was 15. It was so special to have Mike tell us all the neat things he had learned from the care taker and then share his testimony with us. I am grateful we had that opportunity. Thanks again Mike and Lee Ann we love you and appreciate all the sacrifices you are making.

New York Part 2

I know I am a little (or a lot) slow at finishing our New York trip but I am getting around to it. WE had a lot of fun seeing the sites in upstate New York. The picture below is the E.B. Grandin building where the Book of Mormon was printed. I think this was my most favorite of all the sites. They had an original copy of the Book of Mormon. I hear its worth something like $300,000 WOW. This is Ethan with Grandpa Hemingway at the E. B. Grandin building

Here is Me and Janni in the Barn. If I remember right it was Brigham Young's Dad's barn? Jannifer and I had a little photo shoot while we were in New York. We had big plans of taking many pictures of Janni with the Fall leaves since her hair is so complimentary however I just couldn't stay out of the pictures :) I think I took more pictures with Janni than with Mark. I'm glad that we can be sealed Janni!

Here's Ethan and Jake in the Frame home. This is where the Angel Moroni appeared to Joseph Smith. It was fun to take this picture and then we went to the Grandin building and they had a picture of Joseph Smith and the angle Moroni in his room. We looked at the picture and I pulled out my camera so I could remind the boys how they were just there.

Here is the log cabin. This is the fire place. Under those bricks is where Joseph Smith hid the gold plates. Heavenly Father protected them when the mobbers came looking for them and they were never found.

Happy Birthday Ryan

Ryan just turned 2 on Saturday. I can't believe how fast time goes. He is such a joy in our family. We had a lot of fun with him. My mom bought the boys these cute Halloween shirts. As soon as they put them on they wanted me to take their picture. Although they wanted their picture taken it was still a challenge to get them all looking at the camera!
Here is Ryan with his birthday cake. We made this pumpkin cake out of two bunt cakes. It was really easy. Mark did the face. We decided on a pumpkin cake because it is one of our favorite words to hear Ryan say.

I think this picture says 1000 words. This is how present unwrapping was at our house. Everyone was so excited!

New York Part 1

Mark and I took our family back to Rochester, New York to go see his parents who are serving as mission presidents there for the LDS church. It was a week long vacation and so fun. This is a picture that I have been meaning to post for a long time now. It is not in New York but it is two things I can't live with out. Andrew and our fabulous hoody towels. My mom's aunt has made one of these for each of my boys. We LOVE them. Andrew is two weeks old in this picture. I think he is so precious!
We flew in to Rochester and got there around 3. My boys all had these shirts on that say My Grandpa Rules. Andrew's shirt said I love my Grandpa. It was fun to see Mike and LeeAnn again. It had been way too long. I got a little teary eyed as I watched Ethan run up to Mike and give him a HUGE hug. They sure miss their grandparents.



The first day we went to the museum of play. It was so fun. We didn't get out of the house until 1:30 and we stayed there until close. We still didn't get a chance to see everything. It was amazing. We even happened to get on the news that night. They were doing a story about 10 toys that had been nominated to go into the toy hall of fame. So there was a guy there with a camera and a news reporter. They were filming the boys and I gave them a weird look. The reporter then told me it was for the news and wondered if I minded. I said no. So we watched the news that night and in the background of the report you could see me and Lee Ann sitting at a table. Then they did a wider shot and you could see that rest of our family playing. It all lasted about 30 seconds and we were really excited.

Here is Ryan playing with the chickens and eggs. I guess he takes after his dad.

Jake playing in the "sand" pile. This wasn't really sand. It looked more like teeny tiny beads. Jake and Ryan played here for a while. I sat on a bench (with Andrew in my snugli) and got a lot of comments about having three boys with red hair and sooo young. The people in New York all thought I was crazy. I guess they would get along with Mark! :)

Here is Ethan at the old fashioned radio station.

We also went to the one of the great lakes. I think it was Lake Ontario. It was fun to walk around. It was pretty cold. Both of my boys were pretty excited when they saw all of the sand. I felt bad we could stay and play longer. I think Ethan would have gone swimming if Mark hadn't threatened him with his life. (We didn't bring a change of clothes or towels, it would have been a long ride home with wet children)

Mark and Me with the lake.

Me, Andrew (in sungli, under blanket) Mike, Jannifer, and Ethan. It was so fun to have Jannifer there the same time as us. More to come on that in later posts.