Grace

Funny the lessons that you can learn from a three-year-old...

The table was set, all the food was ready, and we all sat down for dinner and were waiting on Nathan.  While we sat there laughing and talking, Sammie turned to me and whispered "Mommy?  Why isn't anybody putting food on their plates?"

I told her we were waiting to say Grace.

She looked around for a second and then turned back to me and very simply and sweetly said "Grace."

We joined hands and Nathan said our official Grace and we started our feast.  About halfway through the dinner, Sammie stopped and wanted us to all hold hands again, she seemed to really enjoy this ritual.

I'm not sure, but I think we might need to do a little more prayer at our dinner table...

My 100th Post!

It’s official, this is my 100th post! Compared to some, this is peanuts, but for me, I consider this a nice accomplishment. Like many moms, (and parents in general) sometimes the things that I enjoy doing have to get pushed to the back burner for more urgent and pressing things; laundry, cleaning, cooking, errands, desperately searching for the teddy bear that Sammie has decided she cannot go to bed without.

Sometimes when I have a spare moment that can be spent doing one of my mommy activities (working out, blogging, scrapbooking, etc…) I instead decide that sitting down and watching a show or just going to bed at a reasonable hour is more important at that particular moment.

That all said, I started this blog with the intention of doing it as often as I could, and since this is my 100th post, I would consider myself a success at keeping with that goal. I have had dry spells with a few months that held very little pots, but I do what I can, when I can, and hopefully those people that check on it are enjoying what I am able to do!

What I'm Thankful For

Thanksgiving is a time for family, great food, and most of all for being thankful for everything in our lives. This year, I find myself thinking a lot about how much I have to be thankful for. In no order whatsoever…

I’m thankful for my job, the fact that is it now something I am excited about, and the opportunities that lie ahead. Most of all, I’m thankful to have one in a time when so many do not.

I’m thankful for our home. It is our home, it is ours, it is where we brought our daughters home from the hospital to, where they each took their first steps, said their first word, had their first laugh, etc… It is filled with wonderful memories for me of Nathan and the girls, as well as extended family and friends who have spent time there with us. And it just so happens to be the first place for Nathan and I that was truly ours.

I’m thankful for my memories. I’m thankful for the memories I have of loved ones who have passed on, thankful to laugh and smile and share them with others, thankful for the others that listen, especially when I know they’ve heard the story before. These loved ones live on in my heart and in my memories, and the people that are kind enough to listen to the stories, especially more than once, give extra immortality to them for me, and I love you for it.

I’m thankful for my girlfriends. I am so incredibly blessed with an amazing group of women that are my friends. We all have many common interests, and many not so common interests, we each handle stress and everyday life in a different way. But it is our differences that makes our friendships great. In a time of need, a time to laugh, a time to be ticked off, we each bring something different to the table, to make the other laugh, offer a shoulder to cry on, get mad right along with you, or just plain old say “I don’t know what to say about that!” No matter what though, they are there and I am very thankful for it.

Outside of these great ladies, there’s also some pretty great men and children that they are attached to. These guys and kids are also a huge part of our lives and our girls’ lives. We see them on a regular basis, celebrate birthdays, accomplishments, milestones; it is like have a big extended family and I love it.

I’m thankful for our families. Our parents, sisters, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc… that are a part of our lives. Nathan and I each have amazing sisters, who have always been there for us, and have been the best aunts we could ever ask for to our girls. Our parents, who all get great joy of watching us both stumble through the trials and tribulations of parenthood (in good nature of course!), have always been supportive, understanding, a wealth of knowledge, and known just what to say or do when we needed them. They know every memory, every dream, every wish, and our girls are so lucky to have them for grandparents. We love you guys!

I’m thankful for my daughters. Each and every day they amaze me, inspire me, love me, and make me a better person. Things changed when I become a mom, I learned to take less for granted, learned that there are more important things in life than everyday petty issues I used to get absorbed in, and that the most important thing is my family. I have so much fun with my girls, every day I feel like they learn something new, and that I get to learn something new right along with them. Every day when I am exhausted after work and feel like just going home and sleeping for a week, I get to the girls’ daycares and see their little faces light up, hear Sammie yell “Mommy!” and come running or Brenna squeal and come crawling over to me, and I’m completely refreshed! I love being a mom, I’ve said it since I had Sammie and I’ll say it until the day I die; I can’t imagine anything better in the whole world.

