Take Me Out To The Ballgame

Carter's baseball season ended the first part of June and we have really missed those evening outings to the ballpark. Each player in the Cal Ripken League was given a free ticket to the Chukars Minor League baseball game for tonight. So Todd, Carter and I went to the game and had such a great time! All the players lined up by the 1st base and when each team was called, they ran along the sidelines toward 3rd base.

Carter is the 3rd one from the front and wears the #8 jersey.

It was so neat to see all the teams lined up along the sideline! The players and coaches all had the biggest smiles. It was great!

After the parade, all the teams exited the field and watched the "big boys" warm-up. When it was time for the National Anthem, the Chukars and Ghosts (from Casper, WY) lined up in front of their dugouts and the little kids got to run across the field and were stopped on their way across to salute the flag. It was an awesome sight!

Carter loved watching the game and never seemed to get bored. I asked him a few times if he was ready to go yet and he shook his head quickly and said, "No." The Chukars won 7-4. Todd and I enjoyed spending time just with Carter. He's ready to go again!

Gone Fishin'

Carter went fishing today for his first time! He has been waiting for this day for a few months now. He went with his scout group to the greatest pond, where only kids under 14 can fish. They don't have to have a license and neither do parents. Parents cannot fish but can help the kids. We had a great time! He caught a fish and as soon as it was being lifted up out of the water, it wiggled off the hook and swam away. Carter was so disappointed. It took him another 45 minutes to catch another one. He only believes he caught one fish, not two. I guess he doesn't believe in catch and release. When it came time to divide up the fish between the boys, Carter said he didn't want to eat the fish but still wanted to take it home. Not sure what he wanted to do with it! Maybe mount it? It was a prize and he was so happy.

Not Just a Stubbed Toe

I was getting ready for the day yesterday when Carter walked in, actually hobbled in, and sat on the stool and told me he had stubbed his toe on his door. Like a sympathetic mom, I looked it over then wiggled it. That's what you are supposed to do to make sure it's not broken, right? WRONG. He hollered, "That hurts!" I suggested that he go rest on the couch until his toe felt better. I really didn't think he would do it, but he did. Then to make matters worse, he stubbed it on his bed post last night.

By the evening, it was starting to turn colors and by today it was blue and purple. He walks on his heel which he says is pretty sore now too. He has been very tough through it all, never once crying.

Carter's Favorite Pastime

One thing I really enjoy about this time of year is baseball games. I love being outside sitting along the sidelines watching Carter play ball. He has been playing in the Cal Ripken league this Spring, his first year in the competitive league. He is on the NY Mets and it has become his life! He has 2 games a week and they practice twice a week as well. On the off day, he has had scouts. He keeps us going! The older he gets, we are finding that sports are more and more stressful on the parents. He pitched tonight for the first time and we found ourselves saying, "Please don't hit anyone. Please don't walk everyone." Stressful! The league has been doing some machine pitch, and some coach pitch up to this point. But tonight they started the kids pitching. Carter started out the game and actually did really well. In the 1st inning, he had the bases loaded with 2 outs and the batter had a full count and Carter threw a strike to end the inning. I don't think he realized the pressure he was under. He had one play tonight that I didn't get on camera that I wish I would have. He caught a fly ball when he was pitcher and the player on 1st base ran. Carter threw it to 1st and got a double play. He was so excited! It was fun to see him having a great night.

He also likes playing 1st base. He has more hustle in him than he had last year. He's learning more and more each game. He even played catcher one game, and I have to say, it was a learning experience. He stood clear back by the backstop! Who's kid does that? Todd said it was a good thing the backstop was there or he would have been in the bleachers! He has not been put in as catcher since then. Phew!

He got a new bat this season and he's had a hard time adjusting to it. Occassionally he hits a good one. He had one this season that was a line drive to second base and hit the baseman in the arm. In the video, you can see him flailing his arm. It's a little funny.

Hali's New Talent

Hali finished up a 6 week Smart Start Golf class last week. They use oversized clubs, tees and balls and focus on technique. She was eager and quick to learn and loved it! She is so self-motivated and does a great job with everything she tries. We went to Grandma & Grandpa Sanderson's over Memorial Day Weekend and Grandpa took us all to the driving range. Hali has inherited Carter's old clubs and was excited to use them. They were definately different from the clubs they used in class, but she adjusted quickly and did really well. I even did better than I have ever done. I guess the class paid off for both of us! Hopefully we'll have a family foursome one of these days!

