The Carr Family

2009-02-06T19:35:00.000-08:00

Tagged: Ok, so the picture is from AUNTIE Bobbi's wedding. I think it is a distant view of our kids leaving the church... but I couldn't say for sure...
The week of her wedding was filled with blizzard weather, snow, and wind. It was miserable, but saturday proved to be sunny with snow. Everything worked out perfectly!!

Late post:Tagged

2009-02-06T19:31:00.000-08:00

Sorry about not replying to the tag, I was having computer issues the other night when I was on, and needless to say after finding my 6th folder 6th picture, I was not in a gigantic hurry to post the picture, due to the fact it didn't involve any of my immediate family...

I’ve been tagged to play along with this game!
Here are the rules:
1. go to your documents/pictures file on your computer
2. go to your 6th file
3. go to your 6th picture
4. post and blog about it
5. tag 6 people to do the same
6. smile!

Things I know for sure...

2009-01-27T20:12:00.000-08:00

I have such a feeling of frustration and most of it can not be put into words. I am frustrated with my job right now. Frustrated with my 6 year old daughters snotty attitude, frustrated with Abigail's lack attention to basically anything, frustrated with the dog when he ends up in the garage after I pull my car in, frustrated with my husband being gone, frustrated with not feeling like I have anyone to talk to if he doesn't call home, frustrated with the state of my house and not having the energy to attack it. If you can't tell, I had a bad day.

Through it all, the things I know are: upstairs is the sweetest baby boy on earth, downstairs are two of the most beautiful little girls I know. Beyond that, I am not sure of anything anymore. I wish I cared about the state of my house, but at the end of the day, I really don't have the energy, I mean seriously, I don't have the energy.

Anyway, I had a bad day and need to move on....

update on our family since xmas. RSV hit the house as Ramsey and unofficially Abigail were hit, again... this year, the nebulizer has become our good friend. A seroid, an antibiotic, and several thousand nebulizers later, it looks like we will pull through. Ramsey had his 6 month check up and weighed in at an astounding 22 lbs 14 oz. carrying his toot around is quite a feat!! Note: Abigail weighs 32 lbs. Kalleigh had another great report card. S+ 's in all the important classes and S in social, science and gym...?? whatever... she is doing great. Oh, I almost forgot, Ramsey has a tooth and I didn't even know it!! Felt in there the other day and surprise, surprise! A tooth!! Kalleigh loses one, and he gets one all in the same week.
Tomorrow, Weston comes back from snowmobiling. I hope he is ready to counsel his wife. I feel like I have issues.....?? pictures to come....

New Year Updates

2009-01-08T19:26:00.000-08:00

Ramsey can now sit unaided. Although he has been know to tip over a time or two, it still is quite an accomplishment for the little lad! We will go to the doctor for our 6 month check-up next Tuesday, and get up to date reports on his height, weight and "special skills.."

The girls are back to the old routine. Kalleigh is back to reporting who has gotten red slips on any given day, and Abigail is back to her typical antics. Just the other day she got into trouble for refusing to pick up a mess she had created... I believe she was cutting paper with a scissors, and she told me. " I am angry..." "Where's God!?" I think she wanted to express her feelings to him-how unfair her mother was being! Nevertheless, it led to the it's OK to be angry speech, but you still have to pick up the mess you made... Hopefully GOD will help her out with cleaning up the messes she makes in the future, but unfortunately, he was busy that night!

Weston has been gone fishing at Lake of the Woods and will be spending the weekend at Jonah's in Saint Cloud. I think he may have to go to DETOX after he returns!! j/k but I am sure those boys have consumed their fair share of beverages Monday-Sunday...
I am a little bummed out because I was planning on taking the girls to see The Tale of Desperaux this weekend, only to find out that is will no longer be in Marshall... Bummer... It has been a long time since we have been to the movie and I thought it would be a good "treat" with Dad being gone and all. I guess we will have to wait for it to come out on DVD...

Oh, I almost forgot. Ramsey has 2 new tricks beyond sitting up. The first and most undesirable is his ability to spit his food on anyone within a 5 food radius during feeding. This is a new skill he has accuired and I think he is finally getting sick of the bland taste of baby food and boycotting it! It is halarious to watch, but super annoying, becuase anything you are wearing is covered in baby food by the time supper is over! I have found that he will eat such things like apples and chicken- combined in a jar... and fruit. He wants absolutely NOTHING to do with the turkey and turkey gravy meal. Weston and I were shopping at Walmart the other day, and Wes thought the turkey and turkey gravy, beef and beef gravy and chicken and chicken and chicken gravy would be excellent choices, even though they were a little more expensive.... Ramsey disagreed. He thought they tasted like duky... he wouldn't even let the turkey one touch his lips. I found it ironic that he didn't like those, yet would eat such things as prunes and squash... hopefully that changes in the future!
His other trick is splashing in the bathtub. This is a super fun trick as he laughs at himself... It is fun to watch his personality develop. It makes me super anxious for the summer when we can be outside, camping and swimming...(Note to self- do somthing about your thighs before you have to put on a bathing suit!)
Anyway, life at the Carr house is pretty normal... whatever that means!

Happy New Year~

Busy Bees

2009-01-03T06:12:00.000-08:00

So here is a run down of the activities of the last week.
December 24- xmas eve- church, supper at my mom's, dancing around the tree, opening gifts, going into gma and gpa carrs and opening gifts...
December 25th- Dad's birthday and celebrating xmas with the Johansen family in Tyler.
December 26th- Tim and Angelina arrived for the Serie xmas- and playing with Tante Grethe.
December 27th- Serie Xmas- Abigail's puking rally starts at 3:30 in the AM-actually on the 28th AM...Tim and Ang stayed at our house
December 28th- Leave for hotel in Brandon with Melissa and Chuck and their family. TIM AND Ang leave...Abigail pukes in the car all over herself... gross...Get to the hotel and have fun swimming and doing the waterslide, sitting in the hottub. Abigial pukes all over here Dad and then also in Chuck and Melissa's room....oh- and we also returned a bunch of xmas gifts that were the wrong size, etc. in SF...
December 29th- Come home from the hotel ....Dylan came to the hotel with us so we have him at our house and the kids had a blast playing together.... hopefully Dylan doesn't get the pukes....
December 30th- Meet Bobbi half way at Key Largo to drop off Dylan... have supper at Valhalla.
December 31st- The schreurs girls spend the day with the Carr girls... (They have 3) we had a houseful and the girls had a blast! That night we went to Scott and Teresa's for a New years celebration with the kids....
January 1st-Went ice fishing the whole day with Dad in the new fish house and only caught 1 keeper... talk about boring!! Fun being with the family, but boring not catching any fish....
January 2nd- Had to go to Marshall to complete some paperwork... Ate at Tony's depot- yumm....
January 3rd- have Heidi Thoofts wedding... at 3:00 snow and sleet are predicted at 100% so it could get interesting....Susan and I have altar guild, whatever that means...??
January 4th- We have to greet in church and will have a joint service with Danebod.
January 5th- back to school....

As you can see vacation has not been very restful!!! We have been blessed with lots of family activities!

Frustrations

2008-12-25T19:59:00.000-08:00

Everytime I try and change my background... my pictures get all messed up... if you want to see our newest pictures, you have to scroll through to the bottom... ARH!!

