Thanksgiving 2011

Once again this time of year comes around and i seem to find myself just so super grateful for everything around me. I will often say to my kids we need to be grateful ALL year long not just November and December, however it seems these months just really represent (and for me) put things into perspective to REALLY and ALWAYS be grateful, kind, and loving, and really try our best to be like and remember our Savior.
I really am grateful and thankfull for so much in my life. I feel like this year i have learned so much through different trials and just life that is always and consistently happening. Kids growing up and changing by the minute, i really am grateful for where i am, where i live, and my family who i seem to love more and more each day.
This year We spent Thaksgiving at Bruce and Mary's and as always had such a great time with Kevin's family. We are lucky to all live so close and enjoy these times together. My kids are able to enjoy all there cousins and again this is something i take for granted. So another great year for thanksgiving here at the Carters. Hope your was great too!

Deer hunt 2011..O and Happy Anniversary Honey!

Kevin and i have been married now for 13 years! Holy moly i know. And i cannot tell you how great these years together have been. I love him so much and could not ask for a better husband, dad to our kids, and best friend! Through the good, bad, and the ugly at times ( gettin a little Clint Eastwood on ya)

we seem to make it through because we are just awesome like that!
So how did we spend our anniversary this year you ask? Well the same way we have celebrated the past 5. On the Mountains hunting of course. May not sound like fun to alot of women out there but for the past few years Kevin has drawn a bow tag and its my rifle tag and my hunt. I really HAVE to pull Kevin's leg to get him up there you know. It just kills him to hike around all day with his lovely wife
and be in nature for the weekend. I know he is dying to go to a spa for relaxation. However he manages just fine. I on the other hand sometimes question what i am doing. Until i get up there and remember like a little child how much i too enjoy hunting and being with my best friend.

Opening morning we hadn't seen much but i have to say we traveled some awesome country and really had quiet enjoyed ourselves. We came back to camp and took a breather then set out for the evening. Well amongst the bitter cold and me hiding behind Kevin the BEST i could we began to watch these cute little does. We had seen alot that evening and these were actually pretty close. When all of a sudden i said to Kevin " Did you see that?" I swear i think he thought i was seeing things until he verified "Shareen that is a nice little 2 point." He was setting up my shooting sticks and i was freaking out a bit and so was he (he gets just as excited as if it was his hunt) This would only be the second deer i had shot and i was so nervous because it was a 348 yard shot! Yes 348 yards i will brag for awhile about it and document it in this here blog. :) I got set up and shot. It ran..so we thought. Well to shorten this up we HIKED our arses off up this HUGE hill to make sure i had or hadn't shot this buck. Kevin now at this point was reassuring me "you probably just wounded it and we are going to have to track him"...YEAH about 1 hour till dark and we get to track this guy...Saweet (i say very sarcastically) Well as were inching closer and both of us are doubting what moments ago was excitement. And then Kevin yells out. You shot him Shar, you shot him. I let out a hoop and a holler and was super excited to have shot this guy.

Vance and Hunter were pretty close to where we were and came over to help. Boy was i glad they were there to help pull him out for the first little while. Kev insisted they go hunt before it got dark and that him and i could get him pulled out on our own. Well we got him out alright through THICK sagebrush, over large tree stumps, and HELL! Yep that's right. Soon it was DARK and I was wishing i had not shot this dumb thing! I was scared to death and Kevin played on my emotion until he realized he had to deal with me...served him right! I thought we were lost and would NEVER get out! Kev reassured me our hunting party would NOT leave us and he knew where we were. I think that was the first time i doubted him...but yes he for the first time was right and we made it out safe and sound and ok we werent lost. Oh and i got an antler that poked through my pants and broke skin . It hurt like the dickens i tell you! But the kids thought the war wound it was pretty wicked.

Vance shot his deer that morning and Rod and I that evening. I should say we did pretty well! Hunter that week also shot a nice buck.
We had a great hunt and Kevin, I mean WE cant wait to go next year. We will have Hadlie to join us...good times await us!

Grandma Carter turns 60

Happy Birthday to a wonderful grandma and mom! This year my mother in law turned the big 60. We celebrated by throwing her a surprise dinner at Golden Corral. Now i have to say this would not have been my choice however my kids thought they literally were in heaven! They had never been to an all you can eat buffet and were so very excited and entertained. Who knew that being able to try so much stuff and not having to finish it would be so fun??
We love you Mary and are glad we could share this day with you and are glad you are in our lives!

