Merry Christmas!

Making Sugar Cookies with Nanny and Ashlynn
Playing with one of his new toys at Great Grandma Adams
Merry Christmas from naked Spencer!!!
Spencer sizing up Rudolph
Our Christmas Elf!


We hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas like we did. We were able to go up north to be with my family and it was fun! We also got to see Mark's brothers and sisters that live up north as well. It was nice to see everyone and show Spencer off. He did great the whole trip. We were spoiled once again by my parents. Mark got a really nice coat, Spencer got lots of diapers and toys, and I got some nice sweaters and nice books. Mark and I splurged and got a stand mixer from Kohls for $70, plus we are sending in a $30 mail in rebate. We made sugar cookies, did lots of visiting and overall had a great time. May everyone have a wonderful New Year!

This is another tag I saw on Sam's blog that looked like fun.
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper! I enjoy wrapping gifts and love to put a few under the tree early.
2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial trees- less mess and it looks good year after year.
3. When do you put up the tree? Usually the day after Thanksgiving at my mom's house. At our house we put it up before we go north for Thanksgiving. That way when we get back our house is already ready for Christmas.
4. When do you take the tree down? After New Years
5. Do you like eggnog? No
6. Favorite gift received as a child? A beautiful green velvet dress
7. Hardest person to buy for? Whoevers name I drew that year
8. Easiest person to buy for? Dad- Sportsman Warehouse Gift Cards
9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, a porcelian figure of Mary and Joseph with the Donkey, a wood one I bought on sale after Christmas last year, and a pyramid from Germany (traditional German Christmas piece) from our trip to Germany. This is a picture of it. The hot air from the candles burning rises between the wooden slats and causes it to turn. On the bottom is Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus with the wise men going around. The second level is the shepards and the third level is the angels. When all of the lights are off the shadows on the ceiling look like the star.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail - It's so much more fun getting Christmas cards in the mail
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? A coat with a grey snakeskin pattern on the outside. I exchanged it for something else so it really wasn't that bad.
12. Favorite Christmas movie? The Little Brown Burrow. It is the story of the donkey.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Whenever I start getting ideas for people. Usually after Christmas sells the year before.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? My Mon's Sugar Cookies:)
16. Lights on the tree? Solid white only!!!
17. Favorite Christmas Song? This year: Oh Come All Ye Faithful, it puts Spencer to sleep.
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? travel to my parents.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder, Blitzen, Rudolph
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Stars
21. Open presents on Christmas Eve or morning? A little of both. We open at Grandma Adams Christmas Eve and then at my parents Christmas morning.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Dirty snow and slow at work
23. Favorite ornament, theme or color? I like all of my ornaments from growing up.
24. Favorite food for Christmas dinner? Ham
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Nothing but quality time with my family.

Four Squared Tag

My friend Sam tagged me with this one (sorry it took so long Sam! I love ya!) You find the fourth folder and the fourth picture in the folder. I have two places I keep pictures so I did both.
This first one is a picture from the 4 of July in my Mom's backyard. The grandkids loved the little pool!
This is a picture of my nephew Carter on Easter of 2007. Isn't he cute?!