Thankful

2008-12-25T19:25:00.000-08:00

C is for cousins, the more the merrier... Soon 2 more will come...we can't wait to meet 'em!
H is for hustle, christmas wouldn't be the same...racing between houses, sharing the scene...
R is for rice pudding- the nut hidden within...
I is for illness, we are thankful to avoid...everyone is healthy for at least another day...
S is for Santa, who brought presents galore...
T is for treasures, lots of boxes to unwrap...paper and tape...a young child's dream
M is for music sweet sounds fill our house... little girls singing... their voices carry...
A is for Abigail, Kalleigh and Ramsey, our gifts of the season...
S is for smiles as the love increases... Can't wait to see what 2009 will bring us!
Happy Holidays from our house to yours!

Ho Ho Ho!

2008-12-18T18:27:00.000-08:00

Santa is coming! The presents are arriving -God bless internet shopping! It has become my new best friend this season!

The girls are excited and finally healthy. Ramsey is plugging along. We are still trying to figure out the newest member of our family. Yesterday at daycare, all he drank was 1 oz. You would think by the size of him that he was just a little porker.. but that is not the case! It is hard to believe that he can go that long on so little! He must have some good fat stored up somwhere in his system!!

As we approach christmas, the rat race begins. Xmas eve will be spent going between our parents homes in Tyler. Good food, presents, family and dancing around the tree. The girls have gotten quite good at it, I must say! I am sure their dad is super jacked up to partcipate, but he is always a good sport!!

Our lives in the past few weeks have been pretty uneventful... trying to get and keep everyone healthy for xmas is the main focus. It seems like every week we are fighting off another "bug"...

Enjoy the recent pictures...

Both of the girls had a violin concert a couple saturdays ago... we also went to the old fashioned Danish xmas party at Danebod and danced around the tree...

First Eats!

2008-11-24T20:11:00.000-08:00

For several weeks now, Mr. Ramsey has been eating the famous first food of rice cereal (on and off). I decided it was time to move on and expand our tastes. This week we tried carrots and banana baby food. It was a super big hit. He loved both of them, and has gotten to be the little pro at eating. It is hard to believe we are feeding our BABY, baby food. They grow up so fast! It is hard to believe that in a few short months, both Grethe and Bobbi will be having babies! I can't wait!! Grethe was just telling me a story of a friend of hers who has a co-worker who gained 110 lbs while pregant. That is outrageous!

Anyway, it is great for Ramsey to add this milestone to his list of accomplishments. No rolling over yet. He will roll to both sides and act like he is going to go somewhere... but he just can't seem to accomplish the big task!

Side NOTE~
Kalleigh has been FULL of one liners lately...

1st- talking about enough hugging and it being time to start kissing with her Dad...
2nd- the other day she told her Dad she thought she was falling in love with Mason-Brust- just like all of the other girls in her class-too funny-!!!
3rd- She told Weston tonight after he got his hair cut and was lifting weights in the garage that he looked like he could be on the cover of a magazine... What will she come up with next!

God Bless our Children!

Triple Threat!

2008-11-24T19:59:00.000-08:00

If this picture doesn't look like triple trouble! All I can say is as soon as everyone grows up a bit, the flower couch is being replaced!! YIKES. It seems to be the backdrop of all of our pictures. That needs to change!!

Spent the weekend in recovery still. Ramsey is still coughing. I think there is a good chance he has/had RSV. ?? Who knows. The nebulizer has been our good friend for a couple weeks now. Hopefully we are all on the mend for the big Thanksgiving weekend... Going to Saint Peter for lunch, and then off to Tan Tan and Habte's for the weekend. I desperately need to start some major xmas shopping... Anyone have any great ideas?? The girls don't really have any MAJOR wants this season... we will have to see once we are in the big city shopping. I am sure they will be able to come up with something!

Dad Returns

2008-11-16T18:49:00.000-08:00

Weston spent a long weekend deer hunting up north. Upon his arrival back home on Sunday afternoon, the girls went wild (as usual) they miss him like crazy when he is gone... so anyway, back to my story. Wes was proceeding to hug the girls, and Kalleigh told him... Dad that is enough Hugging- it's time to start kissing!!

My did we get a huge laugh out of that!!

She dishes out love on her terms, and her terms only... it was cute to hear her beg for sloppies from her Dad. Usually it is the other way around. Weston even made a point to tell me (a long time ago) that I have to tell him when Kalleigh is too big to receive sloppies from her Dad. I told him that as long as she was willing, keep dishing them out!

Cursed...

2008-11-13T09:58:00.001-08:00

Ok, I think I jinxed ourselves by saying we were lucky... this week has been full of puke, diarrhea, coughing and boogery eyes. It has left us with
1. Abigail has bronchitis
2. Ramsey has undiagnosed bronchitis
3.(Kalleigh had bronchitis over MEA)
4. Abigail has pink eye
5. Kalleigh has pink eye
6. Pretty good chance I have pink eye
7. Kalleigh puked at school on Monday
8. Kalleigh puked on Bedstemor last night and in her bed...

9. I am ready for a vacation!
10.p.s. wes left for deer hunting last night, he won't be back until Sunday night, and Mom and Dad are leaving for Arizona on Friday AM...

Needless to say the reinforcements have left and are leaving the county!

Kalleigh is supposed to have a violin concert on Saturday in SF... not going to make it, and I am supposed to have a girls night out on Friday night, which is not going to happen if everyone is sick...

Pink Jammies

2008-11-09T17:54:00.000-08:00

Ok, so the big tough 20lb pound boy is wearing pink snowflake pj's tonight... He is growing so fast and none of his old jammies fit... so into the girls' tubs of clothes I went, and out came a pair of pink snowflake jammies... at least he will be in touch with his feminine side!! Sorry I don't have a picture... he is quite cute!!

Date night turned disasterI

2008-11-09T17:48:00.000-08:00

So, Weston must have read my blog and felt sorry for me... because he called in reinforcements to watch the girls and Ramsey on Friday night, and we went out on an actual date... well out for supper anyways! We just traveled to the Country House, as the roads were not all that swell for going long distances, plus I still haven't purchased batteries for my pump... so we decided early supper and home in time for bedtime feeding... We had a great time! It is so hard to believe that at one point it just used to be us in the house... Now it seems like we don't take the time to really talk, goof around and maintain our relationship! We both were appreciative of the night... that is until we got home... Both of us were not feeling that great, and Weston was sure we had food poisoning... (the scoots and puke) not fun... However it appears that we passed it on to Josh... sorry buddy! He saw Weston on Thursday night, so he prob. passed whatever bug he had on to him at that point... and it was just festering around until the weekend. So needless to say our weekend has been pretty lazy... Hopefully the girls won't get the bug... we will have to wait and see!

Trick or Treat!

2008-11-04T19:53:00.001-08:00

Halloween fun was had by all on Friday. The girls got TONS of candy and had lots of fun going door to door begging for candy! Ramsey appeared to take everything in stride... Mr. Happy go Lucky! Kalleigh went as Hannah Montana, Abigail was a "oonicorn" and Ramsey was a cow.
At the end of the night, everyone was low on energy, including DAD!

4 months

2008-10-30T20:08:00.000-07:00

So, Mr. Ramsey went to the doctor on Monday for his 4 month check-up. The little porker weighs in at 20 lbs 4 oz. He is in the 100% ile for weight, 90th % for head circumference and 50th % for his height! So that means he is short and chubby! Just the way we like little babies! He continues to be a shining star. His smiles are contagious! We are thankful for his health and personality!

Tagged

2008-10-25T12:35:00.000-07:00

Here are the rules as per Jennifer K:
1.Post the rules on your blog
2.Write 6 random things about yourself
3.Tag 6 people at the end of your post
4.If you are tagged, just do it, and pass the tag along!