Elk Hunt 2011

This year Kevin decided to take Hadlie and Tyson up the first weekend of the Elk hunt. Boy were they excited they went! I was nervous that HAdlie would be a little bit miserable and cold becasue of all the snow. But she insisted she wantes to go and Tyson was a no brainer. If he has the chance to head out on hte mountains and hunt..hes in!
Well this picture explains exactly why i was not there. I hate the cold with a passion! I admire the ones who could care less about the snow (obviously the rest of my family) but i on the other hand would like to save myself from being called a whiner and stay home :)

They really did have a great time! Uncle Rodney went up too and from the sounds (and pictures of it) they all had a blast. Tyson liked sporting his "dandies" (Kevs long johns) and i decided after all the stories that made no sence to me but continued to make them laugh.

Well as you can see the hunt was a success..whew we wont starve! And Kevin was so proud of Hadlie and Tyson and all there help. The 3 of them packed this guy out all by themselves and it was no picnic. Anyone who hunts with Kevin knows he goes where normal sane people don't care to go o and yes takes the kids too. If you ask Tyson his version of the hike out was horrible (though he had a blast) because he literally packed his weight. Hadlie..well he'll tell ya. "i font know what shes talking about. She packed a pack with a rope in it and i was still passing her"...we will now just leave it at that. She was a trooper though and found the experience exhausting but also fun too.

O i just love these guys!

Umm did i mention i am married to Elmer Fudd??? And Elmer shot a grouse that was DELICIOUS! You betcha we cooked er right up when they got home. And wished we had more!

The next weekend Kevin took up Davis and Cole. They thought since he had got his Elk they were going to completely miss out. Never doubt Kevin will find and excuse to head back up. And Rod hadn't got one so they HAD to go ya know.

Rod brought up Cassidy and once again they hiked and played and had a ball! Notice mother nature decided to be nice this weekend. Amazing isn't it!

Kevs accident with horse

Who doesn't like to pull up a blog and see this picture? All of you huh. Well i agree but this also has to be journaled.
While at soccer practice with Tyson one evening i get a phone call while just about to leave the parking lot. It was Hadlie and she was hysterical! I couldn't make out much of what she was saying but could understand that Kevin was hurt and bloody. Great thing to hear when your 10 minutes away from home and cant understand your daughter. As she calmed down she told me the horse came down on dad and she wont get off. His head is bloody and he is stuck. I told her to call my friend and Kevin's brother. Yes i was panicked and obviously scared but Hadlie had really pulled herself together and done just exactly what she was told to do. O and i need to mention at this point i knew he was not in need of an ambulance just some major help.
When i got home my friend and sister in law were there and Kev was toothless (yes toothless) and could not walk on his leg. Being tough o and prideful he let us all know he was fine and waited for Amy and Jennie to leave then tried to walk in the house to wash up. He was very excited to have found the missing part of his tooth and a trip to the hospital later it was only a sprain and though we didn't leave the ER until 1 am he made sure he had the go ahead to go to work. The Dr. informed him well yes just keep it elevated when you can and i would maybe take the day off to rest it and yourself. Most would think so. NOT KEVIN. Of course he did not leave at his normal time 3am he left at 5am. I was ticked but remembered this is the man i married and should know this about him, Still though i do wonder. He recovered well with what is still a weak ankle but i am so glad he was ok and Hadlie was so awesome in helping out her dad!

Back to School for the Kiddo-roos

I know i am certainly not alone when i say i cant believe hoe FAST summer came and went. I fell like i am that mom in the middle. I love when when my kids are home with me and we can have fun relax and be rebels with our schedules (in which i mean my schedule for the kids)but so excited to see them go back to school and be back on a routine and by this time have some sanity. Or at least pretend.

Hadlie will rule the school this year being in the big 6th grade. Her teacher is Mrs. Parkins. Tyson ventured into 5th and has Mrs. Valerio. Davis is in 3rd with Mrs. Allinson and Mrs. Lott
Cole is in first grade and has Mrs. Adams. Cole was the most excited I would say. He LOVES school and is such a great little student!
All my kids got who they wanted and I too could not be more pleased! Rhett will start Kindergarten next week. Really can my baby really be starting school? Little freaked out not going to lie! We will see who he gets int he next couple of days.

