A love hate relationship

If you were to ask me if I enjoy running on a treadmill, I would say no. I love to run outside. Even then, I can't run the same run twice in one week with out getting bored. I need variety, change, and so running on a treadmill is like pure torture!

We just got a treadmill a few months back and I must confess I love having it! It is still my preference to run outside, but in the dark cold winter mornings where I want nothing more than to shut off my alarm and sleep, the treadmill gives me leave to do so. Yea! It is truly wonderful and I don't know how I lived without it!

So on those days that are crazy or I am lazy and I don't make it out in the morning, I can be at peace. I can still go for a run. I have a treadmill. Life is Good.

The Last Month

It has been insane in our neck of the woods and I have not posted in forever! So from Christmas til now here are some pictures to catch you up with what has been going on in the Carwin Family. The only explaination this picture needs is....Hulses Rock! This was a very fun package for us from wonderful friends we wish we could see!

Below is our Christmas eve puppet Christmas story. The kids love to act it out and Vilate really got into it!And of course we had our other Navitity. Here is our group shot. Mason and Vilate were Joseph and Mary. It was so cute. Joseph and Ammon were the Sheperds, James was the angel and I was the Wiseman. Oh, and Dana the narrator.
After Christmas we went to Vegas to see my parents speak before they left on their Mission to Australia. They both did a wonderful job.

It was fun to be there and the kids expecially had fun playing with cousins. My mom wanted to take pictures of the cousins in groups of the same age. So here are some cousin pictures.

This is Sammy, Devin, and Joseph Charly, Taryn, Spencer, and Ammon Shaylee, Meredith, Turner, and Mason James, Elle, and Kellen Addison, Alexia, Vilate, Tate, and Emmalee We also drove to Colorado! We had a great time visiting with Dana's Parents, and Jason and Andrea and their kids, and Darin and Pinchas. On New Year's Day we went to the Denver Zoo. My brother Dave and his wife Lisel and their kids came too. They live in Colorado Springs and we were glad to see them since they did not come to Vegas.

Below is Carsten, Mason, Porter, and part of Issac

There is an elepahant somewhere in there.

Grandma Carwin giving Vilate a wagon ride! Vilate and Laura, are we supposed to be friends?Ok!After Christmas we did get some snow. Ammon built almost an entire snowman himself! I think he stopped rolling when the snowballs got too heavy. Dana and I were watching from the window, he tried to push this one for about five minutes, before he gave up and started another snowball. We were cracking up!Joseph did a report on Knights and wanted to build a castle for his project. Ta da!

Mason Mania!

I never have the option of saying my kids are shy. I have seen that Joseph and Ammon are hams, well....enter Mason! I went to his Preschool Christmas Program last week and laughed til the tears were running down my cheeks. At first I thought, who is that boy singing so loud, it only took a second to realize that Mason was stealing the show! At least he was kind of singing on key! I didn't film the first songs which he really got into, by the time I did pull out the camera, he wasn't quite so zealous, but you can get a good idea. After the program, and during, I got at least ten comments "boy he sure likes to sing", "He is a great singer", and "He really gets into it!" I was so pleased with him! He was so cute and tried so hard! He talked about it for weeks before, and it makes me happy he had so much fun! Good job Mason!

Listen for his power singing on the chorus, and ignore the bad filming, Vilate and James were trying to help.

Here is a quick clip from the beginning where he was singing really loud, but I quit cause I was too far back and it was blurry. Enjoy!

Change of plans.

This was going to be our first year to have Thanksgiving by ourselves....but I think the pull to see family is too strong. Dana asked me what I thought if we were to go to Vegas to see my parents since they are leaving on their Mission in Janurary. Of course I was game, quick (5 hour- very short for us!) drive, and I don't have to do dinner by myself, I was in. Of course the main point was for some time with Grandma and Grandpa. They were shocked to hear we were coming a day or two before the holiday, but were glad to have us! Mass choas, what's not to love! We had a great time and also enjoyed my sister Kaelynn and her husband Royce, and their five kids to hang with as well. Here are some fun pictres of the kiddo's and cousins.

