Closing

We can officially celebrate because Dave and I just closed today on our house! We are really excited and we are eager to get in there and fix it up to make it our own. I told Dave that no one can see it until we get it all fixed up, but what the heck! It's not going to be in the condition it's in 6 months from now.  All of you are more than welcome to stop by anytime you want! If you need the address, leave your email in the comments and I'll email it to you so some freak show doesn't come on here and read where we live.

Thank you all for being so excited for us and offering your help and we may need as much as we can get, even if it's way after we move in.

We Got It!

Hey Everyone!

I just wanted to let you know that the bank accepted our offer for the home. We are closing the 24th of April and possibly moving in on the 27th of April. We aren't 100 percent sure on that though. They said it could be May 5. We are in a lease for the apartments until the end of  June so if any of you know anyone who is looking for an apartment, we hope to find someone who can take our lease for 2 months and they can even stay in there longer.

We are really excited. I really haven't been blurting it out to everyone considering how scared I am. I will probably have to work more and so I haven't been to excited about that, but it will be worth it in the long run, I guess. We also might put our purple car (Mazda 3) up for sale if anyone is interested, let me know. I am more nervous than excited because it's going to be a lot of work, but we are excited to make it our own home though.

I just want to thank everyone for their excitement for us. I am really sad to be leaving the 12th ward. It's the only ward that I or we have ever had friends in. Seriously! We love our neighbors, but they are all starting to move out and go get into homes. I guess change is a good thing and it's something that we need to except in our lives. I don't deal with it well, but it will be good. I just want to thank everyone for their offers on helping with the home and we'll accept a lot of them, I am sure. We need lots of help. I hope everyone will come and see it after we get some things done and clean it up a bit.

EVERYONE IS WELCOME!!

Too Excited

I hope Dave doesn't mind that I write this blog, but I am too excited to wait. We really haven't told a lot of people, but I am sure a lot of you know through the grapevine that Dave and I put an offer on a home in West Jordan. We are really excited. We can't believe after four and a half years of marriage we are finally taking this big step. It will take a lot of sacrifice on both mine and Dave's end so that we can have a home for our family. Here is the link to it.  http://www.utahrealestate.com/866623

It's a funny story. We were going to wait a little longer to save up some money and our realtors called us and said they had 3 houses for us to look at and when they took us to this one,  I looked at the address as we were driving to it and I said, "Dunlop Drive? How do I know Dunlop Drive? I KNOW!" The house next door to "maybe ours" is the Wadsworth family, which I know very well. I went to junior high school and high school with their daughter Erin, who I remain close friends with to this day.  We loved 2 homes they showed us out of the 3, but we loved this one for lots of reasons. We put the offer down and the sellers have signed our contract and accepted our offer, so technically we are under contract with them until the bank signs it. Then it's ours! We are excited to move forward with this, but it has been an overwhelming experience for all of us.

Saturday Morning Challenge

We love Saturdays here at the Park home. Dad gets to be here in the morning with us and we wake up semi-early and watch Mickey Mouse, oh and believe me, if you turn the channel, you'll hear about it from Carson. We also love breakfast time. I bought him some Trix the other day for something different. We don't feed him a lot of cereal because he can't really eat it very well. He still likes to dump things, but I gave him some Trix in a bowl and a cup of milk just to snack on while I cut his banana. He loves bananas! Anyway, as I went around the corner, Dave told me I had to see what Carson was up to. Carson had thought up a new and challenging way of eating Trix cereal. Not with a spoon or even his hands, but his toes!!! Where do kids think up these things? I love it! Never a dull moment with Carson around.

Here is Carson trying to put the cereal in between his toes. He's concentrating hard too!

Here he is with the Trix in his toes and he is trying to pull his foot up and bend his head down at the same time just to get to that cereal.

Here he is having a hard time getting the Trix to stay in his tiny toes!

Good News For The Unck Family

Starting Left: Elder Coombs, Grandpa Kenneth Logan, Elder Gomez

I am so excited to be posting this blog! It's something that a lot of people in my side of the family have been waiting a long time for! My Grandpa Logan (my dad's step-dad) just got baptized into the LDS church yesterday! My grandpa was born into the Catholic Church and when he turned 12, he was converted to the Presbyterian Church. My Grandma married Grandpa Ken a few years after Grandpa Unck had passed away. They married in 1981. Since then, he has been coming to church with my Grandma and it wasn't until recent that the these missionaries came to the door and he said to them, "not a chance, Elders."

