Thursday, December 17, 2009

Wow, I can't believe it's been 2 months since I blogged last. Lots of things have happened since then so I will make a short update:
* Halloween! I hate this holiday but the kids had a blast!
* We attended the musical Wicked and sat in the most incredible seats! It was as awesome and amazing as I thought it would be.
* Installed wood floors and carpet in our home.
* We drove to Utah for Thanksgiving with my family. My mom did a great job preparing a delicious meal. We got some great Black Friday deals and I wonder ever year why I am insane enough to go through this ordeal. The picture below is of Chewy trying to have fun with John's cat.
* Endured two months of sickness including the Swine Flu.
* Spencer had his final reconstructive surgery on his eye. The doctor did a really nice job and we are happy to check another medical appointment off the list. Next we go back to the prosthetic specialist.
* Kayla got a 4.0 in school and Shawn Johnson attended that assembly. Attended many other school functions with my other kids as well. Love being a mom and being there for my kids.
* Katie started orthodontic appointments. She inherited my mouth and will be a huge work in progress for her orthodontist! Not to mention, all the $$$$$. Kayla follows in a year! Picture is of Katie practicing for the molds with pudding.
* I love Young Women's and the girls I work with.
* Sad to have had another two deaths occur (a wonderful man from our ward, and Spencer's co-worker). We can't wait for this year to end! I can only take so much more sadness, sorrow, and pain.
* Then, to top it all off, we decided to move. We are closing on a home at the end of this month and moving to Longmont, Colorado. Yes, yes, we are insane!!!


Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Elitches

I have neglected my blog for about a month and so I posted several at one time. So, you can read one or read them all.

Spencer's work had their Elitches day this past Friday! As the day approached, I had a sick feeling that Spence shouldn't be riding the rides. I talked to him about it and he blew it off like every guy in America does. So, I called his Neuro and as expected, there was a definite, "NO WAY!" However, they did give one exception which was that he could ride any ride that didn't have a health warning sign in front of it. I let Spence know and basically ruined the rest of his day.

At Elitches, I let him go on the Sea Dragon since it seemed fairly harmless. There is a picture below that shows him with his hands in the air all full of excitement. As the ride progressed, I started getting really worried because his body language was showing great discomfort. After he exited the ride, he looked green and had to sit down. He said he threw up a few times in his mouth. The seemingly innocent ride ended up being a disaster. No more rides for Spence! I guess Disneyland is out of the picture for awhile.

We had a great time despite the fact that Spence couldn't ride much. He did go on the Ferris Wheel and had no problem with it.

This year was great because Katie could ride almost all of the rides. YEAH! We graduated out of the kiddie area! My girls are thrill riders so all fast rides were enjoyed fully!









Prosthetic Eye Appointment

We are hoping that Spencer will be able to have reconstructive surgery for his eye in December. A few weeks ago, we met with a Prosthetic Eye Specialist in Lakewood. She showed Spencer what she would be able to do for him. Basically, he would have a plastic shell cover that would go over his existing eye. They would paint it to look like his other eye and it would give the illusion to others that he had two "normal" eyes. It fits in like a contact only much bigger and Spence can leave it in or take it out when it irritates him.
This was a difficult appointment to go through because it felt permanent for Spence. He was still holding out hope that some of his vision would return. It's been six months since the accident and now I think we have to move forward with accepting his lose of vision in the left eye. Please continue to keep him in your prayers!

Spirit Week at Rocky Top

This was Mikayla's first Spirit week at Rocky Top Middle School. I wish I had taken more pictures throughout the week. Below is a picture of her on "dress like a Kindergartner day." It made Spence a little sad because he realized just how much his little girl is NOT a little girl anymore. This picture shows you just how happy she was to have me taking her picture. She was adorable on twin day and was actually a triplet. The girls got their picture taken to go in the yearbook. So much fun!

My life as the Soccer Mom!

I never thought I would be "that mom." You know, the one that runs all over the place for that sport known as soccer. It was too cliched for me and besides, I wanted dancers. But, here I find myself being, "that mom."

Mikayla had her first soccer tournament this Saturday and Sunday. It was such an awesome experience for her team. When they started out as a new team a year and a half ago, they didn't win a single game. It was painful to watch! But with time, they became comfortable playing together and the next season they won most of their games.
During the tournament, the Red Rubies (Kayla's team) tied for 1st place in their division but the other team got to move forward to the final round. It was a bummer for the girls but they were amazing on the field.
Greta's team has gone undefeated so far this season. This is a new team for Greta since she wasn't picked to go competitive. Not quite sure what to think of her new team.
Katie is still a little powerhouse on the field. She has a natural ability to play the game and nothing gets in her way. She was very disappointed during her last game because she only scored 2 goals. I had to remind her that she was sick and still made 2 goals. At least she isn't face planting any girls this year.

