There are no words...

An old drawing and giggles from my absentmindedness...

I was sorting a pile of papers and found this sweet picture that Asher drew for Lisa last year. I never sent it to her so I thought I'd post it here for her to see :) I'd prefer to have sent it with a loving note from me attached and maybe even a treat for that scrumptious Ben who is growing up while we are away. I'd prefer that. But Lisa, thank you for being my younger (in age) and older (in experience and wisdom) sister who understands. My favorite parts of the drawing: Lily's 8 stands of hair and the giant scribble heart - the first heart he ever drew.

Kacie playing with her beloved toothbrush. Girl after my own heart!

Last night at bedtime I started brushing Kacie's teeth. She started laughing. Really, really laughing. Tears coming down her cheeks laughing. So, I started laughing. It was so funny, but I didn't know what she was laughing about. That made it even more hilarious. Every time I put the toothbrush back in she would belly laugh harder. We finished up the bedtime routine and three little babies slept soundly. It wasn't for a few hours - after I'd washed the dishes, picked up the rest of the toys, etc. - that I realized what was so funny. You see, Justin was in Portland so after a long and quite messy day I was doing the evening alone. I fed three kids, washed three kids, helped put pajamas on three kids, read stories with three kids and brushed three kids' teeth. By the end of the evening, a little absentmindedly perhaps, I grabbed Caleb's electric toothbrush while it was Kacie's turn. It was the first time she has had a vibrating toothbrush in her mouth and I guess she thought it was pretty funny.

Melts my heart...

 I'm so glad that this is a photo that just naturally keeps recreating itself. 

 "Children are made readers on the laps of their parents."

— Emilie Buchwald

How's this for a few random details about my children...

 Asher likes to make his own fruit salad.

 Kacie loves to wear the stethoscope.

And Caleb pretended to be a sea turtle wearing an infant sized halloween costume that he found for more than 3 hours.

Caleb learned a lesson...

Well, this happened quite awhile ago, but Justin thinks it shouldn't go untold. So, I guess now that I'm blogging again (have you noticed that I'm blogging again?) I'd better tell you about this cool kid I've got. His name is Caleb Spencer and he loves action! He's always pretending to be a superhero (almost always before he starts running anywhere he makes a sound of either his rocket boosters firing up or webs slinging out of his wrists!) and the best way to become his friend is to wrestle with him. 

Anyway, I was doing dishes and I sent the boys into their bathroom to wash their hands. From where I was standing they were behind me and down the hallway. They had been in there for just a little bit before there was a huge flash of light that filled the whole house. It was so quick that right after I just stood there for a minute feeling the eery silence wondering if I really saw it or not. I ran to the bathroom and Asher was on the floor looking at Caleb who was standing with a scared/excited look on his face. Then I saw the plug and outlet with black whatever all over the wall around it. I gasped and asked Caleb if he was okay. He held up his hand which also had black whatever on it and said "I got shocked." Once I figured out that it wasn't a burn, the black powder washed off, and that he really wasn't hurt I asked him again if he was okay. This time there was a sparkle in his eye as he thought about it. I'm pretty sure Caleb even kinda liked it. 

I guess he had a penny in his pocket and had pulled it out to hold while he waited for his turn to wash his hands. Right in front of his face beside the sink was a little space between the outlet and the plug of his toothbrush that looked just exactly big enough for a penny. So, he put it in. We are thankful that everything turned out the way it did and that he was safe. Caleb is a hands on learner. A quick learner, but hands on. Now he knows (vs. just taking my word for it, I guess) that "electricity is dangerous" and that we "never stick anything into outlets or onto plugs". I just kept thinking I hope he survives his childhood and that I survive him ;)

Asher's most favorite of seasons...

Asher loves winter time and snow. He was thrilled to wake up to our last big snow storm awhile ago. It came at a perfect time. Justin was home from work and we were able to spend some time enjoying the beautiful snow.

Even all wet and cold this kid was in heaven! He truly didn't want it to end.

This was a sad face because I said we should go in to get warm.

 Kacie really loved it too. She could hardly move, but she was happy as can be.

 Finally Kacie and I came in to get warm while the boys stayed out until it was dark. 

Dear Winter,

I'd like to apologize for all the mean things I've (often) said about you in the past. It was unkind and I am sorry. 

I want to thank you for making my first born so happy. I've really never seen anyone love you so much, especially not a 4 year old. But he does. And for that I love you too. 

I think if we try we could be great friends. Maybe I'll try snowshoeing or ice fishing...but probably not the ice fishing.

Anyway, please remember absence makes the heart grow fonder.

All my best,

Abby.

Our first hike up Badger Mountain this year...

 What a fun way to spend our evening. Kacie loved the ride!

 The boys did awesome. Caleb kept "running out of energy" so we had to take frequent snack breaks :) and Asher won the race he was having with the "invisible racers" the whole way down the mountain.

Seriously my favorite people in the whole world :)

We wanna go to Grandma's House!