These wonderful missionaries taught him for a few weeks and that is when he decided to convert to the Mormon Church. My Grandpa and Grandma called everyone. Not just parents, everyone.
After 28 years of going to church with my Grandma Arline and being 96 years of age, he finally did it. We are so proud of him. These are the moments where you feel the spirit most in your life because you know someone is as happy as you are that you have the gospel in your life. We love him so much and we are so happy that he is apart of our family.

Cutest Cowboy In The West

"Howdy Y'all!"

Looking at this picture makes me laugh. I hope it brings as many smiles to everyone as it has to me. I love being this kid's mom!

My New Blog Title

Most of my friends that have a blog, have a name for it. I have thought for a really long time if it was something that I wanted to do, and if I did it, what would be my theme or name. I'm going to admit to everyone today in this blog my weakness in life. I worry too much about tomorrow. I dread the next day, fearing what it will bring and how bad it will affect me. As you all know, my job as a Surgical Technician is very demanding. It's hard when you work with 20 different surgeons in 20 different fields and there are 20 different cases that they all do. When I know what my assingment is for the next day, most of the time all I want to do is go into my room, shut the door and hide under the covers until my alarm goes off in the morning as the tears stream down my face because all I want to do is stay at home with my little boy. I can't deal with having to fix dinner or giving Carson a bath, or even playing with him. I just want to go hide. We are all faced with trials in our lives that we all need to learn how to deal with. I am one who has been stuck in this trial for quite some time and I really believe I almost have a habit of not wanting tomorrow to come. Here's an issue that is something that has been a trial for the past few months. Dave and I have a decision to make. If we buy a home, I continue to work and be unhappy and we can't have another baby because my mom won't babysit anymore if we do. That is totally understandable. I don't even know if I could handle 2 kids! She has been so awesome to watch Carson for free so we don't have to pay for a babysitter. With her health conditions, it's hard for her to watch Carson as it is.

But, if we don't buy a home, we can have another baby, but not have a home. I hate living in a small apartment. I wonder which is more important. I believe that today we live in a society run by satan, forcing mothers out of the home to work because everything is too expensive. I sit there holding Carson sometimes and wishing that moment doesn't end, not wanting to face that issue. That is where my new blog title comes in. Living in the moment. President Monson's talk last conference in October of 2008 titled "Finding Joy in the Journey, he states, "This is our one and only chance at mortal life -here and now. The longer we live, the greater our realization that it is brief. Opportunities come, and then they are gone. I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and nonexistenct future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey-now." He also goes on to read a quote from The Music Man that says, "You pile up enough tomorrows, and you'll find you've collected a lot of empty yesterdays." I often think that Pres. Monson's talk was just for me and no one else, but obviously there are a lot who have this issue or else he probably wouldn't have spoken about it. I always tell Dave that life doesn't go as I want it to go. I always say, "if it were up to me, this is what would be different." I can't do that anymore. I just need to live in today and forget about tomorrow, until it happens. I need the old guy off of the Wedding Singer to put his arm around me and tell me, "everything is going to be alright." For all of you who have read to this point, thank you. I needed to get that off of my chest. I hope that if you are dealing with the same problem or issue, even in a different way, that you'll be able to be a little touched by this blog.

Happy Valentine's Day

I just wanted to tell everyone how awesome my husband and my little boy are! I had the best Valentine's Day. We had fun decorating cookies for a lot of Carson's little friends. I actually made a little cookie especially designed for Carson. Dave and I each got Carson something. Dave got him a Mickey Mouse chair and I got him "Be My Valentine Charlie Brown". Then I dragged Dave (literally) to Confessions of a Shopaholic. I liked it a lot. Dave on the other hand, didn't really, but that's okay. Since when do guys like chick flicks? Then after Dave and I got back to my parent's house to pick Carson up, Dave told me to wait a while at my mom and dad's since we drove separate cars so he could get something ready. When I got home, there was a candlelight lasagna dinner with breadsticks and a yummy Ceaser salad with sparkling cider. Dave got me a Soduko book (I am a nerd, but I love it) and an itunes giftcard. I've been updating my ipod with lots of music that I can run to when the weather gets better. Carson got me a water bottle so when I actually excercise, I'll have one. I got Dave the Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives book with recipes and restuarants that you can visit when you go out of town. He loves that show on the Food Network. Here are some pictures.