1. I am a terrible housekeeper (cleaner)! My husband would agree! It is just not a high priority of mine!!

2. I too think about going back to school, sometimes I get minor burnout working with the same kids everyday for 4 years at a time!

3. It is hard to believe my baby is 6 years old. I look at her and who she is becoming and it brings tears to my eyes. Where did my spunky baby girl go? Watching her learn to read, add and subtract and develop friendships is amazing beyond words. Man alive do I love my children!

4. I wish I could hire someone to come in and re-decorate my house from top to bottom.

5. I have not been out with my husband on a date since before Ramsey was born which was in June... I can remember pumping in every bathroom in the surrounding counties with both girls...however I have not even bought batteries for my pump yet because the possibility of going out is so slim! Isn't that sad?? That also means no "real" alone mom time!!

6. Fall makes me think of putting my horse Belle to sleep. It has been about 5 years since she died, and it is crazy to me how much I still think about her. I wish the girls' father would allow them to get a horse so they could develop the love for an animal other than a dog! :)

I tag Becky, Tammy, Jamie... and ??

Memories

2008-10-20T11:46:00.000-07:00

Well, after spending MEA weekend in the cities with Tan Tan an Habte (Grethe and Habtamu)... Kalleigh's cough is still not better... so we are spending the day at home... only we are not home...?? The "guy" who is installing our gas insert for our fireplace is at our house today and Weston thought it was best that we vacate the house...So we are at Mom's hanging out.

I thought I would take a walk down memory lane and check out what she has on her computer for pictures of the girls... ENJOY!

Mixed up pictures

2008-10-11T19:58:00.000-07:00

Not sure how it happened, but I tried to change the background on the blog, and it mixed up all of our pictures..... so if you want to see the pictures I posted, you will have to scroll down... Sorry!!

Family Routines

2008-10-11T19:09:00.000-07:00

Of recently, our family time has consisted of routine and routine. Nothing exciting to report. Lots of time has been spent playing babies, coloring at the kitchen table, playing with play-doh, spending time outside. No matter what the daily activities entail, the girls usually end up in the bathtub, making original creations with bathtub crayons, drawing on the walls with shaving cream, splashing, giggling and having fun. After the bath comes story time. Kalleigh has grown into quite the little reader. She is so into the DICK and JANE books. They are her favorites to read right now. Kalleigh has spent a lot of time recently attending bday parties for her friends. The last 2 Friday nights, she has been out and about. Swimming at the Y, pizza parties and bowling. Ah, to be young again!!
Abigail is enjoying school. This week she has the MYSTERY BOX. When Kalleigh had the sharing tin for school, she put a bird nest and 2 snake skins in the box. I am sure her teacher was impressed!! It will be interesting to see what Abigail will choose to be her mystery item...

Ramsey continues to grow like a weed. He has started to laugh at the girls when they tickle him. Just this week he has decided that he LOVES his voice. Two mornings I have woken up to him singing in his bed. The girls NEVER did that. They always awoke in tears ready to eat, be held or changed. Ramsey is calm...and such a little honey to be around. Sometimes it seems like things are too good to be true! The girls are wild and happy, Ramsey is content and continues to grow, and after 8 years, Weston and I continue to love eachother!! After being voted the oddest couple in high school who would have guessed??!

Daddy is gone....

2008-09-25T19:27:00.001-07:00

On Wednesday, Weston left for elk hunting... he will be gone for a week. The girls are taking his absence very well this time. Usually when Daddy is gone things are good until bedtime... then all hockeysticks break loose. Tears, devistation and sadness erupts... and can only be consoled with a phone call from dear old DAD...I am sure that missing Dad will come into play soon, I just hope we can control the outbreaks and contain the tears!

Wes will be back next Wednesday, we can't wait until he comes home safely!

p.s. I am not sure if I am supposed to hope for him to get an elk or not. We already have a giant bear on our wall...not sure what we would do with a super giant elk... but I am pretty sure I don't want a giant elk on my wall...??? As far as eating an elk goes....?? I guess we could always tell the girls it was dead cow or dead pig!

Ramsey's Baptism

2008-09-21T16:11:00.000-07:00

Sunday, September 21st was Ramsey's Baptism. His sponsors are Briana, Bobbi and Brett. We had a great morning in church... and a wonderful celebration at the house. We are very lucky to have such helpful, willing and loving family members. Ramsey is lucky not only to be welcomed in God's family, but OUR families as well. With both Bobbi and Grethe pregnant, everyone is anxious to love babies again. It has been a long time (3 years) since the last cries from a babe were heard in either of our families houses... Abigail is the closest "baby" to Ramsey... and as most of you know, she would make a better firecracker than a baby...

Although Ramsey is only 3 months old, he looks more like a 6 month old. I am sure he is topping the charts at 17 lbs if not more... He is such a happy go lucky young man. He has started to go to bed around 8:30 and then sleep until 4:15 or last night it was 5:30! I feel like I should get up in the middle of the night to pump and store up milk, but that has yet to happen... I am torn... get a good nights sleep, or store milk...?? What is a girl to do?!?

Abigail's First Day of Preschool

2008-09-21T16:01:00.000-07:00

Abigail is off to Treasure Box. She is so excited for school, she would like to go everyday! She has the energy, but I am not sure her teacher would want her to be there every day. I think she makes her own rules when it comes to listening skills!

Her backpack is just about as big as she is, and it always comes home jam packed with all kinds of exciting treasures!

Removed Blogs??

2008-09-07T19:11:00.001-07:00

OK, so what is the deal? Michelle and Nikki, where are your blogs.... Did you remove them or did they disappear into cyperspace? Or am I just clueless. I was just crying last night reading your blog Nikki... and now I can't find it...

Kalleigh's First Day of Kindergarten

2008-09-06T19:13:00.001-07:00

It is official, our 6 year old is officially a Kindergarten student. We have a week under our belt and already her love of learning is expanding. She came home from school on the first day completely wired... Talking a mile a minute. The 2nd day she was more subdued... She wanted to know why they weren't going fast? I asked her what she meant. She said she wanted to learn things faster... She aparently thought she could do more than what they have been doing.

She has been wiped out. I can't imagine if we had sent her to school last year, as a 5 year old...Between school , violin and piano, which will be starting at the end of the month... she will be a busy little beaver... Hopefully school will meet her expecations and she will be challenged to expand her academic knowledge.
We can't wait to watch her grow!

Fun at the Lake

2008-09-06T19:09:00.000-07:00

This summer, we haven't had a chance to spend too much time at the lake... But the times we have spent there have been memory making. Camping with our friends. Watching the girls tube with their friends and cousins...Watching Wes teach Kalleigh how to SKI, yes our 6 year old got up on skis this summer and loved every minute of it. The girls and their Dad love to spend time at the lake, and can't wait for the festivities to continue in the NEW FISH HOUSE this winter.

Abigail in Lock MODE

2008-09-06T19:04:00.000-07:00

Ever since Abigail has been a tiny infant learning to crawl. she has taken to falling asleep where she lands... When she was a baby, this often meant sleeping under the kitchen table or the chairs, crashing on the tile floor, the gross rugs in front of our doors. Wes and I felt sorry for her, so we would try and pick her up and lovingly move her to her crib or the couch. She would immediately wake up, and nap time would be over. No questions asked... recently, she has crashed in the same way... When we brought Ramsey home from the hospital, she fell asleep coloring a picture with the marker still on the page and her face on the coloring book.

