Being a mother and head gashes.

Sorry for the gruesome picture, but for some reason this head gash on Sage's head has caused me to do a lot of pondering on motherhood for the past few days. It all started on Saturday night at 8pm when Shane put Sage in time out which up until this happened was his crib. It wasn't long before we heard a crash, a thud, and a healthy wailing from Sage. I ran into the room only to find Sage's head matted in blood. (head wounds are infamous for lots of blood.) To our surprise, he had managed to climb out of the crib and land on a train set below. We dropped Avery off out our trusted neighbor below us and took him to the instacare not far from our house. The poor kid needed one stitch and four staples to close the wound. This was no easy process and it took two parents, two nurses, and the doctor to hold him down. (the picture looks wet because of the neosporin.) Holding Sage down was heart wrenching. He laid on an exam bed under a very bright fixture spot lighting him with three strangers pinning him down like a straight jacket with his own parents betraying him! (Okay I'm a little over dramatic, which doesn't happen very often, but I could see it all in the look he gave me.) He kicked and wiggled and screamed the entire time which in a way made me glad. I was very glad that he just didn't give in and succumb, my heart really would have been broken then because that is completely opposite of Sage's character.

Sage has been very difficult in many ways because of his stubborn fiestiness. He was so hard as a newborn, especially following his sister who was the world's easiest baby to care for. I've definitely had both ends of the pendulum in my children. One day as I was in the midst of several clogged milk ducts, mastitis for the second time, ear infections in Avery, zombie like state due to lack of sleep, dealing with drama that goes a long with being YW president, (you get the picture.) A friend asked how I liked being the mother of two children. I knew I was in no position to fake a response so I said something like, "I'm not gonna lie to you, it's really hard." Her response to me was "Really, all my friends say it's even easier than one." Of course my heart sank even further because now I'm thinking, "what some people find this easy?" and I just wondered how I could ever have more children.

But like everything, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. But first, another flash back to my growing up years. I lived in a neighborhood where 5-6 kids was average for a family. People who had less were either not LDS or medically unable to have more children. I had teachers and priesthood leaders teach in Sunday school and YW's that "you should have as many children as possible, wait for no reason at all, and don't use birth control." (I swear I'm not making this up.)

Several months after Sage was born I sat in Stake Conference and listened to a broadcast from Pres. Hinckley which was being transmitted to all the stakes in the Salt Lake Valley at the same time. The message that sticks out most from that broadcast and pretty much any other talk I've ever heard from a general authority was this: Pres. Hinckley reminded everyone listening that God commanded us to multiply and replenish the earth, but he didn't put a number on it. It's a decision between married couples and the Lord and we should not judge one another for the number of children we choose to have. Yes, it was definitely one of those moments I felt like he was speaking directly to me. A huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. He continued to council women and mothers not to complain about their lives but to be an optimistic and positive influence...something I also needed to hear. Having said this, I just want to note that I'm totally aware that there are many woman out who are completely able to take care of multitudes of children and do it happily and successfully. I'm just not one of them, and I know that about myself.

Motherhood is hard but then you have moments like what happened last night that make up for so much. Now that we know Sage has the ability to climb out of his crib he's slept in Avery's trundle bed until we can get him a toddler bed. Because I am so determined not to fall into bad sleeping habit like when Sage was a baby, I was adamant that neither Shane not I be in the room while Sage is learning to adjust to his new bed (as per doctor's advice.) Of course he screamed and cried for a very long yelling our names and tugging at our hearts. Before long we heard Avery singing him a lullaby. Shane and I cracked open the door and saw Sage climbing into bed next to Avery while she put her arm around him and sang him her own version of a goodnight song and they fell asleep snuggled next to each other.

Any and all temper tantrums? forgiven
Waking up at random hours during the night? forgiven
Sage picking on little boys he doesn't know for no reason? forgiven
Throwing food on the ground instead of eating it? forgiven
Multitudes of children? I'll leave that to the pros. Don't get me wrong; I'm not done, just not multitudes.


Watching your children become people and develop their personalities is very rewarding as a mother, but not as rewarding as watching your children play with each other, love each other, and look out for each other.

Thanksgiving in the woods.

Call me crazy, but I love watching my husband chop wood! There's something about it that reminds me why I fell in love with my mountain man.

If you think this is silly, make your husband chop some wood and see if it works for you too!

