How cute are these?

I clicked on a link on a friend`s blog, and while browsing the site I came across these phototinks, and thought I would try to make one. They turned out to be really easy to make. If anyone`s interested, the website is www.widdlytinks.com and then click on the phototinks link on the left.


Digital Scrapbooking Photo Tinks by WiddlyTinks.com

A Wonderful Thanksgiving

We have much to be thankful for this year. It has been a busy one, complete with a move, some challenges and interesting moments. We had a great Thanksgiving, a delicious dinner with my awesome family, visited my dad`s parents, and had yummy desserts and time with my grandma, aunts, uncles and cousins at Grandma`s house. I am thankful that...

1. I have an eternal marriage to a wonderful man who is hard-working and a wonderful father.

2. A healthy little boy who adores me.

3. Parents who raised me in the true gospel.

4. My wonderful in-laws who raised my husband in the true gospel and are loving grandparents to Aidan.

5. Grandparents who love me, and who raised my parents to make righteous choices in their lives.

6. Aunt Ellen, and the love she always showed me. I miss her the most this time of year.

7. Papa, and the wonderful, kind, loving man he was.

8. That I was present at the marriage and sealing of my cousin Miranda to a wonderful young man.

9. The Plan of Salvation.

10. That we sold our house.

11. That we are healthy, the roof over our heads, and that Bryan is able to go to school full time and that I am able to stay home with Aidan.

These are only some of the things that I am thankful for. I would be sitting here all day if I chose to list them all. It is wonderful to be as blessed as we are, and I know that it all stems from the Savior, who was willing to give his life so that we may all enjoy so many blessings.

Halloween 2009

This year our ward had it`s annual Trunk or Treat. It was out at my family`s farm. This year there was a bonfire and the kids roasted marshmallows, and there was music and the kids danced around. After they collected their candy, we went on a hayride. Aidan was a really cute monkey. He had a lot of fun playing with the other kids and seeing them all dressed up. He especially enjoyed going to visit his great-grandparents and being fed a lot of candy to keep him happy on the hayride. There aren`t as many pictures this year, because we were too busy trying to keep Aidan out of the bonfire.

Double Ear Infections, Round One

The past few days, Aidan has had a yucky runny nose, a cough, and a sore throat. I told Bryan on Saturday that if he was not better by Monday, that I was going to take him to the doctor. Sunday morning he was the same, so I opted to keep him home from church so he wouldn`t make all the nursery kids sick, and called my mom, who is in Utah for a week with her two sisters and my grandmother. She asked did he have a fever and he didn`t, so then she says to check his throat. That`s a really fun job with a toddler and no tongue depressor(note to self, must keep those around) so I managed to get a really short look and then called her back to tell her that I saw white spots. She said to go ahead and take him to the doctor because it could be strep, so we waited until the Urgent Care in Swansea opened at twelve, and off we went. Thankfully, there was no strep, but he has a bad cold and both ears are infected. The good news is that the ears were already starting to heal on their own.

Gone Camping

Two weekends ago we went camping at Kings Mountain State Park. It rained on us, and was really cold, but we had fun. Saturday Bryan and Aidan and I drove to Asheville for a crafts show and then walked around downtown. Other than that, we hung around the campsite or took Aidan to play on the big playground.

Jenn`s birthday and fun with Brenna Drew

Happy Birthday Emily and Courtney

Emily and Courtney turned four on September 27th. We only caught the tail end of their party because we were at our nephew`s baptism. For party details and pictures, go to therossfamilycircus.blogspot.com. There`s a link down at the bottom of this page.

Happy Birthday Anna

Anna turned nine on September 6th. Her party was at a local pond.

Happy Birthday Colton

Colton turned 2 on August 29.

I could have flipped out....

But these were just too funny.

For this one, I was watching TV after dinner one night, and kept hearing a rustling in the kitchen. I thought I had left everything on the counter out of his reach, until I got curious and went to see what he was doing, and found this.