Here is the Mickey Mouse Cookie I decorated for Carson. It's not the best, but Dave and I had fun doing it! Carson recognizes who it is and that is all that matters! Dave's mom, Peggy brought us home a Mickey cookie cutter when she went to Disney World.

Here is all of Carson's little gifts. Spoiled kid! Dave didn't know that I had gotten him the book and I didn't know that Dave got him the chair, so yeah. Nana and Papa bought him a plate, bowl and cup for Valentine's! Thanks you guys! We need stuff like that for Carson. My parents got him a cute card, but I left it at their house. :(

Here is the two boys drinking their drinks after filling up on yummy lasagna. It was so nice not to have to worry about dinner, but if you ask Dave, he thinks I never worry about dinner since I never have it ready by the time he gets home from work.

Cute Pictures

I found this picture today in an email that my sister-in-law Angela sent me while I was looking for a recipe she also had sent me. This is my favorite nephew named Jackson! He's so cute! I'm so lucky to be his aunt. What a smile!

I also found this picture of Carson and Maile at Nana and Papa's Halloween Chili Dinner. Thank goodness Maile can put up with him. It made me laugh. She is so cute with Carson and she is my favorite niece named Maile.

Laundry

After spending the day folding the family's laundry, Carson had his own way of doing things. I actually like his idea better. I know it would save me a lot of time! Just shove all of his clothes into one of his toy buckets. I just had to share. It was so cute! Hey, and it kept him quiet and busy for about 5 minutes. I didn't hear him beg me to watch "Dot Dog" for 5 whole minutes. What bliss!

Stuck, Stuck, Stuck

Tonight I heard a shreak from Carson's room. There really isn't anything in there that could really hurt him or that he could really destroy, but that shreak scared me. When I ran in there, he wasn't in trouble, he was stuck. I just love the situations kids get themselves into! What a cutie!

For Kirstin

Ever since I have moved into the apartment we live in, I've had friends (Kelli, Miranda, etc) get me started on painting and crafts. I was talking to my sister-in-law Kirstin about my projects that I have either made, started or have yet to start, and she told me to blog them so she could see them. So, here you go Kirstin.

This is for Carson's room. I was supposed to be done with it by Christmas, but I made my mother-in-law a frame and painted ornaments for my visiting teaching girls. I also made Noel the Utah blocks for Christmas posted below. So, I was pretty busy with other things. I hope to be done with this soon though.

Here is my ladybug that I will try to have done by the summer. I have the wire for the antennas and black rhinestones that will go on the wings as well.

I made this for my shelf. I just painted a block of wood and then the metal "Live" came as is. I just screwed it on. Easy Peasy! Cute idea for a little gift for someone though.

Here is the other one I made for my shelf.

This is a frame for (3) 5x7 pictures. I will have ribbon hanging on it to hold the handle, but I wanted to put a baby picture of all three of us in it.

I am making this one for a wedding gift. Kirstin knows who, but it will have the last name on the top of the metal temple and then underneath the metal temple it will have "Est. May (blank) 2009 and across the bottom will say "for time and all eternity". I am really excited for this gift. I hope the person who is recieving this doesn't look on my blog soon and likes it!

These are the Utah Football blocks I made for Noel for Christmas. I like hers a lot more than mine, but I am going to redo my "OF" block because the letters don't fit on mine. I got this idea from Kelli Whitney's sister who made them for Jer. She is so creative!

And here is my Utah blocks. Cute, but not as cute as the second time I made them.

I wish I had a picture of the picture frame I made for my mother-in-law Peggy. I painted it brown and had a metal hook on it that was held by ribbon and around the picture frame it said, "I never know how much love my heart could hold until I was called NANA". Then I put a picture of all the grandkids together at the Thanksgiving Point Children's Garden that we all went to in the summer. I might have to take my camera to my mother-in-laws house and get a picture of it, just so I can have it for myself too.

I have also started BYU blocks for my brother and sister-in-law, but I didn't get them finished. I love keeping busy and increasing my knowledge and practice with crafts.

The Carson Dictionary

I love how Carson is finally starting to say words and sounds. It is so fun because he doesn't seem to get as frustrated, but yet, he hears the word "no" more often now. Here are some of the things he says.

"Nan" - Fruit Snack (It's not a snack in general, it has to be fruit snacks when he says it)

"Mote" - Remote (He will actually run up to me and put in remote into my hand and ask to watch...(which brings us to our next word))

"Dot Dog" - Hot Dog/Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (Yep, when he wants to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. What other show would he ever want to watch?)