Okay, now it's my turn. It took me at least a hundred swings just to chop one piece. I was ridiculously slow, but by the time I was done I was too warm to start a fire.

Honestly, chopping wood is quite addicting. I thought I would have really swore arms and back muscles the next day but to my surprise, only my thumbs were sore...who knew?

Wood choppers in training. What, you don't let your children play with large axes that are as big as they are?

This is Shane's Grandma. Easily the warmest, friendliest person I know. She has a really neat house and she and her son make famous apple cider. She's 88 years old and she has this really neat adult size tricycle that she gets out and rides. It's so much fun to visit Grammer.

I promised a hunting report, so here you go. This is Shane's best friend Park. He shot the only and only animal the whole trip. Notice he's using a branch to mimic an antler. This deer only has one antler and apparently in the hunting world this is a major embarrassment. Shane and his other friend couldn't stop making fun of him the entire trip. According to them, it would have been better to have nothing rather than a deer with only one antler. And all this time I thought it was about the meet.

Moving on, We had a really fantastic and delicious Thanksgiving feast at Amy and Austin's house. My only disappointment is that we didn't have any any Turkey's visit us this year. Every year we have flocks of turkeys roaming the yard, but this year they stayed away. I guess they know Mark and Tamra won't be around for awhile. (They're on a mission in Russia.)

Worst Movie Ever!

Okay maybe that's a little strong in describing Twilight, but if the shoe fits....Anyway, Shane was lucky enough to not have to sit through it with me because his saving grace, my sister-in-law, Amy called to see if I wanted to see the movie with her and some of her friends in Montana. We rolled in to Montana at about 11:30 and went directly to the theater for opening night. I laughed during the movie, but not during the parts that were suppose to be funny. So many odd angles and camera shots and really weird acting. The actor who played Edward was so....awkward. I saw him on Jay Leno a couple nights later and he was even weirder then. Heidi Klum was making fun of his hair and Jay Leno said he looked homeless. It was pretty funny. Anyway, I still like the books, but if they want a successful sequel, they'll have to fire the director and the actor who played Edward and put a lot more dough into the movie. On a positive note, the actress who played Bella did a really good job.

Road Trip

We're headed to Montana in a couple of days for Thanksgiving. It's really more of a hunting trip, but whatever. Thanksgiving and Hunting are pretty much interchangeable this time of year. I have to admit, I NEVER thought I'd marry a hunter. My first huntin' outing was also my last and it lasted for about 10 minutes. It's was probably one of our first fights as a married couple too.
Shane: "Sit still d@#* it!"
Carrie: "I can't even Shiver? Forget this, I'm going home."
Note: Since I'm the one writing this, I can make myself look more innocent than I probably was.

Moving on, hopefully we'll bring back enough elk meat to satisfy us for the next year. (I put my foot down at deer meat, it's not worth the freezer space.) Here are some pictures of "Thanksgiving/huntin' parties" of the past.


Here are four of the Hughes boys. Travis isn't here because he doesn't hunt. Actually, he's a vegetarian. If a vegetarian can be raised from this family, there's nothing that can't happen:)



I got a phone call from my 5 year old nephew today and he told me all about the 5 point bucks roaming the Many Lakes area and the pheasants and ducks they shot at Grandma's pond. I wish I could have recorded the call. He sounds like he's been hunting for 30 years minimum.

What, you don't let your two year old daughters play with elk heads lying around in the back yard? tsk tsk tsk.

Personally, I'm really excited this Thanksgiving to see Twilight. We're leaving on Thursday which means I won't be able to go with my girlfriends, so unfortunately for Shane, he's promised to go with me. Although I'm excited to see it, I have to admit my hopes aren't that high for this movie. Granted, I've never seen a movie that's as good as the book, but this movie especially might be a little too "teenage" for me. We'll see I guess.

I hope everyone has a great Holiday and travels safely to their destinations. I'll have a full "elk meat" and "Twilight" report when we return.

I'm a Trunk-or-Treat convert

I just love them. It's a great way to get lots of candy in a short amount of time and see a lot of great costumes. There's also the added benefit of socializing for the adults. This year our ward did a trunk or treat. We sent flyers around the whole neighborhood and made signs in the street to advertize. It was a big success and lots of people showed up. Unfortunately I was so busy planning parts of the trunk or treat and making my kids' costumes that I didn't put anything together for myself. So, I went as the woman who made her kids costumes. Here they are:

Here's Avery's. She's got a whole Annie Oakley vibe going for her. Truthfully, I unpicked this costume enought times to make it three times over. Unpicking; it's what I do best.