Sweet Rewards

Every year, usually around Christmas time, my mom gets together with her neighbor (the professional candy maker) and makes chocolates. Growing up, I would go over and watch and sometimes sample. They did all the work and we got to enjoy the fruits of their labors! It worked out well. And these are not amateur chocolates. These are as good, if not better, as the ones you buy in fine chocolate stores. They are so yummy, they just melt in your mouth. Last night, we got together and Mom taught us how to make caramels. It took us about 5 hours from start to finish and boy was it worth it! It took about 1 hour to cook the caramel to a soft ball stage with constant stirring. It was a good thing we had lots of hands to switch off with! This is the chocolate we used and it smelled so good! It was sitting on my counter for a day and they kids loved to open the bag and just smell it. Talk about pure torture! We still have 1/2 the block left and I think we'll learn how to do cream centers next time. I can hardly wait!

After the caramel cooled and was firm, we cut it into pieces. Occassionally there was an end that was to small and it just had to be eaten! This stuff is so yummy even without the chocoloate! The chocolate makers consisted of Chelsea (my cousin), my Aunts Mary Louise and Kathy, and Tatum (my sister-in-law).

We had a great time dipping the caramels. Mom taught us well. She showed us how to do it and then hurried around getting the caramel, melting chocolate, shuffling pans around and holding Kolby when need be. Our's looked nothing like her's, but they sure tasted good. And we each had a gazillion to take home to our ever so happy families. And the best thing, it's not even Christmas! And I just have to say, I come from the greatest family! We have more fun when we are together. My Grandparents and Aunts & Uncles did a great job of planning lots of family get togethers when all us kids were growing up. It's harder now that we are all so spread out, but we still manage to get together and we love it! There's nothing better than family.

2008 In A Nutshell

Our blog is the only journaling I do. Since I didn't start it until late in the year, there were some events that we didn't want to forget, so I am going back and reviewing the year. It is an enormous post and some may find it rather boring.

February


Todd's grandma, Rosetta Pingel, passed away at age 94 on February 23, 2008. Todd flew out on the 28th to attend the funeral in Malad on the 29th. He really enjoyed being able to visit with his family and most of mine. It was a really quick trip and he returned home on March 1st. Little did we know that just 4 weeks later, we would be headed back to Idaho for the passing of Todd's dad.

March

Oh, poor Paige! The girls and I were making cookies on March 11, just taking a batch out of the oven so we could go get Carter from school. When all of a sudden I heard a crash followed by a piercing scream I will never forget. Paige had smashed her finger in the Kitchenaid mixer. I rushed her to the sink to rinse it, only to find that the meaty part of her index finger was about to fall off. (Sorry in advance for any weak stomaches.) Hali ran to get a cloth to wrap her finger up in. We buckled up and headed off, making a few phone calls along the way with Paige still crying and Hali holding the cloth around Paige's finger and hand. I called my friend Rashana and asked her to pick up Carter from school and called the Dr. office to see if I should take Paige straight to the ER or to their office. They said they could do stitches there, so to bring her into the office. All this happened in about a 5 minute period. Once in the Dr. office, they looked it over pretty good and decided it should be done by someone in the ER. So we went there and waited a little longer to get the process rolling. Paige had stopped crying while driving to the Dr. office and was doing pretty well, considering her finger was falling off. I was given the option of putting her out to do the procedure, but that would have taken a few more hours. I wasn't up for that! So they wrapped her up tight in a sheet, like a mummy. Once again, she screamed. I had to lay across her and hold her down tight, which was awful. She kept looking at me like, "Why are you doing this to me Mom." It was horrible. She had 4 stitches put in. All in all, it took about 4 hours. The girls colored and ate popsicles while we were there. Near the end of our visit at the ER, Hali said to me, "This is fun! When can we come back again?" I hope to never do this again!
Grandma & Grandpa Sanderson sent her flowers and a balloon. She thought that was the greatest thing ever and she loved it!
This is how it looked the day after the stitches. It had to be sealed up tight and cleaned daily.

So for all of you who have Kitchenaid mixers, put the top part down when you are done so your little helpers don't do it for you. I think she used one hand to put the top down while the other hand was around the top part of the stand, with her index finger pointing inside the base. I don't know how many times we have used the mixer and left the top up and never had a problem. I never would have thought!

April

Todd's dad passed away at home on April 2, 2008 surrounded by his family. We were so blessed to be able to spend the last few hours of his life here on this earth with him. He was such a wonderful father and grandfather. He loved to tickle and play with the grandkids. As a daughter-in-law, I was immediately welcomed into the family with open arms and love. We will always remember his love for family, love of the gospel, value of hard work, and infectious smile. We are so blessed to know that families are forever. We miss him deeply and look forward to one day being reunited with him again.
This picture was taken June 9, 2007 at a family reunion. That same evening, we celebrated Bud & Louise's 50th Wedding anniversary that was coming up in December. It was nice to have all the family together to honor them.

