You know Carson is sick when...

He decides to do this.

Carson NEVER lays and cuddles with anyone for more that 2 seconds. He's been like this all day. He even fell asleep in my arms. What?!? That hasn't happened since he was 2 months old! Is it bad that I am enjoying this side of Carson? I know it is temporary so I am soaking it up. He has croup. It really is a horrible thing. I am waiting for Cade to go down with his sidekick but so far, so good! Hope it stays that way. I want it out of my house!!!

Deer in the Headlights...literally.

We had a great Thanksgiving Day in Twin with the fam. We got in the car (Shane's car...1st freeway debut) at a time that would get us back to Boise at a decent hour. But it was still dark. Half way through the drive, around Bliss, we hit a deer. Seriously. In Shane's new car. Seriously??? It was actually a blessing to be in the Mazda. Had we been in our Jeep, we probably would have creamed that deer. The Mazda slows down to a stop much quicker. But still, we were going average freeway speed. There was a truck in the lane next to us which forced us to just stay in our lane. Amazingly enough, Shane literally stood on the brakes (thank goodness there was not a car behind us) and we were able to almost come to a complete stop on the freeway before hitting it. But we still hit it. It was scary. And it could have been so much worse. Hitting it at full speed would have been horrible.

It got our headlight only. Too bad the headlights on this beloved car are around $400 each to replace! Shane is really bummed, as you can imagine. But life happens. And it really was a blessing to be driving that car. Just another lesson that it is not "stuff" that is important. In the end, it is just "stuff." I'm just happy we weren't hurt. And for those of you concerned about the deer. We hit it's bum and legs, but it was able to walk off the road. We think he's OK.

The deer fur is a nice touch, isn't it?!?

On My Mind

This is the Twin's birthday week. They will be turning TWO in a few days. How can that be? I honestly cannot wrap my brain around that. At the same time, their delivery & newborn stage almost feels like a dream...still surreal. Time is a weird thing. Looking at these pictures makes me get all choked up. We have been so blessed. I have no idea what the future holds for our little family but I couldn't be happier with what we have. I have two healthy and beautiful little boys. They are still our miracle babies. We will never forget that. I feel content and grateful.

"Baby A" aka Carson

"Baby B" aka Cade

Carson on the left, Cade on the right

Cade on the left, Carson on the right

Shane's new (used) car

This is Shane posting. It has been a very eventful week in our family. We lost a loved one and picked up a new family member all in the same day.

We sold our 1990 VW Jetta 16v. I say "our", but it was really my car and Amy would hardly touch it because it was so old, loud and obnoxious (to her, not me). Anyone who truly appreciates cars knows that mk2 VW's particularly those with 16v motors were fun little hot rods in their day. I loved the car and it was very fun to drive. I bought the car because it was old and simple enough that I would be able to do most of the mechanical work on the car. Well, it worked out that way except that it ended up being more mechanical work than I had anticipated. Lately I have not had enough time to keep on top of all the repairs and my commute is longer now that I am working in Nampa. Finally, we decided that it was time to say our good byes and move on to a new chapter in vehicles.

Anyone who attended our wedding luncheon or reception will recall that I (along with many members of my families - yes Chandlers too) have unhealthy emotional attachments to our cars. This is my tribute to my Jetta.

Thank you Calypso green Jetta for years of semi-reliable, fun service. We have shared many great memories together, some were sweaty (no a/c), some were very cold (one winter without a heater), but we always had fun and we were hardly ever late (except when you gave up a cv axle on the freeway). I hope you find your way to an autocross track soon.



The only way I could give up my Jetta without emotional anguish was by distracting myself with the purcharse of another exciting car. I present for your approval, the newest addition to our fleet, the Mazda 3. If you know me well, you know that I love cars. My head is filled with useless facts about cars of every year, make and model. If there was a car Jeopardy I'd be all over it. Despite my love for all things wheeled I am a very frugal person. It's not that I have to have the rock-bottom price on everything I buy, it's more of a desire to obtain the most of my wants and needs for the lowest possible cost. A value shopper if you will. Needless to say, buying a car is not an easy task for me.

Here were my requirements:
30mpg or better on the highway
At least a driver's side airbag (I know some people aren't sold on airbags - I think they work)
Manual transmission (more efficient, longer life and more fun)
60mph in less than 9 seconds (this was a low hurdle mostly due to my budget)
Functioning heater
Functioning a/c
Functioning cruise control
Back seat
long-term dependability

These were my "wants" on top of the requirements:
xenon headlights
side curtain airbags
steering wheel stereo controls
a hatchback
rear wheel drive
Ipod adapter built in

I'm happy to report that I got all the requirements and most of the wants. I feel like I'm riding in complete luxury with functioning cruise control and a highway decibel level below 100. Life is good. If you were patient enough to read this whole post, I'm sorry on many levels. Here are some more pictures:



To our new addition, we hope to share many years and miles together.

Carson's Animal Noises

I can't leave this one out. It is too cute. These videos take FOREVER to upload but now I'm caught up. Phew!!