Sage went as a sick cowboy. He really played his part well. It started around 4am when he woke up with massive congestion, coughing fits and lots of vomiting on my bed. We even took a real trip to the Doctor, just to make it authentic, and came home with enough antibiotics for a whole month! Wow, the costume that just keeps on going. The Doc okay'd him to go trick or treating so he didn't have to miss out on the Halloween fun. Here he is in the pick up we rented to go along with his costume...Not really.

Shane went as the husband of the woman who made her kids' Halloween costumes.

These two look like they're about to hijack a train or hold up a bank. There just to cute, I don't think anyone would take them seriously.

We figured the adults would want a treat as well so as a Young Men and Young Women's group we served hot chocolate. It was a huge hit. Here I am bossing everyone around.

Just for kicks, here's what teenagers are wearing for Halloween costumes. This is Jennifer. Isn't she adoreable!

Here's Kristen. She's an Elmo/fairy hot chocolate dispenser.

Here's Mayra lookin' good in a tutu.

Here's the line for the hot chocolate. See, I told you it was a hit.

I hope everyone had a really great Halloween!

Obama Follow-up

Yes, I am still voting for Obama and I wasn't planning on any follow-ups but all it took was a little nudging from Aunt Caryn and and I'll answer my feelings on some of the comments made because I know at least on person will be interested! I just want to clarify before my stance that I am not offended by any difference of opinion and recognize that I do not know everything. I do however try to be unbiased and fair and weigh both sides of any argument before I make any decision, so here goes:

I personally do not agree with abortion and do wish the laws could be changed so that abortions could only be used in true medical situations where the mothers life is at risk or in case of incest and rape, rather than a form of birth control which I find abominable. I recognize that "risk of mother's health" is a very broad term because ANY time a woman gets pregnant her health is at risk to some degree. However, I would not support a ban on abortion unless Mother's life, rape or incest were included. The truth is, if my 12 year old daughter gets pregnant by the next door neighbor's husband, NOBODY will tell me she can't get an abortion because her choice was taken away in the situation to have a baby. I also want to point out that we've had a republican president for 8 years and abortion is still legal, even with the appointment of two conservative judges. So in other words, I don't base my vote on this one decision. I recognize that many do weigh this as their number one decision on who to vote for, and for those who do, I can understand why you would vote for John McCain.

Barack Obama has said he would not raise taxes unless you are making 250k a year. That's 5% of Americans and even less than 5% of businesses. I personally will fall into the 95% of Americanise whose taxes won't be raised. I believe him when he says this. I have heard from many people that "only good LDS members should vote republican" so I want to challenge that. The church Strongly preaches frugality and living within your means. In what way has the republican government for the past 8 years lived up to that. (and saying that the congress has been democrat for less than 2 years doesn't work for me. George Bush sets the tone.) If it means having to raise taxes a little so the government can set the example of a balanced budget for Americans and the rest of the world, I'm up for it. Why should we as Americans be punished for debt when our own government can't balance their check books. In my humble opinion there is definitely a link between Americans citizens over spending and CEO's bankrupting their companies, and it starts with the government's terrible spending habits. It reminds me of something called the pride cycle. HMMMM raising taxes or going into record breaking debt, I think I'll take financially security. Having said all that, I think both tax plans are flawed. I think a flat tax would be the best for the nation. We already have a working example of how successful it is. It's called the church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints.

Contrary to popular belief, if a democrat gets elected into office, medicine won't automatically be socialized. Having said that, I'm not afraid of socialized medicine for 2 reasons #1. It will never happen in the US. and #2 Not EVERYTHING about it is terrible. Actually, I have talked to someone who lives in another country about and it happens to work for her and her family. (Mary and Chris, if I'm misrepresenting, you speak up; if I'm not, back me up!) I just want to point out that the countries we're talking about who practice socialized medicine are advanced, educated, peaceful, and civilized countries. I'm not saying it's the best solution for the US because it's not perfect, but why not take the good things from it and the good things from our current policies and combine them. This is what the US does best...solve problems by compromise. Let's face it, we already practice socialized medicine to a degree. Homeless people, illegal aliens, uninsured patients, all paid for by the government. In my opinion, Insurance companies are the BIGGEST part of what's wrong with our current health care system. Barack is suggesting that we keep our current doctors and plans if they work for us and for those who don't have any, they can be apart of the health plan that senators and congressmen use. Republicans like to say that they will be forced to go to certain doctors and hospitals. News flash, insurance plans already work that way.

