Trip to Florida

I headed to Florida last week to attend my sisters college graduation and commissioning into the Marines. My parents and three brothers (Sam, Joseph and Steven) were also able to be there. It was four days of fun, complete with a trip to Disney World! My brother Joseph is in the Army and was able to give Katie her first official salute as an officer. It was pretty cool.

I can't believe my sister is all grown up with a college degree AND a 2nd Lieutenant in the Marines. Congratulations to her and all her hard work! Way to go Katie!

Thrills & Chills

Gutting and carving the pumpkins...
The costumes and treats...
Bryan and I were "Popeye & Olive Oyl" - yes, the dark hair served it's purpose well. #2 had a last minute wardrobe change to Spiderman and #1 was happy to claim #2's green Ben 10 jacket.

We of course attended the annual "Family Halloween Blowout Bash". The kids had a blast and the adults ate until they were sick - well, at least I did. But it just wouldn't be Halloween if you didn't go to bed with a stomach ache!

This holiday is rapidly approaching my #1 favorite holiday spot. It may just top Christmas one of these years...

Ben x 2

Halloween has officially arrived at our house! The boys got to wear their costumes to school this morning. They both dressed as Ben 10 and I'm happy to say I spent a total of $9.89 on these costumes. I had to buy fabric paint for #1's shirt and two cans of black hairspray. It doesn't get much better than that!

Do Blondes Really Have More Fun??

I will let you know, since now, thanks to my good pal (and awesome hairdresser) Sarah, I am a brunette. I've always wanted to go dark, but have been too chicken. My halloween costume had a little to do with the sudden boost of courage (you'll find out what that is later). Other than that, I just closed my eyes and let Sarah go to town.

It's definitely different, but it's growing on me. Something a bit fun at least. So far Roman and Ian have said I look like a witch and Isaac said, "So, your hair is only going to be like that for like two days right?" Well, at least they're honest... :)

Bryan's Fight

Here is Bryan's fight from Saturday.

A few weeks ago he broke a couple ribs while training. And of course during the first round of this fight, he re-broke one of the ribs along with another new brake. BUT, despite all that, he still won by TKO. Here is the third and final round of the fight.

Pokemon Party

I have awesome kids, but they are boys, and boys being boys, sometimes have trouble acting up a bit at school. So back in August, I asked them, "What does it take to be good at school?" Answer: Pokemon Party! Okay, a little random. I wasn't expecting that and I'm totally NOT a party person, but figured if this is what they wanted, then fine. So, the deal was made, if both #1 and #2 were good for the entire month of September, they could earn a Pokemon Party. Thinking they would never be able to actually do this, I figured this was a great because I would never actually have to follow through...

Well, yesterday we had a Pokemon Party. My boys were SO motivated to be good. They religiously kept track of the stickers they got each day for good behavior. They did awesome! We invited 7 other kids, came up with a few games, bought 600 used Pokemon Cards off the internet for prizes and went to town. I even made my first ever fondant cake in the shape of Pokemon Balls. The kids had a blast!

Way to go #1 and #2!

Fight! Fight! Fight!

Who: Bryan aka "The Geek"

Date: Saturday, Oct 17th

Time: 5:30-ish (just depends on how long other fights take)

Where: ThrowDown Elite in Orem 1640 South State, Orem

Cost: Tickets are $10 at the door

Style: Muay Thai - all of Bryan's MMA opponents have backed out (much to his disappointment). So this won't be the "big" fight he was hoping for, but he's too worked up to back out now. He has to wear pads and it's stand-up fighting only.

Why: Now, isn't that the question. Who knows for sure...mid-life crises, small-man syndrome, pent up frustrations...whatever the reason, he's fighting for sure. I'll be there peeking through my fingers from the sidelines. If you have the stomach for it, please feel free to come cheer him on!

Who Am I?

Can you guess who #1 is? This is for a school project. They are doing a "Wax Museum" and he had to pick a person from history to portray. We have finally completed all the requirements which include making a display board with pictures and information, memorizing 10 facts and finally the costume. Funny how their projects quickly become our projects...

