The boy is home....

 My boy is home.

He has been home for about three weeks now. I couldn't be happier.

There was a moment while we were waiting that I didn't think I was going to make it.

I had waited for his homecoming for so long.....then we found out his plane would be an hour late. That was pretty hard on the 'ol anxiety level!

Very HAPPY parents!

In the Tucson airport there is a TV screen that shows the passengers as they are walking toward an escalator that bring them downstairs to where people are waiting for him. When the girls and I saw him we all screamed like crazy people!!

I think I might have elbowed an elderly lady....I'm not sure.

I feel terrible about it now and wish I could apologize....

but, in my defense,  there was no way anything or anyone was going to stop me from getting to the bottom of the escalator!

What I do know for sure is that we certainly caused a scene.....

We had signs, balloons, and a Ugandan flag.

But, ask me if I care about that, though. 

Nope.

Not even a little bit!! :)

There was a piece of reflective tape at the bottom of the escalator that the people who were waiting were not allowed to cross.

Probably so crazies like me don't go running up the escalator to their people.

It seemed like FOR.EV.ER until I saw the boy.

And there he was.

And just like he always does, he went for the laugh.

Mark came down the escalator with his hand on one hip, his other elbow resting on his suitcase, and one foot crossed over the other.

And on his face was the biggest smile I'd ever seen!

He walked over to me and said in a little voice, "Hi, Mom."

I was in near hysterics. I cried. I think it's safe to say that I had a little freak out.

It was like all of the emotion that I had held in for the past two years just came flooding out.

I held him and just kept saying, "My baby, my baby."

I couldn't stop touching his face and his hair.

My oldest son, Cameron, told me I held him for one whole minute.

I just couldn't let go.

There is a video documenting said freak out.

However, I will not be showing it, due to my extreme humiliation.

Here's the whole gang just a proud as can be!

Well, we hardly let Mark's feet touch the ground before we started dragging him all over creation.We all went to Utah for a wedding when he had been home about a week. We just got back on the 9th!  

I will be blogging about Makenzie and Kyle's wedding very soon!

Mom rantings.

Did I ever mention how I totally dislike blogger?

Well, I do.

I can't get my blog looking like I want it to.

 Somebody went and changed everything and now I can't do what I want. 

 I am thinking of changing servers but I don't think I know how to transfer everything over....Grrrr.

Anyway.... I'm not going to let anything ruin my excitement.

You see, it's Elder Carter Eve today.

And to get the festivities underway as soon as possible, I woke up at 4:15 AM.

Okay, so that wasn't by choice, but I am just so excited that I couldn't sleep!

Mark will be returning home tomorrow night (Dec.17th) at 8:52 PM.

I have been waiting for this moment for 2 years!!! :):):)

There is just so many things to do!

Family is coming to stay here as well.....I need to bring my A-game as far as cleaning and cooking goes!

I also think I could be a professional wedding planner.

(insert sarcasm)

We are going to be pulling off a completely planned wedding by one beautiful bride-to-be and yours truly.

We are doing practically everything ourselves....

from the invitation making to the reception decorating to the catering.

We have had some pretty great contributors, though.

 Dad, Lenore, Stacey.....our runners and phone callers in Utah.

(it's hard to plan a wedding that will be held in Utah while living in Arizona )

Lisa, Josie and Jalene......photographers that do their thing with professional status....for free. :)

And a momentous event not to be forgotten,

our baby Ragan turned 17 this month.

We had a wonderful day with her doing just what she wanted to do.

Yummy sandwiches at Bisonwiches, a trip to the Hippie Gypsy (a very trendy store where everything stinks smells of incense) and a walk up and down 4th Ave.

Princess Ragan will be done with finals today at noon,

and then it's totally going to be "family time" for about a month!

So, the next few weeks will be busy, busy.

I am sure it will not be without some stress and anxiety.

But, I am one happy momma.

Not much longer......

Do you remember about 2 years ago when I wrote a post about our son Mark, leaving to go to Uganda to serve a church mission?

Well, he will BE HOME in just 2 short weeks!

I know that the people of Uganda and Ethiopia will be sad to see him go, but we are sooooo excited for him to come home.