She is such a little weasel, with her own unique traits and mannerisms. It is amazing how different the girls are. They both have their own quirky behaviors that make them unique. Watching them grow has been an amazing adventure and I can wait to take the ride with them!

Ramsey's Stats

2008-09-06T18:27:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that 2 and a half short months ago we were in the hospital delivering a sweet, beautiful baby boy. Well at least one of us was doing the delivering.... Little Ramsey has blessed our family in so many ways. Here are some stats for our little man...
He likes to go to bed at 8:30 -he wakes up aroun 2 to nurse, and then it is back to sleep. Wakes at 5 to nurse and then has to be woken up to go to Barbs for daycare. His smile can light up a room, and he is free to dish them out to whomever is in the room. He has started to vocalize and he wants to be noticed. HE WEIGHS JUST UNDER 17 lbs. That would put him into the 100th percentile for weight! We like to grow them tough around here!! He is 2 months old, but he is wearing mostly 6-9 month clothes and some 12-18 month clothes... He loves to take a bath and sits in the tub like a fat cat! He will soon outgrow his car seat...and he has woven his way deep into our hearts... and also into the hearts of his little sisters...
Daycare is going great, Barb is taking fabulous care of him and we haven't gotten any super bad reports back.... Both Ramsey and Abigail are adjusting to being back at Barbs...

Our Dear Abigail

2008-08-14T20:55:00.000-07:00

Today when Weston came home from lunch he was messing around with the girls giving them their regular noon time "beatings"...Abigail had a sucker, and weston snuck it away from her and put it in his back pocket.... Abigail was searching for the sucker, and Wes asked her..."Where is your sucker Abigail..." She said.... It is in your backseat Dad... meaning his back pocket... We laughed and laughed. She is such a little monkey... and always good for a laugh!!

Update on our life

2008-08-14T20:12:00.001-07:00

Well, it seems to me that we have spent the last few weeks growing. Ramsey has grown up so much in the past few weeks. Kalleigh has been busy growing in preparation for going to Kindergarten. Abigail has just been working on "growing" her inside voice. She has so much energy and has spent so much time outside this summer that she has "LOST" her inside voice. I feel sorry for Barb. Weston and I were talking the other day and we decided that Abigail is going to have a love hate relationship with her teachers. They are going to love her because she is such a little pipsqueak with tons of energy... and hate her for her energizer bunny vocal chords, boundless energy and neverending ping pong behavior. Needless to say... she is a very busy young lady.
Soon our famil will get back to the routine of school. Both girls will start violin lessons this fall and Kalleigh will add piano lessons to her list of activities. She is so excited to learn how to play piano. I am excited for her to expand her knowledge at school. For me I look toward this year with a little bit of apprehension. I have a HUGE crowd of senior boys this year whom I am going to miss when they graduate. I have been with some of them since they were in 4th and 5th grade... they are just a group of really great boys-most of them anyway...-

Ramsey is growing like a weed. He is such a little chunk. Super healthy, happy and starting to smile and respond to the girls more. They are enamored with him. Seriously, he will be 7 weeks old, weighs over 15 lbs... and wears a size 3 diaper. Pretty impressive statistics I know.... what can I say, I must be producing cream ... we don't mess around with skim, fat free in this house!!

Pictures to come....

Kalleigh's Bday

2008-07-23T17:27:00.000-07:00

We have only 1 more party to go... on Sunday we will celebrate the girls' bdays with our families... So far I have made 3 cakes... 2 chocolate and 1 confetti. ONly 2 more to make for Sunday and we will be all set! It is hard to believe we have a 6 and a 3 year old, and a 3 week old. I remember the day we brought Kalleigh home from the hospital. So much has changed since then, and so much has stayed the same. :)

Right now the girls are at Dars pizza in Pipestone with GMA and Bree Bree. They have kidnapped all of the kids-the 6 youngest anyway for an afternoon/night of ice cream cones, the park, swimming in our hot tub and sleeping in the camper. Hopefully the weather will cooperate otherwise they will all be in grandmas house!! All of the kids were super jacked up when they were here, and Bree and Grandma will be lucky to survive with their ear drums intact. 1 9 year, 2 5 year olds, 1 6 year old and 2 3 year olds... talk about a full house!! They are lucky to have so many cousins that live close!!

Sow Belly Pig

2008-07-19T12:25:00.000-07:00

OK so whoever told us we were taking a little boy home from the hospital was WRONG... dead wrong... We do not have a little boy at our house, we have a LITTLE PIG... At his 2 week appointment, Ramsey weighed 9 lbs 15 oz... mind you all he weighed 7lbs 11 oz when we left the hospital... so needless to say he is gaining very nicely!

His entire face has changed, and his stomach, and thunder thighs.... maybe he will be built more like Kalleigh than Abigail.l... time will tell I guess. He is doing great... we are on this massive cycle of eating, pooping, and sleeping - not in any particular order. Nursing is going good- all of my parts are still intact, however I am still sticking to my original statement when I said that boys suck WAY harder than girls.... maybe that has something to do with his massive weight gain?? we will have to see. But so far- he is fitting right in to the Carr family... I think we will keep him!

Happy Birthday!!

2008-07-08T18:16:00.000-07:00

As if getting a new brother wasn't exciting enough... Monday was Abigail's 3rd birthday. She tried hard all day to get past the fact she believes she is 5 1/2.... but I am not sure it has stuck that she is 3 and not 5 1/2... oh, well, she will have a whole year to grasp the concept!!

Big ticket items on her bday list was a BABY BORN... when she opened it up she said..." Oh, my GOSH, Oh, my GOSH! About 6 times... it made her day! She spent the day feeding and changing it's diaper... just like Whamsey....She is such a little spunky thing... we can't wait to see what the next year will bring!

Next monday will be Kalleigh's 6th birthday... I think we will be celebrating AEbleskiever weekend... with the cousins and whomever is around....

Life with a Little Boy...

2008-07-08T17:39:00.000-07:00

Well, we have 1 week under our belt, and I would have to say that things are going very well. Ramsey is such a little stud. He sleeps for the majority of the day (and night), eats, and goes through a massive amount of diapers... It seems like he is dumping a load in his pants every 5 minutes... his little tush is sore due to the fact he ALWAYS has poop in his diaper!

The girls have adjusted to having him in the house... Abigail has yet to learn how to use her inside voice... it was good he had to listen to her for 9 months inside of me... he sleeps right through everything...

I have deterined that BOYS are way harder "suckers" when nursing.... He gets right to business and is a super good eater....

It is hard to believe that he came out of my body... I find myself staring at him in wonder...partly because he is a boy, and partly because he completes our family. Part of me is a little sad... but the other part of me is so relieved. I have NO desire to be pregant again... even if the end result is something as cute as Ramsey!!
Enjoy the recent pictures... he is growing like a weed!

RAMSEY JOHN CARR

2008-06-30T19:36:00.000-07:00

Our family was blessed with a beautiful, healthy 8lb 2 oz. (20 in. long )baby BOY on Saturday, June 28th. Ramsey John Carr joined the family at 9:45 AM. We arrived at the hospital at 8:15... Contractions started to become regular a little after 6:00- we had spent the night camping at Lake Benton without the girls... they had gone up to the cities to stay with TanTan and Habte with my Mom and Dad...

Things around our house are going well. The girls love their little brother and it is hard to believe we have a baby boy in the house. Changing little boy's dirty diapers and taking care of sore little boy parts are new to everyone!!

We came home from the hospital about 2:00 on Sunday...he is nursing good, wetting his diapers and giving his Dad a run for his money changing dirty diapers! Talk about Dad on DUTY!