And last, but certainly not least, I’m thankful for my husband. He knows me so well, and loves me anyway! He is my support, my faith, my reason, my calmness, my everything. People on the outside looking in sometimes think that Nathan has it easy, that I do so much... Truth is, Nathan helps and not just in chores, taking care of the kids, etc…he helps me be a better me. When I want to get angry, give up, not keep moving forward; when I want to just call it a day, he picks me up, shakes me off, and puts me back on my feet and ready to go. The most amazing thing? Sometimes I don’t even think he knows he does it. The truth is, I couldn’t do anything I do without Nathan, his support, his love; that’s what makes it easy for me to do the things I do, I am always thankful for that.

Thanksgiving 2009 - Carr Family

We celebrated Thanksgiving early with Nathan's dad's side of the family this year and headed to Grandpa's church and then for a FANTASTIC meal back at his and Weta's house afterwards with Aunt Dee, Uncle Howard, Auntie Jessie, and Uncle Nick. Every year, Nathan and Nick's birthdays fall on or around Thanksgiving, so we typically celebrate them together, and at our holiday grathering.

This year, Sammie (courtesy of Weta) got to decorated their birthday cake! As always, Weta came up with something super cool for Sammie to use, these icing pens that you just dip in water to activate, wow! What will they think of next!?!? The food was incredible, the company wonderful, and the girls had so much fun visiting with everyone!

Eleven Months

Eleven months.  That’s it, that’s all it took, eleven months for our little Brenna Bear to sleep through the night! (eleven months that is, and lots of mommy snuggles!) WOO-HOO!!! I am almost afraid to post this, like it will jinx me or something, but I’m so friggin excited to have had three nights of her sleeping through the night, I HAD to share!!


So milestones for Miss Brenna at eleven months are that she is taking her first unassisted steps and continues to get more brave and steady every day and…SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!

Brenna's First Car

Do you think that when she turns sixteen and asks for her first car we can show her these pictures and say she's already had it?

Yeah, me neither...but she was pretty excited...

Family Resemblance

Ever since Brenna was born, people have been telling us that she looks just like Nathan. I am in complete agreement on this, Nathan says he doesn't see it. That is however, until he saw these pictures of her with his dad...

Grandpa's Girl

Snuggles for Grandpa...

Happy Birthday Nathan!

Guys spend their entire adolescence worrying about looking “cool” to girls. To their guy friends too, I’m sure, but really girls are the ones they are trying to impress. Then they reach college and their twenties and still continue to worry about their “image”.

Then they get married and turn into puddles of mush for their kids...

I’m going to be in trouble for this post, Nathan was not a fan of the picture of him with a bike helmet on, but hey, I think everyone deserves to see how great he is, especially when it comes to making his little girls smile!

Today is Nathan’s birthday. This is the 11th birthday of his that we have spent together, and every year it is more and more sweet. I fell in love with Nathan very quickly after I met him, and over the years we grew closer and became a "couple". After we got married and settled into our new home, I figured I’d pretty much knew everything there was to know about my husband, and that he would not be able to surprise me.

Then we had Sammie, and watching him with her I fell in love with him in a whole new way I didn’t even know existed.

Again, I was sure that the love I felt for him couldn’t possibly get any better. Then we had Brenna, and seeing him with her reminded me that there is always something more.

Something more to learn, something more to love, something more to grow together as friends, as a couple, as parents, and most (and best) of all, as a family.

Happy birthday to my love, my partner, my very best friend! Thank you for being you, and for continuing to surprise me! I love you!

How Can We Say No?

When she makes faces like this, it make it hard to say no...

Nurse Sammie

One night Nathan was working on our stereo...

But when Daddy got an ouchie, Sammie was very concerned...

Nurse Sammie to the rescue...

She even gave it a kiss...

All better!

Happy Girl

The Only Thing Better...

Than one adorable Brenna Bear is...

You guessed it! Two adorable Brenna Bears...

Why We Don't Let Sammie Cook

Playing the Role

On Halloween Sammie missed her much needed nap. As a result, she passed out cold right after dinner, just as trick-or-treating was starting. You could say she was playing the part of her costume very well...

Maybe one of daddy's kisses will work....


Ok, let's try again...


Doesn't she look so ready to go now?

Thankfully, she did make it out and had a great time!

Halloween

For Halloween this year, we took the girls over to my parents to see them and Karen before trick-or-treating. Sammie got to go out, but Brenna was feeling under the weather, so she and mommy stayed home.

We agreed that Brenna looked like a little cat burglar without her bee costume on!

The Haul...