Thanksgiving-birthday-athon

Wow this last week was INTENSE!! Saturday we went to Salt Lake, sunday eric was sick, monday was Carter's birthday,Tuesday my girlfriends and i went out to celebrate Sarah Jane's birthday, wednesday was my birthday, thursday was Thanksgiving at my sister-in-law's, friday I participated in my first frantic and disturbingly early black friday and today was one of my closest friend's (Hayley) baby shower! Just amazing! On top of that, my dad booked my flight to go out to see him - a 22 hour trip with three connections each way - I am very excited!!

Carter's birthday turned into an impromtu party - at the last minute, literally, we invited some of our closest friends over with their families to have cake and icecream, and it was quite the celebration! I unfortunately did not get any pictures on my camera but Eric's dad did. Afterward, we played volleyball late into the evening, men against women and it was such a blast! Carter really enjoyed his cake but I think that the cookie crumbles might have been a little bit of a texture issue for him. he and I also received some birthday cards and gifts and I would like to thank Grandma and Grandpa Kennedy for the birthday money, aunt susan for the card, and Grandma and Grandpa Avery for the package of birthday gifts for Carter - the clothes are a perfect fit and he loves the toys! It is so touching that the people that I love the most were thinking of Carter and I this week for our birthdays!! I would like to finish this post by sharing some pictures of our family.

You know you're getting old when...

Your mom calls you 4 days before your birthday to wish you a happy birthday and honestly believes she is right! I have had some quirky birthday karma these last couple of years, not last year but the two years before that, my father also forgot to call me on my birthday - his typical and anticipated routine - so last year I made sure to remind him what day it was and he fixed it. Now in his defense he does live very far a way and its at times a different day there so that is going in his favor but for my mom, well that was just funny... at least it wasn't 4 days late! Today Eric took me to see the Body Worlds exhibit in Salt Lake City - it was amazing! They use this method of preservation called "plastination" on donated bodies and then they are able to display them and pose them and fillet them, all very interesting! They have a display showing fetal growth from a zygot to a fully developed baby (all dead from natural causes) and it was amazing! seeing that, I wonder how the heck I was showing at 9 weeks with Carter?? Afterward we went to eat at the Red Iguana - way good! Speaking of Carter, Monday is his first birthday! Wow! My baby is growing up! He walks everywhere and is getting pretty fast these days and he says "dada" "mama" "hi" and "up". He is so expressive too, he has started making this face when he is upset and wants me to react, it looks like he is going to cry and he just holds it there - with out sound or at least crying until I react. Its really funny. Taylor spent the night over at Eric's parent's house with Cam's boys - she loves her cousins so much! She is such a socialite too. Anyway the count down is on to thanksgiving and I have much to do to prepare, I am very excited also to make the cake for Carter's birthday - a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, crumbled up oreos and gummy worms to look like worms in dirt - perfect for a little boy! Wish me luck!

October is shaping up to be a great month! Taylor is doing great at preschool, Eric has put most of the finishing touches on my new fireplace and my sister in law just had a baby yesterday! We are so excited for our new niece and can't wait to get to know her! school for myself is going well and this week is fall break. This weekend a friend and I have plans to go on a shopping adventure to Park City at the outlet mall -once a year in october we stay in a hotel, and shop for winter clothes for our kids - practical and fun! I am usually in charge of making the dinner reservations and she is in charge of getting the hotel room - done and done. This year our trip will be a bit short as we are only staying friday night - I cant be away from Carter that long especially because he is still nursing regularly and is a very big momma's boy. Eric has been so sweet to commit to taking him and tay for the two days while I am gone - which is a big deal because Carter will most likely be crying the whole time and if it gets too hairy he will drive him up to me. We are crossing our fingers that all will go better than expected and in return I will be bringing back a much deserved thank you gift for Eric.

RE: Ode to My Spouse

Eric thought he was being funny and on his personal blog he posted a poem titled "ode to my spouse". He made some somewhat humorous jabs at me - the link is here - http://cragmonkey.blogspot.com/

So I thought that this deserved a response and for that here goes (Clearing throat)

How is it I love you after all of your tricks?
You like to poke fun at me to get your kicks,
yet day after day with your hair getting stubbly,
you make my lips smile and my heart still feel fluttery

you talk endlessly of your X-box and Mac,
Its really not if but when will I crack.