My sewing skills were put to the test once again and this is what we came up with. I wish I was a better seamstress. I feel like the fairies in Sleeping Beauty when they try to make Aurora's dress without magic.

But, I was able to piece together the coat, wig, frilly collar and boots. I could have used a little fairy magic with the coat, but if you don't look too close, it's not half bad. :)

Now for the true test... Who Am I?? Post your answers and we'll see if all my effort was worth it! (No pressure, it's just my fragile self-esteem at stake)

Two Down...

Hooray! Oh, did I say that?? I'm sure I should be sad that two of my children are now gone for most of the day...but, I'm having a hard time feeling any type of remorse...no mother of the year award for me I guess.

#2 made it through his first day of Kindergarten. Just look at the excitement on that face! He is such a little sweetheart and so pumped to be able to go to school with the "big kids".

Crave Photography

I just have to give a shout-out to my sister-in-law, Andrea. She is the owner of Crave Photography and is absolutely brilliant! Her pictures are stunning! Check out some of her work at:

cravemyphotography.blogspot.com

If you are looking for a photographer for any occassion, look no further! Andrea is one of the best and you won't be disappointed.

First Day of School

#1 started school today. Hooray!! Isn't he a handsome kid?? :)

Summer Sum-up

Wow, I can't believe school is starting Wednesday! Where has the time gone?? This summer has turned out a bit different then originally planned, but we have had fun none-the-less. Here are a few of the big events from the past month or so...

Trip to Paradise, California - My Grandma Polkinghorne passed away in July. She was 85 and I'm sure is marvelously happy to be reunited with her sweetheart. I braved a 13 hour (each way) road trip with the boys to attend her funeral. I can't tell you how well they did! They were troopers! A few highlights from the trip: Stopping at the Salt Flats, celebrating #2's birthday and swimming in a canal.

A few weeks ago I was called into the YW Presidency. Lucky for me, I was put in just in time to attend Girls Camp! This past week we headed up to Bear Lake for four days and nights of fun. Besides having to rough it in tents, sleep through 40 degree temps at night and stave off misquitos we had a great time.

So that's our summer in a very small nutshell. We are looking forward to all the adventures the coming school year will bring.

Bet Your Husband Has Never Asked You...

To Drain His Cauliflower Ears

No, I'm not kidding. I was going to post a picture of a cauliflower ear, but just looking at them made me want to throw up, so if you're curious, do a little Google search and have a visual feast for yourself.

I won't go into all the details or my feelings on the matter, but Bryan has the oh-so-attractive cauliflower ear because he is training for his first professional cage fight. His ears aren't horrible, but have gotten painful enough that they hurt to the touch and he is having trouble sleeping.

How do you drain a cauliflower ear, you ask? Well:

Step One: Go to the medically acclaimed site YouTube.com and watch a couple beat up, rough looking boxer guys demonstrate the "do-it-yourself" method.

Step Two: Have a mini freak-out session with your husband, make a few threats, demand he go to a doctor instead, take a few deep breaths and calm down.

Step Three: Husband tries to go to an Urgent Care, but it's 8:30 pm and everything is closed. He comes home with a bag of insulin syringes instead...

Step Four: Husband begs, you finally tell him to hand over the needles because the prospect of administering a little pain is starting to sound better and better.

Step Five: Set up video camera because your deranged husband actually wants to chronicle the experience.

Step Six: Grab a Que-tip and a little alcohol and attempt to create a sterile environment by swabbing the infected area of the ear.

Step Seven: Trying not to shake too much, take the syringe and insert needle into the ear - just like the big boys on YouTube showed you.

Step Eight: Oops. Calmly explain to your husband that nothing is coming out and you are going to have to poke again. Second try works - slowly start extracting the blood that has accumulated. Continue to drain until the blood stops flowing or syringe fills up.

Step Nine: Repeat steps four through seven as neccessary.

Step Ten: Tell your husband he owes you big time. Grab something loaded with calories (you need to replace the ones you just burned by having your adrenaline spiked since even though you may have partially enjoyed it, you aren't used to sticking people's ears with insulin needles) and go lay down.