We will keep you all posted with how things are going as we get more into a routine...
We are very thankful and feel beyond blessed with our girls and Ramsey. It is hard to put into words!

No baby yet...

2008-06-26T17:07:00.000-07:00

The Carr family remains at four for another day at least... still no signs of the new addition beyond the contractions I have felt for the past 2 months. I am not sure what the hold up is, and frankly being at home right now and not having to go to work is not really helping!

The girls are busy with riding bike, playing outside, going to basketball camp, t-ball, vacation bible school, Danebod Family Camp, and soon swimming lessons will start... we have gone to the pool, went for a boat ride and just been lazy at home... Yet none of these seem to interest the baby enough to come and join the fun. Tomorrow we go to the doctor and hopefully she will have good news. The girls are going to the cities for the weekend with my Mom and Dad, so in way I almost hope that the baby will hold off for the weekend (did I say that outloud??)... Only because I think meeting their new brother or sister in the hospital would be a memorable experience for them both... but I am willing to sacrifice that for the basketball to come out!!

I know they will have fun in the big city with Tante and Habte, Mah Mah and Fa Fa... the question is if THEY will enjoy the experience...

We will keep you posted!

Words of Wisdom from our Doctor

2008-06-21T08:44:00.000-07:00

Well, we went to the doctor on Friday, and she reported I was dilated almost to a 3 and that things were progressing.... whatever that means in doctorspeak... She stipped my membranes-whatever that means...in hopes of getting things moving... About the only action I have noticed is more intense contractions that don't go anywhere. So here we sit. Beautiful weekend to enjoy with the girls and no plans for what to do. To fish, or not to fish.... to camp or not to camp... to put up a new swing?? Who knows where the weekend will lead us... hopefully on the way to Marshall to have a baby... but we will see.

We go back to the doctor next friday, and if we havn't had the baby by then she was willing to induce me on the following monday... which turns out to be Grandpa Ron's bday.... To induce or not to induce... Have heards LOTS of horror stories about induction. Anyone have any advice??

Enjoy the beautiful weather, it looks like summer is finally here!!

Fishing on Dead Coon

2008-06-11T20:10:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, Weston suggested we take the girls out fishing. I agreed 110%. The weather was perfect and the girls have been dying to get out on the lake. Within 10 minutes of being on the lake, we caught a walleye and then a perch. Not long after that we caught another walleye and then a gigantic northern. The girls loved the fish, however we scared out of their gourds when the HUGE northern made his way into the boat. I don't know who was more afraid... Weston because he had to clean the fish, or the girls because it was flopping around in the boat!

Weston left tonight to go fishing with the Serie "MEN" and I use that word loosely!! He left after getting the greenlight from our doctor this AM at our appointment... much to my distress. I am glad he gets to go and have fun with the guys, but at the same time, I am ready to be done with this whole pregnancy business!! :) I say that with a smile!! More out of anticipation than anything. I have a STRONG desire to find out what this baby is... not just so we can decide upon a name, but to move on to the next stage in our lives.

Violin recital

2008-06-02T19:40:00.001-07:00

Kalleigh had the opportunity to participate in her first "SOLO" violin recital with her teacher. She did great! We were so proud of her and can't wait to watch her talents grow! She got up on stage, played her song like a pro and took a bow at the end... It was too cute for words! She was so proud of herself and it was great to watch her on stage.
If only Mom could figure out how to download the video...we would be able to show it on here... I will have to do some researching and see how to get it to work this summer!

Kindergarten, Here We Come!

2008-06-02T19:16:00.001-07:00

It is official, Kalleigh Joyce Carr will be going to Kindergarten in the fall. She has "Passed" preschool- for like the past 3 years... and will begin a new chapter in her education once summer has ended. She is excited...

Her Dad is doing his best to develop her love of the outdoors and keeps verbally reminding her that "Everything I ever learned, I learned outside... " I think he is worried she will develop TV brain... Needless to say when talking about KINDERGARTEN, and after being asked by her mother if she is excited... her reply was " My Dad told me that everything he ever learned, he learned outside... Kindergartend is NOT outside... so I am NOT going to learn anything!" How do you respond to that?? I told her to go and talk to her Dad about it... He just laughed... I don't think acquiring information will ever be a problem for her... She is quite the little bossy flossy!!

We can't wait for her to start the next adventure in her life!

High School Graduation

2008-06-02T18:48:00.000-07:00

Graduation was held this past Saturday at RTR High School, and believe it or not, only 1 Serie grandbaby was graduating! Bree finally achieved her high school diploma and we couldn't be more proud of her! She is an amazing young woman who holds a special place in my heart. Because she is the baby of the family, she hasn't really had a lot of siblings to contend with on a regular basis, but she has had to share her time with her parents with all of the grandbabies! She is a very special young woman who is full of determination. I have a lot of respect for Bree wish her nothing but the best in the future!

Not only has Bree been a part of my life for the last 10 years, she has also taken the time to get to really know our girls. Auntie Bree Bree and her boyfriend Josh have been great babysitters and friends to our girls. Hot tubbing, visting Josh's pigs... They love her (and Josh) and she (they)love/s them right back.

She is planning on going to SDSU in Brookings for Nursing. She is excited and so are we. Whether she realizes it now or not... she is a family girl and we would miss her desperately if she was far away at school!
CONGRATULATIONS BREE!! WE LOVE YOU!

Countdown is on!

2008-06-02T18:33:00.000-07:00

Well, the countdown is officially on. 4 weeks to go and we will find out the sex of the baby that has been wrestling around in my stomach for the last 8 months. I can not WAIT, to meet the newest member of our family. Can't wait but at the same time am very nervous. We still do not have ANY names for the newest member of the CARR family. Weston wants the initials to be RJC... So any of you who have any R name suggestions, feel free to send them our way. We are in desperate need of assistance! I go to the doctor on WEDNESDAY, so hopefully she will have good news... I would love to get a head start on the summer and to try and get back whatever is left of my body... Although at times I am not sure that will ever be possible... We wil have to see!

Three Year Old Humor

2008-06-02T18:27:00.000-07:00

The other weekend, we were driving in the car to Lake Benton to get flowers to plant from the various greenhouses around the area... Bedstemor and Marsha were along for the ride, and we were driving back home with our purchases, and Abigail shouted from her car seat..."Hey Guys!" "What you want me to do with this BOOGER??" It was hard to keep from bursting out in piles and piles of laughter... She is such a little weasel and comes up with the funniest 1 line comments that always make people laugh.

..."Whobuddy" is her new favorite word also... Whobuddy leaved this here on the floor?? Whosebuddies (what kind of word is that?) underwear is this?? She is such a card... and NOT lacking in the personality department!

God Bless Little Girls!

10 weeks to go...

2008-04-27T20:03:00.000-07:00

It is official... in 10 weeks or less, our third child will join our family. The sex of baby number three is still unknown as we have only had our 20 week ultrasound and didn't find out what the sex is... I guess being surprised won this time, however I have a strong desire to know what is inside of me right now. Mainly because we do not have a name. We are still looking for suggestions...Kalleigh was instrumental in naming Abigail, but I am afraid if we went with Abigail's suggestions this baby would go through life with the name "Little Bear." Not our first choice for obvious reasons! She is always good for a laugh. Today we were at grandmas and she got into trouble with her Dad for something or another, and then came up to me and said " Daddy just telled me I have to use my brain!" Like she was planning on thinking with another part of her body... she was quite upset but quickly got over her disappointment!! She is such a character.
Let's hope the next 10 weeks go fast... I am ready to meet this little thing inside of me!