You think that you're funny,
you think that you're cute -
but my guts turn inside- out
every time that you “toot”

I'd love help with the laundry and even the dishes
but despite all my pleading those thoughts just stay wishes

Yet there's something to be said for a man that plays dress-up
with his little girl in all her pink get-up.
You prance 'round with pride and sometimes say 'nay'
when you give her rides on your back everyday.

And don't forget there's the little man too,
that picks up all the bad habits you do!
That's why he's a stinker and you know its the truth,
he's a hairy little guy with stinky loud farts just like you!

So regardless of faults and virtues to match,
to me you will always be my perfect catch!

I am by no means a poet, I don't even like poetry, but this is my best effort in all of 10 minutes, I hope you have enjoyed this ode to Eric as much as I have!

Fall is here

Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year. The weather cools down but is not too cold, the leaves are changing colors that are equal in vibrancy and beauty and it is the start of the holiday season. My favorite (pagan) holiday is in the fall - Halloween. This year I have decided to push my sewing skills to the max (which isn't very far, Im not that good) and make Tay's costume this year. Since she is already fair with blue eyes and blonde hair,I thought I would make her an Alice costume from Alice in Wonderland... we'll see though, time is a-tickin' and I have done little to start it. Carter on the other hand will be sporting a store bought costume - a puffy little skunk!! I find this especially humorous because he is such a little stinker, and thats what it says on the bum. The start of school traditionally begins in the fall and for our family this is no exception. I am back at it as always and Tay has also started preschool! I can't believe how big she is getting and its just amazing to see her start this new chapter in her life. While Carter may not be starting school, he is however getting his fifth tooth and is on the verge of walking. He has already taken a few steps and cruises along furniture and walls. Eric is also doing great, he is working on the house more and its so nice to see those improvements.

Ya BABY!!

Well Eric did it... He finally updated the fireplace and put up my mantle that has been sitting in our garage for nearly a year now!! He told me he would 'pencil it in for august' many months ago and on the last day of the month we tore down the old brick, plastered and sanded and textured and he built out the step and covered it with hardy backer and tiled and then painted the wall and hung the mantel!! Wow thats a lot to do in just one little weekend!!I took many pictures along the way to document the project because it really was a lot of work and really dirty at points too, like during the whole thing! Anyway here are some pictures to show Eric's labor day project!!(the first picture is from when we bought the house, before we ripped out the shag carpet)

The Kennedy family Reunion!

We are finally home from a whirlwind adventure in one of the most beautiful places in the world - Hood River, Oregon. Eric, Tay, Carter and I flew in to Portland monday afternoon, we wound up being on the same flight as my sister and her friend and so there was plenty of conversation in the airport to keep us busy until the plane left. Carter had a bit of a rough flight because he was so tired but other wise it was an enjoyable flight! Once we got there and said our hello's and hugged a few times we were off to pick up a car rental for Eric and I and then from there we were more or less on our way to the family reunion held at the Panorama Lodge in Hood River. after settling in and getting the run - d0wn for the week, we headed to bed. The next day we woke early and left for Bremerton, Washington, where my great-grandma lives to visit her and have a picnic. the drive there was around 5 hours and was the longest carter had ever been in the car at one time and it was a frustrating drive because he was so miserable but we were able to see a lot of beautiful sights along the drive and remember things like stopping in Kelso as we did nearly every time when my sister and I were kids. After the brief visit with Great grandma, we left for Tenino, WA where my Jenn's parents live. It was wonderful to see them again and to introduce them to Carter but the best part was something little that they said to me as we greeted - "welcome home" for whatever reason that really struck a cord with me. We had a wonderful time and Lew made an amazing dinner for us, and we got to take Taylor and Brenna out on the 4-wheeler they keep for Brenna. Taylor was a hoot because she wouldn't look where she was going and would accelerate awkwardly. afterward we made the last leg of our trip back to Hood River. the next day we went on a hike as a family to a waterfall, and it was FREEZING but some of the prettiest greenery around. that night our family made dinner with Eric manning the grill, and the next day we spent time at my grandparents house and in Hood River, wandering the town like tourists. Eric absolutely loved it there and the weather that day was much warmer. The following morning we packed up and headed for home. The trip was such a whirlwind adventure that its all blurred together in our minds but I am so glad to have had the opportunity to reconnect with my family!

The Triciathon!!