My Side of the Story

Well, word is spreading, so I thought instead of answering a million questions, I would direct everyone here and get it all taken care of at once. It's long a story, a little gory, so if you have a strong stomach, grab something full of calories, prop up your feet and and enjoy my side of the story:

As of Tuesday, I was 11 weeks pregnant. Don't feel bad if you didn't know. This has been a very different pregnancy from the start and I have held off spreading the news. Last Friday I came home from the gym and found some blood. I went to the doctor that afternoon, had an ultrasound and was told that the fetus had stopped growing and should expect to start miscarrying within the next few days. I was of course sad and disappointed, but have to admit, not totally surprised. I do feel in a way I was prepared for it. The doctor told me I could have a D & C or let nature take its course. I decided to just wait and have it happen naturally.

Tuesday I finally started bleeding. It was heavy, but stopped by noon so I figured everything was normal. Wednesday morning I started bleeding again, heavier this time (as in I would sit on the toilet and the blood would just drain out of me), but by noon it had stopped. I had started to feel light headed when I would stand but didn't think much of it. That evening I started bleeding again. Bryan asked if it was alright if he went to the gym and I said, "Sure". A half hour later the blood was really getting serious (I could hardly get off the toilet) so I hurried and got the kids in bed and laid on the couch trying to get it to slow down. This is where it gets exciting...

Suddenly I felt a whole bunch of pressure down "there". I got up, took a few steps and felt a huge gush. The next thing I knew I was laying on the kitchen floor, shaking. I realized I had passed out and must have hit the side of my head on the way down because it was throbbing and my left eye was starting to swell. I managed to make it to the bathroom. At this point I was pretty freaked out. I stripped from the waist down because blood was everywhere and just sat on the toilet for a minute. Somewhere along the way I had thankfully grabbed my cell phone. I called Bryan, but he didn't answer. I couldn't think clearly enough to scroll through my list of contacts for a neighbors number, so I called my friend Sarah - thank goodness for speed dial, the bad thing is she lives half an hour away. She has since told me that I totally freaked her out with how I sounded. I was having trouble breathing and I remember her saying she was going to call 911 and I said, "No, I will" and hung up. I stood up and passed out again by the front door. Once I woke up, I laid there for a bit trying to think. I made it upstairs, got a new pad, underwear and pants. Went downstairs, found my neighbors number and called her because I couldn't remember if I call actually called 911 or not and I knew I needed help. At that point I once again passed out on the living room floor and woke up when my neighbor was coming through my front door with the police.

Skipping some details, I got my first ride in an ambulance. Bryan had been contacted and met us at the hospital. They did a bunch of tests, but I was still bleeding like crazy. The nurse came in to clean me up a second time, I stood up, took a couple steps and passed out again. Luckily Bryan was right next to me and the doctor just happened to be coming in. They got me back to the table and I woke up wondering why everyone was hovering over me. They checked my blood volume level (can't remember the technical name for it). You aren't supposed to go below 35 and I was at a 26. They wanted to give me a blood tranfusion right then, but my OB came in and told them to hold off. They took me to surgery where I got a D & C and spent the night in the hospital.

The next morning, they checked my blood again and I was down to 21. I couldn't stand up by myself, was totally swollen (I'd had 10 bags of fluid pumped into me by then) and had a tremendous headache. The blood tranfusion was inevitable. Bryan was at home with the kids, my friend Sarah was nice enough to sit with me at the hospital for most of the day. She even made it though the transfusion - what a friend. After they checked my blood again, I was at 21.7 Not much improvement, but enough to get me on my feet and get rid of my headache. I really wanted to go home, I hate hospitals. They told me I could as long as I'm really careful (bedrest for 3 days) and if any of my symptoms come back I immediately head back to the hospital.

So, here I am at home. I have bruises on my shoulders, both sides of my head and a nice rug burn on my left hand. My face, hands and feet are still swollen and I feel like I've been beat up. My sister-in-law, Andrea, was gracious enough to take the kids overnight tonight. I am taking it easy and hoping not to see a hospital again for a very long time.