Lazy Saturday Afternoons....

2008-04-05T14:19:00.001-07:00

Wes took the girls 4 wheeling this afternoon. The day started out to be beautiful. The girls spent the majority of the AM playing outside with light jackets on. After lunch the wind came up a little bit, but that didn't stop the Thooft boys and the Carr girls and their Daddies from hitting the road to find some mud holes. After suiting eveyone up, the excitement began. I can't wait to hear the stories. I am sure Abigail fell asleep within a few minutes of take off, but there wasn't any way she was going to be left behind.... If it has a motor, she want to be on it! She is the one screaming to her Dad to "Drive Faster!" "Drive Crazy!" She has not fear and will soon prove to be hell on wheels. I am surprised she has not broken any bones or had stitches yet. It is a good think she has the agility of a cat!

Kalleigh was riding with Tim on the back of his 4 wheeler and was ready for the adventure. She likes to ride, but doesn't have the wild and crazy bone that Abigail does. She would rather get a ride than to be the driver. Wes is trying to convince her to expand her comfort zone with getting her to ride dirt bike. Last fall she was riding it, but she has yet to jump on this spring. I am sure by a few weeks into the summer she will be busting down the trails throughout the farm and riding in the ditch. It is good thing she has a fancy helmet with orange flames!!!

Birthday party excitement

2008-04-05T14:12:00.000-07:00

Casey and Camry celebrated their 5th and 3rd birthdays last weekend. Casey is in love with horses, so the party was for a bunch of cowgirls.. and one cowboy-Dylan. What fun eveyone has when they play together. Laughter, tears, cake, great food and exitement. always seem to follow the kids. It is hard to believe that the "big kids" are turning 5 already. Soon Dilly will join the pack and turn 5...

Kalleigh and Casey seem to have enough spunk and attitude to take the world by storm! Camry is going to rule the world with her curly hair and her beautiful eyelashes... Abigail is going to be the whirlwind boucing from one activity to another, enjoying the ride life brings her on...

We can't wait to watch them all grow into beautiful young ladies and men. We love them all so much!

Swimming at the Ramkota

2008-04-05T13:50:00.000-07:00

We spent last weekend at the Ramkota in Sioux Falls. A little winter get away. The girls had a blast swimming in the pool. I am pretty sure Abigail is part fish. She loves the water beyond belief! With her floaties, she is able to conquer the entire pool. She went down the slides without a care in the world. She has no fear! I have not yet figured out if that is a good thing or a bad thing. She is such a little go getter... just like the engergizer bunny. She is so fun to watch because she is such a little peanut. A firecracker all wrapped up in pink and purple!
Kalleigh is also an awesome swimmer. She does such a fabulous job also. We are so lucky to have 2 girls who are not afraid of the water! Kalleigh went down the waterslides by herself and was basically independent in the water. They make me so proud!!

Easter

2008-04-05T13:34:00.000-07:00

The girls had a blast finding eggs at numerous easter egg hunts around town. The day proved to be fairly decent, but overcast. Everyone is waiting for bright sunshine and spring days! Even though it is still chilly outside, the girls want to play outside. Nevermind the boots, snowpants, gloves, scarves, hats and frozen noses... Nothing a little hot chocolate can't cure!!
Saturday night was spent at Mom and Dad's and Sunday was spent with the Carrs'. Everytime the kids get together they have a blast... Everyone can't wait for summer-bike rides, swimming at the pool, camping...summer fun and adventures are right around the corner!

Life update!

2008-03-15T18:21:00.000-07:00

At our 24 week appointment, Dr. Hill reported things are going smoothly...June 28th is the date from the ultrasound... but Dr. Hill decided to stick with the original date of July 6th. My thoughts are a June baby. Don't know why, but I guess you could call it a gut feeling...

Right now, Weston is snowmobiling (in Wyoming I think...). The girls are in bed- well sort of... in bed but not asleep. We have moved Abigail to a big girl bed, and her and Kalleigh are sharing a room downstairs...this has been good so far... It is so cute to hear them whisper back and forth to each other... Hopefully this will help them develop a strong relationship filled with great memories and laughter. They have so much fun together, I can't wait until summertime. Camping, swimming, and sunshine.

20 Week Ultrasound

2008-02-16T18:33:00.000-08:00

Well, Friday the 15th of February brought another doctor's appointment and our first ultrasound. I guess it is comforting to have a professional check out all of the parts that you can't see, but have been growing inside of you for the past months... Everything checked out good so far, and we didn't find out the sex of our baby. I am not saying the temptation was not there...because it was!
But our baby is right on schedule and weighs 13 oz. Roughly the weight of a pop can! We are still up in the air with names...actually haven't discussed it at all to be honest.

Who knows what we will come up with??

Bored on a Sunday

2008-02-06T19:29:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday, we ate lunch at G-ma and G-pa Carrs' house. The afternoon consisted of looking at scrapbooks and trying on old wedding dresses. We firmly decided that both Grandma Carole and Great Gma Carr were both skinny minnies... Grandma's wedding dress barely fit Jada, who is a 6th grader and a string bean at that! It was fun to laugh and watch Jada try on the old dresses and imagine what those dresses could say if only they could talk!!

19 weeks

2008-02-06T18:35:00.001-08:00

On Sunday, we will be 19 weeks pregnant. It is hard to believe that we are just about 1/2 done! I am so happy when I think about this summer...I am not interested in being pregnant any more and I can't wait until baby #3 joins our family. We have yet to even discuss names...?? what is the matter with us? It seems like with all the other activities that are going on, it is hard to direct your attention toward something like talking about names... which is totally weird, because finding a name is not an easy task by any means! (So if any of you have any suggestions...feel free to send them our way!!)

On the 15th, we will have our first ultrasound...Wes informed me he may be snowmobiling... so I told him that was fine, I would just find out the sex and not tell him that I knew... needless to say he is not going snowmobiling "it didn't work out..." So we are not off the hook yet! We still have a little over a week to decide if we will find out the sex of our baby...We didn't with Kalleigh, did with Abigail-Wes was adamant he had to know... now I think I want to know, but I am not sure...and he doesn't want to know...Decisions, Decisions, Decisions....I know we should wait... but a part of me is interested to see what is growing inside of me...boy or girl?? I am not sure I can wait! But I am not sure I want to find out either.....

Our house has been HIT!

2008-02-06T18:26:00.000-08:00

Well, after all of the bragging I have been doing lately regarding the health of our girls, I think I jinxed us... We have not had anything even resembling the sniffles since Halloween, when Kalleigh was sick and unable to go trick-or-treating...

We have spent this week dosing up on cough medicine, tylenol and hanging out on the couch... Needless to say I have missed work, which doesn't usually happen...all of my high school boys were concened something was wrong with me...I think they forget that outside of school I am also a mother, and spend my time caring for 2 little girls... This is a nice change considering 90% of my day is spent with teenage boys with testosterone issues... It is nice to have a little variety... They say that variety is the spice of life, right??

Abigail is finally "healthy" minus the million kleenexes she goes through each day-and her cough...but her temp is gone and she is back to her wild antics...
Kalleigh on the other hand is still down and out...She told me today she needed to walk on her tippy toes because walking on her "full foot" makes her head hurt...poor lady!
Hopefully tomorrow will be better!!