San Diego

Our first family vacation with Spencer was a blast. We left last Thursday after work to go to San Diego. We broke up the trip by stopping in Primm, Nevada for the night (Primm is on the border of Nevada and California).Friday morning we drove to Escondido, where our condo is located. It was the Welk Resort and it was very beautiful there. Friday afternoon we went on a walk around the resort with a fussy Spencer. He finally fell asleep for a nap back at the condo. It was a nice little space for us. Out the kitchen door we had a beautiful view of the mountain and part of the golf course. The nicest thing about the condo was being able to cook instead of eat out. We took groceries from home so we really didn't spend money on food while we were down there. Friday night we had spaghetti (it was actually angel hair pasta but same thing).We went to do a little shopping for a couple things we forgot to pack and called it a night. Spencer slept through the night which was wonderful. Saturday morning we spent laying around and playing with Spencer. We packed a lunch and took off for the San Diego Zoo. It was a great day (lower 70's) and we had a lot of fun. We saw turtles, lizards, pandas, lions, tigers, bears, koalas (who had just had babies), flamingos, alligators, hippos, giraffes, elephants, lots of monkeys and birds, wallabies, pigs, and much more. Our favorite was the 100 year old turtles. They were a lot bigger than we thought they would be.Spencer did really good until it was time for his afternoon nap. But by then we were about ready to go so we went back to the condo. Mark went swimming while Spencer and I hung out watching movies and getting some good floor time in. Spencer slept through the night again getting our hopes up that a pattern is starting. Sunday morning we headed into town to go to church. We forgot to grab our map of the city so we passed the exit by about five miles. We turned around and found the church at 9:15. We walked in and found a Spanish speaking ward in the chapel. Mark asked a few people in the hall when the next English speaking ward would be. The Spanish ward had started at 8 and the English ward would start at 10.Now, normally I would have freaked out about being late and coming to a Spanish ward but I had just read Elder Worthlin's last talk on laughing about life (we will miss Elder Worthlin but know he is in a better place). So, we decided to make it a good memory. The testimony meeting was one of the best we have been to in a long time. We went back to the condo and hung out around the resort the rest of the day. While on vacation we got some great pictures of Spencer. This is one of my favorites. Sunday afternoon we went swimming as a family.We had the pools pretty much to ourselves and Mark really enjoyed the 140 foot slide. He was going down it just as much as the little kids were. We met a really nice family from Rhode Island that has three boys. It was fun for me to think about how Spencer will grow up to be like them. Spencer had another good night so we were ready to have a great day at Sea World. The weather was a little overcast but it never rained and the park was pretty empty so we could really enjoy it. At the park we saw of course Shamu (the whale), dolphins, sea lions, otters, octupus, star fish, Nemo (clown fish), Dorie (Nemo's friend), sharks, sting rays, polar bears, bulga whales (white whales), clidesdales, penguins, and much more. The flamingos were all born and raised at Sea World and go for a daily walk around the park. Mark really liked the polar bears because he had never seen one before. After seeing all of the shows we took a short drive to go see the ocean. It was a little cold so Spencer and I stayed in the car. On our way back to the resort we stopped at the temple.They had a very simple nativity out on the lawn but it was very beautiful. The temple is literally a stone's throw away from the freeway. I loved to think of the thousands of people who drive past it. The rest of the trip we stayed at the resort. Mark took a free golf class and then did 18 holes of golfing. I enjoyed one more trip to the hot tub. Spencer enjoyed his first shower while on the trip (Sorry, no pictures). Our drive back on Wednesday went very well. It took about 6 1/2 hours to get home. We really enjoyed our time together and hope to make another trip next year.Since coming home we have been working hard to catch up at work. We are getting excited for Christmas in two weeks. Until next time...

Thanksgiving Weekend

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. We left Cedar Wednesday afternoon to go to Salt Lake. It rained half the way but it wasn't too bad because Spencer slept the whole way. We went straight to Nanny and Papa's house where we got to play with Ashlynn and Carter as well. It was one big sleep over party! This is a picture of Nanny, Ashlynn and I playing with Spencer.
Wednesday night Papa and Ashlynn cooked pies for Thanksgiving. They did a wonderful job! Spencer slept in his car seat instead of the pack and play but other than that he did good that first night.
Thursday morning we went up to Roy to see Mark's half sisters, their children and grandchildren. It was so awesome to see all of the because we don't see them very often. We went through some old family pictures which was a lot of fun. Thursday afternoon we went to Great Grandma Adams (that is Spencer's Great Grandma, Carrie's Grandma) for Thanksgiving Dinner. It was so yummy! Spencer was a little fussy because he didn't take a good nap but it was great fun. This is a picture of Spencer, Ashlynn, Matt and Carter (all of my Mom's grandkids).
Friday Mark went shooting with Papa, Aunt Steph, and Steph's friend Nate. Mark hurt his thumb but he is recovering well. Spencer and I stayed with Nanny at home to put up the Christmas tree. Friday night Mark and I went to my brother Tim's new house in Lehi. We also had Mark's brother Tom and his family come over so we could all hang out. We watched the Jazz game (we crushed them) and had lots of fun!
Saturday morning we went to the cemetary to decorate my brother Matt's grave. Spencer and I sat in the because it was too cold. When I turned the heater on a pressure valve (or something) let off some steam and really scared me and Mark. The car has been fine since then and our little boy is safe. This is the crew that helped decorate. I can hardly believe how big the tree is (it used to only be about 8 feet tall).
After the cemetary we all went to Hires for some way good grub. Saturday night my mom and I went shopping for a couple of hours while Mark and Papa took care of Spencer. Spencer took a nap and my parents loved watching him sleep for a few minutes.

