Birthday Boy

Three years ago, we were lucky enough to bring another baby boy into our family. And after a rocky first year of life, Carter has really been such a great addition to our family.

We celebrated his birthday on Monday, the 28th, with my sister and brother. Carter was easy to please, just wanting cupcakes and ice cream to celebrate.

He opened his presents and was happy to get a Potato Head family!

Damon quickly assembled Grandma Karen, Grandpa Dale and Buffy. 

And then he made Grandma Karen, 2008 (chemo)

Yesterday, on Carter's actual birthday, we had the Pinewood Derby and Carter was wiped out! He fell asleep about an hour into the races. Happy birthday buddy!

He did get a cupcake (notice a different shirt at night--I thought the girls liked to change clothes a lot, but this boy does too!)

Last week, Carter had hernia surgery. We noticed a large bulge on his groin around Thanksgiving, and he had an inguinal hernia repair. Everything went very smoothly, but he was a little nervous going in.

His recovery was especially quick, as he was up and about only hours after the surgery. Now, five days out, he is dealing with a lot of bruising and swelling in his boy parts. It all seems normal, but man oh man, does it look painful! That may have had something to do with his early bedtime last night.

Carter is the happiest, most fun little boy. About 80% of the time. He is eager to please, excited about life, and a pure joy to be around. 

Unless you get him the other 20% of the time. And then it's not fun. He is stubborn, and will not give in for anything! He is particular and wants things to be a certain way or he loses it. He can throw a tantrum with the best of them. And don't even think about waking him up in the night to do something like go to the bathroom. He'll holler like he's been robbed and it's not pretty. 

But most of the time, he's the most fun kid to be around. He loves his daddy and he is a great brother. He started having more night time accidents and I tried to put him back in a diaper at night. That did not go well. So I got some Pull Ups and the first night, he was really excited. But then he decided they were too tight (one of his BIGGEST pet peeves) and refused to wear them again. He even went so far as to change out of his Pull Up after I had put him to bed, put underwear on, and then wet the bed. I was so mad!

I still don't know what the solution to that problem is. He is dry most of the time (only wet once a week or less), but when he does wake up wet (at 4:00 am usually), he is grouchy, I am grouchy and then I have to do MORE laundry. Grrr. I guess we'll keep at it. Oh, and I have also tried putting a Pull Up on him after he was asleep. It was equivalent to waking him up to go pee. He screamed and cried and fought me every single step of the way.

He is very independent. He wants to do everything himself and he is capable of doing a lot! If there is food in his reach, he will get it. And make a huge mess. One of his favorites is bread and toast.

He is really into Diego and Jake and the Neverland Pirates right now. He still loves his trains and plays with them a lot. He gets into a phase and it lasts for a few weeks (Buzz Lightyear, Smurfs, random things like dice in his pocket, etc) and then he's on to something else. 

He is completely finished with naps and can finally make it to bedtime without melting down. I do miss my quiet afternoons, but he is a fun companion. 

He only likes certain clothes--like the pumpkin shirt, the vampire shirt, sweatpants, and certain shoes. And these things can change from day to day. He may suddenly be willing to wear jeans that were "too tight" the day before. And if his clothes get wet or dirty, he will HAVE to change. 

He has basically outgrown his respiratory problems and hasn't had any issues lately. Thank goodness, because he won't take oral steroids anymore. They are too nasty. What a blessing that has been, especially with the horrible air we have had this winter. 

He can navigate the computer with ease. I have nothing to do with that, he has learned completely by watching his siblings. He loves the library and we go once or twice a week. Right now he wants to get pirate books. But next week I'm sure it will be something different. 

I do love my picky Carter boy. I would take a whole house full of Carter's. He's that cool. 

Walk Through

So we are basically finished moving everyone around. Phew! That was a project! We took several loads of stuff to the DI and Jeff made a couple of runs to the dump (mostly furniture packaging) and we are just about all moved in. Of course, there are always things we are waiting on, but here is a little tour of where everyone is at now.

At the bottom of the stairs if you take a right, you will see this:

This is the hallway that ends with Jeff's safe (aka the Panic Room). The wood you see on the floor ar the toe kicks for the cabinets that will hopefully one day be installed. The cabinets will have drawers on the bottom for all the toys. This is a very wide hallway and we thought that we should use it for storage. 

