A big day.

Yesterday was a momentous day for Mark and Makenzie.
They turned 21.
I simply cannot believe how fast the time has flown by.

It seems like it was just a little while ago that we were walking to their first day of kindergarten together.
Makenzie was so nervous that she was sick to her stomach. She held my hand tightly as we walked.
Mark couldn't wait to get there and, as usual, ran ahead of us.

We knew of their personalities way before this point, but this day was another indication of how they would compliment each other as the years went on.


Makenzie---A serious, responsible child that kept Mark on task. She has always been sweet and quiet spoken. She has loved learning and always pushed herself to do better. She always let Mark try things first and he was happy to oblige.

*funny story--once we went to see the Harlem Globetrotters. Mark and Makenzie were about 8yrs.old. They were sitting on the front row and one of them came up to Makenzie and wanted her to go out on the court and do something with him. Her eyes got about as big as saucers and she shook her head "no". Mark jumped up and went out there with him and ran all over that court. It was great! 

Mark---An easy going and happy child that made friends easily. His friends were her friends. He always did well in school with hardly ever cracking open a book. He never has taken himself seriously and has fun wherever he goes.

I found two pictures that are very indicative of their personalities.  :):):)

 
They are two of my greatest blessings. I will always be thankful that Heavenly Father sent you to us.


M & M,
I am so proud of you.
All my love to you, my sweet children.
Forever and ever.
Mom

"For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

 Matthew 6:21

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!

Happy Belated Birthday

On Friday, Mark and Makenzie officially left teenage-dom and entered their twenties. It is so hard to believe that they are 20 years old. It seems like just yesterday that I was crossing off the days on the calender, trying to stay pregnant as long as I could. It seems like yesterday that I Craig and I arrived at the hospital because I was feeling a little "funny". It seems like yesterday that the doctor said, "Well, you are dilated to a 6 so it looks like we are just going to let you have these babies. Let's get you your epidural." Next came the warnings about having babies 4 weeks early and the possibility of complications. Four hours later, we had two beautiful babies. Mark weighed in at 5 lbs. 14 oz. He cried immediately. That should have been a sign to me that he would hardly ever stop talking. Makenzie was born breech, nine minutes after Mark. She was a petite little thing at 5lbs. 9 oz. She didn't make a peep upon entering this world. She was so quiet in fact, that I thought something was wrong with her. Again, I should have taken this as a sign that she would always be soft spoken. Despite the doctors warning of complications, both babies were healthy and strong. I remember when I finally got to hold them both, I felt so very lucky. I thought, "Is that all I had to do to get TWO babies?" Mark and Makenzie have been a joy these past 20 years. I still consider myself very blessed. They have always been such good children and never given us much cause to worry. I love you both more than you will ever know. Happy Birthday to you! 3 months