June

It was a busy, crazy month! My sister, Kari came to visit us for a month (which we loved!) and stayed with the kids while Todd and I went to New York for 3 days. We had a great time in NY! Our hotel was in Newark near the airport, so we got to experience the train a lot. We arrived in Penn Station and didn't realize the immediate shock we were about to experience. As we walked up the steps to exit the station, leading onto the sidewalk of NY, we were amazed at the mass of people and the noise. And there is no stopping on the sidewalk to figure out which way to go. We quickly got thrown in with the flow of traffic and walked until we figured out where we were going. We decided to go to the Empire State Building first. We went to the top and were able to look out over the city and get our bearings. It was an amazing view!

We spent a lot of our time on a tour bus that went all over the city and we were able to get on and off at different places. It was a great way to see NY.

We enjoyed Rockefeller Center and the Museum of Natural History.
Everywhere we went, we had been looking for the Manhattan Temple. We were told that it is mixed in with all the buildings and it doesn't stand out like the temples usually do. We were on the tour bus and I happened to turn and look a different direction, and there it was. We almost missed it and so glad we didn't!
We really enjoyed our time in New York. There was definately more to see, but we were happy to see what we did. Congratualtions Dr. Shumard on your graduation from medical school! Thanks for giving us a great reason to come to NY!

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Baseball Season

Carter played baseball this summer and we loved going to his games in June and July. Baseball is his sport! It was fun to watch him develop and grow over the season. He had some great hits into center field and enjoyed playing different positions in field and out. Parents were assigned a week to bring a snack for the end of the game, and he really liked that! We are all looking forward to next season!

Crossing home plate and playing on 1st base.

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Storms, Storms, and More Storms

This month was a very nerve racking one with tornado watches and warnings. We had adjusted to the crazy and loud storms of the mid-west, but my sister was scared to death the whole time she was in Kansas, and I don't think she will ever return. But June was even scary for us. There was one particular storm that really sticks out in our minds. Todd was at school and called me to tell me they had to take cover due to a tornado that had touched down a mile from school. We quickly turned on the tv, only to find out that it was headed our direction. I hurried to make sandwiches for dinner just in case the power went out, so we wouldn't be hungry. It grew darker and darker outside and looked scary. Todd called often to check on us and when the warning finally lifted for him, he wasn't sure if it was safe to come home since he would be driving the same direction the storm was going, with another storm following him. He finally decided to take the chance and we were all glad to have him home safe. We watched one funnel cloud form out the window and when it was out of view, went to the tv and watched it touch down about 5 miles from our house. It was a scary time.

Another time, Todd left for school and called me about 15 minutes later, wondering if I was still at home. I had gone out to do a few errands and he said I should probably go back home quickly. He was driving into a storm that was headed toward our house. He was stopped on I-70 due to heavy wind and rain. Cars could not see the road, so everyone pulled to the shoulder and stopped. We got a lot of the rain from the storm at home, but not as much wind, thank goodness. We do not miss tornado season in Kansas!

September
We really enjoy camping. We had not been camping in Kansas yet, so we decided it would be fun to go. We did have a good time, with good friends, good food and great scenery, but we found out that camping in Kansas is not so much fun. It's hot and humid. The inside of our tent was covered in beads of water. We were so wet and sticky that we could not sleep. I guess we are not diehard campers. The conditions have to be just right, a little more civilized. The toilets were not flushing, either. The kids absolutely, refused to go in them, which I can understand. But at the time, it was completely frustrating. When a little girl has got to go and she's dancing around, more concerned about the spiders on the ceiling (for 5 minutes), you would think, "just go and get out." We were in there forever! I even took Clorox wipes in to wipe down the toilet. Gross! I think we'll stick to the places we know and love.
She refuses to use a porta-potty, but will pick up insects!?


October

The Newest Member's of the Family


The kids all have their birthdays in October, within 6 days of each other. So when they get birthday money, they all like to spend it at the same time and usually on the same things. A few years ago they made dinosaur stuffed animals at Build-a-Dino and loved it! They wanted to do it again this year. First, they got to pick out the dinosaur they wanted. Next, they put a stuffed fabric heart inside and fill the dinosaur with stuffing. They can pick if they want their dinosaur stuffed soft, medium or hard. They step on the pedal and begin filling. Here is a picture of Carter stuffing "Rinney", a Pteranodon. It gets sewn up and they they take it over to the bathing station to clean and fluff it up.
Air blows out from the fans and they have a brush to comb the dinosaur and get it all clean. Hali is cleaning "Chloe", a Parasaurolophus and Paige is cleaning "Blueberry", an Apatosaurus.

From here, they go to the computer to enter in information and then a birth certificate is printed. The new fluffy friends are then put into a box, with their heads poking out. I'm not a lover of stuffed animals, but these are the cutest, softest little animals. It is a fun experience! These new family members now join Rex (a T-Rex), Lily (Apatosaurus), and Sara (a Triceratops).