Kalleigh's First Violin Recital

2008-02-06T18:19:00.000-08:00

On February 2nd, Kalleigh had her first violin recital in Sioux Falls. Granted her part in the recital was quite small, it was still fun to watch her stand up in front of the chapel with her violin with all of Ms. Yuko's other students. The smaller students only played a few songs, then they were allowed to be seated with their parents. By the end of the recital there were only 6 students remaining on stage...one of whom was an 8 year old girl who was able to play the songs with ease! It was fun to watch and imagine where Kalleigh will be down the road if she continues to want to take lessons. Either way it was a fun day! Now I just have to figure out how to download our videos onto utube so you all can enjoy her "beautiful" music!!

Dinosaurs!

2008-01-10T13:21:00.000-08:00

I awoke to the sound of Abigail shouting from her room this morning..."Mommy, I need you!", so I climbed out of bed and went to her room. When I got there I asked her what was the matter...her reply was..." Mommy, I fell off the dinosaur!" I just about died. She had been dreaming about riding dinosuars and believed that she had fallen off. The entire morning she was OBSESSED with dinosuars and insisted I show her a dinosaur. Her favorite book to read is "I Love you Stinky Face"- which has a couple pages that refer to being a dinosaur

...but Momma, But Momma, what if I was a meat eating dinosaur, would you still love me then? If you were a meat eating dinosaur, I would make you a mountain of hamburgers...etc.etc..

the story goes on and on and is really cute- if you can get by reading it sporatically, however it is a nightly ritual at our house and I am thinking that book is the cause of her anguish this morning!! Hopefully she wasn't riding a T-Rex!

Fun and Phoenix!

2008-01-06T19:18:00.001-08:00

We took off to Phoenix all set of adventure and not knowing what to expect. Traveling on an airplane with limited space for a rambunctious 2 year old sounds a lot to me like a recipe for disaster! All things considered by the end of the flight, we were quite impressed with our 2 little girls. They handled the flights to Phoenix and home very well! (It helped a little that a guy in the seat in front of us gave each of the girls a 1,000,000 dollar bill... and told them to buy all the toys in the world if only they would have a good flight... needless to say Kalleigh was hooked and totally believed that she had the key to her future in her hand... She was awestruck!

Our adventures in Phoneix included climbing a mountain called Camelback as a family. Talk about a workout. I think the person who faired the best was Abigail. She traveled the entire way up the mountain on Weston's shoulders. Everyone else woke up the next morning in dire straights... and reaching for the BEN GAY... Talk about incline, boulders, and adventure... Kalleigh loved the climbing and joined Grethe, Habte and Jon Buchert on their next climb up another mountain called Squaw Peak... She was quite the mountain climber- telling everyone along the way when they commented on her that "She was a good FARM GIRL!" It was so cute to watch her enjoy the climbing, scenery and being outside in the Phoenix sun. She is growing up so fast. Sometimes when I look at her, it is hard to believe 5 years ago-almost 6- I was pregnant with her at this time...anyway back to Phoenix... We went to the Phoenix Zoo, and African Safari park, toured a beautiful town called Sedona, swam, went out to eat, went shopping... and the fun continued until it was time to come home.

We had a wonderful time with the girls and my family and can't wait to go back to the condo again!

This post didn't come up right away....I had problems with it at xmas time... and just figured out that it was saved...so here goes...

Christmas Celebrations!

2008-01-06T19:03:00.000-08:00

Christmas at the Carr household was filled with lots of presents, smiles and squeals of delight. Big ticket items on the girls' xmas lists were...Abigail: Mermaid; Kalleigh: Stuff a bear workshop and a stuffed dog in a dog carrier... Nothing too pricey... or super hard to find... So that was good on Mom and Dad's part!! By the end of the celebrations... everyone was full of christmas cheer and delighted with their gifts. We survived traveling from Grandma Carr's house and Bedstemor and Bedstefar Bornhoft's house. Which makes for a SUPER LONG night.. but fun was had by all! After all the festivities of xmas eve, xmas day was spent playing with new toys and celebrating my Dad's birthday. Then it was back home and time to pack for Phoenix!! We took off for our time in the sunshine on Thursday... and had a ball! (More to come regarding our adventures!)
We are very thankful for all of our xmas adventures and for the opportunity to travel to Phoenix as a family.

Ice Fishing

2007-12-16T15:01:00.000-08:00

Kalleigh got her first real ice fishing experience on Saturday. She left the house with Dad around 8:30 and we didn't see the whites of her eyes until about 4:30. From what I understand about the trip "She" caught all of the fish, however Dad tells another story... So much for trying to help your daughter experience the trill of the catch!! She is a little ego maniac and was telling everyone at church that she caught 30 fish, and her Dad caught none! I guess everyone has the desire to embellish their fish stories! 5 year old girls are not exempt!! They had a fantasic adventure and were joined by Grandpa Carr, Dylan, Casey, Uncle Kelly... which made for 2 really full fish houses!! Kalleigh had a blast and I only hope that Wes isn't too frustrated with her to take her again!!

It's Official!

2007-12-15T12:22:00.000-08:00

The Carr Family Grows to 5~ Our family must have a thing with July Babies! Baby number three will be added this summer. :) We are all very excited!! We can't wait to meet the newest member of our family. Kalleigh is beyond excited... She can't wait for the baby to come so she can help feed and bathe the baby. I am sure she will be the world best helper... Abigail on the other hand will be the one to take a permanent marker to the baby and make it beautiful! My that girl is good at making a mess out of her body with markers, mascara and basically whatever she can find lying around that mom hasn't put away. Usually the end result is nothing short of fabulous, however it does require some elbow grease in it's removal!!

We are so thankful for our family and excited to watch it grow! I am officially 11 weeks pregnant and am scheduled for my first doctor's appointment this Friday, which is our last day of school before xmas break.

Hot Tubbin'

2007-12-15T12:13:00.000-08:00

The girls LOVE to go Hot Tubbin'... They beg Weston to take them swimming every night--They don't get to go as often as they like- but they do enjoy every minute of their swimming adventures...Abigail MUST wear floaties becasue that little rascal has NO FEAR... She will jump into the pool without a care in the world and when she comes up for air. she is giggling like mad. She is quite the little water bug! I am amazed how fearless she is when it comes to anything that involves jumping, being crazy and wild! When we invested in the hot tub a year ago- we were not quite sure how much we would use it... I think we have seen the benefits the hot tub can bring-even if I am unable to undulge for a few more months...Good bonding time for Wes and the girls!~

Visiting with Santa

2007-12-15T11:49:00.000-08:00

What is Christmas without a visit from the old guy in a red suit? The girls got a chance to visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus in Russell at the ECFE Family Fun Night. Crafts, games and frosting cookies...Life doesn't get much better than those Christmas Delights!
As the xmas season draws nearer, plans are being made for xmas eve, flying in the big airplane, trying to figure out what the weather will be like in Phoenix in a few weeks...I think Abigail is the most excited out of everyone... Every day she asks if it is time to fly on the big airplane... She thinks it is an everyday occurance and she is excited to fly once again back to 'Zona! Kalleigh is just waiting to spend countless hours with her Tan Tan! (Grethe). Today Wes and Kalleigh took off ice fishing. Poor Abigail had to stay home with mom... What a bummer....Life is not fair!!

Raking Leaves

2007-11-14T20:08:00.000-08:00

Wes spent some time on Sunday afternoon raking up leaves with the girls. I know they had more fun than he did-hands down! They rode in the trailer with the leaves, screaming and having a blast. As the temperature dropped, Mom moved the party inside-what a party pooper! The girls both love to work with their Dad, it doesn't matter what he is doing, they want to be elbow deep "helping." He is so lucky to share in the helpfullness of our young ladies...