Happy Birthday Grandma! We can't wait to come play at your house again soon!! Until then I guess this little playhouse will have to do. We love and miss you. Hope you had a great birthday :)

(Jeremy, Peter, Gretchen... help me out. Doesn't Kacie look just like Hannah did when she was little in that second picture? Too cute!)

2011

Well, 2011 has come and gone. It's hard to believe; it feels like it went by so fast, as it often does. This year was a good one to us, with lots of adventures and changes.

Asher turned 4 this year and continues to be excited about life and learning. He loves doing mazes, writing his name and other letters, and outer space. He recently told Abby that he wants to take a family vacation to see the footprints on the moon! He started joy school, a home based preschool group, this fall and has loved learning about manners, the earth, and our 5 senses, among other things. He loves to laugh, play, wrestle, and add to his rock collection. He is a very logical thinker, and he often cracks us up with his comments and observations of the world. We sure love Asher's curious and obedient spirit and we're so grateful that he's in our family!

Caleb turned 3 and is as full of energy as ever. He loves treats, playing, Harleys, and playing with his "guys" - his action figures. He's always running and jumping, prentending to be Spider-man or some other hero. He also loves wrestling with Dad. It has been fun to watch him learn as his abilities, vocabulary, and imagination have exploded. He loves being the "special guest" when joy school is at our house. He also loves to tell stories, which usually include tigers, monsters, or some form of bad guys going to jail. We love Caleb's adventurous energy and loving spirit, He's always willing to give you a smile and we're grateful he's part of our family!

Our little Kacie turned 1 this year, which is hard to believe! We sure love her and the spirit she brings to our family. She has a very infectious laugh and loves to sing and dance. She loves her older brothers and gets a kick out of watching them, and then trying to copy what they do. They love her, almost a little too much sometimes, but she is learning to hold her own pretty well. She is a very happy girl who knows what she wants when she wants it and knows how to let us know. She just started walking full time about a month ago and loves the newfound freedom. She loves exploring the house, opening the cabinets and drawers, and pulling everything out. But, if you ask her to close the door or put something away she does so without hesitation. Abby often comments that she pretty much has wings and a halo, and we sure are blessed and grateful that she's here with us!

Abby does a great job holding down the fort and managing life with three little ones. As someone put it, she has the hard job! But she's so good at it! When the weather's warm she likes taking the kids out for a walk in the stroller and even braved a walk all the way to Justin's work for a family lunch. Besides keeping busy with the three kiddos, she also teaches in the rotation for the joy school group and just keeps busy as the master organizer in our home. She thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Europe and loved the food, culture, and experiences of all the countries we were able to visit. She even met a long lost sister in Ukraine that she didn't even know she had!

Justin keeps busy performing all the duties of a "fickle ferpist" (Asher's way of saying physical therapist). We were unexpectedly yet greatly blessed with a new opportunity midway through the year which lead to Justin changing jobs from the hospital which brought us here to a private practice outpatient orthopedic clinic. Without getting into too much detail, it is a company with clinics throughout the Pacific Northwest and offers an orthopedic residency program to which Justin was accepted, allowing him to further develop his skills in a concentrated way. The great part is that we didn't have to move, and the clinic he's at now is just a mile up the street, even closer than the hospital. He enjoys his coworkers and the patients that he works with.

The big adventure of the year was our trip to Europe. We were able to leave the kids with Honey and Papa (THANK YOU!) and have a Carrier Family Reunion as all of Justin's family traveled overseas to pick up his youngest brother from his mission. Abby and Justin were able to make a quick stop in Ukraine where they were able to meet with a few dear friends from his mission, attend 2 sessions in the Kyiv Temple, and Justin was able to give Abby a taste of a place that is very dear to him. As was already mentioned, Abby was able to meet one of the sisters Justin knew as a missionary and they formed an instant bond. From Ukraine we traveled to Prague, Czech Republic; Madrid, Spain; Rome, Italy; and finished off the trip in Paris, France. It was a whirlwind and such a memorable time. We look forward to making the trip again!

We're grateful for the restored gospel and for our Savior, Jesus Christ. We're grateful that we're happy, healthy, and in this together. We're also grateful for all of our wonderful friends and family and the love and support we feel from each. We don't know what 2012 holds for us, but we do know that come what may it will be another great year. We are so blessed, so grateful for all that we have, and have so much to look forward to! 

The many costumes of Caleb...

So, I was perusing some old pictures and started to notice a pattern. 

Caleb can really put together a mean outfit. He's too funny :)

 Style, as defined by only you.

A few more...

 So, I saw this picture and was reminded that I wanted to tell Lisa that Asher went through a stage of wearing "Two shirts, one on top of the other because that is how Andy does it!" It's fun how much they love that cousin of theirs.

 We are feeling a little bit under the weather today around here, but I just think this little girl is so cute. Even when I put her in Asher's old boy pajama's because hers are all dirty.

He called himself "Strong pants church guy"

Caleb was playing in his room and came out wearing a couple of ties and some old suspenders. Oh, he makes me laugh!