"Lola" - Charlie and Lola (A show on Disney that he recognizes when it comes on, but he doesn't stay interested in it too long.)

"Ouse" - House/Mouse (When we read books and say either word, he responds with "ouse")

"No" - No/Snow (He will point to the snow on the ground or outside and say "no")

"Bubbles" - Bubbles (He says that word as clear as day)

"Noodles/Nonos" - Noodles (He will say noodles sometimes because he can call Toodles on the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Other days he just wants to call noodles "nonos")

"Ello" - Jello (He loves jello)

"Melmo" - Elmo (He is really starting to get into Elmo since his Grandma and Grandpa bought him the Elmo Live for Christmas)

"Bee" - Bee (He does good with that. He also recognizes and can say the letter "D". He will point to a zero sometimes and call it a "D")

"Ave" - Dave (When I call for his daddy, he will repeat me)

"Hi" - Lehi (We bought him "My First Book of Mormon Stories" book for his birthday and he will point to Lehi on the first page and say, "hi". He doesn't even say "hi" to people yet.

One thing that amazes me is that I was hanging out with my friend Liz the other day and she said, "well, thanks for coming over" and Carson started waving and said, "Bye". I guess he learned that from is friend Mickey or something because she didn't even say the word bye.

"Bye" - Bye/Butterfly (He will point in his books when he sees butterflies and call them byes)

"Meow" - Cat (If you ask him to say the word cat, he won't. He just says meow when he sees one)

Dog - Dog (If you ask him what a dog says, he just says dog again)

"Bwush" - Brush or Toothbrush (He can't go to bed unless his teeth are brushed)

Stas - Stars (He points up to the sky and says "stas" and will say it when he sees the shape too)

Moon - Moon

Dedus - Jesus (He will recognize him in pictures, I love it).

Nana - Nana

Papa- Papa

Wanpa - Grandpa

I am sure there are plenty more, but I just love how one day you'll pick up and object and try to teach him the word and he won't say it, but a few days later, he'll point to it and say something remotely like it. He's a smart little boy.

You Think He's Your Friend

Okay, since Dave and I have gotten Directv, I have to admit everyone in this household probably watches television more than they should. Carson and I get really bored and couped up after a long day inside our little apartment, so we watch a couple of shows throughout the day to help me out and to do something other than roam and play with toys. Well, some of them he only watches for about 3 minutes then it's over. We will usually watch the Disney Channel or some shows on Nick Jr. We had him watching shows like Little Einstein, My Friends Tigger and Pooh, The Backyardigans, The Imagination Movers etc. Those shows would keep him entertained for a few minutes, but then he'd go run to the kitchen and point up the the cupboard and tells me he wants a "nan" (translation: snack). Then we discovered the ole' so wonderful The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. He LOVES that show! He freaks out at the beginning and when Mickey says, "Do you want to go to my clubhouse?" he says something that sounds like "yeah". Then when Mickey says, "well alright, let's go!" Carson says, "GO!" I usually say things with him, but this morning he got 2 inches away from my face and repeated go because I didn't say it. So, I said go like my boss told me to.

He waves at all the characters at the beginning during the "roll call". When Pluto appears he says, "doooog". Whenever Mickey asks a question, he knows. It's crazy! He answers all "No's" but we are working on the yes part. Then at the end he stands up and does the Hot Dog dance and he'll wave to all of them as they are saying bye and he yells, "bye" 3 times while he keeps waving.

As cute as it all sounds, I think he's a little too young to be obsessed with a show so much that it messes with bedtime. When he goes to bed, I usually tell him that Mom and Dad will see him in the morning and that he needs to sleep to get his rest so we can all have fun playing the next day. Now the speach is, "don't worry, you'll see Mickey in the morning. You have to go to sleep so you can have fun watching Mickey tomorrow, so get some rest and go to sleep." Who cares about mom and dad anymore!

I am surprised at how smart kids are at this age and I love listening to him try to say words. He is definitely a llittle mimicker. He can't say his "r's" or his "k or c" sounds. Cars are "da's". He is our little Mickey Mouse Monster for sure!

In Search

As a few of you know, my cell phone dropped into a bucket at work. Since a lot of you know what I do, it was a bucket full of something extremely nasty. So, I am in search of a new cell phone. If any of you know any good deals on a cell phone or are selling your cell phone that is still in great condition, let me know. I also want to know any recommendations to a good phone. There are so many out there that I have NO idea what to go for. Thanks!