Well the kiddos and I just got back from a whirlwind adventure at Grammy's house, Eric calls it the "Triciathon" because my mom believes in the philosophy that we need to make a concentrated amount of memories during the small amount of time we have together. Its really fun though! My step mom was once famous for saying " I want to reminisce now!" and my mom is equally famous for saying "Lets make memories now!!!"This trip was by far no exception. We walked to the neighborhood park a few times and played with Tay on the very hot toys, which she always loves and begs for every morning we are there. We also spent a day at the zoo, which despite being very hot was was very fun. We brought my cousin Shannon and her son, James with us and had such a good time. Here is a picture of Carter at the zoo, we are on our way home and I was about to take him out of his sling and put him in his carseat, anyway you don't catch smiles like that everyday on camera! My mom and I also watched a few movies and went shoe shopping at a place called "Off Broadway" or something like that - wow!! we also had a family get together and took Taylor swimming, carter wasn't really interested as the water was from a hose (brrrr!) and went up to the Denver area to have Lunch with Greg at a favorite of ours - Cinzettis, its a really nice italian buffet but its quite nice and the food is great! That is one of Eric's favorite places to eat too and he was quite bummed to have missed out on it! Anyhow one of the best parts about the trip was something I had nothing to do with. While we were gone, Eric installed canned lighting and a chandelier above the dining table - this picture doesn't do them justice (mostly because the kitchen is FILTHY!! Talk about Being a bachelor to his full extent!) but I am so proud of him! He did that for me for our anniversary. Anyway it is nice to be home and we will only be separated for a little bit, my mom is coming out to Utah to see one of my sister's plays down in Cedar City and we are planning a Thacker Family Reunion for the same weekend.

The funeral...

Well the funeral was a beautiful service. Aaron's mom spoke and so did my Brother in law - Adam and both of those messages were beautiful. There was not an actual viewing of her body but we did have a "viewing" to go and see the casket and to be close to our families and friends before the funeral. At the entry to the relief society room there were programs and some of Aaron's scrapbook pages of her and Cameron when they first were together and they looked so young! Cameron looks especially different as he has started shaving his head like Eric and weighs a bit more (also like Eric lol) Inside there were also pictures of her and their family that were so wonderful, it was such a blessing that they had gotten those done recently so that all of them were in the picture. She was a very beautiful person and I only wish we had the opportunity we were planning on having - which was to live close to each other and become better friends. Since then Cameron moved into his new house yesterday with a lot of help from his new ward and also family and a few from our ward as well. I am so grateful for how openly our friends and ward members have reached out to help him and us during this time. I truly feel so blessed by the people and in particular a few of my girlfriends that have done everything and anything they could. We are so grateful to everyone that has reached out to us during this time of sorrow.

my heart breaks...

For the loss of someone dear to our family. On Saturday May 24th, my sister-in-law(Eric's twin brother's wife) and her kids were traveling to Utah to move here and were in a car accident just outside of Aurora CO. Aaron died at the scene of the crash. The driver of the van ( a young girl that Aaron had taken under her wing and convinced to move to UT with her) veered off the road to the right, hit a pole and swerved left but doing so caused the van to roll 2 1/2 times landing on its top and crushing Aaron. She leaves behind three beautiful little boys ages 4,3, and 1 . All of them suffered minor abrasions and some broken capillaries in their cheeks from being upside down for so long before the police got there. Cam is devastated as anyone would be from the loss of a spouse and we are all in shock. She was 25 which is in my opinion much too young to pass away. Cameron's new ward will be taking care of the funeral services this Saturday.

What a sigh of relief!!