These next ones are all the result of me having my back turned for thirty seconds.

On the coffee table with Colton



On the computer desk



The after-effect of getting into a desk drawer



What used to be the toilet paper holder



And now I`m going to go take the thankfully unopen can of diet coke from him before he figures out that throwing it will open it. He already knows this about yogurt.

For Papa

My beloved Papa, Lester Thurman Carroll, died Wednesday night at 5:23 pm. He was born October 17, 1927 in Horry County, SC. He married my grandmother, Barbara Jacqueline Bone, on August 31, 1946. They have six children, twenty-one grandchildren, and twenty great-grandchildren. Papa was a sailor in the Navy and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He served a five year mission in the Atlanta Temple of our church with Grandma. I`ve been thinking for the past few days about what I wanted to say about Papa, and came up with some of my favorite memories of spending time with him and some things I thought were funny growing up.


-He would always put sugar in Laci`s and my cereal(this was probably allowed in Laci`s house, but was not in mine)
-He made the most delicious bran mufifns
-When Laci and I would spend the night at his house, he would give us each one of his big white t-shirts to sleep in, then make us a big pallet at the foot of his and Grandma`s bed, and then he would snore so loud all night Laci and I never got any sleep.
-He and Grandma took Laci and I camping in NC when we were about ten, and he bought us both ice cream cones every day
-Big family dinners in the garage of the house on Cliffside Circle
-That he removed the door of the playroom in that house because all the grandkids slammed it shut so much
-He always called me Lovey or Kelly Jane, which I always thought was funny because my name is Kelly Anne.
-Easter egg hunts in his and Grandma`s backyard
-I think it was the day we were having my fifth birthday party when Hurricane Hugo was supposed to hit, and I was scared, but Papa picked me up and told me that we would all be safe and I had nothing to be afraid of.
-Every Christmas Eve when they lived on Cliffside Circle, a fire truck would come by with Santa Claus, and they would stop at the houses and I think give out candy. I was barefoot and in my nightgown one year, and for some reason wouldn`t walk across the yard like that, but wanted to go out and see Santa, so Papa carried me from the house and out to the fire truck and then back inside.

Papa was a great man, kind, hard-working and loving, and completely selfless. I was thinking tonight, as I stood over his casket, that if he could, he would have wanted to know why we were all making a big deal over him, and told us all to go out to dinner or to a movie, or at least do something more exciting than make a big fuss over him, because it was unnecessary. It would have been the only time that I would have told him he was wrong about something.

I love you Papa. You were a loving and courageous man, and I am thankful for the great example you were to all of us, and that you were able to seal Bryan and I. I am so lucky that I am your granddaughter. I know that you are where you need to be and am proud of you for living worthy to enable you to return there. I love you so much and will miss you, but I am thankful that your struggles are over.

P.S. Hug Aunt Ellen for me.

Love,
Kelly

Happy Birthday to Bryan

Bryan turned 34 on August 26. My family had a party with a german chocolate cake(his favorite), and his family had this sinfully delicious chocolate cake and then everybody made smores. Terrible for our diets, but YUM.

Coldplay Viva La Vida 8-7-09

This concert was awesome...we had so much fun!!! I definitely recommend the experience if you can handle bright lights and loud music.

Need help with fonts

If anybody knows how to add a font to your blog in an uncomplicated fashion, please take the time to explain it to me. Also, if anyone knows how to put a picture in a header, please tell me. I can download the header, but don`t know how to get the picture in there.