Jaclyn was right when she pointed out political propaganda. A person's middle name is probably the last reason I would vote for them. When I hear the Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity right wing talk show hosts of the world try to create fear in the hearts of their listeners by saying "Barack Hussein Obama" I already know they are not of sound mind to make judgements as to whom I will vote for. First of all Obama is a Christian, but even if he was Muslim and still kept all the same political policies that I am voting for, I would still vote for him. I believe Islam, when practiced correctly and peacefully, is a beautiful religion. Many LDS people have theorized that Muhammad was a prophet. I can't necessarily say that I think that but I'm not afraid of Muslim Americans or Muslims in general. I had a Muslim friend in college and I realized her beliefs are really not that different from our own. I really liked her, she was a great person and I learned not to be afraid of Muslims. Also, I like Baracks ethnic diversity. Already people around the world have said he is more relateable and let's face it, we need to do some damage control for our global neighbors.

As for Reverend Wright; I believe strongly in keeping separation of church and state. It protects the churches as much as the citizens. I want to remind everyone that our church did not allow black people to hold the priesthood until 1978. I do not believe this is a valid reason to NOT vote for Mit Romney, and I feel I should extend the same courtesy to everyone else's religion. Religion is controversial period. You can look into anyone's religion and find all kinds of hypocrisies and contradictions. For that reason, I choose not to look at someone's religion when I vote for a candidate. The important thing is, Barack Obama has never repeated the Rev.'s rhetoric and has never conducted a life that supports what he says. Also, I have sat in many congregations and Sunday school classes and heard crazy ridiculous opinions spewed. I know that I can worship the same God and share spiritual beliefs as someone, but completely disagree on many other issues. Again, I extend this same courtesy to everyone.

Barack Obama has short experience in the Senate but many argue this as refreshing. Also, he has been very successful at almost everything in his past. I absolutely respect John McCain's experience in the Senate and Military. If only we could all go back 8 years and Elect him as President! He would have been the better candidate 8 years ago. I'd like to point out that S. Palin has less experience than Obama..

I will bring up one point that I strongly agree with McCain and differ on with Obama. Ironically, it's the one issue that many in Utah at least will find me crazy for. I think school vouchers would save our schools and I hope they will soon be used in our school system. Before you start on your arguments against school vouchers...just know that I have weighed all the pros and cons and if you start bringing up arguments on vouchers you might get another loooong blog post from me.

I'm not afraid of your opinions and I respect everyone's right to choose. I love America. We are so blessed to live in this nation!

Obama for president.

For the first time in a long time the country has two men at the head of their respective party who in my opinion are decent (I use that term loosely with politicians) respectable men. Having said that, I have definitely made up my mind to vote for Barack Obama. Last night's debate really sealed the deal for me. Of course he's not perfect and I don't agree with all of his policies, but of the two men, I think he's the best. He said his #1 top proirity is the enviroment and I just wanted to shout "Amen!" because the environment is related to so much of what's wrong with our country right now. A few examples:

Investing in alternative energy would generate new jobs galore...and not just in oil rich states like Texas. Utah would do so well to invest in Solar and Wind Energy. Every state in the union has resources of some sort that could create evenness and fairness in the energy circus. Right now the oil tycoons have so much power and influence over not just Washington but the whole world!...and John McCain wants to create more power and greed by drilling our oceans and our last frontier, Alaska? I can't think of anything more crazy.

The real way to win against terrorists in my very humble opinion is to take away their oil money. So many wars have been related to oil...even WWII. Now we have the Iraqi war and the Georgian conlfict that are surprise surprise...related to oil. If that scripture were written today, I believe it would read. "the love of oil is the root of all evil."

Americans would be healthier with cleaner air and maybe our health care system would be a little less burdened. Right now there are certain days when our own children can't play outside because the air is so filthy. It's definitly a problem when we are told by doctors NOT to excercise outdoors because it's more detrimental to your health.

In general, I found Obama more cordial, gentlemanly and less condescending than John McCain.

Okay...I'm finished with my soap box. And there are many more reasons I'm voting for Barack Obama, but My children won't allow me that much time on the computer. I realize many people who read this will completely disagree with my support of Barack Obama and will want to teach me a thing or two, but I'm okay with that...this is America after all!