More from the Video Purge!!!

CHEESE!

It's a race! I hope I win! This is their new thing. It is only cute for so long. So to remedy the problem, we've faced them together (as seen in other videos) and then they don't really have anywhere to go. But then they both eventually end up in tears because of the poking and prodding that always takes place. Any other suggestions?

Settling down before bed!!!

Being Silly...

This silly-time segment was interrupted by a knock on the door. It was a man who tried to sell me meat. Selling meat door-to-door? That just bugs me. I didn't buy anything...and then we got back to being silly!

Hello to Grandma & Grandpa...

In Action

Here is a little taste of the two of them feeding off each other. They can't help but to influence each other. They are good little buddies and definitely keep things exciting. They are playing and fighting together more and more everyday. Yesterday they played for an hour together without any assistance from me. It was weird. Most days, I feel more like a referee!!!

Happy Birthday Mom!

I'm still on Cloud 9 from the trip that we pulled off in honor of my dear mother! The week before Halloween, we celebrated my Mom's milestone 50th Birthday. We started planning the surprise in August. We told her 3 days before leaving that most of the family would be leaving for a fun-filled trip to CHICAGO!!! If you know my family at all, you would know that we just don't do things like this. Just to all get on a plane together was weird! We were giddy and it made it extra special! Aaron and Nan have been there for awhile now and it was time that we all made a visit! We were missing Luke terribly, who is working hard as a Missionary in Washington D.C., but he was there in spirit! And sadly, Shane & Wynn weren't able to get the time off of work. That was a big bummer. Lindsay and I arranged for our boys to be taken care of while we were away. To be together without the little babies was...well...a slice of heaven! Were they missed? Of course they were! But we definitely enjoyed the break! So we set off to the see the city! We also had some broadway and opera tickets that we were anxious to use!

Waiting for the train for our 1st full day in the city. Pretty excited!!! :)

Mom and sisters. Doesn't my mom look good? I can only hope to look half as good at 50!

Waiting in line for the Opera. Pumped!

The fam after the surprisingly AMAZING Opera. We saw Faust. We weren't really sure what to expect. All we knew is that none of us had ever been to an opera, it was going to be long, and we wanted to experience it! Oh man. It was so awesome! We were choked up afterward just because of the sheer talent that we had witnessed. The music...amazing. On top of that, the story was captivating, intense, and wonderful. Even Lauren enjoyed it! This ended up being the highlight of the trip for me. It was an enexpected treat!

Union Station at the end of a long day. Don't we look a little worn down?

Swimming at the hotel. We initially went for Dillon, but we all turned into 5-year-old's and played lots of silly games. Thanks for the great idea Dillon!

We got to see Thoroughly Modern Millie. It was SUCH a fun show. If you ever get the chance...GO! It had great music and was absolutely hilarious. We had the giggles throughout the entire show. It was so fun! This is right outside the Theatre.

All the girls!

Getting for the show to start

Lauren on the Fariswheel doing what she does best! :)

The Fariswheel was at Navy Pier. It overlooked the city and Lake Michigan. Awesome.

Random wedding party in the middle of the city...and it was freezing! Weird but kinda fun!

City girls!

Fun statue at Navy Pier...we had to take advantage!

Sunday dinner with the fam + some cousins (so fun to see you)!

Blowing out the birthday candles. Lindsay's birthday was three days later!

I wish we could go again tomorrow (only this time with Shane)! I have the best family and we always have so much fun together. We always stay up way too late chatting and laughing but it's always worth it! Thanks again to Aaron & Nan for showing us such a good time. Natalie was such a great hostess! She made the yummiest food, made sure we were sleeping well, and planned an exciting non-stop itinerary! By the end of the trip, we felt so "cultured!" Hahaha...we're getting there! Thank you to my sweet hubby for letting me have a get-away. All he asked is that I promised to return! I missed you even more than the twinners. And a special thanks to my Mom. You only turn 50 once! You are as beautiful as ever. Love you.

As Promised

These two were hilarious on Halloween. Cade was full of excitement and caught on quickly to the trick-or-treat game! He would grab the candy and put it in his bag and would then giggle with excitement as we moved onto the next in line! He was all smiles!

Carson was also full of excitement. However, he HATES it when you hold his hand and tell him where to walk. I mean...this is probably on the top of his hate list! He is a free bird and wants to be just that...FREE! So when we would try to walk with him, he would collaspe his legs and lay flat on his back on the pavement. Shane would yell out to me, "Penguin down!" And we would get a good laugh. But seriously, I think he got two (maybe) pieces of candy, which is fine with me! He didn't realize what he was missing out on...again, fine with me! So, we ended up just taking him to an area where he could be free. Cade soon joined him. That about sums up our Halloween experience this year!

I took tons of pictures of Carson hoping to get ONE of him looking at the camera. As you can see, I was not successful. Carson-Penguin on the run!!!

How cute is he?!?

None of them looking at the camera. Awesome!

This was the best of the two of them together. Carson won't hold still for the life of me, so this will have to do! They were darling and that was good enough for me!