As I look back, I'm so thankful for all the small miracles and blessings that got me through the past fews days. I am so thankful for my friends who moved mountains to help me. You know, you think you are active and healthy and things like this just don't happen to you. I don't feel quite as invincible anymore...

My Bros

Since most of my family lives out east, I thought I would post this picture that my dad just sent. These handsome (maybe a little scary), crazy chaps are 5 of my 6 brothers. Joseph is the one missing, he is currently in Georgia kicking butt with the Army.

From left to right:
Steven (18), Michael (22), Sam (25), Don (27), Daniel (23)

I really have no idea how old they are, I'm totally guessing...

Here is a picture of Joe I just found, isn't he cute in his uniform! He's 19 - I think

Memorial Moab Mayhem

Okay, so we are a little slow at learning lessons. The last time our family graced Moab with our presence, we were literally blown to pieces. Despite our best efforts, our tent didn't make it through the night, finally giving up and collapsing on us around midnight. The kids were terrified, #1 was screaming, "We're gonna die!" So, we high-tailed it out of there in the middle of the night only to drive home through blizzard conditions the entire way. That was two years ago...

So, once again we attempt Moab with Bryan's family. Things started out alright. We arrived on Friday, set up camp, had dinner - so far so good. Then came the rain, it poured the entire night. The kids didn't seem to mind, but I hardly got any sleep. Saturday we woke to cloudy skies and MUD. Once again, the kids didn't seem to mind, but all I could think of was what a chore it was going to be to clean up everything...

Around noon we headed out to Arches National Park. We hiked to Delicate Arch and had a blast. What a beautiful place. It's a good hike, about 3 miles round trip and pretty much straight up on the way there. The boys did great and really seemed to enjoy it. We were grateful for the cloud cover and slightly cooler temperatures. I can't imagine hiking that in the dead of summer.

We made it back to camp just in time for the sky to explode. It rained so hard for so long, it was unbelievable. We were surrounded by lightning and thunder so close it felt like the air was being sucked from you. All 23 of us were huddled under shade tents trying to calm the kids who kept watching the adults to see if they should be terrified. My nieces' tent happened to be in the wrong spot and literally was swept away with the gushing water. All the guys had to rush out and pull it from the "river". Then, as swift as the storm came, it was gone. No one was in the mood to try to cook anything, so we hit the local Pizzahut for dinner.

Sunday was blue skies and gorgeous. We hung out until around 4:00 when Bryan and I finally called it quits and headed out - in the nick of time too. While driving out of Moab, the skies turned black and all you-know-what broke loose. Those back at camp were hit with fierce winds, torrential rain (again) and HAIL. I was very grateful to be in the car.

Despite the crazy weather, everyone surprisingly had a blast. The kids were oblivious. They were thrilled just being covered in mud.

The verdict it still out on whether we will brave Moab again. I'm pretty much done with tent camping. If Bryan wants to buy me a camper, then I might reconsider...hint hint :) We do have three boys though, so camping is inevitable, we'll have to figure something out quick.

This last picture is of #3 using his potty, enjoying the great outdoors. He wouldn't let anyone near him while he was taking care of business. Funny kid.

Cruisin'

Well, Bryan and I made it back from our first ever cruise.  Thanks to the "terrible" swine flu, instead of a Mexican Riveria vacation, we were treated to a California Riveria experience.  We weren't too excited about this change at first.  Our cruise line (Princess) wasn't very cooperative, they let us know that our only option was to cancel and loose all our money... Nice.

We ended up still having a good time.  Our ports were Santa Barbara, San Diego and San Francisco.  My favorite was San Francisco where we toured Alcatraz, visited Pier 39 and Fishermanns Wharff and saw the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges.  Our three days at sea were spent lounging by the pool - the weather wasn't real warm, upper 60's, but if you laid in direct sunlight and really concentrated on soaking in the rays, your goosebumps would at least go away - and reading books, my kind of relaxation.  