We have missed him, but have been so happy about the hard work he has been doing. We are also as proud as we can be of him!

So as the day get closer to his return, I have been staying very busy with a few things.

First of all, we have been PLANNING A WEDDING!

Our oldest daughter will be getting married after the first of the year. Makenzie met a wonderful young man and they have decided to get married.  He is so funny and very sweet to her.

He fits in the family perfectly.

They have been engaged since October but I just recently got the green light to blog about it. :):):) However, she has written this post on it!

I have also been doing quite a bit of sewing....mostly Christmas gifts, so I can't really share at the moment.

But, I finished up a few little cute things that I CAN share!

Quite a while ago, I found two sets of brand new receiving blankets at the Goodwill store. I am not really a fan of the store bought receiving blankets as they are so thin and flimsy, but bought them anyway.  I thought I would put two of them together with some batting and see how they turned out. I just machine quilted the whole thing and then bound them with some more flannel fabric.

They are so cute and cuddly!

I think they will make cute little tummy time mats.

We sort of pulled out the stops in our Christmas decorating this year.

We have a lot to celebrate with Mark's return and with adding a new member to the family.

Here's a quick photo of my Santa collection.

Funny thing is, I didn't really know I had a Santa collection until this year.

I hadn't ever grouped them all together in one place.....  :):):)

Happy December, folks!

Stay warm and be happy!

a phone call from Africa....

Missionaries are able to call their families on Mothers Day and Christmas.

From the minute we hung up the phone on December 25, 2009, I have impatiently anxiously awaited Mothers Day.

 We knew that our missionary was going to be able to call us via Skype between the hours of 7AM and 10AM. 

 I was so excited!

Like the first day of school excited!

Like a little kid waiting for Santa excited!!

I couldn't sleep. I got up early just in case we had the time mixed up. I sat at the computer waiting.

Wringing my hands.....Oh Elder Carter.....call, call, CALL!

And then  just like that....THERE HE IS!!!

His tan little face on the computer screen.

 Suddenly he isn't 10,000 miles away from me.

 But right there.

I can almost...touch...him.

Oh, how I heart you Elder Carter!!

 And I miss you.

 For a brief moment, our family was almost whole again.

(Cameron...get your butt to Tucson ASAP!)

The laughing, the silliness, the joking and the teasing.

The questions. The answers.

 His crazy faces.

His extraordinary happiness.

His testimony.

An hour and a half has never flown by so fast.

 And just like that....he was gone.

With the click of the mouse, he's back in Uganda.

And with him, is a piece of my heart.

And in that hole, a funny little happy-sad feeling.

Well folks, I'm happy to say that was it for my phone calls.

The last one.

There will be no more.

Because on Dec. 22, 2010 he will be home.

And I will really and truly be able to touch him.

And hug him. And kiss him.

I almost don't think I'll make it. :)

Back in Business.

Isn't it strange that when the computer goes down, it seems like nothing else works? Isn't it also strange that it is difficult to remember the days when we didn't have computers? I sure did miss ours when it was away being fixed (AGAIN).

So in an effort to catch up, I'd like to share a few things that I have accomplished these past few weeks.

 I have spent a lot of time in the car lately. With only having two cars and four people with very different schedules, we've been doing some creative driving to get people where they needed to be.

 While driving to and fro, it became neccesary for me to stop in at a thrift store. I had been on the look out for a frame to put some paintings in that Mark sent us from Uganda. 

I was able to find one that fit three of them. It used to be a green frame with Beatrix Potter prints, but, with a little spray paint, it worked out great.

My Dad suggested that I didn't cover up the frayed edges in an effort to keep the authentic look of the paintings. They are painted on a canvas of sorts. We think they are beautiful and are a good likeness of the people that Mark has lived with and taught these last 16 months. (Except for the spear! haha!) 