The door you see on the left is Damon's room, and the little boys is next to his, although out of the picture. 

Here is Damon's room. The bookshelf/desk was where a fireplace could have gone, but instead we had it turned into a custom little workspace for Damon. I think it's super cool. There is a light up at the top that can shine down on all his collections. His desk will eventually get a drawer, which will be nice. He also needs two night stands and a dresser in the future as well. 

Next is the little boys' room. 

It's a lot of green! I would love to get them some cute jungle bed spreads that coordinate with the room. But for now, they are hanging out here as it is. They will also eventually need a dresser, but are using one of Kyla's for the time being. 

Under the stairs we had this little "toy room" put in. It's mostly for the little girls and that's where all of their toys are. The door is kind of fun. Either side opens. Toys are around the corner and out of sight (at least today they are!)

To the immediate left of the staircase is the bathroom. The mirror and shower door were installed yesterday (the door is where the toilet is) and the drawers were installed today. Now we need doors on the vanity and cabinet (that you can't see) and we'll be set!

Past the bathroom is the "hang out" space. It's pretty empty right now.

We opened up the wall so these two rooms are adjoined, but still a little bit separated. The room on the left will be the game room (foosball table was $60 when we bought all the carpet), but for now is just holding all the toys. You can also see the doggie door Jeff installed. Bex is a pro at going in and out. Now she just needs to use it consistently!

The room straight ahead will be the TV room someday, when we get a nice TV mounted on the wall and furniture to fill it. Now it's just a big slumber party area. 

Finally, just past the game room is the storage room (the door you can see behind the foosball table). It's filling up quick, and we don't even have any food storage in there yet!

The place at the end is going to be for hanging things--coats, sleeping bags, etc. We are still working on that (those are sleeping bags on the floor, waiting to be hung). The right side is still pretty open, and if Jeff takes the time to scan all the old patient records (currently taking up two whole rows of shelves), we should be able to open up a lot of space. 

This concludes the tour of the basement. But here are a couple pics of the girls' rooms upstairs. Allie stayed in the room she and Kyla were sharing (wise choice, it's bigger) and she got new white furniture.  

Kyla wanted Damon's old room and she got the old bedroom set we have had for years and years. I think it was Jeff's grandparents. 

The goal now will be to update the furniture in Kyla's room (sand, restain, put new hardware on) and attach the headboard and footboard to the bed. Then all the rooms need some decoration. They all have a lot of empty wall space. But that will all have to wait. Right now we are just happy to have everyone settled in! 

Come and visit and see it for yourself!

My Career as a Mover

As our basement nears completion, we have been busy moving things around. Both kids and furniture. The three boys are safely tucked away in their new rooms in the basement and waiting for us to find dressers to hold their clothes. Carter and McKay are now in the twin beds that were Damon and Allie's in Jacksonville, then Allie and Kyla's when we moved in here. We got a new full bed for Damon at Downeast (he had to have a small headboard, because the only place to put his bed in his new room is right under the window). Fortunately for us, Downeast was having a sale--30% off their clearance prices--and we scored two Pottery Barn beds for quite cheap. However, there was no furniture to match Damon's bed (it's a dark espresso color), so he is without a dresser for the time being.

We are also searching for a dresser for the little boys, but have yet to find anything. So the boys clothes are tucked away in their closets for now. But they are moved in and door handles have been installed. Thank goodness, because the first night we move the boys down without one was miserable. I was up and down the stairs (all four flights) at least 5 times. It was quite the quad workout, and not one I was expecting in the wee hours of the morning. Now that we can lock them in, things are much better.

We also moved the girls into their own rooms upstairs. They do not do well together at night (they stay up late, play, change their clothes and do all kinds of tumbling tricks on their bed) and so we decided to separate them. Kyla is taking Damon's old room and bedroom furniture while we got Allie her own set (at Downeast) for her room. Pics to come when we get completely settled.

We also cleaned out the guest room (I vacuumed up a few more quail feathers when we moved the bed, aka the Scene of the Crime) and found a nice bedroom set for that room. On Friday, Jeff went to Downeast to pick up the furniture. There were two beds and three dressers to unload. We started by unloading the headboard for the guest room. When we opened the box, it was only half a headboard, which was a little strange, because we didn't know Pottery Barn headboards came in two pieces. We carried it upstairs and somehow there was a miscommunication about where we were going to put it. And it slipped out of my hand. AND it broke. One piece broke completely off and the headboard split right down the middle.

