This week

1. I took the girls to a preview of "Cinderella," put on by the Hale Center Theater youth group. They did a free performance at the library, and the girls loved it. I knew they would. We got a couple pictures with cast members after the play. (Photos from my phone, and I'm still learning how to get good pictures with it, hence the weird coloring)

2. Carter has put up with a lot lately. During swim lessons, he tried on Damon's goggles. Not a fan. But he did seem to like his second experience with the swing at the park.

3. Allie wanted to ride her bike without training wheels. I was sure she was going to fall and would throw a huge fit, refusing to ride again for months (like Damon did). She surprised us all. She rode, she fell, she didn't cry, she rode again, and she has picked it up much more easily than I thought she would.

4. One day the kids were bored. Hmm, sounds like every day we don't have something planned. This particular day they made a fort. With tunnels. It was a lot of work. And I made them take it down before dinner. But it made for a fun afternoon.

5. Carter started eating sweet potatoes this week. And Kyla insisted on feeding him.

6. I got my first food from a co-op today (Bountiful Baskets). Pretty happy with the food I got for $15.

(7 plums, small seedless watermelon, bananas, 7 ears of corn, 3 English cucumbers, grapes, green cauliflower, lettuce, 5 lb potatoes, 3 tomatoes and 7 peaches).

Carter Update

So, it's been a little over a week since I started "sleep training" with Carter, and I must admit, it's going better than expected. Here is a journal style post of how it has gone:

DAY 1-Jeff had a meeting, so I had to take all the kids to Relief Society with me. By the time we got home, Carter didn't get in bed until 9:30 (he was ready much earlier). He woke up at 5:30 and I fed him the 4 oz bottle. He cried when it was gone, but went back to sleep easily.

DAY 2-Went to bed at 8:30. Woke up at 3:00 and I gave him the binky. Woke again at 4:00 and I gave him 3 oz. Went back to sleep easily.

DAY 3-8:30 bed time. Woke at 5:30 and I gave him 2 oz. He cried for a while, but went back to sleep until around 7:30.

DAY 4-We had a family reunion in Heber, where we were sharing cabins with Jeff's family. I had planned on feeding him 4 oz during the night, just so no one would have to listen to him cry. He had a hard time going to bed, and didn't fall asleep until late (being woken up by Kyla certainly didn't help anything). To my surprise, he didn't wake up at all during the night, and I didn't feed him again until it was light (my concept of time wasn't good, but it was probably after 7:00).

DAY 5- I put him to bed at 8:10. He wasn't hungry, so I didn't feed him then. I gave him a "topper" at 10:30 before I went to bed. He woke up at 3:30 and I gave him the binky. He went back to bed and woke up at 7:30.

DAY 6-Bed between 8:30 and 9:00. Woke up at 3:30. Binky and back to sleep.

DAY 7-Bed 8:00. My friend, April, dropped by unexpectedly at 9

:30, so I woke him up so she could meet him. He went back to bed around 10:00 and slept until 7:30.

DAY 8 (last night)-Jeff watched him while I went to a baby shower. I put him to bed when I got home at 10:00. Woke at 4:30. Binky and back to sleep until 7:30.

So, it seems a pattern has emerged. It's clear he doesn't need to drin

k a bottle during the night. And my nighttime routine has become sticking a binky in his mouth between 3:00 and 4:30. I am tempted to just let him cry himself back to sleep, but there is always the worry that he will do so by sucking his thumb/fingers (I have seen him do this before). So for at least another week, I will get up and give him the binky, then reevaluate.

I love this picture. I use the pack n play as a changing table downstairs, and one day I left Carter there while I did something else. Kyla, who absolutely cannot leave him alone, found a way to be close to him. As a side note, look at Carter's thighs.

Stitches

If you had to choose one of your children to fall and split their chin open, who would you choose? The oldest, a boy, who would be less likely to be affected by a scar on his face when he was older?#2, a drama mama, who is afraid of any drops of blood, because you think it would be good for her to realize that things will turn out okay? #3, the tough one, the one who didn't cry when she lost got shots, but instead gave the nurse an evil look, because you know she is the most likely to be brave? Or the baby, who is also the least likely trip and fall, because he can't even sit up yet, so how in the world could he trip and fall?