We were able to relax a lot this weekend which is what we needed most. This is us hanging out one morning in bed. We had so much fun with all of our family.
Here are some fun pictures from last week as well. Can you believe how big Spencer is getting?!

This is just a fun picture of Spencer learning to love football, just like his daddy.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

We just wanted to let you all know that you are part of our family's many blessings. Thanks for being our friends. Life would be empty without all of our loved ones around us. We love you!
Love,
Spencer, Mark and Carrie

I love my boys...

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Our Pride and Joy!

Spencer at 10 weeks old! This is a picture of what I do most of the day at work, I play with Spencer on my lap at the front desk. I love that I can bring him to work with us. He does really well.
Spencer is such a happy baby. As long as his basic needs are met. He is starting to talk to us and with us. I love it!
This is him sitting in his swing. I think he looks like my dad in this one. He is so cute when he is trying to figure something out.
Mark loves to have Spencer at work. He is Mark's pride and joy. Mark is a wonderful dad and can get Spencer to smile from ear to ear. I love my boys!

Spencer's Check-Up and Misc. Thoughts

Okay, before I get to Spencer's check-up, there have been a few things I need to clear up about Suicidal Mouse.

1. From now on I will warn you about gross pictures (sorry Heidi). However, the picture does not do the actual event justice. It was much more disgusting.

2. I made Mark take care of Suicidal Mouse. We debated about flushing him down the toilet but didn't want him plugging up the lines. Mark got a garbage bag and took him out straight to the garbage can outside.

3. I cleaned the whole toilet before I would use it again (I used the hall bathroom until that happened).

So, on to the star of our blog, Spencer went in for his two month checkup on Monday (I am only running four days behind yet again. If I keep this up I will get an extra four days after I die [in about 80 years]). He now weighs 9 lbs. 6 oz. and is 23 inches long. Everything looked great. They had to give him two shots, one in each leg. Needless to say, he has had a little bit of a rough week. But, he is back to his normal self, which I am happy about. He is getting more of a personality daily. He loves it when we stick our tongues out at him, and he sticks his little tongue out at us too!

Last Thursday I went to Stake Enrichment night. They had a guest speaker, Brother Vernon, come and talk about finances. It was a wonderful evening. I really enjoyed the insights he had. I want to share a couple of thoughts he gave.
1. Wealth does not happiness make. I loved this thought. I am most happy about the things in my life which are priceless. My husband and beautiful boy, my faith in a loving Heavenly Father; those are the things that make me happy.
2. It is not how much you make that determines your financial security but how you manage money that determines your security in finances. Need I say more?
3. Benjamin Franklin said "The eyes of ther people is what ruins us." He applied this like this: we don't need to worry about how others percieve us. For example, we probably all have a closet overflowing with clothes, yet we think we need to keep up with the trends while there are those around the world who have the clothes on their back and maybe one more outfit that they are washing today to wear tomorrow. Could we go one year without buiyng any clothes and still have something to wear? Just food for thought.
4. Manage money as a partnership. One person in a marriage cannot get the family out of debt and keep it out of debt. We have to work together.

The last thing we wanted to blog about is the elections. Mark and I have been very aware of what went on during the election campaign. We are a little disappointed about the outcome of the Presidential Election. However, we hope for the best and pray that our government will continue to be inspired by the Almighty as it was when it was founded. We are thankful for the chance we have had to make our voices heard and hope that each of you have the same respect for our nation as we do. The last couple of months I have been reading a series about the Revolutionary War. It describes the conditions of camps, the battles, and the truths about what all took place, why and how. I have a whole new deeper respect for the men and women who gave so much for us. With all of our hearts we say...

God Bless America!!!

Halloween/ I HATE MICE!!!