Aidan`s First Haircut

I want to grow Aidan`s hair out kind of long, down past his neck a little ways. Bryan and I had noticed the past couple of months that his hair was looking kinda crazy and unkempt, despite efforts to keep it looking the opposite. So I decided to have it trimmed a little bit, hoping that that would cause it to even out some and grow out a little faster. Someone, no idea who, told me that his hair would grow a little quicker with a little trim. So, I wanted to take Aidan to the same place where Bryan gets his hair cut, and Bryan agreed, but would only let this one lady there cut it, because he didn`t trust anyone else. So I take him up there, and when she is putting him in the seat, she asks do I want it trimmed just a little bit, and I say yes. Aidan loved the booster, did not mind the cape at all, and only got restless the last two minutes, and then sat still after being allowed to chew on her spray bottle. I was really surprised that he did so good. She took off a little more hair than I wanted, but his hair grows quickly.

So behind on blogging...again

It`s been a busy few weeks. We moved(there`s a really fun process) then there was Fourth of July and Bryan`s dad`s birthday(on the same day), and then I was out of town for a day with Bryan`s family, then there was cleaning the house now that we don`t live there(still not done). So I`m making an effort to catch up, while also trying to figure out some tricks from really crafty bloggers. For those who know me well, know that I am not computer or technologically savvy individual. This oughta be fun. By the way, Christi, your blog has been a BIG help.

Harpers Island Disappointment

I have been watching Harper`s Island since it first aired, and I`ve been really into it since then. Last night was the series finale, and although I`m glad that Jimmy turned out to be good, and that he and Abby made it out alive, I am annoyed that Cal and Chloe and Trish were all killed. Even though I saw it coming, and I would have rather it been him than Jimmy, I was still peeved that Henry was Wakefield`s accomplice. I loved the show, but I was disappointed with the way the end of it played out.

One more thing:

Hurray for Abby...for spearing Henry with whatever that thing was.

3 years and counting...

On May 6 we celebrated our third anniversary. We went to the mall and walked around, ate the best cookies in the world(Great American Cookie Company...YUM) bought Bryan a pair of Crocs and me a shirt from Ann Taylor, and then ate at Outback.
It was nice to be able to get out of the house and do something this year. Last year we had a newborn, so we stayed home and dinner that some friends brought us. We`ve had a great three years together and it just keeps getting better. I`m so glad that Bryan decided he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. Happy 3rd anniversary honey!!!

Rosewood Crawfish Festival

WARNING: LONG POST

Bryan has known how to blow glass for the last nine years, but for the last couple of years he`s taken a break to work and go to school. Within the last few months, he`s caught up with an old friend that also blows glass. This friend lets Bryan come in and make jewelry in his shop, so Bryan has gotten back into blowing glass. A couple of weeks ago, Bryan came to me and told me that he had heard about the Rosewood Crawfish Festival where artists can come and sell their work, and he wanted to rent a space for the day. So we packed up some of his paintings and all his jewelry, left Aidan with Mom, and took off at seven thirty last Saturday morning to go to this festival. Bryan has done a lot of things like this before, but I never have, and I really enjoyed myself. It rained off and on, and was pretty cloudy most of the day, but it was nice because it kept it cool for most of the day. I even ate crawfish etouffee(is that spelled right?) for the first time, something I`ve always thought I wouldn`t like, but it was SO GOOD. So, in retrospect, it was a nice day, we had fun and enjoyed being together, and I enjoyed trying new things. It wasn`t even hard to leave Aidan all day like I thought it would be(he`s never been away from both of us all day before.) I knew he was in good hands with my mom. There was one thing I saw at the festival that made me question some people`s sanity and common sense when it comes to parenting. I would like to know who on earth would bring their THREE WEEK OLD baby to a place that was as crowded as this was, with a ton of drunks and smokers, and completely unsanitary conditions, and lay her down on a portion of THE STREET while they enjoyed the festival. Especially with the while swine flu thing. Who would do that? We left our twelve month old at home because we thought that it wasn`t a good environment for a baby. Come on people.

AIDAN IS ONE!!!