So my kiddos wanted to ride the bus and informs me they were really ok and i didn't need to follow the bus to school. Well that would be great if i had asked...but o wait i didn't and i am going to follow the bus and all of you into your classes so there! They actually really love it i think. They don't act like i am embarrassing mom..O that's cause I'm not :)
However this served me right! O.k. it really didn't serve me right it was awfully sad! As we pull up (by the way beating the bus there) Rhett starts to get out and says whats that noise mom? Um sprinklers silly...or our TIRE! Let me tell ya. That tire from a stick i think? Was PUNCTURED with quite the large whole! Thanks to Mark and Natalie for being my car rescuers ALL the time (poor people) they saved the day and Mark changed my tire and after a bit we were off. Maybe next time I'll stay home..YEAH RIGHT!

2011 Elk hunt

So this year Kevin decided to do something he never does. The cow Elk hunt. I have never understood this hunt unless you need the meat. Well we weren't in EXTREME need but could use it since no cow was in the raising at this point. Also Kevin thought with the warm weather it would be fun to go out with the kids and...well hunt and enjoy the beautiful mountains.

I LOVE this picture o so very much! I do not like it when Kev does not have facial hair. However he looks so cute to me here and those two other guys aren't to shabby either :)

This was the highlight of the hunt. While waiting down by the river (sounds a bit Chris Farley huh) this bear crossed there paths. VERY, VERY, close. About 15 yards away. Kev said Davis had a death grip on his arm and was very freaked out. But they all were beyond excited to see it and be so close. Scared me as a mom but what a great experience for them.

Rodney and Cassidy also came. Its always fun to have family come along.

Well there was no success this hunt but some good times and memories made. Hope we dont starve :)

Our little Ledoux

So this is Ledoux. Or new little Australian Shepherd puppy. My Cole is a animal lover like you would not believe! All my kids like them and some more than others but when it comes to caring and being concerned and loving on them Cole is that kid of mine who just melts my heart! He has wanted his"own" puppy for awhile now. Well i just kept putting it off and putting it off because we need another animal right??? Um well do dogs count as...never mind. Anyways even if my kids have there "own" animal it is a family pet still and chores are still for the most part pretty equal etc. Well this summer Kev and i decided to let Cole pick a dog. We obviously helped out but he chose an Australian Shepherd and he wanted a Blue Merle male.
So Monday Me, the kiddos (minus Davis who stayed with my dad because he is a great pop and he didnt want to drive that long), my Mom (she rocks) took a little road trip to Newton Ut. Up by Logan. Kev had to work but we didnt want to wait another week to get this little guy so off we went. So glad my Mom came along. We all suprisingly enough had a great little time (by little i mean long). It was great! ANd we don't need to mention my little mistake getting us a bit lost even with the GPS. It can happen to ANYONE!


We could not love this dog more than we do. Liz took a bit to adjust (having just barley gotten rid of her puppies a couple weeks prior) but soon she took to him and started mothering him and showing who was the boss.
Cole has taken this little pups responsibilities VERY seriously! Again he is awesome! He will be a fun pup to watch grow with his spunk and adventurous personality! We all look forward to it!

Camp outs with the Carters

THE 24th

So after this first pic i really could close this blog post with the BEST camp trip EVER!!!!!! Seriously if i wasn't long winded this would be over!!! But since i am here it goes. Instead of our usual camp spot we ventured out to where we hunted deer last year up Heber. Little did i know the happiness this spot would bring. What happiness you may ask? MOOSE in our camp! Yeah that's right. 6:30 am and Kev comes whisper/yelling so like whisperelling on the outside of the tent. "Shar get out here NOW there is a Moose" I swear it all went blank i flew out of my very snug sleep (o.k. worse sleep ever) in socks and all and ran out o see this.... It was better than, well alot of things! Davis said after this fun event ( that he didn't even see since he would rather have stayed nestled in his sleeping bag) "mom your dream came true. You seen a moose in the wild" and he was right. Thinking we would not see one i said on the way up "It would be the best ever just to see ONE moose in the wild. Well my friends we didn't only see two but we seen 3!!!! One later on that night and Kev and the kids (minus Davis and I) seen 1 the next morning. What a campout!!

Truth be told there were alot of great things about this spot. For instance the beaver ponds. Come on who does not love Kevin taking them on a hike to the beaver ponds and schooling them on all the importance's of dam's and frogs and so on. This was a very educational time people! O and a bit fun for all too!

Whats this??? A porcupine?? Why yes it is. In camp? Why yes to that too.