Well just an hour ago I finished my last final of the semester. I couldn't be happier! This semester has been a true test of everything I am made of because it was so hard - having just had a baby right before the start and juggling him, his feeding schedule, an off the walls three year old and home was just about drowning me. I know this sounds ridiculous but this semester was harder than last semester and I had Carter a week before finals and still got great grades. I believe though, that any subsequent semesters will be easier than this one and that gives me hope.
I remember posting something about adding videos of our recent events and I intend to do that right now - one is of me playing a duet with a friend/neighbor - Debby. She recently picked up the flute again after not playing for 30 years. She has been taking lessons and a few weeks back played this piece at a recital. About 5 days before the recital on the video, she asked me to play this with her and I think I did pretty good for having not really played in about 5 years myself and having 5 days to learn it. It was a blast and have since then been asked to play again and I'm glad - I really enjoy keeping up on it. The other video is of Taylor's birthday, we are all singing to her. She is such a sweetheart. She had such a good time and I am so glad that everyone that was there showed up - you could tell it really meant something to her.
Anyway, other than that life is going well. My much neglected home is going to get a good cleaning tomorrow ( and the next - it needs some serious attention) Now that I am out of school. Carter is doing great - he is rolling over from front to back and is starting to try to sit on his own a little. He is also getting much better at grabbing for things and holding onto them. He is also starting to show interest in food although he is still a month away from starting solids but its a vast improvement so far compared to his big sis. His hair is also getting a little bit lighter and pretty red - so I'm thinking its gonna stick. Thats great though because I've always liked red heads! He is a fantastic baby and as long as I am holding him he is super happy.
Taylor is just...well...off the walls as I said before. She is needing some constructive activities and I will be devoting more time to that for her this summer now that I am out of school. You can always tell when she is mad at me (aside from yelling at me nnnnnnnnO!) She tells me "yes yir majesty" Like off of Alice in Wonderland. Its hard to stay mad at her though - I think thats pretty cute.
Eric is doing great - he is a mad man in the back yard. Tonight while I was taking my final and after he put Carter down for the night, he headed out the garage and built one of his garden boxes, pretty impressive to me! I am so glad he is taking up a hobby - especially one that gets him out of doors and building things. I asked him to add my fireplace mantle to his list but he doesn't think he can "pencil that in" until August - we will see about that!

I feel in many ways that now that we have this blog that I am intimidated to post the daily goings-on in our lives. I am a very private person myself and it is hard to share things with others but I am going to try harder and post a new blog more frequently that once a month.
For those that do not know, life has been sort of hectic lately. I am in school as always, and am at the point where the semester is thankfully wrapping up. This semester has been particularly challenging because I am still trying to adjust to having two little ones and homework and home and everything else to take care of.
Taylor just turned 3 on Sunday, and we had a little party for her. She is turning out to be quite the little wonder. She has a bit of an attitude, which is mostly just her age and trying to test my limits, but she is also a very sweet and loving little girl. She is OBSESSED with all things princess and so her party this weekend was completely pink. It was a real blast putting it all together and seeing her face light up when she saw all the decorations and coordinated food and cake.
Carter is doing very well. While we were at the doctors office on monday I had the nurse weigh him and he is 16lbs 3.5 oz. At 4 1/2 months thats a pretty good sized baby especially when compared to Taylor who was 17 1/2 at a year, so to me he seems huge. I have gotten my diet under control and he is having fewer out breaks if any and no blisters on his face. Carter is allergic to Dairy protein and since I am nursing him, I must abstain from it to prevent a reaction in him because it passes straight through me to him.
Eric's twin brother, Cameron, is staying with us while he starts a new job and finds a home for his family to move into. Eric is very busy with work and has been working like a maniac on the back yard. He has power-raked, tilled, removed very large pieces of sand stone, removed a tree stump, weeded 11 ft weeds and turned the shed just to name a few things he has done in the last couple of weeks. Currently if you were to look outside our back windows you would see dirt, and one very weathered shed but it is exciting that we are just that much closer to having a real lawn back there this summer. We have also been back at working on the inside of the house as well. Every month we replace the old busted wood blinds with cellular blinds in an area of the house, so far we have new blinds in the living room, kitchen, and downstairs bay window. I absolutely love them! They let in so much light that Eric and I don't fight over opening and closing the blinds anymore!(I liked them open, I prefer my house bright).
Anyway, Life just seems to be a little out of the ordinary right now and in most ways it means that at the end of the day, we are a very tired bunch! Tonight was no exception, we played Hungry Hungry Hippo with Taylor and that was a blast, had dinner and then Eric had to run off to do some service for his calling as a ward missionary. I am very much looking forward to warmer days when we can go outside and play and enjoy a little bit more adventure!

And who are you??

I would like to start off this blog by introducing myself and my family. My name is Tobin, I am a 25 year old stay at home mom and college student. My estimated graduation date is 2099. My husband, Eric, works in the health care/tech industry. He is 28. We have two children, Taylor who will be 3 in a couple weeks and Carter, whom I like to call Critter, is 3 1/2 months. We live in one of the most beautiful places on Earth - UT.