Christmas with the Carlile's!

We had a great Christmas. On Christmas Eve we attempted our tradition of matching PJs, but I'm not very adept and the first pair I made for Abe were way too little (nightmares from last year) and the second pair were huge. In fact they looked like MC Hammer pants. Needless to say, no one else got jammies this year.
I'm grateful that you can't see me trying to get Abe to dance. If you look close you can see my feet kicking.
This video is Abe's first reaction to Santa's loot. You can see in his face that he just woke up. I love the talking we captured. He babbles like that CONSTANTLY. It is so cute. We have a longer video we are going to post on YouTube for interested parties, I'll post the link once we have it up.
It was just such a wonderful day to relax and spend together. Thanks to G & G Carlile, G & G Tucker, the Davis', and Cole Brock and Zane for all the gifts you sent. We loved them. Below are some of our favorite pictures of the day. Ken recieved a weed whacker and rake from Santa and I got a bread machine, not only from Santa, but a second one from my mom! Luckily Santa saved his reciepts and I can return one for something else.

The first present he went for under the tree was this plane.

One tired kid. Helping Dad open the Little People Zoo. Thanks G & G Carlile! The zoo is awesome. We all loved playing with it. This is Abe's awesome apron from the Davis family. We all got one, they are great. We can't wait to use our Paula Dean kid's cookbook too!I love the frog my cousins sent me! Nice choice Cole, Brock, and Zane!This present was addressed to Abe, but I think it was more for Ken than Abe. (If you can't see, the shirt reads: I've got an awesome Dad)Reading my new book. My mom made these awesome animal pillows for all the grandkids. Abraham loved his monkey!Fresh bread on Christmas! I loved my present!

Tag

I've been tagged several times, on several different tags and I must admit, I've never done any of them. My sister in law Andrea tagged me on this and I've seen a lot of people do it and it is pretty fun, so here you go. It is the 4th picture in your 4th folder and the 6th picture in your 6th folder. Since Abraham starts with an "A" all my first few files are about him (Abraham birth, Abraham 2007, Abraham 2008, Abraham 1st birthday, etc). That is no fun, so I went from the bottom up. Much more interesting.

This is (duh) from our wedding. Ken and I were married June 16, 2006 in the Bountiful, Utah temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.


So, this was after the first day of our vacation to Utah and Texas last August. Abraham was so tired from flying and jet lag that he just conked out. We completely changed his diaper and put him in jammies and he never woke up!

Gingerbread (aka Graham Cracker) Houses

On Sunday we hosted a big Home Teaching Extravaganza at our house. We had an interactive Nativity with the kids and then decorated Gingerbread Houses. Yes, we use graham crackers, not real gingerbread...it is just SO much easier that way. Then the men played some fuze ball and the women chatted and the kids ran wild and played. We had a really fun evening, although Abe lasted all of 10 seconds in making his house. What's the point of putting it on the house if you can eat it, right? He loved having so many friends over at his house though!This was as good as we could get with the whole Nativity together. Abe and the other little girl were the sheep for the shepards. It was too cute, but they weren't too sure about what was going on.
Yummy candy!!

Happy Birthday Ken!

Saturday was Ken's birthday. I decided to celebrate by having birthday week. Starting on Monday, every night I cooked one of Ken's favorite meals for dinner and he got a little present and a candle to blow out. He was able to have Friday off work, and although he spent a good part of his day trying to renew his driver's license at the DMV, it was nice to have him around. For his birthday we went to lunch at Red Robin (they send you a coupon for a free meal on your birthday) and then got a babysitter and went to a Christmas party at a friend's house that evening. He got some nice presents from both of our parents as well. Instead of cake, Ken got a cherry pie. Oh, and just to share some new found wisdom, sticking wax candles into a hot pie is NOT a good idea. Happy Birthday Ken, we love you!

The cherry pie! I even whipped him up some cream for it, yum yum!

Ken and Abe's favorite way to spend time lately, sitting in the rocking chair reading books together. The little dog Abe is holding is his new best friend. He loves to carry "dogger" around. I think it is adorable.

Gordon and Jessica go Marbles!

My brother Gordon and his wife Jessica flew into town last week for an early Christmas. We've had so much fun having them around. Today we went with them and Tami to the Marbles museum. We had SO much fun. Abe would cry when he had to leave areas because he thought we were going home! His favorite was a little red car that you could sit in and pretend to drive. No matter how many fun things I'd show him, we'd always end back up at that red car. It was a great day and I can't wait to go back and take Ken with us!

Tis' the Season

We were a little behind in putting up our tree, but figured that December 1st was as good a time as any, so for FHE tonight we broke out Christmas at the Carlile house. We started just a little before Abe's bedtime and let him participate in just putting up the tree. He was anxious at first until we turned on the lights and then he was fascinated.

After we put him to bed, Ken and I continued with ornaments and other decorations. The missionaries showed up (and Abe woke up) just in time to celebrate with eggnog.

Can I just say, I know our tree isn't the fanciest or best put together, but I just love it! I love getting out the carefully packed ornaments and arranging them all together.