December

Carter's Basketball Season

Carter played basketball again this year. He had a great coach that taught the team a lot of basics and how to run plays. It was yet another learning year. And I have to say, it was just as much learning as a parent as it was for Carter as a player. We have found it very difficult to sit through a complete game and not be frustrated with Carter's mistakes and fluctuating level of effort. We forget that it's a process and it takes time and practice to become better. We have had to learn a lot of patience in this area. He had some games, some moments, where he was right on. Those were fun to watch! He was a lot better this year than last and hopefully he will just keep getting better. Now he said he's ready to play football, which he hasn't done before. I feel another lesson in patience coming on :)

Carter is in blue, wide-open, ready for the ball! Each boy wears a different colored wrist band and a player on the opposing team has one to match. That helps each player know who they need to be guarding. Great idea!

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A Quick Trip to Nauvoo

There's nothing like waiting until the last minute for a big trip! We have been wanting to go to Nauvoo since we moved to Kansas and finally made it! We still had Todd's mom visiting us, so we were able to take her with us. We stopped at Adam-ondi-Ahman on the way, one of my favorite historical church sites.

Shortly after we arrived in Nauvoo on Sunday, an ice storm hit. That evening, we attended a Christmas musical program that was put on by the missionaries there. They did a fabulous job and it was a great way to get into the Christmas Spirit. Carter started to wilt during the program and at first I thought he was just tired. He then told me he had a headache. I felt his head, and sure enough, he had a fever. We get so scared when he gets a fever because his temperature gets high really fast and it's hard to break. We kept Tylenol in him every 4 hours, even through the night and by Monday afternoon, he was back to himself again. PHEW!

We had a fun Hotel room, The Brigham Young suite, just across the street from the temple. It was a beautiful view! We loved just looking out the window and seeing the temple all lit up. We felt an amazing Spirit while we were there.

The next day was beautiful with everything covered in ice and snow. It was bitter cold and not very fun to be outside in, but we still enjoyed it. Each little house that we went into was very fun and interesting. The missionaries looked a little shocked to see us everywhere we went. I don't think many people tour Nauvoo in December, especially the day after an ice storm. But they were all very welcoming. We learned how the pioneers baked in a bussel oven, the process they went through to dip candles, and we all got to help make a rope. We enjoyed the Bakery, the Blacksmith Shop, the Brickyard, the Tin Shop, and The Browning Gun Shop.

At the Scovil Bakery in front of a bussel oven, where we enjoyed a yummy gingerbread cookie.

At the Blacksmith Shop, where we watched a horeshoe being made and got "prairie diamond" rings, which the kids loved!

The Mississippi River was incredible to see! It was frozen over after the ice storm, which made us think of the pioneers crossing the frozen river. It was very humbling to be in Nauvoo and put into perspective what the early saints went through. This picture doesn't do it justice, but the river is in the background. It was huge!Carter, Hali, and Paige were troopers to brave the frigid wind for a picture in front of the Temple. We didn't have time to see all there was. We'll just have to go again to see the rest! I think we'll try to spend more than 22 hours there next time.

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Leaving Kansas

Our 2 1/2 years in Kansas came to a close on December 17. (We got home from Nauvoo on the 15th, packed lots of boxes the 16th, and moved the next day. CRAZY!) We were sad to leave friends, but excited to be moving to Idaho where we would be surrounded by family. We were hoping to arrive at our destination by the 19th, but due to weather and road closures, we didn't get there until about 4:30 pm on the 20th. The move went very smoothly and the kids were all-stars! They were the greatest travelers and were so good to help with whatever needed to be done. Paige was sick for the first few days and had a fever. She whined and whimpered a lot and just wanted to be held. I felt so bad for her, but considering all, she did great! Carter and Hali loved taking turns riding with Tood in the moving truck! We are so happy in Idaho!!!!

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Christmas

We spent Christmas with Grandma Pingel and Julie this year. Todd's birthday is on Christmas Eve, so we had dinner there that night and spent the night as well. It was a great Christmas! They kids were so happy with everything they got and they were very appreciative, which made it all the better. One of my favorite moments was Hali opening up her Sorry! game from Santa. She had been wanting one really bad, and I thought she was going to burst out of her skin with excitement. She couldn't have been happier! I loved just watching everyone open presents, and being able to see the joy on their faces alone, brought me happiness. I started Christmas shopping in February on clearance sales (the life of students!) and found some great deals. It was great to not have pressure to get shopping done and to just get things here and there when I found a great deal. I went out on Black Friday and finished everything up.

We loved being with Grandma and Julie for Christmas. Brent & Sandy and their family came down for dinner and the kids had a fun time together. In the evening, we went to Kent & Jaci's house to celebrate Kelsi's 12th birthday. We loved being able to see both sides of our family on Christmas!