You'd pick #3? So would I. And lucky for me (but maybe not so lucky for you, because #1 and #2 probably would have made for a better story), it was Kyla. Here's the story: we were at a family reunion up in Heber this weekend and all the kids were playing. We had been there about an hour, so they were still interested in doing things besides annoying Jeff and me. We heard Kyla crying, and Jeff went over to see what was wrong. She had fallen on a big rock and was bleeding from her chin. After we got some of the blood cleaned up, it was pretty obvious that the cut, while not real big, was pretty deep, and she'd need stitches.

One of the benefits of having so many family members in health care is that someone not only usually has a suture kit, but also the ability to stitch up anything simple. But unfortunately, no one had a suture kit, not even the camp hosts. So, Jeff loaded Kyla up and drove her to Provo, calling his oral surgeon buddy, Mike Harris, on his way down. He drove her to Dr. Harris' office, where she got 4 shots of lidocaine and 5 stitches. He said she didn't cry at all, but at one point during the sutures said, "I felt that!" A couple of hours later, they returned to the reunion, where Kyla was extremely proud of her battle wound. And since she can't seem to keep a band-aid on it, she felt it her responsibility to keep it clean by soaking it in chocolate milk.

As a side note, look at how crowded her teeth are. Not a good sign for a 3 year old. Anyone know a good orthodontist?

Eat, Drink and be Merry

Carter has the life. He basically gets whatever he wants. He is a fairly high maintenance child who is only happy when he is getting his way. And for some reason, we are all too happy to give him what he wants. It makes life easier for the rest of us. He is most content if he is riding around on my shoulders. Maybe it gives him a better view of the world, I don't know. But I do know that he will be happy for a MUCH longer time if I am carrying him than any other way.

As a result, though, I have aching shoulder muscles. But I tell myself that the best way to get the last few pounds off is to haul an extra 19 pounds around. That should do the job. I'm hoping...

I did decide it was time for him to have some rice cereal. At five months, I think it was time.

He is great at opening his mouth whenever he sees the spoon coming, probably because he likes to suck/gnaw on anything that comes near his mouth, but not so great at swallowing. But we're working on it.

I was hopeful that the rice would help him get full enough to sleep all the way through the night. But I haven't seen a difference yet. He still wakes up once during the night to eat, and usually once or twice more when I have to give him the binky. But that is all about to change. Little Mr. Rule-the-House is about to be overthrown. Up until now, I have been making excuses for him; he was a sick little guy after all. But the tiny baby who had compromised lungs is gone. And this Chubby Bubby doesn't need to be eating during the night.

For some reason, feeding has always been such a chore with Carter. He is hungry, but he nearly always cries, gags, and puts up a fight when I feed him. The only peaceful feeding he has is during the night. Which is another reason I have been easy on him. No more. My plan is to cut back how much he gets during the night (start at 4 ounces, go to 3, than 2 than 1 than nothing) during the next few nights. I also think I am going to let him cry more to get himself back to sleep. He doesn't seem to have a problem crying himself to sleep during the day, so I know he is capable. It's time to break the bad habits. And I don't think Carter is going to like it one little bit. But the three older kids were all sleeping through the night consistently by 3 months. And if you factor in the fact that he was 2 weeks early and spent 2 weeks in the hospital, he has still caught up. No more excuses. Wish me luck!

If my plans fail, maybe I'll let him sleep in the swing with a bunch of toys. Seemed to work this day!

And this picture makes me smile. It's from my phone, and not the best quality, but Kyla and Carter were "helping" me do laundry yesterday.

The Rest

The biggest part of our Fourth of July celebrations was mealtime. We had many big gatherings with lots of good food. And we kept sending the kids out on the deck to eat. Eric felt bad for them, as they were roasting in the late afternoon sun, and he built this tent for them. So nice.

A few of us "lucky ones" got to go to Stadium of Fire. I hadn't been in several years (since Martina McBride was the headliner, in fact), and didn't have any interest in forking out $50 for the event. But then they booked Carrie Underwood. And how could I say no? I couldn't. Especially when Jeff said he would stay with the kids. I didn't take any pictures, but stole a few from my cousin's Facebook account (me, my cousin Addison, and my bro, Eric, on our way!).


We agreed that on a scale of 1-10, Carrie was a 10. The rest of the show was a 5. Total score=7.5. Worth it, but not the best ever.