Each year I hit the after Christmas sales and get something new for the next year. Last year I got place settings for the dining room table and I was so excited to put it out this year.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving

We had a pretty low-key, but Happy Thanksgiving. I went to CVS in the morning (they started their deals at 7:00 on Thanksgiving, it was a moral dilema for me to go shopping on the actual Holiday, but the deals were irresistable) I got almost $100 worth of products for $1.71 out of pocket. I also started with about $68 in ECBs (my CVS $$) and ended up with $83!! Then we went to watch Ken play in our ward's Turkey bowl. Abe had a blast walking around with all the other kids there. The Boyers came over for our meal. We prepared the turkey, gravy, stuffing, sweet potatoes, and Ken's famous Pumpkin Cheesecake. Tami brought mashed potatoes, biscuits, layered Jello salad, and an apple pie. It was all so delicious. I could resist several snitches of the turkey before it was even cut! The Boyers stayed the night so we could head out bright and early on Black Friday. Unfortunately, we were pretty dissatistified with the deals and Jared is the only one who went out early. Tami and I hit up JoAnn's around 9 for $1.49 a yard flannel. We had a nice relaxing Holiday. I'm so grateful to have a wonderful family and wonderful friends. I'm grateful for our health and for our membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Congratulations Mr. Terry!!!

Ken has a good friend who used to be his roommate in Minnesota. They both ended up working here in the Raleigh area years later. His real name is Aaron Terry, but he has always affectionately been Mr. Terry to us. I think I knew him for at least 3 months before I ever learned his real name! On November 22nd we were priviledged to attend Mr. Terry's wedding. Tami graciously offered to keep Abe all day, so Ken and I had the day to ourselves! We usually have to rotate who attends the temple and who stays home, so this was the first time we'd been in the temple together since Abraham was born and it was so nice to be there for a sealing. After the sealing and before the reception we were able to go out to lunch together too (yummy Freckled Lemonade from Red Robin!). We had a great day and we are so happy for Mr and Mrs Terry! Congratulations. Below is a video I couldn't resist posting. I had heard rumors of the "Terry Tornado" and was happy to not only get to see it in person, but capture it on film! (again, sorry it is sideways...does anyone know how to get a video to flip?? I can never figure it out.)

Family Keepsakes

Ken with his brother Kale on his special Snoopy pillow.

It's faded, but yep, it is the same pillow case (definately NOT the same pillow)! It is now being enjoyed by Abe. Don't you think that little Ken and little Abe look so much alike??

Polly want a Cracker?

Lately we've started calling Abe our little parrot because he has become such a good imitator. I am constantly surprised at the things I see him imitate Ken and I do. It is pretty funny. He gets so smart and big each day. We had potato soup at Tami and Jared's the other day and Abe loved it. When his bowl was empty, I set it on his tray to show him it was empty. This was what he immediately did with it. Now, I don't know who he's seen do this behavior, but I reiterate it was at Tami's house this first happened.

You Make the Caption

Okay, so here is a priceless video of Tami. You guys can listen to it with no volume and come up with a caption, then listen to it with volume if you want. Anway, it was pretty darn funny, to us. Madison had another opinion. She was very, very disturbed by what was going on.

Tami tried to tempt me into diving in myself, but as I sat down and pulled back my hair, I looked over and saw my neice, looking like this. I decided to forgo the cake for her sake, the celebration was for her after all.

Oh and for those wondering what the celebration was, you'll have to wait for a post on Tami's blog. I don't want to spoil her post!

Who You Gonna Call? Ghostbusters!

Okay, so the best things in life you have to wait for. After much begging from people in our ward, and compiling, here are the best Halloween shots we have.

The whole family. Notice the Tootsie Roll in Abe's hand.

Slimer definately gets in the way of fighting off ghosts. We had a couple of kids dressed as ghosts, they ran away from us in panic all night long.

A close up of the Proton pack. Yes, it really did have flashing lights. They were pretty cool.

I give myself props for turning this pattern, for a 5 year old, into this costume, for a one year old. Notice the Cheeto in Abe's hand. These are the trophies Ken made for the costume contest. Tami took home Best Family Costume. Tami saved us by watching Abe during the Trunk or Treat. We would have never made it without her!

Trunk or Treating!

Dorothy looks grumpy. I think she wants to get back to her candy gathering! We had a great Halloween and hope that you all did too!!

I have a Family Here on Earth...