Although we had fun, we weren't overly impressed with Princess.  The food was mediocre (not that that stopped us from stuffing ourselves just for the point), entertainment was practically non-exsistent, the pool areas played elevator music and ice cream was a la carte.  It definitely seemed geared for an older crowd, say 65+

Bryan's parents came out and stayed with the boys.  I wasn't too worried about the kids, I was more concerned with Gary and Linda surviving.  But, thankfully everyone was breathing when we got back and Grandma and Grandpa didn't look too battle scarred.  They will probably go home and sleep for a week...

Princess did end up offering us half off our next cruise...The catch is you have to use it by 2010.  I was lucky to get this cruise, let alone another one in a year and a half.  Oh well, live and learn.  If we do go again, we will definitely pick a different cruise line.

Happy Birthday #1!!

#1 is truly a blessing to our family. He is such a big helper, so responsible, sensitive and caring. We celebrated his Birthday on Saturday by bowling with cousins. It was a bit stressful...lots of little kids...but everybody had a great time!

Happy Birthday! We love you so much and are so glad you are a part of our family!

Need Some Help

Okay you crazy, fanatical shoppers out there (don't hang your head in shame, I know who you are).  I need your opinion:

What type of sale would make you more prone to rush to a store because you couldn't bear to miss it??

A.  Take 20% off your ENTIRE order!

or

B. Buy One Item, Get Second 1/2 Off!

I'm serious, I want your feedback.  I want to know what gets you shakin' in your boots!  Post a comment and let me know.

Victory!

I'm a little behind on posting, so I'm just going to go in order of what happened first...

Our big news is that #3 is potty trained!! It's been two weeks now - I was holding off telling anyone in case I jinxed it. Yes, that picture is decent and yes, he squats - hey, whatever works. He is doing fabulous! No wetting at night or during naps, only one pooping accident so far. It's wonderful. I've been changing diapers for the last seven years and I can honestly say I don't miss it one bit! Way to go dude!

Next we move on to #1. He is now a Yellow Belt in Taekwando (and is way pumped about it). His old senior white belt was quickly passed on to Ian. It must be something about having a "colored belt". #1 loves Taekwando, not that he ever had much choice thanks to the brainwashing from Bryan. :) Great work!

New Jewelry Blog

I have to admit (and if he asks, you have to, too) - my husband rocks.  Not only did he make my jewelry website, he also changed my blog to match.  Check it out and send him some major props, we all need to feel good about ourselves once in awhile, right?? :)

mariecarmel.blogspot.com

Or, if you want to be really cool, first go to mariecarmel.com and then click on Blog at the top of the page - it works, really.

Love you Babe.

I'm a big kid now!

No more cribs for #3! Behold his "big boy bed" - now, I know it's a little ghetto. We don't have a bed frame or anything yet, but when an idea starts nagging at me, I've just gotta do it. This time we weren't fully prepared, but he doesn't seem to mind. Plus, there is less distance from the bed to the floor without a frame...

He is very proud of this bed, especially since he can get in and out by himself. Everytime he gets up, he runs to our room yelling, "I'm awake, #3's awake!!" Such a funny kid. I'm sure half of you are thinking he needs a haircut. It's not really as long as it looks in the picture...and hey, I don't have any girls, so what if one of my boys has wavy locks... :)

It's DONE!!!!

It's here!  The day I'm sure you have all anxiously been awaiting. 

My website is done, finished, complete... !!!!!! Hooray!  Check it out and let me know what you think:

mariecarmel.com

It's a beautiful thing.  :)

Easter Bracelets

Check out my jewelry blog for a special offer on Girls Easter Bracelets!

mariecarmel.blogspot.com

It's Today

Happy Anniversary! 9 years and counting - how time flies. Please don't say we look the same. I like to think we have matured into a more handsome couple. Looking back through pictures today I realized we had a rough set of years there. Bryan can be thankful I didn't post a photo of him with bleached blond hair and an earring in each ear...