Yep, my little boy turned a year old on April 25th. The boy who used to have to rely on me for everything is quickly becoming as independent as he can. He has learned how to walk with help, climb out of the bathtub, up the entire flight of stairs(I wasn`t panicking) and onto the coffee table, and how to play in the toilet and bite. Aidan has had his moments where he has driven me crazy, but he has always been a perfect baby. He slept through the night at less than a week old, almost never cried, and smiled constantly. In the last week or so he has started to learn how to share. He has always been a sweet baby. I am so thankful for this adorable and precious little boy. Happy Birthday Aidan!!!

Mama and Daddy are home!!!!

Valentine`s Day

We had decided that for dinner on Valentine`s Day we would go to Outback, but when we drove up there that night, there was an hour wait just to put your name on the list, and then another hour minimum to be seated. We decided to drive back to Lexington and eat at O'Charley`s, which brought up a conversation of the previous year`s events. Bryan and two guys in our ward got together and told us three girls that we were watching a movie and eating dinner. Then they disappeared one by one after making up excuses to go out to the cars and upstairs looking for things and delivered clues that we had to go find. They sent us to the riverbank where Bryan proposed to me, to a church building where one of the guys proposed to his wife, and to the restaurant where the other couple had had their first date, which was the same restaurant that Bryan and Aidan and I were at. Then they cooked us this really great dinner. It was a fun night, out first ever Valentine`s Day with Aidan, who sat in his high chair and munched on cheese and a tortilla and was good all night. I even got roses out of it all.

No Stopping This Little Boy

A few weeks ago, Aidan had an accident in the exersaucer that resulted in the removal and washing of the cloth seat. I forgot about it and left it sitting on the dryer for awhile, and Aidan hadn`t played in it since the day it was washed. Bryan and Aidan are in the office one day, when Bryan calls for me to come in there and see what Aidan is doing. He was crawling around on the floor playing, and I don`t know what made Bryan turn around, but when he did, he saw that Aidan had crawled onto the bottom part of the exersaucer, and pushed himself up through the empty middle part where the cloth seat goes. Pretty smart thinking, and he was very proud of himself.

Strange and uncomfortable sleeping positions

Don`t Mess With Aidan....

You might get a nasty look.

GASTROENTERITIS AND ONE MISERABLE BABY

This week`s events:

Week was relatively normal until Wednesday night, when Aidan didn`t eat well...very unusual for him. Thursday was no different, he only drank milk and was not at all interested in solid food. So after his lunch bottle, I carried him into the kitchen and was about to clean up his face and wash the bottle, when he throws up everywhere and on both of us. I had to set him down on the floor to clean it up, and he cried and cried because he wanted to be held. I was watching three kids then, so Bryan had to come and get Aidan and take him home, while I disinfected everything Aidan had touched that day. He didn`t throw up again, but he has had about ten bad diapers for the last every day for the last three days. So last night, when there are no signs of it letting up, I call a pharmacist that we go to church with and ask what he thinks about Imodium for a ten month old. He says no Imodium for a child under two, and tells me some things we can try, and says he recommends having him looked at. So we all head off to the urgent care at about 7:30, and there is a four hour wait. We haven`t had dinner, and Aidan is going back and forth between clingy, happy and irritable. I`m freaked out because I`m a first timer, I know nothing about this type of thing(thanks Jill and Rachael, for the advice) and I`m trying not to meltdown between my semi-dehydrated child, whose weight I`m worried about, because he has not gained easily over the last ten months. Thankfully it took less than four hours, and the doctor said he had gastroenteritis, and then couldn`t make up her mind whether or not he needed an x-ray to see if air and gas were trapped in his stomach. So we were sent home with a cranky tired baby, a prescription to treat a bad diaper rash, and instructions to make him drink as much as we could. This morning, after he was awake half the night screaming(again, completely unusual for him)he is still going through the diapers, though not as much, so maybe there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Getting good at these....