We also swam plenty. Both in the pool and in the tub. Girls in one tub, boys in another. Here are the girls:

And one of our lone swimming pictures. I was trying to upload a video of Kyla being tossed in the air by Grandpa Dale, but it is taking too long. Maybe later when I have more patience I will do that...along with the other things I promised in earlier posts...

Happy Fourth (on the Eleventh)!!

Letter from Damon

Damon wrote a letter (via my sister, Heather) to my brother who is on a mission in Argentina about his baptism. I had to share (thanks Heather for doing this!).

Dear Elder Jonathan:
On your birthday was my baptism. I am so happy I got baptized on your birthday. I'm going to send you a picture of me and my dad in white clothes. I felt warm inside. I got the Holy Ghost and I felt so good. And I sang a solo called When I Am Baptized. Are you doing a good job on your mission? Has anyone listened to you? Have you felt the Holy Ghost? Because those are the things I felt at my baptism. On my birthday I had a pinata, water balloons, and a yellow cake. I had a very fun time. My cousins came over to celebrate my party and my baptism. I am having a really fun time with everyone here, even though Heather is sleeping in my bed. Guess what Grandpa Dale gave me for my birthday? A geode. It is big like two grapefruits put together and it is blue inside. I love it a lot. It's supposed to mean the solid foundation so you can build a strong testimony in Jesus and not on sand, like Satan. Um. And. I hope you had a very fun time.
Love, Damon

Damon

Our fourth of July weekend started out with a quick visit from our best friends from dental school, Jenn and Joe Whitesides. We had such a good time visiting with them, and even though they didn't have their two boys, our kids made up for it with their excitement.

Things really started to get busy on the 2nd, when this handsome boy turned 8.

We have been talking about his baptism for a long time, and I honestly can't believe that day is already here. He has grown a lot since we first started taking these pics of him in his daddy's shirt. You can see his legs now. But he still has a ways to go before he can fill it out (phew!).

My family was already planning on being here for the Fourth, so we were excited to find out that Damon would be getting baptized on the third. And although he didn't get to have a party with friends (it was just too much for me, having to host all my family and plan an after baptism get together), he still had a great birthday. Here he is sampling his favorite food--sushi! Harmon's has the best.


He wanted a rainbow cake, but we were running out of time, so all he got was a yellow and green cake (yellow is his favorite color). You can see some of our chaos in the background. It was SO much fun having all my family here, but I think it will take me at least a week to get everything back together.

Saturday was a very special day. There was only one other child in the stake getting baptized, so Damon got to plan a lot of what he wanted to happen. He asked Tara to give the talk on the Holy Ghost, Heather to play the piano, Kimmy to lead the music and Noel to say the prayer. He also prepared a song to sing (which he sang wonderfully--must remember to get video).


Really, it was so special and I am so proud of him and his eagerness to do what's right. Happy birthday Damon! I love you!

Here are 8 things I love about him:

1. He is so determined. Although he often gets frustrated, he never gives up. He always wants to be the best and he's going to keep at it until he is. He must have done over a hundred flips on the trampoline before he landed on his feet.

2. He is very sensitive to the spirit. I told him once at FHE that someday he will have to pray and ask Heavenly Father if the Church is true. He told me he already has and he already knows that it is.

3. He is very responsible. He cleans his own room, makes his own bed, gets himself ready for school (including making his lunch), all with minimal reminding.

4. He has a beautiful singing voice and some great dance moves (the singing voice Jeff is okay with; the dance moves he is not.)

5. He has the best laugh. Really and truly.

6. He loves to dress up for church. And sometimes at home when the girls are in their play dresses. So we bought him a nice suit for his birthday. He looks great (must remember to take a pic)

7. He is a saver. He has saved over $50 during the past few years and when I asked what he is going to buy, he said, "I'm saving it for my mission."

8. He is a great helper. I always thought I wanted to have a girl first, to help me with the kids, but he is a great brother. He loves his sisters and Carter and looks out for them. I'm truly blessed to be his mom.

Five months

Man, life is busy. I thought the summer would be relaxing, but it's not. It's just as busy as ever. And time is flying by. This handsome fella is now five months old.

We went in for his four month appointment this week. A month late. That's how busy we have been. I was extremely curious to find out how much this little porker weighs, because he has been causing cramps in my left arm for weeks as I tote him about. He weighed 18 lb 10 oz. Yep, he's a big boy, just like his brother Damon was. He was 90th percentile for weight. And 50th for height. Short and stout. Just like the little teapot.