Carter Family Reunion Pictures

Here are some pictures of my beautiful family. One of these days I will fit in with the hotties!


Siblings picture

My beautiful girls!

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Starting again

Spence went on his first trip to fuel a rocket since his accident. I'm so proud of his dedication to accomplish his goals at work. He truly is a miracle and we have been blessed in so many ways.

About a month and a half ago I purchased the book, "In An Instant" written by Lee & Bob Woodruff. It's a thin book and I'm a pretty fast reader but it was a very emotional read for me. I just finished it yesterday and it was a triumph for me. The book is about ABC co-anchor (ex) Bob Woodruff who was hit by a roadside bomb and suffered many injuries including a severe TBI. Reading Lee's perspective was almost eerie. At moments, our lives paralleled each other and if I highlighted every part of the book that I understood or went through, 85% of that book would be underlined. I've realized in a very profound way that miracles still exist and God is really involved in each of our lives. I also realized the importance of healing through love. Spencer often talks about how he is a different person and will never be the same. That is true, but I think it changed our whole family as well. You can't go through extreme trauma, and be the same person. If anything, I have a lot more compassion and a great appreciation for the simple things in life.

Spencer did a very good job at letting the world know during his fuzzy part of recovery that we were planning on trying for our last child in June. I finally got the green light from my doctor which was a miracle all in itself and I was very excited. A good friend of mine and I decided to start working out and attending Weight Watchers again. I was actually more successful this time and was surprisingly losing weight. I felt better than I had in a long time and it was a comfort knowing that I could lose some weight before getting pregnant. But then Spencer's accident happened and my life was turned upside down. I went from losing more weight and my pants falling off to gaining a ton of weight. That very good friend of mine came up to me one week at church and told me that when I was emotionally ready, she would be there for me again. I have finally reached the point where I feel like I can take care of myself again. So, back to the gym I go and hello to WW AGAIN! It will be a very long road, but just feeling healthy will be a nice change from the last 5 months.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Back to School

Back to school has arrived again but, not as hectic as I thought it would be. Mikayla starts school 45 minutes after the other two which makes driving easier. I can't believe I have a child starting middle school. I thought the tears ended with Kindergarten but no I still got all teary eyed dropping her off. Her school is #1 in the district for Middle Schools so at least I know her education will be good.

They all had a fabulous first day and I think this year will be a good one.



Thursday, August 20, 2009

South Dakota Trip

We decided to go on one more family trip before school started. We drove up to South Dakota for the ever cliched visit to Mount Rushmore. I decided that I could take in the beautiful landscape of South Dakota but in the end I love being suburbanized! Below are some pictures of our adventure to cow country.

The first night we went to this fun little restaurant called the Branding Iron. The food was mediocre but as the trip went on, the Branding Iron became a 5 star restaurant.

The Mammoth site was quite impressive! Katie and Greta helped with one of the demonstrations by holding the bones for all to view.

Custer State Park:
The wild donkeys were very friendly. One even decided to scratch it's head on my side window.
Mt. Rushmore! What a site and so much better to see in person! It makes you really appreciate where this country started and the freedoms we enjoy. When we arrived at Mt. Rushmore, the weather was overcast. When we left, Mt. Rushmore looked much different.
At Thunderhead Falls, you climb through a cave to an underground waterfall. It was cool to see but a total waste of money.

Rushmore Cave was a totally different experience. It was pretty awesome and we endured the 400 stairs we had to climb.

Storybook Island was a ton of fun. I thought the park was a very clever idea and kids love it!


August 17th - Greta's Birthday! She finally go to open her presents in our hotel room.
We saw a sign by our hotel pointing the way to Cascade Falls. We decided to check it out. When we arrived, it was at a rest stop. We just laughed because we couldn't believe that we drove to a rest stop. Once we got out though, we realized there were some paths that let down to the falls.....very small falls. As we got down there, we ran into some Europeans who were taking a little swim. They started to leave just after the kids went in the water. In all my mom glory, I told the kids they could get their feet wet but to keep their clothes dry. HA, HA, HA!
I turned to take a few pictures and low and behold, I saw one of the European men in true European form (naked and changing). Whoa, didn't think I would get that in cow country.
That evening, we went to a Chuck-Wagon Dinner. It ended up being a great experience for the whole family. The girls got to shoot guns, drink birch beer, ride ponies, pet animals, watch a fun shoot-out and eat a fabulous meal with entertainment.