Happy Halloween Everyone! Okay, so we are just four days late. For Halloween Mark and I went to our Ward Party. Then we drove to Salt Lake to trick or treat at my mom's. We stayed for the weekend of course and had a lot of fun. Spencer dressed up as a Hawaiian/Beach Boy, Mark was a German Yodeler, and I was a princess. It was great to be able to fit in my Jr. Prom Dress only 7 weeks after having Spencer. We went up because Spencer and his Nanny can't go more than three weeks without seeing each other. On Saturday we got to go to Desert Star with my Dad, Grandma Adams, Steph, and two friends Steve and Nate. It was a lot of fun.
On Sunday we went to Mark's sister Liz's house. Her two kids are so much fun! They have a lot of energy, no wonder Liz is so skinny. We loved spending time with Liz's family and wish we could do it more often. We also went to church with my parents and then had some wonderful stew (Thanks Mom!). Spencer did such a good job traveling this weekend. On the way up he slept the whole way, but then he didn't want to go to bed at all Friday night. On our way home He slept half the way down and then ate his bottle the rest of the way.
Before I tell you my next story I must say that I HATE MICE!!! I am always the one that finds the dead mice in our house. Even before we were married I found them. When Mark was remodeling the old house three of his brothers lived with him. They had baked a cake and left it out overnight. The next morning they found the cake had holes in it where a mouse had eaten it. So, they put a mouse trap right on top of the cake. I went to the house to make Mark some lunch and found a dead mouse in the trap on top of the cake!!! I called Mark in a frenzy and he and his brothers all came home in a hurry to catch their findings.
Since we have moved into the new house we haven't had a mouse (that is 15 months!). Last Thursday I went into the sitting room to get Spencer's bottle to clean it. When I picked it up the nipple was half eaten. A stinking mouse ate it trying to get the milk leftovers. So, on Sunday after being in the car for four hours I really had to go to the barhroom. I rushed into the master bathroom and found this!
Somehow the mouse climbed into the toilet and comitted suicide! Mark and I have nicknamed him the suicidal mouse! I hope I never have to find another dead mouse again but one can only hope. Sorry if this is gross to any of you, but if I had to experience it first hand the least you could do is read about my horrifying tale.

Eight Weeks Old

Spencer is now eight weeks old. Yesterday he slept through almost all of church, just the last 15 minutes he was awake. He is changing his schedule of not going to bed until 1 and then getting up just before 7. Mark and I are having a rough time adjusting to this but we are hanging in there. Anywho, just thought we should let you all see some more pictures.

Spencer's Blessing

Spencer was blessed on October 12. It was such a wonderful day. We were surrounded by our family and friends all weekend. We really want to thank everyone for taking the time to be with us. It meant so much to us. We love you all! That morning we took some pictures of the family. This is our first nice picture of our little family. We feel so lucky to have Spencer in our lives. He is such a blessing and joy to us.
This is a picture of my side of the family. It includes all of my siblings and their families as well as my Grandma Adams. I was so thankful to have my whole family there. It is not often that I get to share my everyday life with them so any chance I get I am so thankful for. Some of them drove down that Sunday morning starting at 2:30 during that storm with all of the snow just to be there for us. Thanks guys! I cannot tell you how much that means to me.
This is a picture of the Miller side of the family. Not everyone was able to be there, and we sure missed those who couldn't come. It is great to be a Miller and have so many of us around. Spencer is the 10th grandchild for Mark's mom, Mary. What a lucky lady to have such a wonderful posterity. Just this last Saturday some of us helped Mark's uncle move into his new house. Many hands made the work light (except for the upright piano) and it was fun to work together in a relaxed environment.
This last picture is one of Spencer hanging out in his crib. He is such a good sleeper. He goes to bed around 11:30, sleeps until about 4, and goes back to bed at 5:30. He has started talking to us with cute coos and gurgles. But the best is that he has started smiling at us. His smile just warms my insides right up. Well, that gives everyone a quick snapshot of our family and Spencer's blessing day. Until next time...

Embarrassing Moments

So my sister Heidi tagged me to tell three embarrassing moments. I had a hard time remembering three, mostly because I try to forget those moments that I wish never would have happened. I hope you all enjoy my moments of embarrassment.