I have been working on these posts for awhile now, and I think, as we near Thanksgiving, it is finally time to begin publishing them. We recently experienced a death in our family, and it had really caused me to reflect on the people I love and those we call family. I realized that there were many things that I hoped my family would know if something were to happen to me, or to them. I want them to know who thankful I am to have them in my life. I have broken this up into several posts, so stay tuned as I spotlight the people I love the most, starting with MY DAD! Here is what I remember and love the most about my Dad. He is about the funniest guy you will ever meet. He can do imitations of all these different voices and there have been several times where I found 20+ messages on my machine, all in a different voice ("This is President Bush, commanding you to call your Father") He was always sure that we read scriptures and had family prayer. I remember countless times of finding him reading his own scriptures, praying, or writing in his journal. He is a vigilant journal writer. He is someone who always tries to do what is right and is very close to the Spirit. If Dad tells you that he "feels" you should do something or that something is going to be a certain way, then you listen. I remember water fights and gotcha last games that went on for days. I remember that he was always worthy and willing to give me a priesthood blessing. There was one night, early on in my college years, when I got sick. I'd been homesick and this was my first time being sick away from home. I called my Dad to get some sympathy and TLC. Less than 2 hours later there was a knock on my door. There stood my Dad, ready to give me a blessing. Even though it was late and he had to drive an hour and forty five minutes home and go to work the next day, he was ready and willing to honor his priesthood. I remember my Dad taking elaborate measures to ask me out on a Daddy-Daughter date. I remember all the sacrifices he made, so that we would be a happy and have not only the things we needed, but wanted. My son, Abraham, has a special bond with my Dad. He wouldn't leave him alone, the whole time we were with them. I'm sure Abe could sense how much his Grandpa loved him. I love you, Dad. Thanks for all that you've always done for me. If those who know my Dad would like to leave a comment with a favorite memory of him, I think that'd be great!

Costume Delay and Decency in the World

Alright, first let me clarify. I spent many, many hours on Abe's costume. Ken spent many, many hours on ours. They turned out awesome (if you are questioning that, ask Tami, she saw us!). Unfortunately, Abe hated his. Really hated his. He would only wear it if I was feeding him Tootsie Rolls or Cheetos. Thus, he only had it on for about 20 minutes. Also, I was in charge of our ward's Trunk or Treat, so I ran around all night like a crazy woman. Therefore, we as yet, do not have a picture of all of us in our costumes to post. We will get one, and we will post it, just give us some time....I have to pick up Tootsie Rolls on the after Halloween sales.
Secondly, I had an experience today I wanted to share. Abe and I drove down to the library this morning to pick up some books. Somehow he wrangled off not only his shoes, but his socks as well. I was about to check out and leave, so I just left them off. So, here is me, balancing and trying to check out my books (our library has self check out, so cool!) with one hand, and holding Abe, who really wanted down, in the other hand. I finally got done and I was trying to shove all the books in my bag, so we could leave. This man walks past us and I must say, upon first look, I was judgemental of him. He was wearing big oversized sweats and was eating his convience store Cheetos (yes, in the library! what a sin!) and just wasn't someone you'd want to meet in a dark alley. I proceeded to the door and he was waiting there, holding the door open. Very nice of him, so I said "thanks". He then proceeded to apologize to me, "I'm sorry ma'am, I wish I could carry your books to your car for you, but if I did I'd miss my bus that I have to catch. I hope you'll be okay by yourself." Now, how bad did I feel then for my earlier mis-judgement of him? What a polite young man. It is those kinds of experiences that keep my hope alive for this world, for the rising generation, for my kids.

Happy Halloween!

My sister put up all her old Halloween pictures, and I thought it was a good idea. So in anticipation of the reveal of our costumes this year, here are the last 3 years of Halloween for the Carlile's. Last year, Abe was the only one with a unique costume. I was due Nov. 6th, but had a pretty good idea that I'd be early, so we didn't put a lot of effort into something we might not even wear. We went to the Ward trunk or treat and then I went into labor that very night...10 days early! Of course, Ken and I had to rig something up for the little guy. So here he is, 4 days old, as his namesake, Abraham Lincoln.

Sorry for the crooked picture, couldn't fix it. Anyway, this is Halloween 2006, the Eygptian edition. We also had awesome mummy, gold, and hieroglyphics in our trunk, with a big pyramid on top of the car, but didn't get a picture.

And here is Halloween 2005, the first Halloween Ken and I spent together. We'd been dating for only about 6 weeks, but had fun coming up with coordinating costumes and painting our pirate flag. We had kids walking the plank in the parking lot in order to get their candy that year! I guess it was a match, destined to be!!Happy Halloween!!!

I'm a Big Boy Now!!

Our little baby turned one today, can you believe it? We had the Boyers, our old neighbors the Bories, and our good friend Aaron Terry over for a cake and icecream celebration. Abe was SO excited to have so many friends at his house. I really thought that he would be more into all the wrapping paper, but he wasn't too interested. He loved all the toys though and had a great time playing with all his new loot. The highlight of the evening was definately the eating of the cake. In this case, a picture is worth a thousand words. I made Abe a Dump Truck cake (it is really a bunch of cupcakes), but we thought Abe needed more than a cupcake to dig in. I was pretty nervous to make his cake, since all my sisters and sister-in-laws are amazing at cake making. I think his turned out well though and I was proud of it. Sorry for the overload of pictures, I'll just post my favorites and put the rest in a slideshow. Happy Birthday Buddy! We love you!One of his favorite new toys.Another favorite.

There were so many of these pictures that were just adorable! I would have posted them all, but you'll have to look through the slideshow to see the rest!

Trying to get him clean was an event in and of itself! Here is the cute duck Aunt Jessie sent.