Damon took these pictures of Carter on the rocking chair. Not bad. Not bad at all.

At five months, Carter still hates his tummy, and has yet to come close to rolling over. The doctor said I should put him down for five minutes every hour. Five minutes is about all he can take. He starts like this:

But his interest quickly wanes, and he ends up like this:

Now that's some hard crying! He is also become quite the little drooler. If I didn't know better, I would say that he is teething. But my other kids didn't get teeth until about 9 months, so I'm not convinced that there are any chompers coming any time soon. He soaks his shirts, my arm, blankets...anything that gets near his mouth.

The other reason he never gets a lot of tummy time is because he is constantly getting mauled by his sisters. He can't get a minute of peace. You would think the novelty of a baby would have worn off by now, but it hasn't. He is still the center of the universe in our home.

My hair has been falling out by the handful. It happens every time. I try to hide it with my hair down (it's worst right at my temples, especially the right one), but I do favor a ponytail. So you can't tell in pictures, but I know it. Trust me.


I also put Carter in the swing at the park for the first time. He didn't love it, but he didn't hate it the way I thought he would. I'm guessing he's not going to be quite the sissy la la I once feared.

Here are a couple more. Damon took the one of me, Carter and Kyla. I love the summer tans and Kyla's hair that is getting blonder by the day!

Summer Games

**Thanks for the pictures Heather! I love blog stealing!**

This last week has been like a flash back in time. Somehow, we thought it would be a good idea to get a team together and play basketball in the Utah Summer Games. Never mind the fact that most of us haven't played competitive basketball since high school. And never mind the fact that we have 19.5 kids between us. We thought it would be fun.

And it was fun. It was fun to get together with girls I haven't spent a lot of time with in years and play the sport we all loved to play together. That part was amazing. What wasn't fun was the losing. Because lose we did. Because there were only 3 teams in the 25 and older division, we had to play our first four games against the 18 and older girls. And those college girls ran circles around us. And in front of us. And behind us. And they just never stopped running.

We learned quickly that we weren't going to be able to compete with any of those teams, much less win a game. But we played hard anyway, wondering how in the world we got so old so fast. Because we couldn't physically keep up with those young girls. Maybe it's the 19.5 kids. Or maybe it was the lack of practice, coaching, and recent experience that held us back. It doesn't matter. We got smoked off the court.

Here we are after our first game. I knew most of these girls from high school, and two were friends of friends I met that first day. Suzanne and Linzi Jolley, Tara, Heather, Hailee Adamson, Sarah Something, Cassie Warburton, Becky Semmens, me, and Kristin Hoffman. I went with maiden names because that's how I'll always think of them.

You are probably saying to yourself, "That doesn't sound like any fun at all." But you'd be wrong. Because it was so fun. And mostly because of #1 and #111, Tara and Heather. I was #11 in high school, and Tara took over after me. Heather was #32, but we ran out of 3's or 2's or something when we were making the numbers, so we thought it would be fun to carry on our 11.


This was the first time in a LONG time that none of us are pregnant. We haven't all played together in many years, and never like this. It was SO DANG FUN playing ball with my sisters. And even though we were getting spanked, my grandparents came to every game. And my dad was our next biggest fan. Those are special memories, and my aging body is telling me that there won't be too many more years where #1, #11, and #111 will be able to get up and down the court.
All day Thursday and Friday we kept saying, "When we play against our own division, things will be different." And Saturday morning we got our shot. We played against one of the two other teams and the game was much more competitive. They didn't have any more skill than we did, and they didn't run us out of the gym. But we couldn't get our shots to fall. It just wasn't our day.


We were happy with our bronze medal. We earned it. And we learned that with a little more practice, we could probably turn our bronze into silver. Or even gold. But we better make it quick. And we better bring along a massage therapist...

Carmel Water Rafting

There has been big talk in the Trapnell family for many years about taking a trip together. I never actually thought it would happen. Partly because we couldn't even plan a girl's weekend away (our girl's trips always turned into lunch, shopping and a movie. All the festivities were finished in a few short hours). And partly because I thought the boys would rather take their trips without us.

But this time around, Jeff's mom got involved. In October, she told the boys that we wanted to go on a trip with them. And we wanted to do a RIVER trip with them. And they planned it. AND everyone committed, except Jeff's oldest brother, who had already planned a trip to Africa. Secretly, inside, I thought it would never actually happen. But it did.