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I also had the opportunity to go to a fabric sale with my friend, Sharla. A lady she knows sells fabric out of her house. This lady had some great deals! I got a small charm pack for $1 that made up this little baby quilt. Yes, you read it right. It was only ONE dollar! I added my own border and binding, but still.....this quilt was definitely a bargain. :)

At the same fabric sale, there were grab bags for sale. They ranged in price from $1-$3. I snagged up a few of them, too. I made this little baby quilt from the contents of two bags. One of greens and one of pinks. There were a lot of strips in them so I sewed them all together and cut 4" blocks to match the solid 4" blocks. I machine quilted it with a small stipple because of the many, many seams. (and also because that kind of machine quilting hide many a flaw!)

AND FINALLY, I want to announce that I am no longer a LOSER! YAY ME! I won a giveaway that Nicole was having right before my computer decided to go down. She was so graciously offering a Moda layer cake. Seriously, aside from winning the jackpot in a nickle slot machine in 1994, I really haven't ever won this kind of a random contest! Especially when you factor in that I left the 300th or so comment!

I was so tickled to receive it!

Just look how pretty it is! Hmmmm, what WILL I make with these beauties?

Thank you so much, Nicole. I love the fabric.

(And after I am done running my fingers over it and arranging it all over the counter, I promise I will make something out of it!)

Monday, Monday....

I really love Mondays. We always get an email from our missionary Monday morning. They are always funny and very uplifting. There are times I look forward to hearing from him so much that I can't sleep Sunday night!

Those of you that read my blog on a regular basis know that he is serving a church mission in Uganda. He has been there for 13 months. He will be home in December and we are very excited to have him home again.

But, I am so proud of him. Proud of his willingness to serve the Lord and bring people the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Although he working very hard, he always makes time for a little fun......

Here he is walking down the street with a couple of bulls that are just wandering through town.  

Also, Mondays are the days that I prepare for preschool. That's always fun for me to prepare for all the things I will do with the little kiddos. The little ones sure do bring me a lot of joy!

I like to clean my house on Mondays, too. This morning when I got up, I decided that I should clean the blinds in my living room and dining area. I had been putting them off for far too long. (doesn't procrastination always seem like a good idea in the beginning?) They were dis.gus.ting. They were not only covered in dust, but more fly specks than I care to mention. Oh, this cursed desert that I live in!

It ended up being a bigger job than I anticipated, but it's done. Thank goodness. I will be putting off the rest of the blinds for a while longer, though....at least the ones that company can't see! haha!

Okay--I'm off for now....

I hope you all enjoy your Monday! :):):)

One more to go.....

Today marks one year that our son has been on his mission in Uganda. He left here on the 16th of December but reported to the Johannesburg, South Africa Missionary Training Center on the 18th of December. He will be home this time next year. There are days I don't think I can stand him being gone and want to go over to Uganda to fetch him home. And, then I realize that that is very selfish of me, for after all he is doing the Lords work.

My sweet friend, Pennee wrote these very comforting words to me just this week...

"Thanks so much for sending Mark's letter. I can see a tremendous amount of growth since the beginning of his mission. He is no longer the young boy. He has grown into a very special young man, one who has been able to catch the vision of the Lord's work here upon the earth. I am so happy for him. I am happy for you too. You can take comfort this holiday season that even though he is far away, he is where he is because the Lord is working through him to bring to pass the promises of the prophets. Angels are walking those dusty roads with him. He is not alone. The Spirit is his constant companion, literally. You can't ask for more than that."

She is right. I cannot ask for more than that. And I am so very proud of him.

My daughter, Makenzie wrote a very sweet post about her twin brother. If you would like to read it, click here.

Have a blessed holiday.

The postman brings some Christmas Cheer!

I recently joined a Christmas swap with Mary at Gettysburg Homestead. My original swap partner decided not to participate and Mary graciously agreed to be my partner, even though she already had a swap partner. I was secretly so excited because Mary makes some pretty fantastic stuff! :) As a part of the swap we had to find a Good Will bargain, re-do it, and sent it to our partner. I think this is what Mary found, buy I am not sure because it looks brand new! I have already used this wooden bowl. It is so cute!!!

We also had to send a yard of fabric to our partner and they had to make something out of it. I sent a yard of Christmas homespun. You won't believe what she made with it......

First, there was this runner. Fabulous. She painted these trees. Did I say fabulous yet?