It was an awful moment. I could quickly tell that there would be no easy fix for this one. And while Jeff stormed out, trying his best not to get mad at me, I started to cry. What else could I do? I knew it had been quite an expensive mistake.

After a few minutes, Jeff came back in and asked me to help him unload the rest. We managed to get Allie's dresser upstairs and the dressers for the guest room in the house (those things are heavy!). Then Jeff went back to Downeast to pick up Allie's bed (there wasn't room for it in the truck). He also took the headboard back. He was convinced that they had given us a faulty piece of furniture (and only one half of the headboard at that!) and that it was possibly already broken before we got to it.

Half an hour later, he came back. And he told me, "it was a $400 mistake." My stomach dropped. And then he smiled, "Just kidding!"

He then went on to tell me that the workers at Downeast had never heard of only half a headboard being shipped. When Jeff described what had happened, they asked where it was. He said, "it's in the cab of my truck." The associate laughed. "It should not fit in the cab of your truck!"

Fortunately for us, they ordered another set (a REAL set this time, we hope) and it will be here sometime this week. And my terrible night got a whole lot better.

Later, as I struggled to move other pieces of furniture, Jeff said, "you're really not a good mover."

And that hurt my feelings not at all. Because that's like telling me I'm not a good mechanic. Or I'm not a good computer programmer. I have no desire to be a good mover. In fact, my life is better when someone else does the moving for me.

2012 Christmas letter

In case you didn't see our Christmas card and letter this year: 

Dear Friends and Family,

As you all know, 2012 was an important year for our country. We had the opportunity to research candidates, including those for president, and vote on who we thought would best represent our interests. Similarly, we would like to elect a president for the Trapnell Family, and need your help. Here we will present the candidates for president, with their qualifications (and critics’ remarks) highlighted. Please review each candidate and cast your vote as to who should be the next president of the Trapnell Family!

Candidate #1-Jeff. Jeff, who loves to travel, is very good about planning fun vacations for the family, including a fun trip to Colorado during the summer and another to New Mexico for Fall Break. He encourages every member of the family to be active, promoting hiking and camping as opposed to sitting at home. He shares his love of sports with us all, letting us each have a turn to attend BYU and Utah Jazz games with him. He would make a great president for the family, especially since he is the one who works hard to pay for all the things we enjoy. However, the critics will tell you that just because he is the obvious choice for president doesn’t mean he will be the best one.

Candidate #2-Krystal. Krystal had Lasik eye surgery in June, and her 20/20 eyesight serves the family well, as she still is expected to find anything that is missing. Now she can just find things more quickly (and at all hours of the night). She is also not afraid to try new things, as a good president should. After having never run more than 1 mile at a time, she decided to run a 5K in July, and recruited Damon to train, and run, with her. While she is grateful for the experience, she doesn’t feel that running is her calling. She’d much rather be president of the family. The critics believe she isn’t the best for the job, however, as she may be too emotionally involved in the lives of the other candidates.

Candidate #3-Damon (10). Damon feels he is best suited to act as president, as he is the Family Thermometer. Everyone else feeds off his mood and adjusts their behavior accordingly. If he is silly in church, everyone is silly in church. If he is somber and well-behaved, everyone is somber and well-behaved. He is well-rounded, with hobbies that include soccer, chess, reading and shooting BB guns. He is responsible, hard-working, and a fantastic tumbler. Just as every president should be.  The critics would caution you, though, that he doesn’t like to brush his teeth very often and cleans his room by stuffing things under his bed.

Candidate #4-Allie (7). Allie appeals to a number of voters, as she is on her way to being fluent in both English and Spanish, thanks to her second grade dual-immersion class. She is up to date on current events and pop culture (including which boys in the band New Direction have tattoos and which do not). She also looks fabulous in photos, as she recently had some orthodontic work done to improve her smile (and to prevent problems later on). She is energetic, eager to please, and was the top goal-scorer on her soccer team. However, the critics will tell you that she doesn’t always wake up on the right side of the bed, and is wildly unpredictable first thing in the morning. 

