Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Quirky Kids

I have always said how “quirky” Cara is, but I have come to the realization that all three of my kids have some really quirky habits.

Up until the past few weeks I thought Andy may have escaped from being too quirky, but he recently had an unusual habit emerge. He only giggles when he is really tired. You may expect this from a teenage girl, but babies usually cry when they are tired. Not Andy, which makes it difficult to lay him down for a nap or bed. Hard as I try, and I do try, I can only really get him to laugh right before he is lied down.

Cara has always been a gal of peculiar habits. For example, when she was a baby she hated being bundled, but would only sleep if a blanket was thrown over her head. She is the dare devil of the family, and the climber. The other day I walked into her room and she had emptied out the second to top drawer of her dresser and was laying in it. (I know this is extremely dangerous. We had a good talk about it.) This is just and example of the unusual things she does. Some parents may have a problem getting their children to change their underwear often enough. Not me. Cara changes her underwear every time she goes to the bathroom.

Caleb loves a good party, the family ski party being no exception. The problem is that he is afraid of skiing. He did three runs last Friday night. He threw a full-on tantrum at the lift all three times. I am sure that I looked like a raving lunatic trying to get this screaming, crying little boy onto the lift. The moment we got onto the lift it was as there had never even been a problem. He was happy is a jaybird in the morning. He chatted and pointed out the beautiful moon and starts. He even said, “isn’t this a great ski party mom.” I guess he know that once he was on the lift he was defeated. I am grateful his tantrums go as quickly as they come although I really wish they wouldn’t come at all. Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures of Caleb skiing this year, but I did take Cara on three runs as well. I carried her in the backpack and she was so happy to be on the slop. She cheered “wee” in my ear the entire time.



Josh has been out of commission for a few weeks and wasn’t able to ski this year because of a possible herniated disk in his back. He has been really trying to take it easy and let it recover. Unfortunately, the morning that it happened was the day that we had tickets to the Draper Temple open house. We still went to the open house, but poor Josh was in so much pain he couldn’t help being grumpy. The kids had a fantastic time though. Caleb and Cara held hands through much of the tour. When we asked Caleb his favorite part he said it was the cookies at the end. We asked his next favorite part and it was the “tent tunnels”. (The tents you walk through in the parking lot to get to the temple.) At least his next favorite thing was the baptismal font.

A few days after going to the temple Caleb said, “I can’t wait to get baptized” out of the blue. Of course we were beaming parents and agreed with him. The funny thing is that he finished the sentence after a long pause with, “because then I can get married!” We told him that after he is baptized then the next thing is to get the priesthood when he is 12. He replied, “then I can get married!” We hated to discourage him, but we reminded him that when he is 19 he will go on a mission. He replied, “then I can get married?!” I don’t know if this is quirky or normal for a four-year-old boy, but I have my suspicions that it may be out of the ordinary. I had no idea he was so sensitive about it. He has had a terrible ear infection that drained for almost two weeks. When I was trying to coax him into putting antibiotic drops in it I casually said, “no one will want to marry you if you have goop running out of your ears.” He burst into tears, and ran to me with a big hug. He clung to me while he cried and cried and said, “no one wants to marry me anyway.” My sister Connie was here and it seriously almost broke her heart. I guess I had better be more careful what I say. I know that sarcasm isn’t appropriate with children, but every once in a while I forget.

This picture really doesn't have anything to do with the post, but I wanted to put it up somewhere. I think Cara and her friend should plan on working for Disney when they grow up. They can be Cinderella and Snow White.



One final Cara story. I keep Caleb's pull-ups for night on the top shelf of the closet. I only bring a handful down at a time. Last week Caleb was whining that he couldn't get ready for bed because he couldn't get his pull-ups. Cara rolled her eyes at me, and then rolled her eyes at Caleb and said in her funny English, "I'll get 'em." She very loudly marched back to Caleb's room, climbed to the top of the closet, and threw down a single pull-up will all of the sass that a two-year-old girl can muster. She didn't say a word she just marched out of the room. I hope that Caleb and Cara will continue to take care of each other.

Monday, February 2, 2009

25 Random Things About Carrie

I created this list for my FaceBook.com profile, and sense I took the time to record these random facts I thought I might as well post them here on my blog.