This is a little ornament that we put on our tree. How sweet of Mary to include Craig in the swap! We were also to include a gift that we chose for our partner. This is a SUPER YUMMY smelling candle complete with a vintage label.....mmmmmm! Next, I found a homespun dishtowel (you all know my fondness for dishtowels!! ha ha!) wrapped in a bit of the homespun with a couple of candy cane ornaments tucked in..... And when I reached in and pulled THIS out, I was so happy!

Isn't it sweet?? A little Christmas dress made out of the homespun. It's completed by the muslin apron with the stitched holly berries..... Thank you again, Mary. Your creativity continues to amaze me. All of this has found a place in our home already. I love it!!!!

I hope you will like all the goodies I sent your way!

We also received a surprise package from Mark. If you will all remember, he is serving a church mission in Uganda. I found it in the mailbox as I left to go pick up Ragan at school. As much as I wanted to open it right then and there, I waited until we were all together. It was a long wait, too, because I had a church meeting that night and Makenzie had to work late so we actually didn't open it until about 9PM. OOOOooooo! It was so exciting. He sent a little coin purse with money inside of it. There were some Chiclets (seriously, do they sell that gum in EVERY country??). On one side of the package it was labeled in English and on the other, it was in an African language. (Not sure which one....apparently there are several) He sent some paintings that we will most definitely frame for him. Can you see Ragan smelling it? She was trying to see if she could smell Mark.....LOL. She couldn't, by the way. He sent the girls some beads, a bracelet and some necklaces. I just love all the Christmas mail. I hope there are things being dropped off at your house, too!

I can't believe that November is already in full swing!!! I still have my hands in the Halloween candy! I dug out some of my fall decorations today and had forgotten about this quilt I made a few years ago. It's been folded over the banister in years past, but with my new pegboard that Craig made me, I can finally hang it up. (I didn't realize all of it's uneven bits until it was hung....{{sigh}}....)

It's a Memes Quilt pattern. I have always enjoyed these patterns because they are simple and fast to finish.

Anyway--I have been given an opportunity to be grateful about a few things lately and need to share.... Last Thursday, a woman ran a stop sign and Craig t-boned her with our suburban. She had no drivers license nor insurance. She was cited for causing the accident, not having the proper insurance and license, and her car was impounded.

There is a very high probability that she is here in the US illegally and will more than likely go back to Mexico and not even pay any of the fines.

To make matters worse, we had just switched the insurance on our suburban to liability (at the suggestion of our insurance company), and it was totalled. We just bought a car about 2 months ago and cannot afford another payment. So, basically, we are just out a car.

We have really struggled with the unfairness of the situation, especially because we can do absolutely nothing to change these facts.

However, I am so grateful that no one was hurt. Especially Craig.

I am grateful for friends that let us play with their baby while she takes her other two boys trick or treating. We slurped some big 'ol kisses off of Dallin's chubby cheeks! I am grateful that these two beautiful girls are mine....forever.

I am so grateful that my missionary is almost at the one year mark!

I am grateful that my son Cameron calls me almost every day while he is on his lunch break. He doesn't know how much we miss him!

Take care, be grateful....and go hug somebody!

Swap Goodness

I have been the very lucky recipient of two very wonderful and talented blogging friends. Julie from Country Girl at Heart sent me this fabulous Wall hanging. We had discussed our need for Spring and decided to do a spring swap. All this color is just what I needed. There is only so much brown a girl can take here in the desert! I just love it, Julie. And the little saying is just perfect. Thank you so very much! Next, I want to show you what Kimberly at My Brown Bag Studio sent to me. I loved this wall hanging that she made a while back and asked her if she wanted to do a swap. I didn't necessarily mean to imply that I wanted her to send me THAT wall hanging, but that's what she did. She sent be the original (bless her heart!). I can't wait to find just the right spot to hang it in my house! Thank you, Thank you! I DO love it! I have been disgustingly tardy in sending my end of the bargain. It was not the completing of the projects, just the sending them this time. I included some extra goodies in hopes that you will forgive me of my lateness! I hope you like yours as much as I do mine.....:) And finally, this is a picture of Mark with one of the people he is teaching. I was able to "chat" with Mark for just a few minutes this morning on facebook. It was so nice. I am happy to report that he is doing very well (despite a nasty sunburn....he said the sunscreen just sweats off them because of the humidity).