Halloween has Come and Gone...

2007-11-14T19:45:00.000-08:00

The girls spent time carving pumpkins and preparing for the big event! Kalleigh was complaining of a sore throat and headache and didn't get a chance to trick-or-treat...which is so not fair in the world of a five year old... Abigail had a blast shouting trick-or-treat to everyone and grabbing candy and shouting tank you. This was her first chance to trick-or-treat b/c last year she had the pukes... I think our house is cursed come halloween time...cursed with the sick bug...oh, well, life goes on. Good thing we don't have to spend a lot of money on costumes! (With Auntie Missy's garage sale abilities...costumes are in abundance!!)
After visiting the neighbors up and down Grandma Carr's street, we gathered enough candy for a truckload of girls.
Halloween was huge success in Abigail's eyes and a complete disaster through Kalleigh's. Hopefully next year, both girls will be able to enjoy the festivities.

Midori

2007-10-27T10:09:00.000-07:00

In September, Kalleigh started Suzuki violin lessons. Her teacher's name is Yuko Saito. Every Wednesday, Kalleigh makes the journey with her little pretend violin to practice the rhythms, learn new beats and songs. Soon she will be upgrading to an actual violin! It is fun to watch her learn, grow and develop her skills and we can't wait until she has a "real violin" to practice on!

Last night (Friday-October 26th) we traveled to Dawson, MN to see Midori, a famous violinist. She was in concert with Robert McDonald who played the piano. Talk about an amazing adventure. Midori was amazing, she spent about 2 1/2 hours exhibiting her talent which left us breathless. Kalleigh was amazed at the skill she demonstrated and couldn't stop talking about her moves and the music. It was a great date night for mom and Kalleigh and we had a wonderful time! Midori spent time after her concert signing autographs for the future violinists. Kalleigh was able to get Midori to sign her violin. What a perfect ending to a wonderful night of adventures and fun!

Hailey Marie

2007-10-14T19:22:00.000-07:00

On Monday morning, October 15th, our niece Hailey will undergo another open heart surgery as her doctors have decided that it is time once again to repair her heart. Everyone in the family has spent countless hours praying and preparing for this moment. Most of us were thinking she would be a little older before she would have to go back to the cities and have heart surgery... However as much as we would like to control all of the aspects of our lives, that is not reality.
Putting your faith in the unknown is hard to put into words. Trusting others who have spent countless hours of their lives studying for this moment is unimaginable.
God has a plan for everyone regardless of their age...He loves all of us, especially little girls who love the movie 'Cars', love stuffed puppies, the red insides out of olives, reading Judy B. Jones, eating ice cream, and macaroni and cheese.

We love you Hailey Marie!

Holmberg Orchard

2007-10-14T18:57:00.001-07:00

Saturday proved to be a beautiful day. We spent the day at Holmberg Orchard just outside of Vesta. Girls, girls and more girls as Jada, Kalleigh, Casey, Camry, Abigail, Missy and I headed out in our burb to pick the perfect pumpkin. After arriving at the orchard, we met the clowns, got our faces painted, played in the boats filled with corn... The girls all got a ride on the minature ponies and then it was time to take a ride on the hayrack out to the pumpkin patch. The pumpkins came in all different sizes from big to small... The girls had a blast running around the field trying to find the perfect pumpkin. I think they were more facinated in the rotten ones that had gigantic holes! It was a fun and exciting day and has turned into a great fall tradition.

Zip Line

2007-10-14T13:17:00.000-07:00

Ty and Tate bought a zip line with their rock picking money. Tim strug the line between two trees in their backyard and they boys fly through the air, upside down, backwards, sideways... and have a blast. Last friday night we were over at the Thooft Ranch and Kalleigh got a chance to practice her bat like flying skills as she flew through the air and gracefully crashed into the tree at the end of the line. Kalleigh and her "boyfriend" Tate took turns flying through the air. They always have fun when they play together!

Blessings

2007-09-30T19:50:00.000-07:00

Everytime I look at this picture, I am reminded of how blessed our family is. We have two healthy, happy beautiful girls who provide us with unbelieveable entertainment day in and day out. Watching them grow each day is an amazing adventure... From Kalleigh's obsession with Finding Nemo when she was two- to Abigail's current fettish with the Wizard of Oz... the changes they have gone through, their likes and dislikes. Sometimes, it is hard to put things into perspective after having a particularly eventful week of with a 5 year old who knows everything... and is Miss Independent...However at the end of the day, we are blessed and I am thankful for our little ladies and can't wait to watch them grow!

The Great Fisherman!

2007-09-30T19:29:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken after an evening of fishing with Mike and Terry at Woodlake last spring. I think it is amazing that with little or no effort, you can hook a monster fish, spend an evening of fun with your friends, and have an awesome picture to show for your efforts. I know Wes is excited to use our new boat and take the girls on fishing adventures. I can't imagine how excited they will be to catch anything with fins!

Big or small, it will not matter!

Riding the Bus!

2007-09-25T19:57:00.000-07:00

Well, it is official. Our Kalleigh Joyce has survived her first bus experience! As I put our "little 5 year old" on the bus for her first ride to Ruthton for Learning Readiness... I was filled with a mixture of emotions. Excitement for her, worry for her (mostly me), and trust that she would end up in the right room! Will her lunch money be taken out of her backpack??...(which has since been taken back to Target becasue it was a piece of JuNk!) Will she remember to take her sharing item out of her backpack?? Putting your trust in others, when your children are involved is very hard... Her teacher is wonderful... Due to the fact she has a summer birthday, we made the grueling decision to NOT send her to kindergarten as a young 5 year old. Hoping that when she turns 18 she will thank us...Instead of being one of the youngest in her class, she will be one of the oldest. Hopefully making her one of the wisest! Working with high school students, I have watched too many young students struggle through school.
Hopefully by holding her back, we are helping her in the long run to be successful in school and prepare herself for life beyong the walls of the RTR school system.

Life with a two year old!

2007-09-25T19:43:00.000-07:00

Well folks! For those of you are expecting, or waiting to be expecting, or currently parents... I just thought I would give you a little taste of parenthood and life in the Carr household. This is our Abigail Kathleen Carr at her finest. Those who know her best would call her a "MESSER"... This is not to be taken lightly... This little beauty is what some might call a "homewrecker"... She squeezes lotion bottles and smears them all over her body(focusing on her hair)... she climbs on everything... she pulls her clothes out of her drawers... she dumps her toys all over the house... I could go on and on forever with the different "tricks" she has been caught doing.
She is the ultimate two year old, and a crash course in babysitting! Just ask Kayla! She had the pleasure of watching her this summer and she managed to smear fingernail polish all over Janel's sheets... Needless to say she is not to be left alone in a room for an extended amount of time or for even a few seconds! Mom has developed Abby radar- which is quite astute!
We wouldn't trade her for the world... we have just grown to love her and all of her mess making abilities!!

Weekend in the Big City!

2007-09-25T19:15:00.000-07:00

We spent last weekend in the cities at my cousin Elise's wedding in Inver Grove Heights. She was married on Friday night, and we spent Saturday watching the Twins get BLOWN AWAY... Needless to say, Abigail was more enthralled with watching the "bears" and their cubs go into their "cave"... We had a great time and a wonderful adventure in the BIG CITY!!
Next weekend we are celebrating the the "little city" of Lake Benton as Christina, Weston's cousin gets married... It should be fun as always to celebrate with Weston's massive family!