Late birthday posts

Not my best day

My day started out that I was late to Anna`s basketball game. After it was over, I went on a search for valentine m&m`s that I needed to put the finishing touch on a cake, and every store I went to had every kind of valentine candy in the world, but no m&m`s. Finally, tired of taking Aidan in and out of the car at place after place, I gave up and went to meet Bryan for lunch. When I got to Burger King, their credit card machine was broken, and anyone who knows me well knows that I don`t carry cash. It wasn`t long before Bryan was supposed to be there, so I made Aidan`s bottle with hot water from the coffee maker(someone please tell me why the water in those things is so hot that you have to wait fifteen minutes before you can even think about drinking whatever you used the hot water for). Aidan was very impatient while I was soaking the bottle in cold water, trying to cool it down as fast as I could. Finally I got him to eat, and still no Bryan. So we played and we waited, and we played and waited some more, my blood sugar dropping by the minute, because I had only eaten a thing of yogurt all day at that point, and still no Bryan. Finally he called and said he was on his way. When he walked inside I told him why I hadn`t eaten, so he handed me some cash and went to put Aidan in the car. I get in line, ready for that chicken sandwich and fries after smelling everyone else`s Whoppers and fries for the last hour, and after the ten people in front of me have gone on, I notice a second sign at the register that says that don`t have anything but Whoppers. I get out of line and go tell Bryan what the sign said and then tell him let`s just go. Why do you have signs on your windows advertising all these great looking sandwiches if you can`t make any of them? The reason I didn`t go somewhere else was that A) we were on Bluff Road where there is no other anything, and B) because I was waiting on Bryan so we could go to the Congaree Swamp so he could do an ecology report. Bryan was late because he was taking a test this morning, and he was forced to wait forty minutes at the testing center before they would even let him take his test. What a day...thankfully it got better due a late, great lunch of manicotti.

One very late post

January 10 was my grandfather`s birthday. For those of you who saw the post about my dad`s birthday, yes, their birthdays are a day apart. I always thought that fact was cool. When I was in elementary school, I always told kids that my dad was a day older than his dad. It probably confused some kids. Anyway, this was Bestefar`s
95th birthday. He was born in Madison, Wisconsin in 1914. When I was a teenager he and my grandmother took a trip with my parents and I out west, and we stopped in Nauvoo. If you`ve never been to Nauvoo, Illinois, there are all kinds of things there to make it look like it did when it was settled. There were some games set up that you could play that children played in the 1800`s, and one of them was a game that was still around when Bestefar was a child. You take a large round piece of metal, and roll it down a stick to get it moving, and then you run around pushing it with the stick. Bestefar wanted to play, so he ran around behind that large metal piece for as long as he could. He was about 86 years old at the time, so that was pretty interesting sight. I wish I had the pictures to put on here, but my parents have them. Bestefar is a person with very unique qualities and a lot of talents.
He is an exceptional piano player, and a great person to have a conversation with.
Recently he retold me a story from when he was in Germany in World War Two that I have always found very interesting. Someone from his unit while messing around one day, playfully put a German sailor`s hat on his head, and shortly after some Germans came by, and one of them asked Bestefar in German, "Where are the Americans?" Bestefar thankfully knew some German, so he answered back in German that he didn`t know, and the Germans kept on going. Bestefar has made a lot of sacrifices in his life to give his children and grandchildren a wonderful life, and I am so thankful that he was willing to make those choices and for the example he has always been to me.

Happy birthday Bestefar!

Terrible at posting

I have not been that great at posting lately. It is most definitely not due to lack of things to post, it is more like lack of time and not knowing how manage what time I do have at night efficiently. I plan to reorganize my daily routine to make more time for blogging and other things that I have let go lately. I say to myself a lot that if Kate Gosselin can be as organized and clean and together as she is, then there is a lot more that I need to do.

Anna and Justin play the piano

A few weeks ago after one of Anna`s basketball games, I took Anna and Justin with me when I went to visit with my grandparents, and they showed me how well they can play my grandfather`s piano.

Christmas morning with the Ross family( a little late)

Watch out for Colton!!!

The moral of this story is:

Leave it out, and Colton will find it.