One of these years we will go on an official honeymoon - I'm pretty sure we were married on a Friday and went back to work Monday. I don't know what we were thinking. It's alright though, he owes me big time now.

The past 9 years have been great. We've worked out some kinks, had lots of laughs, a few good cries and loads of sweet moments. Three fun, crazy, wonderful boys keep us on our toes, but isn't that the point of life?

So today here's to us and the journey that lies ahead.

Spring Has Sprung at Marie Carmel Jewelry

Take a sneak peak at my new Spring Line!

mariecarmel.blogspot.com

Quantities are VERY limited, so act fast!

Thanks for looking!

Aerobics Rocks

I like to think that I'm in pretty good shape.  I mean, I get up at 5:34 every morning and head to the gym where I spend the next 45 minutes either lifting weights or doing some sort of cardio.  I go home feeling pretty good about myself thinking I'll see the results in the mirror - any day now... Every morning on my drive to the gym, I'm planning my routine, trying to work my muscles in different ways so I don't plateau...blah, blah, blah.

About three weeks ago I decided to try something new.  I went to an aerobics class - with tight pants on and everything.  I walk in feeling pretty confident, knowing I work out EVERY day and this should be a cake walk, right??  

Well, let me just say:  That class kicked my butt, tight pants and all!  I could not believe how hard it was for me.  I hung my head in shame as half-way through class, I walked to the weight stand to grap lighter dumbbells.  I watched, bewildered, as I struggled through exercises and other women muscled through them no sweat.  The next day I was sore in places I've never been sore and places I've been trying to get sore for months!  One of the classes is a jump rope class.  Yeah, it's hard and my calves ached for 3 days afterward.  

A week after aerobics I'm starting to think, what in the world have I been doing in the gym every morning??!!  Obviously not much. 

So here I am on week 4.  I've coerced one of my neighbors into going with me (poor girl).  I still get up at 5:34 because the classes start at 6am.  I no longer have to plan my workouts in the car, someone else does that for me.  I'm STILL getting sore after every class and I've lost 3 pounds. I feel firmer and better than I have in a long time and I've changed nothing except my workouts.

To you Gym, I say "So long."  Hello Aerobic Land.  I will be visiting you from now on.

FREE JEWELRY

EARN FREE JEWELRY!

Host a Marie Carmel Jewelry Party!

Hostess Benefits Include:

20% of party sales in FREE jewelry credit

Any one item half price

If you're interested in hosting a party, leave a comment or shoot an email to:

sales@mariecarmel.com

MARIE CARMEL OPEN HOUSE

I Give Up

I'm starting to think we need to pick a new family night treat...

Are little girls crazy?? I like to think that they are calm and sweet and it's just boys who are nuts.

Happy Birthday to...

(Bryan's real Birthday was yesterday. But, I had two sick, throwing-up kids and didn't get around to a post)

Bryan hit the big 3-0 yesterday, I know we are getting old. I surprised him with a weekend to ourselves. My sister-in-law was brave enough to take the boys for a night (with all the grandparents out east it has been years since we have done something like that). It was a very nice little breather.

Bryan has been such a great husband and father. I don't know what we would do without him.

I love you babe. Happy Birthday.

My Lockers!!!

Better late than never...right? This was my big Christmas present from Bryan. He built these lockers during his two week vacation at Christmas. I just finished painting, which took forever!

Before:


After (behold the awesomeness):





The pictures really don't do it justice. It's a hard space to get a good shot. To appreciate the true beauty you'll have to come see it for yourselves... Just thinking of all the organization possibilities brings joy and warmth to my heart .

To my soft handed, computer programmer husband - Way to go babe. You rock.

Sister Shoot

So, I'm posting a few pictures of my sister and I. It feels a little weird, but what's the point of having pictures if you can't share them, right??

Katie came to visit for Christmas and wanted to get pictures taken. This is my lovely and extremely talented sister-in-law at work again. How lucky that I get to be a Guinea pig while she learns all the ins-and-outs to her new camera. She is amazing, to say the least. Check out her new photo blog here

Thanks Andrea!! ( I hear this is just a glimpse, more to come later...)