You now may be asking yourself why the awesome pic of the Repel? Is it because its the newest scent i prefer? Um no! Its because the one downfall..actually the ONLY downfall was the mosquito's!!!! O MY HOLY FREAKING CRAP!!!! No Repel, Off, Skin so Soft, or personal body net could keep these things off!! They were horrible. Something none of us were at all use to at that extent camping. But again i remind you of the moose. Were they worth it? Lets not awnser er that.

Also a little work and alot of fun play are always in store with good company. Family really is the key to having a good time.
We were also so lucky to have my brothers daughter Delaney come with us. She was so much fun and took every bit of this camp trip in! Every night she informed us she did not know how she was going to "top" this camp trip. I loved it!

The 4th

What a fun relaxing getaway this weekend was. Even though we had to make it a short one with hay to haul at home, it was still nice to get out with family and be in the beautiful mountains!

I would have to say the worst part about camping this year was Kevs parents not being there. With Kev's dad's surgery he is not able to get out and come up to the mountains. Things were a bit different not having them there. I do have to say though. Wendy really stepped up to the plate and covered the Mary portion of camping with games and activities. We all had such a good time thanks to Wendy! We hope things can get better and they will beable to get back out with us once again.

Baseball anyone?

Baseball for me you ask? No would be my prompt answer. However i think i may have two little boys who may stick with this sport and like it? Am i wishing for this to be a a phase? Perhaphs. I know this will offend alot of you including my sister and brother but this is just not an enjoyable sport to me. But when your 5 year old is super excited for T-ball to start, you do it. And when your 8 year old says i really, really, want to play baseball this summer well you let him do it too. Then you wait for the next summer and hope they will change there minds :) If not. Well then candy shack summer here we come :)

Rhett was so happy to do whatever was asked of him. Catcher? Sure. 1st base? Why not. He loved it. O and he was awfully cut too.

Davis has played for a few years now. He sure had fun this year with coach pitch. He also did very well and i was very proud to see how well he played. Hey i may not love this sport but i love to watch my kids do anything they love.

Good times at the Rodeo

Once again we get the fun opportunity to attend the Town rodeo. I would have to say this years was one of the best!

Meeting up with friends...

A little candy chase...

A chicken chase which this year thrilled me since i threatened Tyson NOT to catch one. Not because I'm that awnry old woman who's mean to her kids (well sometimes i am ) but we already have 25 at home. Did he still catch one... YES...Did he keep it? Uh NO!

Then who doesn't love a little money cow? No luck on any money but the trill of the chase once again is a blast. Now if only the adults could get in on that. Then ofcourse we end the night with bull riding and fireworks. Great time for sure!

Our summer.umm.well. Has been alot of this with Hadlie. And we have loved every minute of it. Hadlies love for horses is so real and genuine that is was so much fun to watch her at all her 4-H events this summer.

Had was able to participate in 3 district horse shows. Her events were halter, bareback pleasure, western pleasure, poles, scurry, and her favorite barrels. All I can say is WOW she rides like her mother...o wait i meant am glad she doesn't ride like her mother :) She actually did so well she had the opportunity to go to County. She chose however to not go to this. I thought it was alot of me saying things like wow this is dye hard and wow there is going to be alot of people there etc. But she told me the day before "mom i don't want to go because dad cant be there and i just don't feel all that ready for county. Plus mom i have all these years ahead of me to do County" Did that make me feel a wee bit better? Um yeah it did. Still I have to say Kev and I are so proud of her and what a cute little cowgirl she is! O and may i ad in this post for documentation reasons of course...I put on my big girl panties and drove the truck and trailer..O yeah all by MYSELF! And more than once. Such an accomplishment. I should have gone to county in the category of cool moms!

I love our not so little cowgirl!

Preschool Graduation

Rhett and his best buddy Hagen

Me Rhett and his granny

Milestone, Milestones. I always thought they would be easier or maybe i would be more excited for the growing up of my children. Well that is just not the case right now for me. I really have had a hard time with the thought of Rhett graduating preschool. Along with speech and just him not being here with me most of the day... My life is seriously going to be thrown through a loop! However he was so super cute and excited today to be graduating. Ms. Stacey has been 3 out my 5 kids preschool teacher and i could never have asked for my kids to be in better hands. Rhett loved her and her class and did make sure to mention once or twice he would really really miss her. I am proud of you Rhett Thomas!