The Friday before Memorial Day, we crept out of the house at 4:45 am, loaded everything up, and made the drive to Moab where we met Al, a friend our husband's had met on the Grand Canyon last year, and our 30 foot raft. We had some trepidation about actually stepping aboard the "boat," as it appeared that it was headed swiftly to retirement, but the boys assured us it was indestructible, and proceeded to demonstrate by jumping up and down on the outer tubes to prove it.

In the picture above, you can see the beautiful raft I mentioned. All of our gear is under those tarps, which the men would secure every morning for us. We spent three and a half days lounging around on top of the gear (and anywhere we could find a free space, actually) as we maneuvered the Colorado River in Cataract Canyon. At the bottom of the picture, you can see a couple of brown bags of water. Those are the solar showers. They were filled with that crystal clear river water (cough, cough) and left to bake all day in the sun. When we got to camp at night, the water was a toasty 115 degrees, and those who were brave could take a warm shower. We lost them one day, after a particularly treacherous rapid, but they were all recovered floating in the river.

When we felt that we had reached the appropriate number of miles, we made camp. The men promised us that they would take care of everything, which may have been the reason Jeff's mom actually made the trip. They did an amazing job. The first night, they cooked salmon. The second night, steaks. And burritos the third night. Everything tasted great!

You can see the dinner crew here. Jeff isn't pictured (in fact, he isn't in any of the pictures. I'm not sure where he was...), and neither is his dad. But these are the rest of the men. Al, Ryan (soon to be brother in law),Dr Garner (a family friend), and Jeff's brothers, Chris, Russ and Greg. This was our first camp, salmon night. We also had a port-a-potty at this camp, something none of us appreciated until day 2.

And here are the ladies, waiting to be served. Nancy and Noel, Cheryl Garner, Julie, Laurie, Sheri and me. Don't ask why everyone looks better than me. I have no answer for that.

Besides eating, we had plenty of time to chat, read US Weekly, play a fun game called The Oatmeal Guy, and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.

We didn't come upon any rapids at all until the end of day 2. This was probably the most disappointing thing about the entire trip. I had thought we would be having rapids every day, with only periods of flat water. But that wasn't the case. We spent most of our days floating along like Tom Sawyer, albeit in better company (and with a motorized raft). If you scroll back up to the first picture, you can see all of us in our rain gear. This was the third day, right before we took on the biggest rapid of the trip. We pulled over so the men could scout it out, making sure we took the best possible course so as not to flip the raft. We all waited nervously, decked out like we were on our way to the Arctic. I must admit, though, the rapids were awesome. "High adventure," as we called it. I just wish there had been more. Besides a one or two hour period on day 3, we had no other rapids.

But we did have plenty of time for lounging and enjoying the sun (one of my favorite past times). There was nowhere to go, nothing to do, no one to take care of...that was amazing. We ate when we were hungry, slept when we were tired, and spent the rest of the time just floating along.

This was our last day, floating toward our destination. It was still a bit chilly, as the sun hadn't warmed us yet, but I am still rocking that sweet water-proof hat I stole from Jeff.

The worst part of the trip was actually an object. Known to everyone as The Groover. Basically it was a metal box with a seat where we did our "twosies." And as we made camp on day 2, it made us REALLY appreciate Camp One, with its port-a-potty.

For those of you who are interested in taking a river trip, let me give you a little peek (ha! not literally) at what it was like. The Groover was placed in a secluded area, and a yellow flotation device with the words "Need Help" was situated where all could see. When you felt that inevitable call of nature, you took the flotation device (to signal "Occupied"), and followed the path to the location of The Groover (one time it was a path, one time it was through a tangle of weeds). There, in private, you had to pee in the river (or in a bush, just NOT in The Groover), and then back up to The Groover, plug your nose, lift the lid, quickly sit down, and do your business as quickly as possible. Then, without looking, you had to sprinkle some powdered bleach on top (to keep the smell down), close the lid, and quickly run away before you are forced to breathe in again.

You don't necessarily have to follow those directions, but I highly recommend it. A person could ruin the rest of the trip by satisfying their curiosity and breathing in deeply, just to see what it smells like.

But apart from the minor inconvenience of having to travel with a box of everyone's poop, it really was an enjoyable trip. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys relaxation, periods of high adventure, and doesn't mind sleeping under the stars. Or showering with warm river water.