I have been a BAAAAD blogger!

I have completly neglected my blog. I have missed all of you and can't wait to get caught up on all of my favorite blogs!!! I don't want to give myself too much credit, but some of you may have been wondering where I have been lately. Things at the Carter house have been a little busy. As most of you know, Craig is pretty much always gone this time of year. The indoor track season just came to an end and he is beginning the outdoor season. Makenzie recently told us she would like to go back to Utah and spend a few months. Of course Ragan wanted in on that plan so we worked on arranging a trip for her since she was about to have her spring break. Then, with both of the girls in Utah, Craig decided that I needed to go with him to the indoor championship meet in Texas. He just booked the ticket and told me I was leaving.....bless his heart. He knows me too well. He knows that if given the choice, I would have found several excuses NOT to go. But, trip was appealing to me as my little brother, Jay lives in Texas and we have not seen him and his family for a few years. So begins my catch up post....if you are not up for a photo laden post, it might be best to turn away now....:) We recently got a little package from Mark. He has not been able to email any pictures because the internet system is very primitive where he is at. So he sent us a disk with over 400 pictures and videos on it. We were thrilled to see them!! Here are just a few.... He and his companion, Elder McRae, have had many adventures together.... Aren't these kids the most adorable things you have ever seen???? Here is a shot of his shoes, before and after his walking 20 miles a day.... Mark is saying goodbye to his MTC companion. While we were in Texas, we were able to spend a couple of days with my brother and his family. I think his kids are about the cutest there is. This is little Luke (age 3). Our hotel had a nice indoor pool and hot tub. Since the weather was very cold and rainy, no one, except us, felt like swimming! They had never been to Pei Wei so we took them.... While at the indoor championship track meet, we caught up with one of Craigs former throwers. She threw for Craig at Utah State University and now is married and lives in Texas. She is from Denmark and holds a few of the school records at USU. She married one of the other coaches there who is now the head track coach at Sam Houston State. They have two beautiful boys HEre is Craig with a couple of his athletes..... Zack took 3rd place and is ranked 4th in the world. He is a great big boy (6'4" and 330lbs.). He makes Craig look like a bitty little thing. He also coaches Megan who is pretty "big" in her own right. She is over 6 ft. tall, too! Zacks wife, Nicole also competed in the track meet. We celebrated Mark and Makenzies birthday at Pei Wei this year. It was hard not having Mark there, especially for Makenzie. It was the first time she celebrated her birthday without her twin. At Pei Wei, they have a great big bowl full of fortune cookies. Craig grabbed a big handful and to our surprise, we found a package with TWO cookies in it! We laughed about it, saying it was Mark and Makenzie! We saved it and sent it to Mark in a package! (**This is not how we looked when we found out we were having twins! haha!) Well, I am off to prepare for preschool. I hope all is well with all of you!

Welcome, 2009!

Happy New Year, all my Blogging friends! May 2009 be filled with wonderment and many, many blessings for you all! It's a little strange to think that Christmas is over already. I have felt a little like I missed it this year. I am sure it is because of Mark's leaving so close to the big day! :) We left the tree up for awhile this year. In fact, I took it all down this morning. I am sure my family is wondering what's gotten into me since I am usually putting everything away the day after Christmas. I will miss seeing this tucked in amongst the branches of our tree....... Our little family has enjoyed a relaxing break from all the hustle and bustle of life. We sort of hunkered down here and didn't leave the house for a few days. Craig enjoyed several football games on TV and I sewed to my hearts content. We also ate ourselves silly. I am quite certain my calorie intake numbers in the millions! (Darn that caramel corn!!!) Sweet Macy, our Labrador lap dog, snuggled with Craig during a football game.

She was so fast asleep here that she was snoring. I do believe we have the worlds most spoiled dogs.

Well, I for one, am looking forward to 2009.....I am anxious to see what it has in store for the Carter Clan.

May we keep the spirit of Christmas in our hearts throughout the year.

Best wishes to you all!