1. This is the first time I have ever participated in an online “tag.” I have been tagged on my blog and other places before, but I have never taken the time to participate. The reason why I am participating this time is because I have enjoyed getting to know people better by reading their lists.

2. I was almost 25 when I got married. I had many serious boyfriends before Josh. I wouldn’t admit that Josh might be “the one” because my family had accused me of calling wolf too many times.

3. Josh and I are both the oldest of five with three sisters and one brother. We both have black-framed glasses, and when we met we both drove maroon Hondas.

4. I served a mission in the Baltic’s. I served in three countries, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. I spoke Russian, which is not the national language for any of the countries in which I served.

5. I have a master’s degree in Education, but I do a trade from home. I am a loan officer, originating mortgages when the opportunity arises.

6. I love working, and the transition into motherhood was extremely difficult for me.

7. It has taken me almost five years to figure out how to love being home with my kids. Now I am quite content being with them. They bring me so much joy.

8. I have spent many summers working at BYU youth conferences. I was a counselor for Academy for Girls for 3 years and for EFY for 2 years. I have been a speaker for EFY for the past 3 years although I think I am getting too many kids to continue.

9. I feel like I have two spiritual gifts. One is bearing my testimony. I love to testify and teach of Christ and His gospel, and the other is one I would like to trade if anyone is up for trading spiritual gifts. I am fantastic at “morning with those who mourn”. I feel people’s pain and easily cry with them when they suffer.

10. I love to travel. I have gone on some awesome trips in my married life. My favorites include beaches and nice warm weather. About three years ago we went to Polynesia (Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, and of course Hawaii), and this past summer we sailed on a private catamaran in the Virgin Islands with some friends.

11. I love amusement parks, especially Disney. Josh and I have been to Disney Land or Disney World every year sense we got married (without our kids.) We now feel guilty leaving our kids at home, but feel like they are still too young to go so we are taking a brake until they are a little older.

12. I am probably the world’s worst speller. I am so grateful for spell check, but even that can’t always help me.

13. I love being a mom, and I would have a dozen kids if I didn’t hate being pregnant so badly. (And if I wasn’t getting old.) I am almost passionate about how badly I hate it. I am sick and throwing up the entire time, luckily I have my babies early. The only thing I can think of that would be worse than being pregnant is not being able to be pregnant!

14. For about the last four years I have been very, very slowly working on a book about transitioning into motherhood. I wish that I could uncover the balance between our expectations and reality for new moms and give them the keys to being a happy mommy.

15. I am teaching Caleb (my oldest, who is almost five) how to play the piano and how to read. I figure with my genetics he is going to need the best head start he can get.

16. I went to college on an oboe scholarship and have a music teaching minor. Consequently Josh volunteered me to teach some of the neighbor kids beginner piano. I am starting that tomorrow. I think I will actually really enjoy it even though I am not a pianist.

17. I am 5’ 10”, the height of the average American man, also the height of Cindy Crawford.

18. I had one summer of stardom when I was in the Days of 47 Royalty. As a royalty we spoke at 3-4 sacrament meetings every Sunday in the summer. We were treated as celebrities at all of the Days of 47 events including the rodeo, and we even got to have dinner with the prophet and the governor.

19. I have been married for over six years and we have never had a TV, by choice. We like TV, but we are afraid that if we had one we would watch it too much so we resist the temptation by not having one at all.

20. I love to teach. I have had the calling of Gospel Doctrine teacher in my last three wards. I had done it for over four years and just got released last month. I think teaching Gospel Doctrine is the best calling in the church.

21. I am not a procrastinator. As soon as I get a project I get it done as quickly as possible. The only way Josh gets things done is last minute and that drives me insane.

22. I love to be efficient. Sometimes I wonder if I am too efficient. My house is usually clean, and my kids are well cared for, and I get extremely bored. I feel like I have everything done much of the time. I am not bragging. I feel like this is a weakness. Who gets bored? Maybe that is why I should get a TV.

23. I am not easily offended so I often get in trouble for being too honest with others. I am only honest because I care.

24. I almost never read novels. (I avoid them because I am a bad mommy when I am into a good book.) I do read self help books. I have read a bookshelf full of books on money and investing, and I am currently into reading books about parenting. The great thing about self-help books is that you can set them down.

25. Apparently I am long winded and feel like I need to explain every random thing about myself. I do love company and try to trap anyone who comes into my home and coax them into visiting for a while.