Thanks Julie for the pictures! I told you I would steal them from your blog, and I am nothing if not honest.

Four Months

From this...

...to this.

In just four short months.

Carter at four months is a completely different baby. Not only does he look completely different (growing into those chubby rolls and all), but he acts completely different. If he had been out of my sight for any extended period of time, I would fear that he had been switched for someone else's baby and would demand him back. Actually, strike that. I would not actually want to trade back. I would never knowingly go back to the way things were. But I would write a long, consoling letter to the unsuspecting parents who were now forced to raise him. And apologize for their sleep deprivation.

That's how much he has changed in the past two months or so. The child who used to not sleep at all has now become a champion sleeper. He wakes up once at night (I really wish we could cut the 4 am feeding out, but it's not too bad), and takes many naps during the day (every 1.5-2 hours after he wakes up). Including one afternoon nap that is usually about 3 hours. In his bed. He has, effectively, gone from my worst sleeper to my best. And I couldn't be happier about it.

He also has started trying to reach out and touch toys, and bringing them to his mouth. This is a cognitive milestone I was hoping he would be able to reach. I love the awkwardness of his little hands as he bats at the offending toys I place in his way. I love the way he tries to maneuver objects toward his mouth, using both hands if possible. And I love how he just can't seem to figure it out. It just makes it all the more endearing.

To be honest, Carter cares a lot more about the people in the room than the toys. He will give any toy a quick glance, and usually will try to improve his skills by grabbing it, but he gets bored easily. He would much rather stare at one of the girls until they talk to him in their "baby voices," and tell him how cute he is. And quite frankly, who could blame him? I would stare too, if it meant I got complimented all day long.

Health wise, Carter has been mostly fine. He has had a few small colds, but nothing too serious. Right now, he is a little croupy, which doesn't sound very good, but so far, he doesn't seem too affected by it. In fact, he slept from 9:30 last night to 7:00 this morning. That was nice. I have a humidifier going 24/7 in his room and I gave him a breathing treatment this morning. I am hoping he will start feeling better soon and not have any serious problems!

Here is a little video (for the family, or the highly bored) of Carter and his new abilities. Mostly I like how he likes me.

Funny

Funny quote from Allie. I know you've been missing those.

"Kyla, you are my best sister. Heavenly Father is my best father." (Pauses for a minute, knowing that's not quite right). "Heavenly Father is my best...uncle."

I remember another one. Allie saw Damon carrying a baseball bat and asked, "is that your ball whacker?"

Allie, seeing her balloon lying on the ground, "My balloon ran out of Helaman."

Kyla loves her little princesses, especially Ariel. One day she was talking to herself, and I heard her say she was going to look for Ariel. She called out, "Ariel?," as if she expected an answer. From upstairs, I said in a high voice, "Yes?" Kyla came running. "Ariel!?," she called, as if she honestly expected to find that her princess had come to life.

Back yard finally!

We had such high hopes and lofty dreams for the money that was refunded us after taxes were paid. I mean, seriously, the list of things I would have liked to spend the money on is lengthy indeed. But we quickly realized that we needed to use it on our landscaping. Because I have been dreaming of my very own grass to lie on since we left Columbus (you all know how I feel about the "grass" in Florida).

Here are a couple of pics of the backyard.

This is taken from the deck. We are super happy with the way the firepit turned out. And I can't wait until we get it hooked up so we can use it (we ran a gas line out there so we need to figure out how we're going to turn it off and on).

This is the other corner of the yard. The gravel on the right is where my garden boxes are going to go. And hopefully one day they will be filled with yummy fruits and vegetables. The trampoline will eventually have mulch around it and some trees in the corner.

Carter's blessing

I neglected to mention that we finally did get around to blessing this little tubby. We decided we better do it before he could walk. I searched all over for a cute blessing outfit that was the right size, and most importantly, the right price. I found this gem on KSL for $10. Brand new. Can't say no to that. Jeff kept apologizing to Carter. I guess he thought it was a little girlie. Carter doesn't seemed too thrilled, either.

But he was perfect during the blessing. My brother said he even folded his arms and looked at the men in the circle. Probably thanking them for hoisting his ever increasing weight.

A man in our ward was recording sacrament meeting, and he brought over a typed copy of the blessing Carter was given. It was very sweet.

More to come soon.