We all wrote what we were thankful for on paper leaves and hung them on the stairs. Emmalee and Vilate, pretty girls! Feed the kids first then parents and grandparents can actually enjoy the yummy dinner. And boy was it good!
Mason feeding the ducks. We love to go to sunset park close to my parents house and do this. The kids have so much fun! Pigeons too! Wash your hands James!Here is Ammon at Ethel M Chocolate Factory! We also love to go here during the holidays because they decorate their cactus garden in beautiful christmas lights, and the kids see Santa, and most of all for the CHOCOLATE! Ammon, Spencer, Joseph, and Sammy. Best Budds. "Are those all your kids?"

My mom, "No, these are only 10 of my 32 grandkids!"

James and Elle hanging out waiting to see Santa, they are so cute! At the Mini Gran Prix. James and Vilate on the little merry-go-round. Grandma Nielsen with Emmalee and Vilate.Grandpa Nielsen with Vilate and Emmalee.Quick family photo before Church!

The icing on the cake

If you asked me a few years ago if I really wanted a girl, I would have said I was perfectly happy with my fun active boys! And it was true, sure I thought it would be fun to have a girl, but I felt that Heavenly Father had blessed me with the most wonderful boys and I was content to keep it that way. In fact to be totally honest my very first thought when the ultra sound said "girl" I was a little dissapointed, and shocked! That changed very quickly however! I soon got excited for all the "pink" and fun girl things that were in the future.

Vilate is a blessing and I am so happy to have her sweet little person around. Here are a few samples of what I would be missing without my precious little girl!

Our very first "pigtails"! I had so much fun! Some day I will get to braid!

And after the nap I pulled her out of the crib like this, needless to say the hair didn't get redone. Vilate loves music, and she can't hear it without getting excited and dancing around.

The Princess and the Pea

The day after Halloween Joseph and Ammon performed in the play the Princess and the Pea. Every year the Mussola Children's Theatre come and take a week to put on a play with youth from the community. Joseph and Ammon were both so excited to make it and worked hard at rehearsals all week long. They were so awesome! In fact both of them had special parts. I am amazed at how brave they are, I was very shy at this age, but they went to the audition and didn't hold back one bit! I was seriously cracking up because they were so funny!

Here is Joseph from the land of Glaicierdom, he was an ice sharpner. Just a little GQ pose for ya! Love the stash! He was the one who brought in the royal sherbet. We were not allowed to take pictures during the play, so here is Joseph posing for me, acting like he is holding the sherbet up to give to the King. He said, "The Royal Sherbet!"
Ammon didn't belong to any kingdom but was a dust bunnie that came out at night when everyone else was sleeping and danced and partied. He was so cute!

Ammon also had a speaking part he got to say (several times) "Pretty peas!"
He is such a ham! Watching my boys perform just warmed my heart, they did such a good job! It was fun and a great experience for them!

I have to share what happened with Ammon. They went at 11 am saturday, and rehearsed then did a manatee at 3 pm. So we get home around 4:30 and I am going over the schedule with them for the rest of the evening. I mentioned that they had to be there at 6 pm so they could get ready for the last performance at 7pm.
At this point Ammon said, "What performance?" (I think he was in denial or something)
I replied, "The one you just did."
Ammon, "Do I have park performers?" (this is his school singing group)
"No Ammon you need to do the play again"
Ammon, "What play?"
Joseph and I were incredulous at this point, so Joseph said, "The Princess and the Pea!"
Ammon burst into tears, "I don't want to do it again!"
I was shocked, because he loved it, but the light began to dawn when I realized that this poor six year old had spent his whole day, being good, sitting still, ect... He couldn't bear to do it again! After he calmed down we had a nice heart to heart talk about how hard it was, and he agreed that the hard work was worth it. Once he realized that it was not going to be a long time, just the performance, he was as happy as can be, and did a great job!
Later that night and the next day he was so sick, I think this might of been part of it, he didn't feel very good. Poor guy!

Halloween

On Friday afternoon we went to Ammon's school costume parade. He was a Jedi this year and.... look, he found Darth Vader!

Mason, James, and Vilate dressed up to watch the parade.

May the Force be with you!

Mason found his friend from preschool, they looked so cute running around as supers! James was happy to tag along as a race car driver.

Here they are! This time Vilate is an elephant, and Joseph is our Clone trooper.

We have some extra candy if anyone needs some!