1. When I was in first grade I was playing chicken on the monkey bars with some friends. For those of you who don't know, chicken is played by two people hanging on the bars and trying to get the other one to fall off. A boy from my class said he wanted to play. With some hesitation we let him play. I got him to fall off and he was so mad that right after he fell he pulled my pants down! I was so embarrassed! The worst part was my teacher saw the whole thing happen. She gave the boy a pink slip (the worst kind there is) and she gave me a white slip (just a little nicer than a pink slip) for playing chicken which isn't "a nice game to play at recess." I really didn't deserve a white slip but whatever.

2. When I was sixteen I went on a dance tour to Europe. One cold day we went to the beach in France. No one was there except our group because it was so cold which was great. Anywho, we were all playing out in the waves when a huge wave came in. It took me under for a moment and pushed me all the way back to the shore. When I stood up out of the water I was a little disoriented. Some of the girls came running to me. I thought it was to see if I was okay but when they got to me they were all yelling "Pull up the top of your swimsuit!" The wave had been so strong it pulled my swimsuit top down enough to show my girlie parts. Oops!!!

3. My senior year in high school I was sitting in a.p. psychology not really paying attention. My teacher asked me out of no where "Carrie, do your leg hairs grow in thicker because you shave?" It took me so off guard that I think I took a full 30 seconds to say "No." I couldn't believe a teacher would ask me such a thing. The rest of the year I made sure that I payed attention.

So, now that I have embarrassed myself, I tag Sam, Jess, and Lynne Marie.

Happy Birthday Spencer!

Wow! We can hardly believe Spencer is already one month old. He is growing like a weed. He is still wearing his newborn clothes but they are actually fitting him now. Things we love about Spencer: when he wakes up he stretches like his dad (back arched, arms up by his head, feet flexed), sleeps mostly like mom (hands by his face and loves to snuggle), he is starting to stay awake after eating for about 30 minutes during which time he is starting to follow us with his eyes (not to mention he is starting to react to our voices), and he is only getting up one time during the night (the bad part is that he doesn't go to bed until 12or later and mom is not a late owl. Good thing dad stays up with him while mom gets some sleep).
This afternoon we get to go to Salt Lake to visit family for the weekend. It will be the first time Spencer meets his cousins and aunts and uncles on Mom's side so it should be a fun weekend. We love this picture, it is Spencer at his best, or his loudest. Just kidding, he really is a wonderful child and we love him dearly. Happy Birthday Spencer!

New Pictures- 3 weeks

Well, we promised we would write a longer post about Spencer so, here we go. This first picture is mom and Spencer at the hospital getting ready to go home. The pants were huge on him but they were too cute to not be his first outfit home. Once we got home he had a poopy and he peed all over his outfit, and grandma. It was fun to bring him home and be with family. The first week home was filled with family and friend vistors, which we loved. It was nice to not have to cook and clean and just have to worry about our new little guy.
The best help we had was my sister, Steph. She stayed with us for two weeks to help Mark at the store, and boy did she put her hours in. She did so much work at the store for us that it was a huge relief!!! She also helped me around the house once everyone else had to go back home to face their realities (sorry Grandma). This is a picture of Steph holding him (although you can't see her well, it is a great picture of Spencer, and since our world now revolves around him, that is how it goes).
Our most frequent guests are Ben, Toni, and their son, Mason. Mason is 10 months old, walking, and 24 lbs. I love this picture because it makes Spencer look so tiny even though he is already growing. We went to the doctor yesterday for his 2 week check up and he is doing well. He is now 20 inches long (he has grown 2 inches) and 6 lbs. 9 oz. (up from his 5 lbs. 13 oz. two days after birth). He does get gassy at night but we are learning tricks of how he likes to be rocked, how to help him push it out, etc.
I love this picture of Mark and Spencer, mostly because Spencer is almost as big as Mark's head. On a more serious note, Mark is a wonderful father. He gets up almost as much as I do during the night to deal with Spencer so I can sleep. He is willing to help me with Spencer during the day at work (which is going well). And the best part, he helps out a lot around the house still. Thank you hunny! Spencer and I appreciate it so much! Spencer has smiled a couple of times, he loves hymns played by the guitar (that cd is saving my sleep life), and he sleeps well in the car. We love our little guy and are proud to be his parents.