Candidate #5-Kyla (5).  Kyla is a great candidate to consider. She has become a fantastic reader and can hold her own during family scripture study. She loves to take care of her little brothers and our new puppy, and everyone loves to be around her, as she is rarely in a bad mood. The critics warn that she is a bit mischievous and not always 100% honest, focused more on getting what she wants than worrying about the consequences. Some would argue that this makes a good president, although her mother tends to disagree.

Candidate #6-Carter (almost 3). Carter’s biggest strength is his independence. He potty-trained himself in a matter of days and is capable of doing most things for himself. He is dedicated and loyal to his constituents (especially Buzz Lightyear, Papa Smurf, and Thomas the Train), and says the best prayers in the family. He is also a quick learner, as he discovered that if he will still take a nap, mom will let him play Letter School on the iPad, and never complains out having to go lay down. He is occasionally criticized for his attachment to his binky, but has promised to get rid of it, if elected.

Candidate #7-McKay (almost 2). McKay would be a great president because he knows how to get what he wants. He is sweet when the situation calls for sweetness, but will stubbornly hold his ground when he is unfairly opposed. He is eager to please, tough, and doesn’t mind getting dirty whenever possible.  However, the critics will argue that his lack of verbal mastery may hold him back, in addition to the fact that he still sucks his thumb and routinely falls asleep on the floor, instead of in his bed.

While we go about the business of electing a president of our family, we would also like to acknowledge the influence of another in our lives. This Christmas season we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. Nothing else gives us more peace than the knowledge of his divine mission. This year, and always, we vote to keep Him the center of our lives!

We love you all, and wish you a very Merry Christmas!

Love, the Trapnell’s: Jeff, Krystal, Damon, Allie, Kyla, Carter and McKay

p.s.I did receive one vote in the mail from a friend in Florida for Carter. And so, by a vote of 1-0, he is going to be named the president of our family. :)

2012

1. What did you do in 2012 that you’ve never done before? run a 5K

2. Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions and will you make more for next year? Did well on some, not so well on others. Typical. I'll definitely be making more for this year. 

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Noel and Julie. Tara. 

4. Did anyone close to you die? No. Thankfully. 

5. What countries did you visit? Nothing new. Boo. But a trip is planned for Feb!

6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012? Distance from the children. Literally. The basement addition is going to provide a place for the kids to play and three of the kids to sleep. YAY!

7. What moment from 2012 will remain etched in your memory and why? the moment the hawk swooped out of the sky in Vernal and took off with out pet quail. I'll never forget that. 

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? the 5K Damon and I ran in July

9. What was your biggest failure? No failures. Only lessons learned. 

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? I didn't, but Jeff had a bad motorcycle crash. He injured his leg and couldn't walk for weeks! That was hard on us all.

11. What was the best thing you bought? My new eyes. Or my new boobs. 

12. Where did most of your money go? Our house. The basement especially. But it's going to be worth it!!

13. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Thanksgiving with just the Esplin family. Game nights, movies, food...it was awesome!

14. Happier or sadder? Happier

15. Thinner or fatter? Fatter. Time to get back at it!

16. Richer or poorer? Richer

17. What do you wish you’d done more of? Girls nights

18. What do you wish you’d done less of? Losing patience

19. How did you spend Christmas? Christmas Eve with the Trapnell's, Christmas morning as a family, Christmas break with the Esplin's. A great arrangement.

20. Did you fall in love in 2012? I was sure suckered in by Jef and Emily. I was way too invested in them and when they broke up after only a couple of months together, I realized I need to not get so emotionally invested in other people. Resolution!

21. What was your favorite new TV show?  Revenge (new to me), Revolution, Gold Rush (also new to me)

22. What was the best book you read? My goal was to read 50 books. I read 57! Woot! Goal reached! Some of my favorites: Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, The Night Circus by Ellen Morgenstern, The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, Room by Emma Donoghue, Wonder by RJ Palacio, and Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz

23. What was your greatest musical discovery of 2012? Grooveshark now works on my iPhone. Which means I can listen to just about any song for free!

24. What did you want and get? So much. I'm a lucky girl!

25. What did you want and not get? An elliptical

26. What was your favorite film this year? Pitch Perfect. Either I didn't see many  movies (likely), or there really wasn't anything too amazing. 

27. What did you do on your birthday? Breaking Dawn part II, dinner at PF Changs with the Trapnell's. Good times. 

28. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Had the basement been finished months ago.

29. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012? Last Chance

30. What kept you sane? Group chats with my siblings. I love them. 

31. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?  Ann Romney. 

32. What political issue stirred you the most? The election was quite a heated affair. Don't want to get started.

33. Who did you miss? a best friend

34. Who was the best new person you met? Kate Hofer. Allie's counselor who helped her tremendously with her anxiety!

35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012. It's okay to admit that you need help. No matter what the situation may be (in our case it was Allie's escalating anxiety), if things start to feel like they are getting out of control, find someone who can help. 

36. What songs will always remind you of 2012? Call me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepson, We are Never Getting Back Together by Taylor Swift, Home by Phillip Phillips, Somebody That I Used to Know by Gotye, 50 Ways to Say Goodbye by Train, Titanium by David Guetta, Gangnam Style by Psy, One Thing by New Direction, Starships by Nicki Manaj, Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO

37. When you think about 2012 what sticks out in your mind? Life with five little kids is hard! Even though McKay isn't a baby anymore, there are moments every single day when I feel like there just isn't enough of me to go around. I can't do everything I want (or need) to do! People say that we'll miss these days, and I know there is about 25% of my days that I'll miss tremendously. But there is that other 75% (sleepless nights, changing poop, wiping bums, cleaning, cleaning, CLEANING!) that I won't miss. 

38. Best moment of 2012? This is such a small thing, but I think it sort of summarizes how I feel about the whole year. Jeff and I were talking about my brother, Jonny, who just moved to Provo to go to school and is dating all kinds of girls, and talking about how fun college is and how fun it was to be single. I was remembering all those good days, when I could care about myself above anyone else and kind of missing them. That night, though, we were lying in bed and Jeff reached over and put his hand on my side and fell asleep. Small thing, I know, but I was struck with how glad I am to be married. Single days were fun, but I wouldn't trade any of the carefree days I had for the days of responsibility I have now. Because now that we are so outnumbered, it's nice to have someone who is always on my side. My partner. My teammate.  

December Quotables

Kyla one morning, "I had a dream I had the picken chox! I mean the chicken pox!"

Carter, after watching some videos of the Haka on YouTube with my sister: "I want to watch the mohawk!"

Damon bit his tongue during basketball practice. He told me, "I feel like it has a welch on it!"

Allie is going to take a test to see if she can get into ALL (the advanced class) next year. She was whining about it. I asked what was wrong, and Kyla told me, "she doesn't want to do KSL!"

Kyla, who despises coats, put one on when she got really cold. "I'm toasted!," she exclaimed.

Kyla hurt Carter and I told her to tell him she was very sorry. She looked at me and said, "I'm not very sorry. I'm only a little sorry."

Kyla singing a Christmas song: "Good tithings we bring..."

Finally, a Plan Book I found written in Damon's handwriting. Dated 12/13/12

7:45 Get up
8:00 breakfast
8:15 get ready for school
8:40 study for Earth Science test
9:00 go to school
3:30 get out of school
3:45 get home
4:00 do colonial project
5:30 dinner
6:00 do more on colonial project
6:30 go to basketball
7:30 get back from basketball
8:00 time to get in bed and read
8:30 lights out
9:00 fall asleep
10:00 fast asleep (or should be)

*really, isn't that precious?

December

As usual, December got away from me. And so this post is going to be a giant mess of pictures from our fun activities, including a few from Christmas. 

Jeff at the top of our monster Christmas tree (we estimated it was 13 feet tall). 

Hot chocolate

The kids tried and tried and TRIED to get a good jumping pic. This was the best one. 

Our first visit to see Santa at the Riverwoods. We were too early.

Snowing, cold and so pretty!

Damon wanted to try to breathe fire. Or at least have it appear that way.

Twinners in their coats

Jumping in the cold--before the snow really came

Kindergarten Christmas program

 Traditional Journey Dinner.  I make homemade tortillas, and we eat nuts, dried fruit, olives, cheese, beef jerky and drink apple juice. By candlelight. It's super fun. The kids ask about this more than anything else we do at Christmas time.

Gingerbread house decorating

Visit to Temple Square, admiring the pipes

Christmas Eve in new jammies. Carter had had enough.

Christmas morning, ready for presents. Carter is in different jammies because he peed the bed. 

Cool new hats

Train table

A